Al hamdulilah we have completed 18 months of breastfeeding successfully and in shaa Allah have plans to breastfeed as long as babyA wishes!! Being a first time mom we would obviously have few doubts if we can or not. But in my case al hamdulilah the moment babyA was in my womb with the help of research and guidances i was mentally prepared to bond myself with the baby. I was confident enough to nurse her whatever happens. Even during the labour as soon as the baby was out, the nurses started to convince me to get the formula milk in stock. To be frank i haven’t got a thought to get it even once. Al hamdulilah my sister is also breastfeeding her kiddo. The moment my baby needs me irrespective of place, time etc., I nurse her.Initially I was shy to nurse in public but now we don’t mind. I really don’t know about others but this breastfeeding has helped me a lot during our flight journey. The main thing in this journey is trusting ourselves and being confident and firm that we can do it!! To the new moms, here are my few tips regarding the breastfeeding
1. Trust yourself
Almighty has created everyone for a purpose and the science of body is made to perform the tasks assigned to each part of the body. So for instance heart pumps the blood, likewise the fingers are to hold an object. Similarly after the birth of the baby breast is to nurse the kid, calm down the crying baby, soothe him/her as a kid. So we will have to trust that we will have sufficient milk for our baby. To trust ourselves we will have to brush our basic education and understand the benefits of breastmilk and how the process works.
2. Supportive spouse
When nursing the baby the mind of the mom should be free from worries. This csn happen only when support arises from family members. Research says when there is support from the husband the wife enjoys the previlige of breastfeeding. Even if problem arises from the inlaws if husband helps in putting your foot down she will win the sky too. A supportive husband is a person who helps in daily activities and gets necessary items for the mom and the child.
3. Wear the dress which suits you
This is actually important. Practically a loose outfit will help us to pull up and nurse. It will help you to be confident enough to nurse no matter what who is nearby and where Re you. Try different options and fix which fits you no matter who taunts you. In the end of the day, your baby and you should be convenient and comfortable.
4. Make yourselves comfortable
Earlier when you have a newborn you would need a nursing pillow and it really helped in balancing the baby and to keep the baby in the 45 degree angle. Later find a comfort zone might be a favourite chair or sofa. I had an arm chair which helped me a lot to balance between the nursing pillow a d my body. You can even lie down and nurse the baby. There are many methods. FIND a suitable position and stay comfortable.
5. Seek guidance
When you are carrying your baby get educated regarding breastfeeding and if at all you feel you don’t get milk try to seek help. There are many facebook groups which are supporting breastfeeding. You can either contact a lactation counsellor or a lactation consultant to help you so that you can enjoy the breastfeeding relationships without any discomfort.
These are the tips which I personally experienced and it clicked for us. Now i would request you to share your experiences on breastfeeding.
Category: baby
Jacket in a BabyCARSEAT? Yes or No
As winters are approaching I wanted to keep my baby warm but at the same time had to check if she is safe and comfortable with the jackets ON in the carseat. I had to check on this because whenever babyA is in carseat with her jackets ON she used to cry her lungs out and will be in peace if she is out from the jacket. But I had no option to keep her warm. So ended up researching and was shocked to learn that kids shouldn’t be with the Jackets in a carseat. Even the adults shouldn’t be with their jackets within the seat belt.
Now lets see why is it unsafe?
In a crash, the maximum protection for a child can be given only when the harness or seat belt is near the child. So its like the more close it is the more safe the baby is! The loose harness can fit the heavy coat but during a crash it won’t serve the purpose and the baby may even eject from the carseat. The principle is same for everyone so please donot use puffed jackets in your vehicle with the seatbelt mode ON.
How to check why is it unsafe?
1. Put the coat on and make your baby sit in the carseat and buckle the seat.
2.Tighten the harness to remove the slack.
3.Unbuckle the seat without loosing the harness.
4. Remove the coat and make the baby sit again.
Image and knowledge sharing @thecarseatlady
Now you can check yourself the gap between the child and harness. This empty air will harm the kid and it doesn’t allow us to fulfill the purpose of using a baby carseat.
So our next question lies to what will be the scenario if we are using layering technique. Will that not harm then?
It will require a little harness adjustment unlike the puffy winter jackets. The layering technique will compress the air whereas the puffy jackets have uncompressed air. So there lays an issue. The slack can checked with the help of Pinch test.
The baby doesn’t feel cold actually. This is what i have learnt from babyA and that too within a car i don’t think so they would need the puffy jackets. If at all if you feel you need an option to cover them you can cover them with a baby blanket and a hat. This has helped us till now. You can even get the Cozywoggle and Poncho which are suitable for the carseat where it doesn’t affect the harness. I started to research on this when a mommy friend of mine suggested to get a cozzgwoggle.
In fact there are many ways to use the car seat during winter. As a person who has moved recently from India, i felt spending dollars just for a cozzywoggle which she might outgrow soon wasn’t my take so i ended up using a blanket. There is no best option we will have to choose which is best for us. And I understood one point my baby is safe if i don’t introduce extra slack under the harness with almighty’s grace. Parenting is a never-ending learning process. I have learnt this part only through my daughter. Just because she cried I had to learn about the various options for warm and safe travel. She is my teacher, my guide right now. She has done her part to make me understand the safety measures and i have done my part to share with you guys! So what’s your take on this?
Happy Birthday PaPa
As salamu alaikum wa rahmathulahi wa barakathahu papa!!
You were the first one to hold me,
You were the first to cuddle me,
You loved and still love me,
Every minute you care for me!!
The first kiss, laugh, giggles and how can i forget the first selfies!
Papa you are rolemodel for me
In this age you gave me the opportunity to fly alone with mamma
You knew mumma will bring me safe
You supported mumma in all the decisions she took for me starting from breastcrawling to delayed cord clamping
Cloth diapering to Baby led weaning
My best nutrition breastfeeding till date.
And the most important part to be cuddled always on my mumma and you with babywearing!!
Papa you trusted mumma! Her instinct which is special to me and which doesn’t go wrong with almighty’s grace.
From zero screen time to minimum screen time, chocolates, parties all happen just because of you papa
Every daughter is a princess to her papa and so I am to you.
You named me joy of paradise to give you joy all over the life.
Each and every moment of our [mumma and mine] life is taken care by you.!!
Each and every moment of my life i want to spend with you!
I love you a lot and today is special all about you!!
Happy birthday papa!!
Growing up as A MOM- Reasons to climb a Slide.
We went to a mall nearby where they have a small playarea. They had a small slide over there and babyA being small i didn’t think she could climb the slide. When she did everyone gave me a strange look but i loved her spirit and started to film it and enjoyed the spirit in her with pride. Later when I came back home and sat back and analyzed why did I enjoy it, i came up with a list. So now I am going to share why a child should be allowed to climb the slide.
1. A child can climb the slide only when they put in their complete strength and energy. Its a form of being active and a form of exercise. And a person cannot climb to the top just like that. It needs complete determination and energy and self motivation ofcourse.
2. As i said climbing the top cannot happen without will power and self motivation. To reach the top the child will analyse and find out a way to reach the top. Hence creativity is kindled in the child. The gross motor skills also play a keyrole.
3. A child cannot reach the top in the first attempt so here the kid is able to learn the concepts of failure and success. The kid is able to learn how to accept failures positively and pile up the confidence within to transfer the failures as stepping stones to grab success finally.
4. The child is able to learn how to achieve the goal and what are ways necessary to achieve the goal.
5. The child is able to trust him/her. And also learns how to solve a problem.
These are the ways which i figured out. If you agree with me please do share with us why do you feel its necessary for a child to climb a slide or any other sport or game that looks apparently large for the age!! Do share if you like this article.
Recipe- Baking a simple Bread
It’s the season that babyA loves bread sandwiches and I usually have the urge to bake breads, cakes, cupcakes. I wanted to try bread since long and the way steffi from madras samayal 
explains the methodology of cooking it looks like a cake walk so followed her recipe and it worked really well. We had a lovely relishable salmon sandwiches for dinner. Since its homebaked I don’t have to worry if it’s expired or not. BabyA also can eat bread which is baked at home. For now we have tried with All purpose flour but have plans to try with whole wheat too.Once I feel comfortable with it il update in my column. So now let’s look at the ingredients needed
Maida/All purpose flour – 4 cups
Yeast – 1 pack
Warm Milk – 3/4 cup
Water – 1/2 cup
Sugar – 3 tbsp
Salt – 1tsp
Butter- 4 tbsp
Method involved
Step1: Activating the yeast
Please do add sugar to the lukewarm milk and then yeast is to be added and allowed for 5 to 10 mins to settle down and the fermentation process takes place in this time. Fermentation process is main step in the dough making for the bread. Once done let’s plan for the making of the dough
Step2 Dough making
In a mixing bowl, add salt to the all purpose flour And then the fermented yeast with 1/2 cup water and then the butter. Mix all and make it into a soft sticky dough. Once a sticky dough is formed transfer to the workspace and knead the dough for some 20 minutes to form a fluffy soft dough.stretch it in all angles and knead as it softens and it will be perfect.
3. Allowing it to settle down
Once the dough is perfect grease a bowl with cooking spray or oil and place the dough on the greased bowl and wait till it doubles and it will take approximately 2 hours to double the quantity. Place it in a spot where usually the idli batter is kept for fermenting
4. Now after this process take to the workarea and spread it into a sheet and roll them in a rectangular shape in a manner such that it fixes the loaf pan.
5. Grease the pan with oil And place the dough inside the pan and let it settle down and this process is known as proofing. It will take half an hour to double the quantity. Once it is kept it is requested to close with cling wrap so that you can have a look at it.
6. Once doubled preheat the oven to 350F and then place the pan to bake for around 35 minutes to 40 minutes. Or until it reaches golden brown.
7. Remove it and grease butter over the bread and remove the bread from the pan and place in a plate or cooling rack.
8. Once cooled down you can cut into slices of your choice.
Enjoy your bread!!
AlizehmySoul 