The many faces of Hua Shay Ning (9 landscapes) - 3 months

The many faces of Hua Shay Ning (4 portraits) - 3 months

Only a parent can tolerate and care...

Yesterday was a very difficult day.
She fed non-stop till 12pm, and still latched on.
She's sleepy yet unwilling to let me put her down.
Just wail and cry.

I had to re-heat and eat lunch with her in my arms.
When I sat down to eat and cannot rock her, she wailed all the way till I scooped enough food to 'tahan' for a while.

These are the times when I think, even I can barely withstand her neediness, how will those in the infant care be able to handle 2 babies (ratio of carer to infant is 1:2) during times like this?

Will they let her cry herself to sleep?
Will they leave her nappy wet/soiled?
Will they soothe her when she cannot go to sleep on her own?
Will they lash out or scold her if she doesn't quiet down and wakes the rest of the babies?
Will they 'shake' her and intentionally/unintentionally hurt my baby?
Will they physically hurt her?

I cannot imagine how others, especially non-family members, may react or do to her on a day like yesterday.

I'm glad I'm the one taking care of her.

It is difficult.

All the more relieved that I am the one taking care of her, that the worst I can/will do to her, is let her cry in my arms / cot until I finish my food/toilet break. If I'm on the verge of falling asleep, then she'll lie with me till she falls asleep.

Yesterday was peaceful...

Shay Ning woke up for while and fed only 8 times yesterday and she didn't fuss in the evening. I was quite worried she'd reverse the schedule and wake up once every hour after midnight for feeds. Thankfully, she didn't.

Breasts were very hard, nearly painful. I was so worried they'd be engorged again. It felt like someone stuffed metal plates into my bra while I wasn't looking. The last 2 times they felt like this, I very high fevers, close to 40 degrees Celcius and had to pump out the excess milk, apply cold packs and cabbage leaves, and take Paracetamol to bring my temperature back to normal. So, I was very relieved when Shay Ning drank when she did.

Now, if only yesterday's trend would continue from now onwards... That'd really be nice ;)

Our new life routine

Nowadays, my daily ritual is feed and change Shay Ning every hour for 20-30 minutes each time between her 0600 - 1400hrs, then it's twice between 1400-1800hrs, and another 2-3 times between 1800-0000hrs. After that, it's 1-2 times between 0000 - 0600hrs. In the evenings, when she 'fusses', wouldn't sleep or feed, she needs to be held and soothed for 1-2 hrs to sleep, thankfully, Lougong is a good father and takes care of Shay Ning when she fusses in the evening so I can have dinner and take my shower. That is more or less the usual if she's not on a growth spurt, that is a totally different story, it's once every 1-1.5 hours from 0600 - 0000hrs.
 
Ever since Lougong has gone back to work, I've been following a 'system' to adapt to taking care of baby, myself and the household chores :)
 
For someone who cooks occassionally after work or in the weekends, and is okay cleaning house once every few months, this is a really BIG challenge. When Lougong went back to work, I have no one to pack lunch for me, to take over caring for Shay Ning when she fusses when I'm worn out, doing laundry (about 20 diapers daily), all that is quite a handful for me to handle on my own.
 
So, every alternate day, I do laundry, with about 65 diapers to last thru the 2-day laundry cycle. She wets close to 20 diapers daily.
 
As for food, I cook 4 portions of food when it's not laundry day, so I can refrigerate 2 portions for when it's laundry day, and when I cannot cook by lunch on a cooking day. Since I only have very short periods 20-30 minutes to prepare meals, I break up the preparation in these slots. When all the ingredients are ready, I use the steamer to make a stew / soup, with rice / noodle on top layer, sometimes steamed egg with minced meat or other side dishes on top (it has 4 layers). The Simply Her freebie induction cooker comes in handy as I can set the temperature (tried and tested beforehand) and the timer so that if I need to attend to baby for long periods, I don't have to worry about it boiling over at the gas stove ;) Convenient eh?
 
I've also been looking for snacks and decided to make sardine fillings (like those in curry puffs, fry chopped big onions, mash sardines with bones removed, then season with tomato sauch, salt, pepper) and egg mayo for toasted sandwiches. Checked online, these fillings can last a week in the fridge. So there, two snacks a day taken care of, once before lunch, once before dinner :) Maybe I'll make some hummus too, if I have the time, sigh.
 
Am tempted to get a sandwich maker :P I like my food hot :P
 
Till my next post, think it's time she wakes for milk.

Erm, just checked, she's awake, but went back to sleep. Gave me a very sleepy smile when I checked her diaper and asked if she wants milk. Sigh. These are the moments I live for nowadays :)

Shay Ning with toys

She loves the new Fisher & Price Jungle Theme mobile... but it doesn't help when she's fussy and crying.
Same with the IKEA baby gym.
 
Think she was on a growth spurt yesterday, was awake and drinking every hour from 7 A.M. until 7 P.M. with only 1-2 hours nap in between. These growth spurts are really challenging on us, not only is she drinking so much, but she's also clingy and fussy (means needs to be carried or else she'll cry). Lougong had to wake me up during the last one when she couldn't latch on and I've already fallen asleep.
 
Today's a good day. Managed to cook tom yum soup with rice and bee hoon. Had it for lunch too. Though it soaked up all the soup as Shay Ning woke up just as I have sat down to eat. Have stored away 2 portions for next 2 days in the fridge. Tonight's portion is awaiting Lougong :)
 
Was looking at her health booklet for the 3rd month development checklist, she still has 3 skills to learn:
1. both hands touching in the middle,
2. lift head 45 degrees while on tummy, and
3. grasp toy for few seconds when placed in hand.
 
It's still the 2nd month, so there's still lots of time ;)
Looking forward to spotting these skills soon!
 

Blowing bubbles since last week (week 7)

Found out from BabyCenter that blowing bubbles is also a skill, and half the babies can do it in the third month, which means, our little girl is a little advance ;) or maybe we really bore her till she has to resort to blowing bubbles :P
 
It seems like so long ago, when it has only been slightly more than 7 weeks when we have Shay Ning. Maybe the last couple of weeks was really tough in the evenings, when she would only feed for 3 minutes and then start crying, no, it's wailing, and we'll carry her, rock her and won't let us put her down. She's got a penchant for being carried chest to chest, upright and her head flopped backwards, which is quite tiring. When she's in our arms, and comfortable, she's just awake and curious and looks around until she's sleepy then falls asleep. See photo of Papa below. Most of the day she sleeps or plays nicely by herself or with us and then goes to sleep. Between midnight and morning, she'll only wake twice for milk, at most and then falls asleep again. It is only the evenings, so I guess, we're still quite lucky.
 
Yesterday we brought her out to buy her a cot mobile, a brush and maybe some other toys, since she was fussy and didn't really want to sleep. We've got some vouchers for Kiddy Palace and got her the Fisher and Price Jungle theme cot mobile. It has lights, 18-minute Bach, Beethoven, Mozart music and a revolving mobile with jungle animal soft toys. We're gonna put it up later. Maybe take a picture afterwards.
Hopefully it'll make it less boring for her when her parents are totally knocked out to play with her.
 
We also bought a front carrier, since she likes the chest to chest, to take some weight off our arms while soothing her in the evenings. Papa's tried it out, it's good and Shay Ning doesn't object to it, thankfully.
 
So, now, we're still trying to figure out why she's so fussy in the evenings. Maybe we'll try to go out again in the late afternoon, or see if her pattern is changing, then go out again tomorrow. She slept relatively quickly yesterday. We arrived home about 1900hrs, then she started fussing shortly after, but finally drank at 2100hrs falling asleep during feed after an hour and fifteen minutes.
 
Wish us good luck!
Or give us some good tips ;)

Playing with Pa in Bed

This is Lougong playing with Ning in bed.
He's very creative in play.
This is just one of the games ;)

Finishing Line in Sight @ Wk 38

It's been a long run...

We're now seeing the obstetrician weekly.
Am scheduled for a CTG (cardiotocograph, measures fetal heart rate and uterine contractions) and ultrasound scan to check baby's EFW (estimated fetal weight) and AFI (amniotic fluid index).
What it means is, we'll check if baby's ok and if there's enough amniotic fluid.

Been very tired, taking 3 hr naps is becoming a norm.
Regularly irregular Braxton Hicks, which started as early as 7th month, are making me sore sometimes. Not painful, but quite sore, imagine having a little one grinding against your urinary tract on average 4 times an hour, and everytime it happens, your whole stomach goes really tight and you have to pant to catch your breath. Hmm, not painful, but not exactly a walk in the park either :)

Been tracking my weight. Wow, this week, I've gained 14 kg since my 3rd month *gasp* Think I'm even heavier than Lougong now.

Another thing, Lougong says he thinks he saw stretch marks on my underbelly! It couldn't be! Mummy & BB both didn't have any. And this was suppose to be hereditary. Hmm, anyway, you can't control these things, not even if you applied creams, I read. So no point crying over spilt milk :) I'm sure the cosmetic industry has ways and means to reduce / undo this once Lougong and I've had enough kids :)

Alright, that's all for now!

Thoughts & Baby's Patterns @ Week 34

Baby's very active.

I would often stop what I was and just enjoy feeling baby moving inside. Sometimes you can even see the belly move!

Almost every meal time and a while after that, baby will start to fidget. Lougong, right?

When Lougong puts a hand on the belly during the active period, baby will even 'pop-up' under his hand. Funny Lougong, he'd jerk his hand back as if afraid of it. Lougong says quite 'geli' :P

Recently, while watching television after dinner, I would lie flat on my back and watch my belly change shape. Baby would take the opportunity to 'stretch'. My whole belly would distort from big round dome to diagonal bump from my bottom right stomach up to my left hand side just below the left breast. I didn't know they could do that :) Hee hee, we didn't take any pictures yet, coz usually don't wear much by then, VERY HOT.

Even in the day time, sometimes, my belly will show a bump on the right while the left hand side is 'deflated'. Then I'd really feel the stretch :)

Another observation is, baby tend to 'hiccup' a lot. Can feel it. 1 week at least a few times. Nobody knows why baby 'hiccup' in the womb. *puzzled*

Alright, that's all for now.

Been feeling very heavy and tired recently. Taken 3-4 hr naps every weekend since last week.

A Very Pregnant Photoshoot @ Week 33

Lougong remarked we don't have any photos of a pregnant me.

Actually we did take some, they weren't very flattering. That's why we didn't put them up. Oily complexion and water retention doesn't make for a very flattering shot ;)

Anyway, here's 2 that made the censorship and into our memory lane / album :)

Checkup @ Week 31

Last obstetric visit was a non-event. I was attended to by Dr John Su (Su Si Chang) at Clinic C.

Travelled 45 mins there, waited almost an hour, in and out of the Doctor's office in under 5 minutes.

I printed out the revised Birth Plan for the Doctor to follow, only to have him glance at it for 2 secs to figure out what it was, then declare, "Sorry, I'm afraid you cannot follow it."

I defended that I've first cleared it with the nurses at the ante-natal class to see what was feasible in KKH before submitting this plan. Only then did he have a second glance while the attending nurse prepared me for the Doppler scan to hear the baby's heartbeat.

After hearing the heartbeat, the Dr Su explained that what's in my list is already what KK does. There's no need to have the birth plan.

I'm very disappointed at the doctor's initial response. Subsidized patient means part of the fee is paid by government, doesn't mean they're paid any less. How can he discount the service quality as well?

Other than that, he says everything seems smooth so far, and gave me an appointment 4 weeks later. I thought I would be seeing Doctor every 2 weeks from now on, in 3rd trimester, but no, wrong again. Sigh.

Ultrasound @ Week 27

This week, I'm scheduled for a Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT) and a Growth Scan :) Lougong and I are eager to catch another glimpse of baby.

UltraSound Picture

The left one shows back of baby's head and the one on the right, side profile :) Amniotic fluid normal, baby's already turned downward, in good position for vaginal birth :)

Sigh. Am happy.

Add-on: Turned out my OGTT was normal. I was a little worried about this one *phew*

Hospital Bag (pack 2 weeks before EDD)

For Mummy:

• Pyjamas
• Undergarments
• Medicines which you are currently on e.g. for conditions such as hypertension, diabetes etc.
• Slippers
• Face and bath towels
• Toiletries – toothbrush, toothpaste, comb, soap and shampoo
• Hair dryers are available upon request. If you are staying in Class A or B1 rooms, you will receive a toiletry bag. You can also buy this bag at our Retail Pharmacy on Level 1.

For the safety of all our patients, kindly avoid using electrical appliances that have not been provided by the hospital. These may cause a power failure, which in turn may interrupt a procedure or treatment in other parts of the hospital.

For Baby:

• 2 baby vests
• 2 pairs of baby mittens and booties
• 2 wrapping blankets for baby

You will most likely spend your first few hours after admission in the delivery suite. So try not to bring your bag with you, unless your spouse accompanies you. Your family can bring your bag to you when you are in the ward.

Note: EDD is Expected Delivery Date

References:

1. Maternity Services & Cost
2. Room A1 (single)
3. Room B1 (4-bedded)
4. Staying in KK

After note (added 10 months post natal):

The only stuff I used were...

• Camera,
• slippers (very important, must be easy to put on, coz it's such a pain to move),
• face towels (used hospital's bath towels),
• panties (though come to think of it, bring those old ones that you can throw away, or get disposables) and
• toiletries, for myself,
• one wrap top,
• disposable diapers (48 for 3 days, wipes, hospital 80 pcs was enough for the stay) and
• one receiving blanket for baby.

Asked my husband to bring (after admission/birth)...

• my long cotton scarf for use as wrap and blanket (light),
• one loose long pants, those gowns are really short, and examinations they lift up your gown,
• extra scrunchies, I flushed mine down the toilet accidentally and
• comb (wide tooth), forgot this one in the toiletries list,
• more biscuits and snacks, and
• drinks for those between meals hunger pangs.

Come to think of it, I should've  also...

• insisted that my baby be brought to me after the C-section to latch on, I had difficulty trying 1 day after that, thankfully, I'm still breastfeeding at 10 months, and intend to do so until she stops :)
• packed a bottle with straw / spill proof for drinking in bed, without getting up,
• packed one or two books, instead of my PSP Portable (don't need to worry bout losing it),
• packed more fruits (washed) and healthy snacks (dried fruits, muesli bar) and
• listened to my MP3 player more, need to tune out the other visitors.

Pregnancy Symptoms @ Week 23

I went to KK for my check-up appointment. This round, it was relatively fast :)

Doctor asked me if I had...
any concerns/complaints?
any leaking fluids/bleeding?
enough supplements?

And then proceeded to listen to the babies heartbeat using the Doppler machine.

My only concerns were:
1. Numbness in my hands and difficulty (sometimes painful) in bending fingers...
2. Floaters, like worms of silvery light snaking up on my peripheral vision whenever I just get up, sneeze or cough. I read an article in the papers just the day before that this can be dangerous and may indicate a tear in the retina.

Doctor assured me it's normal. Baby's probably pressing on certain nerves causing all these. I should only be concern if my water retention/numbness is accompanied by obvious red inflammation, or high blood pressure.

*phew*

It concurred with my previous consultation. I'm more at ease now.

Moving on with the remaining 4 months :D

Parenthood Law & Guide List

LAW

1. The mother of the baby holds the ultimate rights and final say to her baby's child care
   
2. Full breastfeeding on demand for at least 6 months (no other fluid intake) Ref: KK's "Breastfeed: Give your child a headstart"
   
3. No bottle feeding or pacifiers (avoid nipple confusion and difficulty in breasfeeding)
4. No hitting / shaking the baby no matter what!
5. No honey or non-mother's milk until after 12 months

GUIDE

1. Baby signing for communicating needs before baby can talk
2. May introduce mashed vegetables and meat with porridge from 7 month onwards (no salt or other additives until 12 months)
   
3. Full time on cloth diapers, unless long distance travelling
   
4. Start potty training when baby can sit upright on her own

That's all for now, till the next time is updated :)

Thoughts while expecting

I love children :)
Hmm, maybe not when they misbehave :P
I love children!

We've been waiting and planning for this baby for the longest time :)
After birth I'll take up to 18 months leave to nurse her till she's ready for childcare. Then I'll work part-time, probably half-days :) So that I can spend more time with her.

On Work
So far, my Bosses have no objections to my request and I can take up to 12 months of no-pay leave for childcare, in addition to whatever maternity leave and vacation leave I'm entitled to i.e. minimum 14+ months. I'm so glad. My colleagues have been really kind and supportive during my pregnancy so far. One even offers to buy snacks for me during tea time, almost daily.

Lougong has also agreed that if I am granted the leave, he will support me quite early on. Hope you still remember ;)

On Family Support
Lougong's Mummy's resigning from her waitressing work at the hotel restaurant to help us out after the birth of the Huas' first grandchild. I'm thankful that she's so readily taken up the challenge, sacrificing her social life in KL and coming to Singapore to help out.

From her last visit 2 weeks ago, I could tell, she wouldn't miss the job, but what she will miss most is the socializing on the job, her regular customers, her sisters-in-crime (no lah, just a bunch of really good buddies who's been thru a lot with her) and finally, though she did not say it that obviously, Papa, Ah B and Ah Da. Hee hee, as for Ah Lit, you're going to NUS, and hmm, maybe she'll ask you to come home for dinner during the weekends ;) So, do be prepared to keep your weekend meal times free hor.

Mummy and BB have both been really supportive, reassuring me that all I need is to ask, they'll go along with whatever plans I have. Baba's a little uncertain of how to small talk bout the baby till, maybe, when he can carry the little one in his arms :) They're all coming down after the birth of the baby.

I'd like to have all of you with me when the baby arrives, but my 2 guest rooms can only fit 2 couples +/- 1/2 children comfortably. Need to give accomodation and logistics a little bit more thought.

We've passed the 20 week mark!

Half way there already!
Ooh...

My tummy is noticeably bigger, the baby's movements are unmistakeably more distinct now. And most importantly, this Thursday, 25/6, Lougong felt the baby move for the first time just before sleeping. We were expecting to feel it, like the book said for 1st timers, between 21-23 weeks.

Work's been quite demanding. Although I have finally been able to sleep thru the night at the start of this week i.e. Monday, I'm still pretty worn out by the end of the day. Hopefully, after next week, some normalcy would resume and I can begin my exercises and cooking again :)

This is also the week that the numbness I've been feeling on/off the past 2 weeks become more intense. Checked out with the doctor, she says it's water retention. I've been feeling numb in my feet and hands, especially in the night, my right hand actually hurts when I grasp the bolster or the toothbrush in the morning. It's like wearing a very tight glove, and hurts like your nerves are going to break on stretching. Doctor confirmed my suspicion of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), guess the recent weeks of work aggravated the symptoms with increased use of the mouse & keyboard doing all the system testing. Oh and by the end of the day, my feet, the toe half, feels as if there's very cold chilly rubbed on it. Doctor, being conservative, wanted to prescribe me medication to alleviate the symptoms, but as long as it's not something detrimental to the fetus or myself, just discomfort, I'd rather go without it. She agreed with me and let me off without the prescription.

Lougong's been really caring, bringing me whatever I need, massaging my feet, though he previously believed my numbness was because I slept on my hand :P Since the doctor confirmed it, he's been more symphatetic :)

Sigh, feeling the baby move, has been my perk of this whole week.
Kept feeling my tummy for the baby's movement. Sometimes, so frequent and often, it seems like she's putting up a show, disco dancing or something in there :D

*sigh*

Ultrasound @ Week 19

This week, we're due for the Fetal Anomaly Scan.
The ultrasonographer, Ms Sun Lee, scanned our baby for us.
The baby started out curled up and with back facing us, but she turned after a trip to empty my painfully full bladder and coughing a loudly :)

This scan wasn't as fun as the previous ones.
A little apprehension as she went thru the list, heart, kidneys, brain, femur length, arm length (not sure bout this one), abdomen, umbilical cord, placenta, and finally, the gender of the baby :)

Ms Sun is quite nice, giving us a running commentary as she went along :)

Here are some shots for us to take home!

Clockwise (from top left):
1. The baby slightly tilted to her left, other arm seem to be playing with the umbilical cord.
2. A front profile of her face :) Hmm, skeletal structure, looks a little like Lougong, big cheek bones, maybe Lougong's nice nice fair complexion too!
3. Baby with hand held up toward face, shadow of both legs :)
4. Side profile of baby face :) Lovely!

And yes, I *AM* right!
We have a little girl!

Week 17 Bleeding, bed rest

This morning, woke up about 5:30am, went to toilet to pee, wiped, brown discharge again. Last night after shower, pee, quite a lot, with mucus.

2 days ago, experienced splitting cramps, like something's gonna break. Toa Payoh GP checked out and wrote referral to KK. KK Dr Chua checked heart beat, abdoment, and viewed inside the vagina. Checked with her 'senior doctor' and informed probably muscle pull.

Worried, trying not to so much.

Gave me progesterone injection and medication to 'stabilize' my endometrium. The injection was a very viscous (more like vicious and painful) one, the nurse warned me. While she was injecting me, her hands started shaking while pushing second half of the syringe contents into my left thigh :P It felt a little painful, but seeing her shake also makes me want to laugh, seems like she's hurting more than me :) So I joked around with the nurse about it.

At home, check everytime I pee, so far, only 1 show, more like brown urine on tissue.

Hope baby's alright, we'll pull thru this.