My Girl's name

ATHALIA JEZKA KARIELLE

Yes, My Girl has three first names. Many would say her name is too long and she might hava a hard time writting her name when she goes to school. Well, we don't see any problem with that.

Her mommy got three first names too. I choose that names for her, a combination of my mother's, my husband's and my mother-in-law's names. Afterall, my daughter is the first granddaughter of the family.

Many also told me why I gave my daughter a very long name, that she might have a hard time writtting her name. I never get worried about that because I believed that my daughter would grow up to be a smart girl and she would not have any problem writing her long name. And I am sure, this will be the same with My Girl too.

How did we we get her name?
ATHALIA - a name taken from the Bible. She was a queen of Judah. Her life story is interesting though.

JEZKA - this is a combination of the names of My Girl's daddy and mommy.

KARIELLE - taken from My Girl's mommy's third first name. It means, little
Karla.

Her Nickname

My Girl's nickname - BABAM - was given to her by my sister (who is also My Girl's pediatrician). She composed that name - short for Baby Amam (nickname of My Girl's mommy)

Breastfeeding

According to Wikipedia, Breastfeeding is the feeding of an infant or young child with breast milk directly from a woman's breasts, not from a baby bottle or other container. Babies have a sucking reflex that enables them to suck and swallow milk. It is possible for most mothers to nourish their infant (or infants in the case of twins and multiple births) by breastfeeding for the first six months, if not longer, without the supplement of infant formula milk or solid food.

My mother breastfed me until I was three years old. I also breastfed my own children - the three of them. I also encouraged my daughter to breastfeed her daughter.

When I had my girl, I never had second thoughts on deciding to breastfeed her. Afterall, breastfeeding is the best for my baby. I am lucky to have a mother who guided and inspired me how to properly breastfeed my baby. I also have an aunt, who is a doctor and advocate of breastfeeding. She also taught me how to breatfeed my baby and how to keep myself healthy to be able to keep on breastfeeding my baby for the longest time as possible.

I am very happy that my daughter is breastfeeding her daughter (my granddaughter). And she can produce a good supply of breastmilk, more than what my granddaughter could feed on.

My Girl is now almost three months old. Even if now that her mommy goes out often to attend her review classes, My Girl doesn't miss any breastmilk she needs. Thanks to the breastfeeding techniques we learned from my mom, my auntie, my sister (who is a pediatrician).

How?

My daughter 'saves' her breastmilk and store them in a plastic container and store them in the freezer. She expresses the extra breastmilk (using a breast pump) after breastfeeding My Girl. As of now, we have frozen breastmilk stored, enought to feed My Girl for one week!

When my daughter is not around, a container or two of frozen breastmilk are taken out of the freezer and thawed. When the frozen breastmilk has been thawed, the breastmilk is transferred to My Girl's Avent feeding bottle, and kept in the refrigerator until its needed.

Once My Girl gets hungry, it only take a few minutes to heat-up the breastmilk. The Avent bottle is placed in the Avent bottle warmer for a few minutes and the breastmilk is now ready for My Girl to consume.

Preparation

Not every mother could have the capability to breastfeed. For a mother to have this capability, she has to prepare herself mentally and physically. Mentally, to think positive always that she can do it and she will have much breastmilk, more than enough that her baby would need. And preparing herself physically by eating the right foods and keeping herself healthy.
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Helpful websites about breastfeeding : www.breastfeeding.com

Pink Balloons

Even when Babam was still inside her mummy's tummy, we already knew that she is a girl. Thanks to the wonders of ultra sound technology. Talking about ultra sound, we had it done four times during the entire pregnancy period of my daughter because we were so excited about Babam that we want to 'peep' inside as to who she is doing.

Without my daughter's knowledge, I ordered pink 'flying balloons' printed with "Welcome Babam! We Love You!". I had the balloons delivered to my daughter's hospital room and she was delighted to see them. The balloons brightened her room. Even the hospital staff were delighted to see a lot of balloons inside a patient's room.

I am thankful to the Ramiro Community Hospital for allowing us to bring in the flying balloons.

The Birth Labor Pains

June 2, 2008 in the morning, my full-term pregnant daughter Am-am, went out to do her walking exercise with my husband Arthur. When they came home, I noticed a stain on my daughter's clothes and I told her that I think she is starting to have her labor. When she checked herself in the comfortroom, indeed, she is already having slight discharges. Yepey! our baby is coming out anytime soon!

At around eleven thirty in the morning, my daughter went to see her OB and she was informed that she will have her full labor anytime sooner or later. After the doctor's visit, we lunched-out together and went home.

When I came back from work at around 6 o'clock that evening, my daughter informed me that she is starting to feel labor pains. After dinner, we went to the Ramiro Community Hospital to check in. We already reserved a room earlier.

My daughter went in to the labor room and the resident doctor conducted an IE on her and its only "2 cm" yet. Hours later, Am-am continued to feel the labor pains, with its interval getting closer. She continued feeling this way until 5 o'clock in the morning of June 3, 2008. The resident doctor did an IE on her again, but the opening did not improve much, which was only 3 cm. My mother-in-law, my sister and me, took turns in keeping watch of Am-am in the pre-labor room. I took over watching her starting at 2:30 in the morning.

At 5:30 that morning, her OB decided to do the Ceasarian Section on her instead. Am-am has been in labor for twelve hours already and it will not be good for her and Babam (the baby) anymore if the labor will be prolonged. Am-am was then being prepared for the operation a few minutes later.

I was all the time with Am-am during the last 3 hours of her labor and I was also fortunate to be allowed by her OB to go inside the operating room to witness the actual arrival of my girl - Babam.

The OR nurse let me wear those green scrubs and let me in the theater. I wasn't scared. I was excited. My sister, as Babam's pediatrician was also inside. We we're equally excited for the coming out of Babam.