What do you think?

…well, just a little under 4 months that is.

We went in for our 2nd check-up and this time at the hospital instead of the clinic simply because Eva was due for her BCG jab and here in Singapore, it’s compulsory at BIRTH. Never mind that my daugther is nearly four months behind on it. The hospital’s children center is a hub of kiddie activity – to be expected – and as the minutes went by, more and more parents with newborns or kids were coming in. Thankgoodness I decided to make an early appointment – I was the second one they called the moment the paed arrived.

He’s a nice and friendly chap, and naturally this time, the environment (his room, the center and all) was way bigger than at the clinic. (And so was the bill! *cough*) Eva’s weight and height were taken prior to us meeting him. She weighs in at 5.4 kg and 61 cm now which puts her height at the average percentile and her weight at slightly below average. He’s not fuss about it though because she was a small baby to begin with and by looking at her Michelin tyre thighs plus chin, he tells me that she looks just fine and like how all babies are supposed to look. In short, chubbylicious is in!

He examined her, flipped her on her tummy, sat her up on her bottom and all and pronounced that she’s doing great except for the slightly flat right side of her head. So Eva has to take her naps on the left more often (not that it helps coz she turns on her own…bah). I was told that I can start introducing solids to her by end of this month but can wait till until she’s 6 months old. By then, I *have* to start weaning her already – no questions about it. A leaflet was given on what to start her off – rice first, followed by apples and pears if she shows no reaction to them. Not much too; about a teaspoonful of the stuff first. Milk should still be her main diet though.

Then came the jabs. It’s official – my daughter HATES jabs. It didn’t help that for the BCG, three people had to pin her down, legs, head and all plus it seemed like it took forever! Still I found it amusing that she wailed like crazy even before the needle went in, continued wailing during and after but the moment I picked her up, she stopped. For the 6-in-1, she cried when the jab came but stopped the moment the paed took out a rattle and started shaking it. After that, she slept in the pouch all the way back, and throughout the day. She did develop a mild case of fever though but I fed her some baby panadol (again, she hates the stuff, kept spitting it out and making “I hate it” faces at me) and it went back down and stayed down until later that night when it went up again to 37.6°. After that feed, she went back to sleep for the whole night and by morning, was happily playing in her crib as per her old self again.

Overall, you could say that it went pretty smoothly.

Although I haven’t been breastfeeding for long, I have come across a number of breastfeeding myths that I need to address because a lot of new mothers go through misery as a result of thinking/listening to such nonsense! What’s worse is that they shun breastmilk and resort to formula – which I feel isn’t the best for young babies (especially premies) despite what other people may think (”if it’s not good, why would companies make formula and sell them?” “it’s not all that bad”). Yes, formula is alright IF you really REALLY really have no milk and cannot breastfeed your baby despite all your attempts and education on the subject matter.

Anyway, here are the common myths I’ve came across:

I have small breasts so I won’t be able to breastfeed my baby.
The size of your breasts does not matter when it comes to whether you are able to breastfeed your baby or not. Breast milk production is determined by the quantity of milk ducts in your breasts whereas breast size is determined by the quantity of fat tissue. Just because you have small boobs, it doesn’t mean that your sisters are not capable of producing milk. Likewise, just because you have big boobs, it doesn’t mean that you’ll have too much milk.

Milk comes in right after delivery OR My milk is not in yet, so I must not have any for my baby.
We are not machines whereby you press a button and voila, you get sprays of milk. The body needs time to tell the milk ducts and your sisters that there is a baby who needs milk. The hormone prolactin is produced by the body after the birth of a baby and stimulation from a baby nursing is vital to increase the amount and send the signal to the brain to say “hello, milk production needs to step up”. BUT even then, your true milk won’t come in until a few days after delivery. Why? Because your baby needs something even more nutritious to fill his very small tummy – a person’s stomach is the size of their fist so imagine just how small your baby’s tummy is – and that something is colostrum which is packed with antibodies and all the goodness he needs in his first week.

A baby is designed to take some weight loss after birth; this is why in the third trimester, all pregnant women report a huge jump in weight gain – this is when a baby packs on fat that he’ll need in the first week of his life while mummy’s milk is still coming in. By giving your baby formula and satisfying him, you only teach him to NOT suckle and thus, you send a signal to your brain saying that there is no demand for milk so don’t produce any.

The females in my family did not have enough milk to breastfeed, so it must be the same for me.
The ability to breastfeed is not tied to our genes. It could be that your sister, mother or aunts and other female relatives took the wrong approach to breastfeeding by not nursing often in the first few days or that they took substances that interfere with milk production such as diuretics, certain hormone-based products and vegetables such as cabbage and certain breeds of mint. If you eat well, take in lots of fluids and latch your baby on often, such as once every two hours in the first few days, you shouldn’t have any issues with your milk coming in.

My newborn is always crying, so I don’t have enough milk.
Like mentioned before, a stomach of a person or baby is the size of their fists so your newborn doesn’t need a lot to satisfy his hunger. If your newborn shows no signs of rooting (turn to your breasts and opening/closing their mouths) or things like sucking on your pinkie when you offer it, then the crying could be a sign of other things such as discomfort, colic, insecurity, desire for attention and so forth. Most babies will show signs of rooting when they are in the early stages of hunger. Crying is the last and final stage; and it usually means that the baby has been hungry for a LONG time.

Those of you who have been following my personal blog here would have read something disturbing yesterday. I talked about how I felt that I was slipping into post natal depression and about how I wasn’t coping all that well with being in a new country (that I truly didn’t like – no offence to Singaporeans out there) and having to choose between what I wanted for myself (and Eva) or what would be better for my family at her expense. I was very candid and I don’t plan to be otherwise.

I have always been frank on my blogs, especially this one. I started my blogs with the aim of opening up people’s perspective about many things – life as an expat, motherhood and so forth. It isn’t just all about the good stuff, fun or roses; I wanted people out there to know that there are two sides to an experience and that they don’t have to feel alone in the things that they go through in life.

I am not going to write about how being a mother is the most glorious and wonderful job in the world because to be honest, there are just days when I ask myself what the heck was I thinking of when I planned for this baby, and when I just want to give it all up and go back to my old self. But I can’t. Because being a parent is a lifelong commitment and like it or not, I’m stuck to her and she to me.

A lifelong commitment – I knew them previously as just words. Like how a marriage is about two people sharing a burden yet maintaining an identity. Like how being a mother is all about making sacrifices and such. All the things we know, we hear, we learn about these experiences are nothing until we experience them fully for ourselves.

And I can tell you that it won’t be easy being a wife and a mother.

It won’t be easy trying to share the load with another person. At least not for someone like me who is used to tackling and solving problems on her own. Sometimes it’s hard to admit that I need help, that I can’t do everything all by myself, that my partner in life doesn’t want me to do all these things all by myself because that isn’t what a marriage is all about.

It won’t be easy trying to find the fulfilment of motherhood when your child is throwing the biggest tantrum of the year or when you’re required to make certain sacrifices that you don’t really want to make. Sometimes it’s hard to admit that motherhood is a double-edge sword, that it’s not all fun and games, pink roses and such, that the ultimate step into adulthood is when you give up the things you want for someone else, especially your own child.

The difference between the ones who manage to find the joy in their marriages or children despite the lemons that get thrown at them and the ones who don’t is whether we have learnt to accept our new roles wholeheartedly and willingly…with some help from our spouses, family and loved ones. There will always be people who think otherwise, who feel otherwise, who will want to share their well-meaning advice. I can’t say that I’ll always ignoring them and not feel the pinch – it’s just not how I was built.

What I do know is that I am slowly embracing my new role as a stay/work at home mum with the support of a loving and understanding husband. Perhaps at the end of it all, that’s all that really counts not what other people think I should do or be.

(Seen here in the Cow Print with Grobaby and Baby Kanga cloth diapers.)

The Happy Heinys Reusable Cloth Diaper is produced by Happy Heinys, a division of MLB Industries Inc but despite its big name, it is still a company made up of mothers and families. Apart from its one sized diaper, Happy Heinys also manufactures mini one size, pocket, fitted, trainers and diaper covers as well as accessories like wetbags, wipes, bum spray/wash and get this, cloth diaper advocacy keychains! It is one of the few brands out there which allows you to adjust your diapers to four different sizes and thus is suitable for newborns all the way up to toddlers.

Each diaper comes with one (1) one size insert and one (1) newborn insert so you have an option of using either one during the day or both for night time use. For more on the design, features and look of the diaper, do refer to Happy Heinys’ website here.

Style
One size pocket and comes in either aplix (velcro) or snaps

Cost
I bought this in M’sia as part of a package so it was cheaper but otherwise, it retails for around RM82 to 85 depending on if it’s solid or printed. In Singapore, it costs around $35.

Accessories & additionals
Their inserts comes in the usual microterry or hemp for heavy wetters called hemp Stuffins™ which is an insert with a variation to the design whereby there is a pocket for you to slide in the small oval inserts. This is to remove excess bulk while giving you that extra absorbency factor.

Care info
All Happy Heinys diapers and inserts must be washed at least TWICE before the first use with 1/2 to 1/4 of the recommended amount of additive free detergent (no enzymes, phosphates, softeners, bleach and optical whitening agents). The amount depends on the load of your wash. After each use, knock off poo solids into the toilet, remove the inserts, fasten the laundry tabs and place in a wet/dry pail (depends on your system) until washing day.

Although Happy Heinys recommends a pre-cold rinse cycle before the actual wash, I have washed the diapers with a normal wash cycle and on regular water temperature. (Here in the tropics, we are not able to choose the temperature of the water for most washing machines so worry not.) Hang out in the sun to dry (fleece-side up for the diaper shells) – this is important as the heat from the sun will not only dry your inserts and diapers faster but it will “bleach” away stains too.

Note that Happy Heinys suggests washing hemp products separately from fleece products as hemp contains natural oils which may coat your fleece diapers and affect their absorbency performance.

Verdict
General
This is a diaper that is meant for big sized babies as the cutting is very generous. Yet, despite that, it fits Eva quite well – she doesn’t look like she’s drowning in the diaper. Also, if you were to take the colour choices into consideration, this is one brand with A LOT of colour options, not to mention prints. Still, in terms of prints, I’d stick with the ones that look cute – cow and cheetah spots are nice. Note that Happy Heinys suggests solid coloured diapers for night time use and prints for day time as their print diapers are made from cotton fabric and some people may experience wicking (slight leaks) when inserts are full.

The sizing snaps were easier to adjust – they come in four sizes from x-small which is perfect for newborns up to large which is more for toddlers or bigger babies. Eva settles nicely in the medium setting and I love how good she looks in them – not too bulky but still quite trim and fitted.

Application (stuffing/removal, use, fit and bulk)
The main thing with bigger diapers is getting the fit right. Even after stuffing the pocket with its one size insert put to small/medium setting, it fits Eva nicely around the thighs – she has a 9″ thigh measurement – without being too tight and around the waist without her looking as if she is swimming in it (a sign that it’s too loose).

I found it quite easy to stuff the pockets and remove them without worrying about spillage or leaks. In fact, my entire hand could fit into the pocket, allowing me to adjust the inserts and lay them flat as bunched up inserts can affect absorption. I felt that it was easier to slide the inserts in and out despite rubbing up against the PUL.

It’s not too difficult to put on Eva – I just snapped the diaper to the medium setting and put it on her. Of course the insert is already in as I usually stuff the pockets right after they are done drying. Removal is easy as well; just remove the velcro and slide it from under her. I changed her diaper after four hours and discovered that her bottom was dry while the insert was slightly damp. The inner fleece fabric was slightly dry to the touch as well so that’s definitely a plus point. Pretty good absorption if you ask me since all cloth diapers reach full absorption after six washes!

Washing & drying
The aplix version comes with laundry tabs so I just fasten them, remove the inserts and dumped them in a dry pail until wash time.

It takes a night for them to dry and in the sun, less than a day! Talk about super fast drying!

What’s next?
This is definitely on my “To order more” list! In fact, I just ordered another three pieces!!!

Here is some rattle-grabbing action for your pleasure!

She started making a grab for her rattle on Sunday and then yesterday morning, I caught her doing the same thing in her bouncer after her 9am feed.

Things are definitely going to get more interesting around her! Wakakakaka!

…is the stroller fan.

Since she discovered she had fingers (!!!), Eva has been busy trying to grab and reach out to things like her toes, me, the small desk fan and so forth. While I got her some wrist rattles and foot finders from Lamaze, it would appear that my daugther’s favourite toy at the moment is a cheap $6 fan.

This week, I noticed that during my quick evening showers after our stroll around the neighbour (I leave her in the car seat still strapped in), she keeps herself occupied by grabbing its soft blades and then letting it go. Previously, she would stare at the lights and start fussing after a while. Now, she finds it amusing to play with the fan.

Today, however, I ran out (all wet, and in a towel) upon hearing a crash only to discover that she kicked it off the car seat. When I put it back again, she started her finger play and kicking again…as you can see in the video above. The expression on her face is just priceless!

Looks like fun, no?

Mommy’s Touch Easy Clean Snap Diaper is an American product by Mommy’s Touch that features a two row snap sizing (small or regular) instead of the common three row snap size. Like a lot of the other brands in the market, it comes with the usual gussets, inner fleece layer and two openings (instead of one) to allow easy stuffing & cleaning. All Mommy’s Touch diapers come with a six month warranty. For more on the design, features and look of the diaper, do refer to Mommy’s Touch’s website here.

Style
One size pocket and comes in snaps although it’s available in aplix as well.

Cost
I bought this in Singapore for $33 (with the GAD microfibre insert) but am not too sure if there is a stockist in Malaysia.

Accessories & additionals
Mommy’s Touch’s inserts are made by Green Acre Designs (GAD) and come in both microfibre & hemp. Unlike other brands which feature either a full one size insert or snap one size, GAD’s one size inserts come in a loop shape to allow for quicker drying.

Care info
Unlike other diapers where you have to prewash twice, Mommy’s Touch diapers and inserts must be washed at least ONCE before the first use with 1/2 to 1/4 of the recommended amount of additive free detergent (no enzymes, phosphates, softeners, bleach and optical whitening agents). The amount depends on the load of your wash. After each use, knock off poo solids into the toilet, remove the inserts, fasten the laundry tabs and place in a wet/dry pail (depends on your system) until washing day.

Although Mommy’s Touch recommends a pre-cold rinse cycle before the actual wash, I have washed the diapers with a normal wash cycle and on regular water temperature. (Here in the tropics, we are not able to choose the temperature of the water for most washing machines so worry not.) Hang out in the sun to dry (fleece-side up for the diaper shells) – this is important as the heat from the sun will not only dry your inserts and diapers faster but it will “bleach” away stains too.

Verdict
General
While the cut is large and similar to bumGenius plus the colour and print choices are varied, I felt that the design was a little too different for my taste. The two openings on both ends never fails to worry me every time I use the diaper and the way you go about sizing the diapers were, well, awkward. I had to snap it down to the small size and then fold the inner fleece portion inwards. Then upon removal, I would find that sometimes the inner fleece would scoot out a little because of Eva’s movements and such. Because there are openings on both ends, imagine what would happen if the inserts will overflowing? Disaster really…although I could be just over-imagining things.

Application (stuffing/removal, use, fit and bulk)
The sizing snaps were bizarre – I had to take a peek at the website to figure out what exactly to do. While stuffing and removing the inserts were easy, it was a little tad TOO easy for my liking (see comment above). Like with the other brands, it wasn’t too difficult to put on Eva and of course the insert is already in as I usually stuff the pockets right after they are done drying.

Removal is easy as well; just unsnap and slide from under her. I changed her diaper after four hours and discovered that her bottom was dry while the insert was slightly damp. After Rump•a•rooz®, FuzziBunz and bumGenius inserts, you could say that I was pretty impressed with this brand. The microfleece fabric was almost dry to the touch as well so that’s definitely a plus point. Pretty good absorption if you ask me since all cloth diapers reach full absorption after six washes!

Washing & drying
Because these are snap diapers, there are no laundry tabs. So just remove the insert from the shell and put it aside until washing day.

Like the other brands, the diaper shell and inserts dry pretty quickly – I do my baby laundry at the end of the day and in the morning, I have clean and dry inserts & shells waiting for some sun therapy.

What’s next?
The two end openings are definitely a turn-off for me and add the fact that they don’t come with inserts? Gah. Nah, I wouldn’t order this again. If I had to choose between brands of pockets that don’t come with inserts, I’d pick Baby Kangas. At least I won’t have the risk of spillage occurring at both ends of the diaper instead of just one!

Sometime nearing her third month, she discovered her fingers and have been busy toying, tasting and flexing them since.

Last week, she realised that it was fun trying to grab her toes as well!

This week, she decided to use her fingers to reach out to things, take a slap at them and well, just touch them.

This evening, I discovered her grabbing her stroller fan blades (which are very soft and therefore painless for her – no worries there) to stop it, then release it, watch it spin a few times and grab the blades again. She would do this for a few minutes, taking it every thing. Pity I didn’t have the camera with me then.

But this video is, urm, a mix of some tongue action (yes, she discovered that she could stick her tongue out and it’s fun about a week or two ago), finger discovery and toe grabbing!

Do enjoy!