Baby Darius is ONE Month Old!

Weather: Mostly Cloudy, -5°

I still remember the same time exactly one month ago...i was pushing hard to deliver darius into tiz world...and tinking back abt the labor pain i went thru...it was nothing compared to the pain i felt after birth when epi wears off...n the tiredness i felt during the first week...it made me missed preggy days...when i could sleep as long as i want...n at anytime i want...

But the past month...my life was totally in control by Darius...my little prince...i oli get to sleep when he sleeps...n if he wakes i have to wake too...if he's hungry i need to feed him first despite my stomach growling in hunger protest...

Family n frens will describe me as a "dead sleeper"...no matter hw many alarm clocks i have, i still cant hear a single one when it rings...bt yet nw i wake at the slightest sound made by Darius...I used to eat very slowly coz i like to enjoy my food n live to eat ...bt for the moment nw i need to eat to live becoz i'm the source of Darius' food...n hope to achieve my goal of nursing him for at least 6 mths...

The strongest feeling of motherhood is breastfeeding coz it makes me feel unique n special to Darius...as oli I can feed him the best...n the time n moments we share n bond...its a gift from GOD to mothers only...u never know how special it feels until u experience it...

Motherhood is still a long way for me n there is so much to learn everyday...but i'm enjoying every moment of it...

Darius' milestones so far:

* Has grown to 61 cm long...(growth of 8 cm from birth!)
* Weighs about 4.7 Kgs...
* Able to hold his head while sitting up...
* Able to hold his head up for 3 secs during tummy time...
* Starting to self-soothe himself to sleep...on good mood days only...
* Kicks strongly and likes to grasps on to mummy's shirt during nursing...

Mummy loves Darius...

Darius loves sitting up...

Mummy's first shopping trip with Darius

Jus Darius and Me...

Weather: Cloudy, -8°C

Yesterday my Mum left for Vancouver for holiday...and for the first time...its jus left me and Darius alone @ home...i felt a sudden sadness and helplessness...

Sad dat my mum is not with me...becoz i really enjoyed her company when she was here...Helpless without any help from my mum...

Coz usually in the morning when mum wakes up she will attend to crying Darius while i can have another precious hour of sleep...she will help to comfort him and soothe him to sleep after i nurse him...she will help to bathe him...she will help to change his diapers...she will also prepare meals for me... Now suddenly i have to do all these by myself...i feel so lost n alone...

But of coz i know dat she wont b here with me forever too...and the road to caring for Darius is a LONG LONG one...so its a matter of time i become independent...

Anyway i'm happy for her dat she get the chance to have fun in vancouver...coz she might not have chance in future to get such a long leave away from work...

I wonder how Emily is coping with Jayden...i kinda envy her dat she can get back to work soon in another month or so...but on the other hand i also cherished the chance to watch Darius grow in his first year of life...which is also the most important year...

Haiz...so contradicting...

Everytime we visit the doctor, the nurses will strip Darius down to weigh him...n he always scream n cry in protest...but seems like tiz time...he is in a good mood...he can even make faces @ the camera...

N listens attentively to Grandma speaking to him...

Thank You Mummy...!

Weather: Mostly Cloudy, 3°C

Time flies...by the end of tiz week Baby Darius will b 1 Month old! It's really a joy to watch him grow everyday...seeing that his milk intake in increasing...i know he is definitely growing well...

Sometimes even after nursing him for an hour...he can still take 100 ml of supplement formula...

Really thankful for my mum being here for me during tiz difficult time of my life...Becoz of her, i'm able to rest n remain cheerful after birth...i cant imagine how it will be if she never insisted on coming to help me...

Ever since Darius is born, it has been snowing almost everyday...n while i was in the hospital, mum take bus in minus zero °C to bring food for me at the hospital everyday...i'm so thankful that i dun need to eat the horrible hospital food...really thank GOD for her...

Now that i'm a mother myself...i know how hard it has been for my mother...esp when her husband dun give her the care n support she needs...

I'm thankful dat my husband is very supportive n patient with me during tiz period...

Mummy, i wanna say a BIG THANK YOU!

Grandma, Baby Darius will miss u when u return SIN!

Baby Darius...My bundle of JOY...

Weather: Clear, -5°C

Picking up from ware i stop in the previous post...

As common as it is with all babies, Baby Darius was admitted into PLC for jaundice on Day 3 of his life...he underwent 24 hours of phototheraphy...n the nurse came to prick his little foot for blood test every 12 hours to check on his jaundice level...poor little guy...my heart aches so much to see him cry helplessly...

By Day 4 Darius' jaundice level went down n he was off the phototheraphy...but the blood test results showed he has G6PD condition...n the doc said tiz is very common among Asian males...n its genetic...but he assures us dat it will not affect his development as he grows up...but there are some food n med dat he must avoid his whole life...n as a baby we should make sure he does not get any infection as tiz might trigger his red blood cells to break...n in severe cases he will need blood transfusion...but doc says tiz is very very rare...

So i went to find out more abt G6PD...actually some pple might have tiz condition they are not aware of until some food or med they take n caused a trigger...but in normal cases the red blood cells are able to build up on their own...so as adults its not really an issue of concern...

And because it is most common in Asian males, like out of 20 males, 5 have tiz condition, therefore the doctors here will always test for G6PD deficiency on Asian baby boys...

Darius @ birth...

Darius @ 19 Hours old...

Darius finally home @ 6 days old...snug in his own bed...

Darius @ 1 Week old...having his weight taken by the public health nurse...he has regained his birth weight! yeah!

Darius enjoying his swing...it always works when he is fussing...

Darius after a satisfied feed...making faces...

Darius jus loves the camera...

Darius having his afternoon nap with grandma...

Darius sitting @ the sofa watching TV...

Darius enjoying his bathe by grandma...

It's been a while

Weather: Flurries, -18°C

I know many faithful readers of my blog are anxiously waiting for my next post since the birth of my precious boy...finally today i have the time and thanks to hubby , i could afford a good sleep last nite...

My Birth Story

In the wee hours of 16th Nov...

2.45 AM - Woke up to pee

3.00 AM - Heard 2 "POP" sounds...den felt fluid gushing out...OMG! My waterbag broke !Quickly jump out of bed (as i did not want to wet the mattress) and rush to the toilet bowl...den felt more gushing out...contractions starts to come in...but was still bearable...took a quick shower...woke hubby and mum up...den called Whampoa to inform my waterbag broke! Ate toast with jam and drank cereal...

4.15 AM - Grab hospital bag and headed for Peter Lougheed Centre... By then contractions were coming every 5 mins and last almost 2 - 3 mins...but i can still feel baby's active movements...Felt better in the car so ask hubby to drive slower so i can enjoy the ride...

5.00 AM - Arrive at PLC Emergency and was wheeled to Birth Centre on the 3rd level...By then contractions were more intense and painful...While hubby went to register my admission, i was being monitored at the Triage Room...Had 2 monitors attached to my tummy for baby's heartbeat and my contractions...

6.30 AM - Nurse came in to check me and i was 2 cm dilated only...was advised to get up and walk around to "open" the pelvic...Contractions getting more painful and closer dat i lost count...

9.15 AM - Returned to the Triage room and was told to move to Labor and Delivery Room as doctor confirms real labor is here...(of coz lah...waterbag broke leh...send me hm and wait for 4cm dilation meh...?!?!) Nurse gave me an option for Morphine to relieve the pain but baby will b drowsy after birth...so i rejected...

10.00 AM - Settled down in the Labor and Delivery Room...Hubby gave me massage and count me thru every contractions...they were really getting more painful and closer...hubby suggested i sit in the warm shower and it did help me feel better...

12.30PM - Thank GOD! The anaesthetic doctor finally came for my epidural...finally i could have a good sleep...

2.30 PM - Nurse came in to check and i was almost 5 cm dilated already...

4.00 PM - Though i had epidural, i realised i could feel the pain from contractions getting more intense...i "beg" the doctor to up my dosage...

5.30 PM - Contractions were only 30 secs apart and getting more intense...i was losing my senses already...Nurse heard me screaming for help...She checked me and said i was ready to push! But my sickening hubby and mummy were out having dinner...! Nurse called them to rush back!

6.00 PM - Started to push actively at every contraction...

8.00 PM - Baby still not out...Doc tried to use vacuum twice but failed as baby has too much
hair... :) so the grip was not strong...Doc did episiotomy on me as she said baby is too big...

8.29PM - Baby Darius is born!

Doctor Baxter placed him on my tummy immediately but i was too exhausted to cuddle him...so he was carried away for the Pediatrics to check him...but his little hand clung tightly onto one of the monitor dat was strapped to my tummy...seems like he does not want to be away from mummy... hehe...

Vital Statistics

Weight: 3.81 Kgs / 8lbs 6.5 ozs
Length: 53 cm / 21.5 IN
Head Circumference: 36 Cm

Right after birth...Darius only wail once den he was so alert n cheerful while the doctors check him...sooo lovable...





Stay tuned for more posts n pics...

Baby is due today...but...

Weather: Cloudy, 3°C

I'm not sure how accurate is the EDD provided by gynae...bt it seems like Darius really enjoys the cramp space in mummy's tummy...he has been actively moving and causing mummy pain in the pelvic area...y isn't labor starting yet? y is bracton hicks so pain? i tink i could b in the early phase of labor as i remembered early labor contractions could last for days...i dun need anymore practice contractions...can the real one jus come n get me over with birth?! its a torture man...

how long do i have to wait n suffer the suspense of cuddling my little boy...even my grandma is getting anxious...i really hope to deliver the good news to her soon...
i'm sure GOD knows when is the best time for baby to arrive...so i'll just have to patiently wait for His sign...

Actually as long as Darius is born healthy...all the waiting n pain is definitely worth it...! Even hubby will suddenly jerk up from his sleep and ask me...any signs? any pain? r u ok? Seems like he is also nt getting good sleep like me...every stretching movement of Darius inside me can wake me up from my sleep...n the frequent toilet trips is driving me nuts...

One more day left to Darius' arrival...

Ever since Sunday 11th Nov...which is also Remembrance Day here...i have been experiencing contractions and pelvic pains...like as if baby is trying to push his way down nearer to the world...contractions felt like 10 times more painful than menses cramps...everytime it comes...i just wanna swear out loud...argh~~~

Tmr is baby's actual EDD according to the gynae in SIN...14th Nov...SIN time of coz...but it seems like he is still enjoying his stay inside mummy...he has been moving alot today when i was out having dim sum with my mum n frens...mayb he knows he will be out soon...so he is doing house keeping today...haha...!
i'm sure i will miss feeling his movements inside me...but i look forward more to cuddling him in my arms...he is such a wonderful blessing to me...i'm getting impatient and more anxious to see how he looks like...

Having mum with me...really makes me feel less lonely and more confident...have been enjoying the bird nests she made for me...yummy! Poor mum...still trying to adjust herself to the time zone...everyday tell me she cant sleep well...i feel so heart pain...