I'm a full-time mummy

I came across this post by Dr. Jack Newman on Facebook about the scoop on jaundice. I'll copy down what he wrote in his post:

"In the first few days after birth, higher than average levels of bilirubin (jaundice) are not caused by breastfeeding or breastmilk. If the baby has higher than average bilirubin, it is because he is not breastfeeding well. Therefore the approach is not to stop breastfeeding and give formula (which will decrease the bilirubin because the baby is now getting more milk-actually too much), but rather to help the mother and baby with breastfeeding. If the baby breastfeeds well, the bilirubin will come down just fine.

 If the baby's jaundice is due to breakdown of red cells (ABO incompatibility, for example), stopping breastfeeding does not make sense either. What has breastfeeding or breastmilk to do with ABO incompatibility? Nothing! Keep breastfeeding. After the first few days, so called breastmilk jaundice is actually normal, if the baby is drinking well, gaining well and otherwise healthy. What is not physiologic is for the baby to be artificially fed and not jaundiced. We have a problem in that we take the artificially fed baby as our model of normal and impose that model on the breastfed baby.

So doctors often tell the mother to stop breastfeeding and put the baby on formula for 2 days (some for even a week, which is the same essentially, for many mothers, stopping altogether). Naturally, the bilirubin comes down, proving that breastmilk is the problem. Except that there was no problem in the first place. Bilirubin is known to be an anti-oxidant and may actually protect babies' cells from damage. If the baby has liver disease, except for some very rare causes such as galactosemia, there is no reason to stop breastfeeding either."

I've had friends being told by their paed to stop BF for 10 days and substitute with formula milk when their baby has jaundice. I was disappointed hearing that despite advising them to continue breastfeeding no matter what.

And yes, I definitely know what I am talking about, my girl had prolonged jaundice for almost 2 months and never did I substitute with formula (in fact, our house still zero speck of formula today at 45 months and counting!) or even considered stopping breastfeeding.

Sure, my one mistake in that incident was caving in to antibiotics (my girl took it for 3 days before we decided to stop it) because we could not reached our pead for a week prior to taking the antibiotics and added on with pressures from friends and family members and the jaundice duration of 2 months, it is definitely affecting our decision making but we stopped it when we finally managed to get to our pead (found out he was involved in an accident)

Lesson learned from our incident:

If your child is active, alert, peeing, pooping, feeding, gaining weight like normal, just continue on breastfeeding and don't cave in to substitutes, stopping breastfeeding or giving antibiotics.

So yeah, like Dr Newman said, "Stand up against medical ignorance. Don't take the commandment to stop breastfeeding lying down. Get more information and educate your doctors."

And yes, if you are reading this and know of any new parents with jaundiced baby and are being told to substitute breastmilk with formula or stop breastfeeding, please direct them to this article by Dr. Newman.

Years ago, I used to think that life is not fair and wondered why other people get to have this and that... Until one day I realized, oh well, sometimes you've gotta look at the other person's perspective and you've gotta also look at the bigger picture. For example:

* It's not fair that I don't get to continue my studies, I mean I only had 1 year Diploma in IT... but before I quit my IT job in June 2009, I know I earned more than my friends who went overseas, got degree, got Masters, etc etc...

* It's not fair that I have to work my way up with just 1 year Diploma in IT, but I realized now I get higher pay because I started working at a young age. Those years and years of experience is way much more valuable than a degree...

* It's not fair that my parents passed away (dad in April 2006, mum in Jan 2007) but I realized, God works in a mysterious way... I am comforted in knowing my parents accepted Jesus before they passed on.

The grass always look greener on the other side. How am I to know that maybe the other person is also envious and saying that it's not fair I get this and that? Right?

And, think about it... God gave us another day to live on this planet, no pain, no sickness, with loved ones around, what more could we ask for?

What more do you want?

Why must we be so greedy and keep wanting more?

Why can't we make do and be happy with what we are blessed with and stop saying it's not fair?

Look at the bigger picture and be contented and give thanks to what we are blessed with! I'm thankful for my health, my hubby's health, my family's health, and oh yes, thankful I have a family of my own!

What are you thankful for today?

** Pst: Btw, that's the Nissan LEAF car we were posing next to. I am also thankful we get to test drive the car for 7 weeks!

I received an email from Applecrumby & Fish asking whether I would be interested to review one of the products range in their store and oh boy, who am I to say no to trying out awesome products for my family and I right?! So here goes my review for the "Putto Secret Foam Wash":

Description from the product page:
"Putto Secret Foam Wash is as unique as it can get. A baby body wash which is in liquid form while in its packaging, foams up wonderfully once pumped out. It is convenient to use and cleanses gently but effectively. Most importantly, it will never dry out baby's sensitive skin. Putto Secret Foam Wash does not contain Sulphates, Parabens nor Mineral Oils."

 The bottle is just about the right size and easy to hold. The nozzle is protected with a transparent cover which is good. My initial reaction when I squeezed some out onto my palm is: "What?! Just some bubble? Huh?!" but wait... read on... 

To be honest I was thinking how much bubble and foam could there be since I just squeezed out a small amount but wow, to my surprise, there's a lot of foam coming out just after a few seconds. It smells good, not too overwhelming at all.

I used it for both my kids twice a day and their skin stays smooth and supple. Although this can be used as a bubble bath, I decided not to as I feel it is very precious and you have no idea how crazy my kids go whenever they have their bubble baths. They take forever to play in their bath tub so I'm reserving this foam wash solely for applying directly onto their skin and rinsing it off.

The plus point in this product is that it is baby skin friendly, and it does not contains preservatives and colouring agents. It also promotes scar relief and provides high moisturising elements. I like that it is also suitable for all skin types especially for dry and sensitive skin.

What a great product that is also safe to use on our little one's skin!

You can get this at Applecrumby & Fish website.

Yes, yes, we are all waiting for this glorious moment! Just read below for the giveaway terms and entry form, OK?

* The winner will receive a 150ml bottle of Putto Secret Foam Wash.

* The winner will automatically be qualified for a professional photoshoot for their baby at the Mid Valley 4th Children & Maternity Expo from 30th Nov - 2nd Dec 2012.

* If the winning child is between ages 6 months - 4 years old, photos will automatically be submitted for a chance to be one of Putto's Secret Angels, Putto's Baby Ambassadors for 2013.

(** Note: More terms & conditions on the photoshoot will be provided to the winner later - do note that you need to cover your own expenses to travel to the photoshoot location in Mid Valley so if you are not in Klang Valley, you can still submit your own photos for the baby ambassadors contest)

To enter the giveaway, kindly read and follow the instructions as stated in the Rafflecopter form below.

• You can enter either via login through your Facebook account OR just key in your name and your valid email address. 
• Please also leave your valid email address in the post comment so that I can contact you if you win this giveaway.
• To enter the giveaway, you need to answer the mandatory question which is shown in the giveaway widget below.
• Please take a minute to read the Terms & Conditions listed in the Rafflecopter widget!
  

a Rafflecopter giveaway

So what are you waiting for?!! Hurry up! You have 2 weeks time from now to join in the fun and try your luck!

I received no monetary compensation for this review, I was provided with the product in order to facilitate my review. All opinions expressed in this post are my own. Please do your own research when purchasing products, as your opinions may differ from mine.