The Birth of Baby PP

A very overdue post but better late than never, right right? Riighhht. Plus, need a post that is related to a certain video i promised some friends i will post up (i must have been high on post pregnancy hormones to give THAT promise!) 

Flashback to 11-12 October 2009:: 

the day(s) Mummylicious went into the labour room and 

Baby PP's arrival into this world

The Birth Plan ::

Normal birth and gas as pain reliever. 

What happened ::

Induced at 40 weeks, non-stop contractions with only 3cm dilation, epidural  to save energy for the labour that was a loooong way to go. Epidural again after the first needle went through a vein or something. 10 hours after that, dilation was at 6cm. Baby PP in distress. Emergency C-Section performed. ..... that is why a birth plan is called, a plan. Things don't always go the way you want it to go.

Why? ::

My gynea, Dr Tang gave a suggestion that I were to induce my delivery. I was at my heaviest weight, a whooping total of 68KG! That's 20kg increase from my pre-pregnancy weight. Baby PP was at 40 weeks. Not exactly late but her estimated weight was at 3.9 kg at 38 weeks. 

Combined with my weight and baby's weight, Dr Tang was not comfortable with the idea of this little petite girl delivering a huge baby. Plus, I've had some complications that were affecting me (not baby) before that. Lets just say they were bleeding down under eh? Nothing serious but very painful that walking, sitting and sleeping was near impossible.Dr Tang feared that it was because my body was struggling with the weight of the baby and more complications would arise if we were to wait. 

Before Child (B.C)
11 OCTOBER 2009

A future to be mother must always prepare herself before a child comes into this world
In my case i prepared by

 doing my hair, have a manicure and pedicure and doing A FACIAL! 
seriously, since i know when I was giving birth, these are such MUST DO activities before delivery.

After having one last dinner as just the two and half of us. We checked in into our 'hotel' room

or what we thought a couple of nights. 

Post induce. Pre Epidural. Lots of walking around listening to other people giving birth until Daddylicious couldnt handle it anymore.

I, the demented penguin. Dancing help with the contraction pain!!! Daddylicious thinks its funny.

12 OCTOBER 2009

The pregnant one on the bed. The supportive spouse on the chair. 

FACT: while having my non stop contractions, I gave Daddylicious a back massage because of his 'back pain'.

Seriously, sympathy pain is annoying. During pregnancy, I had the nausea, Daddylicious did the vomiting. Now I was having contractions, he was having severe back pain. siigghhh

The Drama ::

Post epidural. Finally manage to sleep around 5am. Woke up at 11am after hearing loud alarming beeps from the baby heart rate and contraction monitor. 

Dr Tang, my gynea was called in and she had a look. I was monitored more frequently after that and while i was trying to calm myself by going on FACEBOOK!!!

1.00PM ::

alarming beeps came again and Dr Tang also came back in and said it was too risky to wait as Baby PP been in distress too many times.  

1.30PM :: 

I was being wheeled into the OT. Daddylicious was so worried and dare i say...in shock that he didn't know he was not to follow me into the OT for the emergency C-sec. 

1.50pm ::

Baby PP came out in with a pop!

Dr Soraya, Baby PP's pead immediately brought her to my side. "Its really is a girl!" I said. Immediately checked her toes and fingers and gave her a kiss before Baby PP was whisked off to be weighted and cleaned. 

All the while...i was trembling uncontrollably from the side effect of high dose of epidural that was given to me as soon as we entered the OT and my arms were lying spread out on the operating table. I could not touch my baby with my hands but I can only see her and hear her very loud but beautiful cries. 

I just couldn't stop smiling and trying to twist my head to see Baby PP somewhere behind me. 

Soon after, she was given back to me for a kiss byebye. So i kissed and kissed her before she was wheeled out to her own recovering session. 

But not before Daddylicious had a minute with her once she was out of the OT doors. (And took that first photo). Daddylicious said he screwed up whatever he was supposed to read to her.
Sigh...emo daddy.

See the sudden peaks at the baby monitor graph....NOT good.

4.00PM ::

Finally at around 4PM i was out from the OT recovering room. 

Finally...i saw Daddylicious nervously waiting for me in front of the OT. 

But still...I could not see Baby PP. She was still in the recovering room to neutralise her body heat. Apparently, they must do this for 4 hours after a C-sec baby comes out. 

...4 hours after giving birth to Baby PP, i still could not hold her.

6.00PM ::
After the longest of wait, Baby PP was wheeled in into the room. Tok Bah iqamah Baby PP again since Daddylicious admitted to screwing it up earlier. :P

and

FINALLY 4 hours after I gave birth to Baby PP, i held her in my arms. Counted her fingers and toes again. Looked at her face. Just...gazed at her. Until my mom asked me to give her milk.

Hearing Baby PP cry her (then) oh so sweet cry and holding her the first time.

Princess Peanut real name was let known  as

Danya Zafirah 

12 October 2009
1:50 PM @ 3.31 kg

(I really had a hard time not to let people know her chosen name before birth :P )

It seems like it was yesterday she was given to us, now she is 13 months old.

Mummylicious confinement activity No.1

During pregnancy, insomnia hits me like crazy. I couldn't fall asleep because I was never comfortable. and then came the confinement. Which can be very boring. Stuck in the house for 44 days. Feeding the baby, changing the baby., eat 3 times a day. That's all you have to do. Over and over again.

To get over the boredom, i watched a lot of US TV series streamings on my laptop. There is a tip for future mummies facing the dreaded confinement period. Do not watch some popular TV series for many many seasons because you can catch up on ALL the latest and not so latest shows during your confinement and maintain your sanity over the boredom. 

Usually I watched them while feeding Baby PP in the early months, because falling asleep in a second with her is never possible. By the time I fall asleep, she would wake up and the cycle continues. So to make myself not go crazy, i watched downloaded shows (and a lot of Facebook and Farmville!)

But now she is bigger. Viewing habits have to change.

One show that I love to watch but no longer can watch with Baby PP around since she is learning gazillion new things everyday. So I watch after she falls asleep. Her, and Daddylicious.

True Blood.

Season 3 has started! This is one TV series one should not watch with children around.

1. Lots of s-e-x

2. Lots of blood and gore.

If you want your kids to watch vampires. Let them watch Twilight. Twilight vampires twinkle in the sun, True Blood vampires have s-e-x, kill, kill, gore, gore and get naked a lot. 

Let me make this clear, I started watching this before it got popular and before Twihards was a word. I watched True Blood when I was pregnant and while Baby PP only cares about clean diaper, getting fed and sleep. Now, she wants to watch what is on my laptop. Very difficult la like this. Have to sneak watching TV series I like without her around. And she's only 8 months old!  

But here's another TV series to watch while  I feed Baby PP and totally safe to watch with her.

Drop Dead Diva 

Where a hilarious tv series reminiscent of those Ally McBeal days. Its about this blonde model who was about the get engaged to her lawyer boyfriend but suddenly died. However, at heaven's gate, she hit the return button and was transported back to earth. Except she returned into a different body that also died at the same time she did. A brunette, big sized, lawyer. 

Now in its second season! Yayyyy!!! blonde in a brunette head. perfect.

Totally guilty pleasure watch with no brain activity.

Mummylicious went out for 2 movies in a week!

Oh! How grand it is now that Baby PP have a set sleeping hours and continue to sleep till the morning. It meant that Mummylicious now can relax (with phone at hand) at the movies. And we are taking full advantage of it! 

Movie No.1

On Tuesday Daddylicious, Mummylicious AND Aunty Alia (Our chaperone) went to watch Yummyyummy Jake Gyllenhaal in Prince of Persia. The princess, Gemma Arterton in it is H-O-T. 

Being a gamer and who have played Prince of Persia the game, I had high expectations. Honestly it was a decent adaptation of the game. Gyllenhaal acrobatic moves mimic the games so well that my thumbs were moving together in coordination. There's not much puzzle solving in it as the game, but that is expected I guess. It would be too long otherwise. Cramming 3 games sequels into one movie is a lot. But the movie storyline flowed well with the games' storylines, although not too direct to be a boring mess. It gave what gamers expected with excellent graphic and a storyline (and a hunk/babe) to hook the non-gamers too.

Movie No.2 (SPOILER ALERT)

All single girls watched Sex and the City the series one time or another. Most have probably watched the first movie too. But as Carrie Bradshaw open her latest published book in Sex and the City 2 to the dedication page, the movie declared its targeted audience and who would most relate to this sequel's story line...

"To all the former single girls"

With an exception to Samantha's hilarious menopausal behaviour and Miranda's workplace sexism issue (but that has always been Miranda's plotline anyway), Carrie and Charlotte are more concerned with their marriage and children this time around. Are single  women (and men) expected to relate to menopause, marriage and kids? Nope, dont think so. So if single girls or ladies as i should say, watches this, it is more of a warning what to expect when you get older and married and have kids. That or just watch the movie for the fashion (disaster/trends) and SHOES. ah the shoes. What is SATC without shoes.

One of the ...whattt??? true to SATC form though : fashion to shock

Now go "aaahhhhhhhhhh"

But to all the former single girls, it is a movie to watch. 

Marriage

We can relate better to Carrie's problems with the mundane activities of married couple. The excitement to get out from the house, to have dinner outside! to mingle with other human beings! Not to watch tv everyday. Ah...so can relate to that. Yes yes, married life does include the occasional movie nights at home. But it should also include romance....and a jewellery or two on special occasions :P

Motherhood

However, the most I could relate to was with Charlotte and Miranda. The mothers. There was a scene where Miranda confronted Charlotte about her feelings towards her children and they said what most mothers would never confess

"I love my girls but...I am going crazy!"

The honesty of motherhood is not all pretty and pink and of cupcakes and fun. It can sucks at times and it is hard. They touched on the guilt of being a mother who still want to feel like a normal human being without responsibilities. The guilt of wanting to have..."Mummy time".

I truly feel like I want to slap the moms who says they NEVER have problems with their kids. They NEVER feel like they want to cry and run into the bathroom to have a bit of alone time. This Mummylicious says its crap. You are Charlotte before Miranda's inter"friend"tion. In denial over the need to escape. Even I who have help from maids to hold Baby PP when I need to take a bath and gather my sanity, sometimes feels suffocated. I too, love my daughter with all my heart but I want my time, i NEED my time and I too suffer the guilt of wanting my own time to be me. 

Why can't people admit that? 

Why is it wrong to admit that? 

Does it really makes me a bad mother to admit it? 

Why.must.you.make.me.feel.guilty.when.i.admit.it?

As Miranda and Charlotte did in the movie, I raise my mocktail in salute to the mothers without helpers! and i salute SATC2 for growing up with their fans in the movie and addressing issues most just deny happening to themselves.

Ps:

As for the reviews I read about the nonsense of UEA ladies wearing burqa's because of male oppression and "unrealistic" designer clothes hidden underneath, the critics seriously have to do more research with Arab / Muslim women. There is nothing oppressive about wearing a burqa/abaya and maybe they should get invited to an all women Arab gathering when the burqas, abayas and niqab comes off. MasyaAllah. There is a reason why designer shops welcome Arab tourist with open arms. I say SATC got that one right.

Baby and fabric choices for baju kurung

Argh! how can purchasing fabric for the little one be so confusing?! and not that cheap! I never knew, i never get it! G-Na always talk about "choosing the fabric for Baby PP to wear is important" "This is nice cotton. Good for baby". My response was always..."eh? cotton is cotton lah. whats the difference?". Until I had to buy fabric for Baby PP in preparation for Eid. Its baju kurung fabric hell.

1. Designs

Most local cotton fabric designs are......crap. flowers, flowers and more flowers (like photo). and when i found something i like comes problem no.2

2. Fabric

Not all fabric is suitable for baby's sensitive skin. If you get cheap cotton, which are most usually thick and stiff, it traps sweat and that is a no-no for babies. But if you get good quality cotton, babies (and kids) will remain cool and comfortable for the rest of the day. Hence no "nakedness" by midday of the first day of Eid. 

"A fabric should breathe so that body moisture could evaporate...Cotton and cotton blend is often the best choices...washes well and is durable, which is necessary for babies. Stains are easily removed"

I really never knew not all cotton was the same until last weekend, i went on a cotton search! Touching here and everywhere and gawking at the price some shops were selling them at, bugging the sales people on why this is pricier than that one. wrapping myself in cotton of all types. Yes, i was a real "Mummy" in the fabric store. 

"Why do sheets vary so much in price?
A single bed sheet can cost as little as 10 dollars or as much as one hundred. Fiber content, thread count (and of course brand name) help determine the price. Cotton sheets are soft, absorbent, breathable and offer the most sleeping comfort. They are generally more expensive than cotton/polyester blends and tend to last longer. Thread count refers to the number of threads in one square inch of fabric." CottonInc.com

Same rule  apply to the cotton fabric we and our babies should wear. 

1. Local cotton are usually cotton blend meaning its cotton+polyester. Hah...polyester. Bad fabric for adults, much less babies and their delicate skin. The cheaper it is, the more percentage of polyester it contains.

2. Local 100% cotton are thicker and slightly rougher texture. Its ok for the mummies, but less for babies. If you are planning to buy local cotton, you have to make sure the texture. some are softer than others. Most annoying thing is, if you find a local cotton you like, you won't like the design. Flowers, flowers and more flowers.

3. Imported cotton like Japanese cotton, have a range of medium and light thickness and so much softer. It also more durable since the thread count is higher than local cotton. It is definitely more cooling that local cotton due to the thread count. I know because I wrapped them around me for 5 minutes just to test them out.

So what stops most people to buy imported over local cotton? Price. 

The price difference can make you go ga-ga. But the designs for imported cotton are hard to find.

So for the benefit of design choices and quality, imported cotton is the way to go. I will definitely have to fork out extra for the benefits. Anything for Baby PP eh? and of course Mummylicious wants to match-match. Hehe.

So, since i have searched high and low for good cotton designs plus quality cotton, I want to share, cause that is what i do (if you haven't notice that!) 

 

Yummylicious Baby is selling fabric and making baju kurung, baju kebaya and baju melayu johor for babies and kids. All items will have matching cute 50 cent sized fabric buttons. Too adorable! 

 If you just want the fabric, let me know and I will email the prices per meter. If you want to make baju kurung, baju kebaya and baju melayu johor for the little ones, get the little ones measurements and we can make it for you. 

You bet Baby PP will have 1..or 2...or 3 baju this year. With Mummylicious in matching fabric!

What I am getting from this? pure satisfaction of seeing babies and kids wearing adorable baju kurung and baju kebaya! aiyayayayay! I search them for you, so you don't have to go through the hassle like me.

Useful links for cotton info (I searched because I was as curious as any normal person would when it comes to obvious price differential)

What to Avoid On Baby Clothes (Video)

Best Fabric for Baby

Planning for Baby- Clothing Fabric Choices, Care Labels, Comfort, Size and Safety(PDF)

CottonInc

Wikipedia on cotton

Mummylicious bringing baby to work

Yesterday, marked baby PP's first day of work! at 7 and half months of age, baby PP went to work. Unfortunately, she also slept on her first day of work. So her wages have to be cut. Poor little baby girl, less allowance for you. Hehe

 Baby PP's work bags and lunch bag and cowgiraffe and playmat.

And Mummylicious's handbag

It wasn't easy. From the packing. to the setting up. then maybe she was not used to the office, she cried whenever I left her at her "working" area. I had to pick her up and put her on my lap while she tried to eat my phone. But thank God for the naps. At least I got some work done. 

 "Hello! Welcome to my office!"

"I have to share it with my mummy though. Just wait until i can crawl!"

One of the most difficult thing most mothers nowadays must do is, to leave their little baby at home while they go to work. Some relishes their 9-5 "freedom" for babyland. I can relate to that. but at the end of the day, can you really stand to hear about how your baby say "Mama" from another person?Let another person raise their child? It is not an easy choice but it has to be made and in most cases, its not even a choice. So yes, I am lucky i have the choice of bringing my baby to work.

Is it easy? 

 "Let me calculate the cost to buy me a playpen and the cost benefit"

(Baby PP won't let me out of her sight, must carry her to see people)

"Hello? can we have a meeting please? Need to buy me playpen!"

from what i have read even from those that recommend it. No. it is hard. but consider this, is pregnancy an easy thing? is raising a child an easy thing? nothing is without a real effort. 

 In discussion with bigboss about baby PP's request for playpen

I foresee days where I will have to leave baby PP at home. I also foresee a struggle to pump enough milk to last a day. Even now, to pump any more than 3 oz of milk requires but if it is required for that day. I have to do it. Same principal applies to breastfeeding. I have the luxury to continue breastfeeding and working at the same time. If i must struggle to be with my child. I will. So it will be hard, what isn't?

It is worth it?

For a breastfeeding mother. Yes. 

"I'm going where?!"

 Just like any other commuters in the morning, grumpy.

Spending quality time with Mummylicious while commuting to work.

For anyone who travels to work in Malaysia where commune  alone could take 2 hours back and forth. Yes. 

I won't be spending quality time with her but at least I will be spending time with her and be with her. If I were to leave her at home, struggling with the breast pump at nights while I should be having quality time...it will still be hard. So the benefits (for me), outweights the cons.

Maybe when i can afford it, i have a nanny for the office. That would be nice.

Would i recommend this to anyone? 

Yes, for a well behaved baby that can play with herself,naps frequently and for a veryvery small company that doesn't mind baby and noises associated with it. 

"let me tell you why you should get me a playpen. let me write it for you. cause you love me"

I recommend because really, I do not want to miss out on her first crawl. her first step. her first word. It is tiring but i have the choice of bringing my baby with me, and i did and i will continue to do so until she can formula fed and when my heart can let it happen.

Useful links from other mothers and thoughts about bringing-baby-to-work

Berkeley Parents Network "Bringing baby into work"

CNNMoney.com "Bringing in baby" <--how a small company grew into multimillion worth of company and still promotes bringing baby to work (and dogs...and a goat)

New York Times article "Maternity leave alternative-bring the baby to work" 

Mummylicious birthday recap: Baby first words!

Baby PP started to coo when she was around 1 months plus. Like really..."cooooo" "coooo" or just "uuuuuu". Tres adorable! ...Can't find video of her cooing. maybe later

Then at around 3-4 months...the babbling begin. lots of "gagagagaga blabalablabla" and variations of more "ooooouuuuhHHHhh"s and "cooooOOoo"s.

The best birthday present? Was from my beloved baby, Princess Peanut started to say "Mama" over and over again. On. my. birthday! awwwwww

Video was after she shouted and screamed "MAMAMAMA" when i was away. this was after i came back and changing her diaper. ....and she's saying it much softer now. and with "Da" and "Pa" thrown in. Now she's really babbling. 

I know some people say that baby at this age are just babbling consonants and vowels because it sounds good to them.

Yeah BabyCenter said 

"The first "mama" or "dada" may slip out now and then. Though it's sure to melt your heart, your baby doesn't equate those words with you quite yet. That comes later, when he's almost a year old."

But how do you explain she started saying it when I went away from her?  I left her with her aunt and Baby PP started screaming saying "MA MA MA MA MA" and when i came back..she stopped. Happy i was back. (sidenote: Yes, Baby PP is quite attached to me and would cry out when I walk away from her)

I wanted to  test the theory and went from her sight again. and again she went "MA MA MA MA MA". When I went out with my friend for a birthday supper, baby PP would look around for me while saying "Mama mama mama" (according to my sis and mom). 

Maybe it really means me? Maybe thats the only thing she knows now? Maybe coincidentally, even though it's too early for her too "equate those words" with me yet, she somehow did? So based on when she said it, and how she said it. I concluded she said "Mama" in reference to me.

Plus baby PP does this more often now when I am around and she wants milk. IE: Me. the mother cow. So with the combination of her sign language for milk that she has been doing since 4 months old. I know for sure when she wants milk. 

So whatever. My baby PP just said Mama. and that means me. Best birthday present ever!

Useful links

Parenting "Baby's first words" (also have tips on encouraging your little babies to talk. Useful reminder)

BabyCenter  "Development Milestone: Talking"

Dr Spock "Key Language Milestones in Infancy"

Dr Spock "Early and Late Talking : 9-12 months"

Mummylicious birthday recap: Cards and Presents!

So what comes after dinner? The gifts! 

Cards and presents from the siblings. 

Which were no surprise since I picked them myself :P and hilarious being able to hear my sister and brother bickering while selecting my birthday card in the bookshop. I tried not to listen! I didnt hear anything.

The video game was something I've been asking for a long time for my brother to get! Oh my oh my! The Mummy gamer in me can't wait! Weird to get an xbox game Assassins Creed II as a present? Which means you dont know me. If baby PP turns into a gamer, its not the Daddy to blame, its the Mummy. 

One out of two presents from my parents.

The second...I was willing to wait for a sale which is next week!

Flowers from the in-laws. Lilies were for my mom but I claimed it :P

It smelled too nice!

A card from Daddylicious that sings...

"You're too sexy for this card, too sexy for this card..." you know the rest.

How "romantic".

And the present. Thank you dear husband.

And then the second card from baby PP!

(the first was apparently torn without recognition according to Daddylicious. Baby PP ate it)

The inside of the card from my precious baby daughter that says,

"Happy Birthday Mummy

Since I'm still seven months old and most probably I'll eat the PC instead of using it to make you a card, Daddy helped me making the first birthday card for you!

May you have a great birthday with me and daddy.

Of course many more to come! Muahx!"

.....no present from baby PP though. but its okay. I bought her a present instead.

A Mothercare soft fabric toy that Baby PP would not let go when she got hold of it. 

Even to pay I couldn't muster it out of her hands.

Mummylicious birthday recap: Baby first time in highchair!

Being sick does not help in blogging. Let me say that! So one must backtrack as best as one could. 

On every family member birthday, we would choose a place to eat and dine to be with the whole family (if possible). So this year, i wanted to go to the Japanese restaurant i took Daddylicious on his birthday, and since it was near Pavillion, the rest of the family was happy enough to go to Pavillion before meeting us at the restaurant. Unfortunately, we found out that the Japanese restaurant closes on Sunday! aiyaah. there goes free Japanese dinner. Since everyone was at Pavillion already, I decided Star Hill's Shook! was the place for my birthday dinner.

First time in a high chair!

So this post will be full of photos of the dinner. And also Baby PP's first time in a highchair! Gosh, so fast time flies and now she can sit straight by her own and deserving her own chair to eat at the dinner table like a grown up.

Only last year, baby PP was still in my tummy. I was 18 weeks pregnant then and yes, i wore heels :P

BEFORE - During pregnancy @ 18 weeks.

Wearing the same heels as I did at last year dinner but in my favourite jeans that i can now fit again!

 AFTER- post-pregnancy 7 months

 Mummylicious and Daddylicious

The ladies of the house. The smallest has the most power.

"I shall have....ermm..i shall have....ermm a thin hard bread thank you." 

Nom nom nom

 "Where's my order?" 

"Oh there it is. I dropped it. Its very high from where I am. Let me drop more bread and see what happens"

 "My grandpa wanted to pose with me but I am busy muching my bread"

 "Mummy just gave me a taste of Virgin Lychee Margharita! Yucks"

"I like my homemade food better! Yum yum"

So how did you like your first time on a high chair Baby PP?

"Loved it! Can't stop swinging my feet!"