Saturday, November 10, 2018


Welcoming our baby #2!

Based on gynae's recommendation, baby is expected to arrive on 30th October 2018. However he also mentioned that for 2nd time mom, it will be even faster (probably giving birth on 39th week). So based on this, I decided to clear my annual leave early starting from 23rd October 2018 in anticipation of baby's arrival.

From 23rd October to 30th October, it was a wonderful time to rest and recuperate. Just trying to catch up on rest, get the house ready for baby and even had time to watch 2 seasons of terrace house! My ideal date was for baby to arrive on 27th October, and we tried the same trick again of eating mellben crabs on 26th October night, however baby just wasn't ready.

However on 29th October, gynae said that my amniotic fluid is low and since I'm almost due, I can opt to be induced or wait for it to come naturally. The latest we can drag is by 2nd Nov. Having heard that my heart sank as I do not want to be induced and I want the birth to be as natural as possible. I'm also thinking that maybe baby is like her big sister, prefer to come after 40th week, so we decided to induce on 2nd Nov and hoping that baby will show signs sooner.

True enough on 30th October, I started get some contraction pains at 3pm. It was pretty irregular and it wasn't getting stronger. I even went to pick up Jennifer from school and read her a bed-time storybook before heading to bed. Then at 12 midnight, meaning 31st October 0000hrs, I start to get more intense contractions. Though it's still irregular but it's getting pretty strong and comes on quite fast. I was also worried that the labour will be fast for 2nd time mom and decided to ask Ted to stay awake while I time. Then i felt that I can't take it anymore so decided to go bathe and head to the hospital. Then there was the bloody show. So it's really time to deliver! I took a shower but it was so painful that I showered quickly instead of taking a nice long bath.

We drove to Mt Alv on empty stomach (previously I even had Mcdonalds!) and went to the delivery ward. The nurse ask me to change into a gown and collect some urine samples. Then she hooked me up to the ctg machine to check baby's heartbeat and monitor my contractions and I'm already 4cm dilated! Actually I felt that being a 2nd time it was so much easier as I already know what to expect and what I want so I can communicate to the nurse very clearly.

I also opted for epidural and was waiting for the anesthetist to assist me. The anesthetist came and it's a SHE. Somehow i was quite disappointed but I have got to trust her. However this time I can feel the thick needle in my spine and it was uncomfortable. She also told me that an electric current will run down my legs, but I don't feel it and she put me at the lowest dosage of epidural because she said that it's quite mild at the moment. The nurse then ask me to rest and sleep. HOWEVER! I couldn't sleep! I can still feel the contractions even though I had epi! How to sleep like that! Furthermore my left side was numb but right side was still feeling everything. It just felt very weird for me like the injection wasn't done properly.

So I asked the nurse to increase the dosage and she increased it to 12 and ask me to lie more on my right side. It took quite a while for the epi to take effect then i can finally rest. However it wasn't a very peaceful rest because i felt like vomiting again! I did shiver a little when urinating on the bedpan, however I think that's not the side effect of epi for me. Anyway I indeed vomited a few times before the actual labour. Then the nurse checked on me and my water bag broke but I couldnt feel it. I wanted to sit upright more but the nurse suggested not, because i will vomit even more and can even get a headache. Gosh, really don't like the vomitting side effect of epi.

At around 7ish, my gynae Dr Lee came and checked that I'm already 9cm dilated! I was quite glad to hear that! 2nd time mom labour really come fast and furious! So Dr Lee ask me to rest a bit more then prepare to push when the midwife is here. At this point I think they lowered the epidural scale to make me feel more.

So indeed the midwife came and started asking me to push. She said take a deep breath and push as though I'm having constipation. However I seem to be doing it wrongly as she said it's not good and ask me to try again. So I tried and tried again but seems like sometimes its good, sometimes its not good. Then during some push I wanted to vomit again, so it's really tough trying to fight the nausea or push below. At first I wanted to give up and just use assisted delivery, however the midwife said that she can see the head already and she thinks that this birth can be all natural. So I just got to give it a try! My friend yf also did it naturally, how can I give in so easily right?

Finally the main clue given by the midwife was pretend that you are doing crunches! Wow! This really helped as I'm used to doing it before being pregnant and yes! That's the key! I was pushing really well after that and it also helps that the epi effect has reduced and I can feel baby's head below! The entire pushing lasted about 30mins!

So just before the final push, midwife asked gynae to come in to deliver the baby. My gynae likes to joke alot and said that I have been doing all the job and how can he justify his own pay? So he said he will cut a little bit. So with just a final push, i heard baby's cry! Hooray! This time ted cut the baby's umbilical cord! So happy, give myself a pat on my back and also thanking Ted for supporting my neck and giving me all the encouragement possible! He even gave me a sweet kiss when I delivered!
Dr Lee then started sewing and also deliver the placenta. All was done rather quickly.

This time i was more clear of what's happening and sayang my little baby immediately! Dr Watt arrived shortly and checked on the baby. Nothing major except to check on the little dimple on her butt. I'm writing this 11 days post delivery, hence the little dimple is ok with no effect on development. Then we were wheeled to St Michael's ward! Yay! I must have a single bedder no matter what.

By the way, I felt my darling bb is such a considerate baby. She allowed us time to get everything settled, even coax the big sister to bed before her show-time! Love her to bits!

As for the hospital stay ... till the next post then!

Posted by Angela at 1:40 PM

Tuesday, June 17, 2014


Confinement

Based on my colleague's recommendation, i engaged Amy as my confinement nanny.

She arrived on 19th May but I opted to stay 1 more day at the hospital because Jenn has high jaundice level. So I met Amy briefly at the hospital.

On 20th May I went home (without Jenn) and had my first confinement meal (veg, meat, soup, rice). I can't drink plain water so I had longan red date tea as my water supplement for 1 month. I was actually looking forward to be home as I can finally bathe with the herbal bath. It was so gross that I did not bathe at all after the whole labour process. My hair was soooo oily.

Finally Jenn came back on 21st May and I can tell that Amy is very experienced with taking care of baby such as bathing, changing diaper, calming baby down and look out for hunger cues. She knows I want to breastfeed baby but I had engorged breasts and she help me did a massage which was good. She also know how to help baby latch on correctly. 

I am listing down the good and bad that I have experienced with her.

The Good
- Experienced in caring for baby. She has her own methods (whether scientifically proven or old wives tales) in calming baby down when she is hysterical.
- Takes good care of me. Ensure that I am eating well, prepares food for me even in the middle of the night
- She puts baby and my needs before hers. There were a few times she had late lunches and late afternoon naps because baby couldn't settle and I had to eat/bathe.
- Has initiative. Doesn't need constant reminders. She will automatically do things without being asked. Sometimes when you are at a lost or just need an extra hand, she seems to always come at the right time.
- Doesn't bear grudges or react emotionally. I have a bossy MIL who will order her around. Sometimes I can tell that Amy is not happy with the bossiness but she does not react negatively to it.
- Go the extra mile. I recall during the phone conversations with her, she did mention she will only take care of baby and me. If she needs to do additional chores, it will require more $$. However it seems to me she is doing more than agreed. For example, she cooks for my hubby, helps my MIL with cooking, clean/mop the living room floor etc.
- There were 2 occasions that we needed to go to the hospital with baby (1st wk checkup, adhoc jaundice checkup). I was not expecting her to tag along with us but she offered and I'm glad she did. Because she can take care of baby and even help me with managing the nursing cover in the car and ask me to breastfeed baby. She also guide us on what items to pack in the bag when going out.
- She is someone who is willing to share knowledge with us. She understands that I will be taking care of baby all alone after she leaves, as such she taught me many things (bathe baby, washing bottles, heating milk etc)
- Friendly person who will chat with everyone in the family but this may also be a bad point if you do not wish to talk at that time.
- Able to hold baby and assist the hairdresser when shaving off her hair.
- Her attitude on the last day was very good. Able to work around our schedule (Ted and I brought baby out for a drive, Ted sending cakes and pastries to relatives)

*** In general, I think she has fulfilled and done a good job as a confinement nanny, perhaps even exceeding my expectations sometimes.

The Bad
- Cleanliness is poor. There were times that I see coffee stains / longan tea stains on the table top but she doesn't bother cleaning them. I couldn't stand it and had to wipe it myself. Heard from my MIL that she doesnt bother washing the pots well so that are some marks which my MIL say she will clean up after she leaves.
- Use resources as though they are free. The way she use water to wash just 2 bottles break my heart. The water tap runs at full force. When I questioned her, she mentioned that it is more important that the bottles are clean so she use more water. She also uses a lot of gas to cook. I am not sure if that's the norm but i believe our utilities bill will be sky high this month.
- She washes my clothes and hers everyday but I feel that it does not feel fragrant or washed when it was returned. Not sure if it is due to handwashing vs machine wash. Sometimes her clothes smell bad too but I did not voice it out.
- Requested my hubby to buy marble cake for my supper. However I notice that I only ate 2 slices while she finished 5 slices. If it was meant for me, should I be eating most of it?
- As baby jaundice is still there, we requested Amy to sunbathe baby. However for this request, I had to give constant reminders and there were excuses such as there is no sun, or it is raining, there are mosquitoes etc. End up baby sunbathed for 2-3days only. However I noticed that baby skin got darker instead. As a result I did not urge baby to be sunbathed anymore.
- Approaching the last week of the confinement, I felt quite agitated with her whiny complaints. She keep emphasizing on giving baby formula milk instead of breast milk so that baby can sleep for longer periods. I read online that the reason for sleeping for longer periods is because formula milk is synthetic and harder to digest. It is alot of work for that little stomach which is not mature. Of course I didnt tell her what I read online. 

Thereafter the one comment that I got irritated the most was about pacifier. She kept saying baby is not hungry but wants the pacifier. But we did not want to introduce the pacifier to her. So she kept saying it at every feed. For example if baby suckle and stop during breastfeed, she will mention it. During bottle feed when baby did not suckle much, she mention it again. Until today where I got quite irritated with the constant complaint that I mention to her, we did not introduce pacifier to her at all, how can she crave for something that she does not know exist? Then she did not reply me.

One night baby was crying and refusing to sleep, Amy started the pacifier nonsense again. But when I held baby up, I realized that her shirt and swaddle are very damp. It is because the urine has leaked from the diaper. Even the mattress and bedsheet are wet. Of course that's why she is crying! I started changing the diaper and her clothes and she quieten down. So I feel that Amy's mindset of pacifier is clouding her mind of investigating the cause of the problem.

*** In general, I can overlook all her bad points except for the complainy and whiny part. She can advise us on the pacifier / formula but she dont have to repeat it so many times. We are not stupid and we are not deaf. I'm also not sure why she became so long-winded in the final week. I also heard her complaining about my MIL on buying vegetables. I was actually contemplating to give her a $200 angbao for the job well done but due to irritation i am experiencing in the final week, I have cut it to $150.

*** To conclude, if I have a 2nd child I will probably engage her again because I feel the good exceeds the bad. Anyway I'm glad confinement period is over! 

Posted by Angela at 7:21 PM

Thursday, May 22, 2014


Hospital experience in Mt Alvernia

We managed to get the single ward for the 3D2N stay. There is a sofa bed for Ted to sleep on. Room was spacious enough.

For the first night, papa mummy kia hua gf visited us. It was so exciting and fun sharing the stories with them. They went to the nursery to take a look at baby but she was bathing at that time. It feels good to see that there is so much love surrounding our little baby girl.

I was still feeling numbness in my legs but it is starting to wear off. Baby was brought to me for breastfeeding as and when she is hungry. After the first feed and sending her back to the nursery made me miss her alot! I couldnt get back to sleep after that. Thereafter with each breastfeeding I will let her stay with me for a while before I send her back to the nursery.

Some time in the middle of the night I was woken up by pain. It was the stitches pain that comes on after epidural effect went off. Took some pain killers and went back to sleep. In addition I was also bleeding like crazy but this is all normal from what I know.

The food in Mt Alvernia was good. There was a variety for you to choose from. Even Ted has 3 meals provided daily too. So I felt that the companion charges is value for money.

The nurses were very prompt in their service and shared tips with me except for the last day when I think there was a sudden influx of births and as a result they forget some of my requests.

Sister, jiefu and 2 boys visited us on the 2nd day and they took so many pictures of baby.  Da da gu gu came with kin kin ma ma and im joo. They bought a flower basket with bird nest drink together with xiao xiao gu gu and gave an ang bao.

On the day of check out, baby has a high level of jaundice 16.1. I believe is because I am not producing much milk for baby to flush it out. I was quite sad and wanted to stay 1 more night for breastfeeding. However I was reluctant to give formula milk but Ted reminded me that the objective is for baby to flush out all the bilirubin so that she can go home. In the end we authorised them to give formula milk as supplements.

Baby went for phototherapy. It feels sad to see her crying on the therapy machine because she is hungry. If I am to be given 1 more chance I will have opted for formula milk earlier.

I met up with the lactation consultant twice and my boobs are very engorged with clogged ducts. Based on theory we had to massage before letting baby suckle but oh man the massage was damn painful and strong in order to clear the ducts. I was also not getting baby to latch on properly and got sore nipples. Baby is suckling but could not get much milk because it is all blocked. Furthermore as a jaundice baby she is very tired and will fall asleep after some suckling so I had much difficulties and it can get demoralising sometimes. I learnt a lot from the consultants but I still need more practice.

I was discharged on the 4th day but baby couldnt come home with us because the jaundice level drop to 12.1. It is still better to stay for 1 more day. I went home first so that I can bathe and rest. Later that night we delivered the expressed milk to baby. After pumping 2 sessions for an hour each, it could only satisfy baby for 1 feed. So sad.

Finally on the 5th day Dr Simon Ng say that we can bring baby home as the jaundice level drop to 9.1 however we must keep monitoring if the jaundice comes back. From our point of view she still looks yellow. Will be meeting Dr Simon Ng on the 7th day for follow up.

As for the charges of Mt A, I find that it is very reasonable. We gave a deposit of 3k and my bill charges was 700 and baby's was 300. Of course there were medisave deductions thats why our bill can be so low. I will highly recommend anyone who is giving birth to choose Mt A.

On the 7th day we went to Dr Simon Ng's clinic. He wasn't around when we reach. We were told that he had an emergency case to attend to. He was an hour late and moreover there are alot of babies waiting for him so this means more waiting for us.

When it's our turn, Dr Simon Ng say the jaundice looks ok. It will go away in 2 to 3 wks time. He commented that the umbilical cord is well clean. Thanks to my confinement nanny. Baby is eating well n stools are mustard in colour. She has also regained the weight that she lost. She was 3.1kg when being measured.

Thereafter he went through with us on some tips for baby and the vaccination required. However I find that he went through so fast and I couldn't understand the vaccination part. I believe he is like that because he is rushed for time. Thereafter when we are about to leave, confinement nanny was trying to swaddle baby but he ask us to do it outside. =(

Anyhow I hate the wait. During the hospital stay we had to wait. During the clinic visit we had to wait. So we will contemplate to change a paediatrician for baby. I guess our baby deserves better service =)

Posted by Angela at 11:36 AM

Wednesday, May 21, 2014


The day Ted and I become parents

The eventful day was on 17th May 2014.

Let's backtrack a little to 3 days before.

I started my maternity leave on 14th May which was the estimated delivery date. Nothing happened for that day. I was anxious and was hoping to feel some contractions soon. However still nothing happen on the 15th and 16th. Gynae suggested to induce on 17th 8am if there is still no signs. I did not want to be induce because it means baby is not ready to be born and induction is more painful. I was feeling frustrated and upset and Ted suggested a nice dinner on 16th. We had butter crabs at Mellben. =)

Finally we went to bed with a heavy stomach and a heavy heart, setting the alarm at 6am. However I was woken up by contractions at 4am. This kind of pain was never experienced before. It came from the lower back and took over all my senses. I was afraid it is a false alarm so I started to time the contractions. It was so regular at 8 mins interval. I quickly got up and went to bathe.

I discovered I had pinkish red discharge as well so it is a definite sign of labour. During showering there were some fluid discharge but I thought it was just the shower.

Quickly woke Ted to prepare and we went for our final breakfast at McDonald's. The contractions got slightly more intense that I gotta stop and concentrate on breathing before I can finish my meal.

Reached hospital at 630pm and was glad that the delivery suite was relatively empty. I changed into the robe and nurse hook me up to the machine to measure contractions.  It was 7 mins apart.

Then soapy water was given to me via the anal and within 5 mins I went to poo. They ask me to hold on longer till 10mins if I can but im afraid I might shatter before I reach the toilet so I better not risk it. I think this is the perfect remedy for constipation!

Thereafter the nurse check that my cervix was dilated till 3cm which was a good news. Dr Tan came over and check as well. I dislike the checking of cervix dilation as it is quite painful, the area was too tender for any touch. Dr Tan said he wants to break the water bag for me because I was unsure if my water bag is broken. However after checking he confirm that it is already broken which I wasnt aware of. I believe it was during the time I was showering when it happened.

While using the breathing techniques to control the pain, Dr Tan mentioned that it will get more n more painful after he tried to break my water bag. Oh my God!! I'm already in pain and it is gonna get worse? Dr Tan suggested using the laughing gas and tell the nurse when I want the epidural.

So Ted ask me to monitor for an hour. If the pain gets worse he will inform the nurse for epidural. Indeed! It got unbearable! The contractions are closer apart which means I got less time to relax and each duration of the contraction pain gets longer and longer. To me the gas mask doesnt help at all, maybe I dont know how to use it well.

So at around 10am I told Ted I cannot take it anymore. Heck it right? Im gonna take it anyway might as well take it earlier. So the nurse was preparing and the anaesthetic Dr Chan came over. I was so glad when I saw him!

I was asked to lie very close to the edge of the bed on my left side and curled up like a kitten. While preparing I was also reaching for the gas mask for help! Oh God! Dr Chan say he will start when the contraction is over.

I heard that taking epidural was painful so I was expecting it. He poke the needle into my spine, send an electric current and spray cold mist on my back. The whole procedure took less than 1 min! I was then hooked up to the machine. He told me it will take effect in 10 to 20mins time and my feet started to feel a tingling numbing sensation. As for the epidural pain, it was really NOTHING worth mentioning! I duno why people mention it is painful. Maybe the anaesthetic was not skilled? But im glad Dr Chan did everything so fast that I didnt know it was already over when he's done.

Yay! I am very happy with the epidural. No more pain and I can even sleep. The contractions are closer apart and the level of pain is off the charts but I dont feel anything! Hooray!

At about 3pm the nurses and midwife came in to ask me to start pushing. Im like "huh? Push what? Cannot feel anything leh". So they got me to try and try but they say its not working. So at about 4plus they say they gonna reduce my epidural and I got abit freaked out. Am I gonna experience that contractions again?!?!?! But the nurse say its just more sensation and wont be that painful. She is right! More sensation and more feeling which means I can finally push baby out!

While trying to push the nurse say im doing it incorrectly as my face is all flushed which should not be. I should be pushing it below and not above. After a long while of pushing and vomitting due to epidural side effects, baby head is more visible and Dr Tan came in.

Then here comes the ultimatum. 1 nurse 1 midwife was helping me push by pressing my stomach so hard! It is good that they help me but somehow it also made me vomitted my breakfast out! Ted told me it was very smelly! Haha. Super gross man! Then Dr Tan did an episiotomy and use the vacuum to suck out baby as I was quite tired already after pushing for so long. The nurse, midwife, Ted and another standby nurse was like cheering me on!

Finally they put baby on my stomach and I was abit stunned. She was already crying and I was abit lost in translation. In the end I just touch her small lil feet and she was taken away to be measured. Ted overseed all the measurements and tagging. Meanwhile Dr Tan was so busy trying to stitch me up. The stitching took 15mins or so but I was looking at baby and Ted and not sure what Dr Tan is doing. From my angle it was just all bloody below.

Then they put baby to my chest and she started to suckle. She was so alert with eyes wide open! After a short while, Dr Tan was done and the nurses help to clean up the room and finally wheeled me to the ward. Ted was wheeling baby to the ward.

Aw! So this is it! Both of us are officially parents on this day 17th May 2014. Baby Jennifer arrived in the evening.

I am so glad and grateful for my hubby. With all his care for the past 10 months including the incredible support on the delivery date that I managed to give birth to our love fruit. Without him, none of this is possible. I love you Teddy!

Posted by Angela at 5:54 AM

Friday, December 09, 2011


I am officially married!

6th Dec 2011 - Officially and Happily Married

I'm so glad that the full day was so smooth :)

Posted by Angela at 12:12 AM

Wednesday, September 14, 2011


Wedding bands

A very important and significant symbol of marriage is the wedding ring. I'm not sure if it's true biologically but they say that people wear their wedding band on their left hand - fourth finger as there is a vein that connects directly to the heart. Sounds so sweet~

To me, I will be wearing my wedding ring for the rest of my life, so I must really get a good one that I fancy very much. Once the wedding banquet is confirmed with Fullerton, our next step is to buy our wedding bands.

While reading many online threads about wedding bands purchases, I fell in love with Love & Co rings. There is a very wide selection as compared to other well known jewellery stores but this pair of rings caught my attention. So Beautiful and Matching!

We went down to the Vivocity branch to take a look at their rings selection. Tried on many different ring styles but I still fancy the pair above. However as the prices were a little out of our budget, we went to other shops like Lee Hwa, Soo Kee, Goldheart etc to take a look. Surprisingly, their prices were on the high side and and their designs were quite simple.

The choice is clear. We went back to Love & Co and purchased our rings. The sales lady gave us a pair of bears to act as a ring holder. The male bear's arms are bounded to each other by magnets. Just pull them apart and we can slip the rings on the his arms and attach them back together. We have decided to use this as our "ring pillow" during our ROM ceremony. Frankly, I was over the moon when I saw the bears, soooo cuteeeeee!!!!!


We paid the full price of the rings and left the shop with the bears ONLY. Love & Co will send the order to some country (i forgot where) to custom make our ring based on the sizes. Mine is a size 6, his is a size 16. Collected the rings about a month later. Happy and Excited!


Many diamonds for me and None for him. I love bling bling and he doesn't like it as it is too girlish. hehe.

No engraving as of now as we are not sure what to engrave too. Our name, wedding date? Our handwritten words? Our picture? Hmmmm....

Recently, I've been noticing my friends / colleagues / clients' left hand for wedding rings cause I can't wait to wear mine!!!!

Posted by Angela at 9:44 PM

Tuesday, September 13, 2011


It is Official - We are getting married !!!

Posted by Angela at 1:25 AM