I wouldn't place it that our girl is acrophobia (fear of height) because she would dare taking a few steps up the slide and no problem with sliding down afterwards. That is a great accomplishment and a no-no for strictly defined acrophobes.
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You see, as she is our first child, we tend to go overboard in protecting her and we inevitably imbued in her certain characteristics, and unfortunately being overly cautious is one of them.
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We are fortunate that she is not a rebellious and negligent kid. That is why she never had any serious boo-boo (injury). However, when a person is unfamiliar with pain, they tend to be infrequent at attracting pain by being over-cautious.
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It is not healthy to bring up kids to be over-cautious and less daring to try. For her, she was late at picking up many motor skills, e.g. holding on to hand rail with climbing. Such coordination with the hands and legs seemed so challenging to her! I felt bad and sad seeing her immobilised with the fear of falling and deprived of carefree fun.
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Now at almost 3 yo and after several months going to the neighbourhood playground, she had demonstrated great improvements. By encouraging her to try, she had developed several basic motor skills. Her depth perception (part of child's eye development) no longer served as a weakness (inducing acrophobia) but as a needed attribute to scale height and physically interact with her surroundings (e.g. how acrobats catches horizontal bar in midair based on depth perception).
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She had several bruises but that is part of learning to rise up after each fall. As parent, I can only try to minimize the impact and nurse any wounds.
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Note
Our kid climbed up the slide and on the last few steps to the top, she crawled (on four limbs) up to the platform. Once there, she laid down on her belly and slithered (with her belly constantly touching the support/platform) to the edge where the sliding board was located. There, she inched herself up and ended up in a sitting position. Then, I would give her word of encouragement, two thumbs up and counted to three before she slide down. Sliding down wasn't a problem.
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After several visits, she started from crawl to walking-like-duck, and finally experimented with walking upright. I was excited to see such transformation. I'm waiting for the next phase in which she will run up and zoom down the slide in split seconds. Haha.
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Just to share.
Wednesday, February 18, 2015
Our kid is cautious of height
Newborn urine turns reddish brown indicative of hemoglobinuria
What is hemoglobinuria?
Our red blood cells (RBCs) are composed of hemoglobin (red pigment) that carries oxygen and carbon dioxide in our circulatory system. If there is excess of RBC lysis (or breakdown/turnover), then our blood will have excessive amount of hemoglobin. Hemoglobin will be filtered out from kidney along with urine and because of its colour, the urine will stain reddish to brown.
Why it is pertinent to us?
Our baby had reddish to brown urine during the first postnatal week. The nurse said that it was normal to see reddish diaper stain sometimes and that upon subsequent feeding and passing of water, the stain will go away.
However, that reddish stain later served as an indication of persistent jaundice that we experienced later on. I am blood group B+ while my wife is A+ and our baby is AB+. Fortunately, we requested that our baby's blood group be tested (it was not normal routine for our hospital to test baby's blood group and we had to explicitly ask for it), or else we wouldn't have gotten this important information that facilitated the medical staff to conclude that our baby was having ABO incompatibility (and persistent jaundice).
What is ABO incompatibility?
ABO incompatibility happens when mother's antibody recognizes and attacks baby's blood cells. It seemed that mother's antibody can traverse from the umbilical cord to the baby's blood circulation.
As an example, if mother had no antigen B in her blood cells (i.e. she is A+ or O+), she will have antibody against this antigen. If baby has antigen B on the blood cells (e.g. if baby is B+, AB+), then the maternal antibody will start attacking the baby's blood cells. This causes excessive blood cell loss and increases circulating hemoglobin and its broken-down product, bilirubin.
Update
It has been more than a month and our baby still has jaundice (indicated by higher bilirubin level). We had phototherapy for 3.5 days and it didn't help to reduce baby's jaundice. Liver function was tested normal (indicated by testing the ratio of conjugated vs unconjugated bilirubin; where normal conjugated bilirubin signifies a working liver). Regular visits to polyclinic depletes our wallet but not the jaundice problem. We got to know that some parents just stopped visiting the clinic after the repetitive tests and brief "consultations" informing them numbers ranging from 180 to 210 of bilirubin level. The consultation fee was very high as compared to the price of the test itself (almost10 fold difference!), e.g. SGD 6.00 per test as compared to SGD 45.00 per consultation. My opinion is that there shouldn't be a flat rate of SGD45 for consultation pertaining to reading to parents their babies' bilirubin test results and setting another appointment for further tests!
How I wished there was an over-the-counter test kit for measuring bilirubin at home. Alas, a spectrophotometer is required to test bilirubin and that machine is not cheap to be placed in homes.
Solution
Now, we are advised to mix formula with breast milk for our baby in order to hasten the clearing of his jaundice. Although we wanted to give complete breast milk, but under the current circumstances - breast milk alone had failed to reduce baby's jaundice and thus - we are obligated to get a tin of formula and start giving mixed milk to our baby. Hope this approach will help reduce our baby's jaundice.
Tuesday, February 17, 2015
Jaundice test is expensive for foreign babies in Singapore
The bilirubin test is around SGD 5 to 6. What is expensive for per visit to polyclinics is the consultation fee. Add them up, a visit to the polyclinic for jaundice test is around SGD 50. That's for babies considered as foreigners (without subsidy). Note that the insurance that we got don't cover jaundice too (probably too common).
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Initially, our visit to the clinic was at two days intervals. That's SGD150 per week for two weeks for a total of SGD300. Subsequently, it was three days costing SGD100 per week for two weeks. Then it was once per week costing SGD50 per week. In total for the first month, we forked out SGD450. That did not include being admitted for 3.5 days for phototherapy (both baby and mum, latter for feeding baby). Note that our hospital didn't have portable phototherapy unit to loan parents, unlike other hospitals like KK children hospital.
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The test for the ratio of conjugated vs unconjugated bilirubin (to test for liver function) came back normal. What a relief.
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The last test showed baby's bilirubin started to increase again. My blood pressure too increased after having informed that. What was going on?
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I asked if there was any precedents and the doctor said yes. It seemed that jaundice is likely to happen especially for babies given breast milk (and more frequent for Asians). The doctor advised us to mix formula with breast milk. That would normally clear the jaundice faster. We went home getting a tin of formula and started feeding our baby that. We thought, "So much for fully breast feed".
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We will have to visit the polyclinic again next week. Let's hope for the good response.
Sunday, February 15, 2015
Game: Sorting beans and relativity
Sorting beans and relativity
How this game is played? First, have four types of beans (or more), and then count the number of each type, e.g. Adzuki bean (red in colour) at 5 beans, mung bean (green in colour) at 10 beans, black turtle bean (black) at 15 beans, soy bean (yellow) at 30 beans, or other beans of different shapes and sizes.
Mix these beans together and put in in a plate or a flat surface. Allow your kid to sort out the beans as according to appearance. Once this is done, as him/her to show which cluster has the least beans and which has the most beans.
How this game is played? First, have four types of beans (or more), and then count the number of each type, e.g. Adzuki bean (red in colour) at 5 beans, mung bean (green in colour) at 10 beans, black turtle bean (black) at 15 beans, soy bean (yellow) at 30 beans, or other beans of different shapes and sizes.
Mix these beans together and put in in a plate or a flat surface. Allow your kid to sort out the beans as according to appearance. Once this is done, as him/her to show which cluster has the least beans and which has the most beans.
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| Adzuki bean (wikipedia) |
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| Mung bean (wikipedia) |
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| Soy bean (Danielstrading.com) |
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| Black turtle bean (wikipedia) |
Thursday, February 12, 2015
Strike three and I can't guess why my baby is still crying
Earlier I have written about what to do when my baby starts crying, e.g.
The only suspect would be colic (discomfort in the alimentary tract), either failure to burp or having too much gas (could it be due to lactose intolerance?), tummy bloated, constipated, etc. If that is the case, there is nothing I can really do about it.
I tried patting/rubbing baby's back to soothe and induce burping (but that didn't help even after few successful burps), applying medicated oil by rubbing on both palms to make it warm before applying to baby's tummy (to soothe and help baby to pass gas, but that too didn't work), massage the back, placing baby to sleep on the tummy (back facing up), moving back and forth to promote undulating movement to soothe baby to sleep but without success. He keeps on crying... and only stop when he is too exhausted. After which, he will doze off. My wife is worried that such cries are not healthy for baby (and I concur).
The only thing that can really soothe our baby to sleep would be to let him latch on. Well, I can only stuff a pacifier to his mouth but the baby is a selective brat who doesn't fancy NUK pacifier.
It is so challenging trying to figure out and deal with baby's cries (or feeling helpless when all else failed to console our babies).
Baby colic
Wikipedia provided suggested reasons for baby colic (inconsolable cries) and here is the list.
Related blogs
- Feeding
- Discomfort - (a) need diaper change, (b) trapped air in stomach, (c) flatulence, (d) constipation, (e) colic cries with no discernible reasons, (f) insomnia caused by discomfort, (g) awareness and stress, etc.
The only suspect would be colic (discomfort in the alimentary tract), either failure to burp or having too much gas (could it be due to lactose intolerance?), tummy bloated, constipated, etc. If that is the case, there is nothing I can really do about it.
I tried patting/rubbing baby's back to soothe and induce burping (but that didn't help even after few successful burps), applying medicated oil by rubbing on both palms to make it warm before applying to baby's tummy (to soothe and help baby to pass gas, but that too didn't work), massage the back, placing baby to sleep on the tummy (back facing up), moving back and forth to promote undulating movement to soothe baby to sleep but without success. He keeps on crying... and only stop when he is too exhausted. After which, he will doze off. My wife is worried that such cries are not healthy for baby (and I concur).
The only thing that can really soothe our baby to sleep would be to let him latch on. Well, I can only stuff a pacifier to his mouth but the baby is a selective brat who doesn't fancy NUK pacifier.
It is so challenging trying to figure out and deal with baby's cries (or feeling helpless when all else failed to console our babies).
Baby colic
Wikipedia provided suggested reasons for baby colic (inconsolable cries) and here is the list.
- Stress
- Hunger
- Postpartum depression (mother)
- Trauma from hospital visits or
- Child abuse (such as shaken baby syndrome). Violent shaking of babies will cause head trauma.
Related blogs
Baby's (neonate) belly button (navel) shape and appearance
I noticed that my baby's (neonate) belly button (or navel), where the umbilical cord used to be located, is hard to the touch. When he cries, there is a depression (collapse) above the belly button. I wondered if that was normal and went to search for any information pertaining to baby's belly button and hardened and collapsed.
To my disappointment, Google image search produced lots of babes with their belly button, or mum's with belly button or belly hardened. There were few pictures with neonates' belly buttons! Fortunately I found one (from YouTube).
From the above picture, the region with depression isn't as obvious as my baby's when he cries. The following is my baby's belly button.
I give up trying to figure if this is normal because at 3 weeks old, my baby's navel is healing and that area of collapse or cave-in could be a normal process to close the gap/channel. The peritoneal membrane, muscle or whatever tissues that's supposed to be closed could still be opened in my case (which will eventually closes as the healing process progresses). Well, fortunately, there is no protrusion of the belly button or navel, which would indicate umbilical hernia in babies (or neonates), which is quite common. For more information about umbilical hernia in babies, visit WebMD. Just for my reference, here is a photo showing a baby with somewhat common umbilical hernia (but I would send my baby to see a pediatrician nonetheless). For umbilical hernia, some parents indicated that this will go away in few months time (but have to look out for complications such as infection or irregular bowel movement).
For now, I will try not to freak out considering that our pediatrician didn't suggest anything wrong with our baby's belly button. Hopefully the collapsed region will go away.
Updated: Our baby's hernia disappeared after 3.5 months.
To my disappointment, Google image search produced lots of babes with their belly button, or mum's with belly button or belly hardened. There were few pictures with neonates' belly buttons! Fortunately I found one (from YouTube).
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| Baby's belly button, showing hardened and collapsed area. |
From the above picture, the region with depression isn't as obvious as my baby's when he cries. The following is my baby's belly button.
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| My baby's belly button and the region above the navel is collapsed (more obvious as shown above when he cries). |
I give up trying to figure if this is normal because at 3 weeks old, my baby's navel is healing and that area of collapse or cave-in could be a normal process to close the gap/channel. The peritoneal membrane, muscle or whatever tissues that's supposed to be closed could still be opened in my case (which will eventually closes as the healing process progresses). Well, fortunately, there is no protrusion of the belly button or navel, which would indicate umbilical hernia in babies (or neonates), which is quite common. For more information about umbilical hernia in babies, visit WebMD. Just for my reference, here is a photo showing a baby with somewhat common umbilical hernia (but I would send my baby to see a pediatrician nonetheless). For umbilical hernia, some parents indicated that this will go away in few months time (but have to look out for complications such as infection or irregular bowel movement).
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| Photo sent by parents from the community in BabyCenter (link is here). |
For now, I will try not to freak out considering that our pediatrician didn't suggest anything wrong with our baby's belly button. Hopefully the collapsed region will go away.
Updated: Our baby's hernia disappeared after 3.5 months.
Tuesday, February 10, 2015
Pigeon baby wipes - one pull three out problem
Instead of relying on Pigeon, I am going to try other brands and see if the problem with Pigeon is universal or just specific to a brand. Fortunately, there are other baby wipes out there where I can do a survey and decide which baby wipes is best for the household.
Other baby wipes
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| Huggies Gentle care baby wipes |
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| Johnson's Baby wipes. |
- Tollyjoy baby wipes. I don't like the official website. It is difficult to find the product as there is no search entry. Also, there is no webpage for this product. Looking at the quality of the image will remind me how awful the website is.
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| Tollyjoy wipes. The official web site didn't appeal to me. |
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| Mamypoko baby wipes. |
- Guardian's in-house baby wipes as well as a variety of wipes available in their store, visit their site.
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| Guardian's in-house baby wipes. I would definitely want to try the fragrance free wipes. |
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| FairPrice baby wipes. |
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| Watson's baby wipes. |
- Others. There are other baby wipes in the market, e.g. Kodomo, NUK, Combi (available at ISetan), Zappy wipes (available at Yeap Medical), Pampers wipes, Anakku wipes, and more.
- Dettol wipes. Note that I don't prefer Dettol wipes or any wipes that claims to be antiseptic. Providing a sterile environment for baby's skin is not advisable as it will bring more complications than good.
Note
Search at FairPrice website shows return for all the baby wipes in store and the corresponding prices (accessed on 11 Feb 2015). E.g.
- Pigeon Wipes 82 pieces x 3 packs (SGD 9.85; at 4 cents per piece)
- TollyJoy wipes 84 pieces x 3 packs (SGD 7.90; at 3.1 cents per piece)
- FairPrice wipes 200 pieces (SGD4.95; at 2.5 cents per piece)
- Johnson's baby wipes 80 pieces x 3 packs (SGD 11.95; at 5 cents per piece)
- BabyU wipes 80 pieces (SGD 3.00; at 3.7 cents per piece)
- Kodomo wipes 70 pieces x 3 packs (SGD 8.80; at 4.2 cents per piece)
- Huggies wipes 80 pieces x 3 packs (SGD 9.95; 4.1 cents per piece)
2 hours intermitent feeding, diaper changes, and more
Mothers are really strong. They can endure lack of sleep by waking up every 2 hours to feed and change diaper (or rather change diaper first then feed). I have been helping out by taking three to four slots (total > 6 hours) in feeding our baby (starting from 9 pm, then 11 pm, 1 am, and finally 3 am). It was really challenging.
At the same time, my wife has to take care of our older child who is currently adapting to the presence of a new member of the family. Fortunately, she has grown used (or rather fond) to the baby.
Products needed for baby
Our baby is drinking milk at increasing volume (gradually). In just 3 weeks, he is already taking in more than 2.5 oz (approx. 75 ml), sometimes at 3 oz.
For information about expressed milk storage, refer to this site, "Breast milk storage: Do's and don'ts" by MayoClinic.
To prevent nappy rashes, we used Vaseline Petroleum Jelly to produce a "waterproof coat" on the groin and back area. It worked better than applying Desitin Rapid Relief (Zinc oxide cream). In addition to the above measure, we try to wash off poo poo with warm bath at least twice daily (so that baby will feel fresh and any residual urine and dried stool is cleaned), and after the wash, we will apply a layer of Vaseline to baby. We have not tried this but some suggested using lightly salted water bath to clean and sooth baby's skin.
As for temperature, Singapore is hot and humid. At night, it is humid and cold. For our baby, we try to use the air-con to reduce the humidity and maintain the temperature at 29°C. A fan will be blowing to move the air inside our room. To prevent our baby from catching a cold, we would cover him with a cozy blanket. Sometimes, leaving the window open to let in warm night breeze is fine (but the humidity at night can be a pain at some nights especially when we stay at lower floor of our HDB flat).
Lighting is maintained at low. We normally will switch on the bathroom light. Also, I will be holding a torchlight at night to peek in the diaper to see if it needs changing before feeding time.
First thing I do when baby cries is to look at the time and see if it's feeding time. If it isn't, I will check the diaper and change it when needed. I will carry the baby and rub his back to see if there is any gas trapped in the stomach or throat. Any burp is an accomplishment. If the baby still cry, I will warm my palms by rubbing them together and then rest them on my baby's belly to sooth any discomfort there. I will apply medicated oil on the tummy as well. I will also massage the belly gently in a downward motion. If baby is still crying, I will carry him and walk around the room while rocking him gently on my arms. If all else fail, I will put him gently on the slanted baby rocking chair and let him cry for a while before carrying him again and rock him gently in my arm so that he will sleep after crying (a form of exercise for babies!). The reason babies cry inconsolably is due to discomfort (e.g. gas in the tummy, flatulence, or constipation due to formula milk or dehydration) BUT as parents, we have to be vigilant to ensure that inconsolable cries are not due to any discomforts that need medical attention.
That's all for now. It's a challenge being mothers. It would be nice if the dads can chip in once in a while to help. By feeding and changing my baby's diaper for two sessions, my wife gets to sleep for 4 hours uninterrupted. That is a luxury to her!
Just to share.
At the same time, my wife has to take care of our older child who is currently adapting to the presence of a new member of the family. Fortunately, she has grown used (or rather fond) to the baby.
Products needed for baby
- Breast pump
Our baby is drinking milk at increasing volume (gradually). In just 3 weeks, he is already taking in more than 2.5 oz (approx. 75 ml), sometimes at 3 oz.
- Sterilizer, bottles, warmers
- Portable or mini fridge
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| Coco Digital Portable USB Mini Fridge at £22.66 (Amazon). However, a much cheaper alternatives are available at Amazon, eBay, Alibaba etc. These mini-fridge runs using the Peltier cooling method. |
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| MIDEA BAR FRIDGE~4 TICKS (minibar fridge) at SGD 119 at Gain City Singapore. This smaller less portable fridge can be installed at a corner of office area for mothers to share the cost and space. Several types at more affordable price is available and milk is stored at 4°C (good for up to 5 days). |
- Preferred bottles (we prefer Playtex)
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| Playtex VentAire bottles are our favourite. The nipple is not too confusing and the anti-colic mechanism works for us. |
- Diapers
To prevent nappy rashes, we used Vaseline Petroleum Jelly to produce a "waterproof coat" on the groin and back area. It worked better than applying Desitin Rapid Relief (Zinc oxide cream). In addition to the above measure, we try to wash off poo poo with warm bath at least twice daily (so that baby will feel fresh and any residual urine and dried stool is cleaned), and after the wash, we will apply a layer of Vaseline to baby. We have not tried this but some suggested using lightly salted water bath to clean and sooth baby's skin.
- Ambience
As for temperature, Singapore is hot and humid. At night, it is humid and cold. For our baby, we try to use the air-con to reduce the humidity and maintain the temperature at 29°C. A fan will be blowing to move the air inside our room. To prevent our baby from catching a cold, we would cover him with a cozy blanket. Sometimes, leaving the window open to let in warm night breeze is fine (but the humidity at night can be a pain at some nights especially when we stay at lower floor of our HDB flat).
Lighting is maintained at low. We normally will switch on the bathroom light. Also, I will be holding a torchlight at night to peek in the diaper to see if it needs changing before feeding time.
- Activity
- Cries
First thing I do when baby cries is to look at the time and see if it's feeding time. If it isn't, I will check the diaper and change it when needed. I will carry the baby and rub his back to see if there is any gas trapped in the stomach or throat. Any burp is an accomplishment. If the baby still cry, I will warm my palms by rubbing them together and then rest them on my baby's belly to sooth any discomfort there. I will apply medicated oil on the tummy as well. I will also massage the belly gently in a downward motion. If baby is still crying, I will carry him and walk around the room while rocking him gently on my arms. If all else fail, I will put him gently on the slanted baby rocking chair and let him cry for a while before carrying him again and rock him gently in my arm so that he will sleep after crying (a form of exercise for babies!). The reason babies cry inconsolably is due to discomfort (e.g. gas in the tummy, flatulence, or constipation due to formula milk or dehydration) BUT as parents, we have to be vigilant to ensure that inconsolable cries are not due to any discomforts that need medical attention.
That's all for now. It's a challenge being mothers. It would be nice if the dads can chip in once in a while to help. By feeding and changing my baby's diaper for two sessions, my wife gets to sleep for 4 hours uninterrupted. That is a luxury to her!
Just to share.
Dengue alert in the neighbourhood
Recently, it has been hot and rainy and surely a pleasant time for mosquitoes to breed. Not all mosquitoes are bad, but the ones that carry pathogens that can harm people should be avoided.
For example, mosquitoes that carry the parasite that causes malaria belongs to the genera Culex, Anopheles, Culiseta, Mansonia, and Aedes could act as Plasmodium carriers (Wikipedia).
Mosquito that carries the Dengue virus belongs to Aedes. For further information about the mode of transmission (and a brief introduction), read "Dengue transmission" (Nature) and "dengue control" (WHO).
In Singapore, active cluster of dengue outbreak can be referred to "Location of Active clusters" by DengueGovSg. Bishan and Tanah Merah currently in the red alert (with more dengue cases reported there).
Mine is at yellow alert. The National Environment Agency (NEA) officer came to visit my home recently to advise on removing probable mosquito breeding grounds, e.g. flower pots, plate, pail, slots for hanging poles outside to dry clothes, bathroom and toilet area.
The advisory note on Dengue had three important key points
For now, I guess if I am to bring my children out, I should at least use/wear the mosquito repellent on them. In addition, I should avoid bringing them out to sit at park's bench (and tempt mosquitoes to feast on us). I'm a B+ blood group and my kids are AB+. I'm not sure about the association between blood group and mosquito bites, but I can say that if I am among friends, I'm a "mosquito magnet". My kids are more prone to bites than me (so I can't shield them from bites by attracting mosquitoes to me instead).
Note that once an individual has been infected by dengue virus, that individual is immune against the virus. However, there are four types (or serotypes) of the virus. Immune against one doesn't preclude infection by the other three types. Also, if an individual is infected by one type followed by another at a short period of time, this individual could experience a severe immune response (due to the body memorizing the first attack and primed to give "all out" response to the second one - aka dengue shock syndrome (DSS)).
Summary
For example, mosquitoes that carry the parasite that causes malaria belongs to the genera Culex, Anopheles, Culiseta, Mansonia, and Aedes could act as Plasmodium carriers (Wikipedia).
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| Physical appearance of the mosquitoes belonging to the genera Culex, Anopheles, Culiseta, and Mansonia. The Aedes mosquito is not shown. A mosquito pest control company has a site with a comprehensive description of mosquitoes and the corresponding pathogens, "Mosquito control - Mosquitoes in Malaysia" (JamesWhiteAnt). |
| Aedes aegypti mosquito (sourced VectorBase). |
Mine is at yellow alert. The National Environment Agency (NEA) officer came to visit my home recently to advise on removing probable mosquito breeding grounds, e.g. flower pots, plate, pail, slots for hanging poles outside to dry clothes, bathroom and toilet area.
The advisory note on Dengue had three important key points
- Remove mosquito breeding ground
- Kill the mosquito larvae and adults with insecticide
- Avoid getting bitten (Aedes mosquitoes bite at certain time and by avoiding outdoor activities around that time would be advisable)
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| Dengue alert - Take immediate action advisory note from NEA. Key points are highlighted. |
For now, I guess if I am to bring my children out, I should at least use/wear the mosquito repellent on them. In addition, I should avoid bringing them out to sit at park's bench (and tempt mosquitoes to feast on us). I'm a B+ blood group and my kids are AB+. I'm not sure about the association between blood group and mosquito bites, but I can say that if I am among friends, I'm a "mosquito magnet". My kids are more prone to bites than me (so I can't shield them from bites by attracting mosquitoes to me instead).
Note that once an individual has been infected by dengue virus, that individual is immune against the virus. However, there are four types (or serotypes) of the virus. Immune against one doesn't preclude infection by the other three types. Also, if an individual is infected by one type followed by another at a short period of time, this individual could experience a severe immune response (due to the body memorizing the first attack and primed to give "all out" response to the second one - aka dengue shock syndrome (DSS)).
Summary
- Identify the type of mosquito that carries the Dengue virus.
- Check the information pertaining to where (or which alert level) the Dengue outbreak in my residential area is (DengueGovSg)
- What to do to prevent breeding of the mosquito.
- Protect ourselves by usage of insecticide and repellents.
Saturday, February 7, 2015
Baby's PR application at ICA Singapore
When you applied for baby's birth cert at the hospital, the staff there will give you the laminated birth cert and the Singapore Immigration & Checkpoint Authority instruction/manual (known as Advisory Note containing child's name, barcode, and birth cert number) on how to register baby's immigration status. Proceed to subsequent step when you have already got baby's passport from Malaysia embassy.
First
Prepare all the necessary documents (both photostat and original).
Address
Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA)
ICA Building
10 Kallang Road
Singapore 208718
Weekdays 8.00 am to 5.00 pm
Saturdays 8.00 am to 1.00 pm
Sundays & Public Holidays Closed
Busy days to Avoid:
Mondays, Fridays & Saturdays
Eve of / After Public Holidays
Q-Tickets Issuing Hours:
Weekdays 8.00 am to 4.30 pm
Saturdays 8.00 am to 12.30 pm
Once you have got the number, wait to be called. When at the counter, the officer will examine all the photostat and original documents. Baby will have to be there on this day. There will be a nursery room provided for mum and baby (near the toilet). If you haven't signed the application form, the officer will mark all the blanks that needs to be filled or signed. You can also opt for giving consent to ICA to check your financial status (e.g. tax and CPF). However, an employment letter stating that the sponsor is currently with the company will be needed (you can call your HR to submit the employment letter by Fax and the number will be given by the officer). If you can't get the HR to send this letter, the officer will need this letter on the next visit. Note that the employment letter should be dated/prepared within a month of application to be valid.
Once all the documents and form are completed, the waiting time for approval would be around 4 to 6 months time. Baby will be given a white card (ICA - Disembarkation / Embarkation Card) that will be valid for 3 months stay in Singapore (and need to be renewed subsequently). If in the event that the baby needs to travel before the 3 months, then the baby will need to renew the white card regularly (until the PR application is known).
Do approach any officers there for assistance. I got most information from them and they are very friendly and helpful.
First
Prepare all the necessary documents (both photostat and original).
- Both parents' passports and Singapore permanent resident (SPR) ICs (or work passes)
- Marriage cert in English (or get it translated)
- Birth cert (produced in Singapore)
- Advisory note (see above)
- Baby's passport (or letter of acknowledgement from embassy indicating that you are have submitted application for baby's passport).
- Baby's passport photos (white background printed matte). If you have your baby's photo, go to nearest photo printing shop and get it printed in matte form.
- Income tax notices of assessment (last 3 years) of parent
- CPF contribution (last 12 months) of parent
- Alternative to first & second would be to give consent for ICA to check these financial status. That way, you don't have to search for the IRAS notices for the past 3 years and CPF statement.
- Employment letter of sponsor (either of mum or dad) - if you can't get it immediately, the officer will waive it that day and ask for submission of that letter on subsequent visit.
Address
Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA)
ICA Building
10 Kallang Road
Singapore 208718
Weekdays 8.00 am to 5.00 pm
Saturdays 8.00 am to 1.00 pm
Sundays & Public Holidays Closed
Busy days to Avoid:
Mondays, Fridays & Saturdays
Eve of / After Public Holidays
Q-Tickets Issuing Hours:
Weekdays 8.00 am to 4.30 pm
Saturdays 8.00 am to 12.30 pm
Once you have got the number, wait to be called. When at the counter, the officer will examine all the photostat and original documents. Baby will have to be there on this day. There will be a nursery room provided for mum and baby (near the toilet). If you haven't signed the application form, the officer will mark all the blanks that needs to be filled or signed. You can also opt for giving consent to ICA to check your financial status (e.g. tax and CPF). However, an employment letter stating that the sponsor is currently with the company will be needed (you can call your HR to submit the employment letter by Fax and the number will be given by the officer). If you can't get the HR to send this letter, the officer will need this letter on the next visit. Note that the employment letter should be dated/prepared within a month of application to be valid.
Once all the documents and form are completed, the waiting time for approval would be around 4 to 6 months time. Baby will be given a white card (ICA - Disembarkation / Embarkation Card) that will be valid for 3 months stay in Singapore (and need to be renewed subsequently). If in the event that the baby needs to travel before the 3 months, then the baby will need to renew the white card regularly (until the PR application is known).
Do approach any officers there for assistance. I got most information from them and they are very friendly and helpful.
Malaysian birth cert & passport in Singapore
ICA Sg allows 42 postnatal days to finalize the passport and PR application for baby. First thing that I did for my baby was register his birth at the hospital. Having a name and birth certificate number would be much better than to be called "son of" in subsequent transactions.
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As mother and child needed rest, we would normally be unable to proceed to register our baby at the Malaysian embassy. To add to the problem, our baby had to be hospitalized for jaundice and that took away 4 days.
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There are several good blogs sharing very useful information pertaining to going about registering for Malaysian birth cert (aka Borang W) and later, baby's passport.
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Birth registration procedure is also explained thoroughly by the embassy website.
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First visit
Today, I'm going alone to check out the procedure before subjecting mother and child to the waiting line at the embassy. What I hope to accomplish is to get the application form (or Borang D), then fill out the particulars, and ask the relevant officers what to expect the next day. The embassy is located at Jervois Rd. To travel from green line, I would disembark at Redhill MRT, then take bus #32. At the 5th stop, disembark and travel by foot to the embassy building (as shown in Fig).
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Reached the embassy at 11.30am. I went to the security booth and asked the officers where to get Borang D. He directed me to the consular office. I swapped my driving license for a security pass. Inside the building, there will be a staff manning a desk who will assist applicants to fill and submit a complete form. I asked for a Borang D. On an attached slip will state what are required during submission. I asked for the best time to reach the embassy. He said, babies will have priority and there will not be a queue, hence come at a convenient time.
There seems to be a minor change to section C of the form. Instead of filling in children's particular, you are supposed to fill in particular of either one parent.
Note that those blanks that is not applicable, just fill in "Tiada".
Second visit
Once I have filled in the particulars in borang D, and I have prepared the photostat documents (and clipping along with originals), passport photos of baby (2 pieces with white background), one each of parents' passport photo, I proceeded to Malaysia embassy again.
For submission of borang D, baby, mummy and daddy have to be there. Once at the embassy, proceed to the consular office and meet the person who passed you the borang D. There are two staffs who are really friendly and extremely helpful. They will be able to help you if you have all the needed documents.
Baby will have to get his/her thumbprints stamped on the borang D. Then, all the necessary photostat documents need to be clipped together (this will be done by the staff there). Next, you will have to leave your Malaysian ICs (both parents) and baby's birth cert behind for processing. The officer at the counter will ask for payment (it was less than SGD 12 for me), and then provide a chit stating that two ICs and a birth cert are withheld for processing (there will be a collection date stated on the chit). The officer will ask parents to register with the embassy office at Official website of high commission of Malaysia, Singapore website and then print the submitted form during the next visit to collect the baby cert (a new step because for our previous application, we didn't do this).
Next, proceed to the passport/immigration section and move to counter 10 (you will have to queue). When you are at the counter, ask for the form to apply for baby passport. The officer will ask for the photostat of ICs, passports (there is a photostat machine if you don't have copy of these documents), and baby's passport size photos (two pieces) and he/she will ask to see the baby (for verification). Allow the officer to verify the baby's photo with the baby. Once done, the officer will provide a chit with the queue number and further instruction on what to bring along on the next visit (which is the day you collect the birth cert or Borang W). Baby will not need to come on next visit if the photo has been verified by the officer that day.
All in all, you will have a chit for collecting birth cert (Borang W) and a chit (with queue number for proceeding with baby's passport application once you have the Borang W). Note that photostat machine and photo taking booth are available in the embassy. The only thing you have to prepare prior to visit embassy would be the baby's passport photo (it would be challenging to get your baby to open his/her eyes while looking straight to the camera).
Third visit
It took about less than a week to collect the birth cert (Borang W). I went to the consular office (baby and mummy stayed at home), and proceeded to collect the birth cert. Then I headed directly to counter 10 of the passport application section. I showed the chit and the officer took the corresponding folder (with the queue number printed on the folder) and asked for the necessary documents (photostat and original), e.g. parents' M'sia ICs, SPR ICs, passports (if not provided earlier), and baby's borang W. Once these documents are tallied and clipped together, another chit with queue number will be given. Wait for the queue number and proceed to the counter for passport application. The officer will ask for the payment (SGD 42) and then pass you a chit informing the collection date/time for the passport (it will be at 2.30 pm onwards).
Fourth visit (if you were late in sending the application form like I did, i.e. around 11 am, then you will have to return the next day)
Last visit, I came early around 2.15 pm and waited at the embassy compound. The door opens at 2.30 pm. An officer there said that he will call us by the Q number (the one that I got from the security booth before entering the embassy compound). The chit with the number is for referring to the folder/passport application.
After the call and later queuing to get to the counter, the officer at the counter will pass the passport to me and ask me to verify the details. I looked at the name (okay), the birth date (okay), sex (okay), height (okay), and the last one was "identification number" which I was not familiar with. The officer said the number is the same as birth cert's number. I proceeded to tally that number with Borang W (okay). Done and signed the form for acknowledgement.
Last, re-check all the original documents and make sure I have retrieve all of them (especially considering that I'm holding my wife's and kid's documents and hence making a bulk of them. Having a folder to keep all these is helpful).
Phew (a sigh of relieve), everything is done at Malaysia embassy. Next stop, ICA near Lavender MRT station.
Related blogs
-
As mother and child needed rest, we would normally be unable to proceed to register our baby at the Malaysian embassy. To add to the problem, our baby had to be hospitalized for jaundice and that took away 4 days.
-
There are several good blogs sharing very useful information pertaining to going about registering for Malaysian birth cert (aka Borang W) and later, baby's passport.
-
Birth registration procedure is also explained thoroughly by the embassy website.
-
First visit
Today, I'm going alone to check out the procedure before subjecting mother and child to the waiting line at the embassy. What I hope to accomplish is to get the application form (or Borang D), then fill out the particulars, and ask the relevant officers what to expect the next day. The embassy is located at Jervois Rd. To travel from green line, I would disembark at Redhill MRT, then take bus #32. At the 5th stop, disembark and travel by foot to the embassy building (as shown in Fig).
 |
| Get to Malaysia embassy by bus. Dotted line is bus route while the solid line is by foot. The embassy is starred. Alternatively, I tried walking to the embassy from Tiong Bahru Plaza and it took me less than 15 min to reach. |
-
Reached the embassy at 11.30am. I went to the security booth and asked the officers where to get Borang D. He directed me to the consular office. I swapped my driving license for a security pass. Inside the building, there will be a staff manning a desk who will assist applicants to fill and submit a complete form. I asked for a Borang D. On an attached slip will state what are required during submission. I asked for the best time to reach the embassy. He said, babies will have priority and there will not be a queue, hence come at a convenient time.
 |
| This is the front page of Borang D with instruction on how to fill the form and also what to bring along for birth cert (aka Borang W) application. |
There seems to be a minor change to section C of the form. Instead of filling in children's particular, you are supposed to fill in particular of either one parent.
Note that those blanks that is not applicable, just fill in "Tiada".
Second visit
Once I have filled in the particulars in borang D, and I have prepared the photostat documents (and clipping along with originals), passport photos of baby (2 pieces with white background), one each of parents' passport photo, I proceeded to Malaysia embassy again.
For submission of borang D, baby, mummy and daddy have to be there. Once at the embassy, proceed to the consular office and meet the person who passed you the borang D. There are two staffs who are really friendly and extremely helpful. They will be able to help you if you have all the needed documents.
Baby will have to get his/her thumbprints stamped on the borang D. Then, all the necessary photostat documents need to be clipped together (this will be done by the staff there). Next, you will have to leave your Malaysian ICs (both parents) and baby's birth cert behind for processing. The officer at the counter will ask for payment (it was less than SGD 12 for me), and then provide a chit stating that two ICs and a birth cert are withheld for processing (there will be a collection date stated on the chit). The officer will ask parents to register with the embassy office at Official website of high commission of Malaysia, Singapore website and then print the submitted form during the next visit to collect the baby cert (a new step because for our previous application, we didn't do this).
 |
| Go to the Official site of High Comm Malaysia, Singapore and click on the "e-consular" tab. Proceed to filling the online form. When you are done, print out the submission and remember to bring them (both daddy and mummy) along during birth cert collection. |
Next, proceed to the passport/immigration section and move to counter 10 (you will have to queue). When you are at the counter, ask for the form to apply for baby passport. The officer will ask for the photostat of ICs, passports (there is a photostat machine if you don't have copy of these documents), and baby's passport size photos (two pieces) and he/she will ask to see the baby (for verification). Allow the officer to verify the baby's photo with the baby. Once done, the officer will provide a chit with the queue number and further instruction on what to bring along on the next visit (which is the day you collect the birth cert or Borang W). Baby will not need to come on next visit if the photo has been verified by the officer that day.
All in all, you will have a chit for collecting birth cert (Borang W) and a chit (with queue number for proceeding with baby's passport application once you have the Borang W). Note that photostat machine and photo taking booth are available in the embassy. The only thing you have to prepare prior to visit embassy would be the baby's passport photo (it would be challenging to get your baby to open his/her eyes while looking straight to the camera).
Third visit
It took about less than a week to collect the birth cert (Borang W). I went to the consular office (baby and mummy stayed at home), and proceeded to collect the birth cert. Then I headed directly to counter 10 of the passport application section. I showed the chit and the officer took the corresponding folder (with the queue number printed on the folder) and asked for the necessary documents (photostat and original), e.g. parents' M'sia ICs, SPR ICs, passports (if not provided earlier), and baby's borang W. Once these documents are tallied and clipped together, another chit with queue number will be given. Wait for the queue number and proceed to the counter for passport application. The officer will ask for the payment (SGD 42) and then pass you a chit informing the collection date/time for the passport (it will be at 2.30 pm onwards).
Fourth visit (if you were late in sending the application form like I did, i.e. around 11 am, then you will have to return the next day)
Last visit, I came early around 2.15 pm and waited at the embassy compound. The door opens at 2.30 pm. An officer there said that he will call us by the Q number (the one that I got from the security booth before entering the embassy compound). The chit with the number is for referring to the folder/passport application.
After the call and later queuing to get to the counter, the officer at the counter will pass the passport to me and ask me to verify the details. I looked at the name (okay), the birth date (okay), sex (okay), height (okay), and the last one was "identification number" which I was not familiar with. The officer said the number is the same as birth cert's number. I proceeded to tally that number with Borang W (okay). Done and signed the form for acknowledgement.
Last, re-check all the original documents and make sure I have retrieve all of them (especially considering that I'm holding my wife's and kid's documents and hence making a bulk of them. Having a folder to keep all these is helpful).
Phew (a sigh of relieve), everything is done at Malaysia embassy. Next stop, ICA near Lavender MRT station.
Related blogs
Tuesday, February 3, 2015
My kid is learning inflection from play school
Inflection (noun) means modulation of voice or change in pitch or tone of voice (TheFreeDictionary).
Our kid is picking up few words and the accompanying inflection from play school. Although it is adorable seeing our 3 yo kid speaking like adults (i.e. in condescending tone to children), we are hoping that she is not deprived of fun while being disciplined at school.
It's really tricky teaching 2 to 3 yo how to behave the way we want them to. Sometimes I do understand that we need to be a little disciplinarian, but at times I prefer to treat them as little adults with rights to say no to us and best if they can learn to reason too. That is one way we would want our kid to grow up emulating rather than being terrified of being reprimanded if they break rules or expectations. Instead of waiting for a consent, kids should be thought to ask for them (consents) regularly and back them up with sound reasons (or assurance for safety or responsibility).
Some of the things our kid started doing are,
I just hope that our kid will start enjoying going to school and also share her experience there without being asked. Most of the time when we asked her what she is doing at school, her reply was "nothing" or "I waited at a corner for mummy and daddy to fetch me home". Of course, it wasn't true that she did nothing in school. Probably she is just too lazy to divulge details (or uninterested).
Our kid is picking up few words and the accompanying inflection from play school. Although it is adorable seeing our 3 yo kid speaking like adults (i.e. in condescending tone to children), we are hoping that she is not deprived of fun while being disciplined at school.
It's really tricky teaching 2 to 3 yo how to behave the way we want them to. Sometimes I do understand that we need to be a little disciplinarian, but at times I prefer to treat them as little adults with rights to say no to us and best if they can learn to reason too. That is one way we would want our kid to grow up emulating rather than being terrified of being reprimanded if they break rules or expectations. Instead of waiting for a consent, kids should be thought to ask for them (consents) regularly and back them up with sound reasons (or assurance for safety or responsibility).
Some of the things our kid started doing are,
- Waving her index finger, she told us that we can't do this and that, e.g. "mama, don't do that", "papa, go away, don't come here".
- When papa was singing lullaby to her, she suddenly said to me, "papa, can you please stop singing now". Our girl loved to sing and sometimes, she would be carried away with singing and might not be paying attention to us or teacher, and we are guessing that probably one of the teacher had asked her to stop singing in order to pay attention in class.
- Out in the blue one night, she was saying to her lion kitty doll, "close your mouth now, one... two... three...". I guess that's what the teacher told her when she started crying in school and the count up was a time limit.
I just hope that our kid will start enjoying going to school and also share her experience there without being asked. Most of the time when we asked her what she is doing at school, her reply was "nothing" or "I waited at a corner for mummy and daddy to fetch me home". Of course, it wasn't true that she did nothing in school. Probably she is just too lazy to divulge details (or uninterested).
Lesson for lil bud: Prepositions
Teaching my lil bud about prepositions is made easy by this site,"Prepositions made easy: Preposition definitions for location and movement" by RealLife. This cartoon taken from their site is self explanatory!
In addition, they have made videos about prepositions, e.g.
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| Preposition made easy with cartoon. |
In addition, they have made videos about prepositions, e.g.
- In, On, and At (link here)
- About the people at RealLife.
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