It's Grandma's Bday

Today is grandma's 81st Birthday Celebration. Went with my mum, youngest bro and 2 sons. It's been a long long time since I last went, if I didn't remember wrong, the last time I went was last year's CNY. After I got pregnant, I didn't go anymore..

So this time, I brought my youngest son there. Everyone was excited upon seeing this mini baby. They were eager to carry him but afraid to carry him at the same time, all had the same feeling, "he looks so soft". But, I still manage to "throw" my son to my aunts and uncles. hehe.. Seeing them smiling made me feel satisfied, I just love to see people smile.

Shared my pregnancy story with them. Got scoldings from my eldest uncle, he's so angry that I didn't take good care of my own health. Aunts are worried about my illness too. All advised me to go for followup on my high blood pressure. When they know my condition seems to be getting worse, they get real angry. Okie, I will go once I have the money and with someone to help babysit my elder son.

There are nice food for the day, youngest Uncle and his wife prepared a splendid lunch buffet themselves.. I love his curry chicken, it's still my favourite dish after so many yrs of makan sessions at his house.

My elder son becomes the entertainer of the day, all of them had fun teasing him and playing with him. But most of the time, he's busy with his PSP. haha..



I let grandma carry Kayden though she rejected at first. She's afraid of dropping him. hehe.. When she carried Kayden, he kept looking up at her. hehe.. Kayden been a good boy that day, he didn't throw temper when everyone passing him around. That's a good sign of not afraid of strangers. hehe.. Or maybe he knows that he got some angbaos from the elders for seeing him the first time. Traditionally, elders have to give red packets and blessings to the child who has just come to this world and 1st time seeing him in their family.

Kieron had a fun time during the cake cutting time. He almost blew off all the candles before grandma started blowing. We had to stop him from doing that. haha..

I just love gatherings. It's the only time people to share among each other. Hope to have more happy gatherings soon too..

Xiao Jiu Jiu's (Small Uncle) New "Toy"

My youngest Brother, Seng, recently had his POP and now he's having his block leave. So after I bring my elder son to school, I will bring Kayden up to my mum house to wait for him to off school..

If my brother happens to be at home, Kayden's going be his toy. haha.. Here's some photos as evidences. See how Kayden's expressions go. Not very happy. hahaha..




Kayden's really growing very fast, he seems to be changing everyday.
& his expressions are getting more witty too.. Opps... Kieron is already Crayon Shin at home, Kayden going be Crayon Shin No2? haha...




This is Kayden's favourite exercise -- whole body stretching. He can have continuous stretching for at least 10mins. The elders said its good for him, that meant he's gonna grow very fast..

Kayden is getting chubbier

Kayden's progressing very well. He's now 7weeks old. Don't see him as a premature baby, it doesn't mean he has to be slower.. He's indeed smaller in size. But he's
catching up with normal kids.. keke..

He's now able to hold his head upright for at least half minute before he goes "hanging" left and right unbalanced. He's able to listen and focus on objects from a distance from him now. Especially when he hears his dad's voice, he will stare at his dad. Think because his dad always bully him, so now all he can do is only glare at him.. haha..

He's now getting more demanding.. He will cry every night at around 9pm-10pm+ before he sleep through the night. He will wanna suck on my nipple till sleep, but if milk comes out when he suckles, he will cry as I wanna drown him. If I pull the nipple away, and try to replace it with pacifier or bottled milk, he will push away using his tongue and hands. Sooooo Picky!!


He's getting "prettier" too.. hehe.. I love his eyes. Exactly same as his dad's. Kieron has the same set of eyes with his dad too, just that when he laughs and smiles, he resemblance me totally, the eyes will go MIA. haha..

Kayden starts to babble but he seems don't like to smile as much as his elder brother did.

Kieron is behaving like a young adult

Kieron is getting slightly out of hand recently. He will want to do more to get our attention.. He's not jealous of his brother but just wants more attention. Something to feel glad about is that he's able to hear out reasonings. When I try to reason things out to him, he will sit and listen quietly and agree to it if he realise it's really his wrong.

After my confinement ends, it's my turn to bring him to and back from school everyday with Baby Kayden. Through my observation on him, he needs some warming up whenever his friends ask him along to play together. He will look at me, to see if he's allow to follow. He's not like those other kids who run about, ignoring their parents. He's polite to his friends, he will share with them, take care of them.

There's this moment he made me feel so proud of him. I took him to a colouring competition in January 2008. His teacher told me he can colour very well. When we reached the compeition ground, we were shocked to see that there weren't any teachers walking around to ensure the kids are the one who colour the pictures. We saw so many parents colour for their kids, that so unfair. Kieron looked at me and said "how can the mummy colour? it's for small children not for adult" I said, "Ya, so colour yourself, no matter win or lose, you did it by yourself is the greatest of all" By the end of the day, the results were out, those that were coloured by the parents came 1st 3 prizes, but Kieron's colouring by himself got a Consolation prize. I was so happy that Kieron's able to prove his capability in colouring all by himself. I'm so proud of him even he didn't get the 1st 3 prizes!


Everytime he ends his school, he will share what happen in class. He will tell me about his friends, his teacher and the songs he learn. He even can tell me the wrong things his friends did and he's able to say what are the things should be done to correct them. As days go by, when he gets older, his point of views can amaze people, his reasoning skills can be up to adult level. However, when a kid knows too much, he will tend to think more and worry more as compared to kids of his age.
Kieron and his childhood friend, James. They knew each other since 5mths old.

Should I be happy about his mature mind or worry about his sensitivity?

Hernia

What is Hernia?

A hernia (rupture) is usually noticed as a lump, commonly in the groin or the umbilical region. It appears when a portion of the tissue which lines the abdominal cavity (peritoneum)breaks through a weakened area of the abdominal wall.

This can give rise to discomfort as the hernia enlarges and can sometimes be dangerous if a piece of intestine becomes trapped ('strangulated') inside.


The Anatomy of HERNIA
The most common location for hernia is the abdomen. The abdominal wall - a sheet of tough muscle and tendon that runs down from the ribs to the legs at the groins - acts as 'nature's corset'. Its function, amongst other things, is to hold in the abdominal contents, principally the intestines.
If a weakness should open up in that wall, and it does not really matter how or why it happened (more on this later), then the 'CORSET EFFECT' is lost and what pushes against it from the inside (the intestines) simply pushes through the 'window'. The ensuing bulge, which is often quite visible against the skin, is the hernia.

These 'windows of weakness' commonly occur where there are natural weaknesses in our abdominal wall - such as where the 'plumbing' goes through it. Examples of these are the canals (inguinal and femoral) which allow passage of vessels down to the scrotum and the legs, respectively. The umbilical area (navel) is another area of natural weakness frequently prone to hernia. Another area of potential weakness can be the site(s) of any previous abdominal surgery.

What to do about a HERNIA?
The ONLY way to stop a hernia getting worse is to repair the defect surgically. There are, however, several ways of doing this and the results vary widely.

Who can get a Hernia?
Anybody, of either sex and at any age.

How do Hernias happen?

The wall of the abdomen, comprising muscle and tendon, performs several functions, one of which is to provide strong support to the internal organs which are exerting significant outward pressure. The opening of a gap in the tissue can occur of its own accord at a point of natural weakness, or by over-stretching a part of the tissue. Overexertion can cause it, but so could a simple cough or sneeze.
The occurrence of the gap in the abdominal wall is not normally, of itself, a problem. The problems result from the ensuing bulge of intestine through the gap. The effects felt by the patient can range from being perfectly painless, through discomfort, to being very painful indeed.

Almost every movement we make puts additional pressure on the internal tissues which, in turn, push out through the opening a little more each time. This also enlarges the opening itself. If unchecked, this process can continue even to the extent of allowing much of the intestine to hang down through the hernia.

Hernias can be classified according to their position on the body:

Inguinal hernias are protrusions of abdominal cavity contents through the inguinal canal. They are very common and their repair is one of the most frequently performed surgical operations.

Femoral hernias occur just below the inguinal ligament when abdominal contents pass through a naturally occurring weakness called the femoral canal. The incidence of strangulation in femoral hernias is high.

Umbilical hernias involve protrusion of abdominal contents through a weakness at the site of passage of the umbilical cord through the abdominal wall. These hernias often resolve spontaneously.

An incisional hernia occurs when the defect is the result of an incompletely healed surgical wound. When these occur in median laparotomy incisions in the linea alba, they are termed ventral hernias. These can be the most frustrating and difficult to treat, as the repair utilizes already attenuated tissue.

Diaphragmatic Hernias result when part of the stomach or intestine protrudes into the chest cavity through a defect in the diaphragm. A hiatal hernia is the herniation of the upper part of the stomach into the thorax through a tear or weakness in the diaphragm.

A Sports Hernia is a medical condition of the groin affecting athletes. It is a syndrome characterized by chronic groin pain in athletes and a dilated superficial ring of the inguinal canal. Soccer players are affected most frequently, and both recreational and professional athletes may be affected.

So now do you have a clearer picture of this illness?

2 brothers having same illness but at different times -- Creepy!!

Kayden has great progress of growth after his discharge 3weeks ago.

He weighed 3.8kg and height was 50cm on 11th Mar 08. The result's almost doubled of his birth weight of 1.6kg and height of 42cm. The doctor was shocked about his rapid growth too. He's slightly different from other premature kid, he has faster growth.

However, there's 1 bad news that he has Hernia. Same as his elder brother who had it when just after birth, his elder brother had rarer case, he had his operated when he's only 26 days old.

Kieron had Inguinal Hernia, which mostly happen to Elderlys. When he had this illness, I cried so badly till my eyes were swollen from the moment I knew the news till he's discharged. Kieron had a worser case, his hernia turned into a critical one, whereby he had serious vomitting, internal bleeding (black stools), swollen scrotums and his small intestine got stuck inside a hole on his pelvic bone, so he had to get operated immediately to cut away the stuck intestine, as well as putting plate to cover the 2 holes of his pelvic bone to prevent reoccurance.

His operation took around 5hrs+, the doctor almost made me fainted on the spot she came out of the theatre, she told me Kieron stopped breathing due to the strength of the anthesistic used. Luckily he recovered his breathing after they did CPR on him. He stayed in ICU for a couple of days before transfering to normal ward. Seeing him in pipes really made people heartpain. Though he has now recovered from the illness, but doctor still mention about the low chance of complications in future.


Kayden's hernia is slightly minor as compared to Kieron's. He had Umbilical Hernia which is more common in infants. Usually such hernia cases will recover as the kid grows older. However, if the kid has symptoms of excessive vomitting, too much crying and swollen scrotums, he has to be operated immediately as well. So Kayden needs to be monitor and go back for checkup at the end of March.

When I knew that Kayden had same illness as his elder brother, my 1st thought was "Huh? Hernia again? So coincident?" So I asked the doctor how come 2 brothers had hernia though both born at different times, could it be due to genetic disorder. Doctor replied no, there's nothing to do with the genes, it's mainly their own body structure. Oh... after the doctor's explanation, that only made me feel creepy.....


So do learn more about illness, though it can be minor and common but it can be critical too...

It's never too late to learn..

Next article, I will be posting more details on this illness...

Kieron & Kayden at home(Part1)

See the difference of Kayden when he's discharged from hospital and when he's 5weeks old...


12 Feb 08 (2.5weeks old) Kayden's Second day at home


Kayden Wanting attention 22Feb 08 (3.5weeks old)


Kayden Getting more demanding.. He do that when he wants milk and hugs..



This little cheeky Kieron, always up to silly ideas to get people's attention


He loves to sing whenever he's back from school.. Can be annoying when he sings tooo much.. keke.. But he can be a good storyteller too, he can create his own story just by looking at the pictures..

Thank you!

There are a few people I wanna thank.

As I'd given birth 1mth+ earlier than the expected date, my confinement lady couldnt make it on time. & due to last minute search, there's many confinement lady could not come either because of other appt or because of Chinese New Year.

So no choice, my family members had to be my confinement helpers..

I wanna thank my mum who made the effort to cook for my dinner everyday despite her hectic schedule at her own food stall. I wanna thank my dad who specially drove from my mum's workplace all the way to my house every night just to deliver the hot food.

Last of all, I wanna thank hubby for being so helpful and caring during this period of time.. Other than doing the household chores, taking care of elder son's needs, he gave me great emotional support too. He somehow changed into another person, much mature and much loving. He would come and check on my condition or ask what I need in the room regularly. He didn't sleep much as well, throughout the 1month. He had to bring elder son to sch in the morning, buy lunch for me, tidy the house in the afternoon, play with elder son. At night, he still have to wash the dishes, help me to bring water and expressed breastmilk in n out of my room. After this delivery ordeal, after his own witness of whole procedure, can see that he cherishes me more.. It's really a blessing in disguise, he finally try to settle down and be a family guy. Afterall, we have been together for almost 9 years going through all kinds of ups and downs..

Not forgetting, I wanna thank my dear friends who made the effort to visit us at the hospital, they are Chee Min, Angie, Wei Shyuan, Michelle, Shu Hui and her bf, Bee Eng, Cheh Mian, Jingfeng, Rongli, Seow Shyang and his wife.. Of course, the person who touched my heart deeply during my stay was Liping. She called from Reunion to check out my situation.. Really appreciate all love and concern showered for Kayden and me.

Thanks thanks!!

Kayden's Full Month

Kayden's doing well at home.

As he's premature, he tends to sleep more than normal baby. But, he's able to adapt well so far. He's able to differentiate day and night better than Kieron's infant time. He can sleep through the night with feeds every 3hours. During daytime, Oh my god... He's really a good drinker, he drinks up to 100ml almost every 2hours, which is consider alot to most babies I know..

That's make me feel like a cow. But it's worthwhile, hehe... To give him the best to let him grow up fast and strong..

There are people saying when it comes to 2nd kid, parents tend to be less attentive to them, or taking lesser photos and videos compared to the 1st kid. But they are wrong for my case, I will try to take alot of photos, capturing every different expressions Kayden will make. Just as much as I took for Kieron 4years ago. Kieron will even snatch the camera from me, wanting to take shots of his younger brother.. keke..

..

Everyday is so different messing around with 2 kids. Teaching Kieron how to take care of his brother, telling him the dos and don'ts while playing with Kayden. & also busy milking the little one. hehe.. Everyday, Kieron will return home from school, wanna share his stories with his brother.



Kayden turned full month on 23rd Feb 08 (according to lunar's calendar). Brought him back to mum's house to pay respect to our ancestors, to ask for blessings from them. My youngest brother's 2 dogs, Hocky and Shino were so excited upon seeing the new baby, they ran around us, wanting to sniff the baby. A couple of my good buddies came over to visit Kayden in the evening. Kayden's very obedient, he's not afraid of strangers or throw temper. (Because he's only awake after they left, hehe) Really had a good time sharing experiences and catching up with them. Didn't really throw a grand party for Kayden, just a simple get together session with some pizzas and .
cakes for those who got things for him, as a show of gratitude

Kieron's love for his younger brother

Kayden's back home!

Other than me, Kieron is excited about his new younger brother too. He waited with anticipation and jumped for joy when he saw me carrying his brother home. He finally has a new playmate...


I let him carry his brother. His smile is sooo wide and it really shows how happy he is. He finally gets his wish of wanting didi out from my tummy fast. At first, I'm quite worried he may get jealous or sensitive with the presence of a new family member.


After a few days together with Kayden, Kieron showed sensibility and maturity. He will volunteer to help change Kayden's nappy, fold his clothes or even want to bathe for didi. He will sing to his brother too.. Can say that Kieron cherishes his younger brother alot, he loves him as much as we parents do.



I feel relieved to see Kieron finally grew up as a big boy,a big brother. He's kinda protective over his brother.. Whenever Kayden's crying, and I'm slow to respond to his attention. Kieron will shout at me "Faster go and see didi la, go give him milk, he's crying". Or even when I scold Kayden for being michievious and smacking his butt lightly, Kieron will talk to me in tears, "Don't hit didi, he's very obedient." I didn't know to cry or to laugh when I see him being so loving, I only can say I hope his loving actions aren't temporary but permanent.

Seeing the 2 brothers together, I'm so happy and sometimes I still can't imagine that I'm already a mother of 2, and I have 2 adorable and miracle babies. I really had 2 "exciting" and "adventurous" pregnancies. Maybe I have to go through obstacles in order to have 2 great kids. To have them around me in good health and being happy, is the greatest satisfaction I ever had.


Till now, my biggest wish is we a family of 4 will be united and happy being together..

Kayden's 2.5wks stay in Special Care Nursery (SCN)

Kayden changed and progressed alot during his stay in SCN. His weight increased daily and showed a good sign of reaching 2kg mark soon. His milk intake doubled every couple days too.. Doctor commented he's growing very well, believed he could discharge soon. He had his drip and steroids stopped by the 10th day in SCN.

I went to visit him every 2 days, not only to deliver the expressed breastmilk, but also to carry him. I missed him so much while having confinement at home.. Several ocassions, while scolding my elder son, I would get emotional and tears dropped.. Or even over little insensitive things, I would start crying, thinking of Kayden sleeping and eating alone in SCN, without me, his dad and brother around to pamper him. Whenever I missed him, I would go through every photos and videos taken earlier and wishing he could come home earlier.. I will thank GOD for letting him to come to this world safe and sound.


After he's stable without the help of drips, I tried to latch him on. It worked after the 1st trial. He's really a "heavy drinker". The nurse joked he could scream till the ceiling gonna collapse when he's hungry even it's not time for his milk. As days go by, he's getting more active and could respond to us whenever we visit him. He would try to open his eyes whenever we call him "Didi". That's what I always call him since he's inside my tummy.



Just a few days before Chinese New Year, hubby and I went to visit him. We asked the nurse if he could come home by CNY. The answer was NO, as he was a premature baby, no matter what, he had to be at least 2kgs and with good health before he could discharge.. Kinda disappointed knowing he couldn't spend his first CNY with us at home. But it's alright, we would accompany him at the hospital.

He gained around 70gm every 2 days.. By 10th Feb, he's already 1.8kg+. That showed he would be going home real soon! On 11th Feb's morning, the nurse really called. She said that Kayden ready for home...

Though my wound hadn't recover and was told not to exert pressure for at least 2mths. But the excitement and happiness to know Kayden is coming home let me forgo the thought of pain. I got his bed ready by myself while hubby went to fetch Kieron off school. My parents accompanied me to fetch Kayden home around 3pm+. The nurse said actually Kayden haven't meet the 2kg limit. But doctor came to examine him, he's already 1.9kg+ and his health condition permits him to go home. That's great news! He managed to come home faster and earlier than many premature babies who are born earlier than him. That showed he's really showing good progress.

Thanks to many friends of mine, they showed true concern for him. They would call or sms me asking how's he progressing every now and then.. Thanks to their encouragement and blessings, Kayden did well during his stay in SCN. Thanks pals!!


Oh baby baby baby, my Kayden is coming home.

Days in KKH

During the 4days stay in hospital, my views on KKH changed... The nurses and doctors were professional, friendly and helpful.. Maybe it's my luck, the doctors I met aren't trainees so they are able to give me clear explanations to my questions. & there are some NYP attachment nurses, can see that they are still very new.. There's this little girl trying to remove the needle plug from my wrist. She didn't remove it in the correct way, and my blood gushed out. She got panicked till I told her to keep calm, and it's ok, then she "remembered" what to do to stop the bleeding.. Can see that she really needs more training and experiences in order to provide good service to the patients. Can say that she's lucky to meet me cos I'm not that picky and unreasonable, believe she will get scoldings if she meet someone else. haha..

As I'm not allowed to walk, so I had to sit on wheelchair in order to visit my newborn at Special Care Unit which is 1 storey below my ward. Grateful to have the attachment nurse pushing me around. She's pretty, pleasant, polite and helpful, she's so happy when she sees babies in the nursery. Glad to see that she really loves her work and she's chosen the right path.

I'm rather stubborn by the 2nd night, I tried to walk to visit my son by myself.. Oh! It's so tiring plus my swelling, I had difficulty moving every single step. I wanted to give my son the best, so I started to express breastmilk by 1st night. Colostrum which is found in breastmilk is best to fight germs and reduce chances of allergies. Though son is unable to drink milk yet, but I insisted in expressing every 3hours for them to keep till he can start drinking..

By 3rd day, he's able to start on breastmilk, but only 2ml. They are afraid that premature baby's digestive system may reject it. So they have to start the intake amt slowly... But he still have to put on with drips and steroids to ensure his internal organs develop well.

He's so mini when I tried to carry him.. Though it hurts to see him with pipes and needles on him, but I knew these meant good for his condition and health.. There's always a great relief to hear words from doctors' mouths saying he's doing very well even though he's premature and small in size... My mother and hubby went to visit him on the very first day he's born. Mum said he's simply a clone from his elder brother, Kieron. I was shocked when I first saw him with my own eyes too, "SO alike" just a mini version. keke..

As I can't see him that often so I took quite a lot photos and videos before I was discharged...