Blessings from Above

like li'l missy, Chace won the 1st prize in the healthy baby competition even though they were in a different age group category - the goodness of mummy's milk! :)

I finally lost all the weight that i've gained since having 2 kids - lest you all think I've been on a diet... I did not! I eat more than the stipulated 3 meals a day PLUS decadent indulgences like this (though I do restrict myself NOT to finish the entire packet at one sitting)... and carrying my children and going for walks are the only exercises that I have time for... so how did I do it? LACTATE! Truly, bfing is the best way to lose weight! I lost abt 12kg so far (put on 7kg for this pregnancy) but alas, still far from the ' Heidi Klum league '! next target? pre-marriage weight!

warning: graphic post i've always thought that bfing gets easier (& better) with subsequent children - because you are supposed to know what to do already! unfortunately though, i am still dodged by the same problems 2nd time round... its largely because my li'l prince decides that night feeds are not important & me, being the 'lazy' one, choosing sleep over clearing the milk ducts... now i'm in so much pain that i'm close to shouting out my entire vocabulary of expletives at the top of my voice! doesn't help that dh doesn't appreciate nor empathise with me! and oh, that's milk tinged with blood by the way & not strawberry milk! i had to use needles to poke and try to find the blocked ducts - that's the reason for the blood. no fun at all... i gave up after 15 mins w/o finding all the spots.

without a doubt, my life has changed drastically - from the mom of a 2 yr+ toddler to a mom with a newborn & a 2 yr+ toddler. i have to work on my daily schedule from scratch - fitting in the newborn's feeding & sleeping timing with #1's schedule. fortunately, #2 has been good so far - he feeds well (bfing seems easier with subsequent children) and sleeps well - hopefully, it stays this way. i'm tandem nursing the 2 children - even though it feels slightly weird to be nursing #1 coz of her size. overnight, she just seem to have 'grown up' - she now lies on my lap awkwardly but nevertheless, i still enjoy the bonding time and her sweet smile when she detaches and say 'mmm... i love mommy's milk - so yummy!'... with her, i don't need to be a slave to the pump because she helps to relieve my engorgement & clear the milk ducts - this allows me to have abundance of milk for both of them - evident from the weight that #2 is clearly putting o...

*sniffles*... we have been co-sleeping for almost coming to 2 years now - and it is only a matter of time to move our li'l gal to her own room/space. our bedroom/bed now feels empty w/o her - strange even! but with my growing need for space and that impending arrival of #2, better now than later! afterall, i read that its common for #1 to feel insecure and regress when #2 arrives so i want to give her plenty of lead time. its been almost one week (we started on mon) since she started to 'sleep on her own' - the first 3 nights, i slept in her room with her and for the past 3 nights, i returned to my own room once she fell asleep but went back to sleep with her around 6+ in the morning so that she still 'wakes up with me'. i simply cannot explain the joy that i derive from getting her hugs and kisses when she awakes in the morning - its not as if she doesn't hugs and kiss me during the day but her big, lovely smile, the first thing in the morning, just brightens u...

many thanks to all the kind words and support from all you dear friends since my last blog entry - i'm fine, really! just needed to get that out of my system - anyway, i've figured that since i've bfed her (more than) a full year, there's really no harm giving her some other source of milk. we bought Karihome's full cream goat milk today from the local supermarket and i'm going to mix that into her cereal for some meals (i think daddy only realises today how much $$$ i've saved him for bfing for a full year - a small tin of Karihome costs about SGD24 - of course there are cheaper alternatives but only the best for my dearest one!). :) i'm also so very glad to have my happy, smiling baby back - seems like her cold has left her (please stay away for good - i don't like you coming to visit at all!). See her megawatt smile now that she has recovered! and hey, her appetite also came back - i managed to give her half a bowl of cereal this morning and ha...

i've been nursing claire for more than one year yet today, i relented and allow hb gave her a bottle of FM. today, i broke down and cried continuously - all because she has not been eating well. those who meet us regularly never fail to 'comment' that claire is 'not growing' and i believe many pple think that i'm starving her! for the record, she is growing - her height and weight has been increasing steadily since birth (albeit slowly) - there was only 2 periods that she lost weight: when we went to thailand during CNY coz she was too busy looking around to eat and NOW - she fell sick for the 1st time on Thursday - her temperature went up to 39.3 degrees celsius on friday midnight/sat morning but by sat afternoon, she was well again. unfortunately with the fever, her appetite that stopped by to visit us when she turned 10 months took off. and if you know how active this bb is, you can probably understand how hard it is for her to put on weight coz in order to...

champion of the inaugural Baby Singapore 2008 Healthy Baby Competition (Category B : 6 to 12months), organised by Young Parents Magazine : our little princess Claire! can you see how natural she is, donning the crown and clinching on to her trophy? she wins for herself $300 cash, a $50 photography voucher and a hamper worth $138 (7 packs of diapers, some pamper wipes and a 'Mighty Saver' hamper from OCBC bank and princess also enjoyed her 2 seconds of fame on our local news... More photos below! and coincidentally, our darling turns 11 months today! countdown to her 1st birthday bash begins!

i get this feeling that my little princess will grow up to be a socialite - even at such a young age, she already has lots of friends/playmates! let the pictures speak for themselves...   we (claire & i) have so much fun meeting up with other mummies and babies coz its so nice to have someone else sharing the experience. having adult conversations helps to preserve my sanity - despite the fact our conversations revolve mostly around our babies - and helps me to 'see' that i am not alone in this (arduous, nevertheless fulfilling) parenting journey.   i am finally going to fulfill my long overdue promise to write about the nursing /baby rooms available in SG - starting with...   1st on my list - Isetan's (located @ scotts & parkway parade)   why i like it: in my opinion - very 'thoughtful' changing stations with belly straps to keep baby facing up (my little princess rolls over every time we put her on h...

there's a picture of little one @ 6 weeks... i reckon she's looking more and more like DH... what do you think? time really flies... i'm halfway through my maternity leave (though strictly speaking, i do not have any). my dear gal is already 6 weeks old and i visited dr tan for my six weeks postpartum check yesterday. despite the fact that i have no problem fitting into any of my pre-pregnancy clothes, i still have another 3kg to lose before i reach my pre-pregnancy weight - makes me wonder where the 3kg is deposited. the only difference, i feel, is that i now have heavier breasts but i am quite sure they did not become 3kg heavier! anyhow, i have been given the 'all clear' to proceed with exercise and ... SEX! yeah! we can officially start production for junior no. 2!! I'M KIDDING! i'm taking a well deserved rest until... maybe end of the year? would be nice to have no. 2 next year. plus, i have 9kg to lose to my ideal weight! haha... I've sta...

this is princess @ 2 weeks' old... :) on a good night, she will sleep 4 hours straight after one feed... on others, she will wake up every hour and 'demand' to be nursed. i have to produce at least 70ml of milk every two hours to satisfy this constantly hungry baby or allow her to latch on for 20 mins minimum or put up with her incredibly loud wailing. i can't understand how someone so small can be so loud? yet i get immense satisfaction knowing that she is thriving from whatever little milk i am giving her - indicated by the number of soiled diapers DH and i have to change every day (she's already using the 3rd pack of diapers we've got) and her weight gain. for that alone, i shall endure all the pain and soreness and persevere in breastfeeding her until she no longer wants to be breastfed. on a side note, i can fit into my pre-pregnancy jeans oredi! :)

our little princess is 09 days old... :) isn't she just adorable? on monday, i woke up with my whole body aching... by mid-day, i was having a fever... it went up all the way to 38.8 degrees... all because of engorgement. before i went to see the lactation consultant, i set out to do some shopping online - i bought some Goat's Rue (that is supposed to help improve the milk output), nursing tea (for the same purpose) and a Ameda twin electric breast pump. i am not going to give up breastfeeding my princess because of some pain. the lactation consultant gave my right breast a good massage (which hurt like hell!) and sent me to see my OB for the fever. i spent 4 hours in RH, mostly waiting, before getting home @ 1930 hours. i was prescribed medication (a double-edged sword - too much of this medication will cause the milk production to cease permanently) to help with the engorgement and was told to take panadol for my fever and body aches. this 'suffering' made me grouc...