Baby Koala Baby Bottle Labels

Baby Koala, a Malaysian home-grown baby brand has launched a genius product -  Baby Koala Baby Bottle Labels - with the mission to make milk storage so much easier for mothers!

Baby Koala. Making mommy's life easier!

Made from high quality food grade silicone, Baby Koala Baby Bottle Labels are uniquely designed to label milk storage bottles and baby bottles easily.

This helps to ease mothers who are exhausted from the daily struggle of peeling off tapes, labels and washing off permanent ink markers.

Heaven-sent tool for breastfeeding moms

Previously when I was still sending my chilled breastmilk to the daycare every morning, I was one of those who labeled my baby's storage bottle with stickers on a daily basis. Guess what happened when these stickers got wet? Sometimes they could be so hard to peel off!

So, I really agree that Baby Koala Baby Bottle Labels can help me label my baby bottles with the name, date and contents without any hassle to avoid mix-ups. I just need to write, wash and rewrite on the labels as often as I like. No need to buy stickers anymore!

This product is indeed a MUST HAVE for every breastfeeding mom who uses bottles as the option for milk storage.

Labeling made easy for older children and adults

In addition to labeling milk storage bottles, these labels are also perfect for sippy cups, water bottles and small food containers. These fun, colorful personalized labels are rewritable, washable and reusable labels for daily use.

This convenient product benefits all ages and is perfect for daycare, kindergarten, school, sports and even the office.

More photos

Product features

• Works with any marker pen
• Easily erasable with water
• Very stretchy and flexible; fit snuggly around containers
• High quality food grade silicone - BPA, BPS, PVC and phthalate free
• Environmentally friendly and non-toxic, convenient and economical
• Sterilizer, dishwasher and microwave safe
• Suitable for breastfeeding mothers to label the milk storage bottles, formula-milk babies to identify the baby bottles, sippy cup and water bottles during daycare, kindergarten and school
• U.S. FDA approved

How to use

• Put the label around the bottle.
• Write on the Baby Koala Baby Bottle Label using the marker pen provided or any permanent marker pen. Wait for a few seconds to let the ink dry before using it.
• If warming a bottle in water, remove any moisture from the label by gently wiping with a dry towel. Do not wipe the label when wet as it will remove the writing.
• After washing and if you would like to immediately rewrite again, make sure the label is dry by wiping with a dry towel.
• To remove writing, simply rinse the label with water and scrub/wipe off with a sponge.
• For usage of chiller bag with ice packs, ensure you place your individual milk storage bottles in individual Ziploc bags to prevent moisture from erasing the writing.

Baby Koala Baby Bottle Label is priced at RM49.90 for a pack of four labels and one marker pen.

Where to buy?
 
Baby Koala Baby Bottle Labels is available online at:

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/babykoalaland
• Instagram: @babykoalaland
• Shopee: https://shopee.com.my/babykoala2018
• Online Shopping Platform: Motherhood.com.my
• Dealers: Bebehaus, Baby Dots, Babyland SS2

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My breastmilk keepsake jewelry crafted by Keepsake by Ryo, Singapore

Isn't this glass locket beautiful? This is the Family of Hearts Glass Locket crafted by Keepsake by Ryo.

Let me tell you a story. I have been breastfeeding since August 2013 after I gave birth to my first child. As a first-time mom at that time, I struggled with breastfeeding and I didn't have excess breastmilk to stock up. I was green with envy at mothers who so much breastmilk that they could make lovely breastmilk keepsakes, e.g. breastmilk charms. I shelved the desire to own a little piece of keepsake in the deepest corner of my heart as I knew I could survive without having one.

Three years later, in December 2016, I gave birth to my second child. My firstborn, who's then about 3.5 years old, was still breastfeeding. So, I tandem nursed both boys. Lo and behold, the Lord blessed me with an abundance of milk! However, to avoid ending up as an oversupply mom, I didn't overstimulate my breasts with extra pumping sessions. Even so, I still managed to keep a small amount of frozen breastmilk in my freezer.

 One day, when my baby turned about four months old, I realized that my firstborn was nursing so much lesser. My mommy instincts told me that he's weaning off anytime soon. It was then I was desperate to immortalize my milk to commemorate the journey of nursing my toddler and tandem nursing both boys for the past few months. As I was searching around for breastmilk keepsake jewelry crafters, I was introduced to Keepsake by Ryo in Singapore. You can read here about who's Ryo and how did she get this business started.

Keepsake by Ryo makes keepsake jewellery out of breastmilk, umbilical cord, and hair. Their mission is to help mothers immortalize love into wearable jewelry crafted using precious metals.

After much deliberation, I decided to go ahead with this lovely Family of Hearts Glass Locket. This beautiful piece consists of three breastmilk hearts placed tightly together to symbolize a loving family. Each heart represents a father's love, a mother's love, and a child's love. We could even include three names in the locket. Perfecto!

Three lovely little hearts, made with so much love, from my breastmilk.

I chose to include both my sons' name and their family name.

How to place order on Keepsake by Ryo?

On their website, click on the keepsake of your choice from these categories: Heirloom Fine Jewellery; Charms; Glass Locket Pendants; Necklaces; Bracelets; Earrings; Rings; Anklets; Cufflinks. Spoiled for choices? I did. In the end, I settled with Glass Locket Pendants - Family of Hearts Glass Locket.

First, for Glass Locket Choice, I chose L6 Round Shape Matte Rose Gold.

Second, for Locket Accessories, I chose Free Necklace.

Third, for Shimmer Choice (in milk parts), I chose None because I love simple and pure design.

Fourth, for Font Choice, I chose #6 Edwardian Script.

Finally, I added the names I wanted to include and clicked Add to Cart. Then, I received an email from them regarding payment plus instructions on how to send inclusions (breastmilk / baby's hair / umbilical cord) to them.

Based on the instructions, I packed 20-30ml thawed breastmilk in storage bags (double layers) specified to store breastmilk. Then I wrapped the package with a layer of bubble wrap before heading over to the post office. To ship to Singapore, I used Registered Mail from Malaysia.

The crafting process ranges from 2-14 weeks. Longer waiting period is expected especially when Ryo's precious metal parts run low and she's waiting for new shipments to arrive from the factory. Mine took about 12 weeks to arrive because they ran out of the matte rose gold metal.

Finally, I received my glass locket in the first week of August. Yay! It came in a lovely box and a Thank You card with caring, polishing, storage, and warranty information. The online info can be found on their FAQ Post Order page.

Warranty is one year and it covers any discoloration of breastmilk components only. You can also read up their FAQ Before Ordering page to know more about the technology / system that they're using to craft each individual keepsake jewelry piece.

I'm very satisfied with my breastmilk glass locket. It's elegant, timeless, and most importantly, it immortalizes my precious breastfeeding journey with both my children. The baby is still breastfeeding currently at nine months old.

Another close-up shot as I couldn't stop admiring its beauty. I'm a happy mama! :)

The cheeky little ones love the locket and they want to take a photo with it too!

More about Keepsake by Ryo

Just go over to https://www.keepsakebyryo.com/ and fill up your shopping cart! It's so easy! Check out the guide chart below from their website.

Happy shopping!

Disclaimer: Keepsake by Ryo has given ONE Family of Hearts Glass Locket to me for review as shown in this blog post. I did not receive any monetary compensation. All opinions are honestly mine. Thank you for reading!

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Renewing my postpartum body image with Bmama Maternity

Ask any woman who have given birth and most, if not all, will tell you this: "My body gone case already." This could be understood as, 'I don't have a nice body shape anymore', 'I don't look good like before I gave birth', 'I feel unattractive', 'My belly is full of stretch marks', 'My thighs are so huge', etc. Sounds familiar?

I know for a fact there are some mothers who still look good before and after birth. Unfortunately, I'm not that lucky to be in that league. My self-esteem somewhat took a plunge and I have this mentality that as long as I'm wearing something over my body, nothing else matters. Even my nursing bras and most of my nursing tops are from 2013 for goodness sake! To be honest, I don't have much confidence with my postpartum body image.

So, I'm truly grateful when I was introduced to Bmama Maternity. Bmama Maternity is more than just an average maternity store. They are a one-stop solution for mothers of all stages, from prenatal to postpartum. They emphasize on providing mothers with the best care we deserve because as fellow mothers, they care and understand. How noble!

Apart from their main physical outlet in Bandar Manjalara, Kepong (photo above), they can also be found in various confinement homes/centers and other maternity shops.

  

Bmama Maternity is the sole distributor of the award-winning Japanese maternity brand - INUJIRUSHI. They also sell their own line of maternity brand called Bmama Maternity. Other products include maternity and nursing tops and dresses, slimming wear, postpartum wraps, sleep-well ginger powder, energizing ginger honey vinegar.

 I really love Bmama's selection of nursing bras (photo above). I was in dire need of good nursing bras. Remember I mentioned on top of this blog post that my nursing bras were from 2013 (the year I birthed my first boy)? Sad huh? What was I thinking?

When I walked into Bmama's outlet, I was a bit reserved and shy because I didn't know what to expect but at the same time I was very excited to see different styles of nursing bras. Bmama's lady boss was so kind and she took time to explain to me the importance of wearing good supportive bras. She chose a few styles for me to try on and true enough, I felt uplifted and confident again to see how different I looked when I put on a good bra. I might need years (light years perhaps, haha) to shed off those stubborn fats everywhere (haih) but I could start to look "perky" and take care of my "twins" by wearing good nursing bras. I felt excited and empowered instantaneously! It felt like I've truly seen light at the end of the tunnel; I've finally taken the first step to renew and regain confidence with my postpartum body image. Time to flaunt it and be confident!

See photos below to get an idea about the range of products in Bmama Maternity's outlet.

I went home with four pretty nursing bras. The top most one is a salmon pink T-shirt nursing bra. The second one is a soft yet supportive baby pink nursing bra. The third one is a sexy black nursing bra with pretty laces, perfect to wear with low-cut dresses (ehem). The last one is a demure black nursing bra with supportive underwire, also great to wear with nice tops.

Not seen here is a postpartum wrap. Benefits of using a postpartum wrap:

1. Assists uterus contractions

2. Speeds up slimming process

3. Gives great support to your back and abdominal muscles

4. Helps keep your abdomen and ligaments firm and tight

5. Helps to maintain good posture

6. Provides warmth to the abdominal area

I shall write about this next time. Stay tuned!

 Check out Bmama Maternity on FB (https://www.facebook.com/bmama.maternity/) for more information about their product line.

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Redefining motherhood in the first quarter of 2017

So, the first quarter of 2017 ends. That's four months gone from 2017. Hmm, what have I done in the past four months?

In 2013, I became a mother. The transition from having no kid to one kid was challenging, I kid you not. But to be honest, the transition from having one kid to two kids was (actually, still is) a nightmare. Amidst challenges during the past four months, I found peace with three major activities as seen in the photo above. Can you guess?

Here they are:

Breastfeeding, Babywearing, Cloth Diapering

That pretty little bottle is Buds Cherished Organics Breast Massage Oil that helps breastfeeding mothers stay calm and relaxed and promotes lactation, making breastfeeding easier. A few days ago I had a blocked duct but it was cleared within a day after I massaged the blocked area with this oil plus baby's marathon nursing sessions.

 I'm also into babywearing; that's Daiesu Kelarai Ringsling. And I'm into cloth diapering. Oh there's so much to tell but I guess I will just let the photos speak for themselves.

Check out my second Instagram account which focuses on babywearing and cloth diapering - @myfluffjournal

Okay, that's all for now.

By the way, my blog is not dead. I'm still finding time to update it more frequently. Lol. But you can follow my FB page for more bite-sized updates daily.

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Lactation Cookies (Lacteatkies) by Accidentalbliss

I'm a breastfeeding mom who's always on the lookout for delicious lactation cookies that I can dunk into my cuppa favorite beverage for breakfast, tea-time, or even random snack times throughout the day.

I have a two-month old baby with me and he's exclusively breastfed, so yeah, I need 'em cookies 'coz yummy cookies in my tummy make me happy and a happy mama means happy boobies and of course, a happy baby with a full tummy! Get the idea? So if you wanna come visit baby L, please bring me a tub of cookies. :)

And now, let me tell you about Lacteatkies lactation cookies by Accidentalbliss. Thank you so much mommy GC for contacting me and let me know about your cookies!

Mommy GC runs Accidentalbliss and she makes home-made, well-thought, duly experimented baking of the most mouth-watering and healthy desserts! Freshly baked by hands for perfection for all taste buds. Try is a must to experience the bliss of these heavenly desserts.

She wittingly named her lactation cookies as Lacteatkies. If I'm witty enough, I think the word Lacteatkies stands for Lactating Teat (Tit) Cookies.

See those Lacteatkies peeking at you from their pristine white packaging? Imagine they say, "Eat me! Eat me!" LOL.

Mommy GC gave me her Cranberry Walnut Lacteatkies and Chocolate Chips Lacteatkies. Both types were baked using Organic Virgin Coconut Oil. All other ingredients are organic except nuts and chocolate chips.

I prefer to eat these cookies by dunking them into my favorite cuppa, usually a huge cup of cold milk or decaf coffee. They are not very crunchy, but not too chewy either. I like chewy cookies but these are just fine too.

You must be wondering whether these cookies boost my milk supply? The answer is yes but I also follow other "rules". :)

First of all, milk supply is maintained if you stick to the golden rule of demand equals supply. As long as your baby is latching well throughout the day and you do not skip latching your baby (i.e. do not bottle feed), you will have milk. For exclusive pumping moms, don't skip or drag your pumping sessions.

Secondly, milk boosters don't work the same for everyone. Some moms may respond well to a certain milk booster but to another mom, it may be her milk buster. However, oats used in these cookies are generally milk booster because of its lactogenic properties.

Having said that, do eat these cookies! Eating your favorite lactation cookies is a great way to boost your mood and when you're happy and calm, you will have an abundance of milk!

How to buy Lacteatkies?

To order, please call, text message or WhatsApp +6012 654 2705 and/or send mommy GC a PM at facebook.com/accidentalbliss/ 

You can choose your favorite flavors from this list: Chocolate Chips, Cranberry, Raisin, Blackcurrant, Almond or Walnut.

Mommy GC requires a minimum of 5 days notice in advance; however, if there is urgent request, do call her to discuss. Some arrangements can be made.

Check out Accidentalbliss on Instagram and Twitter as well.

Accidentalbliss (Lacteatkies) is featured on the Featured Mommypreneurs section.

Note: This is not a sponsored post. However, I was given a packet of Lacteatkies for review purposes. All opinions are solely mine.

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My Postpartum Essentials

For mama

#1 - Earth Mama Angel Baby New Mama Bottom Spray

This cooling and soothing perineal mist helps ease discomfort of postpartum vaginal tissues soreness and swelling, episiotomies, and hemorrhoids.

Its all-natural ingredients include astringent witch hazel, antibacterial lavender, and cooling peppermint pure essential oils.

The spray bottle comes with a clever inverted sprayer so we can easily spray its cooling mist upside down onto our private area as often as needed, especially after urination and bathing.

My verdict: Thank God for this spray! I had superficial tear when I was giving birth and it was stitched up for quick healing. Pee stream stung the wound, so apart from a quick wash down with cool tap water after peeing, I would use this spray generously.

#2 - Dermacyn Wound Care Solution

This is a super-oxidized solution intended for use in the debridement, irrigation, and moistening of acute and chronic wounds, ulcers, cuts, abrasions and burns. Through reducing the microbial load and assisting in creating a moist environment, it enables the body to perform its own healing process.

My verdict: The nurses at Pantai Hospital KL taught me how to use antiseptic solution and cotton balls to clean the stitches at my bottom. I did this diligently twice a day and the wound was completely healed within 10 days!

#3 - Earth Mama Angel Baby Natural Nipple Butter

This is a rich, all-natural, plant-based balm made with certified organic oil infused with healing herbs such as calendula, cocoa butter, shea butter, and mango butter. This luscious nipple butter blend helps protect and moisturise our nipples in order to prevent them from becoming sore and cracked during breastfeeding.

Safe for baby, it can be applied whenever needed and after each feeding without the need to wash it off before the next nursing session.

My verdict: I had milk blister (one white spot on my nipple) on day 6. With repeated application of this nipple butter and round-the-clock latching by both my toddler and newborn, the blister was gone!

#4 - Buds Cherished Organics Breast Massage Oil

This massage oil helps us breastfeeding mothers stay calm and relaxed and promotes lactation, making breastfeeding easier.

• Organic Sweet Fennel Oil to promote lactation
• Organic Inca Inchi Oil which is high in essential fatty acids (EFAs) to rebuild and maintain protective lipid barrier
• Organic Rosemary Oil, a potent antioxidant to strengthen and protect the tender skin on the breasts
• Organic Lavender Oil to calm, relax, and soothe
• Organic Sunflower Oil, Organic Olive Oil & Organic Jojoba Oil to nourish and moisturize

My verdict: I used this massage oil during the first week to help with letdown, thus I didn't really have "stone breast" when milk kicked in on the third day. In fact, baby already started passing seedy mustard yellow breast milk poop from the third day.

#5 - Young Living Gentle Baby Essential Oil

This is a gentle, soothing blend of 10 therapeutic grade pure essential oils designed for mothers and babies. It has an aroma that invites a sense of calming for mothers and children.

• Coriander (Coriandrum sativum) seed oil
• Geranium (Pelargonium graveolens) flower oil
• Palmarosa (Cymbopogon martini) oil
• Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) oil
• Ylang Ylang (Cananga odorata) flower oil
• Roman Chamomile (Anthemis nobilis) flower oil
• Bergamot (Citrus aurantium bergamia) peel oil (Furocoumarin-free)
• Lemon (Citrus limon) peel oil
• Jasmine (Jasminum officinale) oil
• Rose (Rosa damascena) flower oil

My verdict: I used this oil when I had throbbing headache due to heat and dehydration.

For baby

#6 - Mustela Dermo-Cleansing Gel

This is a mild cleanser perfect for newborns. It gently cleanses newborn skin and scalp with vitamin B5, which helps soothe irritation, and super-fatted agents (derived from coconut) to compensate for the drying effect of tap water. It's formulated to minimize the risk of allergic reaction. It's very gentle, effective, and has a great smell!

My verdict: I love it! Baby smells really clean and great but without strong fragrance like from those cheapo body washes.

#7 - Four Cow Farm Nappy Cream

This is a light and ideal easy-to-use cream for daily use during diaper change. As an effective soothing barrier cream, it combines anti-inflammatory properties of Castor Oil, moisturizing and safe-guarding actions of Sunflower Seed Oil, nourishing, strengthening, antioxidants benefits of Soy Lecithin, and protective qualities of Zinc Oxide.

My verdict: Baby poops a few times a day so his little bum is a bit red from time to time. After applying this nappy cream, the redness reduces! Yay!

#8 - Stérimar Baby Nasal Spray

This is a 100 % natural isotonic solution that gently clears and unblocks little noses. It works by clearing impurities from the nose and moisturizing nasal passages for the nose to work better as a first line of defense. This will improve breathing which leads to better feeding and sleeping.

As a low pressure seawater nasal spray, it's safe to use from 0-3 years for congestion and blocked noses when baby gets up in the morning, goes to bed in the evening and before feeding.

My verdict: This is truly a life saver. Baby's little nose is easily congested so this spray helps to thin his nasal mucus before I use the aspirator (no. #9 below) to suck it out.

#9 - NeilMed Naspira Nasal-Oral Aspirator by Dr. Mehta

This is a must-have item paired with nasal spray to get quick relief for baby's stuffy nose. Its design boasts 2-in-1 functionality whereby it can be used as a bulb or as an effective suction aspirator. It's also easy to clean and features an in-line filter. By using the NeilMed Naspira, nasal mucus can be quickly, safely, and effectively removed.

My verdict: Very easy to use and clean. Best used with nasal spray. Bye bye snotty nose!

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