2011 at its end

The year is coming to an end. A wonderful, "adventure"-filled, unforgettable year. Hehehe...

Pregnancy was an interesting period of time for me (early pregnancy bleeding, pregnancy induced asthma, hypertension during the 3rd trimester, holiday in Kuching, 1st time celebrating Hari Raya Aidilfitri with my hubby's family, etc, etc, etc. Haha!), and of course, giving birth to my son was also an unforgettable experience. Yes, labor was excruciating but the moment I saw him, all gooey and covered with blood (hehe), all the hardship & pain just went away. ;)

My smiley baby boy...happy to be going home to Kedah for the long New Year's weekend. :D See you all in 2012! :)

Work-&-Pump Mama ;)

Well, I've started my journey as a "work-&-pump mama" for about a month now. Hehe...

What do I mean by "work-&-pump"? Well, it's just a term I learnt from other working mamas. Haha! It simply means, I pump out my breastmilk at work. ;)

At work, of course there are many "obstacles" in pumping as much as I want. It's a good practice to pump every few hours but it's not always achievable for me. There are days when I can pump 4 times but there are also days when I can only pump 1 or 2 times. Huhu... Well, what can I say... Work of course comes first at the office. If I don't get to pump much at the office, I'd try my best to pump a bit at home when my baby's asleep and already well fed. :)

Oh, what do I use to pump and store my breastmilk at work? Well, I have my trustworthy Medela Mini Electric pump set with my Autumnz storage set.

My Medela Mini Electric (also known as Mini-E) & Autumnz storage set - cooler bag, milk storage bottles, reusable ice packs
(image from Google search. Hehe!)

To boost my "just-enough" milk production, I've started taking supplements for about a month. It's Shaklee's Triple M breastfeeding set. Up to date, my milk production hasn't increased much but I noticed that my milk is thicker and results in my baby to be full faster (I think). I usually just manage to get about 8oz (about 240ml of breastmilk from my pumping sessions a day, which is only about twice feeding for my growing baby boy. Since I can only get two bottles a day, he has to drink formula milk as well when he's at the nanny's.

It's only been a month since I started consuming the set so for me, it's still an improvement. I will not give up so easily. Haha! So what does a Triple M set consists of?

Shaklee's Triple M Set
(images taken from Shaklee's website)

This is how I consume the set:
- Alfalfa Complex: At least 3 times a day, 2 caps each time (best taken after direct breastfeeding)
- B-Complex: Once a day, after breakfast (1 capsule)
- Energizing Soy Protein: At least twice a day, morning and night (or after direct breastfeeding)
- OsteMatrix: Once a day, after dinner or just before bed (2 capsules)
- Vita-C: Once a day, after lunch (1 capsule). I take this 2 caps a day if I have a cold.
- Vita-Lea: Once a day, after breakfast (1 capsule)

Seems a lot to consume, right? Yet, I'm ok with it as long as I can provide nutrition for my baby and myself. :) I pray that my milk production will improve but most importantly, my baby will get enough nutrition and grow healthily. :D

Another stage in life

Can't believe it's already December. The final month before the year ends.

Just over a year ago, I turned from a single woman to a married woman. A few months later, I was carrying my first child, the fruit of love between my hubby and I. :) After several months of ups and downs (pregnancy swings...hehehe), our little baby was born and we were brought into another stage in life: parenthood. And now, I'm a working mama & wife. :)

In a way, I feel complete now. I've gone through several stages of life (childhood to adulthood) and now having my own little family (which I hope will keep on growing. Hehe), I feel extremely blessed.

Oh, a few more days till I need to take my son for his 3-months-old immunization injection. ;)