Hi Mummies,
So many posts to catch up on! I see that so many mummies have given birth since my ADD on 6th Feb ... congrats to all of u [IMG=http://www.singaporemotherhood.com/forumboard/clipart/happy.gif]
Moomoo: I'm glad you managed a natural delivery on the 3rd try of induction ... even though it was a painful expierience for you but I wish u a speedy recovery. I had 2 failed cycles of induction and we eventually went with an emergency c-section 16 hrs after the start of induction. I remember feeling so tired and dejected that all that time was spent on nothing! Plus the decision to go with c-sect was a very swift one so basically I had no time to react. It was mentally quite traumatising in the 24 hrs after, even though it was all over very quickly.
Mrs Ong, Gina, PinkyVal: If I read correctly, all of u have G6PD babies? My baby Lucas too, and I remember feeling so scared when my PD told me that, as I didn't know much about it. Gina - thanks for the list of chinese herbs to avoid .. I will bear in mind. PinkyVal - it's fine to take Fenugreek to boost milk supply, even with G6PD baby. I already asked my gynae [IMG=http://www.singaporemotherhood.com/forumboard/clipart/happy.gif] I'm taking 2 capsules of 600mg daily, although one of my friends is taking 9 such capsules a day! It does seem to help but maybe coz my dosage is quite low, my milk supply is not super fantastic either. But I guess important thing is that baby is peeing and pooping very regularly.
Mums who are breastfeeding - it is such a tough job!!! I have been struggling since Day 1, with engorgement, sore n cracked nipples etc ... I still don't find the process particularly enjoyable but I don't mind it so much nowadays either. I guess we just need to get used to it. At the start, my baby latched every 3 hours in the daytime and every 4 hrs in the nighttime, but just as I was settling into this "routine", it's all changed again in the past week. Now he wants to latch barely 2 hours after last feed in the day, and at night he sleeps up to 5 hours at a go. I used to have to supplement the midnight feed with at least 50 ml of formula milk, but in the last 4 nights I don't need to do so anymore. Patterns are all changing, and I think this is going to be the norm for the next few weeks. My hub says it's due to growth spurts. Any experienced mum has advice on how to settle into the breadfeeding routine? Or is "go with the flow" really the best method? Afterall, they don't call it "Demand feeding" for nothing, right? I decided not to incorporate Gina Ford methods at this point of time when I'm barely coping with the rigours of breastfeeding!
Also, my baby's first month is coming up on 6th march, this Sunday. I'm abit nervous about "Breasfeeding on the go". The party is being held at an external venue for at least 4 hrs so I'll definitely have to bf at some point in unfamiliar surroundings. So far, my bf routine is like this: turn on air con in bedroom, take off all top-half garments, use 2 (yes, two!) breastfeeding cushions to prop baby up to a good height for latch, so that I have both hands free to either keep him latched or to take note of timings etc. I have friends who can bf in public toilets, in the open, in new surroundings, in the car etc .... gosh, I wonder how I'm going to do it ... my baby has only been to the pd outside of the house and that was for an hour max ...
Anyway, all bf-ing mummies - keep at it and share your horror stories and tips here! In the past 3 weeks, there have been so many occasions where I feel like giving up and switching to formula. I keep wondering about my supply (doesn't seem like much), techniques, and then keep battling with sleep deprivation, and when baby cries, it's really quite terrifying!
On top of breastfeeding, I'm learning all about looking after baby from scratch. From how to hold, how to bathe, how to decipher his cries...I'm still learning and it's difficult sometimes, especially when nursing a c-sect wound and still feeling the post-pregnancy effects (lots of perspiring, lochia, tiredness etc) ...
Well, 3 weeks on, I'm in better shape than in the past couple of weeks, so those mummies who are struggling on now, while I cannot say it will get easy so soon, things DO get better, and you WILL learn the basics pretty quickly, so take heart [IMG=http://www.singaporemotherhood.com/forumboard/clipart/happy.gif]