visits to the docs are highlights for those in confinement, eh? :p
(boring stuff ahead, but they’re more for my own records. really.)
to summarise, doc checked my stitch (apparently, i only had one, like the last time – how elastic my Netherlands are, i simply cannot fathom) and declared it gone *poof*. the thing about stitches, the peak of its sting is felt some time around the fourth or fifth day, when the thread is drying up. couple that with a ‘bengkung’ wrapped tight around you, sitting down gives you the ultimate OOMPH, i tell ya. (didn’t i mention i’m a masochist?)
there was some discussion on family planning, which i’m sure you’re NOT interested in, ha ha. (and if you ARE – it’s gonna be the needle, baybeh. either that, or cut off those tubes!… ok, kidding.)
another visit due in two months time for a pap smear.
and yes, 7kg down, 3 more to go.
moving on… :p
next was another trip to the paedi, where more questions on her pees, poops and feeds were answered. he assured that the baby’s jaundice is almost gone, and will clear up by itself in due time, so no need for another blood test. hurrah!
i voiced my concern to him about how she sleeps too well at night, and that i even wake her up to feed (well, more to relieve my bursting-to-the-brim ‘udders’, really!). and get this – he said to LET her sleep! a wild idea indeed! apparently, i should count myself lucky that she lets me sleep where others have sleepless nights, and that i shouldn’t change her momentum – just feed her more in the day. hokaaay… i just thought, you know, babies *need* to be fed regularly every few hours. but this girl, hmm… she’s one of those day-feeders, i guess. which is good news for me and the VERY LUCKY husband, but bad news for me boobies! :D
ok, so i guess here’s where i start talking about my revived breastfeeding career.
(i can imagine all the anti-tit-nazis starting to roll their eyes at this point, ha ha.)
ahh. as the wise old saying goes – “the path to total breastfeeding is never easy”. (ok, it isn’t a wise old saying, i just made that up.)
the two days at the hospital after the delivery, i’d set my expectations lower – yes, you read me right, lower. i knew that my supply wasn’t going to be magically abundant. so i did what i did the last time, but without the guilt this time round – got her to suckle for as long as i could, and when i really needed to rest, i allowed the nurses to give her some formula. i knew she wouldn’t take much anyway, because she’d be tired by then from suckling me, and at one to two days old, she wouldn’t be that hungry.
and when we came home on the third day, the milk came in, right on time. hello, boobs!
it’s… kinda like driving a manual car – you sorta remember, but you need a refresher, you know? i admit that the first week is never easy for any mothers attempting breastfeeding – whether you’ve done it before or not!
engorgement? of course. sore nipples? yep. blisters? sure.
but i had superb support and help from the masseuse. she practically trained the baby to open her mouth “big big!” and taught me to pop that “big big” mouth – NGAP! – onto where it’s supposed to. (ok, she actually suggested that i video auni do the “open big big!” trick and put it up so other mums can do the same with their babies too – maybe i should get funding from the health ministry for a public awareness campaign? hmm. :p)
that sorted, she went on to massage the engorgement away – and it did, instantly. hurts like hell, coz here you have two rocks on your chest, and they get kneaded and squeezed, and you’re squeaking and squawking away, coz the rocks are very sensitive, can? but nevermind, masochist says, “pain is in the mind”…
the blisters, well, once you got the latch right, those things dry up in no time, with all that sucking. mine came off by itself within a week.
and after that one week teething period, so to speak, we’re on cruise control. (what is up with this car analogy, hana??)
but i must disclaim that i only speak for myself, coz i know this whole “BF” issue is like treading on glass. every mum, and every baby, is different!
i had an enlightenment during my two-day stay at ‘hotel eastshore’ when auni had jaundice. i was sharing the room with a mother who’d just given birth to a baby boy just five days before. he was warded for jaundice too, being born a few weeks earlier than his due date, with a cord around his neck.
the room being so confined, i couldn’t help but overhear a lactationist giving her advice and trying to show her how to do the football hold. later on, i could tell she was having a hard time whenever she tried to feed the baby, so i walked past and asked if she needed help, coz her baby was screaming his head off while she was helplessly trying to get him to latch (and coz i’m freaking kepo, i know). she said yes, so i tried the tickle-the-chin-and-”open big big!”-and-POP-mouth-onto-areola thing with the baby.
but i realise that her nipples were short, and the baby’s mouth was small, and she wasn’t comfortable holding the baby, and he was hungry and impatient, and… well, it IS hard, isn’t it?? :S
so yeah, i felt her frustration.
and i thank my lucky stars to have nubs just right for my babies with their big big mouths.
to soon-to-be mums, i wish you all the best if you intend to set on The BF Path. remember to, err, pull those nippies if you think they’re too stubby! (they’re pretty stretchy you know. or you can try nipple pullers, i hear they work.)
and if you need that “open big big!” video… i get auni to demo on izad, ok? :p
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I seriously need advice on BF….hehehe few more weeks to go wish me luck!!!
Hello Hana,
I’ve been blog-hopping to mothers’ blogs to mentally prepare myself for my first-time parenthood experience within ten weeks *gasp*
This particular topic on breastfeeding highlights the reality of being a mom and I look forward to tips from the experts.
Congratulations on the arrival of the adorable Auni.
Hi Hana! Happy to know you and your lil girl are doing well. Recovery of the stitches IS a killer. Even panadol didn’t work *for me*. :) Anyway, I’m a strong advocate of breastfeeding too. I hope I won’t have too much problems with it this time round. Well, keep the BF tips coming in. I surely do need a refresher!
I remembered everytime Marsya nak susu, my mum would tell me, “kak, dia nak big big”. Haha, all thks to kak maya. Without that “big big”, I think Marsya will never drink my milk.
Hana, ur peanut shell is the same as the hotsling? Comforatble or not? Tot of getting the MIM sling. I have the hotsling but the material not so comfy.
Auni to try on izad? cannot imagine..hehe
good to hear she recovering from jaundice.. hope to c auni again.. hari tu nak dokong dier but paiseh r..
rest well hana!
hi hana,
my gal dulu pun gitu…sleep n sleep n sleep that it gets me worried cos my boys was waking up ever 2-3hrs. after a while i just let her n since bf is based on her demand. but when she grow slightly older at 3M, her drinking volume picks up.
ah…I miss BF my gal..intro her to bottle at 1 but now at 21M pun she sometimes pull up my top to indicate she wants to bf and gets jealous when I try to pretend BF her doll hahahah..the only thing i dun miss is pumping at work!
nice sling you got there…last time I used the LuckyBaby sling which is quite similar to the hotsling. Preferred it to MIM sling…rimas ah ikat sana sini.
ahaks, saw doc aziz…hmmm, he always had that smile on whenever he holds a baby…just like a toothpaste ad…heh! : )
ooops, me forgot to ask you about this masseuse that you have rite now coz’ mine is gracefully retired. : (
still searching for one… so if you have her number, will help a lot if can pass to me. Thanks. : )
told ya!! baby girls are indeed easier to jaga…
mia is already sleeping thru the nite on some days.. and on other days she will only wakes up ONCE! so different from rayhan who wakes up every 2hrs for feeding.. even in e day she spend most of her time sleeping..! heehee..
but if the boobies dah engorged and its so sakit that i cannot tahan, i will feed her even if she’s still asleep… that is in the day lah.. kalau malam i LET her sleep cos i need that SLEEP too..!! now that im back to work.. :( :(
babe! the baby carrier thingy is lawa lor! haiya should have gotten it when you asked.
annnnyywaayyyyy LUCKY YOU!!! sleeping theough the night? that concept is ALIEN to our Mirza lor, pfftt!!!
P.S.>> so GLAD Auni’s ok!
hey…glad to hear that auni’s all well now… i so envy you for being able to BF auni. i couldnt do it as well during my time, had to supplement with formula, then the supply depleted and the rest is history *sob*. Mayb if i do get ‘lucky’ again, i need to ask you for advise la eh hee…
and btw, now that you’re BF do u consume those jamu or ubat periuk?
Hi Hana,
congrats on the arrival of baby Auni!
wanna ask, where can i get the peanut shell sling here in spore?
thanks.
Hi there. I had problem breastfeeding also. Short nipples. Plus I was a first time Mummy and I didnt discipline myself to express the milk. After confinement, the milk kinda evaporated. Regretted it till today. Hopefully things will be better if I ever be a second time Mummy. Take care!!
hey hana..
next time i should get advise from u too…
so sad i didnt get to bf Ayubi..
a few days je.. then i was hospitalised again.. after discharged from hosp.. no more milk =( so sad..
until now i feel so guilty tak dapat bf Ayubi =(
wow so untunglah ur girl sleep thru.. i tink most girls do is it? cuma boys je yg bangun every 2-3hrs for milk..
coz last time pun e same goes for my girl, sampai me yg worried & kept bangun seh tgk dia, tp tgk dia sedap je tido..
hmm nak video auni on izad? cam tak kena hehe..
alahhh, pls dun feel bad leh… :(
still got nx time to try out ok? short or inverted nipples can still work! try to use the nipple puller during pregnancy, or be very rajin to express, ok? and for those with small boobs – size don’t matter!!
az, my jamu comes in pill form, and no ubat periuks for me, thank gawd. the uruts itself help to bring up milk supply, seriously!
yahhh, farah, it’s SO weird, coz when we had aniq for the first 8wks, he kept waking up at night to feed! try having a girl next lah k… hehe! ;)
you’re right lah lennie, so different eh, girls? siang hari pon tidur jer! last night i let her sleep throughout, but of course when she stirred, i cepat-cepat latch. i think i’m the one who cannot sleep!
ps: how’s work?? hehe takpe, u got rini to have ‘fun’ with. :p
asyurah, it’s not sold in s’ore. i DO have an extra peanut shell sling (same colour as the one i’m using, also size S – for those on the petite side) if anyone wants to buy it! email me at nurhana.ismail@gmail.com… :)
mariani, i don’t hv a hotsling to compare it with, but i heard that hotsling’s material is warmer. i know Mums & Babes sell hotslings (they have such nice colours too!) nx time i meet u, you try for urself, k?
linda, i also missed bfeeding after i weaned aniq off when he was 15mths! like you, i didnt miss the pumping at work though, hehee. that’s partly why i’m taking a longer leave lor! and u know, i think aniq also nak tau! he kept saying “nak tetek..” and when my mum joked with him, “nak tetek lembu?” he kept repeating “nak tetek lembu!” hurhurhrr…
nahuya, yah taking a photo of the baby with the doc is like a rite of passage gitu lah, eh? can tell he really loves babies!
hey nana kecik-molek, yah lah time u datang, baby tidur. mebe dewi’s bday party i bring her can? :)
hi jane doe! nice to hear from another advocate! i can’t take panadol coz i’m allergic so that’s why i hv to resort to er, psyching myself up to be a masochist, lol!
chech & julz, i’m not sure how helpful i’ll be, but i can try? :) i’ve written some stuff from my previous experiences in aniq’s blog…
hmm, one more thing i might add, when latching, make sure baby isn’t sucking on just the nipples, that’s gonna hurt in the long run, man! her chin’s got to rest on the breast and there shd be a space between her nose and your breast. the hospital i delivered at had a breastfeeding class for new moms which was pretty helpful, so check out if your hospital has one too! :)
Hana you are very lucky. Fynna dulu bangun mintak susu, mintak dodoi, mintak manja. aiyoo..tak bleh angkat.
Breastfeeding…i miss those times..the close bond with little fynna. Now dia tengok my boobies dia ckp ewww…shame!
Talk abt trouble in breastfeeding..a gf of mine just went thru and operation due to milk blockage! Teruk kan?! Kesian.
ooo i know how she feels!!! i think i’ve got short ones too! haha..but im not giving up yet!
i changed my sling to S tau…mintak2 leh muat la eh..coz no way im petite hehe..hmmm..
welcome back auni! wishing you speedy recovery. ;-)
baby girls are soooooo easy to deal with right, hana?
nks used to sleep thru the night too…..but not when she’s ard 4 mths or older.
i think it was me. i changed her sleeping pattern. every lil movt or sound she made
i’d just woke up, picked her up and latched her on. even though her eyes were shut tightly.
maybe i nie enxious lah …. 1st time mummy lah katakan…so mcm takot baby tak cukup susu…LOL!
i wonder whats in for me when the 2nd one comes along….i hope its as easy as the sister. ;-)
eh! i kepo abit. so when yr boobies engorged since auni didnt wake up for feed, did u like…..in the middle of the night….expressed the milk out? or just leave it as itis till the next morning? i cant imagine sey tengah malam2 buta bangun pump the teks. i ever did it b4……i tetido during the expressing. the hubby woke me up….. :-p
no lah, i dun bother expressing at this point. i dun like bottles and artificial teats mahh! :p
tak sanggup nak sterilise, i’d rather have my sleep. so i tahan the pain lor, what else. hurhur. dasar pemalas.
eh, you having another girl is it?
lynn, good good, dun give up yet. you changed to S? my SIL can’t use the S tau, too small.
sha, apa lagi beb… second one lah, hehee.
btw, those boots fynna wore that day when you guys visited, cantiks lor! pandai daddy dia belikan. boleh jadi fashion stylist! :D
hey hana,
still remembered the first time i tried to latch danish on…… he didnt open his mouth big big and it resulted in me having sore nipples. *yikes*
but i perservere and hey im still breastfeeding him now at 14mths!! didnt and never regret breastfeeding him at all eventho some mothers told me leceh lah, tak bleh kluar dating with hubby lama2 lah, kene cari nursing room lah, itulah, inilah…… and i was like “whatever”…..
baby girls are generally easier to take care of cos’ they sleep ajer…my mom had us 4 girls rite, when hazim came she commented,
” jaga boy ngan girl lain betul. dulu korang 4 asyik tido jer – malam tido, siang pun tido. boy asik bangun jer.” :P
oh my gawd i can still remember the boobies kena knead the first few days after delivery by my kakak urut, the pain is like oh my gawd lorrr…
i had my fair share of bf difficulties too – engorgement, sore nipples, plugged ducts… :S and now dah 7 mths into breastfeeding on cruise control too! hehe!
oh and yes, ur baby’s name is so unique and nice… first time dengar.. :)
aiseyminah!!! sale item not returnable..darn! i try squeeze haha else i sell it away…
Hana..dah hint hint pasal boot fynna,eh? ok ok.nanti kalau dah buruk, i passing kat u. hehehehee…
anyway my cousin dah tanya whether will u be coming to dewi burfday wif auni.. senang2 dtg wif rini too.. since either 1 of u have to send me the cake..
chat wif u soon.. tata
Hi sis, i luv reading tis part abt BF so that i can also learn coz im having so much prob wif my son last time, n hope tis time round i can really BF well. Blog more yah abt BF, hehehe :)
Btw thanks for sharing :)
ah the booby boobies! gave me quite the headache and frustration! i dont know if its the short the long, the small or the watever is lacking in my “udders” cos no matter how big-big or wide wide the kids open, they can’t latch on. huhuhu. and when by some miracle they DO latch on, supply selalu tak cukup. so cekewa u knw. and that peanut sling so cute la girl!
yan, lengkali i go check your udders k, lol! mana tau ko nak go for number 4… :p
ps: darwish is looking MORE like his sisters leh! NGAP! *bites*
hi aisah, insyaallah! read up more and dun be afraid to ask! :)
lynn, asal tak tanya dulu… chet.
sha, sampai hati ko ehhh!
ok nana, insyaallah! tapi kalau u tak suka cake tu, mampos kita… hehhee
tea! im so glad to hear that you’re on cruise control! :)
selina, 14mths, that’s great babe! and where got leceh?! walaooo… that is like the biggest myth mann.
i ni tak sabar orang nyer ..kalau nak benda itu jam nak beli! ahahha
takpe u taking orders till 13 may kan..i hope mine sampai by then..if tak muat i order another one with you :D
*shudders* those darn blisters! alrite beb, let the tek-sessions begin! :)
what is it with the 2nd borns huh? like super relak right? :)
nusair has been sleeping thru the nites too…so much so we managed to sneak in a midnite show after both the boys went to sleep. the grandparents didn’t have to check in on them that much. hehe! :)
anyways, lovely lovely print you got from peanut shell. thanks once again for selling the b/w one to me. it’s my saviour now… tak kuasa nak bawak 2 strollers so we interchange wif just 1… and i’ll carry nusair in the sling whenever naufal is asleep in the stroller. :)
i have to see auni soon! this weekend possibly!!! i’m craving for fresh baby scent can!
Wah.. Reading this reli bring back memories abt BF! Thanks to your advice, I manage to BF Aneesa longer than Aneeqa. But only managed to go for 1.5 mths before I fell reli sick and the supply just went down. :(
You very lucky hor.. Aneesa wakes up exactly 2 hours after each feed. Only recently, she sleeps the whole nite thru. The funny thing is that now Aneeqa’s turn to wake up ard 4am to ask for milk. But that one I leave it to daddy to do it. :p
I nak kepo sikitlah, if you never express at nite, dont you wake up with a wet tshirt?
Hana, is the baby sling the latest in the market coz it look much easier to handle compared to the previous one…where did u get that coz i might ask someone in singapore to send it to me here! thanks…
Wah, you so lucky Auni’s got beautiful luscious lips that can open big2 to help get a better latch :-) My babies all got very seriously tiny mouths, totally disproportionate with the nipples until even the LCs remarked that nothing much can be done about that, just got to endure until baby (and his mouth) grows bigger! LOL
ahaks, when you said aniq said he wants some tek milk, reminds me of my wawa, who is 4 this year and yet, she seems eager at the idea of latching on again…yikes!!! bleh pengsan dengan gigi dia…arrrrggghhh….btw, where did you get the tukang urut? Me looking for one. can give number? is she good?
Hi babe, congrats again on the birth of your baby girl. Now have to start the BF journey all over again huh? No doubt you’ll enjoy it. hehehhe. The tickling on the chin trick sounds like a good trick…hahah, I’ll try that if and when I have my next one. :D Hope Auni is all recovered now from jaundice, must have been pretty scary for you right. Well, enjoy your maternity leave! I’ll visit you one of these days ok. ;)
Hi Hana, u r very lucky that Auni sleeps throughout the nite.. I had sleepless nites during my daughter’s first few months.. She woke up every 1 hour and till now, she still has not slept through the nite and she’s nearly 8 months…. I thought it could be because she’s hungry but it’s still the same eventho she has started taking solids… I somehow feel that it’s already her habit and she juz wants comfort by sucking on you-know-what i mean….
oi you lucky woman, my adam still wakes up to comfort latch! And since he’s not that chubby, I just let him lah, then just zonk off back to sleep. So lihah, you’re not alone ! :
short nipples? ya lah, there are so many challenges other women face… some have shorter nipples, some have inverted nipples… these are stuff I previously took for granted.
Hi Hana,
I’m interested to order the peanut shell. Can let me know via email the designs available and price range. Thanks many many!
hi hana, i’ve emailed you this morning to ask bout the price and design. Hope to hear from you yeah.
for those interested in BF issues, my brother just fwded me this article: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080505/us_nm/breastfeeding_dc
:)
Hi Nor, junesky and maya, i just emailed you guys!!
heriati, glad u and the kids (!!) like the sling! i’ve always been a sling advocate mahhh, hehe.
and omg, midnite shows – LUCKY YOU!! sigh. last time with just aniq, we could sneak him in my sling and he’d sleep all the way, but now with two, hmm… :p
nani, kena train adam to go back to sleep lah. either withhold the teks or give him water? think after a few mths it’s more out of habit, like what lihah said, coz they can’t be hungry right? pandai sangat lah these babies… and yah, we always take those things for granted. erm, guess coz we never look at and compare with other women’s nipples mah, lol!
farizah, you had no probs bfeeding your girl mah. insyaallah you’ll get to ‘revive’ your career again soon too! ;)
nahuya, i email u k.
hi hasif & hani’s mum! can i say, your baby’s SO CUTE!! so gebu! macam pumpkin! :D what is he drinking?
ayu, glad i could help! and wet tshirt? that’s what breast pads are for mahh… of course, that too are totally soaked by morning! kalau perah boleh buat yogurt.
nur, just come lahhhh. anytime!
early days bf can be really hard kan? i thank God for my big-mouthed baby too hehe :D
btw Auni is really2 cute :p
Hi Hana :)
Not sure if you still remember me ? am the lady who pass part of my son wardrobe to Aniq……..
A quick note of congratulations to you, Izad and Aniq on the birth of Auni, a beautiful baby Girl! Do give me a call @97370645 when you are available – luv to catch up
Congrats again!
Hi Hana, congrats on the birth of Auni. I am due in 2 weeks tym. Insya Allah. But the tot of first tym going thru the delivery process can be quite scary for me. I really envy how you went thru the whole process so smoothly and calmly. Mudah2an I can be as strong as you. hehehe.. I surely need more advices when in comes to BF and coping as a first tym mum… Btw, I am also interested to order the peanut shell. Perhaps you can email me on the designs available? Take care, dear and rest well during this confinement period.
Hi Hana, I have been an avid reader of your blog since Aniq’s time until now…
You are so fortunate your dotter sleep throughout..unlike my dotter, she would wake up every 2 hours to drink..
I only BF for 1 month but after that I give up…Nengok org BF anak until 1 year plus macam senang gitu…
haiz..i takda discipline..bad mummy i am…
My dotter now 6 months but when she was about 2mths-4mths of age, she had a very bad colic that she will cry and cry non-stop every evening for hours…skarang ni nak ada 2nd one macam takut gitu..
mayb in your next post, you can share how to take care of colicky baby……..
Neway, congrats to you for your 2nd bundle of joy, Auni Haniz…
haha…i’m still amazed how u managed to bring aniq into the cinemas so easily… :o
bopian la beb..gotta squeeze in quiet time even if it means sneaking out at night…here’s where i’m thankful for my folks! (altho quite honestly, they didn’t have to do anything at all since the boys sleep thru the night!) heh.
i realised we haven’t gone out on a date for soooooo long..as in a date kinda date..(not those rushed thru lunches or trips to the supermarket to stock up on milk & diapers). i tink the last was our anniversary dinner last yr. :p
Hi Hana!! I am just another avid reader of ur super interesting blog…Congrats on the beautiful princess of urs..I just had my lil prince a mth ago too..I am very interested in the peanut shell sling..can u email me on the details?thanks ya
aww auni look like aniq time kecik2…
hey Hana congrats on the birth of ur daughter Auni Haniz…gosh she’s such an angel!! Anyway can u pass me the contact of ur ‘tukang urot’? My countdown dah start…left another mth hehe. Thnx Hana ;)