Louisa's first tooth!!

Wow, after a long absence in the blogging scene....

On Sunday 20 July, Louisa's first tooth broke the surface! Yeah!!! Hooray!!

Louisa has been drooling quite a bit since she was 3 months old...and she's been bitting at anything in her mouth's way, since she was 3 mths plus too. After about 1 month's of irritable nights, her tooth finally popped out. Every night during the past month, she will wake up crying/whining at 2am ~ 3am...and her eyes will still be closed tight. So we reckon it was due to the teething. It must have been irritating her so badly at night.

Well, I didn't have much sleep either. 3am wake up...3.30am back to the bed, and then 6am, wake up again. How to have enough sleep?

Anyway, that's not important. The important thing is, Louisa is has teeth! heehee...time to start brushing. hahahahaha.

At 7.5 months (33 weeks old), Louisa weighs 8kg. Hmmmm...that seems to be a little light, isn't it? Not too sure. Will have to check with the charts....

It's been a while...

It's been a while since Mummy has blogged.

The past 3 months have been rather trying.

We faced challenges from:- understanding Louisa's cries, waking up for night feeds, settling Louisa to bed before we can do anything else...Mummy especially, faced challenges from breastfeeding. It is not easy, albeit fulfilling. Well, bottle-feeding is also very fulfilling. As long as there's a smile of baby's face, the whole parenting thing is fulfilling.

On hindsight, those challenges are not really challenges. I think we deemed them (except the breastfeeding bit) as "challenges" because we are first time parents and we are a wee bit lazy...hahaha.

Louisa has been good. She began sleeping through the night after her 1st month. With a more established routine (thanks to The Baby Whisperer and Gina Ford), we know her feeding times better, and we can really understand her cries. Seriously! On the whole, we are able to communicate with Louisa. I'm thankful we have a little angel (a rather vocal one, though) with us...

Take Time To Smell The Flowers

Mummy's thoughts:-

Although it's been tiring looking after Baby Louisa (waking up every few hours just to feed her, carry her and play with her...I hardly do my own stuff now), I think it is God's way of telling me something.

Before Baby Louisa, life has been all about zipping here and there, getting reports out on a timely fashion and basically rushing through stuff. I used to do a few things at one time - be it the Internet, my reports, reading, eating etc... With Baby Louisa, I can only do one thing during her feeding time - be a cow (just feed her). Ok, maybe 2 things - feeding her and watching TV. When it's Louisa's feeding time, one hand would be holding her and the other hand would be holding the bottle (if feeding EBM). How to do anything else? I can't even switch TV channels! hahaha. Well, I can switch channels if I'm breastfeeding her direct. :-)

But that's not my point. I regard myself as a very efficient person. I do and complete things rather quickly...which has also resulted in my sometimes-impatient nature. With Louisa, I am learning (still learning) to be more patient and not to expect things to be completed quickly. As a baby, in her initial weeks, she would take at least 30 to 40 minutes to suckle. At first, I wasn't used to it. Whenever she took a breather or dozed off, I would assume (or rather, prefer to assume) that she has finished drinking, and quickly remove her and place her back in her cot. She may not even have had her fill! This led to frequent night feeds as she kept waking up every hour or so to feed. So I started to let her really suckle until she's happy and detaches herself. At first, it was like cold turkey for me. I got irritated that she was drinking so slowly. Then I made use of the time to admire her profile, talk to her, stroke her, pray. Slowly, I began to slow down my pace of life...I didn't feel so impatient with her anymore...

On reflection, I think God's telling me (through Louisa) to take time off to smell the flowers. Life is about so much more than being efficient, chasing after things...I used to pray that God will help me be a more patient person. I know now, that this is His way of helping me. Praise the Lord.

Baby Louisa Has Arrived!

Baby Louisa arrived in the early hours (0216 hrs) of 8 December 2007.

(funny....coz that's exactly what we were talking about 1 week ago at Aunty Jenny's poh piah party - That "sekali" Baby Louisa wants 8 Dec).

Mummy pushed Baby Louisa out...after 11 hours of labour (with epidural, of course).

Baby Louisa weighs 3.482kg at birth, and measures 49cm long. Her head circumference is 34.5cm. (Gosh, I'm amazed at how I managed to carry her, esp at the last few weeks of pregnancy - I was still going shopping...remember?. AND how I managed to push her out of me.)

After the delivery, we were finally sent to the ward (Ward 82, Bed 22) at 0400+ hrs. Well, here's Baby Louisa's birth story...

**********

It all started on 5 Dec 2007, Wednesday.

I was on MC that day. Spent the day at home, re-decorating the home and clearing some stuff (strong nesting instinct). Decided to meet up with Daddy for dinner at Causeway Point, despite the VERY VERY heavy rain. Took a bus there (the bus was SUPER crowded, but the driver was nice. He made other passengers give up seat to me before he drove off.)

we had dinner at Siam Kitchen, and I was planning to finish up the ice cream at home for dessert. After dinner, it was a trip to NTUC to get some stuff. Went home, had some coconut juice (supposed to be good for "cleansing" the baby - and it really works!).

Then....at 3am on 6 Dec, I started vomitting really badly. The rest of the day went by, with both of us down with the runs. It was scary. I mean, Baby Louisa is due the next day only! and this has to happen now??

So Daddy took me to the hospital on the night of 6 Dec. I felt really weak (after the runs). I was strapped to the CTG and Baby Louisa's heartbeat was monitored. Hmmmm, heartbeat still VERY strong. Good! We decided that it was best to admit into KKH for monitoring, in case Baby Louisa decides to come out that night, and especially since I am still feeling weak.

7 Dec came....no strong contractions yet. I am STILL 2 cm dilated (an increase of only 0.5cm overnight). How? My gut feeling was telling me that Baby Louisa does not want to come out yet. Not until the week starting 10 Dec. But, 7 Dec is the full 40 weeks of pregnancy. Any later would pose some risks (albeit low). By then, with the drips and the good hospital food (surprising, eh?), I was feeling much stronger.

To induce or to wait....that is the question.

We decided that since Baby Louisa is exactly 40 weeks already, we might as well induce her out. Many others want to carry a foetus till 40 weeks, but don't have the chance to. So what more can we ask for? We shall not complain.

So here goes...

**********

7 Dec 07

1515 hrs: Made decision to induce labour (there goes my dream for a totally NATURAL labour)

1540 hrs: Pushed into the labour ward (nurses found it amusing that I could still be smiling while being wheeled in)

1600 hrs: Gynae bursts waterbag (oooh...so much water)

In the meantime, still SMS-ing my friends.

After waterbg burst, OMG! Strong contractions!! I have never felt such strong contractions before. It was "oooohhhh......" but not those sharp pains kind (so, bearable, in my opinion).

1615 hrs: Epidural administered (ooh...what sweet relief. Pain? What's that? You can pinch me, tickle me...and I won't feel a thing.). Oxytoxcin drip (to induce labour) and other necessary drips administered.

Now, we wait. In the meantime, Daddy arrives, played soothing music for me to relax, he went for his dinner, I had LOTS of sips of water for my dinner and supper.

About 2000 hrs: Baby Louisa's heartbeat dropped suddenly. It was distressing (for me and Baby Louisa). Cried buckets. Doc stopped the oxytoxcin drip as it was probably the cause for the drop in Baby Louisa's heartbeat.

2200 hrs: Still not fully dilated (in between, had a few VEs done, and dilation was around 7 to 8 cm). 2nd dosage of epidural administered.

2330 hrs: Still 9 cm dilated. Baby Louisa also not engaged.

Finally, at about 0210 hrs: Fully dilated. Baby Louisa engaged. Started pushing. Gynae came back in.

8 Dec 07

0216 hrs: Baby Louisa is out!

I am so tired.....

Gynae says she is one clean baby...guess the coconut juice thing really works!

In between all that time, I was SMS-ing friends, watching TV, joking with the nurses, drifting in and out of sleep and suffering from the side effects of the epidural. The nurses couldn't help but laugh..."still can SMS. Still can smile and laugh."

:-)

Baby Registry

Like wedding registries, a baby registry serves the same purpose...to allow friends of the parents to get them stuff that they would prefer to receive (for the baby, of course). (Well, at least they won't be stuck with 30 new sets of newborn clothings etc...hahaha) Not so much of a practice over in this part of the world...

Should I start one? Initially, I had thought of just listing down the stuff I am considering getting for Baby Louisa. But then another thought struck me. What if Baby Louisa received 2 or 3 of the exact same item? Wouldn't that be worse? Besides, starting a baby registry in a particular store, means people would have to go there to pick out their items. More often than not, we find that in Singapore, it is possible to get the same item, at a much cheaper price elsewhere (compared with the store where the registry is located).

Anyway, I'm not sure how a baby registry would go down with some people. So, chuck that idea.
What we have not gotten for Baby Louisa yet though...are these few items:-

(a) Car seat - Saw one (Aprica brand) that is for newborns up to 4 yrs old (or X kg - I can't remember how heavy). Sounds like a good and worthwhile investment, since it can last that long...
(b) Stroller / Pram - The Combi brand seems really light. Will definitely need to get one, just not sure when. Now, I'm worried Baby Louisa's back and neck are still too soft for a stroller. But without one, it may be tiring to carry her around...
(c) Baby bouncer - Fisher price type? Looks really cute. Think she will enjoy the toys hanging there...
(d) Baby thermometer - Braun brand? It looks good. Should we get one now or wait till those post-Christmas sales? Hmmmm....

Just washed the mosquito net last night. Not sure how useful it will be...hahaha.

Oh, Baby Louisa is now 3.3kg...(have I mentioned that earlier?) What would her weight be when she comes out? Would she look like Daddy or Mummy?

Good girl...

Baby Louisa is a good girl. She listens to Mummy....hehs.

Went for gynae visit on Saturday. Still 1.5cm dilated. Hmmm, now it seems like she may wait till after 07 Dec (or so grandpa says).

I'm trying to enjoy the last few days of her kicking from within me...because, once she's out, she won't be kicking me from inside. I'm savouring that ticklish sensation when she moves her arms and feet up and down my left side (yeah, Baby Louisa is lying on her sides, on my right - she's facing my left). Each time she stretches, that lump will "pop" out....oooohhh...so fun!

We (Baby Louisa and Mummy) went shopping again today. Yup, 4 more days to Baby Louisa's arrival and we're still shopping. Hahaha...We bought the Black Wood Fungus, the Huai Shan and more of those bathing herbs. Oh! And we also managed to buy Christmas presents for Baby Louisa's Uncle and Aunty.

Well, as nervousness sets in, Mummy needs to shop to take away the anxiety. Have labelled all the herbs and other food stuff, stuck my "preferred" menu on the fridge, so I think the confinement 'nanny' should be able to handle it. If cannot...then I have nothing to say.

But Baby Louisa has been a very good girl, supporting Mummy in everything Mummy does. The aches and pains in the joints still persist. It's getting increasingly difficult to even get out of bed, just to visit the loo. (of course, the proximity of her cot to my side of the bed is one factor too...). The contractions are getting stronger, but still not close enough to be the real thing. Baby Louisa is still comfy inside Mummy...enjoying herself.

18 More Days

In summary:-

Baby Louisa is now estimated to be 2.9kg (week 37).

Amniotic fluid is sufficient.

She’s not engaged yet (but that does not mean she won’t come out early).

Gynae visits are now every week. Will be put on the CTG this Saturday to monitor her movements...

We collected her cot/cradle yesterday evening. I want to get her a new mattress. Foam should be better than sponge…The sponge mattress can be a spare mattress.

Should I get her a baby bouncer?

Her present for us on our 1st wedding anniversary – lots of BIG movements throughout the day. Hehs. It was fun watching my tummy move (it always is fun…)

And my confinement ‘nanny’ has not stocked up on the essential ingredients for confinement food yet. What if Baby Louisa decides to come out earlier? Maybe I should just take one day’s leave and go get them myself.

Laundry Time!

It's quite fun to be washing Baby Louisa's clothes and towels. heehee...it's ALOT of laundry to do. Given the size (amt of material) of 1 piece of body suit, it's actually a lot of clothes to wash. Only managed to do 1 round over the weekend. [Hmmm, maybe I should load the machine more the next round.]

The clothes are soooo cute!! All so tiny and hanging on the clothes line. heehee...Especially the booties and mittens. It's like, i'm selling mittens! No, there isn't a lot of mittens (probably about 5 pairs - dun need so many, coz babies stop wearing them after a month or so...), but they are just so cute!! Thank God there was strong sun yesterday (SUNday), which helped dry Baby Louisa's clothes.

I used the Kodomo Baby Laundry Detergent. It left the clothes smelling....very "baby-ish". hahahaha...After the wash, all the clothes smelt so..."baby"! Hahaha...

And....I couldn't believe this (neither could Daddy)...I actually took the laundry out of the machine to hang! (Usually it's Daddy who would do that, and I would try to help him out). No prodding or pushing needed. When I heard the machine sing its tune (indicating that the wash is complete), I just went straight for it. hahahahaha....