Hi Mummies!
Update from me
Thank you to you all for your encouragement and esp to Asura and Jtho for recommending Mdm Rokiah. She managed to squeeze in 1 session for me last Fri and i finally could sleep better over the weekend. She said i hv very bad blocked ducts on both breasts. Is getting her to come again this week. I didn't even realised that some of the pain is from lumps, they are not that obvious and silly me tot that one area was from my ribcage bone which i can usually feel pre-preg.
Best thing about Mdm Rokiah's session is that it's way much less painful compared to the hospital lactation consultation and she is so much more encouraging as well. She encourages me, encourages my hubby as well to perserve with bf but not in the pushy way. Even my hubby who has become somewhat anti-bf through my experience can accept her and listen to her. Also, it is very motivating to see the milk that she can squeeze out from my breasts hee the description of "fountains of milk" is really very apt. Even though my ms is still not that high now, i know that the storage of ms in my breasts are there and it's not that i dun hv enuff milk, just need to encourage the ms to come out. it's really motivating to me esp since i was on the verge of giving up bf.
since her session on fri, my ms on sat, sun and today has increased gradually. now is abt 100-120ml every 4 hrs. i am encouraged!
but must guai guai follow her advise to compress, compress and compress with hot towel before pumping. i can't wait for my course of antibiotics to finish this thu then can latch bb on and see if he can accept my nipple again. i really hope so!
blocked ducts areas are softer. while still tender and pain, it's not as bad as before and i'm only hoping that new areas dun come up. bad thing is Mdm Rokiah did advised that new blocked ducts may appears so must always compress. i'm quite scared of the blocked ducts now, like some kind of phobia and is hoping they dun come on anew, it's so horrible. she also advised on my sleeping position to prevent the blocked ducts causing pain to my arm (which i am having). to keep arms straight when sleeping and as close as possible to the side of your body.
to share, Mdm Rokiah oso advised that spinach, fish, payaya&fish soup can help increase ms but that fenugreek is of no use. she mentioned a vegetable which is really good to increase ms but i can't remember the name, is available only in yishun, woodlands and geylang markets. i'm taking lots of hot drinks, soups, fish and spinach now hee hee.
oh yeah for csect mummies, she also advised, no seafood even after confinement to ensure that our wound heals well. coz she said outside wound may looks fine but inside not heal fully yet. tink i'll ask her abt body massage next month coz gynae mentioned only can do after 6 weeks.
<font color="ff0000">re. dual pump</font>
mummies can try holding both pumps together with one arm/hand. e.g. cross your left arm over the left pump and hold the right pump with your left hand. i'm doing that and can use my right hand which is free to massage my breasts, then switch arm/hand to hold to use the other arm/hand to massage again. i'm using ameda dual pump, it also free one hand to adjust the dials when i need. hee so far can hold on quite tight and all ok but i'm sitting cross legged on my bed, i tink when go back to work, not sitting on bed, i dun know whether i can do the same. now, i compress 5 mins, pump abt 10 mins, rest 5 mins then pump 10 mins now.
<font color="ff0000">venice</font>
i tried the mini electric before buying ameda dual pump. mini electric really hurts my nipples and aerolas each time i pump, very very painful. could be just me. maybe you want to try out the pumps first yourself before deciding which one to buy? the breastfeeding mothers support group (BMSG) offers demo pumps to try out. just call them for an appt - 6337 0508
<font color="ff0000">re. bb sleeping patterns</font>
my bb can't sleep for a full stretch at times both during the day and night. he could zzz for abt 30 mins or so then wake up crying and almost always he wants more milk. at first we tot he's going through a growth spurt but now into the 2nd week, growth spurt dun last so long right? if you carry him, then he can sleep longer but once put him down, he will open his eyes and refused to sleep. or put down to sleep, after 10 mins, he wakes up and cry as if in fright. i got the feeling that bb is insecure and needs to be held to sleep securely. but not sure why and how i can help him sleep better. any mummies with experiences can help?
<font color="ff0000">re. bb PD</font>
hee looks like a lot of Sengkang Mummies here. i'm oso bringing my baby to the Kids Clinic but is seeing Doc Allyson Tan instead. Visited her first time for bb rash last week and i like her. She's detailed and patient and dun mind explaining more when ask her questions. Very nice lady, unlike our original PD at Gleneagles Medical Centre, very rushed rushed through and always said it's normal it's normal without explaining. Haha guess as first time parents, more gan cheong, and is good to learn more.
<font color="ff0000">re. binder</font>
to prevent rashes or itch, can put the binder outside your panty as well. just that it's more inconvenient coz each time go toilet, must take off binder first but not in contact with skin directly so wun itch. tat's what i do, i had itching from the binder being so close but still i find it very useful in protecting my wound and helping me get up/sit up during the 1st week.
<font color="ff0000">pinksorbet</font>
sayang dear! can understand your emotions. i was crying first week from cl issues too. worried baby getting too close to her, upset over comments she made abt my ms, upset over things she said about bb. even now, sometimes i still get upset and it's her last 4 days liao. but now, can more or less let it become 1 ear in, 1 ear out, juz ignore what she said. if you really feel you can't cope, ask her to go out another time when your hb or other family members are around to help you. you are paying her so only fair for her to reschedule her appt to suit you. tink most of us mummies hv the crying bouts from time to time, i was worried i'm having post-natal blues last week from bf too. dun tink too much and try to rest as much as possible first. sayang dear!
<font color="ff0000">reverie</font>
hee actually wat i love most abt latching bb on is when he suckle my nipple to fall asleep, coz he will hv such a contented and sweet look on his face as he suckles. haha i know he's like "playing" with my nipples but it's so cute and i love his contented look. sometimes my bb will also just stick out tongue to lick my nipples, it's all so sweet. i really do hope he will be willing to latch on again. btw, i'm getting fourseasons catering for bb full month this fri. if you want, i can provide feedback on how they are after fri
<font color="ff0000">jtho</font>
congrats on your increase in ms!
<font color="ff0000">miss83</font>
i leave all my bottles inside the steriliser and sterilise after every 6 hours. for the water vapours, will just shake the bottle dry. kind of ks, sometimes i sterilise more often if got time and bb not crying too badly from want of milk.
<font color="ff0000">st</font>
i sterilise my pump everytime either before or after use.