“A baby has only three demands. They are warmth in the arms of its mother, food from her breasts, and security in the knowledge of her presence.
Breastfeeding satisfies all three.” - Grantly Dick-Read

My baby was born with Wet Lung Syndrome. Sound so serious! Thank God it was not. In fact, it is a pretty common syndrome for babies born by way of caesarean (so I was told). But it did cause him rapid breathing in his early days and his paed told us he could be prone to get asthma.

And because of this, we had to mix FM during his early days, on his paed’s advice. Johor Specialist added Wyeth S26 Gold on top of my BM and we continued with the same. Sebab kalau dia penat in his effort to menyusu and kalau menangis sebab lambat kenyang, boleh cause problem to his pernafasan. So I was told lah.

But during pantang, I was determined to try as best as I could to provide my baby with enough BM so I pumped and fed and nursed and pumped and stocked-up, like a mad lembu tenusu. Haha. So yeah, alhamdulillah, despite some makcik-makcik constantly telling me that BM will not be enough for boys, I managed to prove them wrong. Lembu tenusu berjaya!

This is gonna be a long one. Read on only if you’re keen to learn about my personal views and experience on breastfeeding. Ewah, baru 6 bulan nak cerita pasal experience. Yalah, my 6 months experience lah! (Defensive) Oh yes, this entry is inspired by THIS.


WHY BREAST IS BEST?
Google this and you’d get hundreds of reasons why you should breastfeed your child. Why it’s good for you. Why it’s good for your baby. How breast milk is the best. How breastfeeding strengthen your babies’ immune system and lower their risk to get asthma, diabetes, gas and obesity and so on and so forth. How breastfeeding promotes bonding. How it helps mothers to get back their pre-pregnancy weights and how it is economical, timesaving, clean, safe and bla bla bla. Go Google lah! Jangan malas. Haha.


WHY I CHOOSE TO BREASTFEED?
(1) Refer to the hundreds of reasons. I concur with expert opinions. (2) Allah has custom-made my milk to suit my baby and who am I to argue with the Almighty Creator? Hehe. (3) I have history of eczema and resdung, so I hope to reduce my baby’s risk from getting these penyakit and many others. (4) And yes, in the words of Allah the Almighty, “The mothers shall give suckling to their children for two whole years.” (Al-Baqarah: 233) Two whole years, people! (5) Besides, I am a product of breastfeeding and I’d like my baby to be one too.






BAM BAM BAM. PRODUK SUSU MAMA.

WHAT SHOULD YOU KNOW ABOUT BREASTFEEDING?
First and foremost, that breastfeeding is hard work. That it requires effort, especially if you’re a working mom. That especially during early days when your baby has yet to master latching technique, it will be painful and somewhat frustrating. That it could be inconvenient and time-consuming. That there will be days when you feel so tired and akan rasa macam, eh eh senangnya kalau bagi FM! Take 2 scoops, mix with 4oz of warm water and voila, milk is ready!

This is when support system, motivation and mostly, willpower are crucial. Bunyi macam serius. Eh memang seriuspun. I think fellow breastfeeding moms will definitely understand what I mean.


BUT YOU'RE A WORKING MOM?!
So what’s the problem again? Pump your milk. Store them. Hand them over to your baby’s caretaker. Thaw the milk. Feed the baby. Hehehe. Bunyi macam simple ya? No no no. It involves a lot of effort on your part and yes, mesti ada kesungguhan dan support system!

But yeah, it can be done! I’m doing it! And have you heard about Ginger Bohl, the American doctor in Afghan who expresses her milk and get them transported to her son in the USA? Sungguh mengkagumkan. Such dedication. Such an inspiration!


HOW DO I DO IT?
(1) STORE: I work, therefore I store. First kena tahu, if you intend to resume work after pantang, during pantang, you have got to pump and stock up and pump and stock up. And continue stocking up your supply on daily basis. For guidelines on storage, read HERE.

(2) PUMP: To store, yeah you gotta pump. Get yourself a good pump. I use Swing and I pump at least 4-5 times a day, each pumping session would usually take 10-20 minutes, producing approximately 4-8 oz. Oh you must also pump on weekends, to ensure that your supply will exceed demand. Kalau tidak, akan berdebar.

(3) STORAGE ACCESSORIES: You don’t have to get yourself a deep freezer just yet. Must haves would be storage bags (I use bags instead of bottle because it saves space and time) and cooler bag, complete with ice packs.


WHAT IS THE BEST BREAST PUMP IN TOWN?
Have you heard the joke that breast pump is the new Blackberry? Haha. Breastfeeding is that cool, tau! If you have extra money to burn, most people would suggest Medela Freestyle, sebab boleh express both sides sekaligus thus saving your time. And Medela is known for its 2-phase expression system, which is good lah. I use Medela Swing and it has been good enough for me.

But then again, yang penting ialah keinginan. Like my Kindred put it, if you really want to breastfeed your child, guna manual pump jenama Pureen pun boleh! A cousin of mine told me that her doctor friend pumps manually, I mean guna tangan! And she managed to exclusively breastfeed her baby for two whole years! Mari kagum! Ini membuktikan bahawa keinginan dan will power itu penting. But I do think a good pump helps a lot!


WHAT IF YOU DON’T PRODUCE ENOUGH MILK?
This is almost always not true! Demand creates supply. So the more you feed your baby, the more you pump; the more your body will produce milk. Percayalah! Memanglah awal-awal, setitik-setitik keluar. This is how it was for me. Tapi perlu teruskan usaha! And watch your diet. Read on regarding low milk supply HERE.


CAN I TAKE OVER-THE-COUNTER MEDS? ANY FOODS I SHOULD AVOID?
You should always consult your doctor/pharmacist before taking any meds. Sebab memang kena take breastfeeding-compatible meds. The same rules apply for foods. You should monitor your diet. Kalau nampak baby develop allergies after you take certain type of foods, stop. My baby developed some rashes after I had some peanuts so I stopped taking any types of nuts.


KESIMPULAN TIBA-TIBA
Eh penatlah nak compress everything you need to know about breastfeeding in one entry. Go get yourself this BOOK and read this comprehensive SITE for more information. Iqra’ iqra’ iqra’! Oh and just so you know, I have nothing against moms who choose to feed their babies with formula. Their baby; their prerogative, their way. But yes, I choose to breastfeed and I undoubtedly encourage others to do so because yes, BREAST IS BEST!