~ 11 months ~ Play Time!

It has been a while that I am able to update my blog. I am constantly bombed with office work and barely have time to sit down and relax in front of my PC to do just that. Thankfully today was one of those days that I am able to just brush off all the demanding papers on my desk and just leave for home on time! My new year resolution this year would be NEVER to bring work home and spend more time with my family rather than stick my nose in my work.

My baby had just turned 11 months! Another month and she will be a full year old already. How time flies without us realizing it. So far I had not seen any signs of her pearly whites showing up yet but she is gumming a lot these days. She also has not started crawling on her hands and knees yet but do get around by doing the tummy crawl. Day by day I could see her character building up and the change is so uplifting.

Baby Mia is growing into a healthy and bouncy baby. She just loves her cartoon time during the day and also her trips with mama and daddy. Her most favourite spot in shopping malls are the escalators. Yes, the escalators. She just love going up or down escalators. Whenever I put her in the baby carrier and go up or down the escalator, she would flail her little arms and legs and squeal out loud with laughter and that would be the loudest sound that the people going up or down the escalator would hear! ( >_< ) She would squeal even more louder whenever her daddy goes up or down the stairs and started to wave and call out to her! We had encountered a few people commenting that she looked like a starfish with her arms and legs flailing and waving non stop out of her enjoyment.

Baby Mia also loves to flip through book pages. We bought a few cardboard books for her and she would flip and flip them until she gets bored with it and throw it aside. Oh, she also loves to hug and kiss plush toys. She would slowly put her nose or her cheeks against the plush toy and repeat for a couple of times. But almost all the time the lovey dovey session ends up with her biting the toy and then throwing it aside! Hehe.. So far my little baby does not show any signs of being a dainty little lady yet. ( >_< )

As far as all the toys and games she loves to play, her favourite game would be the chasing game. Whenever we put her in her walker and she happened to hold something in her small hands, she would do a little run and look back at us with a cheeky smile. We definitely knew that is a sign that she wants somebody to chase her. When we started to chase her, she would squeal with laughter and run for her life as if there is not enough land to run on! And boy, does she run fast in her wheels!

All in all, it really makes me feel happy whenever I hear my baby's laugh. It is the utmost stress release therapy for me. Till the next post! ( ^_^ )

~ 6 months old ~ New Tastebud Discovery

It has been a while I got the chance to update my blog. My work has been craaaaazy lately with too many things to do and too little time to do it. Albeit my crazy work schedule, my little bouncing baby and me has been traveling to and fro from my home and her grandmama's home. It does take a big toll on me but for the time being this is the best arrangement for her.

My dear daughter is now 6 months old! Since the days of her being a tiny little baby that does nothing but lie and sleep all day, now she is quite the talkative and active baby. Since she is of age to be introduced to solid food, our pediatrician advised us to try and give a tiny bit of solid food to our baby so that she can learn to accept the new texture in her mouth. He told us to start off with a small spoon of finely milled rice cereal and see how it goes from there. I decided to try and give to my daughter is Heinz plain rice cereal. Why? Because it is totally plain, nothing else is added and there is absolutely no sugar nor salt. The only thing I need to add is my baby's milk to the cereal, and then we are good to go.

I do wish I have the time to prepare home cooked baby food for my little baby but as the current arrangement does not permit me the time to do so, I had to settled with what I can for the time being. I highly respect mommies that could prepare home made baby food for their little loved ones, but I do believe that by introducing a store bought food to my baby does not mean I love her less. Huhu..

I was super duper excited to give my baby her first taste of solid food. I think I was more excited than my baby herself! Haha! The first time the baby spoon hits her mouth, baby Mia opened her mouth very wide gleefully! I think she thought it was a game. But, after the food hits her tongue, she gave me this confused look as if asking me, 'Mama, what is this goop you are feeding me? Where's my bottle?'. She did gum on the spoon and food but her expression never wavers from the confused look.

I thought she didn't like the plain taste of the rice but she opened her mouth nevertheless every time the spoon hovered in front of her tiny little mouth without fail. Confused as she was, she did manage to finish the two tablespoon of cereal I prepared. It really made her little tummy full as she slept soundly afterwards. I can't wait to try various flavours once she is old enough to find out what she likes. ( ^_^ ) I hope she does not inherit my allergy to flour! ( >.< )

~ First Fever ~ The Combat of the Runny Nose!

My dear little daughter had caught a fever complete with the whole package of the sniffles and also the ever frightening cough. Whenever I checked her temperature it was always at 37 degrees or a bit higher. Only sometimes would I get a lower reading than that (usually after she had taken her meds). Baby Mia who rarely cries now whimpers and sometimes cries whenever she sneezes or coughs. I felt so sorry for my poor little baby. If only her sickness could be transferred to me, I would gladly be sick for her so she can feel better and be healthy. ( T T )

In these times of need, a baby nasal aspirator is a God sent! After I had given birth, my dear husband went out and bought the bulb nasal aspirator thinking it would work to help our baby once the need arises. We did use it a couple of times when her nose was blocked but I didn't see the effectiveness of the bulb aspirator that much. I did some surfing on the internet to find a better nasal aspirator and narrowed down my choices to NoseFrida and BabyComfyNose. I really didn't want to use the kind of nasal aspirator that had to be inserted inside my baby's little nose. I am afraid that it would hurt her (yup, I am a bit of a paranoid mummy!). Both NoseFrida and BabyComfyNose works the same way: the end of the aspirator is held against the baby's nose and the parent just suck manually to get the snot out.

I opted to get BabyComfyNose because it does not need any filter purchased like NoseFrida. BabyComfyNose just use any type of tissue as its filter. I find that very convenient indeed. The soft rubber tip does not go into baby's nostrils so it is definitely safe and would not hurt. Unfortunately for me, it is not sold anywhere in Malaysia. I ended up purchasing it with the help of a friend and it cost me quit a bundle! No matter though, anything for my dear little baby.

So, when my baby had her fever and her nose was runny, I used the BabyComfyNose aspirator and it did helped clear my baby's nose. The first time I used it, my baby made a bit of a fuss. I think the noise of the snot being sucked out of her nose startled her. She calmed down after her nose was cleared though. After that, every time I took the nasal aspirator out of its' mesh bag and show it to my baby, she would smile at me. 98% of the time she would co-operate with me and offer me her nose to be sucked clear! So cute! Hehe..

This is the BabyComfyNose nasal aspirator:

The package consists of the main body of the aspirator, the soft rubber tip, a long tube with a mouthpiece and a mesh bag. All of these components could be dissembled to be washed separately.

To use the aspirator, I just have to connect the end of the tube without the mouthpiece onto the small cylindrical connector at the top of the body.

Then, I would have to open the main body.

Next, I only need to insert soft tissue as the filter.

Attach the body together and I am good to go!

I would have never guessed that a simple product would help me so much. I am so glad I purchased this. With her nose cleared, her cough seems to lessened and she could sleep more soundly. I feel that as a newbie parent, this is indeed a life saver. I would definitely recommend this nasal aspirator for every parents with a baby.

Until next time! ( ^_^ )

~ Mothercare Shopping Spree! ~

Since having our little bundle of joy, I had always have this weak spot for baby products and those itsy bitsy baby clothes. One of the most frequent shop I end up walking into happens to be Mothercare. I just couldn't help it, the baby clothes are all sooooooo cute there! ( >.< ) So, one day when my hubby took our dear baby daughter and me to Alamanda directly from the hospital after she got her second month's shot, I took the chance to stop by Mothercare's outlet and give in to that little voice in my head that always chants,"Shop! shop! shop!". Lucky for me, Mothercare was having their 25th Anniversary Sale! I ended up buying quite a storm in my one shopping trip at the store. Well, actually the storm was brewing in my hubby's wallet! Hehe..

One of the things I bought was a pack of Aden+Anais' Swaddle Blanket. I had been looking for Aden+Anais' Swaddle Blanket for quite a while and I was very delighted to find it in Mothercare's store! It is really impossible to find anywhere else, even on local online baby shops. The fabric is very soft and comfortable, it definitely will not scratch my baby's delicate skin. It is also breathable so I am not worried about my baby being overheated when she is all swaddled up. The size of the blanket is actually very large, making it easier to swaddle my little baby girl and ensuring that she does not succeed in cleverly wiggling her little arms free of the swaddle. The best part is the more you wash the Aden+Anais' Swaddle Blanket, the softer it gets! Seriously, no kidding, it is true. I really really love them!

Aden+Anais Swaddle Blanket.

I know the shade of pink for girls are so overrated, but I had been eyeing the pink 8-piece gift set for girls for quite sometime now but never got around to purchasing them since the size that I wanted to get was always out of stock. Fortunately for me, it was available during the sale! My little heart was jumping with joy as I, at last, picked up the gift set for my dear daughter. In this set, there is an adorable little reversible long sleeve shirt, a long sleeve sleeping romper, a long sleeve bodysuit, a short sleeve bodysuit, a pair of pants with feet, a bib, a pair of mittens and a hat. All of the colours are coordinated and there's a cute motto which says 'Made with love' and teddy bear motifs with either little dots or stripes printed on the clothes. The material is very soft and comfortable. I think the long sleeve shirt and hat is going to be used often whenever we go to the hospital for our baby's checkups and shots and the rest is definitely for her daily use.

The adorable 8-piece Gift Set. Very very cute outfits!

Mothercare always carries cute bodysuits and I always have a weak spot for cute clothes especially bodysuits! During my shopping spree, I also picked up a pack of 5 pure soft cotton bodysuits with animal prints on them plus a pack of 3 pure soft cotton coordinated pants that matches the patterns of the pinky bodysuits. By that time, I thought 5 pieces of bodysuits were plenty enough for my baby so I decided to wrap up my shopping spree for the day. On the way to the cashier, I stopped in my tracks when I saw a very cute bodysuit with a cute slogan printed on it which was 'Mummy's little dreamer'. It was in the shade of off white and baby blue, so I guess it was really meant for cuddly little baby boys. I really don't think it's wrong to dress my little baby girl in it because it is sooo adorable looking! ( ^_^ ) After a short mental debate with myself (as if I needed the debate!), I picked it up in the end! Hehe.. I also picked up two pairs of blue pants (dark blue and soft baby blue) to be worn with the cute 'Little Dreamer' bodysuit and also two extra pairs of plain pink pants (soft pink and dark pink) that can be worn with any of the pink bodysuits, mix and match style.

My baby's collection of Mothercare's bodysuits and pants. Love 'em!

Arms bundled with a whole lot of cute outfits for my wee little one and feeling satisfied with the selections I chose, once again I decided to wrap up my shopping escapade. After steeling my heart against picking up other cute outfits on display, I aimed myself to the checkout counter. Again, as I was walking in between the aisles heading towards the cashier, arrays of hanging socks at the socks' section caught my eyes and I stopped (yes, again!). On impulse, I reached out and felt the material of the socks and I thought, "Ho boy!". They were oh so soft and I just couldn't pass them up. A baby can't have enough socks, right? Haha! My baby do need lots of socks and this pack consists of 5 pairs of them. I was torn in between the pink ones and the multicoloured ones. In the end, I chose the one with soft brown, beige, yellow and green socks. I bought the socks in a size larger than my baby's current feet size so that she is able to wear them a little bit longer.

 The pack of very soft socks.

I really love Mothercare's range of baby clothes because the material are always soft and comfortable. Plus, they are always made out of 100% cotton so I am sure my baby feels comfy in what she wears. Here's a picture of my little cutey in her cute Mummy's Little Dreamer bodysuit and baby blue pants, sucking her favourite pacifier, trying to fight off her sleepiness after being bathed and nursed.

Our darling little baby Mia

Here's another picture of our baby girl fast asleep after being swaddled in the Aden+Anais' swaddle blanket. She slept, well, literally, like a baby! ( ^_^ )

Baby Mia fast asleep in her swaddle blanky

I do believe these purchases I made were money well spent for the quality of the products I got. I definitely am going back to the store again and again to browse through the clothes, toiletries, feeding bottles and other baby essentials products! And I am definitely will be purchasing more outfits from Mothercare for my dear little baby girl as she grows. ( ^_^ )

~ Medicine Time! ~

My little baby is in her second month and is a bit colicky, especially at night. My poor baby. ( T.T ) My mother told me to get a bottle of Gripe Water to ease her tummy upset. We opted to give our baby Woodwards Gripe Water as it is the same brand my mother fed us when we were babies and plus it is Jakim halal certified.

Since the gripe water is in liquid form, the medicine needed to be administered via either a medicator or a syringe. We had not bought any at the time we first wanted to feed the baby a dosage of the meds. We did have a syringe left by my hubby's sister and we agreed to try and use that. Our first trial in giving our baby the liquid medicine kind of failed because it was quite hard to feed a squirming and screaming baby her medicine via a syringe. The gripe water ended up either being spat out or dribbling down my baby's chin.

Our second attempt to give her the gripe water was by using her feeding bottle's nipple. It was quite a success but only for the first time. The second time we tried that, the gripe water dripped from the nipple's hole and made a bit of a sticky mess.

My frustration was growing by the day and I decided enough was enough. We needed a medicator for the baby! I ended up purchasing a Munchkin's Medicator hoping that it would solve my problem.

Munckin Medicator. Mine is purple in colour.

The first time we used the medicator, it was a success and easy to feed our baby the gripe water. We only felt happy with the medicator that first time because the second time and so on, the medicator did not work as well as the first time. It was hard to screw the medicine tube to the collar and the medicine always leaks at the joining of the medicine tube and the collar. It drove me crazy just trying to get the tube screwed on right because it took a looong time just to get it right!

I ended up having a love and hate relationship with the medicator and had started to surf the net again to find any other type of medicine dispenser for babies to help me feed my baby her meds without any problem.  In my head, I thought that one of these days I would resort to pouring the liquid remedy into her feeding bottle!  It would be so much easier if there was a small feeding bottle that is small enough to feed liquefied medicine to infants. That is when I came across Nuby's Medi-Nurser on the internet. Since it looks like a feeding bottle, I guess it would be the best option and much more easier to give the baby her medicine via this medi-nurser.

Nuby Medi-Nurser

The only problem is that none of the baby online shops in Malaysia carry this medicine dispenser. That means I needed to buy it from US. I was in the dilemma of either proceeding with ordering the medicine dispenser from the US or otherwise when one day I found a Nuby Medical Kit at Alamanda's Anakku outlet! Yay!! My heart was singing as I picked up the pack of the Medical Kit and I was smiling happily all the way to the counter.

Nuby Medical Kit

The first time using the Nuby Medi-Nurser was a HUGE success. Our baby suckled the small bottle just like she suckled her milk bottle. She finished her gripe water without any fuss or mess! I absolutely love this Medi-nurser! It is so easy to use. We just have to snap off the nipple and collar, and then pour in the liquid medicine as needed and then snap back on the nipple and collar. Then, we just feed our baby the tiny bottle and then we are done! Seriously, no leak, no mess, no stress! The only gripe I have about the medi-nurser is that it didn't come with a cover like the one in the picture above. If only it is sold as singles, I might even buy another bottle of Medi-Nurser for just in case. ( T_T )

~ EBM Trouble! ~ Milk Booster To The Rescue

Help! My EBM production is at a very dangerous level at the moment! The fact that my hungry screaming little baby is not one to wait patiently at the breast that has very slow and low level of milk also is a factor for the low supply since she is already comfortable with the bottle that gives her steady flow of milk. I am now frantically searching and reading all kinds of information on the net to help increase my EBM production level. So far I have stumbled upon some remedies and ways to increase my BM.

From all my readings and tips from my friends, I have narrowed down things and methods for me to try out: 

1. Power Pumping

2. Drinking Nutri99

3. Eating RTC pills

4. Eating Motilium

5. Eating More Milk Plus 

6. Eating Fenugreek

7. Drinking Milk Maid Tea

Power Pumping

So far I have tried power pumping (you have to pump every 10 minutes for 1 hour). The result is not that encouraging. Maybe I am not pumping enough or my body is still underproducing EBM? I had tried this method several times over the past few weeks and the result is still the same. Still, I am going to keep doing this once in a while to stimulate the milk glands since my dear baby would not nurse except via the bottle.

Nutri99 Organic Soy Milk

I also had tried (and still am) drinking Nutri99 Organic Soy Milk (which you can get at only RM14.95 from Carrefour), but the result is still the same. It is basically a soy drink mix that supposedly can help boost the milk production. It was recommended to me by a friend. At first I only drank this drink a cup per day but my friend told me that I needed to try and drink 3 cups per day, so I have already started to try and do just that. So far I had been able to drink at least 2 cups per day confirmed, and sometimes 3 cups per day if I remember. I do have a problem in the memory area! ( >.< )

RTC Pills

I was told that RTC pills under Era Edar's Marketing can also help boost milk supply. Since it is a homeopathic remedy and is said not to have any side effects, I had no worries in trying it out. The instruction was to put the pill under the tongue and let it melt twice a day. So far I had not noticed any increase in my milk production though. But I will still keep going at it with hopes that it would help a little bit.

Motilium (Domperidone)

I have started to freak out by the mid of April and went to the pharmacy with my hubby to get myself anything that can help boost up my milk supply. The kind pharmacist told me to try Motilium. She gave me a few days' supply and I have started to take the pills 3 times a day after every meals (at least I am more consistent in taking this pill albeit missing a dosage here and then). It has only been a week since I've started to take Motilium. I did a pumping session after the second day I started on this medicine and got a little bit more milk than a few days back. The milk covered almost the bottom of both bottles rather than just a speck here and there and pooling at only one side of each bottle. I hope this works and I've already put in my order for More Milk Plus in hoping that it would help me as well.

Motherlove's More Milk Plus

Motherlove's More Milk Plus is an alcohol free liquid concentrate in vegetarian capsules. It is a safe and effective herbal formula designed to quickly increase breast milk for breastfeeding mothers. It contains fenugreek seed, blessed thistle herb, nettle herb, fennel seed, non-GMO soy lecithin, modified vegetable cellulose, coconut oil. All the herbs are certified organic. The capsules does not contain any milk, dairy, egg, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, or gluten which is a plus for me since I am allergic to peanuts.

My order for More Milk Plus came in and I have started to take the More Milk Plus supplement for a few weeks now. I paired it with the Motilium pills I got from the pharmacy with high hopes that there would be a significant increase of milk. The instruction on the bottle is to take a capsule 4 times daily, avoiding more than 1-2 oz of liquid for 15 minutes before and after each dose. I did skip a few dosage here and then (again, I am blaming my memory!) but I still take at least a dosage or two each day. Even though, I had noticed some increase in my milk supply. A glimmer of hope is shinning it's little light in my little heart. ( ^_^ )

I did notice a drop of milk production when I skipped pumping for two days while I was in Melaka though. Now I have been pumping everyday since we got back and my milk production had somewhat gone back to normal (which is covering almost all of the base of each bottles).

Fenugreek

In my quest of obtaining information on how to boost milk supply, I have stumbled upon lots of forums and testimonials of mothers who claimed that Fenugreek seeds helped them got their milk production increased incredibly. There are two brands that is always mentioned which are Baby Snowdrop's Fenugreek and GNC's Fenugreek. I actually wanted to get the Baby Snowdrop's Fenugreek but there is a confusion of new packaging and the decrease of the dosage in the new packaged bottles. So, in the end I opted to try out GNC's capsules instead. I had not started to take these since I am still on the More Milk Plus capsules. I will update later once I had tried them.

Earth Angel Milkmaid Tea/Joy Angel Nursing Tea

I have not tried any nursing teas yet but I am thinking of trying either Earth Angel's Milkmaid Tea or Joy Angel's Nursing Tea. I am still contemplating this option because I am quite afraid that the tea would taste weird and I might end up not able to drink them. However, the Joy Angel Nursing Tea is said to taste just like plain water, so I might try that first. I will update if I do end up trying one of these nursing teas.

These are the things that I have tried to increase my milk production to date. Unfortunately for me, there is only a slight increase at the moment. I do hope gradually it will increase bit by bit until I can fully nurse/pump and feed my dear little baby instead of giving her formula. I am still not throwing in the towel just yet. ( ^_^ )

~ Pureen Warehouse Clearance Sale ~ It's A MAD House!!

I had been planning to go to Pureen's Warehouse Clearance Sale for sometime ever since I saw the ad for the sale in Shopping N Sales' website. My aim was to check out the sale since I've never been to a baby's product warehouse sale and I do use Pureen's bottle cleaner and the newborn outfits are very soft and of great quality. Plus, I was told that those newborn clothes are priced at a VERY low price. 

So, on the day of the sale, my dear husband took me and the baby to my mom's house in KL and we left our dear baby for a few hours under grandmama's care. I don't think bringing the baby to the sale would be a good idea and my mom would not allow it too.

We drove to Pureen's warehouse which was located in Seksyen 19, PJ. The traffic drawn to a slow crawl by Seksyen 14 indicating that entering the area would be a HUGE hassle and it WAS! We parked quite far away, in front of British American Tobbaco Warehouse and walked all the way to Pureen's Warehouse which was about 500 meters away. It was quite tiring and the weather was sunny and scorching hot.

Pureen's Warehouse Clearance Sale Banner

As we arrived at Pureen's Warehouse gate, we were quite surprised to see a mob of people standing in front of the gate waiting to be let in. We had to wait for 15 minutes before we were allowed to enter the compound. That's when all the madness started. People started to jostle and push their way in with no care for other people around them. The guard at the entrance advised the crowd for those with small children and babies would better not enter the place as it was jam packed with people and it was quite hard to move around. I saw that most of those people with babies just ignored the guard and still joined in the hustle. It was a bit suffocating and the place was not air conditioned.

 

Jam packed with people and slow moving traffic!

Loooong line of traffic!

We had to walk one slow step at a time until we arrive at the products displayed. There were bottles, toiletries, baby bottles cleansers, baby wipes, detergent, and other sorts of baby products. People were flocking everywhere and most of them were grabbing stuff like there was no tomorrow. It was even worse at the baby clothes section! Most of the carts were empty and lots of people were standing around those empty carts waiting. Whenever a staff came with a box full of baby clothes and started to pour out the contents of the box, those people fought like MAD vultures grabbing and snatching the baby clothes even before they could touch the table! And yes, among those frantic mob are parents with babies who did not seem to remember that they were carrying a delicate baby in their arms and also pregnant women forgetting that they were in a delicate condition. 

I was busy standing at a safe length from the crazy flock of people when I heard a very high shrill of a baby screaming at the top of her lungs. I guess the poor baby was a victim of those frantic adults fighting over the clothes and she got squished really hard in between. It was really heartbreaking! It really made me angry thinking of that incident alone! That poor little baby. She cried and cried.. I hope she's okay. Seriously, those people were like vultures! 

Most of the people there who had grabbed all the clothes that they could then would sit down at any corner of the place and then sort out their loot, choosing the ones that they intend to purchase and then discarding whatever they didn't want. Those discarded clothes are left on the floor just like that. People like my husband and I ended up looking through those discarded bags of clothes on the floor rather than on the display tables! 

After a loooooong time of choosing and picking up stuff that we needed, we threw in the towel and proceeded to the check out line. It was really long! We had to stand in line for about one and a half hour just to pay for those stuff we picked up! It was sheer torture for our poor feet. I wished I had brought along a portable stool with me so that I could sit down. Anyway, it a BIG relief after we had paid for all the stuff we picked and then we proceeded to the exit as fast as we could.

As a conclusion, I don't think this kind of sale is worth the hassle. I don't think I would never go to a sale like that again! I would rather go to a place where I could walk around freely and not get squished in between a bag and a pushy lady who does not seem to realize that the line is not moving but she still wants to walk forward! For me, it is not worth it to save a few bucks to face that kind of agonizing experience. It's better to just go to the store and pay retail price for the peace of mind.

~ Baby's First Month ~ First Shot! Ouch!

Our baby is a month old! I can't believe how time flies. Now my maternity leave is depleting and I am still not fully recovered. I need more leave days!! Anyway, my baby and I had appointments to see our doctors. Mia needed to be given her month-old shot and I needed to be checked up by my doctor, Dr. S.

As usual, we went to Tawakkal Hospital from Putrajaya and arrived there at around 10.30 am. We registered baby Mia at her pediatrician'c (Dr. Z) clinic first and then me at my clinic. We waited at the pediatrician's clinic for her to get her first shot. Well, technically this is her second shot since she got ger BCG shot before we left the hospital after her delivery. 

The pediatrician checked Mia and told us that she's healthy. Her weight had gone up from 3.1 kg to 3.85 kg. We were not so surprise since her cheeks had been getting chubbier everyday. She was wiggling around so much whilst her doctor was examining her. And then it was time for her to be given the shot. I had to stay away because I couldn't bear to see her cry. I only knew that the shot was administered once I heard my baby wailing at the tops of her lungs. It must have been painful to her. Poor baby! ( _ _ )

Dr. Z then told us that our baby might get a fever after the shot had been given so he will prescribed us a medicine. We were told to give our baby a dosage of the medicine once we get back home just in case the fever fires up later. He also told us to look out for signs of colicky moments and report to him at the next visit since babies are usually colicky in their 2nd month. Then we were sent on our way and it was time for me to see my doctor.

Dr. S checked me and she said that everything looked okay to her and my wound is healing nicely but slowly. I did mentioned to the doctor that I had been having gas and wind lately and I also had headache quite often. The doctor told me that it might came from not enough eating and not enough rest. I am told to rest a lot and sleep when the baby sleeps. My weight had been going down so I was also told to pack up on food. Reality is that I cannot have the luxury to rest and eat a lot since I am always alone at home with the baby and there's no one to take care of the two of us. So, I had to do everything on my own during the day most of the time except when my mother comes during the evening or when my husband didn't have to go to his lab. My appointment was set for another two months so hopefully I will be fully recovered and feeling a little bit healthier by then.

Baby Mia's next shot is scheduled to be on 27th of March. I hope everything goes well. I do love looking after the baby and am still adjusting myself to the new role of a mother. I hope I can give the best care for my baby and she will grow up healthy and happy. ( ^_^ )

Confinement ~ Traditional Massage ~

I am still in my confinement days and I have about 3 more weeks to go. I am counting the days till I can go out and do a little bit of shopping for the baby. As of now I am recuperating quite well. I managed to get up by the end of the first week even though it was reeaaalllly painful. I actually forgot how painful it was to move after a c-section operation. I managed to start doing small chores around the house by the second week. Since my mother can't really stay at our home full time to take care of me and the baby, we had to make do with whatever resources we have. My mother do come whenever she can but she's usually around only in the afternoon. Otherwise, it's either my husband and me or me alone with the baby whenever my husband goes to his lab.

It was around the second week that I had started to get painful cramps in my tummy. My mother said that it must have been gas or wind in my body. I guess since we had to take care of things most of the time by ourselves, my meal time is a Since my diet for confinement is not so appetizing, I only eat a small portion every meal. The fact that I didn't eat my meals not strictly on time also added to the chance of gas and wind entering my tummy. It was really really really painful! If you are ever in confinement, please take good care of your health and eat on time to avoid this painful agony. I am telling you, it is VERY painful!

Most of our friends that came to see the baby told me to get a traditional post delivery massage. I have never gotten a body massage before because firstly, I am ticklish and secondly, I don't handle pain too well. But since I kept getting painful tummy ache and even headache because of the wind, I grudgingly agreed to get a massage. My husband's friend had given him a contact number for a masseuse. She offers her services for massages and even post delivery care. I decided to give it a try and contacted her and set up an appointment. The package that I agreed to was a three days c-section post delivery massage. 

The great thing about this masseuse is that she does not have to be picked up but she came to our house on her own with no extra charge. From the first day I told her that I had never been massaged before and I am very ticklish and have a low pain threshold. She reassured me that she will adjust the pressure while massaging to my level of acceptance. I found that the massage was not that bad and I could endure it. There were some problematic areas such as my shoulders and legs which did hurt quite a bit when she massaged me. She told me that it's my veins being blocked and tight from years of usage and not ever smoothing them out with massaging them. My body did felt lighter after the sessions.

At the end of the three session, I can make the conclusion that the massage was okay and a must for women after delivering a baby. As for repeating a body massage at any masseuse's hands, I think I will refrain from getting massaged unless I really need it. Haha!

If anybody out there is searching for a post delivery massage, below is her contact number:

Tel: 017-325 1553 (Azah)

Email: siti_norazah80@yahoo.com

She covers the are of Putrajaya, Puchong, Kajang, Seri Kembangan and Bangi only. Her services are strictly for women only and she offers traditional massage for post delivery massage, health/stress massage, pregnant women massage and even post natal care.

I hope that my body will recover faster so that I can enjoy taking care of the baby more. ( ^_^ )

Post Delivery ~ Jaundice ~

It has been three days since the delivery. So far everything was going well except for me still feeling weak and incapable of too much movements. Even so, I was hoping that we would be discharged that day since I had quite enough of nurses coming in and out of my ward room, the medicine and all the procedural questions. Unfortunately for us, our baby's pediatrician told us on Thursday morning that our baby had jaundice and her reading was quite high, so she had to be monitored and treated under the blue light. We were also advised to stay in the hospital since I was breastfeeding her at that time. 

I know, I know. There were lots of tips I had received during my pregnant days about ways to avoid my baby getting jaundice. One of them was to drink goat's milk in the 9th month of pregnancy. I wanted to but never got around to exactly buying goat's milk. I even had trouble keeping up with me drinking regular formula milk specially made for pregnant mommies. I only succeeded in drinking Goodday's Milk in the blue carton which I thought tasted much nicer than all of those formula milk. I hope it was not because I didn't drink goat's milk that our baby got jaundice. Most probably it's because both of us have O+ blood type. Huhu..

In the end, we had to stay in the hospital for two days. Throughout the two days I was called now and then to feed the baby but it seemed that my precious little baby didn't have enough milk since my milk was not producing fast enough. The doctor and nurses advised me that they needed to add formula milk for my baby since she needs to drink more so that she can pee and poo more to help get the jaundice out faster. I had to agree with them since I do want my baby to get well faster. Her jaundice didn't look like it was decreasing every time I went in to feed her. The nurses alternated my feeding sessions with formula milk to ensure that my baby had enough milk. This feeding routine went on through the night until morning. I got some rest and shut eyes in between the feedings.

It was on Saturday morning that the doctor came in and told us that our baby's jaundice reading had dropped below 10 and we were allowed to go home. My heart jumped for joy! At last! My dear husband packed up all of our things and we waited for the signal from the nurses for us to be discharged. By midday, my husband was called in to settle the hospital bill and then I was called in the nursery to change our baby's clothes (an indicator that we were about to be sent on our way home!). After all the procedure was done, my husband got all of our things into the car and drove to the lobby. I was put in a wheel chair and pushed by a nurse to the lobby alongside another nurse wheeling the baby inside a baby cot beside me. I thanked the nurses as my baby and I was bundled into the car feeling happy that we finally were on our way back home. At the same time I was feeling a little bit lost and scared that we are now venturing into something that we are unfamiliar with.

I really hope that my dear husband and I are able to take care of our precious little baby as best as we could since we are now newbie parents. Now, it's an entirely new journey for the three of us.. ( ^_^ )

~ The Delivery ~

28th Feb 2012: Morning

My husband and I went to the hospital as instructed by my doctor yesterday. My contraction was getting more intense and closer apart especially yesterday morning. We saw the doctor and we were told that I will be admitted immediately so I needed to start fasting for the operation. My doctor advised use to go through the c-section since there might be some complications during labour and we both agreed.

We were brought to Admission and paid for our delivery package at the counter. Then we were sent to the labour ward for me to be processed. I was quite nervous since everything is going too fast for me. At the labour ward, my tummy was shaved, I was given some medicine and the anesthetician doctor came and told me his procedure in giving me a spinal injection. I would be awake from top half. Later at around 2.30 pm I was given a medicine and then we were sent to our ward room. We had some time to perform Zohor prayer before nurses came in and started to prep me with drip. I have started to feel very nervous and scared.

28th Feb 2012: 4.00 pm

Nurses came into our ward room wheeling in a bed. I was told to get on that bed and lie sideways. I was shivering non stop by then. My dear hubby was allowed to come along for the procedure. I was too scared and started panicking thinking of the operation and the spinal injection I was about to face and it made me shake like a leaf. I was crying and almost didn't want to go through with the operation. My husband was doing his best to calm me down all the way to the operating theater. The  anesthetician  doctor came and gave me an numbing injection in my back, then the spinal injection. Surprisingly it didn't hurt as much as I had anticipated. But the shaking still wouldn't stop. I was then wheeled into the operating theater and was transferred onto the operating bed. I was then was told to lie on my back. My legs have started to feel numb but to my horror I still can move my right leg and wiggle my toes. I panicked BIG TIME!

Doctor S came in and started to prep me. I was still in panic mode since I can feel what she's doing especially all the prodding and wiping. I told her that I have not lost all feelings on my lower part of the body and she asked me to raise my legs. I was able to raise my right leg but it felt very heavy. She told me it's okay and she's going to try and cut me. WHAT? Seriously, I panicked since I was afraid that I could feel the knife slicing me open. The anesthetician doctor told me to calm down and explained that I could feel all the prodding and poking but I would not feel pain when I am cut. Doctor S then carried on with the procedure. I could feel the tugging and pulling and probably every layer cut open but did not feel the pain. I did feel a little bit of pain from the baby's thumping before the sac holding her was cut open. When the doctor was pulling the baby out, it was quite painful since I felt heavy pressure as they pushed my tummy to help the baby out. It did hurt very much. Then suddenly I heard the baby cry out. It was a good loud cry too. ( ^_^ ) My hubby was told to go and check the baby ie fingers, toes, gender and then recited azan and iqamat into her ears. The baby was then sent to the nursery to be processed and my hubby was told to follow. All that while, the doctor was checking my old laparotomy scar to check whether my cyst and fibroid were present and to remove if there was any. Fortunately, there was no cyst and fibroid. She told me there were no adhesion as well. She did asked me whether I ate snakehead fish (haruan) after my last operation and I said no, she said good since that fish would cause adhesions.

I kind of felt it when the doc was sewing me up. I was not sure which layer the doc was finishing but I certainly felt a bit of a sting near the end of being processed. After all was done, I was cleaned and wheeled out of the operating theater and parked at the prepping/waiting area outside of the operating theater. A nurse came and put two layers of blankets on me and another layer of thermal blanket to help me with my shivering. My blood pressure was taken and I was left under the blanket for about half and hour until the shivering subsided. Then I was wheeled outside of the prepping area and was transferred onto the same bed I was wheeled in from my ward. Then, I was finally sent back to my ward.

Upon entering my ward room, my dear husband was already waiting for me. As I was wheeled in I felt relieved and secured once I saw his smiling face. The nurses transferred me onto my bed and made sure I was prepped for the evening. My hubby sat by my side after the nurses left and we talked about the whole operation and filled in the blanks when each of us was away for brief moments during the procedure. Whilst talking, a nurse came and told us that our baby is crying because she is hungry.She asked me whether I had energy to try and breastfeed the baby and I said I'd like to try. She went and brought back the baby to me and showed me how to breastfeed the baby whilst lying sideways. It was quite an experience feeding the baby for the first time. I felt very happy to be able to hold our baby in my arms after carrying her for 9 months. Only Allah SWT knows how I felt that time and I am very thankful and grateful that I am given the chance to become a mother in this short life. Alhamdulillah.. ( ^_^ )

Baby Ameera Damia was born on 28th of February 2012, 4.47 pm, weighing 2.93 kg.

~ Going Into Labour ~

Last week's checkup was not my last checkup apparently as I was called in again yesterday. I started having contractions early morning yesterday so my doctor did a VE on me and found that I was already 2-3cm dilated. The VE was verrrrrry painful! I bled a little during the examination but when I got home, I bled quite a lot that sent me into panic mode. 

Anyway, the doctor told us to come in again today to be admitted and she told me that it seems that the baby is well on her way out into this world, probably today. Since there would be some difficulties with the baby's position plus my very very very low pain threshold, she told me ceasarean would be an option for me since I could not even handle the pain duirng my VE. Seriously, it was very painful!

I am dreading the needle from the spinal injection though. I hope they will give me a numbing agent before putting the needle in my back. I do really hope the procedure turns out well and everything turns out fine for both the baby and me. Please pray for us dear readers.. as I am going into labour today..

3rd Trimester ~ Last Prenatal Checkup? ~

My dear husband and I went for our checkup at Tawakal Hospital yesterday. As usual, we arrived a little bit late and had to wait for about 1++ hours before we could see the doctor. When our turn came, Dr. S checked my blood pressure as usual and asked the routine questions about my progress and if I had any irregular complaints. Since it is already my 37th week, and I had been experiencing some contractions for the last couple of weeks, she told that I might get into labour a lot earlier than my expected due date.

Then she did an ultrasound scan of the baby to check how big the baby has grown, the position and etc etc. She also checked my pelvic bone and whether I can deliver the baby normally or have to go through operation. The examination was quite painful actually and knowing that my pain threshold is low, it burned a little while the procedure was done. I was so very very very glad when the examination was over.

I told Dr. S about my worry of the labour pain and she told me that I could do some squatting exercise to help loosen up my pelvic bone so that it can open more easily during labour. She also told me to do breathing exercises which can also help a lot during labour. I have to get on the Internet to get some information about these exercises because the antenatal class my husband and I attended back in November 2011 did not teach us about the exercises in detail. Plus, I am very forgetful nowadays that I don't really recall most of what I've learned during the class! ( >.< )

Dr. S then told us that she needs to see me again after a week to determine whether the baby has moved into the birthing position or is still high up in my tummy. So, I am scheduled to see her again on the 20th of February (if I haven't gone into labour before that, that is) for another examination. Ouch!! So yesterday was not my last prenatal checkup but the 20th might be the last. I am soooo nervous about going into labour. Huhu.. Praying hard to Allah SWT that everything goes well.

3rd Trimester ~ Nearing The End of A Journey ~

I am officially 37 weeks pregnant today. According to the charts, I have about 21 more days to go. Yikes! All sorts of feeling had come and gone these past few weeks and I am becoming more and more panicky as I haven't got all my preparations down pat. I still haven't pack my hospital bag and the baby bag is still incomplete.

Lately I have been feeling short of breath most of the time and walking around too long makes me tired and my feet ache. My tummy feels so stretched out and tight making me feel tired more easily especially when I am on my feet for more than an hour. I do wonder if this condition is the same for every pregnant women out there but then maybe it's just me being a weakling. I can't even walk that fast anymore but just waddle along taking my own sweet time like a penguin.

I also start to worry about going into labour. I don't really know whether I have the strength to go through normal labour and I worry about my low pain threshold. There is also the possibility of me getting an emergency cesarean operation if anything goes wrong while I am in labour. I try my best to calm myself down by thinking about the baby but sometimes the anxiety is too much to bear.

The baby is getting more and more active everyday. I still cannot get a pattern of when the baby is active most but it seems that the little tyke kicks around most when I eat a little later than I should, when I am stuck in a loooooong endless meeting, when it is time for bed and when I lie down sideways and the baby got a little bit squished inside. I do sometimes wonder whether the baby is doing fine being cramped inside since most probably she/he has less room to move around. Maybe that's why she/he is kicking around a lot?

I also do notice that people tend to look at my tummy a lot whenever I am out shopping with my hubby. It makes me wonder, "Is my tummy very huge?". According to my sister my preggy tummy is just as normal sized as any other preggies but still those wandering eyes makes me feel like my baby belly is too big. Maybe I should stare at their bellies in exchange to rectify their habit of staring at other people's pregnant tummy?

Anyway, we've got our appointment with Dr. S today and she wants to check out whether I am near labour.  I do hope everything is all right and the delivery will be as easy and not too painful as some people had experienced before me. Wish me luck guys! ( ^_^ )