A S.t.a.r. girls

Working moms probably knows the schedule...pump twice, thrice at work- as often as your baby feeds to maintain supply.

I present to you a different schedule (I work in a busy clinic, I don't think I can leave my room for a few minutes to pump, all the stress will inhibit letdown)

0600 Baby feeds
0630 Mom gets up
0700 1st pump
0745 leaves for work
1300 2nd pump
1730 arrives home
1800 Baby starts cluster feeding up till bedtime
1830 dinner
1900 bath time
1930-2200 bed time

I added 3rd pump (11pm or 2am) whenever needed. I aim to pump enough for the next day (with an extra bottle or two to stockpile).

My yield:
1st pumping output: 2-8oz (depends on how much she 'drained' me)

2nd pumping output (lunch time pumping session at work):
2 months 10-12oz
6 months 8oz
10 months 6oz
12 months 4 oz
14 months 2-3.5oz

Sole fish - grilled with worchestershire sauce @ Lea&Perrins

I'm taking a day off tomorrow.
Friday night, I worked till 9.30pm (rarely, except when rostered)
Saturday, I had a course (but didn't attend the afternoon session, fell asleep with baby during lunchtime feed)
Sunday, busy day. Morning as usual, off to pasar to find 'ciku'. Sadly no stock. Then it was her class. Lunch at Italianies. Did some grocery shopping. Then 4 hours at the clinic.

What does that gotta do with the title? Hehe, it means that tomorrow I'd have time to research for one size pocket diapers. I only have 5 jumbo packs of Huggies left. Time to convert to full time CD (means PIL as well? If they want to)

Hubby sure comment nih :p

It was overwhelming in the beginning with new terms, shortforms, brands. I won't do a lengthy blog, just click on the links :) I support local online stores as we can save on the shipping. However I did get the Itti Bitti from Oz as they had a 1-day-sale.

• Why

Types:

• pocket diapers
• all in one (AIO)
• flat/prefold
• fitted diapers

Inserts/booster/soaker:

• hemp
• bamboo
• microfibre

That was all!!

*I was overwhelmed because they (in our MBW forum) were using abbreviations like:
BK, BBH, BG, DB, GAD, HH , IB ----> turned out it was just the brands

It's even worse in medicine: PID means either paediatric infectious disease, pelvic inflamatory disease or prolapsed intervertebral disc. I was laughing real hard when a medical student asked about a regular patient:

him: Doc, how come this GUY has pelvic inflammatory disease...he came with the complaint of back pain?!
me: Err... I wrote PID coz already diagnosed via lumbosacral Xray, SLR positive... PID in this guys is prolapsed disc laa (haiyooo pening, pening bila medical student ada... cuba la baca past notes)

Back to CD:
~I chose fitted, as I wanted to CD part time at night.
~Then I bought AIO for daytime/weekends as I didn't want to deal with inserts.
~Arianna still uses disposables, convenient for my in laws (voluntarily takes care of her, so I won't impose anything)
~Hubs like AIO, no need for separate diaper cover over the fitted diaper
~Me? I love the Itti Bittis... it's sooooooo pretty and soft.

See her eager lil feet - we just picked up 6 new Itti Bitti from the post office.

test

I thought I wouldn't start CDing, as it seems like a big investment despite the long term savings. I like sposies, the thought of chucking it out is simple. No need to wash, dry, fold (thinking about lampin). After all, I have jumbo packs of diapers which will last for the next couple of months (I love stocking up when I see a good bargain)

Quoted from Miabambina:

Quite simply, cloth diapers are convenient, cost effective, healthier for our children, and better for the environment. I feel as though the real question parents should be asking themselves is why use disposables?

The first two reasons, you can read up and do the maths. The fourth reason.. hmm I produce too much waste being in medical line to actually think about it. Think disposable gloves, disposable dressing sets, disposable VE sets... dispos dispos dispos...

I like the third reason: healthier for our children

• No diaper rash despite no barrier cream used (we almost had 1 episode of diaper rash while using the sposies)
• No toxins in contact with her bum
• I shall never encounter the gel like absorbant crystals with CD (I used Drypers pants for the second time and it sorta broke apart, exposing her bum to it!)

I'm no CD addict, thus I only have 2 types:

1. FittedBaby Beehind Hemp Fitted - used with a diaper cover for night. Can last up to 12 hours

2. AIO
I have 6 of those Itti Bitti Dlish, with snap on mini boosters. No need for a diaper cover. It lasts 3-5 hours. I love its fluffiness.

There are other types too:

• pocket
  
• flat / prefolds
  

She decided to eat using my fork instead!

This is what I serve, nicely portioned carb/veggie. The pasta has hidden veggie as well, just like the vegeroni spiral pasta.

But what does Arianna see? Yep, she sees the broccoli, eats all those first.

Ingredients:

• 400 gm spaghetti
• 125 gm cheddar cheese
• 2 oz fresh milk
• gourmet beef
• 5 cloves garlic
• olive oil
• ground black pepper

Method:

1. Bring a pot of water to boil and cook the spaghetti till al dente
2. Heat the pan with olive oil, and cook the garlic
3. Add the beef (it's salty because it's processed meat, so the quantity is up to your taste bud)
4. Add the milk, and melt in the cheese. Add ground black pepper to taste
5. Lastly mix in the spaghetti
6. Serve warm

~ It's great to only cook once for the whole family. I omit the gourmet beef when serving to Arianna

She weaned herself off from the bottle a week before she turned 14 months. There goes 5 (5 oz) and 2 (9oz) Breastflow bottles into the storage. It wasn't us, it was Arianna who refused the bottle. MIL described it:

"Letak 2 oz saja dalam botol.
Letak kat mulut, geleng-geleng kepala tak nak.
Offer lagi, dia bersilat tolak botol.
Last-last sumbat je dalam mulut.
Baby melalak macam kena dera."

Now, it's expressed breastmilk in her sippy @ straw cup.
Actually it's still pretty difficult, they ended up giving EBM in ice cube form.


I think our love affair with Breastflow bottles has ended, sadly.

First teat we tried: we then tried the famous brand:no such luck, she had colic. So we tried:

I've only started blogging in the past 4 months. Been on Vox previously, till DH made a comment that blogs are platform for sharing, and people just couldn't post comment on my previous blog.

So I'm here, with not so creative name. But then again that's how people recognise me.

I've uploaded the accompanying pictures for this year, for the month of November and December - it's still linked to my Vox, so just click on the picture title (will probably slowly upload the picture onto this blog).

Ingredients:
minced meat cooked with onion and french beans,
mashed potatoes,
fried onion

Method:
Roll into balls.
Dip into eggs before frying.
Shallow fry using olive oil.

* She doesn't like it, she still doesn't like potatoes.
* I say pegedil, DH says begedil, if it's beefy I'd call it burgerdil. What do others call it?

We haven't had her latest shot, MMR because she was having bronchiolitis at 1 year check up (not to mention, did not weigh, measure her length due to her screaming).
We postponed the shot, plus Dr. Eric was saying he'd prefer giving that at 15 months, and give the chicken pox jab first. I came across this article on Dr. Sears website:

Separate Measles, Mumps, and Rubella Vaccines No Longer Available? What Can Parents Do?

Here's the summary:
In the vaccine book I clearly state that vaccines are important, and that I believe the benefits outweigh the risks. Each vaccine can have a serious side effect, but in most cases this is rare. The MMR, however, is unique in that it is a triple live virus vaccine, and therefore has a more extensive list of possible reactions. These reactions mimic what the actual disease complications can be. Some of these reactions are very serious. Yes, the serious reactions are extremely rare, but it is a risk nonetheless. However, vaccinating for the MMR diseases is also a very important individual and public health concern. Measles will continue to increase if parents don’t vaccinate. Rubella may come back. The more people that don’t vaccinate, the more likely this is to happen.
I have presented the options here. It’s not based on what the right or wrong decision is. It all comes down to what you as a parent and individual believe about the safety of the MMR and the risks of the three diseases. Remember, my alternative vaccine schedule isn’t a reflection of what I believe all parents should do. It is a suggestion for parents who are more worried about vaccines than the average person, and want to vaccinate their child more carefully. Splitting the MMR was part of that approach, but now it’s not an option for the foreseeable future. If I was to have written my alternative vaccine schedule without the separate vaccines, it would probably look something like this: MMR at age one and five, with an asterisk that says if you are worried about a reaction to the MMR, wait until age 4 to get the first (and only) dose, or get it sooner if your child will be entering early preschool (and possibly need a booster dose around age 5 or 6).

I think we should pay a visit to the paediatrician soon, although we still haven't done the thalassaemia screen (of both of us).