Entry 0012 - Avent Via Cup

Careless me. Last week tertumpahkan susu lepas habis mengepam. Dah lah production so-so aje. Isk isk isk. Last weekend lak lupa buat stok update. Ntah berapa ketul aje tinggal kat dalam freezer tu.

Remember my rants about Avent Via Cups? Initially, I bought those for the conveniece it offers. Store EBM in it, warm it up and put on the 'neck adaptor'. And voila, dah jadi botol susu without having to use the botol susu itself. It'd be useful and especially helpful kalau nak store 6oz in the cups. Kalau setakat nak store 3oz in an 6oz, memang makan space freezer. Freezer lak kena kongsi dengan ayam, ikan, nugget bla bla bla. The cups are safely stored away in the kitchen cabinet.

The 'convenience' - in photos..

Avent bottle, Via cup and its adaptor

Simply take-off Via original cap.
Put on adaptor.
Put on the upper part of Avent bottle.

Entry 0011 - Red Alert! Red Alert!

Bekalan harian Adam.

7 packs of frozen EBM.

One thawed and heated to suam-suam EBM.
And a pacifier.

Every weekend, I do my stock count. Last week it was 56x3oz. Yesterday it was depleted to 49x3oz. Last week Adam consumed more than what I 'produced' via pumping. Plus, on Sunday, he refused direct feeding. Nak botol dia tu.

I am the kind yang susah nak increasekan production. I tried lobak putih, kurma merah, betik, oat, fenugreek -> all to very minimal effect. Tapi tetap ku telan jua. Manalah tau kot-kot stop all those, nanti production decrease pulak kan. Janji usaha tu ada.

Based on my readings, one of the remedy to inscrease breastmilk is dried longan. I've tested it. Like I said earlier, to minimal effect but hey,.. sungguh sedap okeh. Bought some dried ones in one of those stalls in MidValley. RM4 for a small pack. Second time I bought from kedai singseh in Cheras Perdana, RM6 for medium pack. Last I bought was from Carrefour MidValley that went by weight.

I normally boiled a big pot (about 3 litres) of water with brown sugar or 'nnesang kerek'. Then I added dried longan and have it simmered for another 1/2 hour. Leave to cool and indulge. Kalau masuk fridge, perghhh... lagi lah best. Since I am breastfeeding and can be considered baru bersalin jugak, I need to minimise my iced/cold food.

Try lah, best tau.

Entry 0010 - PISA ku

*drumrolllllll*

Introducing my PISA. It came a little bit more than a week before. I tried it at night for a week at home to fimiliarise myself with it and also to adjust my body to it. First 2 or 3 tries, I did not get let down. After that, there's no looking back, so to speak.

This week, I finally carry this baby to office. It weights a lot to be frank but what's all that as com pared to the benefits of breastfeeding kan? Anak suka, Ayah setuju! I still don't dare leaving this baby in the office. Buatnya hilang, nangesssss....

I 'park' this baby in my office make-shift surau, near the power point. I do my business facing the shelves or the wall. You knowlah double pump. It leaves you almost 1/2 naked while doing it. And I am the kind of person yang suka nak tengok the milk flow. When there's letdown, lagi suka tengok flow susu yang hebat itu. Tapi sebenarnya, tak kira susu hebat atau tidak, saya tetap suka tengok aktiviti pam itu.

I am so motivated!

Note: -
:: PISA was bought from TheLittleCaliph

top part of the bag is well insulated.
the inner carries is insulated as well.
that blue thing is the cooling element.
tahan dari pagi sampai petang despite its small size.

my baby

lepak kat sini sampai ku ambil balik.
ps - nampak beg pink itu?

ku punya. ku tak suka pink.

tapi beg itu free.

ku ambil jua.

i always bring my handphone while pumping.

set the timer to 10 minutes.

inner bag.
beg jerut itu untuk simpan corong yang ku guna.
bubuh dalam fridge.
so don't have to wash each and everytime.
lepas 2x baru ku basuh.

Entry 0009 - 11082008 The Day I Decided To Go Public

Adam turns 3 months today. I decided this blog to go public.
Tiada niat menunjuk-nunjuk.
Just a sharing of one working mother's struggle to breastfeed.
The ups and downs.
Advises are welcomed :)

Entry 0008 - New Order

21 July 2008
EBM
10.00 am - 5 oz
3.30 pm - 5.5 oz
6.15 pm - 3.5 oz

I have to admit I am not lactating as much as I hope. A days' pumping sessions only get me as per Adam's consumption for the next day. None for stocking purpose.

As a recently promoted manager in my office, I often get concious when I spend like 20-30 minutes pumping in the surau. Meaning -> absent from my cubicle. And I often a bit frustated when I get letdown when pumping one breast knowing that if I have a double pump, I can get at least 1/2 or 1oz more from the other breast.

So, based on my readings in a forum (go to 'parenting' -> 'preconception, pregnancy, post natal' and search for 'All About Breastfeeding'), emails with friends like Elin & Limaunipis, finally I decided to buy a double pump -> PISA (Pump in Style Advance). I like! I like!

Entry 0007 - How I Stock My EBM

18 July 2008
EBM
10.15 am - 5.5 oz
4.00 pm - 7.5 oz (terlewat pam, banyak lak orang datang bertanya itu ini dari 2.30-4.00pm. segan lak nak cakap 'eh, boleh dtg kejap lagi tak? saya nak pegi mengepam nih'..
7.00 pm - 4.5 oz
10.00 pm - 1 oz
Total -> 18.5 oz

Memula berkecimpung dalam membuat stok EBM nih (for Adam), saya guna Avent Via Cups. Siap beli in 2 sizes lagi tu, 6oz and 9oz. Then I read that we should pack as per our baby consumption at one go. Logik lah kan. Once you warm frozen EBM, it can only last 3-4 hours. Buatnya baby tak larat nak habiskan, tak ke membazir namanya. Then I put 3oz of EBM in the 6oz Via cup. I then realized that was such a waste in space. I did not ulitise the freezer, which somewhat memang penuh dengan other things already. I then opted to use liners.

EBM for Adam in VIA cups.
Turun from freezer for the use on the next day.
(Tengah training feed from bottle at that moment)

I still had Avent liners which I bought during Iman's time back in 2004. Siap beli clip tu sekali. The clip did not help in not letting the milk flow out. Still, it can sip through slowly. Not recommended kalau nak guna while transporting EBM from workplace. Kalau clip then terus masuk freezer, memang okay.

EBM in saki-baki Avent liners.
Abaikan date pada clip bawah nih.

Zaman2 Iman bf dulu tu

I found out that Mothercare (I bought Avent's liners tu from Mothercare KLCC) doesn't sell Avent's liner anymore. In fact, no liners at all. Cari kat Mom's Care pun takde, JJ pun takde. So I bought online Playtex's 4oz liners. Sib baik tak guna lagi sebab people say for 4oz EBM, better use 8oz liner. Or else, you're gonna have hard time trying to close the opening (in my case, I use rubber-band). That 8oz liners, I bought from a pro-breastfeeding mom, Elin.

My Via cups are safely stored away in the cabinet. Maybe when Adam starts solid nanti, they will come handy.

Note: -

:: Via Cup was bought via online bidding in Malaysian e-Bay.

:: Playtex liner was bought from Elin.

Entry 0006 - No Pain No Gain

17 July 2008
EBM
11.00 am - 6.5 oz
1.30 pm - 3 oz
5.30 pm - 4 oz
10.30 pm - 4.5 oz
Total -> 18 oz

Kalau sebelum bersalin, I was with my laptop backpack and handbag only, sekarang ada tambahan. My insulated carrier backpack for my breastpump set and bottles and icepacks. Memang berat tapi bila terkenang-kenangkan Adam, ku gagahi jua. Alhamdulillah, dah seminggu saya masuk kerja, Adam is still full breastmilk-fed. I am slowly adapting to the new routine. My pumping / nursing routine is: -

5.30 - 6.00 am -> Bangun and kejut Adam for 'breakfast' (or rather sahur sebab pagi sangat lagi). On top of that, sebelum pegi kerja, saya panaskan another 3oz kot-kot Adam lapar dalam kereta nanti.

10.00 - 10.30 am -> 1st pumping session. Cannot do as long as I want. Kang kot hilang lama sangat, boss pelik pulak. Paling lama pun 10minutes each breast. Since I am using single pump, I need around 20 minutes to finish the task.

2.00 - 2.30 pm -> 2nd pumping session.

5.30 pm -> 3rd pumping session.

8.00 - 9.00 pm -> Once balik rumah, Adam minum sekali lagi before bed. Kalau saya sibuk melayan Kakak and Iman, Adam feeds EBM from bottle. Kalau Tebby layan 2 orang tu, Adam feeds direct from me. Kadang-kadang dia macam nak terlelap dah but saya kejut dia to ensure dia kenyang sebelum tido sebab dia nih, kalau dah tido, tak nyedor ke hapa. Lena aje..

10.00 - 11.00 pm -> Just before bed, saya pump for 4th session. 3oz goes into bottle so esok pagi i can easily warm it up for Adam without kena transfer from liners to bottle. The rest masuk liner. Sesi yang ini boleh berlama-lamaan. I can do up to 20 minutes per breast. Unless Tebby kacau lah kannn......

12.00 am -> Kejut Adam for feed

3.00 am -> Kejut Adam for feed

Wonder why kan, kenapa saya kejut Adam for feed.
-> Firstly, breasts dah sakit sebab susu dah banyak.
-> Secondly, nak stimulate production susu. The more demand, the more supply.
-> Thirdly, Adam memang lena tidur memalam. Sampai berkejut suruh minum susu. When he sucks, memang nampak sangat dia lapar. Cuma kehendak tidur dia tu mengatasi lapar kot. Problemnya, dia ni refused to feed with me lying down. Kena jugak bangun dan duduk dan pangku dia untuk breastfeed. No pain no gain kan.

Note: -

:: Insulated carrier was bought online from SusuIbu[dot]Com. It came with 6 MLO 5oz EBM bottles and 3 reusable ice-packs. I also bought Techni ice-sheet but never use it. With 3 ice-packs, I don't think the bag can accomodate the sheet anymore.

Entry 0005 - Swing Panic!

very mobile and handy
electric/battery operated (4 AA)
size of a Mc D's Big Mac

fits nicely at the back pocket of MLO insulated bag

16 July 2008
EBM
10.30 am - 5 oz
2.00 pm - 4 oz
5.30 pm - 4.5 oz
10.30 pm - 6 oz
Total - 19.5 oz

Alhamdulillah.. yippeedeeedduuu.. ada improvement. Walaupun sikit je, but still..

I've been drinking air longan semalam but I am not sure whether it was the longan or the fact that I stuffed myself during breaks masa operation meeting hari ni.

I attended an operation meeting today. As usual, adalah disediakan tea-breaks and lunch. I was advised by the kid's paed to 'jaga-jaga' with my food intake as Adam has rashes on both his cheeks and under his chin. Lunch tadi pulak they served Ikan Masin Lemak dengan Nenas (which I ate a little because of the nenas) and Sambal Udang. Heh, macam nak ngenakan aku jek. I still ate nonetheless tapi lauk sikit ajelah. Walaupun begitu, saya siap menambah lagi sepinggan. Petang pulak, they served Talam Keladi (aiyoohh..) and Sandwich Sardin (gatal ke?..). See,.. sungguh tak sync antara diet saya dengan apa yang dihidangkan. Tapi saya makan jua.. tak tahan.. sikit2 tak pe kan. Dr pun kata, eat in moderation (alasan).

Anyway, my Swing buat stunt pagi tadi. It refused to turn on. Panik jap. Ye lah, takkan tak mengepam sampai petang, mau bengkak cam belon terlebih angin pulak nanti. Setelah ditekan-tekan dan berdoa banyak-banyak, finally it started dan bermulalah sesi mengepamku.

Since I am taking quite sometime to pump both breasts with my Swing being a single pump, mulalah kepala otak ni buat rancangan nak membeli dual pump pulak. Haven't really decided sebenarnya. Tengoklah nanti kadar production and my level of determination. Bimbang beli pam sampai 2-3 jenis, sudahnya jadi tukun kat dalam stor!

Note: -

:: Medela Swing was bought from The Little Caliph online store.

Entry 0004 - Stock Updates

pok amai-amai

belalang kupu-kupu

tepuk ramai-ramai

malam-malam upah susu..

15 July 2008
EBM
10.00 am - 5 oz
2.00 pm - 4.5 oz
5.30 pm - 3 oz
10.30 pm - 4 oz
Total - 16.5 oz

After a few days in Atfal Sayang, I've concluded that Adam consumes around 5 bottles of 3 oz EBM. At the rate of my pumping and the result of it, macam 'kais pagi makan pagi, kais petang makan petang'. I am aiming for at least 21 or 24 oz per day. 5x3 oz for Adam's daily feeding and another 2 or 3x3 oz for EBM stock for later use. They say nanti when puasa time comes, production will not be so good as we have less food and liquid in opur body. So wish me luck!

Entry 0003 - A Lil Panicking

14 July 2008
EBM
6 am - 1.5 oz
9.30 am - 4.5 oz
2.00 pm - 5 oz
5.30 pm - 4.0 oz
10.30 pm - 4.0 oz
-> Total 19 oz

I was a bit panic this morning. Pam pagi tadi dapat 1.5 oz je? How lah like that? Maybe I was stressful having to start working after 2 months of soiled diaper, inproper lunch/dinner. How contradictory eh? In short, I enjoyed being a SAHM (with a fat cheque at the end of the month, of course!).

Alhamdulillah, the quantity increased afterwards. It's just that I hadn't enough time to really pump until they 'dry' up. Nanti boss pelik pulak ke mana asyik hilang. My boss is a male okeh. I am imagining the bliss of having dual pumps.. hemm....

Entry 0002 - Sonang Kojo

Today I bought 2 things.

No 1 - AVENT BOTTLE & FOOD WARMER
Avent has discontinued the old version and now they're selling this 'IQ' something. The salesperson told me, this is a digital one. I don't care much if it's digital or analogue or whatever, as long as it serves the purpose. Of course at much higher price. Which I bought anyway. Now I can heat frozen or refrigerated or room-temperated milk/food with a few pushes of a button. No, 2 buttons actually. Nampaknya kena mengepam banyak-banyak nih, to make the buy worth the money spent. Likewise with my 2nd child (Iman), I'm gonna prepare Adam homemade baby-food when the time comes. A warmer will definately come handy.




No 2 - FENUGREEK (HALBA) CAPSULES
I'd try anything, anything suggested to boost milk-supply, to be frank. As long as it's halal and thank God tekakku ini can accept anything from sayur to jamu and everything else in between. Bought it at GNC Midvalley for RM62.90. A bottle has 100 capsules. Will update on the effectiveness (or ineffectiveness) later okies.

Note: -

:: Avent Bottle/Food Warmer was bought from Mothercare, MidValley.

:: Fenugreek Capsules was bought from GNC, also in MidValley.

Entry 0001 - Prologue

This blog serves as a source of motivation for me, nothing else. Maybe as remembrance as well. I may look back in future and tell myself 'hey, I've been there before'.