Getting Formula Milk Samples

While experimenting with which formula milk suits Hayden, I realized we can get formula milk samples from the various companies such as MeadJohnson and Abbott.

Enfalac: It was a very nice overall experience. The next day after sms-ing to them, a lady called me to get more information and informed me that she will send a 400g sample to me. It was sent via their courier service and came with phamplets of information on why Enfalac should be my preferred choice of milk. They even included car decals and magnets free. Hayden was fine drinking this milk and did not have constipation like he did when drinking Friso.

Similac: A long time after sending the sms to Abbott, there was no reply from them but subsequently I received an sms from them saying they tried unsuccessfully to contact me. There was a call back number but when I called back, it went to a voicemail. Sadly, despite leaving a voicemail for them to call me back, I have yet to receive any reply from them.

Isomil: They are under Abbott too hence also no reply. I heard that drinking soy milk reduces phlegm in babies and children. When I saw that they sell Isomil in 400g tins hence I bought a small tin to try on Hayden. Isomil is soymilk instead of cow's milk hence the texture of the powder is much coarser and the color of the milk is more yellowish. Hayden had no problems with Isomil too and did not seem to mind switching from Enfalac to Isomil.

Friso: Hayden had constipation within the first few days of starting this milk, despite mixing it in breastmilk. For the first time ever, Hayden started crying when he tried to pass motion and his stool was hard and round  like a stone. Despite it being cheaper and claiming to be the closest match to breastmilk, I will not feed this to Hayden again.

Most Beautiful Babycare Room

I was at Great World City recently and decided to check out their babycare room despite Hayden not being with me. I used to think that the best babycare room was the one at Tangs before they tore it down after abolishing their entire baby and children line. However, the one at Great World City really beats it handsdown. It is so atas that it even has a chandelier in it! There is a stylish yet classy feel to it but being a babycare room, it has colorful fairies on a portion of the wall paper to add a childlike and magical touch to the room. Exquisite!

Entrance

Chandelier

From the entrance to the diaper change station

2 Diaper change station with cute mobiles hanging on top. The use of white all  creates a very clean  and safe feel.

2 feeding rooms with comfy leather sofa with a lamp for cosy lighting in the room

Hooks for bags and clothings, a small corner table to put your breastpump if necessary. Thoughtful!

Blocked Milk Ducts

Argh... It's the 5th or 6th time I'm having blocked milk ducts since Hayden was born. It may not seem like alot but because its happening so frequently recently that I can't help but feel like giving up breastfeeding coz it is so painful! 

To those who have not breastfed or are lucky enough to never experience it, blocked milk duct is a common problem for breastfeeding moms. Basically, the milk duct gets blocked and because milk can't pass through, it clots in the milk duct resulting in a painful lump in the breast. I've ever had it so bad, half the breast was hard and painful even to gentle touching. Carrying Hayden is impossible as it hurts terribly when he presses against it.

It usually clears in a day or two, with the help of Hayden constantly sucking and helping to drain the breast but sometimes when Hayden refuses to feed (probably he's too full yet I keep asking him to suck to help ease the pain), I'll have to turn to manual pumping. However, pumping doesn't do the trick for me. It helps by draining some milk from the breast so that when its time for Hayden's next feed, there won't be enough milk in there so he'll have to suck harder and longer which in turn clears the clot and reduces the lump. While it is very painful, it is essential to constantly massage the lumps, especially when baby is sucking or else the clot may not clear.

Things that are supposed to help are massage, hot compress before massage, cold compress after feeding and getting baby to feed with his chin pointing towards the lump. The last point would mean that baby may be feeding in a different position to how he usually feeds. For me it blocked milk ducts are always at the bottom half of the breast which might mean the position that Hayden is usually feeding might not be correct hence he is always drawing and draining milk from the top half of the breast rather than the bottom half of the breast. I've got to find a way to change his feeding position, which is a challenge since he's almost 9kg now and positions like the football hold won't work.

 If it happens to you, remember to be patient and endure the pain till its over. In the meantime, remind yourself on the benefits of breastfeeding and it'll somehow be worth the pain. =)

Hayden's learning to climb

Lately Hayden is starting to learn to crawl and climb and our bed head is his favourite place to climb. He'll always try to reach for things we place on top and despite falling a few times, he is still very persistant and will try till he succeeds or we intervene by taking away the thing he is reaching for.

Bringing Baby Overseas

Its almost 2 years that I have not gone on a holiday and I'm dying to go somewhere, ANYWHERE! To compensate for me not being able to join my family on their upcoming trip to Korea, my husband agreed to take me somewhere near for a short holiday. After some considerations, I've decided to go to Bangkok so I could replenish my stock for the breast milk bags that I'm selling online. And guess what? Hayden's gonna come with us!

First and foremost, I had to get Hayden's passport photo ready. After a few failed attempts at taking the photo myself, I brought him to the shop to get it done instead. With a few snap snap and click click (photoshop), Hayden's passport photo is ready. It is actually really easy to get a passport for Hayden with ICA's APPLE, their online passport application service. Within a few days, I received an email that Hayden's passport was ready and we brought him down to collect his passport as he had to be there in person. We happened to go during the school holidays hence the waiting time was about half an hour. Honestly, the queues moved pretty fast and it was a pleasant experience overall.

Next on my to-do list was to book the air tickets. After checking prices at various online ticketing sites, I booked our tickets via zuji. If you are wondering if Hayden needs a ticket, the answer is yes. Infants less than 23 months have to get an infant ticket. The price is quite cheap though, SGD70 inclusive of tax and fuel surcharge. In fact, the airfare costs less than the tax and surcharges. Hayden gets 10KG of checked luggage, excluding the stroller. However, he does not get a seat hence I'll have to carry him for the whole journey which may be a problem as he probably would not be willing to sit still for long. I do hope he drinks some milk and sleeps through the journey!

I'll update more about the trip when we return! Ciao!

For Sale: Extra Warm Baby Pyjamas

Warm and Comfy Baby Pyjamas!

 

With so many cute designs, you'll be spoilt for choice!

 

Comes in a pretty packaging & 4 vibrant colors to choose from!

 

Retail Price: $19.90
GMarket Price: $11.90
Blog Price: $9.90 !!!

Free Delivery by normal mail

Visit my gmarket shop for available sizes and colors.

http://list.gmarket.com.sg/item/EXTRA-WARM-BABY-PYJAMAS/404250084?search_keyword=hdbmummy

Thanks!!!

Should we give formula milk or not?

I was at ICAC recently when Hayden was having diarrhea and used the opportunity to check with the PD on which is a better brand for formula milk if I want to wean Hayden off breastmilk. Instead of the expected reply that most formula milk are similar, he told me that there is actually no need to feed him milk after 6 months.

He explained that Asians actually don't have the practice of drinking milk. Parents have the notion that it is mandatory to give their babies milk because of the kiasu mentality that is partly attributed by the formula milk companies as they steer us into thinking that our babies must drink milk to grow up healthy, strong and clever. For centuries, Asians have been feeding the babies porridge and their babies have grown up just as fine. As long as our babies eat 3 meals of porridge that is cooked with vegetables and fish, it is sufficient. Of course in between we can offer them fruits and snacks as part of a healthy diet. If still breastfeeding, just the morning and night feed will suffice.

I find it quite shocking and checked with another PD and indeed he agreed! It's time I seriously think about whether to wean Hayden off milk altogether...

Co-sleeping with baby

Most experts and PDs do not recommend co-sleeping with baby in the same bed. However, as I do not have space in my room to fit Hayden's baby cot, I started letting him sleep in the bed with us for the age of 1 month to make it more convenient for myself to feed him when he wakes up at night.

We're starting to regret our decision now as he is much taller now and likes to flip and turn in his sleep. My husband and I are being driven to the edge of the bed each night and have to endure numerous kicks, in addition to being awaken by his cries a few times a night. No prize for guessing how sleep deprived we are now.

If I were to start over again, I would invest in a baby moses basket which is small enough to fit in our room yet comfortable for him to sleep in safely.

Diarrhea

Hayden has been having diarrhea since last Saturday morning. The last thing he ate was porridge cooked by his nanny & I found out she added lots of ingredients into the porridge. I'm not sure it that's what caused the diarrhea but after some research online, his diarrhea is probably due to unclean food preparation or contamination due to not washing hands after diaper change and somehow some faeces was consumed by him.

I'm quite worried actually because till today, there's strange stuff appearing in his faeces. Contemplating now if I should bring him to the doctor tomorrow or continue to monitor..

This is Alfie bear

Cute smile

Swimming lessons at Aquaducks

After the trial lesson, we signed Hayden up officially for the infant swimming lessons. When we first attended the trial, there were only 3 babies including Hayden. Last Sunday (which was the 3rd lesson), the number of babies increased to 8 babies. Aquaducks coaches are swim coaches trained in early childhood development, and their lessons use toys, games, songs, motion and verbal communication to stimulate learning interactions.


Some of my friends ask me is it really necessary for Hayden to learn swimming at such a young age? Of course it is not necessary but it is said to offer some benefits such as: 
1) They learn to kick  in the water and becomes stronger
2) They will not grow up to fear the water when you want to let them learn proper swimming strokes in future
3) They learn to hold their breath under water and it helps strengthen their lungs and minimize chances of asthma.
4) They learn that in the event they are drowning, they must swim to the wall and grab the wall. (After the 2nd lesson, Hayden already has the natural instinct to swim to the wall and grab it. We can release our hands and he is really grabbing the wall and supporting himself!)


At $25/lesson, I do not feel it is expensive as a "floating" session at Hwa Xia already cost $33/session but babies don't learn anything except kicking water only. Having sent Hayden to try both, I truly feel Aquaducks is a better option because at Hwa Xia, the babies are not in a natural position of swimming and nothing is done to help them overcome the fear of water since their heads are supported by the float. 


Last Sunday, the coach released Hayden in the water and he swam a short distance to Micky on his own. I'm so proud of little Hayden!

DIY Haircut for Baby Hayden

It's been 4 months since Hayden shaved his hair and his hair has since grown back. It never dawned upon me that I would need to trim his hair until his nanny highlighted that he is pulling at his ears and it may be because his hair is tickling his ears. I always took the occasionally tugging at his ears as part of his teething symptoms hence his nanny's comments came as a surprise.

I went down to Kiddy Palace and bought a hair trimming kit by Farlin that costs $30+. It contains a comb, a pair of scicorrs with rounded tip and another pair of layering scicorrs.

Despite the fear that I may accidentally cut him, I mustered the courage to give it a go. Trimming Hayden's hair is no easy feat as he kept turning here and there, trying to avoid me touching his ear or hair. In the end, I only managed to trim the above his ears so that he will not feel ticklish. However, due to my lack of skill, one side is cut quite bluntly and a tad too short. Sigh....

Aquaducks Infant Swimming Lessons

Last Sunday, we brought Hayden for his first swimming lesson. We went for a trial lesson with Aquaducks at Excelsior International School. The lesson lasted 30mins and went pretty well. There were 4 babies in the class but Hayden was the youngest at 7 months.

The lessons are meant to let baby get used to being in the water and not to fear it. They are assisted by 2 instructors. Daddy went in with Hayden to assist him too. As he slowly gets used to it, Hayden will then be taught to put his face in the water and blow bubbles in the water. It costs $300 for 12 lessons (30mins each session) which I find is a reasonable price considering "swimming" at Hwa Xia Baby Spa at Plaza Sing or Harbourfront costs $33 if I don't remember wrongly.

If you're interested in booking a trial lesson, go to http://www.aquaducks.com.sg/
They are not pushy or hard-selling after the trial hence no pressure at all.

Smiling Hayden

Big grin!

Beansprout Pillow and Bolster Cases

In my previous post, I mentioned I bought some Japanese Kimono Cotton and will be turning them into beansprout pillow and bolster cases. They are finally done!!! Yay!! Hayden's gonna love his new pillow and bolster cases! So excited!

As I had extra fabric, I also made a few more for sale on GMarket. Yep, HDB Mummy is now a GMarket seller! 

Visit my mini shop at: http://www.gmarket.com.sg/shop/hdbmummy if you're interested k?

" Tai Mao Bi " or Baby's Hair Calligraphy Brush

When Hayden was four months old, we shaved his head bald. Old wives tales has it that if the baby still has his hair that he had when he was in mummy's belly, he is considered "unclean" and cannot enter a temple. This is apparently because baby is born from "down there" which is considered dirty. My Hayden was a c-section baby, hence should be clean right? Lol. Nonetheless, I still did it mainly to satisfy my MIL who kept asking me when am I going to shave his head. Honestly, Hayden had a full head of hair and his hair was sooooo fine and soft to touch, I really couldn't bear to trim it off.

After doing some research, I only managed to find 1 company that does baby hair calligraphy brush, which is Hua Xia Tai Mao Bi.  To those who does not know what this is, basically after shaving baby's hair, the hair will be collected and made into a calligraphy brush. The bristles will be very soft and is supposedly the best brush money can buy. It is supposed to be good luck for baby to have the brush and represents parents' hope that their baby will be a scholar in future.

They will send a rep to your house to help baby shave his head. The shaving is very fast and the shaver is meant for babies.

  

It begins with the person explaining to you what type of brushes they have. There are different types of materials such as ivory, wood, plastic, etc... and there are different thickness for the brush too. As Hayden has alot of hair, we decided to go for the thick one, using sandalwood or rosewood (can't remember) with intricate engravings. The brush costs us $200+. (Can't remember the actual price already)

We also decided to store his umbilical cord and a tiny bit of hair into an acrylic name stamp. This is also meant for good luck and remembrance for Hayden.

Trimming babies' fingernails

The elderly will tell you not to trim baby's nails till after the first month and you may think this is due to superstition. However, the parentcraft consultant at Gleneagles also advise trimming Hayden's fingernails after one month as if we do it earlier, we may hurt his delicate nailbed and/or cut him. Hence Hayden often scratched himself during his first month when his mitten dropped or when we are bathing or changing him as his nails were jagged and sharp.

Its really a daunting task initially, esp. when they are newborns.Their fingers are so tiny it seems impossible to trim. I tried baby nail scissors and baby nail clippers. Both have their pros and cons. Personally, I find it easier with the nail clippers as when I use the scissors, I have a tendency to cut too deep. I even bought a few brands of nail clippers to see which is better. My verdict? Manicare and Safety1st are better in terms of ease of use. If you can find one that comes with a tiny torch attached, it will be better as I often had to trim Hayden's nails only after he sleeps at night hence the extra light would come in handy.

Baby nails grow very fast hence we often have to trim them twice a week. Well, can't say we don't need the practice right? Be sure to gently pull back the fingertip before you trim and do not trim too deep as it will hurt baby.

Ok, time to go and trim Hayden's nails now or he'll fail his nail inspection again (inspected by my MIL).

Maxi-Cosi Car Seat

Hayden has finally migrated from the maxi cosi infant basket car seat to the maxi-cosi front facing car seat.

My Breastfeeding Experience and Tips

Many are amazed that I'm still breastfeeding Hayden. While it seems to come naturally to me, I do have some tips I can share. Breastfeeding requires conscious effort and should you decide to do it, please try to go for exclusive breastfeeding.

1) Do not think you do not have enough milk

Milk supply takes a while to come in. Newborns can actually go without feeding for the 1st 3 days after birth without any effect on them. However, it is still advisable to let them latch on as it will help stimulate milk production. If you start introducing formula in the hospital, your newborn might be full and may not want to suckle and this may affect your milk supply. Remember, the more baby suckles, the more milk you will produce.

2) Empty your breasts at each feeding

Although it is recommended to feed on both sides for each feeding, your breastfed baby will know when he/she has had enough. If he/she pulls away from the breast on his own, it means he is full. If you offer another side, he may not want it. Even if he suckles the other side, he may end up puking it out. I have a few experiences of this myself. If baby is hungry, he/she will cry and will "search" for food. Trust me, after awhile, you will be able to decipher that he/she is hungry.

Hence, if baby only feeds on one side, express the other side and any remaining milk from the first breast. Do this from the start so your milk supply will be high and/or remain high. If you leave it, your breast will slowly adapt and produce less milk because it senses that it is over-producing. Mother Nature is really amazing.

3) Increasing milk supply

It takes 2-3 days to stabilize milk supply hence if your milk supply has dwindled due to wrong practices, it is not too late. You can start by increasing the number of times you express per day, during and between feeds. After 2-3 days, your supply will start increasing again.

In the meantime, drink more water and keep yourself hydrated. If you are still in your confinement, you can add hot water to your red date tea to make it more diluted before you drink instead of drinking plain water directly. (Drinking plain water is believed to cause water retention according to old wives tales. Its up to you to believe).

Some also believe that eating more fish will increase milk supply. I personally do not believe this but I did eat alot of fish during my confinement. I only ate 2 types of fish. Cod fish and "Ngoh Hee" or "Noon" fish (not sure of its english name). Even if fish doesnt help with milk supply, it is high in DHA and will be beneficial to your baby.

Alternatively, you may also try supplements like fenugreek. It helps.

4) Ensuring your breastmilk is nutritious

I take DHA supplements and multi-vitamins meant for lactating mothers to ensure that my breastmilk remains nutritious for Hayden. You can get them from your gynae/GP/pharmacy. However, having a balanced diet is sufficient. I take the supplements because my busy schedule when I was working prevents me from eating properly.

Breastmilk is naturally full of vitamins, antibodies, etc... which formula cannot compete with hence if you are eating healthily, do not be fooled by all the added stuff that is on the formula tin can, thinking it is better than your own milk. One of the most important thing about breastmilk it contains antibodies which formula milk cannot copy. Whenever a lactating mom comes into contact with any germs/virus/bacteria, the body creates antibodies to fend off these nasty stuff. The antibodies are then passed to baby during breastfeeding hence breastfed babies are better able to withstand infections as compared with formula-fed babies. Babies are often in the same environment as its mummy, hence the antibodies that are passed to the baby by breastfeeding are the exact ones that baby needs. Again, such is the wonders of Mother Nature.

New Beansprout Pillow Case and Bolster Case

Yay!!! I finally got my Japanese Kimono Cotton fabrics! Hayden's gonna be getting new pillow n bolster cases soon!! Yippee! I'll upload the pics of the end product once its done!!

New shoes from aunty clarie

New chinese baby shoes from aunty Clarie. The "leek" sewn on the bottom of the shoes are meant to be symbolize "suan" or "count" in Mandarin. Hopefully Hayden will be good at Math in future. �

Tasty toes

Babies r just so flexible.. He can suck his toes!!

Look at Hayden drooling... Literally drooling! So much till his sleepsuit is drenched with his drool... But still cute! Hahaha...

Baby sitting aid

Saw this baby sitting aid at Spring Maternity on sale for $49.90 but my hubby says no need for us to buy this. Sigh.. It looks good...

Microwave baby to death???

Just read on Yahoo news that a mom in California placed her baby in the microwave and burnt her baby to death!

It makes me shudder that any one, ANY MOM especially, could have the heart to harm a defenseless little baby! What was she thinking!?!

Hayden's Milestone!

For the first time last night, Hayden slept from 8.30pm - 3.30am before he woke up for milk! A whole 7 hours!!! I feel so much more rested than I've been since pregnancy.

Hayden in his first month