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It may just be because we're second-time parents, but it seems that taking care of Izik is relatively easier than how it was with Malik.

Malik to Izik: "I object."

I say "relative" because I'm still as sleep-deprived as the next parent but when compared to our experience when Malik was a baby, Izik's baby-hood feels like a field day (again, relatively). Izik sleeps longer at night. He doesn't cry so much. And since he's not as heavy, it's easier to carry him around.

"I'm sexy and I know it."

There are things that we did differently this time. They may have helped so I'd like to share them here. In no particular order -

Minions!

I panicked the other day as I was looking for yet more minions. The friendly neighborhood McDonalds server said I only had until July 10 (yesterday) to get my grubby hands on them.  So naturally, I moved heaven and earth to collect all nine. 

Stuart the one-eyed minion holds a special place in my heart. Malik asked that we get him first.
We went to at least four McDonald's stores one weekend but all minions were sold out.
I got Stuart from an officemate. It was fate. Malik calls Stuart "Papuy".

Yipee yey!

We've so far given three to Malik. I hid them inside Malik's school bag, his sock drawer and our cabinet. I don't know who had more fun - Malik who was hunting for the minions, or myself while pretending I had no idea how they got where they were. Heehee

Here's Malik playing with his minions before bed time last night.
He has 6 now. He doesn't know we have more, hidden nga lang.  Sssshhh.

In other news, Izik's being adorable as always. He knows how to play with us now. For the first 3 months, all he ever did was sleep, poop, cry and drink milk. Now he likes looking around.

Why so serious, Izikoy?

He especially likes it when we move his arms and legs.

Our playtime repertoire: "Shake body body dancer,"
"Head and shoulders, knees and toes," and
Izik's all-time favorite "Copacobana"

It's time to bring out ye ole toys.

Izik's starting to discover his hands and feet.
He stares at his hands when he's not otherwise occupied with reaching for his toys.

All about nursing

Congratulations are in order. As of yesterday, I've officially been nursing Izik for a week more than I did Malik. That's 4 months plus plus for you. Yey.

Doesn't that smile just make nursing worth it?

It hasn't been easy. I get recurring milk blisters that make breastfeeding very painful. They go away on their own after some time but for some reason, I develop them again. Tiis-tiis lang when that happens. I tell myself it's just one of the things that mothers have to put up with for the love of their children.

Also, my milk supply noticeably decreased as soon as I started going back to work. I've been desperately trying to maintain my supply at least. It's still decreasing as we speak, but I like to keep the faith. So far, here's what I do.

A sentence (or two) a day

Izik's grown a lot since I last posted.

Izik at 3 months, 3 weeks and 4 days. His forehead is decidedly mine. :)

I've been watching him grow every day before my eyes and I can't help but think of how it was when Malik was still a wee-baby. I wrote about every single thing that Malik did no matter how uneventful. Now that Malik's all grown-up, I like to go back to those blog entries and grin at the thought that once upon a time, Malik wasn't so kulit.

We bought Malik these goggles so he can pretend to be a pilot. 

I've been busy, you see. It turns out, being a parent to two kids is as stressful as being a parent to three (or four, or five). I rarely find time for myself. Today, for example, I got my hair colored over lunch break at work! So necessarily, a few of my daily activities would have to be sacrificed - one of which is this blog.

I will try to post about the boys at least once each day - the goal being to document their lives and to an extent, my life. I know I've said this before and have not been able to meet my commitment with success. But I'm willing to give it another go. Shall we?

Izik: "Yes! Let's do this, mommy."

Got Milk?

We got actual breastmilk yesterday, 5 days after giving birth. I knew our milk will come in later because I gave birth via C-Section. Versus those who give birth vaginally, our bodies need more time to process the fact that the placenta has been expelled from the body before the milk-producing hormone prolactin is produced (Thank you, Google).

Malik and I got milk on the 5th day as well. So for the first five days after giving birth, Izik and I just kept at it to trigger the let-down. I doubted whether he was getting anything from me at all. Nothing resembling milk came out of me. But here's what he looked like after one feeding -


He looked fine and content naman. And he was regularly passing off urine and stool, which the Internet says are signs that a breastfed baby is well-fed (Baby should at least "gift" you with 6 wet diapers and 3 diapers with poop a day). [Photo courtesy of Malik Hehe]


The milk is just enough to feed Izik, I think. I'm not lucky enough to be able to store milk and even donate some to charity. But I've resolved not to torture myself over not producing more milk. Not this time. I just want to be able to feed Izik on demand direct from the breast like my grandmother did with her kids. But in case I decide I can't handle the exhaustion anymore, we have formula somewhere in the house that we can use. No pressure.

I hope we don't have to give Izik the formula though, until I have to return to work. To do that, I will have to do my best to manage the two horrible things about breastfeeding in my experience:

(1) It deprives me of sleep. Breastmilk is more quickly absorbed by a baby's system than formula, which means they have to be fed more often. By that, I mean at least every 2 hrs. And by this, I mean I haven't slept for more than 2 hrs. at a time since giving birth AND while recovering from major surgery.

(2) TMI: I have developed blisters in my nipples that make breastfeeding plain torture. They may be due to clogged milk ducts or an improper latch. All I know is that it stings and burns like hell everytime Izik feeds. Like HELL.

I know this period in our lives when I can still hold Izik against my chest and he can get all the nutrients that he needs from me is short and irretrievable when lost. I want to be able to cherish it, not dread it. I at least scheduled a session with a lactation masseuse tomorrow. I hope that in addition to increasing our milk supply, she can also help us with our latching technique.

- posted via BlogPress for iPad

Kuyaaaaahhh

Malik is taking the older sibling thing well. I was worried because I've been spending most of my time with Izik (gotta get the breast milk a-flowing). But so far, Malik's just been playing the adult by mimicking what we like to say to him when he's in certain situations. For example, when Izik cries, he'd say "It's okay Izik, don't cry. I'm here," which is what I usually say to him when he's upset. Fascinating.

Malik did "hit" Izik twice already in Izik's 4 days as the baby brother. But those were good faith accidents that should not have happened had the adults been paying closer attention. Boys will be boys, I say.



In other news, Malik caught a fever yesterday. 39C temperature, chills and the whole she-bang. Pao had to take him to the hospital at close to midnight to get tests taken. Nothing extraordinary turned up. Plus Malik's feeling better now. I hope the fever doesn't re-appear because it would certainly be easier for us if we're allowed to have both kids in one room.

And finally, Malik's been taking pictures with the iPad...





This one's more like it...


As you can see, I have yet to lose the baby weight. Moms can relate, that is just the least of my concerns. Zzzzz.

- posted via BlogPress for iPad

The iZik

Hello world, meet the newest addition to our family, Izik (pronounced 'Ay-Zeek' but spelled like the iPod Wekwekwek)


We're getting ready to go home after spending three days in the hospital. We're still sleep-deprived but not as much as we were with Malik. I guess we know better now.


We also have the advantage of having bought an iPad two years ago, which means I can now post updates about Izik real-time.


Okay, gotta go. A nice warm shower and a big warm hug from Malik are waiting for this 2nd time new mom at home. We'll see you.

- posted via BlogPress for iPad

Location:Wilson,San Juan City,Philippines