Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Breastfeeding with Khye - Part 1

This time around, it was a totally different breastfeeding experience from Shern's.

My breasts were super super engorged for 2 days when my milk kicked in on Day 3. From experience, I knew better and did not use the strong hospital grade pump, and I only used my trusty old Avent Manual. Thus I had no nipple cracks and I applied nipple balm religiously all the time to keep it moist.

On Day 5, I already managed to express about 5oz and I was elated. It was way way better than Shern's time when I could barely reached this amount even in Month 2.
18 September 2012 - Day 5

Then it continued to get better and better. After I direct latch Khye, I expressed and drained my breasts and manage to build up my ebm storage in the freezer. I don't express after every feed. I expressed only when Khye couldn't drain both my breasts.

Below are my ebm storage in my freezer:
26 September 2012 - 2 Weeks

4 October 2012 - 3 Weeks

13 October 2012 - 4 Weeks

20 October 2012 - 5 Weeks

However, all these are short-lived because suddenly I have many nipple cuts and tears after Khye reaches 1 month old. I even had a milk blister. It started off with one cut, and then new cuts when the old one healed.

It is very painful even with just one cut. Because the cut is near the side of the nipple line, I could not express as I would be tearing it more with each pump. And yet I still need to let Khye suckle to drain my breasts and if I still wants to maintain the milk supply. I couldn't let the cuts rest for long because I couldn't afford for my breasts to get more engorged. Once engorged, my breasts gets fuller and bigger and thus forces the cuts to 'open' and that hurt even more.

We guess all this started after we give Khye the pacifier. The pacifier was given so that Khye wanted to suckle and we didn't want Khye to treat my breasts as a pacifier. But Khye wasn't very good in differentiate the different suckling motion like Shern did last time. I think Khye has nipple confusion. Khye latches well initially, but after some time, especially during the night when I'm half asleep, Khye switches from suckling to sucking, and that it a big difference! Suckling is the right way to go, and sucking makes my nipples bleed and tear. Anyway, this is just our guess.

I hope to adress the root cause, so as our guess it latching problem, as of yesterday, we stopped giving Khye the pacifier. I hope this will teach Khye to re-latch properly all the time.

I haven't been expressing for nearly 2 weeks now. Initially I did hand express but I sucked in it, only managed to hand express 2oz max each time. Then slowly my milk supply dwindle down and now I only let Khye suckles, that is all. So I guess my milk supply now only matches Khye's demand, and I have no extra for storage.

As of now I have a cut on my right nipple. And three cuts plus a milk blister on my right nipple.
Imagine my pain everytime I direct latch Khye. Ouch!

Friday, October 26, 2012

Yiu-Khye - Week 5


19 October 201

Pediatrician Visit


It was Khye's first visit out of the house after a month, and it was a visit to the peds the following day following his fullmoon.
 
Khye's Growth Measurement

Age - 1 month @ 15 October 2012
Weight - 4.50 kg
Length/Height - 55 cm
Head Circumference - 38cm

15 October 2012

Went to visit Dr. Dan on for his 1 month visit and Hepatitis B vaccination. Khye let out a loud cry for after the jab, but was alright after I carried him.

Told the doctor about his loose stool which I am concerned as it was much more watery and frequent than normal breastfeeding stools. And also his diaper rash gotten worse due to the frequent stools. Stools were a mixture of mustard yellow and green, which is still ok for breastfeeding standard. And I told the doctor I found some blood stain in his stools twice and showed him the photo of his stool which I snapped.

Dr. Dan said there must be an anal fissure due to the frequent stools, and thus led to the diaper rash. He asked what diaper cream I am using, so I told him the Earth Mama Angel Baby Bottom Balm and also Bepanthen Ointment. He said they may not be strong enough and asked me I wanted another cream. He recommended to prescribe him zinc oxide cream for preventing and treating the diaper rash, and also to treat the anal fissure. I told him OK, because all I wanted was to treat his anal fissure before it gets worse.

He did not prescribe any meds for the loose stools because he said they are not really diarrhoea. It may be the food I eat, and the baby is just adjusting his hormones to it. And of course I was asked to bring Khye back to see him if it didn't get any better.


Playmat
17 October 2012

As Khye's waking hours are more nowadays, I took out the playmat and he enjoyed lying down there for awhile. He is now interested in things/toys when you waved it in front of him, but his attention span is not that long yet.


Visiting God Chor-chor

After his fullmoon, we brought Khye to visit his God Chor-chor, which is my dad's Godmum. Their age difference is like erm...80 years or so. ;)

 And Shern fell asleep on her very vibrant colour sofa chair, so very pretty.
13 October 2012


Going Out

I've brought Khye out for breakfast a few times, to places which are not congested, and clean. Usually, he is asleep in the stroller.
19 October 2012
19 October 2012


Sleep

Besides sleeping on his secure sleeper, and in his baby cot during night time, he usually sleeps in the bouncer in the day time, which is airy and bouncy, which he likes.

14 & 19 October 2012

Khye looks so mini on the bouncer. :)
19 October 2012

His awake time is usually in the airy bouncer in Pho-pho's house. He likes to do this expression.
19 October 2012

And this is the expression he does when he is about to cry. Look at his pitiful face. Haha.

 19 October 2012

Brothers

A photo of my 2 babies.
The big Shern, and little Khye. :D
19 October 2012

Saturday, October 20, 2012

Top 8 Newborn Essentials

At last, I survived my one-month confinement period. Khye is now 1-month old and just celebrated his fullmoon. Now, I want to share the secret of me surviving this first month ordeal with a newborn. I'd written a post on Top 5 Baby Essentials about a year ago. This time, I want to update this and called it Top 8 Newborn Essentials.

Khye is almost a month old and I feel that these are the things that make my life so much easier as a mum. Heck, they even kinda make me a super mum!

1. The Cheapo Portable Trolley

I got this from a friend who was doing spring cleaning. She wanted to throw 2 of these trolleys away, but I asked her to give me them. They are light, cheapo trolleys which you can buy them at any departmental store in the home department for about RM30 to RM40.
I used one of these trolleys for keeping my scrapbooking supplies, and the other as my portable newborn supplies (above pic).

They are great because they have wheels and are very portable. I can easily wheel it in the room, or in the living room, wherever baby is. I can even put it in a corner when guests are here, as not to clutter the living room.

As a newborn supplies trolley, this is how I allocate the space:

On the top rack, i arrange those diaper rash balm, first aid lotion, and other creams and ointments in a basket, together with baby cotton buds, and nail clippers, etc. On that top rack I also placed the wipes box for easier access.

On the 2nd tier are filled with diapers/muslin cloths. 'Nuff said.
On the 3rd tier, I put Khye's clothes. PJs and short sleeved tops and also his many hankies.
On the bottom tier are Khye's swaddle blanket, towels, hats, mittens and booties.

The best thing about these trolleys are that they store easily when not in used. The trays can be stacked up for storage and take up very minimal space. I love them.


2. Angel Baby Bottom Balm
 

This is an item I stumbled across quite recently when I was doing online shopping for organic baby products. I'm so glad I found it as I love it.
Mostly I use it as a diaper rash balm for Khye. I use it for every nappy change as breastfed babies usually poo a 'lil everytime they pee. I bought the bigger bottle which is 60 ml/ 2 oz, and even after a month of using, it still looks barely used. (mind you, Khye changes 15-20 diapers a day!).

Besides that, I also use it on my 3yo son Shern for mosquito bites, minor cuts and wounds, and some rashes. I basically treat it as a minor first-aid balm. It's like the miracle jar in the house.

3. My ever trusty Avent Manual Breast Pump


I'm still using the same Avent Manual Breast Pump that I used to breastfeed Shern 'til he was 1 1/2yo. But this time, I bought the double electric pump and asked a friend to bring it back for me from US. However, I still use the manual one more, as it is more portable, and I can pump it anywhere.

This pump gave me comfort when I had engorgement in the hospital during the 3rd and 4th day. And even when at home, it helps to drain out the excess milk after Khye finished suckling. I even managed to express 5oz on my 5th day postpartum.
Trust me, buy a decent breast pump, and it will become your best friend throughout your breastfeeding journey.


 4. The First Years Sure Comfort Newborn-to-Toddler Tub

27 Sep 2012 - almost 2 weeks old
I've blogged about it here and here before, but I still want to list this here, because I find this tub is really useful.

Its deep, ergonomic design holds newborn Khye securely for easier bathing, and I love that the tub is lined with mildew-resistant pads for sanitary bathing and easy cleaning. These pads are also non-slip pads which is incredibly useful so that Khye can't slip in it. I find that it really gives me the confidence to bathe Khye in it. 

It is especially good for new mothers because when you put a teeny weeny baby into the water, they can be very slippery and difficult to grip. This is when the non-slip pads becomes incredibly useful.

Also love the small compartment at the foot of the tub which I find it useful as my top to tail cleaning tub. 


5. The First Years Close and Secure Sleeper


Ok. this is perhaps a rather luxury item. But I love it. I used it for the first month for both Shern and Khye. And Khye is in his second month and I'm still using it. Guess I will be using it until Khye is able to turn. I think babies feel more secure in it than their big baby cot in their first month of life.

But the best thing is for the mummy. It is portable and thus I bring it out and place it on the big sofa chair in the living room so that I can always keep an eye on my babies.
And when I go back to the in-laws, I just carry it with us because it is small and portable.

My mum said she could easily make this from cardboard. Punch a few holes at the side to make it breathable. And then line it with some sponge and cloth and ta-da....homemade secure sleeper. Haha :)

Please remember to stop using it when baby knows how to turn and flip!


6. Swaddle Blanket - Love To Swaddle UP Lite

After my experience with Shern, I know that babies really love to be swaddled up. During Shern's time, I bought the Bumble bee swaddle blanket, and I hated it. It was way too small, and way too flimsy to swaddle Shern up properly. No matter how hard we tried to swaddle him in it, in less than 5 minutes, Shern's arms were always out and his swaddle gets loose, and Shern ended up not being swaddled and started making a fuss.
So this time, I decided to buy the zipped-up-kind of swaddle so that Khye will stay swaddled. Came across this Love To Swaddle UP swaddle - like the fact that these swaddle swaddle up babies with their arms up. It is said that baby is more well settled when swaddled with arms up. Bought one in the Lite model due to our hot and humid weather, and that we don't sleep in air-cond room most of the time. Well, Khye loves it. Not long later, I ordered another one online so that we could wash them and use them alternately.

Khye really sleeps longer when swaddled in these.


7. Infant Carrier Car Seat With Base - Graco Snugride 35 Infant Car Seat

After I bought this Graco Snugride® 35 Infant Car Seat with base, Khye sleeps in it peacefully. There is no hassle of installing the car seat every time we places Khye in it. Just plop him in and buckle him up, and voila, we are good to go!

Khye @ 2 weeks old - 29 Sep 2012


Will be writing a review on this infant carrier car seat in more detail soon. :)  


 8. Ikea's Gullunge Babycare Mat

I didn't buy a changing table. I just got this white babycare mat from Ikea at RM24.90. I place it on the sofa and use it as a changing station already, like this:

This babycare mat has a Polyurethane foam filling that gives Khye a little extra padding for a quick diaper change, even on the floor. I like that it wipes clean easily and is soft. Best of all I love it for the the great price!


So these are the 8 Newborn Essentials that helped me survived my first month ordeal with baby Khye! Hope someone will benefit from this list of mine!

Thursday, October 18, 2012

Khye's Modern Fullmoon Gift Pack

Khye's Fullmoon Gift Pack to relatives and friends

During my confinement, I had plenty of time for myself, so I was thinking about Khye's fullmoon party. Back in my mind, I knew I wanted something special for Khye's fullmoon gift pack. As our family's second grandson, we didn't need to be all traditional, so I wanted something different for our friends. 

I tried to google for samples but I didn't like what they all had to offer. None actually appealed to me, even those personalized ones. So I was whatsapp-ing my buddy Josie and told her about this. Josie is also the erm...CEO of Favor-It-Shop. She then gave me plenty of suggestions, and we both came out with a plan I liked. So I told Josie I wanted to engage her, knowing I won't have time to do all these during my confinement month.

So from my estimated 25 packets initially to a total of 60 packets in the end, and Josie was such a great sport to accommodate me.

For the packaging of the gift pack, the brown paper bag is packaged into an owl shape, an idea we got from Pinterest. I've always loved owls, there is even a paper-cut framed photo of a mother owl and her baby in my home living room.
The little strips of white paper at the bottom left corner of the owls read 'May you grow up healthy and wise...'
I wish little Khye will grow up healthy and as wise as an owl. ;D

Photo by Josie

Inside the gift pack is a glass jar of colourful M&Ms, tied with a white transparent ribbon. The personalized sticker is an added cute element.
M&Ms is one of my favorite chocolates. And I love the jar. After finishing up those M&Ms, you could use the jar to store spices, or any other things you like. I have a jar just like this one which I store buttons for my scrapbooking hobby. :)
Photo by Josie

Another hidden gem another one of my favourite chocolates, a 4-finger Kit Kat! It is nicely wrapped with with polka dots white paper and tied up with twine. Tucked inside is a little Thank You Card with Khye's details and photo.
Photo by Win Win

Another thing we included into the gift pack are 2 red eggs. I feel a fullmoon gift pack is not complete without these dyed red eggs. And Josie packaged it so nicely. There is a cute little 1-month-old sticker on them, and the eggs sit on very cute blue polka dots cup cake liners. Very cute indeed!
Photo by Win Win


And so the whole fullmoon gift pack looks like this. Personalized and best of all, handmade...every single one of them! Prices are reasonalble too. Aren't they lovely?

Photo by Win Win

Photo by Win Win

I also requested for a tray of red eggs and Josie did it for me so very very nicely. In fact, this tray of red eggs is my favourite deco at the mini fullmoon party in my home.
Photo by Josie

I took some photos of Khye together with the fullmoon gift pack on that day! :D
Photo by Win Win
Photo by Win Win
Photo by Win Win


So people, if you are looking for unique personalized items, be it wedding or any other special occasions, such as handmade cards, wedding props, etc, please look for Josie at Favor-It-Shop! She is very very nice and humble, and she is one of my best buddy! ;)

Thanks Josie for making Khye's fullmoon so wonderfully nice! Thank you so much!

Click here to view Khye's Mini Fullmoon Party.

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Khye's Fullmoon

Khye's Fullmoon - 14 October 2012

We celebrated Khye's fullmoon last Sunday 14 October 2012.

We had a very small celebration, all family, including both sides of grandparents.
I didn't plan to do much initially, maybe just order some food and take some photos. But then my buddy Josie said she would lend me a very nice banner and a pretty 3-tier cake stand for deco. So I thought ok, I would deco a desert table for photography purpose and ask Win Win to come snap a few photos.

So I then took out my nice white tableware and started arranging the night before.
I actually did everything the day before. ;)
The photo above is the very nice banner Josie did for me.

Ok, let's look at my 1-month-old baby boy.
He behaved superbly well that day, waking up during photo shoot session, and then slept throughout the eating session.

Ain't he my cute little baby?






He even smiled when A-Ma tickled his chin. But I know it was just a 'muscle-cramp smile' ;)

This was how the whole 'so-called desert table' deco looks like.
Impressive or not for a last-minute planning?
All the food were not cooked/baked by me ok? Even the table cloth is too small to fit my dining table. Up to the night before, I could not make up my mind which table to transform into the desert table. 
I was thinking 'hmmm...should I use the consol table or dining table?'

My 'so-called desert table' were not just sweet bites, but savoury bites as well.

These were the compulsory hard-boiled red eggs for fullmoon celebration. This tray of eggs was beautifully done by Josie. 

There were some traditional fullmoon food like these savoury ang ku kuih, and nasi kunyit with curry chicken. Bought from Eaton by mum at the last minute. ;)

I bought some macarons from Ritz, which ended up me eating 5 out of 6 of them. No others liked them. Guess they don't have such a sweet tooth like me.

I made the little banner as the cake topper, using the extra little stickers of the eggs. Made it the night before.

Another favourite savoury food were these golden egg rolls, a must-have in all my parties, as everyone in my family loves them. They looked very golden and pretty on Josie's cake stand. :)

These colourful fruit tarts were placed on my not-so-pretty cake stand. lol.
And the colourful M&Ms were Shern's favourite.

These cake toppers were made by me rather hurriedly the night before, together with the little cake banner just now. As I didn't have cupcakes/muffins, I just topped them on the fruit cake, and I think they looked lovely too, didn't they?
I love these very mini apples from South Africa. They are very sweet and always crunchy. I always buy them from the pasar malam. 10 for RM5. Cheap and healthy and delicious.  
And there were other main food as well such as fried maggi mee, curry chicken and pork knuckle vinegar in another table. No deco so no photos. Hehe.

The owls were Khye's Modern Fullmoon Gift Packs which I distributed to friends and relatives.

Next, family photo shoot with Khye.

The grandmas carrying Khye.
This is A-Ma with Khye.
 

And this is Pho-pho carrying Khye.

Khye with A-Ma and Ah-Kong.
 

And this is Khye with Pho-pho and Kong-kong.
 

Yiu-Shern joining in the photos with the grandparents.


Khye with Min-yee yee and Yee-pho

And this is Shern kissing his 'lil bro Khye.



Khye with Daddy & Mummy


I like these 2 family photos of the 4 of us!


Taking photo with the Lims.

And the Tans and Cheong

Khye with the erm... senior citizens. lol.
And lastly, a photo of all of us!


HAPPY FULLMOON BABY KHYE!
MAY YOU GROW UP HAPPY, HEALTHY AND WISE!
WE LOVE YOU!

Photo credits: Chew Win Win

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