Stocking up for Ramadhan

While I was planning vey hard to ensure enough EBM stock for achik during the Ramadhan, Alhamdulillah, Allah had a better plan for me.  The one week stay in the hospital had managed to slow down the outflow of the EBM stock while adding up a few oz more.  Right after coming back from the hospital, I have a total of 206.5 oz in the freezer, Alhamdulillah.  However, due to the laziness that set in lately, a significant amount had been used.

Based on a simple level 1 primary school mathematics calculation, I need at least 160 oz of EBM stock to survive this Ramadhan, assuming that

1. Achik's daily consumption stays at 16 oz and
2. My daily production drops to only 8 oz a day inclusive of the wee hours pumping (the worst case that I dare to think of)

There will be about of 20 working days in Ramadhan (raya count down eyh?) and we will hit our second second milestone on the Hari Raya when achik turns 1, Insya-Allah.

Laziness sets in ...

Little did I know, accompanying a sick but behaved & slept through the nights child in a hospital ward for a week long could give a side effect that is somehow similar to the jet lag effect.  After a week of eat and sleep and no pumping in the hospital, my body (blaming the body eyh?) tended to continue the eat and sleep hospital routine, even at home.  Unfortunately, it also affects the pumping schedule.  I have lost the mood.  I only pumped once on the first day of resuming work resulting in only 4.5 oz.  BIG problem.  On the second day, I managed to force myself to pump twice, according to the schedule, but the yield was only 7 oz, 3.5 oz from each session.  Heyy ...  What's happening???  Ain't I supposed to stock up for Ramadhan which is just around the corner?  Help!!!

The bill ...  For a week stay in the hospital.

Breastfeeding as a test of faith

Today is my second day accompanying achik-the-little-princess at ward.  She was admitted to the hospital yesterday morning, after being diagnosed as suffering from pneumonia by a pediatrician.  She is ten and a half months old now and neither Along, nor Angah had ever been hospitalised at such an early age.  Ironically, she is the one whom I fully breastfeed until now.  Along was exclusively breastfed for the first three and a half months and then continued enjoying the goodness of breastmilk combined with formula until he was about two and a half years old.  He was admitted to the hospital once at the age of five years old due to suspected dengue fever and had his blood samples taken and tested a few times during that period.  He was declared free from the fever two days later.

Angah was the least to enjoy the goodness of breastmilk.  He was exclusively breastfed for four months and continued to be breastfed and formula fed until he was about one year old and completely formula fed after that.  Interestingly, he has never been admitted to the hospital so far and has never even had his blood samples taken.

After going through the hardships of a breastfeeding journey which is not that hard anyway, one would probably wonder, why is that so?  Breastmilk is supposed to provide the strongest immunity to a child, isn't it?

Here lies the importance of having the right intention of doing something.  As a muslim, whatever we do, we do it for Allah.  In Surah Al Baqarah, verse 233, Allah says,

"The mothers shall give suck to their offspring for two whole years, ..."

and in Surah Luqman, verse 14, Allah says,

"... His mother bore him with weakness upon weakness, and his weaning is in two years ..."

and in Surah Al Ahqaaf, verse 15, Allah says,

"... The carrying of the (child) to his weaning is (a period of) thirty months ..."

So, this is it.  I breastfeed my children because Allah asks me to do it.  Just like any other ibaadah such as prayer and fasting.  If worldly benefits come along with it, then they are entirely Allah's right to give (or not to give) for He is the most compassionate, the most merciful.  The benefits are the added values that we, as servants should be very thankful indeed.  Even without the worldly benefits, I will still breastfeed my children as a proof of my obedience to Allah the Almighty.  Full stop.

Where there is a will, there is a way

We received a Toysrus catalogue some time last week and as usual, Along and Angah excitedly perused through each and every item on it so that they can start imagining about having them *he he he*.  One particular toy that caught Along's attention was a set of 12 (or was it 16?) LEGO figurines that are priced at RM9.90 each, the cheapest on the catalogue I guess.  He was so serious about having them that he didn't spend his pocket money for the whole of this week and asked me to pack him two slices of bread and a slice of cheese every morning.  Last two days, he told me that he could probably only manage to collect RM9 and asked me to top up another RM1.  I didn't say yes and asked him to try to get it from abah instead :)  Surprisingly yesterday, he told me that he managed to get the additional RM1 by selling something to his friend!  I was astonished.

Me: Abang jual apa?
Along: Sticker.  Sticker yang saya jumpa hari tu.  (He found a set of embossed Cartoon Network characters stickers in the kitchen cabinet that day, a free gift of a product that we bought, long time ago).
Me: Abang jual seringgit?
Along: 50 sen satu.  Saya jual dua, jadi seringgit.

I wasn't quite sure about how to react.  Proud to see how hardworking he is to achieve his goal, but at the same time worried about what would his friend's parents say.  Well, maybe I don't have to interfere into their 'business'.  It will be good Along, if you can be that serious and hardworking in your study as well :p