Lucy Diamond

One of the greatest challenges I have to face since embarking on the journey into motherhood is breastfeeding. The first one is sleep/naps which is another topic all together .

Alhamdullilah, Adam is now 7 months old and I’m still fully breastfeeding him. I’ve reached my goal to exclusively breastfeed him until he’s 6months(well almost, I had to introduce him to solid a few days earlier before he turned exactly 6 months).

Getting to the 6months mark was tough. U feel like uve been doing this for years but u still cannot ’see’ the finishing line. Many times I felt like giving up. I worried a lot cos adam drinks tonsss since I started working. Everyday I would rush back home in hope that my expressed breast milk(ebm)stock in the freezer will not be used up and that whatever I left for him for the day would be enough. Well, that was hardly the case. On top of my daily expressing, we still need to top up with my frozen ebm . Milkmonster I tell ya!

There was a point where I was almost outta stock and at the same time my ‘dairy production’ was at its lowest point.  At that time, I had to pump like 5 times a day just get enough milk for the next day’s feeds! I was so desperate to boost up my dairy production that I pigged out on super fattening food n had starbucks/coffee bean/san francisco coffee ice blended 3 days in a row!Fuuhhhhh! I called that era the “kais pagi makan pagi ” period haha

Breastfeeding comes with a lot of sacrifices. That is why I salute those moms who managed to breast feed their kids up to 2 years. These are my sacrifices I made/still doing :

1)skipping lunchtime/dates – sometimes when it gets busy at work n I don’t have time to pump, I hv to skip lunch or turn downm lunch invites just to pump
2) No more after work hang out- everyday I would rush back home so that the ebm stock in the freezer won’t be used up cos it is meant for super emergency cases. Now that my stock is gone, i hv to go back home on time, by hook or by crook.
3) No coffee – ok maybe not entirely, but totally mellowed down. Just like when I was pregnant. To some, it may not be much of a big deal, but for a coffee lover like myself, it is! Nowadays I only drink coffeee when I really hv no choice but to stay awake.
4) Nice fitted clothes (or basically nice expensive clothes) – gone were the days when I can just simply put on whatever I like. Now I have to wear something that is easily accessible when the milk monster is due for his meal. Expensive and delicate outfit is a big no-no cos Adam loves to terrorize my clothes.
5) Only hang out at places with nursing room – every time i feel like going to a mall, I need to check if there’s a nursing room. Or else, I won’t go haha I’m still not comfortable with NIP(nursing in public)
6) Sleep – hmm what sleep? For the past 7mths, the longest I’ve slept in a stretch is 3 hours. Apparently breastmilk gets digested easily, so some babies tend to get hungry fast. For some, having to wake up 2x a night is considered a lot. For me, waking up 3x a night is equals to “I had a good sleep last night”. I kid u not. I now resemble a panda. Mama panda it is.
7) Dieting – as much as I want to lose the fatties asap, I gotta take it easy since breastfeeding makes me go super hungry. My appetite is now even worst than when I was preggers. In a way, I’m thankful that I can eat as I please, yet not gain as much weight, but I fear once I stop breastfeeding, if I don’t get rid of my current monster-appetite I will balloon up in no time!
Picky on food – I gotta choose the food I consume very well. I need to stay away from fastfood, food that gives me gas etc. So, let say if I crave for sushi which is pulut, I need to ready myself that there’s a possibility later that night or the day after, adam will be cranky due to tummy ache and mommy will have a sleepless night.

I hope I won’t stop breastfeeding so fast. I will try my very best for as long as I can. Whatever’s best for my little milk monster

it’s been a while since i had the time to blog. i missed blogging. in fact i miss a lot of stuff. reading, movies, traveling, running  yadda yadda. the little milk monster has occupied 90% of my time, im too busy to do other stuff .  ive been meaning to post up my birth story but i  may need more than 15 mins of free time to type it out haha so next time lah!

here’s a quick update on my little milk monster. adam turned 5 months earlier this week , weighing a healthy 7.5kilo fuhhh!  he’s a very chirpy little fella. he started to roll over when he was almost 4 months. he’s now an “expert” when it comes to rolling over, no more tangan tersakut and then getting all upset not being able to release his own arm. haha. he loves to “chat” and he can be quite a noisy little fella when he starts “chatting”. his favorite time besides milk time, would be taking bath. his current favorite lullaby is “favorite things” from the sound of music.  when he’s cranky, one of the ways to keep him happy is take off his clothes. kalo bogel je, mesti happy haha

however, lately he’s been daddy’s little monster, all crabby and clingy, not to mention drooling all over. as we suspected, he has started teething. it has been quite uncomfortable for him since raya, hes been crying a lot and not getting enough of good sleep.  i guess it hurts and i hope it will go away soon. cant wait to see his first teeth!

i got another month to go fully breastfeeding him. by his 6th month, he will have his first solid food! so mommy can stop worrying about stocking up freezer full of ebm’s ! woot woot!

here are some pictures of my little hero

with his buddy , dino

chilling out with his buddies

apparently, adam will be forced to love football by his daddy. and a liverpool fan by default . hmmm

still a little bit botak, just like duckie

our first hari raya as a family

adam loves car rides

real men wear pink yo!

This year, mother’s day bring a whole new meaning for me. i never thought motherhood would be so darn challenging. so this year i am exercising my rights to demand for a pressie hehehe

‎Dear baby adam,for mother’s day gift mommy wud like 8 hrs of sleep,can? Too much? Ok,how abt 6hrs then? No can do? Ok fine, 4hrs ok?
Luv, Mommy

On a lighter note, i vow to be one of these stylish mommies. as a start, i shall need a nanny, a cook, a personal trainer, a dietitian, a maid , a make up artist n a hairstylist. :p

ok so nobody warned me about how challenging motherhood would be. i know it is not a walk in the park, but man it is my everest!!

baby adam will be turning 4 weeks in a couple of days. how time flies and of course with the never ending roller-coaster ride taking care of him. in the first week, i was battling with breastfeeding. oh dear, it was so difficult at first. many times i wanted to give but with the help and encouragement from a few very helpful ppl, i managed to suck it up. in week 2, i was still at war with breastfeeding n colicky baby adam which means sleepless nights while listening to your baby screaming bloody murder. fuuuhhhh!

in the 3rd week, i was battling with baby adam the milk monster who wants his milk every 1.5hrs or so. and now it is getting tougher to get him to sleep. he wants to stay in my arms and rocked to sleep. demanding lil fella

indeed, it is a wild ride on a new adventure!

for the past 9 months, i kept my pregnancy a hush hush so that i can say this ” surprise!!!!”

say hello to my piccolo tesoro

baby adam came into the world on 6th April 2011 at 1341hrs @ Prince Court Medical Center. the doctor expected the baby to be born less than 3kilo but baby adam came out fat and healthy at 3.15kilo, which was why mummy had to be assisted with a vacuum to get baby adam out.

baby adam, be good boy n make mommy & daddy proud okay?

went for a check up yesterday and i got this cute lil bookmark/reminder about my upcoming BIG day. the doctor also gave me the admission form for me to keep when the big day comes. man, it sorta hit me yesterday that THE day is close. One and a half month to go! eeeepppss!

What I never expected when I’m expecting (my version of “what to expect when you are expecting” LOL)

1) Nausea and vomiting up until 32nd week and still going strong! –I am one of the very lucky ladies who gets all-day sickness up until 3rd trimester. And I think it aint gonna stop until I give birth. I am very special indeed: p

2) “it’s okay your pregnant u can eat whatever u like“ – BS!! Don’t ever believe those u tell you that. Infact, stay away from those people. Just because you’re pregnant, that doesn’t mean you can eat as u please. Especially unhealthy food, ie fast food. Remember, whatever u eat will go to ur baby. As for me, I try to refrain myself from having fast food. I only allow myself to have it once a month in case I crave for it. But then again, 90% of the time, my body rejects anything related to fast food and starbucks. hahaha so good for me!

3) “its’ okay to eat more, ur eating for two “ – another BS. don’t believe me? Ask ur doctor cos he’ll tell u the same thing. Too bad I got to know about it after I turned into a whale hahahaha

4) “Pregnant ladies no need to exercise lah” – another BS. In fact, do make the effort to exercise 3x a week. Too bad for me, during the first trimester and up until middle of my 2nd trimester, my nausea and vomiting was pretty bad. I was always on MC and in bed all day; basically fatigue literally took over my body. I entirely stopped my usual exercise activities which I suspected to be the major factor why I ballooned up pretty fast. My advice to those mommies-to-be who are not having such a bad nausea/sickness/fatigue like I did – do continue exercising (pregnancy-friendly exercises yea?) so that you wouldn’t turn into a whale in such a short period, like I did.

5) Ladies are more insensitive than men about your weight gain. Yes, it’s true.

6) People will brush it in your face every (other) day that you’re fat even though they know you’re expecting. Apparently, these people got lost somewhere in the twilight zone and their brains failed to register the fact that pregnant ladies will somehow gain a few pounds along the way.

The usual statements would be “omg besarrr nye” “gemok nye you skrangggg” “u nak size ape? XL ok? (even though the person knows before ur preggers ur a size XS)” “cepat betol u kembang” “takut nye aku tengok betis ko mengembang”

It gets even harsher when ur surrounded with ladies who envy ur pre-pregnancy slim-figure. Yup, they are having the time of their lives throwing u with all those whale-related statements alright! Some would go the distance to put u down by saying “ u will never get ur figure back” or sarcastically tells you “tengok la lepas beranak nanti, bole ke u dpt badan u balik”.

The overflowing attention towards ur weight will be more than the attention Jessica Simpson got when she wore that high waisted mummy jeans. Believe you me!

So, what’s a preggers (with a couple kilo of extra fat) mummy to do?

Be strong, let ‘em fall on deaf ears and soon the sun will shine again. Else, you can go home and whine to ur other half. They will be more supportive than ever, that I can guarantee.

7) You tend to be more comot than usual– well, this applies to me, anyway. No mood to shop, to pick a nice outfit, or put on much make-up when I go to work or going out. Old wives tales indicate that it is a sign of a baby boy. hmmmmmmmmmm

8 ) there will be annoying non-preggers individuals around you who will be more emotional/irrational than you. ironic isn’t is? especially when the fact that you are the one with scientifically-proven raging hormones yet u can still keep your cool. just because ur pregnant, it doesn’t mean u can be emotional/irrational all the time as you please. which is why i always believe just because u feel it, it doesnt mean you have to act on it

Well one thing I learn my current experience being pregnant is that, it is definitely not a walk in the park. But like my OBGYN said, if you’re complaining all the time about every single thing thru out your pregnancy, u would not be able to enjoy your journey towards motherhood. It’s a once in a lifetime chance, so dont ruin it by whining!