Hi mommies
Good to hear a lot of mommies have popped. I am now back at home since last evening. Bb Samuel came on thursday morning weighing 2.25kg.Thank God i have no complications and bb manages fine for a preterm though there are some tests to be passed and still in progress. He was in observation ward for a day as his lungs for water and blood sugar low. Maybe it is common for preterm. However, i managed to have my csec via epidural and saw his face for once before i saw him on friday afternoon. He was cleared and drank fm well according to nurse and blood sugar stabilized. Dunno i find csec wound unbearable without painkiller. Today is the 4th day and I'm glad i dun have to take painkiller to manage the pain though i must say going to toilet is really one challenge. Maybe my threshold for pain really low. Samuel was cleared of jaundice yesterday on borderline case, went back to kk this morning and he hit borderline case and past it so today he is in kk. Hopefully he can join us back tmw at home. My CL is coming tmw afternoon and i am thankful to have my mom coming over to cook for me yesterday and today. Really feel blessed and loved to have mom around always. Women are really great care takers and nurturing.
Bf
Though i am a 2nd time mom, i still suffer the bruised nipple haha. I also have engorged/full breast even now as i type. I usually prefer to latch but now that Samuel is in hospital, I'm forced to use pump today religiously. In fact, while i started to have him on friday, 1st day of latching and 2nd day of life for bb, I'm totally sore. I told nurse to give fm for midnight feed while i can rest from csec wound. I feel liberated and rested on sat morning when i latched bb. So mommies who are bf, dun have to feel that u have no milk or little milk or cannot seem to satisfy bb' hunger. I checked with nurses that bb on fm can sleep while others can keep crying in nursery. In fact all bb on tbf cries very fast like less than 2 hrs for more milk and mommies who just started bf cannot cope as body not ready. The constant sucking will made mommies' boobs get ready very fast full and engorged if u persist through tiredness and soreness.
Think depending on weight of bb, each drink diff amy but usually first few days bb on fm drinks abt 20ml every 3 hrs. BM abt 20ml but can only last 2hr since it is so easily digested. The fm that the hospital gave are bottled milk with flavor. I saw that my son has chocolate flavor frisco of 90ml but they give room temp feed so i think he only drank abt 20-25ml every 3 hrs. This wd give mommies some idea on the fm they gave to our bb and how much they drank. I thought they wd use powder fm that we usually buy from store to make for our bb.
I learnt massage before every bf/pump helps to relieve fullness better and get the milk letdown easier for bb to suckle so u can try. I din learn that the tmc the last time but this time the kk nurse taught me this method and i feel it is good. Today since bb in hospital, i try to pump every 3 or 2.5hr to manage the fullness and prepare for growth spurt once bb hit 1 week old. I hope my bb progress his milk intake steadily instead of demanding beyond my factory can handle.
KK and TMC service
Overall service in kk has improved maybe for maternity package. However some of the nurses are still abit rough esp when they clean mommies with csec wound and administering antibiotic via drip. Otherwise the operating theatre team, dr and ward nurses are caring, attentive and gentle.
Gd thing abt kk is that they provide maternity gown throughout your stay so you only need to bring ur go home clothing for yourself. They have maternity pads and disposable panties sufficient for your stay just like TMC. Confinement food only comes in for lunch and dinner whereas for tmc, the food is good. KK has more eateries and children friendly playground and stores which i think 2nd time mommies wd prefer to do delivery there compared to tmc.
On the whole, though i still misses the nurse team and food in tmc, i find kk has improved her standards in maternity packages. Prices are negligible but kk is a place for complicated pregnancy definitely so blessing in disguise for me. In the end, things go well. Hope my bill is manageable, coming through within 2 weeks' time.
Confinement
I am perspiring even in aircon room esp whenever i take a warm/hot drink or after struggling to bf bb. I feel very smelly and constantly smell my own hair. I hope to be able to shower soon once i feel up to mark on my csec pain.