Archive for BF
1st Day back to work
After the Long Hari Raya weekend, I cldnt wait to get back to work! Why? Can’t wait to EAT! No more hiding under the desk to get some food into the mouth! hah
I was ALL SMILES when i reached the office and went to the shop across the street to get Bfast.
I was ALL SMILES when i gave out Crispy Crinkles i bought from The Cookie Workshop (Oops their website is turned off) to my colleagues saying, “Hari Raya Cookies, would you like to have some?”
I was ALL SMILES when two of my colleagues wishes me Selamat Hari Raya. Oh How thoughtful!
I was practically GLOWING, walking on air. All because of … Food! hahahaha
Another thing that made my day was after 6 long months, i FINALLY managed to catch TWO movies at the cinema with Ash. I even took half day afternoon to go there!
I LOve you Beth Cooper SUCKS. It was very slow. It was sooo depressingly slow, even Malaysian dramas look more interesting! But i was THAT deprived i didn’t mind.
Now MOON is a very interesting, intriguing one. About a Man stuck on the job faraway on the moon All alone. At first, i was afraid it might be boring if there’s only ONE cast and no dialogues? I was mistaken. My heart was racing wanting to know what’s next what’s next!
Thank you to Ash who got those tickets free for us.
Down side: Amidst the chaos, the staff who was supposed to store my EBM (Expressed Breast Milk) and some frozen nutella rolls into their fridge just stashed it in the cupboard! By the time we were finished with the movies, 300ml worth of milk went bad! I felt murderous going home.
I can’t think right now.
Totally swamped at work! But i have a few t hings to say:
1. Tufeil regurgitated thru his nose! like 3 times the past couple of weeks! it trickled out when he was sitting upright too!! What m i doing wrong?!?! Poor baby.
2. I was on MC yesterday. Doc said i have a CYST. a MILK cyst and she popped me with a pin and told me to use warm towel. Didn’t get 2 days as intended. I sooo dont have time to do all this remedying regime at home, and no stuff at work. Am i doomed for pain all my BF-ing life then?
3. I HATE MY ROOM!!! It’s a MESS MESS MESS!!!! I hate to admit that the cot/playpen has indeed turned into a storage space the past few months. I planned to buy two Winnie the Pooh storage boxes to put his toys and books. Instead, i was given an ugly looking drawer! I HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO TIME TO CLEAN UP MY WORDROBE!!!
Somebody PLEASE babysit TUFEIL for meee!!!!! *Crying crying*
4. Even without the wheels, Tufeil has been moving around in that walker of his! So strong!?
5. Muslim staffs got their salary 5 days early! Weee…
6. On top of everything else, there’s a bee buzzing on my hp. SHOO! Go away!
Cranky Tufeil
8th and 9th Sept 09
Seems like Tufeil is in a…. Growing Up Cranky Phase?
Mum reported he kept crying during the day, refusing to sleep save for a few 15 to 30min chunks at a time.
Usually, he would be ok by the time i come back and nurse him myself. But not that night.
That night, he was on my left side for over an hour. When i tried to release it, he cried! Lying on the bed sideways, it was a very uncomfortable position for me to sleep in and i almost wanted to scold him! But i just went around to the other side of the bed and give him the right one (more comfortable side for me but still on my back’s the best) and he was soothed.
That raised another scary thought: I think the supply on my left side is dwindling. This is due to Plugged Duct i’ve been having for 2 months now. The visible white plug that sort of corks the flow of milk refuses to go away! When i express, only 70ml came instead of the standard 100ml.
I’ve already called KK’s lactation nurse. She told me to pick at it as i would a pimple! Er…. i soooo dont know how, scaredy cat that i am. She did tell me though that i should contact her again if the condition doesnt get better… Hmm…
In the meantime, Tufeil, please help mummy to get better. and Please be a good boy, theek hai? Accha bachcha.
Fasting with a Baby
Baby will usually sleep at 10pm. Thru the night, he will wake up about twice say around 1 and 4am. at 5am when i hafta wake up for Sahur/Sehri, i will gently turn him to his tummy praying he won’t wake up. Mostly he won’t.
Sahur menu at my house is either last night’s break fast leftovers or rice. Mostly i can’t stomach rice still being groggy and all but i just stuff myself. Most importantly is to drink 1ltr of water, otherwise, i can’t survive the day!
Pray at 5:45am. While waiting for baby to wake up for morning feed, i will play Lexulous while watching Smallville. (Now at Season 7 Episode 14) or sometimes i nap but if possible i dont because i will feel FAT when i wake up! Besides, in an hour i hafta get ready already.
Sidetrack : You know, every Ramadhan I will put on weight instead of lose them! Because always sleep with FULL TUMMY! End of side track.
It was nice to receive a pat on the back by a fellow new mother at work. She said, “Wah you’re fasting and you’re still pumping. Way to go!” Thanks. I felt appreciated for my effort.
I’m not sure whether expressing BM is tiring or relaxing. In one way, i get a break before i start work and i get to read my book. In another, its like drinking my energy away.
My mum would give 4 bottles to Tufeil thru out the day. If his last feed is 5pm, then it is very ideal for me.
You see, i finish work at 5:15pm dash home and reach at 6:15. Once i step home, i will make bee line to my room to pump for about 15min. Then i take a quick shower n get dressed in 15min. from 6:45pm to break fast time i will nurse the baby to, hopefully, sleep. So that i can eat in peace! teehee.
But if his last feed is 6pm, there will be a problem. I can’t nurse him to sleep. Or if he wakes up in the middle of break fast, then i hafta hold him in left hand, and fingers my food with the right.
Standing Tall. bwaahahahah
Close up now
From what i heard/read/know, a walker hinders the baby’s own instinct to walk on their own. So this is for emergencies only, when we’re really desperate.
But in any case, without the wheels, it will serve like a mini … what-you-call-it… gym station? game station? Something like that. *trying to minimise guilt here*
After Maghrib prayer, i will top and tail him and change into pyjamas. that would be around 8:30pm. Then the adults in the house will play with him till about 9pm when he would want his next feed.
Between 9 – 10pm a bit more of quiet play (er… sometimes not so quiet) and a mandatory change of diaper. After that, i will turn down the light and nurse him to bed.
ZZZZZZzzzzzzZZZZZZzzzzzzz Zapped of all energy, i can’t do much anything else. At most i will watch Smallville to sleep. I feel guilty for not doing extra in this holy month of Ramadhan. Lord forgive me. Give me strength. Ameen.
A few nights ago, I tipped over a bottle of expressed milk after pouring some of 130ml bottle to 70ml one to even it up!!! Hey that’s 15min of my time gone to the drain!
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Today i was on half day morning for mummy’s check up. It’s also my first time taking care of Syifaa’ and Tufeil “alone”.
Thank God Syifaa’ didn’t cry! Ok she almost did when she cldnt get a cold drink bcos of her cough. But i suggested hot milo instead and the situation was resolved.
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Also, today my postnatal masseuse dropped by out of the blue! She came to collect her stuffs: the Ganggang suit, bengkung and mini batu lesung.
She asked how old’s the baby now. I replied almost 5months. And that is just how long her things have been at my house unreturned!
Sorry, Cik! *embarassed*
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Have u ever felt your heart “lurched” or “dropped” with fear out of the blue?
I dont know why mine did just now on the way to work and its agonising me… What have i forgotten to do? I hate it when this happens.
Is BreastFeeding Cheaper?
How did i decide to breastfeed?
- Its good for baby
- Peer pressure (everybody’s doing it)
- Cheaper
But is it really cheaper? Things i bought or needed to buy to sustain this:
- Electric pump $100 (ok maybe non BF mummies also need a pump to help engorgement but perhaps a manual one would do?)
- Breast Pads. I wear Madela washable ones @ $16 for 2 which last me a month?
- Disposable Breast Pads. In case of emergency. $8 for 32pcs. Lasts 2 months i hope.
- Lansinoh Milk Bag @ $15-18 per 25pcs. which lasts only 6 working days.
- Cooler Bag to transport the BM. I think it was about $20.
- Nursing tops $50 each. I know this is not necessary but i can’t help it! =D
- More diapers as breastmilk is easier to digest resulting more output. lol
- More money for food cause i’m always so hungry!!!
I’ve only just unearthed Avent reusable cups from the back of my wardrobe that Z bought a long time ago. (3months actually haha) I supposed that was around $20. There are 10cups and i’ve switched to this one already.
At first i didn’t use them cos its shape wastes a lot of space in the freezer. Now i to store it in chiller for a short time, so there should be more than enough space. BUT! I’ve already bought 3 packets of the plastic milkbags. Heart pain! Ok nevermind i’ll reserve that for emergency purposes say the cups are not washed or all in use… or if i wanna store it in freezer. But 3 x 25pcs will take a SUPER LONG TIME To finish.
(Haha ok as i write this entry i’ve only just noticed i have a lot of “for emergency cases” things. Even my clothes and scarves, stationeries, shoes there are “for emergency” categories. I’m such a sicko!)
Hopefully with the Avent cups i will save a lot more. I dont dare do the maths, but is BF really cheaper after the figures above? Look quite unlikely. Formula milk is only what? $20-30 that can last a whole month. I got a lot of bottles from the gift packs. Ok some may argue that BFed babies are less likely to fall sick = save on doctor’s fee… but surely not that much that often?
But of course, at the end of the day, its the Baby’s health that’s more important and the bonding experience. =)
Seminar 2009
Thurs & Fri 25th – 26th Jun 09 (3 month old)
We got together for a department dinner at Regent Hotel. And the next day, we had our “seminar”. It was also a work trial for me.
“Where are we going, Mummy?”
“We’re going to Regent Hotel, Sayang. We will meet mummy’s friends. There’s a baby girl there too. You met her 4months ago. When I carried her, you kicked me in my tummy.”
Both father & son sporting double chins!
The day Michael Jackson died, I was in this seminar.
The venue is somewhere behind Tanglin Mall and the property is so HUGEEEEEE!! The House is HUGE, the compound doubly so! Can’t imagine working here. No place to go for lunch as surrounding are all private estate area. Altho we could claim cab fare, Ayah sent and picked me up. Yayy
In the morning, we had a professional consultant assessing our team personalities. A revelation: My boss recruits pple with similar personalities ie Blue & Green persons, left Brainers.
Interestingly, the lady said that in Singapore, we are NURTURED to be left brain oriented. Or perhaps used to be. Now with all those creative thinking (How can u teach pple to be creative?!), its quite a promising outlook for the future generations i hope.
I enjoyed the session very much, esp the part where we introduced ourselves using a toy. I picked this colourful flexible round-ish thing and described myself as flexible in the sense that even if i have an opinion of my own, i can understand yours too. Normally that rendered me stuck in between. I know where he’s coming from, i know why she feels that way. But what should i do, going forward??
Tea breaks and lunch was catered. I had a special HALAL bento set meal. Fish curry. Hmmm… Boring. I went to take the salad and prawn from the main food.
Because the place is ULTRA HUGE, there were many places where i could sit, plug in to my pump and whir away. “In fact,” i thought “this is much comfortable than office! I was worried for nothing!” There was even a bar counter and i made myself at home using the fridge. haha
Another Disaster
Oh no!!!
I forgot to bring this valve (or whatever part of the pump system that is) to work today. It’s usually attached to the two piece funnel + bottle set washed and sterilised in the steam machine. But over the weekend the maid found out the thing can be twisted open so this morning i didnt realise its not fixed back on. Not totally her fault. Shld have checked.
So later, i hafta go to Marina Square again to buy this thing… $30 for 2pcs!! *faint* Oh well.. ive been wanting to get a spare one anyways and now i have the perfect excuse to.
This morning Tufeil didnt go back to sleep after his 6am feed like he usually does. I think its bcos the day before he had too much sleep. And for the first time, it ached my heart to leave for work seeing him brimming in the morning. *sob sob*
Well at least there’s something to look forward to this week. My replacement is gone! For the week at least. The past 3 days she had been handing over pending jobs to me and tying up loose ends. I dont wanna be nasty or gossipy… so let’s just say… i’m not quite comfortable with her endless chatter. but she is a very nice person..
My boss wants to keep her. So since one of our colleagues is in need of an assistant, she’s gonna come back next week to fill tt position, albeit temporary. Again.
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Tufeil’s caregiver is sooo pro bottle feeding that she tot it appropriate to repeat saying:
- Oh its ok baby, tmrw i give u bottle ok. So u can sleep nicely afterwards
- He’s still hungry, urs is not enough (he just wants some comfort sucking)
- Just give bottle lah (But i’ll be the one in pain if i dont feed him directly n not express)
- Hey look, he’s not latched (i know i’ve only been a mother for 3months, but i know when he’s not latched.. im just giving him some time)
I thank you for warming up the eBM for Tufeil… but please, I need ur TOTAL support to continue BF-ing successfully.
First Family Outing
Sat, 16th may 09.
“Mummy, Hurry up, please. I want to be changed!”
On Mothercare counter, Urgent shopping.
