Expressed Breast Milk & Baby Wearing

Hi Baby,

Past week mommy been... researching? I suppose so. It all started when the freezer at home was overtaken by the stock of expressed breast milk (EBM) mommy been producing. I wonder if this is why mommy and daddy sort of stopped cooking because there is no more space in the freezer to put in stuff...

Anyway, it got mommy curious, how much ebm do one produce and stock up? How does every mommies out there store them? Because mommy is at a stage of thinking to shop for a mini deep freezer just to store all the milk, and free up the freezer for food. And it gives a longer shelf life, 6 months as oppose to 3 months. Right now at home there are almost 72 cups, (1 cup = 3oz = 100ml) and at your grandmother's there are another 48 cups. A rough calculation if baby is taking 4 cups per working day there is enough for 6 weeks. Funny how that doesn't sound a lot, 6 weeks only, and it got me paranoid, oh no, need to stock up more! Daddy just bought another 30 storage cups the other day, mommy is down to the last 5 from the 30 I bought last month.

So mommy googled, and found some interesting blogs and been reading them. There was one mommy who got a standing freezer and it was filled with ebm in bottles and bags from top to bottom. Another mommy got a three months supply in their freezer and expired ebm as well (what can you do with expired ebm?) I must remember to take a picture of the freezer of the ebm I have stocked up for you for posterity. In terms of dates mommy is a month ahead, baby is having last month milk supply while mommy is at work.

On a week day I am able to get 4 to 5 cups, on a good day can get 6 cups, which doesn't happen often. On the weekends, since baby and mommy are together I express 1 cup in the morning and another cup throughout the whole day. I don't know as you grow older if your demand increase as in a couple of months time we're going to start introducing you to other foods. Mommy is going to feel sad about that, story for another time...

Yesterday being a weekend, we spent the whole day together. Daddy was at work and he didn't come back until way late in the evening. In the morning baby didn't nap as long as you normally would, and it being laundry day baby woke up just as mommy was about to hang up the laundry on the line. And what do we do, we wear baby! Mommy decided not to use the ring sling and took out the mothercare carrier that we bought way before you were born, I figured this way baby can face forward and see what mommy is doing. Three times baby was in the carrier as that was the amount of times we did laundry. I think baby really enjoyed being able to see the world and the going on, since there was just us at home mommy really couldn't leave you alone.

But it was bothersome using the carrier, so many straps and buckles to fasten, and I couldn't shorten the straps enough and couldn't really adjust the pouch baby was in to lie against mommy more. And the straps hurt my shoulders since baby's weight distribution was too low to be comfortable, it'll probably fit better on daddy since he got a bigger frame. At least it's an alternative to use, apart from that I rather use my ring sling, way more comfortable. Mommy lent the other sling to Auntie Lina because Hanna is always clinging on to her, and she's 1 year plus already and is getting way too heavy for Auntie Lina to carry for long, this way Auntie Lina can do her thing around the house and Hanna is happy because she gets to be with mommy in the sling. I heard it's working really well for both of them.

Then mommy hit a blog about this mom in Sabah who got a collection of slings and I'm tempted to get another one or two more since they do come in various colours... it's like changing handbags! Hahaha... but the material have to be thin and easily slide on the rings. The first sling mommy got I think had too small rings and too much materials to slip through and it made it hard to adjust. I liked it because it got pockets in the tail but baby got hot too quick in it even though it's cotton. The second sling mommy got had bigger rings and the materials was linen and it was much easier to use, easier to adjust when baby's in it and material was thinner, they didn't have the colours mommy wanted when I ordered it and had to choose an alternative colour, it being online shopping and all and already paid for it, but at least mommy is happy with the ease of use, and baby I think has developed the knowledge that when mommy put on the sling, baby get to go on an adventure! I'm guessing from the expression on your face, you looked really excited...

Love,
Mommy