30 Nov 2011

Got Milk

During the last week I've been tossing up whether I should give Eli other means of nutrition / food besides breast milk only because he's getting older and I worry that he's not getting enough for his growing body. A formula feed baby starts with 80mls of milk per feed and slowly increases to 150ml by four months so should my breast fed baby be drinking 150mls per feed?

Options at his age now could be rice cereal on top of breast milk and or as suggested by my mother in law (who is a retired midwife) topping up my breast milk with formula.

My concern about whether my baby is getting enough has been playing on my mind and making me doubt my ability to provide all he needs for the first 6 months. I've been emailing friends asking them what they did when their baby was Eli's age or their thoughts on my fears.

I googled to see whether my question has been circulated in other forums and found many different sources. Obviously your supply will adjust according to your baby's needs and there is an amount a certain aged baby should be consuming a day.

A really good source that I usually go to is Kelly Mom. The web site is dedicated to information just on breast feeding. I was able to find information as well as a calculator to determine how much my baby should be drinking per day. According to Kelly Mom my four month old baby who is nursing an average max 6 times a day, needs an average 125mls per feed which is how much I'm expressing, if I get a solid 3-4 hours time difference between last express.

So I guess I'm doing okay, he's doing okay for now. I do want to introduce rice cereal before I go back to work in February so I know whether he has any allergies to particular brands of rice cereal. Also I need to stop listening to "well meaning" mothers who last looked after a baby 20 plus years ago. Their old school and some times non proven approach to nurturing babies is how they did it at their time and I should just trust my decisions, my body and my baby on how I will nurture my baby today.

Did you ever worry about whether your older baby is getting enough on breast milk alone? What did you do to settle your concerns?

29 Nov 2011

Four Months Ago

I gave birth to this little cheeky monkey ...


Mummy and Daddy love you so much. You have filled our lives with so much love, happiness and fulfilment - you complete our world.

27 Nov 2011

Holiday Withdrawals

I'm dying to go on a holiday. Prior to falling pregnant my husband and I travelled as much as we possibly could. No we haven't seen the whole world but lucky to have traveled to several countries and was hoping to tick a few more off before babies came into the picture.

We didn't really "plan" a holiday way in advance either, there was usually a trigger. Either the realisation it has been a while since we've ridden on a plane, or cheap / discounted air fares we couldn't pass on and or tax refund time. We were spontaneous and open to traveling to any part of the world - I miss that.

Twelve months ago Ian and I agreed a big Europe would be on the cards August 2011, instead we had a baby.

I know, I know you can still travel with children, but c'mon it's not the same. You can't experience certain things with babies or children. You can't go check out a local hot spot that doesn't open until 10pm, you can't ride mopeds through the dirt roads of Santorini, your child won't have the stamina or interest to walk around museums and sights all day. Then there's the safety factor that you need to consider, you are completely responsible for the safety and well being of your child in a foreign country. How do you enjoy yourself as well as be 100% on the look out for any potential danger that poses your family? I struggle now to watch over my personal belongs when on holidays what more with a human being.

Also now money plays a big factor. Before I wouldn't really care about much I spent while on holiday's because to me it was all part of the memory / experience of the holiday. Don't get me wrong we never flew business or first class, we used the cheapest mode of transport to get from point A to B and we stayed in comfortable clean hotels. But the experiences and adventures completed while on holidays ... well I never put a budget on it. If it can't be done, seen or purchased in Australia then it's well worth it.

Am I just being a sook? Am I selfish? Should I just get over it. It bugs me considerably I guess cause as long as I can remember all I ever wanted to do is travel, travel, travel. See as the whole world before I was committed to something that would prevent me from being able to travel ... freely and spontaneously.

We're thinking of going to Europe next year though. I'm in two minds as to whether we should or just wait until Eli is a little older. I would hate to travel so far and do so little because an attraction don't allow toddlers or he becomes really sick and we're stuck inside a hotel the whole time. I guess we just got to wait and see what his personality / temperament is like before we make a decision about travelling with him.

23 Nov 2011

Four Months

Eli had his 4 months immunisation shots on Monday and he has not been himself since.  

Firstly he had a fever on Monday night. The doctor did warn us this was a common reaction however he was still feverish up until today. Secondly, he hasn’t slept well since Monday. He has been cat napping during the day and night, sleeping an average 30-60 minutes at a time, meaning he's been restless. Even now I’ve just spent the last hour and half getting him to sleep so hopefully he sleeps well tonight. He's also has a runny nose since Monday. It’s not blocked or has mucus but when he has been fussy or crying for a period of time I've noticed a thin clear liquid expels from his nose. 



His skin condition on his body has not cleared up either, if anything I think its gotten worst. He’s got this rash like condition on most of the front side of his body, on area’s that are covered, so his chest, stomach and groin area. I thought it may have been a heat rash as it appeared a few weeks ago during the heat wave but it still around. The rash also appears around his upper neck near his chin area too. I think I will go to the doctor’s tomorrow and get his skin checked out.

I’m surprised he had a reaction to his shots as he was fine last time. Maybe it’s a higher dose of the drugs this time around. He was pretty out of it on Monday. 

This time we went to a medical centre that specialises in children – what a difference in care and attention when you see people who service a target audience.

I thought we had a sleep technique down pact but seems like our methods do not work on him anymore. We use to hold him to sleep and then put him in his cot, usually faced down and he would sleep for hours. I know some people are against facing babies down and I still hear it from family that I should not do it but it works for us and I wouldn’t risk it if I didn’t think he could support his head / neck. 

15 Nov 2011

Happy 30th

It was my 30th birthday yesterday. It wasn't as memorable as I'd like it to be ... however I bet I'll remember how unmemorable it was. The outcome was totally my fault though.

I had organised a joint birthday party for Ian and I for some of our friends. We were even paying for their meals at one of my favourite restaurants. I had too much to drink in a short period of time ended up throwing up all over the restaurant, on myself, in a friend's car and left the party early in an embarrassing state. Ian ended up paying for a room at a hotel near by but we only stayed for 3 hours - so that was another waste of money. The following morning I had the worst hang over and could not stomach food so Ian's plans to take me to a japanese restaurant in town no longer proceeded.

The one day in a year that I'm suppose to feel special, I felt embarrassed and seedy. I ruined my day and I hate myself for it. I was really excited about spending the night with friends over a nice dinner yet I couldn't even last the night.

While at the hotel when I did finally manage to wake up Ian reminded me how much our son needed me. He later lectured me on how I should be thinking of our son at all cost. I think he was alluding to the fact that I shouldn't be behaving a certain way now that I'm a mother. Yes, I know this and it wasn't my intention to be that intoxicated.

I'm disappointed in myself. It was the worst birthday and I regret everything. I wish I could turn back the clock and do it all over again.     

11 Nov 2011

Hello Blogger .... Again

I should've started this 3 months ago ... maybe even while I was pregnant. Some place to jot down my random thoughts and emotions of being a mum. Obviously being a first time mother is very exiting, scarey and challenging but I think why I feel the need to start this blog is because I am the epitome of the "gen-y" generation. I loved my life prior to being a mum and I'm still coming to terms with the changes in my life since giving birth .. since finding out I was pregnant.   

So a little background about me ... Presently I'm 29 years old, asian woman living in Sydney Australia. I got married in January 2009 to my high school sweet heart. We enjoyed a lifestyle of traveling frequently, living 10 minutes away from our jobs in town, purchasing whatever toys and possessions we thought we needed and filled our nights with socialising with friends. Although it seemed we lived for the moment we try and be savvy with our money by owning two investment properties and we maintained high profile job titles earning above average for our age and work caliber.

In November 2010 we found out I was pregnant ... from that point onwards our world would change. I was not entitled to paid maternity leave through my employer therefore could not afford to pay two mortgages and rent, so we decided to move back out west with my family. Our 10 minutes bus ride has been exchanged for 1.5 hours commute one way. We needed to sell one place so to lighten the load financially and potentially use the profit to purchase a home for our growing family. My desire to travel to Europe in 2011 has now been postponed. 

In July 2011 I gave birth to our first son, Eli. My labor lasted only 25 minutes, with no drugs or stitches however my baby weighed only 3.005kg and 48cm long. Although my pregnancy and delivery was easy the post arrival of the baby is the most difficult part.

I guess that's a quick over view detailing information about me and the background which set the scene for this blog. Hopefully I write in it frequently as I tend to neglect blogs I start.
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