Why "Superpower"

I make milk. What’s your superpower?

This should rightfully be the battle-cry & mantra of all nursing moms in the world. Mothers’ Milk is the gold standard against which no other source of milk can come even as a close second. Do not get me wrong: formula is not bad (I myself was a formula-fed baby). It is just not the best food.

So many books and websites have a list of the one million and one reasons why mothers’ milk is the top choice. Below are my personal favorites – the ones that inspire me to keep on being the Goddess with a Pump…

• Free and saves us a lot of money. The cost of my pump is roughly close to that of 1.5-2 months worth of formula. I’ve been providing milk for three months so for the past month, we’ve been feeding Teo “at no cost.”
• Makes Teo smell fresh and clean. Mothers Milk does not emit any odor that secretes thru baby’s skin.
• Keeps Teo’s poo from being stinky and, thus, bearable. It also promotes regular bowel movement so I know that he is getting just what he needs.
• Has protected Teo from getting sick. Despite the cold weather that welcomed him after coming out of the womb, Teo did not get sick while we were in the States. He also stood pretty well against the heat and humidity of Manila – he had a ONE day bout with upper respiratory infection. That’s it. Unfortunately, he passed the virus on to mommy who had to battle it out for more than two weeks!!!
• My milk will adjust to Teo’s age. By God’s brilliant design, my milk will alter itself to the age of my baby and will provide him exactly what his tummy, immune system and brain
• Obesity is something Teo will unlikely experience.
• It has helped me shed pound after pound. Just have to deal with the tummy bulge! Ha!

Day after day I learn about the other powerful things that my milk can do that I may possibly move my EP-ing goal further. That is, with God’s Grace.

Becoming the Goddess with a PUMP

While pregnant with Teo, I learned that all new moms would have milk and that it is a fallacy that some women do not produce enough or at all. Armed with this knowledge, I was determined to breastfeed Teo exclusively for at least six months.

However, along with every single item in my birth plan, our breastfeeding relationship did not progress as I expected. Yes, breastfeeding (BF) is a learned skill for both mommy and baby -- given the right start, a good support system and lots of information. I had the last two but not the first. L My little angel was born stressed and so the hospital staff felt that he had to gain strength: Teo was given formula in bottles at the nursery even when I said I wanted to exclusively BF. I did not have control of situation because I was sedated that first night leaving the feeding and changing to my fearless husband (in itself a story I would be proud to tell)! I tried to get him to latch on before I completely fell asleep, about six hours after birth, but he did not.

Two days after delivery, upon the encouragement of relatives, I rented a hospital-grade Ameda Elite breast pump from a local hospital and started pumping 10 times a day to get my supply going – and that is on top of attempting to nurse him.

Even after two visits to a lactation consultant, a rigid pumping schedule and the full support of Ale and my folks, BF still took a toll on Teo and I. I became an unhappy mommy who felt like all I did all day was nurse. Teo must have felt the same, too, because he did not seem to be satisfied or he would fall asleep without draining me well. It also came to a point where I was in so much pain already that I cried each time Teo would latch on. Stressing about all this definitely caused my supply to be on the low-end.

Ale then suggested that I just pump milk and give it to Teo in a bottle. That’s when I discovered Exclusive Pumping (EP) and learned that there were lots of moms in a similar situation as I! I found an online support group and lots of information off the internet.

EPing meant…

Investing in my own high-grade electric pump
Hooking up to a pump every 3 hours for 15-20 minutes almost round the clock
Taking every single galactagogue possible (fenugreek tablets, old-fashioned oatmeal, mothers’ milk tea and, now, malunggay capsules)
Twice or thrice the work: pump, feed, wash parts and bottles
Seeing only 1-2 ounces every session for the first few weeks from BOTH boobs (when Teo would take 3 ounces)
Supplementing with a little formula for a week or two just to get ahead of Teo’s needs
Experiencing a plethora of emotions: boredom, tiredness, fulfillment, etc.

Teo is now three months old. He smiles, giggles and is very active (thus, the slender physique on his almost suprisingly long 25-inch long, 11-pound frame). Every time I feel that I want to throw my pump into the trash or simply skip a session, a peek at my little boy, the sound of his incessant cooing is more than enough to get me going!