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.

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.

#motherhood: Delivery in progress.

And as we have it, having entered the delivery suite for induced labour ended in a quick start all-natural labour.

As advised by my gynaecologist, Dr C, we were admitted after midnight to await the morning. A quick explanation from the nurse revealed that the drip medicine will be administered early morning when the doctor came in to break the water bag.

Overnight, a softening medicine would be used to allow a smoother transition. She added, “you will feel like you’re having mild cramps. I’ve even had patients who didn’t feel anything.”

Having mentally readied myself for a restful night, with the CTG machine attached to my belly,  I curled up into a ball before getting some shut eye.

Before long, a wave of tightening around my tummy began. Over and over again before increasing in intensity. Apparently, jelly bean had decided it was time to make his appearance.

Fast forward a few hours, the entire delivery took around 5 hours (which we later realised was a rather quick labour period), as we awaited for Dr C to arrive. As I had passed the timing for epidural to be given (wanting to wait out the extended exposure of the epidural drug to my baby), laughing gas was the only available option.

The pain caused by the rolling waves of contraction and involuntary pushing, coupled with the rupture of my water bag threw all preparedness out the window. Deep breathing and focusing on a comforting mental image no longer worked and I knew that all this pushing before the time has come was only going to cause me more hurt than good.

Time ticked by minute after minute as I carefully eyeballed each passing moment, willing time itself to go faster.
With Dr C’s arrival, the nurses quickly pinned me down. Encouraging me to push when told (which I couldn’t adhere to well in my current condition), it took 6 good pushes before being greeted by the arrival of our new born.

Am I still on a euphoric high from seeing this little being come out from me? Most definitely.

Never underestimate the sacrifice your mothers have undergone for you… Having been through child birth itself, I have certainly gained a new level of respect towards all mothers. Especially those who did it without any form of anesthetic.

To stay-home or not?

In recent times, I have had many people come up to me, with full intention of rubbing my belly and telling me how I should enjoy this period of pregnancy. That is before life becomes a blur of routines and our apparent brain rots from inactivity due to a lack of mental stimulation (due to our 4 months worth of maternity leave).

To this, having read both sides of the story from stay home moms’ to working moms’ POV,  it doesn’t matter the choice or direction you head towards; but more importantly, the unconditional love you have for your little one.

Personally, from my perspective, stay-home moms have plenty of worries and work-to-be done that rivals that of their working cohort. Of course, vice versa, working moms who have their hands tied with work and deadlines feel that sad tinge of having to miss out on the many milestones their child will be going through while they are away. In short,  I wouldn’t want to give up work which brings in itself a form of self – satisfaction and worth and yet, not want to miss out on the moments my child will go through… largely without me.

Whatever the choices or roads that will unravel, all will come to pass in the near future. Food for thought.

39 weeks and rolling

It’s been plenty of weeks since jelly bean made his first appearance.  For now, the waiting game has commenced and everything from A-Z has been bought, stored and readied.

As with all weight gain, I managed to a mass over 20kg which to mean sounds like a huge difference from when we first started this journey together (note the royal plural). Until jelly bean’s landing is complete, there’s nothing much to be done except for pondering about motherhood and the near future.

With all bookings in place, we sourced around for a hospital we liked – namely Mount Alvernia whose sisters make one feel quite homely, if not at the very least at ease.

The estimated bill with just a 2 night stay and doctor’s attendance with the delivery, easily ranges between $5-$7k.  Out of this lump sum, some form of dollar can be covered through medisave which can seem that of a relief especially when viewing your finances from a more macro perspective.

Until jellybean has arrived, the new house renovation will have to wait.

As with all epic adventures, we’re all in for a ride of a lifetime.

Of names and heirtage

A while back, we started a debate on what name would best suit our incoming jellybean.

One that holds significant meaning for instance, Lionnel derived from Lion, while Mariel came from my mother’s name, Muriel.  In short, significance that could be representative of a personality/ behaviour one can hope to make an impact on our child’s life in future or one of meaning that comes from adopting a name that’s close to home.

Our debate ended with 3 major points:

1. For boys,  the name should start with L, and for for girls… well you know the drill.

2. There had to be some form of meaning behind a name. Not a fairytale-spun name which upon my helpful suggestion would have been a combination of both of names- e.g. Ledriel.

3. It had to consist of at least 2 syllabus. This mostly stemmed from the hub’s fascination with pronunciation, and after several verbal testing of certain names (in context with certain dialects and bearing in mind derivations within our local Singlish vernacular); our little experiment was clear. 2 or more syllabus was ideal.

And this set us up for 2 choice names after omitting a slew of others:

Lyod
Leriam
Ledriel
Latham
Lionnel
Lucian
Lucas
Lanchester
Lufstansa (?? )
Lawrence
Leonard
Loren
Lyon
Liam

Of course, our list only contained the letter L and that was an exhaustive list of possible names in itself. For now, we are set. Awaiting the arrival of our little one.

House Renov takes on a new dimension

The popular taboo saying remains.

One does not simply engage in any heavy lifting or renovation-related activities when with child.

Can’t help but wonder if this was more a fail-safe for mums who just didn’t want to be burdened by their loving husbands with the responsibility of orchestrating a full-scale home and decor episode.

Personally, the dust and loud noises might pose a potential negative, but otherwise, renovation requires more pen-to-paper moments.

From drawing miniature visions of the perfect dream house to consultations with an ID or contractor (whichever the preference), to hunting down illusive bargains of branded appliances you have never heard of; technically renovation works should be a breeze until during the hacking and decorating phase.

Came across several dream looks in our ‘balcony-less’ home-to-be and a striking one was to create a non-partitioned area to substitute as a recreational corner for the family.

A new look next to the wider-than-necessary windows available at a new BTO near you, this little space would be great with either a strip of fake greenery or a day bed which converts into shelves. Toss in a little rattan hammock and voila! A piece of personal heaven.

Any renovation ideas that pop to mind when thinking along the lines of minimalistic (shelf-centric), accessible and rest-and-relax?

Photo credit: google.com

Treasure HUnting! Local Flea markets

Hunting for a place where you can find something you like amongst a wide array of different items offered at amazingly low prices? Or hunting for an opportunity to display your talents and sell your self-made stuff? The flea market is just the place for you! Its not a dirty market full of fleas (an image which the name might conjure) but instead, its the perfect place for you to purchase attractively super low-priced items! Also, the flea market often attracts young entrepreneurs to set up stalls peddling their own creations, perfect for individuals with preferences for quirky, one-of-a-kind items. So, what are you budding entrepreneurs waiting for? Below is a list of several flea markets present in Singapore. Just remember to bring along sufficient cash before you hit the road to head for a flea market because all purchases have to be made in cash!

Source: shopping.com.sg

Locations of Flea Markets :

Zouk Flea and Easy Market
held at Zouk, 17 Jiak Kim Street
Once every 3 months, on a Sunday from 2-7pm
attracts Fashionistas, young designers.
sells everything fashionable.

Lime Flea Market
held at *scape (youth hub behind Cathay Orchard Cineleisure)
2nd and 4th Saturday of every month (Bi-monthly)
sells handmade jewellery and vintage clothes and bags

Maad Flea Market
held at Red-dot design Museum, 28 Maxwell Road
Every Sunday, 11am-7pm
sells one-of-a-kind accessories, clothes, shoes and plush dolls.

Tanglin Mall Flea Market
held at Tanglin Mall, 163 Tanglin Road
1st and 3rd Saturday of every month, 5-11pm
Only 2nd-hand fashion and accessories are allowed to be sold here.

Timbre Flea Market
held at Timbre Bistro, 45 Armenian Street (The Substation Garden)
held monthly
sells second-hand clothes, bags and jewellery, vintage finds and collectibles.

Clarke Quay Flea Market
held at 3 River Valley Road
Every Sunday, 9am-5pm
120 stalls peddling used and new wares, from phonecards, antiques, record players to handmade candles and henna paintings.

China Square Central
situated at 18 Cross Street, Level 1
Every Saturday and Sunday, 9am-7pm
sells new & old clothing, toys, antiques, banknotes, stamps, coins, records, books, collectibles.

Far East Square
situated at 76 Telok Ayer Street
Every Saturday and Sunday, 12pm-10pm
sells bric-a brac and other rare local knick-knacks, such as old records.

Stadium Cove
situated at 2 Stadium Walk ( Stadium Waterfront, next to Singapore Indoor Stadium)
Every Saturday and Sunday, 4pm-11pm
sells artistic and exotic things.

Thieves’ Market
situated at Sungei Road, Pitt Street
Every Monday-Friday, 1pm-7pm
Every Saturday and Sunday, 11am-6pm
sells everything.

Kampong Glam Flea Market
Situated near Bugis MRT station
Every 3rd Sunday of the month, 10am-6pm

Timberlux Centre Flea Carnival
Situated at 326 Havelock Rd, Timberlux Centre
Tel:9769 8387

Ethnic Flea Market
situated at Central Singapore, Amphiteatre, Blk 116 Toa Payoh Lorong 1
Tel: 6259 4116

Children Learn what they live

 

If a Child lives with Criticism, he learns to Condemn.
If a Child lives with Praise, he learns to Appreciate.
If a Child lives with Hostility, he learns to Fight.
If a Child lives with Tolerance, he learns to be Patient.
If a Child lives with Ridicule, he learns to be Shy.
If a Child lives with Encouragement, he learns to be Confident.
If a Child lives with Shame, he learns to feel Guilty.
If a Child lives with Approval, he learns to like himself.
If a Child lives with Fairness, he learns Justice.
If a Child lives with Security, he learns to have Faith.
If a Child lives with Acceptance and Friendship, he learns to find love in the World.
So what did you learn as a Child?
What is your Child living with?

Neil Patrick Harris on Sesame Street

If you haven’t already caught this fellow, on the hilarously funny how I met your mother sitcom, well, catch him in his one-time off shoe production scheme… where he’s an angel on the widely popular sesame street…