Should I END for my milk production? OR Shouldn’t I?

Initially, I received a lot of emails saying my blog is too MILKY, after my posting of Milk Production – Part I & Milk Production – Part II. So I have stopped till now…… Should I END for my milk production?

First, I will be happy & glad to say I successful to breastfeed my boy till now, more than 13 months. I bought the first tin of formula milk 2 weeks ago as too many friends & relatives advice me to change him to formula since he was 9 months. I think there is no harm for my boy to try on since I have fully breastfeed him for the past 12 months. So I request some samples from different brand of formula milk, in order to let my boy try on which flavor or brand that suit to him.

But my boy doesn’t like the taste of formula at all. He will push away the milk bottle and scream at me. I tried to spoon feed him with the formula milk, he will show me he wanna vomit. @_@

Then I tried to mix the formula milk in the rice cereal for him, he PUKED. The milk of the meal before was out! Then he refused to take in any cereal. Then I tried to get some advice from experience mommy on how am I going to change him from breastmilk to formula. Most of the answers from them are “Why should I change since the supply is enough and he doesn’t like the formula”.

So I continue to breastfeed him at home, but baby sitter tried to mix breastmilk with formula milk to let him try. So far I will try on all the food before it goes into my son, same goes to this formula. Definitely I familiar with the taste of breast milk, and I even drank a couple of oz before! Read here. The taste of formula is sweet, thick and strong taste of milk; breastmilk is sweet too, not so thick… Errr… I can say more like diluted formula milk.

But…………………………..

When I picked up my boy after working this evening, baby sitter told me that

he willing to drink the formula itself and next week onwards I no need to pass her any of the breastmilk anymore!

I thought that I will be happy when my son willing to accept formula milk. But… but… I felt… felt a bit “sour” in my heart T_T

Is that means I no need to nurse him anymore? I will miss the time we spend together when I nurse him. My boy will look at me when I nurse him, one hand holding his bolster or holding his leg, playing with his toe or use his little index finger pointing in the air…. Or draw on my tummy… Or use his little index finger to poke my eyes, my nose, my teeth… When he was tired, he will just laid down in my arms and enjoy his milk… My boy quite greedy (maybe I should say he just cheeky), he will always think the other one is taste better and will change himself to the other breast for milk. It is all GREAT moments for me and my son. Both of us are SO ENJOY during the nursing!

But… do I need to stop? My freezer still got around 28 bottles, I think I need to start feeding him all the expressed breastmilk in the freezer as I no need to pass to baby sitter anymore.

I will not END my breastfeeding but I will start to reduce my milk production by expressing breastmilk once a day during working day.

My dear Bryan, mommy will nurse you whenever you need it!

Manual pump – Hand

27^th January 2010, Wednesday

This is a back dated post. :p...

BS always called me “Big Head Prawn” (aka careless). In fact, I am! I was experienced engorgement because I have forgotten to bring the white valve to the office.

On Wednesday, I forgot to bring the milk bottle! I won’t wait until I reached home at 7pm. NO! NO! NO!

The only way to solve this is to use “HAND”. Thanks to imafulltimemummy for reminding me in my previous engorgement.

Well. It worked. I am not going to write how the process was. Overall, it was tiring, my fingers were sore (Mmm… should not say sore, but its kinda numbed.) and the pose while pumping was… UGLY~~~ hahaha…. As the only bottle I have with me was the Bumble Bee Breast Milk Bottle and the diameter of the opening is about 1 inch. Can you imagine the pose?!?!?! Hahaha… I don’t feel to recall as well.

Anyway, with hand expressed; I can feel my milk in quantity and location (where it is stored) and it’s faster, where I got more milk out within a short span of time.

I just manage to have 9oz instead of 14-15oz (normal production). Yet, it was a GOOD experience for me :p….

Breast Milk Storage

My best friend, ME was given birth to her little princess on 28^th Nov. Congratulations!!! She is so adorable, especially her eyes.... pretty pretty!!! Don't know how Bryan will react when meet up with her?!?!

She is breastfeeding mommy too and we talk a lot about labour, confinement, baby, pee&poo… The most is breastfeeding. We are new mommies, no experience, just read some books, articles through internet to learn to be a good mother. She is going to resume to work end of this month and been asking me about the breast milk storage QUESTION.

I am not sure mine is “correct” / “Hygiene” enough / best for babies… Just to share around here. Please feel free to leave me a comments / advices / suggestions…. All are WELCOMES!!!

These are the breast milk storage bottles I bought; left picture – Mom’s Little One; right picture – Bumble Bee. Both are BPA-free and the volumn is 5oz. Apparently I have 34 bottles with me.

While Bryan was 3 months, he took 4oz every feeding. So I will pour 4oz and store in the freezer. When I send him to baby sitter, just brought 5 bottles together. That’s all.

Every milk production session will not exactly filled the whole bottle, I’m not a machine ^0^ So, I will put all the fresh breast milk into the freezer. On next milk production, just fill in the left over bottle in previous milk production up to full bottle. Normally I will maximize the volume by pouring in 5.5oz instead of 5oz, even it is stated there “DO NOT FILL THE BOTTLE MORE THAN 5oz” as the breast milk will expand after storing in the freezer. But I didn’t follow :P as long as the bottle not crack will do. If not, 34 bottles are not enough to store my breast milk.

Hmmm… is it details enough to guide you, ME? My English not good, can’t really explain very well here. If you have any doubt, just give me a call loh :p….. Hahaha… Finally, still back to the same, we talk through the phone. Failure me! Aih…..

Taste of Breast Milk

Been wondering what is the taste of breastmilk, until my first try during my confinement. It is sweet, a bit taste like bamboo juice, which my hubby and I found it so funny, why my breastmilk taste like bamboo juice. Hahaha… Overall I can say it is taste like diluted formula milk.

Every time I warm up the express breast milk for Bryan, I will taste with my wrist and sip it. Anyone saw me doing that will so surprise and asked me why I drink my own milk?!?! But I do not find any problem with this. Anything I give to Bryan is the best I can afford to. Then my breast milk is the best for him as well :D hehehe….

I am not only sipping the little breast milk, but I experience to drink 9oz of my own breast milk! ^0^ It happened about 3 months ago…..

On the 28^th October, one of our customers required to meet up with us in Cyberjaya. No choice, I have to fly there on a day trip. Urghhh…. It was tiring because the flight delayed. I left my house about 7am in the morning and reached home around 1030pm. The time I left, Bryan yet to wake up; and he was slept when I reached home. This was the FIRST time I left my Bryan for more than 12 hours.

Due to the short period of separation (15 hours), definitely I need to pump breast milk in KL at least once. To avoid the troublesome (airplane liquid ban) for bringing back my EBM, I decide to discard the EBM.

So, I choose to pump around 2pm;-

1. Save time, just pumped once in KL.

2. I just discard 1 bottle of EBM, so not much wasted. :P… Ya, I’m calculative woman.

3. I can pump again once I reach home at night, where both of breasts were FULL of MILK. Hahaha…

At 1pm, my supervisor and I were in Pavilion to spend some time there before our next appointment. YES! The toilet there is quite clean compare to other shopping complex. Need to apologize to my supervisor that she has to shop around alone while I was in the toilet for milk production. After the milk production done, holding the bottle, looking at the milk… Discard? Discard? Discard? Since I haven’t take my lunch (cause we took heavy breakfast around 10am), a bit hungry… okay, sip a bit to try the taste, even I knew what the taste is. Okay, decided to drink all instead of throwing away.

Glut glut glut glut…… finish the 10oz of milk in seconds. Hmm….. Taste good and full. Hahaha…. *self appraised + happy*