Monday, March 31, 2008

25 days


Princess is 25 days old today.. and I'm nearing the end of my confinement. Yippee!!!

ice cream
cold soft drinks
cold fruits
WESTERN FOOD
here i come!!

Thursday, March 27, 2008

Sim Look-alike Meter

So to all those who say S looks more like G.. BAH! I win!!

Courtesy of MyHeritage face recognition software

Vicious Cycle

Papaya fish soup (yuck), steamed fish (double yuck), latch, pump, peanut pig trotter soup, milk (urgh), latch, pump, more papaya fish soup, goat's rue tincture (the worst of all), fried fish, deep fried fish, latch, pump, more fish in whatever possible form, milk, goat's rue ad infinitum.

And still not enough.

This is darn tough!!!!

And its made tougher by the fact that there's no definite time-line - no assurance of "do-this-for-X-times-and-there-will-be-results" - in fact no assurance that ANY of the above will work at all. And there's nothing I can do about it - just keep my boobs to the grind and hope that there'll be more milk supply soon. From somewhere deep inside my fat self, I need to dig out the determination to keep on keeping on.

(PS Have you realised I hate all the above mentioned foods.)

Visualization time..
“ Write the vision
And make it plain on tablets,
That he may run who reads it.
For the vision is yet for an appointed time;
But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie.
Though it tarries, wait for it;
Because it will surely come,
It will not tarry."

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

(fluff)Mouse

I love my (fluff)book caption for my mousie.

It reads "bullying cats".

Wahahahahahaha...

Sunday, March 23, 2008

Weight-less chronicles

6th March, 8.00am
Before checking into delivery suite
Weight: 78.6kg

9th March, 11.00am
Discharged from Mt Alvernia
Weight: 73.9kg plus a 2.995kg mouse.

19th March, 11.30am
1st Gynae follow up checkup
Weight: 70.0kg

24th March, 4.30pm
Weighing in at home
Weight: 65.0kg

Yeah!!! I hope the fat-burning continues!!
I wonder how much Miss Mouse weighs now..

Friday, March 21, 2008

Easter

First time in 11 years I am not attending any Easter Service.

First time in many years too that G has not been involved in any Easter Drama.

And its a first in CHC history.. 11 services at 2 locations and 2 separate dramas to boot.

All because of our little mouse..
But she's well worth it =)

Shall try to watch at home in the net, I hope I don't have the same frustrating experience as of last week. Tried d/l the player, failed, managed to get audio but no visual for the P&W, THEN when Pst Phil began preaching got simultaneous Mandarin interpretation layered onto the preaching making it unintelligible. Grr...

Expo Drama trailer:


JW Drama trailer:

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

New Job Scope

Job: MoM (Mother of Mouse)

Open for application, with only two responsibilities:
a. Milk Cow (The SUCKY part of the job)
b. Pooper Scooper (The SHITTY part of the job)

Job requirements:
Perform above both items faithfully every 2 hours. Sleep is optional in the intervals.

Job duration:
For life.
(Note: The superficial circumstances of (a) and (b) may change. But however old the child may be, you'll still need to provide their needs and dig them out of any shit too deep for them.)

Remuneration:
Whines, grunts and wails. Paradoxically, the better you perform at the job, the less of these you get. Oh, and also, the satisfaction of having a warm, soft weight in your arms that you never want to put down, big bright eyes that track your movements, and the impish smile that melts your heart.

Thursday, March 13, 2008

天真无邪

朋友来探访。

她:啊,你瘦好多了!

我(惊讶):是吗?

她:对啊,你肚子以前不是很大吗?现在你肚子变小了

我:。。。。。 (无言)

生了孩子,肚子当然会变小!!

Moo


(cue music)

I'm a cow, hear me moo
I weigh TWENTY TIMES as much as you
Suck away all my fats on cue..

(repeat, ad infinitum, at three-hourly intervals)

The pleased recipient of my moo-ing efforts. Sophie, the last line of that song is very important, OK?

Proud Dad flashes his dimple

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Princess Sophie (Part 2)

Friday, 7/3/08
8am: I'm woken up to see (and feed!) the princess for the first time. She opens both her eyes! Ahhh!! I love love love her look with both eyes open.

Missy Mouse and her proud daddy

Can't quite move from my prone position on the bed - the incision hurts with every little movement. Epidural has mostly worn off and I'm pleased at being able to feel my legs. G arrives with breakfast - only for us to be told that I'm not allowed any solid food. Argh!

Thumb sucking queen

7pm: Pethidine painkiller drip removed, switched to oral painkillers. The nurse encourages me to get out of bed to go to the toilet. Eek!! That's never seemed like such a daunting prospect before.

Have I mentioned I love her eyes?

9pm: Tried to get out of bed to go toilet. Gosh.. The 3 metres walk seems like the furthest possible distance! I've to walk with small shuffling steps and the nurse has to support both my arms. Think getting down of the bed, walking to toilet and back, and getting up on the bed, took a full 30 minutes at least. Never going to take toilet for granted again!!

All the gifts and blessings for our little mouse

Saturday, 8/3/08
Finally allowed first full meal! I'm so happy with it.. The last meal was Wednesday dinner! Gosh no wonder I have no energy.

Food!! Finally!!

G goes to get Sophie's birth cert done. Her IC number's really nice - contains all the same numbers as her birthdate 060308 =)

Roger: How come her IC number starts with 08?

HM: Er, she's born in 08??
Roger: Oh! But my parents' IC number starts with 08 also..
HM: Yes, that's why this is T08xxxxx, your parents are S08xxxxx
Roger: But I thought "S" stands for Singapore - so "T" stands for Taiwan?

The Sims

We learn that Sophie has mild jaundice and will be put on phototherapy. Whether we can go home tomorrow depends on how she responds to the treatment. I manage to take my first walk to the nursery. It's really easy to identify Sophie among all the babies - She's the only one wriggling nonstop!

Sunday, 9/3/08
Good news - Sophie's jaundice has gone down and we can be discharged. G goes to pay bills while I sign the forms for Sophie's release. Final bill - 5k plus! Oh dear! This is called "the most expensive way of giving birth" - quote Klessis.
We wrap Sophie in a special swaddling blanket - which she ALSO wriggles out of in no time. Coincidentally, she's the only girl baby being released that day - a lone confection of pink in a sea of blue, white and green! Looking around, I am so glad I have a girl. Hee...


Missy Mouse arrives home to her very pink crib

Monday, March 10, 2008

Cow Inadequacies

I feel like a cow!!
An inadequate cow.

Am having a tough time with Sophie's feeds, and still have to top up with formula even after two solid hours of breastfeeding.

Miss being pregnant, because now all the thoughts of oh-my-what-did-I-get-myself-into start crossing my mind. At least while pregnant all I had to do was take care of myself!!

This too shall pass - so many others have managed.

(cringing in anticipation of the next feed!)

Princess Sophie


Here she is, finally.

I was looking at her this morning as she *finally* slept after feeding, and I suddenly realise that nothing in this world is too good for my princess.

Birth story:
(Cramps and false labor from Sunday to Wednesday)
Wednesday 5/3/08
Contractions started at about 9pm. Felt different from all the earlier cramps - more intense and can really feel the tightenings.
12 midnight: they were about 15 minutes apart and quite regular. Woke G up and told him.

Thursday 6/3/08
7-8am: contractions have reached 5-8 minutes apart. Called gynae and made our way to Mt A.
9am: Gynae checked and I am 1cm dilated. However, there is light meconium staining of the amniotic fluid. There's a danger of Sophie inhaling the passed stools. Gynae told me I could try labouring but there is a possibility of C-section.

Lying in the delivery suite

12.30pm: Checked again - only 2cm dilated. Oxytocin is ordered to try to speed up the labour.

Contractions monitor. This is pre-oxytocin!

3.00pm: Cannot take it anymore - the contractions are 2mins apart and off the charts in intensity. Even gynae commented that the contractions are very strong already. Asked for epidural.
4.00pm: Epidural is in. Finally, some relief. Have dilated to 3cm.
5.30pm: Nurse noticed that Sophie's heart rate was dropping. I'm put on oxygen to try to get it back up.

With oxygen mask and the various drips, monitors, etc.. ugh..

6.30pm: Heart rate stabilized and oxygen removed. But I'm starting to feel the side effects of epidural - uncontrollable shivering. Ugh!
7.00pm: Checked again, still 3cm. And there is more meconium being passed. Gynae says I have one final hour to try before a C-section is carried out.
8.00pm: Still 3cm. Decision made to go for emergency C-section. Suddenly the room becomes a flurry of signing forms, nurses asking questions, drips being hooked and unhooked. etc. I'm carried onto a trolley - unable to walk due to epidural - and wheeled to operating theatre.
8.30pm: Prepping for op commences. As the strength of the epidural is increased for C-section, the shaking gets worse. I really can't feel a single thing from lungs donwards. G is allowed into the OT and sits beside me.

Surgery has commenced.. I'm quite glad I wasn't able to see what was going on!

8.47pm: Sophie is pulled out and immediately commences wailing after being suctioned. =) G follows her to the nursery as she is cleaned, weighed and measured. 48cm, 2.995kg. Maybe all the stools she passed inside accounted for the drop in expected weight. haha..

Pink and wailing =)

Mother meets mouse =)

9.30pm: I've finished being sewn up and am wheeled to the ward. Still shaking like a leaf and totally numb. The effects of epidural only fully wore off the next day.

More to come..

Wednesday, March 05, 2008

Scampy? No Way.

We take a break from Sophie-watch to bring you the latest in patient, well-trained, obedient dogs.





And oh, of course, a Yorkie. In all her shiny-furred, full-coated glory.


Somehow I just can't seem to think of Yorkies as male. They're just too cute!!

Tuesday, March 04, 2008

One day more

One day to my EDD.

Yes yes I know, the EDD stands for Estimated Due Date - but gee, its been my goal line for 40 weeks! So I kind of feel like the goalposts are moving ever further away the closer I get to them.

Have been to the gynae today - zero dilation and effacement. Argh. Disappointing, not to say frustrating. All the cramping of the past few days hasn't had ANY effect at all. Did a CTG NST and had to take it thrice before the nurse was satisfied that the flatness of the lines was REALLY due to no contractions and not wrong placement of electrodes! Darn.. I was certainly hoping for at least SOME sign that Missy Mouse is ready to emerge!

I have been praying that she will come between 1st to 7th March. 7th of March is this Friday. The Stats-Loving Doc has given me till Saturday - if nothing happens by Saturday, he'll get me admitted for an induction. I'm hoping to avoid that though, as the conversion rate of induction to C-section is rather high (up to 50%) - ie, once I go in for induction, I have a one-in-two chance of ending up delivering by C-section. Double pain and double bill! Eek!

Amusing things, though:
1. SMS conversation (agaratedly):
Rabbit (aka KJX): Maybe she's just lost inside! Can't find the exit.
Lion (aka me): Yes, she inherits her mother's direction sense. I can get lost in Orchard Underpass!
Rabbit (aka KJX): Well she'll find her way out eventually.. it's technically a one way street..
Lol. Thanks rabbit for always making me laugh. And reminding me that MY direction sense ain't that bad after all.
Note to self: I seem to be acquiring quite a zoo of pets. A Dog, a Rabbit, and next one is a Mouse. Heh.

2. Sudden realizations
Tried using acupressure to stimulate contractions (see previous post on natural induction methods), thats when I realised how bad my water retention is - my thumbprint remains depressed into the skin of my calf!
First thought: OMG my water retention is BAD!
Second thought: Hey that makes it easy to lose weight after delivery. =)

Oh yes - have cleaned up the wishlist at the request of those who tell me its very hard to read. =) Seriously. G's blogders, read my version of wishlist instead.. heh heh..

Monday, March 03, 2008

Progress Report

Have been having cramps over the past few days - for the first time last Sunday (at 38w4d), then on Wednesday, and then on Thursday. All were rather sporadic and not really painful, but they were the first Braxton-Hicks I'd felt throughout the entire pregnancy.

They came up again on Saturday morning (39w3d) - lasted me throughout all of Saturday with intervals of about 25-30 minutes or so. And then everything stopped on Sat night.

Sunday's timeline:
8am-12noon:25-30 mins interval
stopped at 12noon..
2pm-5pm: 25-30 mins interval
5pm-8pm: 15 mins interval
stopped at 8pm.. damn..
started again at about midnight
midnight-2am: 6-8 mins interval.. i was thinking should be quite soon le..
stopped at 2am!! wah lau!!

And so here I STILL am this morning at 39w5d, roundly intact and waiting.
The upside is, there hasn't been much pain so far. All just uncomfortable crampy tightenings. Like menses cramps, or lau sai cramps.

Am starting to look for natural induction methods (hey anything to get the waiting over and done with!), but some of them are just too amusing:
- A bumpy car ride
- Raw potato in tea
- Hula dancing or belly dancing (I mean, who could possibly do that NOW??)
- Eating pineapple (alright, where are those leftover tarts from CNY?)

Shall go rub my belly more, as another last in life approaches: Soon, it'll be the last time I get to feel Missy Mouse wriggle under my skin.

Saturday, March 01, 2008

Really Random

- Am playing my waiting game right now. Cramps? Or just lau sai?
Eagerly anticipating the mouse's arrival, but also unsure of how to get through the labour / pushing process. And unsure of how well I'll be able to look after the little one when we get home.

- I have the intense urge to clean out my wardrobe. That competes with a total disinclination to stand and put any weight on my papaya-sized feet. End result - no wardrobe cleaning accomplished yet. Sigh.