Alo beautiful people…
I know I’m not really in a position or situation to discuss this, because I’m neither a mother / pregnant / married / have a boyfriend yet (haha, sempat jugak nak jual saham)…but all around me, there are a lot of new moms and pregnant ladies that I fear Miri is going to be overpopulated soon…J On a more serious note, I strongly believe that women, whether they are high flying career woman like Datuk Rafidah Aziz or as domesticated as my great-grandmother (never met her, but am sure she’s domesticated) should take care of their own family and children. This will be quite difficult for women in the workforce, but if there’s a will, there’s a way.
So, here are some pointers that my friend from high school, Dr Aniey (mother, doctor, and certified lactation counselor) shared with us in our yahoo group discussion. I’ll try to make it as clear and simple as possible.
A bit of fact:
Each day, almost 5500 children under the age of 5 died in the world, from diseases that are actually preventable (infection, malnutrition, etc.) All of these can be prevented by exclusive breastfeeding from day one.
What is exclusive breastfeeding?
From what I understand la…it means that your baby does not eat anything except for breast milk in the first six months of its life. After that, you can start introducing solid food, but still breast feed the baby.
How and when to stock up the breast milk?
Of course la, kena guna pump…. don’t ask me which type should be used; I don’t have the slightest idea of how a breast pump look like. From what my friend said, working moms have to start stocking up their breast milk when they’re still in confinement to ensure uninterrupted supply later when they get back to work. To ensure there’s enough milk, new moms have to observe the strict rules during confinement, eat and rest well.
How to store?
It is easier to get a small fridge (with a freezer compartment) exclusively to store breast milk. Yelah…takkan nak letak sebelah menyebelah ngan ikan , daging, sayur, belacan, tempoyak dan sebagainya kan.. Otherwise, be creative – store them in a big container and make sure none of the tempoyak smell can get in. The system is based on FIFO – first in, first out; the milk that is first stored should be consumed first. Thus, it is very important to label the date and the time of when the milk is produced/pumped.
Store in small quantities. Let’s say your baby only takes 3 oz per feeding. Then, store your milk in 3 oz containers. I’m sure my favorite Tupperware Company sells cute little containers that you can use (note: don’t use the cheap plastics as we don’t know what chemicals are used to manufacture that). You can also buy breast milk bag yang ada dijual di kedai (kedai apa, aku pun tak tahu…farmasi kot). Depending on the person, you can get 8 – 9 oz of breast milk in one session…(again, don’t ask me what session).
How the stored breast milk is to be consumed?
Remember, the FIFO rules. Read the label and use the one that has been stored in the freezer for the longest time first. The milk that is kept in the freezer section can last up to 3 months. When you need to use it, remove from the freezer section and place it in the chiller overnight until it fully turn back to liquid. In the chiller, the milk can only last up to 72 hours (need to label this one too, I suppose).
To consume, take the milk that has already been liquidified out from the chiller and put the milk container in a bowl of warm water. You can use a bottle warmer as it has its own temperature settings but DO NOT warm it directly on the fire. Then, apa lagi….go feed the hungry baby.
How about mothers who don’t have sufficient breastmilk?
The first few days especially day 1 – 3, mothers don’t really produce breast milk yet. Instead, there will be a thick yellowish liquid that is called colostrum. This colostrum is produced in a very little amount. Sometimes, only one or two drops are produced in one breastfeeding session.
However, believe what Dr Aniey said, this is enough for the newborn because at this time, its stomach is only the size of a small marble (guli), so it does not really need much. However, mothers need to let the baby suck as often as they could to stimulate the milk glands to produce more milk. Babies tend to be introduced to formula milk at this time (the first few days) because mothers tend to believe that their milk is not sufficient. No need to be worried, with the correct technique, colostrums/breast milk will find their way to the baby’s little tummy.
Colostrum is the most nutritious liquid in the world. It is high in nutrients and antibodies for your baby. No formula milk can compare to it.
If you are afraid that your breast milk might dry up, afraid not, as the milk production is based on demand. The more milk is sucked, the more it will be produced. Otherwise, your body will automatically slow down the milk production. That’s how magical we humans are.
For mothers who have run dry (betul ke istilah aku guna ni) but still determined to breastfeed the baby, there is a program called ‘re-lactation’. This program helps, even for women who are adopting.
Regardless of what I’ve said above, if formula milk seems to be your best solution, take good care of your kids; make sure they eat right and always healthy. That works too (and of course, there’s the power of prayer as well).
Love and Support
In order to make breastfeeding a success, one has to be fully committed to it. Love and support from the people nearest to you is very important, in whatever form it might be. They have to be really understanding in this cause of yours. It might not be easy, but if there’s a will, there’s a way…insyaAllah. Nak buat apa-apa dalam dunia ni pun kena ikhlas. I hope I will have enough determination and love and support to do this when my time comes. Amiin.
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