They say that the first latch of the baby to the mother, upon birth, is very crucial to breastfeeding. Hopefully for the last time, I will blame diabetes, because when I gave birth, I had
hyperglycemia while my baby had
hypoglycemia. The pediatrician had to give formula to
Euen right away.
A few hours after the delivery, she was brought to my room and we tried breastfeeding. She was able to latch successfully for the first time. She sucked and she sucked real hard. Unfortunately, there was
no milk coming out of my breasts. Not even
colostrum. This was the second reason why we couldn't have her roomed-in with us. The hospital didn't allow formula feeding on the patient's rooms. The nurse told us that it was okay and we'll just have to keep on trying. Four to five times a day, our baby was brought to us, she'll just sleep beside me and when she wakes up, we try breastfeeding. Then, she was fed formula milk when she's brought to the
NICU.
We were sent home after a couple of days and during the first two days at home, there's still no milk so had to give her formula. On the third day, I sat for five straight hours with her just changing from one breast to the other, breastfeeding her. I take an hour or two for breaks, then I breastfeed her again when she cries. I had a feeling that she was still hungry but I held off giving her formula and just offered her my breasts with the hope that there will be a drop or more.
Twenty four hours passed, no formula milk. Then
forty eight hours passed, she was still satisfied.
My breasts were tender and my nipples were cracked and sore for the first couple of weeks. I tried pumping twice just to know for myself if there's milk coming out. I admit there was one point that I wanted to give up because I fear I might be able to give enough. But she didn't give up on me, she latched and sucked every time. That kept me trying.
Now on Euen's third week, my nipples still hurt a bit when she latches, my breasts sometimes get tender when supply is full.
Euen feeds by the hour during the day and every 2-3 hours at night. I have adequate supply of milk for
Euen. I'm very proud of my baby, of our achievement.
After one month and eight days, finally Shashing had a business trip! 
I can't believe it, Euen's one month old already! The past four weeks were tough. Day by day, as Euen learns new things about the world, we also learn new things about her and how to take care of her. From 7 lbs 11 oz, she's now 9.2lbs. Though I can't say we've established a comfortable routine already, I am just happy I am able to provide ample milk for her. She's feeding every 2-3 hours and sleeping in 2-3 hour stretches. I'm lucky if it extends to 4 hours. That gives me time to do household chores. 
A few hours after the delivery, she was brought to my room and we tried breastfeeding. She was able to latch successfully for the first time. She sucked and she sucked real hard. Unfortunately, there was no milk coming out of my breasts. Not even colostrum. This was the second reason why we couldn't have her roomed-in with us. The hospital didn't allow formula feeding on the patient's rooms. The nurse told us that it was okay and we'll just have to keep on trying. Four to five times a day, our baby was brought to us, she'll just sleep beside me and when she wakes up, we try breastfeeding. Then, she was fed formula milk when she's brought to the NICU.
Because I was still recovering, my movements were limited. My only task was breastfeeding Euen, all others, the new Papa took charge. That included taking care of me and not only Euen. The first few days I couldn't go up and down the stairs so food was brought to me. My wound needs to be cleaned daily as well. On top of that, he took care of the house and the dogs. 
