Thursday, March 28, 2013

Sleeping Tub


Where do you normally put your baby to sleep in? I'm guessing most of you would either say the baby cot, or tilam lemek (soft mattress) like I usually do. Well, you'd never believe the new sleeping place that I've just discovered recently! :P

You see, my little family and I went on a short vacation last week to see my parents in Penang. It was a night drive, so my husband laid down the seats so I could sleep comfortably in the car while he drives.


I was going to put the sleeping Adeena down when I realized we didn't bring the baby car seat with us to put her in! At first, I tried laying her down beside me, but because she was swaying as the car moves, I was afraid she would be thrown off in case the car jerks. I couldn't take that risk, so my eyes wandered around for something that could hold my baby still.

And they landed on.. her bathtub! My eyes lit up at the sight of it, and without thinking further, grabbed it, put Adeena's tilam lemek to cushion it, and put the sleeping Adeena in it!


There.. Doesn't she look comfortable and snugged in it? :P Believe it or not, she slept throughout the journey except for one diaper change! :D

Man. I gotta say, I can be quite a genius sometimes! (Sometimes je lah. Most of the time, tak. :P) I mean, look. I just took baby bath tub to a whole new level! :P

Oh, and did I tell you how much I loveeee MPVs? It's soooo convenient, I can even change Adeena's diaper in it, on the go! :D


Sorry the picture's a bit blurry though. But seriously, it's super convenient, I do think all families with kids should get an MPV if they can afford it! Hmm. Then again, a caravan would be nice too, no? Husband? You reading this? ;p

Friday, March 22, 2013

2-In-1 Aqiqah

Here's a question! What is the next big thing that everybody is looking out for after a baby's arrival? Yeap, the baby's aqiqah ceremony! It's when the baby gets celebrated and the adults get to fill their tummies with free kambings! :P

That's why, 23rd February 2013 is a special day for us family. It's when Adeena turned exactly 7-day young, and became the 'hot stuff' on her very special day; her aqiqah day! :)


The day was made even more special as she got to share her aqiqah day with her newborn cousin, Wildan, who also just turned exactly 14-days young on the same day. Uhuh, it was a double celebration! Of course, the theme of the special day had to be baby blue & pink! :P




The day started early for us on that day. Since it was most afdhal for an aqiqah to be held on the baby's 7th day, right after Subuh, my husband went to get the lamb for Adeena's aqiqah. Heck, he even 'sembelih' the kambing himself on that very morning! (Yeap, that's him in orange, alright.)


As soon as he got back, I quickly bathed Adeena and got her ready. I wanted her to look her best on her big day, so I put on this super cute ballerina romper that I got a few months before she was born, a matching leggings and a headband that I bought from Lovely Lace to complete the look. Yeap, mama planned this ahead wayyy before the baby was born! :P



Just before the majlis started, I stole some time to breastfeed her so she would be full and contented during the majlis. While I was feeding her, the majlis started with marhaban recitals by the men & ladies, led by an ustaz.



And then, it was time for the bercukur ceremony. Being one of the centre of attention on that day, everybody wanted to look at her, everybody wanted to hold and kiss her. But alhamdulillah, she kept herself composed like a lady should and did not cry even once on her big day! Proud of you lah, girl! High five sket! ;)












And once the bercukur ceremony was over, it was the time all the guests were waiting for -- feast time! The guests were served with (of course) lambs, made-to-order char kuey teow, cendol, cupcakes, desserts and more!










Sadly, my biras, Haney and I, could only look as we were both still in confinement :( So since we couldn't feast ourselves like everybody else, what did we do to occupy ourselves? Took photos of us (and the babies!) of course! :P













By the way, isn't the baby cot so beautifully decorated? Believe it or not, our family did all the decorating by ourselves! :) Thanks all who helped out to make this event a wonderful one! ;)

Meanwhile, the elder brother must be feeling a wee bit left out, because believe or not, he created a scene towards the end of the ceremony! He wouldn't let go of his papa & mama and waileddd loudly when we asked him to join us in a picture and kept pressing us to go home (to our own house)!




But.. yeah, we took a picture with him in it anyway. :P I'm not sure if it was the jealousy, the crowd, or the sleepiness that caused the 'drama', but in the end, he surrended to his tiredness and slept... at a corner of the house. On my lap. -__-


Oh well, what's a majlis without a little family drama, eh boy? ;p

But other than that, all in all, it was a successful majlis, alhamdulillah. Thank you for all who came! On behalf of the family, I would like to apologize for any shortcomings during the event. We tried our best to entertain all guests, tapi biasalah, masa majlis orang ramai sangat, kadang-kadang terlepas pandang! :(

Until then, here's a family photo of the Little Family to end this longgg entry! :P


<3

Thursday, March 14, 2013

Time to Change for Better Convenience!


  • Dear Aydein,

    It's been a while since I wrote anything about you. It must be frustrating to have all the attention shifted from you after the arrival of your little sister, huh? Well, let's talk about you for a change today. How do you like that? :)

    Remember when we were walking at the park the other day and you asked me how you were like when you were little? I must say, you were (and still are!) a very active kid! You used to move around so much, it makes even nappy changing so difficult! At that time, I wished someone had invented a diaper so easy to wear, it would make nappy changing less of a 'war'!

    Well guess what! While I was doing some baby shopping the other day, I came across this... (press Next!)


  • Yeap, a life-saving diaper! It may look like the everyday diaper you wear, but this one is different! My dear, this diaper (it's actually called Huggies Dry Pants) is clinically proven to help prevent diaper rash and dermatitis with its 100% breathable cover, double leak barriers and the trusted leakage protection of the quick lock system!

  • The best thing is, it is designed like pants, so it makes changing easier as all one needs to do, is just "pull them up, tear and go!" Sounds fun, huh? ;)



    Lucky for you, you had the chance to get your bumbum on it! Remember that day when you asked me why our nappy changing sessions lately seemed to be more fun & speedy? Well, that's because you had Huggies Dry Pants on you for quite some time now! ;)
  • Just so you know, this diaper is now my new favorite! You wanna know why? Let me tell you.

    1 Now, instead of forcing you to lay down to put the nappy on you, I can now quickly slip the pants on you without disturbing your playtime!



     
  • 2 Now, instead of unfastening the conventional nappy tape to take it off you, I can just tear the side seam of the Huggies Dry Pants to (quickly) change you!


  • 3 Most importantly, now, I hear no more "ouches!" from you as there is no more annoying fastening tape that accidentally sticks to your thigh when I change you!


  • There's more! Did you know that Huggies is giving out free samples to interested mommies and daddies for their children to try out now? How nice of the Huggies team, kan boy? :) All the mommies (and daddies!) need to do is just request for a sample at http://www.huggies.com.my/huggies-community/request-a-sample.aspx to get one! Just like that. :) For more info, they can also checkout Huggies's official Facebook page at www.facebook.com/Huggies.Malaysia :)

    Sighs, I wish I had been introduced to this nappy earlier! I know now why they say, Huggies Dry Pants: Change for Better Convenience; it really does make my life (and yours!) so much more convenient! :)) No more struggling, no more 'war' during nappy changing. Just "Koyak, Salin & Lepas!" ;)

Saturday, March 9, 2013

911, Breastmilk Emergency!

"911, whats your emergency?"

"My breastmilk! They need to be transferred to another freezer because the current freezer now needs to be shut down for 4 hours. And if that happens, my breastmilk will melt!"


Okay, so maybe I didn't exactly call the 911 hotline, but if I could, I would! It was such drama at home a few days back, I swear!

You see, I am not the type that makes abundant supply of milk easily like some moms do. In fact, with my first baby, I was forced to supplement him with formula because my milk production was low.

Knowing this, this time around, I made sure I prep myself with more reads on breastfeeding, more water intake, more tips from the "sifoos" in breastfeeding, and of course, more pumping!



I started pumping as early as week 2 after my delivery this time. Thanks to the tips shared by Irin Putri who adviced me to pump while direct feed, I've managed to collect 40+oz for my baby when the time the drama happened, alhamdulillah :) It may not be a lot to milk-factory moms like some of you, but they are the world to me! In fact, they're currently my obsession! ;p



So you can imagine my terror when I noticed one day that the freezer door at my in law's place is not as 'sticky' as it should be. We're guessing the 'stickiness' is wearing off, and that's something I can't risk! Quickly, I told my husband that we needed a new fridge or all the effort I've put in would go to waste. Immediately, my husband went out to buy a new one. The thing about new fridges is that, you'll need to allow 4 hours before you can switch on the power button. And that's when trouble strikes!

The moment I heard that the new fridge cant be used immediately, my blood rushed to my head as I panic-ly think of ways to save my 40oz of milk (then) from melting! Should I buy ice cubes? Should I get help from the neighbor and use her freezer space temporarily? Should I go back to my house with all the milk and store them there?

After some careful thinking, I decided to bring all 40oz of milk back to my own house in Bukit Jelutong. (In case you're wondering, I'm currently at my in law's place in Shah Alam until my confinement ends.)

Then, another thing occured to me. How do I bring all the milk without risking any of them melting? It was blazing hot then! Luckily, I remembered my good ol' Pureen cooler bag that I used for storing Aydein's milk then.



Quickly, I grabbed it and stuffed as many bottles as I could with a few ice cubes inside it.



As for the remaining bottles that couldn't fit? I placed them in Aydein's toy-bag with loads and loads of ice cubes in it :P



Together with my parents in law, we rushed out of the house and alhamdulillah, in just 15 mins, we arrived my house in Bukit Jelutong with the 40oz milk saved; frozen and fresh, alhamdulillah. :D



When all this ended, I realize I learned 3 things :
  1. New fridges can never be used immediately. Don't let anyone tell u otherwise (because the SA told us it could!)
  2. Get ice packs if you plan to stock up your milk. You will need them!
  3. Invest in a good cooler bag that is at least medium sized, so when things like this happen, you don't have to use your son's McQueen's toy-bag! ;p
And alhamdulillah, from that day onwards, I have not stopped pumping and managed to stock up about 60+oz now for Adeena. It's true what they say, sikit-sikit lama-lama jadi bukit (slowly but surely). :)



1+ more month to go before mama goes back to work, baby. Let's just pray mama gets to stock up enough milk for you, in time! :)

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Story of Adeena Annur

Darling Adeena,

Did you know mama has been waiting for you for the past 2 years? Ever since mama lost your 'elder sibling' due to ectopic pregnancy in 2011, mama has been trying so hard to conceive again. After much effort & doa, alhamdulillah mama's doctor made mama the happiest person again when she confirmed that mama was conceiving again in June 2012 and that it'd be a girl! :)



That's you, right in the middle there! ;) Now, would you like to know how you were brought into this world? :) Okay, since you can't talk just yet, I'll take your silence as a yes, okay? :P

Before you were brought into this world, I carried you in my super huge belly for 9 whole months! And when 9 months finally past, on February 14th, 2013, you decided to let me know that you were ready to meet our little family when mama saw red stain when mama went to toilet. This was not the case when mama was carrying your elder brother last time. Although mama knows it was pretty normal, mama went for a checkup nonetheless. That's when mama knew, mama was already 2cm dilated! Nevertheless, the doctor said 2cm dilation could (sometimes) take a week or a month even before it could progress, so she adviced mama to rest at home while monitoring the contraction in case it gets stronger.

2 days after that, mama saw more spotting when mama went to toilet. It was more than usual, so that made mama a little worried. Papa decided to take mama to hospital to check but we took our time and had our dinner to fill our tummies before going off. As soon as we reached the hospital, mama was brought to the labor room.


To be honest, mama didn't think it was necessary to be admitted that night. All mama wanted was to check if you were fine and that everything was normal, because call it mother's instinct, but I knew you were not going to come out that night. And mama was right. After checking, everything was fine and you were still 2cm dilated.

Mama's doctor, Doctor Delaila, came at about 11pm to check on mama. Mama was still 2cm dilated and asked if I could go home because mama did not feel any pain. She checked the CTG graph again, looked at mama and said, "You do not feel any pain? I can see from the graph that your contraction is pretty strong. Most women would feel the pain now. You're pretty strong!" That made mama smile. :P



She dared not release mama that night though, because since mama could not feel that much of a pain with strong contraction such as that, she was afraid when it was finally "time", it would be too late for mama! So mama stayed in the labor room, watched TV, browsed my social media networks, and chillin' like a boss ;p Mama could even sleep soundly throughout the night. Seriously, admission was not necessary.

Then, morning came. The doctor came to check and mama was 3cm dilated. Still a long way to go! Mama's doctor was still hesitant about releasing mama, because according to her, mama was already in labor and the contraction was strong every 5-7 mins. The only problem was mama's cervix was a bit thickish so it was slowing down the labor process. Then, the doctor told mama she was going to help mama see you faster by putting a tablet down there where you came out to soften the cervix. I gotta tell you though, the idea of seeing you that very day made mama really excited, so mama agreed to it! :)

The doctor was right. 2 hours after the tablet was inserted, mama started to feel the progress. The contraction was getting stronger and more painful. Yes, mama can finally feel the pain! ;p

At first, the pain was still bearable. When the pain got unbearable, mama called the midwife to check on the progress and she said mama was 5cm dilated.

ONLY 5CM DILATED? In case you didn't know, mama needs to be 10cm dilated before mama can bring you out the tummy! That's like, half the journey to go and the pain was already unbearable for mama!



Mama tossed and turned to ease the pain, and discovered that lying on the side helps to reduce the pain. So there mama was, lying there on the bed, and clutching onto the bed rail (and papa's poor hand!) for dear life. The midwife asked if mama wanted to take any injection or drug called epidural to help ease the pain, and because it was so painful, mama actually considered taking the Pethidine injection! But when the midwife said it would only help 10%-20% of the pain, mama didn't think it was worth it. Besides, mama managed to deliver your elder brother drug-free the first time; why can't mama do it again right? ;) So mama continued to endure the pain. 

5 hours passed and suddenly, mama felt the urge to push. The midwife didn't let mama to push because mama was only 8cm dilated but the urge to push you out was so strong, that mama pushed anyway even after applying the "panting" breathing technique. Somehow, the panting technique didn't work this time. Mama knew mama shouldn't push you out, mama tried not to, but somehow mama had no control. It felt asthough mama's tummy forced itself to push you out, without mama's consent! I guess you too, were eager to see your little family, huh? :)

Luckily there was this very nice midwife who never stopped giving mama support and encouraging mama to continue to practice the breathing technique. She also offered mama the Ethonox gas (which mama took gladly) to help ease the pain. And then, the stronag urge to push came again. Mama told the midwife, "I need to push! I need to push! I need to push NOW!". That's when she called the doctor in (while holding your head from coming out!) to assist in delivery.
Like you needed assistance! :P It happened in a blink of an eye. The doctor came in, put on her coat, and as soon as the midwives brought the legs-rester up, the doctor approached closer, and without waiting any longer, with just one push, mama pushed you out, justttt in time for the doctor to "catch" you! It happened so fast, the doctor didn't even have time to sit down or assist anything to get you out! We were doing all the work ourselves, baby! High five! :P



Alhamdulillah, on Saturday, February 16th, 2013, mama heard your first cry as you made your much-anticipated debut at 1.44pm, weighing 2.77kg, via normal delivery. And just like with your elder brother, Papa took the honor to cut your umbilical cord, and Qamat at your left ear, while you stay quiet and at peace. :) Alhamdulillah, it was a very fast and smooth delivery. 5 hours in (actual) labor with no tear; I can't ask for more! :)



Adeena Annur, no words can describe how happy your papa and I are to have you in our life, and I can't wait to see what the future holds for us family! If with your elder brother, it was all about blue, guns, dinos and monsters, now that you're here, we can now explore pink, laces, ribbons and barbies together! :) Needless to say, you complete our family. :)