Baby Wearing: Ergobaby Carrier

Baby wearing is the new trend for Moms here in the Philippines. Aside from having our little angels being (literally) closer to our heart, it has so many benefits for the little ones. Investing in a baby carrier can be easier to the pocket too (depends on the type and brand of your carrier), compared to buying a stroller... though I still believe having a stroller has its own perks.

Euri's been colicky since she turned 5 weeks. It was difficult to calm her down, especially when she finds it hard to burp. Feeding her would make her stop crying for a while, then she would spit up milk (a sign that she's overfed), then cry again. I would put on aceite de manzanilla (anti-flatulence) or give her Restime (simeticone drops, advised by Euri's pediatrician) hoping that it would stop her from being upset but it would take several minutes to an hour before the (already tired) baby starts to calm down and (finally) sleeps.

Now, though the colic episodes lessen, my just-turned-2-month-old little princess loves to be close to Mommy and still demands to be cuddled when we're out at the mall or even at bed time, hence, the crib/playpen ended up folded and kept in our storage room and the beautiful Capella stroller looking like new. The nanny and myself however, have started to develop dark circles around our eyes, coupled with firmer muscles on both arms -all thanks to my heavyweight bundle of joy.

To solve this problem, I decided to do my own little research on how to calm a colicky baby and how to lessen (if not avoid) her being carried around too much. Turns out, one way to calm a colicky baby is to swaddle and cuddle her close since they miss the warm temperature when they were still inside our tummy. So in short, we can't really avoid the almost 24/7 "karga-hele-sayaw" scenario.

Solution? A baby carrier that would free our hands even for just an hour, enough to do some household chores.

Giving Birth at Jesus Delgado Memorial Hospital

Euri Dirwen, 23 April 2015 @ 8:29am, 9.9lbs

I finally gave birth to a bouncy 9.9lbs baby girl Thursday, the 23rd of April at 8:29am. The hospital stay was okay as it was much better than I expected, though the pain of giving birth the second time around was not as tolerable as the first.

We arrived at the hospital Wednesday afternoon (April 22), so I can be admitted and have my scheduled CS operation by 8:00am the following day. By some weird kind of luck, ALL private rooms were fully booked, all wards were occupied and the only rooms available were two suite rooms which were thrice the price of the private rooms, and 2 remaining beds in the last available semi-private room. Out of practicality, we chose the semi-private room, hoping that there will be an available private room the next day.

Choosing the Perfect Stroller

Goodbaby High Impact Stroller

Buying a stroller is one of the most difficult part of my nursery shopping. With so many strollers to choose from, it is harder to decide on the right wheels for the baby. I consider the stroller as an investment as it is one of the most important gear my husband and I will purchase for our little one. Our first born spent a relatively long time in a stroller, traveling from one place to another, using the stroller as a napping place and as a high chair etc, so it is important for us to choose the safest and most comfortable one that fits our budget.

So for fellow moms who are currently looking for the perfect stroller, here are the important things to assess before paying for your baby's four (or three) wheels:

• Capacity: The very first question I ask the salesman when buying a stroller: "What's the capacity?" We need to consider what age, weight and height the stroller can handle.
• Recline: Infants can't hold their head up or can not support their neck yet, so it is important that your stroller seat can fully recline. Also, even if the baby is a little older, they may want to fully recline their seat so that they can sleep or drink milk comfortably.
• Canopy: Most strollers have a canopy, but for me a stroller with full canopy is awesome, as it can shield the baby from light and other elements, and also work as a quick cover from sudden drizzle.
• Storage Basket: It is the basket just below the seat. For someone who travel and shops a lot, the bigger the storage basket, the better.
• Car Seat: Can the stroller accommodate or attach an infant car seat? It's a nice feature that allows you to move your baby from your car to the stroller, without having to remove (and wake) the baby from the car seat.
• Easy to Fold: This is a vital feature for parents who love to move quick and are prone to travel.

The important features of a reliable stroller. This one is the Capella Adonis series.

Checklist: Newborn Essentials and Other Basic Needs for Baby

The bucket list...

I am now on my 34th week of pregnancy and like most excited mothers, I am in a stage where I can't stop moving around to fix things. Aside from constantly putting the crib sheets and pillows on and then removing it again (it might get dusty) then deciding to put it on again the next day, I am finding it hard to resist the need to check the baby's list to see if I am still missing some items.

I've been bugging my ever supportive husband (much to his dismay) to go to the mall almost everyday to check the purple stroller, the purple comforter, the purple this and the purple that -but like any one living on a strict budget, buying all those things I want for my baby is out of reach, so I have no choice but to be practical and buy ONLY the things that we should prioritize first.

To help fellow OC (obsessive compulsive) mothers, here's a list from Baby Company of all the things we need to prepare for the birth day of our little tummy passenger/s (the ones in green are the items which I think are important, as the rest of the items you can buy when baby is a little older):

Whining but Smiling

I’ve been feeling crappy more than usual but it’s not only because of the dehydration that breastfeeding causes or the sleepless nights of having a new baby… let’s blame most of my mood swings to the husband. (Long story, and adding the story here would change the title to Whining and Contemplating).

Moving on to the real topic of motherhood, I never thought it would be this difficult. Being pregnant was hard enough, the labor, the epidural and C-section were hell-ish… and now, the every 2hr wake-up call for milk-burp time, diaper change and cradle-to-sleep adds up to the torture of the hurting-yet-itchy-now-healing-stitches on my tummy.

Born to kick ass...