Monday, 30 January 2012

monster parents...

parents in hong kong are indeed getting too monsterous...

not talking about pushing their kids to countless tutorial classes or wrapping them with designer labels... but feeding broccoli and red wine to their 5 month old!

shots of baby sipping on a wine glass and chewing on a broccoli spotted in the "mommy forum" that i mentioned in the previous blog, i thought juice feeding was crazy enough but no, now comes to feeding solids, like real SOLIDS to your 5 month old that doesn't even have a single teeth sprouting yet!

i'm not exactly sure if these parents were just having some fun holding a wine glass filled with shiraz, tucking into your baby's lip to snap a few shots before your baby gets toxicated or they thought a 5 month old chewing (or choking, reallieee) on a broccoli (regardless if it was cooked or raw, they are certainly hazardous to a teethless baby!)  is cute?

i reallieee don't know what these people have in mind, and it does prove that there are a lot of people in this world live without sense or common sense have just become so uncommon to many people.

let's all pray for the babies.

Monday, 23 January 2012

lucky~

last week i had attended a discussion group with a few new mothers in the neighbourhood, we did some sharings about our pregnancy and birth experience; i knew i was lucky, i was told that i was lucky by everyone around me, but i do need to conclude that i'm indeed real lucky after i've attended the discussion!

i've never won any lotteries or grand prizes, but i do need to thank god that i've had probably the best and most comfortable pregnancy and birth experience.

to make it short, there was no morning sickness, nausea, or any discomfort throughout the 8 months (well, kaylee was born a month early!), and even so, induction was done, epidural was used at the very end so i didn't have to be catheterized, labour was about 5 hours and kaylee was pushed out in about 10 to 15 minutes.......

i guess the worst part about the birth was getting checked by the female OB who was on duty....... i literally felt like i was raped by her hand!  nevertheless, she delivered kaylee and we are both well!  i guess a male OB would probably be a bit more gentle... but it's all good!

and most importantly....... i'm back in shape in like... a week?  i was able to fit into my size S hollister after 12 days!  i guess this should be more amazing than winning a lottery, seriously! (i still remembered how hard i've tried to lose just a few pounds of the baby fat in my high school years, and seemed like mission impossible, and obviously, i was worried that i'd gain like 70 lbs during pregnancy! --> btw, that's what my hubby thought too... -_-!)

and so, i met these other new moms, they all looked great!  but i guess not so great about their birth experience...

one mom shared her experience, her son is about 3 months old now, but it took quite some time for this little guy to come!  her labour started with contractions, went to the hospital, waited and waited to be fully dilated to deliver her boy... she waited 2 days before her boy was ready to be delivered!  so... imagine labour pain for 2 days...

this other mom had a rather short labour, about a few hours, but it took her 2 hours to push her boy out!  and the most terrible and painful thing was...... her epidural was shut off before delivery and she had 12 stitches after...... without the magic of anesthetic, she felt everything!

and this young mom, who lived in scarborough, moved to her boyfriend's place before her due date and her baby boy decided to come a little early, so her water broke in the middle of the night and so she called the nearest hospital, she was advised to go back to sleep and wait, because she was not dilated well enough to be admitted to the hospital, and even so, unfortunately, the closest hospital refused to admit her because she was not registered to that hospital.  so she had to get a ride back to the hospital in scarborough, where she was initially registered with, which is about 60km away, in the middle of the night, in labour!

apart from having to be reminded of painful experiences, it is indeed a good opportunity for new moms to participate and be supported by each other at this kind of discussion groups!

everyone has their own unique and memorable birth experiences, but we often think, why do these bundles of joy always come together with so much pain?  isn't that a bit contradicting?

perhaps we should always remind ourselves that, life doesn't come easy, we all need to go through the pain to come to the joy!

Wednesday, 11 January 2012

make good use of your brain!

a full time mother does not only spend all of her time to take care of her baby, she also spends a lot of her time to think and make good use of her brain!

i have been very involved in a forum/group that is created and maintained by a group of new mothers in the past half year.  various topics from baby to husband and relationships with in-laws are discussed everyday, every hour, every minute.  this is actually a very good place for new mothers to share and ask questions, because a lot of us are new and are clueless about how to take good care of the baby; however, not everyone asks good questions.

i personally believe, as a student, as a mother, as a former journalist, you should always think and research before you ask the question, but don't seem like this is a practice for everyone!

a mother asked "can i give fruit juice to my 3 month old?" .......

..........

i think this is dumb to even begin with... honestly... i'm not trying to make this mother feel dumb, in fact she is dumb to ask this question before thinking about it herself.

why do infants need fruit juice in the first three months or even six months of their lives when they have the best thing - breastmilk - to stick with?  or if baby is formula-fed and you are unsure about what else you can offer to your baby, READ!  get a book to read and learn what is proper and best for your baby!

another interesting case is, another mother was "enthusiastic" enough to let her baby try different things, and offer meat in chinese soup to her 3 or 4 month old to numble... -_-!

this is obviously nothing but common sense, but i guess too many people are not thinking properly...

perhaps we have all become so dependent and have abandoned our brains!  i think it is important to think everyday, just on anything, anything will do, let your brain do some exercise before it gets rotted!

Thursday, 5 January 2012

new year, new post, new goal~

ok, it has been more than half a year since last blog post...

and yes, i haven't been writing for such a long time that i have been typing and deleting, thinking of how to make a good start of a new blog post here;  i just didn't want to start the year with a lame post!

there are just so much thoughts to put into one, i have so much to share with every one of you here for what i have gained in the past year!

now, what to start...

i become a mommy on august 27, 2010, kaylee was born on the same day as her grandmother (with my birthday being on the 27th, too, i think i really need to check with some astrologist or numerologist or feng shui master to see if i'm so deeply connected with the number 27!) 

kaylee was born a month earlier than her expected due date, never knew why she was in a rush to arrive, but grandma thinks it was destiny that she has decided to come to the world on her birthday!  she was born 4 lbs 5oz, very tiny little baby, but was healthy enough to have only stayed in the incubator at the nursery for only a week, without being "tube fed" and went home with us.  breastfeeding have always been what i have in mind, but it was easier to think than have done, kaylee was too small and has been struggling on breastfeeding (because it would take her a lot more energy to suckle on breast than on the nipple of a milk bottle), so she was formula fed for about a month with little pumped-out breastmilk fed in some of her meals...

the toughest thing to get through during the first month was the feeding schedule, kaylee had to be fed every 3 hours; at first, grandma and daddy helped feeding but as soon as kaylee was succesfully breastfed, i had to wake up every 3 hours... >.<"

as soon as i was used to this schedule, things have become so much easier, but what's more challenging was, to be challenged by people around you.  many people, members of the family questioned whether breastmilk was actually nutritious enough or filling enough for the baby, and even suggested that, should substitute the night time meal with formula instead to ensure baby's tummy is filled up.

i have been sticking to what i believe for the past four months and is hoping to continue in the next four months, or even longer!  there sure is a lot to compensate (like keeping my shopping time within 3 hours and get home before the next feeding!), but, to give off some shopping time for the most precious skin to skin moment with your own baby, is all worthwhile!

i encourage all mommy-to-be to be faithful and persistent on breastfeeding!  YOU CAN DO IT!!!  all you need is time, patience and supports from your friends and family!