Sunday, October 25, 2015

Baby Product Review: EasyWalker Mini Buggy Stroller & Maxi Cosi Cabriofix Car Seat

(Picture taken from: http://easywalker.nl/product/mini-buggy/)

EasyWalker Mini Buggy is one of the strollers im currently using for Fayth. It comes in 2 design series and total of 6 different colours; one series which comprises of one in white colour suede design and other which is black with PVC leather, the other series is colourful in printed design.

(Picture taken from: http://dalishaishappinessishomemade.blogspot.sg/)
To show all 6 colours...

Got mine from a shop in Kaki Bukit; from Baby's Hyperstore. They sell alot of baby stuff like strollers, car seats, cots & bedding, as well as all the little nitty stuff you need for your baby. Different levels with different baby stuff; e.g. level 2 with strollers and car seats and level 3 with baby bed and bedding. The place was quite quiet on a weekday afternoon, unlike baby fairs where its cramp and difficult to find parking space. At Baby's Hyperstore you get to slowly view and shop all the stuff you need, and try all the strollers one by one with the help of the friendly staff.

baby's hyperstore kaki bukit
Arriving on level 2 you'd see a range of strollers and baby car seats, as well as some other smaller items.

baby's hyperstore kaki bukit
More strollers and baby car seats.

baby's hyperstore kaki bukit
And more!! They are all over the place...!! Many designs! Baby's Hyperstore is the sole distributor for these baby brands; Quinny, Maxi Cosi, EasyWalker Mini, Inglesina, Pegperego, Baby Cargo. Head down to look-see if you are interested in these brands. Good to try out first to have a feel before making your investment.  ; )

baby's hyperstore kaki bukit
Here's a quick glance at EasyWalker Mini Buggy's designs/colours in person.

baby's hyperstore kaki bukit
EasyWalker Mini Buggy's designs & colours.

Being said of course the suede embossed design would cost slightly pricier. Im in love with the white with suede one and the black with PVC leather design. Black is super cool and white is just so sweet, had to have one for my little girly girl.  : )

baby's hyperstor kaki bukit
See... so nice right the suede design strollers. Oh ya btw, a little suede and PVC design is only on the top part of the cover to the stroller. So don't have to worry about getting dirty fast.  ; )

baby's hyperstore kaki bukit
Back/side view of EasyWalker Mini Buggy.

baby's hyperstore kaki bukit
And this was going home with me.  ;P

Got you mummies & daddies more product information/specs from EasyWalker's official website: http://easywalker.nl/product/mini-buggy/9/


baby's hyperstore kaki bukit
The EasyWalker Mini Buggy is lightweight at just 7kg, making it the perfect travel companion. It features a multi position, fully reclinable padded seat, luxurious leather handle, compact one hand fold (super plus point!), an extra large sun canopy and a rear wheel suspension.
baby's hyperstore kaki bukit
Travel System with added car seat adapter
(car seats and car seat adapter sold separately).

What's more? If mummies and daddies drive, you can accommodate a Travel System to your stroller by adding a car seat adapter and fit your car seat onto your stroller without having to remove baby from the car seat when he/she is sound asleep.

I was advised that one of the car seat brands compatible with the EasyWalker Mini Buggy was Maxi Cosi. They come in a wide range of colours and is designed for newborns up to a year of age. The bucket-seat design is specially made to keep baby feeling safe in a cradled position.

Other compatible brands are CYBEX Aton, Besafe Izi Go, Nuna Pipa, and Kiddy Evolution Pro car seats. Car seat needs to be attached with the adaptors which are sold separately.

baby's hyper store kaki bukit
Maxi Cosi car seats in a wide range of colours.

baby's hyperstore kaki bukit
Spotted a colour that I like.  :P

baby's hyperstore kaki bukit
Side view just to show you how it looks.

baby's hyperstore kaki bukit
Got myself a car seat adapter too
(This is included if you purchase the travel system).

Specs of MaxiCosi CabrioFix car seat at a glance.

safety features how to
The friendly staff showed us how to tie the baby car seat to the car seat. Its a must to learn the correct way to fix your baby's car seat in, for safety! Must must!!

safety features how to
Ta-dah... Correct demonstration.

travel system stroller easywalker mini buggy
And this was how the whole Travel System looked like together. 

travel system set easywalker mini buggy stroller
My Travel System set;
EasyWalker Mini Buggy stroller & Maxi Cosi Cabriofix car seat.
 :D

product review maxi cosi cabriofix car sat baby
Stroller with the adapter attached wo the car seat. Just to show how the adapters look like after attaching to the stroller's side bars.

baby fayh
The next day we took little Fayth to the clinic for her vaccine jab. Look at her resting in her new Maxi Cosi car seat. Picture taken after we parked and unbuckled her. Look how snug she fits in!

baby fayth and vanessa mummy
A picture to show how my Travel System worked when using for the first time. Got my girl out from the car in her Maxi Cosi car seat and attached the car seat to the stroller. And off we go~~

baby fayth
Look at her.... Sleepy head... I removed the sun canopy for a quick second while I snapped this pic to show her sleeping in the car seat. Sunny sunny day.

For Mummies & Daddies that are keen on the products above, let me share more info...  ; )

My loots were...
1. Stroller: EasyWalker Mini Buggy in White Pepper
2. Car seat: Maxi Cosi Cabriofix in Graphite Crystal
3. Mini Buggy Car Seat Adapter

Official website link for both brands as below:

I got my set from Baby's Hyperstore which is currently offering;
2015 Mini Buggy + 2013 Maxi Cosi Cabriofix + Car Seat Adapter @ $559.00.
But do note that the stroller is priced differently for the different design series and also different price for the car seat based on year of collection.

Baby's Hyperstore's Facebook link: https://www.facebook.com/Babyhyperstore?fref=ts
And their official website link: www.babyhyperstore.blogspot.com

And the address of their shop:
69 Kaki Bukit Avenue 1 Shun Li Industrial Park Singapore 417947.

So far there's no problem in usage for me, as a matter of fact it was a breeze setting up. And definitely love the colour and design of my new loots. 

Ending this blog post with some more photos of the EasyWalker Mini Buggy below, as seen used by celebs.. Happy viewing!  ; )

The Mini.


Chinese Actress Li Xiao Lu and her Mini Stroller (the other model) in Union Jack.


Chinese Actress Lin Xilei & Taiwanese Celeb Vivian Hsu and their Union Jack Mini Buggies.


terry kwan
Taiwan-based Celeb, Terri Kwan posting up her White Pepper Mini Buggy online.

rozita che wan
Malaysian Actress Rozita Che Wan and her lovely family; also as seen the White Pepper Mini Buggy. This colour is love!

Monday, October 19, 2015

Rules of Chinese Confinement - How I Did Mine.

I think almost everyone knows that after a woman delivers a baby, she has to go through a period of confinement to nurture her body back to its pre-natal state. But how does one do that? And whether one sticks to the hard rules? Its a highly debatable topic i guess, so just to share abit of my experience on & knowledge on Chinese confinement in this short blog post.

P.S. Just a short disclaimer that what I blog is of my knowledge from reading or shared by others. Will not write detailed explanations nor state technicalities as I am no pro in this topic not certified.


Rules of Chinese Confinement

Chinese confinement lasts 28 days where first two days in the hospital after delivery will not be considered. So what are the common practices in Chinese confinement and what I practiced?

1. No drinking of plain water; drink lots of red date tea.
From what I know, red dates promotes blood circulation so drinking red dates tea is supposed to help nourish and replenish the blood (or replenish "Qi"). It's not that new mummies are totally forbidden plain water, but it's more like drinking too much of it is said to cause water retention. I personally drank all the red date tea my nanny brews for me, and took tiny sips of plain water when ever I needed to. So far so good, didn't experience water retention or sort.
Pre-packed ingredients for brewing red date tea; from PEM agency.
2. No cold food and drinks, or cooling foods.
I would have to agree with this one, and I've stuck to it since day one. All food and drinks I took had to be at least lukewarm. I mean, even a sick person shouldn't be drinking or eating cold, icy stuff so why should you (who just delivered a baby) be doing that (okay lah I sound abit harsh here but Im the type who likes to take care of health)? Ladies with their periods would often try to limit cold/cooling foods/drinks so I guess it's the same for birthing? Okay to be fair, I've read some online comments that it's okay to drink cold drinks when one is doing confinement, am not sure how true that is but I personally just avoided because it's not something too difficult to adhere to anyway. 

3. No bathing and washing of hair.
This one is pretty straight forward. It is said that bathing or washing of hair during confinement would allow winds to enter one's body, and may cause rheumatism and headaches (头风) in future. This rule was passed down from the olden days as back then one may either not have heating facilities to bathe in, or would have to bathe in a river far away from home thus catching a cold easily. These days with the convenience of warm shower, it shouldn't be a problem if you take a quick one and dry yourself right after that. If you were to engage a confinement nanny (like I did), she would usually prepare warm boiled herbal water using some special ingredients (which can be purchased from Chinese medical hall) for you to bathe in. I've bathed in that daily since the second day I was back home. As for hair washing, my nanny still believed in not washing frequently but she allowed me to wash my hair on the 15th, 22nd, and 28th day of confinement using boiled lemongrass and ginger water. Yes my head did smell after a week, but it was bearable since I tied my hair up all the time so I could keep oily hair off my face. I followed the rule because I hated headaches (who doesn't?) and didn't wanna feel sucky in case I (*touchwood*) get headaches in future just bcuz I washed my hair during confinement. I didn't wanna try my luck on this one...
Herbal bath bags bought from Chinese medical hall.



4. No watching of TV/computer/phone(etc) for long hours and no crying.
I really didn't know I was not supposed to be doing this then one day my nanny came into my room and told me off because I was watching TV; that got me stunned a little. I was not mad lah 'cuz I knew she only cared thus the nagging. Then I went to google about it and read that our eyes are somehow related to our livers. After birth since mummies suffer great loss of blood, the nourishment to the liver is depleted, and (since its linked) indirectly the eyes too. This was one rule that I broke throughout.. I mean, how could I have managed to lie in bed for 28 days without entertainment at all? Don't think anyone could. At some point I did feel my eyes strained from staring at my iPad or iPhone for too long and then I'd remind myself to take a break. I'd either rest my eyes by giving them some shut eye time, or do some stretching or walk around the house and do some light chores like folding of baby's clothes etc. Truth to be told, I cried almost everyday for the first week. Just bcuz I felt especially emotional in the initial days post delivery. I checked with my friends who delivered before I did, and they shared that it's normal for mummies to feel this way since hormones are regulating after birth. I even cried just bcuz I thought my baby looked so cute while I breastfed her. Sweet or lol?

5. No wearing of clothes that reveal too much skin; should be wearing long pants, shirt, and socks to cover up.
Haha... I didn't know about this rule as well (okay, I really didn't read up about confinement prior to the real deal lah). The first day when I came home from the hospital, I changed into a spag strapped camisole and shorts as I had to eat in the hall and the weather was really warm that afternoon. Shortly after lunch I nursed baby in my room with only the fan on, sweating away, my nanny arrived and greeted me in my room. She saw me and scolded me right away, asking me to put on at least a t-shirt and long pants as well as socks to cover myself up. I ended up getting my hubby to buy x2 pairs of cooling cotton slacks from Uniqlo; cheap and comfy! (link of pants: http://www.uniqlo.com/sg/store/women-drape-pants-1623900006.html) So I wore loose t-shirt, long pants, and socks throughout my 28-day confinement. Covering up was just a way to not let the body chill or get cold. A mummy friend did tell me wearing socks is important as wind enters the body through the feet. Hmm...?? Just follow lah. : P
what to wear uniqlo cooling clothing
Bought a pair of capri length, wore it with long socks. Damn comfy!!

what to wear long pants
Bought another one in ankle-length, comfy and versatile for home or dressed up for lazy shopping days. ; )

6. No air-con or fan, especially blown directly.
My MIL told me that only fan is allowed and not to have the wind blow directly at me so thats what I did. But LUCKY for me (continuing my story from above), after my nanny scolded me about my attire she told me to on the aircon at low fan and high temperature (e.g. 26 degree, low fan). She was my savior! Hurhurhur... So I basically slept, nursed, ate, rest, and did every other thing in my room everyday. I tell you, the first 2 weeks my body literally sweat buckets and because I sweat so much I started to have body odor (fought the stinky smell with deo!!). *faint* ( -_-") *faint* Felt so warm all the time and I think partly it was due to all the herbs and ginger in the confinement food as well as hot soup and red date tea.. Cannot tahan. ='/

7. No going out of the house.
This I agree as well since I'd be recuperating during this period, I should be resting at home. The rational is that new mummies lose a great deal of blood and plunge into a fatigue state after labor so lots of rest is required. Catching a cold is just another possible reason new mummies may encounter if heading out during this period especially during rainy days. Thought of going downstairs for facial but permission was not granted by my nanny. So yea, was a good girl/good mummy this whole time and stayed home to rest.

8. No tedious chores or exercise; mummies should lie down to rest often.
Got nagged by my nanny and MIL several times bcuz of this. First few days home I was walking around trying to unpack all the bags of freebies given by TMC, POSB, gar-ment (government, for SG50 Jubilee baby pack), and some others. Then got nagged by both of them to stop and rest. Then as the days passed, I stood around the house sometimes and kena nagged again asking me to sit down. Some days my nanny would catch me sitting at my computer desk and she would nag again asking me to lie down if not I'll get backache sitting too long at the desk. Overall this one month was quite a relaxing one since my nanny cooked and did all the chores. All I had to do was to nurse my baby and take care of my body. I've also started with some breathing exercises and progressively incorporated some light Pilates moves. 

Sometime before I delivered I posted an article on FB about mummies having split ab muscles after birth (link: http://www.befitmom.com/diastasis_recti.php). I thought it was scary and not sure how true it was. I tested on myself (instruction how to self-test in the article) after delivery and true enough, mine split up as well. It felt quite gross to feel my ab muscles separated and soft in the middle (felt soft like fats). Thats why I started with breathing exercises (recommended for mummies with split ab muscles) to slowly gain back strength in my core and repair my ab muscles before resuming regular exercises. Few weeks into my confinement, I checked the gap again and it was better already! Initially it felt like a 5cm gap (first few days after delivery), to 1-2cm gap (by 3rd week of confinement). Happy to feel the progressive recovery. Jiayou jiayou jiayou!! : D

P.S. Will write another blog post on my post natal massage.. Stay tuned. ; )
split abs abdominal muscles recovery
"Split" abdominal muscles.
(Picture taken from web: www.burrelleducation.com)

9. No dieting; mummies should eat more if possible.
I didn't really think of dieting to begin with since I knew I should be eating well in terms of nutrition to recover quickly. But my nanny literally stuffed me with food, and asked me to finish all of it slowly. I was eating 3 meals a day with a light breakfast and 2 other meals prepared by my nanny. A typical meal she prepared would consist of 3 spoons of rice (I've never liked rice but I just ate a little for the sake of it), one vegetable dish, one poultry dish, one fish dish, and most times with a bowl of soup. Alot right?? And her portion is like a standard family sized portion for three but in this case was all for me!! Even had to drink herbal soups at night after dinner. But to my surprise, I actually could finish all of it!! This period has literally been the most i've eaten in my life...... But I stuck to it since I've read that breast feeding mothers need to keep a minimum calorie count of approx. 1800 per day to sustain a good supply of milk (basically just add another 300-500 calories on top of your usual. link: http://kellymom.com/nutrition/mothers-diet/mom-calories-fluids/). So far my supply seem adequate, happy baby = happy mummy. : )
food
One of my dinners.. Yummy but big portions! What you see is only 2/3 of my entire meal!
(pardon the bad picture, where I sat for dinner was a very dim spot)

food herbal soup
One of my lunches... Told my nanny to start making smaller portioned meals towards the end of confinement, couldn't eat so much for such a long period.

10. Eating; dishes should have more ginger/wine/sesame oil in them. Herbal soups are a must too.
This was wayyyyyyy too easy for me since I love ginger, garlic, and basically eat everything and anything. Herbal soups were brewed for me to drink every night after dinner. I did enjoy my confinement meals, though some days the soup tasted weird. Ginger is great in ridding wind, sesame oil contains vit E (anti-oxidants) to lower cholesterol level, erm, wine im not sure but if you do take alcohol and are breastfeeding do note to nurse baby only 2 hours after consumption as the alcohol passes through milk from mummy to baby. If you're wondering about types of confinement food nannies prepares, mostly the dishes repeat since the ingredients are bought in larger volumes to cook over several days. E.g. you could be eating salmon for almost a week but cooked in different styles and mixed with other dishes per meal. My fav was Vinegar Pork Trotters! *Slurps** = P
chinese confinement rules how to myths
The legendary Vinegar Pork Trotters.. a must-have dish for all confinement mummies!! : P

chinese confinement rules how to myths
I opted in for a herbal package with PEM agency so my nanny brought packets of pre-packed herbs and she would make soups for me according to the day sequence. You can see on the top left - the number representing the day and the wordings represent the benefits of the soup. Easy and all well-planned out.

11. No eating of fruits.
Weeks before i delivered, a friend who was doing her confinement shared with me that fruits are not allowed during confinement. I was taken aback since fruits are nutritious I didn't see why they are forbidden. And since I had a habit to have fruits on a daily basis, I couldn't see myself not eating any for a month!! Madness.. Apparently you are allowed to consume fruits, but not the "cooling" fruits. I had mostly apples, kiwis, and sometimes bananas. Had my fruit fix everyday. 

My breakfast one time... Nanny didn't allow me bananas so I sneaked them into the room. Hurhur. Paired with some nutritional oat-y drink. Breakfast for me is usually light 'cuz lunch & dinner were always very heavy.

12. No Sex.
Like Duh... seriously..? Would you even wanna try and tear your V-jayjay's stitches (actual term of that snip: Perineum) so soon?? I don't know what's the myth to this one, but I'm sure naturally mummies who just delivered would not be thinking about it at this point. Correct me if I'm wrong. 
perineal tear vaginal birth cut
Sorry if this picture disturbs you but I had to share as it is information some may like to read on. Tried my best to not blow-up the picture, maintain a small & discreet one. Lol.
(Picture taken from web: http://www.slideshare.net/lindawylie3/perineal-issues-suturing)
______________________________________________________________________
And that's the end of my sharing session once again.. Do feel free to leave any comments or questions pertaining to the above topic and I'd revert soonest as I can. Am not paid to advertise for anyone but if you'd like contacts do drop me a comment and I'll help if possible. 

P.S. If you'd like to see my future posts, follow me on FB & IG.. 


Thank you for reading my blog. Cheers and stay tuned for more posts. ; )

Monday, October 05, 2015

What Happens on D (Labor) Day?

Hello dear readers!

It's now the 24th day since I've delivered, also to say baby Fayth is 24 days old!
Time flies man....in another week she'll turn 1 month old. Hehe.

details pregnancy pregnant baby
This was 3-day old Fayth - wrapped up before heading home from the hospital.

baby sleeping
This is her today, 24-days old. : D

Am now still doing my confinement, lying in bed typing away on my iPad... Just Kena scolding by my confinement nanny this morning saying I shouldn't keep sitting up at my computer table and should be lying down. *opps* anyways, will write up another post on confinement soon... : P

This blog post is dedicated for expecting mummies - JTS on my experience of my last few days being a pregger as well as the D day itself. ; )

When was your EDD?
So..... My EDD was supposedly 22nd September 2015. 

underwater pregnancy shoot photoshoot
Me. One of the snaps from my pre-natal underwater shoot - when I was 9 months pregnant. Credits to photographer friend: S.K. (web: www.depthofeel.com/)

When did you start your maternity leave?
My planned maternity leave was supposed to start only on 15th September. But just one visit to my gynae before my D day, my gynae mentioned that my cervix had dilated 2cm and may pop anytime from that day - I got worried and immediately requested for early ML (like one week before my planned date) cuz I didn't want to pop that early (FYI I was 37+ weeks then, preferred to deliver full term). 

What did you do during ML?
So...on 5th September I was officially on ML, rested at home all day watching tv, surfing the net, chit chatting with my MIL and hubby (yes, he went on leave with me). 

About cervix dilation.....?
Even though I would very much prefer to deliver closer to the EDD, I already expected earlier delivery since many mummies on FB pregger's group page mentioned that from the time they were advised by their gynae of their cervix opening, most mummies on an average deliver within the next 2-4 days... So that's what happened for me, 5 days later.... 

what happens on labor labour day D
JTS ~

Were there signs before your water bag broke?
Back track a little..... During first few days of my ML, as days passed I thought maybe I was the few that could pass 1 or 2 weeks after the slight dilation of my cervix. Then came the 3rd night where I had mild stomach cramps after getting up to pee in the middle of the night (my nightly routine, approx. 2-3am), felt abit like stomach ache where I felt abit like wanting to go to the toilet to poo poo. But shortly after, I fell asleep till the dawn came. Same thing happened on the 4th night, so I started to have a strange feeling but didn't bother too much about it... 

How did your water bag break?
On the 5th night, I woke up at 1:45am and went to pee as usual... Before I got out of the bed, I felt as though some fluid was coming out of my va-jayjay. Went to pee and took a peek at my panty liner and it was clear so I went back to my room. While I was taking a quick sip of water before jumping back into bed, a big gush of water just rushed down my legs and FOR SURE I knew my water bag broke. Hey, I read on some articles saying that water bag leaking or breaking usually isn't like what you see on television bcuz it just usually trickles down.. Hell no! Mine was just like what you see on TV! Haha, no joke! The fluid was so much and so warm, I quickly grabbed tissues to kinda like stuff my crouch area but still flooded below me. My hubby at that time got up to pee as well and when he came back to the room he was half blur and half stunned that my D day had come. Haha! 

What did you do after your water bag broke?
So I did as advised by experienced mummies; grabbed my towel and clean undies, went straight into the shower to bathe and most importantly...wash my hair! Calmly got dressed and packed a handful of fruits and some moon cake to fill myself along the way to the hospital, downed a bottle of chicken essence before heading out, and grabbed my "hospital bag" with me. In the car I ate the fruits, before I could even start on the moon cakes, the contractions kicked in and I just couldn't do anything else but concentrate on my breathing. Then the contractions got more and more intense I started to perspire cold sweat. Woah, the pain........is no joke. Arrived at TMC I got down the car and my hubby requested for a wheel chair from the security guard cuz I was in so much pain I couldn't walk. *sweat*

The very first big decision to make - pain relieve option.
After getting dressed in the hospital gown lying on the bed in the waiting area, the nurse asked if I wanted epidural. Prior to the D day, I told myself I wanted to try natural birth wo epi as I was very afraid of the side effects eg back ache (bcuz I love to exercise, imagine having back ache while working out...pfffft...). So when the nurse asked me the question, i was half hearted. I asked the nurse if the intensity would get much higher then the pain I was already feeling, and she said to me "yes my dear, cuz you're not even half way there" (at that point I was only 4cm dilated). But I told her of my concerns about my fears of backache later on she answered "my grandfather didn't bear children and he has backache".... That made me laugh and gave me a sense of relive to opt for epidural, so yes, I took it... Yes, I chickened out. -.-"

More on Epidural....
It is important to make a clear decision on the delivery method as well as pain relieve option because it takes the anethetist approx. 30 minutes to come to your delivery suite upon you agreeing to it, and the pain relief takes another short while to take effect. The jab for the epi was really painful by the way... If I recall now, it felt sore like acupuncture but x100 bcuz it felt like the needle was so much thicker than the thin acupuncture needles (watch video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=SG&v=uNDcf3Vw1vo&hl=en-GB). It was pain + sore, and it hurts so much when the fluid injects into your back.... Hokay, so much on the horrors for now, after the effect of epi kicked in I felt super comfy - no pain no nothing! The only only side effect I experienced was shivering, like the kind of shivers you get when you feel cold. Other than that, alls fine...I could even take power naps in between the waiting time for my cervix to dilate fully.


what happens on labor labour day D
Epidural needle in blue. (taken from web: http://www.scancrit.com/2012/04/22/epidural-us-eyes-needle/)

Cervix dilation...
It took me 5+ hours to dilate fully (from 4cm) to 10cm (that's where you can start to push). Nurses gave me one hour period to do pushing, and if after that one hour baby was still not coming out I would then have to decide on assistive delivery eg. Forceps, vacuum, etc. 

Labor... How was it like?
I personally did not attend classes for labor preparation so I didn't know what I was gonna expect at all. I did attend CBE (Child Birth Education classes) but only took 3 out of the 6 lessons which did not include topics on labor. But the nurses were all very friendly and taught me breathing techniques and how to push during labor. Basically your contractions come in intervals; 1 minute on, 1 or few minutes off, etc. The nurses advised to push during contractions and rest in between. With epi taken, I basically felt no pain at all that whole time even. Couldn't feel the contractions as well so I was given que when it was time to push. For each time to push, I took in my biggest breath and hugged my thighs (to curl myself up a little to feel as though doing crunches so I could contract my abdominal muscles since lower half of my body was already fully numb since this was the only was I could feel my pushing efforts) and pushed as hard as I could until I was out of breath then exhaled and took another big breath and pushed again. I would repeat this for 4-5 times (depending whether I was out of breath) and that would be effort for one contraction. So it basically goes on and on like this until your baby comes out. One word: shag. 


what happens on labor labour day D
Just for laughs. (taken from web: http://quotesgram.com/funny-labor-and-delivery-quotes/)

How did you feel as your little one popped?
It was my final push (I could feel it was the last push) and I gave my all (until my face cringed into the centre, haha), my gynae picked up a pair or surgical scissors (if that's how you call it) and snipped my va-jayjay (actual term: perineum) and there....little Fayth came popping out. My very first sentiments on seeing this little human was #1 stunned for a second didn't know how to feel, #2 then stunned for another second thinking how this little human had so much hair, lol!! I didn't feel as touched as I pictured myself to be like sobbing out loud and all, but I sure did feel the joy when I held her in my arms the first time looking at this little human that came out from me. :~)

give birth giving delivery TMC thompson medical
Our first touch. *love*

What now?
After the happy moments, gynae "delivered" my placenta and stitched my down there up while nurses cleaned and weighed & measured baby Fayth. I was sent up to my suite and first thing was to EAT first! Lol... Although I hadn't had any meals in the last 18hours, I didn't feel hungry I think I was more tired than anything. The rest of the time would be resting and baby bonding time. A Lactation consultant came to visit to teach me how to latch baby Fayth on. This is very important cuz you wanna do it correctly and not end up with blistered nips or engorged breasts (mastitis) and baby not having enough just bcuz she couldn't get it out of you properly. Learn while you can in the hospital and master before you head home, cuz after you're home you will be on your own. If and u less you don't have the intention to breast feed then it's fine. (Will blog about breast feeding soon too..) 

thompson medical tmc
Happy with her birth weight. 3015, huat ah! Haha. : D
tmc thompson medical baby girl newborn
Hehe.. that swollen-faced newborn.
breastfeed breast feeding newborn
Her very first latch-on. :~)

So yes, this basically sums up my entire D day and what I could recall. Hope it gave mummies (or daddies) some insights on what to expect for labor. Now looking back this entire 9 months of my pregnancy journey, till the very last day and the birth of my child and writing this blog post makes me feel rather emotional (tearing already lah). Can't believe all these just happened. Friends who told me they feel scared about being pregnant, I tell them; you will feel prepared when the day comes, for you have been preparing for whole 10 months. Power of a mother's love.

Feel free to leave comments for any questions relating to this topic. Cheers ~  ; )


And just a few more pics before ending this blog post. : )

tmc thompson medical newborn suites
*Smile* ya la ya la, tried to sneak in a selfie when no one was in the room. Hurhur.

thompson medical centre tmc newborn suites room
Our first family portrait. *loves* Lovely roses from le hubs and cute rocking horse balloon from Auntie Alice, Geraldine, and Jessica. *Muacks*

thompson medical tmc suites room
@>-----
tmc thompson medical newborn suites room
@>----- Thankful for my hubby to be beside me.... *Muackssss*