breastfeeding 101

These finally arrived in the mail a couple of days ago, yeay!

Purchased them through a KIM (Kumpulan Ibu-ibu Menyusu) member from Facebook. I have been searching for them at bookstores but to no avail - or I haven't searched right. Anyway, I am just so happy and excited they are now in my hands! They're a good read, very detailed and informative.

I used to refer to these reads before and a couple of parenting books I mentioned here.

Somehow I feel like something's missing. I need more and I want to know more. The KIM group that I joined helped a lot too, but I need something tangible, something that I could keep. Hence, the purchase.

When I was pregnant, I have promised myself that I want to exclusively breastfeed my baby up to 6 months and insyaAllah with His will, up to 2 years. I made du'a constantly that He will grant my wish and that my breastfeeding journey will be a smooth sailing one. I equipped myself with necessary information, went to an antenatal class which provided segments on breastfeeding essentials and had talks with friends who are mummies. I had prepared myself physically, emotionally and mentally for this.

Only, it is not as easy as it sounds.

After Luqman was born, I had trouble breastfeeding him because he had trouble latching. I, on the other hand, had trouble handling him the right way when breastfeeding (so much for attending the antenatal class heh!) and like most new mums, the colostrum didn't immediately appear.

I remember being surrounded by close friends, sister-in-law and my mum that night after giving birth, all helping me to help Luqman latch. It is because once the baby successfully latches on to the breast, that will help to start the lactation process. Of course, it wasn't successful and I was worried that Luqman was hungry as he didn't get a taste of my pre-milk (the most important for the baby) ever since he was born.

Later that night, my husband helped me through and alhamdulillah after a few squeezing of the nipple a few drops of colostrum appeared and I quickly fed my nipple to his lips for him to lick. My milk started to appear after the third day of birth. Luqman also has learned to latch quite properly.

Then he was admitted again due to jaundice. That was the start of a very stressful and emotional breastfeeding journey of mine. And a decision that I will forever remember.

As I had to breastfeed him frequently, I suffered from sore and cracked nipples. They bled, too. It could be due to my virgin nipples and also incorrect way of latching. Only God knows how painful it felt. It was traumatizing. When he cried to be fed, I cried along due to the pain. It was that one time, due to exhaustion and frustration, I made an abrupt decision by asking the nurse to feed Luqman with formula milk. Yes, I did. I was really sad thinking that at 3 days old, he had to consume formula milk and not mine to fill his stomach.

As hard as it was to digest, I never quite regret that decision. I also don't think that it made me less of a mother. It only made me more determined to continue breastfeeding Luqman and make it right once and for all.

After a stressful and emotional first few weeks, I can now say I'm getting a hang of it.

In a few words,
I believe niat is what's most important. Together with effort, patience, positive thoughts and constant du'a, God will guide me all the way through.

Alhamdulillah for the opportunity to breastfeed as it is an ibadah and remember, "susu itu adalah hak anak kita".

7 Replies:

Mommy Brella February 27, 2012 at 9:41 PM  

i pon suka kalau boleh dapat buku2 instead of reading the info on9.

bestnye buku2 tu! good job tasha. Lepas ni confirm boleh bukak library pasal babies je..A-z info semua adaaa

I agree about wht u wrote. It goes back to our niat,susu badan ni hak dia, bila2 kita betul2 determine nak bg..insyaAllah Allah permudahkan..cuma kita kena terus ikhtiar dan never give up (gaya cakap as if i dah menyusukan budak jer kan??? haha)

btw, I punye colostrum dah start keluar dr bulan ke 6. Awal2 tu rasa macam uneasy sbb that area selalu basah kan. I punya la nak sgt bf kan nanti sampai semua akak2 sekolah yg still bf i sebok2 interview pasal tips nak bg ada susu.Mungkin teruja sgt sampai die dah start "leaking" hehe..siap kena pakai sleeping bra with breast pad to avoid basah yg keterlaluan di baju..

go tasha go! semoga rezeki luqman utk dapat susu ummi dia sampai umur dua tahun, ameen~

me February 28, 2012 at 1:27 AM  

They are indeed best! If u nak, pm me.

Yes, yg penting we can never give up because the challenges are many. It is tiring tp if you ikhlas semua senang. And you definitely need the support from people close to you to succeed, too.

Wah, cepatnya. Bagus2. I sampaila ke bersalin x leak pun. InsyaAllah nanti u akan dipermudahkan jugak, amin!

el February 28, 2012 at 2:46 AM  

nanti luqman dah besar sket, dah tau tarik2 baju lg seronok tau.. time tu rase kite sgt diperlukan..hihi..itulah kelebihan bf and fm. if fm, bg botol then tdo sendiri.kalo bf,tdo dlm pelukan..:)

me February 28, 2012 at 9:23 AM  

El, skrg ni pun Luqman dah pandai gerak2 lasak sgt time nak menyusu hehe skali dpt, suka tgk!!

Ni dia kecik lg, xleh nak peluk2 kuat2 hehe when he is bigger, mmg nak peluk2 sebab geram. Time menyusu sgt comel kan baby?

Nadia Bakly February 28, 2012 at 9:57 AM  

Become a lactation counselor! ;) you will love it!

me February 28, 2012 at 4:46 PM  

Wuhuu paan! Still too early haha byk lagi nak kena belajar and tahu. But who knows,one day I might be? InsyaAllah! I learned a lot from you too :)

Collos March 1, 2012 at 1:17 AM  

It is quite crucial for the baby to get the colostrum after birth. A lot of mothers who have trouble lactating or don't produce much colostrum are advised to provide their babies with it through other means. I recommend the AquaSource Colostrum which is just for that purpose. Good luck!


The Writer

The Writer
I am a wife, a mother, and a teacher by profession. At times a pessimist and one who is easily amused. I find comfort once entering the threshold of my bedroom. I write because I want to and it makes me feel good :)