1st overseas trip with the baby!

We've decided for a Koh Samui 5D4N relaxing holiday! And will be flying with Bangkok Airways. A few days before the holiday we've checked the weather and it shows thunderstorm! We were a tad disappointed but was still hoping for good weather. The day before the holiday I've set into packing mode. So many things to pack for Sonia and myself. Making sure her medication like paracetamol, Euky bearub, mosquito repellent, sun block, aloe vera gel, umbrella, and favourite toys were packed among others. Thank god i am breastfeeding her! Else there would be more things to bring along. We've decided to babywear her throughout the trip too!

Oh i cant really sleep that night as my mind kept going over and over again thinking what else I would have missed out. We woke up really early to the airport. Sonia was a bit sleepy, but didnt make a fuss. After checking-in we had breakfast. Sonia started to picked up momentum and started to be active.

Up on flight she was so happy with the Caucasian girl sitting beside us that she kept making 'conversation' with her! Just before take off i made sure latched her on. She fell asleep right after due to tiredness and only woke up moment before touching down. I wanted to latch her on again but this time she refused. Thank god she's not affected by the air pressure. And bhoy was she a lucky girl! She got the limited edition plane plush toy from Bangkok Air for their 45th Anniversary. We even got praises from passengers sitting nearby on how well behaved she had been!

Koh Samui International airport was a lovely place. Beautiful 'hut' type which make u realised that u actually are on HOLIDAY! Only problem is that it was really hot! And we rented a car to ease travelling around the island.

The moment i stepped into Intercontinental I was overwhelmed with the breathtaking view! Fell in love with it instantaneously! The staffs were really friendly and helpful too! Amazingly how Sonia knew she was on holiday and she was really really happy! We even had a baby cot ready for us in the room which we didnt use by the way. She ended rolling on the big bed with us. Intercon has the most amazing sunset open air bar exclusive for their in-house guests. Simply awesome and amazing.

The next few days were just exploring around, driving around for food and walkabout. Throughout the trip Sonia was really well behaved and happy. Perhaps she loves spending 24hours a day with her daddy and mommy. No separation anxiety! Food was lovely and most people we met was very friendly. Sonia had some fruits and coconut flesh.

Both me and YK even went for a massage together.  The staffs at Apples Spa Experience offered to take care of Sonia and bringing her to me when she needed to feed. Baby wearing her was easy, only problem was the real hot weather during the day. And it never failed to rain daily in the evening so the umbrella came in handy. Koh Samui is not a baby friendly place as almost all the restaurants or eateries we went to do not have baby chair except for one, but the locals really love baby!

Sonia loves the buggy ride we needed to take from the parking to the lobby or the nearby Intercon facilities! She's learn bout Thai Massage, Thai food, Thai Language, the sunset, even saw a toad feeding his dinner on this trip! And I've learned that Sonia loves to communicate with Caucasian! :D
Intercon has a baby/kid play room for parents to drop off their kiddo if they want to go diving or snorkelling or any programmes of their own.

Sonia was well behaved on the flight back too despite not taking a nap during the flight. But we had to sacrifice one in-flight meal. Wont be able to handle her quick moving hands starting to grab everything within her reach. Yet again this proud momma got praises for her little Sonia that was really well behaved!

It was a truly wonderful holiday which was made possible by YK. He had put in all the effort to book the flight and the hotel, car renting, read up on places to visit, places to eat! He even did such wonderful job in taking care of Sonia!

BUT the horror started after the holiday where Sonia's separation anxiety went up notches higher!!! Well just have to be patient with her and hoping for the phase to be over soon!

Homemade Chef's Baked Halibut

Another baby BLW friendly recipe i would like to share! My baby has this at 6.5mo! Hope you'll enjoy it as much as Sonia! She loves it very much!

Homemade Chef's Baked Halibut 

Prep:
1. Beat one egg for coating.
2. Premix breadcrumbs, black pepper, chilli powder (optional, i just put coz i have it)

1. Preheat oven to 200C.
2. Cut halibut (or any whitefish to nice finger size).
3. Dip fish into egg and thoroughly coat with the premixed crumbs.
4. Place them on an ALU sheet on a baking tray.
5. Baked for about 15mins.

White fish cooks fast and seasoning is optional and you can pretty much put what you like. May opt out since the fat from the fish will give the fragrant.

Mushroom Cheese Omelette

Mushroom Cheese Omelette

Yes! Sonia is already eating family food at 7mo old! Decided to make her Mushroom Cheese Omelette and she loves them!!

Here's the recipe:

Prep
1. Dice one portobello mushroom to chopped size.
2. Dice one Babybel red cheese to cooked red (Azuki) bean size.

Cook
1. Beat 2 eggs and add in cheese.(i used pasturised eggs since she's still young)
2. Heat pan with a little olive oil and fry mushroom till cooked.
3. Add eggs prep earlier.



Viola, simple yummy eggie for the little one.

I am ready, the baby is ready, what should i do?

A lot of mommy who wanted to start their baby on BLW will ask me how should i offer the food? what kinda food is good? Well food like broccoli, cucumber, carrot, avocado, pumpkin, sweet potato, banana, papaya, pear, plum are just example of good food starter. But dont limit yourself. Do explore as long as there's no family history of allergy. Make sure its the correct size for the first timer baby to hold. At 6mos they have not master their pincer grip yet. So food offer in stick shape about 5cm long will be ideal. The baby will be able to pick them up and there's the additional sticking out for the baby to munch on. Broccoli is in ideal shape too where the baby can pick up the stem and munch on the head (or vice versa :D). 

Veges like pumpkin, sweet potato, broccoli, carrot, cucumber and the likes can be lightly steam or bake. Make sure you do not over cooked them else it will become to soft and too mushy for the baby to pick up. Fruits like banana, papaya, avocado, plum can just give direct. 

Do remember baby will gag when they are trying to swallow. But this is perfectly normal as its their reflex preventing them from swallowing to big piece of food to prevent them from choking. If the baby gags just smile and tell them its alright as they will be looking at you for your reaction. If you are panic they will be panic too! Usually it affects the adults (emotionally) but did not affect the baby at all. Do not leave your baby unattended at any time. Make sure there's always someone beside her to supervise/monitor. The gagging reflex will improve over time. And in no time your baby will be eating like a pro without gagging. The earlier (6mo) you start the better for them to prevent themselves from choking from their gagging experience. Having said that if you are still worried you can take infant CPR course to equip yourself in case of emergency. Locally KPJ Damansara do offer the course at RM30 for 2 hours. Or you can check out the IBU group. They organise the class once every month.

Do avoid honey, salt, sugar, processed food and nuts or dried food at the moment. Smaller food like grapes olives and cherry tomatoes, can cut it into half or lightly pressed them out so that it doesn't have the round shape to prevent them from choking. 

Most importantly, trust your baby to be capable of feeding herself. And mommy and baby should have lots of fun and lots of MESS too! The mess is the fun part of BLW isnt it? :D 

Some example for the shapes of food to offer: 

Egg?

Date was 12/3 decided to give her omelette with cheese and we add on some mix vege for her... Should have mashed those vege instead... other than that she quite like it. and because she's only 6+mos we bought pasturised eggs for her. And we as adult can eat them too.

Sonia's First BLW experience

It was Feb 4th a Monday and she was only 5.5mo but she was already seating unassisted and showing interest on our food. I've decided to start her on her first solid that day. Gave a sticks of cucumber and steamed carrots as i know she's probably just exploring and playing with them. But to my surprised she did really well and actually ate chunks of them!! Yes she did gag for a bit but it wasnt serious. And because i've already prepared for that to happen it didnt make me panic. Instead we kept giving her assurance that its alright. It didnt affect her at all as she's happily continue to munch on her food despite not having a single teeth! I am a super proud mommy!!!

What to do when baby chokes?

Infant first aid for choking and CPR: An illustrated guide (taken from babycenter.com)

The following instructions are for babies younger than 12 months old. 

Choking

Step 1: Assess the situation quickly.

If a baby is suddenly unable to cry or cough, something is probably blocking her airway, and you'll need to help her get it out. She may make odd noises or no sound at all while opening her mouth. Her skin may turn bright red or blue.

If she's coughing or gagging, it means her airway is only partially blocked. If that's the case, let her continue to cough. Coughing is the most effective way to dislodge a blockage.

If the baby isn't able to cough up the object, ask someone to call 999 or the local emergency number while you begin back blows and chest thrusts (see step 2, below).

If you're alone with the baby, give two minutes of care, then call 999.

On the other hand, if you suspect that the baby's airway is closed because her throat has swollen shut, call 999 immediately. She may be having an allergic reaction – to food or to an insect bite, for example – or she may have an illness, such as croup.

Also call 999 right away if the baby is at high risk for heart problems.

Step 2: Try to dislodge the object with back blows and chest thrusts. 

First do back blows

If a baby is conscious but can't cough, cry, or breathe and you believe something is trapped in his airway, carefully position him faceup on one forearm, cradling the back of his head with that hand.

Place the other hand and forearm on his front. He is now sandwiched between your forearms.

Use your thumb and fingers to hold his jaw and turn him over so that he's facedown along the other forearm. Lower your arm onto your thigh so that the baby's head is lower than his chest.

Using the heel of your hand, deliver five firm and distinct back blows between the baby's shoulder blades to try to dislodge the object. Maintain support of his head and neck by firmly holding his jaw between your thumb and forefinger.

Next, place your free hand (the one that had been delivering the back blows) on the back of the baby's head with your arm along his spine. Carefully turn him over while keeping your other hand and forearm on his front.

Then do chest thrusts

Use your thumb and fingers to hold his jaw while sandwiching him between your forearms to support his head and neck. Lower your arm that is supporting his back onto your opposite thigh, still keeping the baby's head lower than the rest of his body.

Place the pads of two or three fingers in the center of the baby's chest, just below an imaginary line running between his nipples. To do a chest thrust, push straight down on the chest about 1 1/2 inches. Then allow the chest to come back to its normal position.

Do five chest thrusts. Keep your fingers in contact with the baby's breastbone. The chest thrusts should be smooth, not jerky.

Repeat back blows and chest thrusts

Continue alternating five back blows and five chest thrusts until the object is forced out or the baby starts to cough forcefully, cry, or breathe on his own. If he's coughing, let him try to cough up the object.

If the baby becomes unconscious

If a baby who is choking on something becomes unconscious, you'll need to do what's called modified CPR. Here's how to do modified CPR on a baby:

Open his mouth and look for an object. If you can see an object, remove it with your little finger.

Give him two rescue breaths. If the air doesn't go in (you don't see his chest rise), tilt his head and try two rescue breaths again.

If his chest still doesn't rise, do 30 chest compressions.

Look in his mouth and remove the object if you see it. Give him two more rescue breaths.

Repeat the chest compressions and so on, until help arrives.

How to perform CPR

What is CPR?

CPR stands for cardiopulmonary resuscitation. This is the lifesaving measure you can take to save a baby who shows no signs of life (consciousness or effective breathing).

CPR uses chest compressions and "rescue" breaths to make oxygen-rich blood circulate through the brain and other vital organs until emergency medical personnel arrive. Keeping oxygenated blood circulating helps prevent brain damage – which can occur within a few minutes – and death.

CPR isn't hard to do. Follow these steps:

Step 1: Check the baby's condition.

Is the baby conscious? Flick her foot or gently tap on her shoulder and call out. If she doesn't respond, have someone call 999 or the local emergency number. (If you're alone with the baby, give two minutes of care as described below, then call 999 yourself.)

Swiftly but gently place the baby on her back on a firm, flat surface.

Make sure she isn't bleeding severely. If she is, take measures to stop the bleeding by applying pressure to the area. Don't administer CPR until the bleeding is under control.

Step 2: Open the baby's airway.

Tilt the baby's head back with one hand and lift his chin slightly with the other. (You don't have to tilt a baby's head back very far to open the airway.)

Check for signs of breathing for no more than ten seconds.

To check for breathing in a baby, put your head down next to his mouth, looking toward his feet. Look to see whether his chest is rising, and listen for breathing sounds. If he's breathing, you should be able to feel his breath on your cheek.

Step 3: Give two gentle "rescue" breaths.

If the baby isn't breathing, give her two little breaths, each lasting just one second. Cover the baby's nose and mouth with your mouth and gently exhale into her lungs only until you see her chest rise, pausing between rescue breaths to let the air flow back out.

Remember that a baby's lungs are much smaller than yours, so it takes much less than a full breath to fill them. Breathing too hard or too fast can force air into the baby's stomach.

If her chest doesn't rise, her airway is blocked. Give her first aid for choking, described above.

Step 4: Do 30 chest compressions.

With the baby still lying on his back, place the pads of two or three fingers in the center of his chest, just below an imaginary line running between his nipples.

With the pads of your fingers on that spot, compress the chest about 1 1/2 inches. Push straight down. Compressions should be smooth, not jerky.

Do 30 chest compressions at the rate of 100 per minute. When you complete 30 compressions, give two rescue breaths (step 3, above). (Each cycle of chest compressions and rescue breaths should take about 24 seconds.)

Step 5: Repeat compressions and breaths.

Repeat the sequence of 30 compressions and two breaths. If you're alone with the baby, call 999 or the local emergency number after two minutes of care.

Continue the sequence of compressions and breaths until help arrives, you find an obvious sign of life, an AED (automated external defibrillator) is ready to use, the scene becomes unsafe, or you are too exhausted to continue.

Even if the baby seems fine by the time help arrives, a doctor will need to check her to make sure that her airway is completely clear and she hasn't sustained any internal injuries.