Working Is Not The Reason

January 13, 2010

Situation 1

Pity me.. Its not because that I don’t want to fully breastfeed my baby, but i’m a working mum and i dont have enough time to do pumping and all those stuff. How I’m going to have lunch when I pump? How about my colleagues?

Situation 2

My milk drop when I start working. That’s why I cannot breastfeed my daughter.

Situation 3.

Are you sure you can breastfeed you daughter while you are working? Previously, my breast milk last for only 3 months. After that, it starts decreasing. Later on you’ll see yours are also like that.

As a full time working mother, fulfilling our dreams to fully breastfeed our beloved one, I believe is not easy. We need to be well prepared mentally and emotionally as well as know what is to be expected when we start working. Are we able to have the passion and time to pump multiple times daily, for 2 years? Pumping at work can be challenging but with a little advance preparation and determination, both mother and baby can reap the rewards of continuing to breastfeed after the mother returns to work.

I’m a full time working mom with an active 1 year and 4 month old little girl whom I’m currently breastfeed. I heard it all the time from other working moms, as well as my relatives, that it is very difficult to work full time and breastfeed. They just cannot imagine handling both of it together that some supply their loved one with formula milk while working and only breastfeed at night or some just prefer to stop breastfeeding altogether.

Believe me, I’ve had my share of what is happening in situation 3. It is a big de-motivator to every breastfeeding mums out there. However, everything is possible and you can make it work as long as you have the information and determination. I always believe that lack of information on how to breastfeeding while being a full time working mum is the main reason why others don’t fully breastfeed their daughter. (Medical problem, or other unavoidable reasons, put it aside first. J)

Based on my experience, here are a few suggestions for successfully breastfeeding while working full time:

Gather information before going back to work.

If possible, gather all the information about how to succeed in breastfeeding even we are working. Read up or ask on what other women does, the problems they faced with, anything related to work and pump because you never know what will apply to you in your situation.

Invest in a good pump.

There are a lot of type of breast pump and pricing. So, read or ask for any reviews on the pumps. Choose the kind of pumps that are comfortable and convenient for you. Please note that there are pumps that are lightweight but very noisy compared to a bulkier but silent type. So, consider your working environment and try to suit what’s best e.g. silent pumps are suitable for a small office while small pumps are good for those who travel a lot.

Personally, I prefer to choose double electric pump. It saves me a lot of time (I’ve been using manual pump before I use my pump now) and is effective in keeping supply up.

Prepare with milk stock 2 weeks before start to work.

Start practice expressing and storing breast milk two weeks before returning to work. Express and store a packet of breast milk a day, and you will have a stock as initial amount when you start working. Once working, it will be very stressful and de-motivating if your breast milk stock is low or none at all. So, be prepared. This is also good to have a lot of practice with your pump so you are very comfortable with it before you are using it at work.

I learn this the hard way where I only started to stock when I’m only a few days before returning to work. As a result, I have to work harder to make up stock. huhuhu

Learn to pump or breastfeed anywhere.

Like my previous entry about breastfeeding in public, this is one of the things we must master. It is a matter of building confidence, so just do it and practice, practice, and practice. This applies to pumping also. You can pump anywhere you want even in your cubicle. There are some super mums out there that even pumps when they are driving (with the right equipment of course J).

Plan, schedule and find a better place to pump

You must plan when you can do your pumping session and when the time is good. As for me, I’ll do in the morning before started working, and then during lunch hour, lastly time to go home. I’ll pump inside the car (of course when my husband driving) and continuously everyday at the same time.

For a place to pump, before I started to do my pumping session at my cubicle, I do my pumping session at Surau. However, when I started to pump at my cubicle, it saves me more time for work. At first, yes I feel ashamed (I’m the only women at the office that time), but when you’ve used to it, it will be a normal thing for you then and then.

Tell Your Employer

Talk to your employer about your needs. If you can, you can ask for a place that easy for you to expressing milk. Or in another way, you can ask permission from your boss to do pumping inside your cubicle, like I do.

Prepare with all necessary stuff.

Prepare what you need when pumping at work. Like shawl for example, to cover your body. Icebox, to store your express milk. Ice pack, to keep the milk cold and everything that you think needed at the time.

Learn hand pumping

What?? Yes, learn how to hand pump your breast milk. Personally, I think it necessary in case you have emergency reason like your pump suddenly not working or you left your tube at home or your nipple crack (this is the main reason, since the suction of electric pumps are too hard for the nipple). It’s worth that you know this.

Believe you can do it.

It’s the most important thing you need to have in your mind. Remember, breastfeeding is not just for stay at home moms or those who works part time. IT’S FOR EVERYBODY!

Cheers!!!

Luv,

UmmiKhayra

Popularity: 2% [?]

mas.my on January 13, 2010 at 2:42 PM

Assalamualaikum

saya seminggu sblm start keje baru buat stok…tp susah jugak nk pump sbb saya puny pump tu guna elektrik…so, bunyik nyer kuat sikit…my Mikhail ni plak ada time dia x leh dgr bunyik langsung, mesti terjaga…stok mmg x byk la…bila dh start keje, pump kt opis twice daily..nasib baik boss paham..x der la tny ke mana menghilang for half an hour…

tp bila Mikhail dh 4 months, tetiba susu x nak keluar..kuar sikti2 je, x mcm sblm tu..sblm tu, each time pump, Alhamdulillah dt 6-8 oz sekali pump…bila start keje pas raya, tetiba susu susah nk kuar..sekali pump dpt 2 oz jer…sedih hati x yah citer aa..org kata minum Anmum utk tambah susu, saya minum..org kata rebus longan kering dgn gula batu, saya buat…org kata makan byk, saya buat…tp, still x der perubahan..sedih sgt rasa…saya jeles dgr org lain breastfeed anak smp umur 2 tahun..

org kata, jumlah pengeluaran susu ni, ikut permintaan…saya rasa, susu saya x kuar sbb Mikhail dh x nak…sbb masa puasa, kan org kata susu kita cair, kurang zat sbb kita x mkn…so, bila Mikhail dh x nak susu, pengeluaran susu pon kurang..ye ker?

kakak saya plak ckp, sbb saya bg dia susu formula cepat sgt…masa tu umur dia baru sebulan..mak saya dh suruh bg susu formula sbb takut nnt antar kt babysitter, takut susu x cukup..saya kalau boleh x nak bg formula time tu…tp mak saya paksa gak…saya menangis masa first time Mikhail susu formula…

alamak! terpanjang pulak cerita nyer..heheheh

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dbalkis Reply:
January 13th, 2010 at 6:36 PM
mas.my, kalau sebab awal bagi FM saya rasa tak kot..sebab lack of preparation and info juga saya bagi bb FM umurnya 4 HARI..dalam pantang tu… ..lepas tu tanya kawan2 dan surf internet, susu ibu boleh di”activate”.. makan bende2 segala tu..pastu sampai sekarang saya dapat continue BF full time kecuali time outstation je x cukup EBM bagi FM juga.. marila kita teruskan sedaya upaya ya..
.-= dbalkis´s last blog post ..Authentic Japanese Food =-.

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UmmiKhayra Reply:
January 14th, 2010 at 9:30 AM
Salam mas.my,

apa yang saya tahu, pengeluaran susu kita memang based on demand and supply. Kalau ada demand, akan ada supply. Sebab tu sebagai working mums, kita kena pam sebab kita berjauhan dengan anak kita untuk maintainkan susu kita.

Saya pun macam awak jugak… dari pengalaman saya, kalau makan makanan macam longan kering, pegaga even pil ASI semua tu tak memberi kesan pada saya. Memang ada sesetengah orang benda-benda tu takde memberikan kesan dan ada yang memberi kesan. Setiap orang tu berbeza. Sampaila saya cuba makan set breasfeeding shaklee. Makan tu, susu kita akan pekat dan production pun alhamdulillah.

Macam dBalkis cakap, sekarang ni susu ibu boleh diadakan semula. Relactation term dia. Dan ramai jugak yang berjaya. Cuba cari di forum-forum seperti susuibu.com. Banyak info berguna dalam tu.

Berkenaan FM tu, bagi saya, itu pun one of the reason jugak sebab bila anak kita dah biasa dengan FM yang rasanya manis, bila menyusu dengan kita, berkemungkinan dia dah tak nak. Selain itu, ia pun ada kaitan dengan demand dan supply. Bila anak mas.my dah kenyang dengan formula, dia dah tak nak susu badan lagi. Dari situ, dah kurang demand dan bila kurang demand, makin kurangla supply. Otai-otai bf, sila betulkan kalau saya salah ye.

haha.. saya pun dah terpanjang gak nih…
.-= UmmiKhayra´s last blog post ..~ Sekarang Bakal Menjadi 10 ~ =-.

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Hanz Reply:
January 15th, 2010 at 11:02 AM
Salam BF Mummies (Mas, DBalkis & UmmiKhayra)…

UmmiKhayra, thanks submit post yang sangat menarik ni. Pastinyer banyak membantu ibu2 BF yang ziarah MBP ni…

My input based on pengalaman, trained & sharing with BF Moms..

1) Azam mesti kuat & yakin kita boleh produce adequate milk. Kata2 masa puasa kandungan susu cair tu tak betul…ada banyak sebab our baby refuse nursing, boleh jadi dia teething, sakit, anxious & sebagainya…& baby kita boleh SENSE kalau kita stress, hubungan nursing moms & baby SANGAT CLOSE, sebsb tu BF Moms, please reduce your stress factor.

2) Food intake booster memang sangat membantu tapi the best influencer untuk milk production ialah constant sucking from baby & pumping yang constant everyday. Tak bolehlah hari ni pam kul 10, 4 & 9 malam pastu esok lain waktu pulak. And, kandungan susu ibu berbeza-beza dalam setiap waktu. BEAUTY of Breastmilk. Waktu malam, kandungan pekat dan banyak lemak, digalakkan malam pun pump jugak.

3) Pemberian FM & botol terlalu awal memang mempengaruhi production susu.To rectify, cuba kurangkan sedikit demi sedikit susu supplement.Contoh, waktu siang bagi 3 kali, kurangkan jadi 2 kali & mums pulak kenalah increase pumping session.Untuk baby yang dah take solids, mudah sikit coz boleh selitkan dengan food time bagi susu tu.

4) Me ada pengalaman relactation ni. Masa me jahil bab2 BF ni, me pun supplement FM with EBM dari baby 4 bulan…pastu tergerak hati untuk belajar…berjaya upgrade dari mixed feeding kepada fully BF masa baby 7 bulan sampailah anak nak dekat 3 tahun, tak campur langsung FM. Ada prescription me amik untuk bantu production plus kuat semangat, gigih & sikit sacrifice…

5) Pada mums yang travel sebab kerja, me dah jumpa many moms yang selalu travel masih boleh FULLY BF (mereka nilah buat me rasa malu sikit & fikir, kenapa aku tak boleh?) These moms bawak cooler box & all gadget & make a BIG DEAL to let people around them know thst they are BF moms. Siap boleh buat agreement ngan pihak hotel untuk simpan EBM kat fridge diaorang bila travel lama2. They can do it, why not us?

Dah terpanjang sangat ni…feel free to visit my blog & let us chat on BF more (Mode Promote-lah pulak) Sorry UmmiKhayra…
.-= Hanz´s last blog post ..The Hidden Messages We Give Our Children =-.

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Jue on January 13, 2010 at 3:15 PM

Very good info!! The most important thing is if u really2 wanna fully breastfeed ur baby is “DUN GIVEUP”!! It is not easy and very2 challenging!! Gather all useful information during ur pregnancy and be prepared.. Start ur pumping as early as possible, even a day after ur delivery.. It can help to produce ur colostrum sbb awal2 mmg susah susu nk kuar.. And please invest on a good pump.. Buy the one that can make ur life easier!! Then discipline girls!! Follow ur pumping schedule even u’ve to wake up 4 or 5 am in the morning.. SACRIFICE ur sleeps for ur precious one.. And dun be shy to ask the experts if u’ve any problem in latching or anything about breastfeeding.. Gud luck mommies!!

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UmmiKhayra Reply:
January 14th, 2010 at 9:37 AM
thanks jue..

agreed with you. The most important thing is we dont easily give up. Jangan cepat rasa down bila orang ckp macam2 and yes, memang banyak yang perlu dikorbankan bila kita nak memberikan yang terbaik ni pada anak-anak kita.

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fid@yuitsumuni on January 13, 2010 at 3:26 PM

ya..bekerja bukan alasan…
sebab itu saya tetap extended Bf sampai hari ini selepas 25months sesi perahan/kerahan(hahaha)
but i really2 enjoy it!!!

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UmmiKhayra Reply:
January 14th, 2010 at 10:09 AM
heehehe sokong… insyaallah, kalau diizinkan, saya pun nk ikut jejak kak fid.. skrg, target 2 tahun dulu..

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mas.my Reply:
January 14th, 2010 at 11:24 AM
jeles nyeee

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chugie on January 13, 2010 at 4:07 PM

Salam..

Saya sokong statement awak tu.. saya pun menginginkan keadaan yang begitu, tp apakan daya kerana kurangnye pendedahan awal tentang BF ni, dan kerana desakan MIL supaya beri dan ajar anak minum FM masa dalam pantang supaya anak tu tau dan sebab takut nanti anak saya susah bila ditinggalkan dengan penjaganye.. jadi saya pun mengajar anak supaya menyusu botol dan FM.. dan akhirnye, bila sampai masa bekerja semula.. saya juga ada pam BM, dan memang banyak saya dapat.. malangnye anak saya tak nak minum susu yang di pam dan di letak ke dalam botol susunye, dia hanya minum BF diretc dr breast saya sahaja.. saya menangis sebab terpaksa buang semua susu yang saya pam.. bukan mudah nak pam susu + menggunakan manual pam lagi.. hingga kini, anak saya minum FM di rumah penjaga dan saya akan beri die BF hanya bila saya berada dirumah bersama dengannye..

Sekarang saya dah ada banyak pendedahan mengenai BF.. dan insyallah akan gunakan untuk next baby..
.-= chugie´s last blog post ..Kami ke BAGAN LALANG =-.

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UmmiKhayra Reply:
January 14th, 2010 at 10:32 AM
Terima kasih sebab awak rasa info ini berguna untuk awak. Betul, kalau kita kurang info tentang BF ni, mungkin saya pun akan jadi macam awak. Nasib saya mendapat suami yang benar-benar memberikan sokongan 100% kepada saya dalam menjayakan impian murni saya ni.

Insyaallah, awak akan berjaya for the next baby..

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alohamolly on January 13, 2010 at 5:24 PM

Yup, I am still a FTWM now and still pumping for my 19mths son!

It’s not easy, but worth doing!

When you get the hang of it…it’s not difficult anymore!

I am sharing this after overcoming my first breastfeeding experience struggling with my daughter’s time….once overcome it…the second one would be much easier and you have more confidence and strength!

Cheers to all Pumping Mums and Dads who are there for us!!

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UmmiKhayra Reply:
January 14th, 2010 at 10:35 AM
Yep.. the challenge to breastfeed, pump and working is not easy. Each on of us, face different challenge and a lots to sacrifice. But the ends, it really worth doing all this thing a working mum.

Good luck to all pumping mums..
.-= UmmiKhayra´s last blog post ..~ Sekarang Bakal Menjadi 10 ~ =-.

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dbalkis on January 13, 2010 at 6:37 PM

Agree….mari kita teruskan semangat juang BF
.-= dbalkis´s last blog post ..Authentic Japanese Food =-.

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UmmiKhayra Reply:
January 14th, 2010 at 12:08 PM
chaiyok3…

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hadhatina halim on January 14, 2010 at 12:02 AM

salam

ini pertama kali saya hantar komen untuk artikel di mom bloggers planet.

yep! saya amat bersetuju dengan semua orang. MARI KITA SAMA2 PERJUANGKAN BF! although i havent experienced one yet (since im still a seven-month-preggy-mommy-to-be), but lots of exposure nowadays really, really makes me become excited (and also worried) to BF my baby later!

im currently unemployed, but meanwhile, if let say im gonna get a job after my confinement period, still, i wanna fully BF my baby..inshaALLAH
.-= hadhatina halim´s last blog post ..preggy updates : semput sebab makan nasi =-.

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UmmiKhayra Reply:
January 14th, 2010 at 12:10 PM
Salam hadhatina,

Saya doakan semoga awak berjaya merealisasikan impian awak.. Yang penting gather information sebanyak yang mungkin dan cuba dapatkan sokongan dari keluarga. Terutama sekali dengan suami. Insyaallah, akan dipermudahkan nanti..

Semoga berjaya..
.-= UmmiKhayra´s last blog post ..~ Sekarang Bakal Menjadi 10 ~ =-.

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laila on January 14, 2010 at 8:25 AM

ye, saya setuju juga!
bg saya yg paling penting, niat, cari info dan istiqomah itu sgt perlu.
.-= laila´s last blog post ..Kamera Canon Powershot S3 IS utk dijual (SOLD) =-.

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UmmiKhayra Reply:
January 14th, 2010 at 12:14 PM
sokong awak laila… IStiqomah dan doa banyak-banyak pada Allah SWT, insyaallah dipermudahkan.
.-= UmmiKhayra´s last blog post ..~ Digi Internet Pimp My Day Challenge – Fun Fun Fun ~ =-.

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mamaeja on January 14, 2010 at 11:11 AM

Salam…

memang setuju sangat2 dengan semua BF mommies here n out there… u r the best.. (termasukla saye.. hehehe )

skarang dah masuk 10 bulan saya BF my darling Lil’ assyura…. just visit my blog http://mamaeja.blogspot.com to see the proof of BF.

tgk la bambam nye anak saya tu… walaupun saya hanya dapat fully breastfeed till 3 months je… but sampai sekarang, asal im with her.. i’ll make sure she gets my milk (the fresh one)… masa mama xde je bg dier susu soya tu :p

sokong sangat2 dengan semua mommies2 yg sedang dan berazam utk BF baby masing2.. yela, dlm hadith pun ada bgtau seelok2 menyusu bayi tu biar selama 2 tahun… sebab itu adalah hak bayi dan kita kena la menunaikannye… even kalau kita x dapat bg susu badan, nak tukar FM pun kena persetujuan kedua2 pihak.. mama’s side n papa’s side…

moga info saya ni berguna utk kita semua

InsyaAllah… “sharing is caring!!!”

luv,
mamaeja –>–< @
.-= mamaeja´s last blog post ..senGGuGuT?!… Ouch… sakitnye…. =-.

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ummikhayra Reply:
January 15th, 2010 at 2:40 PM
Hehehhe betul2… yang penting semangat itu mesti ada kan eja…
.-= ummikhayra´s last blog post ..~ Khayra Shows Her Tantrum ~ =-.

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Jiji on January 14, 2010 at 2:22 PM

My dotter refuse bottle, so i have no choice Heh. Te*tek rocks!!!!!!!!
.-= Jiji´s last blog post ..Saya tak tahu sampai tahap ini.. =-.

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ummikhayra Reply:
January 15th, 2010 at 2:41 PM
memang rock la jiji…
.-= ummikhayra´s last blog post ..~ Khayra Shows Her Tantrum ~ =-.

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UmmiKhayra Reply:
January 15th, 2010 at 2:43 PM
jiji, you memang rock la…
.-= UmmiKhayra´s last blog post ..~ Khayra Shows Her Tantrum ~ =-.

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wafaa on January 14, 2010 at 2:37 PM

Salam semua,

Saya bf sepenuhnya anak tanpa susu formula sehingga umur dia 13 bulan 2 minggu. Demand yg tinggi dan supply yg menurun, makes me bought the 1st susu tin pertama. Tak rasa bersalah sangat sb target utk full bf 1 tahun. Me bad, i know. Tapi anak dah umur 15 bulan, he still bf. Love so much sampai pantang nampak mak dia, mesti nak.

Kat office dah tak pump sebab one session sekarang hanya dapat 0.5 oz. Cannot cope with the son’s demand. Walau ape pon, bf tetap bf.

Kpd yg masih ada high (very high) supply, buat la stok banyak2. Bila supply dah kurang, you’ll regret for not making lots of stock for you baby.

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UmmiKhayra Reply:
January 15th, 2010 at 2:43 PM
Saya pun sedang berusaha keras sekarang ni untuk keep maintain dapat supply.. kekadang jeles jugak dengan orang yang milk supply dia memang banyak..

Tu yang saya pun memang regret sebab masa awal-awal dulu tak simpan stok dengan banyak…
.-= UmmiKhayra´s last blog post ..~ Khayra Shows Her Tantrum ~ =-.

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catlina on January 19, 2010 at 8:54 AM

insya allah..sy akan cuba fully BF for next baby..tak kuat semangat masa first baby ni dan takde pengalaman …

i even dah plan..
1. nak beli fridge 2 pintu utk my MIl sebab umah dia pridge dah tak sejuk beku kat atas tu..masa dlm pantang, sy hadapai masalah nak simpan stok yang cukup…(masa dlm pantang lah nak kumpul2 byk2 kan, sebab tak keje)
2.want to buy a warmer to give to babysitter to warm my EBM
3.nak beli botol container susu EBM byk2…
4.nak beli double breast pump…

huhu..sesungguhnya sy rindu saat2 BF…
.-= catlina´s last blog post ..Photobook utk my mom and abah… =-.

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UmmiKhayra Reply:
February 2nd, 2010 at 2:54 PM
Hehheheh catlina, saya sokong anda… Chaiyok3…. Plan tu dah bagus dah tu… moga awak berjaya

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mas.my on January 22, 2010 at 2:15 PM

is it possible that now my son dh x bf, n saya try buat something utk dptkan balik susu badan ni n berhasil? cth mkn ubat ke..apa2 ker..? sbb mmg dh lama sgt dah dia x susu badan (saya pon x bg sbb dia dh ada 5 gigi..penah kena gigit! aauucchhh! menjerit sy masa tuh..heheheh)

saya rindu tgk muka dia masa tgh bf tu…dia tenung je mata saya..alahai…lemah segala sendi rasa time tu…plus, rindu tgk gelagat dia mencarik puting..comel je mulut tu…

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UmmiKhayra Reply:
February 2nd, 2010 at 2:53 PM
Mas, it posible… Dah ada jugak orang yang berjaya untuk buat relactation nih. Boleh rujuk kat mana-mana pakar laktasi untuk maklumat lanjut.

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