Parenting Archive

My thoughts on parenthood, and what it's like to be a mom in the Philippines.

Puzzle Made My Day!

A while ago, I said I am tired but all the things that I do. From site building to household chores. Now, I discovered that whenever I feel like I am not functioning I can take a time off and some puzzles. I find some free puzzle games online. I am liking it because it takes my mind off to the things all the things that I worry about. In a way, it gives me space for myself. I like playing Sudoko. I remember when the first time I played this game, I am not sure what to do. Now I can say that I good on playing that game.

Aside from playing my favorite Sudoku, the site offers a player to create your own brain games. I tried making my own game. I tried making a hangman game and it was so much fun! What you need to do is to create words that you someone will guess for you. Then the game starts. A player will guess the word and each time a wrong letter was chosen, a part of man will appear on the hanging rope. All in all, a player has 6 chances to guess and input a correct letter. I recommend you create a game and email it to your friends. It will be a lot of fun!

Mommy Is Tired

I suddenly felt so tired..It has been almost a month since I gave birth but people (specially the hubby hehe) teats me like I am normal again. I don’t feel god about my health.. seriously.. and I know it is all my fault. I have been stressing myself too much.. maintaining a lot of blogs… trying to make more than a hundred a week.. and a lot more in betweens. Then there’s the kiddos that is constantly making my day worse. Not Sati or Chico but the two older boys. They are like horses.. and they never run out of things to do to annoy me.. argghh… pre schoolers!

Good thing that I can always take a nap with Sati.. since she is breastfed.. I can always keep her quiet by feeding her.. but nights are terrible. She wants to sleep on my tummy, and she feels comfortable on that position. Chico wants that position too.. so I wake up more that three times a night to change their positions.. haay

Why do we never run ut of things to do?

But of course, a power nap.. I am still thankful that I have these beautiful kiddos that make my life happy, tiring, and fulfilling.

First Time Mommy

Yes, I already got three boys before I gave birth to Sati. I have been through a lot being a mommy to them and yet with Sati, I feel like this is my first time. For one, I don’t know how to clean her parts. I am so used with boys that I have no idea when it comes to baby girls. I wish I have my baby book with me. I already gave it to my best friend, a real first time mother. Good thing that during my first few days, mother was here. So how to clean a baby girl’s private parts?

She said that I should clean the area, wiping it with wet cotton from front to back. It should always be like front to back, never the other way. Why? Well maybe to prevent infections from bacteria coming from the anus.. maybe.. but that’s the most logical thing for me.

But I am not satisfied with my mom’s advice, so I asked Fedhz for some tips on how to. I am even tempted to ask Niko and Kaye (and Seiko and Yami) since they both have baby girls too.. (Jade and Gene you might wanna book mark this, just in case). And as always, I was not contented with their answers, so I searched the net for it. And here is some that I got:

Clean the genitalia. Hold baby’s legs outward like a frog. For girls, spread the labia and using a moistened cotton ball, gently wipe between the labia. When cleaning around the vagina always wipe from front to back. You may notice that secretions and diaper creams collect and cake between the vulva and the outer labia. This area requires the most cleansing. A normal egg-white vaginal discharge is common between the inner labia and vagina. It is not necessary to clean away this normal discharge source

With a moist cloth, wipe the area from front to back to avoid transferring any bacteria from her anus to her vagina. You may notice that her genitals are swollen and red, or that she has a clear, white, or slightly bloody discharge – these are all normal in the first few weeks and result from exposure to maternal hormones during pregnancy. If these symptoms persist after the first six weeks, though, mention them to the doctor at your baby’s six-week check. source

See, I was right on the bacterial thingy. And this last one, pretty explains it all: (and took most of worries away)

Your newborn girl’s genitals have been exposed to many hormones in the uterus. Among other things, these hormones may have:

Made the outside of the vagina (“labia majora” and the “clitoris”) a little swollen and prominent.
Caused a thick, milky discharge in the vagina.

Most dramatically, at 2 or 3 days of age, your daughter may have a little bit of bleeding from her vagina. This is perfectly normal and caused by the withdrawal of the hormones she was exposed to in the womb. It will be her first and last menstrual period for another decade or so.

Caring for Your Baby Girl’s Genitals

Clean your daughter’s genitals as you would any other part of her body. Spread the labia and gently wash out the creases; there is no need to go any deeper. Nature takes care of naturally cleaning the inside of the vagina. Use warm water only — there’s no need for soaps. Remember, this sensitive tissue is the same as that inside the mouth.

When to Worry About Your Newborn’s Genitals

Contact your pediatric provider if you smell a foul odor from the discharge, which could indicate infection. And profuse bleeding or bleeding that doesn’t fade away after a few days may also need medical attention. source

There is always the first time, I guess. I still had a lot more to learn and to experience. The worst part of having a new baby girl..it’s hard calling her a she! Told you, I am so used to having boys and that me and hubby were used calling a new baby an endearment for a baby boy (pogi in our local term, handsome in yours). Most of the times (although lesser now) we refer to Sati as pogi.. when will I ever learn?