"6 month Sleep Regression"

AJ's 6 month old Sleep Regression came when he was just 5.5 months old - and it reared it's ugly little head at the most inappropriate time (I mean, when it is ever an appropriate time for a sleep regression anyway?!)

By that I mean, it came the very day I fell sick with a high fever, tonsilitis and had to manage an inflamed tendon (tendonitis).
It will still lurking around as an evil entity when John fell equally sick with a very high fever. Just when you thought things couldnt get ANY worse, my period decided to make its appearance, coupled with the sickness & the immense stress ive been feeling the last week or so, my milk supply took a huge dip.

So by day 3 of the regression, it was us 2 extremely exhausted, wearied and broken bodies with a fussy, screaming baby who simply won't settle down (even with boob!) or go to bed.

And then, magically, by day 4 he was sleeping well again (by about 4 months old he'd been sleeping from 8-9pm to 2-4am feed then back to sleep for another 3-4 hours).

My milk supply is slowly creeping back up but it is during this time that I've finally properly appreciated my freezer milk stash. Before this, the bags were sitting untouched and I actually thought I would've to throw them all away because we are moving to brissy in a month's time (permanent move) & will not ship them over because of the amount of trouble it will take plus I have already established a good milk supply and AJ will be starting solids by the time we are in brissy anyway.

So as I'm typing this it's day 5, 1020pm and he's sound asleep in his cot. I'd better use this time to catch up on some sleep!

[Review] Ocean Spray Original Craisins (Dried Cranberries)

When I had a UTI infection early last year, I did a mountain of research on it and most of what I read recommended drinking Cranberry Juice as one of the more natural ways to prevent it. So once it cleared I was out and about on the hunt for Cranberry juice. However, in KL, Cranberry juice is a rare sight and when I do find them it's either ridiculously priced (RM45 for a bottle? Come on..) or loaded with artificial sweeteners/sugar/preservatives. Desperate as I was to start integrating Cranberry juice into my daily diet, I just couldn't!

Then, one fine sunny afternoon, I saw a packet of Ocean Spray Original Craisins sitting on one of my ex-colleague's desk. My first thought was "Craisins?.. Crazy Raisins??" until I took a longer look at the pack and realised they were actually dried cranberries! Super cool. Instead of paying through my nose for a bottle of Cranberry juice, why not consume cranberries?? However, because she wasn't at her desk, I couldn't ask her where she got them from but eventually I forgot about it..

Until I saw them at Village Grocer in Bangsar - however they were selling it at an exorbitant price (like with everything else at this shop!) so I skipped it. Last Saturday when John and I were going our regular weekly grocery shopping at NSK Kuchai Lama, I stumbled upon it again and this time it was almost half the price of Village Grocer's at RM7.30 per packet. Without hesitation, I immediately grabbed a bag.

Package - Front

Package - Back

I know these are also loaded with sugar, as with other dried fruits (and any health nutritionist would surely warn you against them), but they are an alternative to the juices which are also loaded with sugar and TWICE the price. Here's something that I miss about Australia - the widely available fresh produce and natural health foods.









Anywho, I ripped open this packet in an instant (after purchasing it of course!) and found that they were a tad too sweet for my liking. However, I've found that they go very well with my oatmeal breakfast with natural baked almonds and a drizzle of honey.

You can also add them as part of your trail nut mix (afternoon snack) and even in muffins and biscuits!

Keep in mind that each serving (40g) contains 29g of sugar - that's a whopping 75%! However, eat them in moderation, and you'd still get your cranberry fix in any cranberry-deprived situation you find yourself in - like I have!

[Tuesday Tips] Top C-Section Recovery Tips

It's been 11 days since I had an elective C section and in these almost 2 weeks, I think I am qualified to offer you some tips on how to ease your post C section recovery and feel better much faster, so you can look after your little one.

1. Get Movin'

At the hospital, the very next day after my surgery, a nurse came into my ward room and asked if I felt like peeing. I said no. I closed my eyes again, expecting her to take my answer and leave it and perhaps come back again in 2 hours' time to ask the same question until I willingly say yes. 

Not a chance. Right after I said no to her, she said "Get up now. Let's go to the bathroom." Shocked and reluctant but because she was a head nurse a knew what she was doing, I agreed and slowly moved my way off the bed with her much-needed help. 

I will admit, it was excruciating. Those first few steps to the bathroom, I've never felt more incapable in my life - it felt like I had aged in just days to an old lady with broken, brittle bones that she couldn't even walk herself anymore. I was hunched over and made the 50m walk to the bathroom in a record 10 minutes. Peeing was not a pain but I had to sit on the toilet bowl at an incline in order not to put pressure on the incision.

After that excruciating first walk, I felt so much better. So, first advice is to get moving even if you don't feel like it. Not only will it improve the circulation in your legs and prevent blood clots from forming, it also aids in your bowel movements so you don't suffer constipation which is common post c-section phenomenon. Get up and about!

2. Take Your Pain Meds

I know you're a strong lady, but when it comes to healing from a C section, don't be a hero. Take them regularly (mine was every 4 hours) even if you don't feel much pain & when the hospital offers you some, take them all. 

If you wait till longer than 4-6 hours to take your next round of pain meds, you'll regret it when the pain starts kicking in and you have to slowly wait for your meds to take effect. Not a pretty thought to behold. You just underwent a major abdominal surgery and your body is adjusting to it, so naturally it will be painful. Listen to your body and don't let it suffer from unnecessary pain!

3. Stay Hydrated

That first pee is very important after your C-section, to determine that your bladder is functioning well & good. You're going to be inserted with a urine catheter which will only be taken off the next day after surgery, but once it's out, make it a point/your goal to visit the bathroom within the next 12 hours. Of course, do this with the help of the nurses or you might fall!.

It's important to stay hydrated after a surgery to aid in the healing process and to keep your bladder movements in sync. Aim to drink the standard 8-10 glasses of water each day.

4. Seek Help (Physically & Moral Support) & Rest

Your incision and general health will take at least 6 weeks to be restored, and in this time, don't strain yourself otherwise you risk injuring your fresh wound and splitting your incision/getting an incision infection. You might look healed on the outside, but bear in mind that a lot of healing is still going on in this inside, which you cannot see. And it is important to keep in mind that you just underwent a major surgery. 

Don't carry anything heavier than your baby and organise a feeding schedule with your partner so you can have a longer stretch of rest (4-5 hours at least) as new tissue regenerates for healing only when you're getting enough proper rest. Yes you just had a baby and life will never be the same again, BUT take all the help you get offered from close friends, family and especially your partner (boyfriend/fiance/husband) because their help & support is going to come a long long way in helping your heal faster. 

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These are my 4 main tips on how to recovery faster from a C section - as much as I wanted a natural delivery, sometimes God has other plans for you (that's what I believe anyway), and despite this all I ever ask for is a healthy baby, which I got :-)

Motherhood is not an easy journey, all the late night feeds & diaper changes, sleepless days and nights & breastfeeding problems come along with it, but when you get the green light from your paediatrician telling you that your little one is doing well and is healthy, all these "issues" suddenly don't seem to matter anymore. 

AJ  has been an amazing baby - he hardly cries and when he does, it's for good reason (either hungry or need a nappy change). John and I are very blessed parents and we hope to raise him well. 

We'll take it one step at a time.

17th Dec 2015 - D day hath arrived!

D (Delivery!) Day has arrived.

As instructed by Dr. Kamaljit, we checked in the night before at 8pm and managed to snag a private single - bedded room. Lucky we checked in the night before because we spent 2 whole hours sorting out payment - the eftpos machines at Pantai Hospital kept rejecting John's NAB card - something that has never happened before.

And through this we've also learnt that CIMB customer service (and the bank is general) is hopeless. John is seriously contemplating moving to Maybank now (better customer service in my own personal experience!).

Anyway at 6am I was given a suppository up my butthole and told to keep it in for 15 mins before going to the bathroom to flush everything out of my system. However, within minutes of putting it in I ran to the bathroom and expelled half of my "stores". The other half was still hard poop and couldn't be expelled but they couldn't give me a second dose so told me to leave it anyway. 

At 730am, anaesthetist Dr. Sabter came in and instructed the nurses to wheel me to the second floor so I could get my spinal block. John was given a set of scrubs to change into and I was afraid he'd miss out on the spinal block session but he came just in time.
People say the insertion of the IV drip is even more painful than the spinal anaesthesia. I say, bullsh*t!

The spinal anaesthesia started with a needle through the back and I felt a flow of liquid, first to my left lumbar side then another dose to the right side. It was more sore than painful.. like a very dull & sore ache - it's there and it's annoying and I can't get rid of it.

Anyway after that they inserted the catheter for the block/epidural and within minutes I felt numb in my legs. It didn't take long before I lost all muscle movement and pain sensation in my lower abdomen and legs. I did very quickly fall nauseous right after the spinal block was administered but I was told there and then that it was a common phenomenon.

Nausea stayed all through the surgery. What I like about Dr. Kamaljit and Dr. Premitha is that they both know how to lighten the mood during surgery, by chatting and laughing heartily whilst not distracting from their jobs. Kamaljit told me once at her clinic during one of our regular appointments "we like to chat and laugh while doing a c section,  BUT it's not because we are not focused or that we are slacking, remember that!"

It certainly made the atmosphere less tense and I remember my spinning head was thanking them for that. When AJ came out I caught a glimpse of him before he was brought to the weighing machine and cleaning tub to get cleaned and weighed.  After which he was wrapped up tightly in a white towel and put next to my head for 2 minutes. Then, john and him went upstairs to the nursery where AJ was properly measured. 

I was in the emergency room for ages (1 hour) before being wheeled back to my ward room (C329), during which I was asked if I wanted to keep my placenta and made to feel the extreme pain of getting my uterus "massaged" back down. The Indian nurse used a lot of pressure to push it down and at one point I had to tell her to STOP because it was really hurting (imagine just having an incision in your uterus and a nurse comes in a continually presses upon the incision site, with all her bloody strength as well).

After that I got wheeled back to my room and managed to have skin to skin time with my newborn baby. How lovely it felt, his soft skin against mine - it felt unreal.

I was in hospital for almost 3 days before I got discharged on Saturday the 19th December. One of the most painful moments was getting up to walk the first time after a C sect. It hurt so much I took 10 mins to walk to the bathroom from my bed (with the aid of a nurse of course).

The nurses at Pantai Maternity ward were mostly nice - I was given painkillers and antibiotics to recover. They took the two catheters out from my back (where they'd added morphine into) and down below (urine catheter) the very next day. 
AJ was with us for most of the time, except at night when we'd put him in the nursery to be looked after so we could get some much - needed rest.

Overall a challenging get wonderful experience of childbirth. I'd do it again in a heartbeat for AJ.  He's been wonderful! And... He has my nose!! 😂😊

[Pregnancy] Week 37 : So close yet so far

Today I am week 37 + 7.

I've been feeling great except for a nightmare I had last night where I went into labour at home and I woke up to a back ache because a pillow was sitting right under me right back!

Went for a CTG at Pantai Hospital just yesterday (Saturday - cost us RM167 all up) on Kamaljit's instruction and everything was okay with lil sweetie. He's been such a good boy this whole pregnancy I swear, I have a strong feeling he's going to be a good boy when he's out too. :-)

Right after the CTG procedure (they strap 2 transducer things on your tummy; one is to monitor baby's heartbeat the other is to monitor uterine contractions), a chirpy nurse came in and told me that because I have a breeched baby, any time I feel any sort of pain or if my water breaks all of a sudden, I'll need to drop everything I'm going and rush to the hospital to undergo an emergency c section, because the labour risks involved with a breeched baby is much higher than a baby who is already head-down.

I've already conveyed this piece of vital information to John and he's given me 5 of his colleagues contacts just in case I can't reach him on time. He was so worried and told me that even if I can't on first try, keep ringing and ringing him. My poor hubs has been working afternoon shifts the past few weeks since the new store opened.. he's definitely lost weight and I can see how tired he looks these days (not to mention the anxiety of an impending birth of our baby).

Now that mums here hopefully we can take some weight of our shoulders!

4 more days till our scheduled C section - I went to see the anaesthetist at Pantai last week and she took one look at my X rays and said a spinal block shouldn't be an issue. I can't wait to hold lil sweetie in my arms and I'm even more eager to watch John as he holds him for the first time. Can't wait!!

[Tuesday Tips] Dealing with a Bicornuate Uterus

As I was trudging through a pile of old documents, I came across a doctor's MRI report from 2013 stating that I have a "Bicornuate Uterus" with 2 uterine horns.

For those who have no knowledge about what this means, a bicornuate uterus is basically a uterine abnormality that affects only a small portion of the female population whereby your uterus doesn't develop as it should when you're a foetus in your mother's womb. Instead of the normal inverted per-shaped uterus that most females carry, mine is heart-shaped with 2 horns and a septum dividing both horns.

One thing I am unsure of though is how deep the septum is & something I would love to find out once I deliver AJ. I'll keep in mind to ask Kamaljit this in the next appointment. Anyway, this explains several things as below.

1. Higher occurrence of a breeched position

Because your little one literally only occupies half the space in the womb, there is a higher chance that he/she will be and will stay in a breeched position. This is especially true if he/she is still breeched after 30 weeks because there is little chance that they will turn given the reduced amount of space and amniotic fluid as he/she grows bigger by the week.

Hence, because of this, and because I am already 2 days away from my 36th week of pregnancy, I will be going to UMSC to schedule my C-section date next week. Kamaljit recommends a C-section at UMSC as it is half the price (8-10k) of having a C-section at Pantai Hospital (15-20k). In addition to that, the doctors at UMSC are more specialised for this type of delivery/surgical procedure.

2. A lopsided belly

Again, your baby is most likely going to occupy only one of the horns, hence your belly will be lopsided for most of your pregnancy. For me, this only got more obvious with time as he grew bigger you could see a more distinct difference between the two sides of my belly.

My more "dominant" horn is the left one, where AJ constantly resides in.

I know he's been trying to turn the past week or so (because his heads sinks downwards) but he never gets past the transverse position and this is most likely because of limited space. My poor lil sweetie - at least he tried.

There are several ways to attempt to turn a breeched baby which I will go into detail in my next post and I will attempt to use one of the more well-known, natural methods (i.e going on all fours every night for 15-20 minutes) in these last few weeks and cling on to the very little hope that he will finally turn before the 37th week.

[Pregnancy] Week 34 + 5 : Sick... Again + Things to be grateful for!

I think the recent spate of events as I mentioned in my last post has taken a toll on my already compromised immune system/body. Plus add the fact that John has been sick the last 1 week..

I've gotten a terrible sore throat, chesty cough and a slight fever. And it doesn't help that every time I cough, my already-sore hips hurt even more! It's been quite a miserable week to be honest, and I can't wait for my next appointment with Kamaljit next Wed to get a Physiotherapist recommendation.

My biggest issue now is dealing with these hips - our legs are so important for us to be able to be mobile, sometimes we take it for granted. It's only when you lose part of/all of the ability to walk that you realise how important this bodily function is. The days of being able to power walk, gym and jump seem to be long gone..

On a brighter note, things I could be grateful for this week include (but is not limited to!)  the following :

- New IKEA Cheras store opened yesterday! I can feel John's relief.. after a whole year of hard work.
- Despite the hips and sickness, my mood hasn't been crushed. I still smile, joke, laugh.. and I have a feeling that we have a happy baby baking in the oven :-)
- Received more baby shower gifts - can't be any more grateful for the people surrounding me
- 2 more weeks till mum gets here - i'm half excited, half nervous
- We won 2 pieces of furniture in the IKEA auction.. both for AJ and we got them at bargain prices!

It's Friyay! And I can't wait till the weekend. Another baby shower to attend tomorrow and I think Sunday will be a reading day for me. I can't wait till I get some time to myself to just sit at home and do nothing but sleep all day - something I haven't had the opportunity to do in a while. I'm also thinking of going downstairs to the pool just to waddle in and take some pressure off the sore hip and leg joints.

In other pregnancy-related news, little AJ is still in a breeched position and we (John, Dr. Kamaljit & I) are all hoping he will turn within the next 2 weeks otherwise we'd have to schedule the much-dreaded C section!

[Pregnancy] Week 21: Dr. Valli @ UMMC

Finally met Dr. Valli at UMSC after waiting for a month to.

First impressions : quiet, subdued, soft spoken

Her ultrasound machine was pretty old school, images were very unclear and the scan itself was not as clear as Dr.  Kamaljit's. However she was a nice older lady and told me that I needed to make an appointment to see the heart doctor within the same center- UMSC.
Despite the fact that my VSD repair was done at 2 years old it's always better to take extra precautions to ensure my heart health is fine - especially now that I'm carrying a little one in me and his health & wellbeing is of top priority!

Because we struggled to find the specialist center (Drove to UMMC instead at first - hospital side) we were late to our appointment and had to wait after everyone else before we could see her.
By the end if it we were really tired and decided to tour the hospital another time. Since we will be in malacca this weekend, hospital tours will most likely happen next weekend.

Hospitals we are thinking of touring : UMMC, Prince Court, Pantai

Will be posting hospital tour reviews after that! Stay tuned.