Breastfeeding Items

I've been reading and learning things in regards to breastfeed from Google and breastfeeding groups, mostly. Very informative, I must say since I'm new to this.

This led me to other things, among them is preparing for the essential breastfeeding items. And I never knew they can be quite costly but of course, if you want the best and you have the cash, why don't you indulge in some fancy gadgets and stuff for your breastfeeding session.

I was tempted to buy Medela FS at first (well, who doesn't?) and have placed a deposit during a spree since it was quite cheap at that time. Then, it crossed my mind what if I can't express milk as much as I wanted it to be. Wouldn't it be a waste to spend so much on a breast pump knowing that I can use that same amount of money on something else? Then my sister suggested Spectra 300 which is quite good, very quiet and cute despite being slightly heavy and big. I was tempted (as usual!) but decided to settle on Spectra 3 instead since my SIL offers her extra, brand new Spectra much cheaper than market price. It was slightly heavy, well Spectra is known to be a little bit on a heavier side but who cares as long as they're working out good. At only RM250, she gave me a brand new set of Spectra 3, a cooler bag and 2 packs of 25pcs storage bags. Me and husband went giddy and excited trying out the breast pump all over our body. Hahaha!

Since my breast pump only provide a single breast shield, I need to buy another set to enable double pumping. Thank God my cousin sells all these breastfeeding products wayyyyyyyyy cheaper than their retail price. Plus, a little discount too since I'm a family member so yeay! Hahaha. I bought 2 box of 6 storage bottles (5oz) from Jingle Jungle at RM19 each and a pack of 6 bottles (2oz) from Treenie at RM17. The breast shield is only RM55 and the 3pcs ice pack from Jingle Jungle is at RM14. The total amount is disclosed since I'm a family and entitled for discount. Hehehe. But trust me, do buy from her if you want something cheaper. Visit her Facebook page or Mudah listing for pricing and contact details.

Wish me luck on my breastfeeding journey! If all is well, maybe I can upgrade myself to a Medela FS someday. Hehehe.

Baby Cradle

Remember how I babbled about not wanting to buy a baby cot or playpen before? Hahaha shoved it to my face! I was influenced by my mother after seeing a seemingly beautiful and girly cradle at Pyramid last week and finally bought it without much thinking, and to tell you the truth, I kinda like it. No, it's more to I love it! A lot! Guilty as charged.

There's a change of plan for my confinement actually hence the purchase for this cradle. I decided to stay at my parents' house after giving birth next month so that means, my mom will take care of me during the whole 44 days of confinement period. And since I'll be living temporarily at the guest room downstairs, I guess I should buy a separate bedding for my baby since the room only has a single bed. I can't possibly squeeze in my baby with me on the same single bed at night time, right? It could be harmful because of the limited space, especially to the baby. And this led me being talked into buying this cradle for our own ease later.

Oh, pardon the tiny model sleeping inside. He's my sister's super-cute baby boy! Agagagaga!

The official picture of the cradle

I bought the cradle in Jusco Sunway Pyramid. It's from Sweet Cherry. I think, this product is available at most Jusco outlets or you can always purchase it online from their website. Priced at RM219, it comes in 2 colors. Checked light brown and light green polka dotted. I bought the light green one as the color is more universal and can be used for both sexes. The cradle has 4-wheels which can be converted into rocking or maneuvering positions. It's also compact when folding so it saves space when not in use and has quite a large compartment at the bottom part. The plus point is it comes with a built-in mosquito net to protect the baby when sleeping. Owh, the design is oh-so-classic too, I like!

Fisher Price Rocker: FINALLY!

I've been eyeing this green frame rocker from Fisher Price Precious Planet's range since God-knows-when (yeah, dramatic!). Ever since I'm pregnant, I've always wanted to buy this for my baby because of its color and functionality. See, color comes first. It shows that I'm only attracted to its design so much whereas practicality comes second. Hahaha!

Anyway, what raised my interest for this rocker is it can be used right from infant to toddler. It folds easily which makes it portable and has reclining position to suit newborn babies. It also comes with hanging toys and calming vibrations (battery operated) to soothe her. When the baby grows older, it can be converted into a rocking chair, so it really is multipurpose!

This rocker comes in two colors which is blue and green. Blue is the older version while green is the new color. Of course, I've been attracted to the green color since forever. But most online shops only sell the blue color ones at half the price (only RM190! *dies*) while the price for the green color remains the same, at RM349 or cheapest, at RM299 after discount. This is frustrating as I don't intend to spend so much on a plastic rocker, no matter how good does it look or which brand name that it carries.

So I decided to just dump the idea of buying this rocker and hoping that someone is kind enough to give me this as a baby gift. And that's when I stumbled on Malyn's post, where she opened a spree to buy this green frame rocker at only RM195! Hoorayyyyyy! I e-mailed her right away, placed a deposit and after roughly around 2 weeks, I finally received the rocker. All in good shape and working order.

The rocker in action, at home. Finally! Thanks to my husband for assembling it right there on the dot.

When Malyn e-mailed me saying that the rocker has arrived, I was soooooooo excited and decided to self-collect at Putrajaya because I just can't wait for the delivery. Many thanks to Malyn and her husband for going thru the hassle of handling and passing orders for this rocker. And the best part is, I've finally bought my dream rocker at a much cheaper price! Yeayyyyyyy!

Children's Vapor Balm

Thank you so much to my readers for the many suggestions regarding my previous post here, where I blogged about baby care items. Yes, being a first time mother, I need to learn a lot and there are so many things that I need to be aware of, especially for newborn babies.

I never knew there's a separate balm for babies where all this while, I thought Vicks is good enough to be put on babies whenever they have cold or flu. After doing some reading and based on some recommendations, I decided to ditch the usual blue tab Vicks from my baby care list and bought a new one which is safe for newborns.

And since I love online shopping so much, I bought this balm thru 21st Century's website. Yes, they do offer online shopping and free shipping for their products. This is such a  good news since I don't have to go to the pharmacy to buy their products anymore.

21st Century Children's Vapor Balm. You can purchase it here.

I bought the balm at RM8.95 with free shipping via Skynet. Delivery is efficient as the item arrived on the very next day after I placed the order. This balm is Camphor-free and suitable to be used on babies. It has a sweet strawberry smell and is pink in color, perfect for children. Of course, this product is available in most pharmacies but if you're too lazy like me, you can opt for online shopping. Trust me, it's much much more convenient!

Co-Sleeping With Baby

I think it's normal, especially in Asian countries, where newborns sleep on the same bed with their parents. I myself have planned to have my baby to co-sleep with me during her early months. I don't buy any baby cot or playpen for my baby because I am planning to have her to sleep on my bed during night time. Since my husband's work of nature requires him to be out of town most of the time, I think co-sleeping with her should be no problem.

Of course, we've heard of a few mishaps and unfortunate incidents where babies were found dead while co-sleeping, mostly because of suffocation due to being accidentally squashed by the parent. It was a tragic, really. I am fully aware on the consequences of having a tiny baby to sleep with me at night so I decided to buy an appropriate and suitable sleeper which is safe for the baby.

The First Years Close & Secure Sleeper from Parkson OU at RM152 after discount.

This is sufficient enough to be used during her early days on my bed. It comes with a soft night light for you to check on the baby anytime while she sleeps.

With mesh sides which allow better air circulation for the baby. The sides are made of hard plastic to prevent baby (or even parents) to roll over the sleeper.

Portable, lightweight and saves a lot of space when folding.

So what happens when the baby outgrows the sleeper? Isn't it going to be a waste since you'll be using it for, let's say, just for a month tops?

Yeah, I've thought about it too and still, I'm not making any plans to buy her a proper cot or playpen because I can always borrow from my relatives. And I planned to furnish the baby's nursery with a proper bed and furniture which have longer lifespan. So there, please don't make me spend my money and buy a baby cot or playpen for the baby because I won't. Butttttttt, there's always a but. It's a totally different story if you decided to buy me a playpen as a gift. Will be more than happy to receive it! Hehehe!

Hospital Bag: DONE!

This is the one thing that I procrastinate on a lot. I don't really like packing, be it for holiday even. Because I'll end up with heaps of unnecessary things shoved inside the bag for no apparent reason. And the same goes while I was packing for the baby and my hospital bag. Eventho I have the checklist to refer to, I still ended up with a few things, just for the sake of thinking 'maybe it's not enough'. Hahaha!

Let's start with the baby's stuff first, shall we?

Baby care items are included in my list of hospital bag for baby, eventho most people said these aren't going to be used but I just like to be prepared. It's completely okay if these items stay inside the bag as long as I know I have all the things ready should I need them later. I bought a travel size for all items so it won't take much space.

6x diapers

1x baby wipes

1x set of travel pack toiletries 

1x minyak telon

1x minyak yuyi

1x vicks

The main stuff, baby clothes! I think I've brought a sufficient need for her stay in the hospital. It includes:

2x swaddle wraps

1x receiving blanket

2x set mittens and booties

1x towel

3x baby binder

3x button-front clothes

1x hat

From the list of clothes above, I've separated it to after-birth clothes and going-home clothes. Referring to an entry from Mama Lynd, this is going to be my baby's first clothes right after delivery. I've briefed my husband regarding this already and packed this set of attire in a separate paper bag so it'll be easier for him when the nurse asked for the baby's blanket and tops. Just take it out from the bag and pass it on to the nurse.

As for the going-home clothes (nak jugekkkkkkkkk!), I've packed something fancy yet simple for the baby since she's still a newborn. Who doesn't want her baby to look cute, right? Hahaha alasan nak dress up semata!

Okay, since we're done with the baby's hospital bag, let's move further to mummy's hospital bag now:

Mummy's care regiment is a must! I bought everything in a travel size to save space as possible as I could.

1x pack maternity pads

1x set toiletries

1x make-up kit

As for the clothes, I packed a few pieces just in case there are leaking and whatnots.

3x button-front tops

3x kain batik

1x sweater

3x thick socks

3x nursing bras

1x pack disposable panties

1x towel

1x pack disposable breast pads

1x nipple cream

Apart from these things. I also think this is worth consider to be packed inside your bag too just in case (which I think is necessary!):

Instant drinks (Milo/Horlicks)

Light snacks (dates/biscuits)

Handphone charger

Novel/magazine (to kill time)

Okay, once everything is all sorted out, they can all go inside the bag and I can now wait for the day to come. The owl bag belongs to the baby while the other one belongs to mummy. Now we're ready to go!

My Pregnancy Progress: 8 Months

Apart from the monthly check-up, nothing much has changed this month from the previous one. Everything is more or less the same, I feel very tired more than ever and sweat a lot, even at night. My baby is doing fine, mostly being at her highest point during night time until early morning, and sleeps throughout the whole day with minimal movements in the womb. But it's alright as long as she completes her 10 times kicking movements each day. Good girl!

I planned to be as active as I could during this last trimester, seeing that I'm staying at home now most of the time under doctor's prescriptions. I make sure to go out at least twice a week, be it for dinner or simply catch a movie, just as a simple walking exercise. The baby's getting heavier each day, so sometimes I have to limit my walking sesh and I can only do 4 to 6 hours tops. I still think it's relatively good, especially for a heavily pregnant woman like me.

The latest me at 33 weeks during various occasions

I still haven't packed my hospital bag, still procrastinating on that issue and even the nurse has advised me to start preparing one just in case. Will do that maybe this weekend with my husband. I have listed all the items that needed to bring, so let's just hope I'll stick to it.

Oh, just to let you know. Tanamera is having 20% discount on all of its products in Parkson Sunway Pyramid. So this is a good time to stock up on their brown soaps, salt scrubs and coconut oil. I just bought a herbal tungku to be used during my confinement period next month.

Managed to grab this at RM39.90 after discount. Love the spa aromatheraphy smell

Nubian Goat's Milk

Never ever has it crossed my mind that I'm gonna drink goat's milk, what's more loving it. Goat's milk have this awful smell which I can't stand, really. But ever since I'm pregnant, I started to learn new things each day and one of them is the possibility of jaundice on newborns and how your blood type can actually be one of the factors that contributes to it. I don't know if this is myth, assumptions or purely made based on scientific research but parents or moms (especially asians) with an O type blood have higher chances to have jaundice babies. Unlucky for me, I'm an O type blood too so I guess a simple precaution to prevent jaundice will do no harm for me and my baby. But it's all depends actually, if God's willing.

I heard goat's milk is one of the most popular method used to prevent jaundice on babies before they were born. Talking about goat's milk, my first reaction was like, yikes! I know I can't bear its smell but I just have to try it and thinking that this is just an experiment. Hahaha. I didn't want those prepacked goat's milk and decided to be really brave and tried the fresh goat's milk from Nubian. 

My brother used to drink goat's milk from Nubian before so I thought, hey maybe it wasn't that bad. And yes, it wasn't that bad at all. For a first timer, of course the smell was a total turn-off but once you drink it for the second time and the next, you'll get accustomed to its strong odour. In fact, I'm loving it now.

I started to drink goat's milk during the middle of my second trimester, with a bottle per week because fresh goat's milk is quite expensive. And now at 8 months, I increased my intake to three to four bottles per week. I can only drink milk from Nubian's. They're available in certain Giant hypermarkets, JJ/Carefour MidValley and Presto. But sometimes, they ran out of stock and boy, it was hard to find anywhere else.

My stocks for two weeks

But thank God they offer home delivery service, yes right at your doorstep. With my current condition now which is quite unforgiving, I guess I should make good use of this service. So I went to their website to register and placed my order. They have many flavors available if you decided to order online but I'm still stuck with the plain, original flavor. I've become their regular and now whenever I ran out of stock and decided to order I just text their staff at 016-3458988 and the milk will be delivered to me (with a very minimal delivery charge) in 2 days. Much easier and efficient!

For more info on pricing and delivery, do check out their super cute animated website!