milk and weaning

heather adores milk. she drinks it more than water and she can gulp down three (albeit small) cups of milk in a row before bed.

though she likes cow's milk, she has always relied on nursing for comfort a lot. just until a month ago, the first thing that she did when i came home from work was to grab my legs and say "mama, milk".

it had not been easy to wean her but i'm happy to report that she has stopped nursing for nearly a week now. i tried different methods to wean her since she turned two. i did try explaining the "big children don't drink mama's milk" theory to her like what i did with rafael, but at the bottom of my heart i always thought she wouldn't listen to any reasoning. so i googled and tried doing what some mommies did, including putting on different things on my breasts to turn her off (lemon juice, toothpaste and wasabi!) and putting on a band-aid to tell her mama's nipples were hurt. she accepted all the peculiar tastes and she cried hopelessly and fiercely when mama's milk was not available. at the end of the day, i told her the big girl theory again and she listened. i guess she was just not ready when i first tried.

that was 2 years & 4 months plus 2 years & 5 months of nursing (mac, think about the money i saved for the home! we haven't bought even one can of baby formula.), i think i deserve a night-out with some nice alcoholic drinks. maybe i should even go tonight.

妹妹真是好喜歡飲牛奶，尤其臨睡前總會嚷著飲完一次又一次，就算不愛牛奶的哥哥也被她感染。

她也一直好愛喝媽媽奶，大概一個月前，我下班回家時，她還是會立即過來抱著我的腳叫"媽媽，奶奶"。

終於趕緊在她兩歲半前戒掉媽媽奶。也不是因為不好意思再餵，倒是兩個孩子加起來已餵了四年九個月，真是夠了。嗯，今日好不好去大喝一晚？

16 months

趁還記得，記錄一下你十六個月時的濕濕碎：

你十一個月才會轉身，一歲後才會爬，還擔心你要一歲半才會走呢。怎料，十六個月的第一天，你就終於開始走了。

幾天前，育嬰園的老師說，你練習了一個月已走得不錯，就讓你升上大組，聽說你很歡喜。

小肌肉發展你算是不錯的，早、午、晚餐都是自己吃了。你是食肉獸呢，總會先選肉類來吃。

未懂說話，有時會發＂媽媽＂的聲音，但我想你應該不是在叫我吧。

未懂說話，於是你每天手指指，要這要那。我和哥哥就教你手語的please，你間中肯做。



別人搶你的東西，或是你要搶人的東西，你就二話不說拍在人的頭上。哥哥大概是被你打得最多的人，但是他從不還手。長大了，你別欺負哥哥呀！

跟你訓話，或捉著你的手，你就用凌厲的眼神望著我。有甚麼事，你就大哭。小時候的那個easy baby究竟去了哪裡？

但是，只要你咪起雙眼笑嘻嘻，我和爸爸都會被你逗得甚麼也忘掉。



十六個月的最後一個星期，我再沒有給你擠奶了。推說是搬辦公室環境變了，其實是懶惰，反正你喜歡喝新鮮牛奶，也愛吃乳酪和芝士嘛。

晚上仍常會醒來多次要吃奶，我早上總會埋怨又沒得睡。但是，我暗地知道，可以擁著你餵奶的日子還有幾多？

crisis

大地震發生一星期前，我剛好上了一個有關crisis communication的工作坊。導師說，大部分人只會居危思危。聽時其實沒大太感覺，一星期後才終被狠狠點醒。

一直以為那本the worst-scenario survival handbook只是gimmick，卻原來危難可以離我們就這麼近。

是時候要想好一家的危機應變計劃。至少要準備好一個走佬包，有證件、現金，和基本的求生工具；要認真的去學點急救方法；還有，周游說的對，孩子要學懂求生技能。香港的家長在搶購奶粉之餘，希望也會想想怎樣教導孩子培養應有的自理能力。 香港人的一窩蜂恐慌更告訴我，無論如何，要盡量餵妹妹吃母乳久一點。

前兩天在自己的delicious上加了crisis的tag，儲存有用的資訊。這是我提醒自己要居安思危的第一步。

misses and wishes

想可以為你梳髻紮頭，又捨不得你的幾條毛仔；

想可以和你談天說地，又捨不得你的咿咿呀呀；

想可以一起縫紉織衣，又捨不得你的笨手笨腳；

想可以跟你挽手漫步，又捨不得你願安坐一角；

想偷懶不用預備你的稀飯，又捨不得你給我擁著吃奶；

想你快高長大，又捨不得你快高長大。

我們愛你，七個半月的你。



heather @ 7.5 months, kissing and playing with her brother's puppy doll

2 months

兩個月了，黃疸終於全退了，睡得好了，懂得笑了，知道哥哥了。

two months old, and finally heather's jaundice has completely gone. she's sleeping a four to five hour stretch from 10pm each night, she's smiling, making baby noises and posing for her brother photographer.



媽媽的奶庫開業了，因為兩個月後，媽媽要上班了。

and our milk bank has started operation. two months later, mommy will have to go back to work.

update

thanks for all your blessings. heather was discharged after phototherapy for one day but we're still struggling with the jaundice and breastfeeding.

her jaundice situation seems to be improving but the progress has been slow, which is common among breastfed babies. we've been in and out of the hospital for blood checks to monitor her situation and luckily we got daddy to be our driver.



bottles were introduced to heather starting from the hospital stay and she has got some nipple confusion which led her suck even worse while nursing. with the help of a le leche league leader, i am using this straw-like lactation aid to give supplement of expressed breastmilk to heather while she was nursing. hopefully she will learn to latch on better and drink more at the same time so her jaundice situation will improve further and she will get back to her birth weight soon.



for my part, it means waking up heather round the clock for nursing plus pumping 8 times a day to keep up my milk supply. it was a complete chaos last week but as you can see me finally updating this blog, we can proudly say that we've already got used to this crazy routine. i even got the energy to read through all my google reader subscriptions plus online newspapers this morning. :P

will need to monitor heather's jaundice situation for a while. no more blood tests for our little girl i hope. fingers crossed.

hospitalised

heather is admitted to the hospital because of jaundice, and i have problems with breastfeeding.

having nursed rafael for more than 2 years, i thought i'm pretty much a veteran breastfeeding mother and i thought it's just going to be smoother this time. while rafael was such an avid drinker and cried for hunger every hour, heather has decided to give us a peaceful mind by not crying at all and sleeping through the night from day 1. of course her mother tried every method to wake her up to nurse more, but she's just so determined to sleep and put on a hunger strike, actively sucking for only one or two minutes each time and not swallowing even when she's cupfed with expressed milk.

nothing in, nothing out. and that's why she's not able to get rid of the jaundice-causing bilirubin which needs to be passed out in her stool and urine.

we're hoping that the light therapy will help her and the nurses would be able to make her drink more at the hospital. meanwhile, with too little stimulation from my dear girl, i need to rely on regular pumping to increase my milk supply.

remembering those sleepless nights when rafael was a newborn, i was so eager to finish the book "no cry sleep solution" before heather was delivered, little do i know that sleep turns out to be the last thing i wish my girl to do now.

thanks for all your blessings and kind wishes for heather and us, i'm sure this difficult period will pass by in no time.

jokes

兩周一聚：笑話1+1+1則

某一天的下午，在玩具店

小人兒不見媽媽蹤影便破喉大叫：媽媽！媽媽！

媽媽： 媽媽喺度呀。

”媽媽！媽媽！”（又有其他小朋友要找媽媽）

小人兒：點解個個都係媽媽嘅？

* * *

晚飯時，在爺爺嫲嫲家

爸爸媽媽甫下班進門，立刻湧上前親吻小人兒。

小人兒反抗說：排隊呀！

* * *

睡前，在床上

小人兒：媽媽奶！

媽媽：但係你大個仔啦喎！

小人兒：但係”掂”唔到天花版喎！（也不知是誰跟他說，大了就可以摸到天花板？）

* * *

注：兩周一聚是由巴黎師奶發起的作文遊戲，讓素未謀面的網友每兩周以文相聚。是次第十八期: 笑話一則由zero出題。

a weaning incident

已經大概個多星期吧？你再沒有說要喝媽媽奶了。

直到今天，睡前給你在書架上發現了國際母乳會送的＂我愛你＂。

接著又讀了幾本書，然後你說：數三十之後飲媽媽奶。

之前跟你說我們數到三十你還睡不了才喝媽媽奶吧！還以為你在扭甚麼也聽不入耳，原來你都記在心裡。

在廣西的爸爸，別擔心，今夜，防線仍守得住。

沒有怎麼不捨的感覺，畢竟，由你出生第3天開始吃奶後，都已800多天。

很想大肆慶祝一番，或許可以先喝一杯double shot的mocha，再啃一整盒85%的dark chocolate，然後喝一大支original的可樂，將兩年多戒下來的咖啡因一次過補回。:P

爸爸，28個月以來省下的奶粉錢，大概也足夠我們買一瓶不錯的香檳，豪飲一頓？

a weaning incident

touching the pillow corner you slept
and not again on my breasts
you've grown up as a big big boy
so i write you this poem of joy

from day 3 onward to months 28
i wonder how much milk was made?
i'll remember each and every moment
since the day you're sucking as an infant

the special bond we shared when nursing
let's hope it will not be ending
now breasts are not for big boys like you
open is my chest when you feel blue

27 months

before my memory fades...

趁記憶未退，趕緊紀錄一下。

27 months - the bits & pieces

we painted with water colours
and made our first onigiri
you had your worst tantrum ever
trying to walk out of the door baby

your favourites are sound of music's
do-re-mi and cuckoo songs
your growth was just like magic
oh has it only been 27 months long?

二十七個月的二三事

1. 世界各地受人類豬型流感威脅，平常告訴你儘管亂摸亂掘的媽媽追著你要用搓手液清潔雙手。

2. 街外不能亂碰，我們在家中第一次畫水彩畫繼續手筆並用。

3. 我們第一次學ashley姐姐弄飯團，做了一屋星星和心心等爸爸回家，最後你卻只吃了半個。

4. 你第一次要求拿相機來照還要自拍，相機翌日便報銷。

5. 我第一次看懂你畫的畫。心想：像條魚！下一秒你便說：是條魚！

6. 在結婚紀念三周年的前幾天，我們仨又到老地方拍照。不知你和爸爸還肯和我照幾年？

7. 在我第三個母親節的前幾天，你送我一個紙做的手袋、一支康乃馨和一首＂我愛媽咪＂的普通話歌。

8. 你發脾氣時走到門前自己穿鞋，然後說：我要走呀！我要出去呀！哎呀就知道這天會來，但怎料到是在你二十七個月的時候？

9. 有許多天下班回來你都不要抱抱媽媽。哎呀就知道這天會來，但怎料到是在你二十七個月的時候？

10. 你最愛看的仍是sound of music DVD，每夜說：不如doe a dear (do-re-mi) 跟住cuckoo (so long, farewell) 跟住瞓覺呀好唔好呀媽媽。

11. 仍未戒掉媽媽奶。儘管真想你戒和明知你在歪曲事實，當你說雪糕維他奶朱古力都不及媽媽奶甜，我的心仍是會甜甜的。

12. 跟你說大個仔啦唔飲媽媽奶啦，但睡前你總會倚在我胸前說：細個仔呀！其實有好幾個晚上媽媽數綿羊你摸著枕袋的角便大個仔地睡去了，繼續加油啊！

some tunes over the pillow

大概在兩三個月前習慣在晚上餵奶時哼這歌, 媽媽哼著哼著你吸著吸著我們就一塊兒睡著了。沒料到有天你突然也哼起來．．．

i've been humming this song for weeks while nursing rafael to sleep, and one day we suddenly hear a familiar tune ringing in the air...

rafael, oh yes please do remember "and the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true..."

in times of sickness

rafael is having fever again, just one week after his recovered from his last one.

in times of sickness, i'm grateful that:

- i am still breastfeeding, and i can make him drink more liquid even when he's sleeping.
- i have a job that can allow me to take leave relatively easily.
- i can leave rafael in the safe pair of hands of my in-laws who live nearby - as we have no maids.

call me suspicious (haha, no one noticed my typo - i meant superstitious! :P), but rafael has been sick in three consecutive februraies - in 2007 he was hospitalised for 8 days after he was born, in 2008 he was absent from school for most of the days and in 2009 he has seen the doctor twice in a month already. february is certainly the influenza season i believe!

children get sick all the time, but as parents, we couldn't help not to worry as much each time around. i tend to believe what a doctor told me though, that this is how the children build up their antibodies and get strong.

this picture was taken when he was having fever last week - he woke up in the middle of the night asking for a glass of cow's milk!

靖愷病了，發燒最高至102度許。醫生說是感染了病毒，昨天沒有喉嚨發炎，肺也清，但今天開始有鼻水了。

照片拍於上星期（！）發燒時，靖愷凌晨醒來說要喝牛奶！孩子就是這樣，病了仍可以笑瞇瞇，倒是教一家人都擔心不已。

愷愷，加油啊！打勝仗後，你的身體又會再強壯一點！

milky moments

最新一期的W magazine，封面是brad pitt為angelina jolie拍的獨家密照，相中angelina望著鏡頭淺笑，細看下會發現她的胸前有隻小手．．．噢，原來她正在餵哺孩子。她一雙眼睛滿是愛，嘴角溢著幸福。

我沒有很多餵哺時拍的照片，可以公開的有這一幀。當時靖愷七個月大，除了奶就只可以吃一些果蓉或米糊。我們在愉景灣的一間餐廳內，望著藍天白雲，聽著輕風作浪。其實我在公眾場所餵哺的經驗不算很多，當時還有些擔心有人會喝止（更想好要怎回應）。

靖愷：

記得在你出生後的100多天，當初餵哺母乳至一歲的目標還彷似遙遙無期；100多天前，媽媽的奶工廠結業了；算算日子，原來還不夠100天，你就要滿兩歲了。世界衛生組織建議餵哺母乳至兩歲或以上，在你兩歲後，我們要停了嗎？雖然我想我會捨不得和你每天相擁入懷的時光，但或許大家也是時候move on－－大個仔不要依賴吃奶來入睡，媽媽也不要依賴餵奶來哄你入睡了。孩子，我們不要急，到時候慢慢來吧！

有時候媽媽打趣問，媽媽奶甜的麼？你說：甜！然後作弄我說：酸．．．檸檬！一直在等候你開口說喜歡吃媽媽奶，夢想終成真了，母復何求？

這兩天你病倒了，吃得不多，有時候卻要求吃奶。如果吃奶能給你那麼一丁點的安慰，媽媽還真慶幸餵哺至今。

媽媽

*****

早陣子為香港的國際母乳會做了少許翻譯工作，後來獲邀在通訊中寫點分享。最近通訊出版了，希望我的經驗可鼓勵更多母親不要因初期遇到的問題而輕易放棄餵母乳。連我這個常常只有三分鐘熱度的媽媽也做到了，還有誰不可以？


伸延閱讀：

人奶媽媽看三聚氰胺毒奶粉

separation anxiety

rafael, can mama go to work?

小人兒猛搖頭說：mear mear mear mear (翻譯：no no no no) ...

rafael, can baba go to work?

小人兒輕輕點頭。

靖愷的反應挑起爸爸的妒忌，常怨道：怎麼靖愷像個"裙腳仔"？

事實上，靖愷的確蠻黏媽媽。就連學校的老師也知道，由媽媽帶上學的時候，愷愷多半不願進入班房，總是要大哭一場。我想，老師或許會暗暗希望媽媽能常當早班，讓爸爸或嫲嫲帶靖愷上學。

生孩子前，媽媽也曾與爸爸說起一個朋友的兒子，只要媽媽走遠一步也會哭得死去活來。當時只覺奇怪，孩子怎麼會這樣黏人？

如今已為人母，就只會想：孩子，請你盡情來黏著媽媽吧！畢竟，你還會黏多久？

爸爸，如果孩子現在也不來黏我，他又會在何時黏呢？

其實，患了separation anxiety的，又何止是愷愷一人？只怕小人兒身陳代謝快人一步，不消一會已康復過來，媽媽卻還在病入膏肓。

愷愷，你對媽媽那多一點點的愛，會是因為你吃奶時讓媽媽釋放的love hormone所致嗎？如果是這愛情賀爾蒙作的怪．．．嗨，爸爸，你要來哺乳嗎？

factory closure

親愛的靖愷：

這裡就是過去一年媽媽上班時為你製造媽媽奶的地方。這個小小的儲物室有冷氣、有椅子，還有插座，相比一些只可以在洗手間泵奶的母親，媽媽是何等幸福呢！

這間工廠於2007年7月3日媽媽產假後的第一個工作天開張，全盛期一天工作兩次生產共13安媽媽奶，現在它一天工作三次每次卻就只有那一丁點的1安奶。我想，這產量大概告訴媽媽，這間工廠的使命完成了。

今天起，你會在學校喝嫲嫲為你選購的有機豆奶。從此，媽媽不用每天大包小包的携著奶泵冰袋上班，爸爸不用再當奶庫管理人（奶庫已於上星期提早結束營業），不用每晚幫媽媽清洗和收拾奶泵奶瓶，更不用在媽媽忘了帶奶泵上班時驅車將用具送上．．．家中的奶瓶奶袋奶瓶消毒器也或許是時候收起來吧？噢，媽媽還可以相約同事吃飯了。

三個多月前寫過有關你吃奶的事，很高興，100多天後雖然你又嘗過了幾十種新的食物，但是卻仍一樣喜歡吃那騒得要命的媽媽奶，還會在是時候吃奶時走過來牽著我的手進入睡房，和在媽媽寬衣時"嘻嘻"的笑起來。工廠是結束了，但媽媽的胸前仍是會在一早一晚和周末的任何時候為你敞開，我會繼續好好享受和珍惜我們相擁入懷的每一分每一秒。

你吃奶時望著我那含情脈脈的眼神，媽媽又怎會看得厭？

媽媽

milk ≠ nai nai

吃了13個多月媽媽奶的靖愷，已很清楚奶從何處來。當媽媽說milk，他會立刻抓著媽媽的上衣；倦了想睡時，有時也會主動指著或抓著要吃奶；昨天出外將他掛在胸前，他還竟然嘗試抓起媽媽的衣服。各位auntie uncles，下次如果看見靖愷有此舉動，請勿見怪。

有天靖愷沒有上學，沒有在中午吃那瓶因時間關係一早預備好的冰奶。晚上取出那瓶奶時，他竟即時說"奶奶"。媽媽從來就只有教他擁在媽媽臂彎裡吃的是milk，"奶奶"這個新詞彙應該是從學校學會的吧？

由於媽媽的奶量開始不足，在公司怎樣也擠不到足夠靖愷下午茶那餐奶的份量，上星期一終於，終於讓靖愷試試低敏奶粉。

愷愷甫看見那瓶奶便嚷著"奶奶奶奶"要吃。一口，兩口，嗯，怎麼不是平常吃的那騒得要命的冰奶？

我-不-要！

其實，患了單思病的媽媽也不是不高興的，心想：嗯，不槐是媽媽的愷愷！若你真的不管是張三李四，阿貓阿狗的奶都吃，媽媽可是會有點失落呢！

各位觀眾，這就是靖愷奶庫的最新境況。對，那曾經常滿的奶庫，那曾經滿得要清貨的奶庫，今天就只有十數包的後備冰奶可憐地等待，在入不敷支的情況下，等待著耗盡的一天來臨。

就在靖愷拒絕吃奶粉的翌日，媽媽一厥不振的奶量竟然奇蹟地回升了那麼的一點點，靖愷呀靖愷，是你發揮的小宇宙嗎？如果你不想吃奶粉，就請你繼續發揮你的小宇宙，幫助媽媽提供你所需要的營養，還有那些奶粉中欠奉的抗體和愛，好嗎？

靖愷，記得媽媽大半年前給你寫的信嗎？想不到當時許的願，希望可以讓你吃奶到一歲的願，瞬間就竟實現了。在此再要老土（但真心的）謝謝公公婆婆，爺爺嫲嫲的支持，說真的，也不是每個祖父母也支持母乳餵哺呢！當然要謝的還有一直做奶庫管理人的爸爸，對，就是你那位每天為你將冰奶解凍，幫媽媽清洗和收拾奶泵奶樽，為媽媽煲黑豆水，和當媽媽忘了帶奶泵上班而驅車將用具送上的爸爸。噢，還有在母乳餵哺的路上遇到的媽媽，謝謝你們的鼓勵。

親愛的靖愷：

不經不覺，你已十三個多月大了，不再是那個每天只吃媽媽奶的小寶寶，吃過的食物也數不出有多少。感謝你，在這段不長不短的日子裡，和我並肩同行，對抗了兩次的乳腺炎和發燒，多次的乳塞，還有那數次的血濃於奶事件。感謝你，在嘗盡那香噴噴的牛油蛋糕，日本空運來的士多啤梨，還有嫲嫲的愛心靚湯後，仍是會回到媽媽的胸前，嚷著要吃那淡淡的騒騒的媽媽奶。

媽媽的下一個目標是餵哺至兩歲，對，就是世界衛生組織建議的兩歲。或許，就在你兩歲前，有天會發現，原來你不再需要那媽媽奶的安慰，要做個獨立的小男孩。嗯，不要緊，到時候就讓我們隨遇而安，無痛戒奶吧！

昨天晚上，你吃奶後又在我的胸前睡著了，我不禁想起就在你初生時在醫院給你吃奶後你那張甜甜的臉。或許以後你不會記得曾經在媽媽的胸前，度過無數的時光，吃過計不盡有多少公升的奶，但是，媽媽將永不忘記，你那張甜甜的臉，和那些只屬於你和我的時刻。

愛你愛得要命的乳牛媽媽

十三個月十一天大的靖愷

六天大的靖愷

rafael is 13 months old, and yes, he is still nursing. my dear boy, thank you for your continuous love for mommy's milk, though you have already tried out all sorts of new and tasty delicacies. come back for more, at all times, for milk, for love and for every comfort you need. as always, mommy will be here with open arms (and an open shirt, of course).

goodnight

別人都想孩子早睡早起...

今天晚上和靖愷從爺爺嫲嫲家回來，看看鐘還只是九時，本以為趁著爸爸上班去，會有一個半個小時的私人親子時間，就讓我們說說故事，唱唱歌嘛...

靖愷，來，先翻開這本書，我們看圖識字！

媽媽：where's the car?
靖愷：（指著媽媽教他"milk"的地方）
媽媽：where's the car, not where's the milk...
靖愷：（抓媽媽的上衣）

好，先喝一點再來說說故事，唱唱歌吧...

(數分鐘後）

咿，怎麼你邊吃邊睡呀？我們不是說好要說說故事，唱唱歌嗎？

breastfeeding mama x bb x daddy gathering!

rafael is going to celebrate his 8-month birthday in 2 days and that means i have been breastfeeding for nearly 8 months! besides support from mac, my family and friends, my biggest support came from a baby kingdom breastfeeding group. and last saturday, our group had a cozy afternoon tea gathering with all the mommies, babies and daddies. thanks to eeb's coordination, we had the whole upstairs cafe to ourselves and all the babies can crawl or try to crawl all over. we even had a feeding corner too!

我們上星期六帶靖愷與一眾母乳bb聚會. 數下有幾多隻乳牛仔/乳牛女？

rafael is really sensitive to the camera. when hei hei's daddy was taking pictures, he smiled at the camera trying to steal a couple of frames!

看著希希daddy拿著相機拍照時, 靖愷也不執輸, 在鏡頭面前微笑一番, 成功奪去不少數碼菲林！

world breastfeeding week 2007

i'm sure you would have noticed lots of breastfeeding news recently, because august 1 - 7 is the world breastfeeding week this year! for more information, visit: http://worldbreastfeedingweek.org/

the website particularly features a "breast crawl" video - the ability and instinct of every newborn baby to find her mother's breast on her own when placed on her mother's abdomen after she was born. doesn't it explain it all that breastfeeding is the most natural way to feed our babies? http://breastcrawl.org/

happy breastfeeding!

eczema and mama's milk

the doctor at the outpatient department at the sanitorium & hospital referred us to a pretty senior paediatrician to take up rafael's case. we grabbed the chance to ask this dr leo chan about rafael's eczema. dr chan said his eczema is mild (but it's bothering us so much already!) and the mildness is attributed to my breastfeeding (his exact words are 這都是你餵人奶的功勞), and that if he had been on formula, his skin would have been much worse.

knowing that both mac's sister and my elder brother had asthma when they were young, the doctor said that rafa had probably inherited the allergic genes in our families, and that we'd better just accept this fact about little rafa.

becoming complimented by such a senior doctor is one thing, but knowing that i was all along helping rafael with my milk really feels great. there had been times i query about breastfeeing, particularly when rafael's eczema was really bad. luckily i didn't give up at those times.

a letter to rafael:

dear rafael,

time flies and next sunday you will turn 6 months old! i want to thank you for working with me in the past months. though i didn't have the chance to nurse you in your first few meals, your willingness to suck on my breasts has enabled me to provide you with the best food for you in these days.

i know that starting from 6 months onwards, you will no longer live on purely my milk and you will also need other nutrients and vitamins from solids. soon you will be tasting all sorts of new food, cereal, apple, congee, vegetables, fish, pork.... you name it! as you embrace all these new flavours, i hope you will continue to take my breasts and obtain all the nutrients and antibodies from mommy's milk, as much as you want and need. and please also remember that, no matter if you are hungry, sleepy or just need to suck for a little comfort, mama is always here for you with open arms (and open shirt, of course).

with only one week to go before your 6-month birthday, i'm pretty confident that i can attain my first goal to feed you exclusively on breastmilk in your first 6 months of life. my next goal is to continue this until you turn 1, just as the doctor recommended! and i count on you for your cooperation!

love, mama

p.s. and i need to thank you for your daddy's support all along too, for making me all those nutritious soup that helps lactation, for taking up the bottle feeding/training, for staying up late with me to do the pumping, and for all the sweet words of encouragement. let's do it in a team, papa, mama and rafa!