Public breastfeeding should become a norm

theAsianparent reader Amanda Yap shares her breastfeeding experience and her thoughts on public breastfeeding in Singapore.

theAsianparent reader, Amanda Yap was formerly a party girl who never thought about having kids. She is now a proud and very involved mother of two, who strives to give the very best to her babies and is enjoying motherhood immensely.

Read on to find out more about Amanda’s breastfeeding experience and her thoughts on public breastfeeding.

How long did you breastfeed for?

My first kid was eight months, and I’m currently breastfeeding my second child who is at 10 months now. I’m planning to breastfeed him for about a year and beyond if possible.

Why did you stop breastfeeding your first child at eight months?

She self-weaned, I didn’t want to stop but she just said ‘I had enough’!

It is important for breastfeeding mothers to maintain a healthy diet

What kind of diet did you follow when you’re breastfeeding?

None really, it was just as much nutritious food as possible. So no fast food and I had home cooked meals most of the time.

What supplements did you take to increase milk supply?

I heard of a lot of different supplements that mums talk about, and I tried so many of them but none of them worked the first time around. But the second time around, it certainly did boost my milk supply.

What supplement did you take?

I took Fenugreek, it’s used to increase milk supply. And surprisingly durian! But of course durian is not sustainable and you can’t be eating it every day.

But isn’t durian heaty?

It is heaty, and I do find that I get a sore throat after but it does increase milk supply. So I do it every now and again just to give it a boost, so if I find that my milk supply is low I’d eat durian.

Read on to find out how Amanda coped with the challenges of breastfeeding…

How did you deal with breast engorgement?

By feeding my baby or pumping.

Who did you turn to for breastfeeding advice?

When I first started, not many of my friends breastfed, but there was a small group of us and we were part of this group on Facebook called ‘The Breastfeeding Advocates Network.’ They’re very strong and very supportive. Even though it’s made up of 10,000 mums and dads who don’t know you, the moment you post a question or you need to rant everyone comes in to help you and support you and give you answers, even if it’s just to say ‘Hey, everything will be fine,’ they really do help.

How do you feel about public breastfeeding?

I do it all the time. But I believe that there are a lot of issues, a lot of people are not used to it so a lot of mums who do it cover themselves up with a feeding poncho or a shawl. But I think that it is so natural and so normal that it should be the norm, so more mums should do it out in public so that it becomes a norm.

Is there anything else you’d like to add?

Breastfeeding is the best gift that a mum can give to a child. It may be difficult, but once you get the hang of it it’s pretty easy and there are just so many benefits of breastfeeding that mums don’t realize.

Need breastfeeding help or support? Don’t fret!

theAsianparent has a Singapore Breastfeeding Mums Support Group that you can join for mum-to-mum advice.