Pregnant Daddy

Our short trip to the FARMART

2014-02-03T23:39:00.001+08:00

While having our breakfast, we were pondering over how we should spend our Sunday as a family. Our choices were quite limited as we were looking for attractions that are near our place and hopefully somewhere where we need not fork out a substantial sum of money just to visit. In the end FARM MART was our best choice.

As it was a Sunday, we were expecting a huge crowd of people but to our surprise it looks like a dead town. Most of the shops were either closed or moved out. Further up, there were only 2 or 3 people fishing for prawns. Years back, prawn fishing was quite popular...We were lost for words. It seems like FARM MART has lost its appeal. Nonetheless, we decided to head towards the mini farm area where they house the goats, rabbits, mouse and guinea pigs...

Luckily, the mini farm turns out to be the only fun place for the kids. For just $5, we were able to purchase small packets of vegetables which my kids took turns to feed the animals.

HOW TO GET THERE

Its advisable to drive your car there, the parking fees is about $0.50/hour. There seems to be a bus that service that area but you may have to walk a short distance to reach FARM MART.

Choosing the right milk bottle

2013-12-30T21:26:00.000+08:00

DADDY GOES SHOPPING FOR BABY STUFF

I believe this is one of the process which all soon to be parents will go through. Finding the right milk bottle. Although our government strongly encourages breast feeding, what they do not understand is that majority of the mothers are working mums. Once the 4 months maternity leave is up, there are basically two options. Buy a mechanical breast pump and pump out the milk and store it in the fridge for later use; hopefully a caretaker can warm it up and feed the baby or switch to formula milk. Majority of mums chose the latter. Because it is just too convenient, can you imagine using the breast pump in the middle of the night or during your free time. Believe me, it is very tiring. From a daddy's point of view....

Hence we decided to embark on a mini journey to find the right milk bottle for our little baby girl. Being clueless, i thought that it was an easy process. I mean, how hard can it be!? Its just a bottle, right?

Well, i was wrong. I can still remember the day when i stood in front of a gigantic shelf (It was really gigantic) of baby bottles. In all shapes and sizes. I took one box and looked at the description. One word baffled me. "Colic", i started scratching my head. Apparently, this bottle was designed in such a way that can assist in preventing colic. Whats COLIC?! I shoved that aside, picked up another brand, this one stated feeding nipple is shaped naturally liked the nipples of the mother. Your child would not be able to tell the difference. Hmm..i not too sure about that. Hence, the rest of the day was spent checking the type of bottles.

There came a point in time where we decided to get some assistance from the sales marketer..Hence, another half and hour was spent introducing the products to us. Eventually we were comtemplating between two brands.

1. TOMMY TIPPEE

This was one of the newest brands and from the description, it sort of states that it is the one and for all usage bottle. It promises to prevent colic, nipples were shaped naturally to a mother's nipple, easy to hold for baby, environmentally safe, etc. **Check out here for the latest designs and specifications, cause when we bought this bottle, it was 5 years ago and up till now Tommy Tippee have actually introduced some new features.

2. AVENT

Heard this was one of the highly recommended brands from majority of mothers. It also has the same features as described from Tommy Tippee milk bottles. **Check out here for the latest designs and specifications.

In the end, we settled on the former, Tommy Tippee. The shape of the bottle was rather unique and we believed that it will be much easier for a baby to hold.

Fast forward 5 years, our baby girl have finally grown up and this bottle has actually accompanied her through her growing up phase. The bottle is still in good condition and she is still occasionally drinking from it. But of the course the feeding nipples were changed every half yearly as my daughter tend to bite it while drinking causing the rubber feeding hole to split. Ouch...

When our second daughter was born, we decided to use Avent this time round. Both brands have actually served us well and we have no complaints about it. Oh, if you are curious on whether the bottles prevent any colic, my answer is, we had good night sleeps while they were using the bottles. :). But of course it varies between different babies. We were lucky....

Pregnant Daddy
To Boldly go where no Daddys have gone before

Weekend Outings

2013-09-21T09:51:00.003+08:00

Finally! After some planning, we have decided to have some family time last weekend.

Our first stop: Dairy Farm Nature Park

I'm glad that that we have such a huge park and my kids simply love coming here. The first thing that my daughter would always do, was to take pictures!

Not very sure why she took this shot, i edited it to enhance the stone's presence.

Another of her "creative" shots. Apparently the snail left its house behind..maybe upgrading to a bigger one..

Baby sister fell and took a tumble.Minor scratches. Point to note, no running on uneven ground....

Decided to proceed for our next stop, dark cloud looming. Seems like its gonna rain anytime soon. While moving back to our car, we saw a family of monkeys. Sensing their hostility, decided not to provoke them. Took the photos from afar...really very far...

Super heavy rain!!! Made the right decision of leaving early, else our family outing would have been cut short.

Next Stop: Nirvana Memorial Garden

We decided to drop by to visit my late great-grandmother. Her ashes was moved to this fantastic place last year. People always believed that crematoriums were eerie places and by all means would avoid visiting. But Nirvana Memorial Garden broke the tradition, the atmosphere here is warm and comfortable. Nothing like the eerie crematoriums you have seen in movies or dramas.

*Anyone who is interested to view the place can call up my agent.(Drop me a mail/comment) She will gladly give you a tour.

Next Stop: Jurong Point Shopping Center

Mummy's favorite shopping place. Kerin is feeling the strain, decided to stay behind and accompany daddy. While mummy embarks on her quest for woman's wear and accessories.

Jurong Point was our last stop, time passes very fast when you are having fun! Who says Singapore has no fun places to explore?! If you took the time to plan the trip, everywhere would be a great place for families to hang out.

Pregnant Daddy
To boldly go where no daddys has gone before

The tablet generation

2013-09-11T13:55:00.001+08:00

While dining at MacDonald with my kids, i happen to notice this particular family sitting right in front of us. What caught my attention was actually their kids, both the boys were generally about 5 to 6 years old. They were sitting quietly at their tables, you must be thinking that its perfectly normal and their parents must have disciplined them well. Except that their eyes were actually glued to the tablets that they were holding, one of them was playing "Candy Crush" and the other was playing some monster slashing game.While the maid was happily feeding the fries into their mouths, their focus were never diverted, eyes straight at the tablet with their mouths munching the fries in synchrony. In my mind, they were just like robots...

I am guilty of such behavior as well, so i can't complain much. There were times where my kids just simply can't sit quietly at one corner and the only way to “calm" them down would be to whip out my tablet and let them play my favorite game, candy crush. Surprisingly, it worked...but what i will always do is this :

No playing and eating at the same time, let them make the decision of doing only one thing at one time. Let them focus only on one activity. My emphasis here is "focus". What i am trying to do here is to build up their concentration, i have seen many kids doing too many things at one time. Have you tried listening to music and studying at the same time?
Playing games is only limited within a certain timing, i generally allow minimum 15 minutes and they will be the ones to check the timing and stop once the time is up. I would prefer that they willingly hand me the tablet rather than i snatch it back from them. Hopefully, such actions would instill some discipline in their daily activities.

If they want to play, they have to share. I will never buy identical toys, this will result in playing by themselves and not together. My eldest will always make an effort to share her toys with her cousins. But sometimes desires can cloud her judgement and petty fights or arguments do happen. However, I will not interfere or solve their problem, they will solve it themselves.

I may look like a very strict dad, but at the end of the day, what i want is to provide the best for my kids. Rather than buying expensive toys or electronics and letting them play endlessly. why not teach them your life lessons or stuffs which you experienced along the way, impart skills and knowledge so that they can become better adults.

Pregnant Daddy
To boldly go where no daddys has gone before

I learned...

2013-08-16T10:51:00.000+08:00

I learned that the first day that my kid was born, my days of partying will have to stop,
I learned that breast milk is the most important source of food, and an automatic breast pump is better than the manual ones,

I learned to start remembering the sizes and brand of diaper my kid wears, so that i won't keep buying the wrong ones,

I learned to prepare the right temperature of milk formula so that my kid will not be scalded by the hot water,
I learned to clean up the house, so that my kid can roam freely and mess up the place again,
I learned that feeding time is the most fun moment for the kids, cause i had to make funny faces to get them to eat,
I learned to control my temper whenever my kids tries to irritate me but all they wanted was just to get my attention,
I learned to cherish the minute things that i used to have cause my kids tend to destroy them without you knowing,
I learned that spending time with my kids is better than playing the Xbox or Playstation,
I learned that Elmo was once my best friend and its great that he is still around entertaining us,

I learned to sing the nursery rhymes, although not to the correct tunes but as long as my kid likes them, i'm already a super star,
I learned to identify the toys my kids like, so that i know what to buy for their birthday,
I learned that almost every item is edible or chewable and i have to ensure that they are cleaned,
I learned to save my money, so that i can prepare for their high cost of education,

But most of all, i learned that there are still more things to learn and graduation is still a long way to go....

Pregnant Daddy

To boldly go where no daddys have gone

Singapore 48th National Day

2013-08-09T15:51:00.000+08:00

First of all, i would like to say Happy 48th National Day Singapore!!! Its great to be part of the celebration, but we couldn't get the tickets to the floating platform, looks like have to settle with the TV at home...again.

My daughter can't wait to celebrate this event and she has actually volunteered to make the National Flag, i was quite surprised and this time without me suggesting in the first place. Looks like her child care center has taught her well. In fact the center started the celebration earlier and she told me that she had a great time and hence wanted to bring the same atmosphere to our home. Before i knew it, she had started to make the Singapore flag.

Coloring my flag

Tadah!!

Nothing too fanciful, but 100 marks for the effort!

Why the name "Pregnant Daddy"??

2013-08-05T01:48:00.001+08:00

I have received questions about my blog name "Pregnant Daddy". Alot of people were wondering why i gave such a strange name. Is it because that i am really pregnant? Or am i actually a woman posing as a man writing for the blog? Well, to clear the air. I am indeed a man and no i am not pregnant. To make it easier to explain, i have uploaded a picture of myself carrying my kid in a baby carrier. Initially, i wanted to call myself "Carrier Daddy". But it sounds weird and distant. I wanted to have a name that portrays my close bond with my kids and also a catchy name that people can remember easily. It took me a few days, and it only struck me when i was looking at my wife's photo. She was few months pregnant when i took a photo of her. In that photo, her two hands were touching her stomach and she was feeling for the baby's movements. To me, it is the greatest thing that a woman can experience. And for me to imitate or experience such phenomenon, the best alternative would be carrying my kid on a baby carrier. Hence, when the opportunity came, i took this picture. My kid's hands safely held by mine...as if i was pregnant.

Origins of Pregnant Daddy

Pregnant Daddy
To boldly go where no daddys has gone before!

Hello Kitty Toy from Macdonald's

2013-07-31T13:00:00.000+08:00

Why are everyone so crazy about the Minions! I would rather have this! This was actually given out by Macdonald's when you purchase their Happy Meal. Brought a smile to my daughter too!

Hello Kitty Spinning Toy

bought with Macdonald's Happy Meal

Throwing tantrums

2013-07-29T01:20:00.001+08:00

Lets face it, there is no where in the world whereby a kid does not throw tantrums! Rather than letting them get away with it, why not try out some tricks to calm them down. Exercise with caution though, not all kids are the same!

1. The "STARE"

Works on : 3 year and above kids

I did this at a local mall while i was window shopping with my kid. As you all know, the minute they see the toy department. All hell breaks loose, its toy grabbing time! But being a good daddy, i decided to stay around for 15 minutes to let her bask in the wonders of toy land. She could never have been happier. But what i did not emphasize or tell her was that we are not gonna buy any toys, just play and put it back once you're done. Well, as predicted i decided to end the fun and instructed to move off. Suddenly, it started with a stomping, next was the arms swinging and the first word she uttered was "NO"! I added with "Its time to go". Her response was a loud wailing and eventually she started to cry. People were watching us and i needed to find a solution quick. Suddenly i remembered that whenever i irritated my wife while doing stuffs she doesn't like, she would give me the cold stare and
i would be instantly transformed into a little puppy. Hence i decided to try that. I stopped talking and gave her a stern look, It helps if your face has this natural fierce look. The weird thing happened. She stopped crying. This method works a few times, but kids are smart and they evolve to realize that my stare is not scary sometimes. Hence gotta improvise or use other methods.

2. Counting down or counting up

Works on : 3 year and above kids or below if they know how to count...

When i mean counting down or up, i literally meant to start counting 1, 2, 3 or 3, 2, 1. I got this tip from one of my colleagues while we were chatting about each others kids. Apparently, whenever his kid throws a tantrum, he would respond by saying "Look, i am gonna start counting. And when that ends, you better stop your screaming". The crying continues, "3"! The crying still continues..."2"! The crying still continues. "1"! Magically, the crying minimizes and the situation was under control. I was quite skeptical initially, but when the opportunity arises i decided to give it a try. It did worked majority of the times and i can tell that my kid knows that i am serious. It seems that they have this perception whereby if they do not control themselves when i complete my counting, something bad will happen to them. But the funny thing is this, i never for once told them what would happen if they do not stop once i finish counting...

I have been using this trick frequently, works good for me!

3. Ice Cream or any other sweet stuff

Works on 2 years and above kids.

Need i say more? sweet stuff, who doesn't love them. But be prepared to clean up the mess though.

I don't use this often, coz gotta fork out money to coax them. Unless i feel like having some ice cream

4. Distract them

Works on 1 year and above kids, especially when they start to understand and speak simple words

My second daughter seems to respond to this trick very well. Every time she starts crying uncontrollably, i would say. "Where's the monkey? Can you find the monkey?" Then i will start pointing around asking her whether the monkey is there or at another place. Amazingly, my daughter will stop crying and began searching for the monkey! If finding monkey doesn't work for you, then improvise! As long as it can distract them, it will work!

I use this frequently too, its fun to find the non-existent monkey

Well, i guess that's all i have for the moment.If there's anyone who is keen to share. Feel free to drop your comments! I look forward to more tips and tricks!

Pregnant Daddy

To boldly go where no man has gone before!

My second reason to smile for every single day...

2013-07-18T00:00:00.002+08:00

My second angel

Memories

2013-05-01T00:45:00.000+08:00

Fever - tips on tackling them

2012-08-07T10:05:00.000+08:00

Children's fever has always been the number one headache for all parents. Imagine the increased in crying and fussiness your child exhibits. Here are few tips which i have acquired over the years, hope it helps:

My test subject: 3 year old daughter

Sponging : Sponging really helps to cool your child down. Not only will they feel better, they will also join in the fun by sponging themselves. No requirement to buy a good sponge though, normal cloth will do. But do remember to prepare another set of clothes after sponging, you don't want them to catch a cold as well.
Glucose drink: Does your child refuses to eat? Why not try glucose drink. I found out this tip the hard way when i brought my child down to the hospital, her fever was close to 40 degrees and she just refuses to eat anything or vomits whatever she had eaten. So the nurse made her a glucose drink, and guess what, she drank it all up. Apparently, it tasted sweet. Glucose drink can be bought at your local supermarkets, add a few scoops and top it up with water and thats it! If your child tend to be fussy, you can try those glucose with added flavours such as orange or blackcurrant. Colored water tend to attract the kids as well. Word of caution though, i would only give glucose as my last resort if my child simply refuses to eat or drink. I stll feel that milk formula or decent meals should be given instead. So parents, understand your situation before reacting.
Cooling gel paste( for forehead): Whoever invented this is a god sent, i will always stock up on gel paste whenever i can. And 1 box will always be in the fridge to be ready for usage. My advice, buy 2 or boxes. You never know when you need it.
Thermometer: Parents, please invest in a good thermometer. Preferably those that can tell the reading within seconds. Can you imagine the frustration when they are furiously fighting you from letting you take their temperature?! Technology has been advancing everyday and thermometers have improved drastically, so don't save money. Buy a good one!!

Disclaimer : All posts are based on blogger's experience and solely for informational purposes.

Instructions to parents on newborns

2012-03-11T11:48:00.001+08:00

Well, it has been a hell of a week! Got this valuable information from the hospital when we checked out the ward. How i hoped that they were given to us before the baby was born, so that we can be prepared with whats gonna happen next. Haha, sometimes we have to learn the hard way...

Instructions to Parents

The following phenomena are normal in newborns:

1. Slight Jaundice
2. Skin dryness / Peeling
3. Red rashes on body
4. Watery Eyes
5. Hiccuping during or after feeds
6. Regurgitation and occasional vomiting after feeds
7. Mucus in the the regurgitate / vomits
8. Frequent stools
9. Stool colour - Yellow and or Green
10. Breast engorgement even in baby
11. Withdrawal bleed in vagina
12. Sneezing / occasional cough
13. Cord usually drops off at the end of the 2nd Week (See another post on what happen if the cord drops off earlier)

If your baby becomes ill at any time, you should bring him/her to your doctor. It is important if you see any of the following:

1. Vomiting (Not just spitting up)
2. Not sucking or nursing well or strongly several times in a row
3. More than 2 or 3 watery bowel movement in a day (After 2 weeks). Especially if not on breast feeding
4. Lack of normal activity or hard to wake up / lethargy
5. Temperature over 37.7 Degree Centigrade
6. Jaundice (After 3 weeks)
7. Bleeding, pus or very bad smell at the umbilical cord (Naval) or circumcision site
8. A lot more crying or a strange sounding cry

Anyone want to elaborate on this strange sounding cry? I for one have not encountered this before..

9. A cough that does not go away
10. An unusual or sever rash

Hope these information helps when you are looking after your baby. But like i say said, these are purely informational. If in the event that you feel that your newborn is not developing right or showing signs of abnormal signs and symptoms, please do not hesitate to consult your doctor!

Understanding your baby, Priscilla Dunstan

2012-02-08T10:27:00.000+08:00

I am sure that everyone of us have had our fustrations of not understanding what our baby actually wants. Now, here comes Priscilla Dunstan who have in a way managed to decipher baby languages. Attached is a video which strongly i urge all mummys and daddys to watch!

Pregnant Daddy is back! Armed with knowledge and thirsting to share!

2012-02-08T10:19:00.000+08:00

Hello dearest bloggers! It has been a while since i last blog. 3 years and counting, my daughter have grown so much and she's now in her second year of nursery. There are so many things to share based on what i have learnt during my 3 years of tough training as a daddy. Alot of trials and error, but i am proud to say that i have survived it well. My lovely wife will be delivering our second child around March this year and we have definitely prepared well this time for her arrival. Attached is a checklist which i got from my gynae's advertising vendor, i added some more information based on the experience i had with my first child. Hope this helps! Do stay tuned for more posts, this time with more informative stuff for both 1st timers and experienced parents who are willing to share their experiences. See ya!

Teething...

2009-05-23T18:17:00.002+08:00

I guess every parents should have encounter this horror of teething...which is the impending high fever!!! It was a restless battle every day. I mean, looking at your children not feeling well is already a heart pain. Plus their endless cries is devastating!! Sometimes their temperature could drop for a while and then back to 40 degrees before you can even heave a sigh of relief.. Did i mention that children just hate to take their medicine!? I tasted it myself, it was sweet and frankly speaking... i quite like it... but my girl would squirm even at the sight of it. hell, i even had to force it down her throat with a syringe!!! Kudos to someone for coming up with such an idea.

Sleeping... with her blocked nose and coughing. i can gurantee you that you wont sleep untill they sleep.. and that will be a challenge unless you can sing your lullabies well...

Thanks to my daughter though... come to think of it, it seems nice and comforting knowing that you will always be there come rain or shine to hold her tightly when she needs it the most.. that sure makes my father's day worthwhile...

My 3 months with baby

2008-12-18T20:48:00.002+08:00

Our little girl is beginning to notice daddy's and mummy's voice. I tried to experiment a few times where i stopped talking or singing. She stopped smiling, but once i spoke a few words, she smiles again!

What to expect of a 3 month old baby??

- We notice that she sometimes refuses to drink! It can be only 30ml or maximum to 90ml. Her previous amount was about 150ml. Worried that she may be under eating, we increased the feed to every 3 hours. It helped sometimes, but her low feed still continues. Funny thing was when i was feeding while she was half asleep, she drank the whole bottle of 160ml. Any mums or dads ever encounter such problems? Thinking that this might not be serious, i decided to observe for a while ;>
- Her hands are getting touchy touchy. She likes touching the toys presented to her and sometimes she would talk in her baby language endlessly to them.
- Start cleaning your toys! Our baby keeps biting them.
- Even her mittens needs to be cleaned. Got one advice from my relatives. To separate baby clothes and clean with baby friendly detergent. You never know what she could be eating with her mittens.
- Her laughter gets louder, even the slightest movement or funny face made by you can make the baby laugh!!

The reason to smile for every single day...

2008-11-24T20:38:00.002+08:00

My two months with baby!

2008-11-15T10:08:00.010+08:00

I guess its been a long time since i blogged, just in case you're wondering. I was having my exams the past few weeks. But since its over now, im back to my pregnant daddy status! Having a baby around sure adds in alot of motivation while im tired from studying or a long hectic day from work. My 2nd month with the baby was fruitful!

Fifth Week:

Increased in amount of milk been fed. She sure can drink! Had a little minor hiccups when she had diarrohea. Her stool was of liquid form and streaks of blood could be seen. As first time parents, we were definitly shocked. Therefore we brought her to see the doctor and his advice was:

1. Signs of Blood: Could be due to tear while baby was passing motion while squeezing too "hard". We were told to observe if there was any increase in blood. ( Well, it didnt. So we were glad it was just a minor tear)

2. Diarohhea could be caused by: Family member having it! Yes, diarrhoea is contagious! Or cleaning of bottles was not done thoroughly. We do have nieces and nephews at my mum's place and they were reported to have diarrhoea. So i guess they must have spread it to her..

3. Not to panic: Its normal for babies to have diarrhoea, but if it lasts for 3 or more days. Its advisable to see the specialist.

Sixth Week - Eighth Week

Crying seen to be getting less annoying. Maybe we were getting used to it... Baby is smiling more often, and cooing sounds can be heard whenever she wants attention. Her clothes are getting more fitting as she grows bigger everyday. We had fun dressing her up!

Her sleep routine ia getting better. Night times are prolonged and sometimes she can even sleep through the night! We were wondering whether we should wake her up for feeding, as we were worried that she might be hungry. But we waited for her to wake up automatically instead as we believed that she needs ample sleep and plus the fact that we need the sleep too. :>

Her hands and legs movement are getting more active and sometimes she will unknowingly grasp our fingers with her tiny little hand.

Her head is still soft at this particular moment of time. If you look hard enough, you can even see the top part of her head is moving like a heart pumping in motion!

I guess being a parent has its advantages and disadvantages. Sometimes you my lose sleep or even feel restless from all the late nights of feeding and baby handling (especially cleaning the poop). But whenever you see the baby smiling when she sees you or when you are talking to her. It felt like you have drank 10 bottles or red bull!

Are we really safe from harm?

2008-10-26T08:27:00.003+08:00

Just when i was reading the newspaper this morning. Reports of more contanimated products were surfaced again. What has happened to our society? What degraded the ethics of the businessmen to carry out such underhand methods? Don't they ever think about the health and safety concerns that may impact our people or even their own families!?

Horrible pictures of newborns being diagnosed of kidney stones, were subjected to painful needle injections. Although they might not know what is happening. They still can feel the bloody pain! Their crys of help, their tears. These are signs to tell their loved ones of the pain they are going through...

The world is not safe anymore. Not only are we defending ourselves from natural disasters. But humans as well...

My one month with baby!

2008-10-01T23:17:00.004+08:00

My 1^st feeding. Prepare for some serious handling!

Time does pass fast! It only seemed like yesterday, when we were in the labour room. My words of encouragement to persuade my wife on pushing harder and the arrival of our new born right in front of our eyes. All these significant events have zipped past and will always be embedded in our memories! I would like to give my 2 cents worth of the development of baby during the one month of intense training and sleepless nights. Hope my advice could help some daddys out who is still battling with your child on "feeding" issues.

First week

I would believe this is where the baby starts to mark her environment. Crying is her way of saying she is hungry. My take is if you are breast feeding; do take note that breast milk is still not available until the 3^rd day (for first mothers). Maybe you could try partial feeding, 1 time formula and the other time breast feed. Let the baby suckle the mother's nipple even if there's no milk (Mothers: do not worry, there will be milk eventually). This is to let the baby bond with the mother. You might notice the baby to be a bit yellowish in skin colour, my advice is to see the doctor if it gets too yellowish. They will conduct a blood test to check its level. If worse comes to worse, baby will be hospitalised to be "sun tanned". This is to lower her risk of jaundice.

Second week

This is where the endless crying begins!! You can expect to be woken up at least 3 times. I was woken at least every 2 hours. There are a few reasons for her crying, I have compiled a few.

Baby Hungry!
Wet Diaper Changing time.
Passing motion and she feels uncomfortable with the shit sticking to her skin, I don't blame her for that!
She need to be burped.
She wants to be carried.

There will be rashes on her face. Its normal, don't worry. Apply some cream prescribed by doctor it you want to play safe.
Her buttocks will start to develop rashes. Try to avoid this by minimising the cleaning of the buttock using wet tissue wipes. Use wet cotton instead. Apply moisturizing cream(safe for baby).
Her umbilical cord will start to peel off, handle with care. Try not to force it to come off. You wouldn't want the cord to be infected.A little bleeding might be seen due to poor handling. Apply antiseptic prescribed by doctor to clean the cord.
Baby will start to drink about 40ml of milk. (Formula), hard to gauge for breast feeding though (Any suggestions?)

Third week

I experience frequent crying. But this is where the parents start to improve on handling the baby. We start to carry well, feed well and even clean the shit well (Did it within 2 mins!). Tip: Burping is very important. If baby doesn't burps after a feed, its guarantee that she won't sleep well and if she won't sleep well.... good luck to you!
Prepare for full month celebration or they call it the baby shower.

Fourth week

Full month celebration!!! This is the time where relatives and friends visit. If possible, decide in advance what kind of gifts you would want. You never know that you might get the same gift. I prefer vouchers on baby shops or on the local supermarket. Buying diapers and Formula milk is not cheap!
Baby will start to gain weight and you might notice frequent smiling.
The eyes will start to browse around. Try singing or talking to your baby. This is the time for them to bond with you!

Well, these are what I observed for the 1^st month. Maybe yours could be different. I hope my advice helps. More to come! Do watch out for my blog for the 2^nd month!

Top 10 must have while feeding!!

2008-09-27T21:50:00.003+08:00

Invest in a good feeding bottle, preferably those that can prevent colic and provides good measurement of volume in OZ or litres.

A small napkin. Rather than using tissue to wrap around the baby's neck. Tissues wastage is not good.

A mini fan. Babies tend to sweat while drinking their milk. If they feel hot, you will definitely have a difficult time feeding them as they will fidget around to be more comfortable.

Cup warmer. Babies do not finish their milk at one go, they need to be burped most of the time. Cup warmer prevents the milk from getting cold.

Another set of baby's clothes. Babies squirt milk like nobody's business! It's better to be prepared!

Your
own set of extra clothes. Trust me, it's gonna be messy!

A glass of plain water. This is to rinse the baby's mouth after feeding that is full of milk. If left alone, their mouth would be dry. The next thing that will happen is definitely crying!

A set of notepad and pen to keep track of the feeding time and amount drank.

Good Sitting posture! Try to sit as comfortable as possible, feeding will take a while.

Last but not least, Patience! A hectic mother or father does not improve the situation if the baby is crying while feeding. Take note that babies cry because they are uncomfortable. This is their way of communicating. How would you feel if I speak in a different language which you do not understand...?

Compiled by Pregnant Daddy,
Other suggestions are welcome

The joy of having babies!!

2008-09-26T00:48:00.004+08:00

Although our baby cries evey night. She is plainly just seeking our attention. She maybe hungry, she may need a diaper change, she could be hot or she could be cold. She needs some burping or she needs to be held. Whatever it is she needs, we will always be there to help. We do feel fustrated at times, but whenever she smiles. Even the volcano lava will stop running and die out...

A perfect gift

2008-09-21T23:08:00.003+08:00

Got this gift from my daughter's full month celebration. I don't know about you but i goto say this is the nicest dress i ever seen. Even though my princess may not be wearing it at the mean time. But I do hope she gets to wear it during Chinese New Year.

When daddys talk about babies...

2008-09-10T00:16:00.003+08:00

I was chatting with my friends this evening. Who majority were all daddys. Our topic wasnt on the ever-changing economy or newest cars on the road and neither was it the hot babes on channel 5. It was the do's and don'ts of handling your precious baby. I find it quite strange in the first place as it doesnt fit the picture when we were discussing topics on babies. 5 grown man, for gods sake! We were talking as if we were experts on baby handling!!!

Each of us gave great advices on how to handle the baby when she's crying. How to feed her correctly and even how to change their diapers without making a mess(it seems that men do make a mess while changing the diapers)!

To tell you the truth, i felt a sense of belonging. Its like Daddy becoming a Mummy, for a day....