Breastfeeding: The Inside Story From A Working Mother's Perspective

Just a disclaimer before I proceed. This is entirely my own experience and opinion - a 7 week mom who is preparing to go back to work.

Breastfeeding for me, was indeed not easy. Why?
1. Everyone knows that breastfeeding is on demand, when baby wants to eat, mummy's got to feed. I found out that even if baby did not want to eat (sleeping ), I had to wake up to express milk to ensure milk supply... and to avoid engorgement (ouch!).... no chance to steal more sleep.

2. When baby falls asleep when feeding without eating much, I needed to express remaining milk after that, again to ensure milk suppy and avoid engorgement. So double the time spent.

3. Expressing milk with electric pump was initially very hard for me. Somehow milk is so hard to come out through the pump! I was so fustrated sitting there for an hour pumping but not having much and still feeling engorged. After 7 weeks, through much practise and lots of effort, it's become easier, BUT not easy still! I have to do a lot of massage and end up with sore wrists, sore neck and back.

4. Breast feeding is not 'cheap' compared to formula! Consider the $ spent on pumping equipment. What's worth more is the time spent on effort to breastfeed. As a working mom, I need to express milk to store for feeding baby. I spend at least 25 mins to 0.5 hour for each pumping session (that's using double pump), pump 6 times a day, plus time spent to stearilize pump equipment, store milk etc... that adds up to at least 4 hours a day spent. That's why breastmilk is 'golden liquid'. I learnt to appreciate the saying 'Do not cry over split milk' literally when I accidently split some a few times.

5. Baby Shanna ended up very attached to suckling from the breast. Past 2 weeks she has been fussing and very cranky when going through transition to being fed using a bottle. She can't continue suckling during day when she goes to the babysitter!

So why do I want to breastfeed?
1. There is nothing more satisfying than to see baby contented and well fed from the best baby food that I can provide from my body.

2. Baby and mummy get to spend lots of time together. I talk to her, pray for her and speak blessing over her during our feeding sessions.

3. Everyone knows about other benefits of breastfeeding so I won't go into that here.

Hopefully this sharing of my experience will help other wives-to-be, moms-to-be to be more prepared :)
Probably I will have more comments when I actually start working :)

~Audrey