Note: This post is a revised version of a blog post in my other blog.

I can’t wait to give birth. I can’t wait to breastfeed again.

I enjoyed breastfeeding Issen, my now 15-month-old boy, so much that I was so devastated when we had to stop. I got pregnant again when Issen was about 8 months old, and my OB advised against breastfeeding while pregnant. Also, my irregular schedule of milk expression at work caused the continuous decrease in my milk supply. I was using a manual pump then and the stress at work didn’t do much good to milk supply, add to that the fact that I sometimes skip my pumping session because it has become a really tiring chore to me.

Still, I was lucky that I didn’t go through the usual first-timer breastfeeding dilemmas. Issen learned very easily to latch on to me, and I never experienced cracked nipples or extremely painful plugged milk ducts.

Here are a couple of lessons I learned that could have made my breastfeeding easier and last longer.

First is making sure my milk supply is fully established before going back to work.

You need about six weeks of round-the-clock direct-feeding to do this. I only had three weeks. Issen had to stay at the hospital for one week after birth due to some minor complications, and though I was entitled to a two-month maternity leave, I had to go back to work a month after I gave birth due to manpower issues (I was not forced to go back to work, I just want to clarify that). So naturally, I was off to a bad start.

But I struggled and continued to express milk at work using the Avent ISIS manual pump that my aunt gave to me as a gift.

Lesson #2: Get a breast pump ideal for frequent milk expression at work.

The Avent ISIS manual pump is great pump, really. But using a manual pump 3-4 times a day can get really tiring. Eventually, I wasn’t able to express milk on schedule because I actually dread going through the motions. I’m not proud of it, but you can’t blame me either since I’m at the office for a reason. I’m sure you’ll agree that being a corporate slave employee can be very stressful and tiring without you expressing your milk several times a day. And stress, it was proven, greatly affects your milk supply.

This time, I plan to invest in a battery-operated or electronic pump. This is the solution I came up so I wouldn’t have the reason to skip a pumping session at work.

I’ve pretty much decided already on what pump I want to get. I’m not yet 100% sure about it, I still have to do more research and wait for a few more weeks to get more reviews about it since the pump has just been released. It’s kinda pricey, though, but since I’ve been saving my online earnings for a nice pump, I’m hoping I can afford it when I’ve finally decided to buy it. I’ll tell you more about this pump soon.

Anyway, for other breastfeeding moms out there, maybe you can share some tips and techniques on how I can achieve my quest for longer breastfeeding for my second baby. Aside from direct feeding whenever possible, of course; that already goes without saying.

Thanks to Wikimedia and Avent for the images used in this post.