Making baby passport - an undesirable experience

Both my husband and I love travelling. However, it has been quite a while for us to put travelling abroad aside after the arrival of baby Jaden.  After travelling locally with the baby to Kedah, Penang and Cameron Highlands, we felt that we are ready to take him a bit further, probably to begin with a 3-hour flight away from the country. But first of all, he needs a passport.

 I did some homework by browsing through the official website of Immigration Department and was glad to find out that priority counter is prepared for baby, disable and senior citizen above 60. To avoid the hassle of applying leave, we chose to go to Kelana Jaya Immigration Office as it opens on Saturday and Sunday.

Bringing along all the necessary documents with us, we appeared at the immigration office at 0830 am on a Saturday. Unfortunately, we were told that the priority counter was closed on Saturday and Sunday. Since it is impossible for us to endure the long queue with a baby with us, we decided to come back in one of the weekdays.

On the following Wednesday, we were back at the same immigration office at 0900, after enduring more than an hour traffic jam on LDP highway. Again, luck was not with us, we were told that the system was down and no one knew when could the system be fully rectified. One of the officers asked us to call other immigration offices to check if their system was working. My husband tried to call offices at Jalan Duta, Shah Alam and even Putrajaya several times. After numerous attempts that led to unanswered or engaged line, we decided to stay back at the same office to see if the system would be up again. We were also told that the application form that we downloaded from the immigration official site was no longer in use, instead we were given a simplified form to fill in.

At 1030 am, it was a great news to know that the system was up again. Without proper queue line, the patrons flocked to the counter to get the numbers. My husband managed to get one, but shortly after we realized that the number given was not for the priority counter for baby and senior citizens even though he specifically told them the passport is meant for the baby. Again, he had to go back to the counter to get a new priority number.

However, very soon we found out that it did not help us at all by having that priority number. This was because we noticed that, with 5 counters for normal numbers and only 1 for priority, the turn over rate for the normal number is so much faster that the so-called priority number. Immediately, I looked across the waiting hall and started to do my rough calculation. There were about 30 normal patrons and collectively about 10 babies, senior citizens and disable people. Do your own math, who was actually having the privilege? Not to say that there are another 5 closed counters with lady officers doing nothing but chit-chatting and giggling among themselves. 

While waiting, I snapped a picture of the waiting hall. As soon as i did that, I was escorted by a security guard to go behind one of the closed counter to see one of the ladies who was doing nothing. My husband tried to follow me but was immediately prohibited to go behind the counter. 

Well, the lady started to threaten me as if I was an uneducated fool who did not know my rights in a democratic country. She told me that it was a crime to snap picture in an immigration office and confronted me that if I have anything to complain, I could have complain directly to them but not by snapping picture. Before I could explain anything, she said she would call a police to arrest me. I told her that I was not aware of this rule and the reason I snap the picture was simply to commemorate the experience of my baby making his first ever passport. She soon asked me where was my baby? I pointed to baby Jaden who was sitting in his grandmother's arm, they were sitting at the 1st row all the while , which was merely 6 feet from the service counter. She then commanded me to delete that picture and proceed to 'counter 4', which was closed at that time. I told her 'counter 4' was closed, why should I go there? She just replied : Pergi dan tunggu! (Go and wait!). 

What happened next was the same lady personally attended us at counter 4 and processed our application as smooth as breeze! We did not need to queue up!

Less than 5 minutes later, we made our payment (RM150 for 5 years for baby) and was asked to come back to collect the passport after 3 hours.  

Overall, what happened to us may just be an isolated case. However, there is only one word that I could thought of to describe my very own experience: "UNDESIRABLE". But, one thing for sure is I will laugh every time I look at Jaden's passport, because his mother was threatened to be thrown to the jail in exchange for this little red book......and I also believe that this experience could only happen in my beloved home country. 

Meeting Dr. Prashant Again

This is a long overdue post.

On Feb 2, 2013, I had an appointment with Dr. Prashant to get my hormone checked, as it has been two consecutive months whereby I had experienced severe migraine a day before my period. When the pain kicked in, my head would be pounding rhythmically, my eyes couldn't even see lights and what I could do was just lay down with my eyes closed. Luckily, both days of the months fell on weekends when I did not need to go to work and my husband was around to take care of Jaden. Besides, I also experienced very heavy flow, accompanied with blood clots. The only lucky thing was I did not experience abdomen cramp and the migraine stopped once the period came.

Upon listening to my description, Dr. Prashant was very certain that I had developed some cysts during those two months. He then performed a transvaginal ultrasound on my pelvic area. The result was other than seeing quite a number of immature ovum,  no cyst was found in both ovaries. Well, no cyst is definitely good news. The doctor's explanation was that my body had flushed out the cyst by itself. Whereas the fact of seeing quite a number of immature ovum reminded me that PCOS will follow me for life - a fact that I have accepted by now. We also saw one big round ovum in one of the ovaries. On seeing this, Dr. Prashant told me that my period would come in a week's time and he was very certain that this time migraine will not be an issue because there was no cyst detected. Well, I could not possibly verify his statement until my period came.

My husband and Jaden were with me throughout the consultation. Although Jaden was not an IVF baby, this definitely did not stop him from having some fun moments with Dr. Prashant and all the nurses. Pictures were taken, chubby cheeks were pinch, laughter were shared in this clinic, where once I had visited every fortnight, just to get a cure for infertility until miracle decided to send me an angel unexpectedly one day.

P/S: 6 days after the consultation, my period came. No migraine, no abdomen cramp, normal flow. The doctor was absolutely right!

Expenses:
Consultation fees - No charge
Prescription - Evening Primrose supplement, to purchased from pharmacy.

A 'remarkable' day

 My hubby took my car for service very early this morning, leaving baby Jaden and me at home.

At 0730, reluctantly, I opened my eyes to accept the cruel truth that I did not have the luxury to sleep in even on a Saturday morning as Jaden was already standing up in the cot, making his usual noise of boredom while over-looking at his sleepy mother.

I fed him and played with him for a little while before I received my hubby's message telling me that the car would only be ready by 12 noon, thus asking if I could pick him up from the service centre. I replied that I would pick him up in 20 minutes time, thinking that there would be sufficient time for me to dress up, get Jaden and his baby bag ready by then.

Before I proceed to get changed in the room, instead of putting him in the cot as usual, I decided to place baby Jaden on his Teddy bear mat in the living room,  with a few of his favourite toys for him to play.   

Just five minutes later, I came out from the room and instantly sniffed a very 'unusual' smell. Before I could figure out the source of the smell, I saw  a few dark brown patches on the mat. Oh my goodness! I totally couldn't believe what I saw next. Jaden was sitting quietly in the middle of the mat, and was paying 100% attention, playing with his very own poop! Both his legs, up to his thighs, both palms and even his cheeks had traces of his own stool. No wonder he was so quiet all the while! That was definitely a brand new toy that mummy would not buy for him! Don't ask me how did his stool leak out from his diaper. My hubby's 'gentle' way of putting on diaper on the baby might be the culprit.

Without hesitation, I spent the next one hour bathing the baby, cleaning the mat, washing Jaden's clothes, his toys and myself (I couldn't escape as I had to carry my baby who was 'coated' with his own 'chocolate sauce').

By the time I finished packing the baby bag and strapping Jaden to the car seat, I was totally exhausted!

Well, this was indeed a day to remember. Just that I wonder if the baby tasted his own stool?! I never want to know the answer, hahahaha......!

8 months post natal review

Baby Jaden turned 8 months old just 4 days ago.  He is now an active and cheerful baby boy with four budding teeth,  allowing him to enjoy his favourite fruit and vegetable puree. Life with a baby is tiring but joyful. Bernard and I are enjoying every quality moment spent with little Jaden.

Well, instead of writing about Jaden (again!), this post will be a review of my post natal condition.

Coccyx Pain
I remembered I complained about coccyx (tailbone) pain a few months ago in an earlier post. My coccyx was injured when I delivered Jaden, caused by the pressure generated when the baby passed through the birth canal.   It had caused severe pain whenever I changed  my position while sitting or rising from a sitting position. It also affected my usual exercise routine. It was difficult for me to even perform basic Yoga posture or brisk walking on a treadmill. Swimming becomes the better, if not the only option. I was told by an orthopaedic that the condition will heal by itself  3-4 weeks after labour. Unfortunately, it took longer for my case. Life was very demanding for a working mom that has no helping hand from a maid or close family members that are staying 400km away from us.  Getting adequate rest and enough time for relaxation was totally a luxury option. So, while I kept procrastinating to attend physiotherapy sessions, suddenly one day, 6 months after labour, I noticed that there was no more pain around my coccyx area. Yes, without me realizing, my body had quietly done its part to cure itself. I guess the reason why it took longer than the predicted recovery period was solely because I constantly did not have enough rest, thus the body has to take longer to heal.

Menstrual cycle
As a PCOS patient, I am used to not having regular period. Before I miraculously conceived Jaden, my menstrual cycle could stretch up to more than 100 days per cycle. I was trying very hard to breast feed my boy until I gave up when he was 4 months old. My milk supply was just simply too low despite of constant latching and pumping. You may read about my struggle to breast feed here.  My period came on the 2nd month after the labour and ever since, it comes regularly every month. This is a good sign, isn't it? So, does giving birth help rectify hormonal imbalance? I guess in my case, the answer is not definite. My menstrual cycle has become longer month after month, starting from 25 days, to 30 days and 35 days recently. It looks like the saying of 'PCOS will follow you for life' is true. This also means that if we decide to try for another baby in the future, it is very likely that we have to count on fertility aid to induce regular ovulation.

Body Weight
I gained 18kg throughout my pregnancy. At this point of writing, I still have 3kg to shed off before I go back to my original weight. I blamed the slow process of losing weight to PCOS (it feels good to have something to blame, isn't it?!). I did not follow any radical diet plan nor having extra cash to patronize those throat-cutting slimming centres out there in the market. Eating balance and smaller portion of meal is all I have practised. I did try to squeeze in  exercise as part of the daily routine in my busy schedule. However, it ended up adding more stress into my life. So, instead of having military-like workout schedule, swimming twice a week is what I am doing now. I will come home an hour earlier from work, jump into the pool and swim for half an hour. After that, it took me another half an hour to take a quick shower and blow dry my thick long hair before I left the house to pick up Jaden from the nanny.

Having a baby has definitely transformed my life. I hardly have time to read a book or watch a movie now. Going out from the house can no longer be a casual decision.  Other than carrying extra 'baggage' that includes a baby bag and a stroller, we now only visit places that have proper baby room. Having meals in the restaurants are very challenging too. It will be lucky for us if the baby is sleeping , but most of the time, with a demanding baby around, you can only choose to gobble up the food as quickly as possible.

However, our bundle of joy is worth every blood, sweat and tears. We have no regret at all!

BFM89.9 - The Bigger Picture of Fertility by Dr. Prashant

2 years ago,  in a business meeting with a documentary director, I came across the name of the person that have changed my life.   The meeting was initially meant to get me involved as a producer in an upcoming documentary. However, at the end, things did not turn out as my work schedule was clashing with the documentary's. However, we continued to chit chat and somehow, the conversation directed itself to his 1-year-old twin boys and that was the first time I came across the name of Dr. Prashant Nadkarni.

During that time, I was struggling to have my own kid. This was not so much about the pestering from families to produce a child to carry the family name, this was also not so much about being childless will lead to a broken marriage as I was lucky enough to marry a man that told me millions of time that the main reason he married me was not to have children. After all, it was more about to figuring out the main reason of why I cannot get pregnant, after trying for 5 years.

I have been seeing a few fertility experts prior meeting up with Dr. Prashant, some of them from prestigious fertility centres. One of them diagnosed me incorrectly that both my Fallopian tubes were blocked; one of them insisted that IVF was my only solution and many of them refused to listen to my side of story but instead rushed me through their 'default' consultation just because there was a long queue of patients waiting outside of their consultation rooms.

Dr. Prashant was just 'another' fertility expert that I told myself 'to give it a try' before I persuaded myself to accept the fact that being childless was my fate. Eventually, it proved that he was not 'just another' doctor, but was the right fertility expert that has changed my life.

I will forever remember his confident expression when he said this to my face: ""No big problem here, just PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome), and trust me, you will get pregnant!"

Just three months after following Dr. Prashant's treatment, little Jaden was conceived naturally (and definitely  unexpectedly!) and was born in April 2012.

Sharing here with you is an interview clip by Business FM 89.9 with Dr. Prashant back in 28 Aug 2012, which was again, I came across accidentally today! You may click the following link to access the interview clips.

The Bigger Picture by Dr. Prashant Nadkarni

If you are still waiting for a miracle to have a child, I sincerely wish that an angel will knock by your door soon!

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!