Murungai Curry with Sardine

First Attempt of Murungai Sardine Curry!

Finally Mel got me a few sticks of fresh Murungai. And I made an effort to leave work early to cook.

Half way cooking, Hubs join in the fun to prepare the chapatti and roti canai. It took me about 1.5hour for the cooking and finally we ate at 9pm!

It's diluted as we kept adding water to boil but without adding extra curry powder and salt. So we had to top up with a bit of soy sauce to make it edible. Overall not too bad for my first attempt!

Here's the recipe from Mel:

Sardine Curry Recipe

Sautée the onions, garlic, spices 1/2 teaspoon, add 1/4 teaspoon of fenugreek seed, curry leaves and green chilli.

Once slightly cooked, put in 2-2.5 tablespoon of fish curry powder, 1/2 teaspoon of tumeric powder and one cup of water.

Wait for it to simmer then add more water, put in veges and Murungai.

Halfway boiling, put in sardine into the boiling pot. Once potatoes are softened, ready to serve.

Medela Service Center

That's a breastfed baby! :)

I'm always proud of myself and Darling that we made the breastfeeding journey through her 18months of age, and still going strong. Though I'm struggling with low supply of late. In the dilemma of supplementing other milk for her. Feeling bad that I'm not providing enough for her needs. Loads of complicated emotions adding into the frustrations.

I'm using one of the best breast pump in the world, Medela Freestyle. It's been so great battling with me through the hardest times. Such a wonderful gift from Hubs. But recently I'm having a bit of problem with the pump. The battery just not charging. Problem starts surfacing right after the 1year warranty over.

Yesterday finally paid a visit to the Medela Service Center in Ampang. After a general diagnosis, it's concluded that the machine is not communicating with the battery. So my only choice is to send it for repair, pray hard that it won't cost me a bomb. Paid RM500 (!!!) for deposit to get a loan unit until my machine is back.

Managed to speak to the service staff for some advice on boosting milk supply. She recommended to take fenugreek, the actual seed instead of powder, since I'm having trouble swallowing the mixed powder drink. About 10-20 seeds, wash, soak in hot water, chew the seed and drink the water. Twice a day. Alright I'm gonna give it a try.

She also mentioned that I should be pumping not more than 3hours interval. Each pump I'll use the massage mode for at least 6mins before going into the pumping mode. Massage helps open the milk ducts and stimulate the let down. By doin that I should be getting more milk than usual. Really?? Why didn't anyone tell me that special technique when I bought the pump?! Well I guess it's better late than never. Tried that for my next pumping session, it seems working well!

Medela Service Center
Lot B2-G Jalan Selaman 1
Dataran Palma Off Jalan Ampang
68000 Ampang
Selangor Darul Ehsan
Tel:  603-4270 1128
Fax: 603-4270 6451
cs.ampang@lacta-equip.com(
Mon-Fri: 10am - 7pm
Sat: 10am - 2pm
Sun & Public Holidays: Closed

Review: Nursing Tea

While celebrating my milestone of nursing passed my Darling's first year, I'm struggling with low supply lately. It's getting obvious especially after my beloved menses coming back on the dot of my Darling's first birthday. Milk supply dropped dramatically to half of my production I used to make.

So I was searching high and low on galactagogues that can help me increasing my supply. Started with fenugreek, 1 teaspoon mixed with warm water. I surrendered to the bitterness that made me almost puke. So I added honey that at least diluted the bitterness a bit. After a few weeks of trying, it's been rather disappointing so I stopped and try the Joy Angel Nursing Tea from Fabulous Mom instead.

The result? It doesn't work for me.

RM38.90 comes in 20 sachets

Few of my breastfeeding Mommy friends swear by Earth Mama Angel Baby's Organic Milkmaid Tea. So out of desperation I decided to give it a try. 

RM41.90 comes in 16 sachets

The result? Pretty satisfying!
My supply increased 1-2oz each pumping session. Still not enough for me but it works!
My nursing colleague Mel researched that the right dosage should be 3 sachet (a sachet each cup) a day but previously I was taking only 1 sachet for the entire day. So I'll increase the dosage and we'll see if it works better!

Comparison of ingredients: Milkmaid Tea's ingredients are all certified organic while Joy Angel's are 100% natural.
As you can see from the boxes' label, Milkmaid Tea includes wider range of herbs which I guess why it works better for me!

Important to note:  Before working to increase your milk supply, you need to first determine if it's actually in need of a boost.  There are many things that can make you think that it's low when it's not.

Read more: Lactogenic Foods for Breastfeeding

Does any of the nursing tea work for you? What other booster you would like to recommend?