Tyler is 6 Months Old~

Baby Tyler is 6 Months Old!

Milestones: 

• Able to flip over and back
• Able to sit like a tripod for a few moments
• Able to reach out for his toys
• Able to display unhappiness when toy is being taken away
• Laughs out loud during play time
• Talks out loud too
• Trying very hard to crawl
• Sings when he's sleepy

Mealtime:

• Currently putting Tyler in sling to be able to walk and swing about while he drinks milk (worked well initial week... getting bad once again and I seriously am out of ideas) 
• Merely 15 to 20oz a day.
• Taking about 2teaspoons of puree with baby rice for lunch.
• Taking about 1tablespoon of baby rice with veges or fruits. 
• (Doesn't like to sit in high chair... Only feed well when being held on lap.)
• Love baby rusk & finished the whole piece! But it's full of sugar, so I'll try not to give him so often.

Sleep:

• Still requires nap of about an hour every 2hour or so wake time.
• Gets sleepy by 6.30pm but getting difficult to settle as he still wants to play.
• Toss and turn to tummy down (very worrying initially... had to keep an eye every so often just to check that he's breathing)

6 Months Check:
Dr T is still worried about the amount of milk he's taking. Being 20oz as the minimum standard. Also, his weight gain is not ideal. (I AM VERY STRESS!!!) He's healthy and happy... (I'm not!) I'll try to encourage more solids. He was playing, shouting and laughing so loudly in the Dr's office while playing with the nurse! She was swinging him towards a string of hanging toy birds... However much he's like me, this part about birds is definitely not from my end! So, he was given 2nd dose of Rota virus and also a combo shot of Hep B, etc. He screamed with pain for about 5secs and stopped to a 3sec whimper after I picked him up.

Weight: 8.14kg
Height: 69.5cm

Am sick and tired of listening to useless advise about feeding and telling me not to worry. (If he's your kid, will you not worry?! URGH!!!) No constructive answers to my problems. Nothing's ever gonna get better... it'll only get worse! No use praying because it I have no faith anymore~ it's been 4 months! I'm tired... physically and mentally... Realley tired~

My Confinement Days

As of yesterday, my pregnancy confinement days are O.V.E.R.!!!

My Parents went back to Singapore on 27th December after almost 2months stay with me in Bangkok...
My MIL as well as my confinement lady left yesterday (29th December), after more than a month of helping out with the baby and household!

They were all really great help! I can't even begin naming the things they did for us... And I can't imagine them not being here during those days... Although it can be quite noisy for me some days! haha...

In the 1st week, I was still feeling rather weak from the operation... The incisions still hurts and my nipples were so sore! Ligaments were still loose, so I have slight problem with moving about, especially squating and getting up...

Eventually, after the 2nd week, physically, I was much stronger but mentally still very tired due to the lack of sleep. I turn in everyday around 8plus in the evening, right after dinner. But midnight breastfeeds got me up every 2 to 3 hours for more than an hour... So I wasn't able to catch enough sleep. Most days I was in a daze and irritable~

I sort of hid myself in the room most days other than mealtime. I wasn't in the mood to entertain nor chit chat with anyone... I almost practically ignored everyone most of the time... I was really too tired and emotionally I was not ready~ It was really until the last week of my confinement that I started to have some interaction with people in the house. I was pretty much in my own world...

I've been grumbling all my grievances to Tiki everyday. And everyday I have things to say to him... Niam Niam abit... And I'm glad he's here to listen and support all of my decisions... He too helps me alot, with baby Tyler. He's my Pillar to keep me from falling! =) 這種老公哪里找? ♥♥♥

The Grandparents usually does the grocery shopping every couple of days and each time we spent at least 200SGD for 2 or 3 day supply of groceries!! hahaha... Weekends, Tiki will join them but sometimes I prefered him to stay home with me... Karen, stayed at home everyday to help with the baby and me.

Karen would make Dates (Red & Blue) tea for me everyday in a 1.5 litre flask as well as 800ml of brown rice tea... I got accustomed to these drinks that I don't even crave for plain drinking water. And after my confinement days, I find drinking plain water yucky and weird... I try to get back to it tho... Anyway, she made sure I have a bowl of tonic every night before I turn in... Chicken essence, Cordyceps Soup or Ginseng Soup...

Daily meals are prepared for everyone by Karen. Although, sometimes I am forbidden to eat some dishes. Food was really good! I've had home cooked food 3 times a day for more than 30days!! I especially love the western food that she made for me! Chicken Chop, Pork Chop, Salmon, with mash potatoes or potato wedges~ I love the Marmite Pork Ribs too!! The traditional Chinese food were also very good! I enjoyed every single meals (Everyone in the house too!)... I will have a bowl of soup with every meal too! Too many Yummy stuffs to list out! hehe...

Black Pepper Kampong Chicken Chop

I do get to clean myself by sponge bath everyday with Black herbal water... On my 2nd week onwards, I was allowed to bath and wash my hair every 3 days using Black herbal water with ginger and sometimes white wine. Not too bad... I tied my hair up in a bun, so it doesn't irritate me. So I was clean clean everyday! I wasn't allowed to touch tap water at all... Karen prepared a pail of boiled water for me to brush my teeth, wash my face and hands... It was quite inconvenient. But I try to adhere to all the customs to not waste all their effort to bring my health back to normal.

Needless to say, I was prisoner of my own home... I wasn't allowed to step out of the house other than visits to the hospital... Actually, it wasn't so bad, since I was tired most of the time...

I appreciate all the help and tolerance our family had for me during my confinement period.

Postpartum in BNH

After delivery, I was brought to the recovery room for 2hours...

I think I slept for about an hour and spent the other hour talking to the nurse who was looking after me. We talked about her children and some other stuffs which I can't remember... She's really gentle and nice... I could wriggle my right-side toes after about 30mins after surgery. By end of the 2 hours all my sensations are back...

Meantime, Tyler was being observed in the Nursery for 4hours. Apparently, Tiki was with him for a full hour... watching over his precious... hehe!

I was transferred to my ward 1515. There's a family area and a room with one bathroom. I was still feeling rather weak and groggy, so I rested a little while dozing off here and there while my parents and Tiki relax in the living area. Nurses came in and out checking my vital signs every hour or so. I was having high blood pressure... think the highest I had was 160/90 or something like that and also fever. It all went back down to normal as the days go by...

Breastfeeding
Finally, Tyler was brought to me for feeding. And for the First time, I had a good look at him... He's just so Beautiful...

Naturally, I still could not sit up... So Nurse helped me with feeding Tyler in the side-lying hold. It wasn't too painful in the first attempt and Tyler I must say is a real gifted "sucker"! hehe... Eventually, I changed to the cradle position and I suffered from cracked nipples after about 4 or 5 feeds... Every feed was torture to me... I wanted to give up many times but told myself to perservere to at least feed Tyler all the colostrum he needs... But then I also keep looking forward to the next feed... The Feeling of bonding with your child during breastfeeding is just so wonderful. I had to smile to myself so many times eventhough I was in pain... (Up until Day 9, I was still biting my fingers in the middle of the night due to the painful nipples. Thank god, my nipples has finally toughened up...) I was prescribed Motillum to enhance the flow of breast milk. It's actually a type of medication for nausea. At least I've lasted till now~

We missed Tyler everytime he's been taken back to the nursery. He'll only be sent to me every 4 hours for feeding and I missed him so much while he's gone... The reason he's not kept in my room was because I need time and strength to recover from the C-section... sigh~ I found myself waking up way before feeding time and anticipating his arrival and got angry whenever he's late... But once I saw him, all was forgotten... I love cuddling him and smelling his crown of hair...

Side Lying

Tiki spent the whole 3 nights with me in the hospital sleeping on an uncomfortable sofabed. He's been Fabulous in terms of support and TLC... I couldn't have asked for more! =)

Mummy and Papa was running errands for us everyday during my stay in BNH. Mummy brought food for Tiki and Red Date Drink for me. Hanging around for a few hours before heading home to cook and send food to the hospital again. Parent's Love...  =)

Daily Dose of Red Date Tea

Next thing, since I was bedridden for 2 days, I was cleaned up twice a day in bed. I felt so darn useless! Even when I could get off the bed after, I was given sponge baths by Nurses in the bathroom... I don't even want to look myself in the mirror! It's just so embarrassing not because of my nakedness but because of my uselessness... Seriously, bad feeling...

The bed in hospitals are supposed to be hard. But it's just too hard for me that I developed very bad backache especially around my tailbone. I couldn't stay still in one position for too long because it hurt too much~

I was taken off the IV after 48 hours... Without solid food I was feeling very weak... Once I took in some porridge, I felt much better and was able to get out of bed. Incision still hurts and my tummy was jiggling here and there like jelly.

Tiki had the opportunity to give Tyler baths twice... He's more experienced in handling babies than me... He loves to give Tyler baths... Perhaps he will take over this "chore" from me in future! hehe~ He always say he will dip Tyler in the jacuzzi with him! haha... Fulla nonsense~

Tiki Pom Pom Tyler

After 3 Long nights in BNH, it was time to go home!! After Tiki gave Tyler his bath and I fed him, we headed home!! We can't wait to lie in our own bed... while Tyler, his crib~ hehe!

Tyler's First Day Home

We got home on Wednesday, 24th November, 2010, after 3 nights in the hospital.

We received alot of gifts and well wishes from family and friends. I didn't have the energy to open up all the presents to take a picture... Very big thank you to you~! =)

Managed to take a picture of some of the flowers... (this is just SOME of it...)

I was still feeling pretty sore on my incision and has developed bad backache from the hospital bed as well as adapting to feeding positions.

Tyler's is still being nursed directly from my breasts every 2 to 3 hours at about 9 to 10 feeds a day with 1 oz of cup feeding 2 or 3 times for supplement.

Our first night with Tyler was quite challenging. We didn't catch any sleep at all! He wakes up every 2 hours for feeding and by the time I'm done with feeding him, which takes at least an hour, I have to clean or change his diapers and when I almost get ready to go to bed, he's up for the next feed!

Other than the feeding times and our lack of sleep, Tyler has been a sweetheart...

Our confinement lady, Karen and TK's mother arrived on the same afternoon... So we have 7 persons living under one roof... Well, that's the first for me! Of cos, I wasn't in the mood for entertaining and I felt tired all the time, so other than feeding time, I'll be resting in my room...