Babywearing Festival

Yoga Baby Bliss in Facebook is having a Babywearing Festival. They have very exciting prizes to be won by the entries with the most likes. I sent in a photo not to win but to support this event.

I am proud to say that I have been a babywearer since 2001 when my oldest daughter, Nadine, was born. At that time, babywearing wasn't the norm yet. In fact, I've never even heard of the term "babywearing". All I know is that Nadine hated her stroller and loved being in our arms all the time. I used a Baby Bjorn carrier to wear her.

My first sling was from my friend, Buding Aquino-Dee, who lent me her Kindersling from Canada. At that time, I would see slings in US magazines and thought that this would be a good way of bonding with my baby Raya while caring for my toddler Nadine. It was an answered prayer because I was able to do just that.

So when I gave birth to my 3rd girl Alyssa, I knew right away that I would be babywearing her too. Same with my baby now, Cerise. :-)

I love babywearing because it makes my babies calm, content and secure. I wear my babies anywhere and everywhere. Plus, it makes breastfeeding a breeze! I currently have 6 slings, 2 pouches and 1 SAYA. Hahaha! Like I said, I don't need to win this contest. I just want to show how much babywearing means to me!

The photo I submitted was taken in 2007 during my sister, Marla's wedding. Alyssa, was only a month old then. I had a sling made to match my breastfeeding dress and that of Nadine and Raya's dresses who were both flower girls. My 4th daughter, Cerise, who is now 2 months old, loves the slings just like her sisters before her. :-)

The Golden Sling during my sister's wedding.

Wearing 3-month old Alyssa in Enchanted Kingdom using a Next9 sling.

My first sling, the Kindersling, with my 2nd daughter, Raya, in it.This was in 2003.


Alyssa in a Blissfulbabes pouch from Buding Aquino-Dee

My husband, Mier, with Alyssa.

My 2-month old baby Cerise in the pouch.

Proud of my Schoolgirls

We had the quarterly parent-teacher conference last week and all three girls brought home highly satisfactory grades. I am so proud of them because I know that they had a lot of adjustments to do last quarter --- I gave birth to Cerise and was busy caring for a newborn, then Cerise got sick and was hospitalized for a week. But despite all these obstacles, they were able to do well in school with some grade subjects even going up.

Their teachers are all praises for them. Yes, they see that the girls were struggling with the changes at home but obviously, they were able to surpass those. Both Nadine and Raya have subjects whose grades went up dramatically. Some grades went down but not very low. Both are second honors and have very good conduct grades.

I was brimming with pride when Raya's teacher commented how Nadine would watch over her sisters in school. Nadine would go to Raya's classroom to check on her and see if she packed her lunchbox properly or if her things are all in order. She has been a very good "ate" to them and I am so proud of her. :-)

Alyssa could have been accelerated to the next level for the 3rd quarter but her teacher and I agreed that it might be too much of an adjustment for her. She can do it academically but emotionally she might have difficulty since there are also adjustments at home. I don't mind leaving her in the Toddler level and wait for her to be ready for Nursery next year. I know she will ace the Nursery level as well.

I think I owe all these also to our yaya Anie who has been great in filling up my shoes in times when I cannot do the things I usually do for my girls. She is really a gem and I thank God for giving her to us.

God's Way

Have you ever tried to collect urine from a baby girl? It is not an easy task. You will have to position the plastic collector in just the right place so that the urine will not spill. Since Cerise needed a urinalysis I was bent on collecting this by hook or by crook.

It took awhile for her to pee. Right before lunchtime, there was a little in the plastic. Just in time! Mier was about to go downtown for a dental appointment. I instructed the driver to send the sample to the hospital's Lab 2. But an hour after, the driver texted that the lab technician refused to accept the sample because it wasn't enough. How disappointing!

The 2nd time we collected by mid afternoon, the urine was even less than the first collection. Much was spilled in the diaper. I didn't even try to submit it. By the 3rd try, I carefully positioned the plastic making sure that it covered most of her labia. At 530pm we were able to get a good amount of sample. Hooray! Since the driver left already for the day, I instructed my Yaya Anie to take a cab down to the hospital. The urine needed to be in the lab in less than an hour or it will stale.

She rushed down in vain. Again the technician said it wasn't enough. They needed 20ml to do a urinalysis, according to her. WHAAT??? Did they expect a 2 month old baby to excrete 20ml? What stupidity! I texted our pediatrician but she didn't reply at that time. I told Anie to just come up. The next day I called up my pedia and told her the situation. "That's crazy!" she said. She told me she will ring up the lab to check it out. I also told the neonatologist and he looked at me incredulously and said that if they are able to get a urinalysis from a premature baby, why not a 2 month old.

I put the urine collector for the 4th time at around 3pm the next day (We went to see the neonatologist that morning) and was able to collect a sample by 430pm. I was hellbent in bringing the sample down myself but since the driver wasn't back from an errand, I was willing to drive downtown myself with all the kids and Anie holding Cerise. But as we exited the subdivision gate, Cerise started wailing. I knew I wouldn't be able to make the drive hearing her cry at the backseat the whole time.

I suddenly just thought of calling up my friend, Yen, who lived in the same subdivision. Her husband was a medical representative and had flexible time although I doubted that he would be home at that time. Lo and behold, he was home! And he was about to leave to go downtown! I asked if Anie could hitch a ride to the hospital and he was more than willing to give her a lift.

Right before he arrived to pick Anie up, I made a spur of the moment decision to go to the lab myself with Cerise in tow. I could just take a cab on my way up afterward. In the car, Dan and I talked and he said that he usually doesn't go home at that time. But Yen was concerned that their water dispenser was leaking so he had to go home even if he wasn't done with his work. I called just in time because he was about to leave for downtown. It was a blessing from God!

When we got to the hospital, only then did I realize that one of the orders of the neonatologist was a blood sugar test for Cerise. It was a good thing that I decided to bring the urine sample myself so I could have Cerise's test done too!

Both the urinalysis and the the blood sugar test came out negative. But I am amazed how everything just came into place. Dan was right there at the right time and we were able to go down to have all the tests done. I think this was God's way of saying that all will be well, that He is in control, that He will take care of us, especially of Cerise. :-)

Anemic

I brought Cerise to see a neonatologist yesterday. Mier and I were so bothered by her condition and we just wanted peace of mind. The visit was very enlightening as he explained to me the basis for Cerise's problem and the steps we are taking to address that.

The probable reason for her failure to thrive is that she is anemic. The neonatologist explained to me that newborn babies cannot produce their own red blood cells until the 3rd or 4th months. That is why they store red blood cells from the mother's last trimester into their system until they are able to produce their own. It is natural for the red blood cells to go down. But in Cerise's case, she also had sepsis (a blood infection) when she was a week old and that deterred her bone marrow to work on the red blood cells all the more. Hence, the anemia.

Right now, she is taking iron supplements 3x a day and a medicine that will help her absorb the proteins and nutrients into her system. Her urinalysis is normal and so is her blood sugar. We will go back to see the neonatologist after 10 days to see if she has improved. He was humble enough to say that they are not 100% sure that it is the anemia that caused the failure to thrive but since that is what is evident now, that is what they will treat. And hopefully it is nothing more serious.

Thank you, everyone, for your prayers. It breaks my heart to see Cerise so fragile. But she is such a happy baby --- always smiling and cooing and never really fussing except when she's hungry or sleepy. She is a fighter and we will all fight alongside her with God's grace. I pray that this episode in our lives will soon pass.

Failure to Thrive

Failure to Thrive. This was the medical description the pediatrician used to describe Cerise today. We went for her 2 month checkup and was surprised that she didn't gain weight. In fact, she lost 0.100 grams from last month.

I sort of knew that she didn't gain a considerable amount of weight from last month. She seemed thinner to me, her bones more pronounced. When I look at her pictures when she was still a newborn, she was definitely meatier. But I was hoping that I was wrong. And that my efforts the past week would be enough to help her gain a little. I have been pumping my breastmilk and feeding her both by bottle and directly. I know it helped a little because I feel that she is heavier now when we carry her. But I have to admit that I was very disappointed (and perhaps hurt) with her weight loss.

Her pedia ordered a CBC. Being in that room with the lab technician extracting blood from her brought back memories of how we were more than a month ago when Cerise was diagnosed with sepsis. I tried to fight back the tears and prayed that results of the CBC would not be bad.

It turns out that Cerise is anemic. Her red blood cells are low and this may be a reason for her failure to thrive. Her pedia says it still might be a result of the sepsis. Her platelet count is very high which indicates that the antibiotics given to her are still in effect in her body. Iron and Vitamin C (which helps in the absorbption of iron) were prescribed as well as a medicine that would help her absorb protein. Hopefully this will help her. I intend to go back in 2 weeks,  instead of next month, for a reevaluation. I would rather know if it works or not so steps can be made if it doesn't.

A urinalysis was also ordered but I still have to collect the urine for evaluation. I will do that tomorrow. The good news from the pedia visit was that her heart murmur has lessened. It is still there but not as much as before. Cerise will have her 2D echo and pedia-cardio visit next month.

When we got home this afternoon, all the disappointment and hurt came out and I had to cry it out. Weeks before the doctor's visit I felt insecure about my breastmilk. I knew that I had milk because I fed Raya and Alyssa for more than a year. But still, seeing Cerise made me feel that it might be me. It didn't help that people would ask if I had enough milk. Or comments would be made that my milk is not nutritious enough for her. That was why I started pumping and feeding Cerise extra ounces through the bottle. It isn't easy to pump, wash and sterilize but I made the efforts all for her. But still it wasn't enough, it was all in vain.

The pedia assured me that it wasn't me. That the problem was Cerise's ability to absorb the nutrients. But I couldn't help but feel bad. I hope that all will be well soon. I pray to God and to Mama Mary that things will get better soon.

Cerise at 2 months

Now Raya too!

Cerise is turning two months on Sunday and I think it is only now that the other girls are realizing that Mommy is certainly preoccupied with the pooping, sucking and wailing little being.

Since Alyssa is the one who mostly demands of my attention, I've come up with a plan of bathing together. I get to have my much-awaited bath while bonding with her (and bathing her too since she refused to be bathed by our yaya now).

So the other day, while Alyssa and I were in the shower, Raya knocked wanting to join us. I don't really have a problem with this except that our bathroom is a really small one. It would be impossible to have any cleaning done when there's a crowd inside. I told Raya that we can bathe together the next day.

However, the next day we all forgot about it. Raya took a bath as soon as she got home from school and she remembered what we were suppose to do only when she saw me and Alyssa drying up together. What I didn't expect was her reaction --- she burst into tears. I realized there and then that she wanted to spend time with me too. And as usual, it made me feel bad.

So now, inasmuch as I would want to soak in the waters on this warm day, I will wait until Raya gets home from school today so we can do it together. Such is the life of a mom of four. But I will not trade it with anyone. :-)

On Sibling Jealousy

Alyssa woke up at 3am crying inconsolably. "Mommy, I need you!" she wailed. Although I was lying down beside her, I was also breastfeeding Cerise and couldn't give her my full attention. If I stopped breastfeeding her, Cerise in turn would start crying. It made me feel bad that I had to choose between the two younger ones and since Alyssa is older and can be reasoned more, I continued breastfeeding Cerise while trying to talk to Alyssa.

I told Alyssa that she has to understand that Cerise needs me more because she is still a baby. "I don't understand!" Alyssa continued to wail.

Fortunately, Mier, who was sleeping with Nadine and Raya in the other room, heard our commotion and came to the room. Alyssa refused to be comforted by Mier and wanted only me. I told Mier to get Cerise and burp her. Good thing, Cerise did not fuss, as she usually does, when Mier picked her up. I was then able to concentrate on Alyssa.

I gathered Alyssa into my arms and looked into her eyes. I told her that when she was a baby, she was like Cerise who needed me to feed her and carry her and comfort her. I explained to her that babies, like Cerise, cannot talk or walk or eat ice cream or play in the park --- things that she, as a big girl, can do already. That is why Cerise needs me more now. I told her that I needed her too, to help me take care of Cerise. Surprisingly, Alyssa took in my explanations well and seemed content with what I said.

Alyssa and Cerise

It was a dejavu for me. Six years ago, I had the same experience when out of the blue, two-year old Nadine blurted out, "I don't like Baby Raya!" I talked to Nadine about her feelings not negating it because I believed she is entitled to feel the way she did. I think it was really an adjustment phase for her at that time. Today Nadine and Raya are very close. They also fight and have misunderstandings which is, I believe normal for siblings. But I know deep down inside, they love and care for each other.

Any mother would like to see her children get along well. I cringed at those families whose children are always fighting because of jealousy and hatred. I have constantly reminded my girls that they take care of each other and love each other because they are sisters. But I am also aware of their differences in characters and personalities. I know that somehow, it can't be helped that they will have clashes in beliefs and wants. But I do pray and hope that these would help them grow in understanding each other rather than pulling them apart.

Today, Alyssa woke up in a good mood. She hugged and kissed me and did not make a fuss getting ready for school. I hope that what we talked about during the early morning would sink in.

Manila Trip Oct 30 - Nov 4, 2010

We went to Manila/Cavite for Daddy Ed's 68th birthday. Since his birthday is on Oct 31, Halloween, we had our own costume party in Cavite. The kids enjoyed dressing up.

We were also able to visit Lola Cely in White Plains and see the rest of the Basa clan.

It was a busy and hectic but enjoyable trip. :-)