Happy Chinese New Year everyone.
Have been busy with a holiday overseas. Think am still slightly jetlagged from the 3 hour time difference between KL and Sydney. Never had jetlag for so long after traveling from Australia before.
It has its plus points in a way. Means its slightly easier for me to get in the morning to go running. Did a first run in the year of the rabbit last Sunday morning. Ran about 13.3kms before having to walk the rest of the way back for a total distance of about 14kms.
My left knee was hurting from running at a faster pace. I was "playing" with a group of guys who were running at about 5'40/km pace. Was pretty good fun... Kept up all the way until the hill incline.
Oops - I digressed from the title of this blog.
The room that endured the fire was cleaned up by the contractor before Chinese New Year! I heart my contractor, when he gets things right. He mobilised his workers really quickly. We got the debris all removed and then the room was prepped for painting and the floor cleaned up. Then he got the electrician in to install a new air cond unit and fixed up the lights too. Wah lah! Done! In about 3 days' work! woohoo!
The insurance companies, on the other hand, sigh.. a different story altogether.
Will post up photo of the 'new' room.
oh! also newsworthy - husband and I are going out for our SECOND dinner date tonight! woah.... so good, ya? Nothing special other than trying to use up vouchers for free meals we have!!!
Friday, February 18, 2011
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Fire!
Was a usual Sat evening at home - around about 6.30pm. In the bathroom, during baby's bathtime.
During her bath, the lights in the bathroom went out. Went downstairs and confirmed that circuit had tripped. Told the husband and came back upstairs to continue with baby's bath. Finished her bath and I came out of the bathroom into the baby's room, followed by the maid with baby. She walked into the room and said that she could smell something burning. I immediately thought that maybe the wires had somehow fused or something because in the morning, the lights in my bathroom did a pop and then went off, tripping the circuit too.
The husband came in asking if I had tested which lights were the ones tripping the circuit. Then said that he could also smell something burning. Directed himself to the switch for the bathroom lights and commented that the smell was getting stronger. Then he turned to open the room door to his parents' room.... and then he exclaimed, "OHMIGAWD! GET OUT! GET OUT!"
He quickly ran downstairs scooped up Bubbles on his way who was waiting at the stairs, the maid carried the baby and followed him, while I was the last one out. I turned to look behind as I came out of the baby's room and saw fire through the crack underneath the door and thought, "OH FARK!"
Once we got outside, the husband started to trying to ring the bomba, but only had the phone number for the Bangsar Police Station. We got a bit of cover at the neighbour's which had an open porch, as it started to rain soon after we got out. Plus, baby was naked! She only had the wet towel wrapped around her. We also got the Logan, the golden retriever who was outside at the porch area on the way out. The husband took off his shirt for baby, but his shirt was already wet and cold.
Husband knocked and shouted to the neighbours to get out of their house as well, in case the fire started spreading. We stopped the Home Guard security who happened to be doing his rounds to call the fire brigade.
The police arrived quite quickly, I'd say about 5 minutes after, as they were from the police station close by. I think there were 4 or 5 of them who came in motorbikes. They went in with the husband to check. I was still waiting outside and saw that he opened all the windows from our bedroom and smoke started to come out after. I just stood there fearing any sudden explosions. I didn't have my mobile phone with me, and couldn't stand just hanging around outside. So I tied up Logan and ran inside to the master bedroom to grab my phone (even saw my DSLR camera on the dresser and made the decision to leave it!!!). When I was in the house, I couldn't see the fire underneath the crack of the door anymore and presumed that the fire had gone out.
Came back outside and called my sister to tell her what was happening. I then called my brother, to tell him that I was dropping baby off with the maid so she could get some clothes on. Poor baby must've figured something was wrong as she was quiet throughout. Bubbles also went with them.
Came back to the house and the Bomba arrived and Gavin was still running in and out of the house topless. At some point here I think, I figured it was safe enough to go inside and pick up some clothes for baby. Inside, the fire was out, and looked like a CSI scene, as there was no power, it was dark, smoky and torchlights were flashing about.
I retrieved our passports, my watch, rings and some clothes for baby. Brother came by at that time and I passed him the bags with the valuables. Then came out and my sister arrived then and took hold of Logan who was still tied to the neighbour's pole.
Stood outside for awhile to explain what had happened to my sister and then got a call from my brother to ask if they should give baby any food. At this point I went in to the kitchen to get some milk and milk bottle for baby. Passed them to my sister who took Logan to my brother's house as well. By this time, we had also retrieved both our laptops and husband saved my DSLR camera, so my sister trooped them all off to safety.
By this time, when I went inside the house again, the mattress with burn patches had been pulled out of the room. And the bomba lady (ya, a firelady, not a fireman - she a big momma! "don't mess with her, fire!") was explaining her theory of how the fire must've started from the wall fan. It probably overheated as it was left switched on, then melted the plastic around the motor, melted plastic bits dripped onto the bed below, burnt, spread to the curtains next to the bed, and spread along that wall to the air conditioner which also melted. The melting plastic was also dripping on to the wardrobe of clothes underneath that.
At first they weren't sure if it was the air conditioning unit as well but she concluded it was the wall fan (i can't remember why now - she da CSI, not me).
Husband's account of events.
When he approached the room door, he opened it slowly and with the door just slightly open he could feel an inferno of heat from behind the door, before shouting at us to get out of the house.
When the police came, they asked him to show where the fire was, eventhough he thought he shouldn't go into a burning house. They got to the door, opened it and immediately the fire started blowing up with the gush of oxygen rushing in. They closed the door again, husband retrieved the hose from the porch but we have no open water tap in the bathroom to connect the hose to! So they opened the door again and threw the water left in the bathtub from baby's bath! They also used her potty which could fill up with water quickly to put out the fire also.
When the bomba came, the fire had already been put out. So they went in, used an axe to hack the burnt pillows and bedding just to make sure there were no more burning ambers that could light up again.
TNB fellas also came.
Think the bomba called TNB, or maybe the police, because it was an electrical fire. 3 TNB guys came to make sure the wires were dead and also switched off all the respective fuses for the circuits running in the two bedrooms at the back.
They also okayed for us to stay in the house that night. The police had also advised against leaving the house all empty to prevent any looters coming to the house.
So..... how do I feel now?
Am okay emotionally - not too shaken up. But at a point while I was standing outside waiting for my house to burn down when I felt really emotional. It is the lousiest feeling, standing outside, knowing you are somewhat safe, but your home, together with all your valuables and (material) things from your whole life, was facing impending perish.
Counting lucky stars.
Luckily, no one and no dog was hurt.
Luckily, we didn't lose too many things, mainly old furniture.
Luckily, husband closed the door after he discovered the fire, which choked the fire so it stayed small and slow.
Luckily, the glass in the windows did not break through which would have allowed in all the oxygen to fuel the fire.
Luckily, it was bathtime for the baby so we were upstairs and discovered the fire when we did and not in the middle of the night or while we were out.
Luckily, the fire did not explode out to the living area upstairs while we were in the room next door, trapping us in.
Luckily, the wall fan was above the bed and not above the bookshelves, where there were more highly flammable books.
Luckily, the fire was already out when the bomba guys came, otherwise all our stuff would've been sprayed with the white powder. The whole house have been in a bigger mess and stuff destroyed eventhough property saved.
Luckily, it happened while there were people in the house.
Luckily, we discovered the fire....
.... and the list goes on.
I know we are lucky to have escaped unscathed. But frankly, am quite tired of counting my lucky stars this way - something bad happens and you have to console yourself by looking on the bright side. How about some real "luck", like a windfall gain, y'know, winning the lottery perhaps. Otherwise, am happy to just go along with life in a boring, unexciting kinda way, without such events to jolt my blood pressure. Sigh....so Big Guy, if you're listening, either throw some real LUCK for a change or just not throw anything this way at all. I really don't know about any "ooong" coming out of this.
Anyhoo, some real tips in preventing and in the event of a fire:
During her bath, the lights in the bathroom went out. Went downstairs and confirmed that circuit had tripped. Told the husband and came back upstairs to continue with baby's bath. Finished her bath and I came out of the bathroom into the baby's room, followed by the maid with baby. She walked into the room and said that she could smell something burning. I immediately thought that maybe the wires had somehow fused or something because in the morning, the lights in my bathroom did a pop and then went off, tripping the circuit too.
The husband came in asking if I had tested which lights were the ones tripping the circuit. Then said that he could also smell something burning. Directed himself to the switch for the bathroom lights and commented that the smell was getting stronger. Then he turned to open the room door to his parents' room.... and then he exclaimed, "OHMIGAWD! GET OUT! GET OUT!"
He quickly ran downstairs scooped up Bubbles on his way who was waiting at the stairs, the maid carried the baby and followed him, while I was the last one out. I turned to look behind as I came out of the baby's room and saw fire through the crack underneath the door and thought, "OH FARK!"
Once we got outside, the husband started to trying to ring the bomba, but only had the phone number for the Bangsar Police Station. We got a bit of cover at the neighbour's which had an open porch, as it started to rain soon after we got out. Plus, baby was naked! She only had the wet towel wrapped around her. We also got the Logan, the golden retriever who was outside at the porch area on the way out. The husband took off his shirt for baby, but his shirt was already wet and cold.
Husband knocked and shouted to the neighbours to get out of their house as well, in case the fire started spreading. We stopped the Home Guard security who happened to be doing his rounds to call the fire brigade.
The police arrived quite quickly, I'd say about 5 minutes after, as they were from the police station close by. I think there were 4 or 5 of them who came in motorbikes. They went in with the husband to check. I was still waiting outside and saw that he opened all the windows from our bedroom and smoke started to come out after. I just stood there fearing any sudden explosions. I didn't have my mobile phone with me, and couldn't stand just hanging around outside. So I tied up Logan and ran inside to the master bedroom to grab my phone (even saw my DSLR camera on the dresser and made the decision to leave it!!!). When I was in the house, I couldn't see the fire underneath the crack of the door anymore and presumed that the fire had gone out.
Came back outside and called my sister to tell her what was happening. I then called my brother, to tell him that I was dropping baby off with the maid so she could get some clothes on. Poor baby must've figured something was wrong as she was quiet throughout. Bubbles also went with them.
Came back to the house and the Bomba arrived and Gavin was still running in and out of the house topless. At some point here I think, I figured it was safe enough to go inside and pick up some clothes for baby. Inside, the fire was out, and looked like a CSI scene, as there was no power, it was dark, smoky and torchlights were flashing about.
I retrieved our passports, my watch, rings and some clothes for baby. Brother came by at that time and I passed him the bags with the valuables. Then came out and my sister arrived then and took hold of Logan who was still tied to the neighbour's pole.
Stood outside for awhile to explain what had happened to my sister and then got a call from my brother to ask if they should give baby any food. At this point I went in to the kitchen to get some milk and milk bottle for baby. Passed them to my sister who took Logan to my brother's house as well. By this time, we had also retrieved both our laptops and husband saved my DSLR camera, so my sister trooped them all off to safety.
By this time, when I went inside the house again, the mattress with burn patches had been pulled out of the room. And the bomba lady (ya, a firelady, not a fireman - she a big momma! "don't mess with her, fire!") was explaining her theory of how the fire must've started from the wall fan. It probably overheated as it was left switched on, then melted the plastic around the motor, melted plastic bits dripped onto the bed below, burnt, spread to the curtains next to the bed, and spread along that wall to the air conditioner which also melted. The melting plastic was also dripping on to the wardrobe of clothes underneath that.
At first they weren't sure if it was the air conditioning unit as well but she concluded it was the wall fan (i can't remember why now - she da CSI, not me).
Husband's account of events.
When he approached the room door, he opened it slowly and with the door just slightly open he could feel an inferno of heat from behind the door, before shouting at us to get out of the house.
When the police came, they asked him to show where the fire was, eventhough he thought he shouldn't go into a burning house. They got to the door, opened it and immediately the fire started blowing up with the gush of oxygen rushing in. They closed the door again, husband retrieved the hose from the porch but we have no open water tap in the bathroom to connect the hose to! So they opened the door again and threw the water left in the bathtub from baby's bath! They also used her potty which could fill up with water quickly to put out the fire also.
When the bomba came, the fire had already been put out. So they went in, used an axe to hack the burnt pillows and bedding just to make sure there were no more burning ambers that could light up again.
TNB fellas also came.
Think the bomba called TNB, or maybe the police, because it was an electrical fire. 3 TNB guys came to make sure the wires were dead and also switched off all the respective fuses for the circuits running in the two bedrooms at the back.
They also okayed for us to stay in the house that night. The police had also advised against leaving the house all empty to prevent any looters coming to the house.
So..... how do I feel now?
Am okay emotionally - not too shaken up. But at a point while I was standing outside waiting for my house to burn down when I felt really emotional. It is the lousiest feeling, standing outside, knowing you are somewhat safe, but your home, together with all your valuables and (material) things from your whole life, was facing impending perish.
Counting lucky stars.
Luckily, no one and no dog was hurt.
Luckily, we didn't lose too many things, mainly old furniture.
Luckily, husband closed the door after he discovered the fire, which choked the fire so it stayed small and slow.
Luckily, the glass in the windows did not break through which would have allowed in all the oxygen to fuel the fire.
Luckily, it was bathtime for the baby so we were upstairs and discovered the fire when we did and not in the middle of the night or while we were out.
Luckily, the fire did not explode out to the living area upstairs while we were in the room next door, trapping us in.
Luckily, the wall fan was above the bed and not above the bookshelves, where there were more highly flammable books.
Luckily, the fire was already out when the bomba guys came, otherwise all our stuff would've been sprayed with the white powder. The whole house have been in a bigger mess and stuff destroyed eventhough property saved.
Luckily, it happened while there were people in the house.
Luckily, we discovered the fire....
.... and the list goes on.
I know we are lucky to have escaped unscathed. But frankly, am quite tired of counting my lucky stars this way - something bad happens and you have to console yourself by looking on the bright side. How about some real "luck", like a windfall gain, y'know, winning the lottery perhaps. Otherwise, am happy to just go along with life in a boring, unexciting kinda way, without such events to jolt my blood pressure. Sigh....so Big Guy, if you're listening, either throw some real LUCK for a change or just not throw anything this way at all. I really don't know about any "ooong" coming out of this.
Anyhoo, some real tips in preventing and in the event of a fire:
- closing the door back on the fire was the right move - it not only contained the fire but choked it
- do try to trip your main fuse every 6 months to make sure it works - ie, check that it does trip, so you know the circuit breaker works
- do make sure you know how to have quick exits from the house (i know we never think of such things in our daily lives, but you also never know when accidents happen, sigh...)
- electrician confirmed that cheapo fans have no built-in cut off mechanisms - just spend that little bit more money on reputable KDK or Panasonic fans, ie, don't buy the RM20 stand fans from jusco or tesco. or if you have one in your house now, once they start slowing down in rotation - please throw them out.
- keep the phone numbers of the police and fire brigade in your phone or just know it - our first instinct was to dial 911! that does not work in Malaysia. (will update for the correct emergency phone numbers - see, i still don't know it!)
Now for the photos (only) of the aftermath:
right: scarred mattress
blackened with soot
damage in room
what's left of the fan and burnt headboart (hate to think this happening to human flesh)
left: melted ceiling light but asbestos ceiling intact
what's left of the curtains
bomba reckons the fire spread from the right (where the wall fan once hung) towards the curtains at the windows to the left (where the a/cond is now partially melted)
bantal terbakar
right: where the wall fan once hung
national 1HP a-cond
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Post race
It's six days post Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon.
Haven't ran all week. Just watched the video captured of myself at the finishing line at marathon-photos.com.
Feeling restless though. Maybe a short run tomorrow morning. Hope sore throat and runny nose is all better by then.
Haven't ran all week. Just watched the video captured of myself at the finishing line at marathon-photos.com.
Feeling restless though. Maybe a short run tomorrow morning. Hope sore throat and runny nose is all better by then.
Thursday, December 9, 2010
It's Green
Someone in advertising said to me awhile ago, "bloggers will blog about their coffee being black"....
Had to finish off that post that I started last week when I was dry on blogging material.
Other more exciting news - personal record for a half marathon at the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon! Woohooo!!! 2hr19m. :) Didn't quite make my target time of 2hr15m although I thought I was on track during the run. Felt really good during the run. Wore a Nike sleeveless tank top that I borrowed from sis for the run - think it kept me cool to the point of getting goosebumps at some parts of the race. So can i keep the top? *blinks innocently*
Think will do a proper blog post on the run after this. Feel like I have so much to say that I will not be able to contain my cheong hei-ness in just one paragraph above.
Other news - sister permed her hair! :) Permed... into curls.. hehehe.... she's had it straightened forever. Think she looks pretty good with it. Very different, but good different. Her friend calls it bombshell curls. :) Pic below of her getting her curls dried in the diffuser.
Did my hair too :) Hopefully will look less like a maid when I go out now... after the mandatory 3 days 'no wash hair' rule though. :)
So why not a blog post about my hair conditioner being green? :P haha... taking it a bit literally...
Anyhoo, the hair conditioner that am using now is green. I suspect it's some seaweed ingredient in it that makes it green. Why seaweed? The hair product is from Japan. Why should I guess, why not just read off what's on the product label? The label is all in Japanese. How did I come to know of this product? The lady at the hair products store recommended it to me.
Here's 2 pics of it - translation anyone?
Had to finish off that post that I started last week when I was dry on blogging material.
Other more exciting news - personal record for a half marathon at the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon! Woohooo!!! 2hr19m. :) Didn't quite make my target time of 2hr15m although I thought I was on track during the run. Felt really good during the run. Wore a Nike sleeveless tank top that I borrowed from sis for the run - think it kept me cool to the point of getting goosebumps at some parts of the race. So can i keep the top? *blinks innocently*
Think will do a proper blog post on the run after this. Feel like I have so much to say that I will not be able to contain my cheong hei-ness in just one paragraph above.
Other news - sister permed her hair! :) Permed... into curls.. hehehe.... she's had it straightened forever. Think she looks pretty good with it. Very different, but good different. Her friend calls it bombshell curls. :) Pic below of her getting her curls dried in the diffuser.
Did my hair too :) Hopefully will look less like a maid when I go out now... after the mandatory 3 days 'no wash hair' rule though. :)
Monday, November 29, 2010
Brotzeit, German Bier Bar & Restaurant
So, my botak friend told me about this new babi restaurant that recently opened during one of our, now, rare kopi sessions. He was telling me about how popular the place was and how everyone was heading over there for makans.
Where was it? At midvalley, near where Chilli's restaurant was.
So last Friday, the husband and I were deciding what to eat for lunch, while we were out with a friend. He suggested the coffee shop in Batai, Damansara Heights. I was like, let's go somewhere nicer to eat, since it was his birthday after all, which was when I remembered Brotzeit, which my botak friend had talked about.
Seems convenient enough, since we wanted to check out the Baby Expo that was going on in MV as well.
Headed over to MV and directions to the restaurant that was given was, near Starbucks. Yes - it was the same row as where Starbucks was, but No - it's not very near there, it's actually almost all the way to the other end of the row from Starbucks.
Approached it and was pleased that it looked like a nice open kinda pub. It's actually a German beer place. Ordered the recommended spicy bacon pizza. There were also lunch specials on and for RM19++ you could get a starter (choice of soup or green garden salad) and a main. Or for RM28++ you could add a third course of dessert. We had 2 lunch specials, one of which was the meatloaf as the main and the other was a farmer's platter of 2 sausages, mash potato, saurkraut and crispy pork. I was hungry, so I also added the bacon spread to the order.
A must try on the menu. My! The spicy bacon pizza certainly did not disappoint! It lived up to its expectations and the bacon spread was really yummy too! Came with 2 kinds of bread. yum yum! I could have just had the pizza and the bacon spread. But the meatloaf was tasty with the sunny side up egg. And the sausage platter was pretty good too, although I had preference for one of the sausages over the other - the one with the cheese inside. Yummmm.... :)
The verdict: Yes! Would definitely go back again. Also asked about them doing take aways for dinner, which they do!
We didn't finish the pizza, so here's the leftover. It was too good to go to waste and was pretty sure my sister would enjoy a taste of it!
Where was it? At midvalley, near where Chilli's restaurant was.
So last Friday, the husband and I were deciding what to eat for lunch, while we were out with a friend. He suggested the coffee shop in Batai, Damansara Heights. I was like, let's go somewhere nicer to eat, since it was his birthday after all, which was when I remembered Brotzeit, which my botak friend had talked about.
Seems convenient enough, since we wanted to check out the Baby Expo that was going on in MV as well.
Headed over to MV and directions to the restaurant that was given was, near Starbucks. Yes - it was the same row as where Starbucks was, but No - it's not very near there, it's actually almost all the way to the other end of the row from Starbucks.
Approached it and was pleased that it looked like a nice open kinda pub. It's actually a German beer place. Ordered the recommended spicy bacon pizza. There were also lunch specials on and for RM19++ you could get a starter (choice of soup or green garden salad) and a main. Or for RM28++ you could add a third course of dessert. We had 2 lunch specials, one of which was the meatloaf as the main and the other was a farmer's platter of 2 sausages, mash potato, saurkraut and crispy pork. I was hungry, so I also added the bacon spread to the order.
A must try on the menu. My! The spicy bacon pizza certainly did not disappoint! It lived up to its expectations and the bacon spread was really yummy too! Came with 2 kinds of bread. yum yum! I could have just had the pizza and the bacon spread. But the meatloaf was tasty with the sunny side up egg. And the sausage platter was pretty good too, although I had preference for one of the sausages over the other - the one with the cheese inside. Yummmm.... :)
The verdict: Yes! Would definitely go back again. Also asked about them doing take aways for dinner, which they do!
We didn't finish the pizza, so here's the leftover. It was too good to go to waste and was pretty sure my sister would enjoy a taste of it!
yeah - it's a square pizza... so tasty... am feeling the craving for it now!
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Contest update
Blackberry Torch Celcom nuffnang contest - didn't win. buggaaa...
saw the winning posts... looks like mine only! cheh
saw the winning posts... looks like mine only! cheh
Monday, October 25, 2010
Overhead - The Berries Talking....
Credits:
Have to remember to thank Jason Mumbles for the screenshot I stole above! Thank you! Thank you! Sorry, I had to crop out your watermark as well, cause I couldn't fit the image into the image of the phone. But, what a great review about the Blackberry OS6. Definitely seals the decision to get the Torch! So envy that you got to get a set from Maxis for your review *green eyes with envy*
So, nuffnang, my last plea for a free phone is based on pity factor. See the picture of my crackberry above? :( Been bearing with it for so long, a free Torch would rank you tops of my mostest favouritest! Please please, pretty please with a cherry on top!
I think that's it.
Pretty please!!!!!
Saturday, September 4, 2010
If Only....
.... this was possible?!
Stumbled across this when I was searching for breastfeeding articles. Read all about a man's attempt to lactate here.
Friday, September 3, 2010
Motherhood....
I've heard some people say that motherhood is a journey, rather than a destination. Such wisdom - I totally agree, having just embarked on this journey. And my journey has been more of a transformation process...
Firstly, during pregnancy, my body slowly but surely grew into that of a whale-like proportions. Anyone who's ever been pregnant will attest to the fact that once your belly starts growing, you start to feel like a beached whale. Well, what did you expect with the extra 12-15kgs? And that is just the healthy weight gain that is recommended for a normal pregnancy. What about those who end up putting on more than than the recommended weight gain? You end up needing help getting out of bed, getting up from sitting on the floor (for whatever reason, you have decided to plonk your big whale-sized arse on the floor), having trouble putting on a pair sneakers on your own and even have issues with soaping your feet properly in the shower. Just to make sure you have no problems visualising what I am trying to say:
The next stage of my transformation took the form of a lactating cow. In the first month, I was either feeding or pumping milk. That took precedence over washing my face, eating my meals, washing myself and making myself look decent. True story!
Baby was feeding once every 2 hours. And 2 hourly intervals were counted from the start of the feed before. So with baby on the breast for 30-45 mins, that leaves very little time in between feeds to do all those things I said in the paragraph above. At nights, we decided to give her feeds via bottle, since it was faster than feeding direct. And I woke up every 3 hours to express milk instead. During each pumping session, I was basically trying to squeeze every last drop of precious milk out to feed bub. And I mean, literally, squeeze. Coz after being on the pump (think if I remember correctly, it was about 20 minutes each side), I would express by hand just to get those last few drops out that usually escaped the pump. And when you're only getting 1-2oz of milk after 20 minutes on the pump, you start to have a new appreciation for the term "liquid gold".
It definitely wasn't what is depicted in the picture below:
And so the motherhood transformation journey continues....
Firstly, during pregnancy, my body slowly but surely grew into that of a whale-like proportions. Anyone who's ever been pregnant will attest to the fact that once your belly starts growing, you start to feel like a beached whale. Well, what did you expect with the extra 12-15kgs? And that is just the healthy weight gain that is recommended for a normal pregnancy. What about those who end up putting on more than than the recommended weight gain? You end up needing help getting out of bed, getting up from sitting on the floor (for whatever reason, you have decided to plonk your big whale-sized arse on the floor), having trouble putting on a pair sneakers on your own and even have issues with soaping your feet properly in the shower. Just to make sure you have no problems visualising what I am trying to say:
▲ beached humpback whale
Baby was feeding once every 2 hours. And 2 hourly intervals were counted from the start of the feed before. So with baby on the breast for 30-45 mins, that leaves very little time in between feeds to do all those things I said in the paragraph above. At nights, we decided to give her feeds via bottle, since it was faster than feeding direct. And I woke up every 3 hours to express milk instead. During each pumping session, I was basically trying to squeeze every last drop of precious milk out to feed bub. And I mean, literally, squeeze. Coz after being on the pump (think if I remember correctly, it was about 20 minutes each side), I would express by hand just to get those last few drops out that usually escaped the pump. And when you're only getting 1-2oz of milk after 20 minutes on the pump, you start to have a new appreciation for the term "liquid gold".
It definitely wasn't what is depicted in the picture below:
Well, for starters, I didn't have a double pump. Secondly, my pump doesn't do handsfree. Thirdly, I also held a mirror so I could see the milk coming out. So definitely did not have any free hands to hold a liptstick to the face.
Then came the 2nd month of baby's life. Freedom! Confinement was over and it was time for me to rejoin life outside the house. With a body that was still carrying a lot of pregnancy weight and water, hair that was constantly tied up because I felt sweaty all the time and feet that were still too big to fit any of my pre-pregnancy shoes, I ended up looking like the maid everytime we went out as a family. My husband was dressed nicely. The baby was dressed as cute as button. And I felt like the maid in my ill-fitting, in between sized clothes while I flip flopped around the mall with them. :(
And so the motherhood transformation journey continues....
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Panic Alert
Been awhile since my last post. Have so many things I wanna blog about but not enough time.. nor sleep! That's because baby has gotten a lot more active, staying awake longer, so spending more time entertaining her. And my 'free time' while she's asleep have been spent doing i-dunno-what! So just a quick post now before I go wake her up for her morning bath.
As a new mom traveling the motherhood road for the first time, it's like experiencing the world with a new perspective. When we go out now, we have an extra bag for baby's diaper stuff, we have one less seat in the car because of the baby car seat and less space in the boot because her stroller is there. So since we've started braving the world outside the home abit more, we're also learning how to navigate our frequently visited shopping malls for baby friendly areas - nursing rooms (these are almost non-existent in Malaysia) and diaper change places. SO.... imagine new mom, out with baby, nervous when she cries in public, I found this rather amusing when I was looking to change baby's diaper at Bangsar Shopping Complex:
A PANIC BUTTON right next to the baby changing station?!! hahaha... wondered who would come running if you pressed it in panic while trying to change your baby!
As a new mom traveling the motherhood road for the first time, it's like experiencing the world with a new perspective. When we go out now, we have an extra bag for baby's diaper stuff, we have one less seat in the car because of the baby car seat and less space in the boot because her stroller is there. So since we've started braving the world outside the home abit more, we're also learning how to navigate our frequently visited shopping malls for baby friendly areas - nursing rooms (these are almost non-existent in Malaysia) and diaper change places. SO.... imagine new mom, out with baby, nervous when she cries in public, I found this rather amusing when I was looking to change baby's diaper at Bangsar Shopping Complex:
A PANIC BUTTON right next to the baby changing station?!! hahaha... wondered who would come running if you pressed it in panic while trying to change your baby!
