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Showing posts from April, 2009

there is joy in living

How do we find joy in living? We all know that money cannot really buy true happiness. Happiness, for me, is something that keeps us from wanting and longing for so much more in this life; that we are already content with what we have achieved. We may have failed in other things but we have learned to accept that we are not perfect. That we are capable of making a terrible mistake but we are able to forgive ourselves for it; that we can excel at some things but can also be weak in other things. That sense of self-fulfillment. We are lucky if we have already reached this stage. No longer will we care about the latest gadgets that are available in the market. No longer will we care about holding a luxurious party for our birthdays or other occasions. No longer will we worry about what others think about us. No longer will we think about elevating our status just to earn everybody's respect. You see, life is more than just money. Life is all about relationships. Most affluent peop

real estate in Wilmington NC

Planning to acquire a property in Wilmington, North Carolina? Now is the best time to make that move because prices and interest rates are at their lowest. To help you find the perfect home for you, check out the Wilmington NC Real Estate website where a team of real estate agents/brokers at Coastal Carolina Properties can assist you in your real estate transactions every step of the way. They can help you negotiate and get the best affordable home prices in Wilmington, NC and other coastal areas. They will also help you in choosing a mortgage company. In short, they offer great service in assisting you with the real estate purchase. On another interesting note, Coastal Carolina Properties supports the Columbus Humane Society in their advocacy of helping homeless animals find safe and permanent homes.

my thoughts today

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I am so jealous! Pauline is now daddy's favorite. His apple of the eyes. Everytime he comes home from work, he carries Pauline and tells her that he misses her so much. I asked him, "What about your wife? Didn't you miss her?" . LOL. Actually, I was only joking (although most jokes are half-meant, they say). I am jealous because Pauline and I didn't have any mom-and-daughter picture. Too bad, mom still looks awful with her still-bulging stomach. I've just spoken to my doctor and she says that these are my fats, the souvenir of my fondness for food during pregnancy. I will be losing it pretty soon if I breastfeed more often but Pauline feeds on the bottle more than she feeds on me. Now I'm putting pressure on my daughter. I told her that we need to help each other. I help supply her with antibodies and she helps me lose my weight. Suck baby, suck! :) On another note, my doctor also warned me ahead that I should not be pregnant again within two to three ye

what a tiring day!

It's a tiring day today. I went to the district hospital to get Pauline's certificate of live birth only to find out that it's not available yet because it hasn't been signed by the attending physician. The person in charge blamed me for not calling ahead. Wow! I even tried calling today but the phone in the Records Section is off. She made a lame excuse that it's only today that their phone's not working. Whatever! I almost forgot to hold my temper that it almost cost me a tablet of Nifedipine. I called my doctor and informed her about the unsigned document. She said she's been to the district hospital a lot of times but nobody has asked her to sign anything. This is such a lucky day! I was informed by the Records Section that the document is due on the 26th and that I need to personally have it signed by my doctor and that she needs it back by tomorrow so that it would then be ready a week after that. I wanted to complain--"Is this my job?" but d

go for profit and fun

Next to singing the videoke, blogging turned out to be my most interesting and enjoyable hobby because this is where I have gained new friends. In fact, right now, with the entrance of baby Pauline, it has totally replaced videoke singing as my favorite hobby. Baby Pauline would surely be awakened from her sleep if I would still be belting my way through Celine Dione’s or Whitney Houston’s songs. Oh, surely it would be a nightmare for her! Anyhow, after a year of blogging, I also noticed that I already have a PageRank 1 for my blog. I’m no expert about how websites are ranked by Google but I’m already happy that it has achieved a PR 1 rating. It’s been zero for the last several months. Talk about hitting two birds with one stone. I do not only enjoy blogging as a hobby, I sometimes earn from it. This is why I’ve come to love and embrace blogging more and more. Blogging is indeed both profitable and fun! So, I’m thinking, if I’m blogging for profit and fun, why not make t

dad and daughter video

I'd like to share this video of Daddy Pippen (Stephen's instant nickname) and Dip2x (Diane Pauline's nickname) which I uploaded in youtube. It's really fun to be a new mom. I enjoy taking simple videos like this. I watch it over and over again because it helps in lowering my blood pressure :) Here's a running joke behind this video: I pretended to be busy making this video so I will have a good excuse not to change Dip2x's diaper. LOL

postpartum hypertension

after the C-section, i thought it was already time to celebrate because i'm already out of danger. unfortunately, when i came back to my doctor to have my incision checked, i had a 150/110 reading again on my blood pressure. my BP has already returned to normal before i was released to the hospital but then it started recurring, again and again. i still have edema in the feet and abdomen at that time so the doctor suspected that it might be the contributing factor to my hypertension. aside from treating my edema, i was prescribed with medicine for hypertension but i only have to take it if my BP is above or equal to 130/80. i was reluctant to drink hypertension medicine because i was worried i might start to become dependent to it but the doctor insisted. my hypertension has to be corrected within six weeks. i was told that a hypertension that won't go away beyond six weeks after delivery is no longer a postpartum hypertension. it might become chronic. also, i was told that if

on breastfeeding

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As I've mentioned in my previous post, I really wanted to breastfeed little Pauline. I've also been encouraged by two of my long-time friends who are also advocates of breastfeeding. They gave me words of wisdom about it. Unfortunately, I didn't do breastfeeding full-time. Pauline has to be on mix feeding. As advised by the doctor, I have to rest also because of my hypertension. So it's either that I breastfeed her during daytime or nighttime. Also, I didn't have abundant supply of milk yet and I couldn't keep up with her appetite. She cries each time the flow of my milk slows down. Anyway, I'd be back to work soon and she'd need to be fed with an infant formula whenever I am not around. I already bought the breast pump (the electric one). I've been taking soups on my diet, too. Both didn't quite help with milk production. Or maybe I am just being too impatient. Suggestions, anyone? I won't give up, though. I'm still breastfeeding. It'

baby scent

Part of the physical changes after giving birth that I've experienced is increased sweating. Yes, lately, I've been sweating so much that I have to refresh myself by taking a shower so I can also keep myself from smelling so bad. After a refreshing shower, I would put on a dab of baby cologne. Yes, I don't use perfume anymore. Just a dab of baby cologne. They say it's too early yet to use baby cologne on little Pauline so I'll be the one to use it first. It smells so good! I really love the scent of a baby cologne because it's milder than a perfume. The mild scent of it brings me back to my younger days. It gives a light, comfortable feeling. I feel young again!

i love this picture!

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This may not be what you may call a perfect photograph but I was greatly touched by this picture. A picture of the three of us for the first time after the C-section. I look so pale and tired in this picture. Little Pauline is already beside me in my small bed. My husband is taking a quick pancit meal because he can't leave me to eat somewhere else. He's wrapped his hand with clean plastic so he can eat by hand. I gave birth at a district hospital, not so far away from our home. Unlike a private hospital where almost everything in it looks splendid, this district hospital is not really much of a beautiful sight, although their medical team are equally as competent as the ones being employed at a private hospital. In fact, most doctors who are working at a private hospital also work for a government hospital. When I first saw this picture, I was teary-eyed because I pitied ourselves. Didn't we look so poor and desolate in this situation? Actually, we're not in the ward s

oh, what a joy!

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Who would ever think I would end up in the C-section? I guess as a primigravida , everyone's (including myself) expecting it'd be a normal vaginal delivery. Well, surprise! surprise! I kept asking myself, "How did it happen?" You see, I've been very careful about my pregnancy. Aside from my usual pre-natal sessions, I kept reading and browsing the Internet just to keep me informed about anything pertaining to pregnancy and motherhood. I guess I still have a lot to learn. A week before I gave birth to Pauline, I was requested to do another ultrasound. I was relieved to know that my baby is in cephalic position. I thought that should already be enough to keep me assured that it would be a normal delivery. It turned out that I was wrong. It was already three days past my expected delivery date, yet I still didn't feel any signs of impending labor. I don't know why but my doctor is beginning to worry. She did an internal examination on me and she said my cerv