Preparation for Doa Selamat

Friday, 30 July 2010

Enjoy some of the photos we took for our Doa Selamat preparation for Rania, tomorrow.

   

We had to sidetrack to buy some refreshment too! :)

        

Rania's Daddy back

Thursday, 29 July 2010

Rania's daddy arrived Brisbane at around 6AM this morning. I was really happy to see him here. He said he can't wait to see his lil' girl Rania. That morning we went to visit her right away. He brought along a lot of gifts for her from Brunei. Some of them were given by my family and friends. Today, we heard a very great news. Rania gained weight! She was 676g two days ago and now she is 714g. I hope she's gain more in the next couple of days. Her ventilation been up and down in the last two days. But other than that, she's doing really great.

Increased Milk Feed

Wednesday, 28 July 2010

Baby Rania been doing really well so far. Talked to her Dr this morning, he said that our lil' girl is doing really great. I felt relieved. I was also told that since 9PM last night, her milk feed has been increased further from 10ml to 11ml every 2 hr. This is because she has been gaining weight this week. Her feed was increased because to match with her current weight, 676g. She will be weight again sometime in the early morning today. I am putting my finger cross and hoping that she will gain more weight! Baby Rania is trying to show off to his daddy, that she is now a big girl!! :)

More Gifts for Baby Rania

Wednesday, 28 July 2010

I have received many gifts from our neighbour here at the apartment. Ka Shikin gave her a cute lil' dress which will fit her very perfectly. Today, I've received another gift from Ka Munirah. The gifts are a set of cute lil' pink sleeping pajamas. Too cute! Can't wait to see her wearing them.. grow faster my lil' girl! Hubby also mentioned that one of his best mate from BSP, Amar and wife, also gave some clothes for baby Rania. Her uncle Zul also bought her a gift, I haven't seen it yet. I heard it was a cute baby elephant doll that can sing. Hubby will bring those gifts from Brunei, over here on his next trip, which is tonight! Yippie!

Nisfu Syaaban

Tuesday, 27 July 2010

The blessedness of Nisfu Syaaban lies in its night, which according to our calendar, fell on last night, a sign that Ramadan is just around the corner. Hubby and family gathered at my in-law's house last night to do mass Maghrib prayer, 3x recital of Surah Yassin, followed by Ishya, Hajat & Tasbih prayers. It is during this night that all prayers are answered by Allah and this would be the night for us all to grab this good opportunity for seeking repentence, purification for our hearts, and our spiritual self.

Hubby & family, during their Hajat prayer asked specifically for our Princess Rania to grow and develop well especially her breathing. Alhamdulillah, during her weighing in today, she had gained weight and her breathing has improved! At birth, she was about 560g and is currently at 676g. She gained about 116g, for someone her size that is really amazing. Well done, Rania!! Though i'm seeing her everyday, i still notice some changes to her size overall, she's getting bigger! I guess she is getting ready to see her daddy who will be coming to see her pretty soon. I pray that she'll be able to gain more weight in this couple of weeks.

As usual, she's been really active and responsive to our voices. I'm really happy that she's progressing really well. Mummy and Daddy loves you a lot lil' Rania!!

Please make prayers for our Princess' continuous growth and development!!

May Allah bless our Baby Rania. Amin!! 

Rania's Birth Certificate

Monday, 26 July 2010

Today, we have received Rania's birth certificate. It is huge, A3 size certificate!! It was delivered by hand to our apartment. I guess it is important that the certificate reaches the right parents for legal purpose. This is something that i think we as parents, both should be proud of!! I cannot believe that our eldest daughter is an Australian born girl!!

I think we will definitely show this off to family and friends!! It looks pretty good actually. Hubby and i didn't have such a fancy birth certificate, if i remember correctly our birth certificate during my time had to be made using a manual type-writer. Lucky girl!!

Cuddling

Saturday, 24 July 2010

Today we had a long 2hr cuddle and at the same time fed her some milk. She's doing pretty good at the moment and tolerating her feed well. All she need is just to gain more weight. The Dr decided to add a bit of calories to her daily breast milk feed starting next Monday. This will help increase her weight gain much faster. She looks very light and much easier for her to move around now. Her ventilator will be taken off next week, finger cross. She'll be changed to a different type of ventilator which only provide some air to keep her airways open. But she will then be breathing as a normal person. She's making an excellent progress with her breathing overall. Lately, she open her eyes quite a lot. I manage to hear her sneeze for the first time too! Oh yeah, I now can change her nappy all by myself.  

Maximum Milk Feed

Thursday, 22 July 2010

Our lil's Princess Rania is tolerating really well to the milk feed. As of today, her milk feed has increased to the almost maximum level 9ml every 2hrs. For her weight, she is suppose to get 10ml for every 2hrs. So I guess, tommorow she will reach that level. She will grow bigger in no time! One of her line on her right has been removed completely. That line is actually for her liquid nutrition. But the dr said she doesn't need it anymore as she has almost reached her maximum milk feed. Yeay! She is now free to move her right hand around. During our morning visit, she was sleeping so deeply. But her foot and hands remained active! She was sucking her thumb all the way. Got the chance to feed her today.. :) During the night visit, I helped out from her nappy and milk feed too. Starting from tomorrow, she'll be having 10mls for every 2hrs.. Yippie!

Story Book for Rania

Wednesday, 21 July 2010

I bought a special story book for Rania today called ' Princess Princess'. Research shows that if we communicate more with her, she will recognize our voices even better. While I was reading the book she was wriggling around especially her cute lil foot and hands. She ocassionally open her eyes to look around. She is such a clever and active little princess. Today her feed is up to 8mls every 2hrs! Wow! I noticed some changer to her hair colour, very black compared to last time. Mummy and little Rania is missing her daddy a lot..

Increased Milk Feed

Tuesday, 20 July 2010

Today is day 13 for Princess Rania. Went to visit her in the morning. She was sleeping most of the time. While I was watching her sleep, I noticed she was very fidgety. She manage to lift her cute lil' pillow up into the air. I talked to her a lot today. I also read her a couple of entries written in her diary. Her dr came to see me, he was also very happy with Rania's progress. Overall, she's doing really well. Good news we received today is that her milk feed again, has been increased from 4ml every 3hrs to 5mls every 2hrs!

Good News

Monday, 19 July 2010

Rania's gestational age today is 27 weeks exactly. Today is her day 12 in the Nursery. First thing that I did during the morning visit was to talk to the doctor and asked about her head scan result (which was done on day 10). It was a very good news, her head scan was normal! Alhamdulillah. Another great news is that her lungs shows a lot of improvement too. Overall, she was making good progress. I felt very relieved and immdiately inform Rania's Daddy. She was pretty active in the morning, kicking away her cute lil' pillow. As usual I read Princess Rania's diary infront of her. I'm also planning to read her some short stories. Manage to make lots of milk for her today. Rania's been feeding the expressed milk really well. My lil' princess will grow bigger in no time! She is now taking 4mls every 2hrs instead of every 3hrs.

Kangaroo Cuddle

Sunday, 18 July 2010

It is age of day 11 for Princess Rania. Today, I have done something really special during my visit to see Rania. I was given the chance to hold her in my arm and have some skin to skin contact. Rania was kept warm using a blanket. She was very calm and slept throughout the cuddle. It was the most wonderful feeling ever. Hubby was there too and able to give her some daddy's first kisses. For the first time, we can smell her. I held her in my arms for almost 2 hrs.The nurses mentioned that she was loving the 'kangaroo cuddle' very much as her oxygen and heart rate level was stabilizing. Another good news is that her milk feed has been increased from 4mls to 5mls for every 3 hrs. Mummy's lil' girl will grow bigger in no time!

During our night visit, Princess Rania was due for her bath which will be done every two days. She was a little uncomfortable when the nurse was doing her care. Hubby and I tried to comfort her by singing her a couple of lullabys, she became a bit calm. The nurse said that she can actualy recognize our voices. Hubby also help out with the feed.

Tonight, hubby's leaving for Brunei because he needs to continue his work. I know what is on his mind at the moment, it is going to be hard for him to leave his little princess. But he said that he'll be coming back soon. Just not sure when it is going to be. Rania's daddy, we'll miss you loads and don't worry, will keep on updating on lil Rania's progress.

Princess Rania's Progress

Sunday, 18 July 2010

To date, Rania is doing really well in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. The baby doctors and nurses are all happy with her progress. Every nurse that we talked to said that Rania's is a very strong baby because she is very active. The baby specialist also mentioned that Rania is very active and believed that she will do very well. At the NICU, we were kept up-to-date with her daily progress. We, as parents, are well informed on her development, which includes her organs development and milk feed. My daily routine now is to make as much milk as possible. This is because her health will be very much improved with the help of natural mum's milk. I just want the best for her. Me and hubby are also involved is some simple activities such as cleaning her face, changing nappy and milk feeding her. I kept some diary on her daily progress too, here are some notes about her.

Day 1: Thursday, 8 July 2010

Mummy, Hubby and I were having chicken rice as breakfast around 10AM. I ate seriously a lot, it was my favourite dish. At 11AM, I went to the toilet. I was shocked when I realised i was bleeding. We immediately informed the nurse and i was immediately brought to the birth suite. I was worried and terrified. I didn't know what was happening. Good news or bad news, I wasn't sure, Baby Rania decided to come out to see the world at about 4.20 pm. Baby Rania was born with normal delivery at 560g. The baby nurses team (about 8 of them) took her and helped her with the immidiate ventilation. Hubby was updating me on her progress because she was in another room. I saw a smile on hubby's face that means a lot, he knew at that point that one of our greatest gift has arrived, Princess Rania. The fight wasn't over for me yet, the midwife said that my placenta was stuck and I was loosing a lot of blood. I was brought to the theatre for the manual removal of the placenta. Scary moments to be in that operating room and it was very cold. The procedure went well and I woke up feeling drowsy from the effect of the anaestetic. Soon after that, I was brought to see Princess Rania at the NICU. Her eyes were wide open that time, she was looking around.

Day 2: Friday, 9 July 2010

I was still admitted in the ward and was given more antibiotics. We visited Princess Rania in the morning. Baby nurses said she was doing really well.

Day 3: Saturday, 10 July 2010

Princess Rania had a head scan today. It was all normal. We were very glad to hear the good news!

Day 4: Sunday, 11 July 2010

Today, the Dr said I could be discharged. Talked to the Dr in the morning and gave us contraceptive option. It was not an option for us and declined it immediately. Went to visit Baby Rania that morning. Felt sad to leave her actualy. But I know one day, she will be in my arm and brought home.

Day 5: Monday, 12 July 2010

Princess Rania, started feeding breast milk at 0.5ml every 3 hours. She was also given some nutrition to help her gain weight. Today we talked to the Rania's Baby Doctor, Dr Adam Hollering. All her head scan, chest X-ray, heart were good. Once again, Dr said that she is a very active baby and is such a big fighter, a good sign!

Day 6: Tuesday, 13 July 2010

Princess Rania's breast milk feed was increased to 1ml for every 3 hours. She was tolerating to this amount very well. Her high frequency ventilation was changed to conventional breathing - which is good.

Day 7: Wednesday, 14 July 2010

Once again, our lil' Rania's feed was increased to 1.5ml for every 3 hours. Hubby and I noticed some changes to her skin colour and her overall size. Her skin was turning to real baby's skin and she looks bigger! I changed her nappy for the first time today!

Day 8: Thursday, 15 July 2010

Baby Rania's feed is now 2mls every 3 hours! She was given steroid today to help mature her lungs further. Today, Baby Rania met her grandpa for the very first time. We were still waiting for her to poop now that she's started the milk feed.

Day 9: Friday, 16 July 2010

Princess Rania's been doing great. She pooped for the first time in the morning! It was the black meconium. Once again, her milk fed was increased to 3mls every 3hrs. She was yawning a lot and we can see her crying, but we just can't hear her yet because there is a small tube through her vocal throat. On the night visit, she was fidgety and saw her lifting the small cute pillow! Amazing! Her lungs was responding well to the steroid precribed yesterday. Alhamdulillah..

Day 10: Saturday, 17 July 2010

Rania's new weight is now 630g. She gained a bit of weight! Once again, her milk feed was increased to 4mls every 3hrs. Baby nurse said she's been pooping and weeing very well. At noon, we saw her cried again. Hubby helped with the milk feed for the first time! He looked really happy! Her daddy also touched her head and hand. It was like magic, Baby Rania became really calm. Way the go daddy!

Princess Rania's Diary

Saturday, 17 July 2010

Today we have created a special diary for our lil' Princess Rania. The front cover is fully designed by Rania's daddy using nice stickers that we collected. Hubby stayed up all night doing this project. At the end it looked beautiful!! Princess Rania's diary will be filled in by baby nurses and doctors at the NICU based on her daily progress. It will be interesting to read them in the future especially when Rania has grown up and able to read.

After Birth Do's and Dont's

Thursday, 15 July 2010

Now that I'm settled at home, i've started to eat some traditional medicine (De'Folia) for speedy recovery. My parents and mom in-law told me about some of the do's and don't for those who just gave birth. Some of the do's are to drink lots of warm water, to stay away from cold winds, to keep body warm using portable water pack etc. Some of the don'ts include not to stand for too long, not to do long walking, not to hit our foot (esp our toe) against anything hard. Our elderly believed that it might lead to more bleeding and could get really dangerous.

Oh today, dad is coming back to Brisbane. He arrived at 6am this morning. He brought a piece of specially made slimming cloth to wrap around my stomach area like a big belt. I'm also applying some hot lotion before putting the which contains lime, cinnamon, champor, ginger extract etc on my tummy area. Some women don't like wearing them because it is very tight and might get uncomfortable and hot (because of the lotion). I believed that this belt and lotion help to reduce that fat aroung the tummy...hehe. It works really well so far and i've noticed some differences already.

Visitors

Tuesday, 13 July 2010

Some of our neighbours (Ka Nadia. Zaiham, Ka Shikin and little Anis) came to visit me at home and brought some gifts for Princess Rania. The gifts are cute clothes which we love so much! Thanks a lot for the gifts!

Zaiham's casual dress gift for lil Rania

Nadia's flowery gown gift for lil Rania

Birth Registration: Rania Aleesya

Monday, 12 July 2010

Today, we had completed the birth registration form for our little Rania. We have a couple of things that we need to clarify before we can send it over to the Registry of Birth Department. We also have to apply for a birth certificate. There are 12 different designs which we can choose from. The one that we like the most is the one above because its got everything that you will find in Australia i.e. Koala, Kangaroo, Sea Life, Birds, Frogs, Butterflies, Flora & Fauna and many more!! It will take 2-3 weeks for the certificate to be completed and issued.

We had to give a serious thought on what to name our little princess as, and after a long discussion, Hubby and I had settled for a very gorgeous combination - Rania Aleesya. The name "Rania" came from arabic which stands for contented with happiness (di penuhi dengan keceriaan, kegembiraan). The name "Aleesya" is also from arabic which stands for protected by god (di lindungi tuhan). This names are quite suitable for her because she brings happiness in our lives and with Allah's protection, she had gone through an earlier than expected delivery and Alhamdulillah she had miracoulously survived. Our future vision for our future generation is to keep the name "Aleesya" for the second name for all our daughters, Insya Allah. The name Rania also comes from a sanscript which stands for Princess. When we looked it up in the internet, the same name was given to Princess Rania of Jordan. A very gorgeous muslim lady!! We hope our lil Rania will grow and become as beautiful as her. Amin! The name Aleesya is also the name of the famous Malaysian actress, Erra Fazira.

Going Home

Sunday, 11 July 2010

After spending 25 days at the hospital, I was discharged today. Dr prescribed me some antibiotics to keep away all the bad infections. Dr actually offer to prescribe some oral contraceptives or injections for family planning. However, taking those were not an option for us because me and hubby are fully aware of the long term consequences.

Anyway, I wasn't sure what I'm feeling at the moment. Rania will be spending quite a long time in the NICU. But she will be under the care of expert. As for us, we will be visiting her everyday. Actualy, I really miss her kicking in my tummy. It was the most beautiful experience I ever felt. All that we can do now is to pray for her quick recovery and exit from the NICU. What is wonderful at the moment is that, I'm finally a Mommy!

Rania: Thanks Nini Girl for the Blanket

Sunday, 11 July 2010

Other than what Hubby and i bought for our little Princess, her first gift is from her Nini girl. Mum is the only closest family member we have at the time Rania was born. She bought her a little pink blanket with a small embroidery of two rabbits, which she bought from the gift shop at ground floor of RBWH. She said this blanket should keep little Rania warm especially at current cold weather here. Very thoughtful! Thanks Mum!

Medical Costs Cover

Saturday, 10 July 2010

We have been wanting to take photo of the RBWH building. Hubby finally managed to take photos of the building. He was approached by a traffic law enforcer telling him not to take photo of the building because it is a government owned property, but thankfully that was after he took the shot!! Lucky!!

It was really a shock of a life time when the medical cost was announced to us on the first few days i was admitted at the hospital. Lets just say it could easily cost about AUD 400,000 for both my treatment before and after labour, including the whole treatment of baby in the neonatal intensive care unit after our baby is born. Alhamdulillah, it really is a blessing that the medical cost is covered by the OSHC (Overseas Student Health Cover). Real blessing!! Syukur Alhamdulillah!!

Visitors

Friday, 9 July 2010

My stay at maternity ward wasn't all that quiet. Hubby was next to me all the time. I had a couple of visitors while i was admitted at RBWH. They include my supervisors Prof Greg Anderson and my other collegues. We talked about alot of things including my PhD plan whilst i'm at the hospital. I also had some Bruneians friends coming over but unfortunately i didn't manage to capture the moments on photo. Thanks for everyone's support!!

The Birth of Princess Rania

Thursday, 8 July 2010

Alhamdulillah.. Our bundle of joy, Princess Rania Aleesya was safely delivered today, Thursday, 8th July 2010H, 26th Rejab 1431M at 4.23pm in Royal Brisbane Woman Hospital, Brisbane, Australia. Thanks to family and friends for their prayers and support.

Activities in the Ward

Wednesday, 7 July 2010

Since I'm on bed rest, there's nothing much that I can do. Few days ago hubby bought the USB internet for me to surf in the ward room. That really helps to keep my boredom away :). Apart from internet surfing, we tried to make my stay in the hospital more interesting. Hubby bought $200 worth of scrapbook items including the magazine and dvd. We learn how to make a scrapbook more interesting by looking at some ideas in the internet as well. Oh yeah, the scrapbook will contain my pregnancy experience, photo of my baby bump, bed rest experience and of course will also contain photos of our lovely baby. It is still work in progress, but the wheels are turning slowly, but surely. Apart from scrapbooking, hubby also bought some puzzles book (which mum likes to play!), story books, upword board games and picture puzzles. Took some photos of our activities.. Check it out :)

   

    

    

    

    

My Daily Meals

Tuesday, 6 July 2010

During my stay here at the hospital, meals are given 3 times per day. In the morning, normally they will serve tea, cereals and bread. If I feel like eating something else, my mum would bring some home cook food such as mee mamak or fried rice. As for lunch, sometimes they will serve some salad or hot food such as vegetable roll, tuna patty, macaroni cheese (my favourite!), vegetable lasagna and some fish fillet with loads of vegetables and sometimes mash potatoes. But mum and hubby would normally bring some home cook food to the ward and we'll eat together. Took some photos of the foods, enjoy!

    

   

A Day Out at RBWH Cafe

Tuesday, 6 July 2010

Today, Hubby brought me out on a wheel chair to the ground floor of the hospital. It was the most lively area in the hospital. There are a lot of souvenier shops, restaurants, coffee shop and etc. My main purpose to go down there was to have some pizza, been craving for it for a very long time. Hubby ordered some vegetarian pizza with olive, pumpkins, capsicums toppings. It was yummy! I also spend some time to get online using the internet Kiosk. It was good to be out from the ward room for a while. Thanks Hubby..

OPTUS PRE-PAID WIRELESS BROADBAND

Tuesday, 6 July 2010

Thanks hubby for keeping the blog updated. Hubby bought a wireless broadband kit from the 'yes' OPTUS for AUD 75. Now, i'm finally able to enjoy the freedom of net surfing again. I can check emails, update blogs, check what friends are up to in facebook, check out stuffs and many more.

Yesterday, i tried to get online using the kiosk's pc machine at the hospital's cafe, it costs me AUD 1 per 10 minutes. That is like AUD 6 per hour (BND 8 per hour). Ridiculously expensive!! But now with this USB drive mobile broadband kit, i can go online from the ward. Imagine net surfing in my own ensuite room?! How cool is that!!

It is really easy and convenient - just plug in the stick and get connected in no time.

False Alarms

Monday, 5 July 2010

My wife is currently at her 25th weeks 1 day (6 months 1 week) and 18th day on bed rest at the RBWH.

She had some mild pain at her lower abdominal area on Friday last week. She was immediately rushed to the delivery ward for labour but after several investigtions, it was only a false alarm. The doctors decided that she carry on with the pregnancy and was brought back to the maternity ward.

Today, she experienced similar sort of pain like the one on Friday. Several investigations were done only to find out it was also another false alarm. This time, she was given a steroid injection to help baby lungs maturation.

All the doctors can say is ‘just wait and see’. Those words have been lingering in my mind every now and then. There is nothing the doctors can do to make her pregnancy reach full term. They said it would be a miracle if it does. And there is also nothing they can do to stop the baby from deciding to come out. But they can help make sure my wife is in the best possible condition to carry on with her pregnancy.

We are counting the days - a day at a time. We just keep our hopes up and pray every day that my wife would be able to get through this for another 4 weeks at least until the 29 weeks gestation (7 months and 1 week). That is when the baby is usually healthy enough and can be safely delivered without much complications.

Ya Allah, please save our little baby!!!