Breastmilk Jaundice (BMJ) is different from the common Breastfeeding Jaundice (BFJ).

In Breastfeeding Jaundice, pediatrician or parent will start seeing the yellowness 3rd or 4th day the baby is born.  Usually that may mean the baby is not getting enough milk or nutrient to get rid of the bilirubin.  With more breastfeeding (BF), the BFJ will go away.  For those who worry about low milk supply, formula supplement will help in making the BFJ go away also.

To be safe, a blood sample is taken to see the jaundice level.  For a baby 3-4 days old, the serious jaundice level is set low, so many babies will get prescribed the biliblanket.  If you live in a big city, like I do, it’s simple.  The pediatrician fax in an order for the biliblanket and the biliblanket gets delivered to home.  When the pediatrician says it’s no longer needed, some one will come to pick up the biliblanket.

How about Breastmilk Jaundice?  The yellowness shows up at around 5th day and peaks at around 2 weeks old.  Jaundice level is closely monitored by weekly blood sample.

Biliblanket hardly helps because no matter how the biliblanket convert the bilirubin into waste-form, the enzyme associated with BMJ will convert it back into bilirubin form.  If a biliblanket is used, the jaundice level may only lowered by very, very little then will bounce back up when the biliblanket is no longer used.

The same with sunlight.

So, what are some solutions to BFJ?

(1) Exclusive formula feeding.  Of course this method helps because the breastmilk that causes BMJ no longer plays a role

(2) Exclusive formula feeding for 48-72 hours only.  In most cases, this solution works.  They think the formula feeding seems to break the cycle of the enzyme-digestion-bilirubin relationship.  Maybe the bacteria/enzyme in the large intestine that feeds on breastmilk got weaken/killed during the 48-72 hour period?

(3) Do nothing and continue to BF.  Since there hasn’t been any cases where BMJ causes any serious problem except for just higher level of jaundice, there’s no really alarm to BMJ.  Just continue to BF and the jaundice level will eventually drop at around 6-12 weeks.  Of course, weekly monitoring is highly recommended.  Poor baby.  =(

For the blood draw, some advices would be: keep baby’s feet warm for a period of time (maybe even 30 min or an hour) before the heel prick so that the blood will flow better as the technician SQUEEZE that little foot to get blood out.  I’ve read about sugar water/breastmilk helps with pain relief as well; maybe the distraction and comfort?

BMJ and BFJ most commonly occur among Asians.

By the way, method #2 may not work if baby refuses to take the bottle or drink the formula.  If that happens, just go method #3.  =)  Have fun!

Ok, ok, ok, we all know that Breastfeeding is the best for the baby, nutritional/health wise.  So, forget about talking it’s health benefits.  Let’s talk about convenience!

Superficially, breastfeeding (BF) seems to be a lot more convenient: no bottle washing, no buying formula, no pump washing, no warming up milk, no need to spend 15 min. pumping then another 1-2 hours feeding, and no need to haul bottles, formula, expressed milk everywhere you go.  Baby can’t control the rate that breastmilk comes out during BF so it can take as little as 2 minute to finish a BF session.  With bottle, a baby can take as long as 1-2 hours to finish 1-2 oz of milk!  If I miss some other example, don’t worry, you can find them in most books that talks about BF.

For sure, one thing bottlefeeding beats breastfeeding: feeding the baby while riding the car!  In the U.S., by law and for safety reasons, baby has to be strapped into a carseat while the car is moving.  What happens when the baby suddenly feel hungry?  It’s more convenient to just feed the baby with a bottle than to pull to a parking lot and BF the baby.

If you don’t like heating up formula, just mix warm water with the formula powder!  My cousin taught me this.  Keep a thermist-bottle handy with warm water.  Just use those water for mixing formula then there’s no need to heat up bottles of formula.

I forgot another convenient benefit of bottlefeeding…  oh well.

I am truly overjoy about how breastfeeding (BF) is quite successful this time around.

Did I attend BF class?  Nope.
Did I buy BF books?  Nope.

I only have the What to Expect When You’re Expecting by Heidi Murkoff.  I did read as many free pamphlet as I can get my hands on from nearly each big brand formula company and the benefit center of the company I work for.

I think there are 2 main sources to this success:

(1) lessons learned from attempt to BF Koala: latch-on and never give up!
(2) expressing milk for Koala for 7 months!

I read about BF getting easier the 2nd time around, especially if I BF the first time around; but I didn’t BF 1st time around, then what happens?  So I guess the expressing helps; however little I expressed.

So, did BF go smoothly right from the beginning during this 2nd time around?  Yes and No.

The latch on and the milk supply were fine.  Unfortunately, there was a problem with Breastmilk Jaundice.  It’s quite rare according to whatever statistics that got posted on pamphlets, books, websites.  Yeah, the stats are different all over the place depending on where you see it.

Since there hasn’t been any serious problem developed from Breastmilk Jaundice, I guess there’s no research nor prevention on this “concern”.

The only problem with Breastmilk Jaundice is that Roo got blood drawn (heel prick) every week!  Just to make sure his jaundice level doesn’t get too high.  Poor baby.

Finally at 6 weeks, the jaundice level lowered to a comfort level that blood-drawing is no longer needed.

Then comes the 3rd month: biting started.  Ouch!  Month 4, I found out the reason: stop offering him the “milk” when he pulls away.  Fine!  He only got 5-8 min. of BF each session and he nurses every 2 hours.  Better than being bitten.

Month 4 and 5?  Painful nipple for an hour or two every day for no apparent reason.  How painful?  Imagine being cut open!  No amount lanolin, warm compress, or air-drying helped.  I was so frustrated that I went to my ob/gyn.  She took me in right away worrying about breast infection.  But nope, no breast infection and sent me home with 1 advice: warm compress or motrin.

I didn’t want any pain-relief medicine to get into the milk, so I tried dabbing some infant tylenol on the area.  Too bad that didn’t help.

My only method in reducing the frequncy of pain was not to let myself fall sleep while Roo was nursing.  Eventually, the pain comes every other day; once a week; then it finally went away during Month 6.

Woo hoo!  No more pain!  Roo has 2 teeth already and still no pain…. yet.  We will see…

A few days ago, my Koala was folding a paper and screamed, “Dad, Dad!  Make me a boat!”

I said to her, “Daddy is busy.  When he’s done, then he will make you a boat.”  I thought, “Hmm… Hubby must have made a boat for her last night.”

Koala replied, “Mommy makes me a boat!”

“Mommy doesn’t remember how to make a boat.  You will just have to wait for Daddy.”

Of course, when Daddy was done with whatever he was doing, Koala already lost interest and was playing with something else already.  So, I was determined to work on my origami skills again.  Still, after playing Facebook games for a few days, I FINALLY remember about the origami thing.  I search online how to make the boat that I used to make when I was little.  I found a couple of websites that teaches how to make a “simple boat” but this boat looks different from the ones I made when I was little.  It has a weird triangle thing that sticks out in the middle of the boat.  Strange…  After 3 of those websites, I finally found the one I wanted at tinyshiny.com.  Even the website name is easy to remember!  Hee.. hee…  Now, I just need to practice until I remember all the instructions by heart.

I can just imagine my husband picking up all those paper boats/planes/cranes/pigeons from the grounds grunting, “why did you teach Koala how to make these stuff?”  I’m also very sure that grunting will turn into a silly-grin-face when he sees Koala folds her first plane/boat the first time!  The proud dad will immediately get out his camera and take a picture of Koala holding her first origami project.

Well, it will not really be her first origami project if you count “umbrella” as an origami too.  Koala and I used to make 1-3 paper umbrella a day.  Instructions: roll a piece of paper (like an eggroll), tape it so it will stay like an eggroll, then just tape another piece of paper on one side.  Tada!  An umbrella!  =)

Hmm… I vaguely remember Hubby mention bad economy and this year we will have to make our own decorations for the Christmas tree.  Well, then, I better get started…  Also, we can use the arts/crafts that Koala made at Preschool as decorations.  We will see…  Of course, it would help if Hubby doesn’t get such a HUGE tree every year!

Koala recently started preschool.  It was a big success!  She doesn’t even know any English and she went through the first day like a breeze.

How?  I don’t know.  I wish there was a video to record everything that went on in the classroom.  Oh well…

I wonder if the book I got her help a little… or maybe even a lot…  D.W.’s Guide to Preschool by Marc Brown.

Before Roo was born, I had the opportunity to observe the preschool class for nearly an hour.  I already knew what they would do in preschool.  I went to the bookstore and looked for a book that introduces a preschool with similar activities.  D.W.’s Guide to Preschool was perfect!  Koala really likes to read this book.  Another book she likes to read is Berenstein Bears Go to the Doctor.  I don’t know if I mentioned it before.  A month before her last well check-up at the doctor, I read this book to her nearly daily… per her request.  She didn’t cry at all at the doctor’s office.  Woo hoo!  That’s why I thought D.W.’s Guide to Preschool may help.  Next: a book about dentist.  We still haven’t taken her to the dentist yet and we still haven’t picked a dentist yet.  We will see…

Do you believe in palm reading?  It’s reading lines on your palm to “predict” your future.  I “sort of” believe in it.  My scientific reason is that depending on what you have done in your life, the future is predictable… since what you do with your life is with your hands, the lines will change.

Here’s what I think: if the lines are very clear and deep, those lines are not likely to change and somewhat tell you what you life had been and predict what you life will be.  If you have many lines, you think a lot!  If you have very vague lines, those lines are very likely to change.  As you grow older, those lines will be more clear and deep because the stuff happens already and it’s deeply imprinted on the palm.

A few days ago, I looked at my palm.  It sure has changed since I became a mom… or a SAHM… my success line is gone!  LOL.  The success line is a rare one.  Very few people has that line on the palm.  I felt so happy to see it when I was young.  It was only very slight but still glad I had it.  Now that it’s gone, I don’t miss it though.  =)  I notice my wisdom line got clearer and longer.  Not bad…  hee.. hee…  especially after what Hubby told me from something that he heard:

Life is like a dream for the Wise;
Life is like a tragedy for the Poor;
Life is like a comedy for the Rich.

What do you think?  Do you agree?  It sounds just about right to me.  =)  I prefer to be the Wise.  hee… hee…

I owe an apology to Huggie.  Actually, it didn’t really leak.  It was just that Baby Roo grew out of the Huggie Newborn diapers in fewer than 5 days.  We didn’t finish even finish the first package of Huggie Newborn diapers (72 count).  We are now using the first package of Target Size 1 diapers (70+ count?)…. down to the last 10.  Next will be Pampers Size 1 diapers (56 count?)  If Baby Roo finishes the Pamper Size 1 diapers as well without growing “out” of them yet, we will need more Size 1 diapers.  We already have 3.5 packages of Size 2 diapers and 1 package of Size 3 diapers ready!

Baby Roo is Born!

Both Baby Roo and I are healthy.  Baby Roo eats and sleeps well.  I try to eat and sleep well.  =)

Quick info: this labor and delivery went a lot smoother and “faster” than the one with Baby Koala.  Breastfeeding is going pretty well.  Hopefully it will be successful this time around.

Note to self: stupid Huggie leaks!  I knew either Huggie or Pampers doesn’t work with my babies.  I guess it’s Huggie.  Oh well, at least I know exactly when he peed.  Why it leaks in the back for a boy???  oh well.  I couldn’t find Target Brand newborn size.  Also, I think Target is getting rid of the Target Brand diapers and replacing them with Up & Up.  We will use up all the Huggie Newborn and Target Size 1 (2 & 3) first, then we will try out Up & Up if Target truly is getting rid of Target Brand diapers.  Very sad…

Wow, has it been a week already that I haven’t posted?  Sorry!  I can’t really blame myself for being busy as I’m not really busy.  However, as you know, we co-sleep.  Usually, even when we co-sleep, Koala sleeps on her side of the king-size bed and I sleep on my side of the bed.  Lately, Koala likes to sleep hugging my arm or having nearly her whole body touching my back.  I love that feeling of being so close to her!  So, I didn’t get out of bed to go on the internet.  =)  Who knows how long she will do this for, you know?  After not being online for near a week though, I guess even if she was super close to me today, I had to get out of bed to go on Facebook and check out other blogs.

You may not see me for 2-3 months!  Baby Roo will be born any time now, I guess.  So, I will actually be busy caring for a newborn and a toddler with my hubby’s help.  Hubby will be a great help as he will cook for the whole family, feed Koala, and put her to sleep.  I will try to post here and there.  Take care!!!  See you next time!

I read an article about the Tea Parties that are happening around the country.  I still don’t know the details but commenting on a general remark: I disagree with tax increase to bail out banks and other companies who had bad businesses.  The banks should know better than to give out interest-only loans.  Come one!  Even before I studied MBA, I already knew that interest-only loans sound very “suspicious”.  Interest-only loans is like giving money to the bank for a few years.  The person is not even paying any part of the principle!  Granted, I have a CPA Dad and an engineering background, so it may just be “natural” for me to sense “suspicious activity”.

Auto companies… well, if you haven’t been improving your cars to stay competitive, maybe you should deserve to go bankrupt.  Yes, it will be a huge domino effect if a whole auto company shuts down but believe me, the economy will survive.  We still need cars, right?  It’s a necessity in the U.S. and in many other countries.  Other auto companies will need to buy parts, although not necessary the same parts.

Good move by Chase.  I feel very, very sorry for Washington Mutual.  Really!  It had a good business running and it had awesome ideas and practices.  I walked into the branch and I knew immediately it had the best branch customer service than any other banks I had been to.  I don’t know the details, but I felt that it was just unlucky.  Why else so many other big banks who also offered stupid loans survived?  Chase was really smart to buy it.  Just driving by, Washington Mutual (WM) has nearly as many branches as Bank of America.  Buying WM is the fastest way to grow Chase’s prominence in California.  Plus, all those clients who took advantage of the WM heavily advertised “Free Checking”?  Chase saved a lot of marketing cost.  I feel so, so, so sad for WM… partly because I had stocks in them.  sniff… sniff… sniff…

And… Yes, I do believe government should have little or no interference with the market.  Market stabilizes itself eventually.  Government interference actually prolongs this process.  With super geniuses in the government, they should already know where the market is heading.  If there’s any government interference, it should be an act to speed up to the worse.  Believe me… if we dive for the worse, then government comes to the rescue… it looks a lot more heroic for the government.

Oh, I really don’t care how much the millionaires are making so there’s no need to tell me how much the Obamas made last year.  Even if the millionaires pay a flat income tax, they still get to keep plenty of their hard-earned money.  Of course, they wouldn’t pay the “flat income tax” as they hire excellent accountant to reduce their income tax so much that they may actually get money back!  =)

As a person who saved years of money for a dream house, I really feel unfair to have to pay more tax to bail-out bad companies.  It was really hard to save those money!  No luxury, no nothing  for many years.  I had to keep transferring money from account to account to get the best interest rate when the interest rate was so low!  I did the same when interest rate went up.  It was a big hassle.  I had to make risky runs at the stocks to earn money too.  I paid income taxes to those earnings and the dividends.  As most of you know, I’m house hunting.  Guess what I heard from Hubby?  Some of the “homeowners” (banks or construction company, etc.) who got bailout money from the government and stuff actually demolish the houses to keep the house prices “up”.  So, once they got bailout money for the “house”, they immediately destroy the house so that it’s not on the market any more.  Also, many houses are in default but the banks delay the process of default and foreclosure so that it won’t flood the market with houses.  Again, a way to keep the house prices “up”.  Oh well… what can a lower-middle-income class citizen do except to rant on her blog?