Milk scandal?

I was just reading a piece of news on babies in China being given formula milk since they were born!!

Oh my, don’t these mothers know that a mother’s milk is the BEST that one can give to their child?! And the ‘first milk’ called the colustrum is probably the super-nutrition food for newborns.

No offence to anyone, but I believe all mothers have the capability to breastfeed their newborns, given the right advise in latching and of course, feeding by demand before a routine and milk supply is established.

I don’t believe in a mother having no milk, no time and worst of all, having the belief that formula milk is better.

It’s au natural, with DHA, vitamins and minerals not found in processed milk. I know of a relative from my in-law side who even insisted on giving goat’s milk to her infant after getting jaundice, with the belief that goat’s milk is more superior than mother’s milk!!

Oh well, I’m a strong supporter of breastmilk. So, I just want to bring this out. Breastmilk is the BEST food for babies. In fact, I believe that it doesn’t cause a baby to fall sick so often and even if the baby did, he/she will not be so badly affected and will recover very fast. I noticed that with my daughter.

In a baby warehouse sale a few months back, I was shopping for some baby products for my pregnant sis and saw a demonstration by a lady selling a breastpump. I stood there watching and was literally pissed off with some of the instructions given by the saleslady. I wanted to tell them to just throw those pumps away.

My mum asked me to ignore them and I just regretted that I did, fuming inside that getting a lousy product that doesn’t do a good job will actually cause less milk to be produced overtime. I’ve tried a few pumps and I will give two thumbs up to the manually operated Avent breastpump - efficient and quiet. I heard Spectra is good as well.

Easier said than done? Well, let me share with you my breastfeeding journey. Those who know me, will know that I'm not busty at all. So, "how come I got milk ar?"

I berastfed Brendan until he was 6 months, but by 4 months, I had to supplement with formula milk. Brendan was staying with my parents in Johor. I pumped every single day, freeze the milk, and every Friday night I will take a bus from KL to Johor, carrying a cooler box FULL of frozen breastmilk. Thus is my determination in wanting to give Brendan the best. Yes, I did that every weekend.

No one imagine the tears in my eyes and the trouble I went through.

So, when no. 2 came, I was more determined than ever to give Eryn 100% breastmilk for at least 6 months. And yes, I did. In fact, Eryn was on 100% breastmilk until she was 1 year old. I gave her solid at 6-7 months to supplement her diet. No formula milk at all. She was still on breastmilk, partially, before she goes to sleep until she turned almost 2 years old.

There was once, when I was using an extremely noisy battery operated pump in the ladies toilet and when I came out of the toilet cubicle, there was this group of ladies going, “coming out already!! Coming out already!!” I turned to look at them and all of us started laughing cos they were feeling scared and thought there was some weird person doing some weird things in the ladies toilet!! Duh!!

Then, there's another time, when I had a letdown at a press conference!! I had to carry a file throughout the press conference and avoid shaking hands with clients so my wet blouse won’t show.

Pumping became easier when I did it in the comfort of my own office room, with the doors closed and I put up a long piece of cloth to cover the windows. Even the guys in my office always knew that it’s ‘milking time’.

I was in the media line, and we have meetings and appointments and proposals to do. Time was a constraint, but I always try to maintain my pumping time and pump 3 times in the office. My colleagues all know about it. I am actually thankful for their understanding.

So, reading about the sick babies in China due to all these stupid milk scandal really got me stirred up. And to even think that newborn babies were not even given breastmilk at all right from the beginning!!

Those poor babies shouldn't even ben affected so much. What a shame..

Setting goals

I've set goals in my life... Empty goals, to be exact.

In school, I didn't really set goals to reach a certain no. of As or Credits, or passes.....
Upon graduation, I didn't really set goals to what I want to do in my career life....
When I got married, I didn't set goals as to when I want to start a family until baby came....

BUT, when I became a mother, I set lots of goals. Some met. Some not. One of which is to breastfeed Brendan until he reaches 6 months. I did, but not 100% cos by 4 months I had to supplement with formula. I pumped, travelled every Friday night from KL to Johor by LRT, then by bus, carrying a cooler box FULL of frozen breastmilk just to let my dear son get his breastmilk. I did that every weekend. It takes between 4 hours to 6 hours max. to get home to Brendan who was with my mum at that time. Even after I stopped breastfeeding, my weekly journey continued up to the time I was 8 months pregnant with no. 2.

By the time no. 2 came, I set a goal to breastfeed Eryn 100% until 6 months. I did. Then I set it even further - to breastfeed Eryn until she's1 year old. Eryn is almost 10 months now and she is still 100% on breastmilk and haven't started on formula yet.

That's really funny. Imagine your priority and sacrifice as a mother. To think I wouldn't really care less about setting goals and meeting them. For the first time in my life, I'm proud to say that I set it, despite all the obstacles, and I did it! How? I did it MY WAY...

Milk supply

For the past 2 weeks, I noticed the sudden ample space in the top part of my freezer. My milk bottles are also getting less. I started to add another pumping session whenever I can.

It's been quite hard to pump in the office with so many unpredictable meetings and work to do. I used to pump in the server room, but have now "migrated" to my own room so I can multi-task at the same time - pumping and doing my work. I brought a long piece of cloth from home to cover the glass partition in my room to avoid having a "free show". So, whenever the cloth and a cardboard box are up against my glass partition with my room door closed, everyone knows that a session is in progress. hehehe.

I've been quite concerned over our dept. shifting to a new location come next month. I wonder if there will be a PLACE for me to pump, and whether there's going to be a fridge for me to STORE my milk.

Now, my concern has shifted to whether I have the TIME to pump and whether I can keep up with the pumping now that the milk supply in my freezer is slowly diminishing. Eryn is drinking more now and I'm NOT prepared to start on formula just yet. The only way to keep up is to pump more, but where am I going to find time to pump?!! Pumping 3X a day is considered part of my daily routine. Adding one more is considered to be quite a burden to my already heavy routine.

sob! sob! no choice but to boost up that supply soon. Those who have gone through this should understand the predicament I'm in. sob! sob!

Nen-Nen -every single ounce matters

Brendan (23 months) always stand by me whenever I do my breastmilk pumping at home. He'll even try to help "pump" by holding the handle and pressing it down. Sometimes, he'll laugh and then say "mama nen-nen".

I normally try to pump 3X at the office to maintain my milk supply. But how do you juggle your pumping schedule when there's meeting to attend here and there? No choice but to find time to fit in somewhere lor.

I remember attending a press launch when Brendan was around 4 months+. While the press launch was going on, I suddenly felt that my blouse was wet when I crossed my arms. Dang! I quickly used a folder and hold it high up my chest so as not to make it too obvious. Luckily, I was wearing a striped colourful red top on that day otherwise got free show liao. I left early and turn my car air-con to full blast.

I used to use an electrical breastpump and pump in the toilet at that time. People are quite sua-ku then. Once, I came out from the toilet cubicle and noticed some ladies standing at the entrace of the door waiting for me to come out. When they saw me, they started laughing. One of them said "oh, it's you! We were wondering what sound was that and got scared!" Aiyo..... So, now I got myself a manual Avent pump, and I pump in the server room. More privacy and cleaner. Well, there are still colleagues of mine (male colleagues some more) who come knocking on the door just for the heck of it. sigh!

Well, breastmilk is worth it. Every single drop of it. When Brendan was in the care of my mum in Johor, I used to transport my glass jars of breastmilk in a cooler box and take it back home in Johor. Now, I just can't imagine that I used to carry my cooler box from the lrt station to Puduraya, and then board the bus home and then quickly put it in the freezer for Brendan's one week supply. Week after week it was the same routine. I used to get worried when my bus is delayed or when I have to take a later bus - afraid that the milk will all melt and get spoilt.

Anyway, now that my kids are both with me in KL, I don't have to worry about the weekly transportation. I also don't have to stay up late or get up early to pump milk. I just need to direct breastfeed Eryn from 9:30pm onwards. She gets up about 3x at night for her feeding, but it's so much more easier than having to pump them out.