My Breastfeeding Experience!

So now that Chloe is 7 months old (what the heck, I know!), I thought I would do an update on our breastfeeding journey so far! Before I start, I want you to know how grateful I am and blessed to be able to breastfeed! Every mum and bub is different, and the best advice anyone has given is do what works best for you and your bub and family! :)

The early months…

Chloe has been exclusively breastfed since birth and is still on the boob! My milk didn’t actually come in until the third day so on the second day she was drinking formula from a bottle.

In the first few months, I fed Chloe on demand which was about every 2-3 hours during the day and about every 3-4 hours during the night. Initially, it was tough getting up and dealing with sleep deprivation, but I got used to it and it was summer so wasn’t that hard to get out of bed!  I was breastfeeding in an armchair we bought from ikea. And I never really used a feeding pillow, I just used an ordinary pillow to support Chloe while she fed.

Milk Supply…

I remember when I first started breastfeeding in the hospital, some relatives would ask whether I knew Chloe was getting enough milk. It’s a fair concern and it also got me worried about how much milk Chloe was drinking. I remember the comments would get me down sometimes, but I just kept at it, knowing that if I can breastfeed Chloe, it would be the best thing for her!

As a "preventative" measure, I was also taking fenugreek tablets for at least the first 4 months to increase my milk supply. I also baked a few batches of lactation cookies for a few weeks. While I’m not sure if they did actually help, I didn’t have any milk supply issues and Chloe is healthy and thriving :)
 

Expressing…

Chloe was taking expressed breastmilk for the feed just before bed time so that my hubby could get some bonding time with her. I found it hard to find the right time to pump and eventually I got into a routine of pumping one breast when I woke up in the morning as I found it to be the time where I felt fullest and Chloe would be too full to have both breasts anyway. I also learned to pump at the same time while feeding her.  Around the 12 week mark, Chloe began to reject the bottle. It would take us upto an hr to feed her 30MLs of EBM. After a few weeks, we decided to just let it go, and follow her lead and stick with the boob exclusively. Both Chloe and I were happy we did this!

Growing pains…

When my milk came in, my breasts were very engorged, and my nipples were unbelievably sore and raw. It hurt to put any top on, let alone dry off with a towel! Arrrgh! After every feed, I would apply lansinoh to relieve the rawness, and I remember wondering if they would ever go back to normal again! In a few weeks, it got much better and I stopped using lansinoh! 

I did get blocked ducts twice. The first time, it was easy to unblock the duct (massage, heat, allowing the bub to drain) however the second time the duct was blocked for at least a week and I was worried it would turn into mastitis! Lucky though, it was not painful, and it recovered in just over a week!

I also was using breast pads until just a few days ago. THE FREEDOM! While breast pads are your best friend in keeping your tops dry, it was quite annoying having to wear them to bed and all day, every day!

Also, it was probably around 3-4 months where my breasts regulated and became smaller and less engorged! Although, I would say my breasts are still much larger than they were pre-pregnancy (I can’t fit into any of my bikini tops anymore!).

Feeding in public…

When feeding in public, I try to stay as modest as possible. While I didn’t buy a feeding cover specifically, I usually use a muslin wrap to cover up if I’m in a public place or restaurant. I would prefer to feed in the parents room though…So far I haven’t experienced any negativity towards breastfeeding.

The future...
I really wish to continue breastfeeding Chloe until she is at least 12 months old (5 months to go! what?!). I am really enjoying this experience so far and would have it no other way! :)