Post-natal

It has been quite a while since I last gave birth. Unlike many other couples who prefer to have a close age gap among their children, Hubby D and I chose to wait to have a second child partly because we didn't think we could manage two kids so near in age. Kieran is now 4 years and eight months old, which makes it a lot easier as he can articulate his needs and is relatively independent.

I have to say it is not easy juggling between two kids. Kieran loves Eli and is excited to have a brother. At the same time, I can sense that he knows Mummy is no longer exclusively his and that a lot of of the time, she is occupied with taking care of Eli. Kieran has been pretty needy since baby and I came home last Tuesday (31 July) and has been clinging to his granny, who is staying with us during the confinement period.

I try to spend as much time as I can with Kieran when he is home from school and I am not busy with Eli. However, I have not been able to read to him every night and pat him to sleep as it is usually feeding time for Eli. Hopefully, I will be able to work out a routine where I can be there for Kieran.

Post-surgery, I must say I feel better this time round.  Maybe because it was a planned surgery, and not an unexpected one. And I managed to have a good rest the night before I delivered, which probably helped as well. In addition, I didn't experience the unpleasant side effects of nausea and shivering from the spinal injection that I had encountered during my first delivery.

However, I am definitely busier particularly as breast-feeding Eli appears to be going relatively well. Kieran -- being a relatively larger baby -- was hungrier and more demanding and was impatient especially in the early days when it took a while for the milk to come in. In the end, I hardly latched Kieran on the breast and expressed out my milk instead. Eli, on the other hand, is more patient and has generally been happy to be nursed.

However, breast feeding is time-consuming as a newborn is expected to be fed 8-12 times a day. Because it is hard to estimate whether baby has had enough milk, Eli's jaundice returned two days after he was discharged and the PD at Thomson said he had to stay in hospital for photo therapy. Our hearts sank when we heard the news. Hubby D and I were both worried and sad that Eli could not go home with us. It was a miserable two days. I spent last Friday at the hospital from 11 am to 8 pm waiting to nurse Eli during his feeding times and also to pump milk for the little one. Hubby D understood how I felt and didn't object to me suggesting that we stay at the hospital for the whole day despite the fact that I was supposed to be on confinement.

Last Saturday was a happy day for us as we could finally bring Eli home. Here are some recent pictures of our little one.