Breastfeeding Advice

This is supposed to be my entry for the Milk Mama Diaries Carnival for February. But because work got in the way, I wasn’t able to write my post and submit on time. =(

Anyway, I would still like to share, for me, the best breastfeeding advice I got. You know how parents (especially first timers…) get really excited? They start planning and decorating the nursery, buying baby clothes, baby toiletries, baby detergent and baby fabric conditioners, baby everything!

They start preparing for the big day. Bags are packed, documents are prepared, friends and relatives are informed. But when the baby comes, they get frustrated because mommy can’t breastfeed! They did everything right except prepare for the most important thing. To nourish your little one the way it should be.

Human babies need human milk. They need mommy for nourishment and mommy CAN produce milk. The problem is that mommy “thought” it would be easy. That it would just come out like water in a fountain. That’s not always the case, you know. Some mommies are blessed to have very active mammary glands that don’t need much stimulation but for the most of us, it takes a lot of effort.

So the best advice for me? EMPOWER YOURSELF. BE INFORMED. Prepare yourself for breastfeeding. Instead of buying “cute” baby clothes, go read articles, watch videos for proper latching, and ask around. Be prepared for a lot of unwanted advice from misinformed individuals though.

I am a first time mom. I was also tempted to shop for baby stuff …. lots and lots. But then I read in one of the forums that I frequent that breastfeeding does not come easy. I got curious and read post after post, message after message. Instead of spending on clothes and toys, I invested on a good breast pump. I learned a lot from that forum and other mommy blogs. So when the big day came, I was somehow prepared.

It was not perfect but my breastfeeding journey still continues to this day … as in right this minute! Four months of exclusive breast.milk for my baby. That really makes me happy.