World Breastfeeding Week was marked last week. It was in honour of the Innocenti Declaration that was signed in August 1990 to protect, promote and support breastfeeding.
Knowing the immense benefits of exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months, I was determined to ensure my child had only breast milk.
This led to a quest for knowledge on breastfeeding, expressing milk and storage of breast milk in the freezer just to prepare for what lay ahead.
Ten minutes after my daughter was born, she latched on to the breast and suckled away. Breastfeeding within the first hour of birth gives a mother the assurance that they can actually breastfeed.
It also stimulates the baby’s digestive system and gives it immunological property of colostrum, the first breast milk, which provides protection against infections and diseases.
In case of a caesarean section, breastfeeding should start as soon as possible. If the mother is still not able to breastfeed within the first hour of birth, she can get help to express and the baby fed by a health care worker.
Having a caesarean section is not justification to start babies on formula milk. Putting the baby on the breast within the first hour takes advantage of the natural wakefulness of a new born.
Even though I put my daughter on the breast a few minutes after birth, I could not produce any milk but I knew the colostrum I was producing was just enough for her; sufficient enough to meet her nutrient requirements and keep her hydrated. It took two days for the milk to start flowing.
For some women, colostrum is thin and watery, for others it is thick and yellowish.
As the baby suckles, hormones are released to activate milk production. From experience, I learnt that milk production operates on supply-and-demand basis; the more I emptied my breast the more milk I produced.
With this in mind, I would let my daughter suckle one breast and express the other. I would also wake up at night to express since she fed less at night.
By the time I was resuming work after four months, I had enough stock to last another month.
For my diet, I followed the advice I give to all my clients. I did not have to make drastic changes but I ensured that I consumed a balanced diet, snacked in between meals and kept hydrated.
During breastfeeding, a mother’s caloric needs increases by 400 to 500Kcal which can be met by having two small nutritious snacks in course of the day. One should make healthy dietary choices to fuel milk production. A mother’s diet has very little effect on the quality and quantity of milk produced hence no need to consume too much as dictated by the society.
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Expressed breast milk can be kept under room temperature for six to eight hours or for 72 hours in the fridge and two weeks in the freezer.
The last month of EBF was particularly challenging since I had resumed work and I could not breastfeed as often as before.
I was also under constant anxiety and fear of leaving my baby with a stranger. All this affected my milk production. However I kept at it, expressing any time I got a chance to.
This year’s theme, Breastfeeding and work: Let’s make it work, aims to campaign for mother friendly workplace programmes that support and empower all women to breastfeed.
The writer is a Nutritionist and Wellness Consultant at Afya Bora Nutrition & Wellness Centre. 5th Ngong Avenue. 5th Avenue Office Suites. Suite 16. Nairobi.
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