Suzette's Parenting and Breastfeeding Blog

Well, noticed lately there are confinement services (CL and such) keep posting in comments in this blog, advertising their numbers and services.

Please note that if you are interested to advertise here, please read from the page Advertise. Do not simply post your ‘advertisements’ in the comments as they will be all removed.

Particularly for confinement services, if you are a Confinement Lady, I would like to know your knowledge and attitude towards breastfeeding. I wouldn’t simply allow your advertisement here, without knowing your stance on breastfeeding, knowing many mothers who intend to breastfeed ended up failed BECAUSE OF CONFINEMENT LADY’s INTERFERENCE or DISCOURAGEMENTS.

Anyway, since on the same topic, I would like to also share a sad story here.

My sister’s friend’s sister (whatever), just jumped off a tall building, on CNY eve. When she jumped off the building, her baby was only a couple of weeks old. The news was in SinChew Daily.

She is a lecturer in UniTAR, a supposedly cheerful person, looks very young from her photo in SC.

She planned to beastfeed her baby but faced tremendous pressure. She lives with parents in law and grandparents in law. She had a CL too. All did not give her moral support, kept saying she had no milk (common remark from ppl without bfg knowledge). When milk came in, she had engorgement, but milk couldn’t come out (probably due to the same reason my sister faced — milk blister).

When she had the problem, unfortunately Dr. Koe was away for holiday and would be back a month later.

She developed depression soon, and sneaked out of the room on CNY eve when everyone else were busy and not noticed, jumped off a building somewhere else.

Honestly, in my first confinement, I nearly got into depression too. I used to live on 13th floor, and many times the thought of jumping off the building flashed in my mind. All thanks and no thanks to the CL I had. Well, that CL wasn’t even a person with strong character! I just can’t imagine those people who have CL with strong character (like my SIL had once), and living with in-laws who give sarcastic remarks on bfg attempts (thank God my in-laws are very supportive!!). I only had that soft-spoken CL who had no knowledge of bfg, not very approving my attempts –> and that could already cause me into near depression. If I had been living like that poor lady my sister knew, I guess I would have jumped off the 13th floor too.

Whatever it is, the morale of this story is that:
1) If you intend to breastfeed, don’t give yourself too much pressure. Remember, the intention is good for your baby. If you get into depression because of that, it will do no good to your baby, so defeat the purpose!

2) Before you do something bad to yourself, think of the baby first. When you are not around, what would happen to your baby?

3) Have good talk with the people and get their support, before the birth of your baby. Get their consensus and educate them first. If can’t, be mentally prepared to face the pressure to come, but don’t stress yourself.

4) Husband’s support is utmost. Seek his support first.

5) Get contact of more than one Lactating Consultant:

Dr. Koe (She is the most popular/favorite LC amongst breastfeeding moms because she is also a paediatrician.)
Address: 73 Jalan Mega Mendung, Kompleks Bandar, 5th Mile Jalan klang Lama, 58000 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-79830539
Consultation Hours :
Monday-Friday: 9.00 am – 1.00 am/ 6.00 pm – 8.30 pm
Thursday: 9.00 am – 12.30 pm
Thursday Night / Sunday / Public Holidays – Closed
Saturday: 9.00 am – 12.30 pm

Dr. Pearl. This is another LC that you can use in case Dr. Koe is not accessible. Recommended by Busymum. Dr. Pearl is a GP, who is also an LC. She is knowledgeable enough to help you, but not that preferred because she is not a paediatrician (and I was old that she doesn’t have any children yet).
Telephone: 012 3045534/ 03 62032837

6) Mix with people who have successfully breastfed, talk to them whenever you face any challenges. Mothers would know mothers better.

I left the house earlier for a morning presentation. DH was then tasked to send the kids to the school.

Just around 30 min after I left, I got an sms, saying that Isabel was missing, and found about 10 min later.

Imagine, that 10 min was so horrible for DH, maid, and Ian. They were frantically looking for her everywhere, maid even went out of the house to search for her whilst DH and Ian looked at every corner of the house.

Later she was found, suddenly appeared in the guest room. When asked, she refused to talk but just cried.

After I got back from work, I asked her about the morning episode. She told me that, she was playing with the angpow packets and Ian scolded her (and Ian immediately scolded her in front of me, and they quarreled right in front of me). Ian thought she would make the angpow packets missing and she thought she would not.

She said, then Ian told DH about her playing with the packets. She was afraid DH would scold her, then she hid herself from the two of them.

I asked her where she hid, by asking her to bring me there and repeated it. Apparently, she just lied down on the floor next to the bed in guest room. I asked her whether she went under the bed or not, she said no. Whether anyone came searching for her, she said Daddy. But why people didn’t see her? Because she lied down on the floor not making any noise… Hmmm???

Anyway, DH said later, when he found her lying on the floor, he thought she fainted. Then, she stared back with her big angry eyes…

Hahahaha! That is my 4 yo daughter…

She really scared the sh*t out from DH and maid this morning. They thought she either gone out by herself, or being taken away by any bad guys since the door was opened (I forgot to lock it when I left the house).

The other day, in the car, Isabel said, “Hmm… mama, my hair xiang-xiang (nice smell)!”

Paused for a while, she then continued, “Mama, Teacher Susan said she likes me hair very much!”

I replied, “Oh, really? That’s good!”

Then, she said, “Yes! She really said that, I didn’t lie to you.”

Paused for a while, she said, “Mama, but hor, you cannot go to the school to ask Teacher Susan (that) she likes my hair har…”

Hahahaha! I think she would be embarrassed if I really do that. Hahahaha!

The other day when I baked my second batch of the Famous Amos Cookies, towards the end, suddenly had an idea: Mickey Mouse Cookies!

So I made a bigger ball, with 2 smaller balls attached to the ‘ear’ sides.

But then… not successful ler. My Mickey Mouse Cookies looked very ugly. The one on the left looks still quite okay, but the one on the right looks so pathetic lah the ears –> doink down, more like a bear than Mickey Mouse. Hahahaha!

One for Ian and one for Isabel, for immediate consumption. LOL!

It has been few months, since October, that the Maxis coverage at my house turned very weak. Every time when I am making/answering a phone call, the other party always cannot hear me clearly.

Been tolerating this for few months, and then, out of sudden, the coverage completely GONE!

It has no signal at all. When I need to make a phone call, I have to drive out, to about 2km away. Similarly, SMSes cannot be received until I left my home and I have to restart my phone to get it delivered.

I was completely isolated, whenever I am at home. Imagine, in emergency, people just cannot contact me! My mom been trying to call me to tell me about her road tax expired, couldn’t reach me. DH tried to call me to arrange dinner, couldn’t reach me. It was just so so so inconvenient!

Called Maxis customer service, they said they have dismantled their station upon town council’s order since October. So? They knew about this but never thought of any solutions? I have been paying for the service fees but without any services?

At the end, DH tested and found out that GSM signal is missing, but 3G is available (strange, right?). Since then he kept asking me to change my phone (non-3G), but I have been very reluctant, coz my old phone is still very pretty and look new!

Then, after suffering a few weeks, DH came home with this:

It is a Nokia E71!! Don’t ask me why not E72 – can’t be too greedy, since it is foc from DH!

Well, this phone works at my house, coz it is 3G. Thanks to DH, I am now contactable at home. He said that is considered his Valentine present to me!

Anyway, I still think it is not quite right to switch a phone because Maxis sucks. I am extremely tempted to switch to another operator, maybe DiGi, if the process is not too tedious, now that we can keep our existing number. Hate Maxis very much now, costs us a new phone!! Terrible Maxis.