Stinky Face?

Practice Times @ Home

Baby's practising here too!

From a baby that normally kicks away actively when in a good mood....

... to a baby practising his listening skills. ;-) Noticed that JR slowed down and became so still to placidly listen as his brothers practised away (yea, the violin is going on outside as well):

Scalding & Moulting

Yikes - hand all red and feeling really tender and raw last night. So painful, like as if loads of chilli padi had been rubbed on it. I was scalded when the water from my steamer spilled and splashed on my left hand as I brought out the pump parts I had sterilised. Ah...do be careful as you do this task!

My 1st thought was to put aloe vera gel on it. It gave temporal relief, but the sting was excruciating once the gel had cooled off, and I kept applying it with no further relief. Eventually I thought of this Mango Butter that I got from Little Dreamers and have found most reliable for dry skin during my pregnancy.

It gave immediate relief from the burns! By late evening, the redness on my fingers had almost all disappeared.

This healing cream was what I also reached for when our newborn seemed to be moulting as his dry baby skin was in the process of falling off - it sure looked like I was carrying a baby full of dandruff! Applying this cream helped the dry skin fall away faster, revealing a new layer of beautiful baby skin. ;-)

Get Moving

With a baby that often naps only 5 minutes at a time, I ran out of ideas & energy to keep him happy and myself sane, as his mood between those 5-min naps could range from kicking happy to super cranky, either of which saps my energy & mood adversely.

Instead, I bring baby out in the baby pouch on morning and sometimes evening walks. It could be walks simply just for the fresh outdoor air or walks out to run errands and do my shopping at the nearby market and shops. This also gives me an opportunity to explore our neighbourhood near & far, which is easier to do when on foot.

Our walks are usually for 30 to 45minutes, and are also great for exercise, other than raising those happy happy endorphins. Just have to make sure I have on a comfortable non-slip pair of shoes on!

That's our 6-week old JR yawning as we start on one of our morning walks....he will invariably fall asleep along the way , and never fails to amuse all who see him all cuddled so cutely, allowing me to be totally handsfree.

Aerial View I

View from the Top. How the 1 month-old baby looks like curled up sleeping in the baby pouch.
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What Else?!

At times like these, with milk powders being contaminated, we are grateful for breastfeeding.

This time, at least Singapore does not directly import China-made brands of infant formula, but I still recall years ago, when our 3rd baby was just a newborn and there was a major recall on several brands of infant formula, and yes that WAS in Singapore.

If disaster like a typhoon, earthquake, or a cyclone were to strike, like it did recently in Myanmar, even expat families, who were not hit by the cyclone, were affected by "no water, no electricity" as supply lines were damaged by the storm.

These are ALL times, when we would be super thankful for continuing with breastfeeding. The way nature intended, and the best to protect our young ones, and not have to, like some Chinese were quoted in the press reports of the SanLu incident, as worriedly asking "What do we feed our babies with now?". Those who had continued breastfeeding can at least heave a sigh of relief and say "What Else?".

Full Month

Had a simple celebration, sharing cupcakes from Mong's Stirs. We did the red eggs ourselves, packaging and decorating - had quite a bit of fun doing that simple task!


Baby had quite an outing today. I had to nurse him several times while out today. Here I was in dh's office nursing wearing my favourite Selina Top in Berry Pink size M - sure's discrete and convenient!

Week 4: Wt 4.62kg, Ht 54cm, Hd 37cm

Out with Baby

Baby turned a month old and the whole family went on a short outing. Quite liberating to be out with everyone, and eating out once again. ;-)

Baby was happy in his pouch, looked around, napped, had his "dinner". It was so great that Dad carried baby around in the pouch after dinner, so I could shop around too !!! The pouch was really easy to use in this young baby cradle position and I could be handsfree.

(I am wearing Liana Short-Sleeve in Mocha size M and easily nursed him in the size S pouch while having my dinner).

Pre/Post-Natal Massage

With an aging achy body that found this last pregnancy too taxing, I found prenatal massage to be such a respite. Time-out for full-body massages were rare, and I only managed these a few times, and loved going to Aramsa for my Prenatal massage. The ambience was great, the service & the therapist were excellent. But what I indulged in mostly were prenatal foot massages. These, I managed to fit in almost every week, sneaking in the time when my elder ones were in classes. It was superb for a relaxing half-hour nap too, which was so needed, since woe ..... I'd only managed to sleep like 2 or 3 nights each week this whole pregnancy(!).

Soon after birth, I had a few days of home postnatal massage, which I looked forward to each morning, after a night of getting up for night feeds and having my joints aching. Using a belly binder (from pharmacies) helped lots in supporting my lower back and weaker abs while I moved around caring for the newborn and the older children.

I also tried a service that was newly introduced to me. Too bad that I hadn't known of this earlier! It's a TCM Postnatal Home service from Idylls TCM Professional (Tel: 67410369/96727422 Ms Chua for booking). It includes TCM consultation, postnatal confinement cooking, and TCM postnatal massage. I tried this TCM massage in my 3rd week after birth. It was really really good, working on pressure points and was very effective for my aching body. The pricing was really reasonable too!

Introducing Books

Babies love bright colours. JR would flip the pages of this book(probably by coincidence?) and stare at the pictures.

Me & Joey

Me & our little joey, in the Baby pouch. The pouch is particularly suitable for this cradle position where a newborn baby's face is visible and well-supported.

Our little joey is 3 weeks old in this photo, and in a Black with Khaki Colour Combo Baby Pouch.

I'm wearing a Maroon-coloured Cindy Top in size Medium, the same top I wore from my 5th to 9th month of pregnancy. It's great for nursing while carrying baby in the sling or pouch. I am particularly fond of nursing clothes with empire-waistline nursing opening styles as they are discrete and really convenient.

Week 3: He's grown from all the Mommy's Milk!

Confinement Food

Having a full household, and being an experienced mother, we didn't need a confinement nanny this time around. I explored the options for confinement catering. There's really not all that many choices. I narrowed my choices down to Natal Essentials & NewBaby.

I toyed with the idea of ordering a week's food from each, but well, NewBaby's menu is just not what I'm used to. So it was Natal Essentials for 14days.

Natal Essentials - some hits & some misses. On the whole, acceptable. Food usually on time at 11am for lunch and 4 - 5pm for dinner. Food enough for 2 persons.

Here's one of my favourites: Red Wine Chicken


That day's lunch.


We had our own Red Dates Tea boiled for drinking the whole day, and some evenings I'd have my Quick Tonic. I am so dreaming of the Chicken "XO" Essence Tonic that my confinement nanny did for me last time. Maybe I'll try it one of these days now that the confinement catering has ended.

Here's some interesting Confinement Food Sites I found:
Yummy Confinement Foods
Chinese Confinement Foods
Chicken Rice Wine Recipe

Baby's Needs

After a 9 year gap between the babies, we sure don't have baby stuff/equipment from Baby JR's elder siblings. With experience on our side, we preferred to stay lean on baby stuff, and started off with just these minimum:

1. 5 newborn rompers
(our babies are usually not very large, so it made sense to get some newborn size)

2. Sleepsuits, 3 pieces

3. Different coloured socks, 5pairs
4. Different coloured mittens, 5pairs

5. Newborn Diapers, 1 pack
(and super-grateful to the gifts of dipes! very useful)

6. Swaddling blanket, 1 piece (rarely need)

7. Changing Mats
(2pieces - 1 smaller one for Baby bag, 1 large one for home use)

8. Nappy Rash Cream
9. Towels - thanks to a friend!
10. Sleep Positioner - thanks to a friend too!
11. Baby Slings/Pouch - I reserved my favourite.

The rest of the items, like baby bathtub, cord spirit/swabs, are in the hospital package.

And the one major "equipment" we have is a gift of an infant carseat. Most useful! Not just in the car, but at home during the daytime. When baby does sleep, we carry him to where we can keep an eye on him wherever we are in the house, and rock him when need be. And of course, it's a MUST to have in the car!

This is our Mobile Baby Changing "Station".

Everything goes into a neat little foldable "box", which is part of Ikea's drawer organiser set (which we already had lots of in the house). Reminds me of this Diaper Caddy I saw on Land's End.




The changing mat is foldable and rather large. Great for home use. Found this in a mother/baby store locally.

And no... we don't have any toys for the baby! The baby doesn't need any of that right now! Just needs his Mommy Milky, to be cuddled, played and talked with!

Hmm... and actually, I think I'd really rather have a new CD player like the one they had at the Hospital, or even it's smaller version !

Nursing Lying Down

Propping baby up with firm latex support like this makes it easier to breastfeed while lying down at night!

Sleep Positioner
(*click* for more Details)

Music Effect

I noticed this earlier in the day when changing his diaper. Like all newborns, he hates that, and was bawling away. His brother was practising his violin right then, and decided to play an old piece that he'd practised during my pregnancy. Immediately, the baby stopped crying and looked around and listened.Can't really tell in this photo - probably a video clip would show more as he stops, turns his head and eyes, and listens around for the music.

Later in the evening, after his bath, again, he was bawling as usual. I put on another piece of music - still cry, then I put on the CD of same violin piece that his brother had played - still cry. Then I played the recording I'd done of some weeks back of brother's practice. Again, baby had the same reaction. Stopped in his bawling state.... interesting. He does this in the car too when I play the Mozart CD that I'd been playing throughout my pregnancy.

So...keep that in mind. Play 1 or 2 CDs frequently throughout your pregnancy. Classical music particularly is good for baby's mental development too!

Home Therapy

Managing Jaundice. Doc gave us the option for either hospitalisation or home therapy. Obviously we chose home therapy. It's more convenient and also easier for breastfeeding.

We rented this PEP Bed . Very neat package - like a little briefcase!

Only sad thing was that he would cry hysterically like this for 2hrs or as long as he's put down on bed . Thankfully he did that only for the 1st night, and then only occasionally for the next 2 days. We diligently took him out every 2 hours for breastfeeding.

If anyone needs this neat little home phototherapy bed kit, here's the contact:

PEP Bed Hotline:
6305-2583, 96485578
Quinnie SeeToh
Green Pastures Pte Ltd

Our New Addition

Baby Boy born 3.55kg, 50cm, at 41 weeks pregnancy.
Birth Order: #4.


Nursing the Newborn soon after Birth, wearing our new Abby Transitional Dress, which would be In-Store soon. The baby nursed like a pro !


With our 3 boys (yeah, our eldest girl is missing in this photo):

Packing for Hospital

My EDD is 30th July. Have started packing for the hospital. What went into my bag.

. Calming Chamomile Spray: I love this spray for refreshing myself, even in normal times.
. Perineal Wash

. Disposable Cloth-like Panties: 1 pack is more than enough for a 2-day stay!

. Ultra-Thin Extra-Long Overnight Sanitary Napkins: much more comfy than the thick hospital ones.

. 3 nursing-friendly bras : I brought mostly the camisole bras for ease of use and comfort, plus 1 nice bra for leaving the hospital in

. 2 Ally Transitional Dresses: Comfortable and Great for Breastfeeding
. 1 pair of maternity jeans & nursing top: for wearing when Going Homel.

. Personal Grooming / Care Items (the hospital will usually have toothbrush/toothpaste/shampoo/bodywash/washcloth/towel).

. Music CDs (there are cd players in some hospitals)
. OB/GYN Antenatal Care Card (for admission)
. Wallet with NRIC
. Digital Camera
. Marriage Certificate (so hubby can apply to use Medisave - also useful if you register baby's birth at hospital).

. Going Home Outfit for Baby (Romper, Cap, mittens/booties, Snugwrap blanket).

This time I really didn't pack all that much. Just about enough.

Double-duty

Need Preggie Clothes? Well, think about how our breastfeeding clothes may work for you and for the few months after you birth! I've found great success doing so, and some of you have seen it for youself!

Initially, I got by with styles like Mandy Solds, Mandy Stripes, Lavinia Graphic, Lavinia Plain, and Rachel, until my 5th month of pregnancy. I also found Belle Paisley to be rather flattering.

And on to the beyond 5 to 6 mths stage, my wardrobe I kept grabbing styles lke Selina & Cindy as part of my everyday wear with jeans. These were comfy and gave a sleek look. Selina was my absolute fave this pregnancy, must say! Had them in several colours! And wore them until my 9th month!

Some of the other styles that worked for me until my 8th or 9th month are:
Calla V-Neck
Liana Short-Sleeve
Claire Polo
Deana Long-Sleeve
Cindy Long-Sleeve
And the good thing is, could continue wearing them after I birthed!

Check them out! Our Transitional Wear range.
http://www.momsinmind.com.sg/BNA.html

-----
And here I am wearing Selina & Claire in my 8th month.


Exhausted - no one said I had to CLIMB the mountain!!!


Check out and create your own Double-Duty Clothes! Discover what suits you best.
Our Transitional Wear range.
http://www.momsinmind.com.sg/BNA.html

Pop Goes the Belly Button

Belly button pops out in pregnancy? You'd find it difficult to wear all those figure-hugging styles then. I've found using Nipple Stickers to be quite effective. Try it yourself! ;-)

There are several different styles available in stores - clothlike-cover, satin-cover. Chose the style you prefer.

Maternity Options

Asides from wearing double-duty nursing clothes, I also had some favourite maternity tops. Well, obviously I needed pants and jeans and shorts too! It's convenient that we have a maternity store in-house at E-Biz Moms!

Here's what I grabbed:
Pants/Jeans/Shorts
Swim Tankini - 1 set

And a couple of the tops that I liked:

I had this in 2 colours.


The Rose hue was pretty:


And this dress was really flattering! I wore this for several concerts and events with boots - about the safest footwear when I was 7 to 8mths preggie with a HUGE belly!


I also found the tops in the Bellychic range useful for dressing up!
http://www.bellysima.com/

6 weeks on

6 weeks preggers...crazy me scaling THE Great Wall

Real Tired after that!!!!

Just Preggers

Just pregnant.

Performing for the last 2 times with the Orchestra before I "retired" to 9 months of morning sickness.




Rainy, rainy day, and poor acoustics outdoors:

No, I'm not giving prizes for guessing which is me, but I'm in the violins and quite visible in both videos actually.

Quick Tonic

An easy tonic for energy & blood circulation.

Simply have a little DOM heated up so that the alcoholic spirit evaporates, then add in a bottle of Chicken Essence. Then just "kan-pei!".

More Confinement Recipes at:
http://www.momsinmind.com.sg/confinementrecipes.html

Confinement Recipes

Have had confinement food on my mind this week because of a friend. Have cooked some simple dishes, so am sharing the recipes here.

Red Wine Chicken - it's simpler than I thought.


Marinate Chicken pieces with 2 TBS Fermented Rice Paste (Red) and 1 TBS Rice Wine.
Soak Wood Fungus (Mok Yee - I didn't use for this batch in the above photos)
A few Chinese Mushrooms (soaked), optional.
Leave for 30 minutes.
Prepare 2 TBS of Old Ginger (cut into thin strips).
Heat pot and put 1 TBS Sesame seed oil.
Fry Ginger strips until fragrant. Add wood fungus to fry.
Then add in the marinated chicken and fry.
Add in another TBS of fermented rice paste.
Put in a bottle of Chicken Essence.
Put in half a cup of Rice Wine or DOM.
When sizzling, add in another 3 cups of hot water.
Stir everything, then leave it to come to a boil, then simmer for awhile.
While waiting, use another pot to boil the mee sua, drain and dish out in a bowl. Pour the Chicken Rice Wine Soup over the Mee Sua.
Garnish with Spring Onions.

--
And if you prefer not to have Reddish Wine Soup for your meal, here's another Chicken Wine Recipe:
Heat saucepan and put 2 TBS Sesame Oil.
Fry 2 TBS Ginger Strips until fragrant and put in Wood Fungus(soaked).
Put in Chicken and stir fry until half cooked.
Pour in 3 Cups Hot Water into the saucepan and let it simmer for 30 minutes.
Bring it to boil and add in Mee Sua.
Then put in the 2TBS DOM/Rice Wine and stir.
--

And for all the ginger you wish to use, here's tip on how to have them in strips:

Use a potato-peeler to "peel" the ginger into very thin slices. Then use a pair of kitchen scissors to cut these thin slices into strips. Easy, eh? And they are so fun to fry into crispy strips!

Breastfeeding Info

Just found that National University Hospital's breastfeeding pages have quite useful practical information, including photos for storage of milk.

http://www.nuh.com.sg/healthinfo/breastfeeding/1_breast_feeding.asp

Cleaning Ameda Pump

Reference: Image of Pump & Parts
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/104/265721157_668e6581e0_o.jpg
Pump Setup: Illustration


The only parts you need to clean are:
1. Funnel
2. Valves
and of course the bottles you are using (can be universal-standard-neck milk bottles of any brand)

For the valves, each time you are done pumping, you slowly hold the bottom of the valve and ease if off the funnel. Put it in a cup or bowl of soapy water if you do not have the time to wash it right then. Do not let the milk dry out on the valve. Wash with soap using your fingers only and gently. No brushing required.

The funnel can be washed with soap as like any other household containers and sterilised accordingly.

AS for the Bellow & the cap(on top of bellow), sterilisation is not required. If you find that it has become dusty, just wash lightly with a little diluted soapy water. The tubings do not need washing or sterilisation

For sterlising, you may wish to read the tips here:
http://momsinmind.blogspot.com/2006/10/sterilizing-breastpump.html