If I can fully breastfeed my baby, so can you!

I fully breastfed my son for six months, then after adding solids, I continue to breastfeed him till he was about 1 1/2 years old. Before he decided to wean himself off, we never introduced any formula milk to him. And in case you don’t know, I was also working full-time and am not a stay at home mom.

Now, with my second child, I plan to do the same. I will breastfeed her until she wean herself off. We will not give her formula milk until she decides she has had enough of breastmilk.  And yes, I am still a working mom.

And let me tell you, it was not easy to make this kind of commitment to ensure I have enough EBM (expressed breastmilk) supply for my baby. Why go through all this fuss, you ask? Well, for one thing, it’s for my baby’s health. A good foundation early in life means she will be healthier when she grows up. And breastmilk is something we all mothers have the ability to provide our babies.

Nothing is better than breastmilk for babies. NOTHING.

Yes, sure, I’ve heard of all those excuses from mothers who don’t breastfeed. Well, after my experiences with both my son and daughter, all I can say is that if there’s a will, there is definitely a way. Here are some of the ‘excuses’ that some mothers give for not breastfeeding:

1. Excuse number one: I don’t have enough milk supply

BS! Every mother has enough to feed their baby. In the first two weeks after delivery, the milk supply will be minimal because a newborn comes equipped with ‘emergency storage’ so they don’t need that much milk (don’t believe me? check with a paediatrician!). The reason they are crying that much could be due to other factors from wet nappies to insecurity to sleepiness. Crying babies does not equate hungry babies. And if  you do not give the infant formula milk and breastfeed consistently from the start, your milk supply will eventually come in. The wonder of nature is that our breastmilk goes by a demand and supply system. If there is plenty of demand, the body will provide the supply.

With my firstborn, my milk supply was just enough to feed him, thus I was worried that I may not have extra supply to store when I go back to work. So, I drink a lot of liquid. I direct feed him A LOT. If he sleeps more than 3 hours, I use that time to express out the extra milk, especially at night. I even express milk on one side while he’s feeding on the other side. I did not give up and THERE WAS NEVER ANY FORMULA MILK in my house. Not a single tin. A lot of people were telling me to buy a tin ‘just in case’. I say, over my dead body. Unless I’m dead, I will not give my baby formula milk. So, I somehow managed to provide enough supply for my son through sheer will power.

2. Excuse number two: I am a working mom, I don’t have time to express the milk at work

Yes, you don’t have the time only if you say so. I have the most hectic of jobs where I am on the go most of the time. Meaning, I don’t sit in the office whole day and do office work. I had to be on the go everyday. And YET, I still am able to find time to express the milk. And worse of all, I don’t have a proper place to do it (with my firstborn) so I did it under my work desk with an umbrella as a shield. Worse comes to worse, I do it in the car with shades on. It is highly inconvenient to have dripping breasts when sometimes I won’t be able to express the milk on time and yes, it is highly inconvenient to be carting the breast pump and the cooler box to work with me but what is inconvenience when it is for my children’s health? Again, I am able to do this through sheer will power. And yes, I am very headstrong at work and I don’t merely ask my superior’s permission for some time to express milk but I TOLD them that I will take time to express milk. If you don’t need permission to go to the toilet, then you should not need permission to express milk which should be just as natural as needing to pee.

3.Excuse number three: I don’t have a proper place to express the milk at work

Read the above. I don’t have a proper place to express milk and I still make do by expressing the milk in the car or under my desk. Again, if there is a will, there is a solution to everything.

4. Excuse number four: I don’t know how to store the EBM / breastfeed

There is such a thing as looking for information online, with breastfeeding support groups or even with a lactation specialist. Watch this breastfeeding video if you must.

5. Excuse number five: My inlaws / mother / kaypohchee (busybody) relatives say formula milk is better

Will you let them deliver your baby for you? Or treat your baby if baby is sick? Who are they but just a bunch of ignorant kaypoh (busybody) fools? WHO (that’s World Health Organisation) stated that it is BEST to exclusively breastfeed baby at least for six months and then after adding supplementary solid food, to continue up to two years. You mean your inlaws / relatives’ uninformed opinions  are better compared to WHO?

So, there. There is no reason why you can’t breastfeed unless you don’t want to. Why bother having babies if you do not even want to bother giving them the best nutrition early in their life?

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