…with my hair. I haven’t had a change of hairstyle since, um, 3 year ago (I think). Wow, this is really long for me. I used to change hairstyles as much as thrice in a year. I plan to do something about it especially now when I can’t even comb my hair because I’m holding Mateo most of the time. I guess this means a wash-and-wear style is up for me.
What we’ve thought of as the common cold is not the reason for Mateo’s fever. Even though we’ve managed to convince ourselves that we were the culprit, we found another one when we got his urinalysis result last Sunday. We dropped by the laboratory before going to his pediatrician’s house for a check-up last Sunday and upon getting the paper, we already knew he has UTI. According to his pedia, he’s going to need a work up because it’s important to treat it right away and to know the cause of the infection (whenever it concerns babies) as soon as possible. Delaying it would be putting his immature kidneys at risk. She referred us to a pedia-urologist in UST Hospital.
The strategy was to eliminate the most serious scenario first – that his kidneys are not ok (maybe a blockage or something). The urologist did an ultrasound on him and found his kidneys to be perfectly fine (thank you Lord!). Next on the list would be a problem in his urinary tract. They scheduled Mateo for a VCUG, Voiding Cystourethrography, on Saturday to find out if anything in his bladder behavior and capacity can explain the UTI. Any structural problem (e.g. a kink in any of his urinary valves, etc.) that prevents him from totally emptying his bladder may mean an operation to correct it. Here is our cue to make a plea for anyone reading this to include our baby in their prayers. We are desperately hoping nothing of the sort that would spell operation for him would be crossed out of the list. If Mateo is cleared after the VCUG, it may just be due to an ascending infection. He might be recommended for a circumcision if the infection recurs. Best scenario for us would be that the infection is just a one-time thing for Mateo due to an ascending infection.
With regards to clearing him from the UTI itself, antibiotics has been prescribed for him. A urine culture was requested to try out other antibiotics if the bacteria causing his infection is nonreactive to the one prescribed to him.
How I wish he got the cold from us instead. But it seems that despite being exposed to our virus for weeks, he didn’t get it after all. Mateo has been proving to us how resilient he is and we are ready to hold and comfort him as we help him get through this.
We gave him Tempra and fortunately, this slowly brought his temperature down. No more fever since then. My mama expressed concern that Mateo might have ‘pilay’ since he gets the fever only at night. She told me to bring Mateo to a ‘hilot’. Ramil’s mama on the otherhand, mentioned something about a ‘tawas’. Unfortunately, Ramil and I are skeptical about anything that doesn’t have any medical or scientific basis. We are going to bring Mateo for a check-up with his pedia tonight. I hope we would finally be able to shed some light into this mysterious on-off fever. I have long decided that I would temporarily stop working once I gave birth. Right now, my employer at the school where I am a teacher, is aware of this. They’re keeping their doors open to me, whether I prefer full-time or part-time, for next school year. So I could almost give myself a knock on the head when I considered going back to corporate. The only reason I could think of for considering it would be financial ones. It’s true that Mateo’s presence in my life has made me want to devote my time and efforts to him but at the same time, it has made me want to give him the best even if it means doing something that’s not in the least bit fulfilling for me.
I have consulted Ramil on this and it means a lot to me that he would let me pursue whatever it is that I would want, with the gentle reminder that Mateo needs to be taken care of really well. He even expressed his willingness to stay home instead if I want to go back to work. Everything is on a temporary basis right now. We’ve made no decisions yet only to take things as they come, coupled with prayers that we would be led in the right direction.
Some people have brought up the idea of getting a yaya so I could still work. I have nothing against working moms, I’m sure the fact that they work does not in any way lessen their worth as moms. But I have always been the type to put all my efforts and energy to something I have set my sights on, including being a mama to Mateo. I want to have a say in everything about him, even the most trivial things as when to change his diapers. I don’t want to have to put the blame on somebody else if something happens to him. Being a stay at home mom, I would have no one else to blame but myself. I would like to be the director in each and every stimulus that affects our son. So that when he grows up to be a lousy kid, again, I have nobody else to blame and when he grows up to be a great kid, I know I can be proud of bringing him up that way. I don’t want to go home and have my baby prefer a yaya over me.
I know in a way how it feels to have to work and not be with your baby. I’ve sensed it with Ramil. During the first few weeks that he went back to work, I know he felt sad having to leave the house every morning. He also had this paranoia (as I prefer to call it) that Mateo somehow doesn’t like him anymore.
Being parents is never easy. I have so much more appreciation for my parents now especially since they haven’t really stopped looking after Ramil and me. Up to now, their solid support is very much felt and we know they will always be there for us whether we need them or not. I can only hope that Ramil and I do as good as a job with Mateo.
Playtime
A play gym full of compelling toys to look at, swipe at, and listen to will give your baby practice with arm, hand, and finger coordination skills — and make lying down more interesting! You can even lie down on the floor next to your baby and join in the fun.
Although your baby can grab with gusto now, he doesn’t yet have the hand-eye coordination to reach for an object you pass in front of him. That skill will develop at about 4 months of age. In the meantime, you’ll have to place toys in his hand — your pinky may be an unexpected favorite.
Mateo loves to touch things now. He can also lift his head for several seconds at a very high angle already. He likes to look around him even when he is lying on his tummy.
Exploring Extremities
Encourage his interest by holding his arms above his head and asking “How big is baby?” or by reciting “This Little Piggy” and counting his toes. Try moving his hands in front of his face so he can see and feel them at the same time.
Babies have trouble regulating their body temperature, and their circulation isn’t perfect just yet. Keep in mind that some of your baby’s body heat escapes through his hands and feet. Make sure little toes and fingers are covered on cold days, particularly when the two of you go outside.
Again, Mateo has been developing his hands really well. He can sometimes ‘hold’ his bottle. Well, sometimes his hands are positioned in such a way as if he’s holding his bottle. He also makes a lot of ‘arte’ movements with his hands, LOL.
If you have things to do, your baby will still enjoy hearing your voice from across the room. And don’t feel silly about talking Motherese or baby talk — babies are particularly attuned to this high-pitched, drawn-out way of communicating that can actually teach your baby about the structure and function of language.
Narrate your day to your baby. He’ll enjoy your conversation and may even start to chime in with his own comments.
Our baby also loves to make sounds already. Even when he is feeding. Hehe!
These were taken when Mateo was just 2 weeks old. While looking through his pictures, I noticed how quickly a baby’s face can change. Now that his face is so fat, it’s harder to determine where he got his features.
My mama visited us last night to look in on her first apo. She has always been worried about Mateo since only Ramil and I are taking care of him. I don’t think she trusts us enough, LOL. There was a lot of attention showered on Mateo. I think he also enjoyed conversing with a different person for a change. Hehe! But that night, he was at his crankiest and fussiest EVER. He seems to prefer being held in a position that brings the most discomfort to the person holding him. He didn’t even sleep for an hour straight. Ramil and I would take turns trying to make him sleep and when he has finally fallen asleep, he would wake up with irritation after only 30 minutes. That’s how our night went. In effect, we barely had ANY sleep. So do I believe in usog? I should have asked my mama to press her finger with a hint of her saliva on it to Mateo’s tummy.
…is me.
