Planning for the Fourth

i took advantage of the long year-end leave last month to make a 'to buy' list for eai#4. 3 attempts and the list was finalised after discussing with hubby. the list includes:
1. huggies ultra
2. nappikleen
3. enfalac (2 boxes)
4. container for enfalac - for home and school
5. small storage box for mittens & booties
6. baby monitor
7. avent bottles
8. sterilising tablets (3 boxes)
9. container for sterilising bottles - for home and school
10. bottle brush
11. small towels
12. sebamed liquid cleanser, lotion & cream
13. bath tub
14. rubber mat for changing table
15. baby wipes
16. maternity pad & disposable panties (for me)

over the couple of months, i've managed to buy everything listed down except the diapers, milk formula and the baby monitor.






























i have also prepared almost everything for eai#4's arrival - washed the newborn and 0-6mths clothes, prepared his cot (hubby raised the base to the highest level yesterday), put up the cot bumper, put up the cot mobile and clean the baby carrier. the only thing pending is washing the baby's towel.

















i also need to sit down and prepare our hospital bags. while doing that i need to make a list of the boys' clothes for school. i'll probably be admitted for 3 days (based on past experiences) so the boys need to have enough clothes for that duration. when i gave birth to ariff, the boys clothes went a bit haywire. i packed everything in one bag and the clothes were all used up within 2 days. this time around i think i would need to label them - to use on which day so that it would last 3 days.

if eai#4 has jaundice and need to be admitted to the special care nursery, i will probably only go over to the hospital on a daily basis. after hubby sends the boys to school, he would send me to the hospital on his way to work. we did the same after asyraf was admitted and i managed to get a good rest being at home. unless, of course, the jaundice is detected before i'm discharged, then i'll remain at the hospital until the baby is given the all-clear.

apart from the 3 weeks after amir's birth and the week after asyraf's birth that i spent at my parents house, my maternity & confinement period have all been spent at home; alone with the baby. i find it better that way as i am more comfortable being with hubby and my boys, in my own home.

the confinement period after amir's birth wasnt great. i shared a single bed with amir, hubby slept on the floor. whenever amir cried, the whole house would come running, asking what was wrong. i felt uncomfortable learning to breastfeed with people walking in and out of my room. we were practically living out of a suitcase and hubby had to run home almost on a daily basis to grab things we left. when we went back, the car was packed to the brim.

when i finally got home, it was heaven. it wasnt easy as we were adapting to being first-time parents but it was wonderful. i learnt a lot from amir and my time along with him; what can be done, what cannot be done, how to do many different things at one time.

i've spent 3 'confinements' mainly being at home on my own. alhamdulillah its been pretty good. nothing will change after i deliver our fourth son. we'll go straight home after we are discharged. i'll still spend my days alone with the baby. i'll still take care of myself and the baby. i'll still call the same kakak to give me the post natal massage. i'll still eat the same food i did during the last 3 confinements - corn flakes and toast for breakfast, grilled chicken or beef and salad for lunch and rice and a simple lauk for dinner (usually hubby will bring home on his way back from work).

hubby and i have planned our daily routine during my 2 months at home. for the first month, hubby will be in charge of giving baby his nightly bath. during the day, i will give him a simple sponge bath on the changing table (so that i dont have to bend down). done with his bath and mine, we'll go downstairs for my breakfast, maybe i'll do some light laundry and then rest till lunch. prepare and have my lunch and then bring the baby back upstairs. its usually quite hot in my room in the morning as we get the morning sun. my usual laundry issue will take a back seat for a while as we would send our clothes to the nearby shop to be washed and folded, except for the baby's clothes and the boys' school uniform.

the boys will be fed and bathed in school and hubby will pick them up all full and clean. that way we can skip dinnertime and bathtime. hubby will then bathe the baby (he loves this task) and dress him in his jammies and then get some much needed rest for an hour or two while i spend some time with amir, asyraf and ariff.

so there - our plans are sorted. people keep asking me if we'll be getting a maid but i think we've got everything under control for now, so we'll be sticking to our no-maid policy as long as we can.