inside and out
The past couple of days have all revolved around medical appointments: my 20th week detailed ultrasound for Bao, and The Bun's very very late MMR vaccination and wellness check-up.
I didn't take The Bun with me for the scan, which turned out to be a good decision because J and I ended up with many long waits which would have driven him (and then us) mad. Bao had to be nudged around during the scan so that the sonographer could check things out properly. At one point its hands were covering the face so there was some rather firm prodding going on. The sonographer then asked me to cough hard a few times to see if we could persuade Bao to move a little, which I found quite amusing. Eventually we managed to get a decent enough view and I suppose Bao could then resume its nap.
I've always enjoyed the 20th week scan - lots of things to see and the baby always seems so much realer to me afterwards. Before that, even if it kicks, it still feels quite abstract. The geek part of me also likes checking out all the different parts of the body. I always hold my breath when we get to look at the heart in detail - the valves flipping open and shut, the four chambers pumping away, all magnified onscreen.
Bao at 20 weeks
We do know Bao's gender, but as for The Bun, I won't be announcing it here until it's born. Now J and I have to work on choosing a name, which is going to be a bit of a headache because I've already done a preliminary run through a baby name book and nothing inspires or calls out to me.
I should really do a pregnancy post because I realise that half of this pregnancy has gone by and I have hardly even thought about it, let alone written about it. Poor Bao - its ultrasound photos aren't even properly organised or put away; I just randomly stuff them into a 'pregnancy care' booklet the clinic gave me. And to date I haven't even shown any of these pictures to anyone else apart from J and my mother. Such is the second-child syndrome. I must make more of an effort.
________________
The Bun's fear of doctors has improved significantly over the last few months, thanks to a lot of role-playing, books about doctors, and of course, bribery. Nonetheless, J and I decided to go to a different paediatrician this time, at The Olive Tree clinic - highly recommended (with an accompanying high fee) from friends - because we had heard that she was very good and thorough with young children and would take extra care with kids who were afraid of doctors. Our usual paed is friendly enough, but quite brisk and not one to pull a song-and-dance routine to win over a kid.
Anyway, we discovered a couple of interesting things about The Bun. Firstly, he has flat feet which he may or may not grow out of, but we'll need to get him new shoes (bye Crocs!) so that his feet can be better supported. The Bun was listening in on the discussion and burst into tears at this point because he thought that we would be throwing his shoes and his beloved Thomas away and that he would have to go home without any shoes on. The doctor was quite surprised by his outburst - The Bun's more sensitive and more keyed-into adult conversation than he may seem.
The other thing is that The Bun has ligamentous laxity - 'loose ligaments'. The doctor demonstrated this by bending The Bun's thumb towards his wrist so that the tip of the thumb touched his arm. J and I were quite shocked, while The Bun blithely continued observing some toys without even noticing how his hand was bent over. We'll have to keep an eye on his fine motor skills and try to exercise his hand muscles more, but otherwise he'll be fine. Plenty of people are double-jointed and this could well end up being his cheap party trick next time.
All that and done, his vaccination was quick and painless, thanks to a numbing cream the clinic recommended. The nurse distracted him with bubble-blowing and The Bun didn't even notice what happened. In fact, as we were leaving, The Bun asked 'what about the syringe?' because I had prepped him beforehand about what the doctor would do and as it turns out, he didn't realise the procedure had been done already.
I'm glad the shot was trauma-free; it took us a long while to get to the point where one of us could talk about doctors without The Bun crying and kicking up a fuss. Knowing him, if we had gone to our usual brisk doctor and she just poked a needle into him, he would remember the experience and we would be back to square one all over again. This was the major reason why I had delayed the MMR for so long (well, that and also because he kept getting sick every time I scheduled an appointment). At least one part of it has been completed, and The Bun will be covered by the time we leave for Geneva.
I didn't take The Bun with me for the scan, which turned out to be a good decision because J and I ended up with many long waits which would have driven him (and then us) mad. Bao had to be nudged around during the scan so that the sonographer could check things out properly. At one point its hands were covering the face so there was some rather firm prodding going on. The sonographer then asked me to cough hard a few times to see if we could persuade Bao to move a little, which I found quite amusing. Eventually we managed to get a decent enough view and I suppose Bao could then resume its nap.
I've always enjoyed the 20th week scan - lots of things to see and the baby always seems so much realer to me afterwards. Before that, even if it kicks, it still feels quite abstract. The geek part of me also likes checking out all the different parts of the body. I always hold my breath when we get to look at the heart in detail - the valves flipping open and shut, the four chambers pumping away, all magnified onscreen.
Bao at 20 weeks
We do know Bao's gender, but as for The Bun, I won't be announcing it here until it's born. Now J and I have to work on choosing a name, which is going to be a bit of a headache because I've already done a preliminary run through a baby name book and nothing inspires or calls out to me.
I should really do a pregnancy post because I realise that half of this pregnancy has gone by and I have hardly even thought about it, let alone written about it. Poor Bao - its ultrasound photos aren't even properly organised or put away; I just randomly stuff them into a 'pregnancy care' booklet the clinic gave me. And to date I haven't even shown any of these pictures to anyone else apart from J and my mother. Such is the second-child syndrome. I must make more of an effort.
________________
The Bun's fear of doctors has improved significantly over the last few months, thanks to a lot of role-playing, books about doctors, and of course, bribery. Nonetheless, J and I decided to go to a different paediatrician this time, at The Olive Tree clinic - highly recommended (with an accompanying high fee) from friends - because we had heard that she was very good and thorough with young children and would take extra care with kids who were afraid of doctors. Our usual paed is friendly enough, but quite brisk and not one to pull a song-and-dance routine to win over a kid.
Anyway, we discovered a couple of interesting things about The Bun. Firstly, he has flat feet which he may or may not grow out of, but we'll need to get him new shoes (bye Crocs!) so that his feet can be better supported. The Bun was listening in on the discussion and burst into tears at this point because he thought that we would be throwing his shoes and his beloved Thomas away and that he would have to go home without any shoes on. The doctor was quite surprised by his outburst - The Bun's more sensitive and more keyed-into adult conversation than he may seem.
The other thing is that The Bun has ligamentous laxity - 'loose ligaments'. The doctor demonstrated this by bending The Bun's thumb towards his wrist so that the tip of the thumb touched his arm. J and I were quite shocked, while The Bun blithely continued observing some toys without even noticing how his hand was bent over. We'll have to keep an eye on his fine motor skills and try to exercise his hand muscles more, but otherwise he'll be fine. Plenty of people are double-jointed and this could well end up being his cheap party trick next time.
All that and done, his vaccination was quick and painless, thanks to a numbing cream the clinic recommended. The nurse distracted him with bubble-blowing and The Bun didn't even notice what happened. In fact, as we were leaving, The Bun asked 'what about the syringe?' because I had prepped him beforehand about what the doctor would do and as it turns out, he didn't realise the procedure had been done already.
I'm glad the shot was trauma-free; it took us a long while to get to the point where one of us could talk about doctors without The Bun crying and kicking up a fuss. Knowing him, if we had gone to our usual brisk doctor and she just poked a needle into him, he would remember the experience and we would be back to square one all over again. This was the major reason why I had delayed the MMR for so long (well, that and also because he kept getting sick every time I scheduled an appointment). At least one part of it has been completed, and The Bun will be covered by the time we leave for Geneva.