Introducing Chuchay
On 09, Dec 2011 | No Comments | In Home Sweet Home | By Sheng
Before the real baby comes, let me introduce you to the newest member of the family:

Chuchay
She’s Persian, adorable and playful, and currently the darling of the house. And she knows that. Such a spoiled cat.
The Other Hospital Bag: Ours
On 08, Dec 2011 | No Comments | In Motherhood & Parenting, Pregnancy | By Sheng
Baby isn’t the only one who’ll be needing stuff while at the hospital. That’s we need to have our own hospital bag, too. Here’s what I’m packing in the bag:
For Me:
- 3-4 maxi dresses or sundresses (because they’re easier to slip on and are breastfeeding-friendly)
- 1 jacket, cardigan or bolero (to keep me warm and covered)
- 6 granny panties
- 2-3 bras (nursing bra, if possible)
- 1 pack of maternity pads
- disposable nursing pads
- nursing cover (when I need to breastfeed discreetly)
- 2-3 pairs of socks
- 1 pair of slippers
For D:
- 2-3 T-shirts
- 2-3 pairs of shorts
- 2-3 pcs of underwear
- 1 pair of slippers
For both of us:
- 2 blankets
- 2 pillowcases
- 1 extra pillow
- bath and face towels
- toiletries such as soap, shampoo, toothbrushes, toothpaste, Betadine feminine wash (for me), cologne, etc
Other things:
- money and ATM cards
- ballpens
- plastic/disposable plates, cups, utensils for food
- styro cups and bowls for soups and hot drinks
- dishwashing liquid and sponge
Baby’s Stuff and Hospital Bag
On 07, Dec 2011 | One Comment | In Motherhood & Parenting, Pregnancy | By Sheng
It’s never too early to prepare. So when my 7th month rolled in, I decided to have a few trips to the mall, often with D, sometimes with my mother, to buy baby’s stuff. But before heading to the mall, I compiled a monster list of things that most babies use and trimmed it down to the essentials.
Most first time moms tend to overcompensate for their baby’s needs and end up buying things that they won’t be able to use simply because they have too much of everything. But I wanted to be practical and planned to buy only the things that our baby will use for the first month or so. I figured that if I need more of a particular item, or if baby will need something that we don’t have, I can easily go to a nearby mall and buy, or ask someone to do it for me (in my case, it’s probably going to be D). This way, we can be sure that the things we purchase will actually be used by our baby and therefore, avoid overbuying stuff.
So I remove from the list the items that serve the same purpose as another item, items that are nice-to-haves but not really necessary and items that our baby won’t need for the next 1-3 months.
And these are what we ended up buying:
- 9 shirts (3 sleeveless, 3 short-sleeved and 3 long-sleeved)*
- 2 pairs of pajamas*
- 2 onesies*
- 1 frog suit*
- 9 pairs of mittens
- 3 pairs of socks* (rather than booties because they say booties tend to fall off easily)
- 2 bonnets*
- 3 bibs
- 2 dozens of gauze clothes (I need a lot because I want to put baby on cloth diapers as soon as he stops excreting meconium)
- 3 pairs of nappy clamps
- 4 hooded receiving blankets (2 plain and 2 towel fabric)
- 8 pcs of wash clothes
- 3 pcs of burp pads
- 2 sets of comforter with bolster pillows (1 for use on the bed and another for the crib)
- 24 pcs newborn disposable diapers (good for the first few days while baby is still pooping meconium)
- 2 pcs 4-oz. feeding bottles (only 2 because I plan to breastfeed)
- 1 bottle cleaner
- 1 changing rubber mat
- 1 baby bath cradle
- grooming kit and toiletries which includes nail clipper, comb and hair brush, tongue cleaner, baby powder and powder puff, warming oil and regular baby oil, baby wash, baby wipes, alcohol, cotton
- baby clothes powder detergent
- lots of plastic storage boxes
*0 to 3 months size
I still have a few things that I need to buy, but I don’t think they’re as urgent as the ones above:
- bottle sterilizer
- breast pump
- cloth diaper system (sized diaper covers, fleece fabric as liners, hybrid cloth diapers)
- nasal aspirator
- medicine dropper/spoon
While these are hand-me-downs from my 3-yr. old nephew that we don’t have to buy anymore:
- baby bath tub
- crib/playpen
- stroller
Hospital Bag
A lot of moms advise to have the hospital bag ready as early as the 8th month. I started packing mine a week or two before I entered my 9th month. My OB said that in the hospital where I will give birth, baby normally stays in the room with the mother after she gives birth, provided that birth is via normal delivery and baby has no complications that will require him to be at the NICU. Unlike staying in the nursery where most baby’s stuff are provided for, room-in means we have to bring everything that my baby will need during our stay in the hospital.
So what are the items that went inside the hospital bag? Well, like what I said, we need pretty much everything on my list so I placed a few of each items:
- 3 long-sleeved shirts and 1 “borrowed” short-sleeved shirt (something about my mom’s superstition)
- 2 pairs of pajamas
- 1 frog suit (going-home outfit)
- 6 pairs of mittens
- 3 pairs of socks
- 2 bonnets
- 4 pcs of gauze cloth
- 4 hooded receiving blankets (2 plain and 2 towel fabric)
- 8 pcs of wash clothes
- 3 pcs of burp pads
- 1 set of comforter with bolster pillows (for use on the bed and in the car)
- 24 pcs newborn disposable diapers
- 1 changing rubber mat
- toiletries which includes baby powder, warming oil, baby wash, baby wipes, alcohol, cotton
I also placed and segregated baby’s clothes inside resealable plastics, to keep them clean and the bag organized. I brought more plastics so clean clothes won’t mingle with used and soiled ones.
Likewise, baby’s hospital bag contains other things that are equally important — the documents. Here’s what we’re bringing:
- Photocopy of marriage certificate
- CF1 and CF2 forms, MDR and ID from Philhealth (I think you can also secure CF1 and CF2 forms from the hospital)
- MAT2 form and ID from SSS
- My OB’s admitting orders
- Baby book and other pertinent medical records (such ultrasound and lab results, etc)
- Mock birth certificate (You know how some hospital personnel would mess up spellings and info, or how in the middle of a painful labor, a nurse would ask you to fill-out your baby’s birth certificate? One mom smartly suggested to prepare a mock birth certificate that you can just hand over to the nurse, to your husband or to whoever is tasked to get these information. You can even pattern it after your own birth certificate to make sure that all possible questions are covered. It’s also better to have it printed out than handwritten to ensure legibility and avoid wrong spellings.)
Pregnant Me: Homestretch
On 05, Dec 2011 | No Comments | In Motherhood & Parenting, Pregnancy | By Sheng
I am now on my 9th month or exactly 37th week of pregnancy.

At 37 weeks, my baby is considered full-term already and should he wants to come out anytime now, he can without us worrying about a premature birth. For the last two months, I’ve had frequent contractions characterized by abdominal and lower back pains, pressure in the pelvic and cramps that I got scared and thought I was going into preterm labor. But my OB said that unless these contractions come at regular intervals, like every 7-8 minutes, they are still just Braxton Hicks. So I kept my cellphone near me always and timed my contractions. To my relief, I wasn’t able to establish a regular pattern. Sometimes they came 5 minutes apart, other times 10 minutes or more, but nothing regular.
One thing that’s evident though is that by the 8th month, my belly has grown a lot such that during my prenatal checkup, my OB was surprised at how big baby has grown. I said I didn’t do or eat anything differently. Well, maybe I lied a bit. I may have indulged in some sweets — like ice cream, cakes, pastries, and juice drinks — a little more than usual. Couldn’t help but give in to a few cravings, especially when we celebrated 3 birthdays in the family last month (my mom’s, my nephew’s and mine). And if you’re taking iron supplements thrice a day and calcium tablets twice a day like me, you would also want to mask the taste of those meds by having something sweet.
But I have gained little weight despite this indulgence. From 100 lbs on my 6th month, I am now (drum roll, please) 110 lbs — 10 lbs in 3 months, I guess that’s okay. Unfortunately, I am still slightly anemic so aside from the prenatal supplements that I mentioned, my OB added one Folic acid tablet to my daily meds. And I already have a bit of swelling on my feet and legs (edema), which everyone assures me is normal as long as it doesn’t reach my knees and other extremities like arms, hands and the face.I’ve been reading about preeclampsia (one symptoms of which is excessive swelling of the extremities) and it’s something I don’t want to be at risk for.
Overall, me and my baby are doing well especially if baby stops packing in more pounds in the next few weeks. I’m hoping for a normal delivery, and my OB is, too because we both don’t want me to undergo another operation again. It’s important that baby doesn’t grow too big that it would risk me to give birth via C-section. Aside from that, she sees no other complications.
So, it’s basically just a waiting game from now til my estimated due date on December 26. If it were up to D, he wants him to hold back a little longer and come out on New Year’s day. As for me, anytime between 37 weeks and 41 weeks is okay as long as I give birth to a normal, healthy and bouncing baby boy. But it’s baby’s call really. We’re leaving it up to him to choose his own birthday.
Baby Names
On 22, Sep 2011 | 4 Comments | In Motherhood & Parenting, Pregnancy | By Sheng
Now that baby’s gender is determined, we can get down to the business of choosing his name. Although sometimes, I wish that he can already talk so he can tell me what he wants for a name because honestly, I really don’t know what to give him.
Well, okay, I’m not exactly clueless clueless. I know I want a Chinese-sounding name, or at least one of his name is, if we end up giving him two (because D’s surname is Chinese). And maybe something that has a significant meaning (just like when we chose our wedding date).
I know I don’t want a name that’s too masculine or boyish or popular or funky or weird-sounding or anything that’s too ‘something’.
I scoured a few ‘baby names’ websites, looking for that perfect baby boy Chinese name and carefully considered the meaning, the sound and the likability of each. I thought I found 3 that matches my short criteria. And they are:
- Shan, which means “coral” in Chinese
- Jie, which means “one who rises above the rest” in Chinese
- Rui, rather Japanese-sounding, but means “sharp”, referring to someone who is intelligent in Chinese
Among the 3, I like the sound of Shan best and I think it will go well with a second name. But “coral” doesn’t mean anything — significant, that is.
I also like Rui, which sounds like a Anime name. Its meaning is not bad either, but I doubt if I can find a second name that will blend seamlessly with it.
Jie’s meaning is the one I like the most, but like Rui, I find it hard to pair it with another name.
“How about Ben-jie?“, D cracked up.
Or Ken Jie. I also like Ken as a name and what a coincidence that Kenji is the name of Kenshin and Kauro’s son. We used them as our caketopper, remember? But I find Ken Jie too Anime-ish.
What if I combine Rui and Jie, as in Rui Jie? And combined, they will mean “intelligent one who rises about the rest”. Not bad, except that it sounds like a rather odd variation of the name Luigi.
Or better yet, let’s combine all 3: Rui Jie Shan (an intelligent, high-rising coral?). Lol! I think my son will hate me if I give him that name.
And what does D say about this?
“Does it have to be Chinese?” and “Does it have to be two names?”
But he can’t think of a name either, and until he came up with something better (better-sounding with a good meaning), we’ll stick with my choices. Or maybe not. I’m not so sure anymore if my picks are any good, to be honest.
Or maybe, I’ll just name him after myself. Did you know that Sheng is a boy’s name which means “victory” in Chinese?

It made me love my name more (even if it’s just a nick name) and makes me feel confident that I can win any battle because my name means “victory”. Which is why I want a name that means something positive — not because it will influence his fate or destiny, as others would like to believe, but because it will influence his beliefs and convictions and will make him feel good about his name, if not himself.
Now, if only I can decide which name it will be.






