Breastfeeding Basics and More

As a first time mom, maybe I was one of the few ones who didn’t anticipate one bit on what all it will take to feed my newborn and the anxiety and pressure that surrounds the same in this breastfeeding basics article.

I wrote this article on Breastfeeding basics and more as I definitely wouldn’t want anyone to be as clueless as I was as the journey is long and lonely though undoubtedly, each time the doctor would share the good news of healthy weight gain of the baby- it all seemed gratifying and worth the effort. 

Let’s dive right into breastfeeding basics and more and hope this article helps all expecting moms, nursing moms and yes, for those who are still mulling over the idea of motherhood.

There is really no “take your time” kind of a situation.  You deliver the baby and soon after, need to figure the feeding situation. In most cases, the milk doesn’t come instantly so you are told to work towards it. In my case, the baby was in the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) so I was told to pump to get the system in tune to start making milk. Yes, the initial liquid that comes out is sacred and must be offered to the child. So, as I continued to pump- the body started to make milk and it was delivered to my baby from time to time. As most babies in my side of the family were breastfed for the initial phase and then were supplemented with formula when needed- I had done no homework on good pumps. So, mammas don’t do another me, do enough research, speak to your friends and keep your pumps ready in your hospital bags. In the case, you do not have a pump- you will have to use the hospital one till you arrange one for yourself. Eventually, I did keep two breast pumps with me over the course of my breastfeeding journey because there were times when one would just stop working. And yes, I did even buy a manual pump which I personally found extremely difficult to use as well as painful. You could instead invest in a portable pump which wouldn’t let you sit in one place staring into space. 

Breastfeeding is hard, very hard and I know I was not the only one on this journey but I am repeating myself because your hormones are all over the place so what you need from all corners is a lot of love, care and pampering. Everyone around should do their best in their capacity to support a breastfeeding mom. In the initial weeks or even months, one is always worried about the body making enough milk or if the baby is full or not and so on. So, please save yourselves from making nasty comments like, “Pumping seems so damn easy”. Instead get the feeding mom- a good meal of her choice as she needs to be very well fed.

So, let’s just burst this myth right here and right now. Pumping truly isn’t the easy way out. As someone who has done it over and over again- I have bled, got blisters, got cut and what not. I have had to reach out to professionals every now and then for their assistance to handle the issue in hand and get back to taking out milk as my baby couldn’t go hungry. Yes, one can always take the help of formula milk but if you start supplementing often then according to the signal the body gets, milk production slows.

There is more, after every pumping session- I have felt tired and exhausted and the mind has always been racing on scheduling the next pumping slot, the next feed and if there is enough milk in the fridge or not. I still have not even bought in the picture the schedule of cleaning the pump parts and bottles and getting them timely sterilized. 

Just like C-section isn’t really the easy way out, there isn’t any easy way out here as well. Initially as my baby couldn’t latch, I exclusively pumped and yearned for more time with the baby, something which is a huge plus for moms who feed directly. But mamma’s, here is something which I feel I did right and it eventually helped me- I never gave up on trying to directly feed her, hoping one day it would just click. I also got in touch with credible lactation experts, one of them I actually called home to teach me everything about breastfeeding from the start even though by now my baby was a few months old. No judgements! All these efforts- eventually did help, I could finally bid adieu to the pump and got on to feeding directly which most of the times came so handy in putting her to sleep or just soothing and yes, even during those flight take-offs and landing. Moral of the story here is choose what works for you and yes, establish contact with a good lactation consultant much in advance.

Another issue which often came up was milk ducts getting blocked and I learnt from the lactation experts that gently massaging the breasts, using cold compress and regular pumping/feeding would help. Also, one should keep handy: a good nipple cream and milk storage packets so whenever the supply is good- you should just pump and store that milk. 

In between also came days of low milk supply which did get very stressful as I wasn’t sure on switching to formula completely as yet but then I spoke to many moms besides our own doctor and was again relieved to hear that I wasn’t the only one and that the baby needs to be fed and can’t go hungry so I did introduce a formula feed like that. Also, one bad day doesn’t mean that the milk wouldn’t ever return. In fact, in this scenario too, stress is your biggest enemy. 

Mammas it doesn’t end here, like there is pressure to give breastmilk, there is also pressure and judgement to wean off. You would definitely find people who instead of complimenting you knowing it is a no man’s play to breastfeed for a longer duration for you are mindful of your eating and drinking habits besides other lifestyle alterations- they choose to shame you for feeding a relatively bigger baby. Mums, breastmilk is great for as long as you can give and I did choose to give it for close to two years. I am sharing this because I was on the verge of giving up just a few months in but with the right guidance and support- I managed to stay on this journey. And when the time felt right for both my baby and myself is when I consciously started working towards weaning off.

Breastfeeding is a beautiful journey which will have its ups and downs, but it is also a very personal journey and would be different for different people. So, block the noise, just listen to the experts, and make beautiful memories with your little one for this time would never come back and you will for life cherish the beautiful nights when it was just you and your baby trying to figure out the feeding and being fed situation.

SONALI VIJ

-A hands-on new mamma who loves to travel and make memories while keeping it fashionable. She also works for a leading sports management company in India and loves to pursue her passion for writing on the side.