Nursing rooms

Currently sitting at 313's nursing room. I always google n find whr the nursing rooms of a shopping mall are be4 I even head to the mall. I guess this is a sign of ageing/being a responsible mother. 

So far I've been to great world city... Taka.. N nw 313s' nursing rooms. I must say my fav is taka! Although it was madness when we used it jus on Monday (hari raya) cuz it was flooded wif young parents n babies! I Thot it was pretty funni though. 

Anyways nw tt I'm a mother n hav to frequent nursing rooms... I hav encountered annoying people who realli piss me off!!! So many times I always come across people abusing the nursing rooms n u aren't even a parent or a nursing mother! 

When gwyn was still in the hospital n I needed to pump, I had to wait ages for the nursing room at great world onli to find an Aunty coming out frm the room. Yea she was sitting in thr relaxing n talking on the fone while my boobz were gg to explode! Like hello!? I get tt u are tired frm work but tt doesn't mean u can slack off n use the nursing room! 

N jus today... I walked into the nursing room to change baby gwyn's diaper n bam I see a men standing thr filling up his water which are meant for mothers to sterilize or use to make formula milk! Like hw rude is tt tt I hav to change my daughter's diaper wif a strange man standing jus 5feet away frm me!? 

K end rant 

I was using the nursing cubicle to pump n a mother knocked n asked if anyone was in thr. So me being nice I packed up my things n told her she can use it to breastfeed her baby as I can jus sit at the bench outside of the cubicle (still in the nursing room) to pump cuz I'm using my freemie cups n dressed quite discreetly. I always believe in karma n I will meet nice mothers next time too! 

We are all mothers n should help each other out when we can. So I'm happy I did a good deed today! (: 

Here's a pic of my silly lil girl! She's so cute I jus wanna eat her up! Nom nom nom! 

Sleep deprivation n squabbles

The sleep deprivation finally got the best of me. I'm normally a veri patient n tolerable person. It realli takes a lot to push my buttons. But last nite I was so mentally drained tt I exploded. 

My husband n I hardly ever argue. But when we do it can get quite bad. It got to tt point I was so mad at him last nite I wanted to take gwyn n go back to my place (since we were staying at his). Nt to run away but Becuz I knew if we stayed together in the same hse it would jus cuz more unnecessary friction. But he went out for a while (which was 1 of the reasons y I got mad at him in the first place) so tt gave us some cooling space. 

Thing I found funni was we were clearly so mad at each other but whenever we looked at baby gwyn for tt split second we would smile. Whenever I looked at her I was happy then I would go back into rage mode when I looked at Sean. Hahahahaha 

Our argument got quite awkward cuz like we couldn't go into full blown rage mode since everyone was home. So like I was raging balls but I couldn't fully express it. Which in a way is gd n bad la. 

He left the hse n I went to sleep in anger wif baby gwyn next to me. Idk whenever I look at her she jus eases the tension a whole lot. Normally I don't n can't go to sleep angry but I was sooooo fatigued I slept quite almost instantly. But yea we will nv let our argument drag n after I napped for a while he msged me to apologise. 

So we are like any other couple. We hav our ups n downs. This was our first argument as a married couple n parents. Thr will be more arguments throughout our journey as a married couple n parents.. But communication n forgiveness is always the key. 

N we have promised each other no matter hw mad we are at each other... We will never take it out on gwyn. 

A single mum's experience

Last night I had my 1st hand of taking care of baby gwyn all by myself (hence I named the title of this post). My husband was at work and had to stay in over nite. So basically frm Monday 6pm till Tuesday 4pm I had no help (except during the morning feed at 8am I sent gwyn over to my mum's room as I had to pump). 

I hav a new found respect for single mums with no help at all! This was how my day went: 

2.30am: fed baby gwyn n changed her diaper 

3.30am: pumped milk

Went back to sleep by 4.30am 

8am: woke up n pumped while my mum fed baby gwyn 

10am: went to bed wif baby gwyn 

1pm: woke up to feed baby gwyn 

1.30: pumped milk (n at the same time had to soothe my grumpy ms pots) 

2.15pm: bathed baby gwyn (which includes doing her infant massage n putting all sorts of creams on her) 

2.45: breast fed her for 10mins n she fell asleep

I quickly took tt time to use the toilet n bathe n feel like a clean human again. But tt didn't last long cuz 1/2 way through my shower baby gwyn cried again. 

3.10pm: fed her again (she fell asleep while drinking again) 

Put her down n I quickly went to the kitchen to make my lunch n jus be4 I could eat... She cried again. I jus let her cry until I ate finish n by then my mum came home. 

4pm: left the hse to do my scalp treatment n run some errands for her party on Saturday 

So u see... Idk hw these single mums do it!!! I find it so difficult to even shower or eat!! Maybe cuz I can't bear to let baby gwyn cry too long. N she's gg through a phase whereby it's so difficult to put her to sleep. She's awake for a gd 4hrs n during these 4hrs she will be happy one moment n next fussy like hell. 

N I'm nt even working! Hw do those single mums who work bring up a child!? I guess thrs no sleep for them? Idk man... There are all sorts of different kinds of mothers n all are jus as amazing n dedicated to their child. 

I find it so hard to even go out nw also. Like by the time I actually wake up is 1pm... Get ready.. Get baby ready.. Pack her bag n all.. It's abt 4 plus 5. Our day starts at 5! Haha I guess these first few mths will be like tt as she's still so young. But no I'm nt complaining cuz I realli enjoy every minute wif my precious ms pots (short form for ms fussy pots haha). 

Can't imagine leaving her n having to go work next yr. Booooo 

K I'm digressing. But yea being a mother is a full time job. It's tiring but definitely rewarding n satisfying to wanna do everything for your precious lil baby. 

Some pics of baby gwyn to end this post 

Sunday night dinz wif our clan. A yr ago Zx n Chloe gave birth to baby Nathan n then bam a yr later daddy Sean is feeding baby gwyn n daddy Zx is feeding baby Nathan! 

"Sleep is for the weak"-said no mother

Being a mother means sacrificing on ALOT of beauty sleep. I jus read somewhr that interrupted sleep is as gd as not sleeping at all. Lately I wake up every 3-6hrs n on better days 8hrs. I mean when baby gwyn was still at the hospital I did put this into my routine as I also hav to pump every 3-4hrs. But these days I've jus been more tired!? Like no amt of sleep can rejuvenate me. I feel like I'm ageing at a rapid speed; my eye bags are super heavy n I'm practically a walking zombie. I honestly hav no interest in gg out watsoever but sometimes I hav no choice. 

Esp when my lil princess' has super weird sleeping habits!! She sleeps all day n is awake for a gd 4hrs between 1-7am! But I love it when she's awake so I'm nt complaining but jus tt I pray she learns soon how to differentiate between day n nite n adjusts her body to like a normal human being. 

But u see that's the thing wif babies. They dont care if u are sleep deprived Becuz they don't understand wat being sleep deprived means. They don't know there's such thing as day n nite at such a tender age. The innocence of babies jus intrigues me so much! They are a blank canvas nw n watever u teach them in the future they will jus listen n absorb (tts till they learn tt they hav a mind of their own n can make decisions on whether to listen to u or not; dreading it). 

Anyways I jumped out of bed at 6.30am Becuz I was engorged like mad on my rite boob as I dragged my pump sessions for 6.5hrs. Honestly nw my sleep is more impt so I don't bother setting my alarm to wake up n pump every 3-4hrs but I guess I learn my lesson. 

I salute all full time working mums who still manages to survive throughout the day at work even though they wake up in the middle of the nite to nurse or pump! Being a mother is never easy but it's definitely the most rewarding job ever (: 

A mother's rant

Anyways gonna rant nw. So my husband has been realli great! He's realli a hands on father. N he's been off frm work/ gg in later than usual for the past few wks since baby gwyn came home. So both of us would wake up during the midnight shifts frm Sunday to Wednesday (when we are at his place) n frm thurs to Saturday at my place when my dad is away on biz trip she would sleep wif my mummy so she wakes up n let's us sleep through. 

Today he finally went back to work during his normal time which left me doing the mid night shift. I got realli mad this morning Becuz his place is a double storey house n always has many weird surprises for me (lizards, cockroaches) so I get realli scared coming down alone to prep her milk n all. So this morning I was left alone to come down n prep her milk n feed her. I wanted to kill him cuz I was fatigued, cranky n annoyed at having to come all the way downstairs. But baby gwyn suddenly woke up while I was prepping her milk n she was in such a gd mood smiling away n all... It made waking up so worth it! Like I was realli cranky n tired I could punch someone but seeing her smile was so satisfying. 

N then it dawned on me... Hw the hell do the full time working mums who breast feed n hav premature babies do it!!!!??? If u think abt it... Mums who give birth to premature babies start their confinement n maternity leave frm the day they give birth. But u see their baby isn't home wif them yet. So wait another 2-3mths then baby comes home mostly by their due date. So u calculate their age frm their due date n they are jus a few days/weeks old when these mummies hav to go back to work! Which means these babies still wake up every 3-4hrs in the nite n these mummies hav to wake up n feed them. Like hw the hell do they do it!?

A typical day of mine: 

My last pump session is frm 12-2am 

Her last feeding session is also around tt time which daddy would feed 

Then I head to bed 

If we are lucky we can sleep through a gd 6hr... If nt she cries after 2-4hrs 

If daddy wakes up.. He feeds her n I will pump. If nt I will feed her n then pump after 

She has been waking up at 4am n won't sleep till 7 so I hav to entertain her. I normally sing to her/do tummy time or if I'm realli tired lie her on my tummy n try to put her to sleep. 

N then it starts again... 3-6hrs wake up n feed/pump

Bathe her around the afternoon 

N then feed again. 

I'm so sleep deprived it's nt funni!! But yea as I said it's satisfying when I see her all happy. I will do anything for this lil angel of mine (: 

I'm veri incoherent wif my thots nw. Haha pumping nw n baby is crying. So gdbye for nw! 

Baby gwyn's milestone: she's 3mths old today!

I havnt been updating much as I'm honestly realli sleep deprived. Plus nth exciting has been happening wif baby gwyn as all she does is sleep, eat, poop n the whole cycle repeats. She's technically onli 19days old (she's exactly 3mths actual today) so it's normal tt she still sleeps so much as compared to a 3mth old baby. 

As she is a premature baby, we are told for the first few yrs of her life we will count her age as frm her due date esp when looking at milestones n all. 

Her milestones so far (19days old/13wks old) 

-her head is veri strong n she's able to lift her head up for a veri long time 

-during tummy time she's able to lift her head n turn frm left to rite n vice versa 

-during tummy time she can nw use her hands to support n lift her head up 

-she can hold her head in the straight up position while sitting her down for a pretty long time be4 she bobbles around 

-during tummy time she is kicking her legs a lot (means she's learning hw to use her legs for crawling in the future) 

-she follows ur eye movement 

-she smiles when u call her name most of the time 

-she has learnt to put her hands to her mouth n is learning to suck them 

-during tummy time she can lift her legs up in the air (lying on her stomach) 

-when lying on her back she is almost able to roll over 

Hmm so tts abt it I guess. To me she's doing realli well for a 19day old baby! 

Happy 3mths old my lil princess!! Uve been nothing but a joy to hav around! We love u so much!! 

Little preemie warrior talk: parent forums

Ever since the birth of baby gwyn, I've found n joined several parent groups on Facebook, like breastfeeding mums, premature babies n exclusive breastfeeding mums. When I had baby gwyn as a preemie, these premature baby pages on Facebook realli helped me a lot. Cuz thr are parents posting their stories of their babies on there n in way far worse conditions than gwyn. So it did give me a form of support n also knowledge. 

These Facebook pages are meant for mothers to share ideas or consult one another about issues n all. What I realli cannot stand is when mothers ask the most ridiculous nonsensical questions!!! 

Eg: 

"I'm having a flu now and I went to see the doctor n he/she prescribed me wif this medicine n I mentioned I'm breastfeeding. Jus wanna check if it's safe or nt?" 

I mean c'mon ur doctor is more knowledgable than these mothers n I'm pretty darn sure he or she has studied enough to be able to be qualified to prescribe u the rite medicines!? 

"Is this food item safe for breastfeeding?" 

I always believe in moderation. If u are unsure better to be safe n sorri n avoid? Or jus pump n dump. 

"So n so say I should do this n that (eg: give pacifier, start on formula etc) should I or nt?" 

Hello isn't tt ur child n u are the parent so can't u decide?! Parenthood is all about u making the rite n appropriate decisions tt suit u n ur baby! Nt following watever other people tell u. 

"I don't hav enough supply n I tried everything! But I realli don't wanna substitute wif fm so how?" 

I realli don't get wat is so wrong wif FM!! Yes BM is always better but if u realli can't supply then give FM! Y so stress abt it? Like esp those mothers who whine n complain when their baby is already a few mths old. FM these days are filled wif amazing nutrients thxs to medical technology n all. So don't hav to worry wad. Plus it's also more convenient. 

"I feel my milk has more hind/fore milk hw to get more fore/hind milk?" (I'm nt sure which is which) 

Isn't breast milk jus milk!? What hind n fore milk!? As long as ur baby is growing healthily isn't tt impt?! Worry abt wat milk comes out for wad!!

Parenthood is suppose to be stress free n enjoyable. Do wat u feel is rite cuz thr is no perfect parent. Thr are no perfect solutions to being a parent. U come up wif wat suits u n ur family. 

I'm so thankful my family never told me to do this or that or forced me to do things a certain way. If nt I may go mad but even then I wouldn't stress abt it or follow suit. Yes I'm a young mother who has no prior knowledge or even went for any parenting class but parenting is abt learning as u go along as every baby is different! So enjoy parenthood n do wat u wanna do! It's a journey together wif your spouse n baby! 

11wks old: growth spurt

It was jus last nite wif baby gwyn woke up on the dot every 3hrs. N after an hr of her usual feed, she cried for milk again n I decided to try n breastfeed her n she took the breast again. So I figured she's gg through a growth spurt. Cuz last wk she could jus sleep through for 6hrs or won't even get up to drink. N she's a bit fussy today so could be the painful joints. Oh wells gd sign she is growing well! 

Nonetheless she is still an awesome n veri well behaved baby. Had my grandma's bday celebration on Sunday so it was the first time my family members saw her. She was being passed around frm arm to arm n she slept through the entire time! The onli time she cried was when she wanted milk. 

So realli motherhood/parenthood has been a breeze for us so far. So nth much to rant about. Jus tt last nite we were realli exhausted. One of the most tiring nites cuz I would go to sleep n she would wake up exactly 3hrs later to drink. Daddy didn't sleep till 7am cuz he was on a caffeine buzz. 

I'm realli thankful my husband has been super hands on wif her mid nite feedings especially. Cuz I hav to pump n it's jus nt possible for me to feed her too. So when I pump he feeds her. We are all in this together! Haha n honestly waking up to her cries is quite satisfying n pleasing. Like when she cries she sounds super pitiful. All u wanna do is quickly satisfy her n seeing her satisfied face is so worth the disrupted sleep (: 

Tummy time wif daddy 

This was after feeding her. Jus look at tt satisfied n contented face! Haha

Blur blur 

When I look at my princess I find it super amazing n incredible tt she actually grew inside me. We saw her frm the sonograms n nw she's out. I still am in disbelief I was even pregnant wif her. There's no amount of kisses I can give her to express hw much I love her.