May 30, 2011

Senyum.. tak perlu kata apa-apa....

I'm a little teapot, short and stout
Here is my handle [one hand on hip], here is my spout [other arm out straight]
When I get all steamed up, hear me shout
Just tip me over and pour me out!
[as song ends, lean over and tip arm out like a spout]

That's mummy and tok singing... i grew up with lots of nursery rhymes, sang by my mum.. and the above is one of my favourites... now i have the opportunity to sing it to my son! alhamdulillah.... :)

this is his reaction! :D




guguuuuu.....




grrr aaaaaa.......



*laughing* kuar air liur tak hengat k...



*shaking heads*

puuuuu eeeeee...........

Mummy loves you lots!

May 27, 2011

Various Breastpumps - Review


Heyya peeps... as promised... :) and please note that i did not try or have any intention to use manual breastpump.. why? Because i'm definitely sure i'm not gonna use it at the office... it will take foreverrrrrrr..... and i don't want to waste my biceps-strength on a breastpump! maybe you would say... maybe i'll buy manual first, because i'm not sure whether i will have enough milk supply to make it worth to invest in a electric breastpump... hmmm... then feel free not to read this post... eheh... i have no justifications for 'excuses'...

Before i state my opinion/ choice of which is which... let me give the general idea what are the features/ differences between those 3... mind you.. i've tried all three.. and this review/ opinions are based on my personal experience, my state of mind at that time, my 'breasts' preferences' and my budget!! :D Your needs/ wants/conditions might be different from mine, so please analyze it carefully ya...
 
Medela Mini Electric Breastpump
- Gift from KJ Gang... tenkssssss! xoxo
1. Very small and handy... easy to use.. easy to clean (only 3 parts = breast-shield + filter + the bottle itself)...

2. Good for first-timers. No hanky-panky-way-too-complicated-parts. :)
3. In average you can pump 3-4 Oz in 15-20mins. As it only caters for one breast, you need another 15-20mins for another.. so your whole pumping session can go up to 45mins.. adding the time to sterilize it, pump and store.
4. Verrrryyy light!
5. Can be electric or battery powered.. so you can use it in a car.. maybe.. :)
6. Bit noisy... not that noisy but enough to get ppl's attention.. eheh.. in other words, you can't pump in your cubicle! :) unless you don't mind others looking at you every time they pass by your place.. heheh...
7. Price = RM399 (diff store, diff price.. pls survey before buying)

*Notes: Now they have Medela Mini Electric Plus - Double pumping! :) Price whooping RM799 erkkk...

Medela Freestyle
- Note that i didn't buy this unit :) A dear friend lend it to me during confinement. Thanks Dayang! :) happy continuing study... don't forget us here in Malaysia okeh... we'll visit you one day.. insyaAllah...
1. 2-phase expression.. meaning it will 'suck' slowly first until u have milk dripping from your nipples then it will go to normal sucking. Electric or battery powered.. comes with chargeable battery  that allows for 3 hours pumping time per charge.
2. It has soft 'nipple-cap' so it's very gentle to your boobies... less discomfort..
3. So called 'hands-free'.... bergaya tak?? :D

yep... fully equipped wif all the 'gadgets'

4. Whole pumping session, 15-20 mins, including the preparations n etc. Ideal for the office and at home too if you are planning to santai2 while pumping.. hmmm :) realllyyy quiet! good! can pump at your cubicle..
5. Heavier than Mini Electric of course.. around 2.7kg the whole set.. but still portable...
6. Because of the 'gadgets'.. you need to wash more parts at each session.. membrane + connector + back cap + breast shield + bottle = 5! times 2 sets! urghhh... this one really bothers me.. imagine if you are pumping 2-3 times at the office... *very hassle*


7. The whole hands-free thingy only works in the office if you are wearing front-button shirt like the pic above.. and of course maternity bra with hooks... or else it won't work.. imagine if you are wearing baju kurung, baby-tee (me on Friday :D), on non-front-button shirt to work... hmm.. then hands-free no longer valid unless you take your top off! hmmm.. ada brani?? ahahah.... or else you need to take a 'peek' at your boobs under your top once in awhile to see how it goes during the session... hmmm.. me no like!

8. No 6 & 7 really makes me think 3,4 times of this model... and also no 6 & 7 makes your pumping session to increase to 30-45mins as well... so, what's the point?  

9. Price = RM1,899.00 *gulp* this is quite an investment.. i would say, if you are planning to have more than 3 children, and breastfeed them until 2 yrs old... i think it's worth it.. ahhaha... kalo nak ngada2 je.. pastu bfeed ala2 sebulan... baik takyah... membazirrrr...

Spectra Dew 350
- This one i bought! eheh
1. Part-wise.. similar to Medela Mini Electric.. 3 parts x 2 = double pumping. But the breast shield comes with silicon massager, similar to Freestyle for comfort.

2. Quiet pumping. *LIKE*
3. Suction ~ it works best for me... actually, when i was in SDMC (3 nights after delivery), the loan unit was Spectra 7... i loved it.. just that Spectra 7 is reallllly bulky and heavy.. makes quite a noise too... no no!
4. Cuter look! and it comes in pink too! ahahha...

5. As the 'gadget' is less.. thus your pumping session becomes less.. *LIKE*
6. Weight = 2kg
7. Price = RM494.40 *LIKE*

CONCLUSION
- Spectra Dew 350 meets my expectation, my needs and my budget! happy breast-pumping to me!


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Other things you might want to know

1. There is one store in Klang, where you can 'test' the pump before you buy... www.enjoybreastfeed.com this is the best as you can experience it yourself and you can feel the difference and choose which is best for you. And they also provide rental services for certain model of breastpumps for RM70 to RM90 per month. Very affordable if you only consider to breastfeed your baby for certain months.  I'm lazy to go all the way to Klang.. ngeee...

2. Other than Spectra Dew350, i also eye-ing on Ameda and Ardo Calypso. Ameda and Ardo only weighs 520g.. Thing is I have very few review on Ameda and Ardo is out of my budget! simple as that... hiks! Phillips Avent, few friends have it but they said it's not durable...

3. Price above is from LittleWhiz.com. My favourite baby-thingy-shopping-place! :) please do your own comparison to other stores ok...

4. I do NOT receive any commission from both stores that i mentioned above ya... huhu...

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Breastfeeding experience if different from one to another.. don't be sad if you can't express milk as much as others.. (reminder to myself! hehe..) work at your own pace.. the key is, DON'T GIVE UP!! (again.. reminder to myself!). My first breastfeeding session was about 4 hours after delivery. Nurse brought Armand to me and she assisted me well as i had c-sect. I already have milk (colostrum at that time) in my left breast and none from my right breast. But she said just let the baby suckle from both sides. The next day, both breasts start to produce milk and after that nurse taught me how to use the breastpump. At that time, barely 1 oz... *sad sad* The lactating officer keep encouraging me and saying it will increase in time... no worries..on 2nd day, my nipples started to sore... ouch.. they gave me the nipple cream and said this is normal as the newborn is still to learn how to latch and suckle properly as well... the whole 3 nights i was in SDMC, Armand was fully breast-feed.. Alhamdulillah... resulting.. no jaundice! :)

When we got home, we continue the routine. Because of constant breastfeeding my nipples started to crack.. pulakkk kannnn.....before it can heals properly, more bfeed sessions after.. hence, it bleeds! arghhhh... this is where the breastpump comes in handy... :) with expressing milk, you can let your nipples heal properly and try bfeed again.... it works well for me until..... my milk production is still low as i only express once or twice a day... baby keeps growing and his needs of milk keep increasing.. this is when i knew the meaning of post-natal blues!!! ahahahaha.... 4th week, we get Enfalac A+.. just in case i can't express enough milk and my nipples are still sore/ crack at this time... result - Armand was fed twice with baby's formula and the rest (4-6 times) with bfeed... after a month... milk production increases slowly.. one pump session (5oz to 8oz)... until now (50++ days or so).. nipple sore? crack? bleed? no more!!! mummy and Armand kautim already... hehe... but now, i know how to work my time to express enough milk for Armand's stock for the next day... he's back to fully breastfeeding now... hope i can continue until at least his 6th month!

Currently.. i'm in the midst of trying to increase my milk production.. things that i'm doing now:
1. Drinks lotssss of plain water
2. Take nursing tea..
3. Eat white radish (lobak putih), lots of fish...
4. Drink milk/ take lot of dairy products. I am lactose intolerant actually.. it became worse when i'm pregnant as i'm taking calcium pills (until now). But Alhamdulillah.. after delivery i can have 2 glasses of milk daily without any complication! :)
5. Continue pregnancy/ lactating supplement. My Obimin and calcium pills.

I will update the progress from time to time ya... All of you new mothers out there.. happy bonding with your baby!! :)

breastfeeding mummy,

May 26, 2011

Various Breastpumps

ops! this entry is supposed to be about Armand's Aqiqah and Cukur Jambul... but mummy forget to download the photos.. eheh... sorry arr.. postpone a bit okeh... in the mean time.. i want to let you (mummies that are actively breastfeeding) think of these 3 stuffs...

Medela Mini Electric

Medela Freestyle

Spectra Dew 350

jeng! jeng! jeng! 

i have the opportunity to experience all these 3 types/ brands of breastpumps! wait for my review... eheh... maybe it can help you to decide which is best for you... :)

rgds,

p/s: yaaa... i have no interest in manual breastpump.. time is the essence when it comes to career mother! :)

May 24, 2011

*phew*

OMG!! mummy survived 1st day at work yesterday without crying... eheh... today (2nd day) is much better... expressing milk at the office is kinda funny though... luckily i dah kautim ngan aunty (tea-lady) to use her room... :) not comfortable of using Surau as a place to breast-pump... huhu... if i have no other choice then surau it is...

Lots have going on with Armand since he's already 49days today... obvious things are:
1. He drinks milk a lot more.. per feeding is 4oz and above.. average 3-4 hours per feeding..
2. He 'pee-ed' and 'poo-ed' a lot too... in accordance to his intake i guess.. haha...
3. Every morning and night (around 8pm), he likes when you talk or sing to him.. and he'll respond to you with his 'gesture'... gugu-gaga.. ooo.. aaaa... pruuuurrrr....
4. You just can put him on the couch... and he'll talk and smile to the ceiling fan for at least 15mins without getting restless.. :)
5. He's bald now!!! look like Val Kilmer.. ahhaha... mummy bias..

before....

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after... :)
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and of courseeee..... singing wif daddy again.... :)

how's mummy doing? alhamdulillah... i feel a lot better... no more stress of concerning whether i produce enough milk for Armand... and i'm considered lucky as Armand does not have any tantrum.. he always sleeps easily after feeding... if he sleeps at 10pm.. then he'll wake up ard 3am and 6am for feeding... if he sleeps ard 12... then he'll just wakes up at 4am... then next at 7am.. where mummy already fresh! :) so on average mummy does have enough sleep everyday...

weight loss?? mummy 'maintain' at 73kg now... from 90kg!!! huhu... i was 69kg before pregnancy... i'm targetting around 63-65 in another 3-4 months.. :) i'm NOT dieting! seriously... why? one day i tried to cut down my food intake... resulting... milk production no good! so nahhhh... that's too much to compromise... i really want Armand to have his mother's milk for at least 6 months... as long as i have it, so better not stop breastfeeding... yes, it's tiring.. but anything for your baby! :) any mothers out there which is 'less-milk' and 'out-of-milk' already... NO WORRIES!!! formula-feeding babies does NOT make you less of a mother!! :) your baby will still love you and baby formula nowadays is very very good compared to previously.... so no stress ya... enjoy your motherhood!
p/s: i just found out that 'thaw-ing' milk in the breast milk storage bags is wayyyy faster and easier... have a try yo!! and of course.. make sure your plastic milk storage is BPA free as well.. :) i used YouHaveABaby.com brand... lot cheaper than Medela... ahhahaha....

eating free-ly mum!

next entry - Armand's aqiqah and Cukur Jambul! :)

May 23, 2011

Mummy and Armand recent pic!

We went to KLCC yesterday!!!

P/S: mummy 1st day working today.. Haizzz.. Blurrr.. Rolled eyes! *piu piu piu*

Rgds
LEONORA

Sent via BlackBerry from Maxis

May 12, 2011

Daddy.. Hug me pleaseeee

I sleep better when daddy hugged me!! :) thanks daddy.. Love you...

Mummy loves daddy too..
LEONORA


Sent via BlackBerry from Maxis

May 10, 2011

Armand's progress

Hi y'all... :)

We went to see paeds (Dr Sanjay Woodhull.. gituuu.. international tak nama tuh.. ahahha )on 6th May at SDMC... taking Armand's 2nd Hepatitis shot... also ukur2 him... he's now 4.73kg, 54cm... during birth it was 3.86kg and 49cm... doc said it's a good growth... weight is a bittttttttttt heavier than average... yikes! :) well... dah mummy nya pun sihat walafiat kannn... alhamduillah... he's less meragam than before.. but he likes people 'entertaining' him between 8pm to 11pm daily... huhuuu.. this is very tiring mannnnn.......

u need to talk-talk to him... sing to him...

then he'll get bored... i changed position and put him on his tummy... he still responds to your speech and singing...

he will get bored easily.. and this is the hardest part... if you carry him, he PREFERS you to stand! not only stand still... you need to walk-walk and hayun-hayun him! this is where i'm thinking of 'buai'... again.. if you open this topic to relatives or anybody... hmmm... they easily turned down your suggestion and said it's not good... don't teach him to sleep in a 'buai'... heyyyy... try la carry 5kg baby for 2 hours and tell me how it feels... *showing biceps* this is why i totally agreed with Diah and fully support her decision on what best for Nayli... i do understand what she's gone through...

after all the above efforts.. he will sleep and i reckon because he is tried already.... 

when he slept around 12.. he'll wake up ard 3.30am - 4am for feeding.. and lucky me he will sleep again easily and wake up for morning feed ard 7am... at one time he woke up at 9am! mummy oso slept very well with him... anddddddd... you need to change your bedsheet as well coz he'll wet the bed! diaper bocor okehhhh...

*phew* yes... i'm tired.. and to all new mummies out there... happy tired! eheh... and happy mother's day!!

May 4, 2011

Sing to me pleaseeee....


Armand loves to hear people sings to him.... from daddy especially... he just stares at you and smile once in awhile.... and came out with all sorts of sound.. hmmm... daddy said he'll be talkative soon like his mummy... 

opps.. guilty as charged!!


p/s: This photo as well can be considered as 'tag-answered' by Yanie.. hehe... not interested in the contest though.. hehe... just a courtesy to Yanie...

Biodata Baby: Megat Armand Firdaus b Alif Fazli. DOB : 5th April 2011 
Biodata Papa Baby: Alif Fazli b Jamaluddin. DOB : 19th February 1982