Confinement- Herbal Tea for the Mother

Our confinement nanny advised that the mother under confinement is "not" supposed to drink water, but with a special herbal tea.
Benefits include:
1. Maintain "heaty" condition to avoid "wind" in the body
2. Improve lactation
3. Aid with constipation

For convenience, we packed the following ingredients in daily servings.
One day's worth of serving consist of:

Red Dates     : 90 grams
Dried Longan flesh: 30 grams (we prefer the ones from Thailand. Looks drier and cleaner)
Wolfberry    : 20 grams
Astragalus    : 10 grams
Rice Paper Pith : a handful
Black Dates  : 60 grams
Dangshen     : 30 grams

Boil the above ingredients (with seeds removed and rinsed) with 4 Litres of water and  allow to simmer for at least 2 hours.

Solution to Breastfeeding in Public- use a Nursing Cover!

Before discovering the nursing cover, we rarely brought our young infants (below 6 months old) outdoors . However there are occasions where such efforts become inevitable like going to family functions and attending church.

Our youngest family member who is feeding on 100% breast milk just turned 3 months and we have decided to bring her to weekly church mass and family gatherings. My wife started looked for a solution from our usual sarong cloth cover to breastfeed while in church and chanced upon an interesting nursing cover.

Having used it for a month, here’s our feedback:

1.   The nursing cloth size was just right to provide sufficient discretion for a regular sized infant. However for a large active baby it will be a little challenging, as with other cloth solutions.

2.   Nursing cloth fabric is fashionable with lots of choices. From far, it looks like a blouse fabric and may not be obvious that my wife is breastfeeding.

3.   Nursing cloth material is comfortable and gentle to touch and handle. Probably because it is made from full cotton.

4.   Has a rigid neckline that allows ventilation for the baby and direct eye contact between baby and mother.

5.   Can double up as a blanket and UV protection in the automobile when not nursing.

6.   Machine washable despite the rigid neckline. This helped to reduce the hand-wash load from infant clothes.

In conclusion, we would strongly recommend such nursing cloth for mothers who are determined to provide the best natural nutrients for their infant and maintain their social life at the same time.
This product is priced locally at about SGD60 each. We found a good deal here at Bebe Au Lait Nursing Cover.

How to know when you have become a real parent (almost)...

Parenting adds a different dimension to experiences in life. As with most experiences, it comes in a package with the good, bad, ugly and cute. During on of those "deep" conversations with my better half, we realized the lifestyle changes we have adapted since our first child. Here is how we know we are becoming real parents...

1. You normal talking volume has increased significantly
2. Sleep has become more luxurious that Louis Vuitton
3. Taking "Annual Leave" has an all new meaning.
4. Watching a boring movie repeatedly is one of the most relaxing things to do.
5. You get kisses a lot more than before.
6. When an overseas holidays seems extremely expensive.
7. There is a sudden "urge" to sign up to be a member of our Primary School Alumni
8. You are more familiar with the story line of Ninjago than latest Korean drama series.
9. When you can memorize at least 5 alien names from Ben 10.
10. When you are not the highest user of your own smart phone.

Feel free to add more in the comments, will be happy to extend the list.