The First Month

This is obviously a long due post as Raychi will be 6 weeks old in three days! And Yes baby is named Raychi 睿棋 and we think we are not going to bother with an English name. Raychi is beautiful and easy enough to pronounce plus it will be an unique name than Sophie (the one we were going for) or Lily-Rose (we googled and only found one girl with this name and she is Johnny Depp's daughter! I used to say that I'd name my daughter Lily-Rose as I love the sound of if but when baby arrived, I kind of had gone off it and I am not sure if she is a Lily-Rose!)

Anyway, We came back home from confinement centre on the 19th and didn't realise just how easy life was there even though we have a helper at home. The first few days were rather chaotic to say the least as baby was also starting to get used to a different environment and so didn't go by the routine! Oh yes, we decided long time ago that we were going to give her a military routine! hahaha Many friend have recommended Gina Ford's 'The Contended Little Baby Book' which advocates a daily routine for both the baby and the parents so it is the routine we are following.

A proud daddy

Height - 56cm, 85th upper percentile

Weight - 4.4kg, 85th upper percentile.  I was so worried about her not putting on weight during the second week as she stayed at the same weight for a week whereas all other babies were piling on weight! Nursed did say that breastfed babies tend to 'take longer' to put on weight but once they do, they really pile on!

Eating - Feeds 6 times a day as per CLB routine.

Sleeping - Raychi has started to become more alert and wakeful even though she still loves her sleep and we still spend a lot of time keeping her awake or waking her up so that she gets enough feed. We tried to have her on her stomach from week 2 and she can lift her head around 45- 60 degrees, sometimes even 90 degrees!

Development - 

• She responds well to sounds as I accidentally dropped iPad next to her and it startled her that she started crying..... :(  I felt sooooo guilty  

• She has started cooing and it is the cutest sound ever!!!

• She still enjoys bathing and it is fun to bathe her even though I haven't really done it on my own apart from holding her little hands...

• She suffered badly from colic and I really blame myself for this. My boobies were so sore when I came home I decide to bottle feed her for a few days. Even though she guzzled down the milk in 10 minutes flat every time and we made sure we burped her, her tummy was really tight and doctor has asked me to breastfeed her directly so I started breastfeeding her directly again. It took around 5 days for Raychi to get better as we massaged her whenever we can and had her on her stomach when she first wakes up from her naps etc. We also started to let her swim as it relieves colic too and boy does she like being in the water! It was also very entertaining to watch!

My Postpartum Meals

I have never been a big fan of Chinese herb infused food so I was rather scpetical prior to coming to confinement centre. However, it is not as bad as I remembered or maybe I just accepted the fact that it is the Chinese tradition and it's not as if I would be able to eat any other food.

So from the photographs, you get the drift of soup comes with every meal (and yes I mean every single meal including breakfast as its either congee or noodles on broth) and the logic is that mums get as much liquid as possible in order to have enough breast milk. Between three meals, we also get three desserts. In the morning, it is generally soya milk or walnut milk or sesame milk and Chinese style sweet soup in the afternoon and after dinner. When I first struggled to produce milk, I ate everything (the portions here are huge!) and guzzling down all the herbal tea as well as desserts. I'm glad to say it paid off and I now seem to have sufficient amount of milk if not more than enough!

So if anyone says they don't produce enough boobie milk, my advice would be drink plenty of liquid and I mean tons! I must drink 2000 litre of herbal tea and two large bowls of soup at lunch and dinner plus fruits and desserts! The downside is that I don't dare to weigh myself! Well, I did two weeks ago and I weighed around 56/57 kgs which I thought wasn't bad considering I weighed 65kg before giving birth. Though I'm not sure about now since I eat and drink so much but I'll have to worry about it after checking out of confinement centre as the priority now is to get enough milk supply and I get enough nutritions! Haha .... So I tell myself!

Happy weekend everyone!

My Little Cheeky Monkey

Baby is two weeks old today and it seemed ages since I gave birth yet it has only been 14 days!

Baby (we are still working in the name....) has regained her birth weight but very very slowly. In fact, she hadnt put on any weight in 5 days until yesterday! She now weighs 3300 grams! Still a tiny baby compared to her 'peers' but she is the only baby who is on breast milk exclusively hence the reason!

Baby sleeps a lot, in fact, she is so sleepy that every time when I feed her, she falls asleep in 5 minutes - every single time without fail! So we spend the next 10-15 minutes waking her up to make sure she gets her feed! She even falls asleep during her bath, which is rather unusual as newborns normally cry when they have their front washed! Though I am not complaining. I see myself lucky to have a baby who enjoys bathing!!! Hehehe

Confinement Centre - Ma Cherie

I started looking for a confinement centre back in April and thanks to J, she highly recommended Ma Cherie www.ma-cherie.com.tw as she has been there a few times to visit her colleagues. I then sent mum to have a look and she wasn't that convinced at first as the front desk didn't seem overly friendly. However, since I wasn't in Taiwan then and couldn't compare all of them in person, I decided to take a chance.

I checked in on 24th November and I have to say from the receptionist to the nurses (especially the nurses!!!) were amazingly friendly and helpful. As soon as I settled in the room, a nurse came to check my breasts and found that both nipples were seriously cracked hence they suggested expressing milk using hands since they are too fragile to use an electric pump too. Also with the whole plugged ducts epic, they come and massage my boobies every two hours to make sure I was ok. They have been wonderful.

Entrance to the room

Desk

My 'dining and expressing' sofa

A rather comfy bed

Television

Bathroom

Shower

One week

It's been a week since baby is born and gosh it's probably also one of the longest weeks in my life so far! I thought giving birth was the toughest bit and I could just 'chill' and relax and rest at confinement centre. How wrong was I!!!!

Don't get me wrong, the confinement centre is lovely and it deserves a post of its own. It's this whole breast feeding business that is hard, and I mean really really hard. First of all, when I checked out of hospital on Thursday, my nipples were bleeding and cracked. I tried to bear the pain at hospital as I hardly got any sleep the three nights I stayed. I was tired but not sleepy, all I wanted to do was to spend time looking at baby and I just couldn't get enough of her. When nurses at confinement centre saw my nipples, they said they were serious cracks and suggested I stop breast feeding baby for a few days till they are fully recovered. Instead, they hand squeeze my boobies and get milk in a bottle they then cup feed baby. At first, I was relieved to hear it as the pain of feeding baby was getting to me. Little did I know it was the beginning of a long journey. Milk hadn't fully came through on Thursday and so we had to savor every single drop of milk. Initially we could only squeeze out 30 ml from both boobies. And every time we had to rush the whole process as baby would be crying hungry. By Saturday morning, nurse managed 60 ml which was good news. This was carried out every three hours including the night.

It came from no where that I started to shiver uncontrollably on Saturday night and it turned out I had a temperature of 40.2 degrees. Nurses panicked and so I was rushed to A & E at 11pm. I had plugged milk ducts which would cause flu-like symptoms i.e. fever, achy muscles, headache and just feeling weak in general and I suffered all of the above. So the doctor prescribed some antibiotics and I have to take them for 7 days till the infection is gone.

Therefore there is a red patch on my left boobie and god it hurts so much just by touching it let alone squeezing it but massaging it is essential. Nurses here are wonderful, they massage my boobies every time they squeeze boobie milk and it's a hard job for them too as they really need to work at it to massage the hard lump. And what does it feel like? Imagine a serious bruise and someone tries to hit it with a hammer - continuously for at least 10 minutes! Yes, that's what it feels like!

Here are some photographs:

Baby and I

Like father, like daughter

freshly hand squeezed by Tao and man, was it hard work or was it hard work!!!! It took him 70 minutes to get to 60ml

and this is few days later!! Almost doubled the amount and need I say I was almost in tears!

So this is Week 1 and it seemed eternal. Though I enjoyed every moment with baby and still am fascinated by her every movement and expression! They are priceless!

New family addition

My loveli was born at 3.04pm Taiwan time on 21 November 2011.

Both mummy and baby are doing well and are heading to confinement centre tomorrow.

Show

Had my 'show' at 5.22am and am monitoring my contractions! It seems baby is ready even though I am not!!! lol

T has booked this morning's ticket back, I pray there won't be any delay and baby will wait for her daddy.

Wish me luck amigos!

Baby at 38 weeks

I had my weekly checkup today and I had to plead for a scan as Dr. Lo is well-known for his uber 'natural' approach. It turns out that baby now weighs around 3300g!!!!!! Yes the average weight is 2950g so baby is yet again at upper 75th percentile! Though the doctor has asked me to count fetal kicks as baby's blood flow is not as 100% strong as it should be hence fetal movements are vital. Okay, this is really worrying me.... even though baby is very very active but to be told to keep an eye on it is another matter. Therefore I now will count the kicks twice a day after my meal religiously!
The bright side is that I haven’t put on any more weight in the last two weeks. Phewww......

Other than that, not only the fatigue has started getting to me, I can really feel the weight of the bump and pressure on my pelvis.

So this is the latest update and me being Ms. Never-stop-worrying has another thing to worry about....

Weight Gain

I have put on a whopping 13 kgs so far and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't bothered because I am bloody freaked out! I think most women have this paradox about weight especially I used to be one chubby bunny. Only until recently that I managed to maintain my weight at around the 50kgs mark.

Therefore I have tried to walk as much as I can even though I tend to get tired after 30 minutes of walking this week and also stitches so I am taking things a lot slower. I have a nap in the afternoon and also take tiny steps when I am out and about.


So this is what I look like at the moment....

Three more weeks to go!

Technically I am considered full-term so baby can come any time.

At 37 weeks, baby is the size of a watermelon that weighs roughly around 3 kgs!!!!! Hence my lower back has started to really suffer. Other than that, I start to get tired quite easily and stitches whenever I take a walk right after a meal. Otherwise I am feeling pretty peachy, well, most of the time anyway.

I found this yoga studio www.bodhiyoga.com.tw/eng/index.html which not only does prenatal yoga but also ashtanga yoga!!! I can't wait to try as I have had trials at other yoga studios and was not impressed with the way how the class was led. At Bodhi Yoga, teachers here talk about bandhas all the time as well as stressing the importance of pranayama so I think the ashtanga class would probably be my type of class!

So what have I been doing to fill the days? I tend to go to bed late and wake up late, according to London time as am still trying to cover some work. I then have my brunch, and yoga class in the afternoon. I try to walk there and walk back so I get enough-ish exercise! Or I would go for my prenatal massage once a week if I can be bothered! I have my early dinner when I am home as ever since I was told that I have put on too much weight, I have been more careful of what I eat. Though my pitfall is still fruits. I can't seem to resist eating fruit but then I have always been a huge fruit lover so cutting down on fruits isn't easy, thought at least I have started eating guava more which would have never occurred before.

I also need to get a grip to start packing my pack especially it's not long to go! I have done part of baby's laundry and have more to do.

So this is my latest update and will aim to blog more before D day!

Namaste.

Baby at 37 weeks

and this is nothing compared to her usual gymnastics session! One super active baby I have! :)

75th Percentile

I went for a scan on 7th October to see how 'big' the baby was and it turned out that baby was at the 75th percentile!!! Baby weighed 2100 grams compared to the average of 1900 grams at 32 weeks! Umm could it be all the cakes I have been eating? hahaha Ok I have not been stuffing my face with cakes but I have discovered that I do tend to have a sweet tooth in the last trimester. Though as I have put on 12 kgs so far (yes I am also overweight now and so have to watch what I eat!) and so my best friend now is guava!

I never thought I would be eating so much guava in my life but it is doctor's order and I am so scared that I will REALLY ballon in the last month, um which is NOW! Oh dear...

Anyway, so this week baby is a size of a large cantaloupe melon! Though I am not too sure as baby should be around 52cm long and weighs 2.5kg and that is larger then a melon surely?

What do ya think?

Baby Moon II

We went to Naha the next day and the first stop was Kokusaidori (literally ''International Road'') after picking up Joyce and James from the airport.

There are arrays of souvenir shops, boutiques, cafes, restaurants, and T's favourite spot - ice cream parlours!

We then had Okinawa-styled BBQ for dinner and my oh my, did we stuff our faces that evening!

tender beef tongue

Some street entertainment after dinner!

Traditional Okinawa dancing

Busena Terrace Beach Resort

Beautiful beach

A quick snap

We would highly recommend Okinawa for a short break as it's a clean island with lots of different spots to explore and lovely food to sample!

Baby Kicking

I now can really feel baby whenever she kicks or wriggles and it was so obvious last night that my bump was really pointed rather than the normal round! It was so funny yet magical to feel baby inside me. I even felt either her knee or elbow or her little feet as it was hard!

After last Friday's scan, baby is now in the right presentation, i.e. head down so I am relieved. Though the chat with doctor got me thinking re: my birthing options! I was so adamant and thought I knew what I wanted but I am still considering my options - at 33 weeks!

As I am now well into my third trimester, I start to get tired easily again and back ache seems to get worse but then I think I have had a pretty smooth easy pregnancy so far (touch wood). I didn't have any morning sickness, my fingers and ankles are not swollen (yet) and I have just been feeling 'normal' apart from going to bed early in the first trimester. So I can live with the back pain. I will also start going to pre-natal yoga again tomorrow. I tried one class back in July and I almost fell asleep! Though I now need to adjust to the pace since I AM eight months pregnant after all!

Next time, I will try to take a photo and video record when baby kicks so I can share it here!

Namaste.

30 Weeks Day 6

I know I have not really written anything about my pregnancy and it's my 30th week already! I have 65 more days to go according to my due date which is 3rd December! So one way of looking at it is that it's been going well so far apart from my increasing back pain lately, I have enjoyed being pregnant as I don't really feel any different apart from my body size! hahaha I have put on whopping 11kgs so far which is frightening! Before I was pregnant, I weighed around 50-51kgs and I was 52kgs in March. So know being 11kgs heavier, not only I look humongous, I feel fat but then there still occasions that people don't realise I am pregnant!!! For example, on the way back from London, I asked one of the air stewardess if she could helps me with my hand luggage, she said why don't we lift it up together. So I told her I was pregnant she looked at me in disbelief and looked at my belly quickly?!?! Maybe I should be wearing the good old-fashioned frumpy maternity wear so it is obvious? Or a uber tight dress?

Oh and I have officially stop wearing heels now, not only the pressure from mum but I want to be walking whenever I can and flats are just so much more practical so I have to say byebye to my beloved heels for now. Though I DO miss wearing them!

My dear puppies, I will see you next year!

Baby Moon

T organised a baby moon in the end of August, well, um or maybe Joyce did as she suggested the location and we decided that not only it is closer than Hawaii, (which was our initial thought but then changed our minds as soon as we realised there was no direct flight from Taipei) it is also more fun to go with friends!

So Okinanwa, here we come!!!

We asked if we could get a double bed instead of two single beds but apparently we need to pay extra to get a double bedroom? Ummm, ok not too sure about the logic behind it but just as we were getting the room keys, we were told that we'd been upgraded to an executive room! Results!!!

Daybed

View from the room

After dropping off our luggages, we went out to grab some lunch as we were both starving having caught the first flight in the morning. We had some delicious traditional Okinawa noodles!

We then went for a stroll and exploring north part of the island!

Our hired car

We ended our day with another traditional Okinawa feast...though we were not impressed with the food.

T's first non-alcoholic beer

19/08/2011

Blood Test

Went for my check up with the midwife and all seem to be well apart from probable alpha thalassaemia trait....my iron level is 11.3 which is above the 10.5 minimum mark. Now T needs to go for a blood test to make sure the baby is ok.

I heard the baby's heartbeat again and it was sooo touching! Though I still can't feel the baby inside me yet so hearing the heartbeat was reassuring.

I have started to eat beef again! after 12 years and it is all because of the baby! I need to start bulking on protein but whenever I eat meat, I get nauseous...

Oh and the experience with NHS wasn't all that bad. I only had to wait for 10 minutes or so to be seen even though the scan technician wasn't as friendly as I had expected but then I was her last few patients. Baby is fine and growing at the normal rate so I am a happy bunny.


06/06/2011

Yes, I am..

Pregnant!

I was supposed to have my first antenatal check-up at 11th week on 17th May but the midwife called in sick so it was postponed and me being me, I got really irritated and anyway long story short, the NHS didn't fail to disappoint as no one knew when I'd have my check-up. I decided to go private and chose Fetal Medical Centre on Harley Street and I have to say I was so glad I did. Not only the staff were friendly and efficient, the environment was so lovely and civilised. Joce and I sat on the sofa reading Vogue and Elle while waiting.

I had my blood test at 2.15pm and had my ultrasound scan at 2.35pm. The room was tranquil, completely different experience compared to the scan I had in China. The doctor was really friendly and patient and Joce sat next to me. She asked some basic questions and put some gel on my tummy and the gel was WARM as opposed to the  freezing cold one I got in China. THEN I met our baby the first time! It was a truly amazing experience. Up until now, apart from feeling queasy and the constant fatigue, I sometimes wonder if the baby was ok as I don't feel anything. But the baby was moving, wriggling and even posing when I had the scan! Baby was stretching legs and raising arms, it was so fascinating and I couldn't get enough of it! I had to fight back my tears as I had tons of questions for the doc.

I heard the heartbeat and it was just sooo amazing. My eyes could not move from the monitor as for the first time, I KNEW for sure I have a little live growing inside me. I know it sounds silly but seeing the baby made everything real!

The baby is now 7.06cm, still tiny but I can see the head, belly, little hands, arms, nose, legs and feet! According to the doctor, I am 13 weeks and 2 days and the due date is 27 November! The test results came back with everything being normal so I was relieved as I kept having nightmares the previous night worrying about the baby. Though deep down I think it was more to do how NHS has let me down.

The test costs £180 and it was worth every penny because I feel relieved and happy. I got three copies of the report, scan photos and a copy of DVD of the scan!

so yes my friends, I am pregnant and we are both over the moon. I have been wanting to share the good news for ages but due to the tradition, I had to wait for 3 months! So here is the news and I am sooooo soooo happy!

26/05/2011

New Start

After abandoning my café for three years - looking at the last blog entry and my rubbish attempt to start another blog... I have decided to reopen my café and really try to update it as often as I can especially I have a good reason to! I really need to get my act together and start uploading photos and blog about my pregnancy!