Having breastfed my eldest for two years, I was also determined to breastfeed Mira for as long as I can. Of course, since we now reside in Saudi, the expectations are quite different. For one, I'm not aware if Saudi has laws similar to the Philippines' Milk Code and various DOH regulations, which provide for the essentials in newborn care, two of which are skin-to-skin contact and non-separation of mother and baby to initiate breastfeeding. The Milk Code also prohibits the introduction of formula to newborns while still inside the hospital. Thus, mothers are forced if not encouraged to breastfeed their newborns. In the Philippines, the "Unang Yakap" protocol is observed to allow the baby to latch to the mother as soon as the baby is born, as what happened when I gave birth to Elise (although she didn't learn to latch right away). Here, the minute I gave birth to Mira, I told the nurse I would like to breastfeed her, but she told me, "No", followed by some explanation which I didn't quite get. I didn't want to argue anymore due to the language barrier and I was also exhausted. After a minute or so, they gave me Mira already cleaned and swaddled in a blanket so we didn't get to experience that first skin-to-skin contact, which saddened me a bit. After that, she was whisked away to the nursery, and I never got to see her again until 12 hours later. Which led me to believe she was given formula while she was at the nursery. Four years ago, I might have stressed to the max over this thought, but this time, I just let it go. While I believe in the benefits of breastfeeding and still plan to breastfeed her exclusively for the first 6 months, I've also opened up to the "Fed is Best" advocacy. Honestly, I also had no strength left to question the hospital policies of a different country. I just waited for the pedia nurse to bring Mira to the room and began breastfeeding her until we left the hospital. We've been exclusively breastfeeding since. At the hospital, I also got a lot of promotional freebies and goodies from different companies including a newborn kit from the hospital, which includes tadaan... two bottles of pre-mixed Similac formula. This is a big no-no in the Philippines. Another challenge for us is that we haven't found a Filipino pedia here yet who is also a breastfeeding advocate. I got amazing support from Elise's pedia in Capitol Med, Dra. Pia Mendiola, who taught me patiently how to properly make Elise latch and encouraged me all throughout my breastfeeding journey. Ah, now comes the fun part, breastfeeding in public... in the Middle East! I guess it's safe to say that breastfeeding in public here does not exist. (Please correct me if I'm wrong.)
I'm also not aware whether there are dedicated breastfeeding stations here in malls and establishments. To be fair to the big malls in Pinas like SM and Ayala malls, they have nice, clean breastfeeding stations. Here, I guess I can breastfeed inside toilets, which I don't really wanna do. I guess I can also breastfeed inside the enclosed family booths inside restaurants, one of the perks of segregation.
The solution: take chilled pumped milk with me wherever I go and warm them when necessary. You gotta do what you gotta do. Despite the challenges, the upside of it all is that breastfeeding the second time around has been so much more pleasant! With Elise, I cried almost everyday due to cracked and bleeding nipples, plugged ducts, that feeling as if my breasts were on fire, etc. I endured that for almost 8 weeks! This time around, I got to enjoy breastfeeding Mira. There's still the occasional plugged ducts, and my nipples still cracked during the first two weeks, but thankfully, I learned how to better handle the pain. Maybe I have also matured for the last four years and have accepted that all this inconvenience is temporary but the benefits will last her a lifetime. * * * Read: My other articles about mommyhood and our diplomatic life here in Riyadh: My Birthing Story Ala-Fear Factor What to Expect When Expecting in Saudi House-Hunting in Riyadh: Fantasies and Realities The Start of our Diplomatic Journey
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