Challenges and Some Milestones

I admit having gone to the United states left me with the experience of taking care of infants aging 6 - 9 months, toddlers and a four year old kid.  The case with my daughter Mikaela is different.  I did not only take care of an infant.  I  was into the most challenging situation of taking care of a premature baby.    Days  before she was released from the hospital, I was so anxious at taking care of her such that I might not be able to give her due care that she deserved.

I was not alone though  in taking care of her.  I and my husband did take turns with feeding most especially during night time.   All the other tasks such as changing her diapers and bathing her were mostly mine. 

Maria Mikaela is now 3 - month old weighing more than 9 pounds (much bigger than her weight that was 3.6 pounds).  More than two months  have passed also since we took her out from the hospital after her 25 - day stay in the nursery mostly spent inside the incubator.  

At this time seeing her so alive and responsive to her environment made me look back and say that "it was more worth the price of every effort that we had put forth" and I thank God for such wonderful blessing.

How has she been?  Well, I am going to piece by piece bring in some beautiful things that I observed with my daughter since she joined us in our home.

First month with us (second month since she was born)...I could describe her with the following : 

1.  sleeps most of the time but with short breaks in between

2.  had to wake her up most of the time during feeding since she always doze back to sleep

3.  had blank look

4,  remarkably increased in weight from 3.8 - 6.3 pounds

5.  new born clothes were so loose at first

6.  Bowel movement was stable

7. Smiles a lot during sleep

8.   No signs of any abnormality with other physical features

9.  random activities such as clapping of hand, punch, and opening and twisting of mouth are evident

The second month with us...(third month since she was born)...

1.  longer waking moments

2.  Smiles and giggles a lot

3.  Can see you and can do eye to eye contact

4.  follows your movements

5.  Likes to listen with any music played ( a lot of times she listens and doze off to sleep)

6.  Listens to stories

7.  Can really focus with figures and objects on any book.
8.  More interactive

9.  more intense demand for milk

10.  longer hours of sleep and longer breaks (meaning longer waking moment)

11.  mumbles and responds to talks and discussions as if she was also trying to discuss and stress something (that's it...more interactive:-) )

12.  Likes being breastfed more than drinking formula milk (and i guess easier to put to sleep when she is being breastfed).

Having experienced all of the above and really saw them first-hand made me realize how important it is for parents to be able to really witness their children's growth.  

One time when Mikaela was still in the hospital, I was so desperate with finding a nanny that would take care of her.  Days passed and I seemed to have missed not having someone to do  that for my daughter.  Day in and out I did what I had to do to respond to my baby's needs and I realized, there was never a boring moment with my daughter...only a tired  body with a very able and willing spirit.

Really I and my husband prayed so hard to having someone to help us in the house.  But having the beauty of the experience of taking care of one beautiful girl made me re-route my prayer a bit such that, I prayed for a housekeeper now than having a nanny.  You see I searched for answers at why we haven't had someone who would serve our baby in that purpose until I heard some "horror" stories with how some nannies took care of some kids in the neighborhood :

1.  3 children being locked in the restroom by the nanny

2.  a baby that was hospitalized due to UTI since the nanny had his diaper on for the whole day without changing it

3.  minute toys being played by an infant while nannies engaged in a long texting rendezvous  with her boyfriend

4.  a nanny that used her feet to clean the anus of a little boy and

5.  An 8 year old boy died due to injuries with his head banged a lot of times when he was a baby (this one is not from our neighborhood).

You see when your are a mom and you get to hear all these...you would not think hundreds of times or hesitate having someone to take care of her.  I had my own foretaste of that when the supposed nanny of my daughter had her one week training with us slipped in one of our conversations at breakfast that she tried to breastfed one of the babies she took care to put her to quiet and sleep.  She added with laughter "that baby was fooled by what I did".  I and my husband were so shocked with that which made us finally decide to let her go... Please don't get me wrong she slipped with so many things that led us to strongly ground ourselves with the decision to just let her go.  It was as strong as "LET HER GO EVEN IF WE DON'T HAVE ANYONE TO HELP US"...:-(

A lot more to go for us neophyte parents and the challenges continue...and...we are so up to it...THANK YOU GOD FOR STRENGTHENING US...AMEN:-)