Family visit

Mummy's sister, brother and your cousins visited us yesterday (Christmas holiday). Mummy sister loved to hug you and taught us a lot of tips on how to take care of you. Daddy took a lot of photos of you and your cousins.

Your stool condition is improving but not solid.

Passport collection and visit to a pediastrician

Last night,I managed to find the name, address and telephone number of a pediastrician in Tampines in Internet. After passport collection at ICA, we took taxi to the clinic. Dr Ho, a specialist pediastrician calling you handsome boy, prescribed you Specta for your diarrhoea. I found the following description on the Internet about Specta (made by Ipsen, a French company):

Dioctahedral smectite (DS) a natural adsorbent clay capable of adsorbing viruses, bacteria, and other intestinal irritants in vitro, is claimed to possess beneficial "antidiarrheal" properties.

Seems to me it is gentle on the digestive system and similar to a group of chinese medicines called 涩肠止泻药. I think a chinese doctor may use 葛根芩连汤 as you have the 湿热 symptoms.

Recovery from loose stool condition

After feeding chinese barley and Cang Shu (苍术）, you did not pass motion last night. When I reached home today, mummy told me that you only have a bit of loose stool in the afternoon. So I prepare some chinese barley with Cang Shu again, hoping that you will be all right soon. We have received letter from ICA to collect your passport tomorrow morning (Saturday). BTW, my i-Sprint colleague, Christine Teo, bought you a OSH-KSH gift but I forgot to bring home.

The new worries

After we brought you for 2nd Hep-B injection (first one was upon birth), your stool condition became soggy and watery. You 'pooh' 2-3 times at night. Mummy was exhausted and had runny nose. The confinement lady had left so mummy, daddy and the maid took care of you. Your apetite is still excellent (drinking up to 1.5 scoops of Isomil soya powder) so daddy knows this is not a big problem. However, yesterday repeat hearing test was not good, you again are at the borderline pass. KK will arrange so that you see a specialist. Mummy is worried. I am optmistic that you would have no problem at all. However, daddy is worried about your personality as you are now quite impatient when asking for your soy milk, often crying out loud and struggling violently. Daddy hopes you will change once you grow a little older.

Today, the Western doctor at KK does not think your watery stool is a problem. However, daddy will buy chinese barley this evening to remove the dampness in your digetive system.

One-month old

Traditionally, Chinese celebrates one-month old baby. Mummy and I ordered Bengawan Solo cards and Melrose red eggs/Ang Ku Kuih for colleagues and friends. Mummy asked the Hua Xia Tai Mau Bi to shave your hair so that we can make a chinese brush for you. We also brought you to visit i-Sprint (daddy's office) and AIA investment (mummy's office). We received ang paus and gift (see photo) from colleagues, relatives and friends. Daddy's father and mother and sister also came to visit us to celebrate this occasion together.

Smooth and natural delivery

You were born on 15 November 2005 - Chicken Year in the Chinese tradition. Your weight was 3.02kg with a head circumference of 69cm. You cried loudly and shivered when u came out to this world with one Hep-B injection waiting for you. You were brave as you soon stopped crying and smiled at daddy. Welcome to this world, Xiao Zhe !!! You are special that you are a vegetarian baby.

Originally we planned to give you soy milk but KK hospital has only cow milk (Nestle Nan) so you were given cow milk in the hospital. Mummy tried to breastfeed you but no breast milk yet. You were diagnosed with low level of jaundice so repeat test at Polyclinic is called for. A repeat hearing test also required since you failed your right-ear failed the test.

After discharge, the confinement lady (1800SGD monthly pay) came. We were exhausted that night as we were not used to waking up frequenly at night and you were not used to sleep at night. All of us quickly adujusted thereafter. We bought the Isomil soy milk by Abbot Lab as mummy still does not have breast milk. The confinement lady cooked raw papaya and I prescribed some milk-enhancing chinese formula for mummy. Mummy was able to breast-feed you a few days after that. Initially you were not passing motion for 3-4 days and we were quite worried. After 1-2 weeks, you finally settled down with daily 'pooh' 'pooh' with healthy stool condition.

The repeat jaundice test showed that your jaundice level increased. So you were sun-bathing on our sofa for quite a few mornings (see photo). We also bathed you with cooling chinese herbs like 金银花 and 黄柏. Your apetite on the mother's milk and the soya milk were good so I am not too worried. After 3 tiring vists to the Polyclinic, your jaundice level finally subsided.

Mummy's health deteriorated over the first 2 weeks. Daddy thinks that it is due to the Malay tightening dressing on the body (from a TCM perpective, this blocks the flow of qi). The confinement lady is stubborn and gave all types of wrong advice to mummy as well. Luckily daddy is a TCM student so know how to cook proper tonics for mummy.

The Philipino maid, Jeniffer, came to help us. She is hardworking and patient. But I am still a bit not trusting her.