Me time, rest time, all the time

I've been ill for the longest time.  4 weeks now to be exact! Never have i been so ill before. It started with Big K having the fever,  the running nose and cough. Waking up to her nightly cries put my body in toll. During this period, the hubs was not around. How convenient yet again. Then the mil fell ill, followed by the hubs and now finally the boy and i caved in. My nose has been drippy and I've been nasal. The boy's nose has also been running and he's been having phlegmy coughs which rendered his naps n sleeps shitty! At times he was inconsolable.  Who was I kidding? 100% of the time his mood was terrible due to the immense amount of phlegm which came from from nowhere. Must be because I planted too many kisses on his cheeks! No amount of hugs,  rocks,  kisses or latching could calm him down. I can totally empathise.  I'm in such a foul mood too that every little thing can ignite the fire. Eg. Just the other day,  2 acquaintances kept texting me saying i need a maid. Geez guys, u r rich,  what do you know? ! Granted my rationale for not having one is coz i feel we r really coping alright. The hub n i do our parts with regards to chores and i love cooking (though that's seriously though with two in tow) so what else is there for a maid to do? I certainly don't throw my motherly duties to her! I would also certainly not leave educating and story tellings to her and risk the kid having a weird accent. But ok,  it does boil down to finances which i m reluctant to declare. It's not quite that we can't afford but things are already extremely tight. Please don't be asking me to control my shopping sprees just for a maid.  And plus,  i have major trust issues with all the rampant crazy maid stories i hear.  No thanks to having a stranger live with me too. I'll totally go bongkus. So yeah, imagine I've to explain these reasons to people each time they kindly offered their suggestions. 

My body is aching just when i thought I'm recovering. I managed to get Small K to sleep but only to battle with Big K and finally when we all doze off to lala land, no.2 gets choked on his pheglm and the mambo starts all over again.  I'm knackered.  Seriously dying from exhaustion.  Can someone please give me an MC? help is scarce unfortunately. I'm still left to my own devices every morning till 2pm before i head off to work;  and even though mom is around to help on Mondays, she's really more of a trouble than help.  I'm always having to clean up her act after she leaves!  Be it diapers randomly thrown out or wet clothes dripping in my bathroom.  I seriously don't need this at the end of a long day. Where's the hub, you might ask?  Well,  after 3 weeks of being away,  he's finally home!  But he is constantly on standby which gives me the jitters and is due for a long haul again in early October. (this is true only at the point of publication). 

A mother's job is never done and because of this spate of virus, it's making me snap more often at Big K. As it is,  I'm already extremely guilty for not spending enough time with her and following up closely on homeschooling.  These days i just pick whatever's available and shove it to her, hoping i can get some peace for a mere 10minutes. I feel like I'm not doing much at the end of the day. I'd like to pen down my thoughts on my blog, but I would crash halfway after typing the first sentence or two. I would love to go on date nights with the hubs when he is in town, but it's either we are both held up at work or we had to rush back to pick the kids before the MIL goes berserk. I'd like to pack the house a little better and make it more like those featured on Apartment Therapy, but the thought of it being messed up the very next moment holds me back. In fact, the house is in such a mess, it's depressing. Toys strewned all over despite me teaching Big K how to put things in the bucket or at the very least shove everything to one side so that there's a wee bit of walking space. The hub unfortunately doesn't seem to care much. Stuff can be lying all over the place and he can be walking over them the entire day without picking 'em up. Issit just me being OCD and anal about tidiness? 

I'd like to clear more of my wardrobe and perhaps exchange more of them for money or simply donate to charity, but I can't. No time and the running nose was probably triggered by the fact that I was packing one night and all the dust got to me the second day. I would like to spring clean my computer which is oh-so-slow. In fact, i've done so much on the computer that it signaled to me that it was out of space the other day. Disk full, it says. Great. Just what I needed. I really need to get myself a new hard disk but even then, that is being held back coz I don't have the luxury of time to even go to the malls to get one! Trash everything you say? hmmm I'm quite a hoarder even on the technological front. I'm not sure about you but for me to hit on delete button for photos of my kids even though they are already on my hard disk n other computer and some on my phone, I simply can't do it! what if things crash on me suddenly and everything disappears? I needed more backup! I would like to cook more and experiment with more recipes like before, but these days, simple dishes are the way to go. Thankfully, the lil one is appreciating it. She just told me she likes mama's food the other day. I would like to take a day off and just busk in the sun or sit by the cafe with a good book, or go for a well deserved massage, but I can't. Well, i did try. Last Monday when Empress Dowager was around, i dashed out to do my grocery shopping. Walked by my favourite shop that says "back massage, 20minutes, $18". "I could do that", I thought. So, throwing all caution to the wind (yes, caution because I am very pressed for time), I went ahead. 10minutes into the massage, Dad called. Empress Dowager was panicking as Small K was screaming his head off and she thought i had forgotten to feed him! so yup, I had to cut things a little short and rush home. Nope, it wasn't that I was some irresponsible mother who forgot to feed the kid. Empress Dowager just couldn't handle two kids at a time. Note: half the time, Big K was entertained by my dad. I would like craft more and create beautiful things, but no beautiful thing can withstand the test of time and more importantly stand out in this messy house. I would like to finish a book within a day or two instead of having to read a page here or there during pockets of time. I don't even remember what I've read 5 minutes ago! I would like to be on top of things when it comes to homeschooling the lil bub. No doubt she goes to half day school, but i honestly think that I can do a better job and school is just a place for her to socialise whilst I head out to work. I would like to make new friends and attend events, but where can I find the time? It's always during working hours. I would like to keep up with old friends, but even having a conversation via watsapp isn't all that easy. I would like to expand Rhapnroll, but, ok i'm lazy. I'll be totally engrossed and that's not good. I can go on forever and that's just me. Poking my nose in every darn thing and seemingly very capable but honestly, I don't feel very smart as everything seems half achieved. The feeling is consuming me. Even blogging is taking a backseat. The amount of drafts I've amassed is crazy. 

3, close to 4months have passed and I think I've done a pretty darn good job at coping. 2 months into being a mother of 2 and I was off to work again. We've found our rhythm and this is how things look like on a typical day:

730am: Big K screams herself awake. I seriously don't get it. I am next to her and yet, she throws such a fit.
745am: Make milk for Big K after calming her down.
8am: Small K wakes up but I leave him to entertain himself in the crib
815am: Small K starts getting bored and wails for attention. Boob time.
830-915am: washing up (big K can be awfully slow when it comes to brushing her teeth. For that matter, she's always in slow mode) + breakfast time
930am: bathe Small K and play with him a bit whilst Big K has her free play
10am: Make Small K nap
1030am: Bathe Big K and start cooking lunch + pray that Small K doesn't wake up + entertain Big K with some activity. Yes, multitasking! can't help it as Big K will hanker me for an activity. 
1115am - noon: take lunch with Big K and pray that small K doesn't wake up that soon.
Often by now, Small K may wake up in fright and I'll have to calm him down again.
1230: make Big K nap and that involves carrying her and walking round the house like a lunatic. Yup, a bad habit coz everyone else was doing that since Day one. she will sleep on her own if she's with me, but that will probably take at least an hour. I don't have time for that hence i risk breaking my back and rock her to sleep.
1pm: Small K's boob time
115/ 130pm: Big K wakes up, has her milk and gets ready for school
130-145pm: sends Small K over to the MIL's place which is just within walking distance but bringing two kids along, plus the bottles of expressed breastmilk and my bags + Big K's bags. Oh man, it's really a test of strength and it's a juggling act at times.
215pm: arrival at school 
230pm: finally heading off to work. 
9pm: Off work. zoom home like an F1 driver especially if the hubs isn't in town. Hate that their sleep schedule gets screwed up. They need to be wound down by 830pm. Takes me an hour to get them to sleep. 
10+pm: dinner time and washing of bottles etc. That is provided I don't fall asleep with Big K. 
11pm: shower and expression of milk
midnight - I drift off to sleep: work/ Facebook
4/5am: expression of milk; sometimes I need to wake up twice for the same reason but often I'll snooze and wake up only when the cookies are near explosion.

That's how I deal with things every single day. It's rendering me breathless. No doubt very rewarding but I honestly wonder sometimes if I should just ease things a little n be a SAHM. Not saying that an SAHM is all easy job but at least I don't have to run things on a schedule and perhaps might feel a little happier. But the hubs probably will be vehemently against the idea. Weekends are a tad better as things don't really have to run on such strict schedule, but still, i need my sleep! I can't run on a million whys and my boobs, oh my dear cookies...they are on demand. To be honest, the boy is really good but the two take turns. Once I settled no.1, no.2 will ask for something. Sigh...i know it's a common complaint that 24hours isn't enough, but this is getting way ridiculous! This post took me 2 weeks to complete and now I'm well again however i simply can't be bothered to correct my tenses  for the first part of the entry. so, Pardon me!

Small K's Full Month Bash

WHAT?? Did you say that ma boy is already 3months old and I've yet to publish the post about his full month bash?! ARE YOU KIDDING ME? This is really efficiency at its peak! Time flies doubly fast with two in tow! Things are really intense on the forefront but I can't say the same on the blogging scene. I have tons of drafts hibernating!

Ok, throwback.......

We had a bash for the boy at the National Service Resorts Country Club 1.5mths after his birth. Yeah, I know, it was suppose to be a full month party but unfortunately, the man of the house is a bit of a procrastinator hence he was a tad late in booking the place. It was the school holiday period so one should really plan way in advance. However, it was tough to book way in advance coz we really didn't know when Small K will make his appearance to this world. Anywayz, fast forward, I managed to settle the decorations before i gave birth. Yes, i was that excited. Afterall, this might just be the last time I'm organising a full month party. Here's sharing some of the proud highlights of the party:

Printed these lovely bunters out and painstakingly cut and threaded them. Ok, it wasn't that tough actually. 

 

 The cupcake stand (above) and nautical spirals (below) were gotten a month before I popped. All from Oriental Trading. A much talked about centrepiece. 

  

Which party would be complete without a balloon?  Helium balloon sculptures are in vogue these days but i wasn't gonna spend good money on those.  That said, it is a little strange without balloons at a kids party so i sourced for the cheapest! The above nautical balloon is from www.partywholesale.com. was so thankful it's just round the corner from our place and we could self collect to save some dollars. Several places were charging $20-30 per delivery and I was so reluctant to top up for that considering that Singapore's such a small country!

Cupcake toppers made once again,  by yours truly :) compared:to what i did for Big K on terms of diys (which you can see here), this is NOTHING!

 

The yummilicious cupcakes were from Lynda Ann's. An unpretentious little bakery situated at Bedok North. (PS: LOVE LOVE LOVE their rainbow cake by the way)

 

The gifts for relatives were from Sweetest moments as they were the most value for money and had all the traditional stuff. Giving to relatives is a a tricky thing. As much as I love those new-style mochi or cupcake filled packages, the oldies wouldn't fancy such stuff. They would rather the red eggs, the glutinous rice and the ang gu kway. I did, however, got the thank you card specially designed, in sync with the theme. That, at least, gives it a modern twist.Printing of the card was complimentary.

Buffet from Smiling Orchid. Unlike the first time with Big K, we did two rounds of buffet this time. Reason being, the crowd was mightier. You see, during Big K's time, the MIL claimed that it isn't the family's tradition to hold such fancy parties hence there was no need to invite the extended family. (PS: she however invited her own siblings!) My FIL has a hoard of siblings. 7 i think, plus the hubby's cousins and all, it's really quite a kampong. I took her word for it, only to be surprised that all the cousins were throwing such parties thereafter! Imagine my embarrassment! Big K was afterall, the first grandchild of the family! So this time round, I didn't bother and just decided to invite the entire village...Small K is, afterall, the first grandSON of the family and by far the only male descendant of the entire clan of the generation. It doesn't look like we are getting any other males at the rate the rest are going ie either not getting married or not interested in having kids. So yeah, the FIL was delighted and started calling and sms-ing his siblings. It's not that I'm favouring boys over girls but I know, that the FIL is afterall a very traditional man.

So I catered high tea for an estimated crowd size of 60. But guess what? part of the kampong was probably misinformed and came with empty tummies, hence by 4pm (buffet started at 3pm), more than half the food was GONE! even drinks weren't enough! Can't blame me as there were groups of unexpected guests. You know, the friend of mom's...the aunty's children's children whom you have not seen in years and didn't even know they got married! Yup, all those were stuff I didn't anticipate. I should have, given that my first experience with the in laws wasn't too successful either. They couldn't give me numbers and it would be rude of me if I asked for a rsvp.  I did my own estimates, discussed with the hubs and we came up with the number which we thought was close. I guess not. Could tell that the MIL was a tad embarrassed by the situation as she asked if she could take the cupcakes from the fridge and serve it to her friends. Those cupcakes were actually reserved for friends and kids who were coming later as I thought sweets weren't quite the old folk's cup of tea. By then, the whole clan knew that things weren't enough and when I was giving out the cake packages, they even told me to keep it for my friends in case I had not enough!! EMBARRASSING right? I had to explain that those were specially ordered for them and i had ordered more than enough. 

We had round two for friends at 630pm. Back to back and i was almost flat! The turnout wasn't quite as overwhelming as some we're caught up with work,  overseas or have taken ill. But i had quite a good catch up with some old friends and was really glad they came to share our joy.

 My star of the day!

The boy was very coorporative. Cried only when he needed his feeds or when he was lonely. I couldn't say the same for the girl. She was a little emo that day. Wasn't her usual chirpy self. Instead, she refused to interact with the crowd, some of whom she was familiar with and only stuck with the grandpa and daddy, out by the garden. This could be due to the fact that she didn't take her nap earlier that day, or simply a case of jealousy. To date, she's sometimes still making things difficult for me when I'm attending to the little brother, especially when it's feeding time. She'll demand for her milk as well when she actually had hers half an hour ago!

She was all smiles whilst outdoors playing sand with the Daddy. Because of that, I was all alone entertaining the guests. I was like a headless bee flying around trying to handle 101 things. It was a madhouse especially when the guests left and I had to grab the gifts for them! I only have but one pair of hands right? Help unfortunately was scarce. 

A picture with the cousins! Can't tell we r years apart right?  Not sure if i should feel old or young when standing next to them.  Two r still students while I'm already a mother of two.

The boy woke up bright and cherry. He did pretty good in an unfamiliar environment.  Slept quite well,  waking up only once. Love his smiles every morning!

Although I was terribly tired by the end of it all, I was really happy that I managed to put together some memorable times. Only regret was I didn't get enough photos taken. Due to budget constraints, I could only get the cousin to take some shots with her DSLR. Not all the guests were involved as I had to bring her round and prompt her to take shots else it'd be pretty weird for her as well. N clearly I wasn't too free to do so. 

We were very blessed this round to be showered with a whole lot of ang baos and gifts. We would like to thank all our friends and relatives for the wonderful gifts and of course, to create this wonderful memory with us!

The world cup

Bun in the oven

Dear Friends, 

 

I've a very important announcement to make. This might come as a surprise to you. It's not easy to go through the nauseousness and sleepless nights again. Plus, with two kids already...but i'm gonna make it happen. Presenting..... my latest fruit of "labour", www.rhapnroll.blogspot.sg!

It's been more than 10 months of incubation, procrastination, nourishment and hard work. This is my 3rd baby and it's safely delivered via technological birth.

Suspense suspense... thx for all the congratulatory notes/ texts but I'm not pregnant again la guys! hahaha The lil man at hm is only 2mths+ n the old man, well, he's not even in SG half the time! I would be either crazy/ super efficient at manufacturing babies if this were to be true!

Why, u might ask?
I love torturing myself and making myself busier as if there hasn't been enough on my plate. I love crafting and it keeps me sane to be doing something totally unrelated to parenting. No seriously, it is to fund my kids' education. So on behalf of my two beautiful children, I thank you!

It would be lovely and i'll deeply appreciate if you could help support by LIKING and SHARING my FB page over at https://www.facebook.com/rhapnroll. Spread the rhapsody to your relatives and mommy friends! Please take your time to browse through my humble shop (www.rhapnroll.blogspot.sg) and start creating enduring memories by ordering from me TODAY or at least help spread the news to your friends before i unfriend you! (haha ok, kidding!)

xoxo

 

 

Under the sea birthday party

Issit just me or has birthday parties just taken a whole new level?  These days,  birthdays are no longer the simple sit down with the immediate family type. It's so so elaborate! Balloon sculptures, party favours, 3d birthday cakes which cost a bomb, dessert tables, photobooths and more! Wow! Overwhelming seriously! Does the kid even know it's his birthday? Does he even know the significance?  Parents are splurging so much these days on such events that it seems to be becoming norm. But, sorry babies,  mummy isn't gonna throw u such elaborate parties. not until u are 21 at least.  And even then, back then, i merely had a bbq with booze to celebrate the crossover to the next level. 

Anyhoots, we attended our first elaborate birthday party over the weekend. It was her classmate's. N to house such a huge party with such attendance (there must be at least 50pax), you'll need not one, but two houses. Note, it's HOUSES. Yup, I was told that the adults' buffet was right at the back. I headed behind and came to the kitchen which i thought was the back and hence a deadend. No sign of any buffet. A check with the maid and she pointed ahead - cross the swimming pool that has a hugeass octopus balloon sculpture, into the NEXT house where there were MORE guests!

Disco lights at this age? Hmmm..who wants to dance with me? :)

The kids' buffet spread.

The kids' dessert table. But the hubs ended up snacking too! haha

That hugeass octopus in the pool dividing the two houses.

Add caption

Making herself at home.

hmmm what's that behind? I really love it that she's looking very good in dresses these days! Finally she's fitting into her 12mth old outfits nicely! I don't have to alter them anymore! yay!

Forgot to buy a card, so made one very quickly and got Big K involved too!

Review on Studio Loft

Ever since I was pregnant with Big K, I had always wanted to do an infant shoot. Never had a chance coz the hub said it was a waste of money and that he could do the same job with a DSLR. So we borrowed a DSLR from a friend but hardly used it. Bleah. Instead, I did a maternity shot and dragged a very unwilling hubby along. The result: Marvellous. 

This time, I insisted. I jumped the gun before i told the hubs. Paid for everything and informed him. He just had to appear and lend a hand. Period. So naturally he had nothing to complain right? No. The shoot was supposedly to start at 10am and according to the photographers, it should take approximately 2 to 3hours. But wow wee, we ended at a whopping 230pm! By then, the nanny and all of us were hungry and the baby was throughout extremely fussy and cranky. No amount of latching could get him to be in deep sleep. And if he wasn't in deep sleep, photography wasn't possible as the poses were pretty challenging. Somehow, it's in the genes that my kids don't sleep that well. So ya, the hubs wasn't too pleased and said I was torturing my kid. Big K wasn't at her best that day as well. Totally uncoorperative, not wanting to do a family shot, instead, was roaming around. The father, instead of entertaining and keeping an eye on her, was on his phone, playing his silly games. Again.

Ops, have I digressed? The post is supposed to be on Studio Loft itself! Ok. So I liaised with them over email and throughout, the owner and one of the resident photographer, Maryann, was seemingly friendly. Or at least professional in her emails. Thus I signed up a package with them. Only then was I told that I had to top up $150 should i want the shoot to be done in my abode. hmm...I wasn't too keen on bringing the kiddo out at 2weeks old and I know for sure the old foggies at home would complain but well, to save a bit, plus over at the studio they'd have heaps of props, so I decided to risk it and bring the bub to the studio. 

So we arrived and was greeted with a very lukewarm welcome if any at all. They did not even acknowledge our presence or confirm my name. I was pretty lost as to what was to be done. Small K was naturally dressed his best, but was later told by Maryann in a matter-of-fact way that he shouldn't be wearing anything and that they would have corresponded that to me. I swear that was not told to me for it it was, i would be thinking they are MAD to want me to bring a naked baby to them. I mean, during the journey there, naturally the kid has got to be clothed right? Thereafter, there were heaps of fusses and Small K peed on me. Along the way, he pooped too and the photographer in charged seemed a tad impatient. Fortunately, another lady came along. A really nice and young girl who seems to have heaps of experience with infants. She was really patient and patted my boy who was really comfortable in her arms. But the moment he was placed down, the wailing began. I suggested that I latched him and try to put him down. I did and they went down for Lunch! Wow! how unprofessional right? Imagine, I'm way hungry and there you are, eating? The moment I managed to get Small K into position, i had to wave furiously for their attention coz the whole gang was having a feast down there. Along the way, as I was waiting, some of the staff (including the boss) were actually baking in my presence. Interesting i'd say but i can't say all that much about professionalism. 

Overall, the feeling I got from the team was insincere (except for the nice lady who kept carrying Small K and talking to him patiently) and aloof attitude, perhaps because they have more than enough business or that I'm not a big fish. Needless to say, when I left, the team did not even send me off with a proper goodbye. 

One thing i like however was their decor of the place. You gotto love their style. Wish my house were like this. The pictures also turned out really nice. but then again, most infant shoots these days are more or less similar. Oh well, once in a lifetime. Enjoy the photos:

Yup, this was the area right in front of the waiting area for guests, where Maryann was baking. Not sure what was the image they are portraying. Homely? I thought so, coming from a mother of two. But that certainly wasn't the feeling I was getting the moment i stepped into the place.

Breastfeeding journey (part 1): Got Milk?

 Is tough.  I'm not kidding you.  I used to think it's a breeze and that as long as you are a woman,  it should come naturally and latching is simply the way to go as it's so hassle free! Just plop the little bugger and off he goes to lala land.  Well, at least that was what happened for Big K. Despite being a horrid sleeper (if you are one of the lucky ones who has a baby who sleeps through the night, don't gloat! Babies change every single day! ), all I needed to do was to drag myself out of bed, shove my nipples in, give her a bit of milk and comfort and I'm off for my 1.5 hour nap before the next feed time. 

So why is it so different this time? Well, for starters, Small K is a milk monster! His voracious appetite has led the nanny into thinking that my supply isn't enough and maybe I had to supplement with formula!  That's only Day 2 of his arrival!  Horrors! Whilst milk powder isn't poison, I would certainly appreciate if time was given to my cookies to warm up and produce more!  Plus, at that point, producing 60ml on average was actually very decent and sufficient for an infant that young.  Everyday it was a battle to stop the nanny from using that emergency tin which the hub bought to mediate the situation.  It feels as if the heart has been stabbed a million times when I check on the tin and the levels go down day by day. Clearly,  this cantankerous woman was just carrying out her SOP (standard operating procedure) as a nanny.  The old school believes that formula makes a child fuller hence will be able to sleep longer and better.  Utter rubbish. There's no scientific proof! Plus i keep hearing Small K scream in the middle of the night, in a span of an hour. I tried to convince her of the matter but she was adamant and if looks could kill, I would have died there and then. So yeah, throughout those 25 days, Small K took in half a small tin of soy milk. Why soy you might ask? Well, firstly it's in case the lo has any allergy towards cow's milk. I wouldn't wana risk it. Soy is better digested by the body and apparently according to a certain tcm, it's good for the brains too!

Anyhow,  this time I really had to squeeze out every single drop, bash my boobies and risk those chocolate chips from dropping off! On top of that, at night,  I'll wake up every 2 to 3 hourly to express milk for the little one. Pumping frequently helps to increase supply.  Or so they say.  However, my supply has been increasing at sloth's pace. I've tried everything -- fenugreek, fennel, extra virgin coconut oil,  brewer's yeast and power pumping which takes up a lot of my time and you know how precious time is for a mother.  The supply has increased from 60ml (wk 2) to 120ml at best (wk3). Now at wk 4, i could peak at 150ml. Hey that's not bad actually! But the little monster's appetite is increasing exponentially and he's probably was taking in 100ml or more. So it was a marathon and i was playing catch up. I was unable to build a store then as each time when I managed to pump an extra bottle or two in the day, it would be used up by evening as the nanny would top up secretly each time after my latch, claiming that breastmilk isn't filling, that after a pee, a fart or a poop, the breastmilk is gone. Wow, it's like breastmilk is in gaseous state! She was simply forcing my son into a food coma that's what she's doing! Everyday I hear her telling me that if the boy doesn't sleep,  she can't do stuff.  Why do I want an infant to sleep 24/7??? Plus,  haven't she heard of the wonder weeks? Kids go through milestones every other week! 

Fast forward, I've learnt to ignore and turn a blind eye with regards to the nanny as after she left,  I hit the reset button. However,  that day, I was hit by the three Ds: Discouraged, Disappointed and Depressed.  Not by her,  but by the one who is closest to me and should be most supportive of my breastfeeding journey.  Yes, it's the hubby. I was mentioning to him that I will like to breastfeed Small K for as long as I can as there's so much goodness in it as manifested in Big K. She hardly falls ill and when she does,  it's mild and she recovers fast. I attribute these to my persistence in breastfeeding her for 15 months.  I told the man I wanted to set myself a target of more than 15 months this time.  His reply was curt. He questioned me of my motives and said he wants his son to be chubby and sleep well.  Hrmph. So much for being an educated degree holder! He kept demeaning my supply and said I won't able to catch up with my little milk monster's demand.  Why not I asked?  The yield has shown that I'm matching up well albeit having to go through an arduous track.

I know i had to turn a blind eye and a deaf ear to all these insensitive, uneducated people (which happens to be the entire kampung to be honest, sans for my own parents who are supportive in all ways). However, for now I can't help that my hormones are going haywire. Emo.

below is an example of how crazy the nights can get:

330am feeding & burping

4am u decided to poop thus I've to change u

415am apparently the excretion process made u hungry again

420am fed a lil more 

430-445am pat to sleep

445-510am pumping in action

515am you decided things aren't too comfortable n decided to wail. No amount of coaxing n singing could make u sleep

530am time for next feed

540am eyes wide opened refusing to sleep. Great.

Oh well,  such is life.  Anyways here were some of the stuff I had done to up my supply:

I swore by green papaya soup previously but according to the nanny,  peanuts pig trotter soup is suppose to help as well

Look at all the supplements!  Ok I don't take them all at once in case you are wondering. It's crazy isn't it? Well, all in a day's work for a mooing mother. It really takes great perseverance in this breastfeeding gig with the initial pains in latching for new mommies and cracked and sore nipples for others. I recall having strawberry milk during my first few pumps for Big K. All thank to rough handling by the nurses who unsympathetically turned on the pump to its highest! what was she thinking? Was she trying to get my chocolate chips to drop off?!

A newborn baby has only three demands. They are warmth in the arms of its mother, food from her breasts, and security in the knowledge of her presence. Breastfeeding satisfies all three! So to all breastfeeding mommies out there, do your best and don't be defeated! To all breastfeeding wanabes, Good Luck and be prepared to face all adversities!