(2012/05) May 2012

I can nvr get mine to nap in the evenings so she makes a lot if noise when we are having dinner!!

So busy to look after 2 kids in the evenings.
 


Just curious how many hours of sleep u all managed to get in a day? I'm so tired, my gal don't slp long till morning and I'm busy with pumping milk and washing the parts most of the time. So I didn't catch any nap at all
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Surprisingly, my ss increased after I dropped to 5 pumps. Perhaps it is cos I've more rest and less stressful. Plan to drop to 4 pumps on the 4th month so that can adjust before starting work. Hope ss won't drop too much then and can bf till at least 6 months.
 
Esteelin - is your 5 pumps throughout 24hrs? How often do u pump and do u still latch on?

I'm like ak - no chance to nap in the day at all. When I want to lie down, baby wakes up or else it's time to pump again
 
FAAA, I'm exclusively pumping, so 5 pumps in 24 hrs, 4-5 hrs interval, 30mins duration. I think the trick is that when you first drop, you gotta increase the duration so that the total amount that you pump in a day is more or the same. The duration can gradually shorten after your body gets used to it.
 
I also dropped my every 3 hour pump to 4-5 hours pump, sometimes stretch longer. Like now, I'm pumping after 8 hours! But my milk supply also maintain and even increased at times. Esteelin is right, think we have to trick our body.
 
Thanks for the info about not giving ebm which has saliva. I will give 80ml each time and top up when necessary. If not saying to throw away hor.

Yingz - the 260ml is over a period from 7-10pm before he finally crashed out. Ytrday tried to coax him back to zzz at 2am but he wants milk. So trial failed. Shall try again tonight.

FAAA - totally can relate to what u go thru in the evenings. #1 back from cc and wants time with me but I have to take care of #2 still. Hubby helps with her dinner and bath but she also wants my attention. Feel guilty every time reject her for bedtime stories cos need to put #2 in bed at 8pm.

Ak - I don't think i can get into those type of deep sleep ever since i became mum. But gradually it'll get better as our kids grow older.

For mummies considering maids, better read up on the reviews/common issues first before commitment. I changed my mind after reading pregnancy/bedbugs/theft/emotions etc. It really depends on your luck to get a good maid. But I also know very hard to find childcare/infant care. Really dunno how our parents coped.. Salute!
 
Now our babies are very cute hor. Like the white tyre character with all the chubbiness. Let's jia you with our pumping/latch ons!

They are also starting to respond more. My boy smiling more and can stare at the cot toy mobile for 10mins. I place him on lap to chit chat or he will listen to tv programmes (not v good) or in the cot.

What do you all do to keep them occupied?
 
Umm.. Basically, we talk to bb. Play those kiddy music and swing soft toys.. Thinking of getting those play gym.. Wonder if they will be interested.. He doesn't seem keen with toys hanging on his rocker or mobile toy... --
 
Marilyn - how old yr #1? Mine is 3 going thru the terrible 3 now. Yes, the guilt is there cos he can't spend so much alone time with us.

We have a helper who do cleaning and cooking but she wants a transfer cos she said my boy give her a lot of stress!! Getting good maid is like striking lottery.

I play music for my gal all day and in the day we put her I the play gym for short while
 
The thing abt being a mum is u nvr get a good night sleep. When was the last time I slept for 6 hrs straight I can't remember.

Mummies, do preserve with BF as long as possible at least till 6 months. My experience with #1 hardly fall ill but once stop giving BF can see the immune system weaken. Even 1 bottle of BF a day is better than none. For both my kids I supplement with FM even before they 1 month old.
 
FAAA - my #1 just turned 2 this June. Terrible 2 also.. But we use the cane if she really doesn't listen to warnings. Still, she picks up bad habits as she attends full day cc. Good and bad at cc but no choice as hubby and I work full time. For #2, my mum helps since she can cope with 1 baby.

Yes, give bm as long as we can! I stopped at 8mths, girl didn't fall sick at all and did not have any fevers during teething or vaccinations. Of course, once she went to cc, visiting the dr is a fortnightly affair
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Hmm i tok to my boy.. sometimes put him in his cot.. he like to stare at the musical mobile and can get very excited.. last time he also talk to the animals on his bedsheet lol.. and if put him in front of the tv he will keep turning to watch the tv.. so i try not.. dun want him to wear specs at young age~
 
pumping

i am also exclusive pumping. tried to lengthen the interval but my supply drop so reverting between 3 hrly and 4-5hrly everyday. problem is that i get engorgement during the switch from 3 to 4-5hrs. then when i get to 4-5hr supply drop even if i increase the duration
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. now still try and error.

keeping baby occupied.

i turn on the musical mobile. my boy is not interested in anything that is not moving. he is not interested in just a hanging toy, but once it turns he get excited and start to wave his hands. but that will probably only last 30min then i need to keep him occupied by other means. eg talking to him, massage, etc
 
Taking care of toddler and baby at the same time can be such a pull-hair affair. Haha.. And we dun watch tv on weekdays when my #1 is around so 1 less thing to keep him occupied.

Marilyn - I agree totally. My boy had no fever etc during teething and vaccination. I bf till abt 7 months cos I went bk to work.

Ok, how do u mummies coax yr babies to sleep. My gal aiyo sleep at 11pm. My breasts so uncomfortable cos usually my last pump at 5+ before #1 reach home. My gal is most alert from 6-10pm. But it's hard trying to get her to go to bed.
 
We talk to our girl a lot when she's awake. She loves to smile n talk. She's v excited n happy when there's someone talking to her. Sometimes leave her with her cot mobile which she will talk to the animals. We also put her in a rocker which has some swinging toys at the feet. She will kick them n they will make noises. She enjoys that too.

I express 7 times a day. Between 7/8am and midnight, approx 3 hourly. I don't express in the middle of the night coz I prefer to get a good rest since my girl usually won't wake up until 7. Quite used to it already so won't feel that uncomfortable/ engorged. The first express of the day I usually can get 2 bottles of my girl's feed then after that each express will get one feed (plus some extra). My girl only drinks 6 times a day so I get about 2 extra bottles a day, which I freeze.
 
My boy also loves the cot mobile and would wave his hands and kick wildly for about half hr. other activities include reading books to him (he likes to hear our voice and looking at pics), play with rattler and tummy time.
 
Coax bb to sleep:
#1 we use crying method. Ard 7-8mths we let her cry until she learned to soothe herself to sleep. Also a bottle of milk helps. To prevent cavities, she will brush her teeth, drink her milk and do to dreamland. Now when she is tired, she will come fw and say she is sleepy and wants milk. Training her to drink milk then brush teeth and just lie in bed mumble to us for about 10-15mins before she zzz.

#2 we let him drink till he falls asleep and hold him till he is in deep sleep before putting him down. In reality, I find it hard to put him down when they are drowsy as advised by books. Still too young to soothe himself and will be startled/become super alert if I put him down too soon.

Looks like I gotta do this till he turns 7-8mths and repeat the crying method.

Any mummies got more effective methods?
 
Hi Marilyn, yr coaxing #1 is exactly the same as mine. He will bath, brush teeth and go to bed. When he was a small baby he could soothe himself to sleep by sucking his thumb but thank god the thumb sucking was just a passing phase.

#2 also same like you gotta carry till deep sleep or she easily startled and the whole cycle repeat again. Haiz.

Btw are you full BFing? U have time to pump in the day when yr son is awake?
 
Hi Marilyn, my boy is same as urs. Gonna feed him till he sleeps. And carry him till very deep sleep before I put him into cot. But most of the time failed. He would wake up and cry once I put him in cot. Sometimes I would use the crying method but that can last almost an hour. I would then give up and let him suck pacifier or give him about 50ml of milk. Is always a tiring process at bedtime. Lately my boy is dating to another method. I would put him to sleep on his tummy in the living room at around 10pm. And he will suck his fingers and sleep. Around 12am, I would carry him again and give him his last feed. After which would put him in his cot. Sometimes work, sometimes don't. But at least the chances of him waking up is lesser.

I always swaddle my boy at night. Any mummies still doing so? I tried not to swaddle him but he will get startled and cry in the middle of night. And I got to let him suck the pacifier till it drops off and swaddle him again. Till now I still can't find the best method for night sleeping. Guess just going to trial and error.
 
I noticed Asian babies tend to go to bed later than Eurasian or caucasian babies who can sleep from 7pm. I also looking for ways to make #2 sleep at 8 so I can spend some time with #1
 
Faaa - yup, give him exclusive ebm. Can't pump if I am taking care of him alone, only when he sleeps then hurry rush to relieve the engorgement. But once there is another adult ard at home, i pump every 5-6hrs for 1 hr to ensure I empty both breasts completely.

Freedom - I tried tummy method too but he wakes up and cry to find himself in strange position. And I also tired to monitor his breathing when in that position. I swaddle up to his chest only at night as he likes to stretch his arms. Gotta give pacifier at times too when I am too tired to carry him. Arms got numb numb sometimes.

Keep telling myself won't have much time to carry them in arms to sleep in future. At most.10 mths and we all know time whizzes by so fast?! It's already almost 3 mths?! This is how I motivate myself when I get frustrated/depressed during bedtime.
 
Marilyn, think I should think like u. I do get frustrated at times when I have to keep carrying him. You are right, my boy might not want me to carry him in future even if I want.
 
Marilyn - how much do u get for yr 5-6hrs pump? Do u pump for 1hr straight or with intervals?

If I do not pump for abt 5hrs I can get only abt 140-160ml. Which is not much so have to supplement 1-2 feeds with formula
 
Hi mummies I'm also not pumping so frequent. Now pump around 11+am, 3+pm, 8+, 11+, 6/7+am which is just enough for his day feeds of 110ml per feed. Night feeds twice on fm.

Will change his diapers at 10pm then wake him up around 11+/12 for his fm feed then he will sleep thorugh till 5/7am. I try not to let him sleep around 8-9+ so that he can sleep through the night so during that hours will talk and play rattle with him. I remove his mittens to let him feel and play with rattle and he kind of like it.

I still swaddle him (with arms tucked inside) as he sleeps longer in this position. I don't carry him to sleep but will put him in yao lan. Can't put in cot as he will make noise and can't sleep long.
 
Hi mummies I'm also not pumping so frequent. Now pump around 11+am, 3+pm, 8+, 11+, 6/7+am which is just enough for his day feeds of 110ml per feed. Night feeds twice on fm.

Will change his diapers at 10pm then wake him up around 11+/12 for his fm feed then he will sleep thorugh till 5/7am. I try not to let him sleep around 8-9+ so that he can sleep through the night so during that hours will talk and play rattle with him. I remove his mittens to let him feel and play with rattle and he kind of like it.

I still swaddle him (with arms tucked inside) as he sleeps longer in this position. I don't carry him to sleep but will put him in yao lan. Can't put in cot as he will make noise and can't sleep for long.

How much water are you giving your bbs now? I give 40ml of water mix with 1 spoon of grip water every morning half an hour before his bm feed.
 
My pumping sessions gettIng irregular ranging from 3.5hrs to 6hrs intervals as i took over night duties from helper ever since i find bb seems to have grown only attached to her. Really exhausting but guess i can only do this much before i return to work in a week's time. So far bb still on total ebm. No water yet as I read tt they do not need water until 6mths?
 
It's ok to give water if we supplement with FM. Sometimes I also forget to give water. I dun give much only a few spoons and usually mixed with Bo Ying Dan.

Phyllis - How much u get per pump? And how long do u pump?
 
Faaa >
I usually pump 15mins using Medela Pisa, stop for a quick massage, then pump for another 5mins. Will get about 80-100ml for the 4-5 hourly pumps, for the overnight pump usually about 120-140ml. I'm a first time mummy.

Sardonyx >
Kiddy palace has. I bought an all white top (tie ribbon type) and pants for my boy to welcome him. You can get that it's quite cute, it has a bear on the top left hand side of the shirt.
 
Sardonyx - U can get white outfits from Chateau de Sable. Great World and Suntec have outlets.

Thanks Phyllis - I tried taking sacred tea for 5 days last week. Did not seem to increase much. Haven't taken any tea for this week cos been very busy in the mornings to boil the tea. I normally pump 20 mins, rest 5-10 mins and pump another 10 mins. I'm using the Freestyle
 
Faaa - I get 210-240ml with 5-6hrs interval. During the 1 hr pump, I continuously express while using iPad (read blogs/SMF etc). I empty both sides. I noticed more bm when I drink more fluids. And I am using manual pump.

You can try fenugreek seeds? Just eat the seeds direct. Mustafa sells them for $4.50 for 500g prepacked. I will take a tbs once a week if I noticed bm ss going down. I plan to eat when I return to work in mid sept -hais-

Going back to work:
Any mummies planning to go PT or be SAHM? Any advice on how to stretch your budgets? Fixed expenses like insurances, parental allowance and have to come from savings.
 
Freedom - positive thinking helps alot. There will be times i want to just put bb down and leave the house when everything seems to be gg wrong/ feel hubby not helping enough/ exhausted from lack of zzz. I relax during pumping sessions when I read/chat
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Btw, I tried swaddling bb and he slept 4hrs blocks last night! Woohoo! May there be better nights ahead! Thanks for the advice mummies.

Giving boiled water shd be fine for bb who take formula. Not too much. Better give only after 3 mths. PD advised only bm/formula for 1st 6 mths but elderly advice some boiled water to relieve heatiness if giving formula. Gripe water shd be fine too just follow amount on packaging. MIL gave son 60ml of water in one feed -faints- and my 1mth old son had many watery stools and my rs with her also 'diluted'..
 
Wow Marilyn - 1 hr of continuous pumping sounds tedious. Honestly I love being a mum but BF is such a chore but for the sake of the children gotta preserve.

Btw for mummies who both latch/pump. Is it necessary to pump after a latch on.
 
Marilyn: going back to work and money is a huge concern for me too.. Really dun wan go bk to work n concentrate on bringing up my son.. But to give up the good pay is almost impossible coz still hv a lot of liabilities.. I thoght of many alternatives but budget still tight n if Wan stay home, cannot spend so comfortably.. What do u think? What exactly can we do if wan to stay home?
 
Littledotty - I feel we shd still work part time so we don't become too detached from the outside world. I have been reading threads in the divorce support and most women who focus entirely on family tend to neglect their physical appearance and this leads to 'other' problems in the marriage. No offence to SAHMs ok.

This brings another topic - sustaining a strong marriage. I am overwhelmed with the kids that I can go by whole day with just a few remarks with hubby. Sleeping each with 1 kid too so those late night chats are long over. No date nights as we are too tired and feel bad to trouble our parents.

Any mummies also going through this phase?
 
hi mummies,
how much ebm are you feeding your babies now? mine just turned 3 mths old and i feed him abt every 4 hrs (nite time try to strectch to 5 / 5.5hrs) and each feed i feed about 150mln. Dunno if this is enough?
 
marilyn, i am also going thru the same phase as you.. but hubby and i think things will be better in half a year's time, so we are hanging in there! when #2 becomes more independent, things should get better.. it was better when #1 turned 1, so we are keeping our fingers crossed things will get better soon... i am also very caught up with caring for the 2 kids now that i am on ML (already feel that i dont give enough alone time to either of them), and hardly have time for anything else (am also working part time from home during my maternity). am super deprived of sleep.. energy level quite low already... and hardly have time for myself too. but i believe it's worth it... just have to be mindful that hubby and i are not being togehter just cos of the kids, and the kids are actually a "by-the-way" in our relationship, as i quote someone..but it's really hard to cope!
 
I am a Sahm with one baby. I quit my job so to spend more time at home to look after my baby. But actually I kind of regret it and now, I am looking forward to get a job. Now searching for one and hopefully when my baby turns 6 mth old, I will be out there working, being a Sahm is really tough, a 24x7 job. No time on my own. So discussed with my hubby, think better for me to get out and work. Not sure if this is a wise choice. But staying at hm and facing my baby whole day kind of tire me out mentally, feel so lost touch with the world. Topic with my hubby seems lesser compared to the past.
 
Hi smak, my baby is 3 months old, drinking edm too. Normally his schedule goes like this.
12am - 160ml
6am/7am - 160ml
10am -150ml
2pm -150ml
6pm - 100-120ml
9pm - 100-120ml

Both the 6pm and 9pm he can't drink much. At times drink 80ml only.

Previously my pd will use this formula to calculate how much my baby should drink for each feed.
Weight of baby x 150 and divide by number of feed in a 24 hr day.
 
Hi everyone, I'm back at work! Booo! Only when at work then I can access this forum. lol

Freedom, I am also going to be a SAHM soon. Actually, I gave myself 3 mths, during the maternity leave to see if i'm suitable to be one.

Marilyn, ya I also heard that SAHM tend to neglect their appearance hence the term yellow face wife right. But since I know about this, so I will not let it happen lo. Even at home also cannot look too haggard.
 
Marilyn - it takes a lot of effort to sustain a strong marriage. Sometimes I hardly talk to my husband too and we are each sleeping with 1 kid. We do chat but only during dinner as this is the only time we can sit down together. Luckily we have a helper to help with house chores so I am not as tired.

I did contemplate being a SAHM when I had my first child. Cos overwhelmed being a new mom and wanting to do everything myself. But given a choice I will opt for PT cos that will balance out everything like not being detached from outside world, finances and time
 
Oh btw mummies, my gal can sleep from 10+ to 4am. Dream feeding doesnt work for her. How can I get her to take another feed at abt midnight before I hit the sack
 
hi everyone,

i am new to this group. i gave birth on the 11 of may to my son nathaniel. it was a tedious 40 hours labour.. but without epidural. He is 3 months old now and his schedule is still not fixed. The only thing fixed is that he wakes up at 6-7.30am everyday and is put to bed at 7-8pm every night. i dream feed him about 120ml at 10pm and at 1am. Then he is good till 4-5am.
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could someone add me on the Facebook group?
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my email is [email protected]. Thanks!
 


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