Wednesday, August 31, 2005

Janelle's Vocabulary 101

At 20 months, marami rami nading nasasabi ang "taratitat" kong anak! But here are some that needs more practice.

  1. Janelle - nane
  2. Bayad - baya
  3. Barney - arni
  4. Baby Bop - babap
  5. Butterfly - baflay
  6. Fishy - ishi
  7. Pajama - ama
  8. Tummy - ami
  9. Tito - tsitso
  10. Nanay - nana
  11. Tatay - tata
  12. Ian - iya
  13. Feet - fi
  14. Ganda - gada
  15. Dora - gora
  16. Backpack - bapa
  17. Totoy Bibo - ibo
  18. Birdy - erdi
  19. Egg - ge

Time really flies and mukang nagdadalaga na din ang aking unica hija at ang hilig humarap sa salamin...

Tuesday, August 30, 2005

Confessions...

Everytime my officemates talks about their kids and how nourishing a mother's milk can do for babies, I can't help but feel guilty. I was not able to breastfeed Janelle, not even once. When I was still pregnant, I have read much about the benefits of breastfeeding and I even wanted to join this group of moms that promotes breastfeeding. But I just can't...

I have a confession to make... I don't have nipples... some called it inverted nipples, but it's more than that, it's not only inverted but...Oh no, I just can't describe it!. I am producing enough milk when I gave brith but since I dont have nipples, there's no way for my daughter to enjoy the benefits of my colostrum. It was too stressful for me, sometimes I felt like I'm inadequate for being a mother. They say that breastfeeding is a wonderful experience, and I'm jealous! I wanted to feel the same experience with my daughter, but I just can't...

And I just can't...

Wednesday, August 24, 2005

Photography 101

My interest in photography started during my wedding preparation back in 2001. Since then, I started organizing my photos and starting to shoot whoever, whatever and whenever I feel like doing so. My relationship with my Canon Digital IXUS i started almost 2 years now and as the days passes by, our bond becomes stronger and stronger. I don’t know anything about photography, I don’t even have a technical know-how and most of the times I have problems with lighting and framing.

These are what I called my lucky shots, point and shoot and being in the right place at the right time are all what it takes. They are not award winning but I would like to share with you my Magnum Opus!

Check it out at http://community.webshots.com/user/bonsky_jen

Thursday, August 04, 2005

My PCOS Diary

I would like to share what I've been through when I was still trying to conceive. Here's my PCOS Diary.

December 2, 2002 - Its my 1st day of cycle after being delayed for 19 days. Finally! When I visited Dra. Macapagal 2 weeks ago I told her about the possibility of not ovulating. With no blood work or any tests, she prescribed me Duphaston and Clomid right away and was advised to have TVS on cd12.

December 12, 2002 - I went to Healthway this afternoon just to inquire about their price for TVS. Ellen advised me to seek for a second opinion and recommend Dra. Nelinda Pangilinan. She’s also affiliated with St. Lukes and accepts Medicard. So it’s fine with me. During the consultation she asked me the reason why I had my miscarriage last March. I really don’t know, all I know is that my Little MJ has fetal bradycardia. Dra. Pangilinan advised me to have a TVS on cd5, OGTT 75mg, FSH + Estrogen on cd2 to check if I have hormonal inbalance which she suspects right away after telling her I have irregular period. She also asked for my histophatology record and to stop taking Clomid.

January 3, 2003 - Its cd1! My period is not late and I have a 30 day cycle already. Maybe its because of the Dupasthon which I took last December. I did not respond to Clomid.

January 7, 2003 - Its cd5 and I had my TVS with Dra Pangilinan this afternoon. Inside the TVS room, I was praying that no tumor be seen inside my uterus or anywhere. I was in a state of shock when she told me that the reason why I am not ovulating and why I have irregular period is because of polycysts. From the word cysts, I cant help but asked her how to treat it. Do I need to undergo operation? Confidently she answered me that there are medicines for this syndrome. She prescribed me Duphaston and was asked to have my OGTT test so she can give the right dosage of Metformin.

She’s very accomodating and she explained me well. But that doesn’t stop me from my depression.

January 11, 2003 - Finally I found time to have my OGTT test. No food or water for 12 hours and I was taken blood samples 4 times with 1 hour interval. The test was very stressful.

January 14, 2003 - Dra. Pangilinan saw the result of my OGTT and told me that I am insulin resistant. Hour 1 is above the normal. She advised me to start taking Metformin 500 mg 3x a day for 3 months. She also advised me to return to her on my cd1 to cd3 on March to check if we can stimulate ovulation.

January 18, 2003 - I have nausea and I vomitted because of Metformin. I also started taking Duphaston for 10 days.

February 3, 2003 - Its cd1. Again it’s a regular period. Maybe I am responding now to Duphaston and Metformin because there are no more sharp pains, no heavy yellow discharge, and no more cramps, and the best of all no more hunger fangs.

February 4, 2003 - Its cd2. I took FSH and Estrogen. Hoping that the results are normal so I can start taking Clomid by March and be able to conceive very soon….

February 10, 2003 - Got the result of my FSH at 8.7 . Based from what I read, I think its normal because the normal value for follicular is 3-12 mlu/mL. No result yet for my estrogen. I was asked to get it tomorrow before my consultation.

February 11, 2003 - My Estradiol is below normal (13.55). That is the reason why the follicles does not reach maturity. Still wait for the 15th day to check if I’m ovulating or not.

February 26, 2003 - I’ve watched Etc on infertility. It focused more on Artificial Insemination and IVF instead of medicines and other PCOS condition. Should I consider that as an option?

April 3, 2003 - It’s the 3rd month of my fertility treatment and I had my first CD. I reported right away to Dra Pangilinan because she advised me to visit her on my first CD. She prescribed me Clomiphene Citrate (Clomid) 100 mg to be taken daily in 5 days starting CD2. She also prescribed me folic acid to be taken daily for 14 days. I was scheduled on the 12th for my TVS to monitor the growth of my follicles. She will give me back-up on the 15th if in case there’s no big developments.

April 6, 2003 - Its my 4th day of taking Clomid, and I felt a little dizzy and nauseated. I guess this is what Dra. Pangilinan is telling me once I started taking the Clomid / Metformin combination.

April 12, 2003 - Its my 10th cd and its my TVS schedule for follicle monitoring. My Polycysts has been transformed into a follicle and I have already 1 dominant follicle which is ready to pop anytime. My uterine lining is so thin at .1 and Dra prescribed me progynova for 3x a day for 3 days. She told me to have my TVS again on April 15.

April 15, 2003 - Had my TVS at Laguna to monitor my follicles, 3 dominant follicles found and will pop anytime. Was advised to have sex of April 16 and 18…Will I have triplets?

May 3, 2003 - My period is late. I have cramps and sharp pains on my breast. I might be pregnant already.

May 5, 2003 - Took the pregnancy test twice and its both POSITIVE. Finally, the long wait is over………

More Lessons...

After 6 hours of surfing the net and reading through bloggers knowledge page, I was able to customized my blogpage. Whew! I downloaded Mozilla Firefox for me to be able to use the Blogger Image feature and viola!!!! I did not stop until I was able to add more links, guestbook and counter stats.

Well, that's me! If I started on something and was hooked on it, I will not stop until I get what I want. I remember when I was still TTC (Trying to Conceive), I did not stop praying, visiting my OB-Gyne/Fertility Expert/Endocronoligist religiously, taking medications and exams such as FSH, OGTT, OGCT, Follicle Monitoring etc..., luckily I was able to conceive in less than 6 months.

So what's the moral of the story? Determination, Perseverance and Discipline + Luck = a blogsite with photos, guestbook and counter stats...hahaha!

Wednesday, August 03, 2005

HTML! Oh My!

It's my second attempt to blog and I'm beginning to enjoy the complexity of HTML. I was really inspired by reading some of my friends blogs and here I am now, customizing settings and scrolling through my template and do some magic with cut and paste. Yes, I admit, I am a newbie!

I dont know what's with blogging, but I'm beginning to feel its addicting effect running down my veins. I started talking to myself, smiling and laughing in front of my PC, started texting friends on the 'how's' of it, shouting "YES!" whenever I have a succesful cut and paste and most of the time thinking on what will be my next entry.

I still remember the feeling when i had my first post. It's not that easy, I spent 5 hours composing my first entry and it's very emotional for me. Well, I still have so many things to learn and do. I still have to insert pictures, have to add more links and to get to know more HTML and the heck of it. Oh My!!!