IronMonster

Our Brabantia Size D iron board with over flowing baskets filled with washed and dried laundry waiting to be sorted, folded, ironed and hung.

The Little Girl loves the sorting bit and it really helps. She is too young to do the rest though. Attempts at folding clothes have often resulted in even more work for Mummy but that does not mean that we stop practising.

Can someone please send me an IronFairy to deal with this mundane and time-consuming chore?

LaundryMonster

Before

After

Saves me a lot of time and bending when sorting laundry. Mere difference of an extra basket resulting in better efficiency and effectiveness. White, colours, black.

Previously,  the light colour basket had to be sorted again into white and colours. How silly of me!

What's your tip for fighting the LaundryMonster? Do share!

Sleeping Through The Night

This calls for celebration! *doing cartwheels*

 

Bean has been "doing his nights", "il fait ses nuits", STTN, sleeping well, doing his 6 hours. Call it what you wish. The fact that he started doing it at 2 months old now debunks the myth that fully breastfed babies do not sleep for long hours. 

I wish I could say this in my MIL's face outright (I can't because it would be deemed rude/uncouth/tactless).

 

He started with 3 hours. Then 4. It gradually moved to 5. He would sleep as long as his diapers stays dry. Lately, 6 hours. Well, his little tummy can only contain so much milk before it is all digested and he starts to feel hungry.

 

If you chance upon this entry because you need that slight encouragement, mere statistics or true conviction that young babies CAN and WILL STTN...here, print this and show it to your nay-sayers non-believers (confinement ladies, MILs, etc.) I would urge you to shut out the negativity/sleep-myth and just keep breastfeeding.

 

Breastfeeding has nothing to do with sleep. Formula does not make babies sleep for longer (my MIL's strongest arsenal against me when I was nursing The Little Girl every 2 hours for 30 months was that I should have given her formula so that everyone will benefit from some sleep. Ma, I love you but I don't subscribe to formula is better than breastmilk argument so yes, I did rather suffer the sleep deprivation).

 

How do I know?

 

Because The Little Girl breastfed for 35 months and she only did her STTN at 30 months. For me, the numbers don't lie.

 

It boils down to the individual child, I kid you not. The Little Girl is super-glued to me, until today. She feels insecure when her mummy-radar beams a low signal (even way before I was pregnant with Bean). By low signal I mean being in the same house but different room.

 

Bean, on the other hand, is happy to play with me, feeds then sleeps. I love how he has his own "life", he knows when to play, how to tell the difference between night and day and enjoys his daily routine.

 

So, good luck with your bundle of joy and happy breastfeeding!

 

The Labour Story

I am finding it difficult failing at finding time to sit down and recount the labour and birth story so piecemeal entries of this wonderful story is ever going to get told...

 

Chances are you may stumbled upon this entry if you are looking for Dr. Seri Suniza Sufian or Dr. Anthony James Mansul reviews. Let me just say they are both AWESOME.

 

If you are here because you want to know if Prince Court Medical Centre is any good, let me attest that my own experience there has been EXCELLENT and, so far, continues to be.

So here is my attempt at recounting my second birthing experience...

18 June 2013

At dinner preparation time, my MIL did most of the work and cooked while II sat down with The Little Girl and her new Duplo set of "Jake and the Never Land Pirates". 

Contractions came and went, interval not regular. Cramp. Like period cramp.

I do not recall what we had for dinner because my appetite was absent. My MIL felt the baby was coming soon as I was less helpful in the kitchen this time.

 

Told MIL The Wish: Not to share my bestie's birthday on 19 June. 

Right?

Wrong! 

<to be continued>

 

 

Eid Mubarak!

Maaf zahir batin. Please forgive all my errors and trespass in the last year. It has been a testing time of my patience, stamina and steadfastness. May all our good deeds, repentance and prayers be acceptable this Ramadhan by The Almighty.

Eid Mubarak to you and your family. We wish you a joyous Syawal with family and friends, as well as renewed faith in Allah s.w.t. 

As for us, we have The Lloyds visiting from Yorkshire, England and The Little Girl is thrilled to have all 5 cousins to play with. Bean, well, he is mostly overwhelmed by the number of loving people waiting to kiss and cuddle him.

 

The Grandparents are super-busy but overflowing with happiness just to see all 7 grandchildren filling up The House with laughter and non-stop action on the first day of Eidulfitr. We also received the company of some relatives and with a baby girl about a week younger than Bean, The House swelled up with even more excitement.

 

Lastly, we wish you safe journeys, responsible eating/drinking and whole hearted loving this holiday season.

 

Note on responsible eating/drinking:

"Man fills no vessel worse than his stomach. If he has to fill his stomach, then let him leave one-third for food, one-third for drink and one-third for air. [Ibn Majah]

6 Week Check Up

Dismayed to see my weak pelvic muscles doing Kegel exercises (yes, I saw it on the display screen during ultrasound scan). No bladder leaks so far, but, oh, so much work ahead! Now focus, and Kegel those muscles correctly.

My uterus has shrunk to its original size (about 10 cm), and man, was I emotional over how empty it looks without a growing fetus inside!

Next up: The wait for pap smear in the second half of the first menstruation cycle. Turns out that I do not have to wait that long as it returned at the end of Ramadhan. From nifas to menstruation, no break this time...

End of Confinement

44 days served!

Celebrated by buying nursing tops (yay!) and feeding Bean directly instead of pumping (double yay!)