The use of pacifiers for babies have long been touted as an *easy-way-out* method to calm babies (read: shut them up). I guess that’s why they call it the *dummy*. The usage of pacifiers causes nipple confusion especially in the early stages of breastfeeding, is easily soiled and just yesterday, I was saddened to read the news that it caused a 14-month old baby to choke to death:
Toddler chokes to death on pacifier
JOHOR BARU: A 14-month-old baby boy suffered for almost 90 minutes before dying, after he accidentally swallowed his pacifier at his babysitter’s house.
The victim, whose parents work as factory operators in Singapore, was sent to his babysitter’s house in Taman Johor Jaya here yesterday.
It is learnt that the parents have been sending the baby to the babysitter for more than a year.
Yesterday, the babysitter put the pacifier into the baby’s mouth when she went to prepare his milk at about 10am. When she came back to check on him, she was horrified to see that he had swallowed the pacifier.
She tried to pull it out but it was stuck in the baby’s throat. She rushed him to a nearby clinic but the people there could not extricate it. By the time he was taken to Sultan Ismail Hospital at 11.30am, he was pronounced dead on arrival.
I am glad that we have NEVER once used a pacifier with Ethan. Mom had also never used a pacifier for my brother and I when we were babies. Of course initially it was difficult because when Ethan needed to be calmed down, we had to talk, sing, soothe, rock and nurse by offering “the human pacifier” to him. It has all been worth every bit of the effort as there is no need to break him from the pacifier habit now.
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I desperately need to exercise.Before I got pregnant, I was really high on exercise. The endorphines exercise provided me kept me going and going and going, much like the Energizer bunny. I frequented the gym about 3-4 times a week, doing cardio and weights, and attending group exercise classes like Body Pump, Body Jam and Body Step. When I got pregnant, I continued with my gym routine, albeit on a toned-down scale. I attended Body Balance classes more, as it focused on Yoga, Pilates and Taichi, which was advantageous for my pregnancy, but I also did Body Pump (weight training) till I was 7 months preggers. After 7 months, I only did swimming. In fact, I was swimming up till 2 days before my first signs of labor came.
Well, after I had Ethan, my only form of “exercise” was breastfeeding. On Desperate Housewives just the other day, someone mentioned that a session of breastfeeding is equivalent to a 30-minute cardio workout in the gym.
WOW.
And that’s how breastfeeding mommies like me keep the weight off. Heh… eksyen oni…
Unfortunately, I still have 1-2 stubborn kilos to go. Arrghhhh!! And most of it is concentrated on the “love handles” zone. No surprise there.
Now that Ethan is mobile and crawling (and very soon walking and running!!), I assume I would be losing more weight in weeks to come.
The thing is, I still need to tone my muscles and right now, the only form of weight training I do is lifting Ethan up and down. Hehe… my very own adorable home weights.
My “weights” and I – don’t we make a great team?
In the still of the night, there was nary a sound around when suddenly… Ethan: Waaaahhhhhhhh….!!!!
Pete: (happily) I’ll get it! (proceeds to go to Ethan’s cot to cuddle and soothe him)
Ethan: Wawaahhhhhhh….!!! (starts sniffling and sobbing)
Pete: (picks Ethan up) Don’t cry boy, don’t cry….Good boy…
Ethan: (kicks and screams even harder) WaaaaaHhhh!!! Mamamaamamama…….!!!
Pete: Daddy is here, Daddy is here…
Ethan: Mamamamamaaaaa….!!!!! (kicking, screaming, stretching, the works…)
Pete: (frustrated liao) Nah, nah..Mommy is here ….
Me: (taking Ethan in my arms)
Ethan: (immediately making himself cosy in my arms and begins to fall asleep again)
Pete: (sighs) Magic.
Yes, Ethan still CANNOT sleep through the night. SIGH… We have tried countless methods, but still no results. The latest method we tried was the controlled crying method, which was really too heartwrenching for us as parents. This involved letting him cry for longer periods of time as opposed to going to him immediately when he calls. We succeeded for like 5 days or so and then gave up, more so cos we read that Ethan could very well be a baby of very strong and persistent personality and this method does not work well in these cases, according to Dr Sears.
Back when Ethan was but a month old, a good girlfriend of mine told me that soon I would see that Ethan would be sticking to me like a stamp to a letter. Even more so in my case, she continued… because I exclusively breastfeed Ethan.Well that is becoming an apparent reality now as Ethan is now VERY attached to me. He sometimes lets out an urgent cry when he sees me leave the room. And he sometimes also hugs my hand to sleep. Yes… our bond as mother and baby has been strengthened many folds by the beautiful act of breastfeeding. And of course, it is an unwritten fact that babies tend to equate their daddies to playtime and their mommies to nurturing.
But when does this dependence end? I for one, choose to cherish it while it lasts…
Since we’d already travelled for Christmas, we spent New Year’s in Penang, in the comfort of our apartment. One of my New Year resolutions is to cook more frequently, since I have “ready” customers at home who relish my cooking. Heh… does wonders for the ego too, I might add. So to start the New Year off with a bang (pun intended), I decided to cook today. Pete was such a dear and he looked after Ethan while I dished out the goodies.I’ll have to admit I actually went kind of bonkers and dished out 5 dishes today, instead of the customary 3. The 5 dishes were:
- Stir-fry beef with celery and carrots (This was the first time I cooked this dish, let alone cook beef. I introduced beef to Ethan today, so since he only took a small portion of the beef, I used the greater part of the meat for this dish)
- Ginger & spring onion chicken
- Baked beans with eggs & bombay onions
- Stir-fry Baby bok choy
- Watercress soup
Of course, the dishes were served with a healthy concoction of red rice + Herbal Ponney rice + Energy Grain Mix (millet + quinoa + buckwheat).
Delicious or not, you’ll have to ask Pete la…
So as we bid buh-bye to the year 2006, I fondly recall the many blessings God has bestowed upon us and the priceless episodes that have indelibly changed my life:
- I gave birth to our darling Ethan boy, sans epidural
- I changed diapers for the first time in my life. Now Pete refers to me as the expert…
- I experienced the beautiful bond of breastfeeding and am still cherishing the experience to this day
- Ethan’s first giggle which was filled with such pure innocence and joy.
- I felt the wonderment of being a mother, and more importantly, of being a parent. Motherhood and parenthood really makes us appreciate our own parents more.
- …And I witnessed how awesome a daddy Peter is. The way his face lights up when he looks at our little angel – that’s definitely worth a million bucks.
In essence, the majority of people in our community are still ill-informed when it comes to breastfeeding. Despite efforts to promote breastfeeding amongst new mothers (especially), many are still in the dark about this beautiful bonding practice, which ought to come as second nature to all mothers.A common problem we hear people have is whether or not the mother “has enough milk” for the baby. In fact, several days ago, this very same topic came up among my breastfeeding group at work about why some mothers claim that they do not have enough milk to breastfeed their babies.
With all due respect, I DO NOT believe the authenticity of this claim. I believe that all mammals will certainly have the ability to produce milk and breastfeed their babies. In the same vein, humans, being mammals, WILL have enough milk to provide for their babies. For those who claim they do not, there will surely be a good enough reason why they eventually can’t.
Some of the reasons why the “not enough milk” mentality came about:
- Failure to nurse baby on demand: a newborn demanding milk every hour or so is wrongly “believed” to be “still hungry” and hence, formula is introduced. Breastfeeding works on a supply-and-demand concept. When there is demand (from baby), there will be supply.
- Not drinking enough water
- Lack of confidence. Off and on, I meet pregnant women with whom I would ask “Are you going to breastfeed?” An answer along the lines of “See la, if I have enough milk…” shows that they are ill-informed and do not have the confidence to breastfeed fully. From the onstart, one must already have the confidence and think and KNOW that they can breastfeed exclusively.
- Being told that one does not have enough milk
A common misconception is that all mothers will NATURALLY (read:automatically) produce sufficient milk for their babies, when this in fact, is not true at all. All breastfeeding mothers, including myself, can confidently attest that breastfeeding takes a LOT of effort, countless sleep-deprived nights and persistence. Oh, and how could I forget the support of the people close to me?
Ethan is now 10 months old and I am extremely proud of myself for being so persistent and perseverant in exclusively breastfeeding him. My 6-month target for breastfeeding was altered to a respectable 1-year target when he was about 3 months’ old. And now that I have about 1.5 more months to go to reach the 1-year breastfeeding contract with Ethan, I can’t help but consider a contract extension. After all, if I have the ability to give him the best, why should I settle for less?
A shopping mall is never complete without the inclusion of a breastfeeding/nursing room. Going shopping with Ethan tagging along is a breeze because for a breastfeeding mommy, we didn’t need to tote along milk bottles, milk powder, bottle warmers and whatnot. So when the all-new Queensbay Mall opened in Penang just about a week ago, checking out the breastfeeding room was top on my list of priorities.I was pleasantly amazed at the thought that was put in into creating a very conducive environment for nursing mothers. There were 3 rooms available, all privately enclosed by draw-curtains (having a door would be better, but this would do anyway), 3 diaper-changing stations, a sink and a hot and cold water dispenser. There were also 2 sofas provided in the lounge area, presumably for daddies to rest their weary legs or just to read the newspapers. I also thought it was a nice touch that they also hung posters promoting breastfeeding on the walls.
Alas, my excitement was short-lived as during my 3rd visit to the mall, we encountered someone who was quite unclear on the concept of the breastfeeding room. One of the 3 breastfeeding rooms was occupied by a guy and his kid, who was taking a snooze! Talk about insensitivity!
Last night my maternal instincts told me that Ethan was about to catch the flu. We gave him a quick bath anyways, and prepared him for bed. After dressing him up in his pjs, I breastfed him for his night cap. Normally he would take only 15 minutes tops and then he would be out like a light, but yesterday night, it took him 30 minutes to feed. He was drinking a LOT of milk! That was a sign that he was catching a virus.
He then awoke at sometime past midnight and I nursed him, as usual. His body felt slightly warm, so I prayed that it would return to normal after a while. However, after feeding, he refused to go back to bed in his cot, so I had to cuddle him as I sat slightly upright in bed, propped up by pillows. During the many times when he awoke during the night, I breastfed him and let him sleep, either in my arms or beside me on the bed. His body was still warmer than normal in the morning at 7:00a.m. when he woke up but when we took his temperature, it was only 36.1 degrees Celsius – probably cos he was wriggling all the while, and it was hard to keep the thermometer in his underarms. We then decided to take him to see the doc, just as a precaution.
Upon reaching the hospital, I felt that his body temperature had gone back to normal somewhat. To be completely honest, Ethan was looking very much like his normal self and not at all sick (the wonders of being a breastfed baby never cease to amaze me). The nurse at the registration desk asked if baby had fever, and I told her only this morning, not sure about now (for the record, all this while, Ethan was flashing the nurse a big wide grin). To be on the safe side, the nurse directed us to the Accident and Emergency department to have his temperature taken. Reading: 37.3 degrees.
Up we went to the doc’s clinic – after like an hour of waiting, we were finally ushered in. The doc said it was the beginning of a flu virus, but since he seemed happy, there was nothing to worry about. We were given Paracetamol but it was only to be administered if his temperature was 38 degrees and above.
We took him home, gave him a quick bath, fed him and he slept for most of the afternoon. I then prepared his dinner for him, which is what I like to call comfort food. When I was a little girl, I remember my Mom cooking comforting soupy stuff for me when I was not well. My version of comfort food for Ethan? Mee Suah with ground oats topped with lettuce and corn with that extra bit of yummy chicken. It was gobbled down with glee!
So who do you think won the battle between Ethan and the Flu Bug? You be the judge…
Photo taken at 7:19 p.m.
Photo taken at 7:21 p.m.
Shopping malls in Penang are in dire need of proper nursing and breastfeeding facilities for the general public. Ever since I took on the role of a breastfeeding mommy, I have been visiting breastfeeding/nursing rooms whenever I have the chance to do so. Some are so icky that I have even spotted cockroaches lurking around the room. Simply disgusting!
That said, I would conclude that the award for best nursing room in Penang would probably go to the one in Parkson Grand, Gurney Plaza. It is brightly lit, with 2 stations for diaper change and 2 private curtain-enclosed breastfeeding cubicles. The color scheme is bright and cheerful with nature motives everywhere. There is also a sink with warm water for the convenience of everyone.
I find it extremely comfortable nursing Ethan in the nursing room here. The curtains provide the privacy a breastfeeding mommy needs, and Pete and I have been frequenting this nursing room ever since we started taking Ethan out shopping with us. It was really easy to breastfeed him undisturbed each time we were there, but NOW….aiyo, it’s a totally different story.
I think the change was apparent sometime when Ethan was 4 or 5 months’ old. Each of the nursing cubicles has 3 big wooden wall hooks, in the shape of a snail, a butterfly and a flower. Every time I nursed him there, he would be really fascinated with these hooks and be totally distracted, up to the extent that he would NOT drink his milk! We have tried covering the hooks with plastic bags, covering Ethan’s eyes with cloth and we have even tried using my nursing coverall….but all to no avail. He will only take his milk if he is extremely HUNGRY.
You know what? My breastfeeding friend at work tells me that apparently her daughter is also distracted by the same things. Hehe…. I suppose that’s the reason why nursing rooms in KL are mostly non-bright with no additional cartoons or motifs.
Me, that is…
I was out sick from work yesterday because I had one of my worst bouts of flu ever. I went to see the doc, who prescribed some medicine for me. I was reluctant to take the medicine though, because I was breastfeeding and didn’t want to pass any foreign drug-like substance to Ethan. So I called my pediatrician and told her the names of the medicine I was prescribed. She advised me against taking them because they cause drowsiness and this will be passed on to Ethan through my breast milk.So to cut the long story short, I didn’t take the medicine at all and instead let nature take its course in healing me by drinking gallons of water and sleeping as much as I could. I could still breastfeed though, albeit I had to wear a mask. Ethan was very kepo and started to touch the face mask I was wearing. Haha…. In fact, by breastfeeding him especially now, I am passing on the antibodies for this strain of flu virus which I had caught. That’s one strain down, and a few hundred more to go….
I’ve heard that breastfeeding supposedly becomes easier when baby attains the age of 6 months. Well, when I first started breastfeeding Ethan, it was certainly no walk in the park and at that time, I could not wait till he was 6 months old. I was under the impression that once he reaches 6 months, he would not be so dependent on milk as he would already start on solids.6 months has come and gone, and I must say that I am quite wrong about him being NOT so dependent on my milk. Yes, Ethan has been taking rice cereal for about 3 weeks now and yes, he appears to be enjoying it, but I am happy to note that he STILL prefers what he knows is BEST: Mommy’s Milk.
To date, he is taking a few spoonfuls of cereal mixed with fruit or vegetable (he loves pears, carrots and apples) at lunch time every day and completes his meal with milk. Sometimes I will give him some fruit for dinner when I get back from work. I’ve read that up till the age of 1, a baby’s diet is to comprise mostly of milk in order to provide adequate nourishment. I’m glad our Ethan is doing a great job in fulfilling this fact.
I’ve watched our boy grow from a small fragile infant into an active and bulat baby. I’ve watched him mature from crying for every single thing to babbling incoherently to giggling uncontrollably when he plays. It is so very rewarding to witness this miracle of growth, to have my spirits uplifted each time I am greeted with that toothless grin, that gentle touch and those big loving eyes…and to know I have provided him the best by breastfeeding.
What a blessing Ethan is to us! I know I will miss being his sole food provider in future as he grows up, but for now, I will enjoy this magical bond we share. And I know I will never forget this experience for the rest of my life.
