You'll survive - You will be well, because you - you are so special and I will take care of you.

Quite a few blog posts ago, I had mentioned the importance of finding a good paediatrician and how to locate one in your area.

What I had failed to realise is how difficult it is to go visit one whose clinic is just a bus ride away, whilst still recovering from a C-Section. Them car seats are bloody heavy - and with a rapidly growing baby acting as dead weight in it, it becomes even heavier.

This can only mean one thing - I am back to square one, in trying to find a paediatrician closer to home. I spent an hour or so making phone calls with no luck.

One pharmacy said that the paediatrician was in two days ago, but that they have no idea when she will be in next. Apparently, she decides, not the pharmacy owners. I find that odd, but then again, these things seem to follow a logic of their own.

I eventually got through to a clinic which had a rather helpful person take my phone call. She said they didn't have a paediatrician but that she could give me the telephone number of a pharmacy nearby who _did_ have a paediatrician available. The woman also suggested calling the hospital and ask them to have a look at their records as they should be able to help me out.

I decided to call the hospital first, and the receptionist who took my call was a bit at a loss, however I could tell he was trying to be as helpful as he possibly could. I obtained 3 telephone numbers from him, thanked him and hung up. Not having managed to get through, I decided, "Fuck it," and called the pharmacy that the receptionist at the other clinic had given me.

BINGO! This pharmacy has a paediatric surgeon who is in every Thursday, AND a Paediatrician-in-training who is in 2-3 times a week. Cool stuff! Admittedly it is a bit of a long walk from my house, but it is doable, and very close to my parents' house and my grandma's as well.

I didn't set up an appointment though. Morgan didn't have any other explosive diarrhoea episodes. Her nose is still stuffy, but when I cleaned it with the bulb syringe this morning, it made a huge difference.

Today we should be getting a visit by the midwife, so I'll mention to her my concerns and then take it from there.

I don't want to be one of those over-protective mums who wrap their child[ren] in bubble wrap. I enjoy popping the bubble wrap way too much!

Seriously though - it takes a conscious effort to find that delicate balance between not caring enough and caring too much. If I could, I _would_ protect Morgan from every single thing that could cause her harm in any shape or manner. Then again, I know she needs to get a cold, scrape her knees, bruise her legs, stand up for herself and what/who she values the most etc. I did all that, and am glad for it. I want her to learn how to fight her own battles whilst knowing I'm there for her to back her up whenever necessary.

Until then, I'll happily be the annoying mother who continuously takes photos of her child - even whilst she's sleeping! [See photo] I really don't want to miss a single moment whilst I still can spend _this much time_ with her.

P.s. Just in case you were wondering, the telephone number for Mater Dei Hospital is 25450000, and the pharmacy that is close by is Sta Lucia Pharmacy, located in Sta Lucia. Their telephone number is 21890111, and the Paediatric Surgeon's name is Dr Chris Fearne, whilst the Paediatrician-in-training's name is Dr Bondin.

Hercules & The Mountain of Poop

Motherhood - how I went from this to this.

True story.

I was having a sandwich in the kitchen whilst watching the Godliness that is Kevin Sorbo - possibly the only "buff" male I find appealing - kicking Tia Carrere's pretty arse in Kull The Conqueror - and just when he's about to deliver the final blow, I get summoned back to the bedroom.

Morgan was up, needing a nappy change and to be fed.

*Fanfare* Supermum to the rescue!

Morgan had in store for me one hell of a shitty experience! I know, pretty graphical. But.. *points to blog's name* 'Nuff said.

Anyway. I had noticed her poop to be more liquid a few nappy changes ago, and kept a mental note to see if it happens again. Which it did. Now I'm looking forward to sunrise so that I can get in touch with a paediatrician and take her for a check-up. She has had a stuffy nose as well - which by itself isn't a cause for concern. Stuffy nose + explosive diarrhoea = a potential cause for concern.

Hopefully it isn't anything, and simply her body adjusting to the outside world.

We are now in the process of trying to extend the gaps between one feed and the next. We're averaging 4 and a half hours' gap now. Yay for more sleep!

We also received the stuff I ordered for her from Amazon using the gift voucher my aunt gave Morgan. We now have a fair bit more nappies for Morgan to turn into poopy masterpieces! The 3 Lamaze toys I ordered for her seem awesome - we'll see if she grows to like them! Just in case you're wondering which ones she now owns, here they are:
1) Sir Prance-a-lot: http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/518SsOiJezL._SL500_AA300_.jpg
2) Freddie The Firefly: http://www.nestingmode.com/uploads/product/12175374560.jpg
3) Gardenbug Foot Finder & Wrist Rattle Set: http://images.learningcurve.com/is/image/media/LC27111A_SH_A01?$detail$
Now that she's asleep again, I just might _try_ and have some "me" time again. In the meanwhile, enjoy this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_WGPgIOXXQ

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What a shitty situation!

"Oh shit."

Probably one of the most overused phrases in this day and age.


Gods know how many times it has been uttered so far throughout my lifetimes.  Come to think of it, there are quite a lot of fecal references in popular expressions - "Same Shit Different Day" "I feel like crap" "Shit happens" "Bullshit!" and so on and so forth.


Well, shit will be happening, I'm afraid.In copious amounts, and at the least convenient of times.  Such a labour, for example.

During a pre-natal class, the midwife was describing the various bits and pieces that will get attached to you, including a catheter.  There was mention of labour possibly taking hours - and in my head I couldn't help but wonder "So the catheter takes care of your needing to pee... but after spending hours pushing your guts out, who is to say you won't end up pooping the bed you're on?"  A disgusting thought, sure.  But a realistic one,  You can't really do anything other than push and push and then push it some more. A-la-la-la-la-long a-la-la-la-la-long long li long long long!  Err. Sorry about that. Momentarily got distracted!

Had to get this out of the way.

 Anyway.  Back to this crappy topic. 

I started doing some research about what can be done to minimise the chances of any 'accidents' happening during childbirth, and the first answers I came across weren't reassuring at all.  Most forums just had an "oh don't you worry about it, the medical staff is used to it and you will be too busy otherwise to be embarrassed" kind of approach.

Others seemed to imply that your body goes through this massive bowel evacuation movement a few days before labour.  Others still advised to switch to liquids and watery soups the moment you notice you're about to go into labour to ensure that you evacuate the pipes before it is too late.

Nope, still  not a satisfactory answer to me.

I also stumbled across someone mentioning Castor Oil.  Upon looking this up, it turns out that it is believed Castor Oil can help induce labour if Baby is overdue.  And this is done by triggering bowel cramps, thus making it an effective laxative.  Upon reading further though, it turns out that Castor Oil can cause - and I quote - " painful cramps, fecal incontinence and explosive diarrhoea. Its action can go on for hours, sometimes unpredictably and powerfully causing an involuntary bowel movement at inconvenient locations and during sleep" [quoted from Wikipedia].  As effective as it may be, I'd rather not risk it. 

Now I'm aware that different countries might vary slightly in their methods, so I decided to ask some local friends of mine who work in the medical industry.  It has been confirmed to me that an enema is given to minimise the chances of things  getting pretty stinky. Awesome! That has  taken a shitload of concern off my mind.

A by-product possibility of labour is piles.  A nurse friend of mine suggested to pack some piles cream in advance, just in case.


Once labour is over and done with, and Baby is born, it will be his/her shit you will have to put up with.  Surprisingly enough, Baby Poo comes in a wide variety of colour, textures and smells.  Yes, disturbing, and revolting.  But, the next few years of your [and my] life will be so full of it that I needed to know the differences to be able to tell if something is wrong or not.  Google, my old friend, helped me out with that.  Here is a guide to different Baby Poo - opt for text-only, or full-blown visuals!  Enjoy!