Breastfeeding

As the year comes to an end, I thought I would share my experiences on breastfeeding. As I will be heading back to work soon and 'might' bring breastfeeding to a close (*sniff sniff*), I want to note them down here, so that I can always remember how much I enjoyed it.

- No one tells you how hard it is as the start. Many mothers I have spoken to after having a baby tell me that they struggled with breastfeeding. I guess the main issue is latching on correctly, and that is where we get damaged nipples. I had tremendous support from Grumpy, my mum and the midwives (who cared for me at the hospital and also after returning home) on my breastfeeding efforts. And with that, I was able to overcome that first hurdle of learning how to breastfeed.

- Breastfeeding is all about demand and supply. The more my baby feeds, the more my body responds and produces more milk. As per Tizzie Hall, the first 8 weeks is all about establishing a good milk supply by the mother. I have been fortunate enough to have ample supply of milk for Little Bambi, and so I have never needed to top up her feeds with formula. Grumpy and I bought a second hand freezer from Gumtree a few months ago, to store bags of expressed milk.

- You become extremely thirsty after a feed. Its true. Some days when I head to Chaddy with Little Bambi, I bring two bottles of water from home with me. One is not enough. I drink so much water these days.

- You become very hungry after a feed. Oh my, some mornings after feeding Little Bambi, I will have two serves of breakfast. And after that, morning tea as well. I read that its important for mums to have a balanced diet, and that includes carbohydrates. And so I eat rice, bread and potatoes (as much as I please). Other times I am usually careful with carbs, but not while I am breastfeeding.

- You become exhausted after a feed. It feels like all my energy has been sucked out of me sometimes. I remember during the early days, I will crawl back to bed after Little Bambi's first feed and just lie there for 30 minutes.

- During winter, your body becomes very cold after a feed. I remember how I used to put on another jumper after feeding Little Bambi, and I will say "OMG I am freezing!"

- Milk flows out pretty quick, like a running tap! Haha Until today, I still laugh when Little Bambi chokes while feeding because she can't keep up with the flow. And there is milk everywhere if she pulls out. Up in her nose, her forehead, all over the pillow, the chair..

- While feeding, Little Bambi makes funny noises, like she's going "Mmmmmmmm" and this has got to be MY MOST FAVOURITE PART about breastfeeding. She sounds like she is enjoying her feed so much that I get such a strong feeling of satisfaction on my part.

- When she was about 3 months old, I would un-hook my nursing bra to offer her a boob, and she would open her mouth really wide and swing her head left to right (very quickly), looking for the nipple. Like a ravenous lion.

- Mastitis. This awful awful word... and I have already had it twice. The second time was only about two weeks ago. I suffered with a fever, cold shivers, my entire body was aching, I also had a throbbing headache. I thought I was going to die. And the doctor prescribes me antibiotics, which is equally bad because it passes on to baby from my milk.

- You don't have your period while breastfeeding. So I guess this could be a way of contraception. Not that I am already planning for baby number two. But I don't think its possible to get pregnant while breastfeeding.

- You have to wear wireless maternity bras while breastfeeding which makes you feel super UNsexy. I wear maternity bras from Marks & Spencer and they fit so amazingly well. These M&S bras that I have look nice too, compared to others I have seen in Myers. And of course, M&S are not available in Australia. So I got mine from KL and London.

- I am still a little shy when feeding Little Bambi in very public areas like restaurants, cafes or even in front of family members. I usually look for a Parents Room to feed her in shopping centres.

- Breastfeeding while on the go (when we are out, or even while we were travelling in Sydney) is so convenient, because there is no need for bottles, sterilising, warming up milk etc.

- It is free! Formula, on the other hand is expensive. However, while breastfeeding, I still eat my pregnancy vitamins.

Above all, I think it is the bonding and the closeness that I have with Little Bambi is priceless.

6 Months

I am about 5 days slow with this post, but that just shows you how busy I am with Christmas around the corner.

Little Bambi is now 6 months old! She got her vaccinations last Saturday, and now weighs 9.4kgs and is 70cm tall.

And as I was trying to take her photos for her usual monthly mug shot, I realise that the process is quite challenging because she is actively moving around a lot more than the previous months.

 

At 6 months, she is constantly rolling from her back to her tummy, and her tummy to her back. When I leave her on the floor in the living room on her own, in just a few minutes, she goes missing. Then I realise she is under the TV cabinet. Brilliant!

She is also picking up anything and everything with her hands, and then she puts it in her mouth.

Little Bambi's solids adventures have been very positive so far. Apart from baby rice cereal, she has tasted apple, pear, sweet potato, carrots and recently zucchini.

Now that she is 6 months old, I am back to my pre-pregnancy weight. I feel comfortable with my body and can fit into most of my old clothes. I have also started going to the gym again with the other mums from Mothers Group. Its fun having a support network with people that live so close.

Happy half-a-year old my little darling! What a wonderful six months it has been and I have enjoyed every minute of it! I can't imagine how quick another six months will come by, and we will be celebrating your first birthday!

Little Bambi on Solids

While most of the mums at our Mothers Group were so keen to start their babies on solids, somehow I was a little apprehensive about it. I blame it on the breastfeeding. I know this sounds silly but starting Little Bambi on solids would mean I will not be her main source of food anymore :(

Being the overzealous mum that I am, I read books such as Annabel Karmel 'Weaning', Gill Rapley and Tracy Murkett 'Baby Led Weaning', Dr Rana Conway 'Weaning Made Easy' and Gina Ford 'The Contented Little Baby Book of Weaning'.

After reading up, I decided I was ready to wean Little Bambi. The primary reason is that at six months, babies are vulnerable to iron deficiency. So about over a week ago, I gave Little Bambi her first taste of organic baby rice cereal.

Of course, I video-d it! Here it is..

StellaFirstTasteOfSolids from Jules Ng on Vimeo.

Roll Over

She did it! My Little Bambi rolled over today! And I missed it! AHHH putain!!! I bloody missed it!

I placed her on her tummy on a mat (on the floor) in her room. Then I left her alone, while I ate some lunch in the kitchen. When I came back to be with her, she was on her back! She was grinning! I think she liked it. She did it all on her own.

Among all the other babies in Mothers Group, she is the last one to roll over. Most of the babies did it at about 3-4 months. Little Bambi is 5 months and 2 weeks now. Only a tad slow in this area of development milestones!

I tried to get her to perform it again in front of me. She blatantly refused. Yup, that's my girl!

Actually, on Sunday, I did the same thing as today. I left her on her tummy, then I went out to grab some lunch. No I did not leave her alone at home.. Grumpy was home, but he was working on his deck. I asked him to keep an eye on her, and then I drove out. When I got home, I rushed into the room to check on her, and she was on her back! I was so happy! She rolled over! I picked her up and I smothered her with kisses. Then I thought, maybe I should check with Grumpy.. I asked him "Did you place her on her back?" And he said "YES!" Oh man, haha so NO, she did not roll over on her own.

But she finally did it today. I hope I get to see it again.

We have been very busy the past week. Every Monday we have Mothers Group. Last Thursday, Little Bambi and I drove to Little-Miss-Curtains house to visit her new baby. I made fried noodles for our lunch. I rarely cook, but that was probably the first time in such a longggg period of time. It felt nice to cook a delicious meal to share it with friends! That Thursday night, I also caught up with Little Miss-Whats-For-Lunch for dinner (how funny is that, 'For-Lunch' for dinner) at Chapel Street. Grumpy stayed home to watch Little Bambi, while mama went out for a lovely dinner! On Saturday morning, Little Bambi and I caught up with my boss for coffee. That evening, it was Grumpy's work Christmas party at a park in Mt Dandenong. And then on Sunday, Little-Miss-Drink-A-Lot came over for dinner (all the way from Sydney), along with my brother Dopey (who just returned from the States). I made chicken pie and baked a flourless chocolate cake for dinner for everyone (Yes, I cooked! Again!).

Phew! As you can see, I am trying to make the most of my maternity leave. Time is running out. Not only that, my baby girl is growing up too fast! Soon, she will start crawling, then walking, and the next thing you know, she's off to uni! Bahhhh...

Good night!

A Day In The Life of a New Mum

Grumpy is often starting his sentences with...  "Since you are on holidays..."
He thinks maternity leave = holiday. I often correct him by saying "Do I look like I am sitting by the beach sipping a pina colada?"

So I thought I would note down what my day looks like now, with a baby. And a dog. And a husband.

Here it is, a day in the life of a new mum!

5.40am - Alarm goes off! I hit the snooze button. Twice.

6am - Up from bed. I head to the kitchen and I turn on the bottle steriliser. I feed the dog breakfast, and then I prepare my own breakfast. I am on the iPad, reading my emails etc.

6.40am - My boobs are very full first thing in the morning, and Little Bambi will only feed 5 minutes on each side (most) during this feed. Therefore I express the fore milk out first, so that Little Bambi gets the hind milk (which is better for her).

7am - My favourite part of the day. I wake Little Bambi up and she gives me the biggest smiles. I remove her swaddle and she will be out stretching her arms and kicking her feet! Then I give her the first feed of the day.

7.45am - Done with feeding Little Bambi. She does not normally empty my boobs during this feed. I have to express for the 2nd time. I put her in her baby gym next to me.

8am - Once I am finished with expressing, I will play with her, sing nursery rhymes, etc. I try my best to keep Little Bambi awake (she will usually be very sleepy by 8.30am). Sometimes I leave her on the rocker or the Bumbo, while I do some housework.

9am - I put her down in her cot and she falls straight to sleep. I wash all the baby bottles and clean the steriliser.

9.15am - I catch up on house chores, wash baby clothes, make the bed, cleaning, etc. Then I hop into the shower.

10am - I turn on my laptop and catch up emails etc. I am often browsing the internet, looking for things to buy!

11am - I wake Little Bambi up from her sleep and give her the 2nd feed of the day.

12noon - I grab a quick bite at home (leftovers or a quick salad) and then we head out to the shops. We go for a walk, do something outside the house.

1pm - Little Bambi takes her nap. If we are out, I make sure she sleeps in her pram.

3pm - I head home by this time to give Little Bambi her 3rd feed of the day.

3.45pm - Its play time for Little Bambi. I make myself a cup of tea.

4.30pm - I put Little Bambi back to sleep for a short nap. If I am tired, I take a nap too.

5.15pm - I wake Little Bambi up. Then its tummy time!

5.45pm - Bath time! Her favourite time of the day.

6pm - Little Bambi is all dressed and she's feeling very refreshed!

6.20pm - I give her the 4th feed. But it is sort of the last feed whereby I breast feed her. She usually takes a longer time to feed at this time of the day. And I love this time with her, because its our last chance to snuggle before she goes to bed.

7pm - I put her down to sleep. Then Grumpy and I have dinner! Ahhh time to relax!

8pm - After I am done with the dishes, I hop into the shower and put on my PJs after. I read a book or watch some TV with Grumpy.

9.45pm - Time to express.

10.30pm - I prepare a bottle of expressed milk for Grumpy. He does the dream feed with Little Bambi.

11pm - Bed time.

Vanilla Cupcakes

About two years ago, I was really into making cupcakes. Unfortunately, I did not quite have the talent for cupcakes. I could never get the cake right, or the frosting, despite endless trial-and-errors. I wanted my cupcakes to be absolutely perfect, and to taste exactly like how they sell them at the shops. And so, after many failed attempts, I decided I would park my cupcake ambitions aside, and just go back to basic baking, such as banana bread, blueberry cheesecake and chocolate cakes.

Until our Mothers Group session this week, one of the mums made some yummy vanilla cupcakes. She said her friend from the UK bought her this recipe book from a famous cupcake shop called Hummingbird Bakery. I did not really pay attention to what she was saying about this cupcake until I noticed she had a fancy KitchenAid Mixer! I thought, my.. she must be serious with her baking. I have always wanted one of this fancy mixers myself, but not only is it very expensive, I am not sure if I could bake enough cakes to make my money's worth!

I googled the recipe and I found it here. I decided to give this recipe a go!

I am quite pleased at my first attempt of cupcakes after such a long time. They taste pretty good....!

5 Months

Today Little Bambi is 5 months old. She is  growing well, and putting on lots of healthy weight. I still breastfeed her exclusively.

At 5 months, she is now able to recognise faces a lot more. Yesterday, I drove to Chaddy with Little Bambi in the car (she was in her baby capsule). She was happy, talking to herself, enjoying the car ride. Until I pulled over at the train station to pick Grumpy up. He hopped on to the back seat to sit next to Little Bambi, greeted her with a big smile, and suddenly, she screamed and burst into tears! Haha poor Grumpy, he could not calm her down. Tears were rolling down her face, she was probably afraid of her own papa! Finally when we arrived at the shopping center, and I parked the car, I picked her up to soothe her, and she was happy again! Even my mum notices that Little Bambi brightens up when she sees me. She gives me big smiles and sometimes, she just won't take her eyes off me. This is truly a wonderful feeling! The feeling of being a mother!

At 5 months, Little Bambi is still unable to roll over. My poor baby, she is probably the only bub in our Mothers Group that has not rolled over yet.

Also, at this age, she is probably ready to start solids now. I have not done it yet, only because I still want her to enjoy the benefits of breastfeeding. My plan is to only start her on solids at 6 months. Over the next couple of weeks, I will be busy reading up on books about introducing solids and recipes for her.

Christmas is also round the corner. Yesterday, I ordered our first family Christmas card. It was fun and I can't wait to send it to our family and friends. This Christmas will be Little Bambi's first Christmas. I want it to be extra special!