Milky Business

This is a non profitting business that I'm doing for a 2nd time. Was super tough the 1st time but I was able to nurse AN all the way till now.

And I'm a confident human equivalent of a cow, believing I have LOTS of milk.

With AN, I came to a point where a 150mls storage bag wasn't enough to store what I was producing at each pump. I needed 2 bags each time, and the freezer filled up with bags of milk, faster than AN could finish. Even with BM helping to 'clear stock', I still had problems with space to store the excess.

So, this time, after more than a month later, I'm starting to pump and store again. And the confident moo moo cow in me got a shock of my life.... I could hardly hit 100mls after trying my very best!

Near 100mls last evening and only 80mls half an hour ago. What happened to my '150mls and more', and 'past-midnight shift' supply??

Uh-oh...

But I do remember overdoing it the first time. Was worried I might not have enough for the then baby AN, so whenever I wasn't nursing her, I was pumping. So my body kept producing.

My supply at this stage is either stuck at the 'norm' range, a month into the life of my infant, or my lack of pumping did play a part in the lower amount of milk this time.

Maybe it's just normal that I will not produce too much more than what my infant can drink, whether or not my 'machine' is seasoned. Even Mr Liow's cousin (whose baby is 9 days younger than ER), is already producing 100mls at night!

I do know I'm comfortable now at night time though, unlike my first time, when the b....ts feel full, hard and painful. I had to pump frequently to relieve myself of the pain. Its a (vicious) cycle: pump to relief pain but body produced more to top up.

So, to 1st time mummies who intend to nurse or have just started, trust that your body can give what your baby needs. Don't give in to thoughts or comments, telling you that you have no milk. Just keep feeding and pumping. If you ever have to get into a (vicious) cycle of anything, this is probably one worth getting into.

But of course, if nursing turns into a chore or gets overly stressful, it's probably time to consider giving formula. Being able to enjoy motherhood is more important than getting all stressed up about feeding baby. Formula milk these days contain all the goody stuff to make healthy and smart babies too.

As for me now, I'm stocking up, without regards for how much I produce. I need to build up my milk bank so ER has enough to drink when jobs start coming (hopefully not too long after).

Oh, and this time I feel hungry all the time! I have my 3 regular meals and am constantly snacking (on nuts, crackers, chocolates) in between! And I'll feel so hungry before bedtime I'll not be able to fall asleep until I have something to eat....sob....how am I supposed to lose weight like this?

I felt thirsty very often the first time. This should explain ER's built vs AN's.

Anyway, I'll update on whether or not my supply increases over time as I go along. Hee.