Ok so in reality what it really is, is my son's 1-year birthday. He had his party, which I begrudgingly granted my mother-in-law who was crestfallen when we first told her that a party was not going to happen. Back to the point. One year of breastfeeding, he had his party, now I am having mine.
What are the things I have had to deal with?
1. My mom constantly asking me how much longer I am planning to breastfeed. At first I didn't pay her any mind, I'm used to shrugging off the things she says. Lately though it's been really getting on my nerves, partly because she never stops asking and partly because her motives for wanting me to stop are completely irrelevant. Those motives as I see them are: so I can finally get to doing real exercise and get back to a size 4, so she can take the baby places without me, so my boobs can shrink back to normal size and I can wear correct-fitting clothes again, and so the baby doesn't become too much of a mama's boy.
2. A baby who is big enough to start really hurting me when nursing. He is a high-strung fidgety kind of kid, even when he is nursing to fall asleep he constantly kicks me in the stomach and pinches me.
3. Teeth. Lots of them.
4. Solid food on the boob. This is pretty disgusting. He will be eating fried chicken then 10 minutes later will want to nurse. Open wide! What do I see? Bits of chicken in his mouth ready to be washed down with breastmilk. Ick.
5. Pumping. I am so sick of pumping now I must confess. The good thing is, I hardly ever pump anymore. I have been breastfeeding long enough now that i'm pretty confident my supply is constant. So long as I am not away from him for more than 6 hours at a time then I don't have to bring a pump around. At this age babies also don't drink that much milk anymore, so demand is also lower.
6. Missing my boobs. My old boobs. The reasonable-sized ones that were high up on my chest and didnt' make me look like i was going to tip over because they messed with my center of gravity.
I used to say I will know when to stop breastfeeding because I would never get used to the idea of a toddler walking over to me in his shoes and shorts asking for dede. Yet here I am. You know why I'm still doing it? Because weaning is hard. It is hard for me, hard for baby, hard for daddy. It is a long project and is going to be emotionally draining. So I postpone because I'm a coward. I do expect to be fully depressed once he weans. It'll be so sad. I'll have more freedom, but i'll miss it so.
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Babies who play with boobies
I am not shy about nursing in public. Not shy at all. I will whip these puppies out in the middle of church if I have to. Breastfeeding will very quickly change your attitude about your boobs. They are no longer for sexual objectification, they are for the nourishment of your child. So whip them out I did! For many months I enjoyed nursing my baby while staying mobile and not having to bring bottles and formula. At around 8 months, things started to change.
As baby J started to develop fine motor skills he learned how to use his hands. He is also a little bit of a fidgeter. When nursing he plays with my shirt, runs his fist up up and down my chest, or claws at my arm. You can see where I'm going with this.
Now that he is much bigger and starting to walk, he is a little tougher to keep still when nursing. He has started playing with the other boob while breastfeeding. He'll put his hand over the other boob and squeeze repeatedly like he has a squeaking rubber ducky. Once he is done drinking, he will pull off, stare at the bare boob and then start pinching it. Very embarrassing in public! It doesn't help that he has started refusing to stay under a nursing cover. I have tried and tried and tried stopping him from doing this, nothing has worked so far.
Oy. I never thought I'd hesitate to nurse in public, yet here I am, unable to feed him in the middle of the mall because he will be playing with the boobs.
Friday, August 3, 2012
Do you really need a diaper bag?
Short answer. No.
Diaper bags are very cute. Tempting to drop a lot of money into a stylish brand-name diaper bag with hundreds of pockets specially designed for stuff you bring around with you when baby is in tow. If you're a slave to baby shopping, it is easy to find yourself at the check-out counter charging 4,000 on your credit card for a bag that will not find any use after baby is 8 months old. Don't do it, unless of course you are ok with spending that money. In which case, I envy you. But if like most moms you want to save that money for other purposes, say tickets to the Snow Patrol concert (kidding!), then hold off.
What makes a bag a diaper bag? Pockets and prints. That's all. Prints are for baby, or designs are so that they are chic, hiding the fact that inside you have soiled diapers and wipe cloths. I was gifted a diaper bag and used it for 2 months, then my husband and I both decided that it wasn't doing it's job well enough. It was too small and all the opaque pockets were making it annoying to look for things.
Diaper bags have to make all you need accessible at the time you need them. It is a delicate balancing act to change a baby on a changing table (if you're lucky to find one) in a public bathroom. The bag has to make everything easy to get to with one hand. That means all things have to be easy to find.
So for more than a month I obsessively went from mall to mall looking for a TRANSPARENT bag! I used to think these were so ugly. My aunt, years ago said they were the best things ever, she has two kids. I filed away that information for future use, but didn't really believe her. WHy would you want to world to see all the business you carry around with you? What about those tampons and half-eaten cookies I like to stash away in my bag? Will people see them? Yes. But it's a small price to pay for easy diaper changing and packing. All the transparent bags I found were just not large enough, or were too ugly to use a diaper bags. I mean, really, carrying around an ugly diaper bag is definitely too high a price to pay :)
We finally settled on a mesh backpack from Habagat (Not sure about exact price but it was under 2,000). It is the bomb I tell you. It is not so transparent that all your stuff is out for the world to see. Yet it is transparent enough that I don't have to open it to see if I need to put more diapers or wipes in there. I can see through all of the outside pockets, so no more fumbling about for rash cream with one hand while precariously holding a baby with poop with the other. It has enough pockets to organize baby stuff, and it is large enough for an overnight trip. The best part? Once baby outgrows it you have a perfectly nice backpack that anybody, baby or no baby, can use.
Case in point. Now at 8 months I find I no longer have to bring a ton of stuff with me when we go out. I only really need 2 diapers, a small pack of wipes, a nursing cover, and the plastic sheet for half-day outings. It will all fit into my purse. The diaper bag now only sees action when we are off for the entire day, or overnight.
So there, my recommendation is to not spend your hard earned cash on a diaper bag. Buy a decent regular bag or use one you already have. If you do buy look for a transparent one, or close to transparent one. Believe me, you will thank me later.
Diaper bags are very cute. Tempting to drop a lot of money into a stylish brand-name diaper bag with hundreds of pockets specially designed for stuff you bring around with you when baby is in tow. If you're a slave to baby shopping, it is easy to find yourself at the check-out counter charging 4,000 on your credit card for a bag that will not find any use after baby is 8 months old. Don't do it, unless of course you are ok with spending that money. In which case, I envy you. But if like most moms you want to save that money for other purposes, say tickets to the Snow Patrol concert (kidding!), then hold off.
What makes a bag a diaper bag? Pockets and prints. That's all. Prints are for baby, or designs are so that they are chic, hiding the fact that inside you have soiled diapers and wipe cloths. I was gifted a diaper bag and used it for 2 months, then my husband and I both decided that it wasn't doing it's job well enough. It was too small and all the opaque pockets were making it annoying to look for things.
Diaper bags have to make all you need accessible at the time you need them. It is a delicate balancing act to change a baby on a changing table (if you're lucky to find one) in a public bathroom. The bag has to make everything easy to get to with one hand. That means all things have to be easy to find.
So for more than a month I obsessively went from mall to mall looking for a TRANSPARENT bag! I used to think these were so ugly. My aunt, years ago said they were the best things ever, she has two kids. I filed away that information for future use, but didn't really believe her. WHy would you want to world to see all the business you carry around with you? What about those tampons and half-eaten cookies I like to stash away in my bag? Will people see them? Yes. But it's a small price to pay for easy diaper changing and packing. All the transparent bags I found were just not large enough, or were too ugly to use a diaper bags. I mean, really, carrying around an ugly diaper bag is definitely too high a price to pay :)
We finally settled on a mesh backpack from Habagat (Not sure about exact price but it was under 2,000). It is the bomb I tell you. It is not so transparent that all your stuff is out for the world to see. Yet it is transparent enough that I don't have to open it to see if I need to put more diapers or wipes in there. I can see through all of the outside pockets, so no more fumbling about for rash cream with one hand while precariously holding a baby with poop with the other. It has enough pockets to organize baby stuff, and it is large enough for an overnight trip. The best part? Once baby outgrows it you have a perfectly nice backpack that anybody, baby or no baby, can use.
Case in point. Now at 8 months I find I no longer have to bring a ton of stuff with me when we go out. I only really need 2 diapers, a small pack of wipes, a nursing cover, and the plastic sheet for half-day outings. It will all fit into my purse. The diaper bag now only sees action when we are off for the entire day, or overnight.
So there, my recommendation is to not spend your hard earned cash on a diaper bag. Buy a decent regular bag or use one you already have. If you do buy look for a transparent one, or close to transparent one. Believe me, you will thank me later.
Thursday, August 2, 2012
Leaking breasts
Not all breastfeeding moms are leakers. I am a leaker. It can strike anywhere and at any time. It is a reminder that we are so closely attached to our child that even the thought of him/her will prompt a letdown. Pads are necessary of course, otherwise you'll have milk running down your shirt or you'll be leaving little droplets of milk all over your office floor. Question is, how not to break the bank on those pads.
Reusable breast pads are cheap, I got 3 pairs for P65 or something at SM. Used them once though, then never again. They are too thick, uncomfortable, and bunch underneath your bra that it is plain for anyone to see you are wearing them. Also, I was already having a problem with how large my breasts have become, I didn't need to add more volume to them.
The disposable breast pads are better, but expensive. You can find them at the baby stores for around P400 for a set of 30 or so. Not a sustainable solution if you need to wear a pair everyday for 2 years. I must confess though, I've reused these things 2-3 times. If I only had them on for a couple of hours, i'll use them again the next day. These are better fitting than the reusables, still some volume to them but less, and they stick to the inside of your bra with double-sided adhesive. There is still a bunching problem, but not so obvious if your shirt is fairly loose. All the packaging is annoying though, and I always feel bad throwing all the plastic away.
Finally, the obvious DIY solution I found online. Pantyliners. One piece cut down the middle, one half on each boob. Not for the heavy leakers but a good cheap solution for most. No bunching, no itching, no need to reuse because they're inexpensive, and no unnecessary packaging to clog our city's drains. It covers a smaller area so make sure it is on the right spot of your bra. Don't buy the superslim ones, buy the ones that are thick, they still won't be as thick as breast pads.
With padded boobies you won't have to worry again about hearing someone else's baby cry and leaking all over the place!
Reusable breast pads are cheap, I got 3 pairs for P65 or something at SM. Used them once though, then never again. They are too thick, uncomfortable, and bunch underneath your bra that it is plain for anyone to see you are wearing them. Also, I was already having a problem with how large my breasts have become, I didn't need to add more volume to them.
The disposable breast pads are better, but expensive. You can find them at the baby stores for around P400 for a set of 30 or so. Not a sustainable solution if you need to wear a pair everyday for 2 years. I must confess though, I've reused these things 2-3 times. If I only had them on for a couple of hours, i'll use them again the next day. These are better fitting than the reusables, still some volume to them but less, and they stick to the inside of your bra with double-sided adhesive. There is still a bunching problem, but not so obvious if your shirt is fairly loose. All the packaging is annoying though, and I always feel bad throwing all the plastic away.
Finally, the obvious DIY solution I found online. Pantyliners. One piece cut down the middle, one half on each boob. Not for the heavy leakers but a good cheap solution for most. No bunching, no itching, no need to reuse because they're inexpensive, and no unnecessary packaging to clog our city's drains. It covers a smaller area so make sure it is on the right spot of your bra. Don't buy the superslim ones, buy the ones that are thick, they still won't be as thick as breast pads.
With padded boobies you won't have to worry again about hearing someone else's baby cry and leaking all over the place!
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Hospital confinement: Keeping baby sane and saving money
The entire ManilaMom911 family stayed in the hospital from Monday to Friday while Baby J went through his illness, just in case he got more seizures. It was tough. Tough to watch my kid call out for me with pain in his eyes. Tough to wait for test results to rule out serious conditions. Tough to bully the nurses into giving him meds when his fever spikes.
The illness was not painful, but all the pricks and meds were. In all he must have gone through 10 injections combined for various blood tests and his IV. Poor little man is not a bleeder, so the nurses would often prick him once, tap an unproductive vein and have to prick him again. Ugh. It was terrible hearing his screams as they squeeze his tiny arm to try to get 2 drops of blood out.
A few tips on being hospitalized with a baby, although I really do wish nobody would have to go through it:
1. Bring lots of toys. After 2 or 3 days your baby will become very very bored. Confined to the bed with an IV means no crawling and no leaving the room. By day 3 we would walk him down the halls with IV in tow just so he can see different color wallpaper. Iphones and Ipads come in really handy, equip them with baby apps.
2. Bring lots of diapers and leave the cloth ones behind. The nurses weigh his soiled diapers to see if he is peeing enough, then they throw them out. Also bring a lot of wipes, with an IV (Baby J's was on his foot) we couldn't clean his poop in the sink so we had to rely on wipes 100% of the time.
3. When packing clothing for him, pack a diverse set. Include long-sleeved shirts and socks because it can get really cold in the room.
4. I don't know why I forgot about this, but I learned the lesson on parking when I gave birth. Somehow I made the costly mistake again. If you think you will be in Medical City Hospital parking for more than a day, have someone bring your car home and just get picked up when going home. Don't rely on the "discounted" parking for those who are admitted. We were there for 4 days and we paid close to 700! It's 190 or something per 24 hour period.
5. Bring a wash basin if you have it, for his sponge bath. Otherwise you'd have to pay the hospital for one.
6. In Medical City upon discharge, they don't tell you that you own the pillow. You paid for the pillow, take it home with you. Leave the pillowcase though.
7. A discharge by 11am means you only pay for half the day. Our doctor made rounds at 12pm, but we insisted that we get discharge orders at 10am so we can pay only for half a day. It means clearing the room by 1:30, we had plenty of time to pack up and wait for the doctor.
8. Before you let them hook your baby up onto something, make sure your pedia ordered it. They hooked my baby up to a blood oxygen level monitor overnight. During rounds the next day my pedia said "what is that doing here? take it out!" I have no idea who ordered for it, maybe it's hospital protocol. I didn't think much of it until I studied the bill. I paid more than 2,000 for them to hook it up to my kid, then another 850 per day renting it.
Moms and dads, you are your own kid's best advocate. You know if something is wrong, don't let the nurses and doctors ignore you. I had to insist several times to get medicine to my baby half an hour before it was scheduled because he was spiking a 40 degree fever and feared a seizure. Be especially insistent at night, all you are dealing with at night are these residents who themselves look like they just got out of diapers. I wouldn't trust them with a headache, and I sure didn't trust them with my child's seizures.
The illness was not painful, but all the pricks and meds were. In all he must have gone through 10 injections combined for various blood tests and his IV. Poor little man is not a bleeder, so the nurses would often prick him once, tap an unproductive vein and have to prick him again. Ugh. It was terrible hearing his screams as they squeeze his tiny arm to try to get 2 drops of blood out.
A few tips on being hospitalized with a baby, although I really do wish nobody would have to go through it:
1. Bring lots of toys. After 2 or 3 days your baby will become very very bored. Confined to the bed with an IV means no crawling and no leaving the room. By day 3 we would walk him down the halls with IV in tow just so he can see different color wallpaper. Iphones and Ipads come in really handy, equip them with baby apps.
2. Bring lots of diapers and leave the cloth ones behind. The nurses weigh his soiled diapers to see if he is peeing enough, then they throw them out. Also bring a lot of wipes, with an IV (Baby J's was on his foot) we couldn't clean his poop in the sink so we had to rely on wipes 100% of the time.
3. When packing clothing for him, pack a diverse set. Include long-sleeved shirts and socks because it can get really cold in the room.
4. I don't know why I forgot about this, but I learned the lesson on parking when I gave birth. Somehow I made the costly mistake again. If you think you will be in Medical City Hospital parking for more than a day, have someone bring your car home and just get picked up when going home. Don't rely on the "discounted" parking for those who are admitted. We were there for 4 days and we paid close to 700! It's 190 or something per 24 hour period.
5. Bring a wash basin if you have it, for his sponge bath. Otherwise you'd have to pay the hospital for one.
6. In Medical City upon discharge, they don't tell you that you own the pillow. You paid for the pillow, take it home with you. Leave the pillowcase though.
7. A discharge by 11am means you only pay for half the day. Our doctor made rounds at 12pm, but we insisted that we get discharge orders at 10am so we can pay only for half a day. It means clearing the room by 1:30, we had plenty of time to pack up and wait for the doctor.
8. Before you let them hook your baby up onto something, make sure your pedia ordered it. They hooked my baby up to a blood oxygen level monitor overnight. During rounds the next day my pedia said "what is that doing here? take it out!" I have no idea who ordered for it, maybe it's hospital protocol. I didn't think much of it until I studied the bill. I paid more than 2,000 for them to hook it up to my kid, then another 850 per day renting it.
Moms and dads, you are your own kid's best advocate. You know if something is wrong, don't let the nurses and doctors ignore you. I had to insist several times to get medicine to my baby half an hour before it was scheduled because he was spiking a 40 degree fever and feared a seizure. Be especially insistent at night, all you are dealing with at night are these residents who themselves look like they just got out of diapers. I wouldn't trust them with a headache, and I sure didn't trust them with my child's seizures.
Saturday, July 28, 2012
Baby seizure
Baby J had the most terrible week of his life.
On Monday he developed a slight fever (38C), so I stayed home with him all day. The fever went up a little in the afternoon so his dad and I drove him to Medical City to get checked. They told us to give him paracetamol every 4 hours and sent us home, it's too early to tell what he has. So home we went. Baby J played a little, nursed, and took a nap in my arms. In the early evening he opened his eyes, stared blankly out and didn't move. We called his name and he didn't respond, I shook him and he didn't respond. His eyes were open but his body was limp and he was completely unresponsive. In a panic, we ran to the car. While opening the gate and getting the keys, my husband was holding J, and he started to seize. His leg stiffened up.
I held my child's limp ragdoll-like body in the car on the drive over to Medical City. His eyes were open but his eyeballs were rolling to the back of his head. Prayers poured out of my mouth and I was in a state of hysteria, it seemed, for the 3 minutes it took us to get to the ER. There are no words to describe how it feels to have the thought in your head that it is entirely possible your kid won't make it to the hospital in time, or he makes it there and there is nothing they can do. The closest word to describe it is "horrifying" but that doesn't even describe half of what it felt like.
We pulled up to the ER and I screamed for a doctor, she came and I told her he is completely unresponsive. Skipping the triage section we ran into the pedia beds and found an empty one.
When I laid J down he had started to move. He whimpered and I gave a big exhale and thanked the Lord that he was beginning to respond. They were hooking him up to the little baby heart-jumper-thingie, when he started to come to and full-on cry. It was the sweetest sound I had ever heard. I had never been so happy to hear him cry.
In all we stayed in the hospital for 4 days. It was no fun for Baby J. More details on the hospital stay in a future post. In the end he was diagnosed with Roseola or Hangin Tigdas as they call it. The seizure was brought on by the spike in temp. The tendency to get seizures with fever is genetic, as a child I would go into convulsions when I get a fever. They are called Febrile Seizures and can happen to a small percentage of babies (up to 6 years old). Generally they do not cause long-term damage to the brain, but they are terrifying to see.
If you are one of the unlucky ones, and you see your child going into a seizure, just remember to put him on his side and don't try to feed him medicine. Don't put anything in his mouth. WHat you do is you wait. If it lasts more than 3-4 minutes then drive to the hospital. After the seizure, try to bring his temp down with a tepid sponge bath.
It's horrible that there is nothing to do but wait and watch it take over your child's body, but that is all that can be done. A generous friend whose child had seizures told me that it helps to think the child will not remember the seizure and will not remember any pain if they felt it at all.
On Monday he developed a slight fever (38C), so I stayed home with him all day. The fever went up a little in the afternoon so his dad and I drove him to Medical City to get checked. They told us to give him paracetamol every 4 hours and sent us home, it's too early to tell what he has. So home we went. Baby J played a little, nursed, and took a nap in my arms. In the early evening he opened his eyes, stared blankly out and didn't move. We called his name and he didn't respond, I shook him and he didn't respond. His eyes were open but his body was limp and he was completely unresponsive. In a panic, we ran to the car. While opening the gate and getting the keys, my husband was holding J, and he started to seize. His leg stiffened up.
I held my child's limp ragdoll-like body in the car on the drive over to Medical City. His eyes were open but his eyeballs were rolling to the back of his head. Prayers poured out of my mouth and I was in a state of hysteria, it seemed, for the 3 minutes it took us to get to the ER. There are no words to describe how it feels to have the thought in your head that it is entirely possible your kid won't make it to the hospital in time, or he makes it there and there is nothing they can do. The closest word to describe it is "horrifying" but that doesn't even describe half of what it felt like.
We pulled up to the ER and I screamed for a doctor, she came and I told her he is completely unresponsive. Skipping the triage section we ran into the pedia beds and found an empty one.
When I laid J down he had started to move. He whimpered and I gave a big exhale and thanked the Lord that he was beginning to respond. They were hooking him up to the little baby heart-jumper-thingie, when he started to come to and full-on cry. It was the sweetest sound I had ever heard. I had never been so happy to hear him cry.
In all we stayed in the hospital for 4 days. It was no fun for Baby J. More details on the hospital stay in a future post. In the end he was diagnosed with Roseola or Hangin Tigdas as they call it. The seizure was brought on by the spike in temp. The tendency to get seizures with fever is genetic, as a child I would go into convulsions when I get a fever. They are called Febrile Seizures and can happen to a small percentage of babies (up to 6 years old). Generally they do not cause long-term damage to the brain, but they are terrifying to see.
If you are one of the unlucky ones, and you see your child going into a seizure, just remember to put him on his side and don't try to feed him medicine. Don't put anything in his mouth. WHat you do is you wait. If it lasts more than 3-4 minutes then drive to the hospital. After the seizure, try to bring his temp down with a tepid sponge bath.
It's horrible that there is nothing to do but wait and watch it take over your child's body, but that is all that can be done. A generous friend whose child had seizures told me that it helps to think the child will not remember the seizure and will not remember any pain if they felt it at all.
Friday, July 20, 2012
Nursing bras and jog bras
Nobody really warned me about exactly how much bigger one's boobies gets when breastfeeding. I mean seriously, these missiles are logistical problems now, presenting a multitude of fashion dilemmas.
Nursing bras are fairly easy to find in department stores, if you're a cup size A-C and generally Filipino-size all around (i.e. petite and slim), which I most definitely am not. I didn't shop for nursing bras before giving birth because a generous friend gave me a couple of really expensive ones and I wasn't really sure yet that I'd be able to nurse. So by the time I did decide to buy a few nursing bras it was already an urgent purchase. No time to comparison shop online and off. So to trusty SM Megamall I went.
The cheap brands have decent nursing bras but they only go up in size to 38 C, given how badly they fit I would guess I'm at least a D cup. So-en had these for under P400 (apologies I forget the exact figure), and the Avon store had a couple in stock for the same price. The So-en one was tighter even if both were the same size, and less comfortable than the Avon I think because the fabric was less cotton-y. Between the two I recommend the Avon if you can find a store or seller. They are cheap and do the trick, so long as they are the right size for you.
Also spent some time at the Centris Sunday Market looking for nursing bras, there are sellers there that carry export overruns of imported brands. Not a lot of options on size but I did find a couple ones for really cheap (P150) even though they were the wrong size, 40 A, I figured I could make up for the cup size with a larger circumference. WRONG! I would only wear these around the house because they fit so poorly and held nothing up. So don't buy ill-fitting bras, they're a waste of money.
There are a lot of imported expensive nursing bras available online, but I wasn't really willing to pay more than P600 per bra. I only need the convenience when am out with the baby. When at work and all I need to do is pump I can wear a normal bra.
Two months after giving birth I felt ready to go to the gym, maybe do some running. Boy was I wrong. Running with size D breasts is practically impossible without a good supporting bra. So off I went again to buy new jog bras. On these I spend more money, around 800, because I had exacting standards. I hate those bras that you have to pull over your head, so needed ones that snap in the back. Found them at Jockey in SM. Even with supposedly rock hard support and making sure I nurse or pump both boobs empty before i leave the house, I was still jiggling around quite a bit at the gym. When I did finally decide to do a full-trot jog on the treadmill, learned that jog bras were not enough. I did a DIY fix and strapped those babies close to my chest with the stomach binder/girdle the hospital gave me when I gave birth. Worked like a charm! Not exactly comfy but they held me in!
Now that I'm back working full-time I have to invest in good going-out bras. Even though I'm not nursing as much as before it doesn't look like I will be back to my old size anytime soon. They don't have to be nursing bras because i don't take the baby with me so it'll be an easier purchase. Back to Centris we go, there's a lady there that sells overrun Victoria's Secret and CK:)
Nursing bras are fairly easy to find in department stores, if you're a cup size A-C and generally Filipino-size all around (i.e. petite and slim), which I most definitely am not. I didn't shop for nursing bras before giving birth because a generous friend gave me a couple of really expensive ones and I wasn't really sure yet that I'd be able to nurse. So by the time I did decide to buy a few nursing bras it was already an urgent purchase. No time to comparison shop online and off. So to trusty SM Megamall I went.
The cheap brands have decent nursing bras but they only go up in size to 38 C, given how badly they fit I would guess I'm at least a D cup. So-en had these for under P400 (apologies I forget the exact figure), and the Avon store had a couple in stock for the same price. The So-en one was tighter even if both were the same size, and less comfortable than the Avon I think because the fabric was less cotton-y. Between the two I recommend the Avon if you can find a store or seller. They are cheap and do the trick, so long as they are the right size for you.
Also spent some time at the Centris Sunday Market looking for nursing bras, there are sellers there that carry export overruns of imported brands. Not a lot of options on size but I did find a couple ones for really cheap (P150) even though they were the wrong size, 40 A, I figured I could make up for the cup size with a larger circumference. WRONG! I would only wear these around the house because they fit so poorly and held nothing up. So don't buy ill-fitting bras, they're a waste of money.
There are a lot of imported expensive nursing bras available online, but I wasn't really willing to pay more than P600 per bra. I only need the convenience when am out with the baby. When at work and all I need to do is pump I can wear a normal bra.
Two months after giving birth I felt ready to go to the gym, maybe do some running. Boy was I wrong. Running with size D breasts is practically impossible without a good supporting bra. So off I went again to buy new jog bras. On these I spend more money, around 800, because I had exacting standards. I hate those bras that you have to pull over your head, so needed ones that snap in the back. Found them at Jockey in SM. Even with supposedly rock hard support and making sure I nurse or pump both boobs empty before i leave the house, I was still jiggling around quite a bit at the gym. When I did finally decide to do a full-trot jog on the treadmill, learned that jog bras were not enough. I did a DIY fix and strapped those babies close to my chest with the stomach binder/girdle the hospital gave me when I gave birth. Worked like a charm! Not exactly comfy but they held me in!
Now that I'm back working full-time I have to invest in good going-out bras. Even though I'm not nursing as much as before it doesn't look like I will be back to my old size anytime soon. They don't have to be nursing bras because i don't take the baby with me so it'll be an easier purchase. Back to Centris we go, there's a lady there that sells overrun Victoria's Secret and CK:)
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Gasp! TEETH!
Yes babies are very cute when they start cutting teeth, but teeth can be a nightmare for nursing moms. It's partly psychological really, how can breastfeeding a child with a mouthful of fully developed teeth NOT hurt?! It must, right? The agony of anticipating that pain is probably worse than the pain itself.
Honestly I still don't completely know, my kid has 2 bottom teeth and is now erupting two more on top. I haven't dealt with a whole mouthful just yet. Lemme tell you though, those first two are a b*tch! Not something you can't get over, I did figure out, after much research, how to deal with them. As usual with breastfeeding it's all about latch and not getting lazy about making sure baby is on there properly.
Teething babies are miserable. They are uncomfortable, drooly, and irritable so they will be complaining and crying a lot. Not all teething babies will bite your boobs, however you do not want them to get into the habit of using your boobies as teethers, not pleasant. So here are a few tips:
1. Bottom teeth come out first, and the important thing to remember is that a baby cannot feed while biting so put him on the boob only when he wants to eat. To get the milk out, his tongue has to be on top of the bottom teeth. If he is just hanging out on your boob he is more likely to bite. When you see that he is done feeding, take him off, otherwise he might bite just to keep himself occupied.
2. Ice his gums first before nursing. I would take a little ice cube, wrap a lampin around it and use that as a teether. Works really well because the fabric is rough but thin so he gets the coldness and some friction to relieve his itchy gums. When he is no longer annoyed by his gums and seems calm, then start nursing him. It'll be cold on your boob for a bit so be prepared! DO NOT GIVE HIM JUST ICE! He can choke on it.
3. Make sure he opens his mouth really wide before latching him on. The further down the breastfeeding relationship we got, the lazier I got with latching him on properly. He'd have his mouth half-open and i'd put him on, while ok without teeth, once those two bottom ones pop out this maneuver will get painful.
The two front bottom teeth come out first, and those are the toughest to deal with. Top teeth are easier because their angle while feeding makes it so it's not painful, not a biting, just a little friction. I'm optimistic that since we have weathered the storm of the first two bottom teeth, the rest will be easier to deal with. Here's hopin'!
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| Photo credit: http://www.breastfeedingbasics.com/articles/teething-and-biting |
Honestly I still don't completely know, my kid has 2 bottom teeth and is now erupting two more on top. I haven't dealt with a whole mouthful just yet. Lemme tell you though, those first two are a b*tch! Not something you can't get over, I did figure out, after much research, how to deal with them. As usual with breastfeeding it's all about latch and not getting lazy about making sure baby is on there properly.
Teething babies are miserable. They are uncomfortable, drooly, and irritable so they will be complaining and crying a lot. Not all teething babies will bite your boobs, however you do not want them to get into the habit of using your boobies as teethers, not pleasant. So here are a few tips:
1. Bottom teeth come out first, and the important thing to remember is that a baby cannot feed while biting so put him on the boob only when he wants to eat. To get the milk out, his tongue has to be on top of the bottom teeth. If he is just hanging out on your boob he is more likely to bite. When you see that he is done feeding, take him off, otherwise he might bite just to keep himself occupied.
2. Ice his gums first before nursing. I would take a little ice cube, wrap a lampin around it and use that as a teether. Works really well because the fabric is rough but thin so he gets the coldness and some friction to relieve his itchy gums. When he is no longer annoyed by his gums and seems calm, then start nursing him. It'll be cold on your boob for a bit so be prepared! DO NOT GIVE HIM JUST ICE! He can choke on it.
3. Make sure he opens his mouth really wide before latching him on. The further down the breastfeeding relationship we got, the lazier I got with latching him on properly. He'd have his mouth half-open and i'd put him on, while ok without teeth, once those two bottom ones pop out this maneuver will get painful.
The two front bottom teeth come out first, and those are the toughest to deal with. Top teeth are easier because their angle while feeding makes it so it's not painful, not a biting, just a little friction. I'm optimistic that since we have weathered the storm of the first two bottom teeth, the rest will be easier to deal with. Here's hopin'!
Saturday, July 7, 2012
Pumping on the go
This post was inspired by this post: Pumping and working
It is tough enough to pump every day at work, but that's a walk in the park compared to pumping while traveling or when out all day in meetings. At work I can lock myself in my office and do my business whenever I need to. If i'm just on the computer it is not a big deal to stop working for 20 minutes to pump. On the go is a whole other ball of wax.
There are many stories online about how women can feel humiliated when they find themselves leaking or having to pump in relatively public places. For instance this incident TSA breast pump blunder just fills me with rage. Unfortunately society has put women in these positions where we have to expect to feel humiliated at times, or like me, just develop a thick skin and do whatever it takes to do what needs to be done.
On my first trip outside the country after giving birth I was very anxious about pumping and how I would fit it into all the moving around I had to do. In the end it turned out fine, I just had to suck it up and improvise as I went from point A to point B. My first piece of advice to traveling moms is to bring a manual pump, not an electric one, so much easier to sit somewhere and pump indiscreetly. Second, bring a nursing cover with you along with extra pads and tissues. Here's a hierarchy of options for places to pump in airports:
1. If available look for a lounge or a nursing/breastfeeding room. Odds not high you'll find one but you might.
2. A bathroom for the disabled. In Philippine airports these are typically separate rooms altogether that have a big enough space to lay out your luggage and set up. Just tell the bathroom attendant you will need it for a few minutes to pump and odds are they will even stand there to guard the door for you. Women, we protect each other. Men, they are afraid of us, so even if the attendant is a man go ahead and tell him, he will stand there with his mouth hanging open just agreeing to do whatever you tell him to.
3. The largest bathroom stall in a public bathroom. Or the one in the far end usually, the one that doesn't get a lot of traffic. I also decided to tell the attendant what I will be doing in there so she can tell people waiting in line that it won't be available.
4. In some corner somewhere. When I was left with no other choice, I just plopped myself down on a row of seats in an uncrowded area, put my rolling luggage beside me so I occupied the whole row, and put on a nursing cover. This was quite a success surprisingly, more comfortable for me than th ebathrooms, but if you're squeamish about pumping in public them perhaps not for you.
5. During the flight of course you'd have to use the lavatory. Do it during the time that food is being served so most people are trapped in their seats and you won't be holding up a long line of people desperate to pee. On my return flight the plane was not full, I transferred to an area where I didn't have to sit next to anyone, and again hid under my nursing cover and just pumped in my seat.
*extra tip, when I ran out of milk storage bags I just bought a bottle of water and emptied it out then put the milk in there.
**extra extra tip, ALWAYS consider the ability pump when selecting clothes to wear. Not a good idea to trap yourself in a one-piece dress that doesn't open or pull down the front when you find yourself having to pump outdoors.
Working in pumping sessions can also be tough when you are having a hectic moving-around day of meetings and errands in various places. When this happens to me I would park my car in the most secluded slot I can find and cover up with a nursing cover then pump in the car before heading to a meeting.
I am fortunate enough to have cars to hide out in and to be able to afford an extra pump to bring with me. Many women don't have that, so all you out there judging moms for ceasing breastfeeding when they return to work, back off, it is incredibly hard.
It is tough enough to pump every day at work, but that's a walk in the park compared to pumping while traveling or when out all day in meetings. At work I can lock myself in my office and do my business whenever I need to. If i'm just on the computer it is not a big deal to stop working for 20 minutes to pump. On the go is a whole other ball of wax.
There are many stories online about how women can feel humiliated when they find themselves leaking or having to pump in relatively public places. For instance this incident TSA breast pump blunder just fills me with rage. Unfortunately society has put women in these positions where we have to expect to feel humiliated at times, or like me, just develop a thick skin and do whatever it takes to do what needs to be done.
On my first trip outside the country after giving birth I was very anxious about pumping and how I would fit it into all the moving around I had to do. In the end it turned out fine, I just had to suck it up and improvise as I went from point A to point B. My first piece of advice to traveling moms is to bring a manual pump, not an electric one, so much easier to sit somewhere and pump indiscreetly. Second, bring a nursing cover with you along with extra pads and tissues. Here's a hierarchy of options for places to pump in airports:
1. If available look for a lounge or a nursing/breastfeeding room. Odds not high you'll find one but you might.
2. A bathroom for the disabled. In Philippine airports these are typically separate rooms altogether that have a big enough space to lay out your luggage and set up. Just tell the bathroom attendant you will need it for a few minutes to pump and odds are they will even stand there to guard the door for you. Women, we protect each other. Men, they are afraid of us, so even if the attendant is a man go ahead and tell him, he will stand there with his mouth hanging open just agreeing to do whatever you tell him to.
3. The largest bathroom stall in a public bathroom. Or the one in the far end usually, the one that doesn't get a lot of traffic. I also decided to tell the attendant what I will be doing in there so she can tell people waiting in line that it won't be available.
4. In some corner somewhere. When I was left with no other choice, I just plopped myself down on a row of seats in an uncrowded area, put my rolling luggage beside me so I occupied the whole row, and put on a nursing cover. This was quite a success surprisingly, more comfortable for me than th ebathrooms, but if you're squeamish about pumping in public them perhaps not for you.
5. During the flight of course you'd have to use the lavatory. Do it during the time that food is being served so most people are trapped in their seats and you won't be holding up a long line of people desperate to pee. On my return flight the plane was not full, I transferred to an area where I didn't have to sit next to anyone, and again hid under my nursing cover and just pumped in my seat.
*extra tip, when I ran out of milk storage bags I just bought a bottle of water and emptied it out then put the milk in there.
**extra extra tip, ALWAYS consider the ability pump when selecting clothes to wear. Not a good idea to trap yourself in a one-piece dress that doesn't open or pull down the front when you find yourself having to pump outdoors.
 |
| Photo credit: http://www.nursingfreedom.org/2010/12/pumping-in-bathroom-is-like-putting.html |
Working in pumping sessions can also be tough when you are having a hectic moving-around day of meetings and errands in various places. When this happens to me I would park my car in the most secluded slot I can find and cover up with a nursing cover then pump in the car before heading to a meeting.
I am fortunate enough to have cars to hide out in and to be able to afford an extra pump to bring with me. Many women don't have that, so all you out there judging moms for ceasing breastfeeding when they return to work, back off, it is incredibly hard.
Friday, July 6, 2012
Disposable diaper reviews
We are now cloth diapering happily, basically the entire day the baby is in cloth diapers except when it has been raining and we can't get the laundry to dry in time. At night we are on disposables because no matter how many soakers I put in the cloth ones they will have leaked by morning, and I don't want to have to wake him up to change his diaper in the middle of the night. Our experience with disposables is also quite vast because we were on disposables for the first couple of months.
Upon extensive consultation with mom friends we settled on a fantastic system that was recommended to us by at least 3 people independently: cheap diapers for the day when moving and Mamy Poko at night. Now deciding to use Mamy Poko is sort of a big deal because it is literally twice the price of the cheap ones, not for use with every diaper change (something like 14 pesos per piece). Still, it is the only brand that will hold a baby's overnight pee, when I take that thing off in the morning I swear it weighs 10 lbs! And no leaks!
These reviews have a caveat, my baby is a big pooper, in so many ways. So his diaper requirements may be more stringent than the average kid's. His poops are very runny and exit his body in an explosive way, so he was leaking a lot, and the search for the perfect disposable diaper to contain all this poop was a matter of some importance. We were wiping off leaks from carseats, our bed, his crib, our hands, the couch. He would leak out almost every time he pooped which meant a whole outfit change every time he pooped! It was exhausting. Anyway, so we also needed cheap diapers, because he was going through a dozen of those in a day.
Here are capsule reviews of the rest of the diapers we have tried:
1. Huggies newborns. These were my fave in the beginning, they are a good size for a tiny baby and the paper-like cover I think gives his nether-regions a lot of breathing room. They're pretty cheap too but kind of hard to find.
2. Huggies smalls and mediums. These were mid-priced but weird, some bags I bought seemed defective. Some bags have diapers that have tabs on the side to extend the rear onto the front resulting in a snug fit, but some bags have diapers without the tabs. WIithout those tabs leakage is a real possibility, so avoid. These are in the red packaging, not the blue packaging (discussed in #5).
3. EQ. Got these from the hospital, while cheap, very prone to leaks and not a snug fit around the legs. I like how the whole thing feels like cotton or paper, no plastic, and the tabs are velcro as opposed to scotch tape. The colors were kind of obnoxious, all cartoony.
4. ProKids. Leaky!
5. Huggies "dry" Ugh I HATED these things. We were in the province and in a pinch for disposables, these were the only ones in the store. They are in the blue packaging, very cheap and feels very plastic-y. They are super thin, but what I really objected to was the plastic. I felt like I was cling-wrapping my baby and that his potoytoy can't breathe. The sticky tabs literally feel like scotch tape. Ack, stay away.
6. Pampers "sulit" something. These are the inexpensive pampers in the orange packaging. Only half a notch better than the huggies 'dry', which means they also feel very cheap. All plastic, not as bad as the huggies, but not something I would buy again given a choice.
7. Mamy Poko "value". There's a scaled-down version of Mamy Poko, these were strange. I laughed out loud when I opened it because the diapers were so thin, like 2 sheets of paper. THey are supposed to be super-absorbent. They're fine for day, does NOT feel as cheap as #5&6 above, but definitely will need a change every time baby pees. It's very "presko" though because it's paper-y and thin. Would buy again but my husband didn't like them.
8. Last and best in my opinion, Drypers. These were the winner, one of the cheapest ones on the market (7 pesos per piece thereabouts of the small) but does not feel like you're wrapping your kid in plastic. It's paper-y and thick enough to hold runny poo and a lot of pee. The tabs are like scotch tape yes, but the rest of the diaper is paper. Not thick enough for overnights, but definitely the best for daytime use given how cheap they are.
Upon extensive consultation with mom friends we settled on a fantastic system that was recommended to us by at least 3 people independently: cheap diapers for the day when moving and Mamy Poko at night. Now deciding to use Mamy Poko is sort of a big deal because it is literally twice the price of the cheap ones, not for use with every diaper change (something like 14 pesos per piece). Still, it is the only brand that will hold a baby's overnight pee, when I take that thing off in the morning I swear it weighs 10 lbs! And no leaks!
 |
| Photo credit: http://www.limsimi.com/leisure-entertainment-johor-bahru/johor-bahru-shopping/baby-products-in-johor-bahru/ |
Here are capsule reviews of the rest of the diapers we have tried:
1. Huggies newborns. These were my fave in the beginning, they are a good size for a tiny baby and the paper-like cover I think gives his nether-regions a lot of breathing room. They're pretty cheap too but kind of hard to find.
2. Huggies smalls and mediums. These were mid-priced but weird, some bags I bought seemed defective. Some bags have diapers that have tabs on the side to extend the rear onto the front resulting in a snug fit, but some bags have diapers without the tabs. WIithout those tabs leakage is a real possibility, so avoid. These are in the red packaging, not the blue packaging (discussed in #5).
 |
| Photo credit: http://www.limsimi.com/leisure-entertainment-johor-bahru/johor-bahru-shopping/baby-products-in-johor-bahru/ |
3. EQ. Got these from the hospital, while cheap, very prone to leaks and not a snug fit around the legs. I like how the whole thing feels like cotton or paper, no plastic, and the tabs are velcro as opposed to scotch tape. The colors were kind of obnoxious, all cartoony.
4. ProKids. Leaky!
5. Huggies "dry" Ugh I HATED these things. We were in the province and in a pinch for disposables, these were the only ones in the store. They are in the blue packaging, very cheap and feels very plastic-y. They are super thin, but what I really objected to was the plastic. I felt like I was cling-wrapping my baby and that his potoytoy can't breathe. The sticky tabs literally feel like scotch tape. Ack, stay away.
 |
| Photo credit: http://mommassage.multiply.com/journal |
6. Pampers "sulit" something. These are the inexpensive pampers in the orange packaging. Only half a notch better than the huggies 'dry', which means they also feel very cheap. All plastic, not as bad as the huggies, but not something I would buy again given a choice.
 |
| Photo credit: http://www.lazada.com.ph/Pampers-Comfort-Value-Pack-Medium-42s-25332.html |
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| Photo credit: http://www.diapersph.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=60 |
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
Baby turns his head a lot while nursing
Once baby starts gaining clearer vision and hearing, he will be so excited about seeing things around him that he will become easily distractible when nursing. Even bottlefeeding moms will notice this. Kid is happily drinking away at his bottle then dad walks in, baby turns his head to look... ooh light!, baby turns his head... pretty hair mommy, turns his head. This is fine when attached to the bottle because bottles can travel with the head-turn, boobies, not so much.
Distractible babies can inflict real pain on breastfeeding moms. My baby would look at my eyes, give me a big grin with my nipple between his gums, then clamp down and turn his head. It's really cute but it is PAINFUL! I do the nursing time-outs where after 3 of these head-turns the bra goes on and mom closes up the soda shop. Baby gets a firm "enough!" shout from me, which is greeted by a happy smile btw so I don't think it does anything really.
It may seem mean to stop nursing your baby when he is really distractible and making it painful, but in my experience, when they are more interested in looking around than continuously eating, then they are not really hungry. When baby J is 100% there to eat, he is ALL BUSINESS, he closes his eyes even and goes to town on the boob.
Now that he is getting bigger I find that he asks to nurse less and less. In fact I offer him a boob every now and then even though I know he hasn't asked for it just because I'm starting to miss our private nursing time.
For more info on dealing with distractible babies:
Kellymom on the distractible baby
Distractible babies can inflict real pain on breastfeeding moms. My baby would look at my eyes, give me a big grin with my nipple between his gums, then clamp down and turn his head. It's really cute but it is PAINFUL! I do the nursing time-outs where after 3 of these head-turns the bra goes on and mom closes up the soda shop. Baby gets a firm "enough!" shout from me, which is greeted by a happy smile btw so I don't think it does anything really.
 |
| http://www.drmomma.org/2010/08/tips-for-nursing-strikes.html |
It may seem mean to stop nursing your baby when he is really distractible and making it painful, but in my experience, when they are more interested in looking around than continuously eating, then they are not really hungry. When baby J is 100% there to eat, he is ALL BUSINESS, he closes his eyes even and goes to town on the boob.
Now that he is getting bigger I find that he asks to nurse less and less. In fact I offer him a boob every now and then even though I know he hasn't asked for it just because I'm starting to miss our private nursing time.
For more info on dealing with distractible babies:
Kellymom on the distractible baby
Uses of Lampins
Cloth diapering aside (see my review on cloth diapers), I own a dozen of the traditional lampins or flat diapers that I never use for diapering. My OB told me to buy a few of these for other purposes, mostly to wipe off snot and spit-up, but I found that they have many other uses as well. These things are great as a go-to basahan because they are made of pure cotton, they are thin so they soak up liquids very quickly, and they are a better size than the pre-made burp cloths in the market.
Right now I have two of these wrapped around the top railing of Baby J's crib to keep him from chewing off the paint and ingesting it. I've tied one around the handle of his car seat when he was teething because he wanted a rough fabric to rub his gums on. I've used it as an ice pack to relieve his sore gums and my sore nipples from breastfeeding. It's big enough to be a blanket when you forget to bring one, at least until he hits the 6 month mark and outgrows this purpose.
Even without a baby, I think people could use a bunch of these in the house, they're better than kitchen and handtowels! They're expensive to buy for that purpose if you buy them at the mall but I heard they are extremely cheap in Divisoria.
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| Photo credit: http://glamomamas.com/2011/07/diaper-revolution-2/ |
Even without a baby, I think people could use a bunch of these in the house, they're better than kitchen and handtowels! They're expensive to buy for that purpose if you buy them at the mall but I heard they are extremely cheap in Divisoria.
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Bebeta manual pump review
I've been trolling local sites about discussions of manual breast pumps and was bothered by two things. First, some moms seem to have been told that you should NOT pump in the first 4-6 weeks of baby's life. Second, that manual breast pumps are expensive (P4-6 thousand depending on the brand). Both beliefs are dangerous for a new mom's chances of continuing breastfeeding.
Pumping is not bawal in the first month. WHat doctors mean is that if you CAN nurse then nursing is better, but if for some reason baby is having a hard time nursing because of latch or strength issues it is not bad to pump. In fact you can pump in between nursing sessions to increase supply. It is true that in the first 2 weeks babies should be nursing as much as possible because the stimulating action of their tongue on your breast will signal the arrival of milk in good volume. What WILL be bad for your supply is exclusively pumping in the first month, the nursing is critical, nursing AND pumping is ok too, but pumping ONLY can diminish supply.
Breast pumps do not need to be expensive, there are ok manual pumps out there for less than 1,000 pesos. Moms who cannot afford to drop a lot of money on a pump when they are not sure that they will be able to breastfeed will just not buy a pump. I think this is a mistake and jeopardizes the chances of successful bfing over the long term. Since some moms seem to think they need to spend at least 4,000 pesos for a manual pump, they end up delaying the purchase to be safe, no sense in spending that much cash if their supply is not enough. In fact the decision process should be reverse, you buy a pump to increase supply, not decide to buy a pump only if there is enough supply.
One of the most important things you need to consider when buying a manual breast pump is that it can be operated with one hand. You'd be surprised how many models out there need two hands to operate. And believe me, when you have a baby you need that other hand to be free. The Medela electric pump I inherited from a friend came with a manual pump that needed two hands, I never used it. The second thing, buy one that has a bottle where the milk will go, you'll see what I mean when I discuss my Chicco purchase below.
I bought my perfectly useful manual breastpump for 700 pesos, some sulit people are selling it for 500-600. It is a Bebeta pump that I picked up from Shopwise (in Libis). It's got some minor issues (described below) but it is a decent pump and has paid for itself over and over.
There is only one problem with this and once you learn how to deal with it you can pump without interruption. If you are pumping at an angle where milk travels into the silicone cap on top, or if the silicone cap is wet inside from the wash, you lose suction. So before starting to pump make sure that cap is bone dry on the inside. The whole thing comes apart so it's not that hard to do, a lampin does an excellent job of wiping off all moisture. Then once you start pumping do not hold it at an upward angle, hold it slightly downward so the milk just flows downward. I do not put on the silicone tube thing that goes on the flange, it will help with suction but I find it's not completely necessary.
This thing has taken me through many night-pumping sessions and a 3-day trip to Bangkok. For a few weeks I used only this instead of the electric because it's gentler on the boobs. I never felt the need to buy a more expensive manual pump.
The first one I bought was this Chicco thing that the SM lady recommended. I didn't want to buy the more expensive Chicco manual pump because it was too much money to drop when I had an electric at home, I just needed a back-up. When I got home I found to my dismay that not only was the reserve too small for any real pumping, it was also not recommended that the expressed milk be given to the baby, although honestly I don't believe that part. So stay away from this one:
I still don't understand what it's for, but it's apparently not for expressing milk that you want to feed to your baby. Go figure.
Pumping is not bawal in the first month. WHat doctors mean is that if you CAN nurse then nursing is better, but if for some reason baby is having a hard time nursing because of latch or strength issues it is not bad to pump. In fact you can pump in between nursing sessions to increase supply. It is true that in the first 2 weeks babies should be nursing as much as possible because the stimulating action of their tongue on your breast will signal the arrival of milk in good volume. What WILL be bad for your supply is exclusively pumping in the first month, the nursing is critical, nursing AND pumping is ok too, but pumping ONLY can diminish supply.
Breast pumps do not need to be expensive, there are ok manual pumps out there for less than 1,000 pesos. Moms who cannot afford to drop a lot of money on a pump when they are not sure that they will be able to breastfeed will just not buy a pump. I think this is a mistake and jeopardizes the chances of successful bfing over the long term. Since some moms seem to think they need to spend at least 4,000 pesos for a manual pump, they end up delaying the purchase to be safe, no sense in spending that much cash if their supply is not enough. In fact the decision process should be reverse, you buy a pump to increase supply, not decide to buy a pump only if there is enough supply.
One of the most important things you need to consider when buying a manual breast pump is that it can be operated with one hand. You'd be surprised how many models out there need two hands to operate. And believe me, when you have a baby you need that other hand to be free. The Medela electric pump I inherited from a friend came with a manual pump that needed two hands, I never used it. The second thing, buy one that has a bottle where the milk will go, you'll see what I mean when I discuss my Chicco purchase below.
I bought my perfectly useful manual breastpump for 700 pesos, some sulit people are selling it for 500-600. It is a Bebeta pump that I picked up from Shopwise (in Libis). It's got some minor issues (described below) but it is a decent pump and has paid for itself over and over.
 |
| Photo credit on top of photo. Not an endorsement of seller. |
There is only one problem with this and once you learn how to deal with it you can pump without interruption. If you are pumping at an angle where milk travels into the silicone cap on top, or if the silicone cap is wet inside from the wash, you lose suction. So before starting to pump make sure that cap is bone dry on the inside. The whole thing comes apart so it's not that hard to do, a lampin does an excellent job of wiping off all moisture. Then once you start pumping do not hold it at an upward angle, hold it slightly downward so the milk just flows downward. I do not put on the silicone tube thing that goes on the flange, it will help with suction but I find it's not completely necessary.
This thing has taken me through many night-pumping sessions and a 3-day trip to Bangkok. For a few weeks I used only this instead of the electric because it's gentler on the boobs. I never felt the need to buy a more expensive manual pump.
The first one I bought was this Chicco thing that the SM lady recommended. I didn't want to buy the more expensive Chicco manual pump because it was too much money to drop when I had an electric at home, I just needed a back-up. When I got home I found to my dismay that not only was the reserve too small for any real pumping, it was also not recommended that the expressed milk be given to the baby, although honestly I don't believe that part. So stay away from this one:
 |
| Photo credit: Chicco |
I still don't understand what it's for, but it's apparently not for expressing milk that you want to feed to your baby. Go figure.
Increasing milk supply
Many moms go through this phase where they think their milk is not enough. I've heard the phrase "kulang ang gatas ko" often when discussing bfing, and most of the time this is enough reason for moms to decide stop bfing altogether. I went through this, or at least I thought my milk supply was low, but upon researching online figured that my supply was probably never low (Kellymom on low milk supply). Still I did a bunch of things to try to help it along, and all of this helped immensely, helped a little too much even that I ended up dealing with oversupply for a couple of months. Here's a rundown of advice from friends and websites I followed.
1. Fenugreek. The REAL galactagogue. My OB told me to take these. It can be pricey, P800 for a bottle of 60 pills (if i remember correctly) at Health Options stores. It is also available at GNC but for a much higher price, like 60% more. You'd need to drink around 6 pills a day to see an effect. It only took 2 days for me to notice that my supply improved, I kept taking it so ended up with too much milk. For most women once your supply improves it will stay that way even without the fenugreek.
2. Drink lots of water. Lots and lots of water. Generally healthy for you anyway so no harm in doing it.
3. Relax. It is hard to be relaxed when your tiny little infant is screaming in hunger, I know this, but you have to do it. Breathe deeply, consciously let the tension your muscles go, and put yourself in a "bfing frame of mind." Look forward to the nursing sessions. When tensed up and stressed your letdown will take longer, this will make baby more and more frustrated because he will keep sucking on your breast and will get nothing out.
4. Co-sleep and spend a lot of time skin-to-skin. Dr. Sears had it completely right. Physical contact and constant close proximity to your baby will stimulate your body to make more milk. I was basically topless for a couple of months, and we had a lot of nursing sessions in the beginning when the baby was only in a diaper.
5. Get a good pump, and pump as often as you can. Breastmilk works on a simple demand-supply basis, the more you use the more milk your body will make. When you feed the baby expressed milk make sure you pump also so that your body knows the baby ate at that time.
When you get a good supply going, watch out for oversupply. I got so obsessed about increasing supply that I ended up with too much milk which can also be bad for baby. The most telling sign of oversupply is green runny explosive poop, when that happens stop the Fenugreek and cut down on the pumping, then read up on oversupply and how to remedy :-)
1. Fenugreek. The REAL galactagogue. My OB told me to take these. It can be pricey, P800 for a bottle of 60 pills (if i remember correctly) at Health Options stores. It is also available at GNC but for a much higher price, like 60% more. You'd need to drink around 6 pills a day to see an effect. It only took 2 days for me to notice that my supply improved, I kept taking it so ended up with too much milk. For most women once your supply improves it will stay that way even without the fenugreek.
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| http://www.sallybernstein.com/food/columns/ramachandran/fenugreek.htm |
2. Drink lots of water. Lots and lots of water. Generally healthy for you anyway so no harm in doing it.
3. Relax. It is hard to be relaxed when your tiny little infant is screaming in hunger, I know this, but you have to do it. Breathe deeply, consciously let the tension your muscles go, and put yourself in a "bfing frame of mind." Look forward to the nursing sessions. When tensed up and stressed your letdown will take longer, this will make baby more and more frustrated because he will keep sucking on your breast and will get nothing out.
4. Co-sleep and spend a lot of time skin-to-skin. Dr. Sears had it completely right. Physical contact and constant close proximity to your baby will stimulate your body to make more milk. I was basically topless for a couple of months, and we had a lot of nursing sessions in the beginning when the baby was only in a diaper.
5. Get a good pump, and pump as often as you can. Breastmilk works on a simple demand-supply basis, the more you use the more milk your body will make. When you feed the baby expressed milk make sure you pump also so that your body knows the baby ate at that time.
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| Photo credit: Sulit seller Phershy (not endorsing! I bought mine from Shopwise) |
Monday, July 2, 2012
Plugged ducts: Dealing
I've had 3 episodes of plugged ducts since I started breastfeeding. It doesn't get easier to deal with, but at least the accumulating experience makes me confident that I can fix it before infection sets in. I've heard some scary stories of mastitis from friends and these were enough to scare me into acting quickly as soon as I suspect a plugged duct.
Lately I've been prone to these. I started working again and my unpredictable schedule makes it hard to schedule regular pumping sessions. One is prone to plugs when the breasts are not emptied out regularly, they get engorged and milk solids block the ducts so that even after pumping or nursing a part of the breast remains full. It can be painful, you will be able to feel a lump on your breast, it will be tender like there's a bruise, sometimes there's a redness on to the skin and it feels warm.
Moms who plan to breastfeed should have small hot/warm compresses handy. These are useful for a lot of things, faster letdown, soreness, mastitis, and plugged ducts. A lot of websites say it helps to take a hot shower and let the water run against the part of the breast with the plug. In the Philippines though not all homes have hot showers, so warm compresses are a must. A low-cost option is to put some uncooked rice in an old sock and sew it closed, then microwave for 30 seconds at a time until warm, you can use this indefinitely but make sure you don't get it wet!
Place the warm compress on top of the breast where the lump is, massage the lump from the outside of the breast toward the nipple, do this for 5-10 minutes then start pumping or nursing. Nursing is better, especially if you have an older baby, because his suction will be stronger than a pump. What you are trying to do is soften up the milk solids plugging up the duct, then suck it out (literally). Joke all you want about getting your husband to suck out the plug, but don't do it, your baby has a stronger suck I promise. If you're pumping, keep the warm compress on while pumping.
The plug might not go the first time, repeat the process every 2 hours until the plug is gone and you can feel the duct drain off the milk. Soreness may stay for another couple of days, but you'll know the duct is clear if the lump is gone.
So remember, as soon as you feel that lump do the warm compress thing, don't wait for more milk to accumulate in there because it will get more painful as that happens and then infection is next.
For more: Dr. Sears on Plugged Ducts
Lately I've been prone to these. I started working again and my unpredictable schedule makes it hard to schedule regular pumping sessions. One is prone to plugs when the breasts are not emptied out regularly, they get engorged and milk solids block the ducts so that even after pumping or nursing a part of the breast remains full. It can be painful, you will be able to feel a lump on your breast, it will be tender like there's a bruise, sometimes there's a redness on to the skin and it feels warm.
Moms who plan to breastfeed should have small hot/warm compresses handy. These are useful for a lot of things, faster letdown, soreness, mastitis, and plugged ducts. A lot of websites say it helps to take a hot shower and let the water run against the part of the breast with the plug. In the Philippines though not all homes have hot showers, so warm compresses are a must. A low-cost option is to put some uncooked rice in an old sock and sew it closed, then microwave for 30 seconds at a time until warm, you can use this indefinitely but make sure you don't get it wet!
Place the warm compress on top of the breast where the lump is, massage the lump from the outside of the breast toward the nipple, do this for 5-10 minutes then start pumping or nursing. Nursing is better, especially if you have an older baby, because his suction will be stronger than a pump. What you are trying to do is soften up the milk solids plugging up the duct, then suck it out (literally). Joke all you want about getting your husband to suck out the plug, but don't do it, your baby has a stronger suck I promise. If you're pumping, keep the warm compress on while pumping.
The plug might not go the first time, repeat the process every 2 hours until the plug is gone and you can feel the duct drain off the milk. Soreness may stay for another couple of days, but you'll know the duct is clear if the lump is gone.
So remember, as soon as you feel that lump do the warm compress thing, don't wait for more milk to accumulate in there because it will get more painful as that happens and then infection is next.
For more: Dr. Sears on Plugged Ducts
Friday, June 29, 2012
Local myths (pamahiins) about breastfeeding
I understand that as a developing country not everybody gets a good science (anatomy and reproductive health) education, so it was no surprise that I heard many many myths about breastfeeding. Even the real science behind bfing can be bizarre after all, why wouldn't the whole mystical process inspire mistaken conclusions about how best to bf your baby? A couple of the strangest I encountered:
1. The left boob only has water, and the right boob has rice (this is Asia after all, rice is a staple so why shouldn't Asian mommies have rice in their breastmilk)? This only naturally means that the baby should drink from both at all meals.
2. Don't breastfeed if you're tired, cranky, or in a bad mood because your milk will be sour. Who wants to drink sour milk? Maybe this one was thought up by a tired and cranky mom to get her husband to take better care of her.
We live in the city so we don't hear a lot of these, but whenever I visit my in-laws in the province their helper likes to school me on all things baby and breastfeeding. She thinks using a baby carrier/sling will make the kid bow-legged...so there...
1. The left boob only has water, and the right boob has rice (this is Asia after all, rice is a staple so why shouldn't Asian mommies have rice in their breastmilk)? This only naturally means that the baby should drink from both at all meals.
2. Don't breastfeed if you're tired, cranky, or in a bad mood because your milk will be sour. Who wants to drink sour milk? Maybe this one was thought up by a tired and cranky mom to get her husband to take better care of her.
We live in the city so we don't hear a lot of these, but whenever I visit my in-laws in the province their helper likes to school me on all things baby and breastfeeding. She thinks using a baby carrier/sling will make the kid bow-legged...so there...
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Funny moments in breastfeeding
What many moms neglect to tell other moms, is how bizarre and funny the breastfeeding experience can be. It's not even having this little "pet" baby suck on the end of your booby, that's nothing. It's witnessing your body do these strange things, or rather, your boobs do these strange things. Seriously, there's MILK squirting out of your BOOBS! That's totally weird. Literally I have laughed out loud while I pump milk as I witness the stuff coming out of the boob at full force. Other funny things:
1. There were drops milk all around our room during the first month. In the first few weeks you will find yourself basically topless most of the time, there's hardly any point bothering to put on a shirt when you are on boob duty every hour. So, you walk around and leave a trail of milk behind you.
2. Once I was sleeping beside Baby J, woke up, reached over him to pick up my phone on a table beside the bed. On the way there SOMETHING latched on to my boob! It was like some 6th sense the baby, had, there's a boob coming at me! Wake up and grab it!
3. Several times, I turned over in my sleep and ended up sleeping either on my side or on my stomach. When I woke up in the morning the sheets beneath me were drenched in milk.
4. The experience of attempting to shove my milky boobs into an old bra was hilarious, it was like trying to fit a melon into an egg cup.
5. The bottomless milk duct. No matter how empty I think my boob is from pumping and nursing, when I squeeze on this one milk duct, milk goes squirting out and hits the ground 2 feet away.
6. Seeing the baby try to latch onto your boob through your shirt...funny. Seeing your baby try to latch onto your friend's boob through her shirt...funnier. Seeing your baby suck on daddy's nose in hopes of getting milk...funniest.
7. Babies will go through this phase where they're feeding and you're watching them, then they will look up, see your eyes, and smile at you with a big grin with your nipple in their mouth. Funny also.
8. Lately, my baby will be nursing on one boob and fiddling with the other boob. It's embarrassing in public but kinda funny at home. Not a behavior I encourage, but sometimes he just likes to have something to fiddle with and that other nipple is right in front of him.
1. There were drops milk all around our room during the first month. In the first few weeks you will find yourself basically topless most of the time, there's hardly any point bothering to put on a shirt when you are on boob duty every hour. So, you walk around and leave a trail of milk behind you.
2. Once I was sleeping beside Baby J, woke up, reached over him to pick up my phone on a table beside the bed. On the way there SOMETHING latched on to my boob! It was like some 6th sense the baby, had, there's a boob coming at me! Wake up and grab it!
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| Photo credit: http://www.myspace.com/breastfeedingsupport |
4. The experience of attempting to shove my milky boobs into an old bra was hilarious, it was like trying to fit a melon into an egg cup.
5. The bottomless milk duct. No matter how empty I think my boob is from pumping and nursing, when I squeeze on this one milk duct, milk goes squirting out and hits the ground 2 feet away.
6. Seeing the baby try to latch onto your boob through your shirt...funny. Seeing your baby try to latch onto your friend's boob through her shirt...funnier. Seeing your baby suck on daddy's nose in hopes of getting milk...funniest.
7. Babies will go through this phase where they're feeding and you're watching them, then they will look up, see your eyes, and smile at you with a big grin with your nipple in their mouth. Funny also.
8. Lately, my baby will be nursing on one boob and fiddling with the other boob. It's embarrassing in public but kinda funny at home. Not a behavior I encourage, but sometimes he just likes to have something to fiddle with and that other nipple is right in front of him.
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
TWENTY-FOUR (COUNT ‘EM, 24) HOURS OF LABOR
“Childbirth is not beautiful,” she writes. “Children are beautiful. Childbirth is disgusting. Anyone who says otherwise has never met a placenta. I’m surprised ob-gyns don’t have post-traumatic stress from seeing a few of those a day.” - Scottoline
What does it mean to go through 24 hours of labor? What does one do through 24 hours of labor? How does one keep sane through 24 hours of labor? Have I mentioned I went through 24 hours of labor? Only to end up with a C-section, oy.
It is true that the pain and the details can get blurry in one’s pregnancy and post-birth brain. I can’t exactly remember all the pain, but I remember getting pissed. Pissed that they don’t tell you how unpleasant and violating it can sometimes feel to be in labor in a hospital. So I’m telling you now what to watch out for.
- Several doctors peek into your hoo-ha. The longer you’re in there, the more doctors and nurses you will encounter because they change shifts. These doctors, they do internal exams every few hours. One might poke you in there to break your water, another might go in there to check how far you’re dilated, and yet another might go in there to check that the estimation of dilation of the first doctor was correct.
- Internal exams are a bitch. They are a bitch. A bitch. I am aware that the previous two sentences are not exactly grammatically correct, but it just feels right. In the medical shows they say so-and-so cm dilated, but they don’t tell you how they know. I went into labor mistakenly thinking that they measure the cervix through ultrasound. But NOOOOO! They measure it by sticking their fist in there and seeing how many fingers they can poke through your cervix. For me this meant check at 1cm, 3 hours later it’s 1.5, 3 hours later it’s 3, 3 hours later it’s 1.5 again! It took a lot of strength not to smack the doctor upside her head.
- When they say they will break your water, watch out. They will come in with a monstrosity of a crochet hook. It really looks like a crochet hook, a really big one. It will be scary, I can allay fears only by saying that it doesn’t really hurt. After all those internal exams a skinny metal wand with a hook at the end is a piece of cake.
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| If you've never met a crochet hook, here's what it looks like. Photo credit watermarked. |
- If you are in a teaching hospital there may be up to 50 doctors and nurses attending to you by the time the 24 hours are through. Some of them will stand around doing nothing, learning I guess. It’s annoying. It sort of makes you feel like you’re part of some freak show as they watch someone else stick their fist up your hoo-ha.
- Boredom. Bring all your gadgets and tricks to entertain yourself.
- The royal annoyance of hearing activity in other delivery suites. As I lay there for hours on end, I had to listen to squads of nurses and shouting “push!push!push!” in unison as they cheer on the nth woman lucky enough to be at that point. This is followed by rehearsed gushes of cheerful congratulations. I must have heard 5 deliveries by the time they wheeled me to the OR.
OK so those are the annoying and painful things. I don’t want you to think that there is nothing magical about childbirth, after all most other women say it is magical. It can be fun if you have someone around to talk with. I was lucky that my husband can see the humor in the smallest things, so a lot of chuckles were shared as we ribbed nurse after nurse about their silly uniforms.
So after giving the little guy a more-than-fair shot at squeezing himself out of my womb, my wonderful and unusually-perky OB decided it was time to open up a new door. They had already popped my water bag which made my belly deflate considerably. It was sort of freaky, like my skin was shrink-wrapped around the baby. To be honest I was glad he made the call to do a c-section. I was exhausted beyond the ability to push. It is a total cliche, but it needs to be said, it truly is worth it.
A Medicalized Birth
Now I am all in support of home births for those women who have the courage and emotional balance to do it. I am not one of those women. There was never a question in my mind that I wanted a magical birth free of pain. I had already gone through so much physical pain during the saga of our (equally medicalized) conception, was not in the mood for more. I would not necessarily advocate pain medication during birth, it is really and truly a personal choice based on a woman’s threshold for pain. Some superwomen can smile through the sensation of having a jaws-of-life clamp squeezing their belly and pushing a baby through their 10-cm diameter birth canal. I am not one of those women.
So I asked for all of it. Before the drip by kind OB told me that he was feeling generous today, he would let me eat whatever I wanted. By this time I was starving, I must have not eaten for more than 12 hours. What was near Medical City that was still open late at night? McDonalds ick. So I went full monty and sent my dutiful husband out for a quarter pounder, a large coke zero, and a large fries. He took a picture of me to commemorate the moment, some of our final moments as DINKS (dual income no kids).
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| Photo from McDonald's |
Except for a few choice friends, nobody will ever be shown that picture. I looked horrid, all swollen in the face, but happy. Until I saw that picture I imagined myself as I was pre-pregnancy, with a full face of make up and looking ready to conquer the world with eager eyes. Instead I found that I looked fat and tired, pale with bags under my eyes, acne across my face, and hair all unwashed and askew.
I digress, this is supposed to be about the medication. Through 24 hours of labor I must have had, on top of the initial epidural drip, 4 “refills.” Those things don’t last very long, after a few hours you start feeling the pain again. Epidurals are magic, it made my painful contractions feel like Braxton Hicks contractions where I can feel only a pleasant squeezing. For the epidural virgins out there, the procedure can be intimidating. First, it’ll take an army of doctors and nurses to administer it, including a big burly man whose job it is to hold you down in a fetal position while someone else administers a spinal tap. There’s a small needle pinch to numb you in the site where the big needle goes. Then the big needle goes, into your spine, you can feel the doctor poking around in there looking for the sweet spot. After you’ve been tapped, they run a thin plastic line across your back and tape it to your shoulder, Through this line they feed the magic contraction-numb-ers.
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| Photo from: http://solutions.3m.com.sg/ This is what an epidural looks like |
On top of the epidurals, I also had the rest of the stuff they give women for a C-section. Was numbed completely from the waist down. That was very very strange and scary, good thing I was already so tired and almost in shock from the cold of the OR that I couldn’t completely process it in my brain.
So all in all it was an extremely medicalized birth, with all manner of pain killers. What would this mean for my breastfeeding prospects? The question I never did get to ask myself. I only realized what it meant a week after Baby J was born.
The Day I was Admitted to Give Birth
*I realize these posts are out of chronological order, sorry about that. This blogging thing started out late in the game so am just now catch up with the birth stories.
I had already been “phoning it in” at work for a couple of weeks, partly because I was expecting Baby J to arrive at any moment, but mostly because it was just getting too darned difficult to move around. I felt huge, heavy, unwieldy, and all other synonyms of “large” you can think of. Mostly I was sitting on the couch watching reruns of Law and Order until it was time for naps. Except for random Braxton-Hicks-type contractions several times a day, which were painless, this pregnancy was exactly where it should be at 38 weeks.
Photo from: http://www.totalfitnessexperience.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/pregnant-belly.jpg
On one of these weekday mornings the contractions suddenly felt painful, very painful! I was groaning in pain, holding my belly, and kneeling on the floor waiting for each wave to subside. Time to alert the husband to take me to the pre-delivery room at Medical City, where I was going to give birth. This was a first pregnancy, so I had absolutely no idea what contractions would feel like and how to know when I was supposed to go to the hospital. We texted the doctor and he said just go and get checked. When we got there, I was hooked up, checked, poked, and put on standby. Wouldn’t you know it, contractions stopped when I was there. Feeling silly for pressing the play button too soon, we were discharged and sent home with instructions from the doctor to come back only when contractions were 15 minutes apart and coming in regularly.
After the false alarm my husband, my giant belly and I went out to lunch with friends, hung around the house, I may have even gone to the mall to walk around. In the early evening the painful contractions started again and this time we know enough to actually time them.
You know how some women who give birth say they have a high tolerance for pain? Well, this one has a very low tolerance for pain. I was squeezing B’s hand, twisting and writhing in pain with each wave of contraction. At 10pm, we went back to pre-delivery room. There they waited and waited and waited, contractions were very irregular but very painful. Internal exams show I was dilated 1cm, that’s nothing! That’s a polite way of saying “honey you are so not ready yet but i’ll say 1cm so you don’t feel stupid for taking up our time.” Baby J hasn’t dropped into my pelvis, he wasn’t going anywhere. Still, since I was in so much pain the residents probably took pity on me and got me ready to move to the delivery room.
Brilliant tip from our OB, book the Lamaze room, the best room and you don’t actually have to use Lamaze techniques to give birth. It was huge, had a couch, a tv, its own bathroom and enough floor space to do a Zumba class for 6 people. Sure it was windowless, but it had an entire wall covered with a mural of a pretty garden of flowers! I had my Kindle, my ipod, my phone, and my husband, I was ready for the wait. So we waited, and waited, and waited. 12 midnight became 4am which became 11am and became 6pm. This baby was not dropping! There were long stretches of time with no contractions, then some contractions close together, then they’d disappear again. Poor intern had to sit there half-asleep recording all my contractions.
Photo from: http://www.mommylace.com/2010/02/21/cost-of-giving-birth-normal-and-ceasarian-delivery/
I don’t remember exactly when I asked for an epidural, it was probably halfway through my labor. My OBs resident asked me if I was in pain and I enthusiastically said hellz-yeah I’m in frickin’ pain! At this point I sheepishly asked when I can get pain killers to which she replied “ anytime you ask for it ma’am!” See, if they had explained this to me when they admitted me then I could’ve asked for it 6 hours earlier and I wouldn’t be so exhausted.
There were all manner of unpleasantness during this period of labor which I will warn all you out there about in a following post.
Milk not coming in? The importance of pumping
All pregnant women who want to breastfeed should have a pump before they give birth. Full stop. No negotiations.
It does not have to be a fancy branded electric pump, if all you can really get is a manual pump (new, borrowed, used, doesn't matter) then get one. In fact for me the manual pump got more milk out. Yes yes you can hand express, but that will really take a lot of time and patience which you DO NOT HAVE when you have a newborn.
Since I had such a medicalized birth (c-section, induced labor, epidural, da works) it took probably a full week before my milk came in in any real volume. I had colostrum only for a week and had no idea. The only reason I found out that my milk had not come in yet was at my baby's first week checkup with the pedia his weight had dropped significantly (insert mom meltdown and hysterical fear here). At that point I desperately wanted to supplement with formula but my doctor said wait a week, make sure I nurse as often as I can and in between, pump and feed expressed milk.
So I did that. I was attached to the pump between feedings for a full week almost every hour. Eventually the milk came, then the problem became too much milk (that's a different post). Pumping as often as you can is so incredibly important during the first two months as you establish your milk supply. Even if you do end up deciding to supplement, you can still move to exclusive breastfeeding eventually if you pump religiously at least every 2 hours (even at night) and every time the baby takes a bottle of formula.
When pumping, pump until nothing comes out and then keep pumping for another few minutes before stopping. Also, squeeze your boob and massage from the outside in while pumping, Piga-in ng husto! It will be frustrating seeing 1 ounce of milk after half an hour of pumping but this is normal, eventually you will get more.
I am lucky that my pedia held out on the formula and my baby at 7 months has not had a single drop. However for some moms it REALLY can get scary when baby is not gaining weight or is losing weight so I understand the instinct to grab the can. What is important to know is that even if you supplement, you can still move to exclusive breastfeeding when you have enough milk. and that pumping and nursing are the most important things you can do to bring your milk in. The more you pump and nurse, the more milk you have.
It does not have to be a fancy branded electric pump, if all you can really get is a manual pump (new, borrowed, used, doesn't matter) then get one. In fact for me the manual pump got more milk out. Yes yes you can hand express, but that will really take a lot of time and patience which you DO NOT HAVE when you have a newborn.
Since I had such a medicalized birth (c-section, induced labor, epidural, da works) it took probably a full week before my milk came in in any real volume. I had colostrum only for a week and had no idea. The only reason I found out that my milk had not come in yet was at my baby's first week checkup with the pedia his weight had dropped significantly (insert mom meltdown and hysterical fear here). At that point I desperately wanted to supplement with formula but my doctor said wait a week, make sure I nurse as often as I can and in between, pump and feed expressed milk.
So I did that. I was attached to the pump between feedings for a full week almost every hour. Eventually the milk came, then the problem became too much milk (that's a different post). Pumping as often as you can is so incredibly important during the first two months as you establish your milk supply. Even if you do end up deciding to supplement, you can still move to exclusive breastfeeding eventually if you pump religiously at least every 2 hours (even at night) and every time the baby takes a bottle of formula.
When pumping, pump until nothing comes out and then keep pumping for another few minutes before stopping. Also, squeeze your boob and massage from the outside in while pumping, Piga-in ng husto! It will be frustrating seeing 1 ounce of milk after half an hour of pumping but this is normal, eventually you will get more.
I am lucky that my pedia held out on the formula and my baby at 7 months has not had a single drop. However for some moms it REALLY can get scary when baby is not gaining weight or is losing weight so I understand the instinct to grab the can. What is important to know is that even if you supplement, you can still move to exclusive breastfeeding when you have enough milk. and that pumping and nursing are the most important things you can do to bring your milk in. The more you pump and nurse, the more milk you have.
Monday, June 25, 2012
Breastfeeding through growth spurts
Breastfeeding through growth spurts can be harrowing, and I suspect, the reason why many moms who set out to exclusively breastfeed, end up supplementing with formula. When baby goes through a growth spurt he can make you feel like you are not making enough milk, in reality what he is trying to do is to make your body adjust to his demand. Supplementing with formula through a growth spurt diminishes your supply, the best way to deal with a cluster feeding baby undergoing a growth spurt is to just be there if you can be. What to expect and how to cope:
1. Expect baby to basically camp out on your boob. We had our first growth spurt at 2 weeks. He went from nursing every couple of hours to nursing ALL THE TIME. Literally, on the boob from feeding to feeding. I'd put him on there, he would be there for an hour (no joke), and then he would sleep. In an hour he would want to be on the boob again. This can go on for 2-3 days. I once had some guests in the house, they were there for 3 hours and the entire time except for the time it takes to switch boobs, he was on my boob under a nursing cover. Good thing our guest was also a nursing mom, she made me feel ok and explained that maybe the baby is just making me make more milk.
2. Get comfortable and surround yourself with entertainment. It will get boring. Thankfully, the pain is not so bad because for me the pain was bad when he was latching on, it'll last for a minute then i'd be fine. SInce he was nursing almost nonstop the pain was few and far between. Have a nursing station where you can raise your feet up, keep your nursing pillow there, celphone to have text conversations with your friends, have water and snacks on hand, a book, and a tv.
3. Have your husband or partner or maid check up on you every half hour. Just to ask if you need anything. Useful for bringing you water or changing the tv station etc.
When it seems like the baby is just never full and you think your milk is not enough, take comfort in knowing that you won't need to supplement. What the baby needs is just more time on your boob. It is temporary and you can weather that storm. Sometimes baby is just comfort nursing, not really drinking but he just wants to be near, hey, that can't be a bad thing.
1. Expect baby to basically camp out on your boob. We had our first growth spurt at 2 weeks. He went from nursing every couple of hours to nursing ALL THE TIME. Literally, on the boob from feeding to feeding. I'd put him on there, he would be there for an hour (no joke), and then he would sleep. In an hour he would want to be on the boob again. This can go on for 2-3 days. I once had some guests in the house, they were there for 3 hours and the entire time except for the time it takes to switch boobs, he was on my boob under a nursing cover. Good thing our guest was also a nursing mom, she made me feel ok and explained that maybe the baby is just making me make more milk.
2. Get comfortable and surround yourself with entertainment. It will get boring. Thankfully, the pain is not so bad because for me the pain was bad when he was latching on, it'll last for a minute then i'd be fine. SInce he was nursing almost nonstop the pain was few and far between. Have a nursing station where you can raise your feet up, keep your nursing pillow there, celphone to have text conversations with your friends, have water and snacks on hand, a book, and a tv.
3. Have your husband or partner or maid check up on you every half hour. Just to ask if you need anything. Useful for bringing you water or changing the tv station etc.
When it seems like the baby is just never full and you think your milk is not enough, take comfort in knowing that you won't need to supplement. What the baby needs is just more time on your boob. It is temporary and you can weather that storm. Sometimes baby is just comfort nursing, not really drinking but he just wants to be near, hey, that can't be a bad thing.
Sunday, June 24, 2012
Pre-birth shopping
New moms can be easily immersed in the overwhelming task of shopping for baby. It was fun for me but ultimately overwhelming. You can drop a lot of cash buying things you thought you'd need but never will, things websites try to sell you, things your friendly SM saleslady will convince you is necessary but is absolutely not. I fell prey to many such traps, and wish I had taken a seasoned mom with me to the big shopping trip, I would have saved so much money. There were also items I wish I bought more of before the baby was born.
Things they will tell you to buy but you might not need:
1. Mittens and booties. My baby refused to wear these from day 1. I know they are cute and are so hard to resist at the store, but believe me they are optional. Buy 1 pair of mittens to check if the baby will tolerate them then buy more as needed, or better yet ask your friends if they have any to spare. Booties are silly, who wants to tie stupid ribbons? Buy socks instead, those are more useful.
2. Washcloths. Don't let the SM lady talk you into buying washcloths, these are glorified bimpos. They are too small for any kind of practical use. Just use regular bimpos or lampins for washing needs.
3. Shoes for newborn babies. Experts say babies should not start wearing shoes until they are walking so don't waste your money on shoes. Besides, you will receive several as gifts. I am guilty of gifting these a lot because they are so damn cute and didn't know any better. Now I know, baby shoes are useless, buy your pregnant friend a couple of onesies instead.
4. Pillows. They have these all wrapped up nice in the baby departments, sets of 2 bolsters and 1 baby pillow. Experts say don't put pillows around your baby, so don't buy them. The lady is going to try to ram these down your throat and make you feel like an irresponsible mother for not buying special pillows (and the linens for them!) for the baby, resist. Instead I suggest investing in a swaddle or just getting a big receiving blanket to make baby feel like he is still snugly in your uterus.
5. Bigkis. Don't believe the pushy lady, these are not recommended by pediatricians. They will not make your baby's bellybutton an innie.
6. Baby fabric softener. Completely useless, minimize use of any chemicals.
7. A large bottle of baby soap. Babies use very very very little soap, AND they could be allergic to certain kinds of soap. I made the mistake of buy this large bottle of Chicco's baby soap because it was on sale, turns out it reacted strangely to my baby's sweat and made him stink to high hell. Sayang ang pera.
Things I wish I had bought more of before I gave birth:
1. Cotton onesies, and button-down shirts. See my post on saying no to tie-sides.
2. Large receiving blankets, at least 4. Don't get the small ones, you can't swaddle a baby in those.
3. Newborn diapers. Stock up whether you are cloth or disposable diapering. I thought 1 big bag would be enough to hold us over, but these little buggers can go through a dozen a day! Also cloth diapers are usually too big for newborns, so you'll probably be on disposables for at least the first couple of weeks.
Remember that babies really only need: mommy's boobs, diapers, clothes. All other things are pretty optional, so if you are trying to save money in preparation for those hospital bills when you give birth remember to shop frugally. Also, ask your friends for stuff, the mommy supply chain is a beautiful thing for both receivers and givers (storage space!).
Things they will tell you to buy but you might not need:
1. Mittens and booties. My baby refused to wear these from day 1. I know they are cute and are so hard to resist at the store, but believe me they are optional. Buy 1 pair of mittens to check if the baby will tolerate them then buy more as needed, or better yet ask your friends if they have any to spare. Booties are silly, who wants to tie stupid ribbons? Buy socks instead, those are more useful.
2. Washcloths. Don't let the SM lady talk you into buying washcloths, these are glorified bimpos. They are too small for any kind of practical use. Just use regular bimpos or lampins for washing needs.
3. Shoes for newborn babies. Experts say babies should not start wearing shoes until they are walking so don't waste your money on shoes. Besides, you will receive several as gifts. I am guilty of gifting these a lot because they are so damn cute and didn't know any better. Now I know, baby shoes are useless, buy your pregnant friend a couple of onesies instead.
4. Pillows. They have these all wrapped up nice in the baby departments, sets of 2 bolsters and 1 baby pillow. Experts say don't put pillows around your baby, so don't buy them. The lady is going to try to ram these down your throat and make you feel like an irresponsible mother for not buying special pillows (and the linens for them!) for the baby, resist. Instead I suggest investing in a swaddle or just getting a big receiving blanket to make baby feel like he is still snugly in your uterus.
5. Bigkis. Don't believe the pushy lady, these are not recommended by pediatricians. They will not make your baby's bellybutton an innie.
6. Baby fabric softener. Completely useless, minimize use of any chemicals.
7. A large bottle of baby soap. Babies use very very very little soap, AND they could be allergic to certain kinds of soap. I made the mistake of buy this large bottle of Chicco's baby soap because it was on sale, turns out it reacted strangely to my baby's sweat and made him stink to high hell. Sayang ang pera.
Things I wish I had bought more of before I gave birth:
1. Cotton onesies, and button-down shirts. See my post on saying no to tie-sides.
2. Large receiving blankets, at least 4. Don't get the small ones, you can't swaddle a baby in those.
3. Newborn diapers. Stock up whether you are cloth or disposable diapering. I thought 1 big bag would be enough to hold us over, but these little buggers can go through a dozen a day! Also cloth diapers are usually too big for newborns, so you'll probably be on disposables for at least the first couple of weeks.
Remember that babies really only need: mommy's boobs, diapers, clothes. All other things are pretty optional, so if you are trying to save money in preparation for those hospital bills when you give birth remember to shop frugally. Also, ask your friends for stuff, the mommy supply chain is a beautiful thing for both receivers and givers (storage space!).
Friday, June 22, 2012
Git yur paws off mah baby!
Ok so yes I know and understand that we are a baby-worshipping country here in the Philippines. People have a LOT of kids, babies are blessings, yada yada yada. And like in any other culture, most adults find most babies cute and will remark about it when they see a baby held by a stranger. Seriously though, can be have some boundaries? I am not at all a germophobe, I will happily let me baby lick the floor of our house if that's what he wants to do, it's good for his immune system. My objection to random people touching my baby is not based on a fear of germs, it is just based on my personal space issues.
Is it unreasonable to ask that random strangers not touch my baby even if it is with admiration? Here are some odd experiences of baby touching (not in a pervy way mind you):
1. Security guards, especially male ones, they like touching my baby. They will hold his hand and shake it, or touch his feet because of the belief in usog. I don't know what "para wag mausog" means but it sounds creepy. What is creepier though is random people touching my baby.
2. Salespeople at stores like to go in there and pinch his cheeks. I get that they are trying to say he is cute, but can they use their words instead?
3. Here's a doozy. A waitress in a restaurant looked into his bassinet admiring how adorable he is, then she literally reached in there and plucked his pacifier out of his mouth and told ME NOT TO USE IT BECAUSE HE IS HUNGRY AND HE SHOULD EAT! THE NERVE! I was so shocked I couldn't react properly, I wanted to make a scene and get her fired.
Ok it sounds like i have something against servicepeople touching my kid, but that's not true, I hate all strangers that touch my baby, it's just they are typically the strangers that like to touch my kid for some reason. And I spend a lot of time in the mall.
I have been told I need to get used to unsolicited advice from strangers when I'm pregnant or holding a baby. I can deal with unsolicited advice, but touching my baby is another thing altogether. If I don't know you and I've never met you or I haven't had more than a 2-sentence conversation with you, don't touch my baby.
Is it unreasonable to ask that random strangers not touch my baby even if it is with admiration? Here are some odd experiences of baby touching (not in a pervy way mind you):
1. Security guards, especially male ones, they like touching my baby. They will hold his hand and shake it, or touch his feet because of the belief in usog. I don't know what "para wag mausog" means but it sounds creepy. What is creepier though is random people touching my baby.
2. Salespeople at stores like to go in there and pinch his cheeks. I get that they are trying to say he is cute, but can they use their words instead?
3. Here's a doozy. A waitress in a restaurant looked into his bassinet admiring how adorable he is, then she literally reached in there and plucked his pacifier out of his mouth and told ME NOT TO USE IT BECAUSE HE IS HUNGRY AND HE SHOULD EAT! THE NERVE! I was so shocked I couldn't react properly, I wanted to make a scene and get her fired.
Ok it sounds like i have something against servicepeople touching my kid, but that's not true, I hate all strangers that touch my baby, it's just they are typically the strangers that like to touch my kid for some reason. And I spend a lot of time in the mall.
I have been told I need to get used to unsolicited advice from strangers when I'm pregnant or holding a baby. I can deal with unsolicited advice, but touching my baby is another thing altogether. If I don't know you and I've never met you or I haven't had more than a 2-sentence conversation with you, don't touch my baby.
Diaper changing when out and about
Road trips, walks in the mall, walks everywhere, or at dinner parties, your baby will poop whenever and wherever he chooses. There are many lucky moms out there whose infants will have a scheduled poop once a day, some will even poop every 3-4 days. My little man will let his loose bowel movements loose every two hours. He did this for more than two months! Then after that it became 3 times a day until he was 6 months. Once he started solids he was down to 1 poop a day or every other day.
If your baby is like mine, and you don't want to be homebound for months, you gotta get over the dread of dealing with runny breastmilk poop-cleaning in public bathrooms. My husband and I have mastered diaper changing, and myself, well, I have bullied salesclerks into letting me change in the oddest places in the mall. (photos posted were lifted online, unfortunately we did not take photos of our own diaper changing activities)
On road trips, we often make nappy changes on top of the trunk of our car. Decent changing tables are difficult to come by once you take that off-ramp on SLEX or NLEX. You are much better off looking for a safe place to pull over (not too close to the road) where there is decent shade so your baby's "gadgets" are not all out in the sun, and doing a quick change. Or if you have a roomy car, kneeling on the floor and putting the baby on the seat works too, but definitely pull over first.
If your baby is like mine, and you don't want to be homebound for months, you gotta get over the dread of dealing with runny breastmilk poop-cleaning in public bathrooms. My husband and I have mastered diaper changing, and myself, well, I have bullied salesclerks into letting me change in the oddest places in the mall. (photos posted were lifted online, unfortunately we did not take photos of our own diaper changing activities)
On road trips, we often make nappy changes on top of the trunk of our car. Decent changing tables are difficult to come by once you take that off-ramp on SLEX or NLEX. You are much better off looking for a safe place to pull over (not too close to the road) where there is decent shade so your baby's "gadgets" are not all out in the sun, and doing a quick change. Or if you have a roomy car, kneeling on the floor and putting the baby on the seat works too, but definitely pull over first.
This is a brilliant idea, changing inside a shopping cart, if I ever find myself in a pinch I just might do this. However, inside stores I have charmed/bullied salespeople and clerks to let me change the baby behind the counter. They will be nervous, they will ask the manager, they will hem and haw, but they almost always relent. You just have to be comfortable with the looky-loos who will make comments about how cute your baby is, not a bad thing. OH, and be polite, throw your dirty nappies out yourself and wipe down their counter with a wet wipe before and after.
When out with my husband, we will often sit in a coffee shop that has a long couch and just change the baby there. Since we are both so seasoned we can do this in under a minute, nobody's the wiser.
Establishments really have to learn that men are equal partners in child care (ideally), that means putting changing tables in men's restrooms! Gee is that so hard to do?
Some tips for finding changing tables:
1. If not in the ladies room there is sometimes a changing table in the room for the disabled (true for Nuvali shopping area and a couple of other places).
2. If not a full-on changing table, most restrooms in large gas stations on the main highways have long counters that will give you enough space to change.
3. Breastfeeding/nursing rooms almost always has a nice changing area. Moms who do not nurse may not be aware of this because they don't go into these rooms.
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Attachment fathering
I've mentioned in a previous post that we did not set out to be attachment parents, and that the decision to exclusively breastfeed changed all that for me. Baby J and I are very lucky to have a dad who wants to be just as involved in infant care as mom (that guy in the picture isn't dad btw, it's the guy from Twilight:). We are also fortunate enough to be able to work from home, so we were both around a lot in the first months of baby J's life.
Now, I'm a big believer that men and women are equally responsible for child care and was surprised when I had to repeatedly entertain questions from people who were in awe that my husband knows how to change a diaper. Having gone through the intensity of the first few months of motherhood though, I realize that it is difficult for dads to be involved, especially when mom is breastfeeding. Also, the level of involvement in infant care in the very beginning can determine how much dad can help around when baby gets bigger, so moms, start them early!
What can dads do in the first couple of months? First, take as many days off as he can after the baby is born and BE HOME during those days. Second, while mom takes charge of all the "input" (i.e. feeding), dad takes charge of all or most of the "output" (i.e., pee, poop, spit-up). Third, while the nursing mom is dealing with all-day feeding sessions during those growth spurt days, dad can be around to bring water, lampin, change the channel on the tv, anything tired ol' mom needs. After all, between nursing and pumping in those first couple of months mom really has very little time for anything else. Finally, dad should put baby to sleep often. This gives the two of them some alone time and dad can be 100% comfortable holding and talking to and rocking his progeny. This is how Baby J and I got an attachment dad.
I think the most important determinant of whether this will work is the mother. I am completely aware that I can be a control freak with the kid, I want things done my way and when my husband is changing his diaper and I don't like his style of doing it, I want to take the baby and do it myself. The trick is to fight the urge to do that (unless the baby is in real danger of getting hurt, which is almost never the case anyway). So now my husband changes diapers, does the nighttime bath, puts the baby down for his naps when possible, and by the looks of it they both enjoy it very much.
It's quite wonderful to take care of a baby, more when s/he hits the 3-month mark than in the first couple of months admittedly, and if dad was not fully involved from the start he can miss out on all the fun later on. Equal parenting folks, whenever possible, it's a beautiful thing.
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
I Say No to Tie-Sides
All new Pinoy moms feel like they ABSOLUTELY NEED tie-sides, that newborn infants cannot wear anything else but these strange shirts with lots of string that you need to ribbon together. I am guilty of this ten times over, and issue my formal apologies to all those expecting moms who I gifted plenty of tie-sides. It's not until recently that I realized that in many other countries, like the US for instance, they don't even see these around much:
I have news for all you expectant Pinoy moms out there, these are completely optional! In fact I wouldn't recommend buying a single one. Buy soft cotton shirts that button or snap in the front instead. Can't tell you how many times my husband and I, while struggling to catch up with all the demands of a newborn, screamed at the top of our lungs "STUPID F^*CKING TIE-SIDES". They have invented buttons, and snaps, and hooks, all manner of snapping together parts of the shirt that do not require fussing about with ribbons. Don't let the overly-eager salespeople at SM baby, force these on your shopping basket (along with the bigkis that you also absolutely do not need). You can find button downs, or if you're more progressive, onesies. Our favorite is a winnie-the-pooh button-down, we bought 3 really tiny ones and they were used a lot.
It is not easy to tie 4 ribbons while your frazzled self is listening to piercing screams of an unhappy baby. Besides, those pieces of string seem like a choking hazard. The ones be bought have gone to the donate pile.
So, skip the tie-sides and I think you'll be all the more relaxed during changing time.
It is not easy to tie 4 ribbons while your frazzled self is listening to piercing screams of an unhappy baby. Besides, those pieces of string seem like a choking hazard. The ones be bought have gone to the donate pile.
So, skip the tie-sides and I think you'll be all the more relaxed during changing time.
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