Mommy's Milestones

Assalamualaikum and Hello!

Alhamdulillah today my 2nd child, my only baby boy Aydin Zaaef is 6 months old. I've never written anything about him. My last post was Nov 2014 which he was not born yet at that time. I took unpaid leave from my job about 2 months before he was born. I delivered him on 12th January 2015 and then i decided to tender my resignation. So i can say i am officially a full time house wife or a stay at home mom (SAHM) for 6 months! Woohooo!! *Alhamdulillah*

It was tough especially the first 4 months. Taking care of my 2 year old daughter and my 2nd baby. When people asked me how are things or whether its nice to be SAHM, i always answered its nice but definitely tougher and tiring than being a full time working mom (FTWM) or at least the same. But....if you ask me now, i am going to answer "i love it!!" I am getting use of it and somehow i don't think its so difficult anymore. Most probably because my baby now can sit and move around on his own or in other words he can get tired on his own and easier for me to nurse him to sleep. And my daughter has weaned off from nursing when she turned 2 years old last May so no more tandem nursing for us and less drama haha. And i think i no longer put too much expectations on myself or trying too hard to be the perfect SAHM. At first i was too stressed up to get so many things done in one day. Must sweep/vacuum, must do the laundry, must cook etc2. Luckily i have a very supportive husband. He told me its alright if sometimes have messy house or even sticky floor and its ok if theres no food when he comes back from work. If i don't have time to cook for my daughter then its ok to cook something for her out of processed or canned food. And from there i would just "follow the flow" :P When the day is good as in my baby sleeps well then i'll finish my house work, cook something nice for both of us and my daughter. When some days are bad, those are the days where i boil macaroni for my daughter and cook canned carbonara or tomato sauce maybe put some extra cheese and mixed veggies. Let my husband know there will be no dinner or maybe i'll cook something fast when he gets back. Let the washed clothes be in the washing machine and i'll rinse it again later at night or tomorrow morning and hang it dry. I've learned, there are days where i just have to let go some of the things and concentrate on my 2 kids.

If you ask again i won't answer its tiring than FTWM. FTWM definitely is tiring because you don't have that peace of mind. If you can't sleep at night you already imagine how tired you will be tomorrow. You have to think what are you going to wear to work. Whether need to iron or not. You think about the traffic you have to go through. You have to think about your work and your boss. You constantly think how is your kid(s) doing at the nursery or with your maid. When you do your work you rush because you have to go back to fetch your kid(s). Then there are outstation jobs. How?Who? And if still breastfeeding, howwwww?? I understand because i was a FTWM. I traveled for work. I left my daughter many times. It was so tiring. Physically and mentally.

Now i am so lucky to experience the other side of the world (cewah!). Being a SAHM. Its tiring but at the end of the day, i don't have to think about other people or being forced to do something. If i have a bad night i know i can just skip some house work and take a nap tomorrow in the afternoon. But to be honest i rarely need to take a nap because even though i sleep for 4 or less hours only, it feels enough. I think because i sleep without worry now.

I wrote this hoping to help those moms who are working and maybe thinking about resigning. If you don't feel what i felt when i was working then enjoy your life as working mom. Enjoy those lunch sessions without your kids. Enjoy that feeling of missing your kids so much. But if you are not enjoying those things, then sacrifice some things like slow down on the shopping and save up a bit and try to be SAHM. Maybe start with taking unpaid leaves. Hm i think i am writing too many things in 1 post. I know there are other factors that can hold you back. Trust me i know! But if you really want something, work for it! Work hard and pray hard! Stop complaining and take out a piece of paper and list down what actually you need to do in order to achieve your target. Insyaallah, Allah ease it for you.

For other SAHM, i know some of you might have different situations. Harder perhaps. Hang it there ladies. Let's try to support each other as much as we can ok? I am in Stay at home mom (msia) Facebook group. Join if you haven't :)

My journey is still a long way to go. Please pray for me it will be a smooth and rewarding journey. Now things are getting easier, i hope i can start writing frequently. At least not once in 6 months haha. Maybe i'll share in my next post on my preparations to become SAHM. How did i eliminate those factors that were holding me back. Oh its already past midnight so now its 6 months and 1 day!! Woohoooooo!!!

That 'I' & 'Me',
Hayfa

D.I.Y Felt Baby Shoe

Assalamualaikum and Hello!

Short post on 2 pairs of felt baby shoes/socks I did for my #2ndbabyproject. Just like my 1st baby, somehow I have the crave of making baby stuffs during my pregnancy.

1st pair I made

For the 1st pair, I followed exactly step by step from http://www.purlbee.com/2011/12/06/mollys-sketchbook-felt-baby-shoes/

2nd pair I made

For the 2nd pair, I used the same template but I turned it over to have the stitches inside. I used different type of stitching as well. I was thinking to make more of these but I found different type of design for baby shoes/socks which I think would be more practical and comfy. I am going to try that one and make a different post on that! But this is still a great one for hand stitch! And if you have left over felts ;)

That 'I' & 'Me',

Hayfa

Baby's Check Ups + Vaccinations Experience

Assalamualaikum and Hello!

One of the questions I received from my friends is regarding baby's check ups and vaccinations. Therefore I think this post and sharing session would be beneficial for new mommies. Same case like our pre-natal check ups, government and private hospitals/clinics have different procedures. I do not have experience on baby's check ups with government clinics so for this post, this is purely my experience with private clinic. To be specific with Klinik Pakar Wanita dan Kanak-kanak Desa Melawati (Dr. Hasmawati).

I gave birth at Gleneagles Hospital KL. After delivery, my baby was injected with BCG and Hepatitis B 1st dose vaccination. The moment I got back to my parents house, nurses from government clinic came to visit my baby and I. They came everyday for about 1 week. They checked on my blood pressure, felt my stomach to make sure my womb is getting smaller, asked few questions on bleeding etc. And for the baby, they checked on sign of jaundice, asked few questions on baby's poops etc. Alhamdulillah both my baby and I was fine ^_^

After 1 week, you should bring your baby for her/his 1st check up. You should choose a good pediatrician which you think you can trust and stick with this doctor to have a good record. Ask around. If you are breastfeeding, please please please choose a doctor who is pro breastfeeding!If not you will get comment such as "your baby is not gaining much weight, please supplement with formula milk" pfftttt!!!~~  I chose Dr. Hasmawati after my research on the internet and since this is close to my house. During the 1 week check up, your baby's weight, development of hips, size of head etc would be checked. There is no vaccine injection.

After 1 month, it is another routine check up. No vaccination but just to check on baby's weight and development.

When your baby is 2 months old, your baby is due for his/her 2nd dose of Hepatitis B vaccination and DTP + Hib + Polio 1st dose of vaccination.

At 3 months old, 2nd dose of DTP + Hib + Polio vaccination and if you are up for Rotavirus vaccination, 1st dose will be given during this check up. Rotavirus is not needle injection but orally given for your baby to swallow. Rotavirus is not compulsory if you go to government clinic. Based on my research, it is because it is bit expensive for government to subsidized the cost. But they really recommend if you can afford it outside. I think I paid RM120 or RM170 per dose. Sorry I can't remember the exact price.

At 4 months old, my baby took 2nd dose of Rotavirus. There is a choice to take 1st dose of Pneumococcus vaccination at this stage. If you take the 1st dose at 4 month old, your baby will need 4 doses of this vaccination. At 4, 6, 8 and 13 month old. If you choose to have the 1st dose at 6 month old, then it would only be 3 doses only. I choose to take later since 1 dose of this vaccination cost around RM220.

At 5 months old, 3rd dose of DTP + Hib + Polio and Hepatitis B vaccinations. I can't remember whether my baby took 3rd dose of Rotavirus or not. I do not have her medical report with me now. This depending on the brand. Rotavirus can be 2 doses or 3 doses. I think my baby took the 3rd dose during this check up.

At around 6 and 8 months old, my baby took the 1st and 2nd dose of Pneumococcus vaccination. Duration between doses are important for Pneumococcus. It can not exceed certain duration if not the vaccination may not work. My doctor would tell us when is the last date we can come.

Few days before my baby turn 12 months old, i went for a check up thinking to get MMR vaccination, but I was told it was not allowed since my baby has not turned exactly 12 months old. Therefore, since we were already there, doctor gave 3rd dose of Pneumococcus vaccination. Only 2 weeks after my baby turned 12 months old, we went for the MMR vaccination (I believe this is MMRV vaccination. I yet to confirm with my pediatric).

Now my baby is 15 months old. Her next check up is set at 18 months old for DTP + Hib + Polio booster. I can only share up until now since I am sharing based on my experience. Below is summary of compulsory + optional vaccinations as per Malaysia Pediatric Association website. Although they used the word compulsory, it is not actually. In the end it is parents decision. There are parents who thinks vaccines are not needed and since they are side effects to some. Please do read on AEFI. What you should be monitoring after each vaccines, what you should do if you notice any side effects etc. Please make your decision after reading these! For me, I vaccinated my baby and would do the same for my all my babies.

If you are Muslim and worry about the 'hukum' especially for Rotavirus, please refer to our country's fatwa page. In 2008, majlis fatwa came out with hukum for Rotavirus vaccination as 'haram' since it contained 'babi' or pig DNA. The 'hujah' mentioned if it is not 'darurat' the vaccine is not needed. There are no new fatwa by the majlis with the current situation of this virus. As for me, I did some research on few ustazs' pages and refer to other countries fatwa (one of them Sweden), and decided to still give the vaccination to my baby. I asked my pediatric who is also a Muslim and she explained to me how this virus is considered on the high percentage and can cause death and I also know few friends (who lived in my area) who their babies have been warded and on critical stages because of this virus. You may also refer to Dr. Zubaidi's page for the current statistics of how this virus affects Malaysia: http://drzubaidi.com/blog/keperluan-vaksin-rotavirus/ . I would say to give or not to give is individual's decision.

Birth	Hepatitis B and BCG
2 months	Hepatitis B and DTP+Hib+Polio
3 months	DTP+Hib+Polio and Rotavirus (oral)
4 months	Pneumococcus and Rotavirus (oral)
5 months	Hepatitis B and DTP+Hib+Polio (+/- Rotavirus - depending on brand)
6 months	Pneumococcus
8 months	Pneumococcus
12 months	MMR (mumps, measles, rubella)
13 months	Pneumococcus
15 months	Chickenpox
18 months	DTP+Hib+Polio booster
24 months	Hepatitis A
30 months	Hepatitis A

Primary school MMR and DT booster.

I hope this post can be a guide to new parents. Please do more research since this involve your child. This post is me sharing my personal experience and personal opinion. Do read more and make decision which you think is the best for your baby! Let's pray our children will grow healthy :)

That 'I' & 'Me',
Hayfa

My Confinement / Pantang Experience

Assalamualaikum and Hello!

I saw an article by PaMa on "Makanan untuk Rahim Sihat" then immediately reminded me of my confinement experience. I am currently pregnant with my second baby so I figure this is a good time to jot everything down as well for my reference when my baby pops out hehe :P

In terms of confinement food, I would say I had no problem with them since my mom a bit on the modern side so basically I was on healthy and balance diet :D Nasi putih, sup sawi, sup bayam, ikan tenggiri masak something like kuah laksam like that (my fav!!), once in a week I can have sup ayam or daging masak black pepper but not so much black pepper since I was breastfeeding my baby. So the point is, it was not all the way ikan bilis or ikan kering like some people practice. And....definitely lots and lotsssss of water!! Plain water and horlicks for me. Butttt the part I am not going to look forward to my next confinement is having to drink 3 things, 1 teguk of halia, 1 teguk of kunyit hidup and 1 teguk of manjakani! Luckily my mom tak sampai hati looking at my expression, she did not prepare it everyday. I think alternate days. Fuhh~

On the second week of my confinement, I started on my urut-urut. My urut lady was Kak Nurul from Puchong. I even booked her for my second :) Yeah that early because she's really in demand! She came at around 8am, prepare air mandi herba, and also my air herba for tangas and panaskn her batu tungku. 1st, tangas. Air herba panas put under a chair then you seat or if tak tahan panas you simply stand on the bekas air. You need to wear kain batik so the kain batik will keep the heat inside. I can't remember for how long but I think it was around 20minutes-40minutes? We need to have our breakfast 1st especially drink before doing this to make sure we won't get dehydrated because you will really sweat! After tangas, was urut and tungku. I like Kak Nurul because she is breastfeeding friendly. When my baby needed to nurse, she simply stopped and let me do my thing 1st. Oh and she knows how to urut to lancarkn susu badan. After urut, mandi herba. Mandi myself la with the air herba she prepared. Then after mandi, she will put my bengkung for me. My bengkung sangat panjang. My aunty jahit for me. Nasib baik Kak Nurul knows how to lilit the bengkung. Dah habis apa lagi bayar lah! RM100 per day. But now naik harga RM110 per day. She came for 7 days. Supposedly another 3 days at the end of my confinement but something came up so I did not get that 3 days treatment.

Ok what's next....hm the misery I went through during confinement. Demam, gigil2 rasa nak mati! Seriously I thought I was going to die! Orang tua kata bentan. On my 3rd week kot, I had mastitis actually. Breast bengkak or bengkak susu. My breast was so hard, red and itchy! I had fever and the fever keep coming back after 3 to 4 hours after taking panadol. Fever jenis shivering and cannot control. My husband or my mom had to bring my daughter to me to nurse. Lemah sangat to even duduk. Tulang pun rs sakit2. I went to my gynae Dr Suhaiza and she prescribed me with antibiotic to avoid pus. And I need to massage my breast and really clear the blocked ducts in my breast. It was painful. Rela beranak lagi dr lalu sakit ni lg sekali. But dugaan, I went through it at the end of my confinement and another 2 times during my breastfeeding journey. Seriously nk hapus dosa ni T_T Insyaallah for my next baby, I know what to do to avoid going through this nightmare again. *Pray*

Ok I think that's it kot on pantang. What elseeee hmmm..Whatever it is biasa la during confinement period mmg struggle especially for 1st time mom. Dgn breastfeeding nye, baby pun still trying to get used of this world, baby still xtau pagi or malam so malam ada yang tak dapat tidur, ada yg dugaan baby kena jaundice sampai masuk hospital balik (Alhamdulillah my daughter tak kena. Ada nampak sikit la dekat mata but then hilang) and not forgetting the pressure from other people. I know I know paling tak best "Baby nangis-nangis ni x cukup susu ni. Susu ko sikit". Heh kalao baby tak nangis, baby tu nak cakap "Ibu I need your huggggg!" ke?? Ok read my post on breastfeeding k. It's important to stay with someone that's on the same page with you during confinement. Macam my mom she breastfed all her children so I got a good support from her. Thank you Mama :') If you think your mom or the person who is going to take care of you not in the same page bawak dia pergi class. Breastfeeding class and antenatal class. Bgtau awal-awal what you want for your baby. Full breastfeed ke or no bottle ke or no pacifier ke or no buai ke..Apa-apa la because in the end you are the mother, you decide what you want for your baby.

So..how was your confinement?? :)

That 'I' & 'Me',
Hayfa

Lipase Problem in Breast Milk

Assalamualaikum and Hello!

When my baby turned around 3 month old, she started to reject my frozen breast milk. She was OK with chilled fresh breast milk but not the ones that have been frozen. I tried everything and she accepted some and some she rejected. I ended up giving her what I pumped the day earlier (kais hari ni utk mkn esok :P ). Even when I had to leave her for 2 days, it was not a problem since chilled breast milk can still be used. I started to have headache when I had to leave her for 1 week. Then only I started to read on possibility of why this is happening.

For my case, I believe it is lipase problem. After I thawed my breast milk, I noticed it has some kind of smell. Like sour metallic smell. Lipase is an enzyme that aids in the digestion of fats. When your breast milk contains high content / excess of lipase, it begins to break down the fat in stored breast milk. The fat contributes to the smell and taste which some babies may not like. Some babies are not so choosy and won't mind.

But as what I understood from my research, lipase is actually something beneficial as it helps infant to digest the fat. This allows a good digestion system (I agree as my baby don't really have digestion problem!). The problem is just for us moms who need to express and store our breast milk.

There is a method breastfeeding mommies have suggested to overcome this problem. SCALDING. Scalding is to bring your expressed breast milk to heat just up to it gets bubble a bit around the pan then quickly turn your stove off and let it cool before you freeze it.

For those who already have frozen breast milk that did not go through scalding because you just found out of the problem, you may want to try mixing the frozen breast milk with fresh expressed breast milk / chilled breast milk. Try 10% frozen + 90% chilled/fresh at 1st and try to increase the amount of frozen breast milk on every attempt. See on which percentage can your baby accept. And this can be your way forward. At least you can still use your frozen breast milk. If this still cannot work, you can always give your baby milk bath spa!

I hope this info can be beneficial for those mommies in the same situation like I was. I hope to overcome this as well for my next baby. Hopefully my next baby won't be so choosy like my 1st :P

That 'I & 'Me',
Hayfa

Breastfeeding Random Points

Assalamualaikum and Hello!

Breastfeeding is a topic that can have so many questions!especially to new moms. I believe even if you succeeded to breastfeed your child, you may not know 100% about breastfeeding (I am still breastfeeding my 1 year old daughter but I still have a lot to learn!Even my mom who breastfed her 5 children still learning!). If you have a smooth breastfeeding journey, then you may not know the challenges others faced and how to overcome it. That is why you can see famous breastfeeding consultants like Gina (founder of The Breastfeeding Advocates Network FB group) & Suraya (Founder of Lunatots) have had so many challenges in their personal breastfeeding journeys.

What I would like to share in this post are random points on breastfeeding according to what I can think of right now. Hopefully I can edit this post as I learn.

1. Choose a breastfeeding friendly hospital! Make sure the hospital has a policy like they can only give your baby other than breast milk with your signed consent! If no agreement, they should not give your baby anything! Hospital that allows baby to room in with you is the best. Only when you are tired, you can ask them to bring to their nursery.

2. No matter normal delivery or c-section, you would want to hold your baby to your skin and nurse as soon as possible after birth. This can allow your baby to have immediate reflex to suck. I have visited 3 babies who was born through c-section and only brought to their mother after few hours to nurse. It is very hard to teach the babies to suck! Tell your doctor your wish to breastfeed during your last weeks of pregnancy.

3. Do not worry if you cannot see any milk coming out from your breast after delivery because of these points:
a. babies can actually live without any milk for the first 2 to 3 days after they were born. They have storage from what they consume in the womb. Butttt yes, your baby can get jaundice because of this. Just keep direct latch (DL) breastfeed.
b. the first few days are actually colostrum which is drops of yellow thick liquid. Since it is only drops, you may not be able too see it since your baby has sucked it in!hehehe.
c. babies stomach on delivery is just as big as a cherry. They only need little by little to push that storage they had from the womb by pee and poopoo (black color).

4. You may have breast milk and your baby pee and poopoo alright but still has jaundice. Do not stop to breastfeed!! The problem is not your milk! Stop or reduce the herbs (ginger etc) or any alcohol (for non-muslim) you are taking during confinement. Some babies do have prolong jaundice. Just keep breastfeeding. Remember: "susu ibu adalah yang terbaik!" even the formula milk companies have to stress this!

5. Newborn babies like to sleep for long hours especially on their 2nd and 3rd day. Wake them up every 2-3 hours and nurse/feed them. You must do this if you do not want to go back to the hospital for their jaundice! I know you need the rest too but trust me, if you need to go to the hospital, it will be less rest! Try your best to wake your baby up. Tickle them, put cold hands on them, loosen up their clothes/blanket etc.

6. Andddd after the long hours of sleeping period endssss, then come the period of wants to suck only. It is normal! You breastfeed for 40minutes, baby let go, you try putting your baby in the cot or on the mattress, baby cries, baby wants to suck some more. Yup normal! They are not used of our world. They want to be hugged all the time, suck for comfort all the time. Patience is the key, it will get easier ;)

7. Your breast feel hard and feel there is a lump? You feel pain? You see redness on your breast? This is breast engorgement or worse it can become mastitis. If your breast start to feel hard, massage with hot water bag and continue to DL baby. After finish DL, massage to empty your breast. If too painful to do on your own, call your husband, ask him to massage like trying to make the milk comes out. If still doesn't work, and you keep getting fever on and off, go to see doctor! You may need to take antibiotics to avoid pus (nanah) in your gland. But this antibiotic won't help to decrease the lump, you need to continue DL and massage. I don't dare to give advice by putting cabbage because there are cases where their milk supply decreases after putting cabbage.

8. If your nipple cracked or feel so painful, you may apply your breast milk to the nipple everytime after DL. You may also apply nipple cream. There is also like a gel breast pad you can try to ease the pain. But do not stop to breastfeed on that particular breast. Your baby's saliva and his action of sucking is the best way to sooth your breast. Your breast needs time to adjust and to be soft for baby to suck. Be strong ya ;)

9. You can still breastfeed even if you have fever or not feeling well. Wear a mask, wash your hands frequently to avoid spreading the germs. It is even better to breastfeed because the antibodies your body is producing/activating to fight your illness will be shared with your baby. Your baby will have antibodies of these illness although they have not experience them. My daughter had her first fever when she was 9 month old and second one on her 1st birthday. Alhamdulillah.

10. When to start pumping? This depends on your need. If you are stay at home mom, I don't see any reason to rush into pumping. Unless you have breast engorgement and would like to pump the milk out. If you intend to store some frozen breast milk (FBM) for future use when you get back to work, you may start as early as 2 weeks after birth. But I think the best is to let your baby create the natural supply and demand in the first month (DL only). This is also good so that you don't feel tired in DL and pumping as well. After 1 month when you get your energy back, then you may start pumping.

11. How to start pumping? This is based on my experience. Few ways. If your baby has sessions where she/he will sleep more than 2 hours, you may take that opportunity to pump, for start. If your baby consistently DL every hour or every 2 hours even at night, you may want to pump after she/he DL. Do not worry if there is no milk coming out after DL, just pump, you will see the result after 1 week. Another way is to choose 1 session in a day to do power pumping. See next point.

12. Power pumping??Power pumping is choosing 1 session in a day (the best is early morning) and pump for 3 cycles. Pump for 10 minutes, rest for 5 or 10 minutes (while resting, drink, eat), pump again for 10 minutes,  rest for 5 or 10 minutes (while resting, drink, eat), pump again for 10 minutes. Even if you pump and there is no milk coming out, just pump. Insyaallah you will see the result in 1-2 weeks. This is actually creating extra demand so that your body will produce extra supply.

Erm I can actually continue on pumping, storing breast milk etc. but I think it is best to separate that in different post or else this post will get so long! Let's just keep this purely on breastfeeding. Let me know if there are other points to add in! I am hoping to use this as my guideline for my next baby as well (insyaAllah).

Till next update!

That 'I' & 'Me',
Hayfa

Medela Freestyle Vs. Spectra M1

Assalamualaikum and Hello!

I have been meaning to write this post for quite sometime. Last 3 weeks I had to go to Singapore for work related and I left my breast pump which is Medala Freestyle at the office lactation room (which I have been using for almost 1 year now). Desperately, i bought a new Spectra M1. Actually I have been meaning to try this pump since the reviews are so good. Now that I have used Medela Freestyle and Spectra M1, I wish to do comparisons of these two. Please note this is my personal review and opinion and I am not being paid by any of these brands! (I wish I am!)

Price

In terms of price, definitely Spectra M1 win by a huge gap! You can get Spectra M1 double pump packaged together with cooler bag etc. and local warranty for around RM499. Medela Freestyle is known for being an expensive breast pump. I got mine for RM1450 including bag, cooler bag, ice block, bottles and local warranty (which is important!). I would say if money is a bit tight for you, just stop right here and go for Spectra M1 :D

Size

Both of the pumps have almost same size and weight.

Suction Quality

Suction quality or level is an important aspect in choosing a breast pump. This is really up to individual on how close the pump can imitate your baby's suction/suckle. For me, Spectra M1 has a strong suction where it can produce let down earlier. Meaning it can empty my breast much quicker. Medela Freestyle in the other hand, takes longer time. There are feedback's from other moms who said Medela Freestyle somehow does not empty their breast. They would need to massage their breast to get to the last drop. I think getting the right size of breast shield is important as well since Medela Freestyle offers 3 different size of breast shield. So, in terms of suction quality I can't decide on the winner because to me both in the end empty my breast, therefore I am satisfied with both.

Noise level

There are moms who pump at their work station or public places. I don't really care on the noise level since my office provide lactation room. Based on my observation, Medela Freestyle has a lower noise level than Spectra M1. I only have a video of Spectra M1, I will try to get a video of Medela Freestyle during my next pumping session :P

Battery Time

This without a doubt goes to Medela Freestyle!!I usually pump around 15-20mins, and if I accumulate the time of pumping, Medela Freestyle can go up to more than 5 hours. Where Spectra M1 can just last up to 1 hour of total pumping. If you are Exclusive Pumping (EP) mom, I would not recommend Spectra M1.

Maintenance of Parts

First of all my advice in taking care of all breast pumps is to keep the pump or the machine itself in a waterproof bag/plastic bag especially if you are keeping the pump together with your cooler bag. You will never know when your cooler bag will produce condensation which can affect the pump and the battery. In the aspect of washing the parts, Spectra M1 is easier (do not wash the tubing!!). Medela Freestyle has more loosen parts which you need to detach and attach upon washing. And there are also small holes you need to clean with small brush. The membrane also will need to be washed and if not dried properly, suction may be lower or not even work. Therefore, in this case, the winner goes to Spectra M1.

Others

Medela Freestyle being more expensive of course comes with extra features, it has a screen showing time so that you know how long have you been pumping. This is handy to me as I usually get my second let down after 12 minutes. I need to make sure I wait for it. You can also set the memory on how long you want the stimulation mode and automatic change to normal mode. Where else for Spectra M1 you need to change it yourself.

Up to now, these are the only things/aspects I can think of in comparing pumps. Conclusion, if I have the money to invest, I would go for Medela Freestyle. If money is an issue I don't see any problem settling with Spectra M1.

Hope this personal review can benefit any moms out there who are trying to make decision in buying breast pumps especially if you are still in doubt in choosing between Medela Freestyle or Spectra M1. Whatever it is think of what suits your needs. Do not burden yourself in buying an expensive pump and later stressed out with money issue. Stress definitely won't help in producing breast milk!! Goodluck and Happy Pumping Mommies!!

UPDATE: Another extra point to Medela Freestyle - fits with normal size of storage bottles. So after pumping you do not need to transfer. This is a bonus since in some places hygiene is important! You would want to immediately close bottle after pumping. Spectra M1 has its own large size bottle, so you would need to transfer your expressed breast milk into storage bottles or storage bags. ;)

That 'I' & 'Me',
Hayfa

The Birth of My PRU / GE Baby

Assalamualaikum and Hello!

Lamanyaaaaaaaaaa tak update blog! Busy lahh. Busy apa? Busy beranak, pantang, jaga anak, kerja balik, berniaga balik, macam-macam! Hari tu ada kawan share kawan dia write on her giving birth experience. Macam best je nk tulis jugak! Nanti anak da besar sila baca and sila hargai mommy ni ye! hahaha

My due date is on 10th May 2013 and i booked labour room on 9th May 2013. Kiranya kalao tak rasa nak beranak by then nak induce jela on the 9th tu. I don't want to risk to go overdue. Takut baby besar and uri matang and baby can be unstable. Ramai jugak orang mulut masin keep on saying i will beranak on 5th May 2013 which is PRU13!And guess what....i did!

Pukul 8 pagi da siap-siap nak pergi mengundi. I was so excited since it was my first time. Mama terkejut and cakap semangatttttnyaaa awal lagi la. Aiseh so breakfast la dulu. Then mama with her super power instinct told papa "Pa, jomla g mengundi now. Lambat-lambat teberanak pulak Mira ni nanti". So we went around 9 am. Oh i was not with my husband because he went back to his kampung Ijok to cast his vote there. He went back a day before to do the flashmob thingy. Yes he is jenis that semangat. Biarla bini tengah sarat pon. Kempen tetap kempen. haha. *pasrah*

Mama, Papa and I arrived at S.M.K Taman Melawati which was our place to vote. Panjang gila barisan! My parents decided to bring me to vote since i can cut queue and they will come back later in the afternoon hoping the line will be shorter. I still remember meeting few friends who were lining up (I pn muka bangga la bole cut queue. haha). One of them is Hadi who asked me when am i due. I answered anytime soon! Never that i thought soon is really really soon!

So we went back home. Betul-betul sampai rumah i feel a bit wet down there. I thought normal la pregnant mmg wet-wet sikit down under. hehe. I told my mom. Yes i tell my mom everything! detail-detail apa pun semua nak bagitau. My mom terus bangun cakap "Pa, jomla kita pegi mengundi now! Amira ni nak beranak kot". I am telling you guys, moms have super instinct power!!! They went out. I went upstairs and guushhhhhh some unknown liquid (a lot!) keluar. First baby kan so blur gila. I was thinking OMG lemah gila bladder aku tak boleh tahan kencing da! Lari-lari masuk toilet tengok dekat jubin putih toilet aikk why my kencing putih??and why it won't stop!!??Called my mom and told her my kencing wouldn't stop. Haha noob kan??Heard my mom screaming at my dad "Pa, patah balik patah balik. Air ketuban Mira da pecah!" Then i was like oooo ni ke air ketuban. Awat x sakit? Orang cakap pecah air ketuban sakit and x banyak pun. Maka, dengan bertadahkan kain batik and segala towels, Mama, Papa and my lil' sis Nana brought me to the hospital. Hospital Gleneagles Ampang. Dalam kereta i called my husband, to rush to the hospital because my hospital bag was in his car!!Haiyo fail gila rasa time ni.

Sampai hospital around 11-12pm relax-relax masuk labour room, tuka baju, bukak tv, call Dr. Suhaiza my gynecologist, she said she can arrive earliest 8-9pm because she is in Johor casting her vote there. Apa-apa Dr. Jane will check. Checked baru 2 or 3cm opening. Contraction pun sikit-sikit je still patutla tak sakit. The nurse gave me ubat berak then relax, makan, jalan-jalan around the ward. Husband arrived 1 hour after i was warded. He has his own story. Dapat potong queue jugak. Told the officer bini nak beranak. hehe

At 4-5pm i started to fell tired. Tired and bored of waiting. My mom told me takut penat nanti by the time nak push dah tak semangat and no energy. We decided not to wait for my gynecologist and induce using drip. I think my opening was around 5cm at that time. Mula-mula still x sakit. Then after 7cm baru rasa sakit and baru la terdiam sikit. haha. At 8 something they started to pull my leg up and suruh push as instructed only. Jangan push sebarang. Bila the contraction comes baru boleh push. Nurse pandai rasa dekat perut. When she asked me to push then only i pushed. Bila tak contraction relax, nurse and my mom bole bantai borak-borak pasal election. Pergh orang tengah sakit dia borak and tengok keputusan dekat tv lagi. Then the on call gynecologist sampai and sambung push and borak jugak pasal election! haiyo! sedih mak! Pastu push sikit lagi baby pun keluar! Alhamdulillah tak ada complication apa-apa. Time tu rasa lega sangat macam baru lepas settle sembelit yang paling azab sekali. haha. Baby was born on 5/5/2013 at 9.13pm with birth weight of 2.97kg. Happiest moment of my life :)

Here she is right after lap-lap. Her name is Aysha Sofea Binti Aizuddin Alif. She is now almost 8 months old. No words can describe how my husband and I love her so much. She is growing up so fast! She just started to crawl and panjat-panjat. I hope by sharing my story readers can gain something such as kalao air banyak-banyak keluar tu maknanya air ketuban! haha. Well, that's it, the story of the birth of my PRU baby. Insyaallah i will share my pantang experience next. I think that is something you readers can benefit more. My pantang sangat banyak dugaan. I learnt a lot from it. Insyaallah ada rezeki anak next-next tau la apa nak buat. hehe. Till then, to mommies to be, semoga dipermudahkan!

That 'I' & 'Me',
Hayfa