Break from routine

One thing that I did not expect is losing weight after delivery. If anything, I anticipated weight gain not weight loss - and I have lost 7kg from my pre-pregnancy weight!

This new me has landed myself into another dilemma to deal with - clothes that doesn't fit anymore. My skinny jeans are now baggy and my shirts are hanging over my shoulders. I obviously needed some pair of new pants. Nothing fits anymore.

Today was a day that I looked forward to. Anand and I finally found some time to hit the mall. We took Baby ma along too. 

We headed to the Gardens Mall in Midvalley, straight to the Gap store. I tried on their skinny jeans which I was after by the way, but I liked none. In the end, I decided to deviate from the norm and got their slim cropped pants. Yes, it looked fashionable yet formal. And I liked it. The hubby paid for it of course. :P

Then we went to Baby Gap store which was just a floor above. There were pretty dresses and shirts and ... sigh... I really wanted to get some for Baby ma, but the fact that she grows so fast kept me thinking whether I should really be spending so much. Furthermore, Anand just spent a fortune on Baby Gap shirts for Baby ma few weeks back. I decided to wait until she is 6 months old to get her some new batch of clothes.

By the time I'm done, it was almost lunch time. And I know Baby ma will start screaming for milk. The three of us headed to Manhattan Fish Market (MFM) to redeem our Groupon offer. I purchased Groupon deal from MFM for RM49 which basically gives us the flaming seafood platter (values at RM55.90), Ceasar salad (values at RM12.50), mussels in garlic herb sauce (values at RM10.90) and finally 2 Tropical Breeze drinks (values at RM8.90 each). Oh, did I mention the voucher includes the service and goverment taxes as well? Yes, indeed it was a deal. I love the seafood platter so, this was a jolly good deal! :)

As we expected, MFM was packed with people who were redeeming their groupons as well. We were seated after few minutes of waiting. While waiting for the food, we fed Baby ma. By the time she is done, the food arrived :) Perfect timing.

After lunch (the queue to enter MFM got longer!), we headed back to the Gardens mall. We stopped to buy a new Samsung battery for Anand and continued to Marks & Spencer to find some additional pair of pants. This was when we had our first explosive session with Baby ma.

She pooped. While in her Boba. And some splashed on Anand. Lol :D

Good thing I packed extra clothes and the rinse-free nappy cleanser. The good thing about Gardens mall? They have pretty good facilities there. The baby changing room is located right next to Isetan and it was clean. So, we dropped our shopping session and got Baby ma cleaned. It was a good teamwork between Anand and myself. He helped to wash her soiled pants and dry it using the hand dryer while I cleaned Baby ma and freshened her up. 

We headed back to M&S and I found two really skinny pants (those are called "jeggings" which is the short form of "jeans leggings").

Of course, the day would not be complete with some ice cream from Baskin Robbins, would it? :)

We're ending the day today with couple of sticks of chicken satay, nasi himpit, wine and football game. Today was a breather for us. A break from the usual hectic, full of stress routine.

Got milk?

I remember sitting down on my hospital bed, at the verge of breaking apart as I struggled to express colostrum for my baby. I was really looking forward to the breast crawl experience.  But as the nurse whisked my baby away to the NICU, I knew I had to wait.

It was only 2 days later I was allowed to carry my child. It was just out-of-this-world feeling. I still had to express my colostrum which was no way anywhere near the required amount. I could not breastfeed yet and my baby needed milk to survive.

Seeing me struggle so much, Anand tried to help. He spoke to the nurses, doctors and lactation consultant. He also searched for articles and videos on how-to correctly express the milk. In fact, if it wasn't because of him I would have given up. I persisted and finally I was allowed to breastfeed my baby!

Initially I was nervous. This was partly because during my visits to NICU I often see mothers trying to get their newborn to latch and oh my, struggle they did! The babies scream and often refuses the nipple despite numerous attempts by the poor mother! So I wondered, how would Baby ma react?

The nurse placed a breastfeeding pillow on my lap, carried my baby and placed her on the pillow. Almost immediately, my baby latched and started suckling! Again, it was and extraordinary experience and I definitely felt relieved. And at that very moment my journey in breastfeeding begins.

It has been close to 3 months now and my still breastfeeding my baby. I aim to feed her exclusively with breast milk at least for 6 months - longer if possible. I'm grateful for all the awesome gadget Anand got for me to support my breastfeeding journey. The best of it all was the breastfeeding pillow. I cannot imagine going through this challenging moment without it!

Of course there are those who were skeptical and who thinks breast milk reservoir will dry up in first month. Those who also thinks babies who cry often after a feeding is not getting enough milk and immediately departs their wisdom to you to feed the baby formula milk.

It wasn't easy I tell you to fend of the remarks from "non-believers". But perseverance was the word and I had to turn deaf and believe Kelly's Mom is right.

Learning as I go, I'm very certain breastfeeding has helped to bond my baby to me. And it's such a beautiful bond. 

The Birth Story - Part I

Phew!

I can't believe it's going to be almost 2 months post delivery! It was so full of ups and downs for sure.

My birth experience was something that is worth documenting, for I want to remember it some time in future. :)

My due date was on Christmas last year. The doctor however did not want to wait that long though. So she was planning to induce me 2 weeks earlier before Christmas if I don't go into labour naturally. My deadline was 12th December which was supposedly my last check up date before the doctor decides to induce my labour on 16th December.

I have already planned to work from home from 10th December onwards which will give me some time to prepare myself mentally to go through the labour. However, from early December on, the few steps I take from my bed to the bathroom was already too much to bear for me. What more to get ready for work? 

I decided to make use of the medical leave and worked from home. I took it easy and spent most of my time taking short naps. Sleeping was a chore on its own! Despite the heaviness that was draining my energy day in and out, I spent 4 hours walking in the Big Bad Wolf sale. The sale started on 6th but I only went there on 9th, and that too at night. The following day, I was too tired for anything else after spending hours looking at books. So, I continued to work from home and by afternoon I badly needed a sleep. I woke up couple of hours later in the evening with some contraction pain, which was irregular.

I knew from my antenatal classes that irregular contractions are often false labour, which I have been having on and off some days of the week. I ignored the pain and took a warm shower. Made myself a cup of coffee and sat down in front of the TV.

As the hours passed, the contractions became more and more apparent. I used an Android application, Contraction Timer, to time the contractions. I told Anand about the pain taking a regular pattern. He insisted to get to the hospital right way. But I still felt it was false labour and that I can wait. It was the night of 10th December. My follow up check up is not until 12th. I was trying to decide whether I should wait or head to the hospital. 

The moment I started getting stabbing pain under my belly, I knew it was time to get the hospital and have it checked. Anand and I took a quick shower, got our bags and headed to Hospital Pantai KL.