My Three Breastfeeding Journey

Hi folks!

Time really flies, as I recount, this has been my third breastfeeding journey and it has been an amazing 6 years (and still ongoing) of bonding time with my three lovely children. Yes! To think my first child is now nine and she is my first teacher who taught me I could do it! It is a mother’s instinct. It is also the very task, which I persevered really long, and hard which has given me the oomph, the belief and faith to continue what I believe to be good for both mom and child. Not to mention a great thanks to my DH, without him, I would not be able to carry on thus far.

I remembered when I was pregnant with KY, I read up a lot about breastfeeding. There are a lot of information right now everywhere which you can refer from internet, pamphlets, newspapers, magazines and even Facebook support group or forums.

In summary, Breastmilk is good for both mom and baby because:

For baby:

1. Builds natural antibodies for the child

2. Reduces risks of baby getting diarrhoea, respiratory infections, allergy and a lot more

3. Encourages brain development

For mommies:

1. Reduces chances of getting breast cancer

2. Burns calories (up to 600 calories per day) – I was able to wear my jeans 3 months after delivering my child naturally.

To sum it all up, I would like to share what I called my Breastfeeding CV below both for my record as well as for all mothers out there as a reference and fun guide.

Child No.	1	2	3
Education/ Reference	From books and mommies who have breastfed	From Websites, e.g., www.infosihat.gov.my.	From FB Chatgroup and forums
Experience /Challanges	1.      Being first-time mom and surrounded by people who did not breastfeed their child or do not understand that this can be done even after we returned to work makes it tough to “fight” the battle. 2.      After stopping breastfeeding for 6 days due to taking antibiotic for wisdom tooth removal surgery at 3rd month after delivery made my breastmilk, supply reduced from 7-8 oz per expression to 1.5 oz per session. However, with perseverance and seeking advice from other more experienced breastfeeding moms, I managed to regained the supply with plenty of nutritional soup and drinks.	1.       Being born as big baby (at 4.2kg), SE was placed under observation in NICU for the first 2 days after delivery. I was only able to latch on the third day. That does not deter me from breastfeeding my child. 2.       SE had mild lactose intolerance at the beginning and breastmilk always contains lactose, as does infant formula made from cow's milk. Managed to continue breastfeeding him when stopping briefly for 1-2 days to let his very bad diaper rash recover.	1.     Being third-time mom, I should have the faith, belief and enough willpower to continue to breastfeed my child. No major challenges. 2.     I invested in a good double-pump so that I could store up enough breastmilk supply even after I returned to work. It really pays well. I even have extras to donate to others.
Achievement	Fully-breastfed till 6 months old and continue to breastfeed till 1 year old(on top of solid food and soymilk)	Fully-breastfed till 6 months old and continue to breastfeed till 3 year old(on top of solid food and soymilk)	Fully-breastfed till 2 years and 3 months old and continue to breastfeed till now (on top of solid food and oatmilk)
Lessons Learnt/Benefits gained	The first two-week (at least) is not easy), persevere. Breastfeeding helps me to regain my pre-pregnancy weight in a natural and healthy manner. I was able to fit in my jeans 3 months after I’ve delivered KY.	Believe in yourself (as a mom), continue to research and learn. Having followed a healthy and balance diet throughout the previous breastfeeding journey makes the next pregnancy journey so much better and also a healthier baby no. 2 too.	Breastmilk is so precious, do not waste any single drop, and share it with others who need it.

Taken in year 2009 (with KY and SE) and my CNY nursing shirt

Check out more of our stories and adventures with baby no. 3 and what this 3rd baby teaches me.

Cheers!