Disclaimer: Please do not judge my failings or lack of expertise in motherhood. Fairly new to this and know that if I could have done better, I would have.
So here's a recap of my baby's history.
Maria was born with a cleft lip. This alone was already as stressful as it is. She was diagnosed with a cleft around 5 months into my pregnancy (amazing what ultrasounds can tell on such an early age). This frustrated me and made me cry for an entire week. I wasn't in the mood for anything and whenever my husband and I would talk, it would be about that. And of course, I would breakdown. I felt bad having to be the weak one while he pretended to be okay. Nevertheless, we told each other that everything will turn out fine and that we'll get through it. I called up my parents about it which made my mom cry, too. She assured me, though, that she'll help me get through. At the end of the day, we couldn't ask for a better baby than the one we have. She's the most adorable and most beautiful baby girl I have laid my eyes on. This, of course, was just the beginning. Hello, motherhood!
Since my baby had a cleft lip, eveyone thought that she wouldn't be able to breastfeed. All the doctors and nurses I faced in the hospital where I gave birth asked me if I got my baby a special feeder and I said no. First of all, I wished my baby didn't have a cleft lip. I prayed and prayed but God had other plans. Plus, as I've searched and searched online, there's no trouble in breastfeeding if it's just a cleft lip. Usually, the trouble comes from having a cleft palate. This drove me insane when no one believed in me and my baby. So I breastfed. And proved everyone wrong. Which in turn, amazed the doctors and nurses that told me otherwise. OH, YEAH!
To those mommies worried about their babies that might have a cleft lip/palate, please know that plastic surgeons and orthodontist are your way to go. Though most hospitals would recommend seeing an ENT doctor, my suggestion would be to check with cleft lip/palate communities that help repair around the world - most of them are orthodontists and plastic surgeons. Please do know that some experts would also do operations on they day you little one is born, though only a number of doctors would accept this as its difficult to work with new borns. Please know, too, that the so-called "Rule of 10" is quite outdated. Most doctors still practice this but I've learned that this has been abandoned a long time ago. Have I known this, I would have had my little one operated day she was born. God has other plans again for me and my baby.
So, I got over the worry of Maria having a cleft lip and the issue on breastfeeding. But yet again, another worry. I was sent home 2 days after giving birth. On the 3rd or 4th day, I tried to pump some milk using a manual pump just to know if I'm producing milk and if my baby would be adaptable to the bottle. When I pumped, I had my husband and my maid beside me. As young parents, anyone and everyone's advice was all we could rely to base our experiences on. My maid has 3 children and obviously, way older than my husband and I. As I pumped, white and almost clear substance came out. It looked more like water than it did of milk. My maid commented that her milk, from day 1, was white as the milk that came out of a carton box. This made me feel so awful. I tried to pump more and more but barely any came out. This made me frustrated. I wanted to cry. My maid said that my baby might not being getting any at all. All I could think of was, "but she latched on perfectly, I could hear her suck and swallow." She suggested that I feed my baby some formula milk. I had formula milk ready in the pantry before I even gave birth just to be on the safe side. I cried as I made my baby some formula milk. I cried so much that I had to let her try feeding my baby with the bottle. And guess what, my baby barrly took in any of the milk and slept instead. As I cried and cried, I noticed my shirt getting wet. I had so much milk! It's impossible that my baby wasn't getting any. I was dripping. And I thanked the Lord for that. Hooray for me! Horray for Maria! This was rather an emotional experience.
Well, that's it for now. I'll return with part 2 of my frantic momma days. Ciao for now! Comment for questions or suggestions or anything for that matter. Cheers!
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