Bringing on labour

Amazingly, time has whisked past. Having just spoken with our gynaecologist on options for delivery as our little princess’s EDD was almost here, and she hasn’t turned, we were informed that an induced birth might be the next step. Like tomorrow in the morning.

The instructions were clear. Get yourself checked in, as we need to get that baby out of you.

From usual hearsays on the intensity of having to induce to the nagging thought that one should persevere and have as ‘natural’ a birth as possible; we scheduled a time to head into the hospital for a CTG and induced delivery tomorrow.

Having tried to coax her to come out as soon as possible (that’s right. One does get frustrated having to wait out the time for her arrival) and a scare from my gynaecologist on the mysteries of stillborn babies when their overdue by too many days- we await for her arrival. Now, being a second-time mom, you would have thought this would be easy-peasy. But, with the rather traumatic first-time experience with Jelly bean.. I was feeling a little overwhelmed especially with talks that I might need a c-sect if inducing doesn’t help.

24 hours more before long sleepless nights is only the beginning.

Dollars & Cents -Of Nappy Days

Being a parent also mean having to weigh out one’s options. Having tried many brands of diapers, a few stood out as exemplary wears.

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The first that was tried and tested by Jelly Bean was none other than Huggies where having been given a free sample pack (at birth from the hospital), it fitted snuggly and felt dry to the touch despite being worn for up to 3 hours.

Of course, this was at a time when I had just assumed position as a new parent to a child whom I have yet become accustomed to. To this, changing nappies regularly to prevent diaper rash was one of my top priorities.

No one likes a wet bottom. Do you?

In an absorbency test done with 3 pieces of diapers per brand (samples sourced online- just head over to the ‘contact me’ section of all leading brands and you should be able to request with ease), Pet Pet unfortunately performed the worse. This was after having scoured through supermarkets on which diaper to purchase. Not only was it supposed to be light on the wallet (one of the cheapest), it was strongly recommended by the promoter lady, hence we bought a pack to try. It was definitely a cheap buy, with its price being almost half of that of the most expensive brands, yet, from having nappy leaks (the poo flowing out, backwards) to him having diaper rash- do note I was changing every 3 hourly- we hurriedly embarked on another quest to source for a new brand.

In the end, we settled on buying a combination of Huggies and Drypers.

This was when Jelly Bean turned 1 month old.

Why we chose Drypers & Huggies:

Truth be told, we really liked Mamy Poko, with Huggies ranking second.

Choosing Huggies was more due to a dollar and cents comparison- where on average, with promotions, Huggies was cheaper at 30c per piece. Thus, opting for it as our night-only solution. Drypers, with its discounts only amounted to 18 per piece (check out qoo10 for deals) which is fine as we change Jelly Bean quite frequently.

Our second attempt at Huggies after the first initial pleasant intro saw a back flow when he was lying in his pram. That was when he turned 4 months.

However, we soon realised that it was due to not tightening the diaper fully (the tape had to overlap each other in order for the elastic band to work) and as we were using Small- Jelly Bean weighed just shy of 6kg- it might have resulted in the spillage.

Fast forward 2 weeks and there’s been no other issue with leakages and he literally sleeps through nights from 12mn to 6am occasionally. For us, Drypers which was more economical, when changed regularly, was a good day-time baby bum companion.

Cost and comfort, when these two factors are met; that’s one happy baby.

Oh, the joy!

Of vaccinations & bye-bye bugs

Just had a conversation with one of my colleagues where with the flu bug in the air, it’s little wonder that tiny beings are falling sick all over the place.

Post Jelly Bean’s viral infection and nebuliser episode, what truly alarmed me was how quickly a baby needs to be treated. In a matter of hours, things could be so different.

Of course, being paranoid and panicking isn’t exactly the best solution; yet if the assumption is all is right without proper checks and balances, it might just be too late to react.

Since his recovery, we have had to prep Jelly Bean for his next few jabs. This was dragged on as we wanted to space things out, just in case he had an adverse reaction.

For the lesser informed, or kiasu parent like me; a paediatric doctor was the first choice in administering these jabs. What I didn’t know was that the polyclinic had a much better package and made a good case for the cash-strapped parent.

With his last 2 jabs and the rotavirus medicine, that set us back by over 400 bucks. This was a visitation without any visible ailments. A healthy, bubbly, raspberry blowing kid.

The many faces of Jelly Bean

Had we known earlier, perhaps attending the polyclinic might be a more pocket-friendly solution.

Point to note:

kid rearing needs more than tenacity and patience. A healthy cash pocket is required as well.

Huggies’ Experience on “Parent’s Guide”- 1/8/14 (Ch8, 10.30pm)

Received an invitation to partake in the local program “Parents’ Guide” on Channel 8.

Perhaps it is best described as a play date, Jelly bean had his first taster of airtime on television. Priscelia and Ben Yeo were of course the perfect hosts on this informative series that started on the 25th of July 2014.

Aired at 10.30pm, Ch 8; the segment was light-hearted in nature, delving into healthy cooking recipes  for children and where to cut your child’s hair.

Having used Huggies during his first arrival (we were give a pack of Huggies Ultra at Mt Alvernia Hospital), the quality of the diaper was actually cottony soft.

This is coming from a mum who had actively sourced for samples of all sorts – We used Goo.n, Pampers, Petpet, Mamy Poko, Merries, Drypers and of course Huggies.

My personal favourites in terms of absorbency and ease of use (e.g. tape) would be as ranked below:
1. Mamy Poko
2. Huggies
3. Merries
4. Pampers
5. Goo.N
6. Drypers
7. Petpet

I’ll elaborate more on costing and what I am currently using on Jelly Bean in another post.

For now, here’s a snippet of the episode: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KDNLjvpqOA

Disclaimer: This post is part of a sponsored campaign with Huggies. However, all opinions are unbiased or influenced in any form.

Of diapers & sustenance

As with all babies, diapers and their regular sustenance are basic necessities. Being pro – breastfeeding,  my current ‘work schedule’ at home revolves around pumping, latching and changing diapers.

Ladies, if your spouse or relatives say that breastfeeding isn’t providing your little one with enough nutrition; it is a fact that infants get all they need from just consuming breastmilk in the first 6 months of their lives -check out LLL’s guide on breastfeeding for more info.

Even if it’s a combination of breastmilk and formula milk; the antibodies that’s produced is a good way to maintain good health in your baby’s daily diet. Water should be introduced after 6 months, where don’t let the “breastmilk is too heaty, that’s why he/she falls sick often” talk get you in a panic.

Sitting up in his ergo.

Remember, even if supply is low, any milk from mom is good.

Of The Epic Flu Saga

Having encountered a bug of a different flu variant, Jelly bean has officially taken sick with plenty of coughs, mini-vomit episodes and wheezing. If that hasn’t already caused you to cringe, the number of medicine that the little one had to consume every 4 hours and the nebulizer that he had tried to wiggle out of might cause you some discomfort. We headed out to SBCC clinic at AMK and met up with a PD who seemed to know exactly how to calm a ‘wild’ parent; be it mentally or physically. Dr Koh Han Meng was in short, the doctor who made a difference.

Who said that kid rearing was easy?

​Daddy Chair. CARE INSTRUCTIONS: Of adjustable height and length. Can withstand the hardest of wiggles and the oddest position. Need not wash when dirty.#growingup #4mthsplus

The night before, at its peak (so said the doc with 5 kids), Jelly bean had 2 new milestones: 1. A new form of shouting – shrieking at high notes, without any visible signs of discomfort except out stretched arms, as if he was telling us to carry him; 2. Pinching.

As we wore the bruises gained over the night like valiant warriors, the sickness that was casting over Jelly bean had slowly creeped away. With minimal coughs and nasal congestions that show up in stifled cries, he was otherwise a hyper kid with a pincer grasp and powered-up leg muscles.

Update: 30/7/14- After 1 week of tussling, Jelly Bean is all better! Phew.

Back to work special

As we know, all good things will come to an end. Here’s to 4 months of excellent mother-coddling moments and epic explosive diapers.

Almost 4 months, and the journey of worktime scheduling and pumping has just begun.

If there was a cartoon that I would love to play on replay for the little kiddy, it would be _____ & the _____. Any guesses?

Happy Father’s Day & more

If commemorating father’s day was liken to that of a running marathon, the winning isn’t in how far the race ran for or how long it lasted for. Rather, the journey in itself.

Being new parents of a mere 3 months, things started with a rather traumatic initiation, followed by an ongoing period of interrupted sleep.

Jellybean laughing with dad

Still, what’s applaud-worthy lies in how people change with the coming of a newborn.

Happy Father’s Day, my love.

With great power comes great responsibilities.

Bon voyage! First trip at 3 months

Our first trip to Bali as a family and so far, so good. When jellybean’s asleep, his little cherubin face brings out the ‘oohs and ahhs’.

Having rapidly got his air ticket and passport done up (collected just the day before), travelling with a child isn’t exactly a cup of tea. Yet, As of today I can’t imagine travelling without him.

A good baby is truly good when he is in his own element

Of Jelly bean’s passport photo sessions

Whoever said baby-rearing was an easy task must have a little sadist residing in them. From constant nappy changes to decoding jelly bean’s every cry to panter to his needs; being a first-time parent is exactly what it is:

Brand new.

With the initial plans set in motion that we’ll embark on our trip to Bali for a friend’s wedding, without the little one; life has altered its course.

Having my sister-in-law being pregnant with her second son and my parents overseas, the next logical step was to take him with us on our little getaway. Besides, 3 isn’t a crowd anymore.

Getting his infant air ticket was a little difficult as having bought our tickets online; I needed to bring him down to Qatar’s main branch and get it issued. For a newborn of only 3 months, the ticket in itself costed $96 bucks, complete with a bassinet.

Interestingly, having not known this previously, and with aged knowledge that a baby tags along with the mother’s passport; I was in a flurry upon realising that he needed his own passport.

For those with the right experience would know this too.  Taking a baby photo when they are bright and awake is quite an arduous task. More so for a newborn whose attention span is fleeting at best and cannot be held with brightly-coloured toys that rattle.
All in all, to get a single passport shot, over 100 photos were taken with a scenic white background. The result? A photo with him smiling happily.

Submitting 3 weeks before our flight with a photoshopped version (background removed), an email was received stating that there was uneven light exposure.  In short, if you stared hard enough, there’s a light glow on the top of his head.

With only a week left before our flight, another suite of photos were taken for submission. This time with half the gusto that was taken in the first round.

Within 3 days, an email was received with a set appointment date and the rest was history.