*Crapz*  I don't think I have given the best photo for the magazine. Ade Whines.

I was asked to give a testimonial and I think it came in handy during the period of time. I was recommended and given some samples to try by colleague when she heard about my baby's diaper rash problem.

Baby Royce had diaper rash, what made worse, he had diarrhea , cleaning up his butt becomes a constant pain for him. His whole butt was very red and skin was peeling a little.  He wailed very loudly, being first time parents,we were at a lost of what to do.

When we used Bepathen ointment , it was not as sticky compared to one of the diaper cream.  A small amount of the ointment of the cream was needed. and it protected his backside from the wetness. Which was one of the reason that irritated his skin during his diaper rash.  We noticed that we reduced the amount of diaper change. Thankfully,his diarrhea also stopped and the redness and sores subsided after three days.

Ever since, I have recommending my friends Bepanthan ointment.

Btw, that's me on the extreme right. :)

While pages of magazines will be torn and turned yellow, I hope to keep the memories of featured times of anything to do my love, Royce or Papa Koh in this blog.
Been posting Royce's photo in any contest possible. Just to get him some exposure when he is a baby. :)
 His smiles and friendliness has got random aunties and uncles talking and cooing at him. I am boasting like any mom will do..

I  thank God for his gift to us.
 Here is tiny picture of him on this month Mother & Baby Nov 2013 magazine,on the extreme left corner.

Royce learned to flip at 5 months. It was the moment I was waiting for. And I always thought Ronald and I are the most relaxed parents around. We thought we wouldn't rushed things, we will leave things to progress by itself.

But worry is always a parent's duty. I couldn't help but worry, what if he couldn't progress and what we were supposed to do. So with such thoughts,we couldn't help but assist him with his flips and doing tummy time. And it paid off,  we were cite when he could do his flips. Credits to  my mother-in-law too.

When babies have their neck strengthen, they are able to start flipping, some as early as 4months .
Glad I got it down on video. Precious moments . :)

If you asked me why a one month old baby's hair ,or at fourth months need to be shaved. I have no idea.
Basically, accordingly to Chinese's beliefs,  shedding of the birth hair (sometimes referred to as "hair from the womb")

However, of course the modernized Singaporeans will have their kids's hair shaved,because  this helps to have their hair growth more evenly and hopefully more.

A sneak shot of Royce having his hair cut

Not knowing what is he getting into.

Mr Hairdresser, what are you doing?

While the Mamas and Papas got ready to do the walk way. We decided that Papa Koh will do the modelled and do the showcase.

Being able to participate in such media launch was exciting, and I believed that all the Mamas and Papas were beaming while parading their little ones away. 

Singapore ambassadors for BABYBJÖRN Carrier One

Brand Associate , Johnathon Phua doing a demo on how to use the carrier

Physiotherapist , Aparnah Shah

Our Bumble bee looking at the camera

The Kohs saying bye!

I started to fiddle with BABYBJÖRN Baby Carrier One, the moment I had my hands on it .What I love about BABYBJÖRN Carrier One that its design wins the other brand of carriers hands down.

Papa Koh feel comfortable and look who else is comfortable and happy? haha

Be warned, Papa Koh tends to perspire easily and I was afraid that carrier will be damped and Royce will be feel uncomfortable. However, because of its mesh material , it is breathable for Royce and he didn't perspire as much as I thought. The mesh material makes him less warm compared to those cotton material carrier.

Baby Royce started to fall asleep with the rhythmic movement that Papa Koh created when he walked.


The best part with the carrier, it wasn't damp (soaked in Papa Koh's perspiration, I mean ...)  and Royce sleepily open his eyes just when the walk was over.

The Man of Steel  moved "mountains" onscreen and it had also evoked emotions from me, during the scene whereby the parents had to send "Superman" to earth to protect him.

Before I became a parent, I read stories of how parents protect their kids. I wondered where they got their courage from. I wondered if I will have the same courage that they had, if it happens on me.

It was also one of the reasons why I didn't want to have kid. I was afraid I will turn away in the face of danger.

However, that scene from the "Man of Steel" movie had led me to a conclusion. We are Super Parents.
It is a paternal instinct where one way our emotions help us decide is by creating a physical response to information we don't even realize we've noticed. When we slam on the brakes at the sight of an unexpected car, for example, it's because our subconscious mind has recognized danger and translated it into a flash of fear; we decide to act without any conscious thought.

And we are Super Parents, we changed diapers for our kids. We teach them the way we think are right. We will make sure our kids are looked after first before we look after ourselves. So I will never think myself and my husband as the worst parents again.

Royce changed our lives completely. And it made us love and cherise our parents even more.

So kudos to parents and parents to be , you are Super Parents !



On June issue of Motherhood

http://babyfit.sparkpeople.com/articles.asp?id=781

With all those articles in mind, it boost my confidence, and on top of that , I have asked my gynae for advice. She told me that I could jog as long as I am not so out of breathe.


So I am glad that I completed that 10km marathon (with a bit of walking included), it was one of my greatest acheivement ever. I also hoped that my story could inspire other pregnant mothers whom are joggers before to continue jogging during their pregnancy.

I was 3 months when running Yellow Ribbon Run  6 months pregnant when running Standard Chartered - with Papa Koh

However, do bear in mind that to consult your gynae before you start running. And when you are approaching your third trimester , you may want to do a fast walk instead . :)


I wished I have taken photos but unfortunately , I may not have fancy photos but hope my experience will help.

The arrangment of the room was done by my husband, Ronald. We did not plan to book for the Super Deluxe Room , initially. After knowing the rate of the Super Deluxe room was not far from the Single Deluxe Room, it was a few hundred dollars difference.
The rate for 2013 for Super Deluxe Room is $738.30 per night, and for hubby to accompany wifey is another $80.23
The only issue is there is one Super Deluxe Room in Mount Alvernia. So you have to count on your lucky stars to get it.

Super Deluxe Room



Presents from our guests!

The cupboard area served as present collector and another area, where Papa Koh could used his laptop on a study table. And the extra table came in useful as Papa Koh's dining table. 
Papa Koh was telling me that the second child will not have this priviledge or rather Mama Koh will not have this priviledge.

I thought I have packed my Hospital Bag, but I realised that I should have brought along my maternity pad, the hospital only provide 2 packs and they also used it when my water bag burst. For the benefit for other mummies, the items to bring are:

For Mummy

1. A set of pyjamas for breastfeeding and maybe one extra pants (I stained my pants and have to ask my friend to get another pair for me.)
2. Diposable Panties
3. Going home clothes , (a comfortable pair of pants , your tummy will stick out at this point, so don't bring skinny jeans. )
4. Socks
5. Basic toiletries. ( But Mount Alvernia had toothbrush, comb , and some other toiletries , I feel at ease whenever there are extra or backup)
6. A pair of slippers

For Baby

1. Swaddle towel (I loved the Aden and Anais swaddle towel, also note that Mount Alvernia provides the towel but not sure why the hospital didn't give it to me.)
2. Mittens and Booties
3. One set of babies clothes for going home.

Documents

1. Husband and wife's ICs
2. Marriage Certificate
3. Documents for claiming from medisave
4. Cordblood kit if you purchase the policy.

Hospital provides

1. Swaddle Towel
2. Bath Tub (pls check with your hospital provides, Thomson Medical doesn't)
3. Diapers for babies.
4. Maternity pad during your stay in the hospital.

Beside the things that I did not pack an extra set, I was comfortable during my stay at Mount Alvernia. :)
And one last thing, Papa Koh was provided pillows and blankets to convert the sofa to a bed, but he wasn't exactly as comfortable.. Poor PaPa Koh.... Wasn't he glad when I and baby was discharged. :)

 21.03.2013 is a special day, it was two months before Royce's dad's birthday.
And we decided the date 21.03.2013 was the time for Royce's arrival.


All it takes was induction tablet to induce the labour.
-------------------------------------------------------
I was in the labour ward at 12am, with my husband beside me laid uncomfortably, on a stiff leather setting and metal armrest chair. To make matter worse, the aircon was super cold. The contractions kick start an hour later. I felt uncomfortable every 5 to 10mins.

The discomfort was bearable, and for someone like me whom can sleep easily anywhere. I couldn't sleep a wink. Each time I was about to sleep , the contractions woke me up. I was pretty stressed up because I knew I had to have a good sleep for the battle, but I couldn't . Furthermore, I had painful backache due to labour.

Good thing I and my husband, Ronald "survived" the hunger and coldness with free milo from the dispenser. (It was the start of my addiction of milo since then).

The first update was I was dilated at 3cm around 8am in the morning. Dr Claudine Tan broke my water bag. I have braved through the 8 hours of pain. I was about to put a pat on my back when I was told the pain was going to get worse. Scrambling for assurance that I was going through the child birth pain free. All these months of telling myself  I wasn't going to use the epidural was thrown to the back of my mind, without hesitation I agreed to using epidural.

The sensation of having to pass motion and nothing comes out, made me think that I needed the bathroom. However I was told that baby was pressing against my rectum. I was amused by the thought that the sensation was an indication that baby was coming out. The thought soon vanished when I couldn't cope with the increasing discomfort. I start crying , it was my way of finding a way to relieve the pain. It didn't go away!!

Poor Ronald had to witness my discomfort and attend to my wailings. Who says epidural is pain? For me, I didn't feel a thing...
And I thought Doctor will come in when my cervix was dilated at 10cm. Nah... the nurse calmly told me what I had to do, my legs was hoisted on the leg rest and wide apart. The monitor indicated when I had my contractions, each time when I had contractions, the Nurses asked me to push as long as possible. Ronald's role was to push my head , while the nurses cheered me on to push.

The funniest part is when it comes to pushing the baby out. I didn't feel the discomfort, but I still felt the sensation, and mind you I had epidural and it was supposed to be sensation and pain free. Well, lucky I could feel the contractions, they say it was easier to push if the mom could feel it . Doctor came at the crucial moment. Dr allowed Ronald to take a peek at initial stage of pushing and he could see baby's hair. Half an and hour into pushing, one of the nurses massaged my stomach hard so that baby could come out faster. You know the videos , you see mummies screaming while pushing? I was definitely was one of those. Not that I felt pain but I was holding my breath and the screams just came out naturally. "Pop" ! I felt Royce's head slide out. Yeah! I did a victory dance in my head. But guess what, it was only the head!

I gave one final push and baby was out !! They passed me the baby and I held baby and with my head turned, because he was so bloody and he felt slimly. I think I was a little stunned, and they took Royce to clean him up.

 With Dr's help, she digged my placenta out, and she sewed me up. I chit chat with the Dr while she sewed the three layers.  And finally we got to see him. :)

Royce's first contact with the world

Hi Hi,

Mama Koh waves to the same group of anxious mum. 

I was sharing the story of "Lightening" to my friends,
The term "Lightening" means baby moves down because the lower part of your uterus (womb) expands. Your baby's head, or bottom if he's in a breech position, will sit a little lower in your pelvis.

I think it amuses me alot.
On the 11th March 2013, On the way home , I felt him worming and heading his way down. I was abit anxious, because I expected the pain to come but it didn't.

Papa Koh  stopped the car nearby as we were at Bishan area, he say Royce moving from side to side...
I think he was very amused by the entire situation. The whole commotion stopped and our excitement died down. :(