the lazy song

mons love bruno mars.. and travie mccoy..and of course.. justin bieber. the lazy song is her latest craze. i thought its super funny. especially the synchronized monkeys..

the universal word..

reading yaya's post at 05:00 got me thinking (since i couldn't sleep anyway..cos i was thinking..and since i couldn't come up with a solution..i stopped thinking..but couldn't sleep so i had to think of something.. hehe)..

where does the word nenen comes from? i've heard it from my malay friends.. as well as my chinese & indonesian friends. Google doesn't seem much of a help. mostly obscene. heheh. except for a super swanky baby shop in jakarta called nenen. i kid you not.

and..does anyone ever wonder how babies picked that word up? i'm pretty sure it wasn't something we teach them to say. when i was pregnant.. i vowed not to teach hannah the word nenen..and well.. t***k. because i've seen kids say this effortlessly..tanpa sebarang pelat..heheh..and i wonder do their moms seriously teach them that.

so i didn't. when she was about 3 months old she calls it nyek. means she wants to nurse. 6 months.. 9 months.. 12 months.. still nyek. good, i thought.. i figured the word nenen is something you teach. until last month..

"mi... nak nenen t***k"

*LOL* and she came out with it herself. i mean, i doubt my parents go around saying that two words kan.. hehehhe! and i checked my friend who has a baby boy hannah's age.. and he is not breastfed.. he knows it naturally too! now hannah would stare at my boobs & giggle & say.. well.. you know what she said la.. hehhehe!

weird tak? hmmmm...

akikah hannah

i just realised i did not even blog about this..until my cousin sent me this link..

I Love Babies!

Thanks shafik...! nanti amek gambar mons lagi e..heheheh

Hannah's first party..

well.. all i can say was.. she was in a bad mood *LOL* .. she had her afternoon nap.. woke up after 2 hours and demanded to know where are all her "kakak" (girlfriends). it was 2pm. duhh! teee hee. tried to make her take a nap before the party at 5 but she was too excited to do so. of course by the time the party starts she was all cranky. and cried when they guest sang her happy birthday. sigh.

but all she needed was some tlc and booby time with mommy. and the hostess with the mostess is good to go again. it was really difficult to take the kids' photos. with them moving around so much.

the cake & cuppies were beautiful. thanks to ANRdelights . and the chocolate lollies she made.. yumsss!! and the custom made tee is from Cuda. niceee..

#613

when i was single.. whenever my nephews are back in town for the school holidays.. they would frown how opah's place has no cartoon channels. who's gonna watch them then..? my parents?

then we moved in to my place.. and still no cartoon channel. once my nephew asked me :

ajiq : mama, nanti anak mama tak tengok cartoon ke?
me : tak. anak mama tengok animal planet je.
ajiq : tak masuk akal.

then we have hannah. i was hesitating to subscribe. but then i figured.. why not. she might learn something from it.

so far she only liked the ones in the playhouse disney channel. they're quiet good i must say. educational to say the least. she especially loves :

di ding bo ding dibo dibo ding! heheh!



three special steps! special agent OSO. sekarang nak bagik makan ubat pun kena pakai lagu ni.. baru jalan..heheh!



and of course.. mickey mouse clubhouse.. hotdog!!! heehhehe!



kadang tu hannah dah ke mana2.. opah & mommy ternganga depan tv.. hehhehe!

daddy's home!

yeay. caveman's home after a short stint of 2 months offshore. yes, his contracts are now for 2 months only. wee!

unfortunately.. the previously lovely home coming he had in april was not so lovely this time around. hannah screamed.. sobbed.. scrreamed.. sobbed.. when she saw him. and would not go near him. i kid you not.

let's see where she;ll let him sleep tonight. hahahhaha!

pinks

get my drift..?

oooooooo i love being a girl!

little miss tutu..

i love tutus.. and one may wonder why a 7 month old may need so many tutus..

here are one of the many, many reason a mommy can come up with..

camwhoring!

will i keep buying her tutus?

hell yeah!!

at 6 weeks..

at 6 weeks :

1. still having lactation issues..depleting flow.pulak. sad. as an obsessed breastfeeding mom. m doing everything ..eating anything i can think of to increase the flow. milkmaid tea la.. all kinds of veggies.. i came across this blog (which my cousin yaya recommends) .. and she has like .. a gajillion bottles of ebm (thats expressed breast milk..yes, they have jargons too). she listed out the food (and drinks) that helped improved her milk flow. worth trying.

2. which leads to a frantic hannah, everytime she didn't get enough. m so determined not to mix her feed, so i didn't push her formula her way. i did one night though (2oz), and she was still hungry. sometimes i think all she wants is the boobs to help her sleep. but this article i read (which precisely described hannah), claimed that it could be a slow flow. which, is true as it took me an hour to express only 4oz.and it wasn't a waterfall or anything.. sigh.

3. it is official.. it is no longer gas.. it is a real smile. especially when she hears mommy enters the room. she gave the widest grin (boob alert!boob alert!). hee. i love watching her smile. especially when she wakes up. her lids will squint, she'd see me & smile. teethless. LOL. i can't imagine how adorable she will be when the tooth fairy drops a couple of pearly whites on her. i hate the the thought of going back to work & seeing her only a couple of hours a day.

4. which reminds me.. i should start making my stocks of expressed milk. sigh.

merry x'mas peeps!

the ups and downs of.. post partum..

oklah.. don't call me overrated.. but m just going on with the flow. when i was single.. i talked about, well life at that point of time (not that i have much la kan..haha). then the trip to the pelamin (mana ade altar kan..) as a freaky bridezilla got me talking about nothing but weddings for the entire friggin year. then the pregnancy fiasco.. and now, my little munchkin is in the picture. so, stick to it la e..

anyways.. 7 more days until freeeeeeeedddoooooooommm... yup.. confinement is almost over. i must say, m not a big fan. and i didn't follow most of it. mostly because i went through a c-section, so barut..bengkung.. bertanggas.. what nots.. phew. and i can't stand the pilis, param. but the food.. unfortunately its all fish for me. urgh. but, i got the green light for mcd's prosperity.yums. but the red meat has proven to cause munchkin to break out a nasty bout of rashes. on her face. it was called acne by her peds. but m convinced it was the red meat in my diet. but a couple of days on sebameds as well as sudocrem, it seemed to have significantly reduced. baby soft skin, again.

breastfeeding have not been without its bad turns. first the no show. then the tortured nipples (and inverted). then mastitis. ouch. right breast this week. left breast the next. major ouch. m telling ya, i can do labour and delivery everyday... but not mastitis. it actually made me cry. after 30 days into confinement, mastitis finally break the wonder woman in me. but a course antibiotics and pain killers, and munchkin's rampage feeding session.. m glad to report that the breastfeeding sessions are under control. insyaAllah. ofcourse now m finding out ways from my pro lactation peeps to improve the flow. caveman & my mom said i have a steel will power. she said she quit breastfeeding on the first day. hehe. i don't know how long i get to breastfeed munchkin.. hopefully for many, many more months. i can already see the reward. she was 4.2kg last week, chubbby cheeks and a round cute belly.

sigh.. lagi seminggu.. lamanye

tra la la..

what i miss most about being preggers :

1. my exceptionally round and huge belly. hot ok.. ahahh! (now.. hello pudgy..long time no see)
2. my maternal glow (now.. welcome back freckles!)
3. people cutting me some slacks just because m preggers (that's a whole lotta slack i must say hahha! now.. *sobs*)
4. eat all u can babe! (now.. nuff said)
5. long hours of sleep (in between pee breaks are no big deals compared to now)

so tell me what's the compensation for all of the above :

1. soon i get to sleep on my belly again (ooo my pinggang surely need that break!)
2. hannah sleeping beside me (now 1 hand on my booby, and 1 feet on my thigh)
3. hannah again. chubby, chubby hannah laughing tengah2 malam in her sleep (yes, creepy if you're an adult.. but if you're hannah.. aaawwww)
4. a shopping trip maybe.. (baju sume dah tak muat .. my boobs have a mind of its own now)

in 24 hours..

1. she refuses her afternoon nap..
2. loves her new bouncer..but wouldn't spend a minute in it once she sees / hears me.
3. but fell asleep in it anyways.
4. throws a tantrum & lashes out on my boobs *LOL* but ouch!
5. the first time she actually throws a fit. a real one.
6. mommy & hannah did manage to get 6 hours of sleep (in between 2 nappy change & 2 booby session)
7.she can turn herself to sleep on her side. to which i keep placing her back on her back. then she keeps turning herself back to her side. i was just afraid she might roll herself to me. hehe
8. finally took her to a pediatrician. since her jaundice kept coming back. she only panicked when he stretches her to take her height (53cm).. and head circumference (she looked dead funny we couldnt stop laughing at her).
9. she gained almost a kilo in 3 weeks.. she is now 3.75kg (woohoo!) and she has breast milk jaundice (caveman's first response was.. takde pun dalam buku tu??).
10. and its not rashes .. its acne. both item 9 & 10 will go away in 2 to 3 months. there goes her close ups.. hehe..

the end. hee

flawless, no more..

during Eid Adha.. my mom told me all i could have was the beef rendang. the next day i discovered tiny red rashes with white bumps on munchkin's chubby cheeks. and some on her forehead, nose.

until today, these rashes kept coming and going. i kept thinking could it be something i ate (was even considering going vegan *grin*).

no matter how i've been told that it is very normal.. and will go away naturally.. i was still worried (first time mom.. takkan tak tau kot.. hehe).. i mean.. its on her pretty little face. if it was nappy rash i'd know what to do.. (which, i've bought the infamous sudocrem via ebay.. just incase.. tapi taktau bile sampai from uk.. ye, i just need a reason to shop. heehe.)..

this is quiet a read ..

to burp or not to burp..

so what have i been up to lately? other than the bouts of baby blues(yes, it happens).. i've been reading about breastfeeding & burping.

with the wonders of side lying breastfeeding.. it became harder for me to make munchkin burp. she just doze off to sleep. even when i kept trying for 5, 10, 15 mins... she still doesn't give in. worst, she would wake up & think its time to play. blergh. not cute at 3am.

my worst fear was waking up to a choking, gagging munchkin.. (whom then will only burp the daylights out of her) .. and last night i caught her waking up, crying and milk flowing out of her nose! sangat scary ok!

i found a couple of forums and articles where moms faced the same issues. apparently its pretty common. and most will eventually get better with age. and it will also improve with a couple of tips suggested (change before feeds to avoid sleepy eaters.. feed alittle, burp.. feed..).

my take on this.. i'd try anything to reduce my keterkejutan beruk tengah2 malam (dan subuh.. dan pagi..)

my take on .. late nights

you know the one where people warn you that a cute like a button baby comes with no manual and tons of tricks?

i should've known.

my first night taking care of munchkin was tiring. well, it was only my second night after the operation. plus, the liquid gold has yet to arrive, so she was frantic & we resolved to the formula.

my second night, helloooo engorgement! ouch. ladies, screw those warm/cool packs. head straight to the fridge. the lettuce. it works. so, munchkin's happy. mommy, very sleepy. and edgy (due to a certain situation where too many cooks definitely wreck a kitchen and i shall shut my gob now)

the next nights were a mix of feedings marathons (so far the record was 4.30 am to 10.30 am .. with nappy change, bath, morning walk (she has a little jaundice) nap of about an hour and a half in between) .. nappy changes (we've been peed, pooped & laughed at by munchkin).. frantic feedings (i want more! more! now!!) ..

it was only after i read about the growth spurt i was assured that it wasn't that she's not getting enough.. she's just going through a phase. and my other breastfeeding peeps assured me they all went through the same thing during confinement.

so munchkin have been off the formula since the 4th day, completely. except for 2 occasions, where the aftermath of a c-sect was getting to me & i had to pass her to my mom in the wee hours of morning. she, munchkin of course slept like a baby and acted very angelic around her opah (yela.. no booby smell.. nothing to be frantic about kan). me? i cried like a baby. feeling like a bad mommy who couldn't even feed my kid enough and put her to sleep.

since the not rooming in together idea gave me very bad engorgement the next morning, we've scrapped the idea off. and mama will only look after her during the day. and not for feedings. hee.

now that she's 13 days old.. m still learning her patterns and i believe i have yet seen the worst. heheh! but at least i've discovered the side lying breastfeeding position (which i couldn't before).. and both mommy & munchkin are happy with the new discovery.

yey!

prelude

a prelude to the next entry.. reading this explained the unexplainable of munchkin.. hee


Baby Growth & Development - What to Expect.com

Baby Growth Spurts

Is your baby suddenly clamoring for more food? He may be going through a growth spurt.

It’s inherently unfair, but all too common. Just when you’re finally getting the hang of a somewhat reasonable breastfeeding schedule, your newborn suddenly changes course and begins eating every hour. And even when he’s done, he still acts like he’s ready to hit the drive-through at McDonald’s, making you wonder if your baby’s getting enough milk. But relax; he’s not starving (even though he’s acting like it). He’s just hit his first baby growth spurt — the first of about five he’ll have during the first year. One of your baby’s most important jobs this year is to grow bigger, and he’ll probably triple his body weight by the time he’s 12 months. Surprisingly, though, a lot of that growth happens in short, intense bursts. (So it’s not your imagination — your baby really did outgrow all his newborn outfits overnight!)

Although growth spurts can happen anytime during the first year, your baby will most likely have his initial spurt between one and three weeks; and another between six and eight weeks. After that, you can expect more at three months, six months, and nine months. The good news: A baby's growth spurts usually last only a couple days, so your baby (and your life) should get back to normal soon.

Here’s how to recognize your little sprout’s spurt:

Your baby wants to eat nonstop. If you’ve been breastfeeding every three hours, your baby will now want to belly up to the milk bar every hour or two. That’s just fine. The more often your baby breastfeeds, the more he stimulates milk production to keep up with his growing appetite. Older babies will also want to nurse more and up their intake of the jarred stuff if they’re eating solids.

Your baby will be up more often at night. Even if your baby was sleeping for a blissful five- or six-hour stretch, during a growth spurt he’ll howl for a midnight snack, then one at 2 a.m., and 4 a.m., and so on. You may find your older baby waking up earlier from his naps, too.

Your baby will be crankier than usual. At the breast he’ll be extra fussy, latching and unlatching because he wants more milk right now, and your production might not be up to speed yet. Plus, all those late nights don’t help his mood (or yours!) either.

How to deal with baby growth spurts:
Since you were already struggling to get enough rest or do anything other than feed your baby, it’s extra-exhausting to have a newborn who suddenly treats breastfeeding like a 24-7 all-you-can-eat buffet. So make sure you’re drinking plenty of water to stay hydrated, recruit help from your partner or a friend to do dishes and other household chores, and settle in for the long haul. (A DVD can help pass the time.)

Whatever you do, don’t give up on breastfeeding now. When your baby seems hungrier and crankier than normal, you may worry that he’s not getting enough to eat and think about abandoning breastfeeding altogether. But those temporary round-the-clock feedings are actually your baby’s way of boosting your milk supply to keep pace with his oh-so-healthy appetite.

If you’re really concerned, keep an eye on two things: diapers and weight gain. If he’s packing on ounces (that adorable little T-shirt seem tighter today than it did two days ago, for example) and soaking five or six diapers a day, he’s doing just fine. Soon enough his hunger pangs will be over, the growth spurt will end, and things will settle back to normal. Until the next baby growth spurt hits, that is.

my take on.. booby food..

m sure everyone has been made known of my idea of breastfeeding. it shall be done.. it will be done. thus, everything that screams 'breastfeeding' is researched, studied (religiously), bought (oklah, ni kire part of the deal a kan..hehe)..

so when the time finally comes.. (i've been warned though by both believers and non believers) it did not happen. well at least not as i expected it to be. hei.. i was told colostrum is produced 1/2 hour after the placenta leaves the system. kan? not. in. my. case. takde pun.

to make things worst.. you know when they say some babies don't automatically pick up the whole correct latching what nots idea? some. babies. not mine. she's a pro. i think what ive been reading was better absorbed by her, then me.

and there i was.. turning her round and round.. cos i obviously didnt know how to hold one (the book says body to face body bla bla) .. and there she was latching on.. and nothing. sakit adalah. hee.

so the nurses told me to chill. it will come around (and so does my other pro lactation pros hee).

so oklah.. second day.. still no sign of neither milk or colostrum (though ive been told its almost invincible. determined to make it work.. the boobs had to work overtime. and there's probably some trinkle (of hope). but not enough to make her happy. and again.. she was given formula *sobs*

i was told that a massage would help speed things up. sakit ok. no fun at all. of course, my kak mas was sympatethic enough. next thing i know, i felt the engorgement. which leads to me to waking hannah up for a feed (excited dan jakun gile ok)..

with the milk supply sort of established (welcome breastpads and nipple shields).. i can happily report both mommy & munchkin is a happy trooper.

how do i cope with the aftermath of the c-sect? well... that's totally another story..

Photos : faces of a booby junkie *LOL*

my take on .. labour&all the hard work..

well.. 1 day after the EDD has passed.. caveman & i headed to the obgyn for the regular check up.. and of course.. the verdict. initially i was convinced that i dont want to be induced.. and shall wait for munchkin to arrive on her own terms.

her own terms she has..

upon some very uncomfortable check ups.. i've been told that since the last check up (at 38th week).. i am still only a centimeter dilated. and no thinning or dilating is progressing. *sigh*

so after going through the pros & cons of being induced.. we gave in.. and were checked in immidiately (remember the bags that was there since forever? we finally get to take it out..hehe)..

the first funnies we had was i had to change to a sarung. which, i have no idea how to. skipping other embarassing & painful stuff (m sure u get my drift) .. i was induced at 11 am.

hours passed.. nurses change shifts.. but all came in to check on me to see if m having any contraction. more hours passsed.. many more phone calls, textes.. facebook updates.. and dvd.. and still no sign. but my back was starting to hurt really bad. and that's that.

7 hours passed.. and i finaly start to feel my 20 mins apart contractions. 20 then became 5. it felt like a big poop coming but not *LOL* but the nurses assured me that it was a light contraction.. light macam tu... kalu nak terberanak camne lak kan???! so i was quiet happy that there's some kind of progress (tell me which woman in labour says this about contraction? haha). and when i thought my water break... it wasn't (and it was pee either.. it was the meds) ..i was still 1cm dilated. and please dont remind me how much i hate both the process and the result! then i had a bloody show.. i was like.. yey!! we're getting somewhere!

somewhere we didnt.. all the pain quickly subsided.. and i slept like a baby through the night. sigh.

earlier i have mentioned to obgyn that should my labour did not progress... i can only tolerate a 12 hour wait.. then m going for a c-sect. i woke up at 5am.. excitedly waiting for the obgyn to clock in at 9am to see if there's any progress. main motivation.. a lady who was induced at 3 pm the day before has delivered a baby girl at 3am..her scream (the baby's) was such a boost.

alas.. nothing happened..no dilation, no thinning of cervix. and before i could say about the c-sect.. i was induced again. how i was feeling? i finally broke into tears (no the contractions didn't do me any emo damage) as i thought of all those hours wasted. obgyn told me to wait till lunch hour before proceeding for a c-sect (yes, obgyn very the pro au-naturel one).

as usual, no contraction. and i fell asleep.. until the senior nurse came with a letter of consent for a c-sect. yey! caveman who was also sleeping was super blur he asked "bile nye nak buat ni?" hahhah!

next thing i know.. m in a robe.. poked into places.. texted mama (caveman was a little lost all he could remember was giving me my handphone and asked me to text her LOL).


we started at about 12.30... and 12.55 i saw her for the first time. poe was right.. i was groggy to feel the emotional part. and as caveman held her for the first time & recite the azan & iqamat.. she held one of my finger. at that point, i know this is exactly what i wanted.

being a mommy.

lamaze

tanda2 kejakunan golongan ibu bapa adalah apabila mainan anaknya yang belum keluar (dari dalam perut) sampai di dalam kotak yang besar, mereka merupakan orang pertama membuka (dengan gelojohnya menggunakan tangan, gunting, pisau) dan oohh.. aahh.. aaww.. membelek, membaca manual.

bayangkan...

p/s : dont mind the bahasa melayu.. i never did well in BM in school anyways.

p/p/s : items bought via mybbstore and toys are Lamaze developmental toys.

p/p/p/s : why we bought that weird looking thing with the giant lady bird in the middle? back to sleep, tummy to play. read on..

onesies..

my EDD is 10th of Nov.. tapi arini kira halal la ek.. kire full term dah la. in view of that (dah lama gian tak buat paper).. i did some more online damages.. by buying a couple more stuff. sukatila kan.. *LOL*

after getting some developmental toys (besides breast milk storage bag and a baby monitor, these are the only things we dont have..*hint*).. i was browsing through my facebook (dah abis ilham dah nak google ape lagi). and i realised my old skool mate has an online blog.. called Faramour. making handmade onesies.. check this out.. :
you can even get them customized.. with your tot's name on it.. cute innit?