I decided to pen down some memories before I lose track.
2016 December
Birth of Gabriella Ro Ha Yool
Gabriella was born at around 6.40am on 27th Dec weighing about 3.12g, length 51cm, head circum 34.5cm. It was 38 weeks + 5 days. Her blood group is unexpectedly O+, as both Squirry and I are B+. She lost some weight when we discharged. She reduced to 2.89g as she slept most of the time and used her reserves. She had no jaundice at that time but we were required to do a follow-up on Sunday (1 Jan) which is a New Year's Day.
Jamu Massage
I signed up for a 5 days massage + breast massage with a lady Anna. Initially I have serious blockage and she was very patient to help me unblock the milk ducts. If I were to rank the pain level, I will rank breaking breastlumps > having cramp > contractions. When she was unblocking the milk ducts, I teared a lot while I bore with the pain. I didn't even cry during baby delivery, you can imagine how painful breast lumps can be. The jamu recommended using Clarins Body Shaping Cream and Clarins Cellulite with her massage. I got them for $82.50 and $69 respectively from Beauty Language.
2017 January
The fight with Jaundice
Gabriella's jaundice rose and her skin turned yellow. It was the jamu massage lady who first spotted her yellowness and told us to immediately see the doctor. She was awarded to NUH for a day phototherapy staycation on 5th Jan, with follow-up checks at the polyclinic for another 2-3 weeks until her jaundice level falls to safe levels. Initially, I went to clementi polyclinic as it was near my home, but it was really crowded and was told that I needed to wait long for the doc to order the test kit. I de-registered my baby and headed to Queenstown polyclinic. What I like about Queenstown polyclinic is that they dedicate a room at level 3 for babies. It makes sense as healthy babies who are there for their follow-ups should not be in the same area as the other patients. Although it was costly for me to take taxi to Queenstown, I was blessed that there were many Uber/Grab promo codes during the month of January.
DIY Baby Photoshoot
My friend Qiyue came over to my house to take some baby photos and we had some fun. Gabriella was initially not cooperative even though she was fed. It turns out that she wanted to pee and poop. After she cleared her bowels, she posed nicely for us.
2017 February
Going out with Gabriella
I have been going out a lot with Gabriella in February and even during the first month. Although the first month was a confinement month, I had to go out often for the jaundice checks at polyclinics. I reckon that since we had already visited the most "toxic" place that is full of germs and bacteria, going to shopping malls shouldn't be that bad. With the baby carrier, I carried her to almost everywhere I go. My sis also delivered her baby boy a month before me and it was timely as we can both enjoy the maternity period together. I love Takashimaya's nursing room. Not only is it pretty, the rooms are spacious with their own diaper changing area and a couch for nursing.
2017 March
Celebrating Daddy Squirry's first birthday as Gabriella's Dad
I beautifully decorated Gabriella as a present. Isnt she cute?
Vaccinations
There are a list of vaccinations to take. At birth, babies will take the BCG and first HepB. The BCG is usually taken on the left upper arm. Pneumococcal (PCV) has 3 jabs which is taken at month 3/5/12 which costs $150 each time and is payable by Medisave. Rotavirus which is not on the list is also taken at month 3 & 4 at $98 each time. Gabriella loved taking the Rotavirus syrup, as she smacked and licked her lips in joy. The same way she fed on Paracetamol syrup. Like most babies, she also wailed when injected but she stopped crying almost immediately once we stood up and walked around. I suppose that was a way to distract her. I realized her tolerance and threshold for pain is as high as mine. :)
2017 April
Gabriella's 100th Day
Instead of baby 1st month, we celebrated Gabriella's 100th day Baek-il (백일) on 6th April. We kept it a simple home affair. Koreans celebrate 100th day .
First swim
Gabriella was able to partially lift her head and she enjoyed kicking in her mini bathtub. Hence we figured out that she might like swimming. We kept the swim at max 30 minutes, which is the standard time even for baby spas or baby swim class. All is well. I will highly recommend bringing babies outdoor whenever possible. To avoid sunburn, early morning/cloudy day/evening are suitable timings.
Sending Gabriella to Infant Care and preparing for work
In mid April, we sent Gabriella to Infant Care. Most infant cares will accept candidates on the 1st or 15th of the month. As I plan to go back to work on the 24th April, I decided to send her to school in Mid April so that I have a week to do my hair and prepare. There is a separate dedicated post on this. Click here.
2017 May
Last month at work
Although I was not unfairly dismissed during pregnancy, I was told to serve my notice on day 2 after I return from maternity, with a lame reason such as overpaid for my role which I did for 2 years. It sounds rather ironic that I work in a Health and Wellness startup. At that moment, I wrote to MOM, and realized that the law/act only protects during pregnancy and the employment act does not cover people who earn more than $4500. I find it discouraging as a career woman who wants to start a family. I heard from a few friends that they were also unfairly dismissed after their maternity. Apparently it is pretty common. Companies tried to be legally right by keeping the women while they were pregnant, but found replacements during their maternity and fired unfairly when they returned. These unfair practices make it discouraging for woman to start family. Imagine a woman who made the effort to climb to a managerial or exec position and her job safety is not guaranteed after her maternity. It is really sad.
Mother's Day
When the going gets tough, you receive the best encouragement from your family. And Gabriella gave me the cutest one ever. "Mummy, you rock!"
Weekend trip to JB
With another 2 friends, we went for a short trip to JB. Bringing Gabriella and taking the public transport was a challenge we decided to take. Fortunately she was very cooperative without much crying. We even did our hair and manicure. I had the best Korean food at Nam Moom Korean Bbq (31, Jalan Perang, Taman Pelangi). I borrowed a sim card from my colleague and we had free dataplan to book uber. The weekend when we were at JB, Uber happened to have a promocode and a few rides were free. :)
2017 June
Fathers' Day
Gabriella has been doing well in school as she expresses curiosity and interests in school activities. Looking at how concentrated she was at doing the art crafts, makes her even more adorable.
Visit of my Godpa and Godma
My Godpa and Godma came over to visit Gabriella. I think having godparents is good, as the love is passed down to the next generation. Although I do not recall how they ended up being my godparents, and I see them only occasionally (about 1-2 times a year during CNY), they always bring love and laughter to my family.
Spending time with Gabriella
In this transition period, I managed to spend quality time with my little girl. Now I know how enjoyable it feels to walk her to school. She will look left and right, admire trees and passerby, respond to little nuances of life, which we probably took for granted. There is a saying, "Unless you have bad times, you can't appreciate the good times." Happiness comes when you feel gratitude for the things we have. I am blessed with a good family, a supportive husband and a healthy cute daughter.
