Right from the first day of her life, I've been exclusively breastfeeding Kayla. Up till she had her first solid, crawled for the first time, made her first step of walking, I've always been breastfeeding. It's something I feel very accomplished about. Something I am truly happy in doing it.
People often ask me, is it tough to start breastfeeding. I would have to say, yes, but just a little. In the hospital, I was nursing those stitches pain and I needed to latch her every 2 hours. She's so sleepy she kept falling asleep even before nursing. Back at home, every 2 hours, I had to latch Kayla. And the starting of breastfeeding is painful, she would be suckling hard. Gradually, things became a routine, all the way till the day I decided to start the weaning road.
So one week before weaning, I 'pre-empt' her every single day without fail that nehneh, will spoil next week. Keep telling her and saying that she'll need to learn to drink from bottle instead. Sometimes she just nod her head, but other times she'd do a sad face and whine a little. So the day comes eventually.
9th May 2011 - It's a Monday. I kept myself awake since 9AM, before Kay's wakey time to make sure I don't conveniently latch her on, just like every other morning. So when she woke up, I reminded her no more nehneh cos spoiled already. She just frowned at me, with this confused face. So I explained that nehneh become bitter already, not nice, 苦苦 one, taste kaka. Miraculously it worked! Went out the whole day and by sleepytime at night, she just took the bottle and drank a 100ml of Pediasure milk and slept by herself. In the middle of the night she woke up and whine a little, ask for nehneh and I kept repeating myself like a broken record.
The rest of the days were pretty much the same. She didn't ask for nehneh anymore. I thought there might be chances for 'rebound' like she misses it too much and wants it back. But I confirm chop chop guarantee when I pull my top down and openly offered her to drink nehneh and she quickly say no and ran away from me. Must be thinking I'm a monster.
I did backup my plans with a little stuff - the anti-nail-biting lotion which I got from Evelynn and which Evelynn gotten from Yuanmei. I applied on the first day when I went out, cos I'm afraid Kay would whine big time in the car. But end up she managed to tide it through. So at night, she kept whining for it, and my engorgement was super terrible, so I latched her on a little. She tasted a very mild version of the lotion cos it's after so long hours. She just frowned and gave me that 苦苦 face. I offered again and she looked at me and continued drinking. I'm amazed. But after this time, she doesn't want it anymore.
Now about my engorgement. Oh my! It was really so terrible. It was rock hard, and I had to get up several times in night to relieve it. I had to use freaking hot towel to bua my breasts to express the milk out. I am damn afraid of blocked milk ducts. I don't want what mastitis or inflammation. So I rather endure the pain. Super painful and tiring. Engorgement only got better after the fourth day. I am now a happy mother. I just hope the breasts don't sag please. I will die looking at them for the rest of my life.
So actually, Kayla weaned herself off, I'd say. Just a little reinforcement on my part. She's adapting super well, but it's my breasts which made me ran fever for two whole days and nauseous. Thanks to Evelynn and Sophia always listening to my endless nehneh rants. Anyway, now she's happy with her Pediasure and sleeps well. (:
I am full of happiness to have breastfed her for 19 months in exact. Very glad I've been able to go all the way. If I ever have number 2, I guess I'd probably do it slightly shorter. But still gonna breastfeed, it's a mother's 天职. (:
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