Where was I? Yes, my new relationship with the breast pump. It started out as a way to ease my engorged breasts on the 5th day. Seeing the yummy goodness full of milk and colostrum (the color was yellowish milk almost like jagung soya drink :P ), I felt it would be a waste to just throw it away. So what else...? I gave the expressed milk in a bottle. Shiya drank it up with joy. Being a new mummy there's nothing else that warms your heart quite as much as seeing your child happy and contented... even if it is just a bottle of milky that wasn't even 2 ounces :P
At this point, as a result of improper latching, I had cracked nips and being the ever pampered me... decided that I should express my milk while I heal...hmmm.... bad idea actually... especially if your child is still not latching or suckling properly yet... 5th day is waaaayyy too early to start them on a bottle. I was oblivious though... or maybe chose to be oblivious as it seemed to make sense to express... my baby was happy and isn't that all that matters?
Another note to self... if you're breast feeding and the supply seem to be low after a couple of days... keep some supplements (formula) ready... tsk tsk... 6th night proved a trial when Shiya woke up at night for some milk... and there just wasn't enough! I tried to direct feed... didn't help as she was hungry and frustrated at getting nothing not to mention just trying to latch was already a major effort on her part... I practically spent the whole night trying to express any milk and what I got just wasn't enough. Shops were closed of course. By 6 am I felt super frustrated and sad for my baby who was still hungry. She eventually settled down when we were able to provide her with some formula milk... and me? Well since then I have been busy pumping away trying to make sure that there's always a healthy supply for my baby.
Alhamdulillah... after a couple of days, the supply jumped up and I was able to express from 2 ounces to 4 ounces and eventually 6-7 ounces per session. I have even started storing my milky in the fridge and freezer. The problem with storing milk though is that you're never really sure how fresh they are and even if you're confident that it's good... you'll start to wonder if the nutrients are still there after you've warmed it up. Reading books only helps so much as they talk about 2 things... direct breast feeding or bottle feeding with formula.... they never really expand on bottle feeding with breast milk. Sigh... the life of a mummy definitely includes infinite worries for her little one. So far I have noticed that Shiya is contented, dirtying her diapers well and looks chubbier... so I can safely say that she seems to be growing well...I guess the milky is good then? I certainly hope so... :)
There are some who has pressured me to direct feed as the longer Shiya uses the bottle, the more she'll reject the idea of direct feeding... and so I have been trying... though I must admit that it's half hearted on my part... Partly due to the battle that we have to go through to get a proper latching... she seems so happy with the arrangement now. After all... a lot of babies are bottle fed and they seem to be growing well and happy. Hmm... the jury is still out on this one. The most important part is that I don't want to be stressed out as I find that my milk supply seems to depend on my moods... it gets lower when I'm stressed out or too tired. So for now, I am just happy expressing and providing milky milky for my sweet Shiya. Don't get me wrong... I am trying still for direct feeding... :)
Well... that's all for now on this pumping business... *yawn* gotta get some rest before Shiya wakes up for her next meal... hopefully she'll drink her milky and falls right back to lala land... nite nite! :)
Monday, February 28, 2011
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Breastfeeding
During my 9 months of pregnancy decisions were already made in my mind... to exclusively breastfeed my baby for as long as my supply would let me...and so started the journey (or at least an attempt at it) to eat well and drink well to ensure that my supply would be good and abundant. This meant taking a lot of water and soy bean... sometimes even milk.
I was sad when I find it impossible to keep milk (and sometimes any type of food/water) in. I guess I am one of those people who just has bad morning sickness... after throwing up milk one day... I just couldn't drink the once loved drink again. So whenever my stomach could take it, I would drink soy bean. Eventually though toward the end of my 3rd trimester I was able and even crave for chocolate milk. So whenever the mood strikes, I would drink loads of this and also orange juice (which someone also told me would help with breast milk - though I'm not sure how true that is).
Nyhow, I remember the special moment I shared with my daughter... it was a few minutes after I've given birth. She was placed next to me and I learned how to breastfeed her. The feeling was so wonderful! This activity that can only be shared between the 2 of us... Even before then I was deeply in love with her... but with that single act the thought of being a mummy to this little cutey pie sank in and my protective instinct came to life. All I want to do from then on was to be with her and just have her in my arms.
Of course there was no milk from me yet... but I could tell by on the 2nd day that I had colostrum, the liquid gold as the books called it that is essential for all babies... everytime my baby wakes up from her nap I would try and breastfeed her... though early on I could already see a problem forming. Shiya can't really latch on well... and this serves as a problem as we needed some stimulation to get the production started for my breast milk. I was very sad when Shiya had to be taken to the nursery on the 3rd morning due to high level of jaundice. :( I seriously felt like crying since even after only 2 days... I was already so attached to her and not seeing her next to me was really hard.
I got to see her every few hours or so when they would call me to the nursery to try and feed her. It was a bit hard due to the latching issue and also the stress I felt on my part. I was stressed as the well meaning nurses would constantly check on me and try to direct my efforts to get Shiya to latch properly. Though I know a rational person would listen carefully and follow instructions, I just felt unreasonably irritated and stressed to the point of dreading seeing a nurse whenever I was there. Call it the aftermath of pregnancy hormones gone crazy. The lack of milk and successful feeding was making me feel guilty, a little anxious and sad.
Then came the day we could finally take her home on the 5th day. Boy was I excited. Finally uninterrupted Shiya time. :D That was also the day that I woke up with engorged breasts. It hurt so much that I almost cried. With the help from a super nice nurse we heated a heating pad to soften the hard lumps and she showed me to massage the lumps to get it to release the milk. Then she also helped me to pump the milk easing off some of the tension for the next feeding... and thus my relationship with breast pump began... :P
To be continued... ;)
I was sad when I find it impossible to keep milk (and sometimes any type of food/water) in. I guess I am one of those people who just has bad morning sickness... after throwing up milk one day... I just couldn't drink the once loved drink again. So whenever my stomach could take it, I would drink soy bean. Eventually though toward the end of my 3rd trimester I was able and even crave for chocolate milk. So whenever the mood strikes, I would drink loads of this and also orange juice (which someone also told me would help with breast milk - though I'm not sure how true that is).
Nyhow, I remember the special moment I shared with my daughter... it was a few minutes after I've given birth. She was placed next to me and I learned how to breastfeed her. The feeling was so wonderful! This activity that can only be shared between the 2 of us... Even before then I was deeply in love with her... but with that single act the thought of being a mummy to this little cutey pie sank in and my protective instinct came to life. All I want to do from then on was to be with her and just have her in my arms.
Of course there was no milk from me yet... but I could tell by on the 2nd day that I had colostrum, the liquid gold as the books called it that is essential for all babies... everytime my baby wakes up from her nap I would try and breastfeed her... though early on I could already see a problem forming. Shiya can't really latch on well... and this serves as a problem as we needed some stimulation to get the production started for my breast milk. I was very sad when Shiya had to be taken to the nursery on the 3rd morning due to high level of jaundice. :( I seriously felt like crying since even after only 2 days... I was already so attached to her and not seeing her next to me was really hard.
I got to see her every few hours or so when they would call me to the nursery to try and feed her. It was a bit hard due to the latching issue and also the stress I felt on my part. I was stressed as the well meaning nurses would constantly check on me and try to direct my efforts to get Shiya to latch properly. Though I know a rational person would listen carefully and follow instructions, I just felt unreasonably irritated and stressed to the point of dreading seeing a nurse whenever I was there. Call it the aftermath of pregnancy hormones gone crazy. The lack of milk and successful feeding was making me feel guilty, a little anxious and sad.
Then came the day we could finally take her home on the 5th day. Boy was I excited. Finally uninterrupted Shiya time. :D That was also the day that I woke up with engorged breasts. It hurt so much that I almost cried. With the help from a super nice nurse we heated a heating pad to soften the hard lumps and she showed me to massage the lumps to get it to release the milk. Then she also helped me to pump the milk easing off some of the tension for the next feeding... and thus my relationship with breast pump began... :P
To be continued... ;)
Friday, February 25, 2011
Little Lissy Listle
Little Lissy Listle is my one sole niece... being a cute 4.5kg newborn, she even beat me when I was born at a mere 4.4kg! Her cheeks were ballooned out like two yummy tomatoes that just begs you to bite...hehehe... Anyhow, this darling of mine is now 9 months old and is growing cuter and cheekier by the minute... :)
I must admit that I wasn't able to take care of her as I did with little Yels... at the moment of her birth, my sister had moved into her own apartment after only 2 weeks confinement (thus depriving me the opportunity to help out when I'm at home). Besides that, I had also started working which took my weekdays time. Unlike Yels who came just as I had quit my job as an auditor and was able to spend 5 uninterrupted time with him. Around June was also the time that my morning sickness began... and was it bad... so everytime I visited my sister I would spend most of the time on the couch and just observing... during this 'delicate' time I was also not allowed to lift and carry both babies, though I do sometimes when I can't stand how cute they are! :)
She's such a joy to be with... now her smiles are more frequent and I'm happy that she's finally recognizing my face... at least she doesn't cry when I hold or kiss her...heheheh and I was actually able to get her to show her wide grin a few times... Learning how to crawl quickly...she's now furniture walking and shows signs that she'll start walking soon... I'm sure when she does, little Yels will have a friend to play tag with... and also competition with who gets to play with the toys... (now Lissy just watches as her brother grabs the toys she's playing with) :P
When she ties her hair in two, she reminds me of that baby girl in Monsters Inc. hehehe that's how cute she is! So I guess this post is a shout out of how much I love her... the adorable, cutey and cheeky baby... all you want to do when you see her is gomol and gomol her all day long... :D
I must admit that I wasn't able to take care of her as I did with little Yels... at the moment of her birth, my sister had moved into her own apartment after only 2 weeks confinement (thus depriving me the opportunity to help out when I'm at home). Besides that, I had also started working which took my weekdays time. Unlike Yels who came just as I had quit my job as an auditor and was able to spend 5 uninterrupted time with him. Around June was also the time that my morning sickness began... and was it bad... so everytime I visited my sister I would spend most of the time on the couch and just observing... during this 'delicate' time I was also not allowed to lift and carry both babies, though I do sometimes when I can't stand how cute they are! :)
She's such a joy to be with... now her smiles are more frequent and I'm happy that she's finally recognizing my face... at least she doesn't cry when I hold or kiss her...heheheh and I was actually able to get her to show her wide grin a few times... Learning how to crawl quickly...she's now furniture walking and shows signs that she'll start walking soon... I'm sure when she does, little Yels will have a friend to play tag with... and also competition with who gets to play with the toys... (now Lissy just watches as her brother grabs the toys she's playing with) :P
When she ties her hair in two, she reminds me of that baby girl in Monsters Inc. hehehe that's how cute she is! So I guess this post is a shout out of how much I love her... the adorable, cutey and cheeky baby... all you want to do when you see her is gomol and gomol her all day long... :D
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Farel's Birthday Dinner
It seems only yesterday that we were celebrating Yel's 1st brithday and now here we are... celebrating his 2nd already... He's such a joy to be with... and of course a challenge when he's one of his cheeky moods... :)
In a year he has grown to be a brother who loves to 'kacau' his sister, but all in fun play as you can see how much he loves her and wants to play with her... sabar ya sayang... soon Lissy will be old enough that you guys can run around and play tag and of course share Yel's passion in playing cars. :)
What no party this year??! In respect of my confinement period, no parties were planned for Yel...YET... hehehe... but I did feel guilty as it seemed wrong to have his birthday pass by just like that. So I called in the rest of the family to come have dinner together. If it was up to me (and I was given more freedom to move around) I would have a better dinner with proper props and all, but as it is... I was only left with just being there and of course... balloons, balloons... no birthday/dinner should go on without balloons! :P
So here it is...some snapshots of the dinner... though my mind is still buzzing on how I can make an impromptu birthday party... so little time to plan! Well, we'll see about that... after all... I have Lissy's birthday and Shiya's aqiqah to think about too... :) hugs!
In a year he has grown to be a brother who loves to 'kacau' his sister, but all in fun play as you can see how much he loves her and wants to play with her... sabar ya sayang... soon Lissy will be old enough that you guys can run around and play tag and of course share Yel's passion in playing cars. :)
What no party this year??! In respect of my confinement period, no parties were planned for Yel...YET... hehehe... but I did feel guilty as it seemed wrong to have his birthday pass by just like that. So I called in the rest of the family to come have dinner together. If it was up to me (and I was given more freedom to move around) I would have a better dinner with proper props and all, but as it is... I was only left with just being there and of course... balloons, balloons... no birthday/dinner should go on without balloons! :P
So here it is...some snapshots of the dinner... though my mind is still buzzing on how I can make an impromptu birthday party... so little time to plan! Well, we'll see about that... after all... I have Lissy's birthday and Shiya's aqiqah to think about too... :) hugs!
Monday, February 21, 2011
21 Days Old and the milky business...
Shiya has officially turned 3 weeks today. At this point, her feeding habits has increased from 2 ounce to about 3 ounces per feeding... she also wakes up now every 2 hours for some milky2... so all in all, she's growing beautifully! :D
For the past week I've been super busy expressing my milk for darling baby. I wish I could do it directly but due to some 'technical' difficulties, ( :P ) I can only bottle feed and has been doing so since day 6. Even so I am happy that my milk has been her only nourishment since day 9! Yeay to the supply. That is why I have been diligently expressing every few hours to get the supply that I need. You could say the biggest fear would be should I suddenly run-out or it 'dries' up. Don't get me wrong though, I am still trying to direct feed her. It's just that it's not going so well right now. I guess it's because she's so used to the taste of the bottle? Hmmm...
Anyhow, with me so busy expressing I find that sometimes I would miss the time that I can cuddle and hold Shiya (other times she'd be asleep). It just so happens that when she wakes for her milky, I'd be expressing thus unable to comfort her or about to express...meaning my chest would feel heavy and hurts if I were to hold her to close to my chest.... and so that brings us to an important mini lesson learnt this week on being a mummy...
Patience and determination....
I realise that I wasn't having enough bonding time with Shiya... so I altered my expression time to ensure that I get to hold and feed her first before I start... this would usually mean a delay of about an hour... as for the pain in my chest... well with enough determination even that can be ignored :)
Sometimes she would also need coaxing to get her to sleep even after a full stomach, especially in the wee hours in the morning during her 3am and 5am feeding... I must say it's a battle to keep my mind cleared and my eyes wide open... but I guess Shiya just need a little time... I even have a strategy now... change her diapers first (if she's not crying too loudly) and then feed her. It kinda saves the time she would wake up between feedings for a change of diaper. Hehehe... gently rocking her to sleep while I sing to her softly also helps...
I'm not sure what's her weight and height right now, but I can already note the difference... her small clothes fits much better and I can see some yummy meatyness in her arms and cheeks that just begs to be gomol by me! :D
For the past week I've been super busy expressing my milk for darling baby. I wish I could do it directly but due to some 'technical' difficulties, ( :P ) I can only bottle feed and has been doing so since day 6. Even so I am happy that my milk has been her only nourishment since day 9! Yeay to the supply. That is why I have been diligently expressing every few hours to get the supply that I need. You could say the biggest fear would be should I suddenly run-out or it 'dries' up. Don't get me wrong though, I am still trying to direct feed her. It's just that it's not going so well right now. I guess it's because she's so used to the taste of the bottle? Hmmm...
Anyhow, with me so busy expressing I find that sometimes I would miss the time that I can cuddle and hold Shiya (other times she'd be asleep). It just so happens that when she wakes for her milky, I'd be expressing thus unable to comfort her or about to express...meaning my chest would feel heavy and hurts if I were to hold her to close to my chest.... and so that brings us to an important mini lesson learnt this week on being a mummy...
Patience and determination....
I realise that I wasn't having enough bonding time with Shiya... so I altered my expression time to ensure that I get to hold and feed her first before I start... this would usually mean a delay of about an hour... as for the pain in my chest... well with enough determination even that can be ignored :)
Sometimes she would also need coaxing to get her to sleep even after a full stomach, especially in the wee hours in the morning during her 3am and 5am feeding... I must say it's a battle to keep my mind cleared and my eyes wide open... but I guess Shiya just need a little time... I even have a strategy now... change her diapers first (if she's not crying too loudly) and then feed her. It kinda saves the time she would wake up between feedings for a change of diaper. Hehehe... gently rocking her to sleep while I sing to her softly also helps...
I'm not sure what's her weight and height right now, but I can already note the difference... her small clothes fits much better and I can see some yummy meatyness in her arms and cheeks that just begs to be gomol by me! :D
Friday, February 18, 2011
Bercukur & Bersunat
Today marks the day my daughter turns 18 days old. Today is also the day that her baby hair was shaved and she was circumcised.
There was minimal fuss from baby dear in the beginning since she was fast asleep, but all the hair shaving eventually woke her up from her slumber and had her wailing in no time. Poor baby! In the end all she needed was a little of mummy's milky milky to calm her down to finish off the shaving. :)
After that Kak Ita bathe her for the next part which is the circumcision. This part mummy was queasy and didn't have the heart to actually look. Sorry sayang! Love you tapi... It took just a few seconds and a few seconds of your crying that made me a little sad and worried, but you soon stopped crying and settled down.
Mak Cik Naemah did a few things that I wasn't quite sure what it was for... I guess it's the malay tradition? It involved covering her with baby powder that was mixed with water (I guess this is to take the sting off the scalp?)... some prayers and sprinkling of some 'beras berkunyit'... Oh, the hair that was shaved off just now was dipped in water in a small bowl to be kept for us to weigh later. The weight of the hair will be calculated into dollars and donated to the unfortunate. But as I told hubby, once we weigh the hair we need to add a little extra as some of the hair had flown off... :P
Nyhow, the day went well and great. Now is just the planning of the aqiqah for darling baby. When? I though to do it in June would be a nice touch as it will be the 2nd year anniversary of my wonderful marriage to hubby dear and the anniversary of when I found out I was pregnant with baby Shiya... :) But that's another story...
There was minimal fuss from baby dear in the beginning since she was fast asleep, but all the hair shaving eventually woke her up from her slumber and had her wailing in no time. Poor baby! In the end all she needed was a little of mummy's milky milky to calm her down to finish off the shaving. :)
After that Kak Ita bathe her for the next part which is the circumcision. This part mummy was queasy and didn't have the heart to actually look. Sorry sayang! Love you tapi... It took just a few seconds and a few seconds of your crying that made me a little sad and worried, but you soon stopped crying and settled down.
Mak Cik Naemah did a few things that I wasn't quite sure what it was for... I guess it's the malay tradition? It involved covering her with baby powder that was mixed with water (I guess this is to take the sting off the scalp?)... some prayers and sprinkling of some 'beras berkunyit'... Oh, the hair that was shaved off just now was dipped in water in a small bowl to be kept for us to weigh later. The weight of the hair will be calculated into dollars and donated to the unfortunate. But as I told hubby, once we weigh the hair we need to add a little extra as some of the hair had flown off... :P
Nyhow, the day went well and great. Now is just the planning of the aqiqah for darling baby. When? I though to do it in June would be a nice touch as it will be the 2nd year anniversary of my wonderful marriage to hubby dear and the anniversary of when I found out I was pregnant with baby Shiya... :) But that's another story...
Monday, February 14, 2011
2 Weeks Old
Today she has officially turned 2 weeks old. It seems only yesterday she was born; time is moving that fast! The week has been spent trying to understand her many cries... when she means she's hungry, when she's uncomfortable and would like a change of diapers and when she just wants to be cuddled and lulled to sleep.
Except for a brief episode of restlessness possibly caused by some wind in the tummy, Shiya has been a prefect angel. She sleeps around 3 hours before she wakes up for her milky2. The only time she actually screams is when we need to change her diapers or clothes and this is only if the room is cold. Poor baby...
Like all babies, she wakes up at night but only around 2am and 5am for her milky2. Then she falls right off to sleep. So there's no real night time drama. :) But last night was different. She was up at 2.30am and refuses to settle down even after we've given her her milk and changed her diapers. She didn't cry much but rather was somewhat irritated. After near 2 hours of restlessness, I finally changed her diapers and clothes since it was a little damp. After some milky2 she immediately fell asleep as I was trying to burp her. :) I wonder what irritated her in the first place. The clothes? The pampers? It might be the tummy... or just plain not enough milk? hehehe... babies are such a mystery... :P
Poor hubby only got his sleep around 4am (my shift starts... yes, we go in shifts :P ). Hopefully he can focus at work today. :)
On a different note, her jaundice seems better. Everyday she takes a sun bathing session with her Che (or mummy when Che is not around) and of course mummy's milky. Now her skin is more pinkish and her eyes no longer have that yellowish hew. Sigh, thank goodness!
Tomorrow is Shiya's photo shoot by her Papa Long. Until then... muah!
Except for a brief episode of restlessness possibly caused by some wind in the tummy, Shiya has been a prefect angel. She sleeps around 3 hours before she wakes up for her milky2. The only time she actually screams is when we need to change her diapers or clothes and this is only if the room is cold. Poor baby...
Like all babies, she wakes up at night but only around 2am and 5am for her milky2. Then she falls right off to sleep. So there's no real night time drama. :) But last night was different. She was up at 2.30am and refuses to settle down even after we've given her her milk and changed her diapers. She didn't cry much but rather was somewhat irritated. After near 2 hours of restlessness, I finally changed her diapers and clothes since it was a little damp. After some milky2 she immediately fell asleep as I was trying to burp her. :) I wonder what irritated her in the first place. The clothes? The pampers? It might be the tummy... or just plain not enough milk? hehehe... babies are such a mystery... :P
Poor hubby only got his sleep around 4am (my shift starts... yes, we go in shifts :P ). Hopefully he can focus at work today. :)
On a different note, her jaundice seems better. Everyday she takes a sun bathing session with her Che (or mummy when Che is not around) and of course mummy's milky. Now her skin is more pinkish and her eyes no longer have that yellowish hew. Sigh, thank goodness!
Tomorrow is Shiya's photo shoot by her Papa Long. Until then... muah!
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Pantang Days...
Chicken and fish... that is the main menu for my meals these last 2 weeks... Not that I mind since I've never been much of a meaty kind of person. The one thing that I insist to have twice a day (lunch and dinner) is rice. Hehehe... I absolutely can't live without eating rice. In fact it amazes and baffles me to see my sister go through her pantang days just eating non carbs dishes. -horror!-
I've also started berurut and wearing my bengkung. Today is my forth day and the morning massages are wonderful (though sometimes I find it a little painful :P) but it definitely hits the spot and makes me drowsy by the time Aunty Henny finishes. Hehehe... needless to say, I always take a little nap afterward...if Shiya lets me that is. :)
And so here I am writing to you from my room where I spend my days now with my darling baby. What do I do? Nothing really except take care of Shiya and of course 'preparing her meals'. But the days are moving by so fast. I guess when you have a baby that demands your time day in and day out, the hours just fly by. When she's sleeping? That's when you have the time to organize yourself of course... the folded clothes, checking of emails...making sure all the bottles and what-nots are properly kept and cleaned. The rest of the time? Resting! hehehe, cos when the baby wakes up, even sleepy eyes will have to be clear and alert. :P
The dreaded question... how has my figure/weight improved since giving birth? I am happy to say that it has gone down. Hehehe... of course it's not the ideal weight that I want but at least I am back to my pre-pregnancy weight. :) Yeay!
I've also started berurut and wearing my bengkung. Today is my forth day and the morning massages are wonderful (though sometimes I find it a little painful :P) but it definitely hits the spot and makes me drowsy by the time Aunty Henny finishes. Hehehe... needless to say, I always take a little nap afterward...if Shiya lets me that is. :)
And so here I am writing to you from my room where I spend my days now with my darling baby. What do I do? Nothing really except take care of Shiya and of course 'preparing her meals'. But the days are moving by so fast. I guess when you have a baby that demands your time day in and day out, the hours just fly by. When she's sleeping? That's when you have the time to organize yourself of course... the folded clothes, checking of emails...making sure all the bottles and what-nots are properly kept and cleaned. The rest of the time? Resting! hehehe, cos when the baby wakes up, even sleepy eyes will have to be clear and alert. :P
The dreaded question... how has my figure/weight improved since giving birth? I am happy to say that it has gone down. Hehehe... of course it's not the ideal weight that I want but at least I am back to my pre-pregnancy weight. :) Yeay!
Thursday, February 10, 2011
That First Week
It has been a wonderful 10 days with my baby. We were in the hospital for quite awhile (5 days & 4 nights) since baby was admitted for jaundice. The last 2 nights was lonely since baby had to stay in the nursery where they could keep her under photo therapy. But it helped that I got to see and touch her almost every 3-5 hours during feeding tine.
Besides adjusting to your baby's needs I must admit that one of the most challenging part of motherhood is breast feeding. I envy all mothers who can do it so naturally and their supply comes in such abundance. As for me it's a daily struggle just to get the right amount for my baby. This is even more stressful in the hospital! The nurses, though they were trying to be helpful, made me feel incompetent and stressed about my baby's inability to latch properly. Feeding time that was supposed to be a moment of bonding between me and my baby was spoiled by their constant interference. Alhamdulillah baby's jaundice was better on the 5th day and we made the long awaited journey home :)
I know mothers say this all the time about their children, but honestly my beloved baby is such an angel. She's so sweet and wonderful... Though of course there's the normal cries at night for milky2... But other than that she falls right back to sleep. Hehehe... At least that's the pattern for this first week :p we'll see again in a couple of weeks!
I love watching the myriad of expressions that runs across her face through out the day and could stare at her for hours when she's quietly sleeping by my side. Yes, I'm a pro on babies sleeping in a proper cot, but right now (maybe never?) I just can't be far away from my baby. I always want her by my side.
Today was her follow up visit for her jaundice. I was so scared they might admit her back in. Every time I think about it put tears in my eyes... But it's green light for my sweetheart! Yeay! :D
Baby is now 3.3kg, 50cm tall with hc of 33 at 10 days old.. :)
Besides adjusting to your baby's needs I must admit that one of the most challenging part of motherhood is breast feeding. I envy all mothers who can do it so naturally and their supply comes in such abundance. As for me it's a daily struggle just to get the right amount for my baby. This is even more stressful in the hospital! The nurses, though they were trying to be helpful, made me feel incompetent and stressed about my baby's inability to latch properly. Feeding time that was supposed to be a moment of bonding between me and my baby was spoiled by their constant interference. Alhamdulillah baby's jaundice was better on the 5th day and we made the long awaited journey home :)
I know mothers say this all the time about their children, but honestly my beloved baby is such an angel. She's so sweet and wonderful... Though of course there's the normal cries at night for milky2... But other than that she falls right back to sleep. Hehehe... At least that's the pattern for this first week :p we'll see again in a couple of weeks!
I love watching the myriad of expressions that runs across her face through out the day and could stare at her for hours when she's quietly sleeping by my side. Yes, I'm a pro on babies sleeping in a proper cot, but right now (maybe never?) I just can't be far away from my baby. I always want her by my side.
Today was her follow up visit for her jaundice. I was so scared they might admit her back in. Every time I think about it put tears in my eyes... But it's green light for my sweetheart! Yeay! :D
Baby is now 3.3kg, 50cm tall with hc of 33 at 10 days old.. :)
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Our Miracle Baby...
I remember the feeling distinctly... looking at my darling baby girl as the doctor placed her on my tummy. She was crying as the nurses cleaned the mucous from her mouth and nose. I couldn't quite trust my eyes that this beautiful baby was inside me a few seconds ago.
The strongest memory is that first touch as I touched her arm and she felt warm and real... my baby was finally here... :) Alhamdulillah...
Arshiya Naseeka Nadine... mummy has been waiting a long time for you... Love you sweetheart... I look forward to our lifetime story to begin...
Monday 31st January 2011... a miracle was born. My sayang, my princess...
The strongest memory is that first touch as I touched her arm and she felt warm and real... my baby was finally here... :) Alhamdulillah...
Arshiya Naseeka Nadine... mummy has been waiting a long time for you... Love you sweetheart... I look forward to our lifetime story to begin...
Monday 31st January 2011... a miracle was born. My sayang, my princess...
Labour Fiasco...
My baby girl was born on 31st January 2011, weighing 2.95kg... at 11.24am, Prince Court Medical Centre.
As I mentioned in my previous post, I had a full day going out with little Yelli on sat, 29th Jan. The night ended with me resting and blogging and of course.... doing my forever there laundry. Wouldn't want to get behind on that now would I... :P But this time, in my sleepiness I almost slipped on the floor! Thank God nothing happened as I was able to grab the cupboard just in time to stop myself from falling. Phew!
But sleeping was an ordeal. I had a slight backache on my right side. It hurt so much when I lie down that I almost cried and had to get down on all fours to stretch my back properly to take out the sting of the ache. Eventually I managed to settle myself to a dreamless sleep and woke up late. Surprise, surprise I found that my 'braxton hicks' was more frequent than usual today. I was a bit worried about the baby since she was passive the whole day. It didn't help that the morning had greeted me with a slight bloody discharge.
So the day was spent reading and wondering... me, trying not to worry and contemplating seeing a doctor. But it really made no sense as I was set to see my doctor the next day at 11am. In the end I just stayed home and rested. The evening was much better when I felt her moving and rolling happily around my tummy.
Hubby came home at dinner time... did I mention he went to Singapore on Sat for a concert? Hehehe... Which luckily meant he was home on Sun... because 31st Jan at 4.30am started an amazing journey... :)
I woke up from sleep feeling different. I wasn't too worried since waking up to go to the bathroom has been the normal occurrence for months now. But somehow, something was keeping me from falling back to sleep. I decided to do some further research on labour. I was having some 'feelings' that it was not far away. Then I started feeling the mild contractions. Of course at this time I just thought I could be a false alarm and I was just feeling a more frequent and harder braxton hicks. By 5.30 I was shocked to feel a discharge... but clearly not water breaking... and the books said that it is known as a bloody show. This means that labour is coming soon... but my mind was thinking how soon? Now? Tomorrow? Do I need to go see the doctor now? I was in a dilemma on whether to go straight to the ER or just wait for my 11am appointment. Two things changed my mind... remembering the traffic situation (it takes about 40 minutes to go to KL on a normal day) and also..... my water broke around 6.30am.
I immediately woke up hubby and asked him to get ready. Luckily my hospital bag is all ready in the car. We didn't rush in the drizzly morning and took our time to get there. I guess I was still in denial and was thinking that I might have been wrong and it was all a false alarm.
We checked into the ER and they monitored the baby's heart beat and my contractions which was coming at 4 minutes apart and lasted for around 50 seconds each. According to the nurse, it was just mild... and the physical exam showed that I had only dilated to 3 cm. The 'water' that broke this morning was also just a little leak and more mucous-y. This all happened at around 8 am. Dr Seri, my doc came to see me then at 9am+ to see my progress and I was still at 3 cm but with an important progress, my water finally broke properly. I guess that's why the pain started to feel more intense and the backache almost... well, let's just say it hurt really bad.
I rode out the pain, staying out of bed and trying to grab some food as I needed it to conserve my energy. The doc had said it'll be around 4 to 6 hours till full dilation. By 10am I was looking at the clock almost crazily since the pain was getting to me and speech was almost impossible. I still insisted to stay on my feet though because lying down made the backache unbearable. The thought to take epidural came then... when after a few more hits of pain, I saw the the clock was only 10.10am! Another 5 hours of this??! That's when I looked at hubby in between pain, I told him "call the nurse, I want epidural".
So then the pain went away.... I wish! hehehehe..... before taking an epidural, there's the prepping to be done. Meaning it took a good 20 minutes just waiting for the anesthetist to start on the first injection to numb the spine area. Then there is the waiting for the epi to actually take effect which could be about 10 to 15 minutes.
The funny part was when the nurse asked me if I felt like i needed to 'push' a feeling akin to going to the bathroom. I told her that I've been having the feeling... and she was surprised and wanted to check on my progress... guess what? I was fully ready to push! At the rate the epi was taking effect, which was slow indeed, there was no time for full pain relief as they had to close it wanting me not to lose full feeling for the pushing. I was just thankful that at least I had a little dose as it managed to take the edge off the pain to get me to concentrate on the pushing part.
Pushing was... hehehe... it was definitely something. :P I don't quite remember how many times I had to push, but it must be around 5-6 hard pushes. I remember the nurses' instruction... take a deep breath, hold it in... and push! Don't exhale mid-way... (which I did the first time), and don't make a sound which makes the pushing weak (which I did the second time). Not quite believing that it's over, I heard the doctor say... she's out... the baby's out... and there staring in front of me... my darling baby girl.
As I mentioned in my previous post, I had a full day going out with little Yelli on sat, 29th Jan. The night ended with me resting and blogging and of course.... doing my forever there laundry. Wouldn't want to get behind on that now would I... :P But this time, in my sleepiness I almost slipped on the floor! Thank God nothing happened as I was able to grab the cupboard just in time to stop myself from falling. Phew!
But sleeping was an ordeal. I had a slight backache on my right side. It hurt so much when I lie down that I almost cried and had to get down on all fours to stretch my back properly to take out the sting of the ache. Eventually I managed to settle myself to a dreamless sleep and woke up late. Surprise, surprise I found that my 'braxton hicks' was more frequent than usual today. I was a bit worried about the baby since she was passive the whole day. It didn't help that the morning had greeted me with a slight bloody discharge.
So the day was spent reading and wondering... me, trying not to worry and contemplating seeing a doctor. But it really made no sense as I was set to see my doctor the next day at 11am. In the end I just stayed home and rested. The evening was much better when I felt her moving and rolling happily around my tummy.
Hubby came home at dinner time... did I mention he went to Singapore on Sat for a concert? Hehehe... Which luckily meant he was home on Sun... because 31st Jan at 4.30am started an amazing journey... :)
I woke up from sleep feeling different. I wasn't too worried since waking up to go to the bathroom has been the normal occurrence for months now. But somehow, something was keeping me from falling back to sleep. I decided to do some further research on labour. I was having some 'feelings' that it was not far away. Then I started feeling the mild contractions. Of course at this time I just thought I could be a false alarm and I was just feeling a more frequent and harder braxton hicks. By 5.30 I was shocked to feel a discharge... but clearly not water breaking... and the books said that it is known as a bloody show. This means that labour is coming soon... but my mind was thinking how soon? Now? Tomorrow? Do I need to go see the doctor now? I was in a dilemma on whether to go straight to the ER or just wait for my 11am appointment. Two things changed my mind... remembering the traffic situation (it takes about 40 minutes to go to KL on a normal day) and also..... my water broke around 6.30am.
I immediately woke up hubby and asked him to get ready. Luckily my hospital bag is all ready in the car. We didn't rush in the drizzly morning and took our time to get there. I guess I was still in denial and was thinking that I might have been wrong and it was all a false alarm.
We checked into the ER and they monitored the baby's heart beat and my contractions which was coming at 4 minutes apart and lasted for around 50 seconds each. According to the nurse, it was just mild... and the physical exam showed that I had only dilated to 3 cm. The 'water' that broke this morning was also just a little leak and more mucous-y. This all happened at around 8 am. Dr Seri, my doc came to see me then at 9am+ to see my progress and I was still at 3 cm but with an important progress, my water finally broke properly. I guess that's why the pain started to feel more intense and the backache almost... well, let's just say it hurt really bad.
I rode out the pain, staying out of bed and trying to grab some food as I needed it to conserve my energy. The doc had said it'll be around 4 to 6 hours till full dilation. By 10am I was looking at the clock almost crazily since the pain was getting to me and speech was almost impossible. I still insisted to stay on my feet though because lying down made the backache unbearable. The thought to take epidural came then... when after a few more hits of pain, I saw the the clock was only 10.10am! Another 5 hours of this??! That's when I looked at hubby in between pain, I told him "call the nurse, I want epidural".
So then the pain went away.... I wish! hehehehe..... before taking an epidural, there's the prepping to be done. Meaning it took a good 20 minutes just waiting for the anesthetist to start on the first injection to numb the spine area. Then there is the waiting for the epi to actually take effect which could be about 10 to 15 minutes.
The funny part was when the nurse asked me if I felt like i needed to 'push' a feeling akin to going to the bathroom. I told her that I've been having the feeling... and she was surprised and wanted to check on my progress... guess what? I was fully ready to push! At the rate the epi was taking effect, which was slow indeed, there was no time for full pain relief as they had to close it wanting me not to lose full feeling for the pushing. I was just thankful that at least I had a little dose as it managed to take the edge off the pain to get me to concentrate on the pushing part.
Pushing was... hehehe... it was definitely something. :P I don't quite remember how many times I had to push, but it must be around 5-6 hard pushes. I remember the nurses' instruction... take a deep breath, hold it in... and push! Don't exhale mid-way... (which I did the first time), and don't make a sound which makes the pushing weak (which I did the second time). Not quite believing that it's over, I heard the doctor say... she's out... the baby's out... and there staring in front of me... my darling baby girl.
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