It’s a hard real truth that a lot of new moms are told that they are not producing enough as soon as she is given the baby to feed for the first time. Even before the breastfeeding relation is established. So, comes the formula or top-up.
But in reality, top up doesn’t let the milk establish correctly
Breastfeeding works on a simple principle : Baby demands milk, sucks on the breast, body supplies the milk So, more the baby sucks the more your body produces.
Body gets a signal to produce less milk as baby goes longer without a feed. Flow of the milk from bottle is more so, baby gets lazy at the breast.
Is it possible to back to go back to breastfeeding? Yes!!
I breastfed my first born on the delivery table and he latched perfectly. But scenes changed after I came back to my room. I was exhausted from labour. My mom and sister in law helped me all night to feed him and they made sure he slept close to me to establish the milk supply. The next day, the doctors and the nurses all commented just one thing. That I’m not producing enough and I should supplement the baby with Formula or with Amul (yellow) milk. As a first time mom I was confused and thought the doctors knew better. We gave him Amul milk around 10-20 ml from bowl and spoon. What a mess it was. I was lucky that my Gynaecologist asked me whether I want to meet a lactation consultant! I never knew anybody like that existed and I said Yes. She was an angel for me and my son. She taught me all the techniques to hold and to feed. She explained everything about feed on demand and how to increase the supply by keeping the baby close and letting him explore me by not keeping him swaddled during feeds. It was not easy after going home as I had oversupply and cracked nipples. But my mom insisted that I keep on feeding and told me to express before feeds. And it really helped. I read online that applying breastmilk on cracked nipples will help. And it did. It was a easy sail after that for us.
I was more determined to feed my second born as I knew it was more convenient and the best thing I could do for him. I was also advised to supplement him with formula by his pediatrician at the hospital as he was not peeing. But I knew better this time and believed that it’ll happen if he kept on feeding. And he did. It was not easy feeding a baby and managing a toddler when the newborn demands for feed around the clock but my elder one understood that baby needs mom for food. And I think he is smarter than most people I know who fail to understand this and advice new moms with myths and put on them unnecessary pressure to formula feed.
Imperfectbusymom 