All About Breastfeeding

[gingerschnapps 0]

wow..i onl managed to BF my gal till she's 5 months old(somemore is combined wif formula)...

how did u all manage to BF ur kids till so old? *amazing*

what's ur secret?!

You definitely need to get the btls & Steriliser ready... even if you are on total BF unless u are not working then u can skip the btls liao lah.... o.wise you'll hv to express at work then during the day, you can ask the bb sitter to feed expressed breast milk to yr bb.

As for getting ready a can of FM... its all up to you. For us, we did but end up throwing the can away.

[shmj 0]

wow..i onl managed to BF my gal till she's 5 months old(somemore is combined wif formula)...

how did u all manage to BF ur kids till so old? *amazing*

what's ur secret?!

No secret really... just alot of preserverance, determination + stubbornness? !!

Some ppl find drinking loads of water + eating Fernugreek helps.

Some ppl swear by drinking papaya soup, etc..... I still think end of the day, its how much you want to BF yr baby.

[gendon 0]

No secret really... just alot of preserverance, determination + stubbornness? !!

Some ppl find drinking loads of water + eating Fernugreek helps.

Some ppl swear by drinking papaya soup, etc..... I still think end of the day, its how much you want to BF yr baby.

my sentiments exactly !!

And to add on...the ability to block off all the negativities while keeping your sanity intact !!

[raincole 0]

Is it good to BF the child after 1 year old? Isn't 1 year the time to start semi-solid food diet?

[gendon 0]

Is it good to BF the child after 1 year old? Isn't 1 year the time to start semi-solid food diet?

The question is....why stop an enjoyable relationship when mothers & babies concerned, often enjoy breastfeeding alot?

Breastmilk when the baby is at 1 month old, will naturally differ when the infant is 10 months old, what more when the child is at 30 months old. The breastmilk's composition of hundreds of nutrients will vary itself according to the baby's needs - on a hot day, when the baby's sick, when the child is not eating, etc.

Even after six months, it still contains protein, fat, and other nutritionally important and appropriate elements which babies and children need. Breastmilk still contains immunologic factors that help protect the baby. In fact, some immune factors in breastmilk that protect the baby against infection are present in greater amounts in the second year of life than in the first. This is, of course as it should be, since children older than a year are generally exposed to more infection.

The child who breastfeeds until he weans himself (usually from 2 to 4 years), is generally more independent, and, perhaps, more importantly, more secure in his independence. He has received comfort and security from the breast, until he is ready to make the step himself to stop. And when he makes that step himself, he knows he has achieved something, he knows he has moved ahead. It is a milestone in his life.

(source: Dr Jack Newman)

As for semi-solid food diet, usually your baby's PD should advise when is the appropriate time to start according to your baby's or child's overall condition and health. Starting solid or semi-solid foods doesn't mean that the baby has to totally stop bf, it's just that the breastfeeding intake will naturally decrease when there's increase in frequency & intake of solid foods.

Cheers!

Edited September 18, 2007 by gendon

[gingerschnapps 0]

Ha..i agree wif gendon and shmj wif the perseverance part

"And to add on...the ability to block off all the negativities while keeping your sanity intact"

my baby started teething at 5 months..and when she suckled i cud feel her teeth , and it made me "draw back" a little. cos my baby is a when it comes to sucking..she loves to bite rather hard.

Soon after, i think this mental fear translated to the milk flow stopping.

I wish i had BF her longer. i really enjoyed the bonding. Have u ever noticed how the baby wud look at u so innocently and lovingly whenever BF? kinda miss dat.

she's 8 months plus now, on solids and formula.

i digress > do u muumies haf very shrunken , slightly droopy boobs after BF ur baby?i do, now dat i've totally stopped BF. and somemore worse still, my back widened ( as in from 75 to 80)

The question is....why stop an enjoyable relationship when mothers & babies concerned, often enjoy breastfeeding alot?

Breastmilk when the baby is at 1 month old, will naturally differ when the infant is 10 months old, what more when the child is at 30 months old. The breastmilk's composition of hundreds of nutrients will vary itself according to the baby's needs - on a hot day, when the baby's sick, when the child is not eating, etc.

Even after six months, it still contains protein, fat, and other nutritionally important and appropriate elements which babies and children need. Breastmilk still contains immunologic factors that help protect the baby. In fact, some immune factors in breastmilk that protect the baby against infection are present in greater amounts in the second year of life than in the first. This is, of course as it should be, since children older than a year are generally exposed to more infection.

The child who breastfeeds until he weans himself (usually from 2 to 4 years), is generally more independent, and, perhaps, more importantly, more secure in his independence. He has received comfort and security from the breast, until he is ready to make the step himself to stop. And when he makes that step himself, he knows he has achieved something, he knows he has moved ahead. It is a milestone in his life.

(source: Dr Jack Newman)

As for semi-solid food diet, usually your baby's PD should advise when is the appropriate time to start according to your baby's or child's overall condition and health. Starting solid or semi-solid foods doesn't mean that the baby has to totally stop bf, it's just that the breastfeeding intake will naturally decrease when there's increase in frequency & intake of solid foods.

Cheers!

[lynzi 0]

Should I engage a lactation nurse before delivery? I'm afraid I wouldn't know what to do when there is a problem as I really wanna bf my baby.

[lovie 0]

Should I engage a lactation nurse before delivery? I'm afraid I wouldn't know what to do when there is a problem as I really wanna bf my baby.

u can try to bf after delivery, i believe the nurses will guide you slowly...

[gumbokins 5]

well the nurse can't really do anything now if you're not actually lactating

which hospi are u delivering? i know at KKH and ESH, the LC will come around and help you. now you can just start reading up on what to expect. it's not going to be easy, and it will be a road fraught with obstacles, sore nipples, engorgement and constant worrying if bb is getting enough, but stay determined! jia yoh!

[Zlia 0]

Should I engage a lactation nurse before delivery? I'm afraid I wouldn't know what to do when there is a problem as I really wanna bf my baby.

Hi, not sure if you have delivered. =)

Anyway, when you're trying to bf in hospital, with all the relatives coming to visit you, there is a very high chance of some of them giving comments like 'huh, you are still feeding her ar, aiya, think you have not enough milk now la, give the baby fm la.' for me, some of my relatives came and said that lor, but i didnt care la, just continued to latch her and tbf her. when i went home, i had enough milk for all my 3 kids, and had excess even, so remember, let your baby latch as much as you can. it's how the milk supply comes in. also, drink lots of red date water (since we arent supposed to drink plain water during confinement).

hope you'll succeed. =)

[lynzi 0]

Thanks for the good wishes. I have not given birth yet. In my 36th week now. Getting rather nervous...hehe

[Zlia 0]

Haha, thinking back, i understand how you feel. haha. when i was in my 30+ weeks, i was so looking foward to seeing my twins, but on the other hand, i was hoping to keep them in me for at least till 37 weeks cos i had some feedback that there are higher chances that twins will come out premature. when they finally came out, hb and i were so tired he asked me if i can put them back in my tummy for a few hours so we can have a good slp. haha.

[shmj 0]

Thanks for the good wishes. I have not given birth yet. In my 36th week now. Getting rather nervous...hehe

So counting down right?

Where will you be delivering?

I delivered #1 in Thomson Medical Ctr.

Nurses were quite encouraging when they heard tt I want total BF.

1st 2 time they wheel bb in, they even stayed back to make sure that I latched on bb correctly.

I'm now abt 4.5mths preggie with #2.

& as usual, will be total BF bb.

In fact, I've already went & bought my electric pump! hahaha.... talk abt kiasu!

Edited November 21, 2007 by shmj

[countrylover 0]

Really glad to see that there are some of us here who managed to bf our children for so long! Bfg is wonderful and imho is one of the most enjoyable and memorable moments of motherhood!

I bf my elder daughter for 6 mths (had to give up cos of medical reasons ) and my youngest one for 36 mths. Due to my failure to bf my elder one longer, I was very determined to continue as long as possible when it came to my 2nd one. What I can say is, it's such an enriching and memorable experience that I still smile when I recall those precious moments of nurturing and bonding...even though it has been almost three years since she self-weaned.

In fact when she gradually self-weaned, I went through a period of depression, cos I why I was being rejected even though I tried very hard to keep her latched on. It's like suddenly a part of me has been ripped off. I think how I was feeling back then sounded really extreme and bazarre but it was the special bonding we share which made me unwilling to let go.

I guess we form a very minority group of S'porean mothers who bf. I think probably 95% of my friends do not bf beyond 1 year, some even gave up after a few weeks or months. I get really upset when I see them give up or supplement bm with fm. In fact, I sometimes even scold some of my good friends who give up. I think it's wrong for me to do that cos bfg is really a personal choice but being such a strong advocate of bfg, I just can't help it!

As I compare both my girls, I can see a huge difference in their health. My elder one (who was on bm for only 6 mths) gets sick more often and had a few serious ear infections during the 1st 4 years. My younger one on the other hand, is more bubbly and cheerful. Of cos she gets sick too, but she recovers very fast. A flu which my elder one takes 1 week to recover, my younger one probably only took 3 days to recover.

For those of you here who are bfg or intending to bf, persevere...persevere...persevere (like what others have already mentioned above). Only by deciding what we want for our children can it lead to a successful bfg journey. Others around us can pass negative or sarcastic comments, but only we know what's best for our children!

Enjoy and good luck! to motherhood!