Mommyhood : How I choose a daycare/preschool

I lived in the city center and in an apartment hence I don't really know the community of my surrounding.. so for me the best choice is to send my kids to daycare while I am working. So when I was pregnant with my first child back in 2012, i already started to look around my neighborhood for her daycare. Although all of the sudden my parents in law were transferred near me (amazing twist of fate, i know!) and they agreed to take care of my baby, I didn't stop looking around for the right daycare. Here is my criteria:

1) Most important - trust your gut feeling

I always believe mothers has amazing instinct.. so trust your instinct. In this case I was blessed to have a husband who trust me in every decision regarding the kids.. coz sometimes it is unexplainable. For example I always eyes this one daycare, however it has not much review in the internet.. It does not even have proper signage either.. however I checked it was registered with JKM. So I just called and make appointment, apparently on the day I came I was not allowed to go inside coz it was mealtime for the kids. At first of course you had your own thoughts including the negative ones.. but my intuition said i made the right choice. And it didn't happen overnight... so my point is trust your motherhood instinct.

2) Registered and well equipped

Well I do think this is most important part but I really want to stress on the gut feelings hence this point falls to no 2. Make sure the daycare you choose is registered with JKM, has a good carer to kids ratio, and if possible equipped with cctv.

3) 2 weeks probation

Be extra cautious and sensitive for the first two weeks.. look out for ways of of the carers interact with the kids. Also make sure your kids are happy and feel safe when they go to and back from school. Well, small kids usually cried within this period just because they are in new surroundings and being separated with you.. but they will feel at ease gradually if things go well.

4) Either near to house, or near to office

I do believe the location of the daycare must be either near to house or near to office. Avoid choosing a place too far as it will bring trouble later (traffic jams, unexpected circumstances, sudden late meetings etc)

My kids in their year end concert (Festejo Navideno) for their daycare & preschool in Mexico

5) Communicate with the carers

Respect the carers as they are important people in your life - they take care of your child for God's sake. Pay OT as per needed and required, never delay to pay daycare fees. Communicate  often and create a bonding of trust. Most of the school organize a meet up with the parents every few months which is a great avenue to learn about our kids' progress. For the preschool we attended in Mexico, they even organize a playgroup that involved the parents once a month to encourage parents' engagement with the kids' learning.. I love to see how my kids lit up whenever they see me and their daddy joining them to do activities at school.

When your kids grow older, they are more variety of preschools available. Sometimes you are lucky to get a daycare that cater from babies to 6 yo, but preschool usually starts at 4yo to 6yo. I am personally attracted to play based and Montessori methods preschool.. while we like our kids to enjoy play based school, it is natural to prep the kids to essential learning skills like reading and counting at 6 yo. so up to you to choose what do you want and like. So far my experience was all good.. I satisfied with all daycare and preschools I chose for my kids, among others are Brainybunch and Kinderkaizen to name a few.

Hope this helps!

Tips Berpantang sendiri

This time around I stayed at Mom's for just 3 weeks after i delivered before we return back to our home in KL.So I am practically completing my confinement period in my own plus one active toddler to take care of.Hence i would like to share few tips for mommies to be out there yang teringin atau plan nak pantang sendiri in the near future.

1.Get all kind of help from your immediate families/any parties if possible.In my case my inlaw stayed occasionally in KL hence sometimes i just sent my elder to them for a daycare while i focus to my baby.Some of my friends hired confinement lady that can come everyday to help out during confinement,and i think this is a good idea and might consider it for future :p Kalau ada maid mmg settle la masalah di situ.

2.Stock up your food,snacks and toys supplies to keep your elder entertained..kalau diorang boring mmg tak menang tangan nk layan..dengan layan baby lagi -_- I personally cherish the moment of having both kids at home so i can feel how SAHM feels like everyday and eventually this will tighten the bond between mummy n choldren,also between both siblings.Like Amna,every hour dia kiss baby..huhu.

3.Cooking simple dish can be done when both children are asleep..in my case selalunya early morning.masak simple2 je yg boleh cater for me n my eldest i.e soup,telur goreng,grilled chicken camtu.

4.Throw your OCD obsession out of the window for a while.. nobody will judge ruang tamu yang bersepah or the piling dishes in the sink or even the mountain of clothes after laundry.i learnt some tricks from my friend i.e basuh pinggan 2x sehari je,laundry once daily etc..as long as it makes you happier to live throughout the day.

5.Keep calm and be patient..repeat 100 times.You know stress is the last thing you need at this moment.

6.Teach your baby to sleep in the cradle/babycot rather than in your arms.I just tried this with mine..obviously sometimes it worked,sometimes not.just cherish the moment and be patient..babies are not robots so eventually they will get tired and sleep.

Quick tips :10 biggest mistakes I made wrt breastfeeding

My first breastfeeding (BF) experience was bumpy and challenging.. to the extend I felt quite traumatic when I was confirmed to carry my second child in my womb months ago. Yes, I don't really fear pregnancy or labor as my experience for those were quite smooth and easy, alhamdulillah, but breastfeeding is another different story. Now that my first daughter is already 2.5 years old, I managed to look back and identified the mistakes I made so that I will be more successful for the second time.

10 biggest mistakes I made wrt breastfeeding

1) Although I delivered at a `breastfeeding-friendly' hospital, I did not get a special consultation from lactation consultant that is actually available in most of hospitals(I dont even know who to sought for help).Right after labor, they quickly send the baby for rooming in and left this first time mother figure out how to breastfeed by herself. Of course the act of breastfeeding is natural, however the knowledge and experience shared is vital for survival of fully breastfeed baby. Mind you, not everyone is blessed with overflowing milk with not much effort, some need trial and errors to make things happen. So a good advice from an expert is what you really need to keep the motivation high.

2) Apparently it was true that my milk did not flow properly/I did not provide milk for the baby even on the second day. The nurse told me my baby had crystallized urine and accused me for not giving enough milk to my baby (as initially I was determined to fully bf my baby). None of the bf forum or books that I read that mentioned about possibility of not having milk flow at all and resulted to baby having crystallize urine! At this point of time I have no choice but to allow them to feed formula milk to my baby. I cried hard and felt like a bad mother for not be able to give milk to my own baby.At this time, I was depressed and at the lowest point of my life. I constantly cried, not realizing that depression and unstable emotion did not help to establish a milk flow that was much needed by the baby.

3) I did not  have regular check ups for my baby after I discharged from the hospital. Do you know that you can register at the nearest Klinik Kesihatan and the nurses will come to check on mother and baby every few days to ensure both are healthy and baby's growth is according to the chart. Well I did not know about this back then. So after a month suddenly I suspect my baby might have a slight fever and we went to the paed near to our house (not my baby's paed), we found that my baby did not gain weight at all (luckily she did not lose weight!).The paed (he was my siblings paed and very old fashioned) scolded me for not giving enough milk to my baby and forced me to mix with formula milk. Again, I came home and cried hard and was desperate, so I mixed.

4) The paed I went to as per point 3) is NOT breastfeeding friendly. Going to him for advice (and followed his advice) was the biggest mistake I made so far.So please mommies, it is very important to seek help from baby/BF friendly doctor for any advise.

5) I realized I had a low milk supply hence scared to pump for milk during my baby's first month.Sounds stupid, right? But that's what I did. I just started pumping after I mixed with formula, so obviously the outcome was not satisfying.

6) I was constantly worried, depressed and cried every night, I think I was actually having a post natal depression. My baby was crying non stop every night even after she was full after feeding, and only sleep after dawn. I did not get enough rest, my milk supply was low, I still need to breastfed and well as making formula milk to feed my baby when she did not stop crying, and I was so grumpy at almost everyone.So yeah, that did not help at all.

7) I spent my confinement period at my mother's house. She did not breastfeed her children and my sister in law also did not too due to this mindset - we did not have enough milk for our babies, so it is normal to mix with formula. Although she did not stop me from breastfeed my baby, she constantly suggested to mix with formula since my baby seemed unrest every night. I don't have any support/advice.motivation that is highly needed for all BF moms who was having difficulties especially during confinement like me.

8) My husband was away in Brunei and only came home every 2/3 weeks. I felt like having no support and shoulder to cry on :( I did everything by myself from changing diapers, making formula milk at night, washing the bottles, etc. So everynight I cried when we had our daily Skype session.Sounds like a depressed young mother, I know. I was. It gets worse when I moved to my inlaws' house when I started to work. My inlaws are actually quite keen to help, but this stubborn, depressed, first time mom thought she is a supermom and determined to do everything by herself because she was hesitant/embarrassed/scared to get any help.

9) In most of BF forums or conversations that I followed, there are always these few ultra gung-ho BF moms who wrote/talked like difficulties in BF journey never exist, all mothers should be able to BF their babies easily and it is (almost) a sin to mix with formula for whatever reason. These people made people like me scared to seek for advice especially from strangers who were expert/claimed to be expert in BF. At last, we just tried our luck and see what actually works. If these people are more friendly and welcoming, I believe more mothers will be more successful in BFing.

10) Despite all the difficulties, I still continued pumping my milk when I get back to work. Well, the mothers room is not conducive (for me) and I pumped at other secluded place, and I was constantly embarrassed and depressed when other mothers boasted about how much milk they produced, or even to see the abundance of milk in the shared fridge at the office while mine was `kais pagi makan pagi'. When I had a very low milk supply during Ramadhan and not even able to get 1 oz in each pumping session, let alone the work commitment and urgent meetings to attend, finally I stop pumping milk at work. My daughter was 10 months this time and already fed on formula and solids. However I still nurse my daughter when I get home after work until she is almost 2 years.

 Well, I am not proud with my experience and it took me 2 years to actually have the courage and shared this with others; however I believe this sharing is important as I myself actually turned to Google when I need a quick fix for any problems. We all do, I believe. I will share on my latest experience on how I overcome the breastfeeding challenge for my second baby. Yes, I still face challenged in this topic (guess the luck was not on my side but Allah must have a better plan for me) but I will never give up and will not repeat my previous mistakes again.

Welcoming baby Adni

1. I started my medical leave about a week before my edd. Actually i was given 2 edd; 15/11 and 21/11, but my gut feeling trusted the first date.During my visit to my gunae on 5/11, she said baby was already very2 low and i might give birth anytime soon .acik adalah excited coz i always wanted early labor but nervous gak!

2. On the following weekends (8-9/11/2014), we constantly talked to baby to come out somewhere next week coz mummy nk gi jalan2 lg on the weekend but if possible i wanted to be earlier than edd coz i dont like waiting.

3. On 10/11 early morning, i started to feel contraction 15 mins apart.it lasted the whole day.Hubby called and i said it was still bearable (i dont want to go to hosp too early!mind you this was my first experience of natural contraction. Previously i was induced.

4. Come night time the pain was becoming unbearable and contraction was 5-8 mins apart. I tried to lie down,sit on gymball and makan2,until one point i was down on my knee and cried in pain.checked that i was leaking.my water broke! I guess this was the right time to go to hospital..luckily my MIL was at our house and took care of Amna who was sleeping.

5. 10/11 11.30pm we arrived at the hospital. I was straight away sent to labor room and already 4cm dilated.The contraction came and go but the nurse assured that i will only be fully dilated the next morning.

6.Meanwhile i was contemplating to take epidurak or not..the pain was so unbearable and i could not sleep. Hubby gave green light and i got my epidural shot. Although i can still feel the contraction waves, i managed to get a 2 hours sleep.

7.After subuh i felt like want to pass motion.Asked the nurses and they said baby was on the way down.. this time i felt like the epidural didnot work as i felt the contraction pain.asked the nurses when i can bersalin.. could not take it anymore.nurse checked and said i already 9cm dilated.just tunggu doctor datang katanya.

8.Doctor came at 7.15am.. checked me and said 'ok jom lah bersalin shahira' i was like 'jom doctor x sabar dah ni!' With just 2 pushes my baby came out to see the world at 8.10am,alhamdulillah.Allah eased my labor this time.My active labor lasted about 15mins.

9. We stayed at the the hospital for 4 nights merely due to my jaundice baby and also because i was dying to meet the lactating nurse to get her advice. Fyi my first breastfeeding experience 2 yrs ago was TRAUMATIC.i will share the details later.

Learning to talk

Amna is in the early phase of talking..she managed to picked some words she used to hear everyday and use them to communicate with people.How i love this stage! I have fun guessing the right words she meant everytime she didnt get the exact pronounciation.Few list of words yg dia pelat that i can remember such as :

Mummy - memy
Daddy - diddy
Chocolate - kuyat
Carrot - kuyat (! Sama as above)
Rabbit - bebit
Seven - beben
Alif - aip
Sofia - piaa
Elephant - phang
Ten - thang
Fish - ish
Octopus - opus
Tukar - kuka
Three - tee

Afew other words she can pronounce rather fluently such as atok,ma(tokma),cat,frog,ayam,duck,bird, apple.. the usual words that were easy for the tongue. Yes her interest is always animals.Cant wait for next stage!

Gazing

A baby on a plane

Well im not an expert on this.i just had experienced carrying my baby for 4 return flights(1 long haul,the others are 2+ hrs flights) in less than 2months time.However it worth to note a few points as a guide for the anxious expected mothers out there especially the one who requested  me to jot down this little tips :-)
1.understand your baby.
I believe all mothers had different experience with baby on a flight.so basic rule is always to understand your baby-their sleeping patterns,poo routine etc.
2.mummy need to be calm and colllected.
Most first time mother will tend to overworry before deciding to carry and infant on board.we afraid that she will cry non stop, will be affected with the altitude difference,etc. Well you never know what you will face until u actually experience it,right? So dont worry much,just hop on the plane.if u are lucky your baby is easygoing and will sleep throughout the journey:-)
3.make sure baby's essentials in hand luggage.
It worth to bring along a bag special for baby's basic needs-milk,food,simple toys/books,some extra clothes,diapers, etc.if you plan to travel light,here's some tips:
i.if ur baby fully breastfeed,good for you coz it means less things to pack.but never forget your nursing cover ya.
ii.if your baby on formula,be ready of a bottle of milk siap bancuh before u check in.to top up,just bring the milk in single dispensable container and empty milk bottle.in flight,ask the stewardess to provide the warm water.you can also ask their help to clean the bottles for you.
iii.pillow and blanket are usually provided,no need to bring.
iv.baby cookies and simple food ie baby cereals is handy on plane.
V.put on long sleeves and long pants,i found baby sweater is renyah and no time to remove/wear to adjust with plane temperature.socks are essential!
4.baby handling
Baby feeding:bring along the essentials ie bottles/feeding bowl n spoon, etc.never forget baby bib!
Baby sleeping:usually when u check in with your infant they will allocate a seat with baby bassinatte.its good if ur baby can sleep by herself in the bassinate so you can be more comfortable once your baby asleep.my baby jenis light sleeper and bassinate mmg x membantu langsung
La kalau dah pantang bergerak je dia terjaga kan.btw AA short flights doesnt offer any bassinate.
Baby pooing:you can change the diaper in the toilet that have nappy change facilities.dont change at your seat!
Strollers are essential while travelling and should never be left behind.some mothers love to use sling, but if ur petite like me its not a good option.you may end up with body ache (just imagine normal baby at 2mo weighs 5+ kg.itu baru 2mo!)

Post Natal- Nights in the Hospital

(CAUTION LAGI- ENTRY PANJANG PART 2)

I was quite shocked on the challenges I faced after delivery.. I thought delivery was the worst part so I prepared myself mentally just for that.. rupanya banyak lagi yang menunggu terutama minggu pertama jaga anak. Just some chronology of my experience so Mummy won't forget :)


Day 1 (24/4) 
Amna Sofia lahir pukul 8.35pm, pastu terus rooming in start from 10.30pm. Bajet terer padahal blur gila taktau nak wat apa..huhu baby nangis kita pun susukan je, check pampers and everything. Bila dah tengah malam.. tetiba baby nangis kuat xtau apsal, terus panggil nurse and nurse cakap baby sejuk (ktorang bukak aircond tapi sikit je..still lah kan). Nurse amik Amna gi Nursery utk warmkan, then Amna balik bilik lepas 1.5 hours. First night ni memang Mummy & Daddy tak tido la jaga baby.

Day 2 (25/4)
Amna masih baby yang kesejukan so air cond memang totally off. Siang tu ramai uncles and aunties datang tengok dia.. happy la dia banyak hadiah dapat. Amna sejuk sampai gigil2 taktau kenapa.. pastu sembang2 tu Kak Ecah tetiba tanya my Mom 'Makcik, uri dia kat mana?' Then my Mom goes ` Ya Allah baru teringat ada dalam peti ais.. orang tua2 kata uri tu kembar baby'. Mane la I tau kan. Memang nampak cam illogical tapi in my case kebetulan ianya benar. Terus Daddy and my inlaws gi balik umah Mama tanam uri. Pastu baby dah tak kesejukan lagi. Alhamdulillah.
When night arrives, sekali lagi Mummy tak tido malam sebab Amna macam restless dan asik bangun  nangis mintak susu. Mummy pun join nangis sebab sedih tak pandai jaga baby, huhu felt like a bad mother :(

Day 3 (26/4)
Pagi2 nurse from nursery called dan cakap my baby ade crystallized urine, maksudnya dia tak dapat cukup susu.  I nangis lagi sebab sedih cara dia cakap cam I tak bagi susu padahal smalaman tak tido..sedih2. Today walaupun dah boleh discharge sebenarnya tapi saja nak stay satu malam lagi untuk monitor baby. Malam ni I mengalami pengalaman menyeksakan untuk setiap breastfeeding mummies : bengkak susu. Huhu takleh tido wey, sampai nangis2 tahan sakit. Nurse pun datang ajar cara2 nak mengatasi masalah ni.. yang penting susu kena dikeluarkan jugak n takde shortcut (I penatla tanya kalo ade medication ke apa tapi takde.hampa lagi) Tapi tau je lah benda ni amik masa nk baik..Mak dah pressure dah kata kau ni takde susu ni.. and suruh bagi FM. Pressure I tauu sib baik hubby gave his fullest support to me.

Day 4 (27/4)
Dah siap2 nak discharge ni, tiba2 Nurse call kata my baby ada sikit jaundice, reading 11.7. Kena tahan lagi satu malam.. dan sambil menanggung bengkak susu gi la jugak feeding anak kat Nursery. Dalam hati risau sangat my baby dehydrated, tak cukup makan semua.. tau je la early stage of bengkak susu, mmg susu tak keluar/sikit je keluar. Sakit dia Allah je yang tau.. mujur dok kat Nursery tu ade Midwife yang baik hati ajar camne nk buat-basically kalau bengkak susu for first time Mom sebabnye adalah milk duct tersumbat, so kena clear kan path dia and make sure semua duct flowing. Maka malam tu tak tido jugak disebabkan aktiviti tuam menuam dan hand expression. Amna stay nursery sebab jaundice. Oh sebab baby jaundice ni pun my mom and inlaws dah risau melampau, sibuk cari susu kambing nak bagi baby utk redakan jaundice walaupun mati2 I defend taknak bagi baby apa2 selain breast milk.

Day 5 (28/4)
Pagi ni dah sakit2 badan dah lama sangat dok hospital. Juga I rase I kena gak tempias post natal depression di mana semua orang high expectation, sibuk ajar camni camtu and masuk campur in every ways..pressure I tau.penat gak la husband tenangkan I. Nurse kat sini pun satu jugak, taula hospital ni support breastfeeding n rooming in policy semua tapi ajar laa dulu first time mothers kan, ni main baby klahir terus masuk room je and pandai2 kau laa nk breastfeeding ka buat apa ka. Bukan semua orang terus terer menyusu anak. Tapi for a few nurses tu I memang salute habis sebab ajar I (walaupun setelah mengalami kegagalan & bengkak susu baru nak ajar, tu pun bila kita mengadu sakit la), terima kasih banyak2. Dah nak kemas2 barang ni pastu Nurse cakap my baby's jaundice naik sikit.. so kena warded lagi. Adeh dah la Dr dah bagi discharge form. Terpaksa stay another night :( Muak dah dok spital. Sib baik rumah dekat so bleh la husband ulang alik amik baju semua, and Mom & MIL pon gilir2 antar makanan utk org pantang la katekan. Huhu. Harini dah bersemangat sikit, bengkak susu pon dah kurang. Mujur I bawak jugak breastpump sendiri coz after hand expression pam jugak utk cepat keluarkan susu yang tersumbat tu supaya flow lancar. Berdoa je Amna boleh balik the next day sebab dah tak larat dok hospital, dan penat berulang alik Nursery utk feeding baby. Dah la malam ni room fee kena bayar sendiri sebab dikira as Lodger, and insurance tak cover.

Day 6 (29/4)
Bangun pagi dengan happy (tak sabar nak balik), dah tak bengkak susu and flow lancar. Menyusu Amna pon dah relax jer.. :) dan alhamdulillah finally reading jaundice Amna dah turun and dapat discharge harini.  Btw I did not give Amna susu kambing yer sebab my MIL akhirnya convinced yang baby memang takleh minum susu lain selain breastmilk:)  Yeay yeay lepas settle semua balik umah kemas barang, then petang tu jugak balik rumah my Mom utk berpantang. Lama kan dok spital.. huhu tak larat dah. My Mom plak concern dia sebab I blom start berurut dan berpantang (bengkung,pilis,etc) lagi.. haha. OK lah akhirnye setelah 5 nights berkampung kat hospital kami pun pulang.

Kesimpulannye, selepas bersalin ada lagi banyak cabaran dan dugaan especially utk first time mommies.. in my case I have some breastfeeding issue and sib baik dapat resolve cepat. Di samping itu anda juga takkan lari daripada pressure pihak ketiga, be it your husband, parents & in laws, family, etc which lead to    post natal depression - kerana anda dianggap sebagai first time mommy yang taktau apa2. So kena kuat lah.. and very important for the husband to support the wife from the beginning especially on things yang memerlukan decision pantas. Huhu the End!

My Labor Experience

(CAUTION : ENTRY PANJANG)

Assalamualaykum and hi all,

While my baby is sleeping, I wish to recall my labor experience so I won't forget it - sebagai rujukan anda dan juga untuk my labor akan datang jugak (hihi).

Secara keseluruhannya tiada yang pelik sangat my experience pun. Cuma pada Week 38, cam biasa la badan dah rasa berat tapi masih boleh gi office pada waktu pagi, tengah hari juga boleh lagi gi Foodcourt Level 2 beli makanan (tapi L4 dah tak larat dah nak gi). Atau kalau tak larat sgt tapau je kat any kedai makan ground floor.

PART 1-RAPTAI
Maka pada hari Selasa minggu itu telah pergi check-up dengan Dr, and Dr perasan I cam letih jer and bila scan baby estimated 3.27kg. Dr dah risau sebab I mentioned awal2 nak normal delivery, memandangkan saiz badan I yang kecik dia risau I tak dapat realisasikan impian I kalau tunggu sampai W40.. huhu takut baby besar. Maka dia kata `Nak induce tak? You dah W38 should be OK'.. and you dah open 1cm ni'. Terkejut gak dengar doctor cakap camtu. Sebab sejak W37 me and husband (he works in KL for 1-2 months sebab I nak deliver) asyik cakap ngan baby suruh keluar awal supaya Daddy ade banyak masa nak main ngan dia sebelum kena balik Brunei late May.. haha. Lagipun I dah tak larat sebenarnya. Gi opis pon bukan leh fokus sangat, mujur kerja2 urgent dah settle and dah wat handover. So Dr bagi MC seminggu suruh fikir nak induce anytime dalam this week, if undecided or takde tanda2 lagi dia bagi date 24/4 (W39) untuk induce labor (IOL).

So kami balik dah berfikir, mestila nak keluarkan baby cepat kalau takde pape risiko kan. But at the back of my mind I mmg day terfikir banyak jug kes IOL ni berakhir dengan c-sec sebab opening of servix tak bukak2 sampai sudah..but later I believe semua orang ada bahagian dan rezeki massing, dan cerita bersalin ni setiap orang memang berbeza. So we all tekad la nk induce hari Khamis, so Rabu malam dah pack2 barang gi hospital utk admitted. My parents yang dah risau sebab I cakap Dr bagi option untuk induce, telah tiba di rumah I dan mengantar ke hospital together with my in-laws (I sekarang berjiran ngan mertua so diorang ade je la kat KL ni).

Bila dah sampai hospital, nurse bawak gi labor room utk CTG (check contraction and heart beat baby). Contraction sikit2 je dan opening takde progress lagi. Pastu nurse gi confirm dengan Dr and sekali dia kata Dr suruh I balik. Aik..haritu kata boleh datang anytime. Huhu rasanya Dr taknak amik risiko kot and  tunggu la next week supaya baby mature sikit dalam perut.. or kalau dapat natural contraction lagi bagus. So kami pun terpakse laa balik, dah la sampai tadi siap dia tolak pakai wheelchair, tapi balik nurse suruh balik sendiri jer. Huhu so kami pun gelak2 dan singgah kedai mamak makan supper sebelum pulang. Cis penat je takut sehari semalam.. tapi bak kata my mom Allah dah tetapkan tarikh setiap orang lahir, mati and everything in between.. so belum lagi masa my baby to meet the world kot. Bapak mertua I cakap takpe, ni kita raptai sebelum betul2 hari nak bersalin nanti. Haha.

PART 2-LABOR
Sebab dah dapat MC seminggu (mase ni I W38), I pun berehat2 di rumah sambil tawaf shopping complex kat KL ni setiap hari without fail. Sogo,Pavillion,OU,KLCC.. you name it dengan harapan supaya dapat la natural contraction sebab banyak berjalan. Sampai la hari Isnin (W39), takde pape pun tanda..huhu jadi kami mempersiapkan lah barang2 sebab dalam record dah tulis IOL on 24/4, so Isnin (23/4) malam dah kena admitted sebab procedure start Selasa pagi. Kali ni kalau kena halau dengan nurse I nak saman hospital ni. So another entourage to send me and husband to hospital, this time for real. So we got a room, I was given ubat untuk buang air besar and then prepare2 untuk tido.

The rest I put in chronological manner yea memudahkan pembacaan :

6 am - Nurse datang masukkan tablet utk induce (instead of drip)
8.30 am - Dr datang check I and kata OS still 1cm, takde progress. Huhu sedikit kecewa di situ. I dah start rasa contraction, kejap sakit kejap tak.
9.30 am - Masuk labor room. Ingatkan saje2 nak check lagi rupanya I memang kena stay sini sampai bersalin. My husband bawak laptop bagai sebab nak kena submit satu Contract urgent (sempat lagi kan).
Contraction makin kuat, tapi kena jadi kuat dan abaikan je kesakitan itu.
10 am - Dr datang check I, OS still 1 cm. Dia tengok I dah menderita kesakitan, contraction dah agar high 60-70 camtu. Dr suggest I amik pethidine (painkiller), sebab takleh terus amik epidural sebab taktau lagi berapa lama dalam labor. I pon amik la tak tahan sangat. there goes my plan konon2 taknak amik pape painkiller, huhu. I pujuk diri, ni rezeki masing2..nurse siap cakap jangan compare kita dengan orang lain sebab setiap orang lain pain threshold and experience diorang.
1 pm - Contraction dah sampai 100 at times, tapi opening baru 2-3cm. Nurse ajar pakai Entonox gas plak untuk reduce sakit. I cam dah nak pengsan tahan sakit dahlah tak bleh makan, air pun minum sikit je.
3 pm - OS 4cm. Dr tanya nak tak amik epidural so that I bleh relax sikit untuk prepare for labor. I berkira2 gak takmo, tapi sebab sakit sangat2 dah setengah hari dalam LR I pon tawakkal dan husband pun izinkan so amik je, I believe ni bahagian I yang Allah dah tentukan. After masuk epidural I relax sikit, tapi contraction still rasa so boleh teran masa nak deliver nanti. So kesimpulannya I memang amik ketiga2 pain killer yang disediakan utk orang bersalin, huhu.
6.00 pm - Nurses dah start sediakan barang2 utk bersalin.
7.30 pm - 8 cm sudah. Dr and nurses dah masuk and take their positions. Dr suruh push macam orang meneran buang air bear/sembelit. Sebab masa pregnant 7-8 months tu I ada experience sembelit sikit, so I did exactly that and Dr kata `Good job! Pandai mama!Teran lagi! Come on!' Jadi dengan tenaga yang masih bersisa I pun teran sambil bear in mind jangan kuat sgt nanti koyak banyak. Huhu husband kat sebelah pun bagi semangat!
8.35 pm - Alhamdulillah Amna Sofia lahir ke dunia. Keluar2 terus merengek. Tapi last push tu Mummy dah baby dah penat sangat lama dalam labor so Amna kena vacuum sikit. Mummy terharu berlinang gak air mata.. alhamdulillah walaupun 12 hours in labour Allah permudah urusan melahirkan. Stitches pun sikit jer.. Alhamdulillah, Alhamdulillah, Allahuakbar.
10.00 pm - Lepas Mummy and baby siap semua, masuk room disambut my parents & inlaws dan Yap. My inlaws paling happy sebab sambut cucu sulung. Amna ditahnik dengan air zamzam dan madu.

OK the end of the first part.. later I sambung Post Natal pulak. Ngantuk dah. Bye!

At 33 weeks

- Ma dah bising i tak ready lagi hospital bag
- I bagi alasan sebab tak sempat2 lagi basuh baju baby utk bawak dalam hospital bag
- Tetiba Icrave to buy new maternity clothes. Kau kenape.. baper minggu je lagi tinggal
- At this stage I watched my food intake very carefully. A useful tip is never have any junkfood stock in the house, or else bangun tengah malam sebab craving potato chips atau air sprite. Hubby please take note and don't stock the house with junkfood! Nanti I makan habis!
- To date, my pregnancy weight gain is already more than I planned! Argh! I plan nak naik 10kg jer sepanjang pregnant(dream of the impossible)
- Alhamdulillah to date I have a very healthy pregnancy. Allah permudahkan urusanku :)
- Malam2 dah taknasik coz takut heartburn and takleh tido sebab kenyang sangat. Unless kalo mak mentua ajak makan ler hewhew ( eh aku pon dah terikut2 gelak camtuh)
- My Shaklee ESP helps me to fight constipation problem. Already on my 2nd canister :)
- I memang rajin makan supplement (eh tu pun nak cakap takde motif)
- Sekarang dah avoid drive long distance takut leg cramp. Tapi ade skali KL banjir aritu terperangkap dalam jem 1.5 hours mase balik dari ofis..seb baik tak cramp and selamat sampai ke rumah.
- Baju2 baby tak berani beli banyak atas nasihat ramai orang.Tapi nanti kalau dia tak cukup baju??
- Sekarang malam2 selalu penat and ngantuk awal so dah tak berape mengada sgt bila hubby tepon malam2
- Baru teringat baby bath tub and car seat tak beli lagi. Abang i know yu read this, lets get them when you come home nanti ok!