Being a New Mum: What I Learned Along My Breastfeeding Journey

I became a mum this year, and one thing I have learned is that motherhood is a journey of learning every single day.

During pregnancy, I attended antenatal classes to prepare myself for childbirth and life with a newborn. Even at the confinement centre, there were classes to help us learn how to care for our babies. However, as I went through motherhood myself, I realised that no matter how many classes we attend, there are still so many things that we can only learn through experience.

One of the biggest lessons for me was breastfeeding.

Breastfeeding Is More Than Just Putting Your Baby to the Breast

During my university days, I was taught about the benefits of breastfeeding. The antenatal classes I attended also emphasised how good breast milk is for babies. Of course, I understood that breast milk provides important nutrients for a baby's growth and development.

However, what I did not fully understand was how demanding the breastfeeding journey could be, especially when it came to maintaining milk supply.

I learned that frequent milk removal, whether through breastfeeding or pumping, helps stimulate milk production. Many mums are advised to pump around every three hours, particularly in the early days when they are establishing their milk supply.

That was when I realised that breastfeeding was not as simple as I had imagined.

The Reality of Pumping Every Three Hours

As a new mum, I was already busy taking care of my baby and juggling household chores. Finding the time to pump every three hours consistently was not easy. It also meant sacrificing precious sleep, especially when I needed to wake up in the middle of the night to pump.

I remember a friend who diligently pumped every three hours during her confinement period. She was so committed to maintaining her milk supply, but I also noticed how exhausted she looked, with dark circles under her eyes from the lack of sleep.

Seeing her experience made me realise just how much dedication breastfeeding could require.

At one point, I thought about setting alarms and following a strict pumping schedule myself. But when the alarm rang in the middle of the night, I often felt too exhausted to get up. My body was still recovering from childbirth, and I knew I needed rest, too.

I wanted to provide breast milk for my baby, but I also needed to listen to my body.

So, I continued breastfeeding and pumping whenever I could, although I did not always manage to follow the recommended three-hour schedule.

Not Every Mum Produces Enough Breast Milk

Before giving birth, I had assumed that every mother would naturally produce more than enough breast milk for her baby. I even thought I might need to buy a new fridge to store all the extra milk I would produce!

Thankfully, I did not rush into buying one during pregnancy.

As it turned out, my breastfeeding journey was quite different from what I had imagined. I did not produce enough breast milk to meet all my baby's needs, so I had to combine breastfeeding with formula feeding.

By pumping a few times a day, I managed to collect enough breast milk for approximately one feed for my baby.

It might not have been as much as I had hoped for, but I learned to appreciate what I could provide rather than constantly focusing on what I could not.

Every mother's body is different, and every breastfeeding journey is different. Some mothers produce plenty of milk, while others struggle to maintain their supply despite their best efforts. Neither experience makes a mother better or worse than another.

Breastfeeding Is a Marathon, Not a Competition

If there is one important lesson I have learned from my breastfeeding journey, it is this: be patient, stay consistent when you can, and do not compare yourself with other mums.

Breastfeeding is a marathon, not a competition. It takes time, effort, patience and, sometimes, a lot of sacrifice. But it is also important to remember that taking care of ourselves is part of taking care of our babies.

We do not need to measure our motherhood by how much breast milk we produce, how many bottles we pump each day, or how closely we follow someone else's routine.

What matters is that our babies are fed, loved and cared for, and that we are doing the best we can with what we have.

For mums who are struggling with their milk supply, please know that you are not alone. It is okay to seek support, adjust your expectations and supplement with formula when needed. Your worth as a mother is not determined by whether you exclusively breastfeed.

Coming to the End of My Breastfeeding Journey

Very soon, my little one will turn one year old. As I look back on these past months, I feel a mixture of emotions. There were moments of exhaustion, frustration and self-doubt, but there were also precious moments when I felt grateful that I could provide breast milk for my baby.

My breastfeeding journey may not have turned out exactly as I had expected, but it has taught me so much about patience, perseverance and accepting my own limitations.

As my baby approaches his first birthday, I know that the end of my breastfeeding journey is getting closer. Part of me feels emotional about it, because this has been a special chapter of our lives. At the same time, I am proud of myself for making it this far.

I may not have produced a freezer full of breast milk, and I may not have pumped every three hours as I once thought I should. But I showed up for my baby in the ways I could, and that is something worth celebrating.

To all the new mums out there, remember that motherhood is a learning journey. We will make mistakes, discover our limits and learn to do things differently along the way.

Be patient with yourself, celebrate the little wins, and remember that a happy, healthy baby needs a mum who is cared for, too.

And most importantly, you are doing better than you think.