Isabelle A., Lucerne, Switzerland, mother of one child
The emotional rollercoaster I experienced when my first baby was born was overwhelming. It is hard to find the words to describe the joy and the happiness of holding your healthy baby in your arms, as well the new responsibility that comes with it. Kian, our new baby boy brought a new dimension to our lives. The focus shifted – it was no longer just about me or my husband. It was all about Kian.
Kian was so little when he was first born. I wanted him to drink from my breast to make sure that he got all the good nutrients, but his size meant that he didn’t have much energy to breastfeed, and often fell asleep.
I was concerned about his weight gain, even more so because I couldn’t measure how much milk he was actually drinking from my breast. I had lots of questions racing through my mind: Am I producing enough milk? How much is he drinking? If he is only drinking a little bit from time to time, could my milk supply run out? How can I increase my milk supply to give him more milk, and in turn increase his energy intake?
The lactation consultants and midwives in the hospital were very comforting and did their best to reassure me that everything was fine. But I still wanted more reassurance. We decided that I needed to pump, and bought an electric breastpump. I chose the Swing maxi double pump made by Medela. It was a personal version of the one that I used in the hospital and that in its self really put my mind at ease.
At the beginning, I saw that I only had a small amount of milk. But with pumping, I was able to increase the milk supply and I always knew that even when Kian took as little as 10ml in one feed, there was no need to worry about my milk production dropping. Seeing how much I produced, and being able to measure Kian’s intake gave me the peace of mind, and eventually the confidence, that I was seeking and needed.