Tandem Feeding Diaries: Month 3

Women who have normal vaginal births are usually expected to return to work after their 2-month maternity leave.  For freelancers like me, we just start working as soon as a project starts coming.

For both my first and second pregnancies, I started attending meetings/ vtrs a week after delivery.  I tried to keep these activities as short and brief as possible and avoided wearing heels so as not to worry my mom who says I shouldn't take a bath, use the stairs, and expose myself to "hamog" for at least two weeks after giving birth.  Antibiotics and pain meds prescribed by my OB Doc Madgie allowed me to recover more quickly (thank God!)  It drove me crazy lying in bed smelling like that; I just couldn't allow myself to be seen in that state for so long :/

I suffered from mild dehydration and electrolyte imbalance though for trying to tandem feed in 3-hr Christmas traffic.  I also got nipple blisters as my toddler shallow latched as we drove through unexpected humps and bumps. Oh if only all humps were painted with visible yellow stripes! Haay. It's just impossible.

Eventually, we managed to convince my toddler that it's better to latch only in the privacy of our bedroom.  I told her her baby brother gets scared more easily and he needs more latchtime than she does.  She agreed and told me she's brave even when we pass through tunnels; my little boy is at a stage wherein he's scared of the dark and uneven roads.  I'm proud of how she would try to calm her brother each time: "Don't be scared! Leji's here!" So adorable. She would even sing to cheer him up.

With God's grace, I was able to book several projects last month...one of which happened to be out of the country.  

Watching the sun rise while pumping at the charging station

It proved to be quite stressful.  I was hoping to store as much milk as I can in the freezer.  But each time my toddler would see me pump, she would ask when would it be her turn to latch.  I would usually allow her to latch after my 20-minute pumping session in the morning.  Then her brother would ask for more milk.  Then I couldn't pump again for the rest of the day.  I even had to eat rice and meat at times in the wee hours of the morning just so I would be able to produce more milk.  I produce more milk after sleeping/napping so I couldn't do much really other than eat/drink, breastfeed, sleep/nap,  repeat.  Even when I take malunggay tea & incorporate malunggay leaves in my meals, I only get to pump adequately when I'm not too tired.  I avoided going out and attending meetings for two weeks so I wouldn't get distracted from producing more milk.

I realized I could only pump twice a day max while tandem feeding.  I have to get up really early in the morning before they start demanding for milk in bed; then I pump again in the afternoon before they get roused from their nap.

I have never stored this much milk before. So much so, we had to buy more stuff for milk storage!  I didn't expect I could pump this much milk until I had to.  We bought a 2-door self-defrosting inverter ref to be able to store my pumped milk more efficiently. Our old one had such a small freezer that had a plastic door that wouldn't close when there's too much ice.  The door can't keep the temperature constant when it's not sealed and defrosting it wasted most of my milk.  Some of the cups get stuck in the ice & you really can't take them out unless you defrost them with the ref.  It's a chicken and egg thing.

I smiled happily at our new freezer with neat compartments filled with milk cups. But at the back of my head, I knew it might still not be enough despite pumping up to the very last minute before dashing to the airport. 

Oh well. My baby's ninang/pedia Doc Coco advised me to stop worrying. She said I should just enjoy my project and banish the thought that I'm a bad mother just because they might have to resort to formula for a couple of days.  

We tried Nan Optipro with his existing Playtex newborn drop-in anti-colic bottles (which they also use to feed him with pumped milk). Other than nastier smelling poop with an ugly dark color, they didn't notice much difference with his behavior.  Unlike Leji at six months who refused to take in formula because it tasted different (she hated Similac; it's loaded with iron and has a slightly rusty taste), his three-month old system treated formula like breastmilk.  He demanded for it every 2-4 hours.  

When I returned, he smiled and latched hungrily as if nothing happened.  He still loves me...yey!  His poop color turned back to normal after a couple of days.

My toddler didn't have a problem with the setup either; she loved the idea of having more playtime with Lola.  She simply preferred powdered milk over fresh cow's milk after seeing her baby brother consume formula.  We're back to tandem feeding in bed.