This is a major milestone in my little boy's life:
Last night, he slept for 6 whole hours.....6pm-12am.
I did not do anything different so I have no idea of how to encourage this type of sleep again.
This is great encouragement in the face of people telling you to train your baby to sleep for your own good. They don't believe you when you say you're not tired waking up every 3 hours every night. It is true though...I'm not tired doing that because we co-sleep with Aaron. I just pop him on and snooze while he feeds. He drops off at some point and quite often I don't even realise it.
OK, so its one night of 6 hrs. I don't have high hopes for a repeat performance tonight but I know that he will, in his own time, do it more often.
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Monday, May 21, 2007
A Chinaman Company
1) Interviews you for an overseas posting but assigns you to work locally when you accept the job.
2) Informs you after you have settled into that job that they will post you overseas after all.
3) Convinces you to take the overseas posting by telling you that it comes with
- 4 round trip tickets for you and your family home a year
- 8 days off during each trip....not including your 14 days of annual leave
Then, changes it to
- trips for you but not your family. Although when you try to go on a trip, be prepared to come up with a good explanation. Like your mother died and your father cut of his nose!
- and those 8 days....you can build those up by working 7 days a week. So, in a quarter...thats 13 weeks....you would have made up 13 days but 5 of those are 'freebies' for the chinaman and you can keep the 8.
4) You can of course not work those 7 days a week but watch out for these words of wisdom:
- my wife also complains that we don't spend enough time together....I just drag her and the kids along to the office and put them in the meeting room.
- sure...i have a 10 yr old son who needs me now that he's growing up. but i don't have time for him. yours is just a baby, he won't know the differece.
- don't be so calculating with the company. it will reward you in the end. just work hard, you'll see. stop going home at 5 everyday ok!
5) Has official working hours of 8am-4pm. But thats just on the contract. Its just a piece of paper that doesn't mean anything.
6) Provides an equal opportunity work place for all engineers.....if you are MALE. If you were FEMALE, you would have been screened out when your resume was sent in. There's the pile for MALE applicants and over there, beside the desk, in the TRASH are the female applicants. Its because they'll get married and have babies so....lets spare them the separation anxiety.
The list goes on and on....but I'm a little too riled up to get my thoughts in order. I've always referred to these companies as 'Chinaman Companies' .. but what are they really called. I have no idea.
2) Informs you after you have settled into that job that they will post you overseas after all.
3) Convinces you to take the overseas posting by telling you that it comes with
- 4 round trip tickets for you and your family home a year
- 8 days off during each trip....not including your 14 days of annual leave
Then, changes it to
- trips for you but not your family. Although when you try to go on a trip, be prepared to come up with a good explanation. Like your mother died and your father cut of his nose!
- and those 8 days....you can build those up by working 7 days a week. So, in a quarter...thats 13 weeks....you would have made up 13 days but 5 of those are 'freebies' for the chinaman and you can keep the 8.
4) You can of course not work those 7 days a week but watch out for these words of wisdom:
- my wife also complains that we don't spend enough time together....I just drag her and the kids along to the office and put them in the meeting room.
- sure...i have a 10 yr old son who needs me now that he's growing up. but i don't have time for him. yours is just a baby, he won't know the differece.
- don't be so calculating with the company. it will reward you in the end. just work hard, you'll see. stop going home at 5 everyday ok!
5) Has official working hours of 8am-4pm. But thats just on the contract. Its just a piece of paper that doesn't mean anything.
6) Provides an equal opportunity work place for all engineers.....if you are MALE. If you were FEMALE, you would have been screened out when your resume was sent in. There's the pile for MALE applicants and over there, beside the desk, in the TRASH are the female applicants. Its because they'll get married and have babies so....lets spare them the separation anxiety.
The list goes on and on....but I'm a little too riled up to get my thoughts in order. I've always referred to these companies as 'Chinaman Companies' .. but what are they really called. I have no idea.
Sunday, May 20, 2007
Fill 'em up
"Congratulations on the new baby! Will you be breastfeeding?"
"Yes, I want to. I'm just waiting for the milk to fill up. Waiting for it to get hard"
This was the conversation between my father and somebody who just gave birth. Since I started breastfeeding, I have become a strong BF advocate. Not just because I do it, but because so many people can't/don't BF purely because of the lack of information. I'm speaking from a Malaysian point of view.
Take that conversation for example. This lady has already failed to BF her first child and was keen to try on this second one.
BUT:
1) Milk doesn't need to fill up, its already there. Colostrum has been produced in the mothers body from the last few months of pregnancy.
2) If she waited until 'it got hard', she would have engorgement. A very painful condition caused when milk is not drained from the breast. It will also make it harder for the baby to latch on when she finally puts the baby to the breast.
Here are a few pointers that I have. They are based on my own experience and also my reading. I am not a health care provider and it is not my intention to provide medical advice.
Feed as soon as possible after birth
Breastfeed your baby with the first hour after birth. The baby has a natural instinct to suckle at this time and it supposedly will help you get off to a good start in terms of BF.
Ensure correct latch
Ensure that your baby is latched on correctly with the lower lip pursed out. Baby's nose should be within a credit card's thickness to the mom's breast. Baby's noses are specially designed to BF and they will not suffocate. If there is any pain at all, unlatch the bub and start again. To unlatch the baby, don't just pull off. Stick your little finger into the baby's mouth to break suction before pulling away.
Feed on demand
Do not be surprised if the baby feed VERY frequently. Their stomachs are only the size of a golf ball so of course they get hungry quickly. Feed on demand by watching for hunger cues (such as putting fists to mouth) including through the night. Those mothers with confinement ladies often do not look after the baby during nights but it is essential to keep feeding to build milk supply.
Wait 6 weeks to give a bottle
Make sure that the baby does not get milk from a bottle for at least 6 weeks. Inform hospital staff of this and also the confinement lady.
Be confident that you are providing enough
Measure baby's intake by the number of wet nappies and not by how much you get out with a pump or the duration of your feeds. Expect one wet diaper on day one, increasing to 5-6 by one week. Many new mothers are concerned that their new babies are not getting enough. This is rarely the case if a baby is fed on demand.
Enjoy it
Finally, be relaxed and confident. It does wonders for milk supply and for getting through feeds.
"Yes, I want to. I'm just waiting for the milk to fill up. Waiting for it to get hard"
This was the conversation between my father and somebody who just gave birth. Since I started breastfeeding, I have become a strong BF advocate. Not just because I do it, but because so many people can't/don't BF purely because of the lack of information. I'm speaking from a Malaysian point of view.
Take that conversation for example. This lady has already failed to BF her first child and was keen to try on this second one.
BUT:
1) Milk doesn't need to fill up, its already there. Colostrum has been produced in the mothers body from the last few months of pregnancy.
2) If she waited until 'it got hard', she would have engorgement. A very painful condition caused when milk is not drained from the breast. It will also make it harder for the baby to latch on when she finally puts the baby to the breast.
Here are a few pointers that I have. They are based on my own experience and also my reading. I am not a health care provider and it is not my intention to provide medical advice.
Feed as soon as possible after birth
Breastfeed your baby with the first hour after birth. The baby has a natural instinct to suckle at this time and it supposedly will help you get off to a good start in terms of BF.
Ensure correct latch
Ensure that your baby is latched on correctly with the lower lip pursed out. Baby's nose should be within a credit card's thickness to the mom's breast. Baby's noses are specially designed to BF and they will not suffocate. If there is any pain at all, unlatch the bub and start again. To unlatch the baby, don't just pull off. Stick your little finger into the baby's mouth to break suction before pulling away.
Feed on demand
Do not be surprised if the baby feed VERY frequently. Their stomachs are only the size of a golf ball so of course they get hungry quickly. Feed on demand by watching for hunger cues (such as putting fists to mouth) including through the night. Those mothers with confinement ladies often do not look after the baby during nights but it is essential to keep feeding to build milk supply.
Wait 6 weeks to give a bottle
Make sure that the baby does not get milk from a bottle for at least 6 weeks. Inform hospital staff of this and also the confinement lady.
Be confident that you are providing enough
Measure baby's intake by the number of wet nappies and not by how much you get out with a pump or the duration of your feeds. Expect one wet diaper on day one, increasing to 5-6 by one week. Many new mothers are concerned that their new babies are not getting enough. This is rarely the case if a baby is fed on demand.
Enjoy it
Finally, be relaxed and confident. It does wonders for milk supply and for getting through feeds.
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Saturday, May 5, 2007
Walks during sunrise
I'm still dreaming of waking up and doing this....walking on the beach at sunrise.
Thursday, May 3, 2007
The Heavenly Bed
Finally, we got to go on our holiday to Bali. I've been dreaming about the Westin Heavenly Bed since we decided to spend the money on a good hotel. The mattresses here in Palembang are killing me so the decision to SPEND on a bed wasn't a difficult one.
Aaron seemed to love it too. He went for naps and was incredibly reluctant to wake up each time. Also, he slept about 4 hrs straight at night. It was AMAZING!
The bed was fabulous but my favourite memory of the holiday was lounging on one of the day beds overlooking the ocean, with Aaron playing contentedly by himself, and Richard and I pigging out on some leftover KFC. Bali is still Indonesia but there was none of the horrendous heat or humidity by the beach.
Lets see, what else did we learn on this trip....
1) Ordering room service is not much more expensive than wasting time going out to buy food from outside.
2) When staying at good hotels....complain when things AREN'T good. We had a leaky bathroom, complained and got free massages.
3) In this world, you get what you pay for. The massages were incredible. So different from any RM30 ones we have tried. Good things no cheap, cheap things no good!
4) Pampering yourself occasionally is not being indulgent.
5) There are still honest people in this world. I dropped my wedding ring somewhere around the pools. Richard went back there several hours later and found that someone had left it on one of the side tables.
Aaron seemed to love it too. He went for naps and was incredibly reluctant to wake up each time. Also, he slept about 4 hrs straight at night. It was AMAZING!
The bed was fabulous but my favourite memory of the holiday was lounging on one of the day beds overlooking the ocean, with Aaron playing contentedly by himself, and Richard and I pigging out on some leftover KFC. Bali is still Indonesia but there was none of the horrendous heat or humidity by the beach.
Lets see, what else did we learn on this trip....
1) Ordering room service is not much more expensive than wasting time going out to buy food from outside.
2) When staying at good hotels....complain when things AREN'T good. We had a leaky bathroom, complained and got free massages.
3) In this world, you get what you pay for. The massages were incredible. So different from any RM30 ones we have tried. Good things no cheap, cheap things no good!
4) Pampering yourself occasionally is not being indulgent.
5) There are still honest people in this world. I dropped my wedding ring somewhere around the pools. Richard went back there several hours later and found that someone had left it on one of the side tables.
Saturday, April 21, 2007
5 more days to go!
Things have settled down now and we are getting a little bit more used to being on our own. Still, I can't wait for these 5 days to pass so that we can be on our HOLIDAY!!!!
Now here's the weird thing. Lately, I have noticed that perhaps I like the anticipation of the holiday MORE than the actual holiday. I have this BAD BAD habit of counting down till the end of a holiday once a holiday starts. I'd say things like 'Oh, our holiday is one quarter over' Its HORRIBLE, I know......I must stop all this counting down.
Now here's the weird thing. Lately, I have noticed that perhaps I like the anticipation of the holiday MORE than the actual holiday. I have this BAD BAD habit of counting down till the end of a holiday once a holiday starts. I'd say things like 'Oh, our holiday is one quarter over' Its HORRIBLE, I know......I must stop all this counting down.
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