How to Prepare for Breastfeeding

So if you aren't aware, I have a youtube channel where I do daily vlogs, beauty and mommy-related stuff. I have a segment called Mommy Mondays where I tackle about mommy issues (what else?! duh! hehe)

I thought of writing a blog post as well for one of the topics I discussed a couple of weeks back. If you don't want to watch me rambling for 25 minutes then here's a quick summary for you.

With my first born Zeb, I was able to exclusively breastfeed him for exactly 13 months. My first goal was to breastfeed him for AT LEAST 1 whole year but then with my pregnancy, it was getting tough to be honest. I was 11 weeks pregnant at that time.

Anyway, let share with you what I learned about breastfeeding and how you can prepare for it especially if you're a first-time mom.

KNOWLEDGE IS KEY!

- READ! READ! READ! Make yourself informed on proper latching because the success of your breastfeeding journey heavily relies on it. If the baby is not properly latched, it will be difficult for both you and the baby which may end up making you decide to stop nursing. There are a lot of videos on the web on how to properly latch the baby. Here are a couple of links that might help:

http://www.breastfeedingmadesimple.com/animatedlatch.html
http://www.breastfeedinginc.ca/content.php?pagename=videos

- Learn about the different breastfeeding positions that you can do as well especially if you will be undergoing CS. There are certain positions you can do so as to not put pressure on your belly. Luckily for me, with the help of a good quality binder, I didn't experience any pain even when I do the traditional cradle position. I also loved the side-lying position because not only baby got to sleep, mommy too! :)

- Join a breastfeeding support group such as Breastfeeding Pinays on Facebook. Not only will you learn a lot from other mom's experience, you can also post your own questions and concerns and mommies will gladly give you their two cents.

- Breastfeed immediately after birth! Our Department of Health has this Unang Yakap campaign which I'm sure your OB is well aware of but still, mention it to him/her that you want to do it when you deliver. If you cannot breastfeed immediately after birth, at least try to have it done it in the first two hours.

GET YOU PARAPHERNALIA READY!

- Nipple Cream or Extra Virgin Coconut Oil - you can start applying them on your 36th week to prep them. I experienced having cracked nipples because I think Zeb was not properly latched on the first few days and let me tell you - IT WAS PAINFUL!!! I almost dread every single time that I had to go to the nursery and nurse him. I had to close my eyes and bite my lips when I latch him on. Do not underestimate a baby's sucking power!

-Nursing Pillow - this will be your best friend! It definitely makes a lot of difference when you breastfeed with a nursing pillow. Babies tend to feed around 30-45 minutes each time so you can just imagine how sore your arms will be right after. This also gives support and protection and your belly especially if you undergo CS. 

-Nursing Bras/Nursing-friendly Clothes - invest at least in a couple of nursing bras for when you go out. You can forget about it when you're at home hehe :P There aren't a lot of good selections out there so sometimes if both of my bras are in the laundry, I just use a bandeau type of bra. It's as convenient as a nursing bra for me.

-Nursing pads - be prepared for leaks! Haha! At first I thought this was unnecessary but when I experienced it myself, I had to go and get one! I only use it when I go out and when I'm at home I just use the handy dandy lampin. Saved me some moolah!

-Breastpump and breast milk storage bags - It is advisable though not to pump until baby is 6 weeks old because this is the time that you are establishing your milk supply. Pumping might cause an oversupply which in turn may cause breast engorgement which is painful! Try to feed on demand on the first 6 weeks and let your body take its natural course and after that you can start building your stash.

SET YOUR EXPECTATION!

-BREASTFEEDING WILL BE CHALLENGING. It's not gonna be a piece of cake. Keeping that in mind will at least somehow lessen the disappointment if you fail on your first few tries. Do not lose hope and fall into the trap of the common mistake that moms make - "I don't have milk!". This is what happened to both my mom and my sister who never got to experience breastfeeding. I thought I will have the same fate as them but I refused to believe that I won't produce milk so I just kept on nursing Zeb. When I finally pumped and saw the liquid gold, it was as if the heavens opened up and the angels were sang "Hallelujah!" It was really a life-changing moment for me. So never ever doubt your milk supply! 

BONUS TIP:

Try to avoid introducing pacifiers and bottles at least for the first 4 weeks as it may cause nipple confusion. Zeb actually never used a pacifier although I bought one for him when he was 4 months old. My cousin discouraged me to introduce it because she had a hard time weaning his 3-yr old son off of it so I decided not to give him at all and save me the trouble :P

So I hope you enjoy reading through this lengthy blog. Breastfeeding is such a broad topic but I hope I was able to somehow help you prepare for it. If you do have any questions, don't hesitate to leave 'em down below and I will try my best to get back to you ASAP.

Ciao and happy breastfeeding!

6th Month Postpartum Update: Weight Loss, Breastfeeding and More!

Hi guys!

If you don't know yet, our little Zeb turned 6 months old just a little over a week ago. I wrote an entry about it HERE. Today, I'm going to talk about where I'm at in terms of weight loss, breastfeeding and yes, even about sex 6 months after giving birth via Caesarean section.

Okay, let's go straight to the point and begin with the most awkward topic of all...

SEX

First of all, let me explain to you our current "set-up". Since hubby is an OFW, Zeb and I fly back and forth from Manila to Singapore so are in what I call a semi-long distance relationship as of the moment. In terms of sleeping arrangements, well we co-sleep with our little munchkin so with all that said, doing the deed has been put on the back burner for now. If you're wondering if the mood is there? Hmmm I'd say yes. It's just that the situation we are right now just makes it a bit difficult to get into the groove, haha! Besides, I am so not ready for another baby anytime soon so better be safe than sorry right? I won't be seeing my OB until I go back to Manila so we don't really have any contraceptive measure in place as of now. Red witch has made an appearance already just a couple of days ago so I am all the more cautious about it.

WEIGHT LOSS

Around 6 weeks after giving birth, I was back to my pre-pregnancy weight of 50kg. All thanks to breastfeeding, sleep deprivation and stress. I was back to my old clothes but still with an excess flab on my tummy. No biggie. I only wore my binder for a month because it was uncomfortable. I don't know if that decision will take a toll on me in the future, let's hope not. 

Anyhoo, I did not do any exercise at all, I'm not physically active to begin with. Besides, I ain't got time for that {insert face palm here} LOL! Although I do not suggest that you deprive yourself of sleep, I think that is inevitable especially with a newborn. I strongly believe  though that breastfeeding played a major role in losing all that weight. 

When Zeb was about 5 months old, I once again stepped on that dreaded weighing machine and I was surprised to find out that I lost another 3kg! I was in Manila that time and I was always sweating like a pig every day especially after doing some chores. To add to that, I also do squats. Nope, not to tighten my bum nor tone my thighs but to hush Zeb whenever he's having one of his crying episodes. Our pedia taught us this half-squat technique while singing ABC and it actually works! Try it  and see for yourselves :)

BREASTFEEDING

I think this topic deserve its own entry but I'd like to go ahead and briefly talk about it here. Yes I am proud to say that I have been exclusively breastfeeding our son for the past six months. Well, technically speaking there were a couple of nights when we were still in the hospital that I gave the nurse a go signal to give formula to Zeb. What was I thinking right? Back then, I didn't know any better. Being a newbie mom, I was worried because I was having slight fever from my engorgement and I was scared that I'd pass it on to him.  So for two nights for 12 hrs, Zeb was fed with formula but that's about it. It was all mommy's milk after that and I have never topped-up. 

To be honest, I didn't have any high hopes that I would be able to breastfeed my child. My mom wasn't able to do it to all three of us and my eldest sister also failed in breastfeeding her two kids too. They said they did everything they possibly could but they weren't really blessed with an abundant supply. So thinking that it runs in the family, I was expecting that I won't be able to do it as well. But to my surprise, everything worked out fine for us! I feel so blessed that I am able to do this for Zeb. Aside from saving us tons of moolah, it's the mother-and-son bond that we get from it that I'm really after. THAT is priceless.

LINEA NEGRA & STRETCHMARKS

Oh those battle scars.

It seems like they're not going anywhere anytime soon. Well, I can't blame them. I actually stopped using my stretch mark cream since Zeb came out to the outside world. I just didn't want to bother putting on any lotion or cream on my body. Although some streaks have lightened up, some looks like they're gonna be hanging out for a little longer.

As for my linea negra, it has relatively lightened up a lot. Only the bottom part from my belly button going down to my pubis is left a bit visible. I don't mind them though, I just treat them as "guests". I know they will be gone in time.

So there goes my 6th month post partum update mommies. If you made it up to this point, well THANK YOU! I appreciate your time reading this post. And if you arE on the same boat as me or about to reach you sixth month, I hope this helps :)

Thank you for dropping by.

Ciao!