Mummy's Thoughts - Being a Mother of Two Now...

It's been a week since Shannon has arrived in our family and there definitely has been tons of adjustments all of us are going through and we expect there to be even more adjustments, going forward. From me being a mother of one to a mother of two and likewise for YJ. Even for Matt, he has to adjust from being an only child to an elder brother now.

I must say I have been proud of Matt so far, except for a small hiccup that took place 2 evenings ago. We were giving Matt his milk before bed time. As he was trying to clear space on the bed for himself to lie down, he flung a tub of California Baby Calendula cream and it accidentally hit Shannon on her forehead. She wailed in pain and I supposed everyone in the room was totally shocked. Although we all knew that Matt did not do it on purpose, we were mad at him and I think he knew that he had done something wrong too, as he didn't resist as he was sent off to bed immediately. We brought Shannon to the PD for a check the very next morning and he assured us that she is fine. Other than this, Matt has been very open to Shannon's addition to the family. He loves to lean against our bed to watch her. Whenever she cries, he will run into the room and watch over her. When we ask him to sayang Mei Mei, he will stroke her gently. He's even become my good helper, bringing me clean newborn diapers and throwing away the soiled ones into the bin.

As for me, it's been hectic dealing with two now, even though I do feel I seem to have a better grasp this time, being a second time mummy. With Matt settling down well at Sparkletots, it gives me more time to take care of Shannon. But I do feel that I have been spending less and less time with Matt. Usually I have to be the one putting Matt into bed every night, as his daddy always complain that Matt only wants me to put him into bed. Yesterday night, Matt woke up in the middle of the night, looking for Daddy instead. Well, a part of me felt terrible but then I guess this isn't such a bad thing after all. That Matt reduces his reliance on me and becomes closer to Daddy. I do hope that as we get through the stage of putting Shannon on a nice routine, I can get round to spending more time with Matt. That's why I say there have been and still will have tons of adjustments taking place... Sigh...

As for breastfeeding, I never thought there will be any problems at all for a second baby, given that breastfeeding had been a breeze for me during Matt's time where I actually breastfeed him until he was 13 months. But then, at Day 4 after my delivery, I panicked when I tried expressing and there simply isn't much milk. I didn't recall this happened during Matt's time. I have consulted with the PD and a lactation consultant, who both explained that this feeling of engorgement and no milk is normal at Day 3-5 and should subside. True enough, they were right as I did manage to latch on Shannon better and express more milk eventually. I guess, the breastfeeding experience for each baby is different and we shouldn't take it for granted. Definitely, I am glad things are working out well and I am able to total breast feed Shannon since her birth. When we got discharged from the hospital, she was 2.5kg (as compared to the birth weight of 2.64kg). When we weighed her again yesterday, she is now 2.6kg. So I guess she is starting to gain weight. Hopefully as she gets past the first 1-2 weeks and sleeps less, we can start her on a routine, which I have always advocated, it helps keep sanity for both Mummy and baby...