6 Months of Breastfeeding

Alhamdulillah, with Allah's blessings, and endless support from my darling Mr. Tubby and close family (and friends too), I have successfully fulfilled my promise to Zabi Aydan, to breastfeed him exclusively for 6 months. Now I would like to make a new promise to my lil' one. I hope and pray that I can continue to fulfill this responsibility until Zabi Aydan celebrates his first birthday this coming 14 August 2012. Thereafter to continue until he's 2 years old, InsyaAllah.

So... 6 months eh??? Who said it was easy. I remember my mom said to me once, "Apa yang susah sangat nak menyusukan anak. Anak lapar, menangis, selak aje baju, sumbat. Kat mana-mana pun boleh, tak payah nak bancuh-bancuh susu." She said this when I was in confinement. During the early days of confinement I suffered a serious case of cracked nipples (plus latching on problems making it all worse). At that time I remember wanting to just run away from my mom's house each time I hear Zabi Aydan cry. Sometimes I pretended to sleep then Mr. Tubby had to wake up and calm the baby. If the crying won't stop then he'd wake me up. Urghhh, at one point I could not handle the pain and suffering I felt like giving up. *Yep, I had lots of evil thoughts during confinement, nasib tak kena sawan ke bentan ke or whatnot*

My mom only breastfed me for about 3 months. She said she felt like her milk supply dropped, I was demanding milk all the time and she didn't know what to do, so she quit. So I became a formula fed baby. Back then nobody told my mom that breast milk is the best milk for her baby. Mothers were led to believe that formula milk is the best for baby, and if you breastfeed your baby you're considered a cheapskate who does not care for your child's well being. There were no Rakan Bayi hospitals. There were no breast pumps sold in stores. Nobody has ever heard of the Marmet Technique. Nurses and doctors didn't teach or encourage you how to breastfeed, instead they ask you which type of formula milk is best for your child. There were no breastfeeding support groups on Facebook, or kellymom.com or BabyCenter or breastfeeding mom bloggers or lactation counselors. Shaklee Breastfeeding Set apetah lagi. But I couldn't blame my mom. I knew she loves me with all her heart and she wanted only the best for her child.

Then in the late 90s, the government started all kinds of awareness campaigns on breastfeeding. When my mom was pregnant with my 3rd brother, she received tons of pamphlets and booklets and posters on the benefits of breastfeeding. Doctors and nurses started giving her lectures on the importance of breastfeeding. Manual breast pumps were available in stores. Doctors can prescribe you with pills to stimulate your mammary glands. She then realized she made a huge mistake with me and my sister. So she was determined to breastfeed my brother until he was about 12 months old (or older), same goes with my 2 younger sisters, and my youngest brother). Yup, the woman who thought that she could only breastfeed her 2 elder daughter for not more than 3 months had on the other hand, managed to successfully breastfeed her other 4 children until they were all 12 months old (some beyond 12 months).

When it was my turn to give birth and nurse my baby, she did not want me to repeat the same mistake. When I almost gave up, when I cried in pain saying I did not want to breastfeed anymore, she did not say, "Oh, you poor thing, it's OK let me go and buy formula for your baby." Instead she just sat next to me and forced me to breastfeed. When Zabi Aydan was screaming because he could not latch on (it was hard for him to do so when his mommy is not cooperating), my mom helped Zabi Aydan to latch on properly. Then she'd ask me to pump my milk when I complain of engorgement. Sometimes Zabi Aydan would cry and cry because he wasn't satisfied with the feeding (or so I thought). My mom would say, "He has a tummy the size of a marble, later we try to feed him again." Seemed harsh, no? Well, that was how it was like for me. No shortcut. No leeway. It's do or die.

But I am grateful to mom. I had to endure the pain for like 2, 3 weeks? It was just a phase my mom said. Once the cracked nipples are gone, everything is gonna be alright. Of course there's gonna be ups and downs like sudden low milk supply (yep, happens to me all the time, because of stress or attempt to cut down food intake with hopes of losing weight), challenges in nursing in public, no time to pump resulting in engorgement etc. But those are the things that make it all more special.

Of course I do get some what I'd like to call 'negative' comments like, "Tak campur susu tin ke? Cukup ke susu badan je. Tak kenyang nanti." or "Nampak susut badan Zabi Aydan. Selalunya baby yang susu badan susah nak chubby tau, bagilah susu X (brand of formula milk)." or "Kau senanglah nak menyusukan anak, tak kerja duduk rumah je." But, like Mr. Tubby always say, "Just ignore all these unnecessary comments from other people, what I think and what I say is what matters."

For me, how we raise our child, it's a personal choice. It's personal that I choose to breastfeed my son, that I actually work hard to get there by consuming all kinds of milk boosters, taking supplements, and regular pumping (to make contingency supply). Trust me, the journey is not all smooth sailing. Only parents know what's best for their child, and this applies to everything, from the choice of milk, food, clothing, education, and parenting style. Who are we to judge others, correct?

Anyways, I think Mr. Tubby and I did OK. Have to admit though, we're not the best parents in the world, far from perfect. I, for example sometimes forget to switch on the fan when Zabi Aydan's napping in the room, and Mr. Tubby sometimes forgets to wash / sanitize his hands before feeding Zabi Aydan. We have a lot to learn. But Alhamdulillah, we have been blessed. Zabi Aydan is such a darling. He's a healthy baby boy, he's intelligent (just like his name, 'Aydan'), he's active and playful and very very talkative (in his own baby language), and of course he can be quite a handful sometimes. But we don't mind.

YOU COMPLETE US BABY!