(Sponsored Review) Keepsake by Ryo Breastmilk keepsake for little Calysta

When I was pregnant with Calysta in 2014, I made a decision to exclusively breastfeed her because I wanted my baby to grow happy & healthy just like my first child, EJ was breastfed for 8 months (even though I was pumping & feeding him via bottle as he couldn't latch well but he was a chubby, healthy & happy baby) and I was really determined to latch Calysta successfully. Before her arrival, I prepared the way too many things such as deep freezer to store frozen breast milk that at the end I didn't use because I was lazy to pump, Medela breast pump, silicon milk storage to store leaked breast milk during latching, Medela cup feeder for early stage, Medela supplemental feeding system in case Calysta couldn't latch well, breastfeeding Pillow, nipple cream, lactation cookies & tea and so many more! I was really that well prepared but Guess what? I didn't use most of the stuff I bought because Calysta had no problem in direct latching. She was natural when it came to breastfeeding but even so, I did struggle a lot with my fast flow problem, her being colicky and crying during latching. Some days were good & smooth but some days were really bad & stressful. I thought of quitting breastfeeding before she turned 6 months old because I felt mentally & physically exhausted. It was funny that I never did but instead pressed on & continued to breastfeed her and told myself tomorrow is a better day. Breastfeeding was finally a breeze at 6 months mark. And then I celebrated 1st year of exclusive breastfeeding, 2nd year of partial breastfeeding and now the 3rd year of comfort nursing. Calysta is 32 months old now and still nursing for comfort. I tried to wean her but it didn't work & I felt terribly heartbreak when I saw her tears wanting so nurse badly. One day she will wean but right now I just want both of us to enjoy this Mother & Daughter precious bonding moment while it lasts. It won't last forever and I want her to wean naturally when she's ready. Breastfeeding & breast milk are not only beneficial for my child's health & immune system but the bonding between Mother & Child is unbelievably amazing! I have this strong bonding and connection with her I can't explain. And the same thing she has with me too! 

 

My breastfeeding journey with Calysta for almost 3 years is truly memorable and I want to keep these precious memories into a keepsake, so I decided to reward myself with a super personal breast milk keepsake Jewellery I plan to gift Calysta when she grows up into a fine lady one day. I'm sure she will look truly beautiful & elegant with keepsake Jewellery specially hand crafted for her with love. 

 

When it comes to breast milk keepsake jewellery, I only trust Keepsake by Ryo because each of her work is lovingly handmade and takes a whole lot of time from milk preservation to the final end product that I receive. Ryo uses Ice Resin in crafting - the highest quality and most expensive resin designed for jewellers - to ensure keepsake jewellery from Keepsake by Ryo will outlast the rest. The crafting process can range from 2 - 14 weeks but I would say it's so worth the waiting time when I finally receive a beautifully handcrafted with love breast milk keepsake jewellery.

The process of placing an order is pretty easy & straight forward too. First step is placing order online & pay by credit cards/PayPal etc. Second step is to send the breast milk by post. Only 20ml is needed! Email will be sent when inclusion is well received and another email will be sent when the keepsake is ready to be delivered. I appreciate the amount of effort Ryo puts to ensure the process from ordering to receiving precious keepsake goes smoothly. 

 

And here are the beautiful creations by Ryo I truly love with all my heart 

 

1) Sterling Silver Cubic Zirconia Drop Pearl Leverback Earrings 

 

You can find it here: https://www.keepsakebyryo.com/collections/earrings/products/exclusive-sterling-silver-cubic-zirconia-drop-pearl-leverback-earrings

 

I received these beautiful earrings as part of blog sponsorship (S$149) and this pair is truly stunning & classy. Absolutely perfect for special occasions. Super elegant! 

 

2) Pure Breastmilk Charm with Name Inclusion 

 

 

You can find it here:

https://www.keepsakebyryo.com/collections/charms/products/pure-breastmilk-charm-with-name-inclusion



This beautiful charm with free bangle is my first keepsake I ordered from Ryo with Calysta's name specially crafted beautifully and I truly love Ryo's creation and which is why I ordered from her again. 

 

3) Sterling Silver Cubic Zirconia Dangling Heart Charm 

 

 

This gorgeous charm is my second order from Ryo and my favourite piece. Simple & tiny but classy, elegant and sparkling. I love & appreciate the beauty of tiny Jewellery and absolutely adore this charm so much. Plan to gift this to Calysta in the future. 

 

 

Thank you Keepsake by Ryo for preserving my breastfeeding journey & memory beautifully through gorgeous handcrafted Breastmilk keepsake Jewellery. Breastfeeding is indeed beautiful and most precious moment in my motherhood journey. 

 

 

Do visit Keepsake by Ryo at https://www.keepsakebyryo.com/ and do subscribe their newsletter to receive latest updates of the most awesome Breastmilk keepsake in Singapore!

Singapore’s Largest Breastfeeding Event to Break Singapore’s Book Of Records

On 29th August 2015, In celebration of World Breastfeeding Month, I was invited to the largest ever breastfeeding event in Singapore, organized by Thomson Medical with the support of Phillips Avent, Spring Maternity, Passion Card, NTUC U Family and HeyBaby SG in an attempt to break the Singapore Book of Records for the largest ever event of breastfeeding mums breastfeed together at the same time. The breaking record was achieved! 154 mothers breastfeeding at the same time!

The renowned lactation expert Mrs Wong Boh Boi, Senior ParentCraft Educator of Thomson Medical Centre, was also present to share insights on breastfeeding to encourage mothers to breastfeed.

According to Health Promotion Board’s National Breastfeeding Survey 2011, most mothers in Singapore would initiate breastfeeding after birth. However, only 30 per cent would continue to do so exclusively for at least two months.

Thomson Medical believes that breastfeeding has numerous benefits for both Mum and Baby, and is spearheading this annual Breastfeeding Challenge event to increase the awareness of advantages of breastfeeding. It aims to encourage more mummies to continue breastfeeding longer after birth with exclusive insights and tips!

“Breastfeeding is extremely beneficial for both mothers and their babies. Such benefits include providing optimum nutrition, improves immunity and protects against allergies for your baby, and promote mother-child bonding. Mothers also benefit as breastfeeding helps promote the shrinkage of the uterus to its original size, and also decreases the risk of breast cancer”, shared by Mrs Wong Boh Boi, Senior ParentCraft Educator, Thomson Medical Centre.

I have been breastfeeding baby Calysta since she was born with no formula at all and she's now 9 months old and absolutely meeting every of her milestone, thanks to exclusive breastfeeding and knowledge I learned from ParentCraft Educator at Thomson Medical Centre. Breastfeeding requires good knowledge and dedication. The key of successful breastfeeding is to keep trying & never give up! I intend to breastfeed my baby girl as long as possible!

Mrs Wong Boh Boi sharing her insights and tips on breastfeeding

The breaking record of 154 mothers breastfeeding at the same time in 2015!

(Sponsored Event) Breastfeeding Challenge 2015

Hello fellow breastfeeding mommies!

I would like to share good news with you, in celebration of World Breastfeeding Month, Thomson Medical and Avent Philips, along with some major supporting government partners will be holding 2015 Breastfeeding Challenge on 29 August 2015. I would like invite fellow breastfeeding mommies and babies to join me & baby Calysta in this challenge to show your support for breastfeeding and be part of a national record breaking event for a good cause.

Event Details:

Date: 29 August 2015
Venue: Suntec Convention Center, Room 300 to 302
Time: 10:00am  – 11.30am
Admission: $10 per person, $20 for a group of 3

FREE goodie bag worth $100

Register at: evnk.co/breastfeedingchallenge

 

The breastfeeding challenge will be taking place concurrently with one of the largest events, the Rise and Shine Festival 2015, coming up on the 28^th – 30^th of August 2015, which will be held at the Suntec Convention Centre.

You may also refer to Rise & Shine website www.riseandshine.com.sg for more information on the various activities, workshops and seminars happening during the event.

See you there, mommies and babies! Let's be part of a national record breaking event for a good cause.

2 under 2 and breastfeeding update

Hello

It has been a crazy life I have been living for the past 4 months since Calysta came into my life. Well, crazy life in a meaningful & rewarding way!!

I have been so busy & tired that I haven't had a chance to write on my blog (p/s: I'm writing this while Calysta sleeping on my achy arm)

Calysta:

She's almost 4 months old and she's still a tiny little one! She was 3.2 kg, 49cm at birth. At 1 month old, she was 4.1 kg & 55cm. At 2 months old, she was 4.9 kg & 58cm and at 3 months old she was only 5.6 kg & 61cm. She gained 900grams, 800 grams & 700grams respectively.

It seems like she's gaining lesser as she grows older & to be honest, I'm concerned! Because she's a fully direct latch breastfed baby and there's no way I know how many ml she's drinking per feeding session. Could it be my milk quality or could it be my milk supply?

As much as I'm concerned about her weight gain, she's otherwise growing well in terms of hitting her milestones. At 3 months old, she was already able to flip over (where other heavier babies at the same age weren't able to do so). She smiles a lot, she's super interactive and has good neck control. Her PD wasn't worried because she hit her milestones fast despite being light & small! She's in her 40-50% percentile which is fine!

Breastfeeding her peacefully is still a big struggle to me. Other blamed it fast flow or could be reflux possibility but the truth is I don't know what's wrong! Milk is dripping from what I see but every latching session is a big battle to us, she cries, turns her head to opposite direction other than nipples, would rather suck on my arms. Many times, I have to rock, bounce, dance, walk around the house while breastfeeding her and oh with the 50-50 chance for her being latched on peacefully despite my effort walking & dancing around like a mad woman! (Latching in dark room didn't work either).It's a big struggle I don't enjoy however it's a process I'm still holding strongly into. Breastfeeding is such a funny yet unique experience. Feeling like giving up yet pressing on and on!! Sometimes I do feel jealous seeing mommies who can sit down & breastfeed her babies peacefully. I really hope it's just a phase that soon we will pass through it!

Other than breastfeeding struggle, Calysta is pretty nice to be taken care of.

There were times when Calysta was very clingy, only wanted me to carry for so many hours, put her down and she cried, my legs & arms were achy as I kept walking nonstop.. But funnily although physically I felt tired but mentally I felt okay, tired but not frustrated, maybe because I'm a second time mum? I know baby being clingy & cranky is nothing compared to baby being sick..

Somehow I just feel grateful given such situation. Very different with my #1, when he was clingy & cranky, I felt tired, frustrated & wanted to complain non stop hehe.. That's the thing about being 2nd time mum, I am more easy going and calm

A lot more to go in my motherhood journey. Baby being clingy and cranky is just one very small part. There will phase like teething, baby falling sick thus making me can't sleep & eat well, countless trips to PD when they are unwell, baby falls down during crawling, standing up & walking phase. Also a phase when feeding porridge is like a battle field. Then here comes tantrum. Really a lot more to go!

Just think about this when I feel frustrated and I feel so much better. In my almost 2 years of motherhood journey, so experience told me it's when baby is sick, motherhood is real tested! So when they are healthy, whatever it's is I'm grateful

Being grateful will make us complain less thus less frustrated, right?

To me, as long as baby is healthy, whatever situation I'm facing, I'm fine, always remember what's worst than this? There's always worst than worst than worst.. That will make us feel more grateful :)

My little baby doll

EJ:
My no longer baby boy is now 23 months old & it's just one more month to his 2nd birthday!

He's a wonderful cute little toddler except his tantrums. He's pretty talkative now although no proper sentences came out of his mouth yet but conversationally, he does improve a lot. He can speak about 100 words now and combine 2 or 3 words together when he's trying to express his feelings

"Buy buy buy car.." (When he requests you to buy for him)

"Find find find car.."

"Stop plane.." (When he sees an airplane passing by)

"Big big fish" "baby fish"

"Baby sit sit.." (Asking his baby sister to sit down)

And quite many more & we are trying so hard to understand him as many words are not very clear yet and he gets frustrated when his message is not conveyed well.

Will update more about his simple 2nd birthday soon!

EJ is obsessed with cars & more cars

Siblings love

Loving his sister and a gentle touch on Calysta's hair

Too excited for his Aquarium trip

Me:
I'm stuck with 7 extra kg baby weight! Please teach me how to lose it fast without affecting breastfeeding!

First time in my life I have been eating extremely well. I guess I'm too obsessed in fattening up Calysta & milk boosters have been my new obsession. Just say 1 milk booster, reckon what? I have tried it!

Despite boosting here & there (supposedly good diets) I still fell sick!! (there was time I ate too much lactation cookies & I fell sick with fever & cough, yuck!)

Maybe to share a bit with you my breastfeeding daily diet plan: (hope it's useful for breastfeeding mommy although my baby girl doesn't gain much despite all these booster foods but I still continue eating it anyway)

Morning:

9am: breakfast ~ a bowl of oatmeal cooked with fresh milk mixed with 1 tablespoon of flaxseed & 1 tablespoon of chia seed and sweetened with half tablespoon of honey (1 egg is added sometimes) accompanied with 2-3 glasses of plain water

10am: 1 cup of lactation tea

1pm: healthy lunch with rice (rice is mixed with 1 tablespoon of virgin coconut oil, meat & vegetables and soup. Not forgetting an apple!

4pm: snacking time: brown rice tea with oatmeal bread or any warm dessert like red bean soup, a piece of cake or a cup of warm cereal, avocado milkshake, etc

6pm: healthy dinner (pretty much the same as my lunch, rice is still mixed with 1 tablespoon of virgin coconut oil) but for dinner, I have 2 slices of salmon fish

Virgin coconut oil & brown rice tea are believed to thicken milk and oatmeal & other foods mentioned are believed to boost milk production. Barley water does support lactation too!

Being a mum with 2 kids below 2 years old is super challenging. Lots of dirty diapers. Lots of crying. Lots of screaming. One cries, the other one follows. EJ & Calysta is only 19 months apart, as challenging as it can be to handle both but I do believe they will grow up together & be best friends and always there for one another!

It's really a long post & one quote I like: "motherhood is swimming and learn to swim at the same time"

Nursing in public

~mommy of 2 little sweetie~
Netty

Daily Routine as a breastfeeding mom

I would say I'm pretty lucky to have a full time helper who's able to take care my first born while I take care my second born full time. Baby Calysta is almost 13 weeks old & I'm still breastfeeding her, so my daily routine is always involving her and her. Curios? Check out my daily routine! It's still pretty easy to take care of her because she's still so small and hasn't started solid food yet, so I have to enjoy her as much as possible before the real challenge comes, right?

9am: Good Morning! Calysta wakes up. I change her diaper & latch her. I'm pretty lucky to be able to wake up  (late) together with her. Mommy needs enough sleep to take care her baby too right?

9.30am: I have my breakfast ~ normally protein diet: egg, red meat and milk (I need this diet to boost my milk quality) while I'm eating my breakfast, Calysta is watching babyTV. She keeps herself entertained for a while

10.30am: Latch her if she wants too! Preparing her for bath

11.00am: She looks fresh and clean after taking bath

11.15am: My turn to take shower and Calysta is watching babyTV (that's the only way I can shower)

11.30am: Play time! With EJ & Calysta (before EJ taking his nap)

12.00pm: Latch her before her napping time. She normally naps for half an hour and can hardly nap more than half an hour

12.30pm: While she's napping, I have my quick lunch

1pm: Diaper change after she wakes up

1.30pm: Latch her & playtime

2.30pm: Another latch

3.30pm: Tea break (milk & cookies) or avocado milkshake (yes yes yes it's to boost milk quality or to thicken Breast milk). Calysta is relaxing/watching TV

4pm: Diaper change. Comfort latch before her napping

4.30pm-5pm: napping time. This timing, she will only want to nap on my chest (no other place)

6pm: Diaper change, clean & change her. It's pajamas time!

6.30pm: I have my dinner! Protein dinner like lean meat and salmon with a bowl of rice & lactating tea

7pm: latch her and after that I take shower

8pm: diaper change & playtime

9pm-10pm: final/comfort latching before she sleeps

3am: latch & sleep back

6am: latch & sleep back. Diaper change

7.30am: latch & sleep back

9am: Good morning!

Of course, in between I'm still trying to have time to play with EJ ~ playing cars with him or just reading to him

And breastfeeding isn't that easy too although it looks super convenient. Many times I'm struggling because she's fussing during nursing, so I have to walk, dance, bounce around the house while latching her (oh yes it's tiring & I look like a mad woman when I do that!) but I wouldn't change a single thing about her! I know she will grow up and one day I will miss her babyhood so much, so why not enjoying it now while it lasts?

Motherhood is an amazing journey!

Baby Calysta's Full Moon

Hello everyone

Calysta is 1 month old now!

We celebrated her full moon on last Sunday, 11th Jan 2015, exactly 1 month after she was born.

My confinement is also over now! It's funny that I was kind of enjoying my confinement this time :) Totally the opposite with EJ, I didn't enjoy my confinement when I had EJ!

Anyway, my days are pretty much the same. One super active toddler who messes up house & running naked all the time. One newborn baby who nurses every 1.5 hours and clings to me like a baby koala bear. Nurse, burp, change diapers, make her sleep and the same thing repeated and repeated again.. And oh plus the crankiness & crying during evening time! Blame colic I guess!

Breastfeeding is still going strong between us. I hope it will keep going on and on, better and better. So far no bottles, no formula yet! It's absolutely not easy at all!

I'm tired & worn out but it's definitely worth it!

Calysta is 4.1 kg & 55 cm at 4 weeks old plus. She gained 900 grams from her birth weight (3.2 kg) and she's taller by 6 cm (a big wow!, she was 49 cm at birth)

Back to her full moon celebration, we didn't have a big party, nor a special decoration, etc.. All we had was our family, simple buffet food, simple DIY decorations with balloons and that's it!

Show you some of our super simple full moon celebration!

In my tradition, Chinese Indonesian, full moon means everybody in the house, of course including the baby must take a bath with flowers in the morning before we have our prayer and celebration. And of course, a little lady with sweet smile having her special spa time looks adorable, isn't?

Last minute DIY by me, hubby and our helper, done in 2 hours! Can you spot the word "Calysta"?

 

A typical "must" for full moon, red eggs & ang kuh kueh

 

More balloons

 

 

Simple foods

 

My little family :)

My little princess

2 outfits for her celebration. I love her pink outfit but in my culture, it's a must to wear red during full moon celebration. Red means luck and it's kind of wishing the baby to get lucky all the time! Red dress with red socks & mittens brought over from Indonesia by my mom :)

 

 

 
Calsyta's tummy time. This was taken when she was 3 weeks old! Her neck is really strong!

Me & dearest daughter, do we look alike?

Post Delivery & Breastfeeding Update

It has been more than 2 weeks since I have given birth to Calysta. She's doing great! And so I am! Although it's really tiring to take care a newborn day and night but looking at her face, I just can't stop falling in love again and again.. Smelling her hair is my favorite thing to do now

As much as a new baby brought joy & happiness to our family, of course there are some challenges too, one of them is breastfeeding.. It's seriously a big business! Calysta has been on total breastfeeding/direct latching with no bottles or formula. She's literally on my boobs 24/7 & there's no fixed timing yet when she's gonna eat. She eats whenever she wants!
She's fed every 1.5-3 hours and there is certain timing she wants to be fed all the time.. Other mothers call it cluster feeding. It's like feeding her for 2-3 hours non stop for a few minutes and during feeding, she sleeps for 15 minutes or less then she wakes up again and latches on again for a few minutes and the cycle goes on and on for many hours.. She has a few times of cluster feeding in a day, sometimes day & night and I'm seriously really tired! I haven't slept for 3 hours straight yet!

Other mums may think breastfeeding with direct latching is so easy because there's no need to wash bottles, no need to pump & sterilize and more bonding time with the baby but everything comes with a price too!
The problem I'm having with direct latching apart from having sore nipples is engorgement and there's a need to pump to relieve some level of engorgement. Calysta is taking one breast at a time and she can't finish the other breast and this is why I still have to pump at least once or twice a day when I feel really full. The other problem is Calysta seems unable to handle fast flow milk from my breasts, therefore it leads to frustration, crying and pulling off from the breasts. Yes it takes efforts to latch her on again! Even I can latch her on again, there will be so much milk leaking from her mouth that literally wetting all my shirt and her shirt.. It's really stressful sometimes! Of course there is certain timing, she can control the milk flow well! She can control my fast milk flow and thus less fussiness during midnight feeding. To me, midnight feeding is the best and more relaxing although I feel tired & sleepy. The milk leaking makes me wonder if she's getting enough milk or not but looking at her diaper outputs, I think she's doing just fine! Just that mommy is too afraid she's getting not enough!

Calysta at 2 weeks old plus only nurses for averagely 5-10 minutes and most of the time, she feels contented! At first, it worried me if she's getting enough but as long as she's producing more than 10 wet diapers and 3-4 soiled diapers, I think she's doing fine! Perhaps my fast milk flow makes her an efficient nurser :)

Seriously breastfeeding direct latching is not easy at all, it can be really stressful especially when your newborn is fussy or crying during feeding! And when I don't know what to do facing certain situation, luckily I have lactation consultant support to advise & encourage me to carry on. (So far I have engaged lactation consultant twice and she came for home visit once), lactation consultant really helped! I would say it's much more challenging than exclusive pumping. I hope things will get better after the 1st month. Many times, I feel like giving up, just pump combined with formula and feed the baby! That's it, easy! But deep inside, I don't want to give up yet! I have faith in breastfeeding & I know it's going to get better & better as time passes by! All I need is encouragement :) luckily my husband has been very supportive :)

Breastfeeding really helped me to slim down my belly fast & I'm glad to say that my belly is back to pre-pregnancy belly and it's even flatter than before I got pregnant with Calysta.. Weight loss wise, I have lost 10 kg and I have about 7-8 kg more of baby weight to lose :) I believe I'm reaching that target fast due to breastfeeding :)

I'm lucky that I don't experience postnatal depression (touchwood I won't!) with this baby.. I'm pretty much calm & relaxed emotionally. Of course there was once I shed tears because of breastfeeding frustration but luckily lactation consultant came in time to help me! :) silly me I know!

I'm still doing my confinement and I have a confinement lady who helps in cooking & washing baby's clothes.. So far I'm ok with Chinese confinement, I can bear with whatever foods they want me to eat but one thing they can't restrict me, it's my hygiene! (meaning there's no way I don't take a bath or wash hair for 30 days, it's simply madness!) I shower twice a day and wash my hair whenever I like to!

I will update more again next time, hopefully after Calysta's full moon :)

2 week + post delivery belly ~ breastfeeding works like magic!

I manage to keep 120 ml of breast milk in my deep freezer every day. It's time to build the stash slowly, one pack by one pack!

Why are you so tiny, Calysta?