My breastfeeding journey began 1 hr after I had Olive, while I was in the recovery room they handed me Olive and the nurse latched her on to my breast and left us alone. Olive stayed that way for about 20 mins, I wasn’t sure if I was doing it right or if she was even eating properly but it was a beautiful feeling to feed her.
I did all my research about how what to do after giving birth and how to take care of a newborn but I realised I did no research about breastfeeding and I knew nothing about it, I really thought it would be super easy and baby would just automatically latch on and off but I soon realised it’s not as easy as It looks.
I knew right away that I was going to have a hard time breastfeeding when the nurse came in the hospital room and was asking how it was going and she looked at my boobs and said, oh you have small nipples you have to try to get it in her mouth right. I didn’t know that when you have a baby your nipples are suppose to get bigger, I honestly thought they were just suppose to get darker. The next couple of days I continued to breastfeed, my nipples were soooo sore and red from her latching improperly so I decided to get a nipple shield (which has been the BEST decision).
The next couple of days I noticed Olive was getting really yellow and I told Dennis that I wanted to take her to the ER since she wasn’t eating properly and was constantly crying, I speculated that she had jaundice since I googled it and I was right. They had to run tests on her because there’s different types of jaundice and some can be severe. We were admitted to the hospital for 2 nights because she needed to be under a blue light that helps with the jaundice. Those 2 nights were the worst nights ever! Watching my1week old baby get blood drawn was horrible, I just kept on crying and crying because she was crying.
When I spoke with her pediatrician she said Olive had no infection and a mild form of jaundice and that about 60% of newborns get jaundice, which was once again something I didn’t even know or hear about. The kind of jaundice she had was from not consuming enough breastmilk which made me sad that I wasn’t producing enough milk, they recommended I give her formula for a couple of days to help get her weight up and even though I really didn’t want to I knew it was best for her at the time.
Fast forward to 2 days later I hated giving her formula and she honestly didn’t like it either, it made her extreme gassy and constipated which made her fussy so I stopped formula and went back to breastmilk. In those 2 days I did everything and anything to get my milk supply up and now I’m producing lots of milk and Olive is almost 10 weeks and the pediatrician said she’s overweight and weighs about the size of a 4 month old haha which wasn’t my goal but it’s definitely better than her being underweight.
Since I’m a first time Mom I’m definitely no expert when it comes to anything baby related, I’m just trying things that I read about or hear about and see which things work for me. I made a list of some of tips and things that helped me boost my milk supply if you are looking to boost your milk supply maybe you can try some of my tips.
Breastfeeding Tips and How To Boost Your Milk Supply:
- Use a nipple shield- I read everywhere that you shouldn’t use one for very long because your milk supply will drop, well I’ve been using it since the first week and my milk supply has gotten better. I probably wouldn’t be using it as much if my nipples were bigger but the nipple shield works for me, its also extremely useful if you have painful/dry nipples from constantly breast feeding.
- Try lactation pastries- I bought some lactation cookies online and noticed a slight increase in my milk supply, I wanted to try making them myself since the cookies I tried were expensive. When I made my own I was able to adjust the taste and volume of cookies and could eat them anytime. Keep in mind you have to eat a lot of cookies to see results. ALSO if you don’t want to waste time baking, oatmeal really works for me as well.
- Try herbal pills and teas- There’s lots of herbal teas and pills on the market that claim to boost milk supply. Some products work for others but wont necessarily work for you, you really have to test products to see if they will work FOR YOU . I’m currently drinking a chocolate drink mix from MQT called Lactablend it has like 8 different herbs that are proven to boost your supply. It works for me. I’m also taking daily herbs from legendary milk you can buy them online in the states or at Baobao babies in Cebu. This combo has been making me produce so much milk, which is great because I now have some frozen milk in the freezer.
- Breastfeed on demand- If you have the time breastfeed baby as mush as he or she wants to eat. This will help your body continue to produce more and more milk to keep up with your babies needs.
- Pump Often- If you aren’t a stay at home mom breastfeeding on demand isn’t really an option for you which is totally ok, your baby can still get your breastmilk through pumping and feeding her through a bottle. I breastfeed and pump because I want my husband to be able to feed Oli when I don’t have time (especially helpful at night). I also want to be able to pump some milk and freeze in case I need it for an emergency or if my milk supply suddenly drops. I pump 3-4 times a day and breastfeed as much as Oli wants in between. Pumping like breastfeeding on demand helps you produce more milk because your body thinks you need more.
- Apply heat- If you are pumping and want to produce more milk instantly apply a hot compress, this helps open up milk ducts, also do this as well when you have a clogged milk duct and it helps a lot.
- Buy an electric pump– When I first had Oli I thought that I would be able to just use a manual pump to collect milk and I tried it and it hurt. I bought an electric pump and don’t feel any pain when I pump, people buy really expensive ones and that’s fine but honestly I bought a cheap one (wisemom pump) from Shopee and it works just fine. It was only php1,500!
- Use a silicone pump – This is a MUST for me! I’ve been using one since the first week and this has been a game changer for me. I put the silicone pump on one breast while I nurse or pump on the other, most people don’t know this but when you nurse on one breast the other breast also leaks milk, this is called ‘letdown’ and from your letdown alone you can make lots of milk. With my letdown alone I make 2oz-4oz every time I use it. I also put it on my breast whenever I feel a tingly sensation on my breasts since usually that’s followed by me leaking milk. The popular silicone pump to buy is the Haakaa but you can buy cheaper alternatives that basically work exactly the same. I have the silicone pump from @orangeandpeachph I actually have 2 and I use them when I’m too lazy to pump.
- Get a nursing pillow- One thing I found out right away is that some babies can nurse for up to 1hr, luckily Oli is done within 15-30mins but even that amount of time can put a strain on your neck and back, a good nursing pillow is a must! I luckily have probably the best one out there from @mamaway its actually a maternity pillow and nursing pillow its amazing actually. The pillow has a removable case so you can always keep it clean. It also has a button clasp that is adjustable so you can keep it sturdy around your waist while you nurse. Oli is 10 weeks and she’s now using it to help her sit as well.
- Stay stress free- Did you know that it’s a fact that you produce less milk when you’re stressed out, I know this for sure because I definitely see less milk output when I’m pumping in a stressful environment, now I try to really calm myself when pumping or nursing so I produce more milk. So don’t forget to keep calm mommies!
I learned all these techniques from practice and also reading everything and anything breastfeeding related. I learned some new breastfeeding tips from LH Prime Medical Clinic ( check them out on Instagram: @lhprimecebuofficial and Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/LH-Prime-Medical-Clinic-198197987407381/ ) they just finished some breastfeeding tips for breastfeeding month and they post a lot of great info about diseases, medical and non-medical tips and facts that can really help you out, I’m following them and check their page regularly to see what’s new. If you find anything interesting on one of their pages you can check out one of their many branches all across Cebu (more info on their social media pages).
#LiveHealthyCebu
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