What you need for Breastfeeding – A Retrospective

• A FIRST-TIME MOTHER’S RETROSPECTIVE ON BREASTFEEDING

After breastfeeding our daughter for a full year, I found that the only things essential for successful breastfeeding are:

BABY, MUMMY and A GOOD ATTITUDE TO LEARN.

RESEARCH BEFORE HAND

Being a first-time mother, I obviously knew nothing about breastfeeding prior to the birth of our daughter. I knew that I want to breastfeed for as long as circumstances allow, so I did my research before the birth, including attending online breastfeeding classes. You may forget everything the minuet your newborn arrives. However, the learning process increases your confidence.  And having these resources on hand, especially visual guides for feeding, e.g. pictures and videos, you can quickly refer to them when you need guidance. 

FIND THE RIGHT HELP

Don’t be afraid to ask for help. My daughter had latching difficulties initially. Feeding was so painful every time, I almost gave up in the first month. Some people around me told me that was normal. They said there was nothing I could do about the pain and dissuaded me from seeking professional help. After a few more agonizing weeks, I eventually did seek help from lactation consultants and I wish I had done that sooner. Our feeding problems were resolved after a few technical and medical interventions. I was able to feed my baby until she was one. Your loved ones care about you and your baby, but everyone is different and time changes. Seek help from the professionals when you are concerned.

THE GEARS

I hate clutters and useless things. But for breastfeeding, I found a few things that made the process a little easier:

• Nursing bra / tanks – Wireless bras give support without increasing the risk of block ducts. They can be layered under clothing and allow for more discrete feeding outside of home. Best fitted at 36 weeks pregnant or two weeks after giving birth. Never fit within two weeks of giving birth.

• Nursing Pads – Reusable or disposable. Quantity should be individualised depending on leakage. Get a few to start with.

• Breast pump & breast milk storage accessories – Not everyone needs it; some might prefers hand expressing. Useful for sharing feeding responsibility with others.

• Nursing pillow – Option depends on mother’s body shape and size. I used a regular pillow initially and found that a nursing pillow offers much better support.

• Nipple cream – Can be soothing, but scientific research showed that it doesn’t heal sore nipper better than putting breast milk on nipple alone. It’s really up to you on this one.
  
  
• Organiser baskets / cart – My Portable Feeding Station keeps everything organised and at easy reach (See image at the top). I liked to drag it everywhere in my apartment so I can feed my baby in my bed, in the nursery, in the living room while socialising with family, etc.
  
  
• Water bottle & snacks – Breastfeeding made me very thirsty and hungry. A good water bottle with one-hand operable lid is great. Non-crunchy, bite-size snack food worked best. I once woke the baby during a midnight feed with a very crunchy granola bar. NEVER AGAIN! Take everything out of the package and store them in a air-tight container for ease of access.
  
  

THE NOT-SO-USEFUL STUFF

• Nursing cover – Good idea if you are uncomfortable nursing in public. Most of them are quite cumbersome to use. I found wearing a button-up shirt or a loose top with a nursing tank underneath worked much better. It is still very discrete and not as hot in warmer weather. Sometime, I also put a small dry cloth over the baby’s head while feeding to prevent her being distracted.
   
• Nipple shield – The lactation consultant gave me one for cracked nipple but the baby hated it. I only ever used it a few times. If breastfeeding hurts, focus on proper latching technique instead. Only use nipple shield with professional advise.