Luna's Realm: Cards of Sanity

Motherhood has always been know to be pretty darn crazy. So I was feeling pretty lucky that "the baby won his mother" some sanity, motivational cards from Luna's Realm when things get rough. Ok, to be fair, I might have won myself this deck considering I was the one who thought of the 3 words although the baby might arguably inspired these words. 

The deck from Luna's Realm had this tarots card vibes which I digged. In terms of the quality, I would have prefered them to be less flimpsy, but oh wells. Still nothing could beat the quote Luna's Realm wrote for us <3 Please check them out!

Fan of Dyson

If you know me personally, you would know that Dyson is one of the brands I have been eyeing for a very...very long time. I am not ashamed to admit that I am a sucker for beautiful, sleek designs and I have been somewhat obsessed with the fans and hair tools of Dyson. Deep down, I have to admit, Dyson's products are very expensive.

To be honest, I only became a convert during one of my casual walks around Metro. (Yes, I am super aunty now. Before covid, I would loiter around malls to pass time and wait for my appointment to see baby.) It was there we met this super awesome salesman, who sold Dyson to me. He was honest enough to tell me that given my needs, I probably should go for the cheapest Tower fan (which still cost $400 plus). LOL!

We eventually decided to be proud owners of a Dyson Tower Fan:

1. It was on sales and we got it around the low 400s.
2. My aircon broke down and I really needed another fan. I couldn't survive the heat anymore. 
3. We decided that the filter function was worth the additional $200 odd dollars
4. We thought this was a baby-safe fan. Initially, we only wanted to buy it when baby arrives. But you know what, Mummy can use it first la!
5. It is very easy to assemble and clean. 

After using Dyson fan for a while, I notice that the wind that comes from the fan is diffused, unlike the normal fan we are used to. I find the remote not very sensitive and can only be used at close proximity. I have to admit that the fan isn't life-changing, but I enjoy having it around cos it is truly aesthetically pleasing :P 

Nursing Bra: Yay or Nay

Generally, the nursing bra is used when you are breastfeeding the baby so that you can easily access your boobs during the process. Call me kiasu, but I actually got mine way ahead and I am doubling them up as maternity bras. And I am happy to update this might be one of the best decisions I have made. :D

Firstly, maternity bras are so comfortable. For me, the twins have grown and my old bras just can't do their job anymore. For now, I am going a cup bigger while maintaining the ribs circumference. I think my ribs size might have expanded a bit but I sort of want to restrict its expansion, haha. You might want to go a size bigger if you prefer something less snug. Secondly, I love that it provides really good support for my bigger boobs (which now I realise bigger isn't exactly better). Lastly, they have really nice designs (not granny-like at all).

I have to be honest, my body shape is really changing quite a bit. In fact, I would think that there is not even much shape to speak of. With Covid and all, I feel like I am just lounging around at home and letting loose in a bad way. My hair is messy, I dress like crap and my body is lumpy. The silver lining, my skin is still great though (lol).

But pregnancy really shouldn't be this way. That's why I always feel excited...and a boost of confidence when I find nice, flattering maternity/ nursing outfits/ gears. So I thought I will share with you guys - Cake Maternity. I gotten some nursing bras and a gorgeous maternity dress, but today I will focus on the nursing bras. 

1. Waffles Nursing Bra (US$65)

This is one of the prettiest nursing bras I have seen in the market. So far, all the bras I am using is the drop-cup (i.e. there is a clasp to unhook each side which I find it very convenient). On the inner side of the bra, there is even polka-dots designs. 5 stars for the crazy amount of details. For special occassions, this is definitely my top choice although nobody really sees it. Haha,  I wore it when I visited my gynae not like she can tell. :P

I didn't use to think like this. But now, I think there are some things that nobody sees and nobody else really bothers. But you know it matters and that it feels good when you treat yourself right or when you give yourself a well-deserved pampering treat. And one of these thrills is definitely the nursing bras.

2. Yoga Nursing Bra (US$53)

Although I am not really working out during this period, I am planning to resume my runs to keep my body fit again once I concieve. So, I have been looking out for nursing bras that allows an active lifestyle. Personally, I love the sporty design of this bra (check out the hole in the back) and the Cake emblems at the bottom (most of day-to-day underwears usually have such designs as well) so this is a much welcomed familar design. 

Fabric-wise, Cake Maternity generally is a little thinner at the front so you can actually spot the nipple bump. This was quite worrying at first. However, when you put on your outer clothes, it won't be visible at all. My thoughts is that most people (at least me) don't take photos in underwear so I am not really too bothered by this now. 

3. Navy Stripes Nursing Bra (MYR109)

For Mummies who are on a tighter budget, you might want to consider 9 Months Maternity. In terms of the fabric, there is more sponge at the front. The variety is a bit more limited and the bras are all of the drop-cup design. But if you want something simple, you would be able to find what you need here. Rest assured these bras are very comfortable. If you want to find out more about my review on their other products, read here!

I know some Mums actually choose to purchase from taobao etc. for cheap nursing bras cos they deemed these as one-time uses. Honestly, I feel that they double up pretty well as a staple and if you buy them during the sales period you can get them around the same price as your day-to-day bra. So, I think it is still alright to invest on "inner beauty". Plus for my readers only, quote "ChaaYen" and you can get 15% off for the regular items at 9 Months Maternity!

Free Maternal Milk: What I need to know

I thought it was meaningful to allocate a post on this topic because there was not much information on this by individual consumers. A lot of the articles were from the producers themselves, so they are definitely only talking about the benefits about the maternal  milk.

One thing that I realised was all the maternity milk producers gave very nice freebies for you to sample their products. For the best freebies, you can redeem either Dumex or Nestle. For the best testing, go for Similac! My Dad has always been commenting that I should start drinking such milk, so I went ahead and redeem two cans for myself.

Things I learnt on Maternity Milk

1. Don't drink it cos it makes you fat!

Guess what people, this isn't true at all. I check with my doc. and the only reason why she told me to hold on for now was because it makes the baby fat. And my baby is already big without drinking those milk. If your baby is small, you might want to take maternal milk instead of gouging on durian so that the baby get good nutrients.

2. I should drink as per the stated number of scoops

Based on the instructions menu, it was advised to take 6 scoops * 2 cups a day. Most gynaes would have given you quite a bit of supplements. My alarm bells started ringing when I saw there was a bit of overlap, so I lugged my unopened can to seek advise from my doc. Before consuming anything, it is really better to check with the Doc. For me, my doc. told me given that I am taking extra supplements, I only needed 1 scoop * 1 cup max. I think if you are trying to save some money on supplements, you can take the recommended amount. 

3. There is no need to buy maternal milk. Many mothers are happy to give away free.

This is actually true. If you are not particular about taste etc., there will be many mums who have redeemed it and end up can't really consuming it. If you know where to find the forums, there will be many mothers that will be blessing it away. Alternative you can drink it during breast-feeding :)

** Will be continuing to update this because I still have so many questions for my Doc.

Oeteo: Baby's First Set of Clothes

Baby finally got its first set of clothes from Oeteo (pronounced as Ee-tay-o). If you surf the web long enough, you will notice that Oeteo is quite a popular brand among mothers and I think it is really because of the vibrant, rather gender netural designs. Oeteo is having an online sale now and a lot of its old collections (even the welcome set) are going at a good price.

Baby's first set is also a welcome set - Starry Gaze Welcome Set ($65.90) and Starry Gaze Easysuit Sleep Bag ($28.90). Personally, I find a set like this very reassuring because it has everything the baby needs for its first wear out, without having to worry if anything had been missed. If you open the welcome box, you will find a newborn baby romper, removable bib, beanie, mittens, booties and blanket.

The welcome set is packed in a reusable felt box that can be used to stored baby's stuff, nice! When I opened the set, I can't help but gush on how adorable and tiny they were. The beanie in particular stood out to me. My Mum was telling me how not all babies like wearing things on their head, my brother would always pull it off even as a newborn. And a naughty thought crossed my mind, I will keep putting it on baby if it pulls it off just to disturb it...Muhaha.

The sleepbag seems slightly bigger and I might use it as a transition swaddle. I noticed that for Oeteo the design of the romper is a bit different as it comes with a rubberised bottom that would make dressing the baby fast (see video for more info). My fav. design hack was the removable bib. Instead of velcro, it uses a patch that can easily stick on and off without causing any thread runs. I also really like Baby's blanket cos it would make the framing of its future pictures so much easier. 

As mentioned earlier, Oeteo is having a huge online sale now. A few of the designs really caught my eye and I was one step away from paying for my cart. The only problem was my cult members told me that Oeteo's design were on the "smaller side" and the doc. just told me my baby was a little bigger than its peer. My friends were also telling me please don't go all crazy, at least wait till you know your size of your baby. T.T

If you are a parent already or is planning to get a gift for a friend, I would really encourage you to take a look at the sales, cos the prices are really good for such fancy pieces. If you are like me, Oeteo has kindly extended a 15% discount off for regular priced items. Just key in "Forfunk15" during check out! The coupon expires on 31 Dec 2020 and is not applicable in conjunction with other coupons, sale items or Little Sprout Box. I will probably be using it when baby arrives so that I can grab some X'mas and CNY clothes from the newer collection for it. 

P.S.: The girl's collection at Oeteo is so darn cute!

Nursing Dresses from Malaysia: 9 Months Maternity

Call me blur, but initially I thought there was only maternity dresses. I didn't exactly know that there were nursing dresses in the market (cos in my Mum's time, breast-feeding wasn't the popular option). So when I first knew about nursing dresses, through snooping around websites of cos, I had this cost-saving thought "Could we just have nursing dresses that also double up as maternity dresses?"

I quickly realised the answer was probably no after checking the designs of my nursing dresses. It really depends on the cutting, but most of the time, the priority isn't giving you extra tummy space but the ease of accessing the boobs. By now, I have enough energy to be excited about new clothes again, so here's me flaunting my new shape to the fam!

1. Turquoise Wrap Nursing Dress with Buckle (MYR59)

I tried out 2 different type of openings for my nursing dress, this was the wrap version. My Mum is not too big a fan of this cutting cos wardrobe malfunction are more likely to happen if you fail to wrap your top tightly after "milking".  I personally find it quite easy to access both boobs and you can easily adjust the tightness. A boob flash in my opinion is quite an ungrounded fear. 

This dress has a very vacation vibe which is exactly what I need during this lock-down. My cabin fever has been driving me nuts. By right, I should be on my babymoon so I decided to style this as though I was on a vacation. The material is very breezy and if you are looking for a piece you can double up as a maternity dress, this is a good choice! 

2. Red Draped Nursing Sheath Dress (MYR84.50)

The second piece I got was a little bit more corporate like. I wanted a red festive looking piece because you never know when the occassion calls for it. This used a zip opening, which is more secure than the wrap version. But I do find this cutting a little harder to access the other side of the boob. Definitely, this is not a piece for the third trimester. Even though the material is slightly stretchy, it is not meant to accomodate an enlarged tummy. The material is a lot thicker and warmer but I guess if you will be in an air-con room most of the time, it is fine.

So if you are observant about the currency, you will noticed these pieces are in Ringgit. They are from a Malaysian brand - 9 Months Maternity. They are also on Zalora, but the prices are a lot more attractive if you go direct and you also have a better selection of their pieces (which includes nursing bras, maternity dresses etc.). The only down side is that you will have to get your sizing right as returns might be a little more troublesome, but to be fair, their measurements are quite accurate so you can definitely go direct. To make the deal sweeter for you, quote "ChaaYen" and you can get 15% off for the regular items! 

Baby Talk: Maternity Insurance

I am quite embarrassed to say I have been procrastinating on this topic for the longest time. (I always laugh at the hubs for being an "All Talk No Action" dude, but I guess I am no different.) For most insurers, you can start buying a maternity insurance since week 13. I started a lot later than that because I wanted my Harmony results to be out. We concluded it would be too heartbreaking to get an insurance payout if baby had chromosomal abnormalities. We would rather not buy it at all.

From a purely financial/ risk point of view, it actually makes more sense to buy immediately at week 13 before any tests has been done, so that it will not be subjected to further underwriting. I won't say I did a comparison between all insurers offering this insurance. I only signed up to listen to agents which provided free gifts (as advised by my cult), which quite a bit of agents actually do. By the time, I finally got about to buying an insurance, I am well into the 4th month -_-

1. AIA

One of the most agressive insurers would probably be AIA. Almost every freebie place you sign up for would be sponsored by AIA agents. Among all the agents I spoke to, I found the AIA agent the most comprehensive in terms of doing a full insurance plan (including life, endownment, hospitalisation, personal accident etc.) However, I was only looking for maternity and hospitalisation, so I didn't really like that AIA would auto convert the maternity plan into a life policy. (If I remember correctly, the life plan was tagged onto my age too, which means the premiums will be more expensive.) 

In terms of coverage, AIA is very comprehensive. But I didn't want everything rolled into one, although I know some Mums did cos the life insurance will cover critical illnesses without further underwriting. If you are going for AIA, I would recommend Qiren. They are very generous in their freebies (which I didn't receive cos circuit breaker) and they have an amazing facility that you can use if you live near Jurong East or Woodlands. 

* Update 1: I have received the Mighty Pack from Mighty Spouts. The package is quite useful, containing newborn clippers, bibs, towel, diaper wetbag, wetwipes (unfortunately my sample is expired due to covid) and many other samples. There are even useful vouchers for you to try out their sponsors' products. It is really quite a nice package to receive!

2. Great Eastern

As I wanted a stand-alone maternity cover, I approached my hub's Great Eastern agent. In terms of maternity knowledge, she isn't as well-versed as AIA. But she was very honest and would highlight exclusions and exemptions. For this fact alone, I decided to go on the Hospitalisation cover with her.  Note: Pregancy complications are covered under hospitalisation but there is a 300 days waiting period, so ladies please get yours early! (Generally, hospitalisation covers are quite regulated so I didn't bother to do specific comparisions but just did a quick reading on the coverage to decide on the plan.)

I didn't take up the maternity plan with Great Eastern because if was frigging expensive and the coverage was very limited. In terms of their freebies, the insurer is the most easygoing. I immediately got my redemption voucher for my diaper bag and the VIP mothercare membership, lol (which both I haven't redeem and activate). Funny thing is, I noticed OCBC offering the same insurance at a much lower price if you are a customer of OCBC. No agent will tell you that for sure, but of course in the event of a claim, you will probably have to deal with OCBC. 

* Update 2: I have redeemed the baby kit bag in blue. It comes with Merries Diapers and lotion samples as well as mosquito patches from Snapkis. 

3. Manulife

Manulife is highly under-rated in this whole class of insurance. Compared to the other insurers/ agents, there was no freebies or what-not and because of that their distribution expenses is kept into the minimum and hence the premiums was very reasonably priced. This is a standalone cover (like Great Eastern and NTUC Income) and had as wide coverage as the AIA cover. The hospitalisation coverage wasn't that fantastic, but an additional $50 (for a S$5000 cover) wasn't that much anyway. 

Manulife is also one of the rare insurers that provide coverage for twins. I find it ironical that I eventually signed up with Manulife considering I was lured into this by freebies to begin with. I did a spreadsheet to compare between the 3 insurers, so hit me up if you want a copy of it. 

* Update 3: I received this from Mummies Club. They are an exempt brokers that represent many different insurers. Not the best goodie bag but it is good to get in touch with them cos they have many other mummy-related lobangs to share. 

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Disclaimer: At the end of the day, it really depends on your needs and risk appetite, so the considerations you have may vastly differ from mine. All the above rambles are my own opinions.

Hiding the Bump with Bohn Fabulous

One of the "sad moments" about motherhood is potentially losing your figure. In forums, you will see encouraging messages such as "don't compare your bump". It is not even really being competitive or what, but I tend to compare everything with my "cult" secretly. I am upset when my bump is not defined enough, I feel hurt when my tummy is rounder than others. Nothing is ever right. 

Trimester 2 is the stage where it starts to become obvious that the body become shapy. I have to admit I am quite bummed that I seem to have lost a bit of muscle mass and is looking rounder. As of now, I can still fit in loose clothings but it is always good to prepare ahead. If you are intending to support local, check out Bohn Fabulous! Each dress comes with a nice, black box. Lux-feel max!

1. Gold Sparkly Sleeveless Dress ($94)

Generally, the pieces from Bohn Fabulous are a bit flashier. This piece doesn't come with any belt. But I decided to pair it with a silky pink latin cloth (cos my buckle belts don't fit anymore) and I love this choice. It makes me look a bit like a sparkly christmas present and it is true I do have a gift hidden in my tummy! My Mum's advise is never to have sleeves cos you will feel hot, but hmm my arms are so flabby now though!

Personally, I love how this piece is versatile enough to be worn even after pregnancy (feels more value more money.) If you need a fancy piece at hand (for weddings, functions etc.) and don't want a long train lest you trip away, this makes a perfect choice. Sadly, Covid has delayed all the weddings. Really hope the circuit breaker will end soon cos I really want to flaunt this. Guess another option is a self-taken maternity shoot...hmmm :P

2. Lemon Yellow Cape Dress ($219)

This piece looks absolutely gorgeous in photos, but it is not the most practical. I found the design quite interesting at first. But after donning it on, I find the cape a little too long for my liking. (Mum: What if the MRT kiap your cape and you get stuck!) If it was arm's length, this piece would be quite dope. So, Mum and I tried modifying it by folding it up and making it into like a little shawl, with a broach infront. I think I prefer it better that way. Lesson learnt: Don't be too adventurous when it comes to maternity wear!

Good news about this piece is that it has pockets, which I love cos I can hide stuff in them hehe. I used to be a S/M size. So I got size M for both. From what I have read, pregnant women's tummy will grow quite exponentially in Trimester 3. The chest circumference will also grow slightly, so you might need a slightly bigger size. For me, since I am in the middle of 2 sizes, so I just went for the bigger size. :P

Ending off this post with a cute photo....haha Supermum! Another wonderful piece for a themed shoot. Haha, have to admit that this is my favourite photo in the series. We might be modifying this piece sightly, so stay tuned. We will reveal it when it is done!

For my readers, Bohn Fabulous has kindly provided a discount code "forfunk25" for a 25% discount on top of all current promotion. <3

A different Mother's Day

This year mother's day is a bit more special (not because I am also going to be a mother) but because we are all stuck indoors, thanks to Covid. In Singapore, quite a lot of services have been deemed as non-essential. So not all flower and cake deliveries are operating. We can't also go out for a meal like we normally do.

Hence, the bro and I thought it would be fun to tease my Mum a little. My Mum doesn't appear much here, even if she does, she is always portrayed as the woman who always want to "share" my clothes/ accessories that catch her eyes. Many of you may not know, she is quite a cleanliness freak too and she has such a particular way of doing the chores that we gave up doing cos we always get scolded for not doing it a specific, particular way.

Presenting...NaOClean Bloom Box. This is truly the best of both worlds because it has the flowers that Mum loves and 3 bottles of 250ml of NaoClean Sanitisers. For the first time, we weren't chided about an impractical gift. In fact Mum was very curious about her early Mother's Day delivery and had a good laugh about it when she realised what it was.

Of course, she set aside the flowers into a vase and quickly put the bottles to good use and started sanitising the whole house while muttering "good one". FYI, these bottles can be used as hand sanitisers as well. For those of you who are interested in getting your Mum one. This box costs S$150 (with free delivery...awesome cos I can't deal with exorbitant delivery charges) and the flowers include quality carnations and wild foliage. Purchase the  Bloom Box before 6 May, you can even get a 21% discount. Buy 2 boxes you can get 27% off. Click here if you are keen!

The Hubs have often commented my family takes too much photos and it is true. My family love taking photos regardless the occassion. Usually, we love dressing up in our office wear but since it is WFH season we decided to show the world how we are really like at home in our old tees and shorts...hehe. 

One thing I realise from the photos, my Mum enjoys the photoshoot more when we are around. Her smile is definitely more natural and comfortable when it is taken with us. Not a full-fledged mother yet but maybe the partial joy of motherhood is joining your brood in their crazy idea of fun activities. :P Bye Bye Cabin Fever