Travelling with Expressed Breast Milk

Would like to share how I travelled to and from the other part of the globe while tagging along a boxful of expressed breast milk.

I was on a business trip to Orlando, USA in May 2010 for 10 days while still breastfeeding my twin girls.  As my milk supply was low, combined with the fact that I was feeding a pair of twins, naturally, I expressed as much as I could during the day.  My pumping schedule was packed and frequent, as much as 9 times a day. 

I travelled by Malaysia Airlines (MAS) to Los Angeles and took a connecting flight to Orlando from there.  A large Coleman cool storage box containing industrial strength ice packs was checked in along with my luggage.  Equipped with my Avent manual breast pump and a cold storage bag containing sheets of ice packs, I pumped in the plane and the airport.  It was fortunate that I travelled in business class.  Thus, occupying the toilet to pump and asking the air stewardess to store my ebm in their freezer was not a problem.  It also helped that I occupied the toilet for pumping during non peak times; meaning time when the meals were over and other fellow passengers were sleeping. 

The flight from KL to LA included a 2 hour stop in Taipei in which all the passengers were required to disembark and carry all our belongings.  I had then 2 bags of ebm of 9oz each.  The custom check at the Taipei airport did not question about the ebm at all.

Since the flight from Taipei to LA was a long one, I expressed up to 3 times during the entire journey to LA.  In the 4 hours gap while waiting for the connecting flight to Orlando, I pumped at the airport's toilet.  Not the best place to pump, but I was left with no other choice. 

The immigration officers were very understanding upon knowing that I was carrying ebm.  When arrived at LA and once I retrieved my luggages and cooler box from the baggage claim, I put the ebm that I expressed in the plane to the cooler box and checked them in again for the flight to Orlando. 

During my 10 days stay in the hotel, I sent my ebm to be stored at the hotel's restaurant's kitchen.  The staff were very helpful in this matter.   Throughout my stay in US, I had up to 40 bags (12oz each) of ebm.

In preparation for the flight home, I put all the ebm in the cooler box which was lined with 3 packs of industrial strength ice packs.  After putting in all the ebm, a towel was placed on top, covering all the ebm and ice packs and the lid of the cooler box was then closed.  The towel is used to contain as much coolness as possible in the cooler box.  Upon closing, the cooler box was then tied with ropes and labelled with the words 'Human Breast Milk.  Handle with Care' at both sides.  The ropes were not tied too tightly though, for the ease of untidying should the custom required any inspection. 

As with the journey from KL - LA, the flight back home saw me expressing 3 times in the plane.  Once again, I requested the ebm to be put in the plane's freezer.  The air stewardess were very helpful in this matter.  There was a 2 hour stopover in Taipei in which by that time, I had 4 bags (12oz each) of ebm with me.  Going through the custom check was a breeze.  No one raised any question.

After almost 24 hours from the time I left the hotel to the airport, checking in, flight and journey home from the airport, all the ebm were still solidly frozen upon reaching home.  My mother in law and the maids were very amazed by the amount of ebm I brought home from the trip to US.  I myself was pleased with myself for being able to pull it through.  It is not that hard actually, if one knows what to do and get prepared in advance.

From experience, I find that using milk storage bottles is better than storage bags as the pressure in the cabin may cause the bags to burst; which happened to some of my ebm which I expressed during the flight.  The frozen ebm in the cooler box were ok as they were already frozen and not affected by the changes in the pressure.   Also, it is ok to not sterilise the breast pump as long as it is placed in the storage bag along with the ice sheets.




EBM stored in cooler box along with dried ice pack for check in


 

DIY Labels - Step by Step Guide

Been thinking that having labels on my sewing items will add extra 'exclusivity' to them.  Some sort like an in-house brand.  Thus, I have been scouting high and low for them.  Labels are not difficult to find.  However, the price those suppliers quoted were ridiculously high. Thus, I have been shelfing this thought for a long time.

The desire to have the labels surfaced again when I came across blogs talking about iron-on transfer paper.  Thus I experimented making my own labels.  The materials needed are :

Iron-on transfer paper

Ribbon

Iron

Deskjet printer

First, I created a document containing the design of my desired label, together with the brandname that I have chosen - Annie's Creations. 

 A deskjet printer is needed to print on the iron-on transfer paper.  Laser printer will not work.  For printing on the iron-on transfer paper, the image need to be printed as a mirror image.  This feature can be selected from the print properties.

Printed as mirror image on iron-on transfer paper

Upon printed, strips of the labels were cut and placed on the ribbon.  I used satin ribbon for this as I like the glossy look.

Placing the iron on transfer paper on the ribbon

The iron needs to be very hot.  Ironing of the transfer paper took only about 20 - 30 seconds.  The back of the transfer paper was then tore off.  The ribbon was then cut according to each of the label block.

Peeling the back of the transfer paper upon ironing

Labels are done

Labels were cut individually

I was all excited after I was done making the labels.  Sewn them on my DIY soft structured carrier (SSC) and one of the dress I sewn for my girls for chinese new year.  With the labels, they look like store bought.  I am indeed thrilled with the result. 

Labels sewn on SSC and dress

CupCakes for Kids Tea Party

Having kids at kindergarten these days is not the same as our time at the kindy.  These days, parents are supposed to contribute to whatever activities the kids are having.  The girls' kindy had a tea party on the very last schooling day before the mid year break.

Been contemplating what to contribute.  Cookies?  Cakes?  Toys? Finally decided to bake cupcakes for them.  Found out that there are 22 kids in the girls' class.  Added the 2 teachers, that makes 24 of them. 

So, the eve of the tea party saw me taking the day off from work and busied myself weighing, measuring and baking.  I decided to bake more so that there are spares if anything goes wrong.  Baked 3 rounds, and got myself 36 chocolate cupcakes. 

It was my first time making buttercream on my own.  Got the recipe from a fellow mummy in the MC group.  The buttercream turned out well.  However, the purple color was not what I expected.  Instead of a sharp purple, it turned out to look 'dirty' instead.  The green however, turned out fine.  The decoration is a simple one.  Bought some ladybird and angry bird sugar figurines from a baking supplies store nearby.  

My decor skill is just so so.  Lots of room for improvement.  But, at least my girls have something to bring to the school the very next day.  

I kept imagining the excitement and thrill look on the children's faces when they see the cupcakes.  However, on another thought... a bunch of 2.5 - 4 year old kids eating cupcakes... it will be a mess!!  The teachers and cleaners at the kindergarten are going to hate me for this.

DIY - Sewing an Invisible Zipper

This is a simple step by step guide on how to sew an invisible zipper.

You will need :

2 pieces of cloth
1 invisible zipper
zig zag  foot
zipper foot

For the ease of description, with the correct side of fabric and zipper facing up, let's label the left cloth as A, right cloth as B, left side of zipper as C and right side of zipper as D.



1) Turn the zipper over so that the correct side of zipper (C) is facing the correct side of cloth (A).

2) Pin them in place.

3) Flip over the zipper a little so that the pully is showing and the right side of the zipper (D) is facing up

4) Flip over the the right cloth (B) so that the wrong side of cloth is facing up.

5) Align B to the zipper (D), so that correct side of cloth (B) is touching the correct side of zipper (D).  Pin in place.

6) Your assembly should now look like this

Top : Wrong side of cloth
Bottom : Right side of cloth

7)  Hand sew the zipper to the cloth.  There is no need for a nice, neat sewing as the aim is just to hold them in place.

8)  Attach the zipper foot to your sewing machine.  Note that there are 2 sides of the zipper foot.  Attach it to the left side of the foot to sew the left side of zipper.

9) Attached correctly, the raised part of the zipper should fit in the groove of the zipper foot.  The entire zipper foot should be flat.

10) Start sewing with a few back stitches.  Then continue sewing forward.  You won't be able to sew beyond the pully of the zipper.  It is ok.  Just sew as far as you can go.

11) Remove the zipper foot and reattach it at the right side to sew the right side of the zipper.  Repeat sewing as in step 9 and 10.  You may remove the hand stitches once done.

Top left :  Attaching the left side of zipper foot to the sewing machine
Top right :  Sewing the left side of zipper
Bottom :  Sewing towards the pully of the zipper

                                                                                                                                                                  

12)  Fold the cloth so that the correct sides are facing each other.

13)  Attach the zig zag foot to the sewing machine.  Sew along the part where the zipper just ended towards the end of the cloth.  You may need to pull the open end of zipper away to avoid it getting in the way.  The open end of the zipper is the part where you were not open to sew beyond the pully in step 10.

Top : Fabrics folded with correct sides facing each other
Bottom :  Pulling the end of zipper away to sew the remaining open end of cloth

14)  Reattach the zipper foot to the sewing machine.

15)  With the cloth still folded, open one side of the seam and sew the remaining open end of the zipper.   Repeat at the other side.

Your invisible zipper is now done.  Opening up bothe sides of the cloth, it should look like this :

Good luck!

DIY Felt Doll (Mermaid) - Step by Step Guide

Following many requests from MB members, I have finally decided to post a step by step guide of dolls making. Been delaying this as I just did not have time and heart to lay my hands on dolls making again and it was only yesterday, out of desperation to get a unique gift for the daughter of a friend, I have finally picked up my needle and thread again. This time I will be making a mermaid.

So, the materials needed are :

felt (in beige and pink), string of beads, yarn, glue, marker pen, polyfiber, needle and thread of course!

Step 1:

Cut the felt into the shapes of the head, arms and body. It will be helpful to first cut the shape out of a piece of cardboard and trace it to the felt. DO NOT pull or stretch the felt when cutting or sewing.

The pink felt is to be cut in many pieces of circular shape.

Step 2 :

Stitch the body at the edges and fill it with polyfiber when almost done. Stitch to close the whole body.

Repeat the same for the head and arms.

Step 3 :

Arrange and stitch the scales to the body of the mermaid, starting from the tail. I used to glue the scales to the body but it gave it a very 'stiff' look, not to mention that the glue makes the mermaid smells funny.

Build up the scale to a considerable height of the body. Repeat the same to the other side.

Step 4 :

This is the part I dreaded most. Simply because I am not good at hair cutting.

In order to make the hair, wind the yarn over a book 80 times. Cut the yarn at both ends. I would recommend using a hardcover book as it makes the cutting lots easier and it won't damage your book.

Thereafter, put a yarn at the middle of the 'hair' and make a tight knot. Stitch the hair to the head at the crown. Make sure the stitches are strong. You do not want the hair falling from the doll.

Smoothen the hair and glue them in place with white glue. You can glue the whole of the back but be sure to only spread the glue at the forehead as we will need to trim the front so that the mermaid will have fringe.

Stitch the head to the body when done. In this process, the hair will get messed up (a lot!) but don't fret. You can always smoothen the hair back and glue it again when you are done. One can actually glue and trim the hair when everything is done but I prefer to trim it first as it will give you a clearer picture on how the mermaid will look like and where you should stitch to balance things out (in case the hair is lopsided).

Step 5 :



Stitch the arms to the side of the body.



Draw the eyes on a piece of paper using black marker pen and cut them out. Glue the eyes to the face of the mermaid.

Smear some red marker onto a small piece of felt and gently rub it to the cheeks of the mermaid to give her a nice rosy glow. One can always use blusher but I am not so sure of the pigment staying power.

Place the string of beads to the head of the mermaid. If the hair of the mermaid still look messy, fear not! The string of beads will help smoothen the hair in a day or two. Remember to trim the hair again after it has smoothen out or the mermaid will look like she is having a bad hair day.

Voila! A mermaid is born!!

SSC - Step by Step Guide Part 3

This is Part 3 of the step by step guide in making a toy SSC.



 Step 4 :  Constructing the Waist Band

1) Place the waist band with the righ side facing up.
2) Place a piece of webbing at the left side of the waist band piece.  The long end should be on the fabric while the short end should be outside.  Hold the webbing in place with pins.
3) Thread a piece of webbing over the female side of a buckle.  Place it at the right side of the waist band.  The buckle should be on the fabric while the open end of the webbing should be out side. 
3) Fold the waist band in half.  The wrong side of the fabric should be facing up.
4) Sew along the side of the waist band piece.
5) Turn the waist band inside out.  The right side of the fabric should now be facing out.
6) Sew an X box over the webbing that is inside the waistband.  (Repeat at least 3 times if you are sewing a real SSC).
7) Fill the waist band with polyfiber.  If you are sewing a real SSC, fill it with something sturdy, i.e. PU foam.

Top : Assembling the waist band
Bottom : Sewing X box over the webbing

Step 5 :  Attaching the Body Piece and Waist Band

1) Attach the body piece in between the opening of the waist band.  Pin it in place.
2) Top stitch the waist band.  (Repeat at least 3 times if you are sewing a real SSC).
3) Thread the male side of the buckle to the free webbing of the waist band

Step 6  :  Constructing the Chest Strap

1) Thread the female side of buckle with webbing.  Attach it to the left shoulder strap and sew to secure it.
2) Wrap around the right shoulder strap with a piece of webbing.  Sew to secure.
3) Thread the webbing that is that the right shoulder piece with the male side of the buckle.

Your SSC is now ready!!

Back Carry a Soft Toy using the SSC

SSC - Step by Step Guide Part 1

SSC - Step to Step Guide Part 2

SSC - Step by Step Guide Part 2

This is the Part 2 of the step by step guide in sewing a toy SSC.


Step 3 : Constructing the Body Piece

1) Place a body piece with the right side of the fabric facing up.
2) Place the shoulder straps at  the upper part of the body piece with the short end at least 3cm away from the fabric.

3)  Thread a short piece of webbing over the female side of a buckle.  You should have 2 of these short webbing with buckles.

4) Place one of the threaded webbing at the side of the body piece with the buckle on top of the fabric.  Repeat at the other side.

5) Place the other body piece on top of the assembled pieces with the wrong side of the fabric facing up.  Your assembly should now look like this



6) Pin all the pieces, webbing and shoulder straps in place.

7) Sew along the edges of the body piece, leaving behind the lower part of the body piece open.  (If you are sewing a real SSC, be sure to sew across the shoulder straps and waist webbings at least 3 times.)

Sewing across the shoulder strap

Sewing across the webbing

8) Once done, turn the body piece inside out.  It should now look like this

9) Fill the head and leg supports with polyfiber.  Pin them in place and top stich along the edges.  The body piece is now ready

SSC - Step to Step Guide Part 1

SSC - Step to Step Guide Part 3

SSC - Step by Step Guide Part 1

This is a rough step by step guide to those who are curious as to how a soft structured carrier (SSC) is made.  Bear in mind though that this guide here is for constructing a toy SSC.  Many safety features have been omitted.  Sewing a real SSC however, requires lots of safety precautions.


Step 1 :  Preparing the Materials

You will need :
2 pieces body piece
2 pieces of shoulder strap
1 piece of waist band
4 buckles
5 pieces of webbing
polyfiber

Step 2 :  Sealing the Webbing

The end of the webbing needs to be sealed to prevent it from fraying.  It can be sealed via heat.  The easiest way is to burn it with a small fire.  However, this will result in uneven ends which make it difficult to weave the webbing through the buckle later.  Another way of applying heat is to touch the end of the webbing on the surface of a hot iron.  Be mindful not to burn it or else it will spoil your iron.



Step 3  :  Constructing the Shoulder Straps

1) With the right side of the fabric facing up, align a piece of webbing on the fabric with at least 3 cm of the webbing at the outside of the fabric.
2) Fold the fabric in half, while arranging the webbing to be at the centre.  The wrong side of the fabric should be facing up now.
3) Hold the end of the webbing in place with pins.
4)  Sew along the edges of the shoulder strap piece leaving the other end of the vertical strip opened.

5) Turn the shoulder strap inside out.  The right side of the fabric should now be facing out while the long side of the webbing at the outside as well.

6)  Feel the webbing inside the shoulder piece and sew an x box on the webbing.  This is to secure the webbing in place.  In order to construct a real SSC, sew the x box as least 3 times.

7) Open the unsewn part of the shoulder strap and fill it with polyfiber.
8) Repeat all the steps with the other shoulder strap.

Filling the shoulder strap with polyfiber

Step 4 : Constructing the Body Piece

Sewing the seat darts
1) With the wrong side of the fabric facing up, mark the spot 1/4 of the width of the body piece from the left.  Repeat with the right end.
2) Draw a 3cm vertical line from the spot.  Fold the fabric exactly at the vertical line. (The wrong side of the fabric should be facing up).
3)  Draw a diagonal line from the end of the marking towards 1cm away from the line you have drawn. 
4) Sew along the diagonal line.

Sewing along the diagonal line

5) Repeat at the other side.  You should now have two seat darts (left and right) at the same body piece.
6) Repeat with the other body piece.

SSC - Step to Step Guide Part 2

SSC - Step to Step Guide Part 3

Lavender BM Soap

Breastfeeding is never an easy job.  One day you worried about the lack of bm supply.  Then you worry about how to fully utilised all the expressed breastmilk (ebm) you have got the next.  I have thrown away at least 100oz of ebm that has gone spoilt when our fridge broke down during my confinement month.  Imagine those hard work and late night
pumping that has gone wasted?

So, in order to make full use of the ebm, I have decided to follow many mummies that I get to know in MC in ebm soap making.  Tried on making ebm soap bars first.

The ebm soap bar that I made consists of palm oil, olive oil and ebm of course.  The scent of unscented soap really turned me off.  Thus, I added in a few drops of lavender essential oil.  The scent of the lavender is so relaxing and plus the fact that lavender acts as antibacteria, they will be added feature to my soap.

Soap making is not that hard.  Perhaps my chemistry knowledge and trainings all these years make it easy for me.  However, it isn't so when it comes to cutting the soap bars.  My cutting sucks big time resulting in uneven bars.  Plus, the edges looked like it is bitten by mouse.  Finally had to resort to camouflage the ugly cut soap bars by packaging.

The soap itself turned out well with a nice almond color, and hint of lavender scent.  Will have to wait for 6 weeks for it to cure before I can test and tell how it fares.  However, it sure does its job in cleaning all the utensils that I used during the soap making process.

Pumpkin Bread

When my sis said that there is a recipe for an ultra soft pumpkin bread, naturally, I am curious to try it out.  My sis claimed that the bread she baked using this recipe was so good that she almost cried.  We'll see...

Ingredients :

250g   bread flour

50g     brown sugar

1/2tsp  salt

1tbsp  milk powder

1tsp    yeast

1        egg

20g    milk

50g    whipping cream

60g    pumpkin puree

30g    butter

pumpkin seeds (optional)

sesame seed (optional)

Instructions :

1.  Mix all the ingredients except butter and knead till well mixed.

2.  Add in butter and knead till the dough turns elastic and not stick to the hands.

3.  Let proof for 45 minutes

4.  Divide the dough into 9 equal parts.

5.  Roll each of the part and place on a baking tray.

6.  Let it rest for 20 mins.

7.  Egg wash the dough and sprinkle some pumpkin seeds or sesame seeds on top for garnishing.

8.  Bake at a preheated oven at 180 deg C for 15 mins.

 The original recipe details the kneading of the bread dough manually.  I am too lazy and too busy to do it manually, thus, I put in all the ingredients in the breadmaker, select the bread dough function and let it does its job.  While waiting for the dough to be ready, I played with my girls and tuck them to bed thereafter.

Once the girls were asleep, it was time to remove the  dough from the breadmaker.  The bread can be easily baked as a toast using the breadmaker as well.  However, I prefer to make them into buns.  Thus, I shaped and baked it using conventional oven.

The bread smells really good during baking.  It turned out well too.  Soft and not too sweet.  However, it did not reduce me to tears as what my sis claimed the bread nearly did to her.  Perhaps I was thinking about the butter and the whipping cream everytime I took a bite.