Edible Craft @ Bento Workshop

A good friend of mine is conducting the following bento-making workshops in November and December 2012. This mother of 2 has been featured in The Star, Astro and TV3 for her passion in bento making.

Yesterday, a bunch of old friends had a wonderful all-ladies-no-husband-no-kid gathering session in her house. It was an enjoyable chill-up session and under her guidance, I had managed to make and brought back my first ever 'edible craft' for my hubby and Jaden (of course, he is too young to taste it yet!) 

I also noticed that making cute bento box like this is a good way to destress!
So, if you are also into edible craft or simply want to add more colour and surprise to the food of your love ones, why not consider having some fun in these bento workshops?

I have promised my friend to help her up in the classes, so hope to see you there!

An old wife's ritual to stop drooling

Cruising into 6 months old, baby Jaden now has 2 tiny teeth breaking through his lower gum.

Overall, he is adapting fine to it except constantly droolling excessively. Wiping him to keep him dry seems like a never ending task. We also have to put a bib over him to prevent his shirt from being soaked up.

One of my friends told me that both her sons did not drool because she performed a ritual on the babies when they were 4 months old. This ritual has been practiced on every babies in her family except for her elder brother who married a Caucasian lady. And guess what? only his brother's children drool like nobody's business in her entire family!

I told my mum about this ritual and even she laughed at me for believing such an old wives' tale. My husband and I were skeptical about it too. However, I said no harm trying it just to test if it really works.  Without having high hopes, I got my mum to buy a packet of 'pong piah' ( a type of Chinese traditional biscuits with white sugar filling) from Penang during her recent trip to KL.

So, this was what we did.

1) Prepare a piece of 'pong piah' and some red thread.

2. Poke a hole in the middle of 'pong piah' and pull the red thread through it, to form a 'necklace'. 

3) Wear the 'necklace' over baby Jaden

 4) Wipe the biscuit slightly on his mouth and repeat the following 'mantra' for a few times:
" Baby stop drooling, let his saliva dry up". 
I actually said this 'mantra' in Hokkien. So, it sounds like this:
 "Baby mai lau nuah, cui nuah cia ta ta".

5) After that, I, as the mother of the baby must eat up the whole biscuit, even though it was already soaked with Jaden's drool (yuck!).

If you were to ask me did this ritual work? The answer is it did. Though Jaden did not stop drooling entirely, but it has dramatically and amazingly reduced!

Believe it or not? Hahahha!

Eczema......Cooling Down

As per my previous post on Jaden's eczema condition, I am glad to see that his condition has improved, although not cured entirely.

After consuming 4 tins of NAN 1 HA milk, I have decided to let him resume the normal NAN 1 Pro milk, as his eczema still flared up when he was on HA milk. This showed that his skin condition is not caused by allergy to cow's milk, but more to some other yet to be known intrinsic factors.  Stopping him from consuming HA milk was also a relief to us (and him, maybe?!), as we did not need to endure his extremely smelly poo and fart anymore. Well, this was obviously one of the traits if your baby consumes NAN 1HA milk. At first, I thought something was wrong with his digestive system. My worries eased up after I had 'googled' and found out funny comments by so many annoyed parents, even one of them regarded her baby's poo and fart as toxic waste and gas! At home, Bernard even wore a mask when he cleaned Jaden's poo. I couldn't stop laughing every time I think that my little angel baby has become a skunk!

Sad to say that Moogoo's Irritable Skin Balm (ISB)  doesn't seem to work like wonders anymore for Jaden's eczema, probably his skin is immune to the effect of the cream. His eczema continues to flare up and I had no choice but to apply Elomet 0.1% to stop the outbreak. A pharmacist friend whose son (now 10 months old) has Eczema since 2 months old, told me that she uses Elomet too and it is safe as long as you don't use it consecutively for more than a week. She would apply it for 4-5 days and stop when the dry and red skin clears up. Apply again when it comes back.

Convinced by her assurance, I began to apply thin layer of Elomet lotion on Jaden's affected area. Being steroid phobia, I would only apply it for 2 days, then stop when his skin became clear and smooth again.

However, this would only last for about 1 week or maximum 10 days before it flared up again. This went on  for 3 cycles before we decided to try a new remedy, adding half a cap full of Lactacyd into Jaden's bath water.  Meanwhile, I only use a small amount of organic shampoo to wash his hair and no soap is used to wash his body as Lactacyd already works as a cleansing agent to the skin. It has been 2 weeks now, his skin remains clear and smooth with no signs of flaring up at the time this post was written. Thanks to my mother-in-law who consistently 'pestered' us to use Lactacyd every time she calls to check on Jaden's condition.  She got this useful tips from an old nurse. It sounds like the advice from this old nurse is far more effective and practical than those from paediatrician and dermatologist specialist.

My current routine in controlling Jaden's eczema, other than bathing him in water added with Lactacyd, includes applying Moogoo ISB on his prone-to-flare up skin areas ( chest, tummy and feet) four times a day (morning x 1, mid day x 2, evening x 1). This helps to maintain an optimum level of moisture and protection layer to his skin. I also carry along Moogoo ISB every time we go out and apply it on him whenever necessary. I guess if we continue this routine religiously for long term, very likely, Jaden will grow up and stand a great chance to become advertisement talent for skincare product!

Temporary 'Eczema-Free' baby Jaden.

Oh! My Coccyx!

When I gave birth to Jaden 3 months ago, my coccyx (tailbone) was injured, caused by the pressure generated when the baby passed through the birth canal. This type of injury always happens when the baby is bigger in size or the mother has a narrow pelvis, but for your information my baby was only 2.61 kg and I have big butt. 

I have severe pain on my pelvic area whenever I change my position while sitting or rise from a sitting position. I was referred to a orthopedic surgeon a day after my delivery.  The surgeon came to my ward for examination and told me that what I was experiencing was common for those who went through vaginal delivery and the condition would recover by itself after 3-4 weeks. The most he can do at that moment was to prescribe some pain killer if I want ( I did not opt for this as I wanted to breastfeed). The consultation took about 5 minutes and I was charged RM180.

After my confinement, the pain had subsided but not entirely. I am still in pain, especially now when I have gone back to work and couldn't avoid from sitting long hour in the office. I have read a lot of similar cases in the Internet but most people are still in pain despite having through many types of different treatments like physiotherapy, laser treatment and steroid injection. These treatments, to an extent reduce the pain, but not to cure the condition. Consistent follow-up treatments are required too. There were some extreme cases where people decided to get their tailbones removed, after bearing enough pain for more than 10 years.

Definitely, I am reluctant to live with the pain for the rest of my life. Does anyone of you having the similar problem? Can you share with me what have you done? Thank you!

Angel Baby Evil Eczema

Jaden is 3 months old now. He is healthy and kicking except for his eczema condition that comes and goes. Well, this is the typical stubbornness of Eczema, isn't it?

He was first prescribed with a non-medicated cream, Ceradan.

However, after applying it generously 4 times a day for a week, there was no improvement on his skin condition. The dry patches on his feet, wrists and navel area in fact became more red.  Luckily, Jaden seemed to be not irritated by his skin condition, however I started to become very worried. Questions without absolute answers began to linger in my mind.

"What if his skin cracks and he is in pain?"
"Did I eat anything wrong that trigger his eczema through my breastmilk?"
"What moisturizer should I use next?"
"What if he has to use steroid-base medication to control his condition, what are the side effects?"

And then...came one night when Bernard had to attend the wedding of one of his very important client.  He was hesitating, whether he should attend the wedding and leave his wife and son at home on a Sunday night or just make an excuse not to attend the wedding.  I told him to go as I have no problem taking care of Jaden on my own. Ultimately, he went but decided to come back before the dinner ended.
His attendance led us to the discovery of MooGoo Irritable Skin Balm (ISB), a non-steroid cream that was recommended by a guest that Bernard met at the wedding dinner. (Apparently, other than mothers, fathers also couldn't stop talking about their children to others!) According to the lady, this cream works wonders for her eczema and best of all, this Australian made cream is 100% herbal base with no steroid content, thus is safe to be used even on infant.

The next day, I went to Caring Pharmacy to get a tube of Moogoo ISB. The price was RM58.60, after a 15% discount.

After applying the cream for 2 days, Jaden's dry skin area became flaky white. I got a shocked and thought his condition had worsen. However, luckily I was wrong. The flaky skin condition was actually the sign of recovery.  On the 3rd day of application, Jaden's skin was 80% recovered, redness and dryness had disappeared, leaving only some rough surface when you touch the affected area. This was a great improvement and we were very happy, thus instantly fell in love with MooGoo! Nevertheless, we continue to apply ISB on daily basis to prevent any reoccurrence.

The good days lasted only for a week, before the dry red patches developed again, this time with another additional area, his stomach. Since it was due for his 3rd month's vaccination, we decided to consult Dr. Chai to see what else we can do.

While advised to continue applying MooGoo ISB to maintain the moisture level of Jaden's skin, Elomet lotion was prescribed, and I knew this drug contains steroid. Before I managed to clarify the side effect of steroid on baby, Dr. Chai proactively explained that this medication although contains steroid, but the amount used was very minimal and if used correctly will not bring any harm.

( I have applied Elomet on Jaden once after coming back from the hospital, but have decided to stop after finding out that FDA America does not encourage children below 2 to use Elomet lotion/cream. One man's meat is another man's poison. I just love my son too much. Hence, choosing not to take the risk to expose him to steroid, even though at a very low dose, at his young age.)

At the same time, we were recommended to change his formula milk from NAN 1 Pro to NAN HA 1, just in case his eczema is caused by allergy to milk protein. So, the hypothesis here is if his eczema is caused by the protein in normal formula milk, changing to HA milk will eliminate the root cause. But we have to do a little experiment here to find out the truth.  If his condition improved with no recurrence after consuming NAN HA 1 for the next two week, then the hypothesis is proven to be true.

Hmmm....for your information, the price of NAN 1 Pro, which Jaden was consuming, just went up about RM5 per box (from RM51.00 to RM 55.8, crazy, right?). Prior to this I have gone to a few baby shops and Chinese medical halls to bulk purchase the old stock. More than RM 500 was spent to stock up 2 months supply of milk. Now, what should I do with all the milk powder?

Well, this was what Dr.Chai and Bernard said almost in unison after I told them about the bulk purchase: " What is RM500, if HA version can reduce or eliminate the cause of eczema on Jaden?" So, it is obvious that if I insisted to let Jaden finish up NAN 1 Pro before we switch to NAN HA 1, I will be crowned with the label of ' a mother that put money before the health of her own child'. Of course I can choose not to think it that way, but no matter how, Jaden has begun to consume NAN HA 1 immediately after we got back from the hospital.



NAN H.A 1



These are the NAN 1 Pros that have yet to define their future!

At the time of this writing, Jaden has consumed H.A milk for 2 days. I will update the findings after 2-3 weeks. If the above mentioned hypothesis is true, can anyone suggest me what should I do with the 10 boxes of NAN 1 Pro?

Meanwhile, I have requested the baby sitter to add a cap of QV bath oil in the bath water every time she bathes Jaden. We will also continue to apply MooGoo ISB 4 times a day. Hope that his situation will be under control.

QV bath oil to moisture the skin during bath

Despite his skin condition, Jaden is a healthy and happy baby. He starts smiling since 2.5 months old. This is indeed very emotional rewarding to me and Bernard. And again....he did not cry when he was jabbed this time!

Expenses of doctor's visit on 3rd month

Medical and surgical supplies     RM      5.25

Admin Fee                                RM      4.00

Medication                                RM 429.00

-Vaccination

- NAN HA 1 x 2 cans

-Elomet lotion

Consultation (Dr. Chai)             RM    80.00

TOTAL                                    RM  518.25

Milk, milk, milk, where are you?

We have finally found NAN 1 Pro as the formula milk that suit Jaden the most.  He had tried Enfalac A+ (which made him very hyper and restless -grunting and snorting non-stop) and Similac (caused diarrhea) before this. 

From our experience, you can never say which formula milk is the best, instead you can only say which brand is most suitable for your baby, and you probably have to keep trying different formulas before you find the right one. Usually, getting samples from your doctor would be best, however we did not have that luxury as we had chosen a "baby-friendly" hospital where breast feeding is encouraged, thus doctors are not allowed to give away samples.

All the while, I had truly wished to fully breast feed Jaden. However, sometimes things do not turn out the way we want. Despite consistent latching on and pumping, my milk did not really come. I have also tried almost all the possible remedies:

1) Drink double boiled young papaya soup, fish soup, red bean soup, chinese herbal 'chuan tong cao' (川通 草)soup
2) Drink RM99 per pack “guarantee to get milk” Sacred Tea
3) Take GNC Fenugreek supplement pill
4) Take rasberry leaf tea
5) Drink Enfamama lactating milk
6) Get postnatal masseur to 'unblock the milk ducts'
7) Visit a lactation consultant - was asked to eat a lot of fattening food like cheese cake and chocolate cake
*I did not try remedy #7, as I think my baby needs a healthy mom to take care of him, and not one who is stuffed with unhealthy trans fat.

After all the effort, my best yield was only 40ml after pumping both sides for 45 minutes. This made me quite depressed, especially the first 2 weeks. I also had crack and bleeding nipples due to over pumping. The pain was unbearable.

I did not know what is the reason of me not having enough milk. And then, out of curiosity, I googled ' PCOS and breast feeding', I sort of got an answer to justify my situation. Research shows that 1/3 of PCOS patients have very low volume of breast milk. Tada.....I was the 'lucky' 1/3! Although I am not very sure that if PCOS is the reason of me having low volume of breast milk, at least this finding has lifted a heavy emotional burden off me. A chat with Dr. Paul also made me believe that being a good mother and mother-child bonding is not solely depends on breastfeeding your child. His comforting advice has encouraged me to face my situation honestly and accept who I am.

Nevertheless, I will still continue to pump and let Jaden latch on, just to maintain my supply, no matter how low the volume is. I will let Jaden have whatever I can produce, hopefully until he is 6 months old.

If you happen to fall into the same category as me, and had been told by many breast feeding fanatics (a.k.a. certain unconsiderate lactation consultants and mothers who look down on mothers that are unable to breastfeed) that the reason of you not having milk/ enough milk is because you did not try hard enough, I want you to lift up your head, look into their eyes and tell them to respect your difference. After all, you are still a good mother!

Week-9 Updates

It has been 2 months since the arrival of Jaden to our family.  I have gone back to work and reluctantly, have to put Jaden in a babysitter's hand, who stays about 3 minutes drive away from our house.

Overall, Jaden is growing well, progressing from 2.6kg during birth to 5.5kg in week-9. Taking care of a child is a life long lesson, which both Bernard and I are still learning how to become better parents each day.  Waking up twice at night to feed the baby is not an easy task, but the word 'motherhood' made me do it again and again without any grievances every night.

Today, I visited Dr.Paul for my postnatal check-up, and at the same time, we brought Jaden for his 2-month vaccination at Dr. Chai Pei Fan's clinic.  It was very convenient for us as the two doctors' clinics are just opposite each other.  Coincidentally, these two doctors somehow share some similar qualities, they are both polite, down to earth, caring and friendly.


Dr. Paul Ng and Jaden Tan. With this photo taken, Jaden will be able to know
the doctor who received him into the world in the future.

I was told that my stitches have healed completely and Dr. Paul jokingly told us that we can begin to make our 2nd baby as soon as after 6 months. We definitely wish for more children, but we also think that we should give our bodies and mind some break :) At least, let me shrink back to my pre-pregnancy weight first! After putting on 20kg (scarry, huh?!) during my pregnancy, I still have 7 kg to shed!

Jaden's has developed mild eczema on his feet, palms and navel area since about a week ago. He did  not seem to be irritated by the skin condition (yet), we have to diligently apply prescribed cream on him to prevent the condition from getting worse.

Contrary from the 1st time when he was vaccinated, Jaden did not cry at all today when Dr. Chai poked the needle into his thigh. It was a real relief to me as I still remember how heart broken his cry was last month. Probably, my tactic of telling him about the jab while on the way to the hospital has paid off. I will certainly do the same for his following jab next month :)

Expenses:
Dr. Paul - No Charge

Dr. Chai Pei Fan
Medical & surgical supplies     RM     5.25
Admin Fee                              RM     4.00
Medication                              RM 351.90
Consultation & Assessment     RM    80.00

TOTAL                                  RM 441.15