400 Ounces of Breastmilk
By Michelle and Chloe DeLaTorre I wanted to share my story of learning to breastfeed my 2nd daughter, Chloe, going back to work, and donating all my pumped milk to the milk bank. I was never too successful at breastfeeding my first daughter so with my 2nd daughter Chloe, I had the attitude that if I could I would, otherwise I would feed her formula. I was fortunate enough to be able to attempt breastfeeding within one hour after my C-section. Not only did it calm my body's uncontrollable shaking but Chloe caught on immediately and my milk came in shortly after that. Now, I realize the mistakes I made with my attempts to breastfeed my first daughter. You have to be committed and willing to handle every single feeding, day and night yourself. There's no room for sleeping through the night every now and then if you want to build up a good milk supply, especially in those crucial first weeks. Also, you need to drink lots of water. I recommend 3 bottles of water during the night and at least that or more during the day. Another incredibly wonderful help is a good pump. I highly recommend the Medela Pump in Style. The speed and efficiency is unmatched by any other pump out there. As recommended by my doctor, I began pumping at 3 weeks in order to allow other family members to be a part of the feedings. Chloe took to the bottle fine but would not drink the stored breast milk that had been frozen and thawed. When I told my doctor this and about all the frozen milk I had been storing she told me about donating the milk for babies that needed it. I was very interested in the idea and researched for a milk bank in my area. This added to the fact that I was able to bring Chloe to work with me everyday so there was not much need for the milk I was freezing. Eventually, we got to the point that I didn't even bother giving her milk in a bottle and she received her milk solely through breastfeeding. I continued to breastfeed and pump, mostly in the morning when Chloe did not want to breastfeed because she was distracted by other things going on. To date, I have donated nearly 400 ounces of breast milk and I still continue to breastfeed Chloe who will turn 11 months next week and she still comes to work with me every day. I have become an advocate of breastfeeding and encourage everyone I know having a baby to breastfeed and let them know that it is possible and it is very rewarding. |
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