Updates on Maisarah
- Weight: 5.91kg, height: 59.5 cm, head circumference: 42 cm (my baby is growing up fast and for sure she'll be taller than me later on)
- She can now smile and laugh. Every time I smile and acknowledge her, she will surely smile back.
- She is loving her cot mobile. She keeps looking at all the animals going round and round. She is also very attentive to the music (selection from Bach, Mozart and Bethoven). When she is very excited, she will make noises at the animals.
- She is also starting to turn. My mum says she turned once but from what I've seen she's 80% there. Just need to get her head up and free her bottom hand. She does this especially when she is frustrated and wants to be picked up.
- Her neck is very strong now. The doctor pulled her hands to get her up from lying position and her head followed.
- She is bald now! On 24th January my mum and dad shaved off her hair while Shah and I were at work. Kesian anak mummy! But her hair has started to grow back. I wonder how it will be.
She certainly has brought lots of changes. Some we've managed to tackle with ease and some we're still learning to handle.
Sleep
I no longer need lots of sleep and am easily awakened by Maisarah's slightest whimper. My beauty sleep which usually can not be less than 8 hours uninterrupted has been reduced to roughly about 4-5 hours with interrutions in between. But the beauty of life is that Allah has planned it such that any woman will adapt to the changes brought on by motherhood (I think!). And now that I have started working, I've been getting more sleep ever since I've mastered the skill of nursing while lying down.
Workwise
Yes, I've started working for almost 4 weeks now and have managed to still exclusively breastfeed Maisarah. I'm now bestfriends with my Av*ent I*sis iQ Uno pump. In order to keep up with Maisarah's appetite of 4 oz of milk every 2-3 hours or so, I need to pump 4 times at work (one more than the normal 3 times recommended by most lactation consultants and websites on expressing at work). This is mainly because we are now commuting from PJ and we have to leave home at 6:30 am and arrive back home at 7:30 pm. So, I'm away from Maisarah for almost 13 hours every day and during this time she consumes about 20 oz total of milk. Every day, I managed to pump almost 16-18 oz at the office and this will be followed by another pumping session at home after Maisarah has gone off to sleep. I've also mastered the art of writing emails and reading while pumping at work to make sure I get my work done for the day. Lucky for me I have no classes this semester and am free from teaching until July. So I'm only left with research, consultany and management work. I'll only stat teaching in July and by then Maisarah will be 6 months. I pray to Allah that I can continue to exclusively breastfeed Maisarah till she is 2 years old.
Couch Potato no more
I used to be a TV addict. Always in front of the telly watching movies on HOB, Cinemax and star Movies and TV series like Heroes, House, CSI, not to miss reality shows like American Idol and One in a Million. Now, with Maisarah, I'm no longer watching all these. By the time I reach home from work, I need to freshen up, pray and eat quickly before nursing Maisarah and putting her to sleep. She usually sleeps at 9:30 or 10 pm. Then I go on to pump a bit more before going to the kitchen to wash and strilise all the pumping equipments and feeding bottles and preparing all the things needed to bring to the office the next day. I fnish all this at around 11 pm and then only go to bed. Weekends is the only time left for me to watch a bit of TV.
Outings
As most of parents know, going out now is not as easy as it used to be. Lots of preparation is needed. Maisarah's first outing was on the 9th February to The Cur*ve. She sat in her baby carrier/stroller for the first hour or so. Then she was hungry so I took her to the Baby Care room and fed her. The Baby Care room at The Cur*ve is so nice. The room has a section for baby changing and 2 private rooms for breastfeeding. Anyway, after feeding and changing Maisarah, we continued to walk around. By this time Maisarah was no longer sitting in her stroller but is being carried by Shah. after 2 hours at The Cur*ve we decided to go home as Maisarah was cranky and wanted her nap.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/abumblebee/2278021015/
Originally uploaded by ABumbleBee.
Baby Care Room
Originally uploaded by ABumbleBee.
Her 2nd outing was last Saturday to Midv*alley and The Gar*dens. This time we brought along my sister (Mama Ya to Maisarah) and my mum (Baba to Maisarah). We also brought with us a baby carrier for Shah to wear just incase Maisarah was bored sitting in her stroller. True enough after 1/2 an hour in her stroller, Maisarah wanted to get out. So Shah carried her in the baby carrier and within an hour she was fast asleep. I guess, we'll be making more use of the baby carrier than the stroller from now on. This time Maisarah's was out for about 5 hours. One interesting find at Ise*tan at The Gardens is their Nursery Room which is much nicer than the one in The Cur*ve. It's more spacious and even has a microwave to heat up baby food. (I guess you must have figured out that I now go crazy whenever we find a Baby Changing Room.) Pictures of this outing is in my sisters camera. I'll try and get hold of them soon to upload here.
Well, I guess that's some of the changes that I can remember. Even so, words cannot describe the love and happiness Maisarah has brought into our lives. I miss her so much at work and can't get enough of her smile. I wish I can stay at home with her everyday!
