A few of my breastpumping essentials

It's recommended to start pumping after at least 6 weeks post-partum, when the mother's milk supply is already established. However, I've been really worried that Maddy may not take a bottle of breastmilk when I go back to work. I started pumping to store around my 4th week, because I wanted her to try feeding from a bottle. Plus, I wanted to give myself a few hours in a week to go out, go to the mall, watch a movie with Hanley etc.

Several of my breastpumping items have been preordered from Amazon and some were only purchased recently, like my pumping bag.

1. Wallaby Mommy pumping bag - The Wallaby Mommy hospital/nursing/pump bag is locally made. The owner Minnie has been very accommodating when I was contemplating purchasing one. What I love about this bag are the front drop-flap and the side drop-flap! Plus it comes with an insulated bag already!

The front drop-flap has my wipes, Sharpie and masking tape for labeling my breastmilk storage bags and storage bottles, hand sanitizer/Casino Femme alcohol, and other smaller items.

The side drop-flap opens up to a cubby hole where I put my breastpump, adaptor and transformer, and allows me to access them with ease. The cubby hole and side flap also "hides" the items when I want to pump in public.

My record book for Maddy's feeding and sleeping schedules fit in the deep side pocket at the back. The bag itself is roomy enough inside to fit the insulated bag, although I use the Fridge-to-Go cooler instead, which anyway fits just right all the same.

2. Fridge-to-Go - The Fridge-to-Go has surround cooling and removable cooling panels on all sides, which really keeps my stored milk cool for up to 10 hours. It has a 6-can or storage bottle capacity and I can actually shove the entire bag into the freezer, instead of removing all the panels and freezing them separately.

Also, since I haven't really been pumping 6 bottles of milk yet, I use the extra space to keep cool my pump parts and the Lock&Lock twist container I put them in, after each pump session within a day.

I ordered my Fridge-to-Go from BaoBaoBabies.com.

3. Medela Swing Solution Set - I contemplated getting a double electric pump, but the more I thought about it, the more it appears to me that a single electric pump would be much easier and convenient to use. I want to leave a free hand for working/typing and I don't want the hassle of putting on a hands-free pumping bra.

My Japanese and former law office roommate Tomoko used the Medela Swing to store milk for her two kids.  She was pumping at work and storing for at least a year, using just the Medela Swing. So in my head, the Medela Swing has already been established to be effective, so I didn't really exert that much effort to look into other brands or models.

I got the Solution Set because it was more value for money. Aside from the pump itself, the set came with 2 breastmilk bottles and lids, 30 disposable bra pads, a lanolin nipple cream, 5 Quick Clean bags (good for 20 uses each) and 20 Pump and Save breastmilk bags.

i'll be doing a separate review on the Medela Swing soon.

5. Philips Avent Natural bottles and sealing discs - The Natural line's wide, breast-shaped nipples promotes natural latch-on and has an anti-colic venting system. The Natural bottles are made from polypropylene, which is BPA-free.

I also got sealing discs which can turn the bottles into storage containers! Perfect for when I don't feel like using or bringing the Medela storage containers just to transfer the pumped milk to the bottles. This way, I can pump and store directly in the milk bottles themselves.

6. Philips Avent milk storage cups - It's too expensive to buy like dozens of Avent milk bottles just for storage purposes. It's advised that you pump and store around 1oz of milk for every hour that you will be away from the baby, since they consume an average of 25-30oz of milk daily. This means that with Maddy taking almost 3oz of milk if bottle-fed, I'll need to keep a stock of at least 10 3oz storage containers of milk at any one time. 

I purchased the Avent milk storage cups because not only can they be used to store my pumped milk, but also with the adaptors they come with, they can be hooked up to Avent milk bottle rings and nipples.  By being able to pump, store and feed from just one container, there's no need to transfer breast milk and wash twice as much bottles/containers.

The storage cups also have leak-proof twist-on lid for a more secure seal.

7. Maymom conversion kit - Since the Medela pump isn't compatible with Avent bottles and storage containers, I bought a Maymom conversion kit, which includes 4 conversion rings with sealing rings, which enables my Medela pump to attach to the Avent bottles and storage containers. For the storage containers, you just need to attach the adaptor as well, in addition to the Maymom converter.

8. Lock&Lock twist container - While the instructions are to wash the pump parts after every use, most of the mommies I know agree that it's likewise safe (and more convenient) to simply put your pump parts in a ziplock or airtight container in the fridge in between pump sessions (no need to rinse). The pump parts will be fine in you simply take them out for the next use and put them back in the fridge again. I only rinse and then sterilize the entire set at the end of the day.

For me, the Lock&Lock container is the perfect size and has the perfect dimensions to fit all my pump parts and to fit in the Fridge-to-Go.

9. Reusable gel ice packs - While I'll be using my Fridge-to-go for keeping my pumped milk at work, Maddy's yaya will be bringing the Wallaby Mommy insulated bag for my already pumped and refrigerated milk when they go to the in-laws while I'm at work. Reusable gel packs help keep the milk cool in transit to the in-laws.

10. Milk bags - I use milk bags if I want to pump and freeze my milk.  Milk bags are more expensive in the long run, since they're disposable (and cost around Php20-30 pesos PER BAG).  Frozen milk lasts 3-6 months in the freezer and since milk bags take up less space than storage containers, they're more practical to use for frozen milk.

Pregnancy and Post-Partum Reads

I read a lot on pregnancy, what to do post-partum, how to care for a newborn, how to breastfeed, etc. Most of my resources were online. But I do have two bedside staple reads that basically answered most of my questions, allayed several of my fears and worries, and guided me throughout my pregnancy and first month with Maddy.

What to Expect When You're Expecting by Heidi Murkoff

What I love about this book was that the chapters were arranged by detailed week-by-week fetal development.

Project Mom: Our Natural Approach to Motherhood by Bianca Araneta-Elizalde & Amanda Griffin-Jacob

Since I aimed to exclusively breastfeed, and Bianca Araneta-Elizalde and Amanda Griffin-Jacob were staunch breastfeeding and natural motherhood advocates (and were locals), I felt that I could related more to what they wrote down, rather than if I bought a book on parenting written by foreigners.

Martine de Luna wrote a beautiful review on the book.

Project Mom offers a clear and comprehensive guide to natural motherhood, with tips from pregnancy, breastfeeding, how to care for the newborn once you bring him or her home, baby gears  and products, healthy food habits for the baby, etc. And since it's written locally, most of the items are readily available in the Philippines. If I can't find them in department stores or local baby stores, I can usually find them in Cudsly.com or BaoBaoBabies.com.

Getting Started on Breastfeeding

Off the bat, I knew I wanted to breastfeed rather than formula-feed, at least for the first 6 months or so.  Better if I could do it longer.  The benefits of breastmilk far outweigh those of formula, for one. By simply nursing your newborn for the first couple of days, where he or she gets colostrum (don't mistake this for the usual white breastmilk you're familiar with), you are giving your baby his or her first vaccine. Colostrum protects your newborn from infection by coating his or her intestinal tract and preventing harmful bacteria.  Colostrum also acts as a laxative to clean out meconium, your baby's first poop (it's black and tar-like, made up of the substance that lines the baby's intestines).

But... my primary reasons for breastfeeding are #1 it's free and #2 it's convenient. 

A 900-gram can of formula milk ranges from Php400-1000.  And a baby consumes a 900-gram can every two weeks or so. 

Formula-feeding also requires using baby bottles and sterilization, and a lot of other minor tasks that you don't need with breastfeeding.

Benefits of and Interesting Information about Breastfeeding/Breastmilk

1. Breastmilk builds the newborn's immune system.  Newborns on their own do not yet have a mature immune system to protect them from illness. The antibodies in the mother's breastmilk are actually transferred to the baby, giving them immunity from the illness that the mother is also immune to, and protects the baby from infectious agents he or she is most likely to encounter in his or her first few weeks of life. 

What's interesting is that a mother's milk is custom-designed to protect her baby.  When your baby is exposed to a new germ, this is passed on to the mother during feeding, and the mother manufactures antibodies to that germ which she then transfers to the baby during the next feeding!

2. Breastmilk is your baby's complete food.  Your breastmilk already contains all and has the perfect balance of the vitamins and nutrients he or she needs in the first 6 months. Breastmilk is 90% water, and provides all your baby's necessary hydration.  You do not need to supplement breastmilk with water or any other liquid/food.

Do you know that the composition or components of breastmilk changes every day according to your baby's needs? This means that your milk now will not have the same composition as your milk a month from now.

3. Breastmilk will always be the right temperature for your baby. There is no need to warm or cool your breastmilk before the baby can ingest it. It is always the perfect temperature. If your baby is feeling warm or feverish, your breastmilk with be cooler than normal!

4. Breastmilk is easily digestible.  Newborns do not yet have a mature digestive system.  The composition of breastmilk makes it easier to digest than formula, because breastmilk contains enzymes that actually aid digestion.  This is why breastmilk is digested in 1.5 hours or so, while formula takes 3-4 hours to digest.  All of the protein in breastmilk is digested and absorbed by the baby's system, while only about half of the protein in formula are so absorbed. The remaining half is passed by the baby as waste product, which is why formula-fed babies have larger, firmer stools than breastfed babies.

Because breastmilk is easily digestible and there is less waste product, breastfed babies rarely become constipated.

5. Breastfed babies report to have higher IQ and better jaw alignment.  Unlike bottle feeding, where babies "suck" rather than "suckle", breastfeeding requires a coordinated tongue and jaw movement and the exertion of more effort than if the babies were sucking milk out of a bottle nipple.  This exercise strengthens the baby's jaw.

More importantly, breastmilk has been shown to be richer in the long-chain saturated fatty acids that are essential for brain development.

6. Breastfeeding is great for weight loss.  Producing milk burns an average of 500 calories a day, which is about a one-pound weight loss per week! Breastfeeding is therefore a great way to help you shed the weight you've gained during pregnancy, without having to do any exercise yet.

7. Breastfeeding reduces the risk of breast cancer and osteoporosis.  According to studies, a woman's risk of developing breast cancer decreases every year she breastfeeds. The benefits are significantly less, however, for women who only breastfeeds for less than a year. In addition, while mothers lose calcium while lactating, their bone density not only returns but actually increases after weaning, resulting in stronger bones and reduced risk of osteoporosis.

8. Breastfeeding delays the return of your menstrual period.  Exclusively breastfeeding mommies for 6 months do not get their period during this time, and rarely ovulate (and therefore is a natural birth control).

9. Nursing for at least 6 months already protects your baby against several illnesses and childhood cancers, while nursing for more than a year gives your baby health benefits lasting a lifetime (against diabetes, asthma, obesity, high cholesterol).

10. Breastfeeding fosters a bond between the mother and baby, resulting in few feelings of anxiety and stronger sense of connection.

The Proper Latch

While pregnant, I not only read a lot on breastfeeding and the proper way to do it, I also joined seminars and talks on the matter.  Even more, I set up a meeting with Kristy Luy who heads the Cebu Breastfeeding Club.  A staunch advocate of breastfeeding, Kristy talked me through proper latch and positioning, frequency of feeds, etc.

They say that while breastfeeding is a natural process, it doesn't necessarily come naturally.  I agree. Had I not met with Kristy or sat in on the breastfeeding talks or seminars, I would have been at a complete loss and would not have been able to effectively breastfeed Maddy.

Both Kristy and the seminars emphasized the importance of a proper latch, which is the key to the baby's happy and easy feeding, and mommy's pain-free nursing.  Without proper latching by the baby to the mother's breasts, nursing can be excruciatingly painful.

Here are a few tips and pieces of advice I gathered on proper latching, positioning, and breastfeeding in general:

(a) Start breastfeeding your baby when she is alert and shows cues of hunger.  Don't wait until the baby is wailing.  Hunger cues are when your baby starts sucking his or her fists or fingers, or moving his or her side to side looking for your breast.  In Maddy's case, her hunger cues are when she starts sucking on my shoulder or arm while I'm holding her, or when makes a rooting complex and follows my finger when I touch the corner of her mouth or cheek. 

(b) Tickle her lower lip with your nipple.  This makes the baby open his or her mouth at its widest, which enables you to insert your breast tissue and areola, rather than just your nipple, into the baby's mouth. 

(c) When the baby's mouth is wide open, bring your baby to your breasts - do not move your breast towards your baby. There is poor latching if you are hunched over your baby.

Your baby's lips have to be turned out and puckered like a fish's; otherwise, unlatch and try again.

(d) Make sure that the baby latches on to both the nipple and areola. Sucking on the nipple will not compress the milk ducts and will cause soreness and cracking to the nipple, and lead to a very painful nursing.  For my sore and sometimes cracked nipples, I found Mustela's Nursing Comfort Balm to be extremely effective. What's great is that it's hypoallergenic, can be used right after a feed,  and there's no need to rinse it out for the next feed.

However, more often than not it was easier and as effective for me to just express a little breastmilk and apply the milk around the sore and cracked nipples. Yes - freshly expressed breastmilk has antibacterial properties and can soothe and heal your cracked and sore nipples! Just don't forget to air dry after you apply the milk. 

Actually, in general, don't forget to air dry your nipples after feeding.

(e) Make sure that your breasts are not blocking the baby's nose. Lightly depress your breast with your finger.  If you are cradle holding your baby, try to lower or drop her bum.  This will slightly lift your baby's head up.

(f) Once your baby has finished nursing, but is still latched on, do not pull out your nipple. Break the suction by depressing your breast or inserting your pinkie or finger into the corner of the baby's mouth to let in air.

(g) Nurse on demand. Kristy was firm that you should not feed on a schedule; rather, feed on demand. If the demand is not yet there and your newborn is sleeping for more than 3-4 hours, wake him or her up by tickling his or her feet or prodding their cheeks. Frequent nursing increases your milk supply. While a baby usually feeds 5-15 minutes on each breast or a total of 30-40 minutes, there is no need to limit your sessions if the baby still wants to feed.  Remember, overfeeding is not very likely in breastfed babies (unless they are frequently spitting up or regurgitating the milk), but is more common with formula-fed babies.

Oftentimes during the baby's first few weeks and months, they will cluster feed and will want to be latched on to your breast endlessly for 2-3 hours (4 hours on occasion, in my case!). This is normal. While this usually occurs before the baby's evening sleep time, cluster feeding can strike early or late in the afternoon, or even past midnight. For Maddy, she has cluster fed from 10pm-1am and even 11pm-2am O_o Talk about sleepless nights.

And don't expect your weeks-old baby to give you 2-3 hour intervals between sleeping and feeding. While others are lucky this way, Maddy on the other hand has been feeding hourly.  It's only when she hit the 1-month mark that she has started sleeping for half an hour to an hour longer than usual.

(h) Aim to empty a breast. Ideally you'd want to empty out one breast before offering the other. What I do is alternate these exercises. Most times I offer the first breast for feeding 10-15 minutes, burp her, then offer the other. Once in a while I'll offer only one breast exclusively for that feeding session, and the other for the next, just to really empty out the breasts in that day.

Why? So that your body can produce more milk (which it does more if your breasts empty out), and there is less chance of plugged milk ducts and engorgement.  Also, so your baby can get the hindmilk. Foremilk is the milk that comes out at the start of feeding, and is watery, to satiate your baby's thirst. Hindmilk, which comes out a bit later, has higher fat content than foremilk, is creamier, and stimulates the baby's growth.

Breastfeeding Positions

Among the several positions for breastfeeding, I just regularly do the cradle hold.

Sometimes if I'm really tired at night and am too exhausted to lift up Maddy, I'll bring her to the bed, level her head with my breast, and feed her side-lying. We both end up falling asleep on our sides, facing each other. 

(side-lying for an exhausted mommy)

An important thing to note during cradle or cross-cradle, and clearly during side-lying, is that the baby's tummy should be facing you. The baby's entire body should be in a straight line, with the knees, hips, stomach, chest and head facing towards the mommy. It can just be the baby's face or head turned at the neck to suck.

I usually put a small pillow under my arm to help prop Maddy's head and keep it level with my breast. A lot of people swear by Boppy Pillow, and I actually have one ordered off Amazon.

However, sometimes I found the Boppy cumbersome to use. It takes a while to wedge myself inside the curve, which is difficult to do when I'm already holding on to Maddy. It's a bit too thick and heavy to pick up with one hand, so it's necessary that you're already wedged in the Boppy before you can pick up your baby for nursing.  It t kind of only works when you're sitting straight in a chair, and not so much when you're in bed or a low couch.

Kristy mentioned that a rolled up towel will do fine to prop up under your arm.  Personally, I've been more inclined to use a travel neck pillow. It's firm but cushiony, small enough to easily adjust with one free hand and big enough to support Maddy's head.

Happy breastfeeding!

Maddy Turns 1 Month Old!

My baby girl turns a month old today! While she's grown up so fast in the past month, I cannot in truth say that I want her to be a baby forever. I want longer sleep and feeding intervals :D 

The past month, we've learned that:

1. She doesn't like to be disturbed during feeding. That means you can't engage her in too animated a conversation, you can't touch or play with her feet, and you can't bother her with a lot of cooing sounds.

But, she also wants mommy's full concentration during feeding. If she catches me texting or checking facebook, or watching an episode of a tv series on the laptop while I'm breastfeeding, she'll complain and let out a whimper.

2. She's like her mommy - doesn't know how to chill and relax! She's always kunot-nuo, meaning her forehead's always creased with some troubles even when sleeping. My worrywart genes passed on to her :(

3. She loves to stretch during feeding! She'll just stop sucking for a moment, let out a big, long stretch, then resume hehe

4. She makes the cutest Zoolander face when she wants to fart or poop! She purses her lips and her  eyes and face turns really really round.

5. She loves sleeping on my chest although we really try to put her down on her co-sleeper, because of the risks involved - but I minimize these but framing my body left and right with body pillows in case she falls off me.

6. Her deepest longest sleeps are always those after her morning bath and feed. Unfortunately, methinks she's a light sleeper like her mommy and she wakes up so fast at the littlest sound!

7. Our bedtime routine involves a sponge bath and either I read out a story to her or I sing. Her favorites are mommy's wobbly rendition of A Whole New World and Can You Feel the Love Tonight.

8. She enjoys listening to Norah Jones, Michael Buble and Rod Stewart. I think she like soul/blues/jazz.

9. She thoroughly enjoys being brush combed and her eyes just glaze over during brush time. 

10. When she's wailing because she's hungry, no matter how the yaya or her dad soothes her, she'll always abruptly stop crying and calm down when I take her in my arms and/or when she hears my voice telling her to wait, hold on, and mommy's getting ready to feed her.  Those brief 5-10 seconds mommy-powered calmness are priceless.

We love you baby girl!

Top 10 Newborn Essentials/Accessories (so far, at 4 weeks)

Other than the obviously basic necessities like clothes, mittens, socks, bonnets, cotton wools and swabs, I've found the following items to be indispensable the last 4 weeks: 

1. Dex Baby Spin Changing Station - This was part of our baby registry in Rustan's and it was given to us as a gift during my baby shower.  I cannot imagine how else I would have organized or what other alternative storage container could have offered the same easy access to all my diaper/nappy changing items. The station holds Maddy's diapers, cotton wool and cotton swab container, a cup of water for the cotton wool, a shelf for the diaper wipes, the Tiny Buds In-a-Rash cream, thermometer, the Pigeon care set items, a bottle of ethyl alcohol, a roll of tissue and a roll of bamboo diaper liners.

2. Baby World Rubber Cot Sheet - We bought ours in SM Department Store, but Cudsly.com also carries it. We have a diaper changing bad in Maddy's nursery for use during the day, but we bought this rubber cot sheet to be kept in our room where Maddy sleeps so that we could easily change her diapers at night. It's easy to clean and wipe down, and rolls up for easy storage.

3. Super Twins Cool & Dry diapers - We've tried Mamy Poko, Pampers and Huggies, but found Super Twins Cool & Dry diapers to be the most value-for-money.  It's cheaper than other diapers, and is locally manufactured by Megasoft Hygienic Products, Inc. They're not in Rustan's supermarket, and it's my father-in-law who gets them for us from his friend, but I've been told that they're available in Gaisano or SM supermarkets.  They're extremely absorbent and Maddy sleeps so soundly in them. The only downside is these diapers have a denim design, which just doesn't work for some of her outfits. o_O

4. Tiny Buds In a Rash soothing cream - A good friend of mine gifted us with a Tiny Buds care package for babies, which included the In a Rash soothing cream.  Tiny Buds' products are natural baby products without harsh chemicals and artificial preservatives.  The soothing cream is meant for diaper rashes, allergies and skin irritations.  True enough, we applied a bit to Maddy's bum when it looked red and irritated from another brand of diapers we used.  In just a few hours, the redness and irritation subsided.  We've also applied the cream to her neck folds and face when red bumps/heat rash started to show up, and to help with her baby acne. 

5. Pampers sensitive wipes - We ordered several packs of Pampers sensitive wipes from Amazon, since they were cheaper in the US, and had an aunt bring them back home here to Cebu. They are  thick (reportedly thicker by 20% than Pampers' regular wipes), mild and hypoallergenic. I've been using them for a couple of weeks now, just for evening diaper changes when she's in our room, and so far she hasn't shown signs of irritation or rashes. During the mornings and afternoon, we don't use wipes, but just cotton wool and water for nappy changes.

6. bamboo diaper liners - My mother-in-law stumbled across this in BaobaoBabies store in Oakridge. They're 100 sheets per roll, hypoallergenic and fragrance-free, and are meant to be placed inside cloth diapers as a lining to catch the solid waste.  However, we've used them instead as a lining to put over the dirty diaper (if the diaper has a lot of poop) while we clean her up and change her diaper.  This way, Maddy sits on a clean liner and doesn't park her bum in the dirty diaper or on the changing pad while we clean her.

7. flannel receiving blankets - In an earlier post, I explained why we preferred flannel receiving blankets to muslin ones. We have several of the Babies R Us and Carter's flannel receiving blankets, which we have been using as swaddle cloths, as her blanket, as a cover for when we go out and as a makeshift "pillow" when folded up. 

8. Pigeon "baby feelings" care set - My mother in law got this set for us from Japan, and the set includes nail scissors, a brush comb, nose aspirator/nose bulb syringe and baby tweezers.  The nail scissors are easy to use and the yaya has been using them without incident to trim her nails while Maddy sleeps. Maddy also love love loves them brush comb! She zones out while her hair is being combed after her morning bath. As for the nose aspirator, we actually prefer to use the generic bulb syringe that the hospital gave. Pigeon's has a smaller hole, and we found the bigger one of the generic syringe to be more effective in getting the mucus and snots out. However, Pigeon's can be taken apart into two for easy cleaning.

9. Johnson's baby head-to-toe wash - This was the wash given to us by the hospital for Maddy's bath time. She hasn't shown any adverse skin reaction to it and the smell is mild enough, but as soon as it's finished we'll probably try out Human Nature's baby wash next.

10. Muconase saline spray - There was a period of time when Maddy's nose was always clogged, and she had a hard time breathing and breastfeeding at the same time.  The pedia recommended the Muconase saline spray. I thought the spray would hurt Maddy's nose, but it worked fine and she didn't even cry out. The spray makes the stuck up mucus easier to remove with the bulb syringe.

Hospital Bag

A month and a half before my due date, I already prepared a hand-carry bag with my things and Maddy's things for the hospital.  I separated her items from mine for easy access, especially since I'll be confined to the labor, delivery and thereafter recovery rooms, with Hanley needing to be the one to rifle through the bags for whatever's needed.

My Bag

1. Important Documents and ballpen - I brought my Philhealth CF1 Form, as signed by the employer/employer's representative.  However, it turned out that the hospital also needed a CF1 form where the baby is indicated as a dependent already (even if they're not registered yet).  On the day of our discharge, we had to send someone to the company office to give the HR a copy of Maddy's certificate of live birth, so that they could in turn give us a signed CF1 form indicating Maddy as a dependent.  This makes it two (2) CF1 forms that the hospital required.  I did not need to bring my SSS MAT-1 form.

I also needed to bring copies of our marriage certificate and our birth certificates.  For good measure, because I'm thorough like that, I also made copies of mine and the hubby's company IDs, and two (2) government issued IDs each.

2. Adult Diapers and Maternity Pads - You will experience postpartum vaginal bleeding and discharge (lochia) from the open blood vessels when the placenta is separated from the uterus, and from the stitches if you've had a tear during birth.  I used Caress adult diapers for around a day and a half, changing maybe every 3-4 hours. On my last day in the hospital or around 2 days postpartum, the bleeding lessened enough that Modess maternity pads sufficed.

3. Nursing Bras and Breast Pads - I bought a pair of nursing bras from Mothercare and a pack of Pigeon breast pads.  Although to be quite honest I didn't get to use them at all.  In the first couple of days postpartum, your breasts will only really produce a few millimeters of colostrum, which is all that your baby needs for those first couple of days.  Your milk, like mine, will only come in on the 3rd or 4th day, at which time I was already at home.

4. Change of clothes (including pajamas and slippers), towel, toiletries - You're only given a thin hospital gown upon admission to labor and all throughout your stay, so be sure to bring at least pajama bottoms and slippers. They didn't room the baby in with me immediately, so for the first day back at our hospital room, the nurses woke me up every 2-3 hours to be wheeled in to the nursery so I could breastfeed Maddy.  Lucky for me our room was just across the hall from the nursery, but imagine if you were on a different floor or so. You'd want to be dressed appropriately while being wheeled along the hospital corridors.

My going-home clothes consisted of dresses with buttons down the front for easy access for breastfeeding.

5. Disposable undies - I got mine at Watson's. You really don't want to have to think of dirty underwear just piling up during your stay in the hospital.

6. Evian spritzer - This isn't really a necessity but more of a splurge on my part, which had its good use! Since I was going through ge lai, I can't exactly take a shower.  Anyway, with all the soreness and stitches around my lady parts, it was difficult to get in and out of bed just to freshen up in the bathroom. So the spritzer helped when I just wanted a fresh face :D

7. Gatorade and snacks - It's so exhausting to be up all the time to breastfeed. And when I wasn't breastfeeding, random resident doctors and nurses were entering the room to take my temperature, blood pressure, to give me my medicine, or take the baby's temperature and blood pressure. No one warned me about this bit. You wish they could all come at the same time, instead of separately and hourly.

8. Cellphone and charger

Daddy's Bag

1. Cash - Hospitals usually require a deposit upon admission.  Make sure to call ahead and inquire about the amount to be deposited for your private room.  Ours was around Php20k.

2. Change of clothes and toiletries

3. Camera

Maddy's Bag

1. Clothes for 3 days and in 2 different sizes - I had a prenatal yoga classmate whose daughter came out so big, she completely skipped the newborn clothes sizes.  So I brought 0-3 month clothes and 3-6 month clothes, just in case.

I chose to bring side-tie or side-snap shirts and loose-ish sleepers/onesies with snaps in the leg area, taking into consideration the umbilical cord stump.  I also brought bonnets, mittens and socks. 

2. Diapers - We didn't know what diapers would Maddy be okay with, so we got one of the priciest ones - Mamy Poko, at least for the first few days or first week.  We didn't want to scrimp on diapers, especially during this first week.  It's more expensive to treat diaper rash than it is to spend for more or less Php10 per diaper.

The nurses will get the diapers from you, since they'll be the ones changing the baby until she is roomed in with the mother.

3. Receiving blankets - I never understood what receiving blankets were for, but we received quite a lot for my baby shower.  We brought around 3.  We found them more useful for swaddling! There's actually a distinction between receiving blankets and swaddle cloths.  In any case, receiving blankets are more all-purpose - as a changing mat, burp cloth, clean surface for the baby to lay down on, or swaddling. 

For us, we prefer the flannel receiving blankets from Carter's and Babies R Us, and we hardly use the Aden+Anais muslin cloths/swaddle cloths except as burp clothes.  I found that while the Aden+Anais muslin cloths are lighter and softer, they can easily obstruct Maddy's nose/breathing when she gets out of the swaddle and messes around with the cloth.  Since the flannel ones are stiffer, they can't easily "float" down on her face.

4. Baby wipes - It is actually recommended that babies need only cotton wool and water for cleaning (when changing nappies). But for ease of use at least in the hospital, we chose to bring alcohol-free hypoallergenic baby wipes instead.

5. Baby bath towel - The hospital nurses will actually be the ones to give your baby her first bath.  In our case, they gave us (well it's included in the hospital fee) a small baby bathtub/basin, Johnson's baby head-to-toe baby wash, a small towel to wipe clean her face, cotton balls and cotton buds, isopropyl alcohol (for the umbilical cord).  So we really just needed to provide the baby bath towel and the change of clothes.

4am silent conversations with myself and my 3-week old

Me to Maddy (crying while feeding): "It's not you, it's me."

"Feck! You spit up your milk! Gah, there's milk in my hair! And my pajamas! And your sleeper! And your receiving blanket!" .. Should I change? .. Nah, I'm too tired."

"You're such a rabid dog when you feed."

"Here, let's take a selfie so I will always remember that you kept me up til 5am feeding, and you only fell asleep when I settled down on the bed in a weird angle with all 6 pounds of you laying down heavily on my chest.  Doesn't matter if I can't breathe properly, if this gets me 30minutes of sleep."

"I have trained and raced with fewer hours of sleep than this. Bring it."

"I've always been a light sleeper. I think I was made that way in preparation for this."

"I can't remember the last time I had more than 2 hours of sleep at one time."

(Changing diapers) "Please don't wake up please don't wake up please don't wake up."

(Changing diapers part II) "There! Don't you feel nice and ready to sleep longer with fresh diapers?!" (then she poops in the new diapers) "Crap."

"Love you Maddy ... zzzzz"

My Pregnancy Exercises

Since I actively worked out and trained before I got pregnant, I knew I could more or less maintain the same intensity, if not tone my exercises down a little, until I give birth. I read that exercising helps improve the baby's cardiovascular health after birth. Plus, it kept me sane, in addition to the fact that exercising helped with the occasional back pains. I honestly believe that exposing yourself and your body to regular exercises helps it cope better to the stresses, fatigue and other physical and emotional changes brought about by pregnancy.

My personal pregnancy exercise rules/guidelines were simple:

(1) I didn't try anything new. Pre-natal yoga doesn't really count since it's not as strenuous.  This rule means that if you weren't a runner or a swimmer prior to getting pregnant, don't over-exert yourself getting into it during your pregnancy.

(2) If I'm already panting, I stop and rest.  Exercising during pregnancy helps the body process and utilize oxygen, which is important for the mom and the baby. But you don't want to increase your heart rate so much and make it hard for yourself and the baby to get oxygen. While I was trained to push beyond the pain to get more fitness gains, this can't really apply when you're pregnant. 

(3) I your my workouts to just an hour or less.

Just remember, you want to exercise during pregnancy to maintain fitness, and not to lose weight. 

My workouts varied between the first, second and third trimester, as my tummy grew bigger and it became more laborious to breathe during cardio exercises.  

For the first to around mid-second trimester, I engaged in a lot of core exercises while the baby wasn't big enough yet.  I also kept running and swimming so I didn't need to do a lot of arm or leg workouts.

Around mid-second to the third trimester, I made the decision to run less and just do easy swims. This is why I had to put in more arm and leg exercises and weights. I also started to do prenatal yoga with Asana (more on this in another post) around this time.

As a reference, I compiled below more or less the exercises I did during my pregnancy, other than yoga and swimming.

Maddy's Birth Story

At around the 36th week, my OB did an internal examination ("IE") and informed me that I was already 2-3 cm dilated.  I was surprised to hear that since I haven't felt any contractions (other than what I assumed were Braxton Hicks contractions).  She advised that I go on bed rest and take a leave from work.  She wanted me to reach 37 weeks at least, so the baby would not be considered premature.

Well. That didn't happen. I just really wanted to maximize my maternity leave and I wasn't going to use precious leave days sitting around the house.  So yes, I still went to work. Still did my pregnancy exercises. Still swam twice that week.  

The following week, I had another checkup. I was already around 37 weeks and 3 days that November 21. Before going to the OB, the hubby, mother in law and I even went to Ramen Yushoken (recently opened in Oakridge!) that lunch and passed by the Christmas bazaar at Oakridge Pavilion.  

 (lunch at Ramen Yushoken)

So when the OB did another IE at around 4pm, she exclaimed that I was already 5cm dilated and considered in "active labor"! Huh?! Regardless of the fact that I felt no painful contractions whatsoever, she insisted that I be admitted already. Okay. There goes my plan of a luxurious bath before I go into "ge lai". 

(picture picture lang before I was admitted into the Labor Room around 5pm on Nov 21)

I was admitted into the Labor Room at Cebu Doctor's. Gah. No cellphones. I gave my sister a call before I was wheeled in, to let her and my parents know.  I didn't even get to bring in a book. I only had a flimsy hospital gown. I laid down on the bed, with 4 or so other women in the room who were in various stages of labor. It was not at all pleasant to hear other pregnant mommies' moans and groans. I found a resident doctor's gynecology textbook and asked to borrow it. Read a good deal into it before my OB came to visit around 8pm.

She did another IE, declared me to be around 7cm dilated and broke my water.  I felt painful contractions around 30 minutes after that. Boy. They were painful! It wasn't an acute kind of pain, the type that you would get from a gash or wound.  It was a radiating pain from the gut/pelvis, like LBM-feelings on steroids. I was lucky to have a bed beside a wall. I was knocking my head against the wall every time the contractions came, which at first were around 3-5minutes apart and 30 seconds long, and which became around a minute apart and a minute long.

I vaguely remember being wheeled in to the delivery room soon after. I remember a lot of doctors/residents in the room, and being asked to push! Even if I wanted an epidural (I informed the OB from the outset that if I could deliver without anaesthesia, I would prefer that), I couldn't have been given one anymore at that point. I dilated quickly to 10cm. After a lot of pushes (apparently I was fake pushing at some point - I thought I was pushing, turns out I wasn't haha), baby Maddy came out at 9.55pm! Her neck was in a cord coil, hence her face was purple and "bruised".  But she was healthy and we were roomed in the next day.

Short and sweet labor. Hurrah!

Everything in Threes

I remember a friend telling me that good things come in threes. This year - 2015 - I found myself getting married, moving to Cebu, and now having recently gave birth to a beautiful and healthy baby girl.

What a whirlwind.  My flight to Cebu was the day right after the wedding.  I found that I was pregnant not long after.  It was easy to be overwhelmed with the move, learning a new dialect, getting used to the Cebu office where I work as a corporate counsel, and trying to make new friends.  But my in laws are awesome, DH was the coolest husband, and I had no pregnancy issues.  I adapted quite quickly to the more laid-back Cebu pace and was enjoying every moment of my pregnancy, except that I had to pause with triathlon training and racing, and tone down on my exercises.

Now I'm on my maternity leave, adjusting to motherhood and the many changes it brings with it. I can honestly say that the past two-three weeks post partum have been really hard. I found myself crying randomly over the smallest things.

This tiny human being needs all of my time (and milk!) for survival. I was at her beck and call 24/7.

It's exhausting. Throw in the fact that I'm on "ge lai" Chinese tradition. House arrest for a month. I'm also perpetually hot and sweaty from breastfeeding. (On the plus side, I lost a lot of my pregnancy fats and am only a few pounds shy of my original weight!)

But there are rainbows to look forward to. Every day there's progress and every day I feel more of myself again.  I've started to be a master interpreter of Maddy's tiny cues for feeding, changing her diaper, gas, overheating, clogged nose, reflux, etc.

I can't wait til the end of my ge lai when hubby and I can go out on a date night! (or date afternoon :P)

(Two weeks old!)

Wong. Two. Three. Breathe. Relax. Repeat.