I realize I haven’t blogged about in detail my breastfeeding
journey with Javi. This is really for me to go back to on how he’s
breastfeeding was and for my reference for the next kid (naks!). I found my
blogposts about Miya’s breastfeeding to be very helpful with Javi this time
around.
I mentioned in my
birth story that we didn’t have a problem with
latching. We were able to experience Unang Yakap when Javi was born.
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| Unang Yakap when Javi was born |
A
lactation consultant went to my room at the hospital during our stay.
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| Lactation consultant checks if the latch is correct |
On our nights at the hospital, I didn’t put Javi at the bassinet provided. He immediately co-slept with me. I had him sleeping beside me the moment he was born.
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| Still at the hospial |
What I noticed with Javi (in comparison to Miya) is that he
doesn’t feed regularly. During his early months, I would feed him for a few
minutes and then he will throw up most of the milk (sometimes milk will come
out of his mouth). So the pedia advised me to feed him in small amounts
instead. Problem with this kid is he doesn’t know when to stop, he will nurse
and nurse and nurse and then throw up. So I learned to nurse him only for a few
minutes say 5 minutes at a time. I don’t know if this is the reason why I think
he doesn’t drink too much milk or what he gets is really enough for him. In
comparison, I think mas matakaw si Miya sa milk before. That’s why I started
pumping milk when Javi was only a week old. I had so much milk and he wasn’t
drinking all of it. I had to pump and store earlier than I did with Miya. I was
also praning of getting a mastitis because of story I heard about it hehe. Although when I started working, Javi can
consume around 3 to 4 bottles of 3 oz milk (that’s from 7am-7pm). That increase
a few months back to 5 bottles. But now that he eats three times a day, he’s
down to 4 bottles again (this is very recent like this week recent). When I had
the measles and he had to be away from me, that’s when I realized that he doesn’t
sleep through the night yet. When we sleep at the same house, he usually sleeps
around 6pm and then wakes up again around 8pm. So we get to play with him until
he sleeps again around 9 or 10, I nurse him to sleep. And then I thought his
next feeding was around 5am already although there are days when he wakes up
during the night to feed, I thought he was going through a growth spurt. Turned
out he does nurse during the night. When he was away, I told my mother and the
yaya to prepare 3 bottles for the night. For his 10pm feeding, and then around
1-3am feeding and then when he wakes up at around 5am. Turned out my estimates
were correct. So while we weren’t together he drank 8 bottles of 3oz milk. But
before I got sick, I usually leave him 5 bottles of 4oz of milk already. We had
to lower the measurement of milk because my frozen milk was bagged at 3oz each.
I didn’t want my yaya to stress out about transferring the milk and measuring
each one. So I told her to just pour each bag to one bottle. But now, we’re
back to feeding him 4oz of milk per bottle. I ask my yaya to list down his
schedule, time he sleeps and the time he drinks his milk. So that I know if he’s
had enough nap times and if he’s had enough feeding.
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| Breastfeeding on his 4th month birthday |
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| Breastfeeding while out in Baguio |
When Javi and I are together, say on weekends, he doesn’t
really feed as much. He usually nurses as much as he wants when it’s time for
him to sleep. I nurse him to sleep. But during the day, he won’t feed as much.
I always joke that it’s because he’s such a chismoso. When he feeds and he
hears someone talk he will turn his head and smile at the person talking
hehehe. He needs complete silence for him to focus on his feeding. So when we’re
out, there are times that I don’t even have to feed him because he can’t
concentrate on feeding and end up not nursing at all until we’re back at the
car on the ride home. Unlike with Miya before who really feeds anytime and
anywhere.
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| Breastfeeding at my cousin's wedding last February |
Breastfeeding really is amazing in keeping babies healthy. Both
Joema and I had measles and we co-sleep with both kids but until now none of
them are showing symptoms of getting it from us. Well, Miya has measles vaccine
and booster shot, but Javi hasn’t had his measles vaccine yet. Although we’re
not yet in the clear, we’re a few days short of the three week mark. Now, Javi
has cough but he’s active so we’re still monitoring him.
As for pumping milk, I'm now catching up to pump for my frozen stash of milk because I'm going on a business trip in a week. My frozen stash was used up by Javi when I had the measles. He used up all of them, he drank up the milk I pumped while I was sick and Javi's godmother gave us breastmilk too. It was depleted. Good thing, the last few bags I pumped while I was sick was not touched and as of last count last night, I have enough milk for him for 5 days (assuming 8 bottles a day). One of the breastfeeding moms in my office, also generously gave me her extra stash for Javi. I'm super duper grateful to my breastfeeding mommy friends for giving their milk to Javi. I'm so terrified of having to buy milk for Javi. I can't fathom the idea of Javi drinking other milk aside from breastmilk before his first birthday! Before I got sick, I dropped pumping milk before going to the office. But now to catch up for our frozen stash, I have to pump milk before leaving for the office. And then I pump 4 times at the office: 10am, 1pm, 4pm and 6:30pm (if I'm still at the office). I also pump now during weekends. My goal is for my weekend pump to supply for Javi's Monday milk so that's 4 bottles. Last weekend I was able to do it. Hopefully, I can do it again this weekend. I'll be gone for 6 nights, but I'm preparing atleast 8 days of supply for Javi. Because I'm not sure if I can pump regularly while on the business trip. And I don't want to stress out on how to bring home my milk. I think I'll pump and dump while I'm away. I plan to store my milk on the second leg of my trip, but I'm not sure how much I can bring home. So the two extra days is for when I'm back and have no extra milk for Javi. Hopefully, everything will turn out okay. I'm not worried about Javi having problems latching when I get back because we didn't have that problem when we were separated when I got sick and that was longer than my business trip.
