3 months

Baby is gonna be 3 months old tomorrow.  Yay!  Currently, I am still able to produce breast milk and I am ever so grateful.  It's produce today, eat tomorrow.  Right now, I have 2 days stock in the fridge and that's it.  So, pumping around the clock.

Things that I have learned in these 3 months on breastfeeding

Since I am an undersupplier of breast milk, my perception and knowledge towards certain things that I have bought has changed.  

1. Hospital grade electric double breast pump

In order to be able to empty your breasts, get a very good hospital grade electric double breast pump.   It is bulky but I think it's worth it.  When I was pregnant, my criteria in getting a breast pump is the low sound and light weighted.  Therefore, I purchased Lacte Duet Electric Double Breast Pump and am still using it.  I didn't buy any other pumps before or after.  So, I really can't tell if other pumps are better than this one.

But I feel Lacte Duet doesn't empty my breast so well.  I still need to do breast compression while pumping to squeeze all the milk out.  Because why?  The emptier the breast, the more milk will be produced.  And for a low supply mom, this is a super important tip.

If I were to go through the whole process again, I would probably get a Medela, though it is expensive.  Medela Freestyle now have this hand-free contraption that allows much more flexibility to pump without having to hold the bottles.  I have heard good reviews about this and know quite a number of moms using this.  It's not a hospital grade pump though.

I might even try Spectra as some friends are using and have good things to say about it.

If you are a low supplier like me, don't use Freemie.  Though they are very convenient, the yield is lower than the breast shields and can't empty the breast well.  Ended up I became engorged twice and decided to just give it up.  Maybe when my supply is better I will use it again.

That said, Medela is an investment.  Twice the price of Lacte Duet.  But if it can empty the breast better and get a higher yield, why not?

Because for low supply mom, the key is to have an empty breast all the time in order to up the supply.  This was the mistake I made in the earlier weeks.  I didn't empty the breast good enough.  Baby wasn't suckling properly and then I didn't pump enough.  So, now it's an uphill struggle.

2. Breast milk storage bags vs breast milk storage bottles

Earlier, I bought Honey Suckle Breast Milk Storage Bags simply because they are biodegradable.  I was not keen to keep throwing the plastic bags out so much.  The thing about breast milk storage bags is that they can only be used once.

So, for a pump-today-feed-tomorrow mom, storage bags are not useful.  I prefer the bottles.  I did freeze some of my milk with the bag and found that when I defrost the milk, the fats were sticking to the side of the bag.  I have lost 1/2 oz from that.  For a low supply mom, every drop is precious.  So, it was heartbreaking for me to see the bags eat up the 1/2oz.

3. Breast pumps with timer

This is an important feature.  Lacte Duet have it. A timer is important, especially if you are doing power pumping.  For those who doesn't know what's power pumping, it's a 20 min pump, 10 min rest, 10 min pump, 10 min rest and 10 min pump to increase milk supply.  It's basically 1 hour pump but broke into few sessions.  

Medela Freestyle and some Spectra models have timer.  I think it's very useful.

4. Breast pumps with minimal noise

Lacte Duet is hands down one of those breast pumps with very low sound.  This is useful if you are pumping while baby is sleeping.  You don't want baby to be woken up by the breast pump only to have you comfort the baby by letting him/her suckle and you lose your chance to pump.

5. Hands-free bra

This is useful if you are an exclusively pumping mom, especially if you are pumping around the clock.  Freemie does help to give you the hands-free feeling but can't empty breast.  So this is better for low supply mom.  This can give your hands some flexibility and do other things instead of holding the bottles.

But also for low supply mom, it's important to relax and concentrate on the moment instead of multi-tasking.  So, maybe it's not that suitable.  I find that if I am driving and pumping, my yield is even lower.  That also was using Freemie.  Because I think driving on the road can be quite stressful especially if stuck in a jam.

I am still contemplating if I should buy this because it's not that cheap.  Then again, I don't know how long I am going to keep producing milk.  So, right now I don't dare to invest in anything.

6. Buy a pump before you deliver

I know many moms said don't pump after delivery.  Latch, latch and latch.  I do agree with that.  However, for full-time working mom, you need to get baby to get use to bottle feeding by 4-6 weeks.  Otherwise, baby will not take a bottle if it is introduced much later.  I won't generalise but I read many baby's refuse bottle and prefer mom's boobs.  

And if you want to keep stock before you go back to work, like in my case, only 2 months maternity leave, then you should start pumping by 4 weeks.  Also, pumping helps to increase your supply more than demand.  Be careful though, many moms became oversupply because pumping too much too early.  But for me, I wish I was a little oversupply.  So that I don't have to worry about the next day's feed.

I pumped late because everywhere I read it's all about latching.  And my baby have problem sucking and took my boobs for comfort nursing only.  She didn't drained my breasts well and that causes me to have low milk supply (I think).  If I knew earlier, I would have started pumping early while trying to get her to latch and drink.

Early weeks is when the demand/supply business is trying to regulate.  After 12 weeks, your body no longer under the pregnancy hormones (something like that) and the supply kinda regulated.  It's really an uphill to increase from here.  

7. Milk boosters

Sure milk boosters does increase milk supply but only temporary.  Finding milk boosters is like searching a needle in the haystack.  Not all milk boosters that other moms take works for you.  I tried so many and still can't find my booster.

Besides, boosters only work for probably 1 pumping session.  Then it's back to before.  

All the above are basically my personal opinions being a lower supply mom.  If I was over supply, my opinions probably differ.  Why do I say I am low supply mom?  I produce from 1.5oz to 4oz (max).  Other moms have 5-7oz and some more than 12oz.  Those are over supply.  

Some people would say what I pump is normal yield.  But if one day, I can barely produce 20oz and having to worried my baby's next day's feed, I think I am low supply.

I just wish my supply was on the higher side instead of low side.  But I might have to worry about mastitis and plugged ducts and stuff like that.  Oh well, I wouldn't know since I am not that side.

For a low supply mom, here's my wishes:

• To be able to see my milk sprays onto my baby's face
• To be able to hear baby's continuous swallowing (like when she drinks from the bottle)
• To be able to feed baby satisfactorily from both breasts (now have to supplement with breast milk still)
• To be able to see baby letting go of nipple because she is full and satisfied

So far, I am unable to see or hear the above at all.  And I envy moms who can.  And it's already 3 months.  That means my milk supply has already been regulated.  Sigh.  How I wish I have done things differently from birth onwards.  Now it's so much of a struggle.

My target of 1 year breastfeeding may not be viable at this point of time.  Changing target to 6 months.  If possible, 10 months if I don't stress myself.