Mothering Corner

I looked fat and ugly during pregnancy, and I was so bloated after confinement. I’m not one of those who’s born with skinny genes, but I managed to lose my post pregnancy weight by breastfeeding and not getting enough rest.

After I had my second child, I was quite worried about my weight, so I got myself some weight loss products and a set of costly girdle and corset from Japan (or Taiwan?). I put on the girdle and corset just after a week of my delivery, and I managed to get back in shape in 3 – 4 months. As for the weight loss product, I didn’t take it. I was worried about my milk supply because I fully breastfed my baby.

Come to think of it, I don’t mind having another baby if we are financially capable, and if I have extra help at home. But the thought of fighting with post natal weight is putting me off.

My SIL has only gave birth to her baby about 4 months ago and she has lost a lot of weight but is yet to go back to pregnancy shape. Like most women, she’s facing a lot of pressure in getting back in shape. I tried to convince her that she’s not fat at all and I went through that weight loss struggle just like her too, but with a balance diet, some exercise, sleep deprived from taking care of the baby and breastfeeding, most women managed to get back in shape. Not everyone can loss weight just after confinement and we just have to be perseverance and positive about ourselves.

On top of that, I went to Yanhee International Hospital and plastic surgery is pretty common here. Some women spent a lot of money in getting back in shape. My SIL is still reluctant to do so, but I think she looks great now. Maybe it’s just the flabbiness, and she just needs to tone up her body.

Frankly, part of the reasons why I don’t want to have another baby is I hate to go through the stress of losing weight. I know that I did it twice successfully, but I can’t ignore the fact that I’m not getting any younger and my metabolism is slower. LOL!

My SIL has just given birth 2 months ago, but she slimmed down very fast by keeping herself busy with a baby and juggling her work at the office. She is nursing her baby exclusively but if she’s away from the office, her baby will be fed with formula milk by the office staffs. She brings her baby to work because there’s no one to take care of her, and she can’t leave her own business.

Like I said previously, it’s much easier to lose weight if you are breastfeeding. Some of the breastfeeding mothers I know lost their baby fat six months after the labor and they can still eat normally. But if you are not a breastfeeding mother, you can try lots of methods in losing weight like exercising, taking diet pills like Acomplia, doing on diet and etc. No matter which method you choose, please make sure that it’s safe and consult your doctor before you take any pills. It’s best to lost weight the safer way, but I know how frustrating it can be if you can’t see the pounds losing before your eyes with all the diet plans you tried!

Seriously, I am controlling my diet now. I can’t be eating the same since I weaned off my gal. I missed my breastfeeding days when I could eat anything I want.

Most of the new mothers have heavy lochia first week after labor but it will get lesser over time and change into yellow-white discharge 10 days later. During the first few days, it’s best to put on the maternity pads that provide better absorption and comfortable for your would if you have a tear or an episiotomy.

If you are worried about leaking, you can just get some Reusable Bed Pads and put them on the bed before lying down. Most hospitals provide disposal bed pads but for home use, reusable bed pads will be more economical. Besides that, you can also use the nappy pad for babies which is used for changing the diaper!

Anyway, I hope that you menstrual will come much later because my lochia was heavy and I wanted to be “clean” for long.

I’m flying over to see SIL next week and she has been complaining about how hard she takes to get rid of her post natal baby fat. Frankly, it’s only been a month since she gave birth to her baby, so it’s not easy to get back in shape so soon. Maybe there are one or two mothers who made it, but the majority of us struggled for 6 months to one year to get back in shape.

But if you are breastfeeding your baby, it’s much easier to lose the post natal fat if you eat a well balance diet as well as doing some simple exercise. I started exercising a week after labor, but only the simple exercises I learned from my prenatal class. Some of the exercises you can try out are:

Pelvic Floor Strengthener
This exercise is perfect for improving circulation in the pelvic region, as well as keeping the vaginal canal in shape.

# lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor
# tighten the muscles of the vagina as if trying to interrupt the flow of urine when going to the bathroom
# hold for a count of four, then release

Head and Shoulder Raises
# lie on your back with your knees bent and your hands behind your head
# take a breath and, as you exhale, tighten your abdominal muscles, flatten the small of your back against the floor and raise your head and shoulders off the ground and slowly lower
# repeat the entire sequence eight to 10 times

Pelvic Tilt
# lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floot
# inhale and allow your abdomen to expand
# exhale and lift your tailbone toward your navel, keeping you hips on the floor
# at the top of the tilt, tighten your buttocks, then release
# repeat eight to 10 times

Of course, you can also add in other forms of exercise like swimming, yoga, walking, and others once you have recovered from your labor and feel up to it. You can also forget about taking diet pills if you are breastfeeding your baby, waking up a few times a night and carrying her around during the day. It sounds like a lot of exercising to me already!

One of the most tiring moments of motherhood is the first few weeks after your newborn is delivered. I didn’t sleep much as I was breastfeeding on demand and without a pacifier, I felt like my babies were hanging onto my breasts days and nights. Sometimes, I felt asleep breastfeeding lying now and I didn’t notice it. It was that tiring…

But if you are uncomfortable with the idea of co-sleeping with your baby, you still just place your newborn in a cot. But it’s quite troublesome getting up to carry the baby who might be nursing a few times at night. Some babies are angels who sleep through the night but not mine. LOL! My kids only sleep through after one and a half year, and I wonder how I made it through?

Anyway, if you have help from hubby or maid, don’t feel shy to ask. It’s best to rest as much as you can during confinement. I didn’t have a lot of rest and it’s very taxing. Just ask for help, you deserve it.

My blog buddy had just asked me about some options on birth control. I talked to my gynae 4 months after I delivered my gal, but he didn’t want me to rush for it. I was breastfeeding, so he made it clear that implanon might not be suitable for me as it might affect my milk production. Thus, I was asking him about Mirena. He suggested that I tried the copper IUD first since it’s cheaper. If I had any side effect, then only go for Mirena. He didn’t want to insert for me immediately and ask me to think about it and discuss with hubby.

If you are interested to know about the differences, here they are:

 The copper IUD is a T-shaped plastic frame with two threads attached. It’s inserted into the uterus to prevent pregnancy. Once in place, it inhibits fertilization, as the IUD impedes the sperm’s journey to the fallopian tubes. If fertilization occurs, the device prevents the embryo from attaching to the uterine wall. ParaGard also slowly releases copper, which inactivates the sperm in the cervical mucus.

The hormonal IUD (Mirena) is a T-shaped plastic frame with thread attached. The IUD is inserted into the uterus to prevent pregnancy. Once in place, it inhibits fertilization, as the IUD impedes the sperm’s journey to the fallopian tubes. If fertilization occurs, the device prevents the embryo from attaching to the uterine wall. The hormonal IUD also releases progestin, which inhibits sperm mobility and makes the uterus unsuitable for a pregnancy.

There are more information available about IUD and other forms of contraception from Mayo Clinic, and I have been reading the site for the past 15 minutes! BTW, I haven’t inserted any IUD. Hubby and I decided to take things naturally, but if baby is out for the plan in 5 years, I better visit my gynae soon!

I love being pregnant but during the last few months when the bump is getting bigger, I tend to go to the toilet more often. So, you can forget about sleeping through the night during the last few weeks too. It will help a lot if you practice Kegel exercise, you know, by working on the muscle that hold your pee. But don’t do this when you are at the toilet!

Kegel will also help out if you would like to prevent your pelvic floor from being prolapsed. However, if you are worry about your enlarged labia and vaginal relaxation conditions, you can consider vaginal cosmetic surgery to improve the appearance of your vagina, especially if you have been through natural birth and you are not having the same confidence level anymore.

Anyway, it’s a personal choice and only you know if this is necessary.

It’s not the latest news. Everyone knows about it. Too bad it’s only applicable for government servants.

I don’t know if I should be happy about 5 years maternity leave. What if I get another baby within those years? Should I be entitled more? Another 5 years? O.o

Then how to get back to work after leaving the work force  for so long? I used to be in engineering line. In that field, things like the machines, the technology, the process specification and etc. change very fast. 5 years later, it will be totally different and I will have to start all over again.

But frankly, 5 years later I have forgotten how to get up to get ready for work. I have been too “free”, I don’t think a fixed schedule works on me anymore.

What I love about breastfeeding is you can easily lose weight if you eat reasonably. Most of the breastfeeding mothers that I know will agree that it helps to speed up the process of getting back to pre-pregnancy weight. But what about mothers who cannot lose weight? I have seen some mothers who became twice as fatter than before after labor and not all of them are happy with their condition.

A gastric banding might help if they would like to lose weight faster, and it is proven to be effective. But please take note that the surgery can only be done by highly skilled laparoscopic surgeons such as those from Journey Lite. Even if it’s a simple surgery, but proper medical intervention is still needed.