Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Diaper Talk


ProKid and Drypers

Pampers and Huggies





Been using these three diapers for the last month, the two diapers, Huggies and Pampers Swaddlers are imported ( package from Auntie Naty) and the Prokids diapers are local. Being a first time mom, I rely on the wetness indicator in diapers, this is what I check if I need to change diapers, I do not check it between feedings, Pro Kids has a wetness indicator, Pampers local also has a wetness indicator.

The two imported diaper brands has no wetness indicator so I have to see if the diaper expanded, what I like about the imported diaper is that they are very soft, cottony, and slim especially the Pampers Swaddlers but the Pampers Swaddlers when I checked the linings instead of being dry it is still wet and you could feel it through the diaper especially if you are carrying your baby.

Huggies are Ok but still no wetness indicator.

Prokids is also OK, a little bulky and cheaper than the local Pampers

I added a fourth diaper which is Drypers, it looks like the cheap diaper sold at markets, maganda lang ng konti, I do not know how much it costs kasi sample lang ito f you get the Birth Certificate of Newborn sa Pasig City Hall may namimigay.

I prefer the local Pampers with the wetness indicator, slim and the price is reasonable.
I just have to keep on using the imported diaper so we could buy the local pampers, sayang naman kung di gagamitin kaya gamitin.

Feedback: Ang dami pang diaper na Pampers kaya lang maliit na yata kay Kiara so nag scratch sa skin niya, masikip na ata.

Thursday, July 24, 2008

Breast feeding Struggle

When I was pregnant, I was hoping and praying that I would have breast milk. My SIL who recently gave birth had no milk and I was fearful I would also have no milk. I was lucky to have breast milk. it came on my third day at the hospital, I suddenly woke up with a painful and very big breast. It was really painful, it was hard to get up, turn side to side and face down. I tried to read some hospital material on breast feeding and learned it was called an engorged breast. I also tried to go to the breast feeding section of the hospital and tried to pump the milk out, I got almost 3 oz of colostrum.

The first time I went to the breast feeding section, I was a little shy to expose my breast but when I see all the mothers are relaxed and feeling like a proud cow, I was also feeling like a proud cow. I was there the second day at the breast feeding section and tried the electric pump even if I have no milk, Nada. Nothing came out. I thought if I pumped something will came out.

I had a total of 4 attempts to pump while in the hospital, each use of the pump costs 150. We paid 600 for that then I thought, that is equivalent to 2 cans of NAN milk. Whoa, I will just purchase my own manual pump.

Breast Pumps

I have a total of 4 breast pump, I saw a mother brought one in the BF section and asked Irwin to buy me the same thing, it was a chicco breast pump, I thought it was the old pump I saw my mother used to pump milk in the old days. Remember the glass one that looks like a trumpet? No one is selling that now I guess.
I cannot use the Chicco pump because it was not a regular breast pump but is used to pump out "old milk" from the breast and you are not suppose to feed the milk collected to your newborn.

Ok, so I tried to borrow the electric breast pump of my SIL, It was a Precious Moment breast pump, it works for me, but it was so, so, painful to pump. Next, I had a pigeon manual pump, since it is manual masakit sa kamay. Kasi medyo sira na rin siya, I also borrowed it from SIL, which she borrowed from her cousin.

The last pump was a manual pump similar to the "old" pump but this is made of plastic, Irwin bought it for me, he was so excited to show it to me, and I used it right away, yes, it works but needs a little pressing of the rubber for the suction. Then, the maid tried to clean it and maybe placed it in the sterilizer and the rubber can't pump milk anymore.

Why do you think I am pumping milk? because I have an inverted nipple, I cannot breastfeed because Kiara cannot tell where the nipple is? Mama even bought me a nipple puller and by the time I was able to pull the nipple out, Kiara is already crying loudly and if I offer her my breast she is already crying and would not take it.

We will just mix her formula.

But right now after 5 weeks going into my 6th, I can already breast feed her, my nipples came out and I have an abundant supply of milk, I still use the nipple puller. I knew a technique we offer her the bottle and then when my nipple is ready we will draw the bottle and offer her my breast. Sometimes it works, sometimes not.

Conclusion: ang chakit! minsan lalo na pag nakakagat ang nipple after mag pump, Aray! Aray! aray!

Thursday, July 10, 2008

Sharing the Love



Thanks Vina for sharing this award. This is a nice award after a long rest of blogging. I also enjoy reading your blog, sis!

“The rules of this award are: SHARE THE LOVE!!! Share this award with all those blogs out there that you love. All the people who make you smile. All those that make you laugh. All those that make your day. All those that leave uplifting comments on your blog. **All I ask, is that you include a link to this post with the award and ask your recipient to do the same**

As you may have recently seen on my side bar, I have finally created a custom blog award!! I have wanted to do this for a long time but never came up with something that “fit”. I didn’t want just anything. It had to be something that meant something to me. And what could mean more than Sharing the Love by giving you pieces of my heart?? So I created this award in Honor Of The Donor That Saved Noah’s Life. I share this award with those of you whose love and friendship have enriched my life and made my world a better place.

I hope by passing this award around the blogging world we can all help raise awareness of the need for Organ Donation.”

I want to pass this award to Jane, Alpha, Kaye, Con.

I like your blogs!

Thursday, July 03, 2008

Cesarian Section at the Medical City (My birthing story)

I have been updating my blog on my condition, the wait for 36 weeks is over now and I didn't even reached the 36th week, Kiara was born 43 minutes shy of 36 weeks. I gave birth through CS last June 13 at 11:17 pm, Friday. I had my regular BPS checkup that Thursday, June 12 at Medical City and the results were again not good, so they already admitted me that day, they do not want me to go home, I might give birth anytime because they checked my cervix it was 1.81 cm dilated. I was scheduled to give birth on June 16, napaaga talaga. I cannot have an emergency CS because I need a prep of dosage of steroids before I give birth due to my auto immune thyroiditis.

I had a rest and the next day, June 13, when they checked me again for contraction through Non-Stress Test, there was one positive contraction, the resident OB checked my cervix again, it was closed daw, (ang sakit!) she reported it to my perinatologist and OB, they instructed her na STAT CS na ( what does that mean?) the resident told me " go back to your room and rest na lang" ( instead of June 16 they moved the sked to June 14, they cannot wait anymore).

Ayun pala mali ang instruction ng residente, I went back to my room and was starting to eat my dinner, isusubo ko na lang yung kakainin ko biglang pumasok si Dra. Velasco another resident at pinigil ang pagkain ko. Sabi i-sked na nila ako that night for a CS at 10pm. Bawal nang kumain. Patay my last meal was not a meal but snack. Kaya 10 pm kasi they asked me when was the last food intake.

Starbucks ang last food intake ko

So everybody thought I was going to give birth June 14 they were surprised when they visited me that night na may baby na. Tinawagan sila ni Irwin. My mother and my mother-in-law.

So I didn't eat but tried to prep myself, I took a bath before ten and I was escorted to the labor room where they performed sets of standard procedure, I bough our camera Una yung sa bowel movement, where they filled your anus with fluid para mailabas ang extra something inside. Then the shaving, skin test and insertion of the IV. Kaya lang na-delay ng mg 30 minutes kasi di pa naayos yung steroid na ituturok sa akin. They started mga 10:30 na before they wheeled me to the operating room. Nakipagkwentuhan pa sa akin si Dra. Piramide. The anesthesiologist was also there na, Dr. Uson and Dra. Castor the perinatologist, Dra. Velasco was also there, fellow pala siya. They were all interested in my case, rare case kasi.

So when we were in the delivery room, ang lamig-lamig sobra, they start na with the spinal anesthesia, Dr. Uson and Dra. Piramide were the same doctors who performed D and C to me last August when I got a miscarriage. Kwento nga ni Dra. Piramide, puro pimples and likod ko sakto the area na insertan ng anesthesia ang tanging walang pimple. Parang sinadya.


Wait a minute, I do not remember anything after that... Hmm, let me remember. The resident anesthesiologist asked me if I am a photographer kasi SLR ang dala namin na camera. Then, I remember they moved my legs into a frog position and inserted the catheter which I know but do not feel. Next thing I remember, I could hear a suction sound yung parang sa dentist. Then, I heard a baby's cry, it is a wonderful sound, I can't explain it, girl na girl. ( Yung anak ng SIL ko, boy iba ang sound ng cry) so I was amazed by how she sound, I also remember hearing the doctors "kamukha ng tatay" then I remember na they took our picture together with the baby and they made her latch at my nipple sobrang sandali lang, they just let her lips touched my nipple. Para raw di ma-depress si baby. Then after that, I know they were sewing me up. After, that I remember being in the Recovery room and then after some hours I was back in our room.

All I did was sleep the whole day Saturday, I was groggy from the anesthesia and if I open my eyes, the scenes were multiple, parang wrong reception na channel sa TV. I was excited to see my baby pero nasa NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) pa siya. They found a toxic in her blood so they ran a series of blood test hanggang ma-release siya. She was also on PhotoTheraphy because of bilirubin, yung parang jaundice. Meron din siyang ultraviolet light exposure.

I was discharged ahead of her, I was discharged Wednesday siya naman Thursday, June 19. The news on TV was the kidnapping of Ces Drilon and her team. When we were discharged andun sa Medical City sila Ces Drilon, ang daming media, nakita pa namin si Charo Santos. Nag-brown-out pa, buti di kami nakasakay sa elevator.

The next day when Kiara was discharged kasi clear na ang toxic sa blood niya, may bloopers pa kami, nagalit pa saakin ang mama ko at si Irwin ang tagal ko raw sa loob ng Nursery. Almost 2 hours kaya akong tumambay sa breastfeeding room, akala ko kasi tatawagin nila ako para sa discharge ayun pala naghihintayan kami.



It is hard to have an auto immune disease this is also the cause kaya ang tagal ko rin nabuntis eto at may baby na kami, we cannot ask for anything more, well siguro good and healthy life for our baby.

My Blog as a Mood Monitor

This blog is a good indicator of my moods, prior to giving birth and waiting for the big day I was not always in a good mood. Being confined to the house because of bedrest, I was irritable, I am a person who really can't stand doing nothing especially it is still my vacation from school. That's one reason I had a bad case of Doppler study, I tried to clean the shoe closet which got me so tired and got me confined the next day.

I was always in a bad mood, I notice everything, from my friends behavior to the scholar's tuition fee to my mother's unsolicited advices.

Now that I already have Kiara, the mood does not improve, is this hormone or post partum depression, I guess I am not depressed, just irritable from lack of sleep and not taking a bath.