World Class Innovation

Tuesday, 30 November 2010

What does Hubby really do? His work was briefly mentioned in the local newspaper. Despite the buzy travelling schedule he managed to balance between work and  family. I'm so proud of you dear!!

Some quotes from the newspaper describing the job as "The high performance project, which BSP admits is "a uniquely challenging, high technology" undertaking to open up the country's mature oil and gas fields is driven by BSP's innovative and total integration of technology, exploration and its development teams". More details can be obtained in these links: for Borneo Bulletin article, entitled "First two wells exceed expectation" and for Brunei Times article, entitled "Extraordinary oil discovery for BSP"

Progress Appointment..

Monday, 29 November 2010

Today, our little Princess Rania had another appointment with her main doctor, Dr Adam at the Royal Brisbane Women Hospital. Before seeing her doctor, her physiotheraphist came to see how Rania was progressing physically. Her physiotheraphist told me to encourage baby do lots and lots of tummy playtime to help her develop her muscles. She also mentioned that her head was a bit flat on the left side too. Rania should be encouraged to sleep on her right side to balance it out. Or while she was awake to put all her toys that she loved on her right side to encourage her turn that way. I think its going to be hard work because Rania loves to sleep facing her head left and turns her head to the left side when she is awake! HeHe...

Dr. Adam said that Rania is growing very well based on her weight gain and increase in length. Dr. Adam received a letter from Rania's respiratory doctor, Dr. Allan, telling him to reduce her oxygen from 250to 200mls/minute. But I told Dr Adam that it couldn't be done because  the next level down on her oxygen regulator is 125mls. So he decided to keep her oxygen at 250mls. Hopefully in the next appointment with the Dr. Allan on the 16th December, her oxygen can be reduced to 125ml! The aim is to get Rania to cope with the lowest oxygen settings a much as possible and then get off the oxygen completely. I wonder when that will be??

Bon Voyage Daddy

Sunday, 28 November 2010

Time flies, it was time again for little princess' Daddy to go back to Brunei to work. Daddy has been a great help with taking care of our beautiful Rania. I had a lot of extra sleep during the night when he was around. Now that he is gone, i'm back to my normal schedule. But Grandma has been a big help too. I'm glad both Grannies are here with Rania.

Missing little princess' Daddy so much! Hope his holiday in mid December is approved. Below are some of the photos taken when Hubby was here during this trip.


It feels so good to be loved..

'I am a cool baby'

Daddy singing lullaby songs..

Princess Rania's special security body guard! HeHe..



Mangoes Galore

Saturday, 27 November 2010

It is almost summer time in Brisbane. This is my first summer in Brisbane. I was told that it might get really hot, much hotter than that in Brunei. Wow! We'll see! The weather for the past couple of days has been quite contrary - lots and lots of rain and feels rather quite cool. That has delayed our plan to go swimming at the apartment pool. But nevermind, the time will eventually come :)

Another interesting event during summer in Brisbane are the variety of fruits that suddenly popped up in the shops and markets. Our main target is mangoes! I love mango so much! Back in Brunei, my dad use to have a couple of mango trees and the fruits were really sweet. Here, the mangoes look slightly different than those in Brunei. It has a bit of pinkish skin colour. I think it tastes very much sweeter here. In case you come here, never forget to try them out!



Head Shaving

Friday, 26 November 2010

My hair just before the shaving

My new look after all my hair is gone..

I know just how to cover it up.. HeHeHe.. I even have my

sun glasses ready just in case there are papparazis around.

How do i look with my hat on? No body can tell right?

Head shaving on the seventh day from birth is Sunna in Islam. Little Rania had her head clean shaven today. It is an exception for her to do it quite late since she was in the hospital for quite a long time. We were at first abit reluctant to do it, but as a muslim, i felt it was necessary as part of spiritual cleansing and plus it posed no harm at all.

Our Prophet's friend, Ibn Al-Qayem (Allah's mercy upon him) said about the benefit of shaving the newborn's hair: Shaving newborn's hair removes the weak hair so that stronger and firmer hair replaces it and it is beneficial for the head. In addition, it comforts the newborn and opens the head's skin openings. And most importantly is a strengthening of her eye sight, her sense of smell and hearing. Another source, although not backed by scientific data also suggested that newborn baby's hair are referred to as unclean and shaving it would enhance their brain development.

Then it is recommended to give a charity in a monetary form an equivalent to the price estimation of gold or silver equal in weight to the hair.

We ask Allah to protect us and our very own child from all evil and to keep her safe and sound in this world and in the hereafter. Amin!

Safety First

Thursday, 25 November 2010

Buckle up before driving eventhough just as passanger..

Our most valuable cargo..

It has been almost three weeks that our Little Princess has been at home. Rania has been spending most of her time at home. Loads of rest is good for her especially for a little preemie like her. She has been a really good girl. Sometimes at night, she could get a bit grizzly. A bit of soft pat and a whisper of lullaby song would settle her quite quickly.

She had a couple of car trips to the Royal Children's Hospital. A week before she came home, we rented a baby capsule which is installed in our back seat for AUD 65, a once off rental for as long period of rental as we want. It is very convinient especially for short trip like this. It also save us alot of time getting her pram ready as we could easily clip the capsule in, take it out and carry them around by hand. I think it is a very good idea to have this installed rather than buying one for her because we can only use it until she reaches 6 kg and she is growing very quickly! For the safety of our little precious cargo, we'd do anything!

Road Safety is important for little baby too!!

Respiratory Appoinment 2

Wednesday, 24 November 2010

Since Little Princess' last appointment last week, her respiratory doctor, Dr Alan Isles, decided to reduced her oxygen requirement from 500ml to 250ml. This change was based on her good weight gain and the good oximetry test done during the appointment.

We brought her back to the Royal Children's Hospital for a follow up check. Nervous, but excited at the same time, Hubby however was very calm through out the time. Her weight was measured and another oximetry test was done. Great news! Rania had gained 103g for the past 6 days and her oxygen saturation has been fantastic! Good girl! Dr Isles said, based on the oximetry, her oxygen could actually be lowered furher down but instead decided that she should be maintained on the lower oxygen settings for the next 3 weeks before lowering it further. Just to follow a safe procedure. 

The best of all, Dr Isles predicted that our Little Princess will be free from using the oxygen in about 2 months time. Amin!! Alhamdulillah, so far everything has gone well since she went home. Hubby has been a great help coming to Brisbane to help look after little bubs. I cannot wait to have her oxyen removed completely.

Cuddles

Monday, 22 November 2010

Little Princess' 25th Blogpost:

I love to cuddle. Cuddle is best!! Here are some of my exclusive cuddly photos collection. Enjoy!

Daddy gives the best cuddle + feed at the same
 time



Mommy's cuddle is the most comforting of all..
Lets go now Mommy, i'm gonna be late for my appointment!

 

Granpa's first cuddle - a bit shaky at the
begining, i had to calm him down (see
myhand trying to calm Grampa)..

Granma's loving touch makes it hard  for
me to resist to sleep



Aunty Nadia giving me a motherly
cuddle.. She loves to kiss me :)

This arabic style lady is Aunty Roslynn.
 I like her dress. She is so loving!

Cuddle with Aunty Aimi... uwwaaaa...
so nice, make me want to sleep..
a wee bit longer please..

Aunty Hani's warm cuddle makes me
sleepy even more... i wish she can
cuddle me till morning..

Respiratory Appointment

Tuesday, 16 November 2010

Today, our Little Princess had an appointment with her respiratory doctor, Dr Alan at the Royal Children Hospital, Brisbane. We were hoping that her oxygen requirement will be weaned down today. During the appointment, we were asked a couple of questions on how she was going with her feeding. Her feeding has been good actually since she was home. Dr Alan was more convinced that she was feeding very well because she had gained about 132g since she was discharged from the hospital.

Dr Alan wantede to trial her on half her current oxygen supply, which is 500mls/min down to 250mls/min and monitored her oxygen saturation using an oximetry for about half an hour just to see how she would cope with the new lower setting.  She passed!! Throughout the monitoring, her oxygen saturation remained between 97 to 99% and even during bottle-feeding! Clever girl! Dr Alan and team was very happy and decided to let us go home with 250mls/min.. Yippie!!

Rock on Baby Rania!!!

Rania's 1 Week Home Progress

Sunday, 14 November 2010

I have noticed a couple of Rania's progress at home. For the past seven days, her bottlefeed and breastfeed has improved a lot. Since, Rania is getting bigger, her feeds also get much bigger! Her head control has been really good too, lots of tummy time does help a lot!

Another exciting progress that she made is that, she has started to play on her own. She loves colourful toys too. We hanged some over where she sleeps. Sometimes she will spend up to an hour just looking and patting those toys with her cute little hands. She seemed to be enjoying herself too! And of course, after a little play she will get a bit hungry wanting some food, after that she will get a good long sleep.

Yesterday, we were asked to came back to the hospital, but don't worry, just for another weighing. Just to check that if little princess is getting enough feeds and sleep. She gained about 72g during the whole one week at home!! Yeay!! The doctor said we would no longer be needing to go back to hospital to have my weight monitored. Yahoo!!

As promised, Hubby is coming tonight to visit us. In fact he is already on his way here as im writing this blog, right now. Yippie!!

Happy Birthday Mom!

Saturday, 13 November 2010

Happy birthday to beloved mom-in-law!! My eldest brother-in-law, Hj Sufri planned a surprise birthday celebration for Mom at his house at Salambigar. Everyone from my Hubby's family side was there except me because i'm in Australia, but i will always be closed at heart! Love you Mom! I feel really touched when I saw the big family photo. Hubby's family has been a great company. Can't wait for Rania to join them in Brunei.

Hubby was just back from Penang for a workshop and managed to stop by to attend her party. He managed to get a hand bag for her from the airport in Penang. Hope you enjoy the "Sembonia" handbag from Rania and us!! We pray that Allah will give her good health. Amin!



Dreaming of Daddy

Friday, 12 November 2010

Rania's 24th Blogpost:

It has been almost a week since my return home. Being at home is very different compared to hospital. I've been keeping Mommy, Grandma and Grandpa very busy. I'm a little Princess, remember? I need all the attention! HaHaHa. However, Daddy has to go back to Brunei during midnight on the day i got discharged on Sunday the 7th. It was very sad, because i didn't get the chance to spend the night with him at home, but Daddy promised to come back at the end of this week!

I sleep much better at home. I noticed that somebody is always there watching over me. Sometimes I get a bit crossed, just because I need my tank to be filled with Mommy's milk! I get hungry quite a lot actually. At night I woke up and cry for food every 2 to 3 hours. Mommy's very good at waking up everytime she hear me cry. Sometimes i made false cries, i wasn't really crying, just having a night dream, wanting to be picked up by Daddy, but as soon as i woke up, i went back to sleep again. HeHeHe..

Everything is going so well at home! Thanks for the continous support everyone!

Home Sweet Home!!

Sunday, 7 November 2010

Today is a BIG day for our little Princess Rania. It is the day that she is going home!! Alhamdulillah!! It is the happiest day of my life!! Now, i can hold her on my arms 24-7!!

On her final day, little Princess, her Daddy and myself had a little round at the NICU and SCN ward. We just wanted to personally say thank you to all the wonderful staffs who had taken care of her before. Unfortunately, not all of them are around including her doctor, Dr. Adam Hoellering. We only managed to meet  a handful of people who are working today. To others who are not on duty today, thank you so much. You guys are awesome!! Thanks for caring for her. It means alot to us!! We also would like to thank family, friends and readers of this blog for all you prayers..

During our round, we used this opportunity to distribute our little gifts to those that we met along the way. To other baby nurses whom had looked after our precious little princess and haven't already received our little gift of appreciation, please drop an email to me with your full name at haiza.ahmad@gmail.com and i will be glad to drop the gift at the reception of NICU/SCN, RBWH.

These are some of the last few sweet memories of our Princess Rania at the NICU/SCN of RBWH.. Enjoy!

After we were done with the round, off we went.. Home!! Home Sweet Home!! Yeay!! HeHeHe.

Another interesting event awaits at home. GranMa and GranDad had a little surprise for our little Princess, a surprise "welcome home" banner! Lots and lots of baloons, everywhere!! There are these one set of baloons with big letters that says "R - A- N- I - A". So sweet of them. Take a look.. HeHeHe.. Thanks Grannies!!

Thank You Gift - Nurses and Doctors

Sunday, 7 November 2010

Today, Rania weighs about 3318 grams - a gain 68 grams since her last weigh-in on Friday. She passed all the criteria of going home. She is one happy princess!! Thank you to all nurses and doctors who had taken care of our precious little cuppie, Princess Rania through out the 122 days of her stay at the RBWH. As a token of appreciation we have a little gift for all who had looked after her during her stay at the NICU/ SCN.

And of course, it wouldn't be complete without some Ferrero Rocher chocolate. A treat for everyone!! HeHeHe

 

4 Nights Parentcrafting

Wednesday-Saturday, 3-6 November 2010

Parent Crafting Room

Little Princess has been doing so well. She is gaining weight, pooing and weeing well. Her breathing has improved so much that her bottle and breast feeds are getting better as well. Her doctors and nurses are so pleased with her progress that they decided to let Hubby and i stay overnight at the hospital to look after our little girl even during night time. How exciting!!

Day 1 (Wednesday, 3 November 2010):

Tummy Playtime with Little Rania

Today, Rania weighs about 3194g. She needs to gain weight if she were to go home.

Hubby and I were very excited about parentcrafting. For today and tomorrow, Rania will still be in Room 9 of the Special Care Nursery, being closely watched by the nurses. Big news! Her tubing feed is finally removed. That means all her feed will be done by mouth all by herself. Now we are able to see her cute little nose much closely. The photo above is her latest photo without the tubing feed on, she is having tummy playtime with Daddy! HeHe.

At night, whenever little Rania is showing any cues for feeding, the nurse would phone us from our room. We received calls at 2.30 am and 5.30 am because little Rania was awake, demanding for her Mommy's milk Mommy's milk is the best! HeHe. It is very nice to be able to have a place where we can take a short nap between her feeds. Yippie!

Day 2 (Thursday, 4 November 2010):

Cuddling with Mommy

Little Princess was weighed again today. She gained about 50g. Now she is 3244g!! Today is our second day of parentcrafting. Rania has graduated from using the electronic monitoring device that checks for her oxygen saturation and heart rate. It was not difficult trying to get used to not having the monitoring screen. Because in the past few days, we tried to avoid looking at the screen for any sign of desaturation. The second day at parentcraft went smoothly. Rania fed well today, good girl! She woke up at her favourite time of the day 2.30 am and 5.30 am.

Day 3 (Friday, 5 November 2010):

Room 9 Graduation to Parentcrafting Room

Little Princess was weighed again today before she spent the night with Mommy and Daddy. She weigh 3250g. She gained about 6 grams since yesterday. Just a little but still better than nothing.. Finally the day that we have been waiting for, Rania was transferred to our bedroom. We can now sleep close to each other like a real family. Yippie! The night went quite well. We had a wonderful night together.

Day 4 (Saturday, 6 November 2010):

Our special visitor, Aunty Leizel!! Thanks Leizel for dropping by!! We're all going to miss you lots!!

Tonight is yet another night that we are so much looking forward to have. Second night with the little one before we can bring her back home. Hope everything goes well! Looking forward for the big day tommorow, going home!