A couple of weeks ago, I was breastfeeding on a lounge chair in a mall. Coincidentally, the baby room was just a few steps ahead. Then came a mom from the baby room, and she told me to use the nursing room as it was empty. I told her, “no thank you, I’m good”. Actually I feel sorry for moms who rely on nursing rooms because I know it’s not the most convenient thing. In fact, I stay away from nursing room.  Here’s why.

1. It smells like diaper change. People constantly coming in and out changing their babies. Of course it smells like baby’s stools.
2. It’s usually small and lonely (I don’t think my husband enjoys accompanying me because of the diaper smell).
3. Most of all, I hate having to feel like I’m hiding to feed my baby. I’d like to feel free feeding my baby wherever I please, thank you very much.

When I first went out in public, I was terrified and insecure about breastfeeding in public. We started bringing her out at 3 weeks. At first I was self-conscious about nursing in public (NIP). I had to run to the nursing room to feed her and even at the most familiar mall, I still didn’t know where the baby room was because I never noticed it before!

A week before I had the guts to go out, I practiced nursing my baby in the nursing cover, she was barely 3 weeks old then. The practice was for me, and for her to get used to. Luckily she’s not a fussy baby and she doesn’t mind being in the nursing cover at all. However, even then, I still didn’t have the guts to NIP during our first outing. Either I resort to rely on nursing room or pack expressed breast milk (EBM) and hot water. Packing EBM is such a hassle, do you know how heavy those icepacks are?

Finally, I gathered my guts and breastfed in public for the first time at Subang Parade when I was out with my sister. Then, slowly I started feeling confident. Next thing I knew I was breastfeeding her everywhere. In Ikea, The Mines, in restaurants, whenever, wherever as long as there’s a seat. So all it took was practice! and the right gear.

Me, nursing Sara at Wangsa Walk, KL. More on this nursing cover here.

Here’s some tips on NIP (based on MY personal experience)

1. Get the right gears to breastfeed discreetly. Nursing wear, or breastfeeding-friendly wear will certainly make it easier. For added privacy, get a nursing cover.

2. Be aware of the feeding time and your baby’s early cues. Screaming baby attracts attention, and may make NIP difficult. So, as soon as you see the cues, find a place to NIP.

3. It’s all about mentality. If formula-fed babies can feed in public, breastfed babies should get the same rights. Try to think of it as advocating breastfeeding in this world where formula feeding is becoming the norm. Actually, you should feel blessed to be able to give the best for your baby!

4. Don’t hesitate to ask for help. You’ll be surprised how accommodating people can be when it comes to nursing your baby.

Once, I needed to NIP when I was at a department store, and there was nowhere to sit. Not even outside the store. So I just asked one of the staff for a chair, and they kindly grabbed a stool for me and I nursed her right there, at one of the aisles like nobody’s business. Cool ey?

There was also this one time when I was at a mall with Sara alone, I saw a row of lounge chairs but not one was available. There were several elderly and then I saw one healthy able guy. So I politely asked him to give up his seat so that I can nurse Sara. Fortunately he respected my request and kindly gave up his seat. The point is, you can have faith in people and hope they’ll be nice to you. 😀

Another reason to NIP? Convenience. Baby’s hungry? Sure, just find a seat, pop up my nursing cover and within 20 minutes, she’s done. Compared to bottle feeding, I have to mix the formula with water or heat up the expressed breast milk and while all that, try to calm the hungry baby. Oh, that’s just too much trouble for me, especially having to pack so much! Bottles, water, hot water, the milk. What if I forget one thing??

With NIP, I only have to pack for her diaper change and I’m all set. I find NIP is very empowering. I love it! It’s a win-win for me and Sara. She gets to feed on cue, and I get to have my freedom. Sure, it slows me down a bit, but hey, it’s just 20mins every 2 hours. I might as well catch up on instagram or just have a chat with my husband while I’m at it.

Next up, learning how to NIP on-the-go!

During my third week postpartum I managed to pull off a nursing cover using cotton I already had at home. The workmanship was rather clumsy and it’s a full coverage (with fabric that covers the back). Initially, I wanted a full coverage because I was shy about nursing in public (NIP).

After a couple of NIP sessions I realized that nobody has a clue and I started hating the full coverage and got rid of the back part. Still I wasn’t satisfied because the fabric I used doesn’t fold compactly.   Although I followed online tutorial, the first one has several flaws and this momma is not satisfied!

Actually, I was jealous with the nursing cover I made for my brother in law’s wife. It has a lot of improvement in terms of construction and fabric type. I want a good nursing cover too!  Weeweeweee! So I decided to make a whole new one for myself!

Front view of the nursing cover. I love the vibrant fabric! Sure, it might attract attention, but hey, atleast I can advocate breastfeeding! Also, this fabric folds compact 😀

  The hard boning allows me to be able to see my baby at all times while providing adequate ventilation for her. The construction is also improved so that it falls nicely.

I don’t always take the time to review something. This post is long due. Caring for a baby is a lot of work. Who knew something so tiny could take up so much of your time! If I knew, I would just get a hamster.

Just kidding.

Anyway, prior to Sara’s arrival, I did not get a pump because I’m currently SAHM and I thought I did not need it.  Little did I know that on the fourth night after Sara’s arrival, my breasts became so engorged. I tried to hand express with help from youtube (haha) but I still could’t get anything out. Perhaps my milk duct was clogged. Then I was desperate for a breast pump. It was nine o’clock at night and all nearby baby stores were closed.

Eddie was all ready to buy Medela manual pump. But I thought RM199 is a lil’ steep, what more to buy something out of desperation. So I started to ask around for a cheaper alternative. Eddie made some reasearch that night and he found Unimom Mezzo. I found out that it’s recommended by lactation consultant at Susuibu.com and it’s only RM100. I gave the thumbs up and the next morning, Eddie immediately went to OneBabyWorld Seksyen 13, Shah Alam.

About two hours later, I got my pump.

On first impression, I thought it was so pretty. The packaging, the pump itself, and it’s pink! Major plus. Hahah.

(sorry, no picture of my own because I always forget to take a picture of the pump before I use it! *slapface*)

I happily unboxed the packaging and started reading the manual. Eddie  then washed and sterilized the parts and I began my first pump. Within 6 minutes, I was done pumping for one breast and about less than 15 minutes total. At first it felt awkward but it certainly did not hurt, if not comfortable. My engorgement was relieved and I was happy.

After some time, I got used to it, and it’s becoming less awkward and more comfortable. I’ve had multiple let downs with this one.

So far, the performance is great. The ergonomic, long handle makes it easy to pump. However, I find it rather tiring to pump with one hand after a few minutes. It’s a lot easier to pump with two hands. I guess that’s the only downside. Anyway, I rarely find myself needing to pump more than 10 minutes on each breast. Perhaps I’m lazy. If you pump occasionally (around 2 times a day) this shouldn’t be a big problem. Personally, if you pump 3 times or more a day, then I suggest better get electric pump.

The maintenance is so easy. There are no small parts to deal with. It’s so easy to wash and assemble. After sterilizing, I just hang the parts on the rack to dry. This Treenie drying rack was sent by Babywinks.com.my. Thanks Babywinks!

Value for money: definitely worth it. It’s so affordable yet high quality. I’m happy to see for once, it’s not made in China. It’s a Korean brand and made in Korea.

Now, after a month and a half using it, I have to say I am one happy Unimom user. If you’re looking for a manual pump, I highly recommend this one. Honestly I did not expect to get so much milk out of a manual pump. but with this one, I’m able to express so much milk. When I need to pump more frequently later in the future, I would totally get the Unimom electric pump, I just have so much trust with this brand now!

At 3.50am in the morning of 31st October, I was woken up by what I thought was a stomach ache. It was the first day of my 39th week of pregnancy. I  thought I was going to lay a brick so I went to the toilet and tried to push my bowel. Yet nothing was happening. Before I knew it, the stomach ache was gone and I went back to sleep.

At 4pm sharp, I was once again woken up by an even more intense abdominal pain than the previous one. It was so painful, I couldn’t help to scream and that woke Eddie up. The pain lasted for about a minute. Then 5 minutes later I got the pain again and this time I noticed it was actually a contraction. Since it’s now 5 minutes, I didn’t think I was in active labour. After a couple of contractions, the contractions were coming at every 2.5 minutes.

I was in disbelief. Could this be it? I’ve always imagined that contractions start as frequent as every 20minutes, not 5 minutes!

I didn’t want to go to the hospital too early so I asked Eddie to call my parents. My mum asked if I feel any pressure on my bowels. I nodded and she said it’s time to go to the hospital.

Luckily I’ve packed my hospital bag a week before. It was just a few toiletries to pack. Eddie seemed a bit panicky and I swear I had never seen him like that before. I was somewhat calm, except during the contractions where I tried my best to get through. My mum made me a chocolate milk drink, and Eddie managed to grab one stick of Madu Azim honey.

We arrived at the DEMC hospital and I was admitted into the labour room at 5am. Eddie had to leave me for a while to check me in. The nurse came in and put on the CTG (to monitor baby’s heart rate) and inserted medication to help me empty my bowels. The nurse then hooked me up to an IV to keep me hydrated. I was 5cm dilated.

I was in relieve as Eddie came back into the labour room. I managed to finish one whole stick of Madu Azim and drank half of the chocolate milk. At that point, I was regretting that I had only less than two hours of sleep. We had an argument that night over petty matters and we stayed up late. Eddie was coaching me throughout all my contractions, reminding me to breathe and zikr. I asked for his forgiveness for so many times that morning. We both regret our fight the night before.

I was really tired going through my labour. My contractions were getting more intense and I was screaming and crying with every contractions.

At 6am, the Anesthesiologist came in to give me epidural.  I am a wuss for pain, I have to admit so that’s why I opted for an epidural. It was quite terrifying. Also, I am VERY ticklish on my back, and you can only imagine how I suffered as the doctor find the right spot to insert the catheter.

Once I got my epidural, my gradually intense contraction had come down to the pain level as my early contractions at home.  I opted for a low dose epidural so that I could still feel my contractions. At around 8pm, my OBGYN came in and she checked my opening. I was 6cm dilating and we were expecting to start pushing at 11am.

Suddenly, at 9am, my contractions were coming stronger. I was screaming like hell. I called in the nurse and asked for higher dose of epidural. Then a couple of contractions later, it got even stronger and I called the nurse again. The pain was so intense I felt like my bones in my body were breaking. and I had a low dose epidural! I can’t imagine if I hadn’t. The nurse then checked my dilation to find out I was fully dilated. My water suddenly popped and the nurses got me ready to push. 

At 9.25 I started pushing. The nurses coached me on how to push. I was already so tired yet with every contractions I find every bit of energy left to push. 50 minutes of pushing, the nurse finally said that I have only 10 minutes left or there will be interventions (forceps or vacuum).  The doctor arrived and I gathered all my last bit of energy to push.

I was determined to push within this last 10 minutes. I got my fiery crazy eyes on and pushed harder than ever. I was focused. With a lot of motivation, and cheering from the my husband and the nurses, Sara was finally out, and on her way to make her big debut into the world, she kicked the birth canal that sent her flying on the bed. I did not lie, I saw her flew out of my vagina and she cried as she landed on the bed.

The nurse then threw her on my chest and she stopped crying. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing (actually I didn’t really know what I was looking at). Then the nurse took her away, cleaned her up a bit, swaddled her and placed her in the warmer. Soon, the nurse let me hold Sara while the doctor sutured my tear. She was looking around, wondering where she was. She was looking at both of her parents back and forth. It was a really precious moment for me and Eddie. Alhamdulillah. I was so grateful and happy it sent me to tears of joy.

Alhamdulillah, my labour went on smoothly and Sara is so perfect, I couldn’t ask for more. Every detail of my labour was how I wanted (except for the tear). Eddie was very helpful at saying the right things to keep me going and I had a pleasant experience at DEMC. The nurses were so wonderful and the service was excellent.

I had never been this thankful in my life. Thank you Allah for this blessing, I feel so lucky and blessed, mashaAllah. I can never forget that day, it was such beautiful day and I would do it again. *wink* *wink*

I will write on some tips for a smooth labour in my next post.