The Original Juice

Ok i doubt i'll get to sit at the computer for long. So for the most part, i can only tweet. So check it out.

I'm all ready now to go out to JWT Kids Gym with SAHM Nan. Just waiting for Tufeil to wake up.

Wah, although i'm alone at home now, not even with maid, I can handle things pretty well. Way to go, Jus!

To most of my colleagues, they are surprised i'm still breastfeeding the 7.5month old babe. But compared to my 6 other besties and other friends, 2 yrs is the way to go and to me that seems a loonggggggggggg stretch to go!

If you recall i had a lactation consultant called in a lil more than a month ago to correct the latching position and to pop the plugged ducts. Yes, plural.

I'd like to think that the latching position is resolved. Well, at least i know that i dont have to just bear with the pain when he's suckling. I simply just have to detach and relatch. Every now and then, the after pain would sear for an hour or so. I also learnt that I should only give him the left injured side when he's truly hungry and won't be feeding playfully.

When i see how he drinks from the right side though, makes me feel jealous on behalf of the left side. Why can't he latch on perfectly like that on BOTH sides?

Pumping now, i only get a miserly 30 - 40ml!!!! 50ml if i'm lucky (or patient enough to apply Breast Compression for 15min solid - with my injured left hand no less!) Seems all of my left side are injured! I dont know. Is that an indication that latching is still not proper that supply has dropped? When he drinks directly though, i can see he guzzles more than just 40ml.

There are many nights when i chant to myself, "I wanna switch to formula. I wanna switch to formula." When i get poor sleep at night because Tufeil wakes up every hour or 2 for a comfort suck, i will tire easily at work and don't feel much like pumping when at work. I just wish to sleep thru lunch time.

But with regards to sleep. Tufeil can sleep for 3 hours straight from 9 or 10pm IF i give him BOTH sides of milk. Every night, when he wakes up for his night feed, I plan to change his diaper, give him boths sides of the milk again but most of the time this plan is not carried for 2 simple reasons:

1. He's crying his lungs out. Usually he would hush when i walk about esp outside the room but i dont wanna wake the whole house.

2. I'm too sleepy myself. So i give my left side for 10 or 15min on the sitting position and bumped back to bed and if he cries, i'd give him the right side for the remaining night. Too sleepy to check how often he wakes. *shake head*

As close as i am to giving up, i haven't as yet despaired. I attribute it more to laziness and convenience rather than a hardcore Breastfeeding evangelist. *smile at Butterflyrubrics* I can't be bothered to research on formulas, i hardly have time to go shopping! I can't imagine waking up at night boiling water and mixing formulas for the babe!? Most of all, i'm afraid he might get constipated. Witnessing Syifaa' screaming at the potty is enough to make me stick to BF for now.

I shall give myself 1yr before seriously considering weaning him off BF. 2 years is too far for me to envision, so lets break it into short manageable chunks, alright?

All that said, i seriously hope that my 2 x 2 weeks break will help return my supply to good levels minus pain.

```````````````````````````

Talking about holidays! Don't you i have so much activities planned already! I think it would hardly be a break for me! hahaha BUt i'm excited as Hell!

Firstly, tmrw we're going to the airport to send my mum off. Then should be going for lunch. I haven't decided to drive back ALONE with TUFEIL or just take the train home. I think i would hafta play by ear depending on what time is his last feed.

Mon 23rd: A Gym Date with SAHM Nan

Tues 24th: A swimming date with SWPH

Wed 25th: Free but prolly have class

Thurs 26th: Still free so prolly go to library or something

Fri 27th: Hari Raya Haji. Will go to my sister's MIL's house for lunch and play with the kids. There's a newborn baby there!

Mon 30th: Bday Bash for Fara's girls

1st and 2nd Dec: ASh would be on leave so one day we will go out prolly swimming again. another we will just hang around at home.

3rd Dec: Another date with my flexible SAHM friend.


The reason i still have 2 free weekdays is because 2nd sis will be at work and so if i wanna go out, i should bring Syifaa' and maid with me. and Driving too! i'm not confident i can manage for 4 days straight!! So keep it at 2 for now.


I've already bought tickets to Perth!! Can't wait. I even bought a travel insurance for us all. We'll be staying at an Aunt's place so we'll save on accomodation. I've been to Melbourne but i can't imagine how Perth's gonna be like. Heard its gonna be hot but cool at the same time. So we've bought a jacket or two for Tufeil in case it gets chilly.


But then again, It's only human to Plan. Ultimately it is up to the Almighty. I pray everything goes well. Ameen.

7.5months old

1. He has started to fear strangers. Well, sometimes. He cried when neighbour Kak Is carried him. Also when my own Atok (Grandpa), his Yot (Great grandpa) tried to. But not when Cik Adi, his daughter and his maid carried him and my Mak Long too. Perhaps, its also associated with his mood.

2. last week he had loose stools. He woke up almost midnight fussing and crying. I fed him but he won't sleep. Turned out he pooped. Changed him. Tried to settle him back to sleep but he still fussed. He actually pooped a second time. This time it's watery. But no recurrence afterwards.

3. He LOVES aided walking now. Once we start, he would cry if we stop.

4. He would cry like this: Ahhhh Ji ji ji.... New Vowel!

5. His face would really light up when he sees his Kakak Syifaa'.

6. He scratched Mummy's face pretty bad

7. His grasp is pretty good now (quite late in my opinion). He is able to hold a small light object for a whole minute even two. His favourite though is the diaper cream! That would make him lie down still everytime!

8. He had his first fall a week or two ago. From my parents' bed. Lucky its not as high as mine. Crawled too fast for an adult's eye.

9. My iPod Touch accidentally slipped onto his head while i was nursing him to sleep on the bed! Ouch!

10. He has already mastered pulling himself upward while holding on to our hands or other things. But still working on pushing himself up. I can see that he is able to do it but mostly doesnt get the chance to as most of the furniture available to him are either too high, or too low or not sturdy enough. He sometimes lets go of his hands and maintain balance for a fraction of a second.

11. I have dismantled his cot/playpen! YAYYY now more space in my room for him to play. Safer to put him on the floor than on the bed. See No 8. Hah. Next project is to push the bed to the wall and the computer desk nearer the door to create more play area.


Nothing too exciting happened over the weekend. And i'm very very busy in the office mainly because my long leave coincides with office relocation (to bigger premises ie the WHOLE FLOOR Wheeee). I need to change many stationeries and hafta get them all done BEFORE i go on leave! Bah!

Hmmm I might be absent for awhile. Bear with me. but Stay tuned, alright?

Fri 6th Nov 09 (7months 2 weeks old)

Listen to Tufeil squealing!!

2nd sis was coarse whispering "Come and Get me." Somehow that tickled Tufeil to no end!

Syifaa' was shrieking in the background.

And you can hear my watery giggle in the middle of the clip.

The phrase only gave us a smile from him the next day. The laughing gas has evaporated, i think.

We think its the product of feeding him milk while I'm laughing myself! LOL

I find that with Tufeil crawling, its easier to get work done.

If i wanna pack my EBM, i carry him to the kitchen, put him on the floor and do my thing. I used to hafta wait till he's sleeping.

Or if i wanna prepare some snack for myself i dont hafta carry him in one hand and spread the bread with one and a half hand. muscle straining ley!

If i wanna eat... ill let him play on the floor and me next to him propping plate on my hand (bertatang).

Syifaa' is like a second mother to him. Lol. She would say, "No, Tufeil tak boleh. Ini kakak punye." (No, Tufeil. cannot. This is mine.) or "Tak boleh nanti jatuh." (You'll fall) or whatever.

I rarely say NO, actually. As far as i'm concerned, he can play with anything. He scratches my face. Ok. He plays with the remote control. No Problem. Hold or Play with his food and mess his shirt. That's alright too. Provided i'm watching all the time.

Sunglasses courtesy of Mak Ngah


Just one thing that's diff. Diaper Changing. Need i say more! Pull-ups are a life saviour!!

After 7 months of intermitten sleep, i think i've had enough! I NEED TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!

So i borrowed Gina Ford's The New Contented Little Baby Book and have read halfway thru. From what i understand so far:

1. Baby has to eat well during the day and not sleep too much to be able to go thru longer sleep at night.
2. Timing is everything
3. Changing his diaper in the first night feed will help him be a bit more alert to feed well = sleep longer.
4. I've instilled in Tufeil the association of feeding with sleeping.

One thing i know, it seems i'm too late for it. The book talked about 2 - 4weeks old, 12weeks old... er... Tufeil is already... beyond countable weeks. LOL So i should get the Toddler Sleeping Guide book next.

Current style: No strictly-adhered-to wind-down routine because it really depends on at what point i take over caring for him. Sometimes he's already slept in the afternoon at 5pm, other times not. Sometimes Mum already bathed him though mostly not. Sometimes his last feed is 4pm, sometimes 5pm or even 6. So it's really hard to tell.

But mostly i try to bathe him, then feed him to a short nap by about 7 - 7.30pm so i could have MY own shower, dinner and prayer.

Then by 9pm + i will bring him to the room. Maybe play a bit, read a bit then nurse him to sleep. Mostly he is asleep by 10pm. But he would wake at 12mn, 2am, 4 or 5am (at this point i couldn't be bothered to check the time) then 7am. No diaper change, no burping. Just feed in bed with my eyes closed and he in side lying position too.

Notice that he would sometimes shift in his sleep to get into a better position: on tummy. During day naps, he can only sleep for 30min or 45 at best.

2nd Nov, Mon night

Tried to put some of what i've learnt into operation.

Gave him a bottle of EBM (60ml), played for a bit then turned him down to sleep.

He was asleep by 9pm. When he started crying at 11pm, i straight away changed his nappy. HE CRIED THE HOUSE DOWN. but immediately soothed when Ash who just came home picked him up and played with him for awhile. But nothing doing. No improvement whatsoever. still same pattern.

3rd Nov, Tues night

Came home quite late. He's already had his 6:30pm feed.

Bathed him. Put him on the floor while i ate on the floor too and watched tv.

I fed him at 9pm. Just as he was about to go to a deep sleep, i brought him up to a burp. Then suddenly, i got a thought, "Let's give him the other side too. Hopefully he will become full." Current practice is to give only one side in the hope that he will get the hind (back end) milk which is researched to help babies sleep longer. Humph! Anyways, he took quite a bit in then suddenly he was playful. So read to him while lying down.

at 10pm, i turned off the light totally, in an effort to signal him that it's bedtime (current practice is to turn on the dim coloured lighting). I tried to sing him to sleep while cuddling. He was quiet for awhile but he got cranky after a few minutes. I believe it was because he was ready to sleep but can't sleep cause he wants his suckling time. After 5min or so, i gave up and just fed him.

Miraculously, he tore himself away from the breast on his own accord. He seldom does this. I take this as a sign that he's truly full. And my! He skipped the 12midnight feed and woke up at 2am! Hurrah!!!

At 2am, instead of straight away changing his diaper, i brought him to the hallway to calm him for a bit first. Turned on the light, took the diaper changing things and handed him a soft toy as well. THEN brought him down on the bed to change. He was NOT crying thank god. He even lied down quite still (a rarity for crawling babies!!).

I repeated the process from the last success. Fed one side, burped, changed side. I decided its ok to nurse him to feed. To assoc feeding as sleeping. Unfortunately, I was like so excited and anxious, delirious, high to document this moment, to remember every detail and what to write in blog that i found myself wide awake at 3:30am. GRRRR

Just when i've finally fallen asleep, he woke up again at 4:40am. This time i think supply was rather low at the last feed. and i just sleepily gave him one side WITHOUT properly ensuring he's alert enough to feed well. And i think again at 5:30am. Too groggy to remember. Just stuck him a side. LOL.

I'm thinking i should prolly give an extra bottle somewhere. at 2am perhaps.

So today was my first time taking the public transport to work after my 4 month long maternity leave. and it was horrendous, as usual.

This time around, i don't get to say, "Can i have a seat, please? I'm pregnant." But i feel like saying, "I have a 7month old baby at home who doesn't sleep thru the night and now i'm feeling very shitty. If you wanna avoid being stepped on by me, give up the seat to me, or else!"

I may be a fierce bitch in my own imagination - i concoct a lot of nasty things to say to everyone around me all the time- but Nah... in reality, i'm too timid to vocalise those thoughts, to hurt other people.

In any case, this one man almost racked up my courage to do just that. A guy just vacated a seat in front of this Apek (Uncle) looking passenger and i was standing just next to him. I shuffled in a way to signal that i want that seat. It's quite a long shot but i expected him to give it up to me being he is a healthy, not so old man.

Not only did he not offer that seat to me, he even DARED TO TUT at me!!! What The! The least you could do was look sheepish and avoid eye contact and i would just say you're a lazybum or something. But this behaviour was sooo uncalled for! I was sooo worked up i GLARED back at him with much distaste! Gosh i felt sooo accomplished! Empowered! Having the nerve to stand up to myself as small as it was.

I wanted to snap a photo of him in that old fashioned polo tee and bermudas. I bet he's not local. If you know what i'm saying. But i forgot my hp. GRRR

I have an idea! The next time i fight with a guy for a seat, i would politely say, "Are you gentleman enough to offer that seat to a lady?" Granted, a man like the above won't even UNDERSTAND a word i'm saying, but i would target a well dressed man who looks like he's heading to a big shot office or something. If they are not embarassed enough to let me sit, ... why then i shall take a picture of him and blog about it! What? I'm in a public place, aren't i?