Do you also have difficulties with breastfeeding? How to go from "insufficient milk" to free breast milk?
Let's listen to the story of Lilac Mother Planet's Bao Mama @is a peace of mind ah *^O^*.
Today, I want to share my breastfeeding story. They are my precious memories, and I hope that many years later, I will remember them, and I hope to be able to give comfort and encouragement to mothers who have been in the same situation as me.
First of all, to explain the background, my numbness, according to her own words, when pregnant, there was no pregnancy, the fetus physique, my brother and I were born with 8 pounds, smooth delivery, breast milk is extremely sufficient, we both breastfeed until one and a half years old. Growing up, I often took all of this for granted – it was a long time before I learned that 8 pounds at birth was huge.
Zhu Yu in front, the beginning of the story is also good progress, I also have no pregnancy, pregnancy appetite is super good, 38 weeks pregnant fetal weight estimated 7.6 pounds, 39 weeks estimated weight reached 8 pounds. At this time, something went wrong, because of the suspected huge baby + overhanging abdomen, the doctor recommended a caesarean section, I was a little disappointed, repeated psychological construction to accept this fact.
When it comes to breastfeeding, things get up and down.
Stage 1: Don't feed the formula anymore!
Let the baby suck!
Probably because it was a caesarean section, the nurse did not ask for milk to be opened within 6 hours after delivery, and then mixed feeding was also encouraged, that is, the baby was hungry to suck breast milk first, and then fed milk powder when he was hungry.
Lactation experts recommend that whether it is a vaginal birth, caesarean section or preterm birth, open milk should be given within 2 hours of delivery, i.e. start feeding. Premature mothers who have separated mothers from mother and child will start milking within 2 hours, and mixed feeding at this time is a great interference with breastfeeding.
On the morning of the third day, I woke up my teammates and said that I had swollen milk. The chest was like two sandbags pressed, slightly swollen and painful. When the doctor and nurse rounded the room, they said, don't feed milk powder anymore! Let her suck! Babies are the best prolactinators!
That being said, babies can't do it wow! After sucking for a while, it seemed to be full, and it rose again in less than an hour. The nurse said that it had not been emptied, and that it would not rise again until at least 3 hours after the vacuum. Again, we must let the baby empty, otherwise it will be blocked and inflamed, and the consequences will be unimaginable.
Lactation experts suggest that there is no such time standard, physiological swollen period is that the breast is sucked soft or squeezed soft for a while and then swollen again, and the nature of the subsequent swelling due to milk filling is different.
Aunt Yue is also very anxious, fortunately, she has a professional prolactin certificate, a fierce operation, coupled with the blessing of the breast pump, the same day to achieve a successful empty.
On the fourth day, the milk leaked. In fact, there was occasionally a leak before, but on the fourth day, it was like forgetting to turn off the faucet, dripping while eating, and the hospital gown was wet for a while. Although embarrassed, but also very excited, well, the rations of the heart have fallen!
Despite this, she was still too young to exert the strength to eat milk, and she would fall asleep after only a few bites, but because she was not full, she slept for a while and had to wake up hungry, so she was tired of eating and sleeping, and waking up hungry and eating again. We jokingly call breastfeeding "going to work", saying that as soon as we go to work, we will touch the fish, and be careful of being replaced by a big machine (breast pump)!
Lactation experts suggest: the baby's situation, but also consider whether the breastfeeding posture and milk is effective enough, under the premise of effective sucking, the baby generally will not "suck a few bites to fall asleep, sleep for a while and then wake up hungry", when such repeated and frequent feeding, it is necessary to evaluate the baby's milk efficiency. With high breastfeeding efficiency, your baby can remove more milk and consume less energy in the same amount of time. At the same time, because of the relationship between the early bottle feeding, the baby is also likely to have nipple confusion, resulting in low efficiency of parent feeding.
Fortunately, I was not entangled, I was really hungry, so I mixed some milk powder and sucked out the breast milk with a breast pump at the same time. Calming down, do not reject milk powder, and there is no nipple confusion. And just like that, a week later, we achieved a balance between supply and demand for the first time, and I also grew a breath.
Stage 2: Emptying?
When you have emptied, mix it with some milk powder!
Just breathed a sigh of relief, the surge period is coming! The appetite is big, but the strength does not keep up, the amount of food and strength do not match, and once again fall into a vicious circle.
Every time I couldn't eat a few bites, I began to "touch the fish", leaving only my mouth moving and no swallowing sound. At this time, you can only "affectionately call" plus "ear to ear", pinch your ears, pull your small hands, try to wake her up and then eat, but you really can't do it, you have to pinch your nose, open your mouth, forcibly stop feeding, and then feed when you wake up, so that it may take half an hour to feed. The only good thing to feed is night milk, which may have accumulated enough energy in sleep to eat in ten minutes.
During the month, I eat six meals a day, that is, the legendary three meals and three o'clock, and I eat 10 to 14 times. In short, either I'm eating or she's eating. In the summer, wearing long-sleeved trousers, even if the air conditioner is turned on, it is inevitable to sweat when eating and feeding, and the day is tired.
At that time, one of the words that my aunt was most afraid of was "Do you have emptied?" I'll give her some milk powder!" Eating, sleeping, and even going to the toilet do not dare to go too long, for fear of being hungry and unable to wait to eat milk powder.
What's even more frightening is that I have to endure the frustration of "I can't feed my baby" while also enduring the pain of breastfeeding, such as blockage, milk leakage, nipple cracks, shoulder and neck muscle tension, and all kinds of inexplicable stinging. The most serious time of the milk blockage, there were lumps on both sides, could not turn over at all, woke up in pain at night, had to lean against the head of the bed, sat until dawn.
Lactation experts suggest: repeated milk blockage, cracking, muscle tension are the "pot" of the breastfeeding posture, adjust the breastfeeding position and the baby's milk, these problems can be solved. And according to the description of the mother's paragraph, the baby is still most likely to have poor milk, or there is nipple confusion, but it does not meet the "nipple confusion" in the mother's cognition, so it does not attract the attention of the mother.
All the grievances accumulated, and the first and so far only emotional collapse after childbirth broke out.
That day, when it was time for me to eat, I was still breastfeeding, so my aunt urged me to eat as usual and gave me some milk powder. Seeing that the heart was full of cuteness, they hugged me to show it. Hormone levels fluctuated during the month, and it seemed to me that they were accusing me of not having enough milk as a mother. As I ate, tears couldn't help but fall. In fact, my in-laws have always taken good care of me, never had a heavy word, found me crying, and rushed to comfort me, saying that it was not that my milk was not enough, but that I was too able to eat, which made me cry and laugh.
On the one hand, I was worried that after eating milk powder, the amount of food increased, but the amount of milk could not come up, and the supply and demand were more unbalanced; on the other hand, I also felt that the strength was to be exercised, so that the amount of food and strength could not be balanced - this later proved to be more worrying, the baby grew up, naturally there was strength.
By the way, the day after that emotional breakdown, I blocked my milk again.
Lactation experts suggest that emotions affect the mother's oxytocin (the hormone that expresses milk out of the breast), so poor mood will affect the milk removal, resulting in milk blockage.
Stage 3: February Physical Examination,
The doctor said good feeding!
After the sister-in-law left, the in-laws were capable, the interpersonal relationship became simple, and the concentration gradually formed the law of "eating-playing-sleeping", and the life with the baby was much easier. My in-laws and I cooperate tacitly, I am responsible for feeding, they are responsible for sleeping. Relax your mood, drink more water, rest more, feed more, unconsciously, we have once again achieved a balance between supply and demand, and the discomfort caused by breastfeeding has gradually eased, and breastfeeding has become a very happy thing.
In the second stage, I saw someone in the mom group say, "I'd rather feed for the rest of my life!" Although it is an exaggeration, I think it is also too exaggerated, right? Although I know that breast milk has such and such benefits, and I know that WHO recommends breastfeeding until the age of 2, breastfeeding is really too troublesome, not only has the above-mentioned physical discomfort, but also needs to wear nursing clothes, may not be able to find the mother and baby room when going out, and have to carry milk at work... I can feed until the age of 1 is not bad, by then there is a lot of food that can be eaten, you can also drink milk directly, breast milk is no longer the main source of nutrition.
Lactation experts suggest: although breast milk is not the main source of nutrition, but still provide 50% of nutrition, while the concentration of immune antibodies in breast milk increases after the age of 1 year, providing more immune protection for babies who explore the world during the toddler period, if sick not only can accelerate recovery and shorten the course of the disease, but also the best comfort and "good medicine" for children when they are sick, breast milk also gives babies who explore the world a lot of psychological support. This is also the main reason why the World Health Organization recommends continuous breastfeeding until the age of 2 years, of course, this is based on the voluntary choice of the mother, all we need to do is let the mother "know".
By now, I can finally understand this feeling - once again, it proves that there is no law in the matter of taking a baby, and it is impossible to speculate about the future in the current state. Breastfeeding is not only a way to provide food for the baby, it is an incomparable comfort for the mind, but also an irreplaceable emotional connection between mother and daughter. No matter how sad she cried, as soon as the nipple was stuffed into her mouth, the world suddenly became quiet, leaving only her grunting and swallowing. While eating, she would look at me with her eyes wide open, as if she knew me as a mother. After eating, she would smile at me in her arms, that sweet smile, the world melted, and I believe that at that moment we felt the same happiness and satisfaction.
Of course, although the physical discomfort at this stage is almost gone, the self-doubt and anxiety of "insufficient milk" brought about by the occasional surge period and the bad breast pump are still there. Until the time of the 2-month-old community child care medical examination, 95% of the height and 75% of the weight, the doctor said: The baby is well fed.
Stage Four: No Eating,
She doesn't want to eat it!
In fact, after the last surge period of the third stage (4 to 6 weeks), the interval between the two meals of the center has been significantly extended, and feeding once every 3 hours is basically no problem. Unexpectedly, on the day I returned from the community, I was able to eat for 10 minutes, last 6 hours, and only need to be fed once at night. We couldn't help but be pleasantly surprised, and sure enough, we grew up! - Of course, then there was a repetition, a spiral.
In the third stage, I often went out. At first, I went out with my in-laws and mother-in-law with a fixed heart, went to the community for physical examinations, vaccinations, and walked on the streets. After a 42-day postpartum checkup, I started practicing yoga again. That was the first time I left The House of Determination, she ate and slept in confusion, and I really felt separation anxiety. After practicing yoga before giving birth, I always thought of McDonald's to replenish some calories, sit down and go home, and after practicing yoga that day, my heart was full of "I am going to cry!" Don't let your mind go hungry!" Anxiety. Rushed home, sure to cry, my mother-in-law was just about to mix milk powder, saw that I was relieved, and immediately hugged me to feed me. Ah, my baby needs me!
Image source: @yes heart *^O^*
As a result, in the fourth stage, I fed it before going out, and I rushed home after practicing yoga, and she was either sleeping or taking a shower. Q. Did you eat? The answer is, if she doesn't eat, she doesn't want to eat! yes! Does she already want me? That feeling is both gratifying and lost. The relief is that she has grown a little bit again, no longer a baby who has been clamoring to eat for an hour or two; the loss is that after giving birth, she has left me a little more, and will leave even farther in the future.
I have seen articles before that sometimes the baby is not anxious about milk, but the mother is reluctant to wean. Recently, I also saw some posts on Lilac Mother Planet that shared the experience of leaving the milk, and I would see tears in my eyes, and I would definitely be reluctant to think of that day!
【Transferred from: Sohu — Lilac Mother】