Many many babies

Yesterday Samuel asked me if I’m having the baby soon. Being concerned that he might not be ready for a baby, I asked him why.

He says he overheard the doctor telling me that if the bleeding doesn’t stop, he would have to take out the baby. So he wants to know if i’m still bleeding. I was stunned. Yikes! He is not even 4! They are not supposed to understand adult conversation!

I told him it is possible that the baby is coming next week. He shouted yay! And then asked if he can have one baby brother, one baby sister and many, many babies. Words failed me.

Where should I have my baby?

Everyone has been asking me how’s the hospital stay. I figured there’s no harm doing a comparison based on my personal experiences since I’ve nothing on, other than waiting to deliver. And it’s probably for a good reference for those who are looking around for their maternity hospital of choice.

Originally I planned to have my delivery at Mount Alvernia – I have very fond memories of my last operation at Mount Alvernia which happened during Christmas. There were christmas choirs and presents, they managed to make me feel homey. However due to complications this time, it’s probably better to stick to the nearest hospital.

Gleneagles Pros

• Food is always sumptuous and fantastic. There is an individual server who leave behind her name on the tray for any feedback. Full course meal and on time. They never miss out your order.

Gleneagles Cons

• Billing is a mess. Long queue at counter and it seems they have messed up most of the customers’ bills from what I heard. They only send bills to the customers who stay in single room. It’s not fair to me because I’m being penalised when they are the one who didn’t had single room for me. Counter staff is rude – They got my bill wrong and instead of apologising, they advised it would take some time to make the revision as they need to check with the ward who apparently is not picking up the calls. I supposed they are used to very rich customers who doesn’t bother with the couple of hundreds’ difference.
• Commuting to the hospital is another challenge. Even when you spend $10 for valet parking, you still need to wait forever for your car to arrive. There is a constant traffic snarl up with high traffic volume.
• Single Room rate is S$546.73 vs. S$530 at TMC. But I realised the bulk of the cost is treatment not room rate.
• Due to the prime location of the hospital, the space is pretty tight. So when you are in labour ward, you get traumatised with the screaming from your neighbour.
• I was placed under continuous electronic fetal monitoring which in my opinion is not effective. The straps attaching the sensor is stiff and it’s causing a lot of discomfort to me. After a day, my skin got irritated and started to itch. My back hurts after being forced to lie in this 45 degrees towards the left posture. The signal kept dropping and apparently they claimed the baby is too small. Most of the time, the monitor is left running detecting my heart rate instead of the baby. The nurse looks annoyed with me whenever they have to adjust the sensor. I’m being reminded not to move, as if that’s possible in that weird posture. Not forgetting, my left hand is tied down with a drip and right arm is secured with a blood pressure cuff wrap. They were not very interested in addressing questions and just insisted I’m having contractions. The reading was only 20 on the monitor and I don’t even feel any tightening.
• For some strange reason, they have a lot more non local nurses. Because of the low nurse to patient ratio, the response is slow and the nurses seem more impatient. With my bedrest, I’m at the mercy to fetch the bedpan. One nurse even asked if I should be going so often in a condescending tone. Isn’t it a common knowledge that pregnant ladies do have to go to the bathroom more frequently!?!

TMC Pros

• Nurses at TMC are friendly, more compassionate and personalised. They conduct random, intermittent fetal monitoring. But they really make sure the monitor is picking the correct heart rate for that half an hour. And even take time to explain the benchmarks for picking up contractions. Similarly they try to arrange me in various postures to catch the fetal heart rate but it’s handled with TLC. The Philips straps with the sensor is somehow softer and doesn’t annoy my skin.
• High nurse to patient ratio. I see at least 4 different nurses at any time in the ward unlike in Gleneagles. It’s especially obvious for me since I’m on bed rest.
• Rooms are much spacious. Even when I didn’t opt for a single room, I get the same service and the space around the bedder is still pretty good. – The bills were sent to my bed so I didn’t had to wait at the counter.
• 2 parking coupons for fixed rate at $3 per day are provided. Valet parking is $2 which is still reasonable.
• I gave them another point for having the nursing directors drop by to gather feedback.

TMC Cons

• They have forgotten my meal on two occasions. Even when asked, it took an hour before the food arrived. The portions are small and bland. I don’t see as much ingredients in contrast to Gleneagles.

First real visit to Dentist

Mummy, please take a photo for me!

With my SIL’s recommendation, I finally make time to book Samuel’s first dental appointment. And of course, it helps a lot with cousin Sophia telling Samuel about her regular dental checks. Apparently she might have even mentioned that’s how she got her dragon teeth. Funny! Samuel has then been bugging me about going to Sophia’s dentist.

When Samuel was much younger, I recalled bringing Samuel to Q&M dental clinic at City Square. (It’s one of those panic sessions after my dad claimed that Samuel might have speech impediment as a result of short tongue. ) But usually I preferred not to go to one of those chain practices (along with raffles medical etc). So as much as the dentist was really nice and good in handling Samuel, I did not make a return visit. Besides. I want to make Samuel’s first visit as memorable as possible. Obviously, another added advantage is the fact that Oral Care Centre at Novena Medical Centre is close to home.

When we were walking to the clinic, Samuel in his usual lazy mood was chanting that he is tired and that he wants to be carried. The moment he saw the huge playroom with extensive toys from the entrance, he run into the clinic like an re-energised bunny. There and then he forgot about the reason why he was there and even needed to be coaxed out of the room when it was his turn.

I was impressed with Dr Ng Jing Jing who even bother to dress up in her cutest outfit with colourful cartoon characters like owls. I guess it makes the dentist less intimating to the kids. And it seems she is a cat lover just like me. All that cat paintings in the dental room cheered up the atmosphere and makes the usual white dental room fun. Honestly I hesitated whenever I have to go to the dentist every 6 months. Even to me, this whole experience was refreshing even to me. I won’t mind going to a fun, colourful dentist if they have my toys too. Too bad it says ‘For children only’ at the reception area.

Samuel need little persuasion to sit on the rocket seat aka dentist chair while we watched him from the bay window seats with cushions. Although he was a little too short to be able to rinse his mouth, he actually allowed them to check his tooth and managed survived the whole polishing ordeal. The dentist seems impressed that he was able to talk so much and that we have already been brushing his teeth. To think that we used to worry that he doesn’t talk well. 😛 But despite all that good oral habits, such as no bottle feeding since 18 months, stopping him from taking too much sugars, he had a little cavity on his front tooth. The dentist has confirmed that he has too tight spacing at his lower jaw area. In another word, it looks like he might need braces when he’s 14. Before then, I have to put in more efforts to floss his teeth to make sure they can last before the adult tooth are in.

Allergies (2 years later)

In an attempt to improve Samuel’s health, we started him with swimming couple of months ago. At the start, it was really hard to stick to the classes with him down with either coughs or flu every 3 to 4 weeks. And by the time, he recovered from one flu, he could be down with another. So months went by, he only had like 3 classes.

Recently it seems to get slightly better. I’m not sure if it’s due to the fact that we started using a blueair purifier or was it the thick wet suit we bought most recently kept him warm. Maybe it could even be the crocodile soup my family brewed for him 2 weeks ago. Either way, I’m happy all efforts are finally paying off. (touch wood!)

I’ve reflected on the numerous trips we made to Emergency ward or GP / Specialist clinic due to Samuel’s health problems. We are either dealing with flu or cough every 3 weeks. Allergy problems definitely come in a bundle. Sensitive lungs, sensitive nose would mean he’s prone to cough and flu on top of eczema. Sensitive skin means he has eczema breakout whenever he has one of these episodes. His eyes are overly sensitive to lights and he is forever rubbing them. If things got out of hand, we might even experience eye infections, dripping nose, coughs inflamed airways, wheezing, lack of oxygen or worse the lungs might be collapsing.

What we have tried so far:

• Prospan cough syrup with Ivy leaf
• Home remedies
• Ventolin/Singulair combo
• Ventolin/Flixotide/Zyrtec/Ketokifen combo
• 猴枣散 (Chinese TCM tonic)
• Herbal Basic TCM
• Crocodile soup

That being said, he’s still on the Flixotide/Zyrtec/Ketokifen allergy meds combo. And I’m hoping the swimming would eventually benefit him as he grow stronger each day.

A series of hospital visits

3 hospital visits in 2 days. 5 hospital visits in 1 month. The additional two visits were for changing his dressing. Our son is getting accident prone. It started with a croup. I suspected it’s the flakes of cobweb dust like particle he had on his hands during our last family photography shoot. The virus infection worsened after 2 days and suddenly he had pneumonia.

I fell sick too and barely recovered before I flew off to US. When I came back, he greeted me with his finger in cast. Apparently he inserted his finger into the treadmill machine. Don’t ask how it happened. My mum has never been to the gym but for some reasons, she decided to check it out with the tot.

He was a brave boy when they washed his wound. I actually feel nauseous and it was really painful to watch. We had to go back twice to get the dressing changed twice in a day and the next. If you can imagine how active he is, you understand how hard it is to keep the dressing dry during showers.

The good thing out of the whole incident is probably the fact that he no longer sucks on his thumb. Keep my fingers crossed that it is kept this way even when the bandages are removed. Whenever I mentioned this, he would playfully lick the bandaged finger.

Potty training

I know I’m one lazy mum; I haven’t started potty training. I bought the equipment, in fact three. Two (Please don’t ask why) potty seats that rest on top of the regular toilet and one that is the mobile standalone type. I was even convinced by a sales lady to buy one of those diaper shorts who supposed to aid potty training because it’s easy to pull down. I read dribs and drabs of how to potty train. Concluded that I think I know what I need and then try it on Samuel almost a year ago. I swear he was having so much fun watching me getting annoyed.

That was when I decided to strip him down to nothing over one weekend and was watching him with my eagle eyes. But obviously whenever I turn away, he decided to pee on the floor. So half a day went by, there is pee in living room, corridor and next to the potty. Needless to say, attempt aborted. Since then, I say to myself he’s not ready and we have no time to potty train. My excuse is that we need a three day together so I could focus on potty training him. And obviously one weekend is only two day which is insufficient. Although since then, I have been talking to him about the toilets and asking him if he wants to pee in one. Accordingly to what I read, you need to get him interested.

Fast forward to today, I came home from work. I hear my mum screaming from the first bathroom for Sam to come take his bath. And I saw Samuel tip toeing away. So I followed him quietly wondering what good is he up to. To my surprise, he tip toed to the 2nd bathroom and stood in the bathroom to pee. I didn’t even know he is capable of doing that! I asked him what he is doing. He was annoyed to found me standing outside the bathroom. Mum came running too and so I repeated what I saw. She immediately praised the boy. She explained how Samuel knows how to remove his diapers and pee but only do it outside of bathroom. No wonder they say when they are ready, they will just do it. So he knows to go bathroom to pee now. I realised in my moment of surprise I have forgotten to praise him. He was so happy and proud of himself. Well done boy!

Home remedies for the sniffles

What they say is so true. The moment they start childcare, it’s non stop viruses and bugs. On an average, I think he’s almost sick biweekly. And I’m not keen for him to be on meds all the time. So the week my parents went away, I decided it’s time to do it my way. The natural way – home remedies.

Honey, lemon and pepper – Stir a spoonful of honey in warm water with a teaspoon of lemon (freshly squeezed). Add a pinch of white pepper if it’s a phlegmy cough. Drink it while it’s warm. Lemons are naturally high in vitamin C and could help with a sore throat. Honey is a natural cough suppressant and I will go organic with the lemon. Please do not give honey to children under the age of one. Get a New Zealand honey with UMF10+ because it has that special UMF antibacterial property certified. This concoction should be had at least thrice a day for at least a week to get rid of phlegm and cough completely. But it’s for not for the faint hearted. By the time, my parents came home 5 days later, Samuel is immediately sent off to the doctor although I actually feel he’s much better.

Garlic – One of the flu fighting food. Needless to say, we all know garlic has all these anti-bacterial, anti-viral and anti-fungal properties.Take 5 cloves of garlic and chop into small bits. Add it to all the dishes you are feeding the baby. Samuel loves it! Note this is more for prevention than cure because raw garlic would have been more effective but it could be too strong for the baby’s sensitive stomach.

Air purifier / humidifier – Add 5 drops of rosemary and 5 drops of tea tree oil to the humidifier. Have both humidifier and air purifier turned on at the same time. The air purifier could help clean the air, preventing any impurities for breathing since babies still lack a fully developed immune or respiratory system. The humidifier is good for relieving congestion and soothing dry nasal passages. This is additional step in relieving symptoms of cold and improving the baby’s sleep so he could get more rest for healing.

Chicken soup is good for the soul

I always wondered why chicken soup is good for the soul. But it actually works more for my soul because as long as it get rids of all the sniffles for Samuel, I’m a happier mum. Besides recent research has proven that homemade Chicken soup really does make you feel better when your sick. It reduces congestion and inflammation by limiting the movement of white blood cells that produce infection-related mucus.

Chicken soup

• Chicken pieces – I prefer the chicken bones and one large breast meat so no chopping is necessary.
• 1 stalk of celery
• 1 large size onion
• 1 large carrot
• 1 small turnip
• 1 tomato
• 2 medium size potatoes
• 5 gloves of garlic (diced)
• 1 tablespoon finely grated ginger
• 1 bunch of coriander, chopped
• A handful of baby pasta shells
• Water

1. Remove all skin and fats from chicken pieces.
2. Add chicken to water and bring to boil. Make sure water is at least one inch over the chicken.
3. Pour away the water and add another 6 – 8 bowls of water and bring to boil again, then lower heat and allow the soup to simmer for at least 90 minutes. Skim off any foam from the surface of the soup as it accumulates.
4. Meanwhile stir fry the diced garlic with 2 teaspoons of olive oil. Add to soup together with potatoes. Simmer for 15 minutes.
5. Add the rest of the ingredients to the mix and continue to simmer until the potatoes turned soft. It took me another hour or so.
6. You could choose to simmer to the right texture of soup or let it cool and put the soup through the blender.

This is a great soup full of antioxidants which can provide great relief from flu. Sipping hot soup could help clear up congestion and it’s especially comforting for Samuel’s dad who was down with flu at the same time. He had 4 bowls of rice with it!

Wheezing

Poor baby contracted another virus again! He kept awake for past 2 nights with the phlegmy coughs and the nose that is dripping like a tap. And yesterday he started wheezing. And so this morning we decided to bring him to doctor. Unfortunately his usual GP (General Practitioner) clinic is closed, we have to see Dr Terence Tan again at Kinder Clinic.

I like Dr Terence Tan. But his clinic is always full of people and the waiting time could varies from 2 to 4 hours. Makes one wondered why are there so many unwell babies, is it really because our Mother earth has became so polluted? The waiting to see him can be a killer. Samuel would be running all over the place in the clinic and might contracted other viruses in the process since his immune system is not really fantastic. And Paediatric doctor is considered a specialist so the costs of seeing a specialist is definitely a lot more than seeing a GP.

Bill for Today: $756.16!!!

Lucky day! We bumped into the Doctor in the lift so was able to get a quick analysis. Just as we suspected, he is definitely wheezing and has to be put on the nebulizer.

This is the second time he is using the nebulizer.

To be frank, I’m not a great fan of all these western medications which I believed might weakened the body in the long run. And look at the list of meds he has to be on 😦

1. Dexchlorphenirame: Running nose
2. Sinuphet: Mucus
3. Rhinathiol Promethazibe: Cough
4. Singulair: Allergies
5. Ventolin: Breathing problems (via nebulizer)
6. Atrovent: Respiratory problems (via nebulizer)
7. Pulmicort: Prevent asthma attacks (via nebulizer)

My original intention is to bring him in to see a TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) doctor. But chinese medication can be a long haul process. While many Chineses believe it can be a cure to the root cause, it is not easy to locate a good TCM in Singapore. I found out there is this Thomson Tcm that is nearby where we live. I will bring Samuel there once his condition stabilises, for wellness or to buildup his immunity system.

Now we have to keep him on nebulizer for 5 days, and Singulair for 3 months. A lab test has been administered to find out more about his virus. Let’s keep our fingers crossed that the lab report has nothing severe. Please get better soon, baby!

P.S. Although Samuel is sick, he was still playing cheekily with the doctor so the doctor can’t help telling us he loves our boy! 🙂

Apple!

Last night he slept with mummy again. We don’t usually have him in our bed but given that daddy is away, there is a lot more space. That’s because Samuel is a horrible sleeper. He turns 360 degrees in his sleep and instead of using a pillow. He prefers human pillows, that is sleeping horizontally on the bed with his body across mine. It was mainly due to convenience of checking on him that I decided to have him in my bed; he came down with a flu again. All the coughing and running nose is affecting his sleep.

To aid his breathing, I had the diffuser on with rosemary essential oil which seems to help because he woke up later than his usual timing of 7am and seems refreshed.

The first thing he said was “Mama, mum mum (baby talk for eat)”. And so I carried him to the kitchen for breakfast.

And to my surprise again, he loudly exclaimed “Ap..ple!” upon seeing the apples lying around on the kitchen counter. We clapped as always to encourage him and he repeatedly proudly again and again.

An apple a day keeps the doctor away. But in Samuel’s case, too much apples gave him constipation. So apples are not usually my preferred food for him. I don’t recalled teaching him apple at all. Is this again from the school? Impressive!

Note: Later Daddy read this blog and insisted he was the one that taught Samuel the “Apple” word. So let me include a photo for his credit. 😉