Morning! I MIA last few days coz helping hubby out at the office hahaha...
HOSPITAL BAG-
Not packed yet either but having had to pack hubby's luggage bag all this while (which has way more barang) in less than half an hour (speed packing), I should be able to get that ready quite fast lah.
For me, I am going KKH so they will have gown for the mummies with breastfeeding opening. Not gonna bring my PJs as a result hahaha. Just gonna have to pack into my bag my toiletries, my iPod Touch, my phone plus their chargers, my lingerie, the camera (and charger), baby's baju, baby carrier, and MAKE UP. Crap the last time I didn't have any make up with me so looked damn jialak in all my photos hahahaha. This time more hiao. To be fair, I can also photoshop la... hmm. ^.^
Most hospitals will have receiving blankets... MAH gave. Not sure about KKH. Anyone who delivered there before knows what they give FOC? =)
I know they dun give bath tub. MAH did. =)
BABY'S CLOTHES
Only will get to me in January as they are hand me downs from a friend. =)
FORMULA MILK/
BREAST FEEDING
I agree that if ur lactation consultant says you REALLY have no way to breastfeed, u should give FM... But be informed that breastfeeding is a learning process for both you and the baby at the start.
There might be some minor hiccups with establishing breast feeding initialy, so hope you don't think that something is wrong and give up right away. =)
From an article I read that explains breastfeeding in a very clear and easy to understand manner:
The most important thing to remember about getting started breast-feeding is that it takes babies a while to figure out the mechanics of this practice. At first, they have no idea that they are eating until the milk begins to fill their stomach. This means that your baby does not recognize either the breast or the nipple. An infant does not understand that the nipple is the source of the milk. A baby does not even realize that the nipple is in its mouth unless certain parts of the mouth are stimulated. Only then will he or she latch-on and begin to suck. In a few days, the infant begins to make simple connections and learns to breast-feed. Until then, he or she is very easily frustrated and may have some difficulty getting started.
After all, babies only decide that they want to eat when they are very hungry. In just a few moments they become frantic with hunger. Being held next to the breast with the nipple near their mouth does nothing to soothe them. The nipple must be introduced into the mouth and stroked along the palate. Only then will the innate urge to suck be activated. The baby will latch-on to the nipple, the milk will begin to flow, and the baby who was frantic only moments before now relaxes completely, blissfully enjoying the sweet taste of the soothing liquid.
Breast-feeding operates under a feedback mechanism mediated by hormones. When the baby latches-on and begins to suck, the hormone prolactin is released from the pituitary gland. Prolactin stimulates the breasts to produce milk. That's why more breast-feeding produces more milk. Whatever the baby takes during one feeding will be replaced in time for the next feeding. In the beginning, the baby will want to nurse frequently, probably every two hours. The breasts build up the milk supply from zero to 1-2 ounces. After several days, once the milk supply has been established, the baby will receive more milk at each nursing session and be able to last longer between feedings.
The feedback mechanism has important consequences when a bottle of formula is substituted for a nursing session. Your body does not know that the baby received a bottle. It senses that the baby did not need to eat for a longer time than usual, and it cuts back on the milk available for the next nursing session. Your decreased milk supply leaves the baby hungry at the next nursing, prompting you to offer another bottle, thus setting up a vicious cycle. It does not take many days before you are tempted to give up nursing entirely because there was "not enough milk." It is important to remember that there is no such thing as not enough milk. Your milk supply will drop off only if you interfere with milk production by substituting bottles of formula for nursing. Many new mothers inadvertently sabotage their breast-feeding efforts in this way.
In addition, if you abruptly change the nursing schedule, your breasts will become engorged, that is, painfully full of milk. Engorgement is very uncomfortable and can lead to breast infection. If you wish to change the nursing schedule, there are several points to keep in mind. Never skip more than one feeding at a time. Never discontinue nursing abruptly. Always make changes over a period of days, so that your milk supply will decrease gradually. If you need to be away from the baby for a period of time, use a breast pump while you are gone. The milk you pump from your breast can be saved to bottle-feed the baby at another time and you will avoid engorgement.