Confinement! Confinement! Confinement!!!!!!!!!!! (Damn you!!) OK! it's not too bad this time, frankly...

first of all...

I've to thank my husband, he's done a great great job!!

no no!! I'm not done with my confinement yet, haha! just 1 week... arrgh... 3 more weeks to go, though, by the end of next week, I think I can just go out for a big gigantic sashimi buffet... ^_^ (slurp!)

anyway,

yes, most of the people were "stunted", when I told them, I'm going to do without a confinement lady...

based on my past experience, I just hate the existence of one, one extra person at home...

NOW! I CAN HAPPILY BARE MY BOOBS (COS, I'M BREASTFEEDING) AND SLEEP LIKE A STARFISH IN MY LIVING ROOM, OR PRACTICALLY ANYWHERE IN MY HOUSE...

my husband's done a great job in taking over the work, looking after my dear baby daughter, (oops, again, she's a toddler now, but still my forever baby! dearest one!) for eg. Shower her, prepare lunch/dinner for her, read bedstime storybooks for her, make milk for her...

yes, he's done a great job...

and I've my confinement food catered from this SN Confinement Ladies Service, I've to say, so far, the expectation is just about right... they handle it pretty well... and I'm happy... (cos, I'm definitely not too happy with my previous confinement lady... getting her to stay-in, I've to entertain her, listen to her yakking non-stop... see!! I like quiet place, I like quiet environment, and what more to say, during my confinement... when I really need rest... I mean, I don't have to rest ALL DAY, but then, I like the freedom to rest whenever I can, and wherever I want, you get it?? having another person, or another 2 persons in my house, will just take all these luxury away...)

though, I do have to help with some minimal housework, for eg. Launderette, since I've recovered pretty well, can move around... (in a way, to make my wound heal faster, I gotta move more, rather than being bedridden!) I've offered to take over the job, but in order to make me easier (ie. Minimize bending, lifting...) I use a stool, bla bla bla bla bla...

see!! like I told my husband, I'm not pushing myself to the limit... and I'm just working myself within the limit, picking the right tools, to ease my job...

the thing is,

I like doing vacuuming... haha! With my new ergorapido SPECIAL!

And I like doing my launderette... ya, a little bit sick, I know... but then, seriousyly, it's pretty joyful for me... haha!

And I don't want another person, to come and keep reminding me that, I shouldn't do this and that...

see! My last confinment,

I've to kinda beg, or threaten my confinement lady to prepare the herbal bath for me...

and sometimes, I just have to close the door, and take my own shower, without listening to her “opinion”...

now?? haha! I take shower BY DEFAULT!

Especially these few days, weather here sucks...

the thing is...

my husband still hasn't given up...

he's still trying to tell me, not to shower, not to do this and that...

I give him one condition,

“if today, I'm staying in beijing, or I'm staying in somewhere northern china! I'll listen to you!!”

haha!! I should have done this long time ago...

yes! Come on!! todayy, at present day,

our generation's staying down south, near the equator... you know how damn hot it is??

there are time, I just wish I'm not a chinese, or I don't marry a chinese... maybe things will be easier for me...

but then, I'm not saying that, I hate whatever or I dislike whatever I have, or whoever I am now...

yes, there're time like this...

however~ no matter what, I've to say, I enjoy this confinement more than the previous time...

my newborn??

err... I don't know why people keep thinking that, the so-called confinement lady HAS TO look after the newborn,

in actual fact, newborn is very easy to take care of,

what more to say, I'm a nursing mom...

half of the time, I'm carrying him to nurse,

half of the time, he's sleeping...

another bit of the time, he's awake, I change his diaper, or I bathe him,

that's all?

Why do I need a confinement lady there????

and what more to say,

my opinion is...

confinement ladies out there,

they're different practices,

all from their experiences...

some are not too right, some are not too wrong, but there's no such handbook, or guidebook, or “bible” for them to strictly follow...

some can cook, some cook bad food,

some don't use the ingredient fully, some waste the ingredients you provide to them...

like I said, there's no standardization...

and yet, we simply get one, depends on our luck,

and some!!! I mean, some confined mother out there, just listen to them blindly...

as if that's the only bible in the confinment world...

somehow, I think, it's pretty sad...

so, if the confinement lady's wrong, then, it's just wrong...

so, if the confinement lady tell you that, for 30 days strictly you should not get into contact with any cold water...

then, probably, you don't have to wash your hands often...

seriously!!!

after I've stayed in hospital for 5D4N, fully airconditioned hospital ward...

I took my first inaugural shower at home,

I still feel that, the layer of dirt on me's pretty thick...

yes, you may find it gross, but I'm telling you so, cos, it's reality!!!

reality is...

you sleep in your room, with your kid (some don't, then, maybe it's ok) and with your husband, or maybe you're alone,

and you're sleeping with layers of dust and dirt on you... I find it yuck!

Then, the second day, I take my second shower... (in such damn hot weather!)

let me tell you,

I still feel that, the layer of dust/dirt's endless!!!!!!

and you may think that, why should I make my husband help with the confinement period...

why not?

And why would any husband reject that???

when you've your enjoyment in impregnated your wife...

is that it??

you leave everything to your wife,

or your parents, or a so-called confinement lady? Or a maid???????

that's the ONLY thing you guys(men) are capable of doing???

even though my husband's not a domestic god(dess) but then, I'm glad that, he's left home for study before...

and that, he at least, know how to cook, how to do the houseworks and bla bla bla...

let me tell you, I hate those chinese “siu yeh chai”, exactly as what I've described...

LEAVE EVERYTHING TO OTHERS!

And think bloody highly of themselves!

You see!!

I wanted to write this post...

each time, when I'm lazing around, lying like a starfish in the living room, in the couch...

yes, damn syok!

And I don't have to entertain/listen to nonsense... or non-stop noise pollution!

And I can pop-up my boobs anytime I want, when I need to nurse...

isn't that great??

We're stronger than we think... we are~~

yep... we're stronger than we think we are...

I like to tell this to friends who needs encouragement, and help... and maybe a bit of advice... (though, sorry, I do tend to give lengthy advice... I'll cut it next time, ok?? ^_^)

see... just last friday, I went into the operation theatre, for my cesarean, well, for my second baby, a baby boy...

(I'll have another entry about my pre-cesarean experience, cos, that's another lengthy one I'll make... kakaka!)

but then, today, approaching another friday (scary, time really flies, so fast, 1 week!)... oh, ya, I went into the OT in the evening, but now, it's early friday, ok, maybe just 6 days...

I thought I've recovered pretty well...

but of course, if you ask me, I'll say, it's the power of prayer, maybe the power of love...

I've been praying for speedy recovery, and smooth operation, yes, it all went well... the operation, the recovery...

and there I prayed, because of the love of my family, my daughter, my husband, I can't afford to be bedridden for a long period right?? and I need to take care of the newborn, take care of my precious baby madeleine (ok, she's a toddler now, but like I've told her, she's THE baby!!) and also, resume our daily activities, as a housewife, as a stay-at-home mother, to take care of my husband, take care of the household... and of course, there's also, love from God...

yes, everything went well...

as of today,

despite the swollen feet that I'm having,

hm!! in fact, I did not have, all because last night, I chose to sleep on the sofa, sitting position, and I laid my legs downwards... for long period...

and that, I guess, all the water went down? @_@

and today, I'll move back to our bedroom, one whole family cramped together (how sweet!) and Gabriel back to his crib...

I write this, it's because I myself is pretty surprised on how well our own body can recover and heal by itself...

of course, with good rest, healthy food, healthy drinks... I supposed...

just 2 days ago (tuesday) when I first get home, that's my condition : belly painful, not too painful though, tolerable, the irritating one is the bottom and the back pain, due to the hospital bed... and getting up and down the bed (my bed) seems to be a little bit tough... therefore, last night, I opted for the sofa, but that's a bad choice...

and just yesterday, though I've much improved, it still take a bit of effort for me to get up from the couch...

but then, today?? I'll say, all went pretty well...

I can get up from the couch easier, and I took my first shower...

yuck isn't it??

for once, I listen to "public advice", that I'll not shower immediately, but tomorrow, I'm going to see my gynae, so, I'd better shower... and like I told him, under the microscope... probably the dirt's a few mm thick... yuck!

but then, compared to my first childbirth, at this point in time, I think, I could manoeuvre easier...

IF NOT BECAUSE I'M CHINESE,

AND IF NOT BECAUSE CHINESE HAS ALL THESE THINGS ABOUT CONFINEMENT,

I guess, by the end of next week,

I can actually go out and run around and shop and live like usual...

and of course, as expected, even my dear husband will not allow me to do so...

he'll make sure that, I'll be CONFINED, for 1 month!!!!!!!! anyway,

he's done a great job to be the CONFINEMENT MAN! yes, this time I skip that, no confinement lady,

only confinement food catered.. and I've to say, it's good...

it's just pity that, my husband's to do the cleaning job... plus taking care of my dear daughter...

though, my dear daughter, again, Praise to God, she's been behaving...

and everything went well...

Praise to God...

At the end of the day... Alcohol's the BEST~~

ya... at the end of the day...

see... he started to be not that well... in our household... since... 1.5 week ago???

then, finally, my turn...

it's all about weekends...

cos, weekends, despite of the REST that normally what people do...

it's family time,

it's friends' time,

it's outing time...

we go to church,

we go to dinner appointment,

we do grocery shop, + window shopping...

and bla bla bla...

end up, all three! very very very tired...

so, when tiredness hit us... we're bound to get sick...

what more to say, as my EDD's near soon,

I've to get up early every saturday, for the routine checkup... till THE day...

right?

then, sunday? no, can't sleep late, gotta go to church,

I told him, we'll try to go for the evening mass on saturday, but then, if we're too tired, during the day, we end up not able to get up again... there, we have to go to the sunday morning mass... bla bla bla...

anyway...

so, finally, I got the virus too... just not too severe in me, only a bit of coughing... that's all... but then, I was worried... after the BIG day... I can't afford to laugh out loud, I can't afford to sneeze, and what more to say, the cough... it'll be damn painful on the wound man!!!

(I still remember, for my first one, I actually requested one of my friend, who'll always make me laugh-out-loud, not to come visit me in the hospital... cos, I don't want to hurt the wound on my belly!)

so, I was thinking... hm... I can't let the cough continue till then...

I can't be taking simply any medication over the counter... and anything herbal, simply works SLOW!!!

and it happened that, he's always complaining that, he's tired, even he goes to bed early, but he doesn't get much quality sleep...

so, I thought about all the good tonic wine, Yomeishu, DOM...

and it also happened that, he thought I'll need some during my confinement month, and he bought from the airport... while I told him, there're still a few bottles left at home...

why?? see!!! during my last confinement, in year 2009, I blamed it all to the confinement lady that we had...

first, she didn't know how to really cook proper confinement meal... and I asked her to use DOM wine, she cooked one, tasted damn awful... and I can't even swallow a bit... so, end up, the food went to the bin, and that's it... and she DARED tell me that, anything cooked with DOM is like this... DOM doesn't taste good...

so, I'd the impression that, DOM wine's awful... and that's the reason, those 2 bottles just sat in the cold storage... still this day, when he added another bottle to the "collection"...

and I decided to take it out for a try...

since cooking's bad, maybe I shall just drink it...

and he can try having some, I read that, if you drink it, before you go to bed, you'll have a very good sleep...

and I can't remember how and why and when, somehow in my memory, if cough's bad... had some hard liquor, it'll cure... ^_^ haha!!!!!!!

so, DOM is out...

he'd it,

I'd it...

I told him this,

it doesn't really cure the cough dramatically and immediately, but somehow... it makes it not worse and definitely controllable... AND yes... I sleep well at night...

I asked him... same thing happened to him, sleep well...

see!!!!

sigh... though I'm not an alcoholic...

but at the end of the day,

alcohol, does solve a lot of problem...

cheers...