(2006/09) SEPTEMBER 2006 MTB

[ilovebabies]

E-ling

hmm if she is still sleeping, shldnt cause any worries right ? but 2 hrs is a bit long ah ? did u feel her temperature ? is she feeding well ?

newborns gets frighten easily esp when their hands are free to move. unless you wrap them up in blanket which I think may helps but it maybe too hot for them.

 

[msapple]

ilovebabies, yah i alway measure her temperature cos i worry maybe she is sick that y like that but temperature ok leh and is not her feeding time yet. And normally if she hungry she will cry for milk and look for my breast (somemore i give her drink 100ml, so should be enough) but she didnt leh just stretching all the way and making those loud funny sound. Becos of this i dun dare to leave her alone i scare later what may happen to her. Now she is ok, now sleeping and i having my lunch, but now i still hear her making stretching sound in my room every few minutes.

i tried to wrap her hand up in the blanket, but she like to stretch alot so this make her miserable and she will use alot of force to make her hands out and i see liao also heart pain so faster unwrap her

 

[ilovebabies]

hmm u gal wake up how freq ? my gal needs feeding every 3 hrs. so in betw this 3 hrs, i surf net, pump milk or take nap lor .. usually i take nap from 4-6 if possible.

if she dun sleep can put her in the cot and she needs to be carry ? if it's the latter, then really bo bian right ? r u alone now ? no one to help u ?

so far my gal can sleep as long as she is full. if she doesnt, I know she still need more milk and I'll offer her my breast. She can suck for a min of 5 mins and she fall asleep then I can do my things ...

 

[ilovebabies]

hmm then I am not sure abt stretching sounds .. ya maybe it's good to visit the PD and seek their advice. Let us know k ?

ya I also think that if we wrap them up, it makes them v uncomfy cos they are out of the womb for so long oredi and so used to the current lifestyle

 

[msapple]

my gal also need feeding every 2.5 or 3hrs later. Becos she kept stretching until very miserable like that so i dun dare to sleep. Me with my maid but she got no experience in taking care newborn and since my gal is still so young and i dun dare to let her take care for now yet. My gal also can sleep as long as she is full, is just that she stretch alot until i cannot take a nap at all, Keep open my eyes see what had happen to her

 

[domesticgoddess]

congrats chng's wife! how are you coping and enjoying?

jasmine, not me leh. i sms her yesterday but when she didn't replied, i called her last night. she said booking confirmed but shedidn 't need any details from me at all, and i only need to call her when i have popped.

yeah, why not call the lactation consultant ASAP and tell them the problem. have you tried warm compress before you express? also, if you were to express before BF, can you get more BM?

 

[msapple]

1 month confinment is 28 or 31 days huh, cant wait for my confinment to be over

 

[pikachu]

elmo88, when your water bag burst, is it trickling or big burst?

 

[crystallized]

E-ling
heard some follow 28 days, while some 40 days!!!

up to ur belief, i think.

elmo
u r one lucky lady leh. so envious...

 

[pikachu]

E-ling, did your baby move a lot in your tummy when you were pregnant? Sounds like you have a active baby who likes to stretch and move a lot! Heehee...

 

[domesticgoddess]

joon, not very experienced lah.. but expereinced before since i TBF my first boy. It is not necessary to always express after latching on, unless you
1. feel discomfort as in breasts still engorged after bb's latching on, or
2. you want to increase supply (then it is important to empty the breasts if bb cannot do it for whatever reasons, e.g. you are away from bb, or not TBF, or bb not latching on properly so cannot suckle well or bb refuses direct latch on),
3. want to express to store up supply in freezer/fridge

usually if correct latch on, then there should be no pain. But most mums feel some pain in the beginning 2 to 4 weeks as nipples tend to be more sensitive.

 

[melody999]

anyone know what does show mean? does that mean placenta already dislodge?

 

[domesticgoddess]

emma, actually drinking water is good for us, especially if we are BF as we need to replenish the liquid lost through BF. Contrary to common belief, not drinking enough fluids will worsen water retention.

i think older folks think that after delivery, the body is weak, so must replenish the "heat" in the body by drinking all the longan drink etc..which is heaty.

 

[chocolat]

E-Ling,
my boy also stretches a lot and esp at night while he sleeps, he'll make a lot of noise and to the extent of face turning red too. Intially I thgt he had difficulty passing motion but after he manage to, he still makes that sound. This sort of keeps me awake at night too cos juz afraid if in case he's really not feelin well...
I chk with my PD previously and he mention is normal.

 

[domesticgoddess]

smiley, some women do get some collostrum leaking from their nipple(s) during the last trimester, but it is not advisable to squeeze more out of the nipples. it is due to the surge in hormones during the pregnancy, but not all women get it. I didn't have it during my first pregnancy, but this time round, there is a wee bit.

 

[ilovebabies]

yes agree with domesticgoddess

in fact after I latch on or expressed, i always feel very thirsty and I drink lotsa red dates tea. I finished the whole pot everyday. and drink soup as well. i only take plain water when I took my calcium and neuro gain pb plus vitamins

 

[domesticgoddess]

ilovebabies, yeah lor.. Mama Zhen Wei da! Jia you!

elmo88, how old is your first boy? how do you prepare him for the arrival of #2? Mine is 2 y.o. now and I think he will stick to me like glue too when he sees his lil bro.

e-ling, do you swaddle your bb? in the first 4 to 6 weeks, bb prefer to be swaddled up actually as it closely resembles the feeling they had in mummy's womb when there is very little space. they feel more secure that way. in the first 2 months, bb didn't realise that those limbs belong to them, and they can't control them either, so when they stretched their body and the limbs move, sometimes they startle the bb, which is why they appear to be frightened or "jumpy". It is normal for them to sleep and wake and return to sleep... so don't worry.

 

[domesticgoddess]

melody, I think "show" refers to the losing the mucous plug, hence mothers will see the blood, not placenta dislodging. Just like the pictures that melissa posted recently.

 

[msapple]

Smiley, yah my gal when in my tummy, she like to kick alot even when i am going to deliver soon, i still feel alot of her kick and movement.

chocolat, Ur too? really ah? But i very scare when i saw her like that leh, like very xin ku yet we cant help.

domesticgoddess, i dun swaddle her leh cos she will use all her strength to force her hands out. Like very ke lian and xin ku leh

 

[chocolat]

E-Ling,
tat's y I decided to start swaddling him now during the night and indeed for the past 2 nights, it had become better. He's still making noises though but somewhat reduced and he can sleep better cos previously he seems to be easily disturbed and awaken.

 

[joon]

Thanks for the nice words abt Der Nen!

Hi E-ling,
Sounds like u pump a lot rather than latching on, is that right? Coz I'm thinkg of doing the same thing too, my nipples hurt after every BF la... so, just wondering if pumpg and feedg EBM will diminish our supply? Do u know? And don't worry abt ur gal, it sounds like she's really active! But to put ur mind at ease, why don't u just give a call to ur PD or go see him? At least he'll be able to offer u an expert opinion.

Hi Smiley,
Before birth, I didn't prepare my boobs AT ALL for BFg! So the 1st time Der Nen sucked, my eyes wanted to pop out. OUCHHH! So I think it's a gd idea to start massaging urs and getting ur nipples prepared for that 1st shock.

And I didn't get any colostrum leaking during my last trimester. My colostrum only came on Day 4 actually, and my milk on Day 5.

Hi Babyzucchini,
Bijou is right, that's what my friend said too, it will hurt at first coz the nipple is such a sensitive area, but it will "toughen up" and after 2 wks, it shldn't hurt will BFg. I hope so! Mine are killing me!

No leh, my hb and I are both Chinese... 100%

His eyes lah... so big!

Hi domesticgoddess,
Thanks for the advice... I won't pump so often then. I need some standby coz my hb will give 1 night feed.

 

[melody999]

domestic goddess or anyone know if saw brown stain like b/f menses is it consider show?? call gynae jst now, he said monitor if got more show or cramp than call him again...

 

[msapple]

Joon, yes i alway pump every 2 to 3 hrs sometime 4hrs if i am busy. my gal always suckle for ard 10mins then will push away my breast but when i tested she seem like still wanna continue to drink and will search for my breast again but when i put my breast to her mouth she refuse again (like cannot get her way to suck it). That is y i give her my expressed milk as i am not sure whether she get enough of the brestmilk. So far it doesnt diminish or increase the milk supply. Now i always pump bet 100 to 120ml if i pump after 4 or 5 hrs, i can pump up to 140ml for both side. There is once i pump 180ml leh. But only once. hehe

 

[joon]

E-ling,
That's gd to hear.

Coz I'm thinking of doing the same... *hiyah*... my poor nipples!

I think I'll bear with the pain & discomfort for another week, if it doesn't get any better, I'll prob do what u're doing... wah! 180ml is GOOD!

 

[joon]

Hi Melody,
Domesticgoddess is right. The "bloody show" is not the placenta dislodging. If the placenta dislodges itself, the blood that flows out is supposed to be A LOT, and FRESH (bright red). That's when u need to go to the hospital immediately. "Bloody show" is when there's bloody (can be red, pink or brown) discharge. This blood is seen because your cervix is opening and the mucous plug has come out. It doesn't necessarily mean that labour is soon though. Some people lose their mucous plug a week before they give birth!

 

[paulnelaine]

hi Eling,

dont worry so much u r not e only one... Zhaohui also makes lots of funny noise n stretches when he zzzZZZ... as long as he dont cries usually i will leave him alone. Zhaohui sometimes stretches when i'm bottle feeding him so i got to move e bottle where ever his mouth moves too.. sometimes i thought he dont want e milk liao but when i try to remove it from his mouth he is sucking it so tightly.
e worst part is now when i latch him on my breast he somehow still thought he is drinking from e milk bottle n he will latch hard on my nipple n stretch n moves his head until i feel so so painful... like my nipple going to drop...
like u i seldom zzz also... cos i usually bottle feed him so btw he finish drinking n fall asleep n need to express my milk.. then wash up everythg.. already 1hr gone.. then i faster try to zzz for 1hr b4 he wakes up for e next feeds.. but if is breakfast or lunchtime or dinnertime then there gone my 1hr nap time

being a mother is really not easy....

 

[emmasharapova]

elaine... i totally agree... NOT ENOUGH SLEEP!!! argh... my enzo today whole day torture me!!! wake up hourly for feed leh... hiyo!!!

domesticgoddess... ya.. me agree... they said that insufficient water can cause water retention right... so how can we not take water.. hehehe.... me drink behind my mom's back lohz.. bo bianz....

eling... your confinement gonna be over soon right... mine still got a long way to go lehz..

soon u will be out shopping.. while most of us are still stuck at home!!!

 

[whatzup]

hi gals :

i believe i missed out lots of posts for the past one week . could not really catch up now .....

have given birth on the 10th of sept , below is the summary :

9/9
22.30 : Very little red stain

10/9
03.15 : Fresh red blood . Show . Contractions getting intense and frequent , around 30 minutes apart . Called NUH , was told to stay at home until the contractions were 5 minutes apart .
08:00 : Contractions 5 minutes apart . Reached delivery room around 9 plus . Cervix dialated = 3 cm ( very happy coz there was a possibility of natural birth )
12:00 : Asked for epidural , did not think it was necessary to go through all the pain when there was an option to choose . Cervix = 5 cm
16:00 : Ready to push . Did not know how to push , wasted one hour plus pushing towards my face/legs instead of my buttock . Gynae turned off epidural , still did not work , suggested C-Sect coz baby was distressed . Tried another 20 minutes with vacuum and my boy arrived at 18:13 .

managed to donate the umbilical cord to SCBB and allowed two medical students to observe my delivery as a real life experience for them , hope both of them could be a good doctor and benefited from it .

still searching for a suitable name , he has jaundice on the second day and stayed for additional two days , discharged yesterday and i am still coping with this new role .

my breast milk .. very little , pump for an hour = 20 ml , am not very dedicated , only breast feed during day time ( plus formula feed too coz my boy needs 70 ml per feed plus a little water ) , formula feed during night times ( the confinement lady will do it ). still hoping to increase my breast milk by getting the confinement lady to cook papaya fish soup and drink more liquid .

this CF is ok , am glad that she is here and my mom is here too , they get most of the things done including cleaning , mopping and ironing , i sleep as and when i wish and was told to do so for the first 3 weeks before slowly taking over the role as mother . i actually have mini bath twice a day unless is raining ( mini bath = wet myself and clean throughoutly without shower foam with minimal herb boiled water ) . at times i add in hot water myself , washed my hair and blow dry when there is an opportunity ( the confinement lady and my mom are not at home.... kekekek )

still painful to sit properly and hope that my wound will cure soon . a lot to learn and hope i could pick up really fast .

dunno how many are still on the waiting bench ... all the best ya . those who will 'graduate' from their confinement .... yeee peee ... still a long way to go .. enjoy your motherhood .

 

[melody999]

jst went for my gynae check up... alr 3 cm dilated going to hospital tonite... but my confinement lady MIA.... >>>>> HELP....Anyone has any recommendation pls sms me at 9741 8961. Thank u veri muchie

 

[domesticgoddess]

joon and e-ling, if you can and intend to continue TBF for long, my suggestion is to latch more than express and definitely avoid totally expressing and not latching at all as it WILL REDUCE supply and give you bunch of problems later. Not to scare you, but it is really true as even the best pump in the world is not as efficient as bb's suckling to clear milk from all milk ducts. so most women end up with at least one episode of mastitis!. OUCH!!! That was the reason i had to stop my TBF in the end as my son had nipple confusion and refused direct latch on eventually, so i gave him 100% EBM. And it was such hard work to maintain supply once he starts to drink more, i had to express consistently every 3 hrs to maintain enough supply for his appetite and to ensure supply don't drop, but also because expressing so much eventually cause my breasts to be so engorged so easily as the milk ducts are not cleared properly. I even had to wake up at least once daily between 1am and 4am to express for over 30min to get that kind of amount required by my growing infant and that was real hard work. If I overslept, i would still be awoken from the pain caused by the engorged breasts. Sigh!

But that being said, joon, if you feel severe pain at your nipples, then it is advisable to alternate expressing and latching to give your nipples a rest. But you just have to be careful of not letting your bb develop nipple confusion.

 

[domesticgoddess]

emma, must drink water lah. actually last confinement, i refused to drink any of those longan drink etc.. i only drank plenty of milo, milk and water. my mum gave up after trying to get me to listen to her after a few days. i am stubborn, won't listen to old folks' tales usually and prefer to read up.

wah, melody, congrats!! Wish you smooth delivery.

Sorry, i have no contacts for confinement lady.

 

[ilovebabies]

hi melody

all the best to you !! oops I dun have any contact for confinement lady ....

Whatzup

congrats ! welcome to motherhood.

gals,

ya motherhood is really difficult. every time I think of expressing my milk, i feel bad for my sore nipples. ahahaha ... will still latch bb on when I can. sometimes she cries for milk after only 2hrs (instead of 3 hrs) .. so I will latch her on.. let her decide how much she wants.

my friend was telling me, the first two weeks of BF is crucial, either you'll give up or you'll carry on.... glad that I made it to the 4th week oredi. Sometimes really want to give up cos it's real tiring .. i was thinking to myself if I give FM, life would be so much easier. BUT ... think BM is still the best food to our child and I want her to grow up as a healthy gal. Heard BM can build up a child's immunity better than FM, is that true ?

 

[domesticgoddess]

ilovebabies, yes it is true. BM is the best food for our bb.. so jia you!

 

[dumpty]

Whatzup, was wondering what had happened to you

Congrats! I also dunno how to push leh. What you mean by pushing towards buttock?

Melody, so that means you are next off the bench? geez... I'm still sitting tight there. Have no show except tummy ache since last night and I dun even know if that's contractions or not. NVM, today going to gynae for 39th week checkup already! Cannot believe I actually can tahan until now...

 

[joon]

domesticgoddess,
Okay, I will persevere... oh gosh... must keep telling myself it's best for him! I am THIS CLOSE to giving up Is it normal for bbs to fall asleep while BFg? Mine does, every time, so he ends up drinking little and waking up often for frequent feeds. Any idea how I can break this habit? I tried "forcing" him to wake up every time he dozes off, but then the whole BFg session takes up to an hour, which is HELL on my nipples. Alamak, it's a catch-22 situation man!

Anyone can help?

ilovebabies,
It's so GOOD that u've been BFg for almost 4 weeks!!!! GREAT! I admire ur perserverence and ur hard work!

 

[cherrie]

Good morning! Melody sms she delivered her bb this morning, natural with epidural. Congrats!

 

[msapple]

joon,
me too, my gal like to stretch when i'm bottle feeding and even breastfeeding her, and my nipple is being pull as her head turn. So painful then she will just push away my breast.

domesticgoddess,
I wanna to try give her direct feeding but She always has difficulties in griping my areola leh. How huh? She will open her mouth big big and turn here and there to get hold of my areola but cannot even with my help. Think she just move too much. If she managed to, she also latch for afew mins only, in that case i dun think she got the ability to empty my breast also leh. What to do huh?

Mummies,
Those herbal bath, you all just cook the herb (come in packet) with water only? You all put any other thing like ginger? Today going to bath and wash my hair with that.

 

[crystallized]

Joon,
ur baby really is adorable! bet it muz b so satisfying juz looking at him.

Congrats to melody! She was alrdy 3 or 4 cm dilated b4 admitting rite? Such a lucky gal!

i muz try more walking & squatting liao...

 

[crystallized]

Joon
i heard fr frens its v normal for babies to fall asleep while nursing. As for how to break this habit, i hope the other experienced mummies can help u. I heard to try & wake them by gently rubbing their cheeks (i think so).

In any case, wanna tell u to JIA YOU! dun give up! U will succeed!!!

as 4 sore nipples, it shld b due to improper latching. if nothing helps, pls call ur lactation consultant soon.

 

[msapple]

-b@by*ZuCcHini-,
we can call lactation consultation? Is there any charges for that? Wandering whether TMC have it.

 

[crystallized]

E-Ling
TMC has a very good lactation consultant!

her name is Mrs Wong. I have attended her antenatal class and she is a very experienced LC. If its phone consultation, not sure if there's any charge. If u go down, there will be a consultation charge. To me, as long as can resolve BFG problem, i dun mind paying. Give them a call at 6250 2222. Mrs Wong's DID: 6251 4090 to find out more.

Good Luck!

 

[sclaujas]

hihi!

ilovebabies,
i spoke to sister kang over phone (FOC leh..).. she tell me not to pump until week 5.. i can still stimulate with pump.. but ask me not to stress over the amount i pump out... she say lots of mums got problem with letdown via pump.. since i get 6-8 urine frequencies n poo of min 4x.. she ask me to carry on total bf..

i was soooo relieved to hear her words... cos compared to others in the forum, i can't seem to get milk out... miserable 5-10ml only.. and in droplets lor.... not like my milk is spraying out in numerous jets..

 

[sclaujas]

about stretching...

Eling & ilovebabies,
my girl also stretch like siaoz.. in fact when she falls asleep at the breast and lost grip of my aerola but doesn't have enough.. she fusses and stretch at the same time.

Same also when she poos.. she will stretch and have this special expression on her face that tells me she gonna release a huge explosion.... hahaha....

Now, she starts to make noises liaoz.. when the BF position not optimal for milk flow into her mouth.. she will make a certain noise (especially when i am feeling sleepy and tired!), i will then have adjust my posture n her position..

 

[joon]

Jasmine,
That's good to hear! (abt not worrying abt the volume pumped out) Ur little girl is starting to talk to u eh?! hee hee hee, so cute...

BabyZucchini,
Yeah, I will jia you! Actually, I think the past 2 days were just bad "nipple" days, thus, felt so disheartened. Today, they don't hurt as much, so I will not give up!

E-ling,
Enjoy ur bath!

 

[ming_mama]

Chng's wife, contragulation!!!

You guy really never bath everyday? For me i bath everyday with the tonic water. Da feng cao. My gynea say must wash below otherwise will get infection.

For those who under dr Adrian, did your go back visit him after one week even yr menses not over yet?

 

[vivian_phoebe]

Congrats to Melody!!

I was still reading her post yesterday...
She had show almost at the same time as me leh.
But today I am only 2cm dilated.
Worse case is I am having painless contractions every 1 minute interval.
Weird hor... gynae was shock to see that on the CTG graph too...

Anyway, becoz of that, i cannot be put on medicine to induce. So now, wait lor...
If this 2 days nothing, monday will go in and burst waterbag liao.... 2 more days...

Envy melody leh... last nite in, today give birth liao...

 

[whatzup]

Dumpty :

The pushing phase :
Upon full dialation , this is the second phase . I was told to imagine I am having constipation and push . Lying horizontally ,

, was a little difficult , I was a little disoriented coz too tired , could not hold my breath until 10 and did not listen to the instructions . ( Turning off the epidural suddenly was like throwing a none swimmer from the shallow end to the deepest end of the pool )
Tried to focus on the last 20 minutes , still could not hold my breath until 10 , released every 5 and got hold of the technic , I felt my ' ash hole ' ( dunno what is the medical term ) opened ( when i held my breath and push ) / closed ( released my breath )each time I got it correctly . Hope this helps .

E- Ling :
The herbal bath could come with or without ginger . With ginger , it hurts a little if the wound is still fresh .

Congrats Melody !!

 

[sha_987]

Ilovebabies,
Wow tomorrow is the big day liao so fast. . . hehehehe. . . me going into my third week liao and still counting down . . hahahaha. . .

I am making plans for the celebration and it makes me happy as well.

I bath using the herb lor so not so bad lah . . .my SIL brought 10 packets for me so averagely I can bath twice a week within 4 week mah. . hahahaha. . .so still not so bad lor.

Sherilys poo poo is much better, not so much now. . .phew a load of the mind. BTW I have not replied you the length at birth she is about 51cm. What about Rachel?

Had my massage with Mona and have lost some inches off the waist and thigh as well, hoping to lose more. How many sessions did you have with her?

Chngs wife,
Congrats! No more cooking for the next 4 weeks at least so now you will have confinement meals for all your lunch and dinner . . .hahahaha. . .

Joon,
We will celebrate the full month on 01 Oct 2006 as it is a Sunday so it is much easier as well.

The usual stuff; buffet and call in all the relative and close friends. What about you?

Yes, you need all the help you need during the first month and also you need as much rest as you can after that you would not have the time to and your body need to recuperate during the first month, so rest as much as you can now.

You wash your hair with water or with the herb water???

 

[joon]

Hi Sha!
We haven't decided on whether we want to celebrate or just send out the cakes and kueh... I told my hb, maybe we shld just have a little celebration for our new little family, just 3 of us, go out for dinner to celebrate Children's Day on 1 Oct!

Maybe have a little cake and 1 candle! hee hee hee...

I wash my hair with the herb water... and I use shampoo and soap... dunno if that's allowed or not, but as long as I don't tell my MIL, who cares!!

MummyofRhys,
Don't worry! Before u know it, it'll be over the D-Day will be here! Enjoy yourself this weekend and relax... when ur body is ready for birth, ur bb will know it, so think positive

 

[dumpty]

Hi Whatzup, thanx for the description. Will try to keep in mind.

Jia you to all mummies who are BFg.

Congrats to Melody too! Finally see your little bundel of joy yeah?

As for me, back from my checkup today. Was put on CTG again as I told gynae that baby's movement seemed to have reduced for past few days. CTG result shows that baby is perfectly ok. And well, I still don't have any close contractions. Just tightening now and then. So I'm still on the bench waiting. Sigh... ...