Both me and my hubby just attended a breastfeeding class on 1/5/2010 hosted by
Ms Gina Yong. We were excitedly looking forward to this class because finally we found someone who is very experience and passionate towards giving the best for our babies - "Breastfeed". Everyone knows that breast milk is the best for our babies, I think most of us do understand the benefits, but to what extend? However, there are too many negative comments and failures on breastfeeding examples that I known of all these years. I can say that there is none of the people around me has successfully exclusively breastfeed their babies. The truth is most mummies in Malaysia do not breastfeed, if they are given options to feed with formula milk. I guess it's mainly due to lack of education in this field.
The Myths....
Not all mummies have milk naturally, especially during the first few days after deliver.
This is the most common sentence I heard from mothers, mother-in-law, confinement ladies and even nurses...
Breast milk works by "Demand and Supply" concept. When there is demand from babies, the breast milk factory will automatically produce milk supply for babies. During the first few days, babies do not need to be fed abundance of milk. The milk that produced right after delivery is called "Colostrum", which is the "precious gem" and contains high level of antibodies which can protect babies from infections.
Do babies need to drink water?
No water is needed for exclusively breastfeed babies for the first 6 months. This is because breastmilk contains all the water that babies need.
Women with small breasts produce lesser milk.
Ohh... This is not true. The size does not matter.
The Benefits...
Breast milk is documented to be the best food possible for infants and breastfeeding is known to have enormous health benefits for moms, too.
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Invest in your breast pump! After some survey from the internet and recommendations from Gina, the following breast pumps are highly recommended, either electric or manual; single or double pump, all depends on your budget and time. Some cheaper pumps hurt while expressing milk, so it will be very discouraging.
Retail prices for Medela Freestyle Double Pump RM2299, Medela In style Double Pump RM1788; Avent ISIS Single Pump RM899; Avent ISIS Double Pump RM1800.
