Battlefield Day 1: A BIG MESS

Ok, I take back what I said yesterday about wanting to spend 24 hours alone with my son.

I now realize it is not as easy as it seems. Confinement nannies are indeed godsent! :)

As of yesterday night, my confinement nanny, Yu Hua Aunty went back home and it has NOT been a breeze at all.

I was blur, confused, a little lost and it doesn’t help that my big baby (my husband) was about to be down with flu.

My battlefield sked goes like this:

6pm: Have dinner with hubby and confinement nanny and send her home. Baby starts crying towards the end of the dinner and refuses to stop crying despite me assuring him that he is reaching home soon and that I promise to feed him soon. Sigh…

7pm: Feeds baby while I watch one of my favourite shows, Tong Xing Yuan. He ‘pui’ my nipple after a while and pretends to sleep. Only to wake up like 15 minutes later to ask to be fed again. Why cant he drink everything at one shot leh?

8pm: I receive sms from Sinclair, my ex colleague that she is visiting me in half an hours time. Shit! I better feed my son full full.. if not will have to sit in room to feed him while visitors are here. But he keeps spitting out my nipple after a short while. I have a bad feeling that tonight, milk supply is not really alot...

8.30pm: Sinclair and her husband, Bill are here. Ace was feeding halfway. I finish within 5 nminutes so that they can see him. We talk, he sleeps for like 5 minutes and wakes up again.. in a short while, he asks to be fed again and my poor visitors leave just 30 min after stepping into my house.

9.00pm: He is feeding again! Just as well.. I am watching my favourite show anywayz. He drinks for a while and pretends to sleep.. after a while, he wakes and starts to drink again.

10.30pm: I decide to put him to bed. I switch off the lights and switch on some nice music. This is the first day he is sleeping in my room. I hope he gets used to it.

11pm: He doesn’t sleep long and cries for milk. Maybe he is crying for me. I don’t know. But in that case, I decide that I will sleep together with him to make him feel good.

11.40pm: He cries yet AGAIN! This time, I decide that I will make him formula. He seems to be VERY HUNGRY. Max makes him 120 ml of formula and he finishes in a short while. He wouldn’t even let the nipple go when he is done. Shit, I hope he doesn’t wake up too early tonight. We burp him and walk him around.. finally to bed at 12 midnite.

1.20am: Oops. Usually formula lasts him about 3-4 hours. He is SUPPOSED TO wake up at 3.30 am but there he goes. I talk to him and shake him a little and put him back.

No good. He wants to be fed.

I feed him and he sleeps within like 5 minutes.

2.30: He makes noises. I pat him and he goes back to bed

6.30am: Since 2.30am, he has woken up once EVERY HOUR. Everytime, if he doesn’t sleep after some patting, I feed him for a while and put him back to bed. Oh dear, will I have enough milk in the morning if he is feeding so frequently?

7am: He wakes up together with Daddy and as Daddy leaves home for work. He decides that he wants breakfast and cries again. I feed him and he is pacified for a while. I feel a little lost and don’t know what to do… I decide to cook his bottle and cook more bottles for me to express if there is a chance.

I play music for him and teaches him his ABCs. I play his daily game of finding where various body parts are and he loses interest halfway and asks to be fed.

8am: He has been feeding on off on off for the past hour. I decide that it is late enough to start bathing him and start to prepare to bath him. I boil water as his asks to be fed again and I tell him that I will feed him after I bath him.

I try to imitate what I saw aunty doing when bathing him. But after I dry and dress him, I realized that I forgot to wash his ears. Bah, will do that tomorrow.

9am: He starts his on off feeding again. I am going crazy. Why wouldn’t he just finish his feeding all at one shot????

I attempt to wash clothes, do my daily prayers and clean the house in between feedings.

11am: He finally sleeps! Yipee! I login and check my emails, write my blog… and I quickly eat an apple for breakfast. You heard me right. I wake at 7am and have breakfast at 11.

11.30am: Good things dun last forever. He wakes and asks to be fed. Just as he is about to sleep… I am feeling very hungry but he wouldn’t stop sucking and wouldn’t sleep. I can’t go and eat. I am so hungry I wonder where all the milk is coming from since I only had an apple.

“DING DONG!” Help is here! My parents are here and I am so glad to see them!!!!!

12.15pm: My parents have gone home after feeding me n fixing the pipe. What would I do without parents!

My baby cries again and I feed him AGAIN. I then decide to nap with him. But every half an hour, he cries and I just feed him lying down. I am too tired to care.

1.15pm: I wake up and thought I could have some time to myself but I think we have telepathy. He wakes up the minute I get out of bed and cries. He wets his nappy again like for the 4th time today after his bath!

2.40pm: I clever now. Just now at 2pm, I started feeding him properly 15 minutes on both breasts to make sure he is full. Off to polyclinic now for his first jab of the month ;) Looks like it works! He is very happily playing to himself as I type this and get ready to go out! J

5pm: Well, he is indeed a brave boy! Cried for like 2 seconds during his jab and slept through the rest of the journey. I feel so proud of myself for bringing him out alone.:)

He has grown well. Head is now 39cm, weight is 4.67kg and his height is now 59cm ;)

I bath and change and get ready to bring him to office.

11.30pm: Just came back from office. He is a doll! Everyone loves him and says he is cute. He just slept through most of the whole experience. But mummy forgot to change his diapers.. he suddenly decided to poop after not shitting for 3 days and it came out in one big mess.. his nappy, clothes, everything also kenna poop! Even the pram which he is using for the FIRST TIME also kenna.. maybe should buy 4D huh??:P

Bathed him, fed him again and put him to bed. Afterwhich I expressed the left over milk he did not finish.

A mere 20ml but I am trying to collect the milk he never drink to consolidate into one big bottle.. he drank the 130ml of pre expressed milk I fed him in office so quickly I wonder if he drinks enough when he drinks straight from the breast. But he seems to be growing ok ;)

Finally, bed time. Please, gohonzon, let him sleep till 4, 5am ;) I need the rest!