September 30, 2016 8:30PM
Updated: Oct 07, 2016 8:39PM
Updated: Oct 10, 2016 8:01

Dear Knetina,

I'm writing this blog post for you to read when you grow up. I have an important thing to say to you now but you're too young to comprehend. This post might be updated several times especially when my view on this matter change. But right now here's my perception about marriage:

1. It gets a little bit boring, tiresome and difficult sometimes
Your dad doesn't bore me. In fact I am always preoccupied of things that concerns him. Being with him never bores me, in fact I want to be with him night and day. I love him so much. But this routine of happiness, fighting and reconciling bores me. This idea of how marriage should be, bores me. This "being ok" and then "not being ok" carousel bores me. It's also tiresome to always compromise but it's also tiresome to always get mad. I think that's what happens when two different individuals become one, it becomes difficult to always adjust. For some instance, there are things that I am very accustomed of doing since I've been doing it almost all of my life when suddenly I needed to change that or remove that from my system. Wouldn't that make me insane? Yes. Very insane..and mad too. And when I get mad I will initiate a fight and then the carousel comes again.

2. The real reason of getting married is not known.
When you say you want to get married just because "You're In-Love", I think you have a very weak reason to get married. There are people so in-love that don't get married and they last very long, a lifetime. There are those married people who said they were in-love but when difficult time comes, they divorce or leave their partner. This is what you should now by now: Marriage is not just about feelings. You cannot trust your feelings, that it will always stay that way. Feelings is like wind. Sometimes, it's a whirlwind, sometimes a tornado, but sometimes it just fades away. One day you're drunk-in-love but the next day you just want to disappear. And when you're already married, you cannot just disappear. It's a very famous saying in the Philippines that "ang pag-aasawa ay hindi parang kaning isusubo na kung ikaw ay mapapaso ay iluluwa mo". You should believe in that saying because it won't stay long if it wasn't true. When you're married you cannot just say "This is not what I thought it'll be so let's part ways.". Nah-uh! You have to work it out so better find a man that, in his system, has always the will to work out on a relationship.

3. Marriage is hard work.
This is a 24-7 work without pay. You have to work out on everything. Giving up is easy but making it work entails hard work. You have to work on your self and your attitude. You have to work on how to relate to your husband. You have to work on how you relate to your husband's family which is also important.

4. It Sucks
It sucks when you:
- want to leave the house but don't have money
- want your husband to be happy even though it will make you extremely sad
- have to compromise. I hate to compromise because I am always right. But this marriage taught me that I am not...and I should forget that I have pride.
- don't have enough money. Sometimes it's an advantage because you will just have to stay at home with the kids and keep the marriage to work because you can't afford otherwise. Hehe! :P

5. There will be lots of tears
If you think happily ever after is always laughter, you're wrong. You will cry a lot so be careful to choose on whom you cry about. As what they say, everybody's going to hurt you.. just choose someone who's worth the pain. Actually I don't believe when guys say "I won't hurt you". Because if he doesn't, it means you don't care about him..because only the person you care about can hurt you.

P.S. I am addressing this letter only to you because I am writing in a perspective of a woman. I don't know but I guess men have different perspectives, they always have.

This is a painting by Liz Rose named

Ying Yang Wedding

P.S. I noticed that my log time is around 8PM. I don't intent to schedule my post during those times. It just happens that at those time, I've already put DB in sleep and I already successfully left you with your Papa. You always want me to carry you so I need to give you distractions such as toys or TV for me to go back to the room and watch DB sleep. DB cries a lot when he wakes up and I'm not on his side, just like you. But sometimes you look for your Papa, it depends on your mood. I love you.

Why are Youtube ads are a waste of money of advertisers?

1. Ads are annoying, we all know that. Imagine that you eagerly want to watch a video then suddenly something cuts you up, wouldn't it be annoying? Ofcourse you just want to click the Skip Ad button as soon as it appears.
2. Advertisers should position their ads on places and circumstances where customers are conditioned to view it. Is it before the video they want to watch? I don't think so. No one wants to watch your ads because they're focused to watch the video they came for.
3. Unskipped ads don't mean they've watched it. Well there's a pee break, a text message need to be read or a tv commercial to be viewed in replacement with the ads, especially the unskippable ones.
4. Seriously, the algorithm to depict what ads to show is so... "trying hard". Why would you show ads of make-up when my one year old toddler is watching her nursery rhymes video? She would just scream and cry because something's interrupting her.
5. My toddler doesn't want it! When my toddler watches youtube for nursery rhymes, she would cry whenever there's an ad and it's so frustrating, it's not helping moms, seriously.

• Will I buy that coffee in an unskippable ad? NO. I can't drink coffee.
• Will I buy that Maggi soy sauce seen in the ads? NO. I don't buy soy sauces, it's my in-law who decides what soy sauce to use.
• Will I buy Kinder Joy seen in the ads? NO. Some facebook posts say it's cancerous.

This list can go on forever but the point is I'm one of those viewers who watches a company's ad for a product but won't buy it. Just like most of us do.

Image from www.brandsoftheworld.com

Part I - The Rush to Labor

On my 9th month, I got a little impatient and tired with pregnancy. From excitement, the feeling transformed to impatience and anxiety. One source of anxiety is that I'm already nearing my due date schedule but my cervix has been totally closed yet. I've been so worried because I really don't want to have a C-Section due to many reasons. So on January 28, I decided to take periods of long (very very long) brisk walk in the morning with my husband. During the afternoon, we went to the park to exercise. This exercise composed of brisk-walk-till-you-drop around the park and 20 rounds of going up and down the staircase. This technique is advised by my friend when I told her I'm worried about not giving birth any time soon.

Part II - The Rush to the Hospital

After the exercise at around 5pm, I felt mild cramps on my abdomen and lower back. It feels exactly like menstruation cramps. At first I ignored it, we went home, ate dinner and tried to sleep. As hours passed by, the cramps grew stronger with irregular intervals so I thought it was just a false labor. But at around 10 in the evening, the interval was constantly around one minute and the pain lasts for around 4 minutes. I checked my underwear because it felt wet and to my surprise, I saw blood on it. I panicked, told my husband about it and we both panicked, in a good way :P. We immediately decided to to go to the hospital. Oh, before we went, I drank milk and took a sponge bath.

Tip: When you're on labor, do not eat anymore as you might just vomit it during delivery.

Part III - The Labor Begins

At 12midnight, we were able to check-in but not in a private room because there was no available room for us. *sobs*. We we're given a bed in the ward for male that underwent surgical procedures. Could you imagine how difficult it was, being the only girl, in labor, in a ward full of men? It wasn't easy especially if it's time for your IE.

I just accepted the ward because I really need to be in the hospital. The pain interval was constant and progressing that time and went on the whole day. It felt like forever. The pain I felt was like a severe menstruation cramp where you can't stand, walk or go to the office, something like that.

At 8am, my OB-Gyne checked my cervix. Nope, still closed at that time. She told me that if I did not progress, I should have a C-Section already at the afternoon, around 3pm. I agreed with her due to the increasing pain and I was thinking, well, maybe my cervix won't open at all. But I really didn't like to have a CS because:
(1) It's very expensive
(2) There are lots of negative feedback I heard about babies delivered via CS
(3) I'm scared in operation. I can't imagine being sliced like a meat!

After that, I did some walking exercise around the hospital lobby and stairs. I also did some squats as advised by my husband's aunt. I was tired already and I just wanted the baby to come out. Why should it be so difficult?

At 3pm my doctor came back and I told her I just want to wait for another day before the operation, to which she agreed. At 4pm we we're able to get a private room (Thank God!) and I continued my exercise there. At around 6pm, a midwife came and did an IE. My cervix opened around 1 cm, according to her. Because of this progress I've been determined to exercise some more even if the pain was increasing that night.

How will I describe the pain? Well, it's something I've never felt before. It was like my whole body was aching but I can't point which part, where exactly was the pain coming from, it's not even from my abdomen. It was terrible, horrible and extremely painful. As In. I thought I could die.

At around 11 in the evening, the pain was superior and I felt like there was some alien in my belly, moving, trying to get out. My husband's mother called the nurse. The midwife came and checked my cervix. She then said that the cervix was already opened and I will already give birth so they rushed me to the delivery room. It came so fast. They called my doctor, she came, she instructed me on what to do, then the baby came. During the delivery she told me to pull the bar of the bed and push/force my abdomen for the baby to come out. After three pushes, my baby came into the world and I got blacked-out. I woke up after some time and the nurse asked me, "Did you know you already gave birth?". I did not answer but deep inside I was like "Thank God! After 400 years!". I attempted to stand and the nurse asked me "Where are you going?!". I said, "I'm going back to my room!" (Haha!). She then laughed and said that they will bring me to the room. That's when I realized my body was aching and I cannot walk.

So I just rested the whole day and waited for our discharge the next day... with our baby, of course.

I kept on praying while on labor

list of things about newborns that other sites won't tell you


Almost all sites I've researched for managing my expectations about newborns discussed how a baby could be perfect. They also listed baby's development regarding motor skills, weight, milestones etc. Yes, those are important but those things don't give moms the survival tips they need. Here's my list from personal experience that I can share to you:

1. Your newborn will sleep but you will not have an idea on when or how long.

As they say, they may sleep up to 17 hours per day but you can't panic like "omg, my baby slept for just 16 hours, there could be something wrong!". I tell you, that's normal. Babies will sleep whenever they want to, as long as they want to, even if it doesn't meet the standards the internet is telling you. Unless your pedia told you to record his/her sleeping pattern, you don't have to do it.

Newborns can take a nap for 30 minutes, which is ideal, but they can also take a nap for, say, a minute. That means before you could even put back yourself together and decide to make a cup of tea, your baby will wake up and cry.

2. Your newborn's sleeping schedule, feeding schedule and attitude will change every week. But one thing will not change, your baby will wake up during midnight to dawn. That means you will never be able to enjoy a good night's sleep again until they learn to sleep through the night. My baby's one year old and she still wakes up at midnight, crying, for some unkown reasons

3. Your newborn's skin is very sensitive. He/she is prone to rashes, pimples and other skin problems. Take care of it to avoid irritants. If milk drips on his/her neck, clean it with moist cotton then pat dry. Use rash cream to prevent diaper rashes. There will be times that the baby will cry just because he/she is irritated with the rashes. Then you get irritated because you've done everything but the baby still cries. If this happens, put soothing cream on the area. I'm using Drapolene and it's effective.

4. Your baby will cry but don't take it too seriously. I mean, you should take it seriously but not too serious. If your baby cries, check if the diaper is wet, if he/she pooped or maybe hungry. If not, try to "entertain" him/her. Your baby may cry for hours BUT one thing's for sure, the crying will eventually stop. If you can't soothe him/her, the baby will soothe on his/her own. As our Pedia said, if the baby can't breathe anymore because of crying, a signal to the brain will be sent out to stop the crying. Remember also that your baby cannot talk so whenever he/she needs something, or if something hurts, it will be communicated through crying. Now, use all the intuition that God gave you to figure out what he/she needs. It will be frustrating but just find comfort in knowing you are not alone. Every hands-on moms experience frustration, anxiety and anger (towards life) so don't think you're alone. Find support group and source of strength.

5. Leave your baby. Yes! Leave the baby to a trusted person (usually, the husband) when you need to take a break.

Your babies will not be babies forever. Soon, they will grow, become independent and leave the house. Cherish all the anguish now, don't worry it's not permanent. And oh, take care of your self. A well-taken-care-of mom can take care of the babies properly.

Here's the greatest tip: Keep your sanity. Don't get mad with the baby, with your self nor with your husband. This, too, shall pass.

Knetina's first picture at home

Don't worry! You're baby's going to be fine.

Although moms-to-be will be very worried when they catch colds and cough during pregnancy, this infection will not harm your baby. Just make sure that you won't take any medicine, whether herbal or not, without your doctor's advice. I had horrible cough, twice, during my first pregnancy. Since I was a first-time mom that time, I got so worried that it will affect my baby. But then she grew in my tummy just fine.

On my first trimester, I got a week-long cough and colds because I got soaked in the rain. I'm used to get soak in the rain and loved it but I learned immunity drops when you're pregnant. The doctor prescribed Mucosolvan for cough and Drixine for colds. I did not buy Mucosolvan because my cough that time was already getting better.

On my third trimester, specifically on the week of my due date, I catched cough again. This time, my doctor advised that I take Strepsils but when it did not alleviate my condition, she prescribed Mucoslvan again which I already took. She did not advise me to take Mucosolvan's regular dosage. I just gargled and swallowed half-a-teaspoon of the medicine to relieve my itching throat and chest congestion. 

Tip: Drink a lot of calamansi juice! Make sure it's not hot so that the Vitamin C wont be destroyed.

Image from here

I tried this baby wearing trend and used SaYa Baby Carrier for my newborn baby. I bought it for 950 (without delivery charge) from Baby Mama Ph (http://babymama.ph/).

Here's my summary:

Pros:
1. You will go hands-free. That's what carriers are supposed to do right?
2. Your baby is very well-supported. Unlike the usual baby carrier, baby wearing offers a more natural support for your baby. I noticed on my previous carrier used by my first baby that she was uneasy and seems to be uncomfortable with it. Infants should be carried in a way that their knees are higher than or relatively closer to the bum to avoid stress in their legs and this is what baby carriers provide.
3. Your carrier will grow with your baby. Unlike the usual carrier where you can't put a newborn in it, baby wearing allows you to carry your newborn until toddler in it.

Cons:
1. They say it's easy to wear but not as easy as the usual carriers. I mean, I needed to process all these steps for baby-wearing. When your baby is fussy who's got time for that right? It's only good when your baby is relaxed and there's someone to help you with it.
2. It's so hot. Imagine wrapping a baby in the beach. That's what I did. I used baby wearing when we went to the beach and my baby's sweating all over. This is only good to use where there's proper ventilation like in the mall or inside the car. You don't want your baby to have a heat stroke.
3. It's going to

Will I recommend it? Yes if you think baby wearing is for you and No if you can't deal with the cons.

Got something to say 'bout this baby wearing trend? Let me know in the comment box!

If breastfeeding is as easy as putting water and scoop of milk into a bottle, formula milk wont be popular. I mean, there are lots of things to keep in mind like food to avoid, clogging, soreness, let out of milk, helping your child to latch, etc. I cant even believe that you actually need to teach a baby to properly latch, shouldn't it be innate? And oh, add the judgmental eyes of the people when you breastfeed in public in the complexities of breastfeeding list.

This is the most informative video I've seen so far: Breastfeeding: Getting a Good Latch Every Time

So here's a list of rants:

1. Latching is crazy - if you do it wrong, your nipple will hurt and your milk supply will slow down. So basically, it's everything. Should it be simple? No. How could a first time mom and a first time human know how to work together and perform that dreaded latch? Even if you watch a hundred videos (like I did), and read a hundred articles and asked a hundred moms, latching can only be performed perfectly by you and your baby. So practice, research and practice proper latching. Just make sure it's a proper latch you're practicing. *wink*

2. You are badly needed. The baby can't literally eat without you. It's not just a romantic fancy quote of boyfriend-girlfriend which says "I can't eat without you...". It's crazy, again. When you're hungry and your baby is, of course, as a mom, you will let your baby eat first. The key is that you have to find time to eat even if it's not yet 12noon for lunch or 7pm for dinner. Just eat. You need food to be able to make food for your baby.

3. The low milk supply and slow milk flow problem. This is my major stress. I feel like I have a low milk supply even if I've been doing everything to boost it - malunggay supplements, soup, massage, etc. The only thing I haven't tried is looking for a lactation consultant. Maybe that's the answer. OR MAYBE I dont really have a low milk supply at all. During the first month I got depressed thinking of my milk supply but then after a while I learned to let it go. If I think baby is hungry because he cannot get enough milk from me, I give him formula milk and we're done - he sleeps, I'm not stressed. I know, breast milk advocates will be like "why give him formula milk?". For me, it works. What's the total fret about formula milk? My first baby was breastfed only a month and the rest was formula milk in a bottle and she grew up just fine, perfect and healthy. BUT I still want to give the best for my baby now that I know the benefits of breastfeeding so, as the baby's pedia advised, I pumped milk so that when he gets fussy because the flow is too slow, I can give him the expressed milk.

4. There are lots of things to be considered that needs much attention. Before, when women are expected only to look over the child and are not involved in corporate lives, they can pay attention to these breastfeeding details. Today is different, I want to work and earn money and I need to breastfeed. So there's mastisis, breast engorgement, breast milk life span after expressing, breastfeeding position, hunger cues, etc. It's a lot to take so I took it one step at a time.

My baby and I are still trying to get the hang of our breastfeeding journey. Now I know why it's called a journey. You learn things all through out and you grow together. Will I recommend breastfeeding? Absolutely, Yes.

Here's a picture of my breastfed baby

1. Watching over your baby's "schedule"

Babies, especially the first year of life, have only one schedule: an erratic schedule. There's no point in trying to stick with it or even looking over it. There's no such thing as "at 8 o'clock he will fall asleep and at 10 he will wake up... then poop at 11:15...eat at 11:30...". Newborns will sleep when they want to, as long as they want to, even if it's freaking noisy in the room. Don't think that they will sleep at the time they slept yesterday. They will also cry and poop whenever they want to, and that's not in a schedule. What moms need to do is just attend to what the babies need for the moment. When time comes, around 6 months (3 months if you're lucky) their schedule will be predictable.


2. Dying to get your pre-pregnancy body.

Your pre-pregnancy body aka the good old days will remain a hallucination right after your delivery. Your tummy will be saggy and ridiculously big as if you're still preggy. But you cannot do your exercises yet because you're body is still recovering after delivery. Give your self some time. Accept that you have this ugly tummy for now but then after a year or two you can regain your body back. Patience is a virtue. For the mean time what you can do is wear a waist trimmer or girdle tightly (so tight that you could almost forget to breath) all throughout the day and even at night. This will help your muscles in the stomach regain it's tone and shrink eventually.


3. Prioritizing your baby 24/7

Who said you should attend to the monster every second of your life? Yes. You've read it right. You don't have to be there with the baby always. You need time for your self. Go on and take a bath, brush your teeth, savor your food. Just make sure to leave your baby safe or to someone else while you're doing that. Don't be guilty when you need to make that morning or evening routine. Babies can wait and that doesn't mean you love them less. If you forget to take care of your self you will be irritated and in turn you may channel the negative energy to the baby. A happy mom has a happy baby so take care of your self and be happy.

4. Worrying too much

Watching your baby sleep that you lost your sleeping time? Worried that the baby is not getting enough of your milk or wasn't able to burp? New moms worry too much about everything. Babies can survive in hostile environment. I mean, 2000 BC ago, there wasn't crib to put your baby to sleep, no formula milk, not even comfy clothes! Watch over your baby but do not exaggerate your worries. Just make sure he/she is sleeping safe, nothing that will cover the nose or else the baby can't breath. Burping a baby doesn't mean that you have to hear the burp sound. Just hold the baby upright for a maximum of 10 minutes then you can put him/her down. Milk coming out of the mouth and nose is normal as long as it's not in a form of vomit. You know vomit? It's when your stomach is forcing for food to go out of your mouth, that's not a good thing for babies. When you worry too much or panic, your judgement will be clouded. If something happens, monitor and analyze properly the situation then consult your pedia as necessary.

5. Putting your baby to sleep
Yup, you've read it right. Don't put baby to sleep. "Putting" baby to sleep means you try desperately to swing him/her to make him/her drowsy, thinking that it'll eventually lead to sleep. What I learned from my two babies (a one year old and one month-old) is that when they're really sleepy, they will eventually sleep, no matter how noisy the surrounding is. There could be some crying especially if they're over-tired but then they will sleep right away after a few attempt to soothe him/her. Usually when my toddler cries because she's sleepy, we'll just have to put her to bed, tap her bum and sing some songs, then she'll knock her self to sleep right away. For my newborn, I will just let him stay in bed and stare at the ceiling at midnight without any attempt to put him to sleep. I don't force him to sleep just because it's sleeping time. No, newborns don't know that 12 midnight is a sleeping time. If he gets sleepy, I will just carry him because, usually, babies need an assurance of safety before going to safe and there's no better place to find it than in your arms.

Remember: if babies are sleepy, they will sleep no matter what.

To avoid depression that you're baby's so fussy and sleepy but doesn't want to go to sleep, guide him/her to sleep when he or she is tired. This will make sure that he/she won't be over tired. This is tricky, sometimes I get it right, sometimes I don't. You just have to practice, trial and error would do, don't worry, if he/she cries, eventually he/she will stop crying, that's their nature.


This will be a good read for expectant and new moms: http://www.smartparenting.com.ph/pregnancy/labor-and-childbirth/life-after-giving-birth-expectations-vs-reality-lfrm

There are lots of articles posted online regarding your hospital bag. Some can be considered, yes, but for me, these are the only essential things you would need. This worked for me because I don't give a fuss about anything else than giving birth. I also went to the hospital during my labor unlike other people who wants to be admitted in advance. Since I had normal delivery with my two babies, I just spent 24-36 hours in the hospital.

My Hospital Bag Must-Have Checklist For The Big Day [Labor to Delivery to Discharge]:

1. Important Documents

• Philhealth Documents (for you and your husband)Make sure you have a printed-out Member Data Record. If you're employed, you can get this from your HR Department. Otherwise, you can get it in Philhealth's office.
• Photocopy of valid IDs (yours and your husband's)
• NSO Birth Certificate (yours and your husband's) - just in case. We actually did not use this but we brought it anyway.
• Marriage Certificate - some hospitals need this.
• Your pre-natal book from OB-GYNE
• Recent laboratory test results (Ultrasound, CBC, etc.), if any

2. Clothes

• For Mommy:
• Few Set of Clothes. I brought with me only 3 pair of clothes because I was expecting a normal delivery which means I could just go home the next day after I give birth. On the duration of your labor, you will be using the hospital gown so you won't change clothes too often. If you don't like to wear it, go on bring additional clothes. My advice, though, is that you should use the hospital gown because it's easier to have an IE and deliver with it.
• Lots of underwear. During my labor, the mucus (blood) came first so I was having a heavy menstrual-like blood discharge. This caused my napkin to overflow and I needed to change underwear regularly. Even if you do not have a blood discharge during labor, you may need to change undies regularly because you will have a heavy bleeding after giving birth.
• Tummy Binder! This is one of the best things I brought during my second delivery because I got to wear it before my tummy gets comfortable with its size (big, that is). It helped me condition my tummy that it should go back to its pre-pregnancy size.
• Jacket. Because hospitals can be so cold. Lol.
• Going home outfit. Make sure you bring the outfit that fits you when you were pregnant since your tummy won't be back to its glorious days in an instant. You will still look like 6 months pregnant.
• Cover-up for breast feeding. If you intend to breastfeed after giving birth then bring this. Just take note though that for most of moms that I know, milk doesn't come out right after they give birth so they don't have a choice but to give formula milk. But you may still request to exclusively breastfeed your child since it is your right and it's in the law.
• For Daddy:
• Clothes of his own choice. (Lots of shirts especially if he will do the running.)
• Jacket. Because. Cold. Lol.
• Undies, shorts, slippers.
• Pillows and Blanket for a good night sleep because he cannot co-sleep with you on your hospital bed.

3. Slippers
It's so comfy to have your labor, delivery and recovery in slippers. I mean, I can't imagine wearing sneakers nor sandals that time.

4. Toiletries

• Maternity Pads or heavy flow napkins. I needed a lot of pads during my delivery because of a heavy discharge. I even wore adult diapers on the first 24 hours after delivery just to make sure the bed won't be full of blood.
• Soap
• Toothbrush and toothpaste
• Feminine wash - can't live without it
• Tissues
• Facial Wash

5. Lots of water and some Snacks
Water sold in the hospital can be so expensive so it helps if you can bring a bottle or two. If you can't bring it during the rush to the hospital like me, you may ask some relatives to bring it for you.

For Baby:

1. Going home outfit and receiving blanket.

This is what the baby will wear when you bring him/her home. You would also need to wrap the baby with a blanket to keep him/her comfy on travel.

2. Feeding Bottles

Some moms are blessed to have their milk supply ready before they deliver. But as for me, breast milk came 3 days after delivery which means at the hospital, the baby needs to drink formula milk first.

Diapers, soap and other things needed by the baby will be provided by the hospital.

6. Infant Car Seat - if you have car and if no one will help you carry your baby.

After delivery, your whole body will ache. Trust me. You cannot even lift a 3-kilogram baby. It pays to bring an infant car seat so you can just relax in the car without carrying anything.

P.S. Although it's called a hospital bag, you don't actually need to buy a specific bag. I used my husband's back pack and travelling bag during my big day.

image from www.huffingtonpost.com

Dear Knetina,

When you got your first vaccine on your 6th week of life, you were terribly crying all throughout the day until night. I questioned everyone in the world on why did they allow these practices to continue. Babies don't deserve such pain. I wanted to take away all the hurt you were feeling but then I realized that there are things in life that you should face on your own. There are fights that you should win alone, with your own strength. There will be a lot of pain when you grow up but remember that Momma and Poppa will always be here to help you. When we're gone, I hope you use our teachings as armor in this battlefield. I hope you grow strong physically and especially spiritually. Just as how I endured my labor with you, I want you to hold on tight to God on your most painful experiences in life.

Love,

Mudra

I brought my beloved (yes, that adjective is necessary) one year old to her pedia earlier this day because she's constipated. Every time she poops, she exerts a lot of effort, cries and turns red. At first, I googled about this and look for suggestions to ease her constipation. I got results that said it was just normal, to just give plenty of water, etc. How could this pain be normal? I gave my baby lots of water in a day but it did not helped. So we finally decided to bring her to the doctor which told us that, it's not just about the water intake but the fiber intake that would ease constipation.

Apparently, according to doc, the cause of my baby's constipation is that she is not getting a balanced meal. I'm guilty about this because I got so busy with my work that I was not able to monitor my baby's food intake. She should be eating food that consist of fiber-rich food such as vegetables and fruits, mixed with proteins and carbohydrates in one meal.

The doctor have me a list of of food that will help soften her stool:

• Camote
• Green Peas
• Peanut
• Prunes
• Papaya
• Yogurt
• Corn
• Oats (Mixed with baby's milk)
• Mango
• Green leafy vegetable

Doc also recommended to change our milk from Progress Gold to NAN Optipro 3. She said it was a common complaint from parents that once they changed their milk to Progress Gold 1-3, their babies constipate.

Hope this helps. :)

Chopsuey is great because it consists of vegetables and proteins but make sure to prepare it healthier by using less oil.

On the first year of my first baby's life, she caught 4 major colds. Major colds for me means that she had slight difficulty in breathing, lacked appetite and the cold led to cough. What I'm sharing with you is real life experience and info from our pediatrician. Every time the cold turns out to be out-of-control, we immediately seek pedia's advice because, just because, I panic.

Major cause of colds
The major cause of colds as what the pediatrician said, and according to my observation also, is having contact with someone who has cold. So if your baby's parents (yes you!) have colds, your baby has a 99% chance to have colds too. If you notice slightest symptoms of colds, the best thing to do is to drink medicine immediately. There are over the counter medicines such as Neozep or Decolgen that would ease out your colds immediately. Keep your baby away from relatives that has colds. Just explain to them that the baby will suffer if the colds will be transferred.

• DO NOT kiss your baby on the face as you may transfer virus without knowing it.
• DO NOT give your baby to any relative that has colds.
• DO NOT let your baby play with his/her brother/sister, cousins, playmates or neighbors that has colds.

Relief

You cannot force the cold virus to go away immediately because that's not its nature. Additionally, your baby's immune system is still developing that's why colds will usually last for two (2) weeks. This timeline includes your baby's improvement in breathing and mucus secretion. These are the things that helps in making the baby feel better:

1. Using nasal spray and rubber suction
Nasal spray helps the mucus in your baby's nose to loosen up and would also make your baby's breathing easier because of unblocking the mucus. However, it should be used in moderation with a maximum of two times daily. This is because the spray can irritate and eventually wound the nose lining that will cause more problems.

Around 10 seconds after you sprayed your baby's nose with nasal spray, it is best to use a rubber suction to remove remaining mucus inside the baby's nose. This will definitely make your baby feel better afterwards because the thing that makes his/her breathing difficult will be removed. I have to warn you, though, that babies don't like their noses to be suctioned. They will definitely fight it. Just take the proper timing or distract your baby so you could suction properly.


2. On the first sight of runny nose, give your baby Disudrin BUT on a maximum of 7 days.
Follow the dosage of Disudrin (written on the box and on the bottle). Remember that you could use within 7 Days ONLY. Overusing of this medicine will cause rhinitis to your baby. I suggest that within 7 days, you make the most out of your baby's recovery, suction his/her nose, give lots of water, let her rest, give fruits, and follow this list.


3. Giving your baby lots of water
What can I say more? Water therapy is best for babies and adults too. Give her water every after milk or as often as possible.


4. Let your baby rest
Everybody needs rest when sick, that includes your baby. However, rest doesn't mean your baby doesn't have to play. He/she can still play as long as it's not with somebody who has cough and colds and as long as there will be no physical exhaustion.


5. Do not bath him/her on the first two days of serious colds
This is not our pedia's advice. I even know one doctor that bathes her baby with fever. There's nothing wrong with taking a bath but giving baby a bathtub-break is my rule when my baby is sick. Bathing alone cannot aggravate your baby's colds. What I'm concerned about is the long exposure to water that will lower his/her body temperature and will cause cold virus to spread more. You can still wipe your baby with warm wet cloth anyway.


6. Give your baby fruits with Vitamin C
Vitamin C works wonders. But also make sure that your baby gets a balanced diet to maximize the absorption of Vitamin C. I give my baby a mix of green leafy veggies, mangoes, tomatoes, apples and oranges in a day in addition to milk and some carbs.

The relief I listed is not applicable to your baby if he/she has:

• Temperature higher than 38 C - rush him/her to the pedia immediately.
• Serious difficulty in breathing where he/she cries for hours because she cannot breath - rush to pedia immediately.
• Mucus in nose has blood - rush to pedia immediately
• Coughing blood - rush to pedia immediately

An example of a bulb syringe to suck out mucus from nose

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