Implanon: The Testimonial

I had my C-Sec on 24 August 2013 i.e. Minmin's birthday. hehehehhe

A day before I left the hospital after 3days2night there, my doctor asked which contraception method I would use. Reasons I needed it:

1. They cut my belly open coz Minmin was too big and lazy and refused to come out (hahahahah...ok mommy kidding)

2. My blood reading i.e. HB was not pretty through out my pregnancy so I need at least a couple of years to stabilize it (got it from my momma)

3. I was still traumatized with the pain when the doctor threw this question. So any method to stop another baby coming was welcomed. (at that time only)

So... after discussion with le hub, I decided to go for Implanon. Why? Less hassle. And one thing, it doesnt disturb milk production, which is the main advantage that drew my attention. I did a little research for the cost, side effects, where to get, how to get basically everything and got the minor surgery (cheh!) a week after confinement ended.

A lil bit of details for interested parties out there:

1. Where? : I got it done at one of LPPKN Clinics in Ayer Keroh, Melaka. Had to set the appointment first coz they dont do it everyday. Certified doctor did the insertion for me. Took less than 5 minutes. Left hand numb the whole day. hew hew...

2.  Cost: RM320 in 2013. Heard the price has gone up this year. The cheapest I could find. Private clinics charge more.

3. The procedure: Inject anesthetic, then insert that thanggg. The size is as big as a match stick.

4. Expired after 3 years.

5. The side effects: There are many. But am gonna tell the effects that I kena ok.

• irregular period. Started coming after Minmin was 8months old (delay could be due to BF). BUTTTTTTTTTTTT the length of the cycle drove me crazy. Each cycle lasted for a couple of months. Every timeeeee! Not heavy flow, more like spotting but still... rimas mak ok!
• Acne on the face. erghhhh...
• Weight gain. Erm... actually not sure whether this is the side effect but i need something to blame.hahaha I started eating healthy and going to gym but no changes. except lost 1kg. so really guys, i need to blame this implanon.
• Not pregnant. hahahahahaha

 

Image googled. Pretty much how it looked in my left arm. That's not my arm. Haram ok tunjuk aurat. hehe

You'll be given this card to keep...... In case you forget you have something in your arm that has an expiry date. hahaha

So, due to the first side effect, I decided to remove this susuk last week. I really cannot tahan with the long menses period. So I took it out at a private clinic. If you are from Melaka and intend to remove yours, can go to KLINIK MAIZA, Cheng. Charged only RM40. Less than 5 minutes all's done! But of course, need to make appointment first ok.

So, that's my honest testimonial about implanon. Not much but honest. cewah!

Hope this post helps you in any way it can.

Have A Nice Day.

p/s pardon all the grammar error. Not feeling like a teacher tonight. Feeling like me.

What goes around.....

....comes around....eventually.

This is one fundamental concept I learn this new year. There was so much fuss on my Fb timeline about this expose vs expose in Singapore. Not gonna talk about the expose but I was curios why there are so much hatred against this lady. So I did a little research. Well, useless coz it doesnt concern me but hey,I was curious.

Well, to sum it up, this lady loves to throw stones at people since she was younger in the industry. The one thing I couldnt accept how she would insult someone else's baby and now that she is her mother herself, the stones were coming back at her. Though it is NOT RIGHT to involve young innocent baby in the hatred-conflict, she had it coming by the way. I pity the baby though coz to me, the baby is super cute. hehe

Anyhoo, that's karma, or whatever concept you believe. Things you do today might turn back at you, to hurt you or worse your loved ones. Unless it's a good one.

Since I become a mother, I am really scared anything bad or harmful happen to Minmin. Nauzubillah...I hope he will always be under the blessing around the people who love him.

So, let's be a better person today. Whenever you feel like bashing someone on social media like FB, twitter, blog, stop and reflect. We are not perfect. They arent too.

Be nice. One day it could be our turn.

 

This is so true. We could realize it, but so much later after endless of reflections. 

Be nice. A strict reminder, to myself!

In Macau

So we arrived at Macau Terminal around...erm...10.30 am... I think.haha forgot the detail. In Macau there are just so many big Casinos and and these Casinos provide free shuttle bus to go to their places. And as a smart budget traveller, you can use this to go to tourists' attractions nearby the casinos.hehehe

Our first target was of course THE VENETIAN!! HEHEHE

When we got out from the immigration door, we went to the toilet. Little did we know there was a pair of eyes watching us. I think because I wore hijab, it couldnt hide the fact that we were tourists. So this lady approached us and offered to bring us around Macau for a day. Her fees stunned us so we said no. I think it's around HKD2000 = RM900 per pax. We kindly refused.

It didnt stop there. She followed us around so we rushed out of the terminal building had no time to survey the surrounding. We wanted to get rid of her. We arrived at a taxi station and wanted to take a taxi, just to escape from her. hahah Unfortunately, the taxi driver refused Hong Kong dollar so we stood at the side trying to figure out the next step. and to our surprised, the scary lady emerged from behind the wall where we were standing!!!! aaaaaaaaaaa

We said no and quickly returned to the terminal building and saw a sign to the shuttle bus station. Phewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww. Then we just hopped into The Venetian bus and was super relieved to finally escaped.hahaha

THE VENETIAN IS GORGEOUS YOU CANT MISS IT!!!!!!!!!!!

 KO RASA KO KACHHAAKKK?!

We ate at the food court, only I shop selling Arab food.huhu

If you go to this place dont forget to visit another 2 attractions here... erm.... I couldnt recall what but got Hard Rock Cafe and erm.... screw me. tak ingat. ish.. We were not interested to go so we went back to the shuttle bus station and returned to the ferry terminal to catch another shuttle to Senado Square. - told you we just walked where our feet brought us so we just hopped on the bus.haha

From the Ferry Terminal we took another shuttle bus to Lisbon, a casino near to Senado Square.

Not so near tho.haha

We didnt know which way to go we just studied the map and went with the crowds. Asalkan sampai...sudehhhhh

 

Fat-ass Casino. tee hee hee

 

We walked for 10-15 minutes and finally arrived at the square. It's just next to a post office building.

 

At this point we were already exhausted so less photo taking.haha

  

From Senado Square, follow the signs to the Ruin of St Paul.

 

Narrow path led to being lost....again.hahah actually we were fascinated with the architecture so missed the road signs to the Ruin. 

Yeayyyy sampai~!!!

Couldnt find any halal portuguese tarts...boo hoo.... I read in some blogs they could get tarts. I wasnt so convinced coz most shops selling tarts were also selling pork. Takde rezeki...

We spent around one hour here. My kaki already almost patah and we wanted to go back to Hong Kong. Walking back to the casino was impossible (sakit kaki...huhu) so we decided to take a taxi.

We hopped on a taxi and surprised by the ride of our life. The taxi driver drove like mad man despite the traffic. When we almost arrived at the ferry terminal, there was a slow van in front of us and the taxi driver started cursing and I could graps a little of his vulgarities 'chisin...chisin...' which i believe in many years being a hong kong drama fan it means 'crazy'. muahahahaha

We arrived safe and sound and almost breathless and managed to catch the 4.30pm ferry back to Hong Kong.

A little information for you which we DIDNT know earlier

Ferry to Hong Kong

Turbojet - will arrive at Hongkong Island Ferry Terminal

Cotaijet - Tsim Tsa Shui Terminal.

We didnt know, we chose Turbojet and arrived at Hong Kong Island.heheh

That's all I think. More details shoot me an email =)

Toooooo many grammar mistakesssss hereeeeeee....dont have time to edit coz Minmin is awake now...

Bye!

Hong Kong Day 2: How to Go to Macau

When we were in Hong Kong, B and I didnt  really go with out itinerary. Like, going to Macau! It was a last minute decision after I saw some beautiful photos at The Venetian and also the memories of watching Goong, a korean drama. Not a fan of korean series though but I still has a soft spot for the drama. Ahh... Chae Kyung and Shin Gun...hehe

Anyhoo, on the 2nd day we decided to go to Macau.  a short one-day trip just to see. 

We got up early as we wanted to catch the earliest boat to Macau. Before that, I have to tell you that I was kinda 'controlling' the trip.haha so confident I knew everything, all the places in Hong Kong based on my readings. So back to the story, I studied the map to go to China Ferry Terminal days before.

China Ferry Terminal: Ferry to Macau or Mainland China

Star Ferry Terminal: Ferry to Hong Kong Island

 

From Nathan Road we walked to Star Ferry Pier then walked to Ocean Terminal (still not the right place..haha) asked a guard thennnn only we arrived at China Ferry Terminal. Haihhhh =')

So we were lost for at least 30 minutes. Yea..my bad. Got confused.hahaha You can spot China Ferry Terminal from far because it looks like a golden building.

  This is how the building looks like

Anyhoo, taking pictures while searching for direction

First time seeing a titanic cruise. It's really huge, guys! This is at Ocean Terminal. Phew..they do have many terminals.haha

Back to the story:

Important Information to Macau

1.There are 2 different ferries to Macau - Cotaijet and Turbojet.

2. Macau has 2 terminals:

•  Macau terminal
•  Taipa Terminal

If you plan to go to The Venetian, take Taipa. We didnt plan so we chose the earliest one and arrived at Macau Terminal.

Since we arrived around 8.30 am we missed the earlier ferry. We chose the next one which is Turbojet.

3. Price for economy class per pax: HKD169 = RM76. Buy at the counter. Your seat number will be given before you enter the immigration door.

4. Bring your PASSPORT!

5. The journey took 1 hour to arrive at Macau. We slept most of the time.hahaha coz got nothing to sea except sea, more ferries and small islands.

6. Be careful and hold your patience

There were many visitors from Mainland China going to Macau as well and some of them were very rude. They cut queue like nobody's business and not only that, one cut one whole village follow. Kiasu level super high! Yea I'm exaggerating coz we had a few bad memories with them.huhu Hongkese were fine tho. Just had to be patience. I did curse them in my language coz i was just damn angry.huhu glad they didnt understand. Well, to be fair, I dont understand their language either.haha

 It's very comfortable inside the ferry. They sell food and drinks as well if you want.

 I think Hongkese loves this kind of design for their buildings. We saw quite a number of buildings with similar design. Bangunan berlubang.haha

Now, off we go!

Review on Spectra S1

Assalamualaikum and howdy peeps!!

School is always crazy especially during the first term - Cross country, short courses for teachers (LDP), tests for students, test questions to set, classroom to decorate, extra co-curricular activities with the students bla bla bla hence, eh forgot for me, add one more, Muhaimin hahahaha so mmy hands are always full. I want to blog so badly but i got no time.

Anyhoo, here is my honest review about Spectra S1.

Overall, 4 thumbs up!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I had Spectra M1, used Medela Freestyle for 3 weeks, occasionally using Unimom manual pump i just gotta say Spectra S1 is made for me.

Suctions good

Very quiet - quieter than M1 and FS. Anyway FS sounded like motorboat.The sound of S1 is similar to someone's breathing.hehehe

Could get 5oz in a short period too.

Can be used as single or double pump

Basically perfect for me

EXCEPT!

The size of course.haha

First time I met it I was like... wow radio ke aper ni.hahahah

It's not really convenient especially for travelling purpose but then I have my Unimom manual so it doesnt concern me. Just a big bulky coz I carry S1 everyday to school.hehe 

S1 and M1 have the same set of breastshield and bottle.

Oh yeah, another minus point for S1 is till now I cant find any storage bottle that fits the breastshield. So it's a double work of pumping then transferring to storage bottle.

 

Originally, it came with only one set of breastshield but a miscommunication with the supplier and a bit of drama, she gave me another set for free.tee hee hee add with the previous M1 sets, i have 4 sets in total. hee

 

Small size talc for size comparison. Still cannot imagine its bulkiness?

Here, hope the next photo helps.

   

Bulky doncha think?hee so whenever i carried this around, it felt like I was carrying a radio for my MUET class.hahahahaha

Oh another plus point is this model comes with a night light. 2 level of brightness. Very helpful especially at night =)

 

 

That's all I think. I know this post is a bit messy but I really dont have time to properly compose it. Again as usual, any question just leave a comment or shoot me flyawaycandle@yahoo.com.

p/s Alhamdulillah, Muhaimin is back to mommy's milk again. Hopefully this continues till at least he's a year old which....5 months to go. phewwwww!

k
That's all i think. I

Glad I could help

Whenever I received an email or PM on FB or Whatsapp asking about breastpump or how to breastpumping or anything related to baby, I got super excited and kinda....touched. I cant shed the thought of a being a handicapped mom due to inability to directly feed Muhaimin (I know I exaggerated, this is a mommy's guilt). So when people, strangers asking me for advice, it lifts up the spirit, and make me feel...less handicapped.hehe

So keep the emails and private messages coming because it made my day. Super glad that I could help. Better, when I could help mothers who experience the same thing like me - cannot direct feed our babies. I'm not alone. We are not alone.

Anyhoo, Min is back to breastmilk 100% now since he finished one whole packet of Friso less in 2 weeks. I hope this time Min can get the best as long as possible but again I've learnt my lesson, anything could happen that would affect the production but I have faith. Somehow I am glad that I'm tested several times in this journey because it helps to understand moms who have the same obstacles.

It's easy for people to judge moms who dont breastfeed. I'm referring to moms who tried but the result was disappointing..Not who choose not to. Go mommies go! Try harder and leave it to God =)

 

Min is looking more like his Ayah. Bila orang tau Ayah dia orang mana, mesti cakap 'ooo patutla takde muka melayu' haha Melanau blood wins!

Latest Spectra M1 Review

So...uhmmmm I am sad to announce that my spectra M1 is on its death bed. It's dying people after 5 months serving and being my bestfriend day and night. huhu

Before, I could get 5oz in 40mins, single pumping, now it takes that long to get 1oz. I had to use it with manual breastpump.

I think the reason is due to fatigue.hahahah It's been overworked for the last 5 months.

THIS PUMP IS NOT MADE FOR HEAVY DUTY, NOT HOSPITAL GRADE BREASTPUMP.

I bought this pump 2 months before Min arrived. Of course back then I didnt know Min wouldnt latch.haha so I have to pump 8 times per day. M1 is made for moms who pump 4-5 times per day, 30mins per session. I used up to one hour.huhu

Sorry pump. I've tortured you.

So, after it showed a lil sign of dying I bought another set of pump, Medela Freestyle.

I just gotta say Medela Fs is overrated. Not a satisfied user since day 1.hahaha

So not even 3 weeks, I let it go to a new owner.

So, which pump I'm using now?

Since I believe I'm a Spectra mom, I bought Spectra S1. Got it yesterday after waiting for almost 2 weeks of waiting (hence the emo posts since few days ago, because for almost 2 weeks, I pumped using manual. 8times per day, 40mins cramp wehhhh tangannnnnn....haha). Tested it and wow, gotta say the best among the 3 breastpumps that I've used.

Will do a review about Spectra S1 after let's say...1 month? Just to be fair.hehe

Anyhoo, thank you M1, you served me well in my journey of giving the best for Muhaimin. I highly appreciate it so now it's time for you to rest in the box in the closet. Happy resting!

Thank you M1 for helping me to fatten Minmin.hehehe

Letting Go My Medela Freestyle

SOLD!!!!!!!!!!!!! tq buyer =)))

Heyyyaa peeps!!

Just a quick update. Since my first breastpump went kaput last month, I bought Medela Freestyle as a replacement. After giving it a try for almost a month, I finally give up and let's just say, Medela Fs and me arent meant to be together. Tak serasi orang kateeee

So I'm letting this baby go for a cheaper price. I bought it from Babyhouz.com for RM1450 but I'm letting it go for RM1200 INCLUDING POSTAGE, Malaysia onleyhhhh

Medela Freestyle Hands Free Double Electric Breast Pump latest 2013 model made in Baar Switzerland

You will get a full set EXCEPT FOR COOLER BAG AND ICE BRICK. But worry not, I'm giving 3 pieces of Autumn Ice packs for freeeeeeeeeeee!

FEATURES:

• Medela Freestyle hands free double electric breast pump latest 2013 model made in Baar Switzerland
• 1 - New and Original Medela Freestyle Breast Pump made in Baar Switzerland 
• 1 - Black microfiber tote bag
• 1 - Rachargeable Lithium Ion Battery 
• 1 - AC Power Cord 12V
• 4 - 150 mL (5oz) BPA-free breastmilk bottles and lids 
• 1 - Double pumping kit
• 2 - Medium (24 mm) PersonalFit™ breastshields
• 2 - Large (27 mm) PersonalFit™ breastshields
• 2 - Freestyle breastshield connector bodies
• 1 - Set of tubing

• 2 - Membranes
  1 - Hands-free accessory kit with 2 pairs of bra clip (A & B)
• Medela Freestyle manual book & information guide book
• Free 3 Pin Plug 

Alright, if you are interested but still wanna negotiate the price, I'm open for it. But dont quote too low la hoh coz this is still new, not even a month old.tee hee hee

You can email me at flyawaycandle@yahoo.com

or SMS/WHATSAPP 0128770424

Serious Buyer pleaseeeeeeeeeeeee!! 

Now I wanna go hunt for a new pump. haish sakit tangan pakai manual jewwww

Exclusive Pumping is a booby trap

hahahaah so cute Booby trap.

Received one email from a reader asking about exclusive pumping (waves excitedly :p ). I'm not an expert and is still very new in this but I love sharing. Hope this can help as many as possible.

If you choose to become an Eping mom, you have to bear this in mind: Pumping is harder than direct feeding. It's a booby trap because many thought it's the other way round. It takes a lot of commitment and patient and motivation and encouragement. But we are moms right??? We rock the world with our hands.

If you cannot directly feed your baby, you have to decide whether pumping is the best option for you. There shouldnt be 'I'll try' attitude because most likely half way you will give up. You have to have 'I MUST' attitude to be one. For me, I didnt decide to become an EP mom initially. I started pumping without even knowing this group of moms exist. I started out of my common sense that Muhaimin needs the milk. He was fed formula first before my liquid gold, and till today I couldnt erase the guilt I feel in my heart. I've said it and repeated it million times in my head that formula milk is still a form of rezeki but the guilt just wont go away. I hope with Allah's help, I can at least do this till Min reaches 6 months milestone.

That's why, a week into 4 months, I'm still pumping, 6-8 times per day. I still try to directly feed Min once in a while ut he still couldnt latch properly. I hope miracle will happen one day and he can latch like an expert.hehe 

Back to booby trap, pumping is so much harder than direct feeding. Because pumping isnt the same as direct feeding, the stimulation to the breast is also different. I know a mom who feeds her baby directly and she could get up to 10oz in one pumping session. For me, it depends. Sometimes I could get 7-9oz which is super rare hahaha but the usual one is around 4-5 oz. It's not much but enough to keep my baby's tummy happy. and the fact that he gained 1kg every month proves that he received enough milk. Alhamdulillah.

If you decide to be a pumping mom, avoid the word 'try' at all because you'll lose the motivation in the end and say 'i've tried but failed'.

Remember this, pumping means an endless cycle of pumping, storing, heating, feeding, cleaning, sterilizing. You have to follow strictly the pumping schedule to ensure good supply. And if you plan to travel, be prepared to carry extra bags - cooler bag, baby bag, thermos, thermal bag and if possible warmer. I did and sometimes it became soooo stressful. Trust me. I've travelled by plane and on road and so many preparations including mental preparation  needed to be done. You have to have contingency plan if suddenly you are out of hot water to warm the milk and the baby is screaming. and what if suddenly the journey took longer than your ice packs can hold on.Even my mom was stressed looking at what I had to do.hahahahaha



Cooler bag, and beloved warmer. Ran out of hot water while in Brunei. Gigih tak mak? At Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah Mosque. Orang pandang pon mak dah tak peduli.hohoho


 Since the twin girls dont receive natural stimulation from the baby, you have to be extremely careful about your emotion, your food, your health because all these affect the production. I've had few periods of being so stressed that my production plummeted drastically. I took the wrong food, boom! down to 3oz from 5oz. I got sick twice and the result, Min had to be fed formula coz at that time I was down to 1-2oz per pumping session.

BUT!!!

Tho very tiring, it is also very extremely super duper rewarding. To see Muhaimin burped, smiled and gained weight consistently, is the best reward ever.

And this is something new that I just learned 3 weeks ago when Min was down with fever, cough and flu.

Did you know, when a baby under 1-year-old catches cough and flu, there's no medicine for that other than the mom's milk? Adala ubat but it is not advisable to give to a such young age. The baby needs to develop his own immune system to fight the virus with the help of mommy;s milk. At first I didnt believe this. I went to two different doctors, a paeditrician and a doctor from a government clinic. Both told me the same thing. Both doctors didnt prescribe any medicine except for fever and told me to continue breastfeeding Minmin.



MasyaAllah, the power of mommy's milk =)

Again, I need to stress how hard it is to be an EP mom but IT IS NOT IMPOSSIBLE.It takes a lot of commitment and support be it internal and external. Talk to your husband and make sure you receive an endless support from him. Because you will be surprised with the many people who will kill your spirit and will tell you that you will FAIL. I get this even from doctors. Be strong and know you are fighting to give the best for your baby. God will reward you plenty =)

It's rewarding, both seen and unseen. Good luck Mommies!

p/s I still hope Min will latch properly one day. Pray for me ya!

Soft Structured Baby Carrier - Boba Carrier

Hola peeps!

Gosh, I miss blogging. I miss typing nonsensical stuffs. I miss recording my life.haha

Today I would like to write a review on Boba Carrier, a carrier I was willingly invest for my baby and us.

The story started when I was googling about baby stuffs (currently my favourite thing to do during free time). Somehow I accidentally clicked on one article about baby carrier that stressed on the safety and comfort for both baby and parent. We already had one carrier at that time.

To cut it short, our then carrier was not safe or comfortable for Min. A pang of guilt for carrying Min in that all those time. Apart from that, after every session of carrying Min around with the carrier, B and I would get backache. It's not ergonomic.

My short research brought me to Boba Carrier.

Before that, mom suggested for a ring sling, also from Boba but Min is not ordinary baby. He's heavy.hahaha i dont think i can handle Min with only one shoulder. and I'm pretty sure B WILL NOT USE IT.hahaha So a SSC it is.

So here's my honest review.

1. I.LOVE.IT
2. Ergonomic. Carried Min around for 2 hours but no back pain. Min even slept the whole time.
3. Easy to assemble. I can do it alone without help. 
4. Love the design. B loves it too
5. Comfortable
6. Easy to wash
7. Quality fabric
8. Has small pockets to keep mobile phone or car keys. How convenient!
9. There's a strap at the shoulder to keep my handbag from falling down. Extra point here!
10. When it is not in use, the carrier can be folded into a small pouch. So we dont have to take it off and put it on again. Very super convenient. No picture la pulak...

The only thing I dont really like is the price la.hahaha but think positive, can use it for our next babies too. Insya Allah =))

 

Manual book with pictures!!!! I hate reading long instructions.haha

At the airport waiting for our flight. I can sit comfortably which with our first carrier, impossible to do so.

 

Another feature that I love is it has a hood that can be folded if not in use. Helps to protect the baby from sun and rain. and also when the baby is sleeping. Min was sleeping in that photo =) And also notice how my handbag is secured.hahah no need to sling it anymore.

Jalan-jalan at Bandar Hilir. Min slept the whole time =)

As comparison, this is the first carrier that we bought. We bought if for wayyyy cheaper because at that time, we thought all baby carriers are the same =__=' Membaca jambatan ilmu ye kawan-kawan.

See, see how uncomfortable Min look here. The carrier didnt really support his back and when wearing this, we had to walk like we had a ball in between our thighs.hahahahha With Boba, it wholly supports the baby so the baby's position isnt inclined backwards.

And here is the strongest reason why I bought a new carrier.

 

The first picture resembles our first carrier. And to think that Min was carried in that a few times...and he's a boy some more....ouch! So Mommy gotta do something to protect our future generation.if you know what I mean.....hahahahaah

B and I love going out, we love travelling and seeing places. That's why we need a good carrier because we dont plan to leave Min when we go around.haha at 3 months, Min has gone to many places including Brunei. Next year InsyaAllah we plan to go somewhere further but the destination has yet to be decided.

I hope this so not detailed review helps you in some ways.

Min is 7.3kg now. It is impossible to hand carry him without any carrier. Hurts my arms...boo hoo

Aku pun tak sure apa aku makan sampai Min membesar bagaikan juara.hahah he's not that chubby though, but he's tall which none B or me are.hmmmm....

post yang kelam kabut.hahaha