“it’s not easy!”

That’s what they told me every time.

An avid believer in the benefits of breastfeeding, I was determined to take up the challenge.How hard can it get, I thought.

When put in play, I found out that as a first timer, it’s really not easy.

There are so many variations to what can go wrong during breastfeeding. My problem was that the baby didn’t know how to latch which caused a lot of anxiety on my end. I kept thinking, if the baby isn’t latching, he’s gotta be starving!

I must thank the nurses at Pantai Hospital’s maternity ward for being so patient and helpful with me. I buzzed many times to get them to help my infant latch-on. They were encouraging and persistent with both baby and I. I stayed on in the hospital for five days as I wanted to master as much as I could before I went home.

Despite books and literature, I wish I knew this before I started:
1. Most moms suffer from cracked nipples. It gets better in time.
2. Invest in a good breastfeeding pillow. My husband bought me My Brest Friend (hehe…funny name but it really becomes a mother’s best friend!) I wish we got it earlier as it would have saved us pain and agony! The pillow positions the baby for a good latch.
3. Have a tube of pure lanolin on standby.
4. It is okay to get some rest at the start by skipping one or two feeds and supplementing to avoid a worsening situation (and pain). in fact, you need proper rest at the early stages. Lack of sleep makes you weepy.
5. Get a good lactation consultant. Pantai Hospitals’s in-house lactation consultants who visit you at the ward were rough and lacked bedside manner. They made me depressed and angry during my stay there. In the end, I opted to only see Sister Elizabeth.
6. Have a good husband. If he doesn’t encourage and understand you, you will feel like giving up! Mine constantly supported me, which brought us all to where we are today!

At 3 weeks old, my son and I have graduated! He prefers to latch-on rather than drink out of a bottle. Our initial concerns on nipple confusion are out the window as we watch our son’s preference towards direct nursing.

After months and months of research, I am so glad I found this postnatal care set from Tanamera. It’s a care set that incorporates some Chinese, Indian and Malay confinement practices, and since I’m doing my own confinement, this is going to be extremely necessary. It even comes with the abdominal binder!