Top 12 Tips during Confinement - revised edition (2017)

This is dedicated to my dear friends who are expecting their bundle of joy very soon.

Being a hassle-free type of mother who needs to go back to work after maternity leave, and also one who likes a good bargain, these are the things I personally find very useful, practical & cost saving.

1. A good breastfeeding pillow - my Brestfriend 

For some strange reason, I didn't see the need to invest in this initially. But this has to be the top 1 or 2 items I cannot live without during the first few months. No matter how I positioned the normal pillows, I just couldn't get the right positioning without straining my shoulders/ back. So yes, this is first on the list. Anyway, if your milk production is low, try papaya with fish soup and remember to drink lots of water. If all else fails, you still can try to take some herbal medicine before resorting to Formula Milk. This herbal supplement improved production by 30-50%. I only took it when baby was having growth spurts and I wanted boost the production within a very short time. Motherlove Fenugreek. Don't take too much for it may cause engorgement if you are already very productive.

*If you experienced engorgement, particularly in Day 5 of breastfeeding, please apply cabbage (chilled in fridge) on breasts for 1-2 hours to relieve the pain. Chilled cabbage is very effective but should be used sparingly as needed as it reduces milk production. 

2. Automatic Double Breastpump 

Medela Freestyle breastpump is a real life savior and time saver. It is easy, effective and saves me a lot of time. If you intend to breastfeed exclusively for at least the first 6 months (which I intended), and you are also a working mum, this will allow you to keep each session to around 15-20 min instead of double the time if you use a Single Pump. The cheapest way is to get it from Amazon since the retail price in Singapore is really high (a few hundred dollars more). On my friend's recommendation, I got it from a person who does some kind of parallel import from USA at S$460. Just remember not to sterilize /boil the medela bottles at 100 degrees, they don't take to heat very well. 

3. Sterilizer

I got a Pigeon/Avent steriliser (yes, that's what motherhood does to you .. memory lapse)  and it helped a lot in the first few months as you can throw in many bottles in one shot and keep it sterilised for a certain amt of time. This means that you need not keep sterilising / boiling every time you need a bottle (which can be every 2-3 hours). 

4. Don't use a bottle warmer 

The ones in the market typically take about 3-5 min to heat up the milk (refrigerated breast milk) but it only takes 1 min to put the bottle in a mug with hot boiling water (& it's free!) And every second counts when you have a wailing & hungry baby (and this happens 8 times a day!)

5. Tracking everything about the baby - Total Baby  

Some people use notebook , some people use loose paper .. I prefer an App as a neater tool for recording. The most important things to me to track are: 

- Feeding times (start / stop, which side)

- Diaper change times (wet/dry/both)

- Breastmilk inventory in the fridge

Some people track napping/ sleeping times. And the app allows you to track all sorts of things. And you can even see a chart of all the trends or export to email. It's not a free app but I think it's worth it. 

6. Swaddle

This generally helps most babies to sleep tighter and feel more secure.  I didn't do it fastidiously enough and Cayen was not receptive as he likes to be free agent. I could only swaddle his legs. I wondered if this is part of the reason why he is so hyper active. I went for lessons and they taught how to use normal white cloth to swaddle. But I think having some Velcro makes it more secure and it's easier.

7. Comfi Breathable Pillows & Mattress

I wanted to have peace of mind that he would not suffocate. So i bought the ones with holes that can breathe. An extra perk is that washing the soiled mattress is also slightly easier.

8. Yu Yee Oil (Ru Yi You)

We use this other brand of oil that is similar to Yu Yee Oil and later on Yu Yee Oil but the effects were all good. Cayen never had colic symptoms except for two occasions where he missed rubbing the oil on his tummy after a bath. He was crying non stop for 20 minutes at top volume. After those 2 incidents, we dared not omit this from his routine anymore. What I observed was that if baby has wind in stomach, you rub a bit of this and he will fart very soon. And then , all is fine again. 

9. Avent Bottles

This may be the real reason why he doesn't get colic. The right bottles. Anyway, don't buy too many. Maybe 2-4 for a start as he may not like the teat / bottle and you might need to end up buying other brands. Same goes for pacifiers. 

10. Good online shopping sites

Once you have a baby & having confinement, there are so many things you need to buy but can't step out. And many a times, the best bargains are online. So these are some of my favourite sites for baby stuff

- www.shopback.com : to get rebate on everything, for instance aliexpress, iherb and many other brands.

- www.aliexpress.com : I use it to buy things like breastpads, maternity underwear and the most random things etc.

- www.amazon.com  : that is if you can wait for the items to fly in from USA.

- www.qoo10.sg : for cheap and high quality diapers, I use Goon and Cayen had no diaper rash ever but to be kiasu, I also use diaper rash cream for prevention. I used Huggies for Cayson & it's good so far too. I also used it to get cheaper California Baby Aloe Vera creams and Calendula Creams (about $10 cheaper than Watsons). And also got this cute & cheap baby monitor (sound only) for $15. 

- http://littlethinkies.com/ for other general things ..Milk bags, diaper rash cream, replacement parts for breastpump etc

- iHerb.com for Aveeno Baby stuff as baby has a bit of eczema & Aveeno Baby is really quite good. You can use Four Cows calendula too.   

11. Useful books to read to prepare yourself for an easier time ahead: 

I think there's an easier way to survive babyhood and toddlerhood if we can learn from the experiences of thousands before us. So rather than trial and error or try to rough it out, I prefer to read up in advance and use these tips to cope with any issues that crop up along the way. 

I recommend this book to understand why baby keeps waking up & how to get them to sleep better: No Cry Sleep Solution

And this to understand how to best understand baby's cues & communicate with them : 

Baby Whisperer

And to be able to read on the fly , and to save space and money, I buy all these as e-books on KOBO so I can read on my PC or phone anytime anywhere.

12. Milk Powder Samples

You can apply for free milk powder samples from the different websites. Advice is to get different brands as standby as some babies are very peculiar about the taste. For instance, Cayen was fine with anything but Cayson has rejected 2-3 brands already. Hence, to avoid wastage, try not to buy the big tins (they can only keep for 1 month after opening) and to get free sample sachets as far as possible. 

Also, if baby bursts out in red spots or rashes after having formula milk, they might be allergic to cow milk! When that happens, do check with doctor, and if allergy to cow milk is confirmed,  you may need to change to goat milk, hydrolyzed or soy milk. 

Summary: It's not all that hard if you have the right tools & most importantly the right support network! So ask fellow mothers anything & everything!