Monday, November 2, 2020

Living My Best As a Working From Home Mom


Ahh, working from home mom. Living the best of both worlds. Is it twice as hard or easier?

Let me share you my day as a working-from-home mom.

I am blessed and lucky enough that my husband only works twice in a week, so most of the time he will be at home helping me with Alana and I can give 110% focus with work. But the day gets so hard if my husband is at work. I will have a daily meeting at 9am and Alana will wake up at 9.30am, for milk and to change diapers. Let's say if my meeting ends before 9.30am, then I can attend Alana right away. Imagine if the meeting extends until 10am, then Alana will not receiving a proper attention from her mother and it kills me inside. LOL.

To feed her via direct breastfeeding in the morning, change her diapers, wipe her face and clean her teeth. Then I will leave her on her play mat for her playtime, I can get back to work. An hour after that, she needs her breakfast. I need to prepare her food and feed her myself. I usually do not let her to feed herself if she is alone with me without my husband because then who's gonna clean all the mess? I am busy with work, so certainly not me! Hahah! Then back to her playtime until 12 noon, I will be focusing with work. Hardest part is yet to come, guys.

12 noon, her lunch time. Again, away from laptop to prepare her food and to feed her. Then breastfeed. Yes, I do not feed her with expressed BM because I am so lazy with the fact I need to pump. So yeah, direct BF is FTW! Then 1pm, her nap time. YASSSSS. I can get back to work, do daily tasks, finish my projects, reply emails and Skype chats and tackle Microsoft Teams tasks, prepare presentation slides and so on.

But not for long, Alana will wake up at 2pm and the hardest time is here. After 2pm, Alana turns into an overly attached baby. She is the most baby in the history of babies in the universe. She gets super-clingy. She wants me to hold her, all, the, time. If I ever put her on the play mat, just to go to the loo, or to the kitchen to get a glass of water, she'll bawl her eyes out.

Hence, I need to hold her on my chest to continue with my work. That is considered as easy if I don't have meetings. Imagine meetings after 3pm, for one hour. With a baby strapped to my chest, her sneaky little hands keep reaching for the keyboard or mouse. Let say I need to unmute the meeting and it is my turn to talk, Alana also wants to join the meeting and started talking and screaming and babbling. If it's just among my team members, they will think it is cute. If the meeting involves the stakeholders and members from other teams, they will think it is unprofessional. They may understand because everybody is working from home now, hearing kids' screaming at the back is kind of the new norm for all working parents, LOL, but I don't want to seem "inappropriate". That's all.

Continue with snacks and naps and playtime, 6pm is here. Finish with work, can finally prepare Alana's dinner. I usually will prepare her meals for entire week on Sundays. So I just mix the food together; for example, I have blended, cooked and prepared broccolis, carrots, rice, chickens, pumpkins all in separate containers. When the day comes, I just mix the food I want to give her on that particular day and heat it up and serve.

Changing diapers in between work is nothing, it takes only about 5 minutes. But to feed her (feeding meal and direct BF) and to attend her if she cries take more time. Alhamdulillah, my husband's shift really works in our favour so that he could basically takes care of Alana the entire day while I am working, only calls me out when Alana needs her milk.

I can focus on preparing stuff for dinner after I finish working, after 6pm. Can only start to cook once my husband's home from work at 8pm. So we usually going to have our dinner a bit late in the evening if it is my husband's working day, because I cannot leave Alana alone in her playpen while I am in the kitchen. She needs at least one of her parent to be in front of her to watch her play with her toys. LOL. Super manja this one. Manja or dependent? Hmm.

Once my husband home from work, since its Covid-19 era, he needs to go straight to the bathroom without seeing us first. After that, time to bathe Alana, feed her and at 9pm, I can only start cooking for dinner. Then dinner time and next, attend Alana for her final feeding time before she goes to bed at 11pm.

11pm, tidy up around the house, store her toys away, TV time, me time, phone time or chatting with my husband while he massages my feet. I love my 11pm time! Speaking of which, I am typing these words at 11.30pm, right now. LOL!

I have no complaints though. I may be completely knackered and no time for myself, but at the end of the day, everybody sleeps with a full tummy and at the end of the month, I get to splurge online. Kidding! I can help my husband or ease his burden, financially. We can provide more for our Alana and have a comfortable home to live in and I am thankful and always grateful for that, Alhamdulillah.

Other than that, of course, I have no transportation costs at all by staying at home and working from home. I even buy groceries online and they will send it on my doorstep. No costs of going out. Also, no costs for paying for kindergarten/play school/babysitter/carer since my husband and I can take care of Alana ourselves. Basically, this current situation really cut us some costs that we have more money to save or invest and to buy high-quality grocery products.

It is honestly a blessing in disguise for me, despite the pandemic but yes, I am super lucky to see my daughter grows up right before my eyes up until today, she is now 7 months old, without missing a single minute. It may be overwhelming but nothing beats the feeling of being present for my baby girl that I was there with her when said her first word, which was, "Ibu". InshaAllah I will be there for her first everything. Looking forward to work from home forever. LOL!

X

Sunday, November 1, 2020

SAHM vs WM vs WFHM




I posted a question in my Instastory on Instagram, asking moms around me; Would love to hear opinions about whether they're stay-at-home moms, working moms or working-from-home moms. 69% of moms who participated are either working/working from home moms and 31% are stay at home moms.

And my next question was to describe and share how is it going for them so far to be in those situations. Here are some of the answers:

Stay-At-Home Mom (SAHM)

Pros

  • More time with kids and family
  • More time at home
  • Have time to tidy up the house
  • Have time to prepare food
  • Have time to do chores
  • More consistent routines/ Stick to schedules
  • Can focus on kids
  • Get to interact with other SAHM
  • Always there for the kids for everything; first word, first step
  • Understand the kids more

Cons

  • No me-time
  • No breaks, constant chores
  • Overwhelming/frustration
  • Feel trapped
  • Reduced finances to the household income
  • Wishing to have more me-time
  • Hardly to have social life
  • Boredom/loneliness
  • Miss to have conversations with adults, in person

Working Mom (WM)

Pros

  • Me-time
  • More time to do other things
  • More focus on work
  • Easy to prioritise and allocate time to do something
  • Adding more income to the household
  • Become positive role models
  • Raising kids to be more independent
  • Have stories to tell other than personal life
  • Good standard of living
  • No dependence on the husband
  • Still have a social life
  • Have conversations with adults on daily-basis
Cons

  • No time for kids and family
  • Less time at home
  • Limited amount of time to do chores
  • More tired and more stress
  • Constant worry of kids being away
  • Missed out on the kids' progress while being away
  • Kids may feel alone

Working-From-Home Mom (WFHM)

This is something that I can relate to since I am one. I have been working from home since March (even before Alana was born, due to MCO - Covid-19 first wave in Malaysia) until today and Alhamdulillah it gets much easier now compared to the first few weeks I started working from home with a baby after my maternity leave ends. Here are some of the answers from WFH moms, also added points from my end too:

Pros

  • More time to spend at home
  • Have time to cook and prepare food
  • Have time to prepare food
  • Have time to do chores
  • Adding more income to the household / more stable finances if the husband is working too
  • Have stories to tell other than personal life
  • Good standard of living
  • No dependence on the husband
  • Have conversations with adults on daily-basis, but virtually

Cons

  • Lack of focus to do work
  • Lack of focus to take care of the household
  • Hard to juggle between two roles at the same time
  • Super-stressed trying to keep up
  • No social life, physically (but since it's MCO, everybody basically does not have a social life outside their home anymore)
  • No me-time
  • No breaks
  • Constant responsibilities
  • So little time, so many things to do

These are common answers I received from you mommies on Instagram. Thank you for your participation and thank you for your honest opinions about your current situation as a mom.

My intention to do this is not to see who's the best or the worst nor to compare between moms. I want to know how challenging it is once you become a mom. Doesn't matter if you're working or staying at home, we all have our own hustles, hurdles and life to deal with. We go through these pros and cons for our loved ones. Everybody wants to do the best, be their best and give their best to ensure happiness for the family.

No one has it harder or easier. First rule of being a mom: Do it your own way, stop comparing yourself with other moms out there and never ever compare your child with others. Focus on providing the best you can, inshaAllah, God will make it easy for you. Trust me, it'll get better. Well, you will get more tired each and every day (LOL) but you will get used to it as time goes by. SAHM, WM, WFM and all kinds of moms in the world, keep it up. You are doing your best and I am proud of you X

Thursday, October 8, 2020

13 Ultimate Must-Haves For Your Baby's First Solid Food

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Starting your baby's first solid food is nothing but fun! And a mess too. LOL! But personally, for me, it is the most fun part about having a baby, meal time! I love to see how my daughter really enjoy food other than just breastmilk and at times she will be like spaced out in-between spoon for me to feed, and most probably she is thinking, "Wow, I wasted my whole 6 months of life tasting just the milk from my mom whilst there are a lot more other flavours in the world?". That dialogue is 99.9% accurate because a mother knows everything. LOL!

It is an exciting journey and it can be pretty daunting too. Parents will think, "What to buy? Which one to choose? What is the best products or brands in the market right now? If this really works for my baby? I am busy, I do not have time to do all these. What to Google for them? What is solid food? What is puree? Do I need to buy bunch of other things?"

No worries.

I have prepared this list for you to take a look at and to get some ideas on how to start and what are the ultimate essentials for your baby's first solid food. Let's begin!


1) High chair / Booster chair

Jellymom Wise Chair


I was contemplating at first on whether to buy the high chair or just a booster chair like this one. Thought of buying both but space is a luxury thing. So I opted for Jellymom Wise Chair since it is easy to carry one, for example if we were having meals at restaurants, I can just pop this chair under the stroller, push it around and since most restaurants do not allow their customers to bring in the stroller due to space limitations, I can just bring this wise chair inside, attach it onto the restaurant's chair and let my baby sit on it instead of me carrying her while I am enjoying my meal (if you don't opt for the restaurant's shared highchair). It also acts as a booster seat, so we don't have to buy any other booster seat as our kids grow older. Other than, I also use this chair for my baby's playtime. She can play in it that I just put on the floor on her playmat without me worrying her falling off from a high place. It is easy, it is safe, it is comfy for my baby to sit on since it has a jelly-like silicone seat, it is easy to clean, no problem with getting it wet, it is pretty, I like the colour choices and I can use it for years!

Where I bought it: Jumping Baby Jacks

2) Baby Food Processor / 2-in-1 Steamer/Blender

Philips Avent Essential Baby Food Maker


I opted Philips Avent instead of the rest because, number one, the price. I honestly think Philips has a good price range on their products, it is not overpriced and I know it is a good quality product and a reliable brand. This is something I can trust and afford to buy. Since babies only eat pureed food until they reach one year old, spending thousands of ringgit for only 6 months usage, is something I think about -A LOT. I prioritize on the functions of a baby food maker/processor, make sure it has something that can ease my way to serve food for my child. Steam, checked. Blend, checked. To cook rice in it, checked. It is so easy to use, easy to clean and no messy kitchen, that's important. I like how clean the design is, how firm it is; you immediately know this is a good product. The steam works well, the blending part is so easy. Never thought of preparing food is this much fun. LOL!

Where I bought it: Shopee

3) Silicone food utensils

Beaba Silicone meal set (4 pcs)


Let me tell you, THIS, IS, BASIC, NEED. Silicone utensils with suction bottom is a game-changer. No more food spills, no more mess, no more flying plates and cups, no more breaking plates and cups. Those are few reasons why. LOL. Next is, I love that it is silicone so that my baby can bite on it when she tries to feed herself. The cup and spoon are soft to bite on. It is light, easy to clean and this is the basic item you will need to start the journey of your baby's first solid food.

Where I bought it: Babydash


4) Silicone baby food dispensing spoon

Haakaa food dispensing spoon


You might need this and you might not. It depends on your lifestyle and depends on your preference if you like to feed them with a bowl and a spoon or just through this food dispenser. For me, personally, I really enjoy using this food dispenser spoon. More like on-the-go kinda thing, also I need things to be fast and super easy with no mess, then I am all up for it. I use this for snacks that I can easily reach it and it is just one spoon away to feed my baby. The food only comes out when you press on the silicone tube and pop the lid back if you finish feeding your baby. Just wash the spoon part and you can use it again without wasting any food. I also use this for expressed breast milk to feed my daughter to train her on using spoon since she still say no to bottles. And it works, thank God!

Where I bought it: Babydash


5) Food feeding teether

Dr. Brown’s™ Fresh Firsts™ Silicone Feeder


This item definitely a must if you opt for BLW instead of puree. I use this product to introduce my daughter with new food especially for snacks, like, avocado or steamed apple. Just enough for her to taste new flavours and at the same time, for her to get the nutrients while exploring new food. And oh yes, this also promotes your child's motor skill since they need to hold the food feeder to feed themselves.

Where I bought it: Shopee


6) Silicone bibs


This is no doubt a must-have item in order to keep your house neat and clean while your babies are happily enjoying their meal. You will need this. There is catcher at the end of the bib to catch any food spills, so you don't have to worry about any mess happening on the floor. It's silicone, so it is easy to clean, just wash off any food stain with soap and water, dry it off and you can use it again for the next meal. Say no to disposable/plastic products!

Where I bought it: Shopee


7) Splash/Splat mat


Splash mat is needed when you allow your child to feed themselves, especially baby led-weaning. Those food nicely arranged in your baby's plate won't be inside the plate anymore. It will be all over the place especially when they are new to this food world! They will eat using their hands (yes, plural. Hands), but the food sometimes missed their mouth. It will be on their faces or they will throw it, mash the food and splat it all over the floor. So it is better to have a splash mat placed under your baby's highchair or wise chair, so that they can explore the food better without the parent(s) interrupting them. You can choose the washable plastic mat that can be washed with washing machine for hassle-free, easy cleaning.

Where I bought it: Shopee

8) Baby rusks / food-to-go

Heinz: Farley's Rusks Original & Heinz Baby Fruit Puree



Food-to-go is needed mostly when you're lazy. HAHAH! That, and also when you are traveling. No such thing as bringing all those food processor and bowl and buying groceries while you are on a trip. But this is an option because certain parents won't allow their child to have any processed food until they hit a certain age, so they would prefer to bring their own food for their baby when traveling.

Where I bought it: Babydash


9) Baby Led Weaning recipe book / cookbook

The Baby & Toddler Cookbook


Any baby cookbook would do based on your preferences. Any recipes that suit your baby will do just fine, just be in mind on the age of your baby whether or not they can consume the food yet. You should read and do a lot of research or ask your pediatrician whether your baby age can eat the food and also don't forget to check for your baby's allergies as well.

Where I bought it: Kinokuniya


10) Wet wipes

Applecrumby™ Extra Thick Premium Baby Wipes

Because it will be a mess all over your baby's face! And hands. Sometimes shoulders and hair. And the food tray. LOL! So it is best for a quick wipe before you head to the faucet to clean them with water.

Where I bought it: Applecrumby

11) Baby food storage cups

Autumnz EASY Baby Food Storage Cups

Yes, you will need these babies to store extra purees you have made. Babies only eat a small amount of food per serving and usually the food you have prepared by the food processor is always more than per serving meal. This will save time and energy for the next meal preparation. Hop on to a steamer or microwave to heat it up and you can serve the food right away.

Where I bought it: Babydash


12) Bottle/Utensils cleaner

Applecrumby™ Bottle & Utensil Cleaner

You need a good 'ol trusted, organic-ingredients products for your baby. I am using Applecrumby Bottle & Utensil Cleaner to wash Alana's cutleries and bibs. Only one pump away to the scrubbing sponge and everything will be as good and clean as new.

Where I bought it: Applecrumby

13) Groceries


Preparing food for your baby is so fun! From picking the best and freshest food products in a market, to preparing it and to feed them are nothing but joy. Groceries and good food products are actually the ultimate must-have to feed your baby their first solid food. Opt for all natural food like, fruits and vegetables. Do research beforehand on what you can or cannot give them at their current age, check for allergies as well before you buy your groceries. First food I bought for Alana were baby rice, bananas, apples, broccoli, carrots, potatoes, avocados. My pediatrician asked me to only give Alana rice porridge for the first week of solid food, then can gradually try and mix the rice with some veggies like broccoli or carrots.

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Different baby has a different growth rate. No babies are the same. Kindly seek for your pediatrician on when to start your baby's first solid food and enjoy the journey! It is fun!

Saturday, August 29, 2020

Alana's Daily Routine - 4 months old baby

Alana Soraya's Daily Routine. Welcome. Let's get to know her busy schedule.

9am:
Wake up
Change diapers
Feeding time
Tummy time / playtime

11am:
Feeding time
Nap in her rocker (45 mins - 1 hour)

12 noon:
Wake up
Bath time
Change diapers
Feeding time
Tummy time / playtime

2pm:
Feeding time
Nap - lie flat (45 mins - 1 hour)

3pm:
Wake up
Change diapers
Tummy time / playtime

5pm:
Feeding time
Nap in her rocker (45 mins - 1 hour)

6pm:
Wake up
Bath time (with wet wipes)
Change new diapers
Fresh new PJs
Feeding time
Tummy time / playtime

8pm:
Nap - lie flat (45 mins - 1 hour)

9pm:
Wake up
Change diapers
Feeding time
Relax, lie in her rocker (Turn down TV volume, dim the lights down)

11pm:
Change diapers
Feeding time
Sleep

3am:
Cooing for feeding
Feeding time
Continue to sleep

7am:
Cooing for feeding
Feeding time
Continue to sleep until 9am


Number of diapers changed per day: 6
Number of hours nap per day: 4 to 5 hours
Number of hours sleep per day: 10 hours
Number of hours for playtime: 6 hours

This has been ongoing since Alana is 3 months old. Alhamdulillah. What a punctual little baby.

A Blessing in Disguise






"Sometimes life takes you in a direction you never saw yourself going. But it turns out to be the best road you have ever taken."


I found out that I was 2-month pregnant August last year and never thought that I could survived giving birth last April. It was the most amazing yet scariest thing I have ever went through especially to give labour without my husband by my side with Covid-19 pandemic happening in the world, today, as I am typing this.

2020 is by far the scariest year, most overwhelming and shocking pandemic happens as we speak. The current death toll of Covid-19 as of today, August 28th, is 836596 deaths with currently more than 24 million confirmed cases in 213 countries. Innalillah. To victim's friends and family members, stay strong and let's do our part to stop spreading this virus.

Since my title is about blessings, I count them twice and I count it again. Alhamdulillah, despite of scary things happening around us now, I am blessed with a sweet, healthy, happy daughter. Alhamdulillah, I am beyond grateful and will never stop be thankful for I have a tiny family to be with right now.

I was taught since I was a little kid, to be thankful with what I currently have, no matter how tiny or insignificant it is to others. So never take things for granted and always make the best out of everything that you have, be thankful and be happy with it.

The obvious one to be thankful for is of course, I have more time to spend with my family. There were some few missing years with my family when I was studying for my degree that I can finally make up to. I stayed with my parents and my sister in my parents' suburb home after I gave birth to Alana, did my confinement there for three whole months. Spend time with my loved ones, plus an addition of a tiny one to our family member are the cherry on top.

After my confinement ends, we moved to our newly-renovated home (our kitchen is finally done! Yay!) along with a tiny new housemate, LOL! As a working mom, it will be hard to start working and go to the office and leaving my daughter behind, separated from her, whether at home with a babysitter or relatives or drop her off at a nursery or kindergarten. Wow, it tears me up just to think of it. But Alhamdulillah, I have not go through that yet, not now, since my company allows us to work from home. That is the second blessing. Not to be separated from my baby girl and I can spend time with her, take care of her without no help from some strangers, I can monitor her and watch her grow right in front of my eyes. I have never separated from her since day one, well I am sure it will be hard in the future since she is still exclusive , direct breastfeeding but I have faith that once I introduce food to her, she can adjusts herself to expressed breastmilk via bottles. LOL. Pray for me!

Adjusting and juggling myself as working-from-home mom took some time at first. I have to learn on how to go back and forth between laptop and early morning meetings and late night meetings and handling daily tasks and projects with breastfeeding, burping and changing diapers, bathing time and at times holding Alana in my arms while attending meetings. Its hard at first but I get the hang of it eventually. It gets easier each day. Alhamdulillah, Alana is not a fussy baby and she is very punctual in pooping and sleeping and feeding. So I can work on my time around hers.

Third blessing is when my husband gets to work only twice a week! Syukur Alhamdulillah. More time with Alana and my husband! He also gets to take care of Alana and being present to watch her grow. My work and house chores are easy now that my husband is always around to help out. He can keep Alana entertained while I am swarming with work and attending meetings. Couldn't be more happier.

Fourth is of course our financial is more secured now that transportation cost to work cuts to almost zero, house and car loans are exempted for six months due to Covid-19 as a moratorium from the government. So we have the opportunity to save and invest more, also, enough to cover our expenses especially with a baby and her things.

Last by no means least, I love our life now that we do not have to face people out there. I mean, I have always been the person who hates crowded places, be in a crowd where people never cover their mouths when they sneeze or cough, people who stands so close to me like I do not have an invisible bubble, basically, I do not like to be in a place where I don't trust the cleanliness and the people and their germs.

Now that lockdown is here, or Movement Control Order (MCO) has been introduced to us since last April, I have never felt more safe. I know the virus is still there but the fact that I can control what I do, who I meet and where I go without people hating me is the best. I am taking extra precautions to protect my family and my home and nothing is wrong with that. Better be safe than sorry.

Limited number of people to be inside a store or restaurants, sanitizers are everywhere, people wearing face mask, means, no germs from their body to be out in the air, everybody prefers to stay at home than going out and somehow decrease the road traffic and at the same time, road accidents. Social distancing is the best of all since people must stay away from each other for at least 6 feet apart. I have been doing that before this pandemic happens and I love that everybody is finally doing the same.

I may sound like a complete arse, but its true. The main blessing is, surely, Earth is healing. Rivers and oceans are so much cleaner and clearer now, flora and fauna grows rapidly, skies are clearer that you can see more stars and air quality has improved since the lockdown.

This pandemic forced businesses, flights, cars on the road, industrial activities, all human activities to shut down that causes a positive impact on environment, on air pollution, on greenhouse gas emissions all over the world. Though Covid-19 has brought chaos to lives and economies all around the world but air quality is improved and the world is finally healing.

Wednesday, April 22, 2020

Let's Shop Online For Your Baby


There are the most visited websites (by me) when it comes to online shopping for Alana. I bought most of items for her from these stores, via online. Browse, click & wait for your stuff to arrive on your doorstep! Take note that there will be slight delay for your parcel to arrive due to overwhelming orders during MCO. Happy browsing, happy shopping! Hope you find the one for you and your baby!

Tips: It will be good if you already have browsed and surveyed the item beforehand (see & touch the item you wanted to buy in person from the store) for a better judgment of the product, especially, items like; baby cot, car seat, stroller, bottle, teats. If that makes sense to you. But you can buy items like cleaning products, diapers, wet wipes, etc. straight away via online without seeing or touching it first, of course. LOL! Take note that these are the stores from Malaysia.



Stay home, stay safe, stay in & let's shop online for your baby's essentials. Don't forget to have your purse (for your debit / credit card) with you! Yay!

First Few (& Essential) Things to Buy Before Your Baby's Arrival



For you mommies:

Breast pump - Automatic
Haakaa / Autumnz manual breast pump / collection cup
Breastmilk storage bags
Maternity/nursing bra
Cotton disposable panties
Maternity pads
Breast pads
Nipple cream
Bengkung
Stretch mark lotion
Epsom salt
Ice pack
A good massage from your husband (wink*)
Good hair scrunchies (if you have a long hair and long bangs)


For your little ones:

Wet wipes (lots of it!)
Diapers (NB & S size)
Burp cloths (lots of it!)
A few onesies (NB & S size)
Mittens
Booties
Hats
Swaddles
Bottles
Formula milk (in case if your milk is not enough/hasn't produced much)
Nappy balm
Baby lotion
Bath tub
Head-to-toe wash
Blanket
Cotton buds
Cotton pads
Alcohol swabs
ClevaMama - ClevaFoam Infant pillow (you can buy other brands, but I am using this one for Alana and she sleeps soundly with this)
Minyak telon
Plush toy (to accompany your baby while sleeping)
Baby grooming kit - nail clipper, thermometer, nasal aspirator / nose cleaner, comb, scissors
Hooded towels
Huge towels


Nursery essentials:

Waterproof changing mat (this is compulsory to change diapers, you need this, I swear!)
Baby laundry detergent
Breast pump & bottles cleaner / baby dish wash
Bottle brush
Baby mosquito net
Mosquito repellant sticker
Bottles drying rack
Diaper pail/bin (Any bin with covers/lid will do)
Bottles warmer
Drawers (act as storage system & your changing station by placing changing mat on top of it!)


Can buy this later after your baby's arrival:

Car seat
Baby cot / crib
Bassinet / snuggler
Swing / rocker
Glider / rocking chair
Baby wrap / carrier
Play mat / play pen
Toys
Soft books
Teether
Pacifier / Soother
Night light
Humidifier
Air purifier
Bottles steriliser
Bottles steamer
Diaper bag
Bibs
High chair
Milk powder dispenser
Multi-surface cleaner
More stocks for diapers & wet wipes (because these are never-ending items)

Tuesday, April 21, 2020

The Name is Alana Soraya ❤️



| A L A N A |
It can be derived either as "precious" or "a cailín leanbh" for "child". Other term is "beauty" or "serenity".

| S O R A Y A |
It is of Persian and Arabic origin, and the meaning is "gem, jewel".

Alhamdulillah for my precious baby girl and a beautiful gem; ALANA SORAYA ❤️

My Labour Journey / Diary

25 March 2020 | Wednesday
Week 39 Day 2 - MONTHLY CHECKUP


MCO time. Had to travel from my parents' place to the hospital for our second last checkup before my estimated due date (EDD). Everything was normal, my gynae checked and I haven't dilated yet. Not even 1cm. So I need one more checkup, no need to be admitted today. Alhamdulillah, baby is okay, she is taking her own sweet time to be inside me. Not ready to face the world yet due to the pandemic, I guess. What a smart girl. My gynae asks me to walk a lot, do squats and sit on a gym ball to ease the labour process, to have the dilation faster. Well, I was a lazy-ass mom-to-be, so all I did was walking from the living room to the kitchen and walking up and down the stairs to/from my room and some squats. I did sit on my gym ball but not so often. Just "cukup syarat". LOL! My bump was so heavy since the baby is already "dropped" or in position for labour / lightening. The baby can come out anytime soon now, I just had to prepare myself, physically, mentally, spiritually & emotionally for this new role as a "mother". It sounds weird but I'll do my best. By this time, my husband already packed our hospital bags and put all of them in the car, in case of emergency (water breaks, bleeding). Our hospital outfit is prepared and hanged in the closet, ready to be worn.

30 March 2020 | Monday
Week 40 - EDD CHECKUP & ADMISSION


Day one when the government announces that we Malaysians cannot travel more than 10km. Though we had to travel to Gleneagles Hospital in Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur for our EDD/week 40 checkup, but everything was easy. Went through only one roadblock and told policemen that we have prenatal checkup, and of course, they let us go. Hospital bags were in the trunk, we are ready in case if I need to be warded immediately. Reached the hospital, went up to level 7, in we go to the consultation room. It was no fun when the gynae tries to check the dilation, manually, vaginally. It is only 1cm. She told me that one labour room is booked for me today at 10pm, in case if the dilation can be 5cm by 3pm. She asked my husband and I, whether we want to go home first and we can come back later when my water breaks or the contraction starts to feel more frequent and more intense or whether I want to be admitted right now and wait for the labour to start at the maternity ward. We decided to be warded right away because it will be a troublesome to travel here and there during this MCO period. It'll be easy to just wait at the ward.

By the way, due to this pandemic, the government has imposed the rule of taking the Covid-19 test to whoever that needs to be warded, no matter of their illness/reason(s) to be admitted to the hospital. My only reason is to go for a labour, hence, I need to take the test.

We registered at the registration counter in the lobby at Block A of Gleneagles Hospital, it took quite awhile for them to call out my name though I have pre-registered earlier. Then, deposit of RM6500 needs to be paid upon admission. After that, my name was called for the Covid-19 test. One healthcare worker assisted me to the A&E area, leaving my husband alone at the registration counter. I was freakin' nervous because I am aware of the procedure for the test. So as we walked to the A&E room, I asked the healthcare worker, "Does it really hurt? Especially the nostril part?" and she replied with, "Let's just say that it is very uncomfortable, but I think you can handle it" and she walked me through a room with two staffs covered in hazmat suit, saying, "Come on in, *and told the healthcare worker to close the door for her and she needs to stay outside*, I cannot touch anything else other than the swab for the test. How are you today?" and of course I told her I was nervous and asked if it really hurts and she said, "I'm not gonna lie to you, it is not the best thing ever, it will be a little uncomfortable" and she explains to me that there are gonna be two swabs; one through nostril, the other one is through mouth to get to the throat. And she sadly said, "The youngest one I did so far is a 5-day old baby, its tough, but I had to do it". 5 days, guys. 5 freakin days.

That is when a long-ass cotton bud with thin-ass stick down my throat through my left nostril. It was a weird sensation, painful and annoying, felt like something burning around my sinus area. Tears were rolling down both of my cheeks. She swabbed it good for whole 5 seconds and she took it out and onto the new cotton bud, for my throat. Then she said, "This time, I need you to say Aaaahh, until you gag." Okay, gag. I don't like the sound of it but okay. It wasn't that bad. Compared to what my nostril has been through, throat was doing alright. Then she yelled, "Alright, open the door! She's done!", the same healthcare worker opened the door and assisted me out, back to my husband's arms. I was crying and I just can't wait for this to be over. I wanted to get out of that place and just go back and just give birth at home. I was stressed out because I was and will be alone (for the delivery) to face the biggest event of my life, without my husband with me.

Then, another hospital staff assisted my husband and I to the maternity ward. I asked for one-bedded room and with extra single bed for my husband.

So yeah, I was admitted on week 40. Waiting for active labour or any contractions to start but I did not feel anything. No pain, at all. Nurses kept on come and go and asked questions, "Can you feel any contractions yet?", "Any painful sensation?". Nope. Absolutely nothing. I feel like it is my normal day at home and I was thinking, "Should I be here, in the ward right now? Is this really happening? Is my baby coming out soon? Maybe I should be at home. My baby is not coming out today." Then my gynae came in and checked the dilation. Still 1cm at 3pm. So she asked me to walk around the maternity ward to get the dilation happening. She was disappointed that I was napping on the hospital bed instead of exercising and walking around when she visited me in the ward. There is something about hospital beds and the A/C that make me sleepy and wants to sleep all the time. LOL!

Since my dilation is only 1cm, my gynae cancels the 10pm labour room reservation and let the waiting game begins until tomorrow morning to "manually" dilating me. So, we shall see.

31 March 2020 | Tuesday
Week 40 Day 1 - (ACTIVE) LABOUR DAY


I am one day past my EDD. My gynae came to the ward and checked my dilation. It is still 1cm, unfortunately. So she had to do what she was about to do. Manually dilating me. By manually, it means she needs to "force-open" my cervix with her fingers. And umm, it was very uncomfortable. It doesn't hurt that much (remember my nostril?), but it was, wow. I did not expect that. I did not know that there is such a thing as dilating it in that manner. LOL! But, to look on the bright side, hey, I am 3cm dilated! Woohoo!

My gynae advised me to walk more to get the dilation at least to 5cm before we can go to the labour room, as she already booked for labour room for me at 2pm. I did not think of it as delivering my baby right away, I assumed it was just to have my epidural and I will be back in the ward while waiting for contractions. I still remember my gynae said to us earlier, "I have a booked a labour room for you at 2pm, so we can go there after your lunch and after Zuhur. You can pray jemaah with your husband and we can go after 2pm."

For those who don't know, I opted for epidural with normal birth mainly because my pain threshold is too damn low so I do not want to feel the contractions or the pushing part or the tearing and stitching part, hence, the epidural.

11am - Laxative / suppository (rectal route) was inserted. I got shot while lying on my side, it was unpleasant because I was supposed to hold it for good 10 minutes but I had to go number two right after the nurse left the room. I gave it like 30 seconds then everything was out. Thank goodness I made it to the toilet just in time before the explosion happens. Haha!

2pm - After our solat jemaah, it was 2pm sharp. Nurse came in and asked if I'm ready to go now, told her I will be out in a minute. Taking some time with my husband because apparently due to this Covid-19, another person is not allowed to be in the labour room with the patient. So, imagine going to the labour room without my husband with me. I did not bring my phone to the labour room with me because I really thought it was going to be the epidural insertion then I will be back to my husband in the ward but hell no. I had to stay in the labour room, alone, without my husband, without my phone, waiting for my baby to come out, anytime soon. Sigh. It was a difficult time but I remain calm, telling myself its going to be alright.

First, I was immediately connected to a cardiotocography (CTG) machine - placed on my stomach - to monitor fetal's heartbeat and my contractions. Then, a nurse asked me, "Do you want to start the dilation now? Or you want to wait for epidural first? Because if you want to start the dilation now, I can proceed with inserting oxytocin (pitocin) but you can feel the pain of contraction. Or you cannot handle the pain?", of course I told her I want to wait for epidural first because I do not want to feel any pain, at all.

4pm - Epidural time. An aesthetician finally came in to the labour room. (Still not contacting my husband - for 2 hours now) The procedure is to inject a local anaesthetic in to the space around spinal nerves on my lower back - I had to sit down for this - instead of lying on my side. It took around 15 minutes for her to setup and tape stuff on my back until she injects it in. She was very friendly, I loved her, very "mak-mak modern" type of lady, telling stories about her life and kids and told me that this Covid-19 sucks with the fact that my husband could not be inside the labour room with me while she's working on my back. LOL!

First injection - first anaesthesia is to numb the area before the epidural injection. Give it about 5 mins until the area is completely numb, then, the epidural!

Second injection - Epidural. It was not a great feeling. I can feel the needle going down, towards my tailbone. As she inserting it, I was crying. It was painful, I'm not gonna lie. Because the first injection is to numb the exact place to inject a hole on my back, but not to numb my whole lower back that I can feel it traveling down. Maybe its my (very) low pain threshold that I feel it very painful or maybe I cried because my husband was not there with me to hold my hands and kiss my forehead and tell me its gonna be okay and I got this. I had to replay the last time my husband did and said to me before I went inside the labour room. I think that's the reason why I was crying while the epidural is inserted, not because of pain or anything. Haha! So the needle for epidural is in, but not the epidural analgesia yet. They need to proceed with the pitocin to induce my labour, to start the contraction, to have my cervix to dilate more than 3cm.

5pm - Still no contraction. Zero. Nada. Then pitocin comes in. My gynae comes in and explains to me the pitocin and stuff. Basically, pitocin is a natural hormone that causes the uterus to contract used to induce labour, to enter into active labour and strengthen labour contractions. Once the pitocin's in (via injection on my wrist - branch it into two - one for dilute oxytocin solution drip, the other one is IV drip), the contraction will start. Right after the pitocin, its epidural time. I can feel the coldness of the solution running through the needles and into my spine. Like literally can feel it fill in the epidural space of my lower back. Love the sensation. Then, insertion of the urinary catheter to collect urine from the bladder since I cannot move or go to the toilet (due to epidural). Basically I cannot feel the bottom half of my body. I pinched my thigh, nope, cannot feel a thing. Epidural is amazing, ladies!

7pm - The CTG machine shows that I am having a strong, frequent contractions. But I don't feel a thangggg! Thanks to my new best friend; epidural, I was busy having my dinner while watching TV, happily. Nurse came in and saw the CTG and told me that it was amazing that I still can have my meal while big contraction is happening. Hahah! Then another nurse came in and gave me a phone and said "Your husband was at the entrance and asked to pass you your phone". Yay! At last, my phone's here, I can finally contact my husband! Immediately FaceTime him and that was the best moment ever, to have him "inside" the labour room with me. Update him with everything (and I cried a bit...) and doctor came in to check my dilation while I was on the phone with my husband. I was still at 3cm and we shall wait until I can push this tiny human being out of me.

11pm - I was sleeping, epidural side effects on me were sleepy and shivering. Though I am on epidural, I can feel the contractions are getting stronger. The pressure woke me up from my sleep and its making me feel like pushing something out though I don't feel the pain. I felt the urge to pass motion, so I called the nurse, she checked on my dilation, she said I am at 8cm that I can start to push at 11.30pm and she will call the doctor since I am already in active labour. Wow, am I ready to do this? Is it really, now? I'm going to have a baby soon! She is coming out soon!
11.30pm - Push time! I kept on repeating "Allahu la illa ha' illa anta subhannaka inni kuntu minna zzalimin". Nurse came in, "Okay, you can push now. Imagine like you need to pass motion, push it hard. Once you feel the contraction, take a deep breath and push it hard for as long as you could. Don't take a second breath, you'll lose the momentum to push. Once your breath is at max, relax. Breathe like normal and wait for another contraction to come to push once more. Just keep pushing whenever you feel the contraction." It was intense since I feel the contraction every 30 seconds. I took one deep breath, I pushed it long and hard for 15 seconds and rest. I breathe normally for 15 seconds to get ready for another round of pushing.

11.45pm - My doctor came into the labour room, perhaps she only comes once my dilation hits a certain number of cm or maybe when its birth crowning (the appearance of baby's head). So she took over and guided me through on what to do, when to push, how hard to push and what to recite. She helped me a lot in calming me by reciting surah, zikir and duas. I pushed it hard for half an hour and Alhamdulillah, heard her high-pitched cry and voice for the very first time. Immediately fell in love.

1 April 2020 | Wednesday
Week 40 Day 2


12.01am - Alhamdulillah, I safely delivered a healthy baby girl, weighing at 3.21kg, 50cm tall (so cute, LOL!), with a head circumference of 34cm on April 1st, 2020, Wednesday. Alhamdulillah, I am beyond grateful and I am officially a mom to a beautiful baby girl! Tabarakallah. Allah is Great.

12.15am - After the delivery, skin-to-skin contact, delivery of placenta, first breastfeeding, stitching and settling down, I finally can reach my phone to FaceTime my husband. It was heartbreaking that he cannot be there in the labour room to witness the birth of our first, precious child, but Alhamdulillah, everything was easy. Allah ease my labour journey. Still remember my husband's face when he first saw the face of our daughter (via FaceTime). It was priceless.

Nurse came in, told me that my baby needs to be cleaned and brought to the nursery and I needed to rest for a solid hour before heading back to the maternity ward. I told the nurse to bring my baby along with me since my husband hasn't met his newborn daughter yet, also for azan & qamat. The nurse cleaned me up, I was all dressed up with a fresh, new hospital gown and they brought me in once my baby is ready from the nursery.

2am - Maternity ward with my daughter, finally reunited with my husband after 12 hours. He finally met his daughter, did azan & qamat to her and I finally feel at home. Alhamdulillah. I had no energy to blast the news to the family, so my husband was the reporter. Big thanks to you, sayang! ILYSMOMG!

2 April 2020 | Thursday
Day 1


I got one whole day of resting on April 1st (since my baby was born at 12 midnight) and it is time for discharge! We managed to cleared out billings and filling out paperworks and a lot of things to do and keep for the baby's registration at JPN and everything. Got into the car at 5pm and off we go. Onto a new journey; PARENTHOOD.


Signing off as a new mother to a precious and beautiful baby girl,
Malina Azman x