My Breastfeeding Journey Now on its 11th Month(Almost)

A lot of mom bloggers most likely have posted already their journey about breastfeeding. It’s either because it was a very nice topic to talk about or maybe they’re just trying to set the expectations of new and upcoming moms. I’ve been interested in breastfeeding topics ever since but not able to get a chance to talk about it.

 

This blog is about 7 years old, almost the same age as my firstborn. I initially created this to share things and experiences I get in being a first-time mom. Apparently, I failed to do that because of a lack of tools, experience in writing, and because I change names almost every year. I was inconsistent with this thing but I really liked it. My old posts were already deleted because of my JEJEMON way of typing. I’m just so ashamed of that. I’ve always blogged on mobile phones that’s why.

 

But that isn’t the topic right now. Despite the fact that I breastfed my son for two years, I never had a chance to share my thoughts and experience about it. Now that I’m quite more privileged in doing that, I think it would be nice to share my experiences.

 

We’ll try to cover two things here. The struggle and the best parts of it.

 

 

 

It’s always hard for me to give my daughter her most comfortable position when feeding. She wants both sides of me without moving places. I have to reach her out with my right even when she’s on my left side

 

 

When feeding her to sleep, usually it takes 1 to 2 hours to finish a session. Then she’ll end up smiling at me because she’s not going to sleep anymore. It seems like the two-hour breastfeeding session is already her sleeping time. Imagine two hours in a steady position. It makes my neck, my back, and everything in pain.

 

 

Yeah! It’s always a habit for a baby to pinch their mom’s nipple to death. My baby does that all the time. The good thing is she never bit me. Her older brother used to do that to me and pull my nipples with his teeth as if it is just a rubber toy. It’s so painful and I just can’t stop her from doing that. She’d cry if I did. Because of her pinching, it’s also painful when she’s latching into my nipple. There’s nothing else to explain it other than it’s painful.

 

 

That’s always the problem. When not at home, it’s always hard to look for a place to breastfeed my baby. I’m not sensitive to breastfeeding in public but you have to look for a seat to do so. Also when commuting, there are times that my breastmilk is starting to spill and I just don’t have a way to express it.

 

 

 

Well, this is not a rare idea. I’m sure everyone knows that. But nurturing my baby in the best ways I can is my main priority. No matter how painful or hard it is to fulfill, I’ll do it.

 

 

Breastmilk is free. But there are things you have to buy to maintain it. So in my case, I bought reusable bottles for storage. Some mom buys non-reusable storages which I also do sometimes. Not only storage but also supplements. There are times that I feel like my milk supply isn’t enough so I tend to buy some supplements like moringa/malunggay capsule. It’s very cheap when you buy it at the Generics Pharmacy.

 

Whatever I buy, I am certain that it is cheaper than formula.

 

 

Since I am a full-time working mom, I get the privilege of lactation breaks. This is mandated by law where all lactating mothers can get a total of 40 minutes lactation break within an 8-hour shift. It is under the R.A. of the Philippines 10028 in case you wanted to know.

 

 

For sure I am since I am their mother. But breastfeeding them makes me feel like I am giving them all the things they deserve to have. I am talking about my current breastfeeding journey but just to share, my firstborn was breastfed for 2 years. Now that he is 7 years old, he is still close to me even though we’re not being able to spend much time together anymore because of my work and different sleep hours. It’s hard to really explain it but I am sure that the saying about breastfeeding that it bonds the mother and baby so much is really true.

 

I am really glad that I had to experience this journey and I am willing to do it as long as I have my milk supply available. If you’re a mother and you struggle a lot about breastfeeding you’re not alone. Don’t make struggles as an excuse for not doing it.

 

If you’re a breastfeeding mom, good job! If you’re not then I hope you will if you still can.

 

Thanks for reading. Hope you’ll share your stories too.