I'm too disgusted with your lack of initiative....

Here's a sequence of photos of little Benedict after he wakes up feeling extremely hungry. You won't like me when I'm angry! His stare would get you moving quickly to ensure that Mommy is nearby for the feed. Unfortunately for him this time, Mommy was having too much pain and had to provide expressed milk. See how he dozes off just as soon as he gets his favourite drink!

Clarissa and her many faces!

Clarissa told me that she wanted to show her many faces. My job was to 'click' with the Sony Ericsson cellular phone. I don't think Mommy likes her making faces but there are times we do things just for fun!

Nappies with nappy liner

In support of the environment and $$$ saving measure, we have resorted to using cotton nappy and nappy liner which could be soaked and washed. This would reduce the number of disposable diapers we would need to throw (and the number of trees saved in the process). He soils it at least 6-10 times a day. Benedict only gets the disposable diapers at night.

Save the Environment!

Benedict cries to communicate and being nipple dependent

I have started the routine if the baby cries. Find out:-

1. Did he have his feed? Was it adequate? I check with Mommy and if she is extremely tired or sore, we get the expressed milk.
2. Did we forget to burp him gently? He seems to burp on his own when he is seated up or his head is placed gently on my shoulder while seated in my arms.
3. Did he wet his pants or defecate? He gets cleaned or washed, dried, powdered and dressed up. Seem to adjust well without any fuss.
4. Did he get adequate sleep? He gets annoyed if he doesn't get his sleep (up to 16 hours/day).
5. Did I forget to give him a cosy napkin or blanket wrap?
6. Did he get a little rock or pat to soothe his feelings? I carry the fella around the house and pat his bottom lightly. He doesn't fuss as I don't 'smell' like Mommy.
7. Is he having an upset or bloated stomach or constipated? There are some medication available from the doctor.
8. Talk to him - Nothing beats a little confidence and tender loving care.


It's been a week since we've noted that little Benedict (3 weeks old) has taken a liking for the nipple. He seems to breastfeed and then continue to tug onto the nipple while dozing off. If he's taken off the nipple he gets moody and cries until he gets the nipple. I don't think we would start the pacifier yet. When he goes to the baby-sitter, she would probably use it quite a lot. Nothing beats Mommy's tender loving care.

Find out more at these links:-
What to do when your newborn cries
How much milk to feed
Pacifier use shorten breastfeeding duration

*Further studies are required before a recommendation could be made about use of pacifiers in newborns.

Help! Dice in the nose!

This is a mother (and father's) nightmare. A dice (measuring 0.5cm3) pushed into the right nostril. If any of you get into such trouble, digging it out with some instrument may prove to be more damaging. All I did was ....

1. Use a nasal speculum to open the passage
2. Occlude the opposite nares by pressing onto it from the side
3. Ask the child to blow his nose (several times)

If that doesn't work, the child is better off with an ENT specialist!

The Gift of life!

As I was reading about the miracle heart transplant patient in the Star recently, it has struck me that many a life could be saved by unknown organ donors. I can imagine my relatives and friends telling me, "Are you crazy?", "Don't you have anything better to do?", "Are you trying to be a hero?" while a minority may quietly envy those who had the 'guts' to do so.

I don't really know many who have willed their organs to be donated. Nevertheless, I have found a useful site telling us more about Organ Donation called "Gift of Life". You could also print and copy the form and send it to the National Transplant Registry.

Besides, what am I going to do with my physical body when I'm away? Donate it to science or a willing recepient who needs it rather than let it rot away! Now, here's another reason why I shouldn't abuse my organs!

Now that I have little Benedict, I am reminded that life is more precious than I've ever thought before. Let's make every second of it count!