Schedule

Assalamualaikum.

Hi. Sorry for the long hiatus. I meant to write a whole load of everything but tsk tsk, I am too busy with my finals!

As most of you have probably known, I have 2 milk sons, (they are twins by the way) and I already changed my pumping schedule from 3 hourly to 2 hourly basis. It's just because I want to spend more time lazing around in the evening so I would just pump at night when Ahmad is sleeping longer than usual.

Each session would last 20-30 minutes. I use Excel spreadsheet for my schedule so with the magic of formulae, tadaaaa...

Owh I DID pass out last week hahahah... seriously funny to think back but then, I have to make sure I am healthy for the sake of my kids.

Anyways... speaking of the hurdles in breastfeeding. One of my juniors back in the uni said my posts about breastfeeding were hurtful as if moms who opt for formula feeding were bad mommies. Looking back at my posts, my concern was on G6PD Deficient babies, as they cannot simply be fed with any formulated milk.

So I kind of tell people that we don't really know when we need help, or just don't know where to get help, but don't just go and tell people owh how easy their breastfeeding journey was because they were able to produce enough milk for their kids. Boy, you really don't know what you are dealing with. I have to pump 7-8 times a day just to make sure my milk supply is enough to feed 3 sons. They are all exclusively breastfed, which means they have not been introduced to solid food yet. So imagine the milk intake? Yes. All milk and no food.

People may be judgmental towards us breastfeeding moms. All they could see was the milk stock worth hundreds of ounces. If only they know how much effort to produce those. Even I have enough milk, I'd still cry if my milk spilled or I forgot to keep my EBM in the fridge, only to realise it the next day - spoiled.

My advice to mommies out there, if you feel down and your breastfeeding journey is not going well, get help. Be firm with your decision. And if everything does not work out, then accept it with pride. Allah knows best. It is not the end of the world. You could still opt for other mothers' milk. But knowing the typical kepochi makciks - all their concern about is "NANTI TERKAHWIN SESAMA ADIK BERADIK SUSUAN".

Pfft... with all the means of media, WhatApp, Facebook, this is all your concern about???!!!

Fickle minded and being judgemental too! 

Ok, gotta get back to work. To those who wish to breastfeed or still breastfeeding, I pray that your journey is smooth sailing or at least you stand firmly by the decision made - to breastfeed as long as it takes.

Until then. ;)

Kisah Cemas

Semalam EL.

Kisahnya 2 hari lepas, 25 November. Balik lepas ambik anak-anak, masuk rumah switch on semua kipas dan lampu.

Eh. Apesal tak menyala semua ni. Ah sudah. Check Main switch box. Takde suis tendang pun?

Terus meluru ke post box. Sah. Ada love letter berwarna pink melambai-lambai. Bukak. Katanya ada tunggakan RM117. 

I was like. Wait. Tak bayar bil ke? Terus call husband. Tak dapat. Sedih. Marah. Panik. Bercampur baur segala. Kata surat arahan pemotongan tu 19 November 2014. Ini baru sampai pastu terus potong??? Apakah maknanya ini semua TNB???? *maki-makian dalam hati*

Check fridge, EBM stock dah start defrosting. Bukak deep freezer, campak segala EBM dari freezer biasa ke situ. Anggaran potongan elektrik sekitar 4pm.

Tunggu husband at the usual spot he plays football petang-petang. Anak dah mengamuk-ngamuk dalam kereta. Finally husband balik ke kereta. Terkejut tengok kitorang ada kat situ. I handed him the letter.

Dah bayar okeh. Dalam bil takde tulis pun tunggakan bila-bila. We paid recently on 29th October. Aku punyalah cuak. Sambil menangis. Bad mood terus. I totally blamed husband for not paying.(okayyy my bad. ye la kan, dia yang bayar bil haha)

Called TNB. Ringing, no answer. Call TNB careline. Tak berjawab. I cried like mad. Buckets, even. Dalam kepala duk fikir apalahhhh nasib EBM ratus-ratus tu. Anak-anak susuan. Ahmad.

Pagi-pagi dah terpacak depan TNB. Bayar tunggakan segala. Kata nak on power supply. Tunggu.

Pukul 10 tak sampai lagi. Called TNB balik. Katanya dah arahkan pukul 9.40am. Ok, tunggu.

Pukul 11.30am tak sampai lagi! Aku dah nangis macam orang gila. Lalu tepi DF dah nampak air mengalir. Pujuk hati. Takut nak bukak sebab nanti dibuatnya lebih cepat mencair..? Updated my friends. Asked opinions on Facebook. Called TNB Putrajaya. Nangis lagi. Encik TNB tu sampai bagi nombor subcon yang sambung semula tu lagi. Punyalah nak tolong kan.

Turns out ada kawan 2-3 orang kena perkara serupa. TNB kata tak bayar, in fact dah bayar. True enough, memang takde dalam bil pasal overdue charges ke apa kan.

Handphone pulak battery dah nyawa-nyawa ikan, Switch off mobile data. Sent SMS to my sis. Asked her to call 15454. TNB cakap before 1.30pm akan sambung.

12.30pm. Belum sampai. Aku bukak DF. Frost dah start tertanggal dari wall DF. EBM masih beku. Battery handphone 1%.

At last, pukul 1pm, datanglah seorang encik menaiki kapchai. Sambung socket kat luar. Terus charge handphone. Menangis gembira. Dan ordered pizza with extreme cheese. Dari nak datang ofis sudahnya EL sebab dah tak daya layan trauma.

Yang paling nak marah time tunggu TNB reconnect tu, husband cakap

"Relax lah... Pegi je ofis." I went berserk.

"Ingat senang ke nak kumpul banyak tu? Dalam meeting pump. Tengah drive pump. 7-8 kali sehari pump. Penat tau tak???" *insert crying like mad here*

Petang semalam husband bawak balik ice cream satu tub. Makan puas hati dengan Amna.

Peh. Bab stock susu jangan dipandang enteng ye encik-encik suami. Memang boleh jadi rasukan ablasa.

My EBM stock survived 20 hours of no power supply.

Sekian cerita aku.

Down

Current feeling?

DOWN.

Came early to work just now, only to find that I left the breast pump connectors (together with the shield) AT HOME. Sungguh baiklah Amna handed me the connector to be kept but then I am the one to be blamed sebab LUPAAAAAAA!!!

Now I am dreading nak balik. Now have to marmet dulu. Adoi.



Updated:

Settled marmet for approximately 20 minutes and I got 2.5oz. My hands are shivering - I guess due to fasting (over the weekend I marmet 4.0oz in 20 minutes). Yeay me.

Sorotan Sepanjang Minggu

1. Anak OKU terabai disangka mayat.

Tak boleh nak digest okeh cerita ni! Whatever it is, I reserve my comments on this matter sebab nak elakkan fitnah.

2. Kereta dilarikan perompak - termasuk anak 9 tahun dan 3 bulan di hadapan rumah pengasuh.

Lesson: JANGAN tinggal anak dalam kereta. Enjin hidup ke enjin mati ke angkut je lah semua. Hence I bought TWO soft-structured carrier untuk angkut kesemua anak-anak dari dan ke kereta. Anak dah boleh berjalan sila pimpin ye. Although they came back safely, still, mishaps are about to happen anytime. Be EXTRA careful.

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3. My pumping schedule :D

Keep pumping religiously y'all! No pain no gain. But since A LOT of effort done in making sure the stock is sufficient, I treat EBM like gold. So you can see the stock is 740oz already. Wayyyyy better than those days where my stock was around 400oz in the 4th month.

Do your own schedule. Lain orang lain schedule ye. Now I stick to pumping 2-hourly. Power pumping works too ;)

Preferences and References

This morning I woke up late. Usually I'd wake up at 4.30 am or 5.00 am for the first pumping session but nayyyyy... I slept late last night due to finishing up my assignments T___T

So I was  done with the first session at 8 am. 7oz. Not bad. Supposedly 10oz. But we'll compensate that in 2 hours' time (it means now hehe).

Last night was hectic. I was lone with 2 kids at home. I tandem-nursed my kids - a form of bribery for Amna actually ahahahahahahahaaa~ Well she threw her tantrums like nobody's business! I had to use a method to pacify her - and breastfeeding works wonders hahahahahaha *tak bersalah langsung*

Due to yesterday's emergency (the one that I had to send extra EBM), I packed 2oz x 8 bottles for Ahmad today. So overall is 16oz. I do hope he drinks them all. Growth spurt is good, but then there's always this unexpected thing happens - your baby tiba-tiba jadi cranky, kembung perut etc. No, not Ahmad but he poops twice daily now. So much for digesting the milk eh?

Current stock: 650oz.

Why I make fuss on numbers? I am planning to get another milk baby. Whenever I tell this to my office mates (more to subordinates actually) they have this kind of weird face expressions (which you know they don't agree on such thing). Really? You'd rather give your baby formula milk, then be it. I'd rather give away my milk because there is nothing can be compared to breastmilk. It's natural. it has all the nutrients that your baby needs. Formulated milk us just man-made with over the top claims - menyambungkan sel-sel otaklah, lebih berzatlah, all those loadful of bs.

Source: Breastfeeding Mama Talk

So compare them for yourself.  :)

Breastfeeding is sunnah. Need I say more?

Growth Spurt

Baru balik hantar EBM kat Ahmad.

The nanny Whatsapp-ed me at 12.30pm, informing me that they ran out of EBM and Ahmad was feeding on the last bottle of EBM when I called. I was pumping that time so I guess I would just send the fresh EBM. But wait, 2 botol je mana cukup.

Singgah rumah on the way. Thawed the remaining 3oz frozen EBM (separuh dah guna untuk this morning) and all together 4 bottles of EBM. Usually I prepared 2oz x 7 bottles of chilled and thawed EBM for the nursery. And since yesterday, Ahmad managed to finish 6 bottles. The last bottle (chilled EBM), hantar untuk 1st feeding session (I put number on the bottle caps 1-10, and today I ran out of numbers LOL).

Yes, growth spurt. Some mommies who are unable to produce enough milk stock would dread on growth spurt, but alhamdulillah, I have abundance. It's just that I prefer fresh/chilled EBM rather than giving frozen ones. But hey, Ahmad jenis tak kisah, although he made faces tapi telan jugak 4-5 botol when I left him with my mom during my class.

To mommies out there, breastfeeding is a journey that you will treasure for life. memang awal-awal tu susah, but once you get the hang of it, it's easy peasy. Panaskan EBM sambil pejam mata je. My toddler, Amna tak nak EBM. Geli - perhaps yang dulu-dulu punya EBM tengik so she refuses to take any milk in a feeding bottle (dah transfer dalam cawan pun tak nak -__-). What you have to do is keep pumping. I pump at least 5 times a day. So balik rumah tandem nurse + pumping at 6pm (usually Ahmad sleeps at whenever I fetch him) and if I am so rajin, I will pump at 9pm/10pm.

My target is simple. I want to make sure I will be able to provide more fresh/chilled EBM everyday. At least 4 out of 7 bottles. Set your target. Banyak stock tu tak penting. Yang penting, your milk is enough for your baby. Ada lebih baru masuk freezer ok?

:)

Babies' Product - Mimijumi and Yoomi Bottle

Assalamu'alaykum!

Masa untuk buat list pembelian barangan bayi. Semalam EL - tak boleh berjalan huhuhu... sakit sangat area pangkal peha tu jadi tak boleh nak bangun dari katil. Nak pergi clinic takde orang nak hantarkan - Encik Rezalman terpaksa stay back kat office siapkan tender T__T. Jadi habiskan masa browsing je kat rumah sambil reply emails office yang tidak berkesudahan tu. Ni namanya dah sampai phase berjaga-jaga sebab anytime from now dah boleh pergi hospital *freaks out*

Mengimbau kembali pengalaman beli bottle, paling mahal bottle pernah beli untuk Amna dulu ialah Mimijumi 8oz bottle. Perghhhh harga menggegar jiwa. RM87! Beli online from One Baby World (yelah dalam pantang online shopping jelah kerjanya haha). Last-last Amna minum je pakai teat NUK. Hahaha.... By 11 months old dia dah weaned off from bottles and start minum pakai sippy cup saja.

Review:

• Super cute packaging! Macam milk carton, but in red.
• Mimics the mother's breasts, bolehlaaaa :P
• Flow is kind of laju sebab masa feed Amna tu, susu meleleh ke tepi. Bila balik ambik Amna, telinga dia rasa melekit. Meaning susu tu meleleh nyaris-nyaris masuk telinga wuhuhuhuhu~
• Latex teats (harga RM45 satu kalau beli yang spare - I know, nangissss)

Source: babyrecs.com

Mimijumi Very Hungry Bottle (8oz bottle)
Source: One Baby World

Semalam duk browse tiba-tiba ternampak bottle Yoomi ni. Canggih siottttt... Masalahnya kalau beli, nanny kat taska tu reti ke guna? Tak pasal-pasal kang botol susu mahal rosak gitu je - just like what happened to Medela bottles masa mula-mula hantar Amna dulu sebab pegi rendah air panas menggelegak. Dahla dalam tu isi EBM T__T

5oz Feeding System
Source: Cilix Store

8oz Feeding System
Source: Cilix Store

So nak try ke tak Yoomi ni ye? Nak jugak experiment dengan gadgets ni haha (ingat lelaki je ke ada gadget canggih, nursing moms pun ada okeh!).

Kira kat Cilix Store ni jual lagi murahla dari kedai-kedai online yang lain. Ada yang saya tengok jual RM140 for 8oz feeding set (katanya save RM19.90). Tapi bila tengok kat Cilix Store ni harganya RM129, and free shipping! Hohohohoho~

So, ada yang nak bagi hadiah ni ke untuk Baby A? Koh koh kohhhhh.... Dalam pantang lepas settle aqiqah semua dan bayar hutang, ibu belikan ye, insha Allah. Wahaheiiii...

Owh, ada satu lagi feeding bottle yang berkenan di hati - Adiri. Tapiiiiii Adiri ni takde kat Malaysia, only certain stores yang ada jual and the price ofkoslah mahal. Jadi kena beli from international online store. Bolehlah belek-belek kalau rasa nak beli atau pesan dengan kawan-kawan yang duk kat Indonesia from this Baby Mother Care website :D

Idaman Kalbu - Thank You Abang! :D

Yang ditunggu dah tiba!! Lambat sampai sebab guna GDex courier. Bermasalah sungguh GDex ni. Imagine dari Bangi nak ke Putrajaya ambik masa 5 hari! Nasib baik dah sampai semalam.

Saya beli dengan Ajasu My Breastpump Shop. Fara la yang mula-mula kenalkan Aja ni - that was 2 years ago. I bought my Medela Harmony with Aja, I decided to order the Freestyle (FS) from her too. Recommended. After sales service adalah sangat tip to! After the warranty ended, boleh service dengan Aja, with some payment, provided that you bought the pump from her shop. The best part is, she will substitute your pump with the same pump that you have while having yours fixed or serviced.

The first pump I bought was Spectra 3, from a friend who owns an online shop. After a while, it felt that the suction did not suit me well. So I decided to get a manual pump instead - hence the Harmony pump. Manual-manual pun gigihhhh pump siang malam untuk penuhkan deep freezer hehe... So this FS is my third pump la :D

Aja's selling price is RM1699 + RM35 for postal = RM1734. Boleh ansuran, boleh kutu and boleh pay RM1734 tu sedebuk (mesti menabung dah lama hehe).

Saya pilih Package 2 = dapat 20 Bumble Bee bottles! So tak payah risau-risau lagi nak beli storage bottle for Baby A nanti :D

Tadaaa~  Bungkusan keramat ituuuu :D

Semangat buat pouch untuk motor FS tu heheheheh~
Terasa begitu poyo sekali :P
Please ignore the stitches - gedik nak cepat siap sudahnya huduh gila.

Berminat nak beli? So visit her blog. For the mean time, Aja's away, performing her umrah so keep notified with her updates ok? :D

*semangat nak beli milk liners pulak*

Ye Ke??

A friend, who is a peer counsellor from a lactation body told me that counsellors are not supposed to promote breast pumps - they would suggest marmet (hand expression) as the best way. They even took oath on that.

BUT.

I see MANY LCs and PCs sell breast pumps, and also galactagogues - which I think they do not hold to the oath. They do make mothers think that they need galactagogues. Haih. Penat tau.

So where's the natural part of breastfeeding? Ingat semua orang mampu beli supplements ke? Ingat sikit, mak-mak kita dulu menyusu anak makan benda yang mudah diperolehi je. Yang penting, minum air biar cukup.

Sedih tau. Ramai mak-mak rasa if they don't eat this or drink that, their milk have no quality whatsoever. Sedangkan apa yang mak-mak makan tak mempengaruhi kualiti susu pun. Dan susu tak pernah berkurangan pun kualiti. Supplement is for health. Badan sihat, ceria, barulah susu tak merudum kan? Dan datang rasa rajin mengepam. kalau sakit sape larat nak angkat pam kan. Lainlah cerita kalau EP moms - they have to no matter what - kalau tak, anak nak minum susu apa ye dok?

Ni ada satu keluaran baru galactagogue oleh beberapa LC - katanya memperbaiki tekstur dan kualiti susu. APEKEHAL??? *facepalm*

Dosa tak buat description begitu walaupun diorang dah tau tekstur susu ibu sama je bergantung pada badan masing-masing? Hm?

What Chocolate Drink?

Cerita baru.

Saya tengok satu fenomena di mana most Lactation Cousellors akan meniaga - tak kiralah meniaga apa jua pun. Dan semakin jarang saya lihat mereka comment di KIM (big shots la biasanya) or offer advice service etc. Eh, don't get me wrong. Tak salah pun berniaga. Rasulullah pun menggalakkan ummatnya berniaga :). It's good actually.

Baru-baru ni satu syarikat yang pemiliknya LC tiba-tiba buat trivia dengan sejenis jenama galactagogues ni. I was like "Hmmm?". Bukan nak memikirkan yang negatif, but mothers would tend to think - oooowwwwhhhh minum yang ni la bagus nak tambah susu - without learning the real Demand and Supply principles. 

Soalannya berbunyi:

"When can breast milk be eliminated from baby's diet?"

6 months

8 months

10 months

12 months

Ada one of my friend jawab "None of the above. He/she should be given breast milk until he/she weans off naturally".

Yelah, kang ada orang fikir macam - Ohhhh lepas 6 bulan dah tak payah bagi susu ibu. WRONG. Kalau nak breastfeed biarlah sehingga 2 tahun. Why susah-susah nak beli susu formula ni kan? Berkhasiat sangat ke? Dahla processed milk, and we all know Allah's creation is the best. Manusia tak boleh duplicate mahupun seakan-akan. Mesti ada kekurangan punya.

Dahla. Malas nak melalut. Walaupun LC tu baik, tapi mesti ada mak-mak yang ingat bagi susu ibu patut 6 bulan je pastu boleh sumbat susu paling mahal di pasaran. Hello, susu ibu tak ternilai okeh. It's like magic. Susu formula takde antibody. Tu punnnnn sibuk makcik-makcik kat ceruk sinun suruh mak-mak bagi formula milk dan makan NESTUM. Cis. 

Sekian rentetan Ramadhan.

Breastfeeding and Fasting

Ohoiii lamanya tak bersiaran!

Lately busy dengan i1Legacy. Banyak tasks ni nak kena delegate. Tak menang tangan. Puasa? Alhamdulillah ok walaupun semalam adalah tak bersahur akibat terbangun lambat. Dah cerah tanah baru bangun. Nasib baik tergerak nak makan naan cheese tengah-tengah malam hehehehe...

Puasa kali ini adalah sangat best! Hari-hari husband masak. Amna makan banyakkkk... Suka sangat makan nasik. Ibu tukang suap je heheheheh~ Kena jaga pemakanan jugak sebab tak nak la gedempol kan. Kang kena BSP lagi huhuhuhuhu~

Ada cerita baru tapi kita cerita next week ye. Hahahahahahahahahahaa~ Yang penting, Encik Rezalman akan belikan saya Medela Freestyle! Heheheheheh... Ingat tau abang! :D

Sekian. :P

Welcome To My World :)

Been busy lately.

As the demand for the infographics is higher, I seldom update my blog. Less words these days. And busy with Amna too. She also demands my attention, and she's my priority. Gosh she's so clingy these days and quite a cryer too. Tak nampak ibu, nangis. Ibu nak pegi toilet pun kena keep the toilet door ajar so that she could see me or I could know her whereabouts.

Yes, that's a life of a mom. when you have extra jobs to do, you have to manage your time smartly.

So here's the infographic I made for the Kelab Mak-Mak Garang. Hope you guys get the benefit from it. And don't forget to credit back to the page. Sharing without crediting is a cyber crime, and most of us are unaware of this.

Yes, this is my life. A working wife, a mother, a breastfeeding advocate and an art enthusiast :P

(c) Kelab Mak-Mak Garang 2013

#Fact

1. Infographics makes information easier to digest because it stimulates the brain.
2. People prefer colourful presentation, especially interactive ones.
3. Too much words and no pictures is boring.

That's art of presentation ;)

Breastfeeding - Preparing For Ramadhan

Hasil kerjasama Angah Haslina, Kay Ames dan Noor Hidayah Mohd Nasir :)
Credit goes to Kelab Mak-Mak Garang

Breastfeeding - Managing Your Deep Freezer (Chest Type)

A friend from the old division called. Fariz. He asked for tips on buying deep freezer for his wife, Huda. Alhamdulillah. She's been stocking up EBM and planning to make sure that she fully breastfeeds her daughter :). The first child, a son, didn't get to breastfeed fully so I guess people are getting aware of the benefits of breastfeeding :)

I did give him tips on the deep freezer. With the range of price from RM500-RM650, usually what you get is a deep freezer that is NOT frost-free. Unless you bought an upright deep freezer (which is more costly, but very convenient with drawers - don't have to bend over and rummaging through piles of EBM).

I have been using the freezer for a year now and the frost-forming is controllable. I own an Faber brand with 100L capacity. Here are some tips for you to lessen the frost build up in your freezer (and you don't have to hack the frost every month hehe) and how to make sure your BEM is easy to find (especially for those who have loads of them)

1. Freeze your EBM in flat position so that when they've frozen up, it's easy for you to arrange them. Saves A LOT of space too.
2. Arrange your EBM in boxes/big plastic bag according to the months. And tag in  BIG LETTERS if you must. Personally I prefer in boxes. I ransacked the unused A4 or toner catridge boxes at the office. Smart eh? :D
3. Keep the deep freezer full. Empty freezers will make frost build up quicker. Less air = less condensation = less frost.
4. Less opening a deep freezer helps a lot. Make only 1 trip max per day.
5. Arrange for First In First Out (FIFO) - the older ones should stay on top. Arrange smartly of you'll get lost amidst the stacks of frozen EBM - very tiring and time consuming.
6. Do not mix your EBM with groceries. If it's only ice cream or ice cubes, or baby's frozen puree, it's ok. We want to make sure less risk of contamination.

Anything that I miss? Hmmm... Can't think of any now. Will update soon :)

Breastfeeding - Skema Jawapan Bagi Ibu Baru

Dah makin serabut KIM ni lately. Sebab tu saya menyediakan skema jawapan seperti berikut:

saya nak bagi skema jawapan jugak untuk soalan ni

susu sikit bila pump? masih dalam pantang?

jawapan :

standard. bayi selama 9 bulan duduk dalam rahim, warm, cosy n sempit. tiba2 lahir, wah! luasnya dunia. jadi dia ambik masa nak adjust dengan persekitaran baru. yang dia familiar hanyalah ibu dan suara ibu. so baby ni cerdik. dalam dia nak adjust tu dia nak ibu peluk, ibu dakap... hangatttt macammm dalam rahim. dan dia tau dia dapat pelukan dan dakapan sedemikian bila MENYUSU sahaja.

perut baby kecik. besar 5 sen je. or smaller. cepat kenyang. dan cepat LAPAR BALIK sebab susu ibu tersangatlah MUDAH HADAM.

bila baby dah mengempeng dan lapar setiap 2 jam, maka bila mengepam jadi sikit je.

susu cair bila pump?

tu namanya foremilk, mengandungi lebih air. sebabtu kena susukan anak at least 10 minit sebelah. then baru akan dapat hindmilk, lebih pekat dan mengandungi lemak.

pengalaman saya :

mengepam dalam pantang max dapat 2oz je. kalau setengah jam pump, 1oz. kadang2 0.5 oz. tu tak masuk lagi stress sebab jahitan tertetas, pantang jauh dari family sendiri (manja, biasala haha), first time mommy yang taktau nak buat apa bila baby asyik nangis malam2. (so saya pun selalu google n jenguk KIM untuk baca tips dari other mommies)

suggestion :
jadi jangan bimbang. pump bila baby tido atau tandem nursing. it helps. pemakanan seimbang juga penting. kerap mengepam. dalam pantang digalakkan buat stock sikit2 supaya senang nak masuk keje nanti, ada la backup sikit, takla panic. bila dah masuk keje nanti baby tak df kan. masa itula pun nak pump dengan schedule yang tetap.

stay hydrated. kalau tak minum, mcmana nak ada cecair dalam badan. dahla susu jadi kurang, sembelit satu hal pulakkkk. At least 3L air sehari. jangan stress2. chocolate boleh buat anda happy? makannnnn... tengok telenovela boleh buat anda happy? layannnn...

power pumping. 10 minit belah kanan, then switch 10 minit belah kiri gilir2 sampai cukup sejam (30 minit kanan-30 minit kiri untuk single pump) or 10 minit pump, then rehat 10 minit (utk double pump).

Tandem nursing. Tak sempat pump sebab baby tak tido? Try tandem nursing. Sambil baby hisap sebelah, kita pun pump sebelah lagi. Bagus untuk stimulate milk ducts for both breasts.

makan itu ini yang milk booster semua tu takkan berhasil tanpa adanya usaha untuk mengepam. supplement, akan bertindak sebagai makanan tambahan (nama pun supplement kan) untuk kesihatan badan. badan sihat= happy = endorphine = oxytocin = susu banyak. itu formulanya.

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Dan saya jugak geram dengan penjual supplements yang tak bertanggungjawab momok-momok kat ibu-ibu yang baru berjinak-jinak dengan breastfeeding. Kesian tau. Antara reply saya:

From my point of view, nak menjual supplements ni kena ada etikanya. Kena terangkan konsep asas penyusuan dulu. Ingat semua orang mampu beli supplements ke? Ingat supplements ni sesuai untuk semua jenis badan ke?

NO.

Ramai merungut makan itu, minum ini, harga riban2 - tak berkesan. Bila tanya berapa kali pump - jawapan standard :

"2 kali"

"kadang2 pump bila sempat"

Yang kita selalu lihat:

"baru makan set Z semalam - kenapa tak banyak susu pun?"

"pump banyak kali, susu tak banyak tapi baby hisap ada je"

Dei, penat je aku tepek skema jawapan tu. Jawapan dah ada. Baca betul-betul.

Yang tukang jual ni bunyinya macam susu tu boleh mencurah2 gitu je tanpa ada usaha. Kononnya tanpa supplements ni susu tak berkhasiat la itu ini, DAN MENYEBABKAN IBU2 BARU RASA BIMBANG - KONONNYA SUSU MEREKA TAK CUKUP BERKHASIAT. Kesian tau tak? VERY MISLEADING.

Sebab beberapa orang buat onar kat sini, maka tempiasnya terkena kat orang lain. Orang lain pun jual jugak, tapi ada etika. Terangkan dulu kena pump ikut jadual, makanan seimbang etc. Supplements ni untuk kesihatan badan. Nama pun MAKANAN TAMBAHAN. Bayangkan kalau MAKAN SUPPLEMENTS JE TANPA MAKAN NASIK? orang lain lapar makan nasik, kita lapar makan supplements - tak jadi hapa sebab TAK SEIMBANG. 

SAMA LA MACAM MAKAN SUPPLEMENTS TAPI PUMP KE LAUT. Kena jugak pump. Kalau tak pump, lama-lama surut jugak susu tu sebab TAKDE DEMAND.

Saya tak boleh kata penat nak explain sebab ni ilmu. Jadi saya harap penjelasan kali ni membuka mata semua orang yang baca posting ni. Jual tak salah, tapi kena ada etika ye (posting iklan kat KIM adalah dilarang sama sekali).

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Nak meniaga tu kena ada etika ye. Saya pun makan vitamins. tapi untuk kesihatan badan. Apedaaa penjual ni. Fikir duit je. Dosa pahala tak fikir pulak. Dahla pakai tepek manual breastfeeding saya kat page diorang. Tak malu betul.

Copyright Infringements

Hari minggu duk lepak-lepak sambil srott srettt hidung selesema. Tiba-tiba nombor Kimi naik. Hal panassssss...

"Niha, ada orang ambik manuals awak and tepek nama dia atas copyright logo awak tu. Cepat tau nanti dia delete" lebih kurang gitula bunyinya.

Saya pun check la page yang dimaksudkan. Even comment si Farhana pun dah kena padam. Dengan teknologi yang serba canggih ni saya print screen je (Note II boleh swipe pakai tangan je).

Saya tak marah nak share. Saya suka sebab ilmu tu dari Allah. Tapi perlukah anda tepek logo blog/page/company anda sedangkan watermark besar segedabak tu membuktikan saya yang punya? Tsk tsk. Bila bersoal jawab katanya:

1.  TAK NAMPAK tulisan kecik.
2. Ambik dari orang lain yang dah tepek logo orang tu dan dia cuma edit, tepek balik logo page dia.
3. Delete tanpa mohon maaf directly (be a man woman will you?) dan siap suruh sampaikan pesan kat Kimi katanya delete sebab dah mengaku salah. What the hell man woman?

That's the final straw yang menyebabkan saya mengambil langkah:

TIDAK MEMBERI KEBENARAN PADA MANA-MANA DISTRIBUTORS/SELLERS SUPPLEMENTS/MILK BOOSTERS MENGGUNAKAN MANUAL PENGENDALIAN SUSU IBU PERAHAN DALAM APA JUA BENTUK.

Bila Google some more, mostly yang ambik manuals tu are S****** DISTRIBUTORS/SELLERS. Excuse me, some ada yang credit balik, thank you, but those yang sesedap rasa letak no phone/no ahli Shaklee bajet macam manual tu dia yang punya, saya memang mengamuk. Hari ni je dah hantar a handful of emails to those yang berkenaan.

Bahasa saya agak lembutla kan sebab dalam mendidik orang berkenaan copyright infringement ni, kesedaran rakyat Malaysia on copyright is still at its birth. Sedeyhhhhh...

Rasa nak je tepek gambar print screen tu. Perlu ke?

Update :

Out of the emails I sent yesterday, one of them tak puas hati. Katanya "berhenti dah pahala tu etc. bla bla bla...". Sorry woman, people like you don't deserve to share my manuals. Sebab? Profit-minded.

The reason I made those manuals is actually to prove that WE DON'T NEED TO BE TOO DEPENDENT ON SUPPLEMENTS/MILKBOOSTERS TO PRODUCE MILK! OF COURSE LA SAYA MARAH BILA ORANG GUNAPAKAI MANUALS SAYA (TAK KREDIT SATU HAL) UNTUK 'CANTIKKAN' BLOG SUPPLEMENTS MEREKA. 

BUTTHURT? 

I have friends who sell supplements but then THEY NEVER USE MY MANUALS IN THEIR BLOGS/PAGES ETC. Siap tanya lagi boleh ke tak, nak direct to my blog. I am not all about fame and being acknowledged you know. I want ALL MOTHERS TO ACKNOWLEDGE BREASTFEEDING, not by taking shortcuts, BUT WITH REAL EFFORT.

So who are you to question my authority on those manuals? Ilmu Allah itu luas, saya nak kongsikan, and it's up to me how am I going to share it. May my effort will be rewarded in the Hereafter.

When Hubby's Not Around

Walauwehhhhh...

Kena tinggal lagi. This time, tak tau balik bila. So petang-petang sekarang suka bawak Amna pergi playground - bonding time katanya. Dan, supaya Amna bersenam, senang tidur sikit malam-malam dah penat main heheheheheh...

Suka sangat main. Bajet macam dah boleh berjalan je.

Over the weekend akan ke rumah my parents. Seronok betul Amna bila ramai orang kat rumah. Mula lah sibuk kacau Tokki. Tekan sana sini kat laptop Tokki tu. Layan jelah Tokki cakap. Malam-malam dalam gelap suka main sebab rumah Tokki banyak barang boleh selongkar -_-"

Amna's been experiencing reverse cycle for quite some time. She refuses to finish up her milk at the nursery and resulting more milk stock. Namanya stock tak bergerak sebab everyday I will only use 1 frozen packet of 5oz milk, because she drinks roughly 2.5oz (used to be 3oz) per session.

Milk and milk everywhere~
Alhamdulillah.

The secret? I pump no matter where I go. Weekend, 2-3 times. Weekdays, 5-6 times. No milk boosters. I eat supplements for my health, not to boost up my milk. And, kalau makan selori milk boosters atau minum sebaldi tapi tak pump religiously, memang takkan jadi apa pun. Percayalah. Many complained why the so-called milk boosters don't work on them. Bila tanya - laaa pump pun suka hati je. Memang nak kena kaki kalau jawapan begitu. THERE IS NO SHORTCUT IN BREASTFEEDING.

Some people are blessed with abundance of milk supply, and some require more effort to maintain. I am those who have to put extra effort to maintain the supply. Jangan nak tanya lah apa rahsianya kalau tengok orang tu susu banyak. RAHSIANYA ADALAH BUKAN RAHSIA - KENA PUMP SECARA CONSISTENT, makan diet seimbang, sihat, minum air secukupnya. Faham?

Per session usually I get around 2-3oz. Here's my pump schedule:
-5am (tandem)
-9am, 12pm, 3pm
-6pm, 9pm (all tandem sessions)

So, accumulatively I get around 10-12oz. So why lamenting on not enough supply when you're not trying hard? Stop complaining and start pumping!

Fahamkan konsep sebenar breastfeeding. Kalau takat tau Supply vs Demand but tetap tanya macam mana nak banyakkan susu - bila tanya balik dah buat power pumping ke belum dan jawapannya TIDAK, bermakna anda BELUM FAHAM LAGI APA ITU SUPPLY VS DEMAND.

Breastfeeding - Problem Solved

Remember my post on Rusty Pipe Syndrome?

Here's exactly what I did. *Pardon for the hideous hand writing. I have to get used to using the stylus.*

I let the milk set in the chiller. And later when the milk forms layers - fat (top most), milk (middle) and water (bottom most), I noticed there's a layer of blood cells underneath. So, I decided to pour the milk, together with the fat until the layer of blood emerged. And I discarded the bloody part. Easy wasn't it?

How I did it

Since 3oz is A LOT for me, I decided not to put them to waste. Why people keep on lamenting "Owh my milk is mixed with blood! I have to them ALL AWAY!!!" when you actually feeding your baby on same breast which produces milk and blood at the same time? Isn't it just the same? If you disagree with me, have it your way. I'm keeping my milk and letting my daughter feeding on directly actually heals the Rusty Pipe Syndrome a lot quicker than I think. The pain is all gone now. Alhamdulillah.

:)

Breastfeeding - Rusty Pipe Syndrome

Recently I answered a survey at KIM on Rusty Pipe Syndrome. After more than a year nursing Amna, I had rusty pipe syndrome yesterday. At first it felt like LDR then suddenly I saw the milk the in bottle turned pinkish. And then it started to feel like "bruised" underneath the right breast. No nipple crack what-so-ever. Just the milk turned pink - kalau tenung lama-lama baru perasan. But hey, I've been handling my milk since day 1, so of course I notice the difference kan?

And this morning I could see the red cells sunk at the bottom of the bottle.

Regardless what pump you use, hand expression or not, rusty pipe syndrome could happen to any nursing mothers - with a possibility of you might accidentally 'hurt' (trauma) your breasts.

So what should I do with te pumped milk? Jadikan bekal la of course. Since the pink part sinks to the bottom, discard only that part and use the top part. Ramai sangat risau anak minum darahla apa la. Dah tu kalau direct feed pun sama jugak kan? :D

Selesai satu masalah. Cuma sebelah ni masih rasa sakit. Whoah. Pump pagi tadi pun dapat 3oz (tandem - I like!)

Since the pain is less now, I can do pumping as usual. Marmet can wait - fearing that it will worsen the condition.

Keep calm and breastfeed. ;)

VCool Cooler Bag Review

Ok. Remember my previous entry? Read here.

I used the cooler bag with a Coleman Bright ice block (as per picture) - yesterday until 9.00pm, the block was still cold, so did my EBM. Yeayyyy~!!!

So it could withstand more than 12 hours (I prepared my bag at 7.00 am and reached home around 9.00pm - went for dinner at Alamanda). Imagine with more ice packs and all? Mesti lagi lama kan? :D

Ok, selamat cooler-bag-hunting heheeheh~