First outing with sling

my bub in my 2nd sling...sooo observant

Ilham's first outing to the park using sling was to the Christchurch botanic garden + Hagley Park at  3 months old...of course after I  feel comfortable putting her in it..and after  many practice at home!!My 2nd sling was also bought off Trademe for $18.. really nearly new conditions... was a good bargain for me!!! It is Babasling.. a close tail type...with clip at the end of the tail. Padded  shoulder and padded railing are plus factors for it.However adjusting the sling is really horrifying. I need to adjust it several times with the help of my husband to get the comfy state..Once you get the correct/comfy length...the sling is ready to go!! 

Ilham loves the  upright  and also tummy-to-tummy positions...she can look around.What I notice is Ilham becomes very calm, relax and quite..she become very observant...after all the surrounding's  wonders fascinate her , she never fail to fall asleep in the sling..

Other advantages of babywearing:

My new slings ..it's Baby Hawk Mei Tai

Now I got  two more  new slings..one is like-new ( the seller never been used)  pouch sling bought off trademe for  $31 received last Saturday. This is a pouch sling from dulce&zoet..nice one..

the flowery pouch sling by dulce & zoet ..suits a baby girl

Another one is  BabyHawk Mei Tai....fresh.. all the way from the States arrived today. So at present I have 4 slings!! phewww.... see how addicted I am with slings !! well.. I just want to get a taste of every type of slings available..then make my verdict..( do I need to justify my addiction??) will posted in action photos  later..huhu.

My catch from the library

I love going to city libraries here in New Zealand. Simply because their resources never fail to give me satisfaction.. I can find all kind of books, CD and everything I want from cooking,knitting, sewing travelling,self help, DIY , novels etc . I wasn't a library lover back home but now I just another library addict. I used to just buy books that I wanted. So today I pay another visit to the closest library and loan some CD's and books for my baby. These CD's are instrumentals and children songs. some of them are from the baby einstein's collection ( and after searching the www for the price..), I've decided to try them. Last time I loaned music for dreaming CD's and it really worked!! not only on my baby but on me too!!

Music CD's for children 

                                          Free board books!!

There are also Pepi Time ( Every tuesday 930am-10am) for babies and parents to sing nursery rhymes, get to socialize and have some fun !! we went for a session last month and it was really cool! I wish we could have similar facilities/activities back home.

Introducing Ilham to books!!

How to make one to love book..to love reading.. yess.. you need to start from the early age..from the beginning when your baby's mind still pure and not yet expose to so-called techno gadget i.e psp, wii, ps3 etc..

and why should I read to my baby? just because you want them to know..books and reading do wonders!!even if for the first time the book will end up in their mouth.. ( well that's when cloth book comes in handy) but it doesn't mean that it doesn't worth trying. Exposing books in baby's first year is vital for emotional and intellectual developments.Early childhood studies show that reading aloud to babies can teach them to recognize different sounds have different meanings which are the foundation of speech and comprehension.

In the hospital, I was given a gift pack for new mothers. It contained free samples of nappies, baby lotion, baby oil, baby development book etc. What surprised me was there was a library registration form and a black and white board book for my baby. This is a good way to get children to click with library from their early age. The book called baby's world pictures in black and white showing contrast which known to facilitate baby's eye coordination. and guess what, I got Ilham clicked to it since she was 2 weeks old!!!Usually after feeding,  I wind her.. and if she is still awake, I will either lie her or let her on her tummy and start talking to her. The I will move the book  vertically or horizontally while calling her name or explaining to her pictures in the book. At first she didn't show any interest but after several attempts, as she get good control of her eyes , she started to follow directions of the book. So it's true that picture books with contrast , bright and simple images provide visual stimulation towards baby's cognitive skills. 

Initially I found out it quite boring because it seems that I was the only one who somehow understand the picture ( obviously my baby doesn't has a clue what her mother is doing!!)..but gradually my baby started to pay attention and focus to what I am trying to show/read/explain to her...and now at 5 months she will smile every time I show her a book and tell her that we going to read it. I believe reading to my baby can bond us and develop Ilham's emotion. Sometimes I lie next to her, holding the book high so that we can share the book..and laugh together. 

                                        Ilham's very first book. courtesy of Christchurch City library.

These are benefits laid out in the Read-Aloud book Chapter 1

Baby Wearing ..loving it!!

Ilham Najihah in Nojo 'The Original Sling'

Never thought baby wearing is going to be so fun and very addictive. I encountered baby wearing term when searching  the net on breastfeeding sites. The idea of baby wearing just fascinate me and I decided to give it a go. In a glance , baby sling looks very similar to the frontpack we have. The first time we used our frontpack was when my daughter was 6 weeks old. Born at 2.5 kg so, when we put her in the frontpack, we can barely see her tiny head. Since then, I scouted around for other ways of carrying babies.

At first I wasn't convince that babywearing is for me.Well looking at video demonstrations and holding your baby trying to fit her into a sling are two different things. After all,at that time my baby was so tiny. I was afraid that putting her in sling might crush her fragile body. Needed help but there wasn't any baby wearing group around for me to refer to.So back to the www and then I found out about slingbabies. The website had  increased my  eagerness towards babywearing. That night I slept late to study every aspects of baby wearing, different type of baby carriers. etc.I got my first sling off trademe for $25. It was Nojo brand like-new condition. However, I'm a bit frustrated since this sling was not as I expected. It true the padding give extra support and spread the weight but it is too bulky for me. I reckon it well suited for bigger frame person.But this had not deter  me from trying to wear my baby.

Nojo Sling - all cotton with padding for more comfort..

Breastfeeding.com - Everything for the New Mom

Breastfeeding.com - Everything for the New Mom

Breastfeeding Facts!!

Although many women complain about having low milk supply, 95% are merely perception of insufficient milk supply:

1. Very common (50% of breastfeeding mothers)
2. Common cause for weaning
3. Only about 5% of women will not produce adequate amounts of milk for their baby

Reasons a mother may falsely believe her milk supply is Insufficient are as follows:

Nipple Confusion

Cerita Ummu Ilham:

Selepas discharged from hospital, I got nipple crack...sakitnya tuhan saja yg tahu sbb baby kena feeding 3 hrsly..jadiknya tak tahu bila nk sembuh..setiap kali baby suck berdenyut2 sakitnya.. cuba lansinoh cream boleh la jugak.. last2 letak breast milk after each feeding than let air dried. Disebabkan nipple crack, saya pun akan pump milk from left breast utk kasik kt baby thru bottle.. and at that time masih 1st week. tengok baby minum tanpa byk menolak. Bila midwife tahu saya kasik trhu bottle terus dia minta stop agar baby tak nipple confused....so what is the fuss about? In the early stage of BF, mum is trying to sustain the milk production..dan caranya ialah thru nipple stimulant from baby, kalau baby sudah suka dgn artificial nipple, agak susah mum nk ada susu yg byk..kerana baby will prefer bottle than direct feeding from breast. Kalau nk feeding guna artificial nipple make sure milk production sudah establish ( beyond 6 weeks) . So I got this long explanation from breastfeeding.com.

What is Nipple Confusion? It is a problem that arises when a breastfed baby is given an artificial (rubber or silicon) nipple and must try to learn to nurse both from his mother's breast and the bottle nipple. While seemingly similar, these two feeding methods require completely different mouth and tongue motions and swallowing skills.

New face of PaMa Attachment Parenting

Hi there,

I am a phd studas blessed with my first born in my 2nd year of study. Life certainly changed from the old days when my lovely-cuddly daughter Ilham Najihah (meaning the intuition of success) came into the picture. Living away from my home country meaning we (my husband & I) had to go to everything from the scratch enduring pregnancy, delivery, parental leave and nurturing our baby on our own. Often we seek advises from our parents, friends and Mr Google to find the best way to take care of our baby.... this blog is meant to be collections of our parenting notes, tips and anything which we found interesting to share.

New Mother's Tips..

Memang terasa perbezaan sejak mandapat baby. Juggling between phd, nurturing Ilham and personal needs. The truth is.. I was burnt out with everything on my plate...so sometimes it's just a matter how to prioritize and choose the thing that matter most at that specific time...I think it's a skill to be learned ..

Life With Baby: Balance (API.org)

Tips for New Mothers, Avoiding Parent Burn Out and More...

Striving for Balance involves ensuring that everyone's needs -- not just the child's -- are recognized, validated, and met to the greatest extent possible. In an ideal world, every family member's needs are met all the time, everyone is happy and healthy, and the family is perfectly in balance. In the real world, nobody's family life is perfectly balanced all the time. It is not unusual for parents to feel out of balance at times. Parents who practice AP continuously look for creative ways to find balance in their personal and family life. For more information, read the API resources listed below.

Tips for Supporting New Mothers

A new mother can become so involved in the care of her infant that she doesn't recognize her own needs until she is in emotional or physical trouble.

• Be patient and sensitive
• Say something appreciative about each other every day
• Be grateful
• Be an empathetic listener

Ummu Ilham Notes:

Newbie dlm dunia menjadi ibu ni memerlukan lebih sokongan moral dan fizikal. Memang penat lelah boleh hilang apabila kerja itu di hargai biarpun dgn sedikit pujian atau penghargaan. Kadang-kadang expectation yg terlalu tinggi membuatkan new mum drained out...ye la nk buat semua benda dgn kudrat yg sedikit..
Sbb tu pentingnya sokongan moral drp mereka yg disekeliling..insya'allah