Happe New Year!! And so??

It was Xmas last week and we ushered in the start of a new year today. But it marked no difference for me since im a "new" mum still under confinement and subjected to milking and diapering demands of my lil boy just a couple of days shy of his full month..

Hubby settled our elder gal to bed from 10 plus while was changing and nursing the boy, and nursing and changing again.. 😥 around 11 i heard grandma watching the countdown on Channel 5, and went out at around 1130pm to watch the show for awhile while patting the lil one in my arms as he was grunting a lil.. it provided a lil festive atmosphere but that's all.. about 15 - 20 minutes later i went back into the room and put baby into bed, and hubby massaged my aching back.. he suddenly said "Happy New Year laopo", and my reply was "Oh, it's midnight already?"

How unremarkable, unromantic of ushering in the new year, but as parents to a newborn and toddler, there's not much difference to festivals right now.. it doesn't mean i could sleep a lil lofer before baby's next milk feed and diaper changing round.. In fact, the lil boy was feeding, pooing, peeing, feeding, pooing, staining his blankets and requiring my patting from 0230 - 0430!! I was hunching over my nursing child and staring out the window at the splattering rain, wondering when i could lie down and sleep again. I made formula milk at 3plus thinking my breast milk was insufficient and hunger kept him up but he didn't want the milk.. i burped him unsuccessfully and latched again, patted him around the room, kicked myself against his bed, and put him into the sling and patted him around the room, watching taxis and cars zoom by on the road below.. finally he slept and i could too..

I hope it irons out soon in 2-3 weeks time so that I'm more upbeat when it's Chinese New Year, as i dont wanna look like a panda in pictures then...

Gassy baby

Baby had some blocked nose and sounds like he's phlegmy over the past 2~3 days.. Had to bring him to Thomson to see the PD.. All along its been harder to burp him and Dr Tan had prescribed him Ridwin during jaundice checkups.. i didn't think it was that serious initially..

Baby was crying so loudly when its his turn to see Dr after a 2 hour wait for 4 patients prior to his turn.. i was flustered and Dr Tan was a little bit shouting over his cries. Doc prescribed nasal spray and drops, probiotics and something to helo with the reflux, along with increased drops of Ridwin.. Latched him after i got Dr's instructions and he slept soundly til home..

In the evening I googled about anti colic diet cause i vaguely remember Dr saying something about colic..

http://kids-nook.com/colic/

Hopefully its useful..

He was sleeping quite soundly since the doc's visit and didn't seem to latch as much thru the day.. i got a lil nap of 15 minutes for the day and was a lil worried..

But the next day, he's back as milk monster again.. the complicated thoughts of mums.. sleeping through a lil longer and i was wondering if its normal.. yet when he was feeding two hourly, i was worried he was overfeeding, but cox i was latching him directly most of the time i wasn't sure of his intake and i was quite exhausted.. hopefully he's feedings and naps regulate soon else I would be real burned out when I return to work in end Feb..

Another good read.. http://www.babble.com/baby/art-of-burping/

Prepping the house and the nursery

Prepping the house and the nursery

This part could jolly well be useful information well in advanced while doing home renovations. As young couples, we often prefer design and aesthetics over practicality. Window grilles around the house are essential in the long term so better to do them up right from the start when you get your house. Its more troublesome to set appointments to install them and do house cleaning when baby arrives. 

Baby proofing the furniture, such as blocking the soft corners, keeping things out of reach, changing the chairs such that they dont trip baby when he or she starts crawling and walking are  part of the deal.. Some designer-modeled chairs have protruding legs, which even i trip over myself, so i would stay away from them to avoid buying new chairs a couple of years after i get them.. i had laminated floors in the bedrooms so that its not as cold as the tiles when baby wakes and walks or crawls on the floor, and it also provides some cushion if baby falls. And trust me, your heart stops if it does happen. No matter if it happened when baby was 5 months.. Or at 22 months when my girl still flips herself off our bed when we co-sleep.. There's comfort knowing its not as painful as hitting tiles..

For the nursery

I only installed wardrobes in my MBR when doing my house renovation. Perhaps i should have done up the other rooms as well so that there's storage. But there's two sides.. as least it provided some flexibility in re-arranging my nursery’s furniture like the cot, chest of drawers, an additional shelf, and a bed for my grandma who's taking care of my kids.. My shelf is the changing shelf from Ikea which I felt was real useful, a purchase recommended from he mummies' group i joined. It has 4 layers of shelves to store stuff, and an extended reMovable table that can double up to put the bathtub, especially needed during confinement and up to when baby is 4-5 months old so that you dont have to bend over to bathe the baby.. as time passes, I would likely need to add on a toyogo drawer or two but other wise, my nursery has served me well up til the birth of my 2nd child so far..

Well-meaning friends eould have more to share, so don't be shy to ask for advice.. 😃

The real journey begins

The article below is so me..

http://familyshare.com/parenting/the-thoughts-of-a-new-mom-during-the-night

Except i’m worse.. im worried I'll drop the baby while changing or nursing or just carrying around. During my elder gal’s initial days, i was so worried i would drop baby out the window, cox the aircon ledge window in my MBR didnt have grilles.. it was a couple of months back hubby called the contractor in to install that i calmed my senses. But it dulled a little.. probably with experience afer my first and having the grilles helped. I've always been more panicky than most people.. n have a little bit of anxiety disorder in me..

I hope i don't go nutcase over the feeding and diapering duties oncoming, along with other things like vaccinations..

Awaiting the birth

Awaiting the birth

Every Birth is different. Being a second time mom didn't make it very much easier than the first as i had a couple of scares for my boy.. you may read up about the labor, labor signs and braxton hicks.. being pregnant makes one especially paranoid. Or maybe it's just me..

For my elder girl, i was pregnant shortly after marriage. We didn't even go on honeymoon yet which we planned for 3 months later due to work schedules.. in the end, cox of the neverending morning sickness (don't trust the term, i was kissing the toilet bowl 24/7 with every meal i took from the time i was about 6 weeks pregnant til about 5 months..)

For my second boy, i puked my meals after taking them all in, and leaked pee while i was at it occasionally cox it was so volatile and uncontrollable.. you may have it, or experience none at all, like my mum, who asked why didn't i inherit that aspect of hers..

I was weak and pale til mid of 2nd trimester, and worked from home after injuring my back. Thankfully i had understanding bosses, colleagues and telecommuting arrangements at work to allow me to continue working throughout my tougher periods.. at around 26 weeks pregnant with JY, I experienced abdominal pains and went in to KKH. The nurse told me i had contractions and was facing a threatened miscarriage. I got a steroid jab and was under observations and medicine. Thankfully, it was nothing too serious, and baby was well carried to full term. But backaches, braxton hicks and frequently peeing at night were my complaints..

For my girl, my waterbag suddenly broke in the office one day after lunch. All throughout the pregnancy he said baby was big and wouls deliver early, but at the end of my 37 week checkup, there was no labor signs and he cleared me to continue working for 2 more days.. I was having my favourite mango cheese tart at my desk when i felt a little wetness down under around 2plus in the noon.  Looking back, I had been having some cramps and backache since morning but did not think those were labor signs.. i then went to the toilet and water started trickling.. I thought it might be amniotic fluid and went back to he officr to tell my boss.. Despite changing to a sanitary pad, the water soon became uncontrollable. I changed a couple of them and soon, had to stand over the wastebin, crying at the same time cause i didn't know what to do.. i couldn't reach hubby who was teaching, so called mum while my colleagues asked around for someone who could drive me to Thomson Medical Centre..

I was quite apprehensive about wetting my colleague's car, but thankfully the water was cooperative somehow and only flowed again when i was at the hospital lobby. My colleagues waited til mum and sis arrived, and hubby arrived awhile later to do the admission procedures.. there was all the hooha about my pain relief i mentioned in my earlier post, and by 8plus, i delivered my baby girl!

Actually due to the laughing gas and pectidin to relieve pain, half the time i wasnt fully aware of what was happening once i was in active labor.. it was quite a groggy sensstion and i was in a semi-conscious state.. my birth, at 5 hours from the breaking of waterbag to delivery, was considered quite fast for a first timer, but had some complications cox my placenta didn't descend naturally and Dr had to manually take it out with additional dosage of pectidin.. i recalled feeling like i was pushing through the butt, hubby stuffed me with gas and i was half screaming, half delirious and not sure what was happening.. in a sort of out-of-body state, i could hear chaos but could only. focus on hubby and Dr Lim giving instructions on pushing and breathing. Thinking back, it was quite surreal..

For my boy, at 36 weeks, again i suddenly had backache and contractions at 7 plus in the evening, but at least i was almost full term and baby was about 3.4kg during checkup. Dr came at 10pm and said cervix was closed but the regular contractions required a night of observations. After my discharge and Mc for Sprurious labor, or false labour, i had these Braxton hicks again every other day..

Thankfully, at the end of 38 weeks, this time Dr Lim had predicted quite accurately, at 3plus in he morning of the first Saturday of December, I started having some intense contractions.. they went on and off and i went back to sleep.. but woke again at 7plus.. i told my family, called up Dr Lim who said to go to labor ward at 1130, bathed, had some light breakfast, and waited for time to pass.. at 9plus, i decided the pain was stronger and got hubby to drive us to the hospital. I was under monitoring for contractions at the labor ward, which got more intense around 11am but Dr was still in surgery.. i asked for laughing gas, which helped a little.. before that i was squeezing hubby's hands and praying.. At noon, Dr came and checked on me, just as i was on the pee pan.. he broke my waterbag, i was given some pectidin, and i was soon wheeled to the delivery ward..

It felt like things fast forwarded, i made a mental note to remember as  much as  I could for the birth process as the one for my girl went in a whirlwind..  I was given an injection to clear bowels, some contraction made me feel like i had pooped myself on the bed but hubby didnt see anything, i was half conscious from the pain and pain relief.. then i heard Dr’s  voice amidst my screaming, state of floating, and everyone askig me to push.. apparently i pushed and baby's head was out but i didn't have strength to continue further and the nurses helped push baby out.. subsequently my placenta membrane got stuck and once again, i was doused with pectidin and gas as Dr Lim removed my placenta. I could feel the clock ticking, and my dull screaming amidst the pain and delirium. Thankfully, all was fine subsequently..

Recounting my birth process still hitches my breathing a little, exceptional life processes that i was only semi-aware of.. i half had thoughts that i should have videoed the process, but then, i guess those are thoughts for other to consider.. I'm likely done at two, given that the second pregnancy was rather tedious and im afraid for my sanity if i had the third.. really grateful for my family and Dr for the journey thus far.. and hope that all mothers-to-be would have smooth processes for their births as well..
😝

Baby fairs

There will definitely be white elephant purchases, please don't buy a truck load home at your first fair. And there are baby fairs almost every other month.. the ones organized by Mummys Market have the better offers than the rest.. but I have also gotten a very good deal for milk powder and free Parklon playmat ($155) at a Baby Baby fair (if i didn't remember the fair wrongly).

So importantly, Customize your own baby checklist. Research and compare, ask around, fiddle around, then make your choice of the items you need. There would be lots of needs, and wants. Know that there are many purchases that would follow, so splurge sparingly and spend wisely.

Dont be shy to ask around if people wanna pass down stuffs to you, baby outgrow clothes and toys in the blink of an eye, those little clothes dont need to be all brand new. There are things that you would not be able to save on and request for no matter the price.. You need to save money for diapers, milk powder, insurance, education n a whole lot more.. Having good condition hand-me-downs are also symbols of blessings for your children.

Breast pump bundle, baby cot/ playpen, chest of drawers, stroller, carseat would be the biggest initial purchases at baby fairs. I strategize on my purchases such that my stroller, cot and carseat can take me from birth to toddlerhood so that i dont need to keep changing them so often. For breast pumps in 2013/14, Philips Avent n Medela were the leaders. Now its Spectra in 2015/16. So ask around, of course, everyone have their own opinions, preference and budget. Make sure you know yours. The worse case is just that you have 2~3 pumps and strollers at home..

Milk bottles are dependant upon your baby, i have Avent, Tommie Tippee and Pigeon in the house.. some mums will tell you they have tried almost every other brand in the market before bottle lottery struck.. we are women after all, but still, so don't buy too many first whenever you see discounts..

There are lots of other ad hoc purchases like clothes, blankets, pacifiers etc that dont cost as much, but even then, do compare prices or go with the flow occasionally if you find something you really fancy..Meanwhile, Enjoy the shopping! 😚

Choosing a gynae

Key points

- comfort level, gender, friendliness, waiting time, prenatal packages, delivering hospital, pro-natural birth / pro-breastfeeding

My grandmother’s gynae delivered me and my two babies. WOW! He's my mum's gynae actually, whom my grandma went to as well. I didn't think about going to him initially as it felt rather strange to see mum's gynae, n one who delivered me no less! But my pregnancy came suddenly and i was so sick i just went ahead when mum said to go see Dr A L Lim at Thomson Medical Centre. I never looked back and now he's delivered my second baby, like a proud grand-daddy doctor. Ive been wanting to take a picture together with him and my family cox this is such a rarity and interesting situation to be in!

Dr Lim is steady, patient, and very warm to patients. He can be very fierce for the benefit of his patients, as seen during my 2 labors. First time, i didn't know better and kept rejecting the nurses' offer of injection during labor pains as i didn't want epidural. Dr Lim came and saw me and said they should have adviced me since I'm inexperienced, that there's other pain relief alternatives.. he scolded them, i got my pain relief, another pair of nurses came in, and labor progressed faster thereafter. Second time, another mummy was delivering at the same time but sufficiently ready for birth yet the attending nurse called the doctor in and he rushed down from a patient examination. Nurses got scolded, but i was ready and i could hear him scolding amidst my delirious state from the pain relief in between my screaming..

Dr Lim has no prenatal packages, i have waited up to 3 hours despite appointment, but still i would stick with him. If possible, i would recommend my daughter to him in future too. But domt think he has disciples to take over him im future when he retires.. He's pro-natural birth amd through both pregnancies told me my babies are big. Regular scans n comparison with other mummies do indeed indicate so, and their tummies always looked round, thankfully their birth weights were around 3kg eventually.

-Pre natal checks, scans n tests n vitamins

Initially appointments are scheduled 2~3 weeks if your pregnancy is stable, second trimester comprises of monthly checkups, then going back to 2-3 weekly scans again. Around 37 weeks onwards, weekly checks.

There is the Oscar Scan between 10-13 weeks of pregnancy to test of down syndrome danger, a more detailed scan is the Harmony test. At about 5 months, you would also go for a detailed scan to determine gender and have a look at the major organs of your baby. Super exciting, it is! Any additional tests would likely be subjected to your condition. For me, I had a scare about 1~2 weeks after my detailed scan with some infection and pre-term contractions. After that gynae ordered a cervical length scan to check if my cervix is strong enough to hold the baby to full term. And it was super strong. 😃

Gynaes would also prescribe vitamins, you can save a little by ordering your own from iHerb.com after finishing a bottle or two at the gynae's to see if you are ok with the prescribed vitamins.

Mummies may wanna refer to this link too where other mummies have shared how to choose a gynae as well..

http://www.heartknowsbest.com.sg/qna/QuestionDetail?qid=86

There should be more information out there as well, so google away or just ask around your relatives or friends for recommendations.. after all, it's a log journey once you choose your gynae. He or she would be the one to check on you bi-annually henceforth for pap smears and other female conditions, so choose wisely..

😘😘😘

Hello

I started this blog in my confinement of my second child. Memory is a bit lousier after birth， but I've had some interesting experiences so i thought I would write them down to share.. I had started something while pregnant but did Not continue.. shall now backtrack a little and do proper posts.. hopefully they are useful to new mummies out there.. they are just for sharing and not fully complete advice..

And hopefully in future, these can serve well for me to look back and recall about my experiences.. 😊

Found this link and thought it's a good read for moms, new or old.. heheh..

http://www.parenting.com/baby/newborn-care/new-mommy-survival-guide