Sprees

This entry is for myself so that I can keep track of what are the sprees pending.

1. happypan - PAID
2. osh kosh / carter 1 - Alisen - - PAID
3. osh kosh / carter 2 - Krystne
4. playpen - - PAID
5. spanx - Paid Ref: 7285575115 
6. brightstarkids - Selena - - PAID
7. taobao - Elise - - pending second payment
8. headbands a (6 items) - Krystne - Paid Ref: 7285575115 
9. headbands b (4 items) - Krystne - Paid Ref: 7285575115 
10. motherlove
11. teething pad - Steff
12. tutu - Summer Peh - - PAID
13. Seahorse - Eunice Sng - - PAID
15. happybellies oat - Farry Kat - - PAID
16. socks - Summer - - PAID
17. Frog and apple Bibs + Skip hop bibs - Karen Tay - - PAID
18. Thermos - Eunice - - PAID
19. Drugstore - Farry Kat - Paid Ref: 7285899315 
20. iHerb - Paid Ref: 7285575115 

3 months old baby

Baby will be 3 months old by the end of this week. It's been tough being a stay-at-home-alone-mom (SAHAM). From not being able to eat breakfast at all, to having cold lunch at 3 pm and dinner almost 10 pm, to having only 4-5 hours of accumulated sleep in a day and at the same time keeping up with good deals and sprees by the mommies group, and also most importantly, building my supply and trying my best to relactate, I AM STILL SURVIVING. In fact, I am proud of myself to have come this far.

These few months, due to the lack of rest, I fell ill for 3 days and then passed the virus to baby and she had fever for 1 day. Contrary to what my family members think, I would like to believe that it's my breastmilk that makes her recover faster. Yes, my cranky baby didn't make me give up breastfeeding. When lots of mommies been sharing about their dip in milk, mine has increased.

I have close to 70 ml now :)

I feel that working life is easier and less stressful compared to a SAHAM. I am very stressed up when my PIL are back home coz they cannot stand baby crying, probably not even 'eh eh eh'. It's difficult cos I have to drop the pump and attend to baby. I have to carry and quiet her in the shortest possible time.  I have to give pacifier earlier. I have to feed when I would have waited 30 mins more if I were home alone.

In general, mommies can't wait for babies to outgrow this stage, and wish for a magical wand to turn them into 1 year old straight away. But if I can turn back time, I will choose to go back to the day of my delivery. I dun mind going through the contractions, show, waterbag leaking, labour pain and all that all over again just to correct what I did wrong, or should I say, not do right. I mean it. However, in reality, there's no turning back and we can only move on.

I  have high expectations of myself and seriously, buying all those supplements of fenugreek, motherlove blend, domperidone, anmum lacta and multivits for breastfeeding cost alot of money.

Alot of ppl say 'chin chai chi, chin chai dua'. To me there is no such thing. Even the formula milk selection, I can stand for 30 mins to check and analyse the ingredients. I almost wanted to take picture of every brand and compare the ingredients back home.

Anyway enough of the lengthiness, I just wanted to give myself a pat on the back. I have done well and I am doing the best I can. All the sleepless nights magically doesn't matter when I see baby's big grin in the morning.

I just bought this baby swim float from SMH forum after Evon's recommendation. My baby really enjoys her bathing and swimming sessions at BabySpa. She sleeps very well after 20 minutes of swimming for almost the entire day.

Medela Supplemental Nursing System

I did some research and I bought Medela SNS from Amazon.com. few weeks ago. Finally it's here.


Supplemental Nursing System - Helps mothers breastfeed adopted babies, helps with relactation, and is useful with premature babies or low milk supply. With an SNS, the baby is supplemented at the breast, maintaining the important physical contact while stimulating your breast to increase your milk supply.


Why it's useful:

1. baby receives formula as she nurses
2. nursing stimulates milk production
3. formula satisfies baby, so she continues to nurse

I'm unable to starve my baby enough so that she is forced to take my breast. I can't bear to see her wailing in hunger but yet I want to give her my milk as best as I can.

I have nothing against formula milk (and I'm still giving). Just that I think breastmilk is the best for baby.

I really should have gotten this way earlier when everyone was telling me that I don't have milk instead of giving baby a bottle. Quote from this site - "Because bottles can weaken the baby’s suck reflex and even lead to early weaning".

I have just started using it. Baby is okay with this, just that in 30 minutes, she merely finishes about 20 ml of milk and keeps falling asleep at my breast. Because FM can only tahan for 1 hour, I have to quickly transfer the remaining to a bottle and let her finish her milk. On top of usual pumping, I am using this SNS in the day time, which means feeding time is lengthened. More things to wash and sterilise and lesser resting time.

 - - - I found one very useful link here on extra tips on how to use the SNS. Haven't read in detailed yet. But perhaps it can explain why baby is drinking so slowly even with the fastest flowing tube.

Yesterday, baby seems to be confused. When I bottle feed her, she keeps turning her head towards my breast and sometimes, pushing out the bottle teat and turning her head left and right (seems uncomfortable or uneasy). She also cries a little when drinking milk from a bottle from time to time. Is that what they call nipple confusion?

To avoid this is not to let mommy bottlefeed her so that when baby comes to mommy it is only latching. But I am unable to resolve this because I am the 99% caretaker of baby. If hubby is around, he manages to help for 1 feed in a day.

I did cup feed and syringe feed baby when she was 1 month old. It was too late when I implement it and has caused her much misery. She would yell down the house. She'd rather be hungry and yell than to take milk from cup or syringe.

That is why... there is this warning on all infant formulas to say that if you want to breastfeed, don't introduce bottles to baby and World Health Organisation recommends total breastfeeding for a period of 6 months. That's also the reason why all milk companies don't give free samples for babies less than 6 months old. Even online purchasing of milk is for 6 months and above. They seem to make it less easy for people to buy milk powder for infants online.

Ok shall stop here, lest I go into the emo mode again.