1st EBM from Bottle

Sambung sket kisah smlm yg gi wat medical checkup tuh. Paginya tu sblm berlepas aku siap2 pam susu utk wat stock expressed breast milk (EBM) utk diberi pada Aisyah kalo2 aku tgh wat check up kat dalam dan lambat kuar, bole try bg dia. Tp EBM tu sbg back up plan je, sbb x pernah train Aisyah minum susu ibu dari botol lg. Kalo dia reject, as alast resort my mom bole call aku yg tgh waiting to be examined kat dalam doctor’s office tu and aku akan kuar la bg dia susu.

Anyway, Aisyah memang dah cranky by the time semua siap, and my mom said that she tried feeding Aisyah the EBM, but it got cold and there was no way for her to reheat it, so nasib baik la all was finished in time and I fed her immediately dlm kereta. She was content afterwards. Sampai umah je, it looked like she wanted more, so my mom suggested, why not heat the EBM and try give it to her.

And so we did. To avoid confusion between the bottle and my breasts, I let my mom feed her. Besides, nanti aku dah keje kang mmg mak aku yg akan feed her. I thought Aisyah would put up a fight with the bottle, as she did with her binky, but to our surprise, she took it very well. She gulped down the entire 2 oz in about 5 minutes. Afterwards, I offered her the breast, and she took that too, so I’m glad she hasn’t gained one skill and lost another. Phew!

Now I have mixed feelings over this. I am very happy and relieved that there was no fuss over the bottle, so my mom could continue to give her my EBM without any problem once I get back to work, which isn’t too long now {sad}. I’ve heard of stories where baby would reject the bottles for days, and I was very worried that this would be same for her.

On the other hand, it just breaks my heart to see her gleefully accepting the bottle, as if that has somehow rob part of my motherhood. I know I shouldn’t feel this way, coz after all, I am still providing her with my milk, but I wish I was the only one she’d turned to when she needed milk, and not some bottle. I wish I didn’t have to get back to work so soon. I wish that I was a Stay-At-Home-Mom (SAHM), and can be with her all day long. I wish, I wish, I wish…. {Sigh}

All I know right now is that I need to increase my EBM yield and keep steadfast in pumping. Following a guide I read from the ‘Panduan Penyusuan Susu Ibu Bagi Ibu Berkerjaya’ booklet, for each 1 kg of baby weight, I need to provide 5 oz per 24 hours. Since Aisyah weighs about 5 kg now, she needs at least 25 oz (5 kg x 5 oz = 25 oz).

To know how many oz she takes per feeding, I would need to divide that amount with the number of feedings she takes per 24 hours. Since Aisyah feeds roughly 12 times a day, I’d say she drinks more or less 2 oz per feeding (25 oz / 12 feeds = 2.083 oz).

In the span of 9 hours that I go to work from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m., Aisyah will need to feed for 4 times, hence I need to provide her with at least 8 oz a day. I only average about 6 oz a day, on a good day. Gosh, I need to keep pumping! (though I’m not too alarmed right now coz I am nursing her as well right now as well as pumping, so it’s only normal to yield only 0.5 – 2 oz per pumping session).

Ibu is so proud if you, Aisyah! Drinking from the bottle without much fuss

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Note: I’m using the MAM Care Anti Colic Bottle, which claims to have teat the shape of a real nipple, to eliminate rejection from babies. So far it has worked wonders and so easy to clean afterwards! I got it from http://momslittleones.com/ for RM31.80. It is so worth it. Read more at http://www.mambaby.com/articles/en/3823 . I would definitely recommend it to nursing mothers who are going back to work and wishes to give their baby EBM.