Sweet Dreams

I was amazed by how our newborn Princess Angelica's sleeping pattern was different from my own. She slept most of the time but at night she would wake up frequently most of the time because she was hungry or needed to be changed. I was really sleep deprived during her first few months because I had to acknowledge her calls quickly or else she would be awake the whole night! Experts said that mothers should respond really quickly during the first two months because newborns were not capable of settling themselves back...it was true, because if I failed to come to her fast enough, she wouldn't get back to sleep...what she would do after being fed or changed was play the whole night through!!! so both of us would be awake!


When she was about three months old, even if I didn't attend to her right away, after I gave the bottle of milk to her, she would settle back to sleep...finally, Mom could sleep back for hours before it's her feeding or changing time again!zzzzzzzzzzz

Bottoms up!

At about 1 month old, Angelica could finish 2.5-3oz of her milk formula quickly. Our hands never got tired holding her bottle because she was a fast "drinker", always bottoms up, not a drop of her milk was left! After each feeding she would give us load burps...I noticed that when we shifted her to lactose free formula, she had less yucky vomitting or "lungad"! Angelica really loved Enfalac Lactofree!

More milk, Mom!!!

I tried really hard to breast feed our princess, however no matter how much stimulation she did ( she got very strong sucking reflex, believe me!!! ) only little milk came out. I noticed that she was kind of upset, shrieking out loud, probably because she was too hungry. I was pressed to give her a milk formula as an alternative! I had to or else she would get hungry & angry!:(...Frisolac was her first formula then I tried S-26 Gold, however her Pediatrician had to shift it to a lactose free due to frequent colic. When she started taking Enfalac Lactofree she was always happy after each feeding...no more crying because of colicky pains & her poopoos were okay. Thanks to Enfalac Lactofree Formula, it's really tummy friendly!

Frightful Moments

During our baby princess' first few days at home, I should say I felt that I was totally dumb because there were times when I would just stare at her tiny body (with a funny looking thing dangling at the middle of her frog-belly)as if studying her fragile body so intently before starting anything...from a simple undressing to a more difficult bathing a small, slippery & wiggling small creature! I was really scared to hold her. I realized that the feeling was entirely different when I was handling babies in the nursery during my medical clerkship & internship days. I had more courage then...while this time, with my own baby, I was filled with terror...and to my husband's amazement, I became panicky!

Since she still needed a sponge bath until her umbilical stump (that funny looking "ornament" on her belly) fell off, I thought it was still a lot easier to do than giving a real bath...but still I couldn't decide which baby product should I use...should I use oil?...a no rinse cleanser? I knew that I should use alcohol free products because baby's skin is really very sensitive. Sans harsh chemicals should only touch my baby's skin. My husband was laughing at me because I bought several bottles of baby bath products of different brands and because of this, I couldn't decide on which one to use first!!! really tough!

So came the first day of "tribulation"...she had her first bath on her 10th day of life. Would you believe that I tested the water's temperature for about 5x before I finally put her in her tub. I was really scared at first & I needed my Mom's help because my baby kept on sliding down her baby bath tub. I forgot to put a towel because I thought that the coarse pad at the center of the tub would hold her in place... but I was wrong & it was late to take her out( we didn't want her to get cold because she was wet already ).It wasn't easy...she cried through the whole bath! Mom had to hold her still while I gave her bath. I believe it really took practice to give me more confidence in doing this tough job...but I enjoyed it so much!!!!

Welcome Home, Princess!

Angelica spent about 4 days more in the NICU. We were so thankful that she didn't have to undergo more painful tests and the exchange transfusion was already a remote consideration at this point. All we could do was to visit her or call up the nurse on duty to get updates.

We finally brought our Princess Angelica home on July 30, her 7th day of life. Everybody was so excited to welcome her...especially her big bro, Kuya Justin!

Post Delivery Blues

The first time I visited Angelica at the hospital's NICU, she looked so small in her basinette, with pinkish skin & lots of hair on her head. It looked like she got her Dad's eyes...not so with the nose :( ! Oh, how I longed to touch & hug her. Her intensivist told me to start breastfeeding her...I tried even though it was difficult & painful & she had a hard time getting my milk. It was not so comfortable at first but I gradually got used to it! I loved feeling her soft skin & smooth silky hair ( they were so black!). It was an unforgettable moment for me...to touch, smell & kiss her for the first time!

I thought we could bring her home with us on the 3rd hospital day, however, her Pediatrician told us that she had to stay at the NICU for further observation because she was jaundiced & her bilirubin levels were a bit over the normal values. Dr. Mantaring just wanted to make sure that there was no hemolytic reaction as the underlying cause. Angelica got her Dad's blood type which is B+ while I am O+. We were even told about the possibility of an exchange transfusion ( as the last option if proven there was an incompatibility ). We both prayed that this wouldn't happen...she was so young to undergo a lot of pain from pricks & intravenous insertions. I felt so helpless at that time, I didn't know what to think, to decide , so it was my husband who made all the decisions at that time.

I was really very hesitant to leave Angelica in the hospital, but we had no choice because our doctors gave us no assurance of the date as to when Angelica could go home...maybe a few days more, weeks or months. Oh God, I hope it was not that serious! We went home with a heavy heart, I couldn't get my eyes off her when I last visited her at the NICU. She was lying there under the "bili" lights with eyes & genitalia covered with black cloth. I said good bye to her silently, controlling my tears...it was such a painful moment!

Delivery Time!!!

The moment of truth was here...I was scheduled to deliver our Princess on July 23, 2002 via Caesarean Section. So we went to the hospital a day before the date. We were asked to prepare 3 units of Platelet Concentrate as standby just in case I bleed during the procedure ( remember, I was on heparin for months ). Everything was fine...but I felt scared, really scared & excited to see our Princess! Tomorrow, I could see how she looked like...I could hear her voice, her cries...I could feel her soft delicate body...the waiting seemed so long. I couldn't sleep that night, probably due to excitement & fear (of surgery...this was going to be my first time to go under a knife!!!).

At 5:30 AM on July 23, I was moved to the OR, praying endlessly..asking Him to protect us! The day had come... to give new life to this world...God's greatest gift for us. That's why I chose Angelica to be her first name because for us she was an angel sent by God to give us joy...and Ysabelle ( an Italian version of Elizabeth ) meaning consecrated to God!

Princess Angelica Ysabelle, our precious one arrived at 6:59 AM. She was small with a full bunch of black hair. She weighed 5lbs & 8oz and measured 48cm long. I heard her loud shrieks...I felt so happy because I knew that she was alive & well....Welcome to the world, our little angel...our princess!