"Don't cry over spilt milk"

Meaning of " Don't cry over spilt milk"- It doesn’t do any good to be unhappy about something that has already happened or that can’t be helped.

This proverb brought on special meaning to my daddy and mummy. This is what happened.

I was crying loudly because I was hungry. It has been 5 hours since my last feed. Mummy was trying to pass the expressed milk bottle (ps see above) to daddy when there was a loud " pang" sound. The glass milk bottle had fallen to the ground and the milk was spilt all over the floor. So what does this mean? That means I will have to wait another 2 to 3 hours for my next feed. Because mummy has just pumped a full bottle of expressed milk for me. Mummy was angry with daddy for not holding on to the bottle properly and it was just then when daddy said " don't cry over spilt milk". Both of them burst out laughing.

So what happened to me? Er yee and godma quickly took over me and carried me while daddy cleaned out the mess. I somehow could sensed the tense situation and stopped crying. Er yee told mummy and daddy that she can hear my sighing as I slept. Mummy quickly went to drink 5 cups of red dates drink and 2 cups of milo so that she can produce milk in the shortest possible time. And beinging a good boy I woke up 2 hours later for my long awaited 7 hours feed. I was so hungry that I gulped down the milk. : )

Mummy reminiscing the days that she carried me. Try to spot me!

Mummy with Auntie Yi Yong, San Yee, God Ma and Auntie Suping. They were celebrating God ma's 24th Birthday at Hog's Breathe at VivoCity in August 2007.

Mummy with Auntie Annie on 25th August 2007 at the Church Anniversary at Raffles City Convention Centre. Daddy, mummy, gu ze, xiao yee and san yee at Raffles City Convention Centre celebrating Bethany's church anniversary

Mummy and Daddy attending Mrs Wong Boh Boi's Prenatal Class every wednesday starting from August at TMC. We attended the class together with Theddeaus and his daddy and mummy (Uncle Steven and Auntie Sharon). Daddy and Mummy had fun learning how to do prenatal exercise, breathing exercise for labour, how to breast feed, how to bathe me, and how to carry me.

Daddy and Mummy with Uncle Daniel, Auntie Ivy, Auntie Annie and Auntie Le Chin at Jumbo Seafood Restaurant (Serangoon Garden Branch)on 6th October 2007. I had chilli crab for dinner that night. Yum! Yum!
Daddy and Mummy in the fellowship hall after church service. One Voice had to perform on that day. Guess what is the colour theme for the choir members? It is pink! Mummy and Daddy celebrating their 1st wedding anniversary on 10th June 2007 at the wedding suite of Intercontinental Hotel. Look at what they had for lunch on that day. They bought popiah, fried oyster, chwee kueh and sugar cane into the room and had a great feast. and I was about 6 months old in my mummy's womb.
Daddy was admitted to TTSH for two weeks in July 2007 for Liver Abscess. Thank God that he is well again. Mummy had to look after Daddy and shuttle to and fro from her workplace to the hospital every day to see Daddy. Luckily I am strong, and did not give mummy any problem.

Mummy with Xiao Yee and San Yee eating Sushi Tei at Vivocity after catching a movie. Daddy and Mummy sharing Mutton soup at Chomp Chomp Serangoon.

Mummy and Daddy at Auntie Aldine's and Pastor Christopher Wedding Dinner on 11th June 2007 at Four Seasons Hotel.

Getting ready to go home-29th October 2007 Monday

Mummy and Daddy had to check out of TMC by 12pm. I was waiting in the nursery for Daddy and Mummy to come and fetch me. Mummy and Daddy was told by the hospital that they need not bring any clothes for me when I get discharged as I will be clothed from head to toe with TMC's shirt, mitten, booties and swaddling cloth. So cool! I am a walking advertisement for TMC.

While waiting to get discharged, Grandma, Daddy and mummy told time to take photos in the room. Poor me, I was waiting for them to fetch me from the nursery.

The hospital's ruling is that my mummy had to go to the nursery to fetch me. The nurse will check mummy's tag and my tag to ensure that we belong to each other before they can release me from the nursery and bring me home. So systematic!

I am home! My first sleep on the bouncer that Daddy and mummy bought for me.

Sleeping soundly in the cot. ??Where am I ??

Breastfeeding-Part 3

How do daddy and mummy know that I am feeding enough?

Unlike formula milk, which daddy and mummy can prepare the exact amount, knowing how much and whether I have enough is a guessing game. But there are some signs that tells daddy and mummy whether I have enough milk.

I have been fed well because I have 6 to 8 wet diapers a day. My eyes are bright and I have a wet tongue and mouth. As for my thigh, they are firm. Mummy also keeps a diary to record and monitor my feeding times. I have also gained in weight. These are signs that shows that I am feeding well.

How often do daddy and mummy feed me?

Breast milk is easily digested and it takes one and a half hour for me to feel hungry again. Mummy has set me on a routine where it involves waking me up three to four hours during the day to feed and leaving me to feed on demand at night.

Mummy's engorgement

Engorgement is a condition of swelling in the breasts that results from a normal increase in blood flow to the area combined with insufficent emptying of breasts. Mummy experienced it on the fourth day, when the milk comes in and peak. She felt pain and was unable to leave her arms. Her breasts felt like stones. Grandma bought her cabbage and used the cold cabbage leaves to cover her engorged breasts. And it works. She felt much more comfortable after that. It is thought that cabbage leaves caused vasoconstriction thus reducing vasocongestion.

Breastfeeding-Part 2

Do I need Supplementary or Complimentary feeds?

As I was just saying colostrum is all I need for the first 3 days of my life, as I have enough reserves accumulated from mummy's womb to last me through before the breast milk comes in. But because mummy is gestational diabetic, the nurses feared that I am hungry or dehydrated so I was given complementary feed of formula milk. I will first suckle on mummy's breast for 15 minutes to stimulate her production of milk and will later drink 60ml of formula milk to complement the feeding.

Mummy and daddy became worried because having taken the complimentary feeds, I may not want to suckle mummy's breast. They were scared that the artificial feeds may have stopped my feelings of hunger or thirst. Valuable colostrum may be lost as a result of that. Mummy and daddy is also worried that I might have nipple confusion. I will not know how to differentiate between nipples and teats and suckle properly. I might become frustrated on the breast as the flow from the breast is little in the first few days and reject my mummy's breast. On top of all these, if I do not suckle on mummy's breast enough, the breast milk will take longer to come in and mummy will experience engorgement.

To make matters worse, besides formula milk feeding, I was given extra glucose water because I was put under phototherapy because of my jaundice. The nurses were scared that I might get dehydrated. Mummy and daddy got really confused. Should they feed me with formula milk and glucose water? What is the right thing to do? Later on, they seeked advice from the lactation consultant that as long I urinate 6 to 8 times a day, that means I have sufficent fluid. So I was put on TOTAL BREAST FEEDING with no supplementary or complementary feeds. And guess what I passed the test of having sufficent fluid just by suckling on mummy's colostrum. These had helped to ease the worries of daddy and mummy.

Grandma's role in breastfeeding

Grandma has been a great help to mummy on breastfeeding. She stayed over on the second night in the ward to teach mummy how to breastfeed me. She taught mummy the correct positioning and latching on.. She also taught my mummy how to massage her breast and apply hot press to stimulate flow of milk. She even massaged the breasts for mummy. And guess what mummy started to produce milk (transitional milk) on the fourth day of my birth-29th October 2007. Mummy was very happy that she is finally producing milk to feed me.

Daddy's role in breastfeeding

When mummy is breastfeeding, daddy showed his support by taking over all the household chores, bringing her a drink, taking over diaper duties, burping and bathing me. I have a wonderful daddy.

Breastfeeding-Part 1

Benefits of Breastfeeding to me

Mummy wants to breastfeed me because it is a rewarding experience that allows for a closer bond between me and her. Do you know that breast milk is complete in nutrition and no further supplement is required to meet all my nutritional needs? I can digest and absorb all nutrients better and grow up to be a healthier child. Studies has shown that long chain of polyunsaturated fatty acids present in breast milk aid in brain development of babies. Mummy's milk also contains antibodies, which offer protection against gastro-intestinal disturbances, respiratory problems and ear infections. It also helps in my cognitive development like reading and writing. It is clean, safe, convenient and cost saving.

Benefits of Breastfeeding to mummy

As for mummy, breastfeeding helps to secrete oxytocin hormones that helps mummy's womb to contract and return to normal size faster. It also helps mummy to lose weight as her metabolic rate increases when she is nursing me.

Benefits of Breastfeeding to daddy

As for daddy, as it is free, daddy does not need to pay a lot of money to buy formula milk.

Mummy does not really produce milk during the first few days. The composition of human milk changes during the course of feeding and through lactation. The first milk is called the colostrum. It is secreted in the first few days following my birth. The colostrum protects me from infection and also helps to stimulate the passage of meconium, my first stools. (the black colour poo poo)

Mummy trying to breastfeed me, but she fell asleep.

Mummy breastfeeding me again. I like to suckle and suckle.

Mummy's breastfeeding chair at home.

Mummy's expressed milk (my food) yum! yum! It is about 90ml of milk

The Wong Family

Many people came and visited Daddy, mummy and me. But Daddy was so busy looking after mummy and me that he forgot to take out his camera to take a photo of those people who came. I will try to pose with you all when I get back to church, okie?

We thanked God for Bethany, relatives, friends and colleagues who prayed for us, visited us and showered us with their love, advice and gifts.

We are the Wong Family. Below are some shots of Daddy, mummy and me.

Daddy trying to put what he has learnt from pre-natal class to use. This is what we called the cradle hold and picking up baby, according to Pg 30 of Mrs Wong, our pre-natal class trainer's book on Childcare.

As for mummy, it is her motherly instinct to hold and cradle me. No need textbook!

The Wong Family-Daddy, mummy, me (now you see daddy's specs)

The Wong Family- Daddy, mummy and me (Now you don't)

Me in the nursery! Can you spot me?

26th October 2007- The Day that I was born in pictures (Post Operation)

I was born at 2.26pm. Mummy was wheeled back to the ward by 3pm. She is still numbed from her waist downward because of the epidural effect on her. But she is awake and well. Thank God for His Grace. Daddy and Mummy taking time to pose again. But this time, look at mummy's tummy, it is much smaller cos' I am OUT.
Grandma (Mummy's mum) was the first person to be there. She is going to look after mummy and me when we go back home.
That's me! Fresh from the labour ward into mummy's ward.
Wide-eyed and Alert! Look at me! Who do I look like? Daddy thinks that I have his big head, high forehead (in which a lot of people say that I will be smart next time), his brown eyes,his big ears with big lobes and his long legs and hands. Mummy thinks that I have her distinct chubby cheeks, her nose and her alto voice.

My feet in comparison to daddy's palm.

My leg in comparison to Daddy's finger

Look at my fuzzy wuzzy hair and my big ear-lobe!

Look at my tiny toes!

26th October 2007-The Day that I was born in pictures (Operation Time)

Mummy getting ready to be wheeled to the operating theatre. She is uttering a silent prayer to the Lord.
Daddy has to wait at the Family waiting lounge while mummy gets hooked up at the operating room.
Daddy making his way to the labour way after his name was called through the loud speaker in the waiting lounge.
Daddy reaching the labour ward. He has to get changed into the robes before he can see mummy and me. This is also his first time wearing Crocs.

26th October 2007- The Day that I was born in pictures (Pre-Operation)

Daddy and Mummy were so excited that the day I was coming out (26th October 2007) that they hardly had a wink of sleep. The night before, they were doing the last minutes' preparations, ensuring that everything was ready for my arrival. Early in the morning, my mummy took a long hot bath and went for few rounds of poo poo sessions, as it will be a few days before she can do any of the above activities. Below are some pictures showing them enjoying their " liang ren shi jie" before I intruded in a few hours time.Mummy is showing off her tummy in side view because it will be gone in a few hours' time.

Daddy is showing off his muscles and the amount of things that we have to bring to the hospital. The bags included Mummy's bag, my bag, Daddy's bag, video camera bag, laptop bag. My Daddy is so strong.

Daddy is touching me and taking a photo of me.

Daddy also wants to show off his tummy. Mummy is listening up for any rumblings.

Mummy doing a CTG at Dr Yvonne Chan's Clinic one hour before admission to TMC to monitor my heart beat. The doctor told my Daddy and Mummy that my heartbeat was beating around 140 pulses per minute. Daddy had to constantly rub mummy's tummy to ensure that I am active and not falling asleep to get an accurate reading of my heart rate.

Mummy all dressed up in the operation robe, awaiting for the nurse to call her to the operating room. Can you see me beneath the robe? I am coming out soon! This is also the room (Rm 513) that mummy is going to rest, and the place that I am going to bond with Mummy and Daddy for the next few days. Isn't it nice? Daddy has specially chosen a single room so that Mummy can rest and recuperate better. So nice of daddy!

Daddy trying out his sleeping area for the next few days. So funny! Luckily the bed is long enough for my tall Daddy. But I heard from Daddy that the bed is a bit hard and he had back aches after sleeping on it.

Daddy and Mummy spending their lovey dovey time together cos I will soon be out to be their "intruder".

Daddy and Mummy also spent time praying and sharing together while waiting for the operation to start. Mummy is dwelling on the verses that Daddy had just shared with her.