5th Antenatal Class

Sunday's class was about feeding. Our instructor, Rosalind said that it was her "expertise" and hyped it all up like she's the breastfeeding guru or something like that. But I guess I have been reading so much on this that I didn't really learn anything new from her that day.

I plan to breast feed as long as I can, but I have heard of the difficulties from some friends, so I wanted to gain as much knowledge as I can from books, internet and magazines. I guess I've more or less grasp the theories, but practical wise, well, we'll see when princess comes... Generally, breastfeeding can be summarised in the following.

Lesson 5 - Feeding

• Breastfeeding

Pros
- Can help Mummy regain her figure
During breastfeeding, the uterus would slowly shrink back to original size!

- Breast milk, nature's best
You can't find any brand of milk out there that can beat Mummy's milk! Organic, nutritious, no melamine poisoning, easy to prepare(just put the baby on the nipple!), perfect temperature, always super fresh, always available and it's FREE! Haha...

- Enhance bonding between Mummy and Baby
That's the most important! Is there anything closer than that?

Cons
- Engorement would be unavoidable I guess, but there are ways to ease the pain
- Most of the other problems arise due to improper latching of the baby, resulting in sore nipples, no milk, etc... So very important to remember:

1. Proper latching on by baby - Very Important
2. Perseverance - Very Important

Breastfeeding Steps:
- Wipe nipples with wet cotton wool

- Massage the areola, massage outward towards nipple

- Burp baby and remove swaddling, so that her arms can move freely

- Baby's body must be positioned so that it's tummy to tummy with Mummy

- Hold breast with hand, but avoid the nipple so that your hand does not obstruct baby's mouth.

- Touch baby's mouth with nipple, when it opens, shove the nipple in!

- Make sure that areola is completely covered inside baby's mouth. If not, use finger to push down her chin to position properly.

- If need to "detach", press your little finger at the corner of baby's mouth to break the suction before pulling baby away.

- Feed about 20mins on each breast, when baby stops, burp baby before offering the second breast.

- After feeding, burp baby, change diapers and pump out breast milk to store in freezer.

Feeding Structure
When it comes to feeding structure, I guess different people have different school of thoughts. According to Rosalind, she believes that Mummies should feed every time the baby cries for milk, so that the milk supply is always there. Baby-base feeding.

But according to Gina Ford, (a childcare expert's book that I’m reading) she believes in introducing a structured feeding time to a child, even at a very young age.



Time-based feeding. This helps the child to expect feeding at certain timings (every 3 hours), and I kind of prefer her technique.

Bottle Feeding & Sterilization of Feeding Equipment
Rosalind then talked about bottle feeding and sterilization of feeding equipment, which is common knowledge lah. Follow the instructions on the packaging and you'll be fine. After sterilizing the bottles, flick away the excess water and assemble back the bottles (cover and all) before storing. Keeping the bottles open would expose them to contamination.

SO ends lessons for the Antenatal class. Next Tuesday I have to attend a Doctor's talk, which is part of the package, and on 30 Nov I have to come back and attend my 1st Lesson, which I have missed. Strange...

4th Antenatal Class

The last antenatal class was very fun, because we got to play with dolls!

Lesson 4 - Practical Hands-on Baby Care

• Instructional Video of bathing baby
Before we got to play, we watched a video on how to bath a baby 1st. But as usual, the video looks pretty old, and the sound quality sucks. So we just watched which was just as easy to understand anyway...

OK for those of you who have a morbid fear of life-like dolls, you better look away, because here's our "baby" for the day! :D



We chose a baby with a pink outfit, well, since we're expecting a little princess, but we found out later while changing the diaper that it's actually a boy! Kanna conned...

So with the baby, we learnt how to:
• How to carry, hand over or take over the baby
During class, we had to pretend that the doll is a real baby and have to handle it properly at all times. Always support the neck and the buttocks of the baby!

• How to transfer baby from left to right breast
Useful for mummies for breast-feeding purposes. If the baby is facing on your left breast:
1. Use right hand to support baby's bottom
2. Slide left hand upwards to support neck
3. Move baby away from your body and rotate the baby so that her head can rest on the crook of your right elbow

• How to burp and comfort baby
So we tried different ways to burp the baby and how to hold the baby close to our chest so that she can hear our heartbeat and be comforted by it.

• How to swaddle baby
Imagine being in bed on a cold and rainy morning and you are snuggled nice and warm underneath your fluffy blanket... Then suddenly, somebody comes in and yank your blanket away from you!

Yah, that's basically how the baby feels if you don't swaddle her...

Because the baby has spend so much time in the cosy and confined space inside mummy's belly, it would feel very bare and insecure with all the space to kick and thrash around. So newborns have to be swaddled or wrapped up snugly to make them feel nice and secure... :)

Anyway, we took turns to swaddle the baby, but dunno why; our towel seemed too small for our giant baby. Her feet was sticking out!

My turn...

Tada...!

• How to bath baby
1. Prepare everything! Lay out clothing, diaper, towels, diaper cream, etc.
2. Prepare bath water, (Temperature of water - 40 degrees) and some cooled boiled water
3. Remove baby's clothing - leave diaper on and swaddle baby
4. Using cooled boiled water and cotton buds:
- wipe eyes and nose using outward direction
- wipe ears, face and crease of neck
- pad dry her face with a dry towel
5. Carry baby on your side using a 'football hold' and leaning over the water, scoop water over baby's head to wet it and use a towel to rub wet hair to remove any dirt or flaky skin. Pad dry her head with towel
6. Remove diaper and towel and hold baby in a 'sitting position', with one hand on her bottom and the other on her back/neck
7. Swirl her bottom on the water so that she becomes accustom to it before gently place her on the tub while maintaining support of her neck. Place wet towel on her chest to comfort her.
8. Gently rub the creases on her body, arms, armpit, legs, hands and feet
9. Place your hand over her chest and together with your hand at her back, envelope her body and flip her over so that you can wash her back. Careful to make sure that her face is not under water.
10. Lift her out of water and immediately into a warm blanket to dry her out.
11. Using an umbilical cord alcohol wipe and cotton balls, wipe around and under her cord
12. Apply diaper cream onto genitals using a downward swipe before putting on the diaper. Make sure the umbilical cord is not covered by the diaper.

• How to change diaper
1. If there's poop on the diaper, place baby's bottom onto the cleaner area of the soiled diaper, or just place some tissue over it while you clean her bottom.
2. Using wet wipes, wipe downwards only. For the genitals area, only swipe downwards ONCE before using fresh wipes. For anus area, can swipe, fold and swipe again.
3. Remove soiled diaper, replace with fresh one
4. Apply diaper cream before wearing diaper

Daddy changing diaper

• How to fold a cloth diaper
Honestly I don't know who in this time and age still use cloth diapers that you have to fold yourself, so I guess this is just knowledge for fun. I mean, even if you are environmentally friendly, there are very good brands that sell bright and colourful washable cloth diapers.
Check out these sites for more information!
Bumwear - Available at United Square #01-35 (MRT stop: Novena)
Bambino Mio
Bummis

While listening to the instructor, I watched Cobby and found it soooo sweet that he's carrying the doll like a real baby. This was actually the first time that I've seen him handling a baby, even if it wasn't real.



My gosh, the sight of him holding the 'baby' really tugged my heartstrings and made me go "aaaawwwwww......" He really looked like a real daddy! I think I will cry when I see him holding OUR baby for real one day. I'm sure he'll make a real good father~!

3rd Antenatal Class

Lesson 3 - Labour

• Instructional Video
The instructor, Rosalind, started the class with a very scary video on REAL BIRTHS. The video showed mothers who went through different types of birth with different pain relief methods.

I tell you, that was some SCARY video footage! Screaming mothers, squirming in pain, and slowly you see the baby being pushed out from her vagina, all bloody and covered in mucus. I think most people in the room went pale just looking at the video...

Cobby said that he really felt painful for the mothers in the video... I personally wanted to run out of the room screaming. Erm, is it too late to get out of this whole pregnancy thingy now? No? Too late? Oh... shit...

• Physiological Approach to Breathing Relaxation
We did this last week, but I guess everybody was pretty freaked out by the video, so we practiced breathing again to remind ourselves how to cope with the pain and stress.

• Husband’s Role
Rosalind then taught the Daddies how to give relief massages to their queens...
- Massaging the neck with the thumb and 2nd finger
- Shoulder massage
- 'Let the fingers do the walking' down the back
- Using the palm to rub the lower back
- Arm / Fingers massage - But I like to call it the manicurist massage, which was usually given to customers after each session. Shiok!

• Learning to Cope in Labour
'dos' and 'don'ts' during labour:
- Only push when the Doctor / Nurse say push
- Only push when there's pain - if not, it would only be a waste of energy
- Sit in a semi upright position
- Hold the railings at the side of the bed (Hubby can place hand on top of wife's where it's safer)
- When pushing, hold on breath, press chin onto chest, and give a good, long, downward push
- If run out of breath, take a quick breath and give another good, long, downward push
- If doctor say "Don't push!", control by taking short breaths.

• Mechanisms of Normal Childbirth
Stage 1: Dilation of the cervix
Mummy would go through painful Contractions until the cervix is 10cm

Stage 2: Pushing and Childbirth
PUSH PUSH PUSH!!!!

Stage 3: Delivering of the Placenta
Ta-bao home to make soup... (Eww... Just kidding) But hey, it's a fact that the placenta is VERY nutritious!

We also discussed what we should bring to the hospital.
This is my list:

Hospital documents (Doctor's Letter)
Purse (ID)
dressing gown, cosy socks and slippers.
Jacket for me and Cobby
Contact lenses and spare glasses
Magazines
Music player - They say the room has one, so bring CDs instead.
Poker cards - Rosalind suggested it, she added that the only thing that we can't play there was probably mahjong! Haha... Pity!
DS Lite
A watch - This one use Cobby's one
Hair tie/band
Toiletries
Lip balm
Make up pouch
A camera and/or video camera
A towel and 2 cloths
Maxi sanitary pads
Nursing bras and breast pads
Essentials for your baby - Hospital provide, but I wanna bring my own leh~
A laundry bag
Comfy clothes and flat shoes to go home in

Snacks - CANNOT BRING - SO SAD! Rosalind says mummies cannot eat or drink in case there's any emergency need to operate...

Rosalind also went through the procedures when we decided it's time to check into the hospital:
- When enter hospital, Hubby would register while Mummy goes to ward and change into gowns
- Nurse would "inject" a type of fluid into Mummy's erm... rectum to help the mother pass out any poo poo later, before labour. (Hey, did wonder about this before, but I thought that the body would naturally NOT poo during labour! Hahaha...)
- Mummy would be strapped on to monitors, given body check up
- Waiting game!

• Antenatal Exercise
Another round of silly exercises...

• Hospital Tour - Strange... I thought we're supposed to have the hospital tour, but it wasn't mentioned... Probably ask her next week...

Class dismissed! Next week we'll be learning about baby care!

My First Antenatal Class

Well, it's actually 2nd Lesson... I signed up for classes starting on 30 November, but last week the instructor called and ask me why I didn't go for the first class on the 19 Oct!

Apparently the stupid people signed me up for the wrong date! I wanted to join the Nov class, but the instructor said that due to the holiday seasons, the delay may push the last few classes to dates that are uncomfortably close to my due date, so she recommends that I start with lessons 2 onwards, and attend lesson 1 on 30 Nov.

-_- OK loh~

So on 26 Oct 2008, we went for our very first Antenatal class! The class is located at a childcare centre at the new Ang Mo Kio Hub. There were about 15-20 couples there, all sitting on mats and pillows provided. We arrived just in time before the class started, so we had to sit right under the nose of the instructor.

At first I sat upright and didn't want to lie down on the pillow (dunno got alot of germs or not). But after awhile of sitting on the floor with no back rest, I gave up and lay down as I listen to the instructor. So weird, 1st time attending a class lying on the floor! Haha.. quite shiok lah...

The instructor is a retired nurse, very auntie but motherly type. Her presentation slides showing the different anatomy of the body were quite boring really, but her verbal advices on real life experiences were great.

Lesson 2 - Pain Relief

• Video on different pain relief methods
1. Breathing and Relaxation techniques
2. Entonox (oxygen and nitrous oxide(laughing gas))
3. Pethidine (anaesthetic via injection)
4. Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation(TENS)machine (like a U-zap placed on your lower back to block out the pain)
5. Water bath
6. Epidural

• Physiological Approach to Breathing Relaxation
Learnt breathing techniques to curb initial stages of labour pain.
"Breath in.. 2..3..4.. Breath out..2..3..4"

• Changes in Pregnancy Leading to Signs & Symptoms of Labour
1. "Show" - spotting or bleeding: wear a sanitary pad
2. Water bag leak / burst
3. Contractions: Period between contractions would shorten. When reach around 7 mins, time to check into hospital. If opting for Epidural, can check in earlier and get yourself comfortable - no need to wait.

If 2 or 3 happen, can proceed to hospital liao...

• Antenatal Exercise
Erm... actually I find this part quite silly.
The exercise was:
1. turning your head (left, right, up, down)
2. twirling your feet
3. twisting your upper body left and right
4. stretching my triceps
5. lifting your legs up while seated on the floor

Lame loh... I can get a better work out doing chores at home! Ok lah, maybe it's more appropriate for those mummies with giant tummies. I find it a waste of time really.

Overall it was quite an educational class. Many facts were uncovered as the instructor went side-tracked on her lessons. It was also a great 2 hours for Cobby to really get involved in this pregnancy and we had a good bonding time.

Next week, we have to come up with a list of things we were planning to bring in our hospital bag! Looking forward to it!