(2012/05) May 2012

[babyfifi]

candymix:
What I mean is this: Lets say you pump 100ml in session A and 100ml in session B. If you mix together and freeze, means you have 1 bottle of 200ml. When you warm up, you are warming 200ml at a go and baby is unlikely to drink that amount. If baby drink lets say 90ml, the other 110ml is wasted. Instead, if you had kept the 2 sessions in 2 different bottles, you can warm just 1 bottle of 100ml. Baby drink 90ml, you waste 10ml only.

Defrost already cannot refreeze. Thaw in fridge = keep for 24hrs. Thaw in open/warm up = 1-2hrs.

Milk bags or bottles depends on how much are you storing and whether your fridge has space. I used milk bags coz I had oversupply and hence at any 1 point, I can have 20-30L of milk in my fridge frozen. I let my kids drink fresh (i.e. today pump = tmr drink). Frozen are for spares & used for milk bath. Milk bags take up less space lah.

How much to store in 1 bottle/bag depends on your child's feeds & of coz what you are using to store. If bottle and each bottle you only put lets say half bottle, takes up too much space also. If milk bag and your bag too ex, half bag also quite expensive. Good to store varying amts which you can combine to suit needs.

 

[krazehaven]

hihi Michelle and mummy baby2008

i tried her (jenny the massage lady) , think its not bad, cos she relieved my "hardened" small thighs due to my cramps and the strain on my shoulders.

the foot ' aka the sole' massage , she did tell me cannot do no matter who I engage to do massage in future, must ensure they dont massage the 'feet aka the sole'. and i did read somewhere that cannot massage sole.. coz of the pressure points might affect the baby...
and i am probably gg to engage her for the post natal bah...

 

[rabbitz]

Anyone knows where is a good place to buy Fisher Price BB rocker at cheaper price? They look so nice n colourful! Or I should wait for taka fair?

 

[candymix]

Oh thanks fifi!!

 

[mwerkz]

Mummy_baby2008> yup. I did the massage by Jenny. It was quite good. ESP her back n shoulder massage. Made me feel so relax. And her thigh n calf massage was good too. I never ask Abt feet. Cos I tot I'll just jump onto my usqueeze.

Milk storage> what I did is I store Abt 200ml of milk tgt. Cos that's the capacity for milk bags. Cos my boy goes to infant care. I'll defrost say 1pack of 200ml overnight in the fridge. Morning I'll pack his milk into portion of 90ml each tgt with some of the milk I store in fridge. My boy use to need 3 portion of milk in sch.

It doesn't matter how u store the milk. More impt u need to know store in fridge can last 48hrs. Store in freezer can store 3-6mths depending on type of freezer. Defrost milk can be kept in fridge for 24hrs etc. so just mix n match like this when u prepare milk for ur kid

 

[snowarwen]

Wow thanks for the info mummies.. Not sure if should prepare and buy bottles or bags cos I have no idea how is my milk flow like..

Leaving to last min to buy is a bit nervy too!

But I guess we'll definitely need 1 set of sterilizer/bottle warmer for feeds.. And get 1 set of bags for storage?

Also, how much milk does a NB usually drink? Afraid of feeding too much or too little..

Feeling anxious cos Im 1st time mommy.. Zero experience

 

[astro_pro]

morning all.

Fifi: ya. they turned yellow quite fast.. soft, yes too.. but i prefer to sterilise because dun want to risk bacterial growth.. maybe i would try sterilise only once a day.. the remaining time soaked in boiling water for a while.. will see how..

KRC: third tri liao ah? i thought 7 mths then consider third tri.. ha. anyway.. scanned.. bb now weight slightly bigger.. doc said almost 800g.. wah liew. this boy.. at one time.. average.. now slightly above.. but can't stand too long.. will have hardened tummy.. and uncomfy.. ha

someone was asking about bottles.. i used tommee tippee with my second boy coz half latch half bottle feed.. the bottles are specially designed to complement latching with its super slow flow and ultra wide teat (to force the bb to open wide his mouth likened to latching onto the aroela).. can consider.. the bottles are super cute.. lolz..

 

[mwerkz]

June> my boy initially start with 70ml at 6weeks before that I latch exclusively. U can standby one box of milk bags. I like Lansinoh ones. Very compact when storing. Cos for my #1 i pumped really diligently. If I stop pumping, the amt of milk in freezer can last 3 months so my freezer was kept purely to store bm

 

[zaralle]

re massage:
i tried to book from another massage lady for prenatal massage http://www.compassvalemassage.blogspot.com/ but she was fully booked.. she only does house visits for Sengkang residents, else, have to go to her place. she did remind me to chk with gynae if i can do any massage..

do we need to buy milk powder first? i plan to BF.. not sure if need to buy just 1 just in case.

anyone hiring maids.. have u started looking for them?

 

[yumii]

Hey ladies, have some random questions about breastfeeding ...

1. How often do we have to feed? Do most mummies practise feeding only when they cry for milk or would you wake your baby up at specific intervals (I believe its about 3 hours?) to drink?

2. Correct me if I'm wrong, I'm planning to latch almost exclusively unless my girl ends up rejecting my breast ... I will still need a pump in order to keep my supply? So I should feed from one breast and if she wants more, from the other breast and if not, pump on the other breast?

3. How do we know when our breast is "empty"? And I need to switch sides to feed, or breast is still full and I need to pump?

4. So in order to maintain supply, I will need to latch/pump every 3 hours or so? So if my girl sleeps for a full 6 hours I will need to squeeze in a feed or pump in between, right?

 

[mummy_baby2008]

i'm going to try out jenny's massage tonight.. hope to relieve my aching shoulders and my lower back, it's really killing me...

zara : from my past experience, we do not have to buy milk powder 1st. as for me, i bf and i give them formula at the same time.(not enough milk supply from me)

 

[toot]

zara,
would not suggest you to buy - because if you buy then gotta buy those bigger tins which can be wasteful if the baby doesn't like that particular brand of milk... if you really need to standby, during one of the PD visit then you can try to ask for sample milk.

 

[relaxfun]

Hi there

has anyone been chcked for gestational diabetes at KKH?

 

[relaxfun]

Hi Mummy Baby,

I wonder if Jenny is the one i have been engaging.. does her hp no ends with 4100??

 

[zaralle]

thanks mommies.. i guess no need to buy then.. haha, anyway milk powder is quite readily available at anytime, anywhere.. =) hopefully i can BF fully exclusively for first few months.. save some money..

 

[mummy_baby2008]

Fun,

no leh... my jenny hp ends with 5461. have i got the right jenny dat u mummies r talking about?? haha.. abit blur liao

 

[mwerkz]

bf> for mummies who are interested to breast feed. Pls dun buy milk powder to "standby". I always believe everyone have enough milk. It's just whether u make the effort to pump/latch often to increase supply. To increase supply, u simply just hav to pump/latch longer or increase the number of times u latch/pump a day. Ur body will send a signal to the mind which in turn send a signal to ur boobs to produce more. So I seldom believe people who say they have no milk (no offense)

If u have a fm on standby, ull simply end up lazy to latch/pump as often, especially when we're really tired. Imagine baby never wake up u will just think continue sleeping la. This way supply drops. Than when baby try to latch, not enough ull say feed fm. Actually if u diligently wake up to pump even when baby does not wake up, supply will not drop.

As for waking baby up for milk, it'll be good to wake them up in the day cos this ensures that baby is well fed. But at night u can just let them sleep and u pump.

 

[peaberry]

Michelle, I'm a FTM so can't speak from experience but I was also advised not to have formula on standby in order not to succumb to using it so easily. I guess we can all put in the very best effort and hope for the best.

Any other mummies have inverted nipples? I do and I really worry about breastfeeding in future. Will have to persevere cos my mum has inverted nipples too and we babies all gave up trying to nurse! Was advised by my gynae to wear nipple shields so I got the Philips AVENT Niplette. It does help and hope it makes a difference.

 

[babyfifi]

June:
Different babies drink different amounts at different intervals. Some have reflux, need smaller feeds, more frequent. Some take larger feeds, less often. Follow your babies cues.


Zara:
Buying milk powder = temptation to let baby drink milk powder. KKH has an emergency pharmacy that opens at nights -> if really need arises, can go there and buy... but the hassle will likely make you press on your breastfeeding


yumii:
1. I feed on demand. But if baby sleeps too long, i will wake him.
2. Yes. For times when you are engorged, when you need to increase supply, when you kid drops night feeds, etc.
3. You need to learn to feel your breast to know when its "empty", when you need to pump, when you have blocked ducts, etc.
4. Yes every 3 hrs. There are ways to increase the interval BUT it is not within the first 2 months. In the day in the first month, if baby sleeps too much, wake baby to drink. Gradually, if baby drops night feeds, you wake yourself up to pump.


Tute:
If I am not wrong, samples for infant milk powder cannot be given out coz its not pro-breastfeeding.


Fun:
Yes I have been. Its just a very irritating test. Fast for 1 night. take blood, drink a cup of glucose (yucks), wait 2 hrs, take blood again.


peaberry:
There are tools to aid to draw out inverted nipples or aid breastfeeding. Please see a Lactation consultant to help. Gynae's advice although good but may not be the best coz its not their specialisation. LC can advise the most suitable method for u after seeing you.

 

[krc]

Yumi, to your questions:

1. How often do we have to feed? Do most mummies practise feeding only when they cry for milk or would you wake your baby up at specific intervals (I believe its about 3 hours?) to drink?
Ans: I feed on demand (or every 2-3 hours). They cry for various reasons, can be sleepy, can be wet diaper, wind in stomach, bored, etc etc.. so it doesn't mean that if they cry, u feed.

2. Correct me if I'm wrong, I'm planning to latch almost exclusively unless my girl ends up rejecting my breast ... I will still need a pump in order to keep my supply? So I should feed from one breast and if she wants more, from the other breast and if not, pump on the other breast?
Ans: yes, u still need a pump. If she overslept, you'll still need to pump to maintain your supply. also, if you latch exclusively, your child may reject bottle feeding.

3. How do we know when our breast is "empty"? And I need to switch sides to feed, or breast is still full and I need to pump?
Yes, if breast still full, and you want to maintain your supply, you have to pump the balance out. I think usually we latch for 15mins then we change sides? Your breast will be soft when it's empty..


4. So in order to maintain supply, I will need to latch/pump every 3 hours or so? So if my girl sleeps for a full 6 hours I will need to squeeze in a feed or pump in between, right?
Ans: yes.

 

[baobei07]

WANT TO SELL: Brand New "Lucky Baby" Food & Milk Warmer @ $30.

Please PM at [email protected]

 

[babyl]

So shiok that some of you have done your massage! I checked with my gynae last week regarding massage, he said to just ask hubby to press on areas which we feel aching coz we cant be sure if the prenatal massage is safe or not, in case wrong points are pressed. Plus he dun advise us to use massager also coz some may emit ultrasound or something with so many gimmicks coming out now. Sigh! But I am really keen to try out Jenny or the SK massage coz my body is breaking after my spring cleaning at home yesterday!

 

[jul_04]

BabyL

Seems like there are different advice given by gynaes out there.

For me, my gynae is fine with massage once I pass the 'dangerous' 1st tri. She reminded me not to massage the tummy. And foot refl;exology is also fine. In fact, I've been going for foot reflex at my usual place a few times for this pregnancy already. last pregnancy, I also did foot reflex & massage.

Of course, this is up to individual preference. Somepeople want to be more cautious. Just like some people are ok with chemical treatment for the hair, & others prefer to wait

peaberry

I remember during my antenatal class & the BF seminar that there's a tool you can wear to draw out your nipple. I think you put it on every day, wear for several hours, & most people report a permanent non-inversion of the nipple. This is according to 2 different LCs.

 

[jul_04]

Formula Milk

Companies are prohibited from giving out samples to the hospital now. In fact, we will be charged $1/bottle of the ready-made mix from every hospital. Some initiative by HPB to promote BF-ing. If you really, really wanna stand by, maybe you can buy the ready-made mix from the hospital after you've given birth.

And all along, FM companies cannot give out free samples of 1st stage FM to mummies.

 

[mummy_baby2008]

hi jul,

u mean the formula milk in glass bottles hospital no longer giving??

BabyL,

i'm trying the massage today.. will update tmr k..

so excited

 

[jul_04]

mummy baby

Yup, they must charge you $1 per bottle. New directive starting Jan 2012.

 

[jul_04]

mummybaby

oh what're the charges for Jenny's prenatal massage? She comes to your place right?

I'm looking for one. Feeling sore from no massage for the past 4 mths!

 

[mummy_baby2008]

jul,

sad to hear dat we gotta pay for the FM in hospital, but anyway it will b billed to the hospital bill right? which means can b paid by medisave?

jenny is charging $50 for 90 mins, after trying out tonight i update u tmr k, i'm feeling stiff from my neck all e way down!! whole back is going to break especially in office..

 

[mummy_baby2008]

btw mummies, do we need to check our pumps before we r due?? i hav a avent electric pump at hm, last use was 4 yrs back, wonder if we keep it for too long will the motor have problems??

 

[babyl]

Jul, yeah...seems like different gynaes are advising differently on massages. My gynae is more on the conservative side i guess... I think I might try Jenny as recommended by the rest...back breaking liao!

Mummy_baby, update us ok! So far seems like Jenny is good....hope I can manage to book her next week!
I think I will check my Ameda pump also, used 2 yrs ago. Hubby kept chasing me to check in case it breaks down after i popped!

 

[jul_04]

Mummybaby

I nvr thought abt the Medisave part coz i intend to total BF. But if it's charged to hosp bill like those tissue, pads etc, shd be right?

Yeah pls feedback abt jenny. I'm dying for a massage haha. Her charges seem reasonable too.

BabyL

Hee i'm def gog to continue with my massages. By 3rd tri, our aches'll get worse

Mummybaby, babyl

I plan to send my PISA for a checkup n repair too. Bought it 2.5 yrs ago n used it intensively for a yr. Better make sure ciz i dunno how to hand express!

 

[piggywiggy]

Hey mommies, how have u guys been?

*Wave* Astro! u are here! disappear for quite awhile! busy with work? Yup soft shields should just sterilise once a day. The rest of the times just rinse with hot water after washing. I dun think i will be buying funnels. i already have 2 plus my fren will pass me 2 pairs of hers, one of them is the Mumsfairy's angled flanges. All tog i have 4 sets!! mine is the personal fit so it can be sterilised all the time.

Re: breast milk etc
Wah a lot of questions abt breastfeeding! keep them coming! i think most of u have had ur qns answered by experienced mommies. For me, i personally dun latch at all. I store my milk in milk bags rather than bottles to save space. Each bag is abt 180-240ml depending on how much extra i have to store that day. usually I have abt 200ml spare per day as my son takes abt 800ml while i pump out 1L. Like Fifi, i prefer to give fresh. End up I threw away abt 40-60L (seriously cannot rem how much i threw away cos it was practically everything i stored), gave away 6L and used about 6L for milk spa.. my son didn't drink frozen milk until towards the end of my milking career when i cut down to 2-3 pumps a day.

I use Lansinoh too! the quality of the milk bag is so much thicker than those on the market. they have DOUBLE ziplock to prevent leakage too!!

As for having a standby tin of FM, i agree with what the rest of the mommies said. No FM means u will try harder instead of giving up and feeding FM.

Somebody asked if we shd wake baby up? I tend to do so, so that i can establish a routine in the day. At night i just feed on demand. but i will still wake up to pump at regular intervals.. still rem waking up at 3am daily to pumps even when my son was 9.5 mths old!

Oh yes, i have to send my PISA for check up too! luckily i work just opposite the service centre, so prob will just pop by during lunch.

BTW, for pumping mommies, u can check this webby out. I heard the angled flanges are super gd to draw out milk. http://www.mumsfairy.com/index.php?cPath=21

 

[peaberry]

Jul and Fifi, thanks for the feedback. Will definitely seek advice from a Lactation Consultant. in the meantime, I'm using the Niplette which draws out your nipples. I wear it a couple of hours a day.

 

[tlisa]

Hi Michelle (mwerkz)!
You are a Sept 2009 mum too right? *Waves

Breast Milk Storage
I did store my BM also but I used milk sticks. After I pump it out, I poured it into the racks which has the shape of sticks and freeze it. Each stick is 30ml hence I know what amount I need to defrost each time. Any mum interested can go to Mums Fairy website. They are selling it online. I think they sell it at some of the Pharmacy at the hospital as well.

 

[snowarwen]

I really like the idea of the milk trays! Its so convenient! Has anyone ordered from the website before? Does delivery take very long?

 

[piggywiggy]

Tlisa, u reminded me! i want to try the milk tray this time around too.. hehe.. not like my baby will care how my milk is being frozen but i find it hard to organise my milk bags when they are frozen. they tend to fall over and crack the milk bags (cos frozen hard), thus lead to leaking when i defrost.

Jun, i think there are cheaper alternatives..

haha can do a spree..

 

[snowarwen]

Piggywiggy: yes pls!

I think it's so much neater! Thanks tlisa for the recommendation...

 

[rabbitz]

Are milk bags for one time usage or can wash n reuse? Any brands or recommendation where to get cheaper milk bags? Are they all e same or some are better quality?

 

[mwerkz]

Tilsa> yeap. Got a boy in sep09. Now it's another boy. Haha. U?

 

[mwerkz]

ranbitz> milk bags are for one time usage. I like Lansinoh the most. I've tried boots, playtex n a few others. But Lansinoh is personal favorite in terms of seldom leak n storage space. I remember buying for bp thread. One box 50 is Abt 17-18 last time. Still have 1-2box leftover. Will buy more la: previous time I use alot also

 

[jul_04]

Milk Bags

Any other mummies have other recommendations for milkbags?

I tried Playtex liners, Boots & lansinoh. Liners are a bit troublesome, have to seal them with scotch tape

Actually I found Boots thicker than Lansinoh. But Lansinoh has that extra material on the top which is useful also.

But I didn't store that much per bag, as I had no space in my freezer. Although supposedly we can squeeze up to 300ml in the Lansinoh bag, I only stored abt 200ml. As when they are flat, they can be stored more compactly. And I found that Boots didn't leak at all. But I only used abt 2 packs of Boots compared to abt 10 packs of lansinoh lah

 

[jul_04]

Angled Flanges from Mum's Fairy

Personally hated it! The angle is weird. Although it's suppsoed to be such that we can leak back & yet the angle will allow the milk to flow into the bottle - BUT the angle hurts my nipples. Coz they are being stretched at a weird angle & stretched more than if it were a horizontal angle. Not sure if you get what I mean. But I also heard some mummies love them. maybe I just have small boobs that cannot stretch much? haha

piggywiggy

The PISA service centre is the one at Toh Guan Rd or something right? It has some shop selling bras, baby stuff etc in the same place right? Can't recall the name of the shop. issit Mums & Babes?

 

[jul_04]

tlisa

Harlow! Meet you again! Do you rem me from the Sep09 thrad?

 

[yumii]

Thanks for clearing up my questions, fifi and krc!

Seems like I will need to schedule a consultation with the LC after delivery just to make sure I'm getting everything right with BFing ...

Have most of you found your confinement ladies yet? What do we need to prepare for them? Other than a mattress/bed?

 

[peaberry]

yumii, got my confinement lady through an agency and we were just told to prepare a place for her to sleep. If she's sharing a room with another family member aside from the baby, that family member cannot be a male. That's about it. Confinement lady will prepare meals for us but we'll have to pay for all the groceries.

 

[mummy_baby2008]

hi all,

Just did my massage yest, it was great...

 

[jul_04]

mummybaby

Thanks for letting us know

Btw, what do we have to prpare for the massage? Just a mattress right? Do we need massage oil, towels, etc?

 

[babyfifi]

mummy_baby:
Yah the FM in glass is no longer given out, even in 2010 when I delivered my #2. Coz its not pro-BF.

Anyway, just psycho yourself to be determined to BF. Even in hospital when they ask if you want to BF, if you want them to supplement, etc. Just say total BF - i.e. no supplements at all.


RE: Milk Bags
I started with Lansinoh but since I realised that I don't give the frozen to my kids, I used Playtex together with those bag sealers. For the fresh, I put 2-3 big bottles in the fridge (I number them to my helper always goes in order 1->2->3->4). She will pour out the amt needed for each feed, warm up and feed. Each day, when I return from work, I pour the milk into the next new bottles (extra I freeze).


piggywiggy:
I tried the angled... did not work well for me. They end up in cold storage...


rabbitz:
Milk bags are for 1 time use. Different brands different quality. Some have ziploc, some don't.

 

[jul_04]

yummii

I've booked TMC confinement nanny. Waiting for them to call em to schedule an appt at the end of this mth, or early next mth. Hopefully I can get one, coz I got phobia of freelance or agency CL, yet canot do without help

 

[jul_04]

Wanted to buy this pillow coz I feel it's much heavier & better than those bean husk pillows. Also bcoz TMC is using it lah. BUT.. it costs ard $70!!!!! Faint!

http://www.mumcentre.com.sg/index.php?option=com_classifieds&act=reviews&task=details&cid=304