Noah was born six days ago and I’m still trying to figure out the whole breastfeeding gig. I’m thankful that I’ve been able to produce some colostrum in the initial few days, and after a couple of very uncomfortable feeds, things have improved somewhat. The Urut massages have been really painful but they’ve definitely helped to ease my discomfort. My milk supply has more or less come in, although I’m not sure what is considered ‘enough’. Baby doesn’t manage to drain both sides though, so I still have to pump after each feed. Whatever little excess milk I have is stored in the fridge to supplement his feeds, as he tends to get hungry rather quickly sometimes.
I’m glad that I have many friends who breastfeed because I’ve received a lot of support and advice from them. I think the best piece of advice was to relax and supplement his feeds with formula milk in the initial few days, as that took a lot of pressure off of me. I would still continue trying to pump while he had his formula milk, although I must confess that I took a night off on my second day home because I was simply exhausted. C encouraged me to sleep through the night, as milk production is also affected when the cow is tired, and those six hours of sleep really made a difference!
Noah and I are still trying to get used to each other and latching on has been a bit of a challenge at times, especially when he’s sleepy and I’m trying to wake him up for his feeds. You can’t imagine the joy and relief I feel each time he successfully suckles for extended periods! I love watching him suckle, with his little arms sometimes breaking out of his swaddle and waving around, and his little legs kicking or twitching at times. I know I’m extremely biased, but that little face of his is so sweet and peaceful during these moments that I can’t help but beam at him. He tends to fall asleep during these feeds though, so I still have to learn how to wake him up and get him to feed more efficiently. One step at a time! At least he’s more or less off formula milk now, because the little bits of excess milk I pump out after each feed can usually sustain him in between the ‘main’ feeds.
For now, I pray that these feeds will help get rid of his jaundice and that Noah and I will be able to get used to each other quickly. I’m still dreaming of the day that I will be able to satisfy his needs completely, as well as the day that I’ll be confident enough to breastfeed him when we go out!
Comments