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December 30, 2015
A year ago, Jabar and I squeezed ourselves through this crowd to experience our first (and perhaps the only) New Year's Eve in Bangkok only to be disappointed by the very short fireworks display (didn't even last for 10 minutes!). Muntik pang magka-stampede on our way home sa dami ng (frustrated) tourists. 😂 Subhanallah. #jagbkkliving 🍃
December 26, 2015
December 15, 2015
#AminaMariam's successful attempt at rolling over happened this morning! Yey for this new milestone! 👼🏻👏🏼
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December 10, 2015
December 5, 2015
I know there's no textbook for parenting but learning ahead doesn't hurt either. 😉 Have a chilly weekend! ☔️⛄️ #aireads #aibkkliving 📖🤓
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Long live the King! 🇹🇭👑 His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX) turned 88 years old today. I have a deep admiration for this leader who receives so much love and respect from his people. He has instilled discipline and patriotism in their hearts that make each and every Thai people contribute in building their nation. #respect #bkkliving 🍃
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December 3, 2015
December 2, 2015
Life's Turnaround
Three months being with our little munchkin (and without having a yaya), I can quite say all the cliche things they say about being new parents are absolutely true. It completely turned our life around, not only our daily life schedules but the entire life plan ahead of us. Marriage did change me as a person, yes, but not as much as when the little one arrived. So I'm listing down here the things that have changed so far.
1.) BREAKFAST
The hubby and I used to have our breakfast together, but nowadays, we only do so during weekends. After fajr, he'll prepare his breakfast (I used to do it for him) while I head to the bathroom to prepare my baby's bath. I will have mine after the hubby leaves for work and baby takes her morning nap (yeah, babies sleep a loooot).
2.) WATCHING TV
We used to do it with all our hearts' content. Nowadays, we turn the TV off as soon as baby sleeps. I try to sleep early as well so I won't feel groggy in the morning. Having said that, I will then proceed to...
3.) SLEEP
This is where I made the biggest adjustment!!! Everybody knows how much of a sleepyhead I am. Back when I was having hospital duties, I always find time to sneak at least an hour of sleep, or if I can't, I surely make up for all the lost sleeping hours on my day off. But being a mother??? THERE IS NO MAKING UP FOR IT!! Like I said in one Facebook post, it's like being on an endless perpetual duty without postduty status. Especially that I have no one but my husband to relieve me when I'm drop dead tired. My husband who is equally tired form work. The most difficult was the first two months, I was literally looking and feeling like a zombie! Sleep deprived and still in physical pain from childbirth, this resulted to my postpartum blues. Nevertheless, I easily got out of the dark feeling, thanks to the helpful and supportive husband who does the things when I feel so tired to even cook a decent meal. He even allows me to go on a me time once in a while (problem is, I still can't keep my mind off my baby so I always rush back home. haha!) while he is left at home alone with the baby. I am glad he's a hands on dad. He can do everything except giving her a bath for the reason that she's still very fragile daw.
4.) PEACEFUL MEAL
It is so rare nowadays to have a peaceful meal without my baby demanding to be cuddled or be fed, like yeah, she calls for an attention right before we're about to eat! What I do now that she's three months old is I let her sit on my lap while I eat. Multitasking like that. :D
5.) BEAUTY ROUTINES
Pre-baby days, I can't let a day pass without putting on moisturizers and lotion even if I only stay at home. Nowadays, I even feel lucky if I get to take a bath on time. Lol! Kaya pala sabi nila nakakalosyang maging nanay. But of course I won't allow myself to wither like that only because I became a mom. I still find time to do my regular beauty regimen and I'm religiously doing it not just for myself but for the husband as well. Chos.
6.) GOING OUT/MALLING/TRAVELING
Becoming a mother or a parent is like trading my freedom for this super cute munchkin sitting on my lap right now while I type. Haha! Gone were the days when dating was a regular habit and when we would spontaneously hop on a bus off to somewhere. Nowadays, even going to the nearby mall must be planned ahead of time. Everything has changed. I still dream of traveling to many places with our baby, but perhaps, when she's older and less demanding.
7.) READING BOOKS OR CHECKING SOCIAL MEDIA
I used to finish a book in two, maximum of three days depending on the plot and the book's thickness. Now, finishing it in a week is already a victory for me. Even in using social media, my friends have noticed how my posts became lesser and lesser by the day. Well, aside from the "less social media, happier life" mantra I want to adapt, it's really the lack of time. Now that my daughter is very interactive, I'd rather play with her than check on what's going on with other people's lives.
8.) RESIDENCY PLANS
If I were single, I wouldn't mind where I am going to apply for residency and the amount of time and work it demands. I can live in the hospital the whole duration of training and sacrifice my social life. I am secretly wishing to apply at SPMC in Davao City or NMMC in Cagayan de Oro City, but with my husband's work which is based in Manila, I have no other choice but to apply within the vicinity that is also near our home. I also have to consider the toxicity of the hospital where I would apply because I want to have a life-work balance. I absolutely do not want to miss the important milestones that my daughter is achieving as she grows up. My husband was long prepped as to how it is being a resident and I am lucky that he's been assuring me that I got his back.
9.) HUBBY'S NEXT POST
It is yet too early to plan for this, but hubby has many considerations for his next posting. It should be where I can practice my profession and most importantly, a country that can provide a quality education for our child/-ren. If not for us, I'm sure he would be adventurous and wouldn't mind wherever part of the world he gets assigned like when he was first posted in Nigeria. Lol!
Sometimes late in the night, the husband and I would contemplate a life without our daughter. We can picture a very boring and sad life repeating our routines day after day after day :( While my daughter is peacefully sleeping, I would stand or sit beside her like a creep and utter a heartfelt gratitude to Allah for the biggest blessing He has given us this year. I was ready to give up everything just to have her and I did temporarily sacrificed my profession, hence, she is with us now. Alhamdulillah.
I need to pinch myself sometimes to make sure that I am not dreaming. Everything is perfect. Right now.
November 26, 2015
My BFF, my future travel and food buddy, in shaa Allah. 👼🏻 #thelittleone #AminaMariam 😊
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November 24, 2015
November 21, 2015
What are you peeking at, missy? Hey, you're 3 months old today! 🤗 #AminaMariam #thelittleone 🌷 #screwthatfilter
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November 19, 2015
This is where we draw the line between confidence and arrogance. #notetoself 💃🏻
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November 16, 2015
This emoticon is so powerful. No words needed. #icanteven
I am literally restraining myself from typing this emoticon on the comment section of some FB posts I'm reading right now. Like pffft. Some people just doesn't have the tiniest grip on what LOGIC means.
My fault. Why am I on Facebook again?
November 10, 2015
Big Three Oh!
Spare me from those who dread getting old because I am one of those who celebrate the inevitable increase in age. My heart is swelling with gratitude as I reach my big 3-0 as I often associate age with accomplishments. I live my life based on a timeline I set. There may be adjustments based on Divine Intervention which are mostly beautiful surprises thrown along the way but, alhamdulillah, I have targeted most of the goals I set for myself. The most important thing I have accomplished before I turn 30 is having a child. It is the most beautiful thing that ever happened to me in my 30 years of existence! I couldn't be more grateful!
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| Photo taken last February at a temple in Chinatown in time for the Chinese New Year. Behind me is a portrait of the longest reigning and the richest monarch in the world, King Bumhibol Adulyadej (Rama IX). I was 3 months pregnant in this photo. |
I have transitioned a lot this year. Aside from being a full time wife, I am now a full time mom (until we return to the Philippines and I go into residency). I have learned to value substantial relationships with the people who really mattered to me such as my parents, siblings and friends who have stood beside me through thick and thin, I have learned to let go of those who doesn't value me back as a person. We live in a temporary world, whatever we have now will vanish into thin air someday, so I have also learned to live in the present and cherish each second I spend with my love ones.
At this age, all I want is continuous good health for my parents, siblings and nephew, husband, daughter and for myself. I pray for an increase in my imaan (faith) and knowledge; and to be able to fulfill what is expected of me as a Muslim, a mother, a wife, a daughter, a sister and as a friend. I pray to be able to hone my craft as a physician and touch more lives. I pray to have a more grateful, forgiving, patient and joyous heart.
I plan but Allah is the Best Planner.
November 8, 2015
November 6, 2015
Thank you, Jabar, for leaving the office early to have this birthday dinner. Having you, #AminaMariam, and our family and friends back home, I couldn't ask for more. May He continue to bless us with good health and halal provisions. Alhamdulillah for everything. 😊 #bigthreeoh #birthdayinbkk #bkkliving #family #love 💝🎂🍃
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Our Little One Goes Malling!
If being a wanderlust is encoded in the genes, then my daughter has definitely inherited the trait. I am grateful to be living in the heart of the city where malls and leisure establishments sprout like mushrooms. When my baby was still inside my tummy, I used to explore the neighboring malls, coffee shops, bookstores and restaurants almost on a daily basis. I easily got bored inside the house so I try to find refreshing reading nooks. Perhaps babies love the swaying and bouncy feeling inside the womb when the mother walks that's why they seek it when they're in the outside world.
We first brought Yam to Central World when she was only 3 weeks old. My mother-in-law who stayed with us after I delivered was scheduled to fly out of the country that week so we treated her for lunch. We were sort of "forced" to bring the baby with us. But I was secretly pumped up because it was also my first time to wander right after delivery. I was dying to smell the outside world!!!
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| Jabar rocking the Ergo baby carrier. |
I was quite surprised that Yam behaved the whole time. I was expecting that the new environment and the noise would make her fuss, on the contrary, it lulled her to sleep! Very good, anak. :)
Mom-in-law and sister-in-law in Manhattan Fish Market at Central World. Look at my tiny baby with her thin legs! Awwww... And please don't mind those extra width on my hips. I am still edematous here. I've already shed a significant amount of weight as of press time, those in the tummy and hips are quite stubborn though and I haven't got back to the gym yet. I completely have no idea when I will start to try to lose weight. I'm still enjoying my daily eat-all-you-can meals! Haha!
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Three weeks later, we brought her to Emporium and Emquartier, the mall that is stone's throw away from where we live. This was where I frequent when I was preggers because of its proximity, it is less than 10-minutes on foot. So far, this is where we usually bring our little one. I love Emporium and Emquartier because it is less crowded and it offers various pretty and delish restaurants, plus we don't need any transpo vehicle to get there, we only need our feet and her stroller!
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| "Ina, when will I get to eat all these food?" |
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| Our first ever dining experience as a family |
We noticed later on how much she looooooves going out! She was fussing and crying one afternoon for no apparent reasons. She had just finished feeding, her diaper's fresh and I was carrying her on my arms. I was so stressed I went down the building to buy chips with her on her stroller. And lo! She stopped crying as soon as we stepped out of our unit when she has seen the parading lights on the hallway and at the lobby. From then on, I always bring her at the building lobby every afternoon where she's fascinated by the lights, the people she sees, and the noise she hears. Haha! It's too early to tell, but she might not inherit my introversion.
I can't wait for my future travel buddy to grow up!
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| A father will always be her daughter's first love. >3 |
November 1, 2015
October 31, 2015
Halloween in BKK
The embassy hosted its first ever Halloween party for the staff and their families last night. Now guess who's the youngest party-goer? No other than our little Yam! It's the first ever party she has ever gone to and it's a halloween! Hahaha! I don't remember going to any halloween party before so I guess, it's my first time too!
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| This mummy greeted guests at the door. |
I have no idea what to wear for the party since I don't like being either under- or over-dressed so I came being just my usual self with a big ribbon-headband on top my head. Hahaha! For the little one, I dressed her in a sailor girl outfit, a gift from Jabar's former colleague, and accessorized it with a pointy evil-horn headband with a pitchfork. Pink para matchy-matchy kami. Hihi.
Embassy peeps. Hubby wore his kimon and red sahal. To those who might comment why he wore a religious outfit for a halloween party, relax. He doesn't mean to disrespect the symbolism of the said outfit, like I said above, we came as our usual selves.
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With Ms. Lanie
Someone doesn't seem to enjoy the attention but she was so attentive to everyone. She was observing everybody especially the kids as they were running around. She doesn't seem to get irritated by all the noise, in fact she was enjoying seeing a lot of people and the lights on the ceiling. Is it too early to train her social skills?
With Ms. Mae and her pretty daughters Sandra and Sofia who came as the Addams Family.
Food, singing, games, the little one and I enjoyed everything!
With Khun Yupin, the Thai embassy staff who's being a huge help to everyone in their office. She was one of our first visitors at the hospital when Yam was born. Khun is a Thai equivalent for Miss and/or Mister.
With Ms. Michelle who came as Chun Li.
There's Jeremy, Ico and Sofia, who topped the 3 best costumes in the kids category. Vice Consul Jay who hosted the event came as a Bangkok motorcycle driver. Haha! Nice!
And the night was capped with the award for the top 3 best costumes: Manith as Sadako, Ms Lanie and hubby as witch and skeleton, respectively; and Ate Rose and hubby as Lola Nidora and Rogelio (pero siya daw talaga si Alden! hahaha!) respectively.
'Til the next embassy party! Thanks for inviting us!
October 29, 2015
Thoughts About Motherhood
When you haven't had a baby yet, it is very easy to put little value to what our parents, especially our mothers, have done for us. It is very easy to reduce all their hardworks and efforts to keep us thriving since the day we were born as a mere "responsibility". When they recount the difficulties they encountered in raising us, we hear blah-blahs floating in the air without painting the real picture in our minds. I heard some people argue against their parents on the basis that they didn't choose to be born in this world. What they didn't realize is that our parents are not only doing the things they do for us out of responsibility but out of unconditional love. The kind of love that they didn't thought of, but one that is born out of instinct. When our parents decided to keep us, it comes with shouldering the responsibility to raise us as moral beings.
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| Me and my new BFF (2 months old). |
That is exactly how I feel for my daughter. I want to give her all the best in this world not only because it is my God-given responsibility but out of maternal instinct that is love. I prayed to have my own children even before praying to meet the man that would be their father. Therefore I cannot put into words the emotions when I learned that I was pregnant, much more when I already have her in my arms. I often caught myself staring at her when she's sleeping and responding to her babbles as if we're in the middle of a conversation. I usually imagine our future exchange of thoughts and opinions and the many places we would travel as a family. She would be our future best friend, our confidante, our travel buddy and our future care taker when her father and I gets old. She is my daughter and the world would be her playground. In shaa Allah.
PGI Dilemma
Twitter exchange with my sister who's still deciding where to apply for her post-grad internship. I suggested she go with the DOH program so she can rotate to the country's topnotch hospitals such as NKTI, Lung Center of the Phil., and Phil. Heart Center. But I guess she'd follow her heart and put PGH as her first choice (she wants to follow my footsteps. Chos!). Basta, whatever your heart whispers, and kung sa'n ka man matanggap, I am always Facetime away to support you, cheer for you, and listen to your rants. Hehe.
Not so long ago, I was in the middle of this dilemma. Someone said encouraging words to me that made me pursue PGH. I can still remember the euphoria when I learned I was accepted in one, if not the best, teaching hospital in the country. And now my one and only sister is tracing my footsteps. How time flies. :)
October 20, 2015
The husband and I are both down with colds. Having no yaya to take care of #thelittleone while we recuperate, we need to keep her protected from the viruses that we emit. Today I realize that we must keep ourselves fit and healthy, not just for ourselves but for our loved ones as well. I pray this achooos go away soon because I miss kissing our little buchog! 😷 #AminaMariam #mommyhood #bkkliving 🍃
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October 19, 2015
How To NOT Give Birth Inside A Taxi
I have heard and written down hundreds of labor stories from pregnant women rushing to the hospital for delivery and witnessed strenuous labors to easy breezy ones. I wondered which among those stories I jotted down would eventually happen to me. Being someone who only had a toothache to consider as a severe form of physical pain, I can only imagine how labor pain would be like. Some of those I interviewed back in my hospital days said it started as a menstrual cramp-like pain on the hypogastric area that creeps to the upper abdomen, others describe it as a low back pain radiating to the hypogastric area. I carefully watched out for those signs including a possible leaking of the bag of water (amniotic fluid) or a bloody show. Unfortunately, I forgot that not everything happens according to what is exactly written on the OB-GYN book.
My last prenatal exam on my 38th week showed a tightly closed cervix. With the absence of other possible labor signs, I let my 39th week prenatal exam pass predicting that my baby would reach up to 40 weeks since it's my first pregnancy. Now I learned not to miss any single prenatal exam in my future pregnancies. Hahaha!
Jabar and I went to bed at around 11:00 pm on Thursday, August 20, my 39th week and four days of pregnancy, when I felt a faint and irregular menstrual cramp-like pain on my lower abdomen. I already knew it could be the beginning of labor pain but since I'm a primigravida (first pregnancy), I calculated the time my cervix would thin out and fully dilated to reach 8 hours or more. Although I didn't get to sleep through the night, the pain was still tolerable. I imagine labor pain to be crazy and intolerable. I told my husband about it at around 5:00 am when he woke up for fajr. According to my calculation (hahaha!), we'd go to the hospital at around 8:00 am so he could still go to the office to ask for a leave. When everyone at home (yes! my parents, mom-in-law, and sis-in-law were here!) woke up at around 5:30 am, I coolly announced my abdominal pain. My mom and mom-in-law panicked! I laughed and told them to calm down because it is still tolerable. Perhaps, I will give birth in the afternoon or tonight, I told them. Had I only known what would happen later, I would have rushed to the hospital right away. Ugh. Anyway, my mom grabbed the herbs she brought all the way from Marawi (they stayed fresh because she replanted them as soon as they arrived here in Bangkok) and made a liquid concoction out of it. She called those herbs as "Meranao inducers". Haha! I never thought my mom pala has panday (local midwife) skills. Thinking perhaps it wouldn't hurt to follow my mom, I drank the minty-tasted herbal concoction in one gulp. At around 6:00 am, I asked my husband to accompany me to the 34th floor, the garden floor, so I can walk around. When we arrived there, it didn't take 10 minutes when I felt the pain intensified and the contraction became regular. I told my husband that we need to go to the hospital ASAP. It took me 30 minutes to take a bath and prettify myself because my concern was to look pretty on my first photo with my baby! Hahaha! Ayun tuloy.
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| The view from the 34th floor, the garden floor, of the building where we live. Imagine nakuha ko pang kumuha ng litrato habang nagcocontract ang tiyan ko? Hehe. |
We were in the taxi at around 7:00 am with my father accompanying us to the hospital. Since Jabar and I are not usually affected by rush hours, it completely slipped our minds that traffic is heavily built in Bangkok at this hour! Without the traffic, Bumrungrad Hospital is less than ten minutes away from where we live via taxi if it goes straight ahead of Sukhumvit road, which is the shortest route. I have no idea what went inside the taxi driver's mind who swerved right to the wider but more congested Asok road instead of driving straight ahead! He was trying to explain to my husband in broken English that he was expecting a less congested road since it is wider, but he was so wrong!
When we were not moving for more than 30 minutes, I started fidgeting in pain inside the taxi! I feel like the pain intensifies every time I see the red traffic lights, the buses on our both sides, and still we're not moving an inch! I was imagining myself walking along the hospital hallways or squatting inside the labor room while my husband massages my lower back to relieve the pain but with this traffic, it is far away from happening! I started to whimper while my dad beside me tried to console me by reminding me to recite La ilaaha ilallah Muhammad ar rasuulullah (there is no god but Allah and Muhammad is His messenger). I tried to remember the techniques in managing labor pains taught in the antenatal class but none of those can be performed conveniently at the back of a taxi stuck in a freaking traffic. I remember one position that I can do, I started placing both of my knees and my hands up on the seat while my father hugs me on my shoulder so I won't slide down when the taxi moves.
An hour passed and we were still stuck in the carmageddon and I was still on all fours screaming in pain!!! The only possible way we can get to the hospital faster were 1.) we take the famous Bangkok motorcycles, or 2.) we go against the traffic!! The two gentlemen with me asked if I can climb at the back of the motorcycle and I answered with a roaring NO!! So they resorted to the latter option and the next thing I knew, they were both screaming at the driver to go against the traffic and explain later to traffic enforcers that it is an urgent matter that they would surely understand. It took them another thirty minutes arguing since Mr. Goody-Goody Driver did not want to be caught violating traffic rules. I wanted to join yelling at the driver, no, I wanted to curse him so bad and blame him for changing route when we should be in the hospital by now but karma managed to insert in my thoughts thinking I might have difficulty delivering my baby if I hurt this poor taxi driver. The pressure he's getting from my father and my husband is more than enough. In retrospect, I admired him for showing such discipline in adhering to the law. He instead called what we guessed the traffic control center which alerted a certain radio station and all the traffic enforcers in the Asok area to allow our taxi to pass amidst the heavy traffic. The next thing I knew while I was on fours was we were speeding our way to the hospital as if all cars on the road disappeared! I lifted my head to see all the cars making way for us while traffic enforcers waving red flags directing the way to the hospital. We just made a scene amidst the heavy Bangkok traffic!! When we arrived at Bumrungrad, emergency personnel were already waiting for us immediately laid me on a gurney all the way to the delivery room. At that point, I had no idea where my father and husband were. All I wanted was to bear down to relieve the pain.
At the delivery room, the nurse did an internal exam and she said my cervix was already fully dilated. No wonder I started pushing the baby out but they were stopping me because my OB was not yet around! No one's gonna catch my baby if I continue to bear down. The nurses let me lie on my side and a few minutes later, a resident physician arrived apologizing in behalf of my OB because she was also stuck in the traffic on her way to the hospital! UGH, Bangkok traffic!!! The resident physician then placed my legs on lithotomy position and gave me the go signal to start bearing down. I then heard my husband beside me instructing me to breathe the way we practiced it at home. As I closed my eyes, all the voices surrounding me seemed to fade. I only listened to my body as it tells me to push longer every time I feel the urge. I rest in between and then push again. On my third push, I heard my baby crying as the pediatrician was wiping a dry cloth on her. When she was placed on my chest, all the pain I felt few minutes ago went away. At 9:06 am, August 21, on a Friday, a healthy baby girl just made her way to the world. :)
So the answer to the question imposed on the title of this entry is: when you're expecting, please rush to the hospital as soon as you feel abdominal pain whether it is tolerable or not, and, never ever miss any appointment with your OB especially on the last trimester.
At the delivery room, the nurse did an internal exam and she said my cervix was already fully dilated. No wonder I started pushing the baby out but they were stopping me because my OB was not yet around! No one's gonna catch my baby if I continue to bear down. The nurses let me lie on my side and a few minutes later, a resident physician arrived apologizing in behalf of my OB because she was also stuck in the traffic on her way to the hospital! UGH, Bangkok traffic!!! The resident physician then placed my legs on lithotomy position and gave me the go signal to start bearing down. I then heard my husband beside me instructing me to breathe the way we practiced it at home. As I closed my eyes, all the voices surrounding me seemed to fade. I only listened to my body as it tells me to push longer every time I feel the urge. I rest in between and then push again. On my third push, I heard my baby crying as the pediatrician was wiping a dry cloth on her. When she was placed on my chest, all the pain I felt few minutes ago went away. At 9:06 am, August 21, on a Friday, a healthy baby girl just made her way to the world. :)
So the answer to the question imposed on the title of this entry is: when you're expecting, please rush to the hospital as soon as you feel abdominal pain whether it is tolerable or not, and, never ever miss any appointment with your OB especially on the last trimester.
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| At the delivery room an hour after I gave birth. |
Sharing here with you our first family photo on the delivery bed while the resident physician is doing an episiorrhaphy on me. Haha! Except for my edematous face and a rubbed down lipstick, my wish to look quite good on our first family photo was granted. Kaya kami natagalan umalis ng bahay dahil sa pagpapaganda e. Ayan. Hahaha! Oh well.
Alhamdulillah, all praises belong to Allah. It was a relatively easy delivery except for the inconvenient laboring inside a taxi. Now I realize how high my threshold of tolerance for pain is. I was still smiling and laughing when we were leaving home. It was the traffic that really stressed me out leading to a fast dilatation of my cervix. Or perhaps, the herbal concoction that my mom made me drink? I don't know. When Allah decrees something, no one can stop it from happening. I can only be grateful that I didn't give birth inside the taxi, otherwise, I don't know what would happen to my father and to my husband! Hahahaha!
October 18, 2015
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