I woke up today with some pain in my left boobie, I slept the entire night with Matti, my 16-month old baby boy latching on my right and now, I am dealing with the consequences of feeding him just one breast, do all breastfeeding moms out there experienced this?
Because I can't sleep right now and the neighbor's dogs barking at this hour isn't helping either, I will just write about my breastfeeding journey in this community. My first post here was about how I figured out I was pregnant.
I was already six weeks pregnant when we went to see my OB, got prescriptions on the vitamins, and next appointment schedules. I never thought a few months after, I won't be seeing her anymore due to the pandemic, we communicated mostly on messenger.
As I reach my trimester, I joined a Growing Baby Class which was unfortunate because of the pandemic, they can't do physical class, instead, it was all online. The class included newborn care, breastfeeding facts and benefits, babywearing, and cloth diapering.
So from the time that I had decided to join the class, I made up my mind that I will breastfeed my baby from birth. I teared up with the "Unang Yakap" video shown during class and I wanted a moment like that with my baby. But it didn't happen, due to the pandemic and all, patients needed to be taken out of the delivery room immediately and my baby was not roomed-in the same time. He was roomed-in the next day and a devastating statement from the nurse who brought my baby made me doubt my capability to provide milk for my little one.
In the room, as she handed me, my baby boy, she immediately explained that my 4.5kg baby needs a lot of milk so we have to buy formula as I might have no milk at that point, it was a total opposite to what I had learned from the online class, I remember looking at the "This Hospital Supports Breastfeeding" poster and then looked at the nurse, she immediately told me, well, if you want to breastfeed, then you can try, it was obvious to me that she was not a breastfeeding advocate nurse or perhaps it was just an order from the hospital's pediatrician? I am not sure but my mind was groggy at that point, I remember I tried to breastfeed my baby and this nurse was looking at my breasts and she made a statement I wanted to cry! She was surely harsh, at least that's what I felt and the next thing I knew, my husband rushed to buy some bottles and formula. It was the most disappointing thing ever and due to the pandemic, my mother can't be with us at that time, she badly wanted to but the borders were closed due to the pandemic.
The next few days and nights after we got discharged were the worse. My milk showed up on the fourth day, I made sure that my baby would latch but he'd end up crying so my husband prepares the formula and feeds him, we had no training on how pace feeding should be done and so Matti would end up getting red after the feed and sleep, he was looking drunk.
On the fourth day after giving birth, my milk was already flowing and it was the first time that my baby boy latched himself to sleep without any crying, I knew right there that he was satisfied and I can finally ditch the formula milk. That was what I wanted! I thank God that it didn't take long, I don't want Matti to be dependent on formula.
Sixteen months after, my baby still latches and now he had developed twiddling which I know is totally normal. I am glad he is not fond of biting even when he was teething, he has all his primary teeth now, he'd bite on my hands and arms, and shoulders too but when he's latching, he'd latch, no biting at all until he'd go off to sleep.
Today, I remember how painful the first few weeks were, the sore nipples, the unexplainable, toe-curling pain during latching, and even the back pain, everything seemed unimaginably painful but the love of a mother surpasses them all. My goal was to provide Matti with the best milk possible and it's my milk. I am grateful for the help I received from my mother, the lactating consultants I get to talk to online, Dr. Ana Marie Cabaero, my breastfeeding mommy friends, and my husband. Without these people, I wouldn't be able to continue breastfeeding Matti.
As for weaning, I don't see any signs of Matti weaning off the breast right at this point, breastfeeding had given us a bond that I don't want to end just yet. There's a different feeling when Matti latches, when I look down and see him smiling while feeding when he reaches to my face and touches my cheeks while I also touch his, I am at my happiest.
xoxo,
momentswithmatti
Mother | Boholana | Cebu | Philippines | Travel | Photography Enthusiast | Calligraphy | Art | Crypto Noob
Awww too nice sis. Nindot jud kuno basta i breastfeed ang bata. Dili kuno dali masakit unja mas close pa sa nanay plus tipid pa. Palit nalang ug vitamins ang pang formula unta