The road to breastfeeding

Just to share some thoughts after reading some of the posts here :)

1. I remember after giving birth, my breasts got handled by so many nurses, suddenly, they don't seem to belong to me anymore. It was a totally weird feeling. But that soon got replaced by the shiokness when baby latches on nicely.

2. Sometimes, a having friend who's breastfeeding successfully can be useful. My sister had prob latching her bb on initially. And when i asked permission to watch how she fed, there were so many alternatives and suggestions I could give. And i can also show her up close how i latch baby on.

3. Persevere! It can be an uphill task, fighting our physical tiredness, illness, and sometimes discouragement from people around us. For me, reading up on bfing helps :)

4. Pamper yourself :) The cow must be well-fed/taken care of so that the milk will be nutritious, right? ;) It's a privilege and a right of ours, and ultimately the one that benefits is the baby. I say this coz sometimes it's easy to forget ourselves and just give and give. But we can give only if we have our tanks full, correct. :)
 

blubberish

Member
Just to share some thoughts after reading some of the posts here :)

1. I remember after giving birth, my breasts got handled by so many nurses, suddenly, they dont't seem to belong to me anymore. It was a totally weird feeling. But that soon got replaced by the shiokness when baby latches on nicely.

2. Sometimes, a having friend who's breastfeeding successfully can be useful. My sister had prob latching her baby on initially. And when i asked permission to watch how she fed, there were so many alternatives and suggestions I could give. And i can also show her up close how i latch baby on.

3. Persevere! It can be an uphill task, fighting our physical tiredness, illness, and sometimes discouragement from people around us. For me, reading up on bfing helps :)

4. Pamper yourself :) The cow must be well-fed/taken care of so that the milk will be nutritious, right? ;) It's a privilege and a right of ours, and ultimately the one that benefits is the baby. I say this coz sometimes it's easy to forget ourselves and just give and give. But we can give only if we have our tanks full, correct. :)

Hey instantoats!

Your comments really hit the nail on its head! The thing is, our society has drifted so far away from breastfeeding that it no longer becomes natural to us. I remember thinking that all mothers will know how to breastfeed and would have done so especially in my grandmothers' and mother's generation. However, it wasn't until later that I found that my grandmother fed my aunts and dad condensed milk when they were young! She said she was not free to breastfeed them as she had to work on the farm! Imagine my surprise! Then when it came to my mother and mother-in-law, that was the era where they were told that formula milk was better than breastmilk so they too did not breastfeed.

So... basically, breastfeeding is an art that was almost lost and now revived. To all mothers who choose to breastfeed, let's press on! It's definitely worth it when we see our children grow up strong and healthy. :Dancing_wub:

P/S: I was fed on special milk formula as I wasn't able to digest normal formula when I was born. Imagine the amount of money my mother would have saved if I was breastfed! Heh... Food for thought. :001_302:
 

uddermummy

Well-Known Member
hee, agree with the handling of the breasts part. The nurses seem to think that it's okay to walk in when i was topless cos i was breastfeeding. :p By the time i was discharged, I've lost count of the number of pple who have seen my breasts! hahaha
 

apollo

Well-Known Member
hee, agree with the handling of the breasts part. The nurses seem to think that it's okay to walk in when i was topless cos i was breastfeeding. :p By the time i was discharged, I've lost count of the number of pple who have seen my breasts! hahaha
not only tt, i was shocked when the LC 'examined' my breast and touch it without asking me... -.-" anw, during the hospital stay i dun reali bother hw many nurses has seen my breast cos tt time my mind was full of "hw to let my baby latch on!!!"

HAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!:001_302:
 

isabelandrew

Active Member
me too. suddenly it is OK to walk around without bra. suddenly so many people come and see your breasts and touch them. i became a commercial item:p

i am preserving to BF. it is a tiring road. when everyone is still sleeping im up at 5am to pump my milk before going to office :(
 

snowbear

Well-Known Member
Initially I was totally fine with nurses and medical staff touching my breasts for medical reasons. Just couldn't get used to other pp watching me pump and bf though. I felt really lousy after delivery. Felt that my body wasn't mine anymore with nurses just 'jabbing' their fingers in to chk for dilation, nurses touching my breasts... didn't help that my mother in law refused to give me the privacy of pumping and bfding. Came to a pt i broke down and told my dear husband that i feel like my body's not mine and no one respects me anymore...
 

uddermummy

Well-Known Member
snowbear, sayang!

i totally understand that! I mean it's fine when i allow pple to see me bf, but it's not fine when they just barge in without my permission. i locked myself in the room and refused to let my mother in law see me bf cos i was so worried that she'll make neg comments that will depress me.

regina, lact consultants are like that one. it's their job to touch breasts! :p but usually the pte ones are more polite and will wash their hands and ask for permission before touching your breasts.

isabelandrew, persevere!you're doing a great job by giving baby the best milk there is!:Dancing_wub:
 
Last edited:

snowbear

Well-Known Member
snowbear, sayang!

i totally understand that! I mean it's fine when i allow pple to see me bf, but it's not fine when they just barge in without my permission. i locked myself in the room and refused to let my mother in law see me bf cos i was so worried that she'll make neg comments that will depress me.
thx... that time i didn't lock the door. scared she think i very rude, after all she's cooking my meals for me that time. Anyway it all started at the hospital already. She just hung ard my ward the whole day!!!! I mean i just gave birth and i would like to have some time alone to myself and dh. I really dunno why she kept hanging ard the whole day n told all my visitors that my dd looks exactly like my dh n treated me as if i was invisible. Ask her to go home she dun want. Then when i say i wanna bf bb or pump milk she also dun budge n just kept looking at my boobs. I told my dh recently that his mum actually caused my post-natal blues...
 

isabelandrew

Active Member
snowbear, im like u, too:) i tink my mil cause me blues. when i pump, she walks in. say she nvr see it before. during my 1st month, also insulted my breasts. she said not hard means no milk. when my DD cried, she attributed to mine - big boobs but no milk.at home, she will come to poke see if hard or not. her logic - not hard means no milk...

i really got hallunicated by her man.

anyway, im trying to BF as long as I can.. :) will perserve.

but bb getting strong now, suckle until my aerola wounded...... die
today how to pump??
 

uddermummy

Well-Known Member
yup, my mother in law caused and is still causing my postnatal depression because of the many, many things she's said.

why are some mils like that? sigh.

Can't even tell husband cos he will flare up at me. What to do? :(

isabelandrew, try using nipple cream and painkillers, and set the pump to the lowest power. And don't let bb pull on nipple when latched on. I have to struggle with dd sometimes to prevent her from pulling cos she's now a big busybody and will turn her head to look at pple talk!!! And she takes my nipple with her! OUch!
 

Frenchkitty

Member
Hahaha uddermummy you make your daughter sound so terrible haha

The same things happened to me... I felt like suddenly everyone who knows me has taken an interest in my breasts because there were the nurses, lactation consultations, the relatives....
My Hubby's aunt (not even mine!) wanted to watch me BF my son and I obliged though it really feels weird.
Then my Mum also saw how I expressed BM.. I didnt mind but this is the 1st time she has seen my nipples after I hit puberty.
And my MIL saw me topless with just a tee covering my boobs when she carried the baby back to my room.

Suddenly, my boobs have become public property.
Not only did my son and hubby want them, so did almost everyone else. :tlaugh:
 
i am just wondering, if i don't intend to breastfeed do I still have to pump out the breastmilk or can just leave it by using breast pad?
 

snowbear

Well-Known Member
snowbear, im like you, too:) i tink my mother in law cause me blues. when i pump, she walks in. say she never see it before. during my 1st month, also insulted my breasts. she said not hard means no milk. when my dear daughter cried, she attributed to mine - big boobs but no milk.at home, she will come to poke see if hard or not. her logic - not hard means no milk...

i really got hallunicated by her man.

anyway, im trying to BF as long as I can.. :) will perserve.

but baby getting strong now, suckle until my aerola wounded...... die
today how to pump??
Apply your hindmilk after pumping and air dry. I also will apply purelan on them after my hindmilk dries. pump at the lowest intensity.
 

snowbear

Well-Known Member
yup, my mother in law caused and is still causing my postnatal depression because of the many, many things she's said.

why are some mils like that? sigh.

Can't even tell husband cos he will flare up at me. What to do? :(

isabelandrew, try using nipple cream and painkillers, and set the pump to the lowest power. And dont't let baby pull on nipple when latched on. I have to struggle with dear daughter sometimes to prevent her from pulling cos she's now a big busybody and will turn her head to look at pple talk!!! And she takes my nipple with her! OUch!
i've never complained abt my mil to my dh before i gave birth. But after giving birth, i really can't stand her attitude and behaviour. If i keep it to myself i think i'll go crazy. Fortunately so far dh has been understanding...

When bb gets older they are very easily distracted n will latch and unlatch and latch... now no teeth take the nipple with her is ok.. wait till she got teeth and take the nipple with her... Then will end up like me... got cuts on my nipples...:elvis::elvis:
 

uddermummy

Well-Known Member
i've never complained about my mother in law to my dear husband before i gave birth. But after giving birth, i really can't stand her attitude and behaviour. If i keep it to myself i think i'll go crazy. Fortunately so far dear husband has been understanding...

When baby gets older they are very easily distracted and will latch and unlatch and latch... now no teeth take the nipple with her is ok.. wait till she got teeth and take the nipple with her... Then will end up like me... got cuts on my nipples...:elvis::elvis:
ouch ouch!

yeah frenchlady, your breasts are suddenly no longer just yours when you bf. :p it's like woohoo, everybody come look at my breasts.
 

stonston

Well-Known Member
Actually MILs or mums who wanna watch u BF is quite natural. my mum said me n my siblings all din noe how to latch, so she din bf us. and at tt time no such things as breastpump, so she was damn fascinated when she saw the milk come out from my breasts!

and i tink i'm damn shameless. haha. cos i jus breastfeed openly in front of my dad and bro. who cares? they also see breasts before wot.
even my female frens and cousins i also bf in front of them :p

my mum's room at tt time dun hv cable tv and i wanna watch my shows, so i breastfeed n pump in the living room in full view of my dad n brother n maid. they already learn to ignore me :p

but my mum is the one who will sit beside me, stare at my breasts in amazement and keep saying 'if onli we had such things last time'
then after a while she started to say 'how come u got so much milk when ur breasts so small? wot r we gonna do with all these milk!?'
and end up she bought a chest freezer to store the milk so tt when i go back to work can continue to feed EBM :)

it's ok for everyone to see. there's nothing wrong since it's the nutrition of our baby's tt's more impt. some of my frens more shy, rather ask a fren to help than go to LC. so i go over n help them while my hb go over n teach e daddy how to carry baby and care for baby :)
 

snowbear

Well-Known Member
Actually MILs or mums who wanna watch you BF is quite natural. my mum said me and my siblings all did not know how to latch, so she did not bf us. and at that time no such things as breastpump, so she was damn fascinated when she saw the milk come out from my breasts!

and i tink i'm damn shameless. haha. cos i just breastfeed openly in front of my dad and bro. who cares? they also see breasts before what.
even my female friends and cousins i also bf in front of them :p

my mum's room at that time dont have cable tv and i wanna watch my shows, so i breastfeed and pump in the living room in full view of my dad and brother and maid. they already learn to ignore me :p

but my mum is the one who will sit beside me, stare at my breasts in amazement and keep saying 'if onli we had such things last time'
then after a while she started to say 'how come you got so much milk when your breasts so small? what are we gonna do with all these milk!?'
and end up she bought a chest freezer to store the milk so that when i go back to work can continue to feed EBM :)

it's ok for everyone to see. there's nothing wrong since it's the nutrition of our baby's that's more impt. some of my friends more shy, rather ask a friend to help than go to LC. so i go over and help them while my husband go over and teach e daddy how to carry baby and care for baby :)
i guess it's true that pp are curious abt how bfding works and how the pump can draw out milk from our breasts. But i think it's only courtesy to ASK first instead of just gawking at our breasts and refusing to leave the room. We are not animals at the zoo. :nah:

Anyway i rem someone told me before (when i was preggie) that she didn't bf her children coz she didn't want her mil to see her breasts. At that pt i had already made up my mind that even if my mil wanted to watch me bf i'd still bf. It's still my child's nutrition that's more impt!:Dancing_tongue:
 

uddermummy

Well-Known Member
wah ston ston, your family is very enlightened!

your mum v funny!

i bf in front of my friends but i think i made them feel uncomfortable so i stopped doing it, esp friends who were not bfing.

I only bf in front of pple who will not criticise me for what i'm doing. :p
 

uddermummy

Well-Known Member
I planned to breastfeed my baby after his birth. But after reading thru the thread, the journey seems tough. I'm not sure if I can stand people touching and lookin at my breast. That time when the doctor check for my dilation, I felt slightly uncomfortable that somehows led to a mood swing.

But still willing to try for baby's sake!
you can start educating your family and friends the fact that you want your privacy, and get your husband to be your spokesperson after you've given birth.

Can bf one, don't worry! Just have to a bit stubborn and determined, but you'll be like really happy when you see bb thriving on your milk! :Dancing_wub:
 
Top