Rooming in with baby after birth

I shared my experience about rooming in with baby after birth in a forum a while back and since its appropriate and relevant for this blog aimed at new mothers, I am going to post it here.

First check whether the hospital is breastfeeding friendly. The hospital I delivered in is supposed to be breastfeeding friendly and all the nurses will come and help you to breastfeed if you request. If you are rooming in with your baby, don't be shy to buzz the nurses for help in breastfeeding if you need. Even if its the middle of the night. Must be a bit thick skinned, don't be discouraged even if they give you a black face or some discouraging remarks.

For my first baby who roomed in with me, I did not have much help from the nurses at the time and was at a total loss. The lactation consultants only make their rounds during the day and usually just drop by from room to room at a certain time so it was of not much help to me. By the time I left I still had no idea how to feed my baby. Luckily I found a good paeditrician who gave me support to breastfeed till 17 months. I am one of the unfortunate few whose babies just would not latch on. Support is crucial or I would have failed.

The second time I was a bit more experienced and the same hospital nurses has had a bit more training. My husband, toddler and baby all roomed in with me at night. During the day, I sent hubby and toddler home and discouraged visitors. I only informed close family members and not friends and colleagues. I let baby sleep with me and put him on the breast at every opportunity.

Many nurses came and went to help me put baby to the breast at my request because I was still in pain from the c-section wound but none of them could get baby to latch on. Some commented that my "puting terlalu keras" (nipple was too hard), one even uttered "child abuse" when my baby cried and he was such a loud crier too when put in the nursery for a while. I noticed that the nurses had to make a written record of each feeding session. A number of them recorded that baby breastfed well although he did not latch on at all.

Well thats my experience rooming-in with baby after birth. Hope it helps someone.

Pin It

My Favourite Baby Moments

I love to look at my babies when they........

• yawn
• pout with their little mouths turned down in an upside down "U" shape, their little eyes welled up in tears
• look around at new things in wonder
• when they first awake with toussled hair and sleepy eyes
• laugh
• talk to themselves
• explore new things on their own

These are the precious moments I will cherish and keep in the photos on my mind called memories.

Pin It

Weaning Without Tears

I consider baby weaned off breastfeeding at age 32 months. The weaning was painless. What a journey it has been.

We had such a hard time getting him to latch on. It took him 2 whole months to learn but it cetainly has been worth it. Weaning especially baby led weaning is easy and painless for both the mother and baby. When the time is right, baby will wean off the breast easily.

It was hard work, very hard work at first but it has paid off. I did not have to wean him off a bottle or a pacifier because he takes none of those and weaning off the breast is painless. At first, due to medical reasons and some medication I thought I had to take, I thought I had to wean him off early before both of us were ready but thankfully that worked out and I didn't have to wean him off the breast then. Phew!

So how did I wean him? I dropped the feeds off one by one and reduced the time at the breast. The morning feeds went first because it was easy to distract him when he woke up. The middle of the night feeds stopped when he started sleeping through the night so I didn't have to "wean" him off those. I didn't have to get up in the middle of the night to offer him water instead of the breast (as suggested) and deal with tears. And last to go are the nap time and before bed time feeds.

I told him that he is a big boy now and he can even wear a big boy's pyjamas (with bear or rabbit prints) so he doesn't need his breastmilk anymore and he bought that argument. Hahaha. So recently when he asked for his feed before sleep, I reminded him that he is a big boy now and he pointed to his pyjamas and said "Baby wear bear bear shirt adi (already meaning "now") and that was that. LOL!

Pin It

Online Prenatal Classes

My husband and I never attended any prenatal classes. We learned everything we knew about childbirth and what to expect online. However, I do think that its a good idea to attend one where you get to meet with other parents and prepare youself mentally for whats to come ahead.

As I mentioned, hubby and I learned everything we knew about pregnancy, childbirth and caring for a newborn online. Hubby would source for materials online daily, print them and we would read them together, he first by highlighting those areas he thought was important and writing little notes on them before passing them to me to read.

I've just found a site which helps you prepare for childbirth online with reading materials organised in a childbirth class format. Its really interesting. Here is the link for anyone of you expectant mothers out there who may be interested.

Chilbirth Class Online is organised into 6 classes starting from the basics of pregnancy to the various stages of labor right down to postpartum adjustment and newborn care.

Pin It

Sippy Cups. I love them!

Both my kids "graduated" from the breast straight to a cup. They both do not know how to drink from a bottle. I tried to teach them but somehow they both reject the bottle. That gave me a hard time at first because no one else could feed them accept me but at 6 months of age, things became a lot easier when I did not have to wean them off from a bottle to a cup. I introduced a cup to them directly when they turned 6 months.

I love sippy cups for my kids. They love it too. It gives them the independance to drink on their own and it gives me the freedom of not having to watch them. I usually remove the spillage vents or covers because it makes it very difficult to drink from so there is some spillage at times but not so bad as an open cup.

However sippy cups need careful cleaning otherwise the suction tops can get quite dirty. Usually I wash them IMMEDIATELY after use otherwise dirt will accumulate. I love the Avent sippy cups which I'm currently using because of its versatility. Handles and covers can be easily mixed and matched and replaced when dirty. I wonder, what are other mothers using?

Pin It

How much do you spend on your face?

I won a bottle of branded anti-aging face cream recently. Its a small 50ml bottle but it costs RM410! I imagine that everytime I dip my finger into the cream, each dip costs about RM4-Rm5! Wow! Each dip is equivalent to the cost of a meal for example. I would never, ever, buy a cream that costs so much on my own. Why, with that RM410 I could buy so many other stuff, things for my children, my family, my home.

I find that I've become rather "stingy" after becoming a mother. Previously when I was a single working girl, I would not hesitate to buy things that are a bit costly. I would sometimes pick up two pairs of shoes at the same time, even though I didn't need them but just because I liked them.

I guess my priorities have changed now, after becoming a mother, or should that be, after becoming a Stay At Home Mother. LOL! I wonder about other mothers. Have your spending habits changed too? Would you spend RM410 on a small bottle of cream for your face?

Pin It

Diamonds are a girl's best friend

I love diamonds. Which girl doesn't? I think its the most romantic (if you can call a jewel romantic that is) among all the jewels, the crown of all jewels. There's just something about the glitters that captivates the heart. Thats why they make the perfect engagement ring.

Yes, diamonds are indeed a girl's best friend but how many girls know their diamonds intimately? Do you know the 4Cs of your diamonds ie the cut, color, carat and clarity of it? You should at least know these basics before you choose your diamonds.

I came across this site which lets you design your own jewellery. Just looking at the pictures of the diamonds is enough to make my mouth gape. They're just so lovely, all of them. The diamond rings, the bracelets, bangles and earrings etc. I wish I could own them all! My wedding anniversary is many more months away but Valentine's Day is just round the corner, so dear hubby if you're reading this, do you get my HINT???!! LOL!

Pin It

Affection and Attention equals better behaved children

I am always telling the hubby "For every action there is a reaction" so please treat me or say things to me nicely or you may get a not very nice reaction or response in return. (He thinks I'm nuts but I do believe there is some truth in this rule).

However, I practise double standards and do not apply this rule to the children. (Its hard to be a good mother!) I really should practise it though because I can see the difference in their behaviour when I do.

On those days when I give them lots of hugs and cuddles and pay attention to what they say (keyword here is "attention") they love it and they behave like angels, like good little children should.

However on those days, when I'm very stressed or busy, I sometimes take it out on them (Its hard to be a good mother!) and I yell out to tell "Oh! Go and play by yourself and stop bothering me!" Now, thats when I see behavioural problem. They'd be unhappy and fight while they play, whine, and cry a lot.

I really should try to practise what I preach more often. For it really is true that "for every action there is a reaction". I should try not to take out my stresses on the poor little ones because when I do, it doesn't help at all. In fact it makes the situation worse!

This post is a reminder to myself to give the kids for affection and attention. Ok. I'm off now to give the kids some cuddles. :)

Pin It

Shopping Made Simple

Its getting easier and easier to shop and thats a dangerous thing..... for my wallet! These days, to shop, all I have to do is let my fingers do the walking....to online shopping malls. These cyber malls are organised into various departments (via links) just like a regular department store. All I have to do is click on those links to visit a different department.

I've just found another online shopping site. Its called MoneySolution. Their tagline is "Find a Money Solution on anything. Because there's always a sale somewhere." Thats smart, I like it.

We should always shop smart, even when shopping online. Quite often I would wring my hands in frustration when something I just bought at the store goes on a 70% discount the next time I see it. Now, I try to be smart and wait for sales before shopping. And, there's always a sale somewhere!

Pin It

Leave me alone!

Every now and then I suffer from this desperate need to be left alone. I wonder if other mums go through this or its just me.

Once in a while those adorable little smiles and arms that reach out for me don't seem so cute. It seems more like endless whining, clawing at me, and the sound decibels seem extremely loud and I just want to scream out "Leave me alone!"

There's no place to hide. Not even in the toilet (my usual hiding place). Thats when I know that I've had enough of playing "mummy" and need a little time out for myself. I used to hate walking before but now I jump at the opportunity to walk out alone to buy breakfast or go to the nearby sundry shop to get some stuff. The little walks are lovely, peaceful and quiet.

Eveyone calling out for my attention at the same time, including the big baby just drives me crazy sometimes and I go beserk! I had such a beserk day recently now I feel bad........

Pin It

Early Signs of Pregnancy

How do you know if you're pregnant? This is a question every woman who is planning to become pregnant or trying to have a baby will ask. If you have been trying to conceive, you will be asking this question over and over again to all your family, friends and colleagues. It is definitely an anxious time and every month you are eager to know if they "symptoms" you are having are pregnancy symptoms.

So what are the early signs of pregnancy? For me, it was bloatedness or the early start of nausea or morning sickness. I felt so bloated and burped all through the day. I also had a raised temperature and thought I was sick so I went to see a doctor for medicine. I was appalled later on to discover that I was not "sick" but pregnant! I began to worry about harming the baby with the medicine I had taken for my "sickness."

Don't be like me. Read up as much as you can about Early Pregnancy Symptoms and the First Signs of Being Pregnant. You can start here.

Pin It

Preventing Pregnancy Stretch Marks

This is a sponsored post.

I'm one of those unlucky women who have bad pregnancy stretch marks during and after pregnancy. Its looks a little worse during pregnancy because of pigmentation. The stretch marks are dark in colour and very noticeable. They have faded away to silvery linings now but they're still there. One of the things I didn't do was to put any creams to prevent the stretch marks. I have friends who swear that the creams help prevent any pregnancy stretch marks for them.

Now there is a product called Tummy Honey which offers solution to prevent and fade away those unsightly stretch marks. Its all natural ingredients include cocoa butter, vitamin e, shea butter, olive oil, aloe vera, wheat germ oil, avocado oil, just to name a few. It comes in butter form (for prevention), cream (for fading) and stick (for easy application). All Tummy Honey products include anti-itch ingredients to soothe your growing tummy.

Pin It

Sick Again

The kids and I are sick again. Baby has runny nose and a fever. Now his sister and I have it too.

We took baby to the doctor and he was prescribed with fever, cold, cough and phlemg medicine plus a nose drop. Phew! Such a lot of medication. He cried even before we got called into the doctor's office and didn't stop till we took him out!

Later on his sister got sick too but she did not have any medication so I called up to ask the doctor if she could use baby's medication. (Its a no-no to share medication without first checking with the doctor). The doctor asked a few questions like whether she was allergic to any medication to etc, then he said ok and told me the dosage required for her age for the same medication.

My girl taking the same medication influenced baby to take his too. He didn't want to take his before that so I had to sneak it into his drink. When he saw his sister taking it, he also did. Probably thats the good thing about having both of them sick at the same time. LOL!

Pin It

Have you joined FrenzRSS yet?

FrenzRSS, a lovely name don't you think? FrenzRSS is a place where friendly bloggers gather. FrenzRSS was launched on 1st January. It is jointly run by 5xmom and Rojaks. If you're a Malaysian blogger, these two need no introduction.

If you like pinging your posts to various directories, sites or local communities then hurry up and join. The site is still under construction but it is accepting pings right now. Here are the latest pings.

I've registered two our of my four blogs there so far. I left out one which is not very active and the other which has a higher paid post to my original post ratio because at the moment the site will automatically ping all posts.

So... what are you waiting for? Go now!

Pssst. This is not a paid post. LOL! I'm supporting 5xmom who is an inspiration and has helped me a lot in my blogging.

Pin It

New garment size for the average frame busty woman

If you've been pregnant or breastfeeding then you will know what I mean when I say that you will go through several cup changes for your brassieres. Even a slim, small sized or petite woman may suddenly find that she has grown several cup sizes.

All of your clothings that used to fit your perfectly before are now suddenly tight in the chest. And when you go shopping you will find it hard to find styles suitable for your new frame. You don't fit in the big sizes nor the small ones either because you have a small or average frame but a larger top. You're neither here nor there.

Well, fret not, now there is an online store created specially for you. Eris Apparel is an online store for the average sized woman with a D-G cup sized top. Now at last, you can shop comfortably online for clothing that will fit you properly because here you will find a newly formed garment size to fit you. If you fit this description: "large busted but not full figured" you might just want to check out this store.

LoudLaunch - Compensating bloggers for their unbiased opinions, reviews, and analysis. View the LoudLaunch campaign release this post was based on.

Pin It