The Milkmaid Mama

Darling Adeena,

Mama's going back to work tomorrow! I know neither you nor I are ready for this, but we both know it was going to happen sooner or later kan baby :( I'm sorry I will not be there to give you easy access to your fresh milk whenever you want them, but I hope the milk that I've stored for you for the past 2 months is enough to keep you filled whenever you need them!

You know sayang, you're a lucky baby. I was so determined to breastfeed you exclusively this time, I even started pumping & storing milk for you from as early as week 2 after I gave birth to you. Yeah really, no kidding! Tak percaya? Ok try looking at this photo carefully and see the difference.



See the milk on the right that's a little more yellowish? Well that my dear, is called the 'transitional milk'. From what mama read, this milk is high in protein because it's a mixture of mama's mature milk and colostrum, produced anywhere from about 2 to 5 days after birth until 10 to 14 days after birth -- that's the time when mama started pumping!

I told you I wasn't kidding! :P But before mama could get full bottles such as that, my milk storage actually began quite slow. Thanks to the tip shared by Auntie Irin who advised me to pump while direct feed, what started with 1 ounce..

.. has now flourished into a few hundred ounces!

Papa even had to get us a new fridge to store all the milk that was filling up the freezer space in our old fridge, after the breastmilk drama!

And from the looks of it, I think we may need to get a third fridge in our house eh! :P

Oh and you wouldn't believe the places I've lugged my trusty pump (and cooler bag!) to pump milk out for you -- in the malls, in the surau, in the car, even in the cinema!

Mak Long even thought I'm obsessed with pumping & breastmilk (I kinda think I am :P) because she sees me pumping almost all the time! Well, anything to keep my milk supply flowing and my baby happy & healthy lah! :)

Of course, I couldn't have done it without my brilliant Medela Swing pump though! It's small, portable and silent, I gotta thank the Medela engineers for it! It's truly a genius! :)))

And then it was time for me to get you used to the idea of drinking from the bottle for when I am not around to feed you directly. You didn't like it at first. You cried and cried, sayang. :( I guess you didn't like the strong smell & taste of the frozen milk eh baby? But after a while, you gave in and drank the milk anyway -- sampai habes! :D

Alhamdulillah, I was so happy! :) Can you imagine the waste if you wouldn't take the milk? I honestly would cry like a mad lady! Haha :P

Anyway, be a good girl and drink the milk I've stored for you from the bottles okay? I know you don't really fancy the taste as how you like the freshly squeezed/direct feed ones, but they'll keep you healthy, insyaallah! I promise, as soon as I get back from work, you'll have access to your fresh, tasty milk anytime you want ok? :)

I love you baby girl, and I pray to Allah that I get to breastfeed you for the next 22 months! :) Oh, I hear you crying. That's my cue, it's your feeding time! :) Until the next update from me again!