My First Manicure

Ah.. so siok. I just had my first manicure session with my YiYi. Life is just so wonderful. There I was, lying down comfortably on my bed after my 90ml feed, and having my beloved auntie trimming my soft little fingernails.

Everyone was so fearful that I will scratched myself whenever they see my boxing gloves off my hands. But I'm an active baby. Loved to dance, swing my arms, kick the blanket and turn around. Don't the audience enjoy collecting items from the superstar?? Here's my mitten, can add on to your collection =)

Simply milk

Daddy Mummy have decided to bottle feed me instead of direct breastfeeding. Mummy said my tiny little princess mouth finds it difficult to latch onto the areola. As a result, Mummy has to work doubly hard to pump out her milk and keep them refrigerated for me. Mummy had been feeling very bad to resort to bottle feeding, but Daddy cheekily claimed that it's a good avenue for him to bond with me instead =)

Daddy Mummy went shopping for milk bags at Marina Square on Sunday. Goodness, these storage bags ain't cheap, but daddy bought a box to try nevertheless. Auntie Su Yin dropped by later in the evening. She bought a book for mummy, "What to Expect: The First Year". She says it is a "bible" for first time Daddies and Mummies, and Daddy need to finish reading it to help Mummy. Go Daddy, you can do it, it is only 783pages!! =)

The next day, Auntie Guiwei, Uncle Royce, Chang En Cheh Cheh came over to visit. Auntie Guiwei was very nice and shared a lot of her motherhood experience. The secrets to milk production lies with 1 pot of fish soup a day, coupled with lots of hot milo. Haha, this sounds weird, but apparantly many people said the same thing about milo. I wonder if it has to do with the similarity in their spelling, mil-K and mil-O, and then upon drinking, you will definitely win the knock-out (KO) . Anyway, Auntie Guiwei also gave us a box of milk liner and 8 glass bottles for storing milk. This somehow relieved Mummy of the stress over milk storage and can continue to pump more milk for me with ease.

Thanks Mummy, for the most nutritious food ever! Last measured two days ago, I was 4.2kg and 56cm in length. I am growing!! Of course, with the growth, my appetite also increased. I'm currently drinking 80ml per meal. Yummy!!

Clinic Visiting Day (8 May 09)

Today, Daddy and Mummy brought me out to two places, Thomson Plaza and Toa Payoh. You must be thinking "wah, so loving, bring baby out for gai gai". No... The fact is, we went to Thomson Plaza for Mummy to see Dr Goh, so that he can check if Mummy is ok after delivering me. This is the first time I dropped by Dr Goh's clinic, although Mummy claimed that I had been there a lot of times, and they had been looking at me through Dr Goh's scanner many time. Dr Goh seems a very nice uncle, he also carried me and we took a photo together. =)



After visiting Dr Goh, we went to the "evil cheh cheh" place again, Dr Heng's clinic. Mummy said that I had borderline high level of don't know what john dice (jaundice), I think it is because Uncle Johnson, Daddy's cousin, threw too many dice, resulting in me having to visit Dr Heng again. Anyway, Dr Heng poked my leg again!! OUCH!! Evil Cheh Cheh!! =(

Luckily, this time, they told me my "john dice" level had went down, so I hope I will not be poked, if not I will be pain pain again next visit. =(

When we get home, I finally got a chance to take photo with Yi Po. See, she is such a nice and pretty Yi Po right? =)



At night, Ye Ye also came to visit me. He had longed to carry me since the visit at the hospital. But he never carried me earlier because he was a little dirty after work, he did not want to make me dirty or sick. Soooo sweet is my Ye Ye. I also took a picture with him, and somehow, it looks like both Ye Ye and Yi Po took picture at the same position? =)

Daddy Went Back to Work (7 May 09)

The day started as a sad sad day, because my Daddy has to go back to work. His leave ended yesterday, and cannot accompany me whole day anymore. This really dampened my day, and I cannot do anything about it, other than to drink more milk to "drown my sorrows".

Because I need the extra milk to help me forget Daddy's absence, Mummy has to work double hard. In fact, the moment Daddy left, I started to drink for like 1hr, so that there is enough milk to make me sleep, to make me forget that I missed Daddy. Mummy told me it shocked her, for she did not expect to have so many feeding sessions that need her to work for more than 45min... Poor Mummy, but you cannot blame me, it is Daddy's fault.

In the afternoon, there were some hampers sent to the house, courtesy of Daddy's colleagues. Mummy said these are gift hampers for newborns, so it turned my mood the other way round. I was very happy! There were diapers, some clothings, and such in the hampers. Mummy's colleague, Mdm Chang, came to visit me also. She brought along gifts from Mummy's school, and guess what, more diapers! I was sooooo happy, for this means that Daddy and Mummy has to spend lesser to buy night disposable diapers for me, then they can save the money to buy more toys for me! Yay!! =P







Daddy came home rather late, he said he has a lot of work to do, as he did not go back office for quite some time. Because he came back so late, I started to miss him again in the late afternoon, and began on my drinking spree... Sigh, poor Mummy. You are the best!! Daddy naughty!! =P

An Eventful Day...

Wah... I really must say, today (5 May 09, Daddy say today also is Navy Day) is a very eventful day and a lot of things happened. Painful thing, happy things.

Today Daddy and Mummy had to take me to visit Dr Heng, my first PD. It is supposed to be a routine check up, and we have to reach there at 11am. And guess what, Daddy left the packing to the last minute, and being a first time parent, he really did not know what to bring out. I saw him panicking here and there, trying to crack his head on what to bring. He almost forgotten to bring one most important thing to me, which is my diaper... haha.

Reaching Dr Heng's clinic, Daddy was sad to know that only Mummy can company me in. Yah, it is because of Lynn cheh cheh, all her H1N1 flu thingy loh, make the clinic allowing only one adult to company me in. But who knows, the next thing that happened, was very very painful...

OUCH!! Dr Heng poked something into my right leg, similar to the one in MAH. Now I remember, she is the "evil cheh cheh" who made me pain pain. Mummy say she is not evil, and in fact, she is trying to help me by checking my blood. The sharp sharp thing that she poked in, supposed to take out some of my blood for test don't know what jaundice thing one. But it was really painful, I saw my own blood, and it was scary...

After the clinic, we went to Er Gu Ma (second grand-aunt)'s house. I saw my cousin, Shervel there. My, she is much bigger than me. But of course, she is 7 months older. I must say I like her hair style, one look everyone will know she has a lot of hair! At there, Mummy managed to catch some lost sleep, and only to wake up in time to bring me for the lactation consultation at MAH with Sister Kang. The best thing is, Er Gu Ma gave me my very first red packet!! I was soooooo happy. =)

After that, we went to MAH to see Sister Kang, who also made me very happy. She managed to help Mummy to clear the engorgement problem, and I finally got breastmilk to drink!! So sweet is the milk, that I refused to let go even when Sister kang say need to change side... Woooh, glad Mummy chose to press on, to let me have the best milk in the world!! =)

Once home, I can see Mummy very much more relaxed. She seemed to have stressed too much over the last few days of feeding. She tried at every single feeding session to latch me, but my small small mouth just cannot "cup" into the aeorla area, which made me impatient with food and cried a lot. This made Mummy very sad and unhappy with herself for not able to feed me... Naughty me, never consider Mummy's feeling. Sorry Mummy!!

First Few Days at Home

Daddy told me, that Mummy is the greatest person on Earth to me. And I really had for myself to see what he meant by this in the first few days of my stay at home.

During the stay in the hospital, Mummy had been breastfeeding me with the help from the nurse cheh cheh. Everything went on well. But after we were discharge and reach home, Mummy had difficulties in feeding me. She encountered difficulties in getting me to latch on, and thus leading to me crying due to hunger. I still remember, on the first night, Daddy had to drive out to the 24hr Cold Storage, at 11+pm, just to buy milk powder for me, for fear of me starving. Luckily Yi-Po was there also, to give encouragement to Mummy.

And mind you, it was not just once or twice that I didn't managed to latch for feeding, and goodness, Mummy was so stress about that. After the first feed of the formula milk (Daddy bought Friso for me, as he say no money to buy Similac, which I wonder why. Nonetheless, Friso was quite nice also, I finished in few gulps), I went to sleep. But Mummy and Daddy didn't managed to. Mummy got very upset. She blamed herself for being a lousy mum who cannot do the simplest thing such as to feed her daughter (me). She broke down, and cried for the next two hours, so badly that her eyes were swollen on the next morning.

I felt bad, but I really did not know how to communicate to Mummy, telling her that it is ok. But I really tried telling her, I went "Wah, Wah, Wah", in which I meant "Mummy, no sad". In my world, my dictionary is confined to "wah", for I cannot show that I am a very intelligent kid who knows more than that. Give me a few years, I will show you my intelligence. =)

Anyway, things just did not go well for the next two days, and Mummy got into engorgement, and it was harder for me to latch. My tiny weeny mouth just cannot gulp onto the aeorla. =(

Daddy was very sad that Mummy feel sad, and he went on to find research, and went to buy cold cabbage, buy nipple shield, make warm towel, just for Mummy to try to continue feed me. Alas, none of them work. They decide to take Uncle Alphonsus' advice, to seek help from Sister Kang, who is a Lactation Consultant from MAH.

Oh, one important thing that I didn't elaborate. Yi-Po shifted in from the day we arrived back from MAH, to help Mummy to take care of me. She was the one who showered me, clean me, cooked for Mummy, and gave me all the love that I need when Mummy was down. I really must say "Thank you and I love you Yi Po!!". =)

2 May 09, Going Home...

I had one day of extra stay in MAH, as Dr Heng, my first pediatrician (PD), says that my jaundice level is high (10.2, she say more than 10 must stay). But on 2 May, I finally got to go home, yay!! =)

Daddy drove, so he quickly rushed to get the car to the hospital entrance, so that I do not have to go into the sun. According to him, that was my first, and last ride in his Mitsubishi Lancer, shown in the picture below.



The journey home was smooth, as Daddy tried his very best to drive slow and safe. Thanks Daddy! =)

Upon reaching home, I was tucked into bed. I really have no idea, why I perpetually is tired all the time. I spent my time in hospital, and on the car, sleeping (other than feeding time). But the expert say, baby need more sleep, for they will become more clever in the future woah. I am just preparing for the future, to be the next Einstein you see. =)

Daddy and Mummy bought this super nice baby cot for me, with lots of Baby Pooh pictures, very very cute. You can see, I am comfortably tucked in, to sleep (yet again)... =P

The Stay in Mount Alvernia Hospital

Oh, I think I mentioned that I was born in Mt Alvernia Hospital right? Yah, I love that place. I love how the aunties (nurses) helped me pompom, change, and giving me a wonderful sleeping condition in the nursery. I also like the warmness of the room that Mummy stayed in. She was afraid that I will be cold, and thus always ensure that the temperature of the aircon is no lower than 26 degree, sometimes even increasing to 27 degree.

Daddy also tried to stay throughout, even on the first day when Mummy was staying in the double room (324B, St Edward Ward). But he told me he was chased off by the nurse finally at night, when they realised he was hiding behind the curtain...

On the second day of stay, Daddy and Mummy managed to secure a single room, so they shifted to room 327, St John Ward, which is just a few rooms down the same corridor.

When I was born, there's this big hoohaa over the new H1N1 virus, otherwise known as the piggy flu. This resulted in the hospital allowing only one visitor a day per patient, starting from the 3rd day of stay. I heard Grandpa got stuck at the entrance, as they do not allow him to enter... Already asked Lynn cheh cheh not to spread her virus... sigh...

Oh, talk so much, never show photo. Here you go.

I am born...

Hi hi,
My name is Corine, and I am born on this very day of 29 Apr 09, 1538hr. I weighed 3.605kg, at 52cm long. My parents were caught by surprise with my size, as they claimed my Mummy's tummy wasn't big during the final days of the pregnancy.

More importantly, I was induced to be delivered on this day, as my parents like to teach me the first value in life, punctuality. According to Dr Y.C. Goh, my Estimated Delivery Date (EDD) is on 29 Apr 09. Thus, my Mummy was planned for admission to Mount Alvernia Hospital, at 0640hr.

Once "checked in", my Mummy said she was very nervous, as during the period of waiting, she heard at least 2 other mums-to-be screaming during delivery. It made her very very worried that it will be painful. Thus, she chose to have epidural delivery, and was put on drip also for the induction, by 1000hr.

At about 1100hr, Mummy started to feel the pain or contractions. Daddy was there to comfort her, and gave moral support. And after much pain till about 1500hr, the midwife came in to teach Mummy how to push me out... erm, not using hands of course, just using her stomach muscle to push internally. Inside there, I felt the signal to come out then, thus I also pushed hard, to come out on my own. I am not sure why, but Daddy went to tell the midwife, who decided that we all need to wait for Dr Goh to come. And I was pushed back into Mummy's tummy, leaving me a bit confused, on whether should I try to come out on my own. But things were much clearer when they "closed the doorway", which I assumed that it is "no exit" sign.

Shortly after, Dr Goh arrived, and the door way was once again opened, then Mummy and I started to work my exit again. It didn't take too long, as I saw Dr Goh using what I thought was a vacuum cleaner (later my Daddy told me that it is just normal vacuum, not for cleaning) to suck my head, and presto, I was born. =)