Life back home again

We're back to milking business again! Hmm... Breastfeeding is no doubt an amazing journey to be on but there are practical considerations I seem to have forgotten: the engorgement!

My breasts are so full of milk now I just have to massage them and they start dripping like faulty taps. I can't remember if AN managed to empty them at this stage of life. Maybe not. I do remember however that once AN got the hang of suckling, I could find relief on at least the one breast she emptied, if not both when she got real hungry. It's probably too early to be expecting ER to be capable of that at the moment.

I had to hand express the milk and watch them go down the sink. What a waste!! The little boy is a good sleeper and doesn't seem to be waking up often enough to suckle. It's not really bad news (so we will get more free moments while he's in dreamland) but not good news for my milk supply.

Mr Liow took the Jie Jie back to FV to do further packing up and so that she does not disturb my rest. And I've not brought milk bottles over to store breastmilk yet. Bye bye good colostrum... I have to sacrifice you so that milk does not assume I do not need them after you leave us.

ER did a scary thing just now. He was drinking peacefully when all of a sudden, he made a loud noise twice and then stopped moving totally. Mum got terrified, me too but I managed to hide the anxiety. He was breathing when I checked, thank God! Then we realized he was just doing his big business in the most exaggerated manner -____-" AN never did that as an infant. Pooping was as simple as passing urine for her.

He pooped at least 6 times since we got home!

How different is he from AN as an infant? He sucks much better each time, may not be longer but he drinks more than AN used to drink at each go. He spits out milk more than AN used to as well, maybe coz he drinks more than his stomach can take? AN never needed much burping. She hardly spit milk out and by her 2nd to 3rd month, she burped on her own.

AN never needed straining to get poop out. ER does (heard him make the loud noise a few more times and I'm no longer as worried anymore). This cartoon ER seem to go into a trance after he successfully pushes poop out: he stops moving totally, which was what scare me the 1st time

-______-"

I've experienced the "pee-shooting" ritual mummies of boys told me about. While I was cleaning him up just now and not being aware of what might happen, he started peeing and I witnessed the fountain of pee being aimed right out of the diapers onto the pee pad he was on! Thank God he is still not old enough to shoot any further onto his mattress!

It's easier cleaning up a girl. I was afraid I'd burst his testicles and they were kind of in the way. Made it harder to wipe in between his thighs after pooping.

AN was allowed to suckle again (to help relieve my soreness). She politely asked if she could suckle after ER gets his feed like half expecting me to say no. Since she was behaving, I agreed. Reminded her that this is an incentive and she still has to have milk and food in addition to B-milk now. Actual fact is, I was waiting to get her to help ER with emptying my breasts. Beats expressing colostrum down the drain a million times!! I want AN to have the antibodies as well, while stocks last! It's a ittle too late now I think. Milk has turned white instead of yellow :( but still, better than nothing.

She was good before bed but started throwing tanthrums when she realised she had to sleep with Mr Liow tonight instead of me. She pleaded pitifully to squeeze with us on the bed and would not take no as an answer. Mr Liow tried talking her into sleeping with him but she simply refused to and started screaming. Extremely sticky girl we have now, but I can understand why. She's always been sleeping with me and she wants to be involved as a sister to ER as much as possible. We allowed her to sleep with ER and I on the bed in the end. I don't want her to associate bad things with ER. I sleep in between both of them. Hehe.

Mr Liow suggested that my mum and I with ER, go back to FV to sleep tomorrow night, and he will remain with AN at my parents' plc till we finally all go back on Fri or Sat. Sounds like a good idea. She'll probably accept the idea of Daddy sleeping beside her in my absence better. She's been doing that for the past 2 nights while I was in the hospital anyway and didn't make any fuss about it.

There are many things we have to fine-tune still, like who's going to sleep with who after the confinement. AN said she wanted to sleep in her own room. We hope so. And wenwere hoping ER can share the room with her. He slept through AN's loud tantrums just now, and AN slept through his cries while we changed his diapers.

Finally, I'm feeling very blessed sleeping in between my 2 babies now. I never thought I'd be enjoying this moment(I thought it'll be stressful!) Thank God for the lives He has created through Mr Liow and I.