5 months old....

my baby Arianna Sofea is already 5 months old.. how time flies..it felt like just yesterday i deliver this baby gurl hehe..now at 5 months she's already 6kgs ++  and able to turn from supine to prone position & vice versa.. making me more worried as she like to roll over.. i have to be more careful to prevent her from rolling down the bed hehe she likes to play with her feet & at some instance she will put her toes in her mouth hehe sucking her fingers is her hobby since 4 months old. Smiling & showing her dimples is her speciality :)  I am still breastfeeding her although i'm quite busy with work & oncalls.. but i have started giving her Anmum infacare milk since she demands more milk since this few months, 150cc every 2 hours..i choose anmum because it taste more like breast milk n it has no added sugar.. my breastmilk stock is getting lesser n lesser each day

hmm since some of my friends just became mothers & a few of them will deliver soon.. i just wanted to share something about breastfeeding.. Before i deliver, i don't really know much about breastfeeding but as a doctor we have to encourage mothers to breastfeed their babies exclusively for 6months.. but its a difficult job especially when ur busy working.. since novermber last year, when my lil baby arianna came to life.. i experienced the wonderful things in life, a journey to become a mother.. I wanted to give her the best of everything..that's including exclusively breastfeeding.. during my confinement time, i had many times of breast lumps due to excessive milk production.. then, at times the amount became less & less... but i have learned a few tips from my mom, other mothers & my aunty who is a lactation nurse in hospital selayang..

1. Drink a lot of water
   - at least 8 glasses per day. to produce a lot of milk for the baby, mothers have to drink more too..

2. Drink different types of drink
    - for example : morning drink milo, then brunch nestum, lunch soya bean, tea - barley, dinner milk

3. Food that stimulates milk production
   - dark green vegetables like spinach , fenugreek, yam, ginger and carrot
   - oats and barley can also stimulate milk production

4. Breastfeeding as frequent as possible
  - breastfeeding on demand...at least every 2-3 hours

5. Supplements
  - pil asi, fenugreek tablets.. I've tried pil asi as suggested by some mothers.. it is cheap n it really works! but the thing is that u have to take 5 tablets 3times a day.. i only took twice a day..
  - nursing tea.. i tried earth mama joy angel baby nursing tea.. 16 tea bags for rm40.. for those who can drink herbal tea, this tea would be a good choice.. however, i don't prefer drinking herbal tea..i prefer taking pils..

- soy milk products ... i have tried nutri 99 soya milk drink.. it was recomended by a lactation counseller.. it's know to boost breastmilk production.. this yummy organic soya milk+ aloe vera beverage can be drink hot or cold. other soya milk products that u can try is mililea organic soya milk..

  - domperidone..is an antiemetic medication that increased production of the hormone prolactin. Prolactin is the hormone that stimulates the cells in the mother's breast to produce milk.. it is sold at most of the pharmacy. however, like all other medication.. it has some side effects such as headache 10-30% or abdominal cramps.. but so far Alhamdulillah i didn't experienced any side effects..

6. EBM ( expressed breast milk)

  - especially for working mothers.. to keep the stocks when needed

  - at least every 3 hours... to keep ur breast milk supply, make a habit to pump every 2-3 hours.. it's easy for working mothers who have free time.. because of my busy schedule, i usually ebm 3 times a day..

- EBM milk can last 4-6 hours in room temperature, 2-4 days in fridge and up to 3-6 months in freezer..

7. Don't get stress up...

- studies has shown that when a mother is stress, the breastmilk will be less.. so, enjoy life & don;t be too stressful..

8. breast massage

- Apply a warm compress to your breast, such as a warm towel. Then, with your fingertips, stroke from the top of the breast down and over the nipple.This helps stimulate your oxytocin.

-  massage the breast with the flat of the fingers into the chest wall, beginning at the top and working in a spiral down toward the areola. Massage in a circular motion a few strokes at a time before moving to another spot.

hope that some of these tips helps..some of the tips works on me... tell me whether it works for u..