How to increase milk supply?

I have learnt from experience and I guess it takes a lot of effort. Your effort in increasing your milk supply will most probably be successful especially if you have exclusively breastfed your baby in the first month at least. I did not nurse my Little Jen directly due to problems during early breastfeeding days but I did provide him with all the milk he needed since his first week onwards.

During early days of breastfeeding, I did not have enough to provide to my Little Jen. Pumping every 2-3 hours during day time and every 3-4 hours at night helped to quickly bring in my milk which came after colostrum.

Taking nutritious food was also very important. Skimping on meals will only harm yourself as your little one will take the necessary nutrients from your own reserves. Chicken herbal soups that promote better blood circulation certainly did help me regain my milk supply when it was low due to stress at work. Oh, I ate

During breastfeeding, you will also notice that milk supply is most in the morning. I guess that is also because you have had a good rest at night and therefore, it contributed to better milk production. So, rest well too.

Exercising after C-Sect Delivery

8 months has passed since I given birth to my Little Jen via C-Sect. I have never experienced natural birth but one thing for sure is that delivery via C-Sect will need a much longer period to recover to my usual self.

3 months after the delivery, I was toying with the idea of playing badminton without running or jumping. That was not fun at all.

6 months after the delivery, I was able to jump a little and that made playing badminton a bit more exciting. Anyway, I was never a badminton player, so, it made no difference whether I could jump higher or run faster since my response towards the shuttle cock never changed a bit *smile sheepishly*.

The one sport that I really enjoyed before delivery was swimming and at this time, I could already swim like normal. It was relaxing and really helped lift up my mood a little. Imagine 6 months of no-sports-no-fun period. Why not? Even a sneeze would have caused me some pain at the operation area. I had to place both my hands firmly on my healing wound instead of covering my mouth when I sneezed to suppress the pain.

Now at 8 months, I am definitely ready for Yoga, my favourite exercise. Oh, I will be starting my class this week! I am just so excited! Finally!

How to save a dwindling milk supply?

My Little Jen started to sprout his first tooth when he was 3 months old and following that, it was nightmare as more new teeths came. He fussed alot and nursing him was never easy at that time. He would cry out of hunger and then latch on to nurse but almost immediately after that, he would let go and start crying again. I tried to latch him on again and after a few times, he started to bite! Ouch, that was really painful, well, I shrieked in pain. And, that frightened him...

So, this went on and on until he finally started to refuse nursing and there my milk supply started going downhill. The worst part was, I only realised it when I tried to pump for him to drink. He was only about 4 months plus then. It really broke my heart and after so much pain and effort, I was far from ready to stop nursing my Little Jen.

So, again, day and night, without fail, I pumped every 2-3 hours. It was really tiring as pumping took about 30 minutes and then within 1 1/2 hour or so, I was pumping again. This went on even at night. I had to wake up and pump! Normally, I would easily get about 3-4oz from each side in less than 10 minutes but this time, I could barely collect more than 1-2oz.

 Determined to continue nursing, I went to get a bottle of Fenugreek pills from GNC store in Berjaya Times Square. I read that to really make it help increase milk supply, you will have to overdose yourself on the pills. Afraid of potential side effects although reportedly there was none, I only took about 2-3 pills in a day. Not much help as the milk supply was still very low.

By this time, my Little Jen was already fussing every time I tried to nurse him for an entirely different reason - lack of milk supply. Had to keep nursing although there was no milk during pumping sessions and even if he bit me. Babies work best to stimulate the production of milk.

I cried and even told Hubby that I might really have to start pshyching myself that it wsas okay to stop breastfeeding. It was that difficult...

Thankfully, within about 4-5 days of intense pumping, I managed to stimulate milk production to the normal level. Oh yes, intense pumping did cause soreness but then, it was all worth the effort pumped in as long as my Little Jen got the best from Mummy. Pumping works.. *smile*

7+ Months - Still Breastfeeding?

Yes, I am still breastfeeding my son and now he is only 1 week away from being 8 mths old. The reason is simple - because I just couldn't make myself stop and refrain from feeding him. Ops, he is crying.. feeding time!

Ayer Keroh, Melaka - Jusco Nursing Room

The Nursing Room in Ayer Keroh Jusco might be a little less well planned in terms of the layout as it is an 'antique' in Melaka. The Nursing Room is located on the way to the toilet on the upper floor and is opposite a Pos Malaysia center.

Upon entering the area, on your right, you will see a water thermos with hot drinking water and water sinks for washing. Next to the wash basins, there were about 4 diaper changing stations. Then, here comes the interesting part. On the left side, there was long drape of curtain with a long cushioned bench inside for nursing. However, I guess the curtain was not long enough so they put a big board there so that passers-by would not be able to see what was happening from under the curtains.

I have been to worse Nursing Rooms, so, this is considered okay.