Cut

For the first time ever, I feel this urge. And I'm not stupid. I know the repercussions. But I feel it anyway.

Of Judging and Breastfeeding

Breastfeeding was something that I had looked forward to doing since I was pregnant. I was excited about the thought of providing everything my baby needs to survive.

So imagine how devastated I was when I discovered early on that it was not meant to be. Believe me, the decision that was forced upon me wasn't an easy one to make. Even after it happened, I was in denial. I kept doubting myself for no longer being able to provide sustenance to Hana, to instead turn to formula milk, even though I knew and was told time and time again that this was not something I could control. I felt like the worse mother in the world, even on my own.

Lately, I've noticed that BF has become sort of a trend again. I suppose after the tainted milk from China fiasco, more and more people began to turn back to basics and start distrusting manufacturers.

And so I've also noticed a certain pride in some mothers when they are able to BF their child for as long as they want to, which is justified, of course. BF-ing isn't easy, esp when you're working, so they have every right to be proud.

What gets to me is how easily some of these women judge others for not/not being able to breastfeed their own children.

Breastfeeding creates an extra bond between a mother and her child. It's a process where the mother gives her baby everything she needs to sustain herself, even to the point of providing immunity. And for this reason, I am of the opinion that it is a very personal, very private thing.

"Kenapa u stop breastfeeding?" "Why aren't you breastfeeding your baby?" in my opinion, are questions that should never EVER be asked. Even worse are reprimands. "Breastmilk is the best for a baby. sayang you tak breastfeed." If a mother decides to stop, or even if she is forced to stop, this is none of anyone else's business.

It's personal. And more often than not, it's painful. At least it was for me. It hurt, knowing I couldn't provide Hana with what I promised her when she was in my womb.

So the next time a mother reveals that she doesn't BF her baby or no longer does, respect her feelings and privacy. Don't make her feel like crap. Like I said, it's no ones business but hers.

When in doubt, use your common sense.

My Mom's a Genius: How to feed Meds to Your Baby

This method only works if your baby uses a pacifier. And if your baby isn't the kind to cry at the taste of medicine.

Basically, give your baby the pacifier, only halfway into the mouth and push it slightly to the side to keep her mouth open.

Using the syringe (or whatever medicine feeding thingamajig you have), squirt a little of the medicine in and push the pacifier right into the mouth right after. This will activate her suckling reflex and so instead of spitting out, she will swallow.

Repeat until you've managed to give her the recommended dosage.

Some of the liquid will still come out but it helps keep more in than it usually would.

And yes, my mom came up with this while we were trying to give Hana some gripe water yesterday. Genius! :)

A New Project

Haritu when I signed into my gmail, I saw this:



As I am sure anyone who has gmail has seen too. I didn't click on it because it's an advert and I'm lazy, but the idea kinda stayed with me. So I guess it kinda inspired me (read: I decided to become a copycat) only I decided to start a new blog for my daughter.

Epol and I will be posting things that she can read in the future (hopefully blogger sticks around for a long time or we'll be wasting our time here, lol): anything from our hopes and dreams for her, her achievements, how we feel, the chronology of her life - basically anything and everything we want her to know.

I won't be revealing the url here because I guess it's a little bit private but siapa yang jumpa, jumpalah. Do say hi if you do so I know you've discovered the blog because for now it's still available to be read by anyone :)

Tenth

Today, Hana turns 3. Months, that is :)

Help or Hindrance?

Being new parents is not easy for the both of us. Every second of every minute of every hour of the day (for me at least) is spent theorizing or guessing what Hana's actions are trying to tell me, what she needs, what I should do to make her more comfortable, what I SHOULDN'T do to spoil her.

And so, undeniably we've had a lot of help - from experienced mothers, new mothers and even single friends who've had experience with babies or had watched others take care of them. All of which we listen to, consider and, depending on rational it sounds and how it fits into our plan for Hana, either take or discard. That's not to say that we don't appreciate every single piece of advice. We do. We just take them with a pinch of salt.

But then there are those who presume the worst of us. They seem to imply, with their every word and action, that we know nothing about our baby. True, we've only been at it for 3 months and true that we haven't had any prior experience - but to imply that they know our baby better than we do? Well, that's certainly overly presumptuous.

Repeatedly saying things like "She wants to be picked up, why aren't you picking her up?" while she's being cranky, when really, all my baby wants is for the lot of you to leave her alone, for you to give her back her pacifier and get those damn cameras out of her face, you're being presumptuous.

Chiding us time and time again for putting her down immediately when she falls asleep, and telling us how you hold her for hours and hours when you get the chance to babysit really doesn't help. In fact, what you (again) presume as "help" is really a hindrance. At the end of the day, Hana isn't your child. You may be related, yes, but I carried her for nine months, I went through the morning sickness, back pains, sleepless nights and I gained a gazillion kgs and I went through almost 10 hours of labour. I suffered through cracked nipples, engorgement, and WE go through sleepless nights and restless days just to make sure she's always comfortable. Not you. WE'RE her parents. We know her best, and we know best how to raise our child. We just don't have the luxury of making her think she'll be carried in our arms all the time. Maybe I'm able to do that now, at the expense of house chores and cooking and washing and cleaning, but what about when I start to work? Who's going to do the holding?

Help and advice? We certainly appreciate. Just don't be a hindrance and we'll do fine.

Currently into...

Picture taken from Myfashionlife

I went crazy looking at pictures of these kimono tops, and I'm determined to get one of my own. Haha. I don't care if they're in ke tak, I just have to have one. And so tiba-tiba nak beli sewing machine. So gedik kan? Although I've been wanting to try DIY stuff ever since I was pregnant tapi tak berkesempatan.



Picture from Kaboodle

To me, these are timeless (well, not exactly THESE wedges but wedges in general). I'm not much of a heels person, because I suck at walking in those berapa inch heels. I look like a velociraptor when I try and I've seen many, many girls who've attempted to do so and looked totally ridiculous. Wedges are my way of cheating that fact. Haha. Of course, I wouldn't be into them if I didn't think they were so pretty in the first place.