8 Sacrifices Mommy makes for her baby that are all worthwhile

I'm officially a stay-at-Home Mom (SAHM).

A few days ago, I went back to office with a heavy heart & tendered my resignation. I have weighed my importances & my baby is definitely my priority.


In life, we just can't have everything. 

Often we need to sacrifice one thing for the better of another. In my case, I sacrifice my career to take care of my baby as there's no family or relatives who can help take care & I do not trust a stranger to do this job.
Kudos to those working Moms as they have to juggle work & babies.

Being a mother is no easy job and there are sacrifices to be made.

1. Career
Regardless whether we choose to be SAHM or working Mommy, we will face with time when baby needs extra care (eg. when baby is sick) & we have to put down our work to care for baby.
For me, I chose to quit my job to be the care giver for my baby.

2. Physical appearance
Mommy will never look the same as before after child birth. We can make considerable effort to slim down & look good but our body will never look exactly the same as before.

3. Money
With additional dependent and expenses, Mommy has to cut down other expenses like lesser new clothes and no more new fancy bags for the time being.

4. Freedom
With baby, we can't go out whenever & wherever we want without planning. It's difficult to have impromptu meet up with friends or movie night. Every outing requires planning such as the things to bring out (carrier or stroller) & to consider baby's feeding & napping time.

5. Time 
Our 24 hours is no longer all ours. Most of the time, I find that I only have a few hours of "me" time when baby is sleeping.

6. Sleep
No one sleep when baby is awake. No more luxury of sleeping 6-8 hrs straight as Mommy has to wake up every 2-3 hrs to feed.

7. Desire
A lot of time, Mommy has to sacrifice self interest for the better of baby. I have threw away thoughts of buying fancy clothes & branded bag as I'm now sticking to clothes that are comfortable & easy to breastfeed. The only bag which I bring out is diaper bag.

8. Endurance of pain
Child birth & breastfeeding. The pain from contraction & nipples crack. Sometime the soreness from nipples can be unbearable but we still continue to breastfeed. Mommy just have to endure as it's all worth it when we see the milk drunken look on baby's face.

I believe in fair trade in life which means if you want something, you have to give something else. All these sacrifices are all worth it when I see my baby smiles & sleeps peacefully in my arm and the fulfilment in observing him grow up each day. Baby grows up fast.

The joy that baby brings into the family is incomparable to the momentary happiness from material rewards. It's something that money can't buy.

We can always work in the future for career, money & desire. But the chance to witness baby grows up is only once in a life time. They will not always be so small.

Enjoy each day as parents!
Happy reading,

Evelyn C.

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Christmas Giveaway!

Hi all readers,

To celebrate this Christmas season, I will be giving away an awesome goodie bag to one lucky reader!!

As mentioned in my previous post "What to pack in diaper bag?", I love backpack diaper bag so today I'll be giving away a Baby Kiko's Mama Travel Backpack with the following goodies:

1. Palmer's cocoa butter formula Baby Wash 

2. Palmer's cocoa butter formula Bottom Butter Nappy Cream

3. Palmer's cocoa butter formula Baby Butter Moisturizer 

4. Palmer's cocoa butter formula Massage Lotion for stretch marks 

5. S size Diapers 

How to win?*

1. Simply Like my TwentySixOctober facebook page.  

2. Like/share this post on facebook.

Giveaway ends on 25 December 2015, 2359 hr

 

A lucky draw will be performed & winner will be notified & posted on our Facebook page. 

*this giveaway is only for reader residing in Singapore 

Update on 28 December 15:

The winner is Irene Sim! 

You may check out our Facebook page for details of the lucky draw.

https://www.facebook.com/twentysixoctoberblog/videos/431104060411893/

Thank you for your support!

Twentysixoctober 

 

Guide to making passport for baby & Aedan's 1st day trip to Malaysia!

Aedan is 4 months old!

I have recently brought Aedan to Malaysia (Johor) to visit my 外婆 who is his great grandma (wiill be sharing more photos at the end of this post).

Before going to Malaysia, I have checked from Immigrations & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) that all babies are required to make their own passports in order to travel overseas (no more co-sharing of passport with mommies).

Many new parents like myself may wonder how to get a passport done for baby!

After asking around & experiencing the process myself, I decided to share a guide for making passport for baby. Hopefully, it will be useful to you. 

Guide to making passport for baby

For all Singaporean residing in Singapore, there are 3 ways to get your passport done. 

1. Submit the application online  - $70

2. Submit the application via postage - $70  

3. Visit ICA building at level 3 to submit the application over the counter - $80

By all three methods, you may make an appointment to collect the passport when it's ready. 

It's definitely not a good idea to head down ICA without an appointment as it may require an average waiting time of 2hrs. Imagine waiting 2 hrs with a fussy baby! Moreover, it's more expensive ($10 more) if you apply over the counter. 

I prefer online application as it's the easiest method. 

Here's a step-by-step guide to the application. 

1.  Prepare a soft copy baby passport photo based on ICA specification.

- plain white background 

- JPEG format 

- file size about 150 Kbytes 

- dimension: 400 x 514 pixels 

https://apples.ica.gov.sg/apples/index.xhtml

2. How to take a baby passport photo?  

You can simply do it at home. 

- Dress your baby & comb his/her hair neatly

- Let your baby lay on a mattress/bed/mat that has a uniform background colour or you may take on a white background (You may use a white handkerchief as background!) to save the time on cropping. 

- take multiple shots of your baby's face using your phone camera or passport photo app

- choose the best shot with baby's head facing front 

3. If you need to crop the photo. You may transfer the photo to your computer (you can just email to yourself). 

Crop the photo using photo editor or Microsoft word,  paste on a white background, save as JPEG and resize it to 400 x 514 pixels.

4. https://apples.ica.gov.sg/apples/index.xhtml

Click on the above link to apply passport & log in using Parent's SingPass. 

5. The following are the information required for submission.

6. Key in baby's birth certificate number & leave the NRIC & passport expiry blank.

7. After making payment, ICA will send a pink card to your home address within 5 working days to advise on collection. 

8. After receiving the pink card, you may make an appointment online to avoid long waiting time.

9. On the day of appointment, bring along your baby together with the following documents:

- birth certificate

- mommy/daddy's IC depending on which you use to register 

- the pink card which was mailed to your home 

I made an appointment at 12 noon, arrived on the dot and only waited for about 15mins to collect the passport! 

Aedan's first day trip to Malaysia!

I have not visited my 外婆 in Malaysia for more than a year. This time I took Aedan along together with my 舅舅's family to visit 外婆 for her 87th birthday.

This was the first time Aedan got to meet his great grandma. 

Took a photo with the Christmas tree at my 舅舅's house before we set off for a long day. 

舅舅 with Aedan

We went in on Saturday and the jam was really bad. Waited for about 2hrs! 

While waiting, we took selfie in the car. 

I even fed Aedan and changed his diaper in the car. My first car diaper changing experience.

Our first meal in Malaysia. Really yummy!

When we finally saw 外婆, she was really happy (with tears in her eyes). 

She grabbed Aedan's hands, patted his butt and kept saying ”打屁股，打屁股” :)

Baby's butt is really nice to pat. 

Later at night, we went to this supposedly famous place for dinner. (picture below). 

After a sumptuous dinner, we went to church for servicing. 

That pretty sum up my day in Malaysia. 

Took another about one hr jam to reach Singapore. 

Reached home at about 11plus and Aedan & Mommy were exhausted. 

It was a tiring day but all worth it for the big smile on 外婆 face. :)

------------------------------------------------

Hope the step-by-step guide in making passport will help those who is planning to make a passport for ur little one. 

Tips for day trip to Malaysia, Johor: 

1. Bring a few toys to entertain your baby during the waiting. 

2. Practise changing diaper for your baby on your lap in case he shits during the jam. 

3. It will be good if you can nurse your baby to sleep during the waiting. 

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Have a good trip!

TwentySixOctober 

What to pack in diaper bag?

It has been a month since my last post.

Baby Aedan is in his 16th week! Time flies. Baby grows up really fast and I have been documenting these precious moments. 

My hubby is currently overseas and it's difficult for me to send him the video via whatsapp when the size is too big so I've decided to upload on YouTube for easy sharing.

Ever since I became a mommy, diaper bag became an essential whenever I'm out with baby. 

Whereas all my other small fancy bags which I used to carry to work and dinners are all chucked one side to accumulate dust. 

It's important to get a bag that is easy to carry with compartments to store the baby items. I personally love back pack diaper bag. Back pack is lighter when carried on both shoulders. 

Here the list of items in my diaper bag: 

1. Nursing cover 

2. A pouch to put the diaper changing items & wash cloth 

3. Merries Diapers x 3

4. Diaper cream 

5. Huggies wet wipe 

6. Diaper changing mat 

7. A small toy 

8. A blanket 

9. Wash cloth

10. Nursing pads in Avent pouch

11. Disposable plastic bag 

12. Tissues

13. Changing clothes (optional) - only if I'm going out with baby for a long day

14. A folder to put all important documents like birth certificate and health booklet  

I breastfed exclusively so there  is no need for bottles, warm water and milk powder. The benefit of breastfeeding! 

As you can see most of my items are in bright colours as it helps to brighten my day!

Here's a photo of my usual look of the day of with little Aedan.

What's in your diaper bag?

Cheers,
Evelyn C.

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Happy Anniversary!

It has been 2 years since we are declared husband and wife. And also 8 years since we agreed to be each other exclusive dating partner. :)

Since marriage, we have never celebrated this special day physically together. Last year, you were posted overseas for work attachment and this year, you are again overseas for studies. 

Though we are not physically together, you never failed to remember this date and be the first to wish me "Happy Anniversary". I almost forgot that today is twentysixoctober before you wished me happy anni on 12 midnight. I have been too focus on taking care of our little Aedan that I have lost track of date. 

There's no flower, no cake, no surprise. 

Only a simple message from you.

However, I still feel very happy. I know that you are always thinking of us when you are away. When you are by my side, you never failed to pamper me. When you are overseas, you will always try to update me on what happened and tell me how much you miss us. Moreover, I have little Aedan to accompany me this year. 

I know that you are trying hard to build a nice home for us in Israel. And I know you definitely miss holding Aedan in your arm. 

Okay, while I'm typing this I received a flower delivery at 15:55. So I'm going to change to there is flower and I'm definitely surprised! 

Sorry, I never prepare any gift or surprise for you. My only gift is that I'll continue to love you. :p

I have started this blog to keep record of our good memories and I'm glad I'm still doing it. More memories & hope this will continue to be happily ever after. 

#istillbelieveinfairytales

Happy Anniversary!

Love you always ❤️❤️❤️

TwentySixOctober 

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Mommy Diary 3: My breast feeding experience

I've been talking about myself breastfeeding exclusively in the past few posts so today I'm going to blog about my breastfeeding experience. 

Personally, I have opt to breastfeed exclusively due to the immerse benefits of breast milk. Breast milk is very nutritious and contains a lot of vitamins, good bacterias and antibodies which can boost baby's immune system. It's known that babies who are fed with breast milk grow up to be smarter and healthier. As a mother, I hope to give the best to my baby. Moreover, breastfeeding is a very good way to bond with my baby. 

I have been breastfeeding everywhere I go with my nursing cover. 

Today, based on my personal experience I'll blog about things to take note for mommies who wish to breast feed.

1. Breast milk will only kicks in 3-5 days after delivery. 

Mommy's breast will produce a transparent or golden colostrum instead of milk during the 1st few days after delivery. This colostrum is very nutritious and will stop when milk kicks in. Hence, mommy should not think that you do not have enough breast milk in the first few days after delivery.

Sharing my own experience:

"Initially, I was persuaded by my confinement nanny to not breast feed my baby in night time while she was taking care of my baby. She claimed that I have not enough breast milk and baby was crying due to hunger. Moreover, she kept insisting that I should not breast feed at night so that I can rest well.

 She said things like if I don't rest enough during confinement, I will have a lot of health problem when I'm older.

I was a little pressurized by her words especially when she said that all the mothers she had taken care of followed her. 
As I was inexperienced, I gave in on my 1st night with confinement nanny, I let her feed my baby with formula from bottle. 

That night I couldn't sleep knowing that my baby was fed with formula and worrying that he will have nipple confusion the next day. I kept thinking and worrying and ended up crying (maybe it's the hormones which made Mommy becomes more emotional). 

Eventually, at 3am, I went to my confinement nanny in tears to get my baby back. I told her I'll rather suffer when I'm old (if what she said is true that I'll have health issue if I don't rest well during confinement) than not giving the best to my baby. "

2. Breast milk supply produces on demand of baby. Hence, do not stop breastfeeding because you think that your milk supply is low. 

The more you let your babies latch, the more milk you will produce. If you choose to supplement your feeding with formula, your babies will demand lesser milk and ultimately it will lead to lesser milk production. A vicious cycle. 

3. If babies latch correctly, nimples should not feel painful. 

During the 1st few week of breastfeeding process, babies may not be very good at latching which may cause mommy to feel pain or discomfort. When mommy feels pain try to unlatch the baby by putting a finger into the mouth of the baby and then relatch again.

4. It's very important to apply nimple cream to prevent nimple crack and relieve soreness after every feed. This is a MUST! 

It will be very painful to continue breastfeeding when your nimple cracks (I have experienced this). Prevention is better than cure. I use medela nimple cream. 

5. If it hurts during the 1st month of breastfeeding do not give up, it will only get better.

In my first few week of breastfeeding, I have experienced nimple skin peeling off and nimple bleeding. Though Aedan is very good at latching, he sucks very hard and will pull my nipple towards the end of his feeding. Although it's painful, I persevered and continued to breastfeed. Surprisely, after the 1st month, breastfeeding is no longer painful. I'm not sure is it because my nipples have become more resilient or Aedan's sucking has improved. 

6. If your breast is engorged, you can let your baby sucks while massaging the area with blocked ducts to clear the blocked passage.

I will check on my breasts every day and try to clear the blocked ducts as soon as it's discovered. It's advisable to clear the blocked ducts before the breasts become too engorged and hardened.

7. Breast milk digest faster than formula milk. Hence, breast fed baby will get hungry faster and require feeding every 2hr - 2.5hr. 

Aedan gets hungry really fast in his 1st month. Sometime he cries for milk in an interval of 1hr to 1.5 hr. 

8. Breast feeding is not easy. It takes many trials and errors and often leads to many sleepless night. 

I used to take about 1hr to feed him as he will doze off during feeding. Sucking requires alot of energy from the baby so he may get tired and take short rest in between and I have to wake him up to continue. Also, sometimes he will fuss during feeding due to his reflux and I have to pacify him before continuing to feed him. This led to many sleepless nights.

Breast feeding mommies require a lot of support during breastfeeding so I'll encourage those who want to breast feed to join Breastfeeding Mums group on facebook for support and sharing of experience. I personally find this group really useful as there are many mommies who share their tips in breast feeding, storage of milk & many many more. 

You can find the closed group on Facebook at Breastfeeding Mums.

So far, I have breastfeed for more than 2 months. I'm glad that I have choose to breastfeed as it is fulfilling. It's enjoyable to see Aedan's drunken look after feeding. Moreover, as a mommy, it feels good to be able to produce for my baby. 

I hope I can breastfeed till as long as possible. Maybe I'll share more when I've successfully breastfeed for one year. ^^

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Twentysixoctober 

Mommy Diary 2: Total costs of delivery at Mount AlverniaHospital &Aedan's 1st Month!

It has been Sooo long since my last post. Most of my time has been devoted to taking care of Aedan. 

Aedan is currently in his 8th week. 

I'm a full time milk feeder now as I'm breastfeeding exclusively & fully on direct latch. I was initially quite worried about Aedan not feeding enough as I'm not able to gauge his intake. Moreover, his reflux is making him split/vomit after every feeds. However, during his last doctor visit on his 5th week, doctor measured his weight & commented that his weight is on the 97th percentile! 'Solid baby'

I have also celebrated his one month (sharing photos!) & brought him out more often. 

Today, I will be sharing with you the total costs of the delivery. During my pregnancy, I tried to find out more about what are the possible total hospital costs and have been reading many others' blogs. However, very few blogged about the costs or show their hospital bills so I don't really have a good sense of the bill costs. My total hospital bill turn out to costs $10k. I'm sharing my hospital bill here. 

I had an assisted delivery with epidural.

Mommy' hospital plus doctors' charges 

Baby's hospital plus doctor's charges

The maternity package plus mommy single bedded ward & baby nursery for 2 days added up to be equivalent to $3390 ($1166 + $1594 + $200 + $430) which is the price b4 GST of maternity package for St Michael ward. St Michael ward is newly opened in Aug so the package price is slightly higher than the normal single bedded room. 

My husband has stayed over with me through out so there's companion charges. 

There are also doctors' procedure/ operation fees from the Gynae & anesthesiologist. Moreover, there's gynae attendance fees for doctor's visits during delivery plus my 2 days stay (frankly, Gynae only came for less than 5 mins per session to check on the stitches during the 2 days & charges $200 plus per session). There are also attendance fees from PD for baby routine check up. I have opt for metabolic test which cost additional $100++.

In my previous blog post on my delivery experience, I mentioned that I was put on glucose drip from the very beginning. Moreover, due to drop in fetal heartbeat, I had used oxygen masks during the final pushing. 

Hence, there are additional costs on the use of equipment, medications & oxygen masks. 

After the delivery, the nurses have given me 3 types of pain killers which are charged under pharmacy. 

I was shock when I saw the final bill added up to $10K. After medisave deduction of about $2.7K, the cash portion is about $7K++. Although the whole delivery costs more than expected, on the bright side, it's worth it since my baby is safely delivered into this world. :)

I'm overall glad with the service and whole experience which I was given a lot of care from the doctor and nurses. I will still choose to deliver at Mount Alvernia given a choice again. 

Hope this article will be useful for those delivering soon and wish to have a rough gauge of the bill. 

Lastly I'm going to spam my baby shower photos. ^_^

We had a simple baby shower at our clubhouse and done up the decoration all by ourselves. Had received lots of blessing from friends and family on the day. 

The baby banner is made by me. ✌️

My hubby and I made this standing ballon column 😊

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Happy reading,

Twentysixoctober