I was staring at you as you sleep while I was feeding your baby sister. I remember not so long ago, we had quiet mornings of just you and me after Papa left for work. You hug me tight and kiss me good morning as soon as you wake up before asking if you have to go to school today. You fall asleep in my arms at night after whispering goodnight mom, i love you. I drive and fetch you to/from school. We had time to play during bath time. We have unplanned trips to the mall or to the nearby coffee shop to just eat, chat and bond.
It was a different story now.
When Eliana was born, I had fear that the love in my heart will not be enough for the both of you. But I was wrong. I love you as much as I love Ellie but it was my time and my body that I cannot split. Nowadays, you do things on your own. You wake up, wash your face, eat breakfast, take a bath alone with minimal supervision. We cannot take the bus and commute to the mall if we please, oftentimes it is Papa who goes with you and takes care of your needs.
I miss you. I miss our time together in the world of our own. I believe that we will just wait a little more time my Ate Reilly, and everything will go back as it was before. I am proud because we were able to train you before you became a big sister. But for now, let Papa hug you as you sleep.
I remember when I was about 10 years old, I asked my Mama if I was breastfed when I was a baby. She told me no, because she has no milk and maybe it’s in the genes. Is it really possible to have no milk to feed your baby? I wondered. From then, I told myself that when I have my own children, I will really try hard to breastfeed them. This became a challenge for me.
Fast forward to 2014 when I gave birth to Reilly. The first few days were the hardest. I was so engorged and no milk was coming out when I pump! I lack knowledge in breastfeeding back then and I really thought that I have no milk and I just wanted to give up. Maybe, Mama was right. It’s in our genes. We cannot breastfeed because we cannot produce milk. But lo and behold, my milk came in around day 4. But the problem is, Little Reilly does not know how to properly latch. I went through all the dilemmas of a BF Mom — sore breasts, cracked/bleeding nipples and I was crying while breastfeeding because it really hurts! Finally, milk supply was established at around 7 weeks. I am still working that time and it was really a struggle for me when I went back to work. I would pump milk during breaks and bring home ounces of milk everyday but that was never enough to sustain my stash. This resulted to mixed feeding. We gave her formula milk whenever there is no breastmilk left and she cannot directly latch to me. I also underwent management training when she was around 4 to 5 months old and I cannot religiously pump every 2-3 hours. Reilly weaned from breastfeeding when she was about 8 months old. She would not latch anymore maybe because of my decreased milk supply. My dream of exclusively breastfeeding her failed.
This time with Eliana, I was more equipped and knowledgeable with breastfeeding. It was another chance to fulfill my dream. Good thing that she was roomed in with me the next day after I gave birth. And again, no milk was coming out. But this time, I am not panicking. I just let her latch and latch and latch. I counted her poos and pees and I knew she is getting enough milk from me. Milk came in at day 5 post partum (longer this time). Since I was a stay-at-home mom now, I knew I can do it this time. Thank God for new products (Haakaa is a genius invention!). I was able to build my stash as early as 2 weeks. At present, we are going 3 months of exclusive breastfeeding! I’m one happy momma. It was hard, but seeing a smile on her face after each feed is the best feeling in the world.
Trust yourself. This is the most important thing. You have to trust your body that you can provide the milk needed by your little one. Do not stress yourself and do not compare your output with others! Our babies have different needs and we can provide it to him/her.
Eat well, diet later. You have all the time in the world to remove that momma pooch after your baby weaned from breastfeeding. And did I mention that breastfeeding helps lose your baby weight faster? I lost about 36 lbs. in a span of 8 weeks. Now, I’m just 5 lbs. away from my pre-pregnancy weight. For now, eat well so that you can provide all the nutrition that you and your baby needs. Sabaw is life!
Try one supplement at a time. Stick to the ones that you think helps you increase your supply. For me, what works is taking 2 capsules of mega malunggay each day, drinking M2 Malunggay Tea and Mother Nurture Coffee and Choco drink . I also eat lactation cookies which I bake and share thru @milkookiesph.
Lactation cookies from @milkookiesph
What about you? Share your BF journey in the comment section below. Breastfeeding is best for babies but it does not mean that formula fed babies are less. Remember, Fed is best.
I remember when I was about 10 years old, I asked my Mama if I was breastfed when I was a baby. She told me no, because she has no milk and maybe it’s in the genes. Is it really possible to have no milk to feed your baby? I wondered. From then, I told myself that when I have my own children, I will really try hard to breastfeed them. This became a challenge for me to start my breastfeeding journey.
Fast forward to 2014 when I gave birth to Reilly. The first few days were the hardest. I was so engorged and no milk was coming out when I pump! I lack knowledge in breastfeeding back then and I really thought that I have no milk and I just wanted to give up. Maybe, Mama was right. It’s in our genes. We cannot breastfeed because we cannot produce milk. But lo and behold, my milk came in around day 4. But the problem is, Little Reilly does not know how to properly latch. I went through all the dilemmas of a BF Mom — sore breasts, cracked/bleeding nipples and I was crying while breastfeeding because it really hurts! Finally, milk supply was established at around 7 weeks. I am still working that time and it was really a struggle for me when I went back to work. I would pump milk during breaks and bring home ounces of milk everyday but that was never enough to sustain my stash. This resulted to mixed feeding. We gave her formula milk whenever there is no breastmilk left and she cannot directly latch to me. I also underwent management training when she was around 4 to 5 months old and I cannot religiously pump every 2-3 hours. Reilly weaned from breastfeeding when she was about 8 months old. She would not latch anymore maybe because of my decreased milk supply. My dream of exclusively breastfeeding her failed. That was the end of my breastfeeding journey with Reilly.
This time with Eliana, I was more equipped and knowledgeable with breastfeeding. It was another chance to fulfill my dream. Good thing that she was roomed in with me the next day after I gave birth. And again, no milk was coming out. But this time, I am not panicking. I just let her latch and latch and latch. I counted her poos and pees and I knew she is getting enough milk from me. Milk came in at day 5 post partum (longer this time). Since I was a stay-at-home mom now, I knew I can do it this time. Thank God for new products (Haakaa is a genius invention!). I was able to build my stash as early as 2 weeks. At present, we are going 3 months of exclusive breastfeeding! I’m one happy momma. It was hard, but seeing a smile on her face after each feed is the best feeling in the world.
Trust yourself. This is the most important thing. You have to trust your body that you can provide the milk needed by your little one. Do not stress yourself and do not compare your output with others! Our babies have different needs and we can provide it to him/her.
Eat well, diet later. You have all the time in the world to remove that momma pooch after your baby weaned from breastfeeding. And did I mention that breastfeeding helps lose your baby weight faster? I lost about 36 lbs. in a span of 8 weeks. Now, I’m just 5 lbs. away from my pre-pregnancy weight. For now, eat well so that you can provide all the nutrition that you and your baby needs. Sabaw is life!
Try one supplement at a time. Stick to the ones that you think helps you increase your supply. For me, what works is taking 2 capsules of mega malunggay each day, drinking M2 Malunggay Tea and Mother Nurture Coffee and Choco drink . I also eat lactation cookies which I bake and share thru @milkookiesph.
Lactation cookies from @milkookiesph
What about you? Share your BF journey in the comment section below. Breastfeeding is best for babies but it does not mean that formula fed babies are less. Remember, Fed is best.
It has been more than a year since I have been a full time mom. It is an entirely different experience from being a career woman for 13 years. I am thankful to my supportive husband because not all moms are given the chance to stay-at-home and care for their child. It was a long and hard decision for us because I am on the peak of my banking career and it would also affect our finances. But all things lead us to making that decision — we could not find a suitable househelper/yaya for Reilly and Gheoff got promoted.
Gheoff took me on a date on my last day of work – November 29, 2018.
The first few days of being a SAHM is very tiring. I usually start my day at 5am to cook breakfast and Gheoff’s baon then my day ends at 1am the following day. House chores are unlimited! Then I got used to it and was able to follow a schedule. Days passed and I was able to squeeze in working out at the gym while Reilly is in school. This kept me sane and became my ‘me’ time amidst all the house work.
Few months into being a SAHM, the biggest surprise of our life happened — I became pregnant with baby #2 without any medication (read: details on a separate blog)! I think this became possible because I got rid of work stress and I became active in working out. I also lost a few pounds which is good for PCOS individuals who are trying to conceive.
Being a working mom and being a stay-at-home mom has its own pros and cons and should not be compared as to which is better. Both moms do their work for the love and for the future of their family. My favorite part of being a SAHM is not having free time, but being able to take care of my family, spend time with my children and witnessing every milestone in their lives. Giving up my career in exchange of everything I have now is definitely worth it.
Click the image to buy LaVie Lactation Massager in Amazon
sherwinelaine.blog 