Mommy Chax

Breastfeeding is a rewarding yet demanding commitment. In fact, deciding to stick with exclusive  breastfeeding—even despite the difficulties experienced—is sometimes the harder decision to make. In  this online interview, Mommy Chax shares some of her personal experiences in her breastfeeding journey,  which was made uniquely challenging not only due to the current pandemic, but also due to her decision  to return back to orthopedic residency 2 months after giving birth to her 14-month old daughter, Eli. She  shares some of the insights she gained, as well gives valuable advice that she hopes will help not only  mothers who are already breastfeeding, but also those wanting to pursue breastfeeding as well.  

According to Mommy Chax, she had no prior knowledge of the struggles that came with  breastfeeding from any other mom, since Eli was the first baby in her side of the family. Thus, she initially  thought that due to its accessibility, providing breastmilk for Eli was going to be easy. However, she soon began to feel pressured in her responsibility of serving as the only source of nourishment for the baby.  She got worried when her supply dipped a little, or when she experienced inconveniences such as needing  to running errands and wake up at night to breastfeed. ​

In addition, she realized that breastfeeding wasn’t really 100% free. It entailed a lot of effort on her part to express milk, clean and sterilize her pump, avoid mastitis, and take care of herself to be healthy  enough to produce more milk. However, Mommy Chax remarks that all of these things made breastfeeding even more valuable than the money spent on formula feeding. ​

Thus, no matter how much time and effort it entailed, Mommy Chax decided to keep on  exclusively breastfeeding Baby Eli. In deciding to resume her orthopedic residency, she knew that to  continue exclusively breastfeeding her was going to be a challenge. And it certainly was.  

“I had to pump before, in between and after surgeries, right after OPD, during duties and after  conferences. My pumping schedule wasn’t regular, so there were episodes of engorgement and plugged  ducts. Thankfully, I never had mastitis, and my milk was always enough for my baby and even had more  to share for donation.”

She then emphasizes that this was made possible through the support she received from her colleagues,  with them not minding the buzzing sound of the pump late at night, or when Mommy Chax had to excuse  herself right after trans out.
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However, there came a time when Mommy Chax almost stopped breastfeeding. “Eli started biting  during feeding when she was teething at around 10 months. I even got a wound and it was really painful  to feed.” Fortunately, after getting support and encouragement from her husband, as well as advice from  Baby Eli’s pedia and her friend who also happened to be a breastfeeding counselor, Baby Eli’s feeding  habits improved. Mommy Chax was then able to recover and continue breastfeeding. 

When asked about some of the things that she wished she would have done differently in her  breastfeeding journey, Mommy Chax shared the she would have simply brushed off unsolicited advice  that she received from people who had never breastfed—especially males. In addition, she wished to have  cared less about feeding or pumping in public. Finally, she would have bought less “nursing” tops and just  stuck to regular clothes that she could wear even after weaning.  

Nevertheless, one’s breastfeeding journey will never be perfect. Mommy Chax even remarks that  “challenges will always be there in every stage.” Thus, she advises moms to develop a strong support  group, starting from the baby’s father, up until the mother’s colleagues and workmates. She then reminds  mothers that they do not have to bear the burden of breastfeeding and motherhood all by themselves. 

Finally, we asked Mommy Chax how breastfeeding has made an impact on her relationship with  Baby Eli. To this, she replied: “It definitely made “a mother’s unconditional love” more tangible, as the  journey to breastfeed wasn’t as easy as I expected.” 
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Mommy Chax goes even further by saying that as she saw how Eli was able to reach her leaps and  milestones healthily, the decision to continue breastfeeding truly proved worth every plugged duct and  bite mark.