You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy when skies are grey

Today was THE DAY- i.e. the day when I get to take Morgan to hospital and get the results of her Genetic Profiling - meaning I would find out if she's a Down's Baby or not.  Before getting to the big revelation, I'll give you a background of what a day from hell it has been.

At about 3am, I gave Morgan her bottle and changed her nappy, and then went to the kitchen to prepare her next feeds and to enjoy a middle-of-the-night snack and hot beverage.  Yes, I just heard the words 'hot beverage' being spoken in my head by The Big Bang Theory's Dr Sheldon Cooper.  Oops - there we go again.

A thunder-cum-hailstorm broke loose out of nowhere.  And then it happened.  It was 4am. One moment I'm doing a Word Search, the next, a loud POP! was heard and the lights went out.

"FuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckFUCK!" I thought to myself.  Hugh, my laptop, was on standby, plugged in.  I ran to unplug it, whilst hoping it will still work once I give it a shot, to prevent any other possible damages.  I checked on Morgan, and told my mum there was a blackout.  Upon checking the circuit breaker, it turned out the issue must be related to the Electricity Main Thingy.  Great.

My grandma woke up and herself, my mum and I ended up bickering over what could be the issue.  Because you know, each one of us is a Certified Electrician, right?  Anyway. Everyone went back to sleep and I nodded off for about an hour until it was time to wake up.

I got Morgan fed and changed and cleaned up, then got ready myself.  It was soon after that hell broke loose over how on Earth I was meant to get to hospital.  Due to the sudden weather change, bussing it was out of the question, and the  taxi service I called was unavailable.  After a while, my brother managed to pick us up and drive us there.

A brief struggle to install the car seat and a mostly traffic-free drive later, and we were there.  My mum accompanied us to help me carry the car seat + Morgan as they are bloody heavy!  The Doc we had the appointment with hadn't arrived yet, so we sat in the waiting room, and did just that - we waited.

The wait was rather nerve-wrecking.  In the meanwhile, I received a message via Facebook from Morgan's Paternal Granny to say that Morgan's Paternal Great-granddad had passed away earlier this morning.  Yet another death that has affected someone close to me this year - brings the toll up to 5 in total.  It is rather sad that Morgan will now never have the opportunity to meet him, but I'm told that he was shown her photos and that made him smile.  So at least, there's that.  Now, we wait to see if this will impact her Paternal Granny's visit or not.  If the visit has to be rescheduled, then so be it.  It is a matter of prioritising after all.  If everything stays the same though, it would mean that we get Morgan's Paternal Granny over here on Saturday! Exciting stuff!

I was looking around me, observing other babies and children.  There was one colicky baby, who went bright red and just wouldn't stop crying.  Soon after, another baby joined in and started wailing as well.  I smiled, a bit smugly, I admit, at Morgan - who was asleep - and told her "Good girl, not to give in to peer pressure!"  This provoked a quizzical look and some chuckles from my mum.

I then was observing a boy - who was perhaps 10 years old - who seemed to have some disability. I didn't realise this until I heard him speak. That is when I looked at Morgan, a bit choked up and thought to myself how easy it is for a disability to stay hidden from the world, and how anxious I was to get the results. I kept hoping and hoping that everything would be fine.  Given the day's start though, I wasn't hopeful, to be honest.

Then, the Doc walked in and soon after we were summoned.

Doc said she was still waiting for Morgan's notes, and after a few moments, she broke the news.

Does Morgan seem Down to you?

No?

THAT IS BECAUSE SHE IS NOT A DOWN'S BABY!

The tests came back perfectly fine!  I was overjoyed to hear this, albeit it was a delayed reaction since I think I was somewhat shocked.  I had been preparing myself for the worst, just in case, so it was a bit of a dream-like situation.

Doc then weighed and measured Morgan - She now weighs 4.09kg [9lbs] and is 52.7cm [20.7inches] tall.  She'll be 5 weeks old tomorrow.  Quite impressive, at least to me!

Whatever else goes wrong throughout the day won't matter.  I know Morgan is well, and that is all that matters to me.

Tomorrow Never Comes

Tomorrow is the day where I take Morgan to hospital for a check-up, and probably, her test results.  It is a daunting task, I must admit.  I suppose this is why a lot of people choose to be ignorant.  They would rather not know, rather than risk finding out some piece of bad news.

I had the option, you know.  The one where no blood tests would be conducted.  The one where we'd just sit back and see if anything emerges a few months further down the line.  The one where I wouldn't have had to sit in a room and help two nurses hold Morgan still so that they could poke needles in her hands as she cried her heart out in pain. 

But. I'm a nerd, heh. I had to know.  I'm what you'd call an Infornographer.  Knowing will help me figure out how to best look after Morgan.

On a positive note, I got her the cutest Baby Rocker ever.  No, not a boyfriend. This:

Picture quality sucks, I know.  It is merely a pain to unpack and repack it for no valid reason at the moment.  I will post better pics at a later date!

This, on the other hand, is the first vid I'm posting of Morgan since she was born.  It was taken a few days ago, [1st of March] whilst she was in the middle of her Tummy Time.

Tummeh!

Don't drink and drive...

This week is when Morgan's blood tests re: chromosome count should be ready.  I probably won't get the results until next week though, seeing as we have a hospital appointment.  As mentioned previously, I'm not overly concerned however I can't help but be anxious about it.  I just want to see it black on white that everything is in order.

It isn't the challenges we'd face should she turn out to be a Down's baby - it is more a case of knowing she will have a shorter than average life.

A few days ago, someone I know was involved in a car accident and is now in a coma.  I'm hoping she pulls through.  I can't help but think of all those I've seen die over the years.  I miss each and every one of them.  A minimum of 1 funeral a year, for the past 12 years, isn't something that has been easy to deal with.

I do believe I've found an optimal solution for drunk driving incidents though.  I reckon everyone should skate instead of drive a vehicle.  That way, should the person be intoxicated, they'll fall flat on their face/arse the moment they attempt to get rolling.  Plus, it is eco-friendly! And would help people get in shape.  Win/win/win! So much win!

Ignorance is bliss, right? WRONG.

In a previous blog, I have expressed my views on educating oneself on different medical conditions that may affect you, your child, or someone else's child.  Today though I'd like to bring your attention to something which is way more common.

I lost count of how many people I know who happen to be, have a child, a sibling, a relative or a friend who is Autistic.  It is an extremely common issue nowadays.  I won't pretend that I understand what Autism is all about - because I don't.  No autistic person is the same as the next, and the Autism Spectrum includes so many different disorders that you would have to be a professional who studied intensively about the topic to even begin to comprehend it all.

What I do know though is that the earlier a child is diagnosed, the better chances s/he has of getting the assistance s/he needs to have as average a life as possible.  The best people to pick up signals that a child might be autistic are those who spend a lot of time regularly with him/her such as yourself, and anyone who might babysit your child regularly.

With this in mind, I spoke to a good friend of mine who is way more knowledgeable about the  topic due to it affecting her sibling.  She has provided me with some awesome links to check out, which I'll share with you:

A good site for basic info: http://www.autismspeaks.org/
A good website for researchy stuff http://www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/mindinstitute/research/

A good website especially for books http://fhautism.com/

Autistic individuals can range from a variety of Functional levels to a vast variety of limited functionality or non-functionality.  I firmly believe that one should know what sort of tell-tale signs to look out for, as certain things may easily be overlooked as just being "quirks", so to speak.

Whilst discussing this with my friend, she told me that at first, her mother thought that her sibling was deaf as loud noises - such as a door slamming - never startled her.Back in the day, this non-reaction meant nothing.  Nowadays, it is one of the most common tell-tale signs.

I will attempt to create a list of signs one should look out for - however please keep in mind that I'm no specialist, and most likely neither are you - so if you recognise some of these signs in anyone you might know, refer to a pro who will be able to issue a diagnosis.

Tell-tale signs
A child may display signs of Autism as early as 1 year of age. In clinical terms, there are a few “absolute indicators,” also known as “red flags,” which indicate that a child should be evaluated. For a parent, these are the “red flags” that your child should be screened to ensure that s/he is on the right developmental path. If your baby shows any of these signs, please ask your paediatrician or family practitioner for an immediate evaluation: 

 

• No big smiles or other warm, joyful expressions by six months or thereafter
• No back-and-forth sharing of sounds, smiles, or other facial expressions by nine months or thereafter
• No babbling by 12 months
• No back-and-forth gestures, such as pointing, showing, reaching, or waving by 12 months
• No words by 16 months
• No two-word meaningful phrases (without imitating or repeating) by 24 months
• Any loss of speech or babbling or social skills at any age

Here you'll find a list of milestones that are expected from a child to reach which would indicate a normal development. If there is cause for concern that these milestones are not being reached when they should do, please refer to your paediatrician.

Besides from the tell-tale signs listed above, there are also other signs one can look out for.

• Limited social interaction [where the child may appear to be "a loner"]
• A tendency of repetitive behaviour such as an extreme fondness of stacking or repetitive motions [not far off from what OCD might look like]
• A very keen interest shown only in a limited amount of topics
• No standard reactions to loud noises

One of my closest friends was diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome - which is one kind of Autism.  Had he not told me himself about the diagnosis, I would have never guessed it myself.  He is a fully-functional adult with what I would call a few "quirks" that make him so awesome.  I myself always having been somewhat anti-social would have thought nothing of this trait in him and just assumed he too doesn't like being around people most of the time.  In truth, he likes being around people but cannot cope with big groups - so as much as he likes to attend a good concert, the crowd might easily become overwhelming to him and he'd have to return back home.

This is pretty much the reason why I feel it is extremely important to educate oneself.  Though certain disorders that make up the Autism Spectrum allow the individual to be functional within modern day society, albeit with some minor limitations, it will still be tough to establish a relationship where there is mutual understanding between a Parent and a Child if the disorder goes by undiagnosed.  The parent[s] might easily think their child is just being awkward - a "problem child", so to speak - whereas in truth, the child would just be a regular Autistic child, behaving within his norm's parameters.

A few days ago, an article about one of the most amazing Autistic children ever reappeared on Facebook - I had already come across it over a year ago.  Here is a link - read it, watch

Food Glorious Food!

The moment people find out you're pregnant, they automatically start telling you about what you should and should not eat.  If you're like me, you'll have done your homework in advance, and find yourself telling them that you already know about it all.

If you are like me though, your diet is likely to get questioned by the majority of people. I'm pescatarian - meaning I'm a vegetarian who eats fish. My choice is a moral one. 


Too many people seem to be under the impression that by being vegetarian - and I will be using the term loosely here, to describe all varieties of vegetarianism - or vegan, you're not eating healthily enough and you are therefore harming the baby and will have to eat meat.

Sorry, you lot who are of the above opinion. That is complete and utter bullshit.  As long as you are on a balanced diet, you don't need to eat meat. Also, keep in mind that you'll be put on pregnancy vitamin supplements, meaning that whatever nutrient you're not getting from your diet, you're going to get from the pills.

Let us have a look at the most common foods that you're told to avoid, and why:

• Soft Cheeses with a white, mouldy rind, such as brie and camembert, and blue-veined cheeses such as stilton. All these cheeses could contain listeria, a bacteria that could harm your baby.
• Pate, and raw or undercooked meat and eggs. All are possible sources of bacteria that can harm your unborn baby, such as salmonella. When cooking meat and eggs, make sure they are cooked properly. Avoid products made with raw eggs, such as home-made mayonnaise.
• Raw seafood, such as oysters, or sushi that has not been frozen before making. This means, any sushi that contains crab meat is fine, since it is a processed food purchased in the 'stick' format - i.e. frozen food. Vegetarian sushi is also another alternative. Shellfish is usually a food you're told to avoid for the simple reason that it is one of the most common foods that causes food poisoning.  If cooked properly, then you're fine. 
• Shark, swordfish or marlin. These fish contain unsafe levels of naturally occurring mercury. Tuna contains some mercury too, so it's best you don't eat more than four medium-sized cans, or two fresh tuna steaks per week.
• Don't eat liver and liver products (such as pate or liver sausage), because they may contain large amounts of the retinol form of vitamin A. Too much of this could be harmful to your developing baby.
• You should stop or cut down on drinking alcohol during pregnancy, too. If you really want to drink during your pregnancy, don’t drink more than one or two units of alcohol, once or twice a week, and don't get drunk.  Having said that, very few people are capable of moderation.  Refraining from alcohol is your safest bet. Wanna know what happens to babies whose mother keeps on drinking heavily throughout the pregnancy?  Clicky here, here, here and here.
• It's best not to have more than 200mg of caffeine a day. That’s two mugs of instant coffee or four cups of tea or five cans of cola a day. You could switch to decaffeinated hot drinks and colas, instead.  A good idea is to limit your chocolate intake - especially if you've had coffee/tea/cola throughout the day.  Keep in mind that chocolate contains caffeine.

When it comes to raw vegetables, make sure they are properly washed.


By the way, you know that whole "Eating for two" thing? Yep. That's bullshit as well.

When you're pregnant, your body knows that it needs to be more efficient in utilising the food you eat on a daily basis. What this means is that you don’t actually need any extra calories for the first six months of pregnancy. Then you only need about 200 extra calories per day for the last three months.

If you're like me, 200 calories doesn't mean anything to you. I eat what I eat because I like it, not for its calorie count. So, after some googling, I've found out that 200 calories is equivalent to:

• a slice of wholemeal toast with a small can of baked beans
• a toasted pitta bread with two tablespoons of reduced-fat hummus
• a slice of malt loaf or fruit scone with butter or spread
• one slice of cheese on toast
• 145 grams of cooked pasta
• 83 grams of dried apricots
• 41 grams Snickers chocolate bar

and the list goes on. Clicky here for a visual list of more 200g foods.

And another thing. You know those cravings pregnant women go on and on about? Yep. You guessed it. Bullshit too. It is all in the pregnant woman's head.  I can safely say that my cravings have not changed from my pre-pregnancy days up until now, that i'm approx 34 weeks pregnant.  I just feel like having chocolate milk more often. That much, I justify with the need of extra calcium.  Then again, I've always liked chocolate milk.

Pregnant women - do yourself a favour - eat healthily, and don't over indulge. The pregnancy weight so many women complain about after they give birth is merely their own fault.  You should be looking at gaining an average of 12 kilos by the end of the pregnancy. And this weight should be gained gradually.  [insert smug grin here. I'm happy to say I've so far gained about 8.3kg from the beginning until now. Go me!]  Your pregnancy weight gain should be on your torso, not your ass.

And on this note, I'm off to cook!