Breastfeeding (Mindset plays the biggest role)

Salam Ramadhan. I just came back from a forum on ‘World’s Breastfeeding Week’ at Auditorium Kompleks E in Putrajaya. I was hoping to bump into any of my breastfeeding support group on facebook ‘Kumpulan Ibu Menyusukan (KIM)’ but did not as I sat on the front rows..sigh..oh, and I left early too right after the forum ended as it was already over my pumping time..;p

 It was pretty interesting to know that the breastfeeding rate in Malaysia is increasing. Alhamdulillah, I was glad to hear that but do you know the statistics of it? Only less than 15% of Malaysian actually breastfeed their babies if I heard it correctly. Oh my..why? Some of the panels listed the reasons given by the mothers themselves which is:

1. They’re women with careers so they do not have the time.

2. They do not want their breasts to go out of shape.

3. They do not have enough milk.

4. They went for a c-sect, so it is not easy to breastfeed.

I’m no expert but through my experience and the experience of other breastfeeding mothers that I’ve shared, the reasons above are just the mindset which you can overcome by educating yourselves with enough breastfeeding information. Let’s look deeper into the problems ya..

Problem 1

Many breastfeeding women nowadays are working mothers including myself. There are lots of breastfeeding gears sold in the market to fulfil the task of expressing milk. You do not need so much time for you can actually pump while working at the same time. All you have to do is to search for the best kind of pump may it be manual or electric pump that would suit you and your career. My list of breastfeeding gears that I bring to the office daily includes:

i) Medela Harmony Manual Breastpump

ii) Cooler bag

iii) 2-3 ice packs

iv) 6-7 milk storage bottles/plastic bags

and that’s it. Not such a fuss come to think of it since you only have to do so in only 2 years if you’re planning to breastfeed your babies for 2 years that is. Come on mommies. You will see the benefits in so many ways immediately and even more later in life.

Problem 2

You were already out of shape while being pregnant..hehe.. Truthfully, I do not believe so, for many of my breastfeeding friends do have beautiful figures still and some even more beautiful while breastfeeding. We’re not growing any younger anyways, so your figure will definitely change in time my dears. Make use of our body the way it’s made for, I should say. Oh and the best part is..you can eat as much as you want and still loose pounds ladies. Am I in shape?..Alhamdulillah so far I can say yes, I am..(I tried to search for my current picture, then realised that there's none of me alone without the family..oh well..pregnancy sometimes made you lose your confidence on the way you look..need to capture some soon)..;p

Problem 3

Haaa..the most commonly given reason by most non breastfeeding mothers out there. If so, how can some people feed their adopted babies?.. Do they have milk since they did not give birth to the babies?.. This means that milk production can be stimulated especially when you were the one who gave birth to your baby. It’s all on your mind. There are many ways of stimulating milk production such as power pumping. Our brain should be given the signal that more milk is needed and in time it will increase the production. Demand and supply concept mommies. Learn them. 

My experience, my milk was produced 3 days after delivering my first baby. That was when he was diagnosed with severe jaundice. I broke down and tried for the first time pumped as much milk as I can and all I get is about 1 and a half oz of milk. I was not informed that it was enough. A newborn baby’s tummy is the size of a cherry, so it was more than enough. I also never thought that that particular pumping session was how my milk was stimulated but it was. Soon after, my breasts were full and I get to feed my baby every 2 hours and he was well in only 2 days Alhamdulillah. Now I manage to breastfeed both my babies at the same time. My advise is, do not compare your milk production with other mothers because your body is especially designed to produce enough amount of milk needed by your babies.

Problem 4

Okay..this one I cannot accept at all for both my babies were delivered through c-sect but I still manage to breastfeed both of them. Ask your doctors and nurses around to guide you. It is possible and it does not hurt at all come to think of it. The part that was cut open was your tummy and not your breasts..hehe..well okay, of course the tummy part hurts, but why waste time concentrating on the pain when you have a much more beautiful and precious little ones to pay attention to..your babies..trust me, they will definitely ease the pain away from you..

How could you not want to feed these 2 beautiful little angels?..

All I know is that if you have the mindset of breastfeeding your little ones, God will definitely help you along the journey. InsyaAllah..There are many support groups that you can join to increase your knowledge about breastfeeding so feel free to join them. Dig as much knowledge as you can even when you're not a mother yet. The knowledge will come in handy in the future. Happy Breastfeeding Mommies..=)