INFO & TIPS: Pengalaman Menyusu RRjunior & Proses Weaning RRjunior

Hi mothers!!

Breastfeeding is the normal way to feed babies. All babies are born with instinct to do it and ALL MOTHERS have milk in their breasts by the time their baby arrives. Most people know that breast milk contains everything a baby needs and that it's always at the right temperature.The best part is... breast milk protects babies partly through antibodies which protect against infections, and partly through factors that support the baby's immature organs, helping them to mature quickly and functional well, & making them more resistant to disease.

Furthermore, breastfeeding isn't just good for babies, it's good for mothers too!!

• Women who breastfeed have less chance of developing breast and ovarian cancers than those who don't
• Breastfeeding seems to help reset the mother's metabolism, allowing it to return more easily to the way it was before pregnancy **boleh kurus okaaayyy 
• Resulting in higher calcium levels (reducing chance of osteoporosis & hip fractures in old age)
• Effective insulin production (which makes the development of diabetes less likely)
• Breastfeeding also helps the womb to return to its non-pregnant size

RR junior 2 weeks old
He was still slightly Jaundiced

I gave birth to RR Junior two years ago and started breastfeeding even though I have had a hard time nursing him for the first 2-3 weeks. I was a mess especially when Che Abe have to travel outstation for work; more than two months!! **I kena tinggal nak dekat 3 bulan kat kampong berpantang dengan MIL. She was taking a good care of me. Thank you, mama!

Well, all I can say is.. some people might say mean things. They give advices especially on how to feed your baby based on their experience. It's hurtful when they say mean things when you're trying soooooooo hard to breastfeed your child. . Have you ever been asked something like:

1)  ARE YOU SURE YOU HAVE ENOUGH MILK? Ouch!!! I get this a lot! Yes, A LOT! First of all, how do you know my milk isn't enough? Perhaps do you notice that my breast aren't measuring jugs?? Besides, the size of the breasts has no relevance to the ability to produce an abundant supply of milk. I just trust my body & go with it **Dan doa banyak2 kat Allah. Of course the baby wants milk all the time, but I think my milk is enough for my baby. **Tak semestinya baby nangis sebab lapar susu, kan? Even baby RRjunior dah nak masuk 6 bulan pon, still dapat soalan tempek macam nih.

However, make sure your baby should have at least six wet diapers a day. More is fine, but less likely means your baby is not getting enough milk.

2)  YOUR MILK LOOKS REALLY THIN. THAT'S WHY YOUR BABY CRIES A LOT
Lagi-lagi diaorang complain pasal susu nampak cair. What the heck?? For your info, just because it looks thin, doesn't mean it doesn't have the same caloric properties needed to feed a baby adequately. Breast milk is supposed to look thin. It designed for the baby's body. Therefore the body quickly digests & absorbs the very important nutrients found in the milk composition which is why babies eat more frequently. Jadi, saya nak tekankan disini, tiada istilah susu pekat yang cepat kenyangkan baby atau susu cair ni tak ada kualiti. FULLSTOPPPPs!!! Even though I believe I keep up with healthy food & drink plenty of fluids, but my milk is still looks thin. **Sorry, I don't take supplement to increase milk supply. It's quite expensive though! Jadi tak jadi belom tentu lagi, kan. Macam ada my friend ni, beli supplement mahal, tapi still jadi. Tapi ada setengah orang jadi pulak. So, I don't want to take a risk.

Uch. No, I’m not, because my breasts aren’t measuring jugs, perhaps you’ve noticed? I just trust that my body (you know, the one that grew the baby from scratch) knows what it’s doing. See BellyBelly’s article, Is My Baby Hungry? Do I Have Enough Milk? for more information. - See more at: http://www.bellybelly.com.au/breastfeeding/things-breastfeeding-mothers-dont-want-to-hear/

Uch. No, I’m not, because my breasts aren’t measuring jugs, perhaps you’ve noticed? I just trust that my body (you know, the one that grew the baby from scratch) knows what it’s doing. See BellyBelly’s article, Is My Baby Hungry? Do I Have Enough Milk? for more information. - See more at: http://www.bellybelly.com.au/breastfeeding/things-breastfeeding-mothers-dont-want-to-hear

So, based on my experience, I think one of the keys to successful breastfeeding is

1. simply trusting that you can do it.
2. Good support (from partner or close family & friends who have successfully breastfed themselves) boosts your confidence and encourages you to continue through any initial problems

Apart from that, I drink a lot of fluids. Macam-macam natural food yang boleh banyakkan susu. Tapi yang berkesan kat I:

• Minum air halba ** I amalkan 2 minggu pertama sahaja. Bila susu dah banyak. I stop. Tak kuasa nak minum benda alah ni. Dah laa tak sedap. Bau badan macam takhenggat dunia okaaayyy. Busuk!
• Makan kurma
• Minum horlicks+oat sekerap yang boleh. Even pukul 3 pagi pon I bangun minum. ** Sebelum tu, I minum milo atas nasihat orang lain. Tapi I kerap sembelit. Dah laa c-section. Menangis okay. Nak mengadu pon, Che Abe tak dop, haaaa~ Allah je tahu perasaan I masa tuh. Nasib baik ada sahabat-sahabat di whatsapp. Diaorang bagi nasihat & support. Masyaallah. Kalau tak, lagi I depress. Itu belom lagi masuk bab baby RRjunior kena masuk wad 2 kali sebab jaundice.
• Makan nasi banyak-banyak (yang ni saya suka)

 Bila I rasa dah stable dengan milk supply. I pump masa tengah malam **masa nih memang banyak susu dapat produce & bottle feed baby RRjunior masa siang. Masa baby RRjunior nak tido malam, I direct breastfeed. However, I was able to maintain this routine for only first 3 months. Lepas tuh, I pakai direct breastfeed je. Malas nak sterilize botol/ pump bagai sebab Che Abe tak bagi I masuk kerja. So, I informed to the school that I quit the job. Sedih sebab I enjoy sangat kerja tu tapi pada masa yang sama, I bersyukur sebab dapat jaga anak sendiri.

RRjunior
2 years old

Time flies..
RR junior turned TWO last April. Alhamdulillah, ya Allah.. syukur. He nursed until he's 2 years old & I have successfully weaned him from breastfeeding especially at night. Yippeee!!!

Jadi kepada ibu-ibu yang diluar sana nak tahu bagaimana saya wean off tanpa botol susu (sebab RRjunior takreti hisap botol susu & tak suka minum susu fresh milk dalam gelas), here's what I did:

1. First step is to know that you actually want to stop and emotionally you've made this decision. Memang betol-betol nekad. Jangan dok main kejap nak wean off kejap tak jadi.
2. I suggest buat wean off masa your husband pergi outstation. Takot terganggu tidur dia pulak ATAU takot husband you tak sampai hati tengok anak dia merengek-rengek nak susu **tapi kalau husband you ni penyabar orangnya... you proceed jer laa. Huhu! 
3. Limitkan nursing masa siang. Nursing masa nak tidur siang & masa malam (amalkan selama seminggu. Sapukan lemon+bawang putih sekitar areola pada waktu siang
4. Cut off nursing siang. Bagi susu masa nak tidur malam sahaja (amalkan selama seminggu)
5. Last but not least, cut off nursing malam **YANG NI YANG PALING SUSAH  (Masa nak cut off nursing malam, jangan bagi anak nap/ tidur masa siang)

Kalau anak korang pandai macam RRjunior (dia hilangkan rasa bawang putih+lemon kat lidah dia dengan menjilat bantal/ baju dia atau benda disekelilingnya. Terus dia dapat bertempek dengan I) Sigh~ Sebelum ni, I try pakai pewarna. Lagi laaa dia macam gelakkan I, haaaa~  So, I try cara mat saleh pulak. Huhu! Dengan explain kat dia "There's no more milk in there"

1. Berus gigi, basuh kepala, muka, tangan, dan kaki.
2. Start buat rutin Bedtime Story. Sebelum tidur, kami pergi ke area mini library RRjunior untuk pilih buku. Dia akan pilih 3 buku & I pilih satu buku untuk dia sebab dia selalu pilih buku sama. Favourite katanyer
3. Bila dah settle bedtime story **dia start bagi hint dia nak tidur, switch off the light. Kalau nak on bedlight pon okay je. Bagi dia minum plain water.
4. Then, baca doa tidur
5. Patting your child. Berselawat/ nyanyi lagu yang dia suka. Ulang laaaa 44kali; sampai mata you berair macam Sungai Amazon atau menguap luas macam badak sumbu pon, you kena teruskan jugak; saaaaaampai dia tidur. Memang susah especially on the first night. Kadang-kadang tu, terpaksa berwrestling dengan si kecik sebab dia struggle nak susu. Tips paling mujarab: Bertabahlah wahai ibu. Huhu!
6.  Apabila dia bangun tengah malam, bagi dia minum plain water. Kalau anak you minum susu dalam gelas, then.. you need to get up and make him/ her milk.

No worries, mother. Insyaallah, soon or later your toddler will adapt this new routine. In my case, RRjunior can accept this routine on the 4th night. Cepat atau lambat, totally depends on the child. When he wakes up in the middle of the night, I just let him to take a drink from the glass of water I have by my bed. Kadang-kadang tu dia pi ambik air sendiri. Huhu! However, I keep worrying that he doesn't like to drink milk at all. Suka makan yogurt je *walaupon benda alah tu jenis susu jugak kaaann.. gediks je bonda RRjunior nih. Alhamdulillah, my Pediatrician suggests me to give him multivitamin syrup (Pharmaton). Kurang sikit kerisauan Bonda dia. RRjunior nampak sihat & selera makan memang besau. 

Bila dah berjaya wean off tu, I memang rasa lega sangat. SERIOUSLY!! Macam nak jerit dalam citer Titanic; I'm the king of the world!!! Wuhooo! Because:

1. I can keep all my nursing attire. No need to wear them anymore
2. Cut off spending on Formula Milk **Cuma kene tingkatkan usaha untuk bagi dia minum fresh milk
3. Tak perlu bangun malam sangat. **Kadang-kadang dia tido sampai ke pagi. Itu yang paling best. Yang tak bestnya, timing tido RRjunior, paling awal 10.30 malam. Compare dengan dulu, 9.30 malam dah tido. Huhu!

Lupa nak bagitahu. Bila dah stop nursing, your breast mungkin akan mengeras/ bengkak. So, you try pump sekali. Habiskan susu yang ada. Lama-lama nanti, susu akan surut. **jangan selalu pump pulak. Nanti kelenjar susu teractivate balik. That's all for now. Hope to see you soon! Banyak post yang terpending :) 

Nota Kaki:

Yang I tak dapat lupakan masa pengalaman breastfeeding... bila ada hamba Allah ni menunjuk betapa pekatnya susu dia dekat I. Lagi-lagi nak tunjuk stok susu dia dalam freezer bila I datang rumah dia. I memang makan hati je dengan dia bila dia selalu cakap susu I tak cukup. Tapi Allah tu Maha Mendengar. Stok susu yang dibanggakan tu semua rosak sebab terputus bekalan elektrik. Masa tu diaorang tak ada kat rumah. Jadi, I maafkan dia. Forgive & forget :)