Thoughts on Breastfeeding

I'm not the healthiest person around. I don't like nor eat vegetables. And perhaps this is one of the main reasons why I'm proud to say that Rui is exclusively breastfed from the start. And now that she's nearing the 6th month mark, here are some thoughts on our breastfeeding journey.

Breastfeeding is hard. Especially during the first weeks. Rui's first day was mostly spent sleeping. But her first night was another matter. She cried almost every hour and the only way to pacify her was to nurse her. So this meant almost no rest for me. But even then, the husband and I never considered na she's not getting anything from me - may mali ba sa amin? We asked the OB if this is normal and she said it is, since an infant's stomach is the size of a calamansi palang. So it makes sense na mabilis siya mabusog and mabilis din magutom.

Again for the first weeks, I dreaded every feeding because it was painful. As in. Even taking a shower was painful. Perhaps my breasts were not yet used to all that activity, but there were times when I wanted to resort to bottle and formula na. What prevented us from doing so was the fact that we weren't able to ask the pedia for a formula milk recommendation - haha. Plus, while I was unable to read up much on breastfeeding before I gave birth, I had much more free time when I did and Google on my fingertips that I eventually did read up on it. One of the things that made me decide to forge on was studies that breastfeeding reduces risks of allergies. I'm allergic to almost everything (including my own sweat) and I don't want that for Rui. Another thing that gave me hope is that Google contains a lot of testimonies that it is painful but that it will get better in the long run. Marami pala akong karamay! So yey din for Google.

By around Rui's third week, I accepted the fact that she's entirely dependent to me and she's the boss I can never ignore (buti nalang she's a cute boss). I think this mindset helped me cope up with the almost hourly feedings. All my activities - including taking a bath were scheduled right after her feedings, so that I'll be available again for the next. I tried pumping around the second week (which I now know is a no- no) so I can leave her at home while I go for my checkup. I got less than an oz of milk - so I just took her with me. Inisip ko nalang mas nakukuha niya kaysa sa pump- which I now know is true.

Breastfeeding got a lot easier by Rui's first month. Personally, it is easier than washing and sterilising bottles, bringing bottles everywhere, and magtimpla every time she asks for it. But I was sleepy most of the time since I get up to nurse her during the night. The husband was a zombie too as he's a big help from the start - as he also wakes up during the night to burp her after every feeding. A co-worker advised me to try nursing her in a side-lying position and also to join in on a Facebook group dedicated to breastfeeding. I did and the group is a big help and very informative. By Rui's third month, we do the side-lying position na when she nurses at night time - this way, plakda na kaming tatlo haha. After every feeding, I just roll her on top of me to burp - all this while both of us are asleep. This again beats getting up to get a bottle for her.

Another thing I love is when she's fussy and has sumpong, I can calm her better than anyone can - haha secret weapon lang ang peg. Plus nothing beats the secret smiles we share during nursing time.

I am by no means a "breastfeeding nazi." To each her own I say. But I think lang na some people overthink breastfeeding - this plus the million Filipino myths about it, and it becomes harder than it really is. If an oldie is with us, baka binatukan na ako because ginawa ko na ata lahat ng bawal. This includes:

I eat ice cream by the mug-fulls ever since I gave birth, I drink cold water too - and yet my milk is still the right temperature for Rui. Never siya naging malamig - maybe because I'm not cold-blooded. To date, Rui also never had coughs or colds *knock on wood.

I nurse Rui kahit na pagod or galing sa labas. Err we're new parents, palagi kami pagod. And yet she doesn't mind it, nor does she seem stressed or pagod after feeding. In fact, happy siya after because she's full na ulit.

These days, Rui has her lunch and meryendas din. At dahil siya ang priority, may times na we nurse na medyo gutom ako. And no, hindi siya nahahawa sa gutom ko. Again, happy padin siya after :)

Perhaps I'm lucky enough to be blessed with sufficient supply. My goal in the beginning was to breastfeed as long as kaya, and I'm happy na kinaya namin until the 6th month mark. Still, I plan to continue as long as she wants and kaya.

I'd like to share that one of the best advices I read about childbirth and breastfeeding is to trust your body as it knows what to do and is built to do it. This held true for Rui's birth as we waited for her to meet the world on her own. And I'm glad to say that it also held true for us for breastfeeding. Yes I did drink supplements, but overall I just did what I had to do - which was to latch her every time she wants it and trust in my ability to nourish her.

Another challenge awaits us: solids or Baby led weaning. I can't wait haha.

Bebe and Books

If there's one thing I miss doing now that I'm a new mom, its reading all day. Truly, reading is a luxury right now especially when I'm with the bebe 24/7. I used to just curl up in bed/couch all day with a good book, and just keep going until I finish it. Good luck naman gawin ito now with the little boss.

I'm currently reading The Hobbit since curiosity got the best of me especially with the movies coming out. I wanted to see if the onscreen adaptation is also good, just like what they did with the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, and so far, I'm not disappointed. I started reading it in my phone's iBooks, but over Christmas, one of the husband's gifts was:

And it's illustrated! Yuck parang bata lang. I resolved then and there to read it instead of the ebook copy but between taking care of the baby and work, where do I even find the time to just pick it up and curl with it. Haay. So bottom-line is, balik ebook ang beauty ko - because my phone is always nearby and its easier to handle especially when breastfeeding - which is basically the only time I can also read (talk about multi-tasking). Good thing the ebook version I have is also illustrated. Although these days, the little boss also gets easily distracted and would peer into my phone while nursing - tsismosa lang ang peg. But aside from time and ebook/book handling, who can read with this:

Seriously diba? Who can work much less read when you can cuddle, play, and even watch her sleep all day long. So Bilbo, sorry nalang but the winner in this case is of course, #Ruitotski.

Holiday Shopping with the Bebe

We have no yaya. Albeit we do have someone who comes in everyday to help out with the household chores and Rui especially when I'm working. But during Sundays, when we go out, and for the most part this Holiday season, its just the three of us - which is fine with me as with our shoebox of a home, there's not much of a privacy to go around. But what can be a bit of a challenge is when we go out with Rui. So far, most of our outings to date involve both me and the husband - I have never tried going out with just the 2 of us. Anyway, what made our Holiday shopping a success with Rui in tow is baby wearing. Whoever invented this concept is pure genius.

I have to admit it was not as easy as I first thought as I was afraid of hurting her or "pilay" (is this even true?) whenever we tried it out when she was smaller. But after watching countless videos in You Tube and reading how-to's, the first one we mastered was Indigo Baby's pouch.

I love it because:

1. Wear it, shoot baby's butt and you're good to go. No more straps to adjust or anything.
2. When Rui was smaller, I liked doing the kangaroo front-facing position with her in this, as parang mas naaaliw siya because she can see a lot.
3. This is waaay easier to learn compared to the ring sling.
4. Rui has no problems sleeping while on it.

On the other hand, it has downsides:

1. As the pouch is not adjustable, now that she's bigger we can't do some of the positions anymore, such as the front-facing one. From the start we can't do the cradle carry either as Rui is a bit long/tall and its a tight fit.
2. The pouch comes in different sizes for the wearer. So the husband cannot wear this as it will be a tighter fit.
3. The material can be hot and stuffy for both of us.

On her third or fourth month, we have successfully worn the ring sling (at last!). In most of the videos I watched, most of them says that the ring sling has a steep learning curve. And it does. But I think using it successfully depends on the confidence of the wearer - that he/she will not hurt the baby haha. And I became much more confident nalang to use it when Rui was much older na and mas mukhang hindi na mababali.

The ring sling's plus points for me are:

1. Its adjustable. So I can see us using this for a long time - well hopefully haha.
2. I can use the "tail" or the remaining fabric as a cover during breastfeeding, and when it gets too windy or maaraw
3. Rui also has no qualms sleeping while on it (see how sleepy she is in the above pic)
4. The husband can also use it - yey!

While the downsides are:

1. Adjusting the fabric can be a bit challenging, especially if you are a newbie or have a fussy baby.
2. It has a very steep learning curve haha. But seriously, practice is required. A lot of practice.

There are also times when this is how we roll:

I find the stroller useful when we have a lot of shopping and during eating out (we can set Rui on it and eat - when she's not fussy). But it can also be a hassle to navigate in crowded malls. Not to mention that most malls here in Manila are not stroller-friendly - I'm scared to even try going up and down an escalator using a stroller. We've also tried using it in the grocery. All was well until Rui became fussy and wanted to be lulled to sleep. No way can the husband navigate both the stroller and the grocery cart while I carry the bebe. So I had to lull Rui to sleep in one corner in the grocery with the stroller. After that incident, we just baby wore her when out shopping.

Needless to say, baby wearing saved us from achy arms during our lakwatsas.

Waiting Game with Rui

-- Also known as my birthing story. Since this blog is mainly about #ruitotski, what better way to start the New Year then to share how she came into this world.

No worries, this blog post does not have blood, sweat or tears - well not literally, as the actual event involves quite a bit of all three. I have decided to write and share this so that I have an actual record of Rui's arrival. And since I'm no novelist, the story will be told by the numbers as I remember them.

1. Jul13 - We went for our regular OB checkup, this is also the first time my OB does an IE. We almost missed her but good thing she waited for us for a bit. Found out I'm 4cm and she advised us that we can check in at the hospital already as I can give birth that evening, but she also advised me to walk around for a bit. As we didn't have our stuff with us - we were actually planning to pack our hospital bags after that check-up, we called my mom to bring Rui's stuff to the hospital. We then had lunch first at ATC and walked around. My main concern during this time was my water breaking at the mall - kakahiya diba. Buti nalang that did not happen and when it became too painful to walk around, we then went back and checked in at the hospital.
2. At the hospital we stayed at the Genesis center where I was strapped in for monitoring. I had regular contractions but I stayed at 4cm. We were then transferred to our room as I was not progressing.
3. Second day at the hospital, we decided to induce labor via IV drip (I can't remember the actual name na). Nothing happened. We rested for 6 hrs and did a 2nd round. Again, nothing. All this time I had regular high (based on the monitoring) contractions and all the nurses kept telling me to just call if I need an epidural. It was painful but bearable. I stayed at 4cm. Rui was also monitored all the time and she does not seem to be bothered or stressed by any of it (I think everyone was stressed out except for her).
4. Third day we were like zombies na with all the waiting. It was very stressful as the hospital would not discharge us as I was already dilated and having regular contractions. We don't want to opt for a CS unless absolutely necessary. We decided to rest for the day - no more inducements and just wait and see. That night, we decided to just wait it out at home. Our OB assured us that Rui is strong and CS at that point is unnecessary. We would just have to come in for foetal monitoring checks every 3 days. We got discharged the following day - 4th day.
5. The husband got permission from his office to work at home. I also continued to work at home. We went out on dinner and movie dates and walked our asses off. We also went in for monitoring and check-ups. We had a couple of false alarms when Rui was quiet, so we rushed to the ER, only to have her kicking when we got there. I still had regular contractions, but the pain was bearable.
6. July 27 we again went to the OB for our checkup. I was still 4-5cm. Since I was due on July 30, we decided then that if Rui still does not come, we will check-in at the hospital on the 30th and undergo CS on the 31st (I picked this date so she'll have the same birthday as Harry Potter haha). We then did our grocery, watched a movie and went home.
7. I stayed up till midnight chatting with my friends at Line haha. I slept for a bit and woke up with a very painful tummy at around 1am. Woke up the husband and we decided to go to the hospital na to be sure. We arrived at the ER around 2am and I was already 8cm. I was wheeled directly to the birthing room and was in so much pain. I also learned that the nurses in the Genesis center call us 4-ever, because I was stuck at 4cm. We met their full shift of nurses and doctors na during our practice run.
8. Got an epidural and we slept for a bit waiting for the OB. She arrived at around 5am and I was fully dilated (I think). Rui arrived on Jul28, 6am.

Looking back, I was thankful that we waited it out and did not opt for a CS. I love our OB for not pressuring us and instead did all she can for us to have a normal delivery. Rui came unexpectedly in our lives and I'm just happy that we gave her the chance to meet the world in her own time and terms - walang pilitan haha.