Weaning

Remember when I talked about my surgery to remove my ruptured tube? It was the ultimate reason for me to force weaning Bebe Ian off. It was sad to do so but I had too. I guess it's a blessing as well since now I'm on daily medication for my joint pain and it's not good for breastfeeding mothers.

After the surgery, it was quite painful for me to nurse Bebe Ian at night. So my husband made the ultimate move and asked me to change sleeping arrangement. It was a not easy for the first 2 weeks but finally Bebe Ian managed to go to bed without nursing. Pheww...

For a month or so after that I still nurse him maybe once a day after work, and it eventually stopped. Bebe Ian though will still ask to latch every time my boobs are bare! Hehe...

I missed breastfeeding. I missed the special bonding during latching. If I hadn't fall sick, I think I will still nurse Bebe Ian until now. I know it. But I guess God has better plans for me.

I hope so.

Does size really matter?

Okay the title has nothing to do with whatever you are thinking of right now. Hehe. I am actually referring to our children's built.

The thing is, my son is now 20 months old and he is smaller compared to his peers. By small I would say thin. Height wise I think he is quite tall. Although I haven't had any clue how tall he is now.

My husband and I have always been receiving comments from family, friends and even strangers of how small Bebe Ian is. At first I was intimidated. Because the fact that I am still breastfeeding him and how thin he still is. But look, I've known and read breastfed babies are tend to be on the leaner side compared to formula fed baby. Although some breastfed babies are an image of Michelin's mascot!

So now, I have stopped obsessing on how much weight my son should gain and focus on his other development milestones which I think are pretty good. Hehe. We are amazed on how fast he can mimic whatever my husband and I are doing or repeat whatever we are saying (almost clear, still babyish language). So we are watching what we do or say in front of him. :)

On solids, this little boy of mine eat almost everything that we offer. With exception of sesame bun (coz it's black) and cherries, grapes and yogurt. The rest he will eat if not all at least a little bit. He is starting to hate porridge (can't blame him!) so we started feeding him rice once in a while. But his favorite is noodles. From my Korean ramen to normal fried noodles he loves to eat them. He can finish one small bowl in one seating :)

Considering that my son is eating and thriving well, I will just go with the flow. Means as long as he's healthy and happy, I'm happy. :)

Review : Medela Freestyle vs Avent Manual Single Pump

I've been meaning to write up about this post for a very long time but never find the right time to do it. So I guess the time finally comes. Hehe. Readers, this is about breast pump. May not be fascinating for some but may be useful to those who wishes to breastfeed their child.

Before going to the pro and con between the above 2 pumps, let's see my history of breast pump usage.
I have used quite a variety types of breast pumps since Bebe Ian was born. The first pump I purchased was the most basic and cheapest one. Pureen Manual Pump. Bought it when I was 7 months pregnant during Pureen Warehouse Sale. I think it only cost me RM12.

Believe it or not I survived using only this pump for a month until the rubber bulb gave in and I since I can't find a replacement I purchased this;

But out of all pumps I bought, this was the worst. I used once and the pump stopped working. Pissed me off. Wasted around RM50++ for this. Feeling angry I upgraded myself to Avent Manual.

This one was bought by a good friend of mine from SG. The pricing was relatively cheaper in SGD compared to MYR. Cost me about RM200+ for this one. In short, I LOVE this pump. In fact I am still using it from time to time.

Since I've been buying only single pump before, I was itching to try breast pump with double pumping feature. Limited money available so I decided to purchase a second hand Ameda Lactaline pump.

This one cost me about RM450. Was still under warranty so I thought it's a good deal. Was in good condition. Verdict : it's a great pump but I find it's troublesome to fiddle with the knobs while trying to hold the flanges in place. Although it can run on AA batteries, I never tried it (it needs 6 batteries to run!)and whenever pumping I have to be hooked to an electrical switch. So not very convenient. In the end I sold it off.

So I survived with Avent Manual until end of Feb 2012. Then my Medela Freestyle came. :)

I spent a huge amount of money for this one. RM1734 to be exact. But worth a single cent. :)

Okay, so now let's see the pros and cons between Medela FS and Avent Manual:

Price : Avent is definitely much much cheaper than Medela FS. But I'm happy with both. If you are a mom to be I suggest u invest in Medela FS from the start. Save your cents for it! :)

Yield : Medela FS will give more yield, at least for me. Must be the fact that it's a double pump (so pump both breasts when you are having let down) and the stimulation phase work wonders.

Mobility: Both are easily to be carried around. So I have pumped in airports / the company's washroom where I had attended an interview. I got the job, but I turned down the offer... Off topic but well.. Haha

Practicality: I would say both are practical. But Medela FS gave me a whole new meaning of multitasking. Imagine this, I can do work with my right hand while pumping and while replying a text on my phone using my left hand. And the best part would be pumping while driving. Saves a whole lot of time if you ask me.

Prep Time : This is actually prep time to pump. I think Medela FS needs more time to "set up". You will need to "latch" the hands free string around your nursing bra. But after a while you'll become an expert. :) While Avent you will just have to assemble it, super fast, lift your shirt, pop out your boobs (err one boob at one time) and pump away...

What else? I think I basically covered them all... Right? :) Anyways, word of advise : Do your research before investing in any breast pumps to save you $$$ in a long run. Just remember, by breastfeeding your child you are giving them the best milk in the world. :D

P/S : All pics are courtesy of Google Image. Hehe, lazy to search for my own. :)

The first of this and that...

When you have a kid there will be a lot of "the first time he/she did something" events... Like mine I have several that I can list down for now;
1. First step! - happened last week few days after his birthday in kk during our holiday. Talk about the right moment at the right time. :)
2. First fall off the bed - Ouch, he was playing his toys in bed and I went to switch on the aircon then he fell. Head first. I screamed then he screamed louder.
3. First time he blew bubbles- He's drinking from his cup during meals and one day he just started blowing bubbles whenever we gave him water to sip.. Hehe
4. First word? - Actually I failed to pinpoint which word came out from his mouth first coz everything just came out at almost the same time. And mind you, they were not real words... Coz it's more like blabbering sound.. haha
5. First solid meal - He had his first meal ever when he was 5 months and 3 weeks old. I gave him mashed ripe banana mixed with my breast milk... Only a few spoons though... He gave me his weird face expression the whole time... haha..
6. First swimming pool dip - This ended up badly as he developed rashes all over his body. Guess the water was dirty... Or too much chlorine... So I banned Cyberjaya public pool for Bebe Ian..
7. First laugh? - Seriously I could not recall this but this boy was laughing ever since he's few months old.. (Not to include sleep smiling, this one he did right after birth)
8. First fall on the floor - When he was 11 months old. This happened in KCH during holiday. My heart almost stopped. I was so protective over him the first 11 months that I did not leave him to crawl around the house. I let my guard down during that trip and he fell not once but 5 freaking times.
9. First fever attack - When he was 6 months old. Lasted for 2 days. Started on our last day holidaying in kk. I think it was Roseola and not measles as my MIL and my mother stated.
10. First time Bebe Ian is fully breast fed - When he was around 5 months. I stopped formula after he started to vomit out the milk (i've tried Enfalac A+, Mamex Gold, Anmum) and after educating myself and with the help of my good pumping buddy (tx nat!) I managed to supply enough breast milk till now. Not easy but worth the effort. :)

Seriously, there's a lot of first time of events that to list them all down will be like having a final term paper to complete in an hour. But nonetheless, they are all securely placed in my mind and I will cherish them will all my heart. :)

MMR - Should Or Should Not (Part 2)

Well, I did... Hehe.. After reading too many stuff I have decided that the benefits of vaccinating outweigh the risk they may have...

Yesterday was the appointment and I did ask the nurse on possible side effects and as expected the nurse said "takde lah"... So I asked her about how a friend's son developed fever and rashes few days after MMR injection then she said "terpulang kepada budak tu sendiri la, ada yang demam ada yang tak". Then when I ask about the possibility to delay this injection then she said "kenapa?, tau tak measles sekarang tengah merebak?"

Haiih... So to make story short I gave Ian the injection and no fever so far... **Touch wood... The nurse said this MMR injection is not painful for the child.. Maybe, coz Bebe Ian didn't cry that long and still play "roughly" as usual...

I hope really hope Bebe Ian will be just fine.... Amen.

MMR - Should or Should Not

Bebe Ian's MMR vaccination is coming very very soon and I am still debating with my own self on whether or not to proceed with it. His vaccination schedule is up to date so far and thank God that he suffered no side effects from them all. To be honest I have no issues with vaccination before. Thought that it is a good thing up until I joined this one mummies group in FB. Then I started having doubt. With MMR being the worst vaccine amongst all, I'm torn between a YES and NO.

Dear God, please help and guide me on this one.

Happy Birthday Bebe!

My son turned 1 yesterday and I couldn't help but feel proud of myself... Well it's been a year since I became a mom and although I have missed a lot of things that I used to enjoy pre-baby, I will never ever change my life now. I love being a mom. Period.
Bebe Ian is still a baby in my eyes although he qualifies to be called a toddler by now... Not walking yet, but can let go of his hold on things for a mere moment then fall.. Hehe
I brought him to the mall yesterday coz his birthday party is this weekend back home in KK. So nothing special yesterday... Just bonding time with me :)I tell you, it's worth taking leave from work for. :)

I will update more after his party this coming Sunday...

Cheers!

OMG

I dreamt that I was pregnant again... Like IN THE MOMENT, when Bebe Ian is just 7 1/2 months young... So vividly clear... and real and I was half cursing myself for not keeping to my 2-years-gap-before-getting pregnant-for-the-next-one plan...

I know it's all in God's plan anyway.. But I really would like Bebe Ian to be a toddler first before having another baby... :) Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against mothers who have another child every single year...It's our own choice isn't it?

*** Bebe Ian was in a BAD mood last night... and he BIT me! OUCH!!

It has begun!

Bebe Ian has started teething and I'm excited! :D

Sorry guys, this is just one of the thing that I have been pondering at for awhile. He's been fussier than ever for the last several weeks and teething was one of the things that came up in my mind that may have caused such behaviour...

I started noticing last week when he bit me (my fragile part ok! OUCH!!!) and it felt like kind of a sharp bite. Nothing visible for the eyes to see that time but an unmistakable sharp edges can be felt when rubbing his lower gum... But yesterday when I checked, yes I can see a small budding tooth! So cute!!!

I just hope that he wont bite me as much as before though... Hmm...

When I became a mom...

1. I'm unable to sit and watch full length movies at home.

2. My ears are sensitive to every sound my baby makes. Even when I'm asleep.

3. I haven't wear a single wired bra since I gave birth to Bebe Ian. Gasp!

4. I drank soy bean milk more often than when I was pregnant.

5. I tend to eat more because I believe if my body is fueled enough, my body will produce enough milk for my baby.

6. I sniff at my baby's butt.

7. I am unable to resist baby's boutique / shop / cart... Irresistible!

8. My breast pump is my friend.

9. I have less actual working hours now... Have to slot in 4 pumping sessions... :D

10. I wake up at 7am every morning... Even on weekends!

This post is so impromptu that I might add new ones to the list of things I became to after I had Bebe Ian... I can assure you it'll be endless :)