Tandem nursing Umaira & Amira

Alhamdulillah...its been a week now and Allah has eased me in my breastfeeding journey, Bf-ing on demand and not scheduled.

In fact, I am currently doing tandem nursing for both doters. That is concurrently nursing both of them.

There are of course, 'well meaning advices' from around saying that Umaira might not be getting enough, so Amira has to stop or I have to supplement Umaira with formula. Well, thank you all for the concerns. But I know and truly believe that Allah's creations are wonderful. The breast can adapt to the demands being placed upon it. If you are nursing for 2, it will produce enough if not more to meet the demand, subhanallah.

Even when Rasulullah was an infant, he was being nursed by HalimatusSa'diah, who was also nursing her own baby, not to mention those having twins,triplets and so on. So I don't understand why nursing more than one seems foreign and weird to some of us nowadays.*maybe coz Amira is already a toddler?*

There are actually several reasons why I decided upon tandem nursing:
- I would not want Amira to feel left out upon arrival of a new sister.
- I would like to give Amira the freedom to decide when to wean off completely.
- I do not have the heart to stop Amira from BF-ing.
- I read that it promotes bonding between the two siblings.

My one-week experience on tandem nursing:

- Actually I find that Amira is actually more excited to be nursed than Umaira. I thought she wouldn't like the taste of the milk (she doesn't drink milk) but it turned out that she LOVE it.

- Of course I do feel uncomfortable at times when Amira wants to nurse at the same time as her sister. I mean just imagine I had to hold baby in one hand and a toddler in the other. Sometimes I let her be, and some other times I will ask her to wait till I put the baby to sleep first.

- If they nurse together, I usually will take a sitting position on the bed.

- It really helps when I feel BM is a lot. I would just ask Amira if she wants to be nursed and she would gladly obliged. -I am really lazy to pump,heh-

- It helps prevent engorgement, alhamdulillah.

I am thankful that I am given the opportunity to be able to give the best for my daughters insyaAllah. For those out there struggling in their BF-ing journey, persevere and believe that no matter how hard it is, no matter what others tell you (even doctors, always get a second opinion) and no matter how painful it is, YOU HAVE THE RIGHT IN GIVING THE BEST FOR YOUR PRECIOUS ONES AND FIND COMFORT IN IT. ALL THE BEST.

The newest addition...

Alhamdulillah, we are blessed in this special month with a newest addition to our family.

Umaira Balqis bte Mohammad Razman

28/8/10 3.48kg

11:44am

Parkway East Hospital, Singapore

Once again, I was eased by His will during the delivery - subhanallah, thank you O Allah! If the first time my labour period was only for 3 hours, but this time it was half of that! I truly salute those who endured long labours, for I feel that though it was a short time, but it was the most agonizing moments in my life. But then again, it was well worth the pain!

Just like the first, I was induced. This time it was Abah's and my choice - we can still choose to wait till another week - and turned out that it was the best one made. Reason is baby had already pooped inside, found out when Dr. Aziz burst my water bag. Wait a little longer and I will have to undergo c-sect *shudder*.

At that time I was only 2-3cm dilated, so there's another 7cm to go. For some it can take up to an hour or more to dilate a cm. I had about 5-6 major excruciating contractions before feeling the urge to push. But I had to refrain as Dr. Aziz was not around yet for he did not expect it to be so soon. It was HARD trying not to push. At last after 3 times contractions, he came. Umaira was out on the 2nd push. It felt like I was in a marathon with the people around cheering me on and that helped a lot. I am thankful that Abah was with me all the time too. Though at some moments I was annoyed, like when he asked "Mama ok tak?" when I was in the middle of a contraction! *I know u meant well..:)*

All in all, I am glad thats over and went well. Now enduring confinement. Bigger responsibility and bigger test of patience awaits.

And how is Amira Balqis -big sis-  taking this new change....hmm...not quite well for now. She had fever the first few days, now showing a lot more tantrums, mood swings and so on. Pray that its just short phase, amin. But when in good mood, she did show love to lil sis, and fondly called her Umaiyyah Batis..:)

Fasting during pregnancy

1/3 of Ramadhan had left us. How time flies.

Alhamdulillah, managed to cover all the days and I have one more week to go! *excited+NERVOUS*

39th week baby is getting ready to pop!

I believe that as Allah had ordained us this responsibility, then He will be the ONE who will give us the strength to carry it out. I also believe that it is safe for some to carry on fasting as Allah did not exactly rule out pregnant mothers from fasting, except that leniency is given for us not to fast if our health does not permit it.

Just be sure to always tune in to your body as you yourself must be aware whether or not you are fit or otherwise.

Just to share some tips and info for soon-to-be mummies during Ramadhan:

- Do not skip your Sahur. Drink plenty of fluids. Hydrate yourself as most likely the reason you are  feeling unwell is because of dehydration.
-Keep cool during fasting. Do not frequent hot and crowded places. It will dehydrate you faster and even put you off your mood.
-If possible, get more rest. To conserve energy and fluids.
-Do not attempt to continue fasting if you feel really unwell, such as dizziness or lightheadedness. Those are indications that your brains are not getting blood flow and oxygen as well as your baby's.
-Also do not continue if you are having uterine contractions (a balling up or tightening feeling, or the feeling menstrual cramps) as it might lead to preterm contractions and preterm labour.

No two pregnant ladies are the same, so do not be discouraged if you feel that you are unable to fast. Allah is Most Compassionate.

I am also thankful that I came across a fantastic health supplement - just tried their sample pack for the past 3 days. I only had a handful of cornflakes, a cup of milo + the supplement for my sahur and hamdanlillah it lasted me well throughout the day.

Pre-natal Check ups

Alhamdulillah am into 38+ weeks now. Basically another week to go, insyaAllah!

Reached Singapore today at noon, and went for an appointment with my gynae, Dr Aziz. A warm, friendly and comical doctor indeed! We are very happy so far with his service.

For this second pregnancy, we moved a lot. I mean initially we stayed at Johore, then moved to Kuantan. So for the first trimester, check ups were done at Johore.

We went to Bio-Sucinas, a husband and wife's clinic. Service was good, If we did not move to Kuantan, most probably I would have chosen to deliver at the Puteri Hospital, Johore. Average check up fees were about RM150-200 each visit (inc scan and meds).

After moving to Kuantan, in second trimester, we went to al-Farabi clinic. No specific doctors but alhamdulillah so far the ones I met were good and accommodating. I was shocked though the first time making payment. It was super CHEAP! Only RM50 inc of scans and jabs!

For the third trimester, since we had decided to deliver in Singapore, we chose to try out a different gynae since Abah was not too keen with our first and we thought it would be better to choose a fellow Muslim to welcome our newborn. That was why we decided upon Dr. Aziz.

First time consultation fee was S$120 and since that time I was already into my 35th week, we had to pay the booking fee for the hospital which was S$1000. Follow up consultation fee was S$45 , not inc of scans or other misc checks.

During the previous check up, he explained in detailed on what to expect during labour and delivery. Though this is my second pregnancy, but some of the things he shared are new to me. Here are some of the 'tips' he gave:

- During labour, you will be given options to 'relief' the contraction pains. The first option would be gas inhalation. The trick is to inhale it BEFORE you feel the contraction as it will only take effect 5-10 seconds after inhaled. So if you inhale when you already feels the pain, it will not be helpful as contraction pains comes and goes.

- During delivery, the position to take is to put both of your hands behind your thighs and pull it back. Chin close to your chest and push! (Listen to your doctor when to push and stop)

- To avoid tearing, he advised to push and stop when he prompts to (that is when baby's head is visible), then what you should do is to look up and blow instead of pushing. BLOW like you are blowing a lot invisible of birthday candles!  

Next week insyaAllah will be the final check up if everything goes as planned. I just hope that baby can wait for Abah to reach here first before popping, as now Abah is at Kuantan attending his work. I would want him by my side when the time comes, insyaAllah.

I still cant believe that there's only a week to go! May Allah ease us and keep us safe and sound amin.