‘Thank goodness it was in my “go-bag"!'
I look at my breasts. I can't imagine that milk will soon be coming out of those. What would that look like? And how will it come out? As a single jet? Or would the milk come out of all those little holes?
I correct myself. Maybe no milk will come out at all! I know from girlfriends how complicated breastfeeding can be. I hope it works, but if not, I won't make a big deal out of it! Little did I know...
Childbirth unexpectedly ended in a caesarean section. I was being lived by the (primarily lovely) hospital staff. I had access to the best experts; even a lactation consultant stopped by, and a breast pump was quickly arranged for me. Because the milk was just not coming. Nothing came out, no matter how hard I massaged (as instructed) and tried to force the milk out of my breasts.
A cup of formula
My daughter had a low birth weight, so the staff were somewhat concerned. If breastfeeding didn't start soon, they would have to give her a "cup" of formula. I was bombarded with new scrabble terms.
When after a day, there was still no breast milk flowing, that cup of formula became a reality. I was so glad I had prepared for it and stuffed it in my "go-bag"!
I am the type of woman who reads labels in the supermarket
I try to avoid E numbers. Plus, I prefer to make personal care products myself. Although I wouldn't admit it at the time, I must retrospectively confess that the hormones – and the amount of free time due to my leave – exacerbated this. Only the best for my child!
Knowing that breastfeeding doesn't necessarily work out, I wanted to find out beforehand which formula would be the best alternative. I read about the breast milk bank. A fantastic initiative, but I felt such resistance to give my baby someone else's breast milk...
Is that mother healthy? Is she eating well? Doesn't she have diseases to transmit?
And to be honest, it felt a bit threatening, another mother feeding my baby. Incredibly hypocritical, of course. After all, formula is also made from animal breast milk. Yet this felt more comfortable as it is thoroughly researched and meets today's standards.
For me, organic is the norm
I think this is only natural, both for animal welfare and the environment. But also for myself. Because of that, many brands were eliminated. After doing some reading, I also had a slight preference for goat's milk, but this was not necessarily super important.
At first, the ingredients didn't seem to differ much. After all, there are stringent rules that formula must comply with. But after my detective work, I did discover differences. I found these to be so significant that I started comparing them and eventually ended up with Pure Goat.
That's how a tin ended up in my go-bag. A sceptical nurse took the tin out of the bag.
She had to properly inspect the tin, as she was unfamiliar with this formula! Quite amusing in hindsight, as I now know that the way of preparation differs little or not at all. Then again, it was nice to see that she was so meticulous.
I am so glad that her very first feeding, that vital cup, was the formula I had chosen myself and still firmly support. The fact that I did not have to buy a tin in the hospital with no or little choice and often much pricier than elsewhere. And, the cherry on top, after two days, the breastfeeding started after all. I was overjoyed!
You can read about why I started bottle feeding in addition to breastfeeding after a few weeks and how this works in my next blog.
Do you have any questions about my blog? Just send an email to Pure Goat. They will be happy to pass your questions on to me. I'll do my best to answer them all!
