Berperang dengan botol susu...

Today 30/3, my baby Raziqh Takeshi turns 2years 8months handsome! Subhanallah...

He is now no longer on bottle-feeding, we've successfully switched him from bottle to cup in past 3 days ago, hooray!

I baru je mentioned about this in my previous entry kan, hihi. Surprisingly the wean-off process was super-duper easy, it took only 1 night for us to declare "the battle is over!" and everything was okey on the very next day. Phewww, ku sangkakan susah bebenor, penat je mak dia fikir macam2 cara untuk cuba stop-kan botol ni, tapi akhirnya semua berlaku dalam keadaan yang sangat natural. The whole process memanglah berbulan2, tapi part klimaks tu yang best, sat sangat, dalam hati ni dok risau meleret2 je, penat aih nak layan...

Rafiqh dulu berjaya di-wean off from bottle before he turned 2years, prosesnya senang sangat so I thought the same thing will happen to Raziqh. Tapi ternyata apa ku sangka hanyalah imaginasi minda semata, hahaha, susah weiii! Pendekatan awal yang digunakan ialah dengan memujuk, hadoiii puas berbulan2 memujuk tapi tak jalan jugak. Kalau tengok kat dalam 1 box dalam stor tu penuh dengan cups, macam2 jenis cup dok ada, beli punya beli punya beli, hangkut macam2 fesyen macam2 style, tapi semuanya dia reject, padahal dia sendiri yang pilih, bila sampai ja timing nak minum susu dia mesti nak botol dia jugak. I know why he loves his bottle that much, dia sebenarnya suka the fact dia boleh minum sambil baring2, bersenang-lenang sambil tengok tv, sambil main atau sambil nak tidur, tu je pun!

Bila tengok dia berkeras takmau berkompromi dengan mama, I dah mula fikir cara yang lebih "keras" untuk weaning. Starting with last few weeks, I dah tak bawa his bottle everytime we go out for outing. Sah2 la dia akan minta, asal naik kereta ja nak nyusu, tapi lama-kelamaan dia dah sedikit faham yang he's not allowed to have his bottle when we're out of the house. Then, last week beberapa kali I lumur garam kat puting susu dia, dengan harapan dia akan reject tapi takkkk, muka releks langsung tak peduli, dia boleh teguk tanpa sebarang reaksi, perghhh lidah buaya kot, takdak deria rasa! Ok mama give up,garam tak laku, so next mama letak asam jawa lah pulak, eh2 sama jugak, dia tengok macam kotor je, hitam kan, dia siap pi basuh dulu, ambil kain lap, lepas tu nyonyot, grrrr fail lagi! Dalam otak dok fikir kalau lepas ni puting tu bocor, I taknak ganti dah, nanti2 dia tak boleh nak hisap dah mesti dia surrender kan, tapi masalahnya dia dah lama tak gigit puting. Pening dah taktau nak pikiaq kot hala mana...

The best part is(hagham tak best langsung sebenarnya), lately dia suka sangat baling barang2, tak kira laa toys ka, buku ka, apa2 laa, sesuka hati dia ja main baling2. I memang pantang laa perangai baling2 barang ni, selalu jugak laa dia kena cubit dan marah tapi sekejap je serik, lepas tu buat balik. Budak2 kan, lagi kita marah lagi sakan dia buat perangai, bukan boleh larang, kita kena suruh tambah, haa baling2, baling lagi, baling laa lagi, hakhakhak. Sehinggalah pada suatu hari dia start baling botol susu dia, I dah boleh rasakan, that was a good chance, my maternal instinct keep telling me that we're about to settle the problem very soon. Kemain lagi dia dok pulun hawing sana-sini, siap naik atas tangga toing baling tingkat bawah, baling ke dinding, pung-pang-pung-pang sekuat hati dia sungguh2 punya baling sambil mulut mama ni tak habis2 dok sebut "botol tu last tau, kalau pecah, no more bottle, Raziqh kena minum susu dalam cup, haa baling la baling bagi pecah". Hish sabaq ja la, tapi takpa, mama suka, dalam hati ni gigih mama doa cepat2 laa pecah botol tu. Dan akhirnya pada petang selasa yang lepas, penutup botol tu pun retak, hahahaha *gelak setan* puas hati haku!

Dalam dah retak tu pun dia berkeras lagi nak minum susu dalam botol tu. Eh takpa, mama ikutkan saja. Mula2 tu ok lagi, boleh minum, habis sebotol dia back to routine baling2 lagi, kali ni baling punya baling, pranggg pecah terus! Eh2 request susu dalam botol lagi?! Ok fine, buatkan aje, kali ni minum memang wassalam laa kan, lencun baju dia basah sebab susu tumpah, hahaha muka kawan dah bengang dah. Time ni si ayah dah balik kerja so mama ada extravaganza punya power, bergabung tenaga dengan ayahnya untuk proses perlupusan botol, kuang3. I realized this is the right time, memang kena bertegas dan sungguh2 dah, no turning back, no more u-turn, kena selesaikan misi ni sekarang! So I asked for myLove's help, kalau I sorang nak buat memang rasa tak jalan, he won't listen to me, kalau dengan ayahnya dia cuak sikit. Every now and then, we keep explaining to him that your bottle was broken-you did it-it's your fault-you have no more bottle-just choose any of the cup we have-bla3. Of course tak senang nak fahamkan dia akan hakikat tu kan, tapi sedaya upaya I cuba pujuk dan pujuk. Dia sangat marah, botol susu tu still pada tangannya cuma dia refused untuk minum sebab tumpah, dia confused taktau apa dia nak sebenarnya, sebab dia sedar dia cuma ada 1 botol tu saja(padahal ada berlambak lagi dalam simpanan mama). I ambil cup yang paling dia suka (cup cars) dan letak susu dalam tu, bu still nak tunjuk keras hati dia tu, dia rejected. Malamnya before tidur mengamuk2 laa nak botol susu, by that time I dah buang botol dia masuk tong sampah, dia pun takmau dah sebab kotor, so after like an hour of throwing his tantrums, dia redha dan pasrah untuk minum guna cup, yeay!

On the next day, dia dah lupa pada botolnya, tak minta langsung tapi sedihnya dia cuma minum 3cawan susu sepanjang hari tu, instead of 10++ bottles of milk before. Along the sad thing must comes the happy thing, right?! Without the bottle, I managed to re-schedule his foods intake, he now eats more and takes a healthy good foods. Sebelum2 ni dia spoil banyak sangat minum susu, memang over non-stop requested for milk, so that he tended to skip his meals all the time. Sebenarnya dulu I selalu marah2 bila dia asyik minta nak susu, lepas sebotol, nak sebotol lagi. And because of that, ada orang tempelak, "what's wrong with kid drinking his milk, milk is good, bla3", yes, I know milk is good, tapi tu untuk baby sajalah, kalau dah masuk peringkat usia kanak2, they need to eat a balance foods, tak boleh asyik nak sogok dengan susu, susu bukan replacement untuk makanan, ada faham?!

Alhamdulillah no more bottle-feeding means he is a real-toddler. I love the fact that he now can sit properly on his chair, joining us having our breakfast, lunch, tea and dinner all together. Mama sediakan various type of cups, macam2 style ada, just to make him enjoy his meal time. Hopefully after this he'll be able to learn adab2 di meja makan, belajar makan sendiri in proper way insyaAllah...

Mama really proud of you, baby! *clap2*

Weaning off Raziqh Takeshi

Raziqh dah selamat graduated dari dunia penyusuan susu ibu secara rasminya ketika berusia 1tahun 8bulan, ketika itu usia kandungan baru 14minggu, dan hanya 4bulan saja lagi untuk complete-kan 2tahun penyusuan susu ibu. Kali ni pun tewas untuk penyusuan lengkap 2tahun, cuma ok sikit laa dari Rafiqh, Rafiqh cuma dapat menyusu untuk 1tahun 4bulan, kira ada peningkatan laa kan, hahaha, boleh pulak gitu?! Cover2!

Kali ni pun sama jugak macam Rafiqh dulu2, I belum pun bersedia nak wean off Raziqh, terasa sukarnya tu melebihi ketika dengan Rafiqh dulu. Punca utamanya ialah sebab Raziqh ni dirasakan manjanya melebih2, dia tak macam Rafiqh yang lebih independent dan matured. Raziqh ni walaupun dah setahun lebih tapi still macam baby lagi, sebab tu laa I jadi sangat tak sampai hati walaupun hanya untuk memikirkan tentang wean off ni. Tak nak bayangkan betapa kami nak kena struggle untuk proses tu. Ish rasa macam susah sangat2 laa. So bila orang tanya bila nak stop breastfeeding(bf-ing) Raziqh, I memang taktau nak jawab apa, cuma mampu kata "tengok laa macammana nanti". Hati jadi berbelah-bagi, at 1 side I rasa macam nak gamble je menyusu, at another side rasa macam nak stop-kan before baby lahir, sebab memikirkan "kesan2" positif dari wean off ni...

Awal2 tu I cuba pendekatan bercakap dengan dia "boleh tak kalau Raziqh wean off sebab Raziqh dah big boy, mou sugu onichan ni naru yo(=tak lama lagi nak jadi abang) bla3", keep saying benda yang sama ulang2 sambil kurangkan sesi penyusuan pada waktu siang. Proses mengurangkan sesi ni agak mudah sebab kami kat Malaysia, dia lebih sibuk nak main dan keadaan mama yang mabuk teruk buatkan dia makin kurang menempel kat mama so somehow dia cuma cari mama bila nak tidur saja. Malam2 memang tak boleh buat apa laa, asal terjaga mesti demand nak bf. I pun malas nak distract or whatnot, just go on with the flow, hanya waktu malam dapat rest betul2 so takmau stress-kan diri...

Kami balik Malaysia awal februari, dalam awal mac tu Raziqh dah tak menyusu siang selain untuk tidur. Susu pun dah makin berkurang, dia lagi banyak minum susu dalam cup, bf hanya bila nak lelap saja. Bila tengok dia dah boleh adapted, so we slowly switched to the next step "no bf before sleep", yang ni memang susah especially bagi yang fully direct bf since baby. I ambil pendekatan yang sama macam Rafiqh dulu, belikan dia feeding bottle, haha, anak orang lain umur ni dah nak stop botol, I pulak baru terhegeh2 nak on, arghhh lantaklah, ada haku kesah?! Awal2 tu dia tak reti pun guna botol susu ni, haiyaaa jenuh pulak nak mengajarnya, tapi tak lama pun, selepas 3hari bergelak-ketawa dengan aksi2 jakun dia, akhirnya dia pandai jugak minum pakai botol. Cumanya sampai saat ni pun still tak reti minum sambil baring, dia tonggang sambil berjalan, adehhh...

Pun begitu, botol susu bukanlah jalan penyelesaian untuk operasi tidur tanpa bf ni, tak macam Rafiqh, dia tak pandai menyusu botol sampai tertidur. Selalunya dia habiskan susu dulu, lepas tu kena pulun ulit2 untuk tidurkan dia. And again, I was so lucky, masa ni my sis-ateh dan my bro-adik banyak membantu, depa yang akan tolong tidurkan Raziqh, phewww just after few days dia boleh tidur without bf...

Next, misi bercerai susu pada waktu malam. Honestly part ni memang mencabar, mesti ramai ibu2 yang setuju kan?! Kalau dia terjaga waktu malam, botol susu bukan solution untuk dia kembali tidur so I cuma boleh "bercakap2" je supaya tak menyusu lagi. Alhamdulillah proses ni tak sesusah yang I jangkakan, dia boleh terima dengan mudah, sehari dua saja diperlukan, bila dia merengek2 tu I just peluk2, tepuk2 dan bercakap. Purata keseluruhannya, dalam 2minggu gitu dia dah fully stop bf siang dan malam...

Meragam?! Of course ada! Lepas settle semua misi2 ni, ada 1 hari tu dia buat hal, asyik meragam. Walaupun I tahu dia boleh calm down dengan bf, tapi I tak reverse balik. Just let him buat hal tapi geram laa jugak. The next day pun dia still buat perangai, serba tak kena jadinya so bila mak kata bagi laa dia menyusu, ketagih kot, kesian kat dia. Sebab dah tak sanggup dengar dia merengek2 so I pun bagi laa dengan 1 statement "ni last ok, no more bf!". "Ok mommy, fine!", hahaha agaknya tu laa yang dia jawab kot, sebab lepas tu dia dah tak minta dah, kuang3. Maka berakhirlah sudah kisah penyusuan susu ibu mama dan Raziqh...

Kali ni tak rasa sedih-syahdu-ralat-emosi-meruntun-jiwa macam masa Rafiqh, mungkin sebab dah ada pengalaman dan dia pun dah besar sikit(compared to Rafiqh dulu). Malah ada semacam perasaan lega pulak sebab sesenang ini nak wean off-kan dia. Seperti yang I mentioned awal2 entry ni tadi, ada "kesan2" positif jugak sebenarnya di sebalik wean off ni, nanti tulis dalam entry lain yer insyaAllah...

Konklusinya, walau apa sekalipun, never underestimated your baby eh, keh3. Kadang2 yang tak mampu tu mak-nya tapi anak pulak dipersalahkan...

Ni 2 entry pernah I tulis tentang weaning off...
How do I wean?
Pengalaman wean off Rafiqh -> Weaning

How do I wean?

I read this article long time ago, siap bookmark lagi kat favorites, konon2 one day nanti bila dah tiba masanya boleh laa nak refer balik. Cet, I don't have to do anything, my baby chose to wean at around 16months old all by himself...

Since I don't need this article in my favorites lists anymore, before I delete it, let me put it here...
Along with the choice to breastfeed, the choice to stop is a personal one. If we feel the time is right to wean, then it is. Only we can decide what to do in our particular situation. Tapi selalunya kita dengar kebanyakan ibu memilih untuk wean bila baby tu dah nak masuk 2tahun laa kan, walaupun ada je ibu2 yang terus menyusu, golongan ni I tabik laa... Dalam islam, penyusuan selama 2tahun tu adalah saranan, bukanlah sesuatu yang wajib. Menyusu itu sendiri adalah pilihan, tak digariskan sebagai wajib pun(walaupun ada ulama meletakkan hukum menyusu sebagai wajib), berhenti menyusu sebelum usia anak 2tahun jugak tak salah, malah menyambung penyusuan selepas anak sudah 2tahun pun tak berdosa! Apalagi islam membenarkan tandem nursing(menyusu ketika hamil atau lebih dari seorang anak pada satu masa). Cuma pandangan masyarakat kita sajalah kan, memandang semua ni dari sudut yang negatif...

I memang rasa bersalah, tertekan, sedih dan kecewa bila "tersedar" yang Rafiqh memilih untuk stop bf-ing secepat ni. Perasaan2 tu tak ada kena mengena dengan sesiapa pun, tapi ianya runtunan hati setiap ibu, bukan senang nak memilih untuk wean apatah lagi kalau si anak tak bersedia, but in my case I pulak yang seolah2 tak bersedia. Sejak I pregnant 2nd baby ni, mak dah lama suruh wean-kan Rafiqh, tapi setiap kali cakap hal tu I akan mengelak, sedih tau bila difikirkan. Mujurlah sebelum tu I dah mula introduced freshmilk kat dia, walaupun dalam versi main2 cause actually I nak top up je sementara tunggu my breasts kembali pulih, just to make sure he got enough calcium and etc., tak sangkalah pulak ini kesudahannya. No, I don't think the freshmilk is the main reason he wanted to wean. Even until now, he can't drink the plain milk, must add some cocoa powder to adjust the taste. May be he still compare the taste with breastmilk(bm), ermmm may be...

Pakar laktasi berpendapat, when a pregnancy in the 2nd trimester, the taste of the bm will change so that in certain case the children will reject the bm themselves.

What does it mean to have weaned a child?
Weaning, when it's the mother's idea, usually requires a lot of patience and can take time, depending on your baby or toddler's age and how well and how quickly your child adjusts. The experience is different for everyone.

Weaning is a long goodbye - emotional, sometimes painful, and freeing at the same time. But weaning needn't signal an end to the intimacy you and your child have established through breastfeeding. It just means you have to replace breastfeeding with other nourishment and nurturing activities. If you've often nursed your child for comfort, find other ways to make him feel better. Read a book or sing a song together or play outside instead.

As for Rafiqh, he MUST breastfeeding before he could sleep. But once he decided to wean, he learns to be more independent, now he could sleep by himself, kadang2 sayu hati ni tengok dia tertidur, how strong a small baby could be to change his "routine", nampak mudah tapi sebenarnya ianya sesuatu yang sukar...

When should I start weaning?
You're the best judge of when it's time to wean, and you don't have to set a deadline unless you and your child are ready to do so. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that mothers breastfeed their babies for at least a year. Despite what friends, relatives, or even strangers may say, there's no right or wrong time to wean. If you feel it's the right time, then it is.

How do I wean?
Proceed slowly, regardless of the age of your child. Experts advise that you not abruptly withhold your breast, which can be traumatic. A weekend away from your baby or toddler with your husband, for example, is not a good way to end the breastfeeding relationship. Try these methods instead:

- Skip a feeding
Skip a feeding and see what happens. Offer a cup or bottle of milk instead. As a substitute you can use your own pumped milk, formula or cows' milk (if your child is at least a year old). If you reduce feedings one at a time over a period of weeks your child will have time to adjust to the changes. Your milk supply will also diminish, without leaving your breasts engorged or giving you mastitis, a breast infection.

- Shorten nursing time
Start by cutting the length of time your child is actually on the breast. If he usually nurses for five minutes, try three. Depending on his age, follow the feeding with a healthy snack such as unsweetened applesauce or a cup of milk or formula. (Note, however, that babies younger than 6 months may not be ready for solids.) Bedtime feedings may be harder to curb — they're usually the last to go.

- Postpone and distract
Try postponing feedings if you're only nursing a couple of times a day. This method works well if you have an older child you can reason with. If your child asks for the breast, say you'll feed him later and distract him. Instead of nursing in the early evening, you could tell him to wait until bedtime.

What to do when weaning becomes a struggle
If you've tried everything to wean your child and nothing is working, maybe the time isn't right. Have you recently gone back to work? Your child may still be adjusting to this new development. Has your child been sick? Often babies who are not feeling well will want to nurse more often — in fact, breastfeeding may be in a sick child's best interest.Has your household gone through a major life change, such as a move or a divorce? Events such as these will also make weaning more difficult. Even going through a new developmental stage can make it hard to wean. Try again in another month. Sooner or later, it'll happen.

Good luck for those who wish to wean your babies...
Gambatte ne!!!

Weaning

Weaning atau dalam bahasa mudah kita sebut "bercerai susu", kalau belah utara orang panggil "lah susu". The term most often refers to when a baby stops breastfeeding.

Tak tau macammana nak cakap, ada rasa sedikit terkilan dan kecewa cause I thought I'm going to write an entry regarding this topic in 8months from now. Hmmm, I know kita hanya mampu merancang, namun tiada perancangan yang sempurna tanpa izin dari Yang Esa, kan...

I dah jatuh cinta sama penyusuan susu ibu ini sejak Rafiqh masih dalam rahim. I cuma belajar dari pengalaman orang dan melalui pembacaan, sebab terlalu sibuk masa tu I tak berpeluang nak join apa2 kelas pun. Awal2 tu memang kekok laa, dengan bantuan nurse dan mak, dalam 2-3hari I dah boleh menyusu dengan baik, nasib I jugak agak baik sebab Rafiqh tak banyak kerenah, so the beginning of our journey was kinda smooth... Berbekalkan sedikit ilmu, dengan support dari myLove dan family, dalam diam2 I memasang azam dan tekad walau susah macammana sekalipun I must achieve my targets...

1. Breastfeed exclusively for the first 6months.

2. Introduce the solid foods and keep breastfeeding for at least 6 more months(until he is age 1).

3. Introduce freshmilk once he reaches 1year 2months old.

4. Start weaning when he is almost 2years old.

Unfortunately, I didn't managed to fulfill all of them...

1. I started intoducing solid foods to Rafiqh when he was 5months++ old. If only I know earlier why it is damn important to breastfeed my baby exclusively for at least 6months, I won't ever dare to let him took his solid foods at that time. All of us know the benefits of breastfeeding. Bukan setakat membekal nutrisi yang diperlukan baby malah ianya juga mempunyai banyak kelebihan lain terutamanya dalam menyalurkan antibodi kepada baby. Setiap kali baby menyusu, jalinan antibodi akan terbentuk tapi once makanan lain masuk ke dalam sistem tubuhnya, jalinan tu akan musnah, proses ni akan berulang2, tak ada makna laa kita pulun bagi breastmilk but at the same time, kita jugak yang rosakkan fungsinya. So I bertekad, for my next babies, I will double or triple my efforts to ensure they are going to depend on my breastmilk 100% until they are 6months ++.

2. Alhamdulillah, I managed to breastfeed Rafiqh for the whole 1year 2months without top up with any other milk. Yes, I proud with myself!

3. I started giving him freshmilk after he was 1year 2months old. If only I have no problem with my breastmilk production, I won't be working so hard to make him loves the freshmilk's taste. Alhamdulillah, after a few trials now he really enjoys and loves the freshmilk. Sekarang dia dah mula minum lebih dari 20 oz freshmilk per day, means 3liters++ in a week.

4. I tak pernah terfikir untuk weaning Rafiqh secepat ni. Akibat mabuk2 yang teruk, I tak dapat makan dengan banyak, so production jatuh menjunam, tapi masa tu Rafiqh masih nak menyusu walaupun hanya bila nak tidur. I tried to maintain our breastfeeding sessions for at least 4times a day, cause I knew in another 2-3weeks my breasts will start producing colostrum milk. I thought masa tu nanti, mesti dah tak ada problem nak teruskan Rafiqh menyusu hingga si baby lahir. Tapi elok je I rasa breasts dah ok, dia pulak refused untuk menyusu. He himself rejected it! Kalau I paksa2 jugak sumbat, dia akan buat gaya nak muntah! Amboi...

Selepas hampir seminggu berlarutan lakonan nak muntah dia tu, I terus stop offer breastfeed. Maybe it's the right time for him to wean. Agak pelik kan bila anak tu sendiri yang tak nak, selalunya si ibu yang kena usaha untuk weaning ni, haihhh... Tapi tak apa laa, I pun dah malas nak fikir2 serabutkan kepala, memandang semua ni dari sudut yang positif I rasa ada hikmahnya. Apapun, selepas baby lahir nanti, I still want to try to continue breastfeeding Rafiqh... Agak2 dia nak tak? hahaha...

Kalau ada yang tertanya2, selepas wean ni Rafiqh memang tak ada mengendel2 ker, the answer is NO. Memang dia tak nampak macam gian nak bf pun, tapi dia nak tidur dalam pelukan mama, kalau boleh nak tidur atas lengan mama, mungkin sebab nak rasa kehangatan tu sama macam masa dia dok bf dulu, so layankan je laa... Kasihan kan, baru umur 1tahun 4bulan dah tak menyusu badan...

Gambar sekitar hanami hari tu...

sememeh je muka budak menangis ni...