Page 46 - Demo

44 MOTHER & BABY FROM PAGE 43 “None of us are perfect, but if your child is happy, growing and developing well, don’t put too much pressure on yourself or your boobs!” “With my second birth, where I had twins, it took about a week for my milk to produce enough for two, but once it did, I was overproducing again like I had triplets. I remember running out of freezer space and I ended up making several donations to other mothers in the community. “Medically, with my oversupply, I was prone to mastitis. I’ve had it close to a dozen times with my two births. With the twins, I was getting mastitis every few months, once so severe I was hospitalised. I tried those cabbage leaves, expressing in the shower, heat packs, cold packs, you name it, but it just kept coming back like door-to-door salesmen. “In the end, the only thing that really killed it was the antibiotics from the GP. After the first few times, I went straight onto the antibiotics because it was just not worth prolonging the pain and illness. When you’re in pain and you’re running a high fever, you need medical attention. “I believe that your maternal instinct is usually right. Whether that be knowing when you supplement feeding with formula, when to stop breastfeeding, when to take antibiotics for your mastitis, you need to trust your gut. None of us are perfect, none of us really know what the heck we’re doing, but if your child is happy, growing and developing well, don’t put too much pressure on yourself or your boobs! Just relax and enjoy your now cold cup of coffee.” – Shan “I breastfed for 14 months. Around 11-12 months, my baby was on solid food, eating well and only having one breastfeed at bedtime. I was slowly going to stop, then I got food poisoning, which I ended up at the doctors for and received medication to help me stop being sick. I couldn’t breastfeed while on medication. My boy was already having cow’s milk in food, etc, so I just had to give him a bottle of milk until I stopped the medication. He took it so well and slept as normal. So, I decided this might be a good way to stop breastfeeding and just continue cow’s milk for his bedtime routine. “The thing I want health professionals to know is to tell pregnant ladies to start moisturising their nipples every day. Lanolin cream is amazing. My mum told me about it. During my prenatal class, the nurse said to only start after baby. Ah, no! They’re going to be dry and sore, so start early. So glad I listened to my mum instead.” – Kerrie “About two weeks in, my little guy showed signs of lactose overload from my oversupply ... My little guy would get a sore tummy an hour after a feed and want to feed again because it temporarily soothed his tummy, but an hour later he had a sore tummy, and so it continued. I had to move to block feeding and try not to feed him closer than two hours after the last feed. He wasn’t content with a dummy. Sometimes I could swap my nipple with a dummy once he was asleep. “I have no intention of introducing formula. I have nothing against formula, I’m just too lazy. Breastfeeding is more convenient for me and I have a good supply, so I can pump and bottle feed as needed. Having a baby with allergies/intolerances, I’m also aware that finding a formula he can tolerate isn’t as easy as just picking up a tin from the shelf.” – Tara RETAIL PHARMACY ASSISTANTS • MAY 2020