Jabby Baby...

Brought Isaac for his 3-month jabs (the 6-in-1 concoction) this morning. Wanted to make an appointment with Dr YY Yip, but his appointment slots are full, so went to see Dr Ngiam at the same clinic instead. I was also curious to learn more about Dr Ngiam's 'style' and bedside manners after hearing what some of my friends said about him.

We reached the clinic about about 9.10am and managed to see Dr Ngiam almost immediately. Prior to that, the nurse did the routine checks (weight, height, head circumference). Well, Isaac weighs 7.4kg now, is 62.5cm and his head circumference is 42.5cm. When we entered Dr Ngiam's room, the first thing Dr Ngiam said was "is there anything you want to ask me about?". So we asked him about Isaac's crying episode the other day (he said it was colic and will happen off and on up till 8 months or so and one good way to stop the crying is car rides), about why he is salivating quite a lot (he said it was normal and not a precursor to teething), about his weight (he said Isaac is quite a big baby but we shouldn't have to worry about his weight at this point), about his poopless days (he said it is normal with breastfed babies). Well, the advice Dr Ngiam gave us was the same as Dr Yip's but the difference was in the body language and tone used. Dr Yip can be quite clinical and 'busy' (understandable since there's so many patients waiting outside) while Dr Ngiam makes time for small talk and communicates in a rather relaxed manner.

Another difference is the way both doctors handle Isaac. For Dr Yip, the first thing he asks you to do is to put him down on the cushion and he starts checking him while talking to you. Dr Ngiam, on the other hand, will have you carry him while he talks to you. And when the Q&A session is over, he will have you put him down on the cushion and will start examining him. Another subtle difference is that Dr Ngiam undresses Isaac's clothes and dresses him back after his checks, while Dr Yip will undress the fella but will ask you to dress him up after that. I also find subtle differences in the way both doctors administer the injections. Well, there is no comparison of who is better as they have different styles. But we are comfortable with both. Well, since Isaac needs 2 more follow-up jabs after this, we'll just stick with Dr Ngiam for the next 2 appointments. Dr Ngiam said that a small number of patients will come down with fever after the jab. Let's hope Isaac will be fine:)

Chee Meng again did not want to see the jabbing process coz it hurts him to see Isaac cry. Ooohhh, what a soft-hearted daddy. No prizes for guessing who will be the parent who will spoil Isaac.

Cry baby...

Isaac gave us a scare last night when he tried incessantly for nearly an hour last night, and both Mum and I suspected it's coz of stomach wind. We tried all ways to pacify him - carrying him, feeding him, rubbing medicated oil on him, feeding him gripe water... everything failed! After all the failed attempts, we decided to bring him to see the doctor at NUH's Children's Emergency, just to play safe and to seek some remedy for his stomach wind.

Actually, we both know that it's the stomach wind that making him upset and it's normal... but my dad was anxious, Chee Meng was anxious and we were worried that he's crying for too long a period. Well, the best thing is... when we reached there, Isaac is already pacified. And when the doctor examined him, he smiled at her! I must commend the doctor at NUH's Children's Emergency - she was very thorough in her checking and though she said Isaac was okay, she asked that we stay in the hospital for about an hour in case he acts up again. So, after the consultation, i breastfed him and he fell asleep. Back to normal. My mum and i heaved a sign of relieve. And the whole consultation took less than an hour. We were lucky coz there was a long queue after we are done with the consultation. The doctor also prescribed some colic drops for Isaac just in case he is still irritable when we got home. And the little fella just fell asleep when we got home and things returned to normal. And this morning, he was wide awake playing by himself while i zonked out. He's at his best in the mornings, and he will greet you with his beautiful smile when he sees you.

Naughty little fella...

Home Alone... with Isaac

Finally... an opportunity for me to experience what it is like to be a full-time mother/housewife. Mum went to KL for a 3-day getaway this week and i was left pretty much alone with Isaac, except for the occasional help from Chee Meng and my dad in the evenings so that i can shower, have my meals etc. The experience is quite alright, except that it was quite a boring routine which revolved around putting him to sleep, bathing him, cleaning him, feeding him, washing his clothes, putting him to sleep, cleaning him, feeding him...the cycle repeats itself everyday. Boring but fulfilling and at the same time, made me feel more confident of taking care of Isaac alone. And i think i can. I even wanted to bring Isaac out shopping but the weather (it was raining every afternoon) stopped me from doing so. So i only managed to bring Isaac downstairs to get some sunlight this morning coz it was bright and sunny!

Siok, Michelle and Lynette had dinner last night and Siok called me while they were having cocktails. She asked how i was coping and if i missed working. I told her quite honestly that i missed working and i could hear the rest going "oh man, this is bad...". And Siok went on and on about how motherhood is fulfilling etc. I bet they thought i am totally stressed out and on the verge of depression or something. But I'm ok, just that i missed having my 'alone time' since Isaac is born. Everything revolves around Isaac now and i guess it's also my own doing (maternal instinct) - i made everything revolve around Isaac and i must admit it that i sometimes just can't let go especially when i am still breastfeeding him. When I went for a medical appointment with Dr Chew, Dr Chew asked us if we found time to 'pak tor'. Both of us shook our head in unison. Dr Chew said that it is important for us to have some couple time together, and advised us to take 2-3 hours off once a week just to spend some time alone. Dr Chew also asked if everything was going on fine. I told him that we had a couple of tiffs since Isaac joined us (we hardly have tiffs) and he said that it was normal, coz the mommy assumes the daddy knows what mommy wants daddy to do. He hit the nail on the head. I had assumed that Chee Meng will know what i want done, how i want it to be done etc. I felt guilty that i have not been communicating with him since i had to take care of Isaac myself, which made me petty, hot-tempered and basically angry at Chee Meng. Luckily we trashed everything out and made it a point to communicate better now. Now, i am more appreciative of Chee Meng and also make it a point to tell him what i need him to do. And he does help out.

Well, mum is coming back tomorrow and i will have someone to help me look after Isaac while i steal some naptime and have some alone time! I'm glad i passed the 3-day test.