Marching into March

I practically did not post any entries at all the whole of February now, did I? Hehehe... It's been more and more difficult for me to blog anything these days. I even rarely have time to "Facebook" too. It's not that I don't have time. It's just I always end up doing other things rather than blog or FB. ;)


By the way, my son's getting more clever by the day, with new "tricks". He's just learnt to lie face down on his own and extremely excited about being able to do so. His arms and legs would flail non-stop. He even sleeps face (or should I say, cheek) down nowadays. Hehe... I'll post a photo of him in his new fave sleeping position soon. ;)

Time to sleep...

Zzzzzzz... ;)

January 2012

The month is already just over halfway through, practically in the blink of an eye, I must say. :) I'll need to get a few of my posts I've been working on complete and post in this little blog of mine soon. Hehehe... In the midst of hectic everyday life, time is available. It's just that I need to find the right time to concentrate on this blog. Hehe. :)

Last year, the biggest event for me was the birth of my son. This year, to take on a huge move on my Master's work is definitely one of the biggest event I need to get through with... especially with my upcoming colloquium scheduled in mid February. Yikes! :p

Last year I simply registered first to get a place at the university. With my pregnancy, I had excuses to move rather slowly with my research work. ;) Yet, now with baby out (hehehe), I have to find the time to get more on my research done. Yes, there is a big responsibility towards my son and hubby and family, work, etc, etc, etc, but I'll get through things, insyaAllah. :) I'm very lucky to have an extremely supportive hubby, family and friends.

To be honest, having a Master's degree is something I've been trying to achieve ever since I was in uni. As I was bonded to my current company, I had to serve my time first instead of directly continuing my studies. Now that I have a good chance of pursuing my dream, I'll definitely not waste the opportunity. :)

I guess it all breaks down to good (if not excellent) time management, support, hard (smart) work, perseverance, and most importantly, faith. I can do it!!! :D

Welcome 2012!

May the year be wonderful and filled with love. :D

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. ;)

1433 Hijrah

A new year, a new leaf...

I pray to be a better person, overall. May my son grow up to be a good Muslim & son. May my dear hubby always be wonderful like he is now. May all be well. Amiin. :)

Happy Birthday, my love! :)

Today's my darling hubby's 29th birthday. Yay! ;)
Many hugs & kisses for u, abg syg, from both of us (your wife & little baby boy). :D

Friday morning

Today's already Friday, which means I'll already be working soon... Soon as in this upcoming Monday! Yikes! Has it really been just over 2 months since I gave birth to my little baby boy? My maternity leave is already coming to an end? My life as a working mama is starting soon? Wow! Hehehe...

Oh, and the date today is just beautiful... 15th Zulhijjah 1432H (15.12.32) and 11th November 2011 (11.11.11). Too bad I did not realize today's the 15th of Zulhijjah. Otherwise, I might have fasted yesterday and today, as today is one of the recommended days to fast in Islam. In Islam, it is not a good practice to fast on Fridays only. It has to be with another day, either the day before or the day after.

I guess I've kind of not really thought about fasting since I'm breastfeeding my little baby boy. While breastfeeding, I need to take in a fair amount of fluid / water to ensure the consistency of my milk production. It is possible to fast, but in my case, I think I'll need to consume some supplements first as at the moment, my milk production can be classified as just enough for my baby's daily needs. In other words, I rarely get to collect / pump extra for my baby. That's why I have to feed my baby both my breastmilk and formula. Huhuhu... Gone is my wish to exclusively breastfeed my baby. :(

Nevertheless, I've just learnt the "art" of power pumping i.e. pump a few minutes-pause a few minutes-pump a few minutes-pause a few minutes for about 1 hour. Hehehe... I may still not get that much per session (1 - 2 oz), but at least I get to clear my milk out while baby's asleep. :) I hope I can properly pump my milk once I start working. Will need to find the time and place to do so, without disturbing my work and other people.

Breastfeeding / pumping breastmilk for baby is definitely not easy, but it's a joy and pleasure that's indescribable. For my little son's well-being, why not, right? :)

Oh, Adam Asyraf is such a little strong boy (says this proud mama. Hehehe). Hubby and I took him for his 2 months immunization injection on Wednesday evening. The little boy barely cried out. Just a little sound after the injection and he fell asleep all the way home from the clinic. Hehehe... By the way, Adam Asyraf weighs a healthy 5kg at age of 2 months! :D

Awake after reaching home from the clinic. :)

Sound asleep after a nice, long feed yesterday evening. :)