Bottle Feeding - What was I so Worried about?

As I recall when Jasmine was an infant, we wanted her to accept the bottle from time to time, in case I have to go somewhere and someone else can feed her. When we introduced the bottle to Jasmine at 8 weeks, it was a battle with her. She didn't like the bottle at all. Apparently, we started too late.

So for Julia, we wanted to start trying with a bottle earlier, so she gets used to it. As of current, I am exclusively breastfeeding. Julia is 5 weeks and 2 days old. I gave her the bottle (with breast milk) last night and she took it just like that. She drank the entire 3oz bottle, no problems. What was I so worried about?

Richard gave me a nice break today and took care of Julia for a few hours. He fed her with the bottle and she also drank with no problems. I guess this isn't an issue for us this time around. To ensure that we don't regress, Richard will feed Julia every night with the bottle and I'll continue to breast feed her during the day.

Sisterly Love

Before we brought Julia home, we didn't know how Jasmine would react to a new baby in the house. As it turns out, we had nothing to worry about. Jasmine loves babies! As soon as Julia showed up, Jasmine would run up and want to see baby all the time... well, for the first week anyways. The novelty has already worn off now though. I think Jasmine knows that Julia is here to stay.

We were lucky to catch a few pics of Jasmine and Julia together:

Vinegar Ginger Soup - so clumsy

As the sitting month is at its end, I'm finishing off the last of the vinegar ginger soup. Richard is super happy about this because he hates the smell of it. There was one last bowl left and I had just boiled it and put it into a bowl to eat. After I sat down on the couch, the bowl slipped out of my hand and landed all over my white t-shirt, my shorts and all over my upper thigh. O-U-C-H... did I say it was hot? Yeah, I just boiled it.

What a mess. Can you imagine - a whole bowl of black vinegar spilled all over the place. Richard looked over and jumped off the couch to grab a stack of bounty paper towels. He blotted off my thigh first and then the couch. My thigh was bright red from the burn. I got off the couch and made my way to the bathroom. I went straight into the bathtub with all my clothes on. Everything was black.

Anyways, to make the story short, I didn't get to eat any of the vinegar ginger soup (Richard threw all the ginger away even though it was still edible, so sad. I really like that stuff). It all ended with a BANG.

Here's the funny thing - When I was eating this ginger vinegar soup after giving birth to Jasmine, the pot that boiled the soup actually cracked on the last day of my sitting month! That ended it with a BANG too!

Julia - 1 Month Old!

Julia is one month old today! And that means that I've just passed the "sitting month" period...yay! (for those who don't know, the one month sitting period takes place after you give birth. You are not allowed to leave the house (exceptions include going to appointments) for an entire month).

Julia is 9lbs 10oz, about 90th percentile. From memory, Jasmine was 9lbs at her 1-month. Looks like she is right on track for growth. Here is a quick pic of Julia doing tummy time (see all those bumps on her face? She's got eczema too!:

No More Naps - Jasmine Says

For the past 1.5 weeks, we put Jasmine down for her nap in the afternoon but she would play with her toys inside her crib instead. She doesn't sleep. By late afternoon, she would become cranky, throw tantrums,become very clumsy (trip and fall alot) and just isn't her nice self. And by dinner time, she would be so tired...so tired that she falls asleep in her highchair. This happened a few times already.

Now we are skipping her nap entirely to see if this is what her body can handle. We'll find out if she can continue this way.

Diaper Rash - Getting better

A quick update on Julia's diaper rash. The Penaten cream doesn't work very well, it seems to wipe off really easily onto the diaper and doesn't protect the skin. Our cousin suggested using Desitin instead (thanks Wrency). We've been using Desitin for the past few days and it looks like the diaper is going away although the red dots come and go. Not sure what is causing the dots to show up; I'm thinking she may be sensitive to something I'm eating. Perhaps the orange juice I'm drinking? I really hope she is not allergic to any foods...

Then I read up that some doctors suggest using Maalox or Mylanta, the antacids for stomach indigestion. Supposedly, you use a cotton ball and soak some Maalox and then wipe the diaper area with it and then put Desitin on afterwars. The Maalox will help counter the acid in the feces and urine...makes sense. Haven't tried it but I think I'll buy some if the rash doesn't completely go away by next weekend.

Funnily enough, Jasmine NEVER had a diaper rash.

Oh no - Baby Acne and Diaper Rash

Poor baby Julia, she has acne all over her face and a diaper rash. She's had the acne for about a week already and it's slowly going away. We went to the doc's office on Monday and suggested using Head and Shoulders (the dandruff shampoo) to wash the hair and face. Apparently, the oils from her hair are dripping down onto her face (even though you can't see it) and causing the pimples. So we are doing this now, hoping the acne will go away in a few days.

I only noticed the diaper rash tonight. No wonder Julia cried every time I changed her diaper. It must be so painful. The rash covered the entire diaper area, all red with little tiny dots. We've been using newborn diapers, from Huggies and Pampers (thanks YJ!). We finished all the Huggies diapers already and was using the 2nd pack of the Pampers. I am wondering if Julia is sensitive to something in the Pampers diapers...as it smells fragrant and has a mesh interior, which I've read can cause friction on the skin. Anyways, I packed up the Pampers diapers, put them away and started using the Huggies size 1 diapers we bought. I'm also blowdrying Julia's l'il bum and putting on Penaten cream before putting on the diaper. Hope the rash goes away soon.

2 Weeks Old - already 8lbs

Baby2 is 2 weeks old today. We had to get her weighed, to ensure that she is back to her birth weight, which she is. She is now 8lbs 2oz (3.696kg), thank goodness. She had dropped down to 7lbs (3.18kg) by Day 3 so a gain of a pound is hard work, considering all she is eating is milk. I guess the breastfeeding every 1.5 hours paid off. Hoping she'll keep it up!