My breastfeeding journey

First week back at work and I'm already down with a flu *sniff sniff* Alexis too has fallen ill, so the flu bug is definitely in the air at home. Hopes that Sophie will be strong enough to withstand the virus flying around the house else we will have to keep her away from the infant care centre. Heard that man babies are also sick, hence the near empty state when I visited Sophie today. Another reason why I plan to continue to breastfeed her so that she will have my anti-bodies now that I'm ill.

Although I am proud that I have successfully breastfeed Sophie for the past 4 months, the journey for breastfeeding has not been an easy one. The first few days in the hospital, the nurses and my mom were so insistent that I should feed Sophie with formula. But I was stubborn and refused and insisted that all babies have enough reserve since most mummies milk supply don't kick in until the 3rd day or so. And on the 3rd day,it was a great encouragement to hear the nurse comment that the milk I've expressed is actually quite a lot. So I persisted and persisted. Persisted through cracked nipples, bleeding nipples, engorgement, leaking nipples, nipple being bitten by Sophie. Such is a mother's sacrifice just to give the best to my baby. Of course, nothing beats the bonding that I enjoy with her while breastfeeding her. Knowing that she is nourished and also connected to me in such a special way.

Of course the plus point is that breastfeeding burns calories, so that allows me to still eat and not put on too much weight. But cant say much about losing all the pregnancy weight. I suspect, it may take a few more months for all the weight to be lost by the way I'm still eating now. But the downside is that I still have to watch my diet in case it gives Sophie tummy upset. Now I'm a bit more relaxed and will have my daily dose of coffee and even have spicy food like tom yum occasionally.

Well hope that I can continue to give Sophie mama's milk for as long as possible but also gotta see if I can keep up with all the pumping at work. It's such a chore sometimes, having to run away from work and pump and be stressed that the boss may not be happy about it.So conclusion: On a best effort basis :)