Whether you're a new mum or not, you're probably already aware of the pros and cons of breastfeeding. While it's an intimate bonding experience between a mum and her baby, it still has its downsides.
To look into the ups and downs of breastfeeding, Naomi Neo recently shared the experiences of fellow mums as well as her own.
The lifestyle blogger and mum of two took to her Instagram stories to let other mums share their own breastfeeding challenges.
Naomi made sure her followers got to hear the pros and cons of breastfeeding and even shared a few pumping tips.
Pros And Cons Of Breastfeeding: Naomi Neo Shares Experiences Of Fellow Mums
Influencer mummy Naomi Neo asked her Instagram followers to share their own breastfeeding journey stories as she believes "it's so important for more people to know the ups&downs of it."
In her Instagram story, she asked fellow mums, "Did you breastfeed your child(ren)? For how long and how was your journey like?"
In turn, she replied with pros and cons of breastfeeding from her own experiences.
Downside Of Breastfeeding
1. The challenges of pumping sessions
With breastfeeding comes pumping milk for your little one. In Naomi's Instagram story, a mum shared, "It's been almost 3 months... challenging [because] of the 3 hourly pump sess."
Naomi added that she felt the same and wrote back with, "I was still pumping every 3 [hourly] when my firstborn was around 8 months old."
In another reply to a mum, Naomi wrote, "Latching was [really] hard for me physically and mentally. So I stopped midway and started pumping exclusively!"
2. Having blocked ducts and other complications
The celeb mum also says she was concerned that if she "dragged" her pumps, she might have to face the following:
- Getting her ducts blocked
- Experiencing mastitis
- Her breastmilk supply dropping
3. The lack of sleep
While it does let you spend more time with your baby, having to constantly breastfeed them can be tiring for anyone.
Similar to the mum who answered how she had to go through three hourly pumping sessions, Naomi also said that she suffered a lack of sleep due to this.
"The lack of sleep can be [really] overwhelming ESPECIALLY while having to take care of your little one throughout the day (and night) too," she wrote.
Benefits Of Breastfeeding
1. Getting to bond with your baby
One of the mums in Naomi's Instagram stories shared, "I'm still [breastfeeding] my 34mo girl. Dunno when she'll want to stop though. But I do enjoy the bonding with her."
To this, Naomi replied, "Envious! I've always wanted to have this intimate "bonding session" but dealt with a lot of [breastfeeding] issues with both kids at the beginning."
For continuing to breastfeed her baby for more than 30 months, Naomi lauded the fellow lactating mum, "You're doing well, mama!"
2. It helps you lose calories
In one of her past Instagram stories that you can find in her "#2 MOM LIFE" highlights, Naomi shared a fun fact about breastfeeding.
It's that breastfeeding "on its own usually helps you lose calories"!
3. It gets better with time and experience
"Personally, breastfeeding has gotta be one of the toughest parts of postpartum. The lack of sleep, infections, engorgement, pressure, anxiety, pain, fear since day 1," Naomi wrote candidly.
But despite these challenges, the vlogger mum added, "It definitely gets better with time + easier with each child".
Breastfeeding Tips From Naomi Neo
Aside from sharing the pros and cons of breastfeeding with other mums, Naomi Neo also gaves a few breastfeeding and breastmilk pumping tips. Here are a few that might be useful for all lactating mummies:
1. Eat when you're hungry, drink when you're thirsty
It may be a basic tip for anyone, but Naomi elaborated on why she thinks "it's important to avoid going on a diet." This was in line with how breastfeeding usually makes her "super hungry" and "thirsty all the time."
"One of the most important things in maintaining a good and healthy milk supply has gotta do with what you consume," she wrote.
Naomi further added, "I eat whenever I'm hungry (snack during my night/morning pumping sessions when I need to) and I drink LOTSSSS of water. I usually take one litre water bottle with me wherever I go."
"Avocado + milk does wonders for me as well," she added.
2. Taking supplements can help in maintaining your breastmilk supply
Naomi shared that she takes sunflower lecithin "religiously" as it "helps to reduce stickiness in your [breastmilk]" which in turn prevents blocked ducts.
She also started taking other supplements to maintain her supply while dragging out her pumps.
"These supplements can also help to increase your supply if you've low supply issues. They helped me back when I had a drop in supply during my mastitis episode," she added.
3. Dragging out pumps slowly to maintain breastmilk supply
While providing breastmilk for her baby Zyla, Naomi said she "did things a bit differently" and shared that she "dragged out" her pumps slowly at around three months.
She dragged out her pumps "from 3hr to 4hr then slowly 4.5hr etc. "I'm pumping only 4 times a day/6 [hourly] but still yield the same amount!" she added.
Lead image source from Instagram / naomineo_.
If you have a breastfeeding story you'd like to share, write to us here.
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