Things To Consider When Buying Baby Stuff

I have lots of pregnant friends and I really envy them because having a new baby is such a huge blessing. And one of the most exciting part is shopping for your future baby's clothes and stuff. But before you go and splurge for your baby, here are some humble tips I'd like to share:

1. Refrain from buying until the baby's gender is established. 

When I was pregnant I was hoping for a girl and got pretty excited and started window shopping for cute pink girl clothes. My mother told me not to buy until I reach seven months, I heeded her advice to which I'm really thankful because the baby in my tummy turned out to be a boy which was already determined during my first TVS (Trans Vaginal Ultrasound) at 12 weeks. Most gender is determined by 20 weeks and onwards so better wait.

2. Try to ask from friends and relatives for hand me downs

Babies grow too fast so they also outgrow their clothes very quickly. It is wise to ask for relatives and friends who recently had babies for hand me downs or some stuff you can borrow.

3. Wait for your Baby Shower

You are not the only person excited for your baby, I'm pretty sure your family and friends are too! They will surely organize a baby shower (secret and surprise) for you and you'll receive lots of baby stuffs then.

Me at 8 Months Pregnant During My Surprise Baby Shower

4. Decide if You Will Use Cloth Diapers

Even before your baby is born you and your partner should talk and decide whether you will use cloth diapers for your baby. This decision will guide you in your shopping for lampins or other forms of baby diapers.

5. Refrain from Buying Feeding Bottles

Every mother is encouraged to breastfeed their newborns so better condition your mind that you will exclusively breastfeed your baby. Besides if the need will arise then it is very easy to buy Feeding bottles which is available at drug stores, convenience stores, supermarkets and department stores.

Having a baby is really costly so it is really wise to save every dime and shop wisely for baby stuff.

Saved Babies Reunion 2012 for Mindanao

As I mentioned in my last post my baby is saved by Newborn Screening. Last Nov.5,2012 we joined the second Saved Babies Reunion at Abreeza mall for Southern Mindanao. This is an event organized by the local Newborn Screening for babies saved from death or genetic disorders. They keep track of the babies to monitor the progress and check if parents are religiously following physician's order. They call us once a month before and now quarterly.  
It was our first time to join the event. Last year they also invited us to attend and even asked if I can share a testimony. Unfortunately I got busy with work so we were not able to attend. I was happy we attended this one though we came in late and was not able to join the activities; sharing of testimonies, games, Jollibee show, snacks and etc.  When we arrived Jollibee just finished his dance number and they were serving snacks. Upon registration they gave us shirt, loot bags and product samples.It was really a party for kids and parents alike. I think there are about 200 participants.

This is a nice event to encourage more parents to have their children undergo Newborn Screening. It was also a fun activity for us parents and saved babies. It is a venue for us to bond and learn from other people's experience.We really enjoyed it and I plan to join again next year. Thank you Newborn Screening Center! :)

Newborn Screening Saved My Baby

What is Newborn Screening?

It is a procedure where blood is extracted from a newborn baby to test for metabolic disorders that will affect his body's normal processes and functions. It is ideally done within 3 days of birth. Below is a table of Disorders Tested and the effect if "Screened and Managed" versus "Not screened".

Disorder Screened	Effect if NOT SCREENED	Effect if SCREENED and managed
CH (Congenital Hypothyroidism)	Severe Mental Retardation	Normal
CAH (Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia)	Death	Alive and normal
GAL (Galactosemia)	Death or Cataracts	Alive and normal
PKU (Phenylketonuria)	Severe Mental Retardation	Normal
G6PD Deficiency	Severe Anemia, Kernicterus	Normal
Maple Syrup Urine Disorder*	Death	Alive and normal

Source: Newborn Screening Philippines

My Story

     It was two weeks after I gave birth to my son when I received a call from the Newborn Screening Center. They told me that our Newborn Screen test showed a positive result and that they need to conduct a repeat test to be sure. They didn't tell me what disorder my son had so hundreds of scenarios ran through my mind.I was really scared that we might lose our baby or he might not grow normal. We immediately went to the hospital for a repeat exam and waited for the result. The repeat test showed that he is positive of Hypothyroidism. 

     I was confused because I was diagnosed as Hypothyroid during my pregnancy but I was religiously taking my meds and my blood test showed that my TSH,FT4 are within normal range. I had Hyperthyroidism even before I got pregnant but became Hypothyroid later on.      

    Anyway they referred our son to a specialist for further check up. We consulted a Pediatric Endocrinologist and she requested another blood test for my son. The test showed that his TSH is way high above the normal range.Physically my son didn't manifest any signs of Hypothyroidism like jaundice and enlarged tongue. The doctor told us that our son might be suffering from Transitional Hypothyroidism meaning this might be temporary. His hormones might have been affected by my medication.We have to come back after a month and have another test. After a month and several more test later which included a Thyroid scan and Bone ageing Analysis my son was diagnosed as having Congenital Hypothyroidism. We started his medication which is same as mine, Levothyroxine tablet which he had to take daily for the rest of his life.

    Fast forward to present, my son at 1 year and 11 months (almost 2 years old) is healthy and is developing at a normal rate. He can talk and string words together though he can't pronounce S and R yet. He can sing "Happy birthday to you" and prefers it over the Alphabet Song. He can even dance Gangnam style. He loves cars,balls and animals.He is a happy baby but is now starting to show tantrums.

    Looking back I am very glad that there is such a thing as NBS. I shudder at the thought as to what might have happened to my son if he wasn't diagnosed and treated at an early age. Thus I highly recommend to all parents to have their babies screened esp. those who gave birth to Lying ins and at home since most private hospitals automatically conducts NBS. 

More info at Newborn Screening Philippines

Avoiding Dengue Fever

One of the disease that I really dread is Dengue fever. I have been really paranoid lately because I keep hearing about dengue cases through friends and read about it on FB. Just last week the husband of a dear friend got dengue and thankfully he was cured after a week. Some may not be as fortunate as him. Some die because of Dengue. A three year old distant relative in Manila died recently because of dengue. Young and old alike are not spared from Dengue.  I hate the fact that you can contract it through a mosquito bite anytime because you can never protect yourself a 100% from those darn mosquitoes. Of course you can still do something to avoid it and here are somethings I've learned while scouring the net for info:

1. Educate yourself. Learn about the disease so you will be aware if any symptoms will arise and what to do. Search the internet or ask your physician about it.

2.Clean up your surroundings to ensure that there will be no breeding ground for mosquitoes. They breed on clean water so make sure to remove any cans, bottles, tires and etc in your area that can accumulate rain water.

3. As much as possible do not expose yourself to mosquito bites.Wear long sleeved clothing when going out at night esp. in beaches,lakes and outdoor areas. 

4.Apply mosquito repellent lotion and oils.Choose a DEET free repellent.I will post soon about the repellent we use even for our son.

6. Use mosquito net at night.

7. When you suddenly have a high grade fever esp. that isn't related to cough or colds don't hesitate to immediately consult your doctor and request for a CBC analysis to check your blood and  number of platelets. 

I really hope that through this post I can help spread the word about Dengue and how to avoid it as much as we can.

Sick Baby

   
Our son Kulay got sick last Sunday. He started vomiting after he feeds and he developed a fever later in the evening. The following day he had diarrhea and his temperature got higher at 39 deg C so we rushed him to the hospital. The doctors have to run several test on him, CBC, Fecalysis and Urinalysis. He seems to get weaker and while we were at the hospital he vomited again so we were advised to have him admitted so he can be further observed. The first results all returned negative test so the Doctor advised to run a further analysis on his blood, stool and urine through culture test. We have to wait for 48 hours for the result. Meanwhile Kulay's fever never lowered down during the first day even after medication. Mike and I got so worried. It was the first time Kulay got sick since he was born. He only had a slight fever once after an immunization but he recovered quickly after the medication. It pains us to see our son lying on the bed weak with a dextrose hooked on him. He didn't have any appetite and he just kept on sleeping. 

   The second day his fever went down and he started to gain his energy back. He begins to smile, baby talk and crawl. The doctor also told us that the initial result of the test showed that Kulay have Amoebiasis and the medication started. We were unsure were he got Amoeba, maybe on his water, food and etc.  So we have to be extra careful now in preparing Kulay's food.

     Kulay got better and we were discharged on the fourth day. After a torturous 4 days stay at the hospital we finally went home. Kulay still has diarrhea but the frequency lessened and the stools are no longer watery. We will see the doctor again after a week.

     The most painful part in holding a sick baby in your arms is not just seeing him in pain but seeing him looking at you with trusting eyes that believe that you can make his pain go away. It really tears my heart to be helpless and powerless in making him well. This experience made me feel the huge weight of responsibility in being a parent. It made me realize again that I have a vital role in taking care of a life and that I should do a better job at it.