Yearly Archives

2012

breastfeeding, side effects of motherhood

Genie in a bottle

September 21, 2012

I honestly think the first month of a baby’s life is the hardest. For me, that is. The baby is just like “Wheeee, this is fun! I’ve got magical powers that summon big humans just by screaming. I shall now make a scrunchy face to get milk!”

I, on the other hand, get to know what it feels like to be a genie.

No wonder genies are always so sullen all the time. Well, except the one in Disney’s Aladdin. That one is almost annoyingly happy and sings a lot. Then again, everyone’s happy in the Disney universe. Real genies are a lot more sulky, and understandably so.

The first month, there’s the confinement. Even though I’m not fussed about sticking to traditions, the confinement does serve a practical purpose. It’s just so much easier to be at home with the baby where I’ve got all my baby equipment and everything is nice and comfy. On the down side, I’m stuck at home all day in my milk-stained tees and crazy hair and a baby attached to my boob. Not exactly glamorous.

The breastfeeding has improved now that we’ve got a rhythm going. It still hurts though. I was feeding Finn the other day when the husband came into the room and he was like “Why are you twitching?”

“What? No, I’m not.”

“Are you turning into Harry Redknapp? (It’s an Arsenal fan joke – they call him Twitchy)

“My boobs hurt and it’s making my face twitch involuntarily ok happy?”

“I hope it’s not a permanent thing or I’m going to have to call you Twtichy.”

“Just go away.”

I hear the pain goes away after a month or two. Hopefully sooner, so I can stop twitching.

And then there’s the guess-why-I’m-screaming game. With a newborn, you never really know whey they’re crying. You think they’re hungry but after drinking for 5 minutes, they projectile vomit everywhere. It’s like playing Mastermind every time they cry to try and eliminate all the possible reasons. Are they hungry, burpy, poopy, gassy, too cold, too warm, tired, not tired, bored, over-stimulated, under-stimulated…and OMG this list isn’t even exhaustive.

6 more days till he hits the 1-month mark. When we get there, we’re going out to celebrate.

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Kidspeak

Overheard

September 19, 2012

The Bees Knees

Kirsten: PEE-NEES!!

Both kids: Hahahahaha

Tru: PEE-NEES!!

Both kids: Hahahahahahaahah

Me: What’s this game you guys are playing?

Kirsten: We say pee-nees because it’s funny.

Me: I think you mean PEE-NUS? And how is it funny?

Tru: No it’s pee-nees. It’s funny. PEE-NEES!!

Both kids: Hahahahahah

Me: I know it’s sort of near the knees but it’s pee-nus. Unless you mean bees knees.

Kirsten: BEES PEE NEES!

Both kids: Hahahahahahhahahhahahah

Me: Ok, I give up. Carry on.

 

Family

*Door slamming sounds*

Kel: Guys, no slamming the door.

*More door slamming sounds*

Kel: Hey, who was it that slammed the door? Go with me to the naughty corner.

Kirsten: Not me, it’s kor kor.

Tru: Both! We both did it together.

Kirsten: NO, it’s kor…ok fine fine I will go with you to the naughty corner. We are family.

*gives Tru a hug from behind*

Kel: *sighh* You both get a free pass this time but no more slamming doors, understand?

 

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Finn

The sweetest Finn.

September 17, 2012

Having a new baby is very much like getting to know someone for the first time.

Just because a baby came out of your uterus is no guarantee that you’ll hit it off – it still takes time to get to know them, understand their temperament, figure out their preferences and manage their quirks.

I’m not sure if it’s a third kid syndrome, but Finn is by far the easiest, sweetest, most obliging baby I’ve had. Which is not to say that the other two were little terrors, they were just a little more um, demanding. Ok, Truett was quite a feisty, restless baby who didn’t believe in sitting still or playing quietly by himself. He didn’t care much for sleeping either.

So far, Finn has been the complete opposite. He cries only when he’s hungry or in a lot of discomfort and even then, it sounds less like a scream and more like the low hum of a Ferrari’s acceleration.

“Reeooowww”

“Rrrrrreeooowww”

*pause*

“Reeooowww…”

*falls asleep from the exhaustion of like 3 consecutive yells*

When he’s awake, he spends a lot of time looking around quietly. He enjoys hanging around his siblings and doesn’t fuss when they’re a little over-enthusiastic with their affections. Even when he was ill, he’d struggle to breathe on his own for several minutes before screaming.

3 weeks with this kid and he’s already stolen my heart.

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kids in motion, literally a crappy post

Handy Little Helpers

September 12, 2012

While there’s still an element of novelty about it, I’ve been getting the 2 bigger kids involved in helping to take care of the baby. It keeps them occupied while I’m occupied and the little help they can provide does come in quite useful.

So when I’m giving Finn a bath, I’ll get them to stand around to watch, maybe help fill the tub with water or squeeze a dollop of baby wash onto his body. Or when I’m burping him, I’ll let them help pat his back until they get bored or tired, which is usually like about 5 pats in.

They’ve been enthusiastic about everything except poop-cleaning.

“It’s so gross, later the poo poo come onto my hand,” they’ll say while pretending to gag.

Yesterday, I managed to convince them to just observe while I gave a running commentary on how to clean a poopy diaper. They crowded in real close as I laid out the wet tissues, cotton balls and diaper cream in preparation for THE MOST FASCINATING DIAPER CHANGE EVER.

“Ok, first, we take a wet tissue and fold it into half…”

“Ewww, why is the poop yellow? How come it’s so soft? Baby Finn got diarrhea? It’s so smelly!”

Well, at least they seemed fascinated by the process so mission accomplished.

Finn must have sensed there was an audience because while they were peering at his bottom, he decided to unleash a fresh jet of poop right in their general direction. I managed to block most of it with his soiled diaper as Tru jumped back 3 steps and held his nose in horror. I turned to make sure Kirsten was poop-free and she was gagging involuntarily, making the most priceless series of vomit faces I have ever seen. I think a little vomit must have come back into her mouth in the process.

“Are you ok, princess? The poop didn’t get onto you right?”

She managed to regain some composure, then stomped out of the room muttering “I cannot do this, I’m outta here…”

Maybe I’ll give it some time before their next poop-cleaning lesson.

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breastfeeding, giveaways reviews ads

Boobs and stuff

September 10, 2012

This is part of a series of collaborative posts between Mother, Inc and Mothercare Singapore. All opinions and text are my own.

My breastfeeding journey hasn’t been a fun one. While I’m fully convinced by all the wonderful benefits of breastfeeding, both Truett and Kirsten had a lot of difficulties latching on. They were impatient and hungry babies who didn’t care much for the joys of drinking it fresh from momma. They were all like “FORGET THE BOOBS, JUST SHOW ME THE MILK!!!”

It didn’t help that I produced very little milk so with Tru, I gave up after a month of partial breastfeeding (via the bottle). With Kirsten, I managed to persevere on with the expressing thing till 9 months before finally reclaiming my breasts.

But I’ve always wanted to be like one of those moms who could pop out a boob to feed the baby anytime and anywhere instead of having to go full battle order and lug around a ginormous pump, bottles, bottle warmer and cooler bag.

So with Finn, I was determined to latch on my baby one way or another. The first couple of days wasn’t so good. I had no milk at all and the lactation consultant who came in to help me struggled for 15 minutes before declaring that my “breasts were too big”.

Um, ok, thanks, I guess?

By day 4, engorgement set in and every session I tried latching on was absolute torture. I thought that labor was the worst pain I could experience but engorgement pain? Comes pretty close. My breasts were like filled with little rocks after being beaten with large rocks and when Finn chomped down on it, I almost threw him an uppercut to the jaw. Except I didn’t because I was determined to power through the pain.

Fast-forward 2 weeks and he’s now latching on like a pro. I occasionally have to supplement with a bottle of expressed milk but at least he’s drinking most of it direct from my boobs, which is a great achievement.

Thanks to Mothercare, I’ve put together a list of all the essentials you’ll ever need to make the breastfeeding journey a little easier. All these, plus a large dose of pain endurance and you’re all set.

The Aden + Anais Soothing Paw Paw Ointment is like salve from heaven for cracked and sore nipples. I applied tons of this the first week and it helped speed up the healing process. After the soreness subsided, the Mothercare It’s Your Body Nipple Cream was great for the days that I wanted something lighter and less rich.

I really love the Serenity Star. It’s the kind of thoughtful product that only moms who have breastfed can come up with. It’s a feeding diary, a sound machine, a night light, a temperature indicator and a clock all rolled into one. It’s the one thing I keep with me all the time and when I’m stoned out of my mind trying to recall the last feeding time in the middle of the night, this is a complete lifesaver.

A pillow that’s ergonomically designed to support the baby during breastfeeding does wonders for the back. I just prop this around my waist and rest Finn on it so I don’t have to be hunched over during feeds. The JJ Cole range also comes with a matching nursing cover for some privacy when I’m out and about and I like that the design is classy enough to not look like a tablecloth.

The downside of breastfeeding: spontaneous leaks. Every time I hear a baby crying or think of breastfeeding or look at a cute baby, my boobs go into feeding frenzy mode and start leaking. These Charlie Banana reusable breast pads are super soft and absorbent, which is perfect for dealing with those embarrassing leaks. And when I don’t have time to clear the laundry (which happens more often than I’d like), there’s always the disposable Tommee Tippee breast pads to save the day.

My milk production is still not at the boob-only feeding stage yet so I’ve got to supplement with a bottle or two. Introducing a bottle is tricky because once Truett and Kirsten tasted milk from a bottle, they refused to drink from the breast. I suspect that these Tommee Tippee bottles really helped in my quest to latch on Finn because the teats are designed to resemble an actual nipple. And finally, if you’re bottle feeding, remember to sterilize!

 

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picture perfect

Homeboys

September 7, 2012

We had baby Finn out in the living room for some awake time and Tru came over to lie down beside him, making for one of those irresistible Kodak moments.

I think I’m really starting to like having two boys.

Kirsten has been going around telling everyone “I have TWO brothers.” I think she’s enjoying it too.

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