Ok I have always loved my birthday coz the Don always makes me feel like a queen... what with the flowers, cake, dinner and the bday gift but I certainly did not expect my new colleagues to give me a "surprise" birthday party !!
I knew they ordered in food because I saw the delivery guy arrived and I knew there was a cake coz I met the cake-buyer in the lift in the morning with her huge bag. She had this "Pleze let there be a hole so I can disappear look" and I really felt so sorry for her and guilty that I didn't mention anything about the cake. But I certainly didn't expect such a big spread!! They ordered enough for an army !! And the way they celebrated my birthday was sooo very extravagant !!!
I was on the phone when I received an Instant Message that the Country Manager (CM)wanted to see me in the conference room. I peeked from outside and the room was dark so I knew something was up. I entered the room cautiously and inside was my CM in the dark holding a birthday cake with lighted candles and my other colleagues all came in after me to sing me a birthday song. Now THAT was a big surprise !! *flashback to my last birthday party when I was 7 years old* 
And when I got home, I received another surprise. My birthday bouquet of a dozen pink roses plus that one essential red rose !!!
Now that for that bday gift I've been waiting for....... hehe
Ain't birthdays the best !!!!
Mubarak has not woke up for a night feeding ever since he was barely a month old. I have been enjoying uninterrupted sleep almost since forever.. that is ..until last week. Mubarak is not eating as much as he used to and as a result, is drinking a lot more milk than normal. Unfortunately this also means that he now wakes up at 3 in the morning and screams for milk. I have never had to wake up in the middle of the night and considering I was breastfeeding until recently, we do not have any milk making facilities in the bedroom. So, it's a real nightmare having to wake up in the middle of the night, make the trip to the kitchen and having to do it real fast since he is crying for milk at the top of his voice.
Most nights, it is his Abah who has to make the trip to the kitchen so last night, we decided to bring in a small flask, tepid water and milk filled bottles into the bedroom so that we did not have to make the dreaded trip to the kitchen. When he woke up promptly at 3am, I trudged to the milk station and made Mubarak's nightly cap. Strangely he took one sip, took the bottle out of his mouth and shook his head (all the while still sleeping) I kept insisting and he kept shaking his head. Thinking he has changed his mind, I left him in his cot and continued sleeping. Barely a few mins later he screamed bloody murder again and this time despite many attempts by his Abah to give him milk, he also refused. Out of desperation for sleep, I offered him breast milk instead. At 6am he woke up again asking for milk. Clearly the breast milk was not filling enough. Again he refused the milk when his Abah gave it to him. Suddenly his Abah realised why. Instead of filling the hot water and tepid water into the bottle with the pre-measured milk, I had poured the water into a nearly empty bottle - the bottle Mubarak had finished before he fell asleep. No wonder he refused the milk. It was 99.9% water and 0.1% milk residue. In my sleepiness stupor, I must have mistakenly poured it into the wrong bottle.
Umi is so so so sorry Darling. I promise not to do it again. From now on I will make sure ONLY ABAH WAKES UP TO MAKE YOUR MILK IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT!!
"In a paper published online on Sunday by the journal Nature Medicine, a National Institute for Health and Medical Research (Inserm) team exposed lactating mice to airborne dust containing ovalbumin, a well-known asthma allergen that is found in egg whites.The mother mice transmitted the allergen to their newborn through the milk, helping the offspring to develop an immunological tolerance to the irritant.The tolerance was induced thanks to the presence of TGF beta, an important signalling protein, in the breast milk.Breastfed mice whose mother had been exposed to ovalbumin were far less likely to develop wheezing, airway mucus and other asthma symptoms than non-breastfed counterparts." more...
One of the major reasons I insisted on breastfeeding Mubarak and Insya'allah all my children is because I would like to try my best to ensure my children do not suffer asthma like I do. While the other benefits of breastfeeding like increased immunity etc are more widely known, the theory that breastfed babies were unlikely to inherit asthma has never been really proven. In fact there are some research that suggest the contrary. Still, I am convinced that breastfeeding has benefits far beyond what has been discovered. If it says so in the Quran and Hadis, no amount of studies and research with whatever results can convince me otherwise.
I'm glad to say that I have reached my initial goal of fully breastfeeding for the first 6 months. I thought my downfall was sure to happen when I started work and had to pump at work but despite the difficulties, I survived. My next goal was to continue fully breastfeeding for the next 6 months and while I fell short by one month when I started partial formula at 11 months, I must say I am very proud of what I have achieved. At the present moment, I am still partially breastfeeding Mubarak and insya'allah I will continue until he reach 24 months, the recommended breastfeeding duration in Islam. He no longer breastfeeds for hunger and nutrition but more for comfort. Nothing is more blissfull to me when I walk in the door from work than to find him running to greet me at the door and asking for his milk. Even if he just finished his 180ml bottle a few minutes earlier. He may not be able to express himself in words yet but his actions is enough to tell me he misses me and want to be close to me.
The additional benefits that come with breastfeeding is also truly remarkable. I thought it was just my good luck that Mubarak is an easy to care for child. He very rarely falls ill, has great self-confidence and sleeps through the night. Until my aunt (who breastfed all her 6 children to 2 years) told me that breastfed children are usually easier to care for. Well, let's hope its true for all of my children as well. Insya'allah.
I was warned both by the books and by my mother that there will be major hair falling post partum but I paid no heed to it. I mistakenly thought since my hair keeps falling anyway prior to pregnancy it won't make much of a diff. Besides, during pregnancy my hair was almost shampoo commercial quality and when I combed my hair not a single one ends up on the floor or the comb. I guess I was lulled into believing that the situation will remain permanent especially when even 2 months after delivery my hair was still in prime condition.
But now, 3 and a half month after baby it has started happening. Its horrendous!!! When I comb my hair, it falls out in clumps, when I wake up in the morning, my whole pillow is full of hair!!! And the floor.... I have to sweep twice a day just so that I can remain sane and not get on my hands and knees to pick up every hair I see. And lets not even mention the shower drain. That's a major chore to clear every single time I take a bath.
Despite all the books I have read that discusses this phenomenon and all the old wives tale I hear from all the makciks, the first day it happened to me, I had visions of myself balding and in need of chemotheraphy (Ok I know its the chemo that causes hair fall but I can't help but associate hair falling with chemo and cancer) Nauzubillah min zalik.
Apparently its called postpartum telogen effluvium and it happens to most women about 3 months after delivery. It seems that its normal to shed about 100 hair a day and during pregnancy since you don't shed much hair due to hormones, at some point those hair will have to be shed anyway to make room for new hair. But must it all fall at the same time??? Uurrgghh !!!
It totally doesn't help either that my boy is at a stage where he is super curious and super active and every so often I find him holding fistfuls of my hair and I frantically try to clear it before he plunges his fingers into his mouth.
I have been told that the situation should clear up within 3 to six months. It is almost guaranteed that by the time my lil' hero is a year I will stop shedding hair like a shaggy dog but that's way to long to suffer, if you ask me. Till then, if I greet you at the door with a shower cap please don't be alarmed. You have been warned!
Oh yeah his reservist sucks!!! 2 days in camp n 2 days off for two weeks is quite hard for someone like me who has spend very few nights away from him. Especially since MM's arrival. When he's home I'm like Helen Mirren (The Queen, for those of you who don't watch the Oscars) He bathes MM in the mornings and evenings, change all his pampers, puts him to sleep and even does his fair share of the housework. All I do is provide the milk supply when it is needed and cook, of course. He even wakes up in the middle of the night to burp his son when I'm done feeding him. So you bet I miss him like crazy when he's on reservist! he he
The Don is as considerate as husbands could ever be. He knows that being at home, all I do all day is entertain that lil' munchkin so when he's home he takes over and lets me take a break and do my thing. He even insisted I go out with my gal frens and have some "single time" while he takes care of MM.
Its amazing how having the little one totally changes our perspective. The Don and I used to hit the movies whenever a good movie hits our shores and we're never home on weekends and public holidays, always with a plan up our sleeves, usually involving a road trip. But recently, we're more than contented staying home, playing with our son and watching DVD marathons. At most, we'd hit the parks in the late afternoons to let MM get some sun and make a pitstop at the malls to get some baby supplies. And if I never gave a glance at supermarket adverts in the papers then, now I go through them diligently looking for any promotion for MM's pampers. (We recently bought about 3 mths supply of Pampers since they were going for 2 packs @$35 instead of $24 each)
We do try to make sure we have our couple time. It certainly helps that my mom is staying with us (and thank God for the invention of breast pumps) because almost nightly, The Don and I will sneak out for some late night shopping or supper. But almost always, we both want to rush home although neither of us will ever admit it. The power this tiny chap has on us is unbelievable!!!
But I'm thankful that MM is fuss free (so far n Insya'allah will always be) He started sleeping through the night even before he was 1 mth old and when I started introducing the bottle when he turned 2 mths, he took to it like fish to water. (Mcm da biasa plak die minum botol) He hardly cries and I can leave him to play on his own while I cook / eat / whatever. Even when he was down with flu last month, he wasn't cranky and was his usual chirpy self. And when we went back to Pahang last month (7 hrs car ride to and another 7hrs car ride back) he slept the whole way!!!! Alhamdulillah.
Labels: baby, muhamad mubarak
Today I felt a feeling I have never felt before. I have always read the description of feeling "your stomach turn inside out" but since I can't imagine what that felt like, I dismiss it as an author's fanciful way with words. Today I knew exactly what it felt like to have my stomach turn inside out.
Today I watch my precious boy being given his 1st month vaccination the hepaptitis 2nd jab at Baby Bear clinic. I was chatting animatedly with the doctor about Double M's input and output levels and was feeling just fine but as soon as the doc retrieved his syringe and placed it on his table in front of me, I swear my stomach and intestines did a backflip. He asked me to hold Double M on my lap while he administered the jab on his thigh. Somewhere inside my heart and head, I seriously considered getting up and leaving the clinic. I felt I was surrendering my child to be slaughtered (mentang mentang musim Aidiladha) For the record, Double M let out a loud squeal as the doc inserted the needle in his thigh but as soon as I carried him, he promptly fell asleep as if nothing happened.
I know it sounds silly (as I know my single friends will be rolling their eyes and sighing in disbelief that this friend of theirs have lost her mind and is a bucketful of emotions now) and even I didn't know I will feel this way. I am usually a hardy person and is not easily intimidated by any bloody show. (and to think there was hardly any blood just now. What if there were?) Perhaps it's a mother's protective instincts or am I just being a paranoid mom? I wonder how I'll make it through seeing my son being circumsized next month. Let's just hope I don't grab, snatch and run.
Have you any idea how frustrating it is to wake up every day, look through the papers, see all the advertisements of the year-end sales, Christmas sales, warehouse sales, member sales, scrutinise till my eyes glaze over then realise I'm still in confinement and I'm stuck at home for at least 2 more weeks?????? (In case you are wondering yes I am pantang-ing very strictly. No leaving the house except for doctor's appointments only) That does not include the multitude of sale brochures and invites I get in the mail!!! AAAARRRGGHHHH !!!! Why did I ever wanted a December baby???? My next child I will plan for an October baby so that by Dec, I'd be past confinement but still be on maternity leave. By then I'd have a accumulation of my pay and plus my bonus I'd be in prime position for shopping. I guess I'd be the first woman planning my family according to the shopping calendar. WAIT!!!!!! Did I say NEXT CHILD????? OOooppps that was totally not the opening para I wanted to write but well.......
Today marks a month since we have been blessed with the arrival of Double M. And also a month since I have been breastfeeding him exclusively. I have always been determined to breastfeed my children, probably as soon as I found out I wasn't breastfed as a child. I always wondered if I would have been so sickly with asthma as a child if I had been breastfed.
My breastfeeding "adventure" started relatively fuss-free. My gynae is pro total bf and totally encouraged our decision. We had the baby room in with us all the time and The Don joked that we were robbing Double M's chances of getting to know the girls in the nursery. The nurses were all bf-trained so they helped with the latching on when I had intial problems.
Things were prety smooth from there. There were moments of tears definitely, especially in the middle of the night when the baby refuses to latch (I called in an LC for a house visit to check on my latching technique just to be sure) and when his drop in birth weight was so apparent I feared he was malnourished. (he has since gained his birth weight and more) The lowest point of my breasfeeding adventure was last week when a blocked duct had me shivvery and feverish for two whole days and my breast was like a red, hot throbbing brick. My mother panicked looking at me in that state but alhamdulillah with lots of feedings, the situation resolved on its own without the need to stop or suspend breastfeeding. It certainly helped that we have a very co-operative baby and that I have an abundant milk supply Alhamdulillah. He hardly cries and is an efficient drinker. As early as the end of the first week, he was already sleeping through the night with his last feeding at 1am and the next one at 6.30am or so.
I must say reading on breastfeeding during my pregnancy has helped me a lot in anticipating and resolving problems when they arised. (the best of which is this one) But no amount of reading beats having a supportive husband who shares your determination with as much grit and committment. There were times when I feared my son wasn't getting enough milk, and suggested we supplement him with formula but The Don resisted and encouraged me not to give up. It was also a huge help when my two aunts (one has 5 kids the other has 6 and ALL their kids were exclusively breastfed till the age of 2)came to visit from Malaysia and stayed almost a week each. Their tips and pointers could have filled a book. (P.S Did you know that you could be watching tv in one room and your child could be sleeping in another but you would know when your child will be awake even before he cries out as your breasts would start to tingle. Amazing huh?)
Ok enough of my cow story. Now here's another cow story. The Don is arranging for the aqiqah of his son in Pahang at my uncle's. And while usually people slaughter goats (2 for boys 1 for girl) The Don wants to slaughter a cow instead. So together with a few other cousin's children aqiqah, a cow will be downed on 20th January 2007. My uncle is handling all the details of the kenduri that will be held. So far, we heard there will be another cukur rambut for Double M and 500 people have been invited and tents will be erected all along the road leading to my uncle's house. *rolls eyes* Trust my uncle to hold to hold the ceremony with such grandosity.
So till my next update .Mooooooooooooo
I felt a sharp stabbing pain on my lower abdomen that radiated to my back that jolted me out of my sleep. Immediately I wondered "Is this it?" I laid awake staring at the ceiling trying to recall if there is anything I haven't put in my e-bag. 10 mins later, the same pain appeared again. I woke The Don up and told him excitedly .. "we're gonna see Baby Muhamad soon"
THAT was how I envision how my labour will start but it didn't happen that way at all......
I was due for my weekly checkup on Friday 1st Dec. We did the routine checks the VE (yikes!!) and the scanning. Everything seemed as per normal at first then suddenly Dr Yang said that my amniotic fluid was low - dangerously low. She said there could be two possibilities - one, my water bag had leaked without me realising it or two, the baby had consumed the water. Either way, hardly any water could be seen in the scan and the doc brought rise the possibility that the baby had passed out meconium into the womb and this could be potentionally hazardous to him. She said I will have to be induced to deliver that very same day.
It took a few mins for her words to register. I was shell-shocked and very very afraid. No I wasn't afraid of the pain (well ok, a little) but I was afraid of being induced. I have heard and read of numerous birth experiences of women being induced to deliver but since the medication couldn't cause dilation the women had to be go through a c-sect eventually. That was my greatest fear! I was so hell-bent on delivering naturally without any medical intervention but apparently this was not to be.
I was very reluctant to be induced and kept asking what are the alternatives for me. I suggested we came back the next day to check the amniotic fluid level again. Dr Yang, being the cautious doctor she is, repeatedly cautioned me against waiting too long to make a decision since the baby could already be in danger. I was still reluctant and asked for a CTG first to see if the baby was in distress. The doc made it very obvious I was being very unwise. She asked me pointedly if I thought it was worth it to wait another day and suffer the risks after carrying the baby for 9 months. I couldn't answer her. While her nurses got the CTG machine ready, she asked me to seriously reconsider and cautioned that if I still refused her recommendation, she will make me sign a AMA (against medical advice) notice.
By then I was crying buckets. I seriously didn't want to jeorpadise the baby's health. But I also didn't want to go through an operation. The Don hugged me tight and asked me to think things through carefully. He asked me to have faith and realise that things have been pre-ordained. If the baby was meant to be delivered via a c-sect, there is nothing we can do to prevent it anyway. So its best to just listen to the expert and leave the rest to Allah S.W.T. Realising the futileness of my resistance, I agreed to go ahead and arrangements were made to admit me into the labour ward immediately. Meanwhile I called Umi, my MIL and sms-ed my legion of girl friends to update them.
I was quite surprised by the opulence of the labour ward in Gleneagles Hospital. There was an Osim massage chair in the room, (for the husbands. how unfair!!!) vending machines, various magazines, cable tv etc. But nothing surprised me more than the level of service we were shown. As soon as I was shown to the Delivery Suite No 3, one by one the nurses came to introduce themselves and explain in detail the procedures. Even the Assistant Director of Nursing came and extended a warm welcome. I was strapped to the CTG machine and the nurse explained what the graph meant. Then Dr Yang came to break my water bag and to put in the drip of syntocin to induce the contractions. Time Check: 1.30pm. She said she would expect me to deliver earliest by 6am the next day. I was a bag of nerves but since I didn't feel any pain (yet)I busied myself reading the magazines and sms-ing non-stop to Joyah, Nyonya, M and Esah. Truly I am lucky to have them as friends. Their constant company and encouragement during those difficult moments will be something I hold close to my heart forever. I was forbidded to consume anything other than water but I was starving like mad since all I had since morning was a lousy slice of bread. The Don smuggled in butter croissants from Delifrance downstairs and I had snatches of his seafood sandwich downed with air zam zam and air selusoh prepared by my grandmother. By 4pm, my mother was already waiting anxiously outside the labour ward despite both The Don and me telling her that it will be a long wait. She was joined later by The Don's parents and sister.
The pain didn't kick in until much later. By 5pm, the pain was akin to a low level menstrual cramps. Dr Yang came to check on me. I was already dilated to 5cm. She said my fears were totally unfounded. My body seemed to react very well to the syntocin and we can expect to see our son by 2-3 am. She offered pethidine to me and cautioned me to ask for the epi (if I needed it) before I reach 7cm dilation. I refused both. I had acquainted myself with all the side effects of the available pain relief and was grittily determined not to take any of them. By 7 pm, the pain was quite horrendous but still manageable and I was @ 7cm.
Just when I thought "hey labour's not as painful as I thought" the pain came on full throttle. I had this great urge to start pushing and told the nurse. The nurse explained that I should not push yet since the baby has not engaged and pushing will just exhaust the little energy I have left. My mouth recited the doa from Surah Al-Anbiya ayat 87 non-stop as my grandmother thought me. There were moments when the pain clouded my mind completely and I mouthed everything from doa makan to doa tidur to doa buka puasa. The Don then held my hand and recited the doa so that I just followed. That was much needed comic relief in the midst of all that gut-wrenching pain. Till this day The Don sometimes teases me about reciting the doa buka puasa.
7pm onwards was the worst part of the labour. The nurses repeatedly suggested I take the ethonox gas to help me relax and conserve some of my energy. I declined but they set it up anyway. I took one puff and found it completely useless although the nurses said I didn't breathe in properly. The Don took over and took a few puffs and he said he was on cloud nine!!! Despite the excrutiating pain, I couldn't help but laugh.
Anyway by 10, I was @ 10cm, Dr Yang came promptly and with 4 pushes, out came Muhamad Mubarak at 10.53pm weighing 3.475kg, the Don's and I first born and our pride and joy, Insya'Allah. Despite the doctor's fears, Muhamad Mubarak was 100% healthy and had not passed meconium as suspected. He just wanted a headstart of 14 days into this world.
His Abah recited the Azan and Qamat into his ears so that the sweet words of Allah are the first words he will hear and also did the tahnik with the kurma we had prepared. As I still needed to be kept for observation, he was wheeled out onto the delivery suite lobby into the anxious hands of his maternal grandmother, both his paternal grandfather and grandmother and his paternal aunt who had been waiting for hours outside for his arrival.
With no pain relief whatsoever, I went through labour au naturel the way I think it was meant to be felt. It was a hell of an experience but when my son was placed on my chest as soon as he was born, I felt like I was in heaven.
*Sweeps cobwebs and wipes dust away* Cough! Cough! Gasp! *chokes*
Just to let you all know that the owner of this blog has recently gone thru a major life experience.
On behalf of Mr & Mrs Don, I take this opportunity to announce the arrival of their little bundle of joy - Muhamad Mubarak aka Don Jr.
**Photo taken barely an hour after his arrival into the world**
**Photo taken by Ummi Lis on 4th Dec 2006**
Mode: Normal delivery
Date & ATA: 1st Dec 2006, 2253hrs
Weight: 3.475kg
Length: 51cm
Ummi & Abah are currently very busy and fully occupied with their new duties that come along with their newly acquired (management) positions. =)
CONGRATULATIONS!!!
Signing off,
~Aunty Lisa~
Pre Baby Romantic Rendezvous
I think I mentioned 3-4 weeks back to the Don casually that maybe we should take some time to spend alone, just the two of us since after the baby's arrival, we'd surely have less time for each other. It was just that. A casual remark but I should have known the Don better. He immediately made plans. 19th Nov was his birthday but instead of me coming up with the surprise he surprised me instead. The night before his birthday, he suddenly brought me to our favourite hotel and checked us both in. Apparently he made reservations weeks in advance already. And to think I had no plans at all for his birthday. No cake! no surprise nothing! (I was broke from too much online shopping for baby stuff) I did however volunteer to pay for his new PDA but that will have to wait till I get my paycheck!!!! hehe
Anyway the hotel stay was splendid. One whole night of romance with not a care in the world. The room wasn't as big as ours at home and the bed was only a fraction of the comfort of our own bed but what a big difference a change of setting can bring. No more thoughts of "What else haven't I put in my e-bag?" and no more getting up in the middle of the night thinking what else we haven't bought for baby? (ok so now you know I'm a paranoid!)
And what a tremendous way to spend these few days of couplehood left before we become a family of three.
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