2008 baby boom?

Everywhere I go now I notice that there are more and more couples walking around with babies in strollers! It seems like there are more couples with babies this year than last year. Even when we went to Bukit Tinggi there were so many couples with babies and strollers. I am guessing that 2008 was a baby boom year, much like how 1980 & 1981 were baby boom years. At the resort in bukit tinggi, there must have been 8 babies in every 10 couples that we saw. I sound like I'm exaggerating, but I'm not.

And the reason why I remember these statistics is because I was so busy comparing my stroller and the other couples' strollers... hahaha. We want to get Salma a better stroller but disagree on which design to get. I prefer to get a lighter stroller that won't take up so much space once folded, so that we can store more groceries and luggage in the boot when we go out with the baby. But my husband wants the fancy jogger stroller with the 3 wheels. The problem with that stroller is the large front wheel, that doesn't allow for much space once it's folded. Plus it's a good 2-3kg heavier than our current stroller, which is at 7.5kg, which is already quite heavy if you ask me. A heavy stroller will cause problems for me when I am out shopping alone with the baby.

But now I do see that we would benefit from a stroller that we can hang bags from the handles. That would be very handy because the basket is never big enough. Now the question is, which stroller design should I get?

No day off

Hmmm... I'm not sure what to do now... our head office has the day off since it's a public holiday in denmark, so no one has updated the data that I need to prepare the report for Week 52... And I've done all that I can using whatever data I can pull from other sources, so right now I'm not sure what to do. Everyone else in my department has taken leave today. And my husband is at home with the baby by himself and he says he's tired at 11.30am. So now he knows how I feel each day with her! Haha.

Hmm... now I am starting to feel a little pain when I use the Medela pump. It's not been that way before. Even on the lowest setting.

Feeling cold

Is it just my imagination or are the days getting colder? It's strange though, I feel chilly at night, but my baby, who sleeps beside me, does not! I wonder if it's because she's trapped between both me and my husband so she is kept warm all night. But sometimes I change her position (to suit feeding), and even then, she will wake up feeling warm. I wonder why that is...

 

I used to wrap her up in her own small blanket, and then on top of that, I cover her with my blanket, since I read that babies need more warmth than adults. But then she would kick her blanket away, or try to push my blanket away, so then i stopped covering her with our big blanket. Is she more hot blooded than me? Hmmm...

 

This morning she woke up feeling more bothered than usual, and refused to take milk. And then she wanted to be carried by my husband only. She is becoming more aware now... we can start to see the way she thinks. It's cute to see her personality pop up. But she loves waking up in the morning. She wakes up with a smile. Then she loves waiting for my husband to wake up (cos he wakes up last), and then when he finally wakes up, she starts to "chat", as if to say, "Hi Daddy... so you're finally awake!!" It's the nicest thing to wake up to. :)

One of those days...

It's just one of those days where I wish I can just go home and spend time with my baby... lying on the bed and lazing around. I am sleepy as hell at work! Had a really busy Sunday yesterday, that's why. It was Salma's kenduri cukur jambul. I found out yesterday that she is much much cleverer than we thought. And her feelings and emotions are more advanced than I expected. She actually hated that we were cutting her hair... It wasn't that she was scared, but I think she was saddened by it. Each time one of the aunties reached for the scissors during the cukur jambul, she would make her sad pouting face, and they wouldn't have the heart to snip her hair! I thought that was so smart of her. Most babies just cry throughout, or don't know a thing.

 

When we got home afterwards, her hair was all different lengths, so my husband and I decided to shave it all off so that it will all grow evenly. She cried and cried. I wasn't sure at first if it was because it hurt, or because she hated it. But after we stopped, I knew it was because she hated it. She actually merajuk with us... she wouldn't even look at me. Each time I tried to face her, she would turn her face away. And she's only 2 months & 3 weeks old! She took her milk very reluctantly, and went straight to sleep. It really upset me that she was so upset.

 

So today she wore a hat to school. And I explained to her teachers that she could be a little sensitive about losing her hair, and to keep the hat on at all times. Didn't visit her at lunch today because I have a meeting. But wish I could check up on her right now. Or just be at home playing with her. Sometimes I wish we hadn't shaved off her hair like that...

Baby Allergies

I am on emergency leave again, although I myself am sick, but I've run out of MC days. This is the first time Baby Salma's sick for more than 2 days! It started out as an allergy, which you've got to be careful with if you have a small baby or child. Her allergic reactions are similar to her father's and mine, which isn't shocking since she's our daughter after all, but can you believe it, I was surprised when she showed the symptoms? Non-stop runny nose, and puffy, watery eyes. I usually get this way when my sinus acts up (same like my husband), or when there is a frangrance/gasseous substance that I am allergic to. The usual example is when I am in an elevator with someone that has put on very strong perfume, I will sneeze or cough, and my eyes start to water.

Salma's allergy started on Sunday night. On Monday, it was pretty bad, and I brought her to our pediatrician, who at first prescribed only saline nasal spray. Then I got pretty worried yesterday (Wed), when they told me at the nursery that she wasn't drinking well. Because on the very same day, I had started to develop a sore throat, and I myself wasn't drinking well, cos my throat was sore. So I wondered whether this was the cause for Salma, too. Poor thing, she was all sad at school when I went to visit her at lunch.

When we got home, she was having real difficulty drinking her milk cos her nose was blocked. And it was worse this morning. She screamed so much, I felt so bad for her. Then Ainal (my husband), as a final resort, sucked the mucus from her nose orally, since the nasal spray didn't do the trick. She screamed wondering what daddy was doing, poor thing. But it's better than her not being able to breathe through her nose at all.

At 9 am, I brought her to our pediatrician again, Dr. Wong, whose clinic is just 5 mins away by car. Thank God eh? And I am always amused by how she always dispenses her diagnosis and advise really quick and with a smile. And when one patient is done, she immediately rings the bell for the next one. And there are always more than 3 patients waiting to see her when I come. And by the time it is my turn, there would have been another 3 patients lining up after me. Anyway, the first time Dr. Wong concluded that Salma had an allergy because there was no fever, but because she's started to cough when she drinks, this shows that she's been swallowing her phlegm instead of spitting it out. So doc was more worried than before and prescribed nasal drops and a clear cough mixture. She said if Salma doesn't get better, it could spread to her lungs by Saturday, and we can't have that because her kenduri akikah and cukur jambul is on Sunday.

Marina, the principal of Salma's playschool, also gave me advice about the nose drop. Just like Dr Wong, she doesn't like to use it unless really necessary because it leaves an aftertaste in the baby's mouth which makes them uncomfortable. But with Salma, it seemed to help her drink her milk after, and now she's been asleep for more than 2 hours! :) Marina also told me that at this early age, the breastfeeding mum must really pantang, and take care of what they eat, so that we don't trigger any allergies in our babies. So no seafood, no peanuts, and no lamb for me. I think I may have triggered her allergies on Saturday, when I used oyster sauce to cook the broccoli. So there you go... I must be more careful now. I was aware that I had to be careful (cos I read lots or articles while I was pregnant), but it completely slipped my mind once I started breastfeeding! So my advice to you is, if you are asthmatic, stay away from all these "danger" foods while you are breastfeeding, at least until the baby is old enough.

Full day

Whew! Finally had time to customize this blog. How do you like it? I think the blue and red are classic "seaside town colors", which wasn't my original intention. I had wanted to make this site in different shades of red, but it didn't work out.

Anyway... my baby girl is finally asleep. It has been a long day! She has been sneezing a lot, but each time I wipe her nose she gets really cranky and starts to cry. So her nose must hurt a lot. And the kleenex isn't really soft, so poor thing. She doesn't like it any better when I use a face towel or the ultra soft toilet paper. So in the end, I just dabbed her nose gently. I hope her runny nose clears up tonight so that she can go to "school" tomorrow. We send her to a playschool while I am working. They don't allow kids to come in sick, so I had to stay home with her today, but can't afford to miss another day of work.

The doctor (I took her to our pediatrician this morning) gave me this saline nasal spray to clear up her nasal airway, but then it takes 2 people to execute the dosage (one to hold her, one to dispense into her nose) so I haven't been able to use it all day. Waiting for my husband to come home so that we can do it together.

Had mixed feelings about today... I felt bad that she was unwell, but at the same time it was nice to have her want to hold and hug me. Usually when we sleep, I will hug her, but she will "ask" to let go, but today she was happy just to have me hug her and hold my finger while she slept. When I let go, she'd wake up. So that was the downside. I couldn't even go to the bathroom or have a drink or eat lunch without her waking up in a few minutes. I'm surprised she hasn't woken up now... but I left the TV on in the bedroom, and already gave her her bath, which is the start of her bedtime routine.

What I learnt: start your baby on a bedtime routine and stick to it, and they'll know it's time to sleep. We start ours by giving our baby a bath or a shower, change her into her nightime clothes, give her a feeding and then she'll sleep. It didn't use to be like this in the beginning, but now we've succeeded. :)

Now I'm just hoping her nose will clear up...

Back to blogspot

Created this new blog on blogspot, where I first started with hidupindah, then moved to windcriesmary, but then decided it was best to move back here now that I'm a new mommy and will be posting mum-sy stuff.

Today I am on emergency leave because Baby Salma is not feeling well. She has a runny nose. She's asleep now and I only have a few minutes to get some chores done (including posting this first entry) before I have to go back to lying beside her so she feels secure. She will wake up now and again to see if I'm in the room before going back to sleep. That's what she does when she's not well.

Ya... she's calling for me now... so off I go.