Breastfeeding VS Formula

Some article i chanced upon earlier the day...
So i have saved $700plus at least for the past months since Asher's birth. ;p ;)

http://sg.news.yahoo.com/cna/20080807/tap-359-switching-formula-milk-breastfee-231650b.html

Initial plans was to try to breastfeed exclusively for 3 months at least before Asher finally came. Then i decided i want to extend to 6 months exclusive breastfeeding. Now that 6 months is coming up and Asher will have his semi-solids plus milk milk, I think 1 year should be the most minimum breastfeeding I will go for. But then, I do think I will try for as long as I can. Isn't it amazing how having Asher (a baby) changes my perception & decision of wanting to breasfteed him for as long as I can and that the decision gets extended again and again??!! ;p

The one most thing I am most happy and proud of is having been able to breastfeed successfully and have had sustained so long. :)

As I have read, unless one has medical complications or rare cases like inverted nipples etc, otherwise most women should all be able to breastfeed. However, many times many fail to succeed nor sustain majorly because of the lack of knowledge & confidence, or even discipline and determination. Hmm...

My recipe behind successful breastfeeding for long would be:
1. Frequent latching on of baby for direct breastfeeding right from the beginning
2. Frequent regular expressing even when there is no engorgement feel
3. Know the possible potential problems you will face like sore nipples, blocked ducts etc and what to do in the event
4. Try NOT to have any formula as so call stand-by at home, cos' that I think is the first step to failure, as that will influence our determination to carry on to stimulate & produce the BM
5. Stand by GLUCOSE powder to supplement little glucose liquid for baby to prevent dehydration in the initial days before milk comes in
6. Avoid early introduction of feeding bottles in the initial days
7. keep yourself hydrated!

Afterall, it has long been proven that production of BM is all an issue of "Demand & Supply".
If i can do it, so can you!

I breastfed Asher right from the night he arrived the world in the hospital. Since then on, for the initial months, it was like an average of latching on every 2 hours, around 10 to 11 times per day and then I remember expressing like 2, 3 times a day(once I even expressed till blood oozed out!!! so scared!!), as often as I could other than latching him on. Then when the milk supply stabilises, Asher also needed to feed less often. It became like 8 times latch on per day instead plus expressing at least twice a day. Recent month, it is down to 7 times a day plus 2,3 sessions of expressing. Of course, sometimes replaced by EBM in the bottle.

As Asher grows, he has been feeding more per feed...but because of the return to work, now he needs to take EBM from the bottle more often and latch on lesser, maybe 2 to 3 bottles a day on days when I need to be out longer and latch on 3,4 times only per such day. So, I cannot be lazy and have to work harder to express more often so that milk supply will not decrease too much.

Baby Asher...Mummy will try to make sure I keep the milk supply up for you k... ...
Lots of Love Always!