NOVIE SOBREJUANITE
Certified Public Accountant
It was my husband who pushed me to breastfeed since he knew the benefits of breast milk better than I did. I was hesitant to breastfeed my baby at first because I doubted my milk supply (due to lack of breastfeeding education).
I also experienced the following challenges:
- Low milk supply - After my maternity leave, I was not able to store enough milk for my baby but I didn’t want to top-up with formula. So I asked for breast milk donations from friends. Later, a good quality, hospital-grade pump helped a lot! I tried to follow a regular schedule for milk expression, either through direct latch or pumping. I also consumed lactation treats and drinks because breastfeeding always made me hungry and thirsty. Plus, they are yummy!
- Full time job - Good thing, my employer at that time had a breastfeeding-friendly workplace and allowed us to have lactation breaks. I was also lucky to have an understanding boss and colleagues. Still, there were times when my milk stash was not enough and my husband would use his office breaks to bring our baby to my workplace to
When my baby was 4 months old, I had to go to Manila for a training and would be away for almost a week. I didn’t have enough milk stash so I brought my baby with me just to make sure that he could still breastfeed.
I fully committed to breastfeeding when a friend introduced a support group where I learned its plentiful benefits for baby, mom, and community. I am proud to say that for 27 months, I was able to breastfeed my firstborn, now almost 3 years old. I stopped only because of my highrisk second pregnancy.
I hope and pray that I can successfully breastfeed my coming second baby too. I wish to tandem-feed also especially that my first baby often tells me that he will drink mommy’s milk when the new baby comes out.
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