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......!
Saturday, January 19, 2013
Friday, December 14, 2012
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!
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!
Monday, November 12, 2012
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!
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!
Monday, October 22, 2012
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.
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!
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!
Thursday, October 18, 2012
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.
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!
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
" 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!
Saturday, September 1, 2012
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!
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. |
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
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!
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!
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