- Light reflex Checked
- Startle reflex Checked
- Babinski reflex Checked
- Movement of arms and legs without bodily movement Checked
- Birth cry and crying Checked
- Grasp reflex Checked
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Evaluation of a newborn
I have started to read a Glenn Doman book recently, which talks about how to nurture and develop a baby's potential. In one of the first chapters, it mentions the various stages of development and how to evaluate the basic functions of a newborn baby. It may be a little late now that Ian is already one month old, but I know that I could already skip some of these 'tests' as Ian has been demonstrating that he has already passed those 'tests'.
Monday, April 28, 2008
"I Am One Month Old"
Yesterday was our boy's full month. How did he spend this day?
First thing in the morning, we fed him and bathed him. Then, hubby packed all the things that we needed to bring to the chalet. After everything was done, we proceeded to my Mom's place where we offered incense to my ancestors. We also snipped off a few strands of Ian's hair as a symbolic gesture. My Mom gave Ian a jade bagua pendent that hubby pinned to his romper, and also an anklet. Earlier on, she has bought an abacus gold chain which has already been given to us.
Once the prayers were done, we proceeded to collect the extra 'finger food' (chocolate éclairs and cream puffs) for the buffet from Pine Gardens at AMK.
It took a while at the shop, but once we got our food, we went to hubby's parents'. Alas! They were not at home when we arrived, so we went down to have our lunch. When we returned, hubby's parents set up the altar with the anggi, red eggs and cakes which we brought along. We prayed to the ancestors and then waited for the family to prepare themselves to go out.
It was 2.30pm when we finally reached the chalet at East Coast Parkway. The cakes from Sweetest Moments had arrived for some time. The uncle had kindly waited for us and also delivered them to the main lobby for us. We finally settled down into the chalet after some time.
When the last guests left, it was almost 11pm. We were totally exhausted by then. We quickly showered, wiped Ian's face and body, then slept. ZZZzzz....
First thing in the morning, we fed him and bathed him. Then, hubby packed all the things that we needed to bring to the chalet. After everything was done, we proceeded to my Mom's place where we offered incense to my ancestors. We also snipped off a few strands of Ian's hair as a symbolic gesture. My Mom gave Ian a jade bagua pendent that hubby pinned to his romper, and also an anklet. Earlier on, she has bought an abacus gold chain which has already been given to us.
Once the prayers were done, we proceeded to collect the extra 'finger food' (chocolate éclairs and cream puffs) for the buffet from Pine Gardens at AMK.
It took a while at the shop, but once we got our food, we went to hubby's parents'. Alas! They were not at home when we arrived, so we went down to have our lunch. When we returned, hubby's parents set up the altar with the anggi, red eggs and cakes which we brought along. We prayed to the ancestors and then waited for the family to prepare themselves to go out.
It was 2.30pm when we finally reached the chalet at East Coast Parkway. The cakes from Sweetest Moments had arrived for some time. The uncle had kindly waited for us and also delivered them to the main lobby for us. We finally settled down into the chalet after some time.
Ian waiting for guests to come...
A little gift for our guests...
The guests started to arrive from 3pm onwards. The total guests were estimated to be around 90 plus, and it was with regret that a few did not turn up at the last minute although most of them had kindly bothered to inform. It was great to see many people whom we have not met for ages, but regrettably we didn't have much chance to really catch up with most of them. However, we were really happy that these friends and relatives had taken such trouble to come all the way to share our joy. Thank you!
Piles of gifts for Ian
When the last guests left, it was almost 11pm. We were totally exhausted by then. We quickly showered, wiped Ian's face and body, then slept. ZZZzzz....
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Confinement DIY
It has been 4 days since the confinement lady left and I have managed to 'survive' till this day, doing my own confinement. It was good that for the first 2 days, hubby was around at home to help out, which eased me gradually into my 'battle mode' when he went back to work.
We had a lengthy discussion before asking the CL to leave, as he was afraid that I could not cope with a wailing baby and housework. And because I was supposed to be doing confinement, I could not go over to my Mom's place so that she could settle the meals for me (one less burden on my side). Anyhow, without a stranger around in the house, my freedom is back!
Since the first day, I have broken most of the traditional confinement rules, like no touching of water, no bathing, no cold drinks, etc etc. It appears that most gynaes do not advocate doing confinement, and during Mrs Wong's class, she has mentioned that rules like no bathing has no evidence to support it. My gynae also said that there's no truth in the old belief that during confinement, one must eat tons of ginger to get rid of the 'wind'. Anyway, to make myself feel better, I am trying to eat more nutritious food for these last few days.
Counting down to Friday which marks the end of my confinement! (28 days since Ian's birth, no?)
We had a lengthy discussion before asking the CL to leave, as he was afraid that I could not cope with a wailing baby and housework. And because I was supposed to be doing confinement, I could not go over to my Mom's place so that she could settle the meals for me (one less burden on my side). Anyhow, without a stranger around in the house, my freedom is back!
Since the first day, I have broken most of the traditional confinement rules, like no touching of water, no bathing, no cold drinks, etc etc. It appears that most gynaes do not advocate doing confinement, and during Mrs Wong's class, she has mentioned that rules like no bathing has no evidence to support it. My gynae also said that there's no truth in the old belief that during confinement, one must eat tons of ginger to get rid of the 'wind'. Anyway, to make myself feel better, I am trying to eat more nutritious food for these last few days.
Counting down to Friday which marks the end of my confinement! (28 days since Ian's birth, no?)
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Ian Can Lift His Head
I have read in the forums that some mummies put their babies on their tummies. If the baby is able to lift his head, then the next phase will be crawling. Today, I tried putting Ian face down on my tummy and he lifted his head to look around. Hoping to see him crawling soon!
By the way, Ian seems to be going through a growth spurt period. He wakes up for a feed at every 3-4 hours, even at night. Normally, he is a good boy who will sleep through the night so that Daddy and Mummy can rest well. However, he has waken up 2 times just last night. And when he demands for his milk, he will cry fiercely and arch his back, making it hard to hold him down.
Parenthood is tough.
By the way, Ian seems to be going through a growth spurt period. He wakes up for a feed at every 3-4 hours, even at night. Normally, he is a good boy who will sleep through the night so that Daddy and Mummy can rest well. However, he has waken up 2 times just last night. And when he demands for his milk, he will cry fiercely and arch his back, making it hard to hold him down.
Parenthood is tough.
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
My First Postnatal Gynae Visit - 7 April
For the first time in the last 10 months, I walked into Dr Tan's clinic in a non-pregnant state. It felt a bit weird to look at other preggies waiting for their turns, even though I looked like 4-month pregnant myself.
As we had booked the last appointment slot, our turn came pretty fast. I was expecting some discomfort when Dr Tan removed the stitches, because somebody had told me that it would be so. However, it didn't hurt at all. After the stitches were removed, it felt so much better and I could walk more like a normal person. So much so for the past 1 week of 'torture'. The wound was healing well though.
Will need to go back for another checkup in 6 weeks' time.
As we had booked the last appointment slot, our turn came pretty fast. I was expecting some discomfort when Dr Tan removed the stitches, because somebody had told me that it would be so. However, it didn't hurt at all. After the stitches were removed, it felt so much better and I could walk more like a normal person. So much so for the past 1 week of 'torture'. The wound was healing well though.
Will need to go back for another checkup in 6 weeks' time.
The Cord
Ian's umbilical cord has dropped off on 6th April, 2008.
Our Baby 'surrenders' on 5th April, 2008... So CUTE!!!
Friday, April 4, 2008
What is in a name?
Baby Ian at day 6The meaning of Ian is God is gracious, or God's gracious gift.
The origin of the name is Scottish.
Pronounced as "EE-an".
~~~~~~~~
沈 逸 安
逸 : Comfort, at ease; unconventionally noble and graceful安 : Heavenly peace
Counting by the number of strokes theory...Each 格 foretells different aspects of a person's destiny and fate. Referenced from The Book of Chinese Names.
Counting by the number of strokes theory...Each 格 foretells different aspects of a person's destiny and fate. Referenced from The Book of Chinese Names.
天 格 : 8 + 1 = 9 (Bad)
This refers to the surname, and foretells the fate that came with birth.
人 格 : 15 + 8 = 23 (Good)
This refers to the overall fate or destiny.
地 格 ： 15 + 6 = 21 (Good)
This determines the immediate relations with people around, including colleagues, spouses, children and other family members.
总 格 ： 8 + 15 + 6 = 29 (Good)
This foretells life after 35 years old.
外 格 ： (29 - 23) + 1 = 7 (Good)
This refers to the relationship with individuals at large in the society as a whole.This refers to the surname, and foretells the fate that came with birth.
人 格 : 15 + 8 = 23 (Good)
This refers to the overall fate or destiny.
地 格 ： 15 + 6 = 21 (Good)
This determines the immediate relations with people around, including colleagues, spouses, children and other family members.
总 格 ： 8 + 15 + 6 = 29 (Good)
This foretells life after 35 years old.
外 格 ： (29 - 23) + 1 = 7 (Good)
7: Energetic, intelligent and decisive. Your sense of good judgement will help you in all business ventures.
9: A man of many talents but lack of opportunities prevent these talents to be exploited. With no benefactors and poor human relations, the road to success is blocked. (Bad)
21: The Plum-blossom blooms grew through the winter frosts and be the first to bloom among the hundreds flowers. The ability to endure hardships pave the way to success.
23: The morning sun rises and brightens the sky. Fame spreads in all directions and success is attained in all.
29: The clouds swirl in the sky, the dragon flies to heaven. One achieves success by using wisdom and strategies.
Thanks to All
Baby Ian at day 5Some updates...
We were discharged on Monday afternoon, after our PD Dr Ong gave the green light. Ian was having slight jaundice, measuring 8-9. His weight has dropped to around 2.9kg, but that is normal for a newborn.
He has been sunbathing every morning since home and has been to his first PD visit yesterday to check his jaundice level. The clinic checked his weight (~3.15kg) and head circumference (34cm) before we saw the PD. While hubby went downstairs to make his birth certificate, I carried Ian into the laboratory where the technician jabbed his heel to draw some blood. It was the first time that I witnessed him crying so painfully. He was struggling. But thankfully, he stopped crying after a short while. There are more jabs to come when he goes for his other immunisation injections. Though it pains our hearts, it is for his own good.
We waited at Dr Ong's clinic for over 20mins to get the jaundice test results. As of yesterday morning, the level was ~13 which was still acceptable for a 5 day old infant. We must continue to sunbathe him and monitor for the week. If the stool is greyish or the urine is not pale-yellowish, then we must bring him back immediately.
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Introducing Baby Ian To The World!
On 28th March, just before going to bed, I was having the mild cramp-like sensations again but it didn't feel regular. We were supposed to see Dr Tan on the next morning for our routine checkup. Hubby packed the hospital bag again so that we could bring it along, just in case I had to be admitted for anything. We went to bed at around 12.30am.
29th March At around 2am, I was awakened from my sleep by tummy ache. It was feeling really bad and I thought I had to go to the toilet. Just as I was trying to get up (with back numbed from lying down for too long), I felt water tickling down. Hubby sensed my movements and helped me up immediately. After I got off the bed, I saw some bloody stains on the bedsheet and realised that my water bag had burst! I couldn't believe that my water bag would burst at week 37 and 4 days. After our gynae visit on last Sat, we had thought that our baby would not arrive until near to the EDD, since he was not even engaged yet.
I was a bit panicky because I had thought that the amniotic fluid should be clear in colour and not bloody like mine. I was worried that something bad might have happened to our baby as I was not sure whether a bloody amniotic fluid was normal. Anyway, it had happened and hubby immediately got up to change and took all the things we needed to bring to hospital. No time to waste! And it was indeed fortunate that he had just packed almost everything for the hospital bag. I grabbed a dress for hospital discharge which he threw into the bag and we left our house. It was around 2.30-2.45am.
Hubby sped down to TMC. My amniotic fluid was still leaking along the way and I was quite soaked by the time we reached, which was around 3am. The contractions got more and more regular too. (By the way, it was the first time that we didn't have any problem finding a parking lot in TMC.)
We were brought to the labour ward on the 2nd floor by a security guard and I was given a bed near to the door. The other 2 beds in the room were occupied. Hubby left all our belongings next to the bed and he was brought downstairs to do the admission. I was asked to change into the hospital gown. The toilet seat was already stained with blood and there were droplets of blood stains on the floor too. I guessed the nurses were too busy to keep the place clean as there were apparently quite a few mothers in labour at that time. It was quite scary as I didn't know what to expect next. My contractions was getting worse but it was still manageable at that point in time. I walked back to the bed and laid down. The neighbour opposite me seemed to be suffering a lot. For some reason, her hubby had not arrived. She was moaning in great pain and it affected me somewhat, making me nervous too.
There were probably many people delivering on that morning, because the nurses didn't really bother about me. I could hear baby cries on and off too. My contractions seemed to worsen as time passed and finally, a nurse came to check my temperature and pressure. I was given an enema soon after and had to visit the loo. I took a little shower to ease the contraction pain as it was getting more and more intense. It got so painful that I was finding it hard to get back to the bed and my legs were starting to tremble too. I kept the shower on until the interval between the contractions came. Then, I quickly made my way back to the bed and laid down. The nurse did a cervix check and said that it was "still early", meaning that the dilation was only about 1cm.
Hubby was nowhere to be found at that time and the moanings from the opposite bed made it hard for me to concentrate on the breathing techniques that I had learned. I felt nauseous from the contraction pain and asked for the gas mask. It did not help initially and the mask didn't really smell that great either. However, as the pain got more and more intense, I started to breathe deeply and tried to concentrate on breathing. I also asked the nurse for my husband and could hear them calling out for him in their PA system. They also called his hp number.
Sometime later, I overheard someone asking for epidural. She or her hubby was asked to sign something as epidural had its side-effects. Soon, the doctor came to administer the epidural. The nurse asked her to keep very still or else it would be dangerous. Soon after this, I stopped hearing any moaning and heard the couple chit-chatting. I thought to myself "Wow" and was tempted to ask for epidural too. However, the harder I breathed, the drowsier I felt and I actually slipped off to sleep on and off between the contractions. Hubby came some time later and helped me hold onto the gas mask. According to him, it was almost 5am as he was stuck at the admission counter for a very long time for some dumb reason.
I was supposed to use the gas mask only when the contraction came, but it felt so much better with the gas mask on all the time that I did not allow my hubby to take the mask away from me. It was like narcotics! I was addicted to the mask and fell asleep in between the contractions. Even when the pain came back, I felt only semi-conscious.
At around 7am, a nurse came back to check on me. I was woken up from my sleep, but still felt drowsy. After she checked my cervix, she asked my hubby to wait outside as they needed to prepare the bed and push me to the delivery ward. I was a bit surprised and asked her how many cm? She said I was 8cm dilated already! I asked her "Is it too late for epidural?".
She answered "Yes". Gosh! I had wanted to succumb to epidural when I was about 4cm dilated, because the pain was getting really unbearable. I had heard that if the epidural was administered too early, the delivery might end up with forceps/vacuum and thus, I had willed myself to endure the early stage.
They took the mask off me and pushed my bed straight to the delivery ward. I was yearning for the gas. Upon reaching the delivery ward, the midwives and nurses set up the bed and stirrups and asked my hubby to fix the gas for me. It was a relief to have the gas back. It was like opium to me. As I felt that I had already reached the limit of my endurance, the nurse offered to give me a jab on the bum. I agreed immediately as anything that helped was most welcomed! (I was very relieved to be told later by the midwives that in this hospital, only Dr Tan and Dr LC Cheng do not use pethidine as a pain relief drug. ) Hubby stood by my side and kept encouraging me that I could do it! His presence helped tremendously.
The nurses told my hubby to go and have his breakfast as Dr Tan would only arrive in an hour's time. Hubby said that it was fortunate that he didn't listen to them. He only managed to gulp down a cup of milo at the family lounge and when he was back, Dr Tan was there.
The pain was really bad and the worst of all was, Dr Tan asked that the mask be removed from me. She asked me to push very hard when the contraction came. I tried a few times but it was not going anywhere. Then, I saw her getting her equipments like needles, scissors, etc. Hubby immediately asked me not to look. I shut my eyes and focused on breathing. When the team heard from the CTG machine that my contraction was coming, everyone came back to my side and started to shout "PUSH". Hubby supported me by my side and shouted along with them. He was pushing my head down and the midwives were pushing on my tummy to help the baby out. Hubby kept encouraging me "You can do it!" and at times, all I could hear was his voice. It was my greatest fortune to have him by my side. After about 6 or 9 pushes, I felt our baby come out and heard his cries. It was 7.53am. He was 3.135kg, and 49cm long. Head circumference was 33cm.
(Hubby, just want to thank you for being there. I could not have done it without your support!)
Hubby didn't get a chance to cut the umbilical cord. After it was cut, the cord blood was collected. After the placenta was out too, Dr Tan pushed out the blood clots. The cramps were still there and it still hurt until she gave me painkillers. I could still feel my uterus contracting a little until the painkillers took effect. After they had cleaned up our baby, he was brought back to me. The lactation consultant was also there to help me start latching on for the first time. After I had managed to latch him on for a while, he was pushed back to the nursery because the room was too cold.
We stayed there until 1.30pm before I was pushed to my ward. Apparently, the hospital was fully occupied that morning. My mom came to visit me while we were still in the delivery ward and the midwife made an exception for her to enter.
Anyway, introducing our little darling - Ian!
29th March At around 2am, I was awakened from my sleep by tummy ache. It was feeling really bad and I thought I had to go to the toilet. Just as I was trying to get up (with back numbed from lying down for too long), I felt water tickling down. Hubby sensed my movements and helped me up immediately. After I got off the bed, I saw some bloody stains on the bedsheet and realised that my water bag had burst! I couldn't believe that my water bag would burst at week 37 and 4 days. After our gynae visit on last Sat, we had thought that our baby would not arrive until near to the EDD, since he was not even engaged yet.
I was a bit panicky because I had thought that the amniotic fluid should be clear in colour and not bloody like mine. I was worried that something bad might have happened to our baby as I was not sure whether a bloody amniotic fluid was normal. Anyway, it had happened and hubby immediately got up to change and took all the things we needed to bring to hospital. No time to waste! And it was indeed fortunate that he had just packed almost everything for the hospital bag. I grabbed a dress for hospital discharge which he threw into the bag and we left our house. It was around 2.30-2.45am.
Hubby sped down to TMC. My amniotic fluid was still leaking along the way and I was quite soaked by the time we reached, which was around 3am. The contractions got more and more regular too. (By the way, it was the first time that we didn't have any problem finding a parking lot in TMC.)
We were brought to the labour ward on the 2nd floor by a security guard and I was given a bed near to the door. The other 2 beds in the room were occupied. Hubby left all our belongings next to the bed and he was brought downstairs to do the admission. I was asked to change into the hospital gown. The toilet seat was already stained with blood and there were droplets of blood stains on the floor too. I guessed the nurses were too busy to keep the place clean as there were apparently quite a few mothers in labour at that time. It was quite scary as I didn't know what to expect next. My contractions was getting worse but it was still manageable at that point in time. I walked back to the bed and laid down. The neighbour opposite me seemed to be suffering a lot. For some reason, her hubby had not arrived. She was moaning in great pain and it affected me somewhat, making me nervous too.
There were probably many people delivering on that morning, because the nurses didn't really bother about me. I could hear baby cries on and off too. My contractions seemed to worsen as time passed and finally, a nurse came to check my temperature and pressure. I was given an enema soon after and had to visit the loo. I took a little shower to ease the contraction pain as it was getting more and more intense. It got so painful that I was finding it hard to get back to the bed and my legs were starting to tremble too. I kept the shower on until the interval between the contractions came. Then, I quickly made my way back to the bed and laid down. The nurse did a cervix check and said that it was "still early", meaning that the dilation was only about 1cm.
Hubby was nowhere to be found at that time and the moanings from the opposite bed made it hard for me to concentrate on the breathing techniques that I had learned. I felt nauseous from the contraction pain and asked for the gas mask. It did not help initially and the mask didn't really smell that great either. However, as the pain got more and more intense, I started to breathe deeply and tried to concentrate on breathing. I also asked the nurse for my husband and could hear them calling out for him in their PA system. They also called his hp number.
Sometime later, I overheard someone asking for epidural. She or her hubby was asked to sign something as epidural had its side-effects. Soon, the doctor came to administer the epidural. The nurse asked her to keep very still or else it would be dangerous. Soon after this, I stopped hearing any moaning and heard the couple chit-chatting. I thought to myself "Wow" and was tempted to ask for epidural too. However, the harder I breathed, the drowsier I felt and I actually slipped off to sleep on and off between the contractions. Hubby came some time later and helped me hold onto the gas mask. According to him, it was almost 5am as he was stuck at the admission counter for a very long time for some dumb reason.
I was supposed to use the gas mask only when the contraction came, but it felt so much better with the gas mask on all the time that I did not allow my hubby to take the mask away from me. It was like narcotics! I was addicted to the mask and fell asleep in between the contractions. Even when the pain came back, I felt only semi-conscious.
At around 7am, a nurse came back to check on me. I was woken up from my sleep, but still felt drowsy. After she checked my cervix, she asked my hubby to wait outside as they needed to prepare the bed and push me to the delivery ward. I was a bit surprised and asked her how many cm? She said I was 8cm dilated already! I asked her "Is it too late for epidural?".
She answered "Yes". Gosh! I had wanted to succumb to epidural when I was about 4cm dilated, because the pain was getting really unbearable. I had heard that if the epidural was administered too early, the delivery might end up with forceps/vacuum and thus, I had willed myself to endure the early stage.
They took the mask off me and pushed my bed straight to the delivery ward. I was yearning for the gas. Upon reaching the delivery ward, the midwives and nurses set up the bed and stirrups and asked my hubby to fix the gas for me. It was a relief to have the gas back. It was like opium to me. As I felt that I had already reached the limit of my endurance, the nurse offered to give me a jab on the bum. I agreed immediately as anything that helped was most welcomed! (I was very relieved to be told later by the midwives that in this hospital, only Dr Tan and Dr LC Cheng do not use pethidine as a pain relief drug. ) Hubby stood by my side and kept encouraging me that I could do it! His presence helped tremendously.
The nurses told my hubby to go and have his breakfast as Dr Tan would only arrive in an hour's time. Hubby said that it was fortunate that he didn't listen to them. He only managed to gulp down a cup of milo at the family lounge and when he was back, Dr Tan was there.
The pain was really bad and the worst of all was, Dr Tan asked that the mask be removed from me. She asked me to push very hard when the contraction came. I tried a few times but it was not going anywhere. Then, I saw her getting her equipments like needles, scissors, etc. Hubby immediately asked me not to look. I shut my eyes and focused on breathing. When the team heard from the CTG machine that my contraction was coming, everyone came back to my side and started to shout "PUSH". Hubby supported me by my side and shouted along with them. He was pushing my head down and the midwives were pushing on my tummy to help the baby out. Hubby kept encouraging me "You can do it!" and at times, all I could hear was his voice. It was my greatest fortune to have him by my side. After about 6 or 9 pushes, I felt our baby come out and heard his cries. It was 7.53am. He was 3.135kg, and 49cm long. Head circumference was 33cm.
(Hubby, just want to thank you for being there. I could not have done it without your support!)
Hubby didn't get a chance to cut the umbilical cord. After it was cut, the cord blood was collected. After the placenta was out too, Dr Tan pushed out the blood clots. The cramps were still there and it still hurt until she gave me painkillers. I could still feel my uterus contracting a little until the painkillers took effect. After they had cleaned up our baby, he was brought back to me. The lactation consultant was also there to help me start latching on for the first time. After I had managed to latch him on for a while, he was pushed back to the nursery because the room was too cold.
We stayed there until 1.30pm before I was pushed to my ward. Apparently, the hospital was fully occupied that morning. My mom came to visit me while we were still in the delivery ward and the midwife made an exception for her to enter.
Anyway, introducing our little darling - Ian!
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