believe in nature, believe in yourself!

baby is stepping into 8 months very soon, and thank god, breastfeeding has been successfully done in 8 months!

baby is gradually introduced to different kinds of solids, just veggies for now, but both mommy and baby have been so overwhelmed by people around, still.

why are you introducing solids so late?
why aren't you giving her this and that?
why aren't you replacing a meal for her yet?

...........

but i ask, why rush?

baby is a month early and she has her entire life to try all kinds of different food, so why rush?  why not letting her enjoy more of the most natural food, breastmilk, for a longer time?

oh yes, breastfeeding is another issue that bothers so much people.

why aren't you giving her formula?

ok let's leave that for now.  there's nothing wrong with formula but i ask:

why does she need to have formula because everyone said so?

we have just been too spoiled by technologies and forgot what we can do instinctively.  women are born with breasts, therefore they are born to feed their babies.  no doubt different interventions and technologies have made our lives so much easier and convenient, yet making all of us become weaker at the same time.

with epidural, c-section and all that, most women cannot bear labour pain anymore...
with formula powder, ready to feed... many women believe they have no milk...

i here strongly encourage and remind all moms who are now breastfeeding please believe in yourself and please, believe in nature.  your body listens to you and responds your demand, makes enough for your baby with everything she needs.  when you begin introducing solids, drink less milk, your body will make less accordingly; during growth spurts, baby drinks more, demand increases, milk supplies ascends accordingly.

this is the power of nature.

the "occupy" campaign

the new job that i have been taking for the past 6 months, would consider to be the toughest job that i have ever had in my life!

this is a job that you cannot complain, cannot blame, cannot refuse.... cannot NO....

i used to curse my boss with passion like every day but now i'm with a boss that i can never curse, and someone that i need to nurse with love every day!

certainly, it's tough, it's tiring, but it's the most rewarding job that i have ever had!

6 months, less sleeping = more playing = restless for mommy, and a time to try something new in life - solids; and to some people, the time to wean?

i never want to wean my boss until she wants to wean herself, i enjoy so much in breastfeeding, and so is she.  why wean your baby when they still need the best food in their lives?  there are various reasons to back up this "weaning schedule" (according to what i was told by numbers of experienced mothers):

- less clingy
- more nutrition in formula that is essential for the baby's growth and development
- just need to do it (because that's what everybody does!)

ok now... let's check the first point... less clingy...... this is something that i would like to get it straight with people, why do you want your 6 month old to not be attached to you, or the other way around, why do you want to detach from your 6 month old?  mothers are meant to nurse, raise, take care of their babies until they have the abilities to take care of themselves, meaning, this is your responsibility to ensure your baby is well fed and well taught!

sadly, it is true that many working parents cannot afford to take care their few month old on a full time basis, but at the same time, so many parents nowadays may have also forgotten that they are not just the biological parents of their child.

your child is meant to be clingy to his/her parents and his/her parents are responsible to teach and nurture their child to become independent; but again, sadly, still many parents believe that by having their few month old to take from the bottle and to be fed by just, literally anyone, is the best way to train their independence.

it's simple, and i still believe this - mommy leopards do not ask mommy lions to feed and babysit baby leopards, period.

next is the nutrition value of breastmilk VS formula... i was told that breastmilk is the best milk.  and i don't think i should challenge that.  all i can say is, formula is an option and when you can feed your baby with the most natural food, why bother feeding her commercialised synthetic food?  it's like, when you can make your own chicken broth from scratch, why bother using MSGed campbell's?

the first day that you have decided to have this child is the first day to start and commit to this "occupy" campaign.  there's no annual leave, no weekends off, no early dismiss, and no retirement!

your baby needs you.  not just for food, they need you to play with them, to teach them, to nurture them.  and they don't need tv, ipads and nintendo.  well, at most, i'd say for parents and babies, they do need some nat geo time!

bear this in mind, mommy leopards nurse and protect baby leopards from predators, but also teach them how to find their own food, and do not leave their children until they can hunt themselves.

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.

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!

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!

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!

peelable nails!!!

the weather is getting so nice in here, and I looked at my flip flops and thought: I WANT YOU!!!

but I've been a good wife and mom-to-be, I had no second attempt to paint my nails again with conventional or normal nail polish; so, I started to discover something that is safe and usable without anyone getting fussy about it!

last time I visited Whole Foods, one of my fav place to hang out here, although it's a bit far but they do offer some great products and great food, especially their freshly made pizza.

and non toxic, organic beauty products!!!

although I was told that premium nail colours like OPI or SPArituals are safe for pregnant women to use, the products still contain artificial chemicals and toxic smells, which is something that my man was iffy about me using it; so here I found natural cosmetics nail polish (not so sure if it's organic coz it does not come with any certified stickers or labels) and recommend all moms-to-be or children to try.

the brand is called SUNCOATgirl, specially made for children age 3+, quoting from its own website:

Suncoat Girl water-based nail polishes are uniquely formulated by our chemists without using any of the following chemicals: Phthalate plasticizers, Toluene, Formaldehyde, Acetates, Alcohol, Glycol ethers, FD&C dyes.

Only water, acrylic copolymers and polyurethane (plastic), mineral-based pigments, plastic glitter and carmine are in these nail polishes. Virtually odor-free. Releases water vapor when applied, not toxic chemical fumes. These water-based children's nail polishes are truly the most natural nail polishes in the market place.

as I was reading through the info on the website: 

In Suncoat water-based nail polish, all the chemical solvents are replaced by water. The major ingredient is water, not chemical solvents! So when Suncoat water-based nail polish is being applied, it is only water that evaporates to the air, not toxic chemical fumes.

 

The chemical solvents in conventional nail polish, after repeated use, can discolor nails and make them brittle and weak. This is not an issue with water-based nail polish.

Many conventional nail polishes contain a deadly chemical, namely, phthalate. Phthalate, such as dibutyl phthalate (DBP), has been proven by research studies to interfere with normal hormone balance, can cause severe birth defects and other health problems. Phthalate is a very effective and popular plasticizer（so is that also a kind of PEHD that was found in the Taiwanese products???)  that gives nail polish flexibility, and helps prevent polish from cracking. Phthalate is also a very low volatile chemical (meaning will not evaporate quickly). So after the polish is applied to nails, phthalate will stay on the nails with the polish, and can penetrate into our system, causing health problems. 

ok so I guess my man was right about insisting removing the toxic chemicals off my nails... and I do hope this piece of info is useful for all moms-to-be, that nail polish is indeed a concern!!!

I bought one colour, strawberry delight, and yes, it has no smell at all!  and another great thing about it is, you do not need to purchase another so called "organic nail polish remover" to take it off, because you will only need to soak your fingers or toes into a bath of warm water for about 3 to 5 minutes, and just peel it off!

the only thing is, it has 8 colours only... and since it's a non toxic product, so it probably doesn't contain any sort of chemicals that offer you the shiny, bright, glossy kind of effect on your nails.  I tried the strawberry delight, it comes with a great bright red as it claims but not as smooth and glossy compare to the conventional nail colour, so there are certainly things that you need to compromise, but I mean if safety comes before everything, this is one product that you can consider.

what's most important is the price is definitely a great deal!  Only $7.99CAD, which is even cheaper than to get an OPI!

here's the site to check it out:  http://www.suncoatgirl.com/

the brand suncoat (I guess that's the mother brand of suncoatgirl), also offers other cosmetic products like lip, face and eye colour, all naturally made, and I think it has a wider varieties of nail colours too!  

This was painted 2 days ago, and after 2 showers, the colour still stayed pretty well, so rest assure that it can be as durable as conventional nail colours; but keep in mind that it is recommended to keep your nail colour on for no more than a week, otherwise as described on the site, water-based nail colour can be difficult to remove if left on nails for extended time... (I know I need a major pedicure... and yes I'm not a good painter... but please bear with me as I cannot bend all the way down to do the job)