breastfeeding tips

this is my EBM in my Medela cooler

my products today - 2 bottles of EBM with 2 sessions of pumping

yes, i'm the midst of exam stress.....my exam is less than 3 weeks away...and now, the kids are not in good health, both are having respiratory tract infections and that contributes to my stress as well...

but still, alhamdulillah i'm still breastfeeding Imtiaz fully....the milk supply is still good and able to keep going with Imtiaz's demand....

i have no particular tips actually but i'm telling you what i have been doing...you can try them, insya allah they'll work for you as well....

• regular pumping session at work and also at home - this is a must for me at work...i scheduled myself regularly to pump at around 10-11 am, then 1-2pm and if i'm coming home late, i'll pump at 5pm...sometimes i pump only 1 side on the way back home so that i can feed Imtiaz straight away with the other breast...and when the supply is not that great, i make an attempt to pump at home too...it doesn't matter if at that session i only managed to get 1 oz, or sometimes even 0.5 oz....but pump more so that i can add them and after 4-5 pumping session i'll be able to produce 1 feed for Imtiaz...

• i wait longer to get the 2nd let down reflex- i usually get about 2-3 oz at 1 go....i'm using the old Medela Pump=In=Style...so i do my own stimulation phase after the first go....maximize the speed and minimize the suction...i'll watch Imtiaz's video on my phone and wait for the 2nd let down reflex....and i'm able to get 1-2 oz extra....that is sufficient for Imtiaz one feed...sometimes i waited for the 3rd let down reflex....and limit each pumping session to only 30 minutes because i can't afford to let my patients wait for me longer than that...

• drink and drink and drink - i realized that Milo works for me....plain water too...it doesn't matter what you drink but drinking water or any other drinks help to make more milk...and currently i take Sacred Tea to boost up milk supply...it kinds of hel p too....

• direct breastfeeding at home- i make sure that i directly nurse Imtiaz at home... NO EBM for him if i'm at home with him...the more he sucks, the more milk is produced....sometimes he wants it every 1/2 hour....i simply give him...you might think the boop is empty because your baby just fed from it....NO, our boops constantly make milk....with stimulation from your baby, it will be expelled out from our boops...

i think that's all i've been doing...the other thing is be confident with the milk supply...i only managed to express about 4 oz each session nowadays compared to my earlier days when Imtiaz was exclusively breastfeeding, i got 7-8 oz each time...now he has eat solid food and my breasts are producing what he actually takes....

and i'm strongly believe that i am able to continue breastfeeding Imtiaz up to 2 years, insya allah...

little shaolin....

let the photos tell you the story...

we start at the back...

ayo, mamak...you tilt my head...

half side gone...

owwww!!! don't cut my ear....

hey, mamak!!! what have you done to my hair hah???

i need a shoulder to cry on...

do i look like rosyam nor in castello..?

but i'm still mama and papa's little shaolin....

hand, foot mouth disease (HFMD)

the whole family is QUARANTINED!!!!

Jihan and i got HFMD....and we are totally clueless where we got it from....i haven't seen such aptients before i was on raya leave and there was not a single case in Jihan's school...we probably contracted the disease during hari raya, but we wonder where was the source...

anyway, what happened was both of us had low grade fever and sorethroat with ILI symptoms but they were not that severe to disturb our daily activities and the duration was very transient....so we thought it was a normal upper respiratory tract infection...the next day Jihan said she had mouth pain, probably mouth ulcer due to too much drinking and eating all the kuih raya and stuffs...no other suspicious symptoms to suggest anything highly contagious or sinister...

on Wednesday, i realized i got a few tender nodules and blisters on the back of my hand.....i didn't pay much attention to it...i was on leave because i wanted to study for the exam...then i went back, Jihan couldn't eat because of painful sorethroat and mouth...we inspected her mouth and there were multiple ulcers and herpengina at the back of her mouth, palate and tongue...then we discovered multiple red spots on her feet, then hands....gosh!!! it really looked like HFMD...and i looked at my hands and oh my...i couldn't be getting it too...?? it rarely affects adult and sometimes it comes unnoticed...

the next day, i showed the lesions to my specialist...with the given history and suggestive physical symptoms, i was confirmed to have HFMD...and there were multiple ulcers in my mouth too but i didn't feel it that painful and i was able to eat normally....Jihan too was seen by my specialist and both of our cases were notified to the health authority....

HFMD is a notifiable disease that needs to be notified within 24 hours of diagnosis....it is highly contagious and treatment is just supportive and symptomatic...hygiene is very important and that's how the disease can be curbed....

we are recovering now...Jihan is able to tolerate orally better...her school is taking every measures to disinfect all their cutleries and picking up cases with similar symptoms to be checked by doctors....

i found a very good website regarding the disease, worthwhile to read about it...

http://www.sarawak.health.gov.my/hfmd.htm