Knowing the immense benefits of exclusive breastfeeding for the firsts 6months of life, as a new mother I was determined to ensure my child fed only on breast milk for the first 6months and continue breastfeeding up to 2 years. This led to a quest for knowledge on breastfeeding, expressing milk and storage of breast milk just to prepare for what lay ahead.

I knew if left undisturbed in skin to skin contact with the mother, a baby instinctively seeks for the breast. That breastfeeding within the first hour of birth gives a mother the assurance that they can actually breastfeed, stimulates the baby’s digestive system and gives the baby immunological property of colostrum, the first breast milk, which provides protection against infections and diseases. So ten minutes after my daughter was born, she latched on to the breast and suckled away

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. Putting the baby on the breast within the 1^st hour of birth takes advantage of the natural wakefulness of a new born. The baby spends the next 24-48 hours sleeping which makes it difficult to make the baby latch appropriately.

Even though I put Nasiaki 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 to meet her nutrient requirements and keep her hydrated. It took 2 days for the milk to start flowing. For some women, colostrum is thin and watery, for others it is thick and yellowish. It may take time for some mothers to start producing milk but as the baby suckles, hormones are released to activate milk production.  So allowing the baby to suckle even when you think there is nothing coming out, helps trigger milk to start flowing.

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 feed Nasiaki on one breast and then 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 3 months after delivery, I had enough stock to last at least 3 month.

For my diet, I followed the advice I give to all my clients. I didn’t have to make drastic changes but I made certain to consume a balanced diet, snacked in between meals, with healthy snacks and kept hydrated. During breastfeeding, a mother’s caloric needs increases by 400-500Kcal which can be met by having 2 small nutritious snacks in the course of the day in addition to the main meals.

The last month of EBF was particularly challenging since I had resumed work, my store was running out and I couldn’t 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 knew exclusive breastfeeding was the only sure way of supplying my Nasiaki with all the nutrients she needed. So I kept at it, breastfeeding and expressing any time I got a change.

Finally we made it! On the first day of her 7^th month, Nasiaki started taking complementary foods. We however continued breastfeeding.

When she hit 2 years, we slowly stopped breastfeeding. We started by reducing the number of times she breastfed per day, then we completely stopped breastfeeding during the day and finally at 2 years 2 months, baby Nasiaki stopped breastfeeding altogether. Since we didn’t stop suddenly, it was easy for us and she didn’t fuss about it.

Siaki is now a big girl, 7 years, 10 months. She is a brilliant girl, apple of my eye and teacher’s favorite. She wants to become pediatrician and a fashion designer when she grows up.