Buzzy Mummy on What Say You on RTM - TV2

Buzzy Mummy will be appearing on the talk show focusing on current issues and this time, it will be on Breastfeeding. The live talk show will be on 31 July 2011 at 5pm. There will be a Doctor and a Lactation Consultant together with Buzzy Mummy as the Working Mum as the panel of guests.

Poor oral hygiene can lead to problems during pregnancy?

Interestingly poor oral hygiene does not only cause you to have tooth decay and gum disease but is also potentially risky for your unborn child in your womb. I stumbled upon this article from Cosmeticsdesign.com US.

It was mentioned that Researchers from Guys and St Thomas’ Hospital in London, and the University of Pennsylvania both found that poor oral health during pregnancy contributes to an increased risk of premature birth and miscarriage. It is also stressed that regular checkups are important to prevent gum diseases that has been identified as a risk factor for premature birth, miscarriage and even stillbirth as the bacteria from the mouth can get into the baby’s bloodstream.

Little Jen Diarrhoea for 3 days

Poor Little Jen.. He cried so loudly on Friday night all out of a sudden when he was nursing in the car. We were travelling from KL to Melaka and it was already about 10pm. I could usually calm him down with just some soothing pats or songs but this time, he cried so loudly and seemed to be in pain. Hubby asked if he was crying cause his diaper was soaked.

Oh ya, then I recalled. His butt was reddish earlier in the evening and just minutes ago, he sounded like he pooped. He was having nappy rash and the poop made his butt really sore. I immediately took out his diaper and he calmed down a little but was still crying. Wiped and just as I was about to put on a new diaper for him, he started crying out loud again. Since it was near home already, I did not proceed with his diaper.

Once we reached home, I found that his butt was much redder than before. Applied a nappy rash cream for him and put on a fresh cloth nappy for him. He did not make any noise this time when I put on the cloth nappy for him except when I was applying the nappy rash cream on his butt and in between his thigh and groin. Obviously cloth nappy was much more comfortable since it was softer than a diaper.

The next few days, I noticed he had diarrhoea. Well, I couldn's have noticed earlier since I was not taking care of him during the day as I worked. Tried to nurse him more to soothe his pain a little although my supply had been really low since I had started to wean him off completely 2-3 months ago. I wanted to nurse him since breastmilk is the best - it provides him with antibody and is definitely gentle on his tummy.

We fed him with solid food only as much as he wanted to take. Water was given every now and then since he had lost quite alot of fluid. His poop was liquid, dark green in colour and he pooped about 4-5 times a day instead of his normal 2-3 times. All the while, he worn cloth nappy.

Unless his diarrhoea was gone, there was no way he could avoid nappy rash as his nappy was wet almost all the time due to his diarrhoea and pee. By Day 3, his butt was looking better and by Day 4, he pooped normally and his nappy rash was completely headled.

Little Jen's First Birthday Cake

This came a little late but better late than never. I have been searching for birthday cake to celebrate Little Jen's birthday since almost a month away from his big day. Tried looking online and then searching for nice-looking yummy cakes in stores nearby but hmm.. after going all over the place, I decided on the good ol' Secret Recipe.

It was not only Little Jen who would be celebrating his birthday. His Daddy too. His Daddy likes the Expresso Cheese Cake and that cake was a memorable one for us. I bought him that cake the first time we celebrated his birthday as a couple and we took almost a week to finish pinching on every crumbs left. Only two of us.. Yummy.

This time, we could not take coffee since Little Jen should not be taking caffeine-laced food. Hubby likes cheese cakes and Little Jen likes chocolate (yes, it choc contains caffeine too but I guess this is exceptional.. haha..) and for a healthy touch, we may have some kind of fruit on the cake.

Just nice, there was a new Secret flavour - Choc Cheese Berries! Oh, written on the cake -  Dearest Hubby and Lil Disaster a.k.a. Little Jen (*smile*).

That was the final choice and oh, I added a Little Dinosour on the cake cause Hubby liked to nickname himself as Yoshimi (Yoshi stands for a cute Dino) and there was also a Little Baby to represent Little Jen.

Happy Hubby, Buzzy Mummy and Little Jen for a Happy Family Picture!

And then.. now you see..

Now you don't.. Almost.. Buzzy Mummy got to blow the 1-Year Old candle for Little Jen since he had not idea what to do with it.

And.. a happy beginning to a new year for Little Jen and Hubby.. (*wink*).

Breastfeeding After 1 Year

Yes, Little Jen is already 1 Year 1 Week and 5 Days old and I am still breastfeeding him. Since he turned 7-8 months old, I had dropped all the day feedings and substituted with formula milk. Until now, I am still doing that but I have been trying hard to stop nursing him. It was not due to the pain during engorgement that made me nurse him. It is simply because it just feels right for a Mummy to provide the best nutrients for her little one.

By the way, recently, I have tried a little harder to stop nursing and my milk supply obviously reduced quite a lot. I am not feeling engorged by about 6pm although the last nursing was done in the morning at about 8am. It takes a lot of determination to stop nursing.

Now that I passed the 1 Year mark eventhough I only nurse at night, I do not think it is that easy to lose my milk supply unless if I really do not want to nurse Little Jen. However, this is really individual, some Mummies are really not able to maintain their supply if they do not constantly pump or nurse throughout the day. I am thankful to be able to relax on breastfeeding and still provide comfort to Little Jen.

Little Jen's Finger Got Stuck at the Door

Little Jen is now using his left hand more for feeding himself with finger food and to grab hold of stuff.

His right hand was stuck in between the door and the wall and he had his other hand pushing on the door to close it.  It was accidental and obviously he had no idea what would have happened if the door slammed shut. Luckily Mother In Law saw and prevented him from closing the door. BUT that was bad enough as that already caused his right ring finger to swell already.  His finger looked dark red at the tip and he cried so hard that he vomited.

Examined the finger carefully and was so relieved that he did not crush any of his tiny little bones. He cried every now and then when he accidentally applied pressure on the finger when he played with his toyes. Thank goodness that no permanent damage is done (*phew*). Have to keep a closer watch on him now..

Little Jen Vomited - Is the milk powder not suitable for him?

When Little Jen was 7 months old, we started to give him formula milk - S26 during the day. Since he took that when he was in the nursery right after leaving my womb and did not display any allergic reactions. Firstly we gave him the Promise Gold S26. Then we realised that there were the pink coloured box ones without the Gold on the box. Little Jen had been well nourished wit breast milk and so, we thought, no need for expensive formula cause we did not believe in better milk powder for brighter and healtheir babies. Breast milk was nourishing enough.

Now that he had turned 1, we brought him S26 - Stage 3 for 1-3 year olds, also without the Gold. The milk powder was slightly harder to dissolve in water and usually after feeds, we would notice lumps of milk in the bottle. The Stage 2 milk was okay.

Now, we give Little Jen Fernleaf milk powder for 1-3 year olds. This is much easier to dissolve and appearance wise, this looks thinner. Taste wise, I am not so sure but Little Jen usually finishes the amount we prepared for him unlike S-26 where he will sometimes, almost always not finish. He will leave an ounce or two behind. So, I guess Fernleaf tastes good but it maybe due to the fact that it is thinner as well.

He sometimes vomits when he cries too hard and sometimes when he chokes after coughing a little. We are so used to this, we just try to ensure our Little Jen does not cry too hard, too often. Recently, he seems to have slightly more gas in his tummy and he poos regularly but his stools are little yellower and softer. We think that this may be his reactions to the new milk but I decide to stick to Fernleaf for few more days  to observe if the milk is causing him any problems. Hopefully not..

The best part about changing to Fernleaf is that it is 30% cheaper than S-26. And, I do not believe that price reflects the nutrition and quality level of the different milk brands.

Snow is expensive too but he hates it and will not even take a sip.

I wonder why..

Malaysia International Yoga Competition 2011

It is too bad that this has to be held on this particular weekend when there are just too many road blocks around to travel comfortably on KL roads. There is not LRT or any sort of convenient public transport to get to One Utama. No way to drive or hop on a bus to get there without being caught in massive traffic jam. This is the first time I see this and I really wished to see how amazing these people are at doing their Yoga poses.

No choice, shall hope for the next one next year. Today, I am looking forward to my own Yoga class at about 3.30pm. That should do, although it is not the same. Next time.. :)

Happy Birthday Hubby and Little Jen

This same day a year ago, I am sorry Hubby cause I could not celebrate your birthday with you. I had to have you stay beside me in the morning before, during and after the operation that changed our lives completely. That morning, I remember how thankful I was to have you holding my hands, staying with me to welcome our baby, our Little Jen. How you wiped my happy tears away from my eyes gently. Precious moments I could not have exhanged for anything else..
Happy Birthday Little Jen and oh, Happy Birthday to Hubby as well. I love you both.. :)

Yu Yee Oil for Little Jen

My Little Jen uses Yu Yee oil once after his morning bath and once again after his evening bath or wipe. During antenatal class, the nurses taught us how to apply the oil after bath, simply by putting a drop into our hands, rub both hands until warm and then gently press the oil on the baby's tummy. This way, the oil will help to expel wind from babies' tummies and the warmth from mummies' hands will provide comfort.

We have been using the oil since he was a newborn and until now, just days before his 1st birthday. Probably bought about 10 bottles at max until now. The smell is just lovely and comforting. Sometimes, I use it too when I have stomachahe or bloated tummy. Yes, I have bloated tummy too especially when I take too much milk or get too hungry which also leads to gassiness. Even if it does not really help me, it gives me the comfort.

I am going to buy a new bottle of Yu Yee oil and probably use less of it but growing used to the smell, it is so hard not to use it. Just too nice to be forgotten.

Blackout Curtains over Tinted Window Film

Following my previous blog on my search for Tinted Film - For UV-Proof Windows, I have checked for more price idea at nearby shops myself and the cost for the 3-panel windows is about RM200-250 including installation. This is with 5 years warranty.

I reconsidered my options and I am now opting for blackout curtains. This is great since my mother in law is a seamstress and we can just buy the cloth with the patterns or colours that we want and she can sew them for me. We managed to find the blackout cloths at Kamdar, Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman and also Tewah in The Mines Shopping Centre. The prices range from RM12.90-RM28.90/m but the width of the cloths were different from about 60cm to 108cm. So, based on the window's measurement, we bought 5m of cloth with 60cm width from Kamdar. Total was about RM70 and the sewing of course, free-of-charge! Much more economical than tinting the windows.

Oh, the curtains are said to be able to block out 80-90% of sunlight which will be just fine as long as the UV doesn't get to me (*smile*).

I like Hubby and Little Jen just the way they are..