Following Cues: Breastfeeding Journey
After finishing her Masters in Biotechnology, Vaishali B realized that she had zero patience for research and decided to explore her first love of teaching! She got a chance to do so during her stint at the TeachIndia campaign, and she is a high school Biology teacher, now on a sabbatical. Having lived almost all her life in Mumbai and suddenly shifting to Chennai after marriage, Vaishali had a lot of time in hand to pursue reading, writing and cooking. However, she believes that motherhood has changed her. She has become more hands-on and deeply influenced by natural as well as scientific parenting. And that led to the start of her blog on early learning, the books she reads with her daughter, Montessori education and gentle parenting. You can read more about the dynamic mother-daughter duo on Amma Today on their website, Instagram and Facebook (FB). Vaishali currently freelances from home and plans to get back to teaching once the little one starts full day school. In the meanwhile, Vivikthya, her 2 year old, keeps her on her toes, mind active and teaches her new lessons in patience, thinking and love every day. 1. Vaishali, you had a great support system in the form of your doctor during your pregnancy. Could you tell us about your birthing experience? During pregnancy, I focused only on my bump, the kicks, and the delivery that I did not pay attention to breastfeeding. I have been truly blessed and lucky to have found a supportive gynaecologist who conducted monthly prenatal classes. One session had a paediatrician cover the basics of breastfeeding – the whys and hows. In fact, she also emphasized on nursing in public (NIP) being absolutely normal and how to take ‘milk supply is not enough’ comments in our stride. I had a beautiful pregnancy surrounded by family, friends and chirpy students. Everyone predicted an early delivery; so imagine my disappointment when 2 days past my expected delivery date (edd) there were no signs of labour. My gynaecologist was supportive of a natural birth process but since I had oligohydraminos (water level had reduced greatly), she induced me using a Folley balloon catheter. After 11 hours of labour, my girl made a dramatic entry, vaginally. 2. I am glad you had a delivery, free of unnecessary interventions. How was your first experience with breastfeeding? The doctors were particular that I be the first one to hold her for a second before she was sent off to get cleaned. She was then brought back to be fed within the golden hour. The nurses, doctors and residents ensured I had no issues in breastfeeding. The first latch, to be honest, was painful. And all I could see were 2 drops. I did worry if it was enough. The gynaecs and support staff helped me with the latch immediately. The first few days were awkward. Plus V was a chomper and cluster fed a lot. I think I broke down on day 2 when I was already having a hard time, and the hospital’s Lactation Consultant (LC) came for rounds and announced to my husband, “Doodh enough nahi hai (There is not enough milk). Ask her to nurse more. Or else the baby will keep crying.” Well, that was just the beginning. V had acute colic, and has been almost singularly only with me since birth. It seemed like we were nursing for major part of the day. To add to it, random people would stop me and advise me about my milk supply on hearing her cries. At about 6 weeks, there was a week when she slept through the night and I woke with heavy breasts. That was when I saw with my own eyes that there was enough milk and decided to turn a deaf ear to unwelcome suggestions. A pediatrician advised to have galactagogue; I wish I hadn’t done that, simply because there was no need. One fine day I decided to stop as I kept gaining weight steadily after having them. Guess what? My supply primarily depended on V’s suckling. Hence, not affected. 3. You did struggle a bit during the initial few weeks. How did you manage? My husband had to go back to his work city the day after we got back home from the hospital. My dad had to go back to work and mom developed a condition in her shoulder because of which she couldn’t move her hands for the next couple of weeks. Thus, although we had help for other chores, baby care primarily fell on my shoulders. My girl had severe colic. I used to dread the 4-10p.m window. She refused anybody else and had to be carried and rocked the entire time. The first few weeks were hard. Due to cluster feeding, I had sore nipples and my back hurt. But once I started nursing lying down, and babywearing her, I think I got some of my sanity back. Everybody helped in whatever little way they could, whenever they could. My mum looked up lactation friendly recipes and my dad massaged my back while I nursed V during her infant days. After I went back to my husband, he would get up at nights to help burp the baby. He even cooked the next day because I was exhausted from being awake the whole night. That’s how I managed! 4. It is amazing when you have your family as your little army of support! Absolutely! I also have to mention the Breastfeeding Support for Indian Mothers (BSIM) FB group which has time and again given me the will to continue on extremely hard days. They made me realize that full term breastfeeding should not be a taboo. And last but not the least, I have to mention my mommy tribe – my gang of girls to whom I vented out on hard days. They made it seem like it’s okay because, they are going through it too. I don’t think I can
Challenging Obstacles: Breastfeeding Journey
Parigna Pandya Shah loves challenging obstacles through her determination, perseverance and hard work. Before we see it through her breastfeeding journey, let us learn a little more about her. Parigna completed her Masters in Counselling Psychology and a Masters in Gujarati Literature. She was awarded a gold medal for topping the University. Parigna began learning Indian Classical Music at the age of 6 and has sung for ads, TV serials, private albums and for Gujarati and Hindi films till college years. Post her 12th grade, she got into dubbing and went on to become a full time voice artiste. Some of her appreciated dubbing jobs are Hermione Granger in Harry Potter, Peaches in Ice Age, Gwen in Ben 10 and Chhota Bheem in Chhota Bheem. Other films (dubbing) in her kitty include Angry Birds (movie), Independence Day, Resurgence, X-men and more. The Disney approved singing voice of Minnie Mouse is hers. She has also explored the field of acting by doing a couple of Gujarati plays called ‘Jaagine joun to – Narsainyo, ek musical gatha’ and ‘Mari Vani, Meghani Sarvani’ with renowned actor Utkarsh Mazumdar. She also did a serial called ‘Muktibandhan’ for Colors TV in 2011 and acted in a short film ‘Kabira calling’. When asked, Parigna describes herself as a psychologist by education, singer/dubbing artiste by profession and an actor by passion. Post baby, she does selective work and her most recent prestigious project was voicing (hindi) for Emma Stone in her latest movie – Battle of the sexes. 1. Very impressive profile, Parigna. Were you prepared for this new journey you were to embark on? The hospital I chose to deliver in followed the Baby-friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI). The gynaecologist(s) are staunch supporters of breastfeeding and are active in the Maharashtra chapter of Breastfeeding Promotion Network India (BPNI). From when a woman is pregnant, breastfeeding is promoted. The classes that are arranged are not only for the expecting mothers but also for the fathers; to introduce them to the importance and basics of breastfeeding. I had taken a prenatal class along with my family members with a lactation consultant (LC) working at my birthing facility. I learnt about its importance, challenges, common issues and their solutions; in theory. I had seen my mom nursing my younger sister. I had also seen other women in my extended family nursing their babies. So I thought, how hard could it be! 2. It looked like a good start. A little theory knowledge helps you recognize a situation. How much did it help you? I had a normal delivery and I nursed my baby right on the delivery table; just a few minutes after she was born. The first two days were pretty uneventful apart from the major sleep deprivation that was paving its way through my life, for years to follow. 😉 My milk volume increased on the third day leaving me super engorged pretty soon. It was not only difficult to latch the baby on the breast hard as rock, but next to impossible to be able to express without going through excruciating pain. People tried to help; from my husband to my mom and sister. The LC taught me the expression technique, but it was too painful to even touch my breasts. None of us could bring ourselves to inflict so much pain upon me. A nurse, of course with the right intentions, volunteered and expressed with totally wrong techniques. This led to bruising of my right breast and it continued to pain for a month. I can easily mark that day as the toughest day in my life with regards to enduring physical pain. Simultaneously, my baby developed neonatal jaundice. They gave her light therapy in my room itself. The physical pain of engorgement coupled with emotional pain of seeing that tiny thing in a box under blue lights was overwhelming. 3. Definitely not the start you had expected. Did things get better once you got home? Fortunately, things seemed to get better after a day and we came home. I have always been a very sincere and dedicated person. I try to give my best in everything I do. And if I can’t do something to the best of my abilities, I don’t do it at all. But in certain things, you can’t quit. Some things are too important to be left at the mercy of fate; breastfeeding is one of those. I had a mission in front of me – ‘6 months of exclusive breastfeeding’. So, I put alarms and nursed my baby every 2 hours. We were called the next evening for a weight check. My baby had lost 90 grams of her weight in 24 hours. Shocked, we immediately rushed to the pediatrician. She checked and observed her and told us that Aaratrika is lethargic. Her fingertips and soles were slightly blue and she wasn’t nursing efficiently. The pediatrician was surprised. She had been coming to the maternity home where I delivered from day one. As per her, my baby was the most active baby around. She advised my daughter’s admission to NICU for observation. 4. I got goosebumps. I cannot even imagine your plight. What happened next? I was in the general ward of the children’s hospital smelling my baby’s clothes. I thought I had lost her. There was no bed/room available at the hospital and I stayed the night with my husband sitting on the staff bed. And I went inside the NICU every couple of hours to nurse my baby. Eventually we had to be in the hospital for 3 more nights. They did numerous tests on her. All the reports were perfectly fine. The doctors came to the conclusion that the baby must not have received enough milk because of my super engorged breasts. Apparently, the baby was suckling, but was unable to transfer any milk. This really shattered me. As a mother, I had to just feed the baby. But, I couldn’t do that as well! The
Willpower & Perseverance: Breastfeeding Journey
Dia Jadwani is a practising Certified Lactation Counsellor (LC), in Ahmedabad (India). She is an Electronics and Communication engineer with a Masters degree in Engineering Business Management from Warwick University, United Kingdom (U.K). While in London, she also got the opportunity to work for a year at the International Digital Lab. Dia married in 2010 and switched jobs from being a homemaker to a manager at her husband’s hotel. She was a visiting lecturer at the IIPM University before turning into a full-time mom. At present, she’s content with her new designation; a full time mommy and a part time LC. Read Dia Jadwani’s journey to know how her willpower and perseverance kept her going. 1. Dia, although you had a great start to your breastfeeding journey, the bumps were just around the corner. My breastfeeding journey began on 26th June 2014. The start was actually miraculously easy. My baby latched on to me beautifully with very little help of a loving nurse at the hospital. The hospital (doctors and staff) appeared to be supportive of breastfeeding. Well, they even had a box of formula ready to feed the baby. They emphasized on how it was normal to give the baby formula in the first two days post-delivery. The hospital completely lacked the means to counsel a new mother. They told me that it would take few days for the milk to come in. There was nobody to teach me how to latch and its importance in the following days. I was unaware of what to expect in the coming days. I clearly remember how scared I was to leave the hospital with a new-born. Although, she latched on well, I was still scared. I did not know what I was supposed to do or what was expected of me as a mother! Very soon, we met with our line of hurdles; severe engorgement on the third day to De Quervain disease, baby blues (mild postpartum depression (PPD)) and mastitis at 18 months. I could not even lift my baby when I was suffering from De Quervain. It felt like I had seen it all. I was a naïve mother with no knowledge of anything related to breastfeeding as I didn’t read much. The only thing I knew was that I had to breastfeed my daughter for the first six months. My mother and cousin (brother) asked me to do so. And I did it. I live in a nuclear set up and that kind of helped me take decisions without any outside interference. 2. That sounds really rough. How did you motivate yourself to keep going? I struggled due to lack of sleep during growth spurts. I would be up from 1-5 am just nursing, but I wouldn’t budge. And I exclusively breastfed her for six months. Then came the unwanted advice by well-meaning friends and adults to wean her off breast milk by around the tenth month. I even bought formula (1 kg pack) to introduce at 8 months, which eventually got dumped. Something didn’t feel right so I began educating myself about breastfeeding. I started reading and even posted my queries in various Facebook support groups. That led me to a wonderful group, “Breastfeeding support for Indian Mothers (BSIM)”. I got answers to my queries by asking and by reading several posts in the group. I realised so many mothers are nursing their 2 and 3 year olds. It motivated me to go beyond the stipulated breastfeeding timeline made by our society. BSIM changed everything for me in a positive way. It helped me breastfeed my daughter much longer than I had anticipated and I even found a career in it. It is very rarely that we come across a mother who has not been subjected to weaning advice. Do you fall in the rare group? There were so many people coming in with unsolicited advice that it was becoming difficult to function. I was bombarded with several myths. Eat more ghee and drink more milk to make more milk! Nurse only after an interval of 2 hours else it would cause gas to the baby. I wasn’t allowed to nurse after washing my hair. Basically they just wanted to let the baby cry I guess! If the baby demanded milk frequently or fed for a longer duration I was told that I wasn’t making enough. Looking back, I realised that people love to make a new mother’s life difficult instead of providing actual support. The one myth that affected me the most was feeding at intervals, an advice given by the paediatrician. I believed the doctor as Vihaana (my daughter) was already a colicky baby. I still remember putting her through a difficult time where she would cry and I would watch the clock. My mother had to drive some sense into me when my brain had actually stopped functioning. She reasoned with me and asked.“If you do not feed her then how exactly are you planning to make her quiet? Do you want to start formula? Does your doctor know how to stop a hungry baby from crying when all other methods are exhausted?” That struck a bell! From then, it was only nursing on demand even if it meant just after a gap of 15 minutes. And that was the last time I ever took advice from a paediatrician about breastfeeding. I just followed my instinct as I understood that there was nothing better available than a mother’s own milk. 3. Tell us a little more about the obstacles you faced during breastfeeding. The initial months were based on gut instincts and no support. And I admit, I made mistakes along the way. As most new mothers, I doubted my supply when my daughter nursed like a new born through growth spurts. I dint even know this term back then and ended up having supplements to boost my supply. Religious intake of the supplements for a month led to engorgement and plugged ducts due to oversupply. I
Perfect – Imperfect Journey: Breastfeeding Journey
Priya Kathpal is a nutritionist by profession. She says, “It happened during the college years while exploring career options and interests 🙂 I must mention here that I am a big time foodie at heart. Being a nutritionist actually helps me balance things :P. I can’t really say I was unaware about so and so food effects :D”. Read on to know about Priya Kathpal’s perfect – imperfect breastfeeding journey.
Sailing through hurdles: Breastfeeding Journey
Zoya Khan has two degrees and one masters to her credit; a Bachelors in Technology (B.Tech), Bachelors in Commerce (B.Com) and Masters in Business Administration (MBA). She had the opportunity to work with dyslexic kids and be a part of their life’s journey when she decided to do a few certificate courses. Zoya did a few workshops for teaching special needs children. She counselled parents of differently-abled kids as they weren’t ready to accept them. At one of the meets, she met a person who helped abuse (all kinds) victims. Zoya moved on to assist with counselling them too. After shifting base to Hyderabad (India), she has not been affiliated with any organisation. But Zoya continues to help victims of abuse through online counselings. She is currently pursuing a course in Clinical Psychology. Zoya has also developed her passion in crocheting into a business and CuddliciousZ was born. Her breastfeeding journey was no cakewalk, but sail through the hurdles she did.
A bittersweet journey: Breastfeeding Journey
Raksha Raghavan was born and raised in Bangalore before she moved to Singapore after marriage. She did her engineering in information technology and worked with IBM, Bangalore for around 2.5yrs. After moving to Singapore, she worked for BNP Paribas for 1.5 years before moving to London in the same job for another 2 yrs. Raksha later joined an American bank for 1.5 years before she went on her maternity leave. After the government stipulated leave period of 12 months, she is back to building her career with JP Morgan. Raksha is an avid reader and a crochet artist. She also used to write a lot until a couple of years ago. Apart from the above mentioned Raksha is a crusader for breastfeeding and is a certified Breastfeeding Mother Supporter. Read on to know more about Raksha’s bittersweet breastfeeding journey.
