My little girl is going to turn 14 months in 2 days! It is time to wean her from breastmilk. It is definitely a very difficult decision to make as she has been drinking mommy’s milk for 14 months already.
The funny thing is, when I was producing more than enough for Nadia, my mom said I should cut down on my pump and don’t pump so much as Nadia has more than enough to drink. Also her freezer was nearly full of my milk and she hardly got space to store her stuff. 
Now, when I told her I’m going to cut down my pump session, she told me that my daughter ‘still needs it’. She also told others that I chose not to give my daughter breast milk anymore. Ironic right?
Actually, I’ve been delaying my plans to wean Nadia. At first I told myself to start with 6 months, then 1 year..until now I still haven’t really weaned her completely.
When she turned one, she was down with fever after her MMR jab. Few days later, she was caught with runny nose and cough. At that time, she lost her appetite and wasn’t really keen on having her porridge or milk. It so happen that I was also starting to mix my breast milk with some formula when she hit the 12-month mark. I wasn’t producing enough for her as I had started to reduce my pump from 4 to 3 sessions. Also, I wanted her to get use to the taste of formula milk to pave way for weaning. Unfortunately, she rejected her milk due to the taste of formula. Hence I had no choice but to continue giving her 100% breastmilk. Luckily she didn’t have much appetite to drink that much of milk so I still had some ‘stock’ for her. I concluded that it’s due to her body not feeling well so she couldn’t accept the taste of formula milk which is richer in taste.
Now, she is OK with the 50/50 of formula milk/breastmilk combo. I believe if I try to give her a full bottle of formula milk she will be able to accept it. I think Mamil Gold did the trick. It has a lighter texture and taste compared to Similac Step 3. So, I will stick to it for now…
This week, I started to reduce my pump session from 3 to 2 sessions. I will pump every 12-hourly. I wonder how my breasts are going to take this long stretch. So far, I’m still doing good as I still can get a total of 13-14oz in a day. But we shall see after 2 weeks when my breasts really get the signal to stop producing that much. I think by then I will only get 10oz per day! 
written by appletan
There is no exact dates of when the Generation-Y starts and ends. Hence, I’m not sure if I’m categorized under Generation Y. However, I strongly believe that there is a huge difference between those born in the 70′s and the 80′s (and not to mention the 90′s).
Kids born in the 80′s are also categorized in several groups in terms of characteristics. Although there is no official research to prove that, it actually comes from my personal observation.
See for example my younger sister who’s born in 1985 whereas myself and my elder sis were born in the early 80′s. There’s already a huge difference between myself and my younger sister. For me, I will think twice before I make any purchase. But, those born in 1985 or afteryears, they can be very trendy and up-to-date in terms of fashion, gadgets and living styles.
My younger sis has already been using iphone for more than 1 year already and at that time I was still using my old dummy phone. Recently, I’ve purchased a smart phone which is below 1k after taking much consideration. The next thing is, my sis is already switched to another smart phone that cost RM1.8k! And she’s selling the iphone to my hubby, at RM500….without much negotiation.
Those who are on smartphones are definitely subscribed to data plans. What I notice again is me and my friends who are already using smart phones but DO NOT subscribe to any data plans. However, all my younger sis and her friends are happily subscribed to a minimum RM50/month of data plan without any hesitation. Phew~
When it comes to fashion, I’m always the one behind it. I wear my clothes again and again for YEARS. And yet, I always hesitate to buy new clothes except during CNY. On the other hand, my younger sis is so trendy that some of her clothes are only worn once or twice…and there they went to the unwanted clothes bin which I sometimes get her clothes from there! How pathetic. Hehe~
Sometimes, I just wish I could spend like them without thinking too much. Am I being too conservative or what?
written by appletan
I can’t believe this. Our beloved daughter has turned ONE yesterday! We had a mini birthday bash for her with our close relatives. Happy Birthday my little one, we will always love you!
written by appletan
I believe many people questioned silently on why we chose Nadia as the name for our beloved daughter. For those of you who are into sports or general knowledge should know that Nadia Comaneci is the first ever female gymnast which scored perfect 10 in 1976 Summer Olympics and won 3 gold medals in that event.
For myself, I had a very deep impression of this character since primary school. I still remember in my Chinese text book there was an article about Nadia Comaneci who was the world’s greatest gymnast. Many years we never brought up this name until when I was into my pregnancy, my hubby and I were cracking our heads to think of a nice name for our baby girl. Out of a sudden, my hubby bursted out “How about we name her Nadia?” My dad and I were like “Wow! That’s a beautiful name”. I asked my hubby how could he have thought of this special name? He told me he saw a billboard with Nardia Laboratory advertisement so he thought Nadia was a nice name. We love the name so much and I told my hubby that my family and I were also deeply inspired by Nadia Comaneci and this beautiful name would surely be the best for our daughter.
Locals in Malaysia also love to use this name especially among the Malays. It is so popularly-used until people started to think that Nadia is a Malay name and a Malay. In fact, it is NOT a Malay name but originated from Russia. Please remember, Nadia is a Russian name and we have no regrets for naming it for our daughter. Only those who are not aware of Nadia Comaneci will think that it is a local Malay name. Sorry if I offended anyone.
written by appletan
There are many ways to store your precious liquid. For most working mothers who are unable to breastfeed directly due to hectic working schedule, storing up our precious milk for later use has become an essential task to ensure our babies still get our milk even though we’re not by their side.
It all depends on your individual needs. If you are storing up for a day or two and your baby gets to drink on the same day, or the latest next day, a good option is to store it in storage bottles. Nowadays, there are so many storage bottles for you to choose from. From the highly expensive Avent VIA cups to more affordable range like Anakku, Pureen, BumbleBee or even Autumnz. All provide the same usage – to pump directly into it, store and feed it to your little one. There is no need to transfer milk to another feeding bottle, unless you personally prefer your little one to drink from a proper feeding bottle (say for example, glass bottle).
1. BumbleBee Storage Bottles (PP bottles, BPA Free, 5 oz)
Pros:-
- Affordable (a box of 8 bottles cost less than RM30)
- Easy to use, can easily fit into most breast pumps which let you pump directly into it and store/feed
- Easy to read, clear wording on the quantity
Cons:-
- The paint on the wording can come out after several use
- Narrow neck, hence difficult to wash as compared to wide-neck bottles
2. Philips Avent VIA Cups (PP bottles, BPA Free, pre-sterilised, comes in either 6 oz or 9 oz packs)
Pros:-
- Reliable perhaps due to the brand?
- Space-saving design as the bottles could be stacked up all together
- Compatible with Avent breast pumps which let you to pump and store/feed directly (with a connector)
- Wide-necked, hence it’s easier to be cleaned
Cons:-
- The storage cups are soft and can easily be pressed, not sure why it’s not as solid as other cups
- The wording on the quantity can hardly be read especially when you have stored your milk in it. The wording comes in semi-transparent colour and it’s very difficult to read from the outside, especially when the milk is also white in colour
- Read from forums that it can only be used not more than 4 times, after which it should be discarded (pending verification from Philips Avent as the above claim seems to be outdated, currently I do not get this info from the leaflet)
- Soft material than other cheaper brands
- Expensive as it is sold for RM69 for a pack of 10 (with cups and lids)
3. Autumnz Double Ziplock Storage Bags (BPA Free, Pre-sterilised, 7 oz)
 
Pros:-
- Easy to use, and it’s pre-sterilized and BPA Free with double zip lock to properly seal it up
- Space saving, and can store up to 7 oz per bag
- Thick and not easily broken
- Ideal to be used in the freezer
- Affordable, only cost about RM12 for 25 bags in a box
Cons:-
- One time use only, after which it should be discarded
- No other cons I could think of
I’ve tried all the methods above. I’ve been using Bumblebee bottles as I was given as a free gift when I bought my pump. I have about 24 bottles of it. I used for 6 months before I decided to switch to wide-necked type which is Avent VIA cups. The reason I want to change is because I was being “conned” by the brand, of course. After bought it only realized the material is soft and easily pressed. Not sure if it’s as durable as others? It’s expensive but the material is soft. I am still waiting from Avent’s feedback on this.
As for the Autumnz Ziplock bags, they are SUPERB and I have no complaints about it. I used them to freeze my addtional breast milk. Highly recommended as it’s affordable and safe to be used.
written by appletan
I’m sure some of you might be interested to know how other mothers progress in their breastfeeding journey. At least, I’m the one who has been searching around the Net looking for real-life experience on breastfeeding.
Mine considered to be moderate. I had terrible engorgement 4 days after I delivered. I could hardly get out from bed and had to let my mom to pull me up. When I had engorgement, I used hot water bottles and hot towels to soothe it and slowly my milk flowed out. From there my milk has started to flow smoothly, but not quickly though.
1st month – 0.5 oz to 1.5 oz (per session)
2nd month – 1.5 oz to 3 oz (per session)
3rd month – 3 oz – 4 oz (per session)
4th month – 4oz – 5 oz (per session) — and this has become steady until now.
In summary, each day I could only get between 24-26oz in total. I know some high producing mothers can produce up to 60 oz per day. Unfortunately, I’m not one of them. Still, I can manage to have a moderate freezer stash which can supply my daughter for up to 10 days, that is about 250 oz of breast milk in the freezer. I can’t imagine those who have a freezer stash that can last for a month. I believe they must be having a very large freezer just to keep the breast milk.
written by appletan
This month marked my 7th month into breastfeeding. I’m so glad that I’ve made it thus far. I’m sure breastfeeding mums know that it’s not an easy path and there are many challenges and roadblocks throughout the journey. Nevertheless, to those who managed to breastfeed for even 1 day or few months, you have done a good job for yourself and to your little one. So you should give yourself a pat on your back.
To be exact, I don’t actually quite fit into “Breastfeeding” category. I’m more to a full-time EP mom (expressing milk mum). The reason I was being led to this path is my little one could not latch on properly. She was more on a fussy side and would prefer to have faster milk flow, which unfortunately my breasts are not blessed with fast milk flow. Moreover my milk only came 4 days after I delivered. On my first month, I could only produce 0.5~1 oz each session. My little one had been drinking 3 oz at that time! Therefore I had to give her formula everytime she cried for milk. I only managed to give her 1-2 teaspoon of freshly expressed breast milk on every feeding time.
As I went into my 2nd month, my milk has increased and has become more established. I could produced 2.5-3oz of milk using my Ameda double-electric breast pump. My breast pump has been my good companion for the first few months. It helped me to produce 3-4 oz of milk by the end of 3rd month. I had been very comfortable with it until the beginning of 4th month when it broke down suddenly. Luckily, it was still under warranty and it had been replaced with a new timing belt which was broken.
While my breast pump was being sent for repair, I used my new Avent manual pump as a backup. I bought this pump online for a very good deal. It only cost me RM177 (plus delivery) for the whole set. The pump comes with a 4 oz BPA-FREE PES bottle (honey tinted) which is of good quality plastic.
At first, I was not very used to it and I couldn’t pump out any milk. Eventually when I get to know how to handle it, I could easily express 4-5 oz of milk per every 4-hourly!
Of course, the manual pump needs alot of hand work and your hands will get tired easily. But, the design of it makes the pumping session a comfortable one. It has a specially designed cushion which lies on its horn and it helps to stimulate milk flow and initiate “let-down”. When you are used to it, your hands will not feel tired anymore. I used up to a month to get use to this manual way of expressing milk.
Ever since I used my Avent manual pump, my Ameda has been placed aside for quite some time…in fact I haven’t used it until now (now in my 7th month already). The Avent manual pump is so convenient and you can carry anywhere you like without looking for a power socket. I’ve even brought it along to my Australia trip and has not been an issue so far. I simply love it so much! 
Now I’m hoping that I can make it to 1 year. I have 5 more months to go. Wish me all the best. To all new mothers and mother-to-be, all the best to your breastfeeding journey, and don’t give up! It takes alot of effort and patience to be successful. Think of the benefits that you’re giving to yourself and your little one – best food to boost your baby’s health and immune system for the 1st year. As for the mother, it helps to prevent all kinds of sickness, particularly breast cancer.
written by appletan
My little girl is now 7 months old. Wow, how time flies! So many things have changed after the arrival of my baby. Some changed for the good but there are some which have changed for the worse.
As every new parent knows, looking after a newborn can be very exhausting. It occupied so much of your time and you hardly could find time for yourself, and of course for your partner as well. This is what is happening to me.
My hubby has been complaining that I hardly got time for him now since our baby girl was born. We could no longer travel as we like or eat at hawker stalls. Everything we do, the baby will have to come first. It’s sad to find that my hubby could not adapt to this new lifestyle. Perhaps we didn’t get to enjoy married life long enough before getting pregnant. He is too used to being just the 2 of us. I have mixed feeling for this as I do not know if I should feel happy or sad. I could be happy as my hubby still cares alot for me and yearns for just the 2 of us. Sad as he is not like other dads who are happy and excited after the arrival of their newborn.
I am not sure if this could be the cause of it. It all started ever since I decided to stay back at my mom’s house after my confinement. The reason I made this decision is I do not have to travel back and forth when I go/leave for work. I can let my baby sleeps until I go to work and my mom takes over. Another reason is I find it hard to cope while at my in-law’s house as I do not have time to do my stuff and preparing for work next day. Hence, me and my hubby live separately. He will come over every night to visit us at my mom’s house, and will spend the night with us on certain nights. I thought this is more than sufficient than I could have asked for. However, it didn’t turn out to be desirable. It seems that we tend to communicate less unlike last time when we were staying together. We do not know each other’s activity during the day, and could only catch up at night. But when he comes over, it’s either the baby needs attention, or we could not find a personal space to communicate. As months go by, this has affected our relationship. I hope we could patch things up as time passes when baby grows older.
I’m hoping that someone could give me some advice on how to be a good mom, wife, daughter, daughter-in-law and office lady at the same time!
written by appletan
I’m finally back on track after “missing” for more than 2 months! I am blessed with a beautiful baby girl named Nadia and she’s currently 11 weeks old, measuring at 61cm and weighs around 6.1kg. I am back to work as well and have been pumping twice at work diligently. I’ve also met with many mothers in my company’s Mother’s room where we shared everything about our babies. It’s fortunate that we have this facility for breastfeeding moms which enable working moms to continue breastfeeding whilst at work.
written by appletan
For the past few weeks, I’ve been searching high and low for the best breast pump that suits my needs. That is – affordable, has a double-pump, is an electric pump and is lightweight.
Unfortunately, popular brands like Philips Avent and Medela cost a bomb to me. The former costs RM2.2k for a double electronic breast pump while the latter costs nearly RM1.8k. I also gathered some feedback that Avent is bulky and heavy weight, but Medela Pump In Style Advanced is just too costly for me. When I decided to settle on Medela Double Electric Mini Pump, someone approached me that the pump can be very noisy like a lawn mower. I also tried to search on blogs about it and found out that it’s true. I do not want a lawn mower which will wake up my hubby and baby while expressing.
Luckily, my cousin told me about Ameda which I’ve never heard of the brand before. It’s not selling at any baby stores that I know or even shopping centres. But it’s a Swiss-made breast pump that is available for purchase online. Ameda does not have a vast range of breast pumps for you to choose from. It’s either you get a manual pump, hospital-grade pump or a double electric pump. Easy and simple, isn’t it?
So the series that I purchased at an online store is Ameda Lactaline Breast Pump (a.k.a Purely Yours in the US).
It’s a double electric breast pump which is portable, affordable and quiet. It only costs me RM799 for the complete set, and it comes with a range of free gifts to select from. I chose 3 boxes of Bumblebee milk storage bottles as my free gift. Each box contains 8 bottles, which means I get 24 bottles in total! This is super value for money and I hope the breast pump is good and durable.
written by appletan
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