樂樂 was admitted to hospital again during the first few days of the Chinese New Year. Unavoidably, we had our reunion dinner (picture above) in the hospital.

He had a cough initially over the weekend, which deteriorated into an infection to the airway and the lungs. We followed the paediatrician's advice and admitted him to hospital on Tuesday. He was hooked up to a humidifier, had antibiotics applied and fed phlegm medicine. In addition, a physiotherapist came by daily to give him massages to loosen the phlegm, and to suck the phlegm out from his body via his nostrils and mouth.

He was discharged on Saturday, and although we still need to bring him back to the paediatrician regularly, there is nothing like home. He is on the road to recovery, and he seems to sleep and feed better now. Hopefully, he will make a full recovery soon. We are monitoring the situation closely with the help of the paediatrician.

It hurts to see him in the hospital, regardless whether it is during a period of celebration or not. We really hope we will not need to do it again in the future. On the other hand, it's not totally bad. We resisted all visits by our relatives; it was only Jas, 樂樂 and me in the hospital for that few days, making it a private family affair. When he's at home, we get visitors every day, and sometimes both Jas and I find ourselves crowded out by our parents eager to handle him. The quiet time together allowed us to get used to each other. Jas and I know better how to care for him, and we have learnt a new way of pacifying him.

Undoubtedly, it was not a typical Chinese New Year. The food was not the usual reunion dinner fare. The environment was not as cosy as home. But you know what, it was a proper family reunion dinner for us, and I will always remember that tiny little room. Home is where the heart is and that was our home during those few days, because we were there as a family. I guess that's all that matters.

Happy New Year.

I've uploaded more photos.

深夜，Jas 和樂樂都睡了。我獨自一人在黑暗裡聽歌。

樂樂出世候，我的岳母每天都到我們家為 Jas 煮做月的飯菜。我的父母也差不多每天上們看孫子。我岳父也偶爾會上來。所以，我們每天家裡都滿多客人的。只有到了深夜，我才可以抽出一點空。

從我的學生時代，我就已經喜歡熬夜。把房裡的燈都關了，只開一盞暗暗的桌燈，桌上放一杯紅茶，手裡夾著一根煙，心情不知不覺就會多了一份悠閒，少了一份緊張。

閉上雙眼，帶上隔音耳機，一個人在黑暗裡聽歌的感覺非常好。有時聽聽自己 rip 過的 CD, 有時上上网聽楊宗緯唱歌。楊宗緯唱雨天和聽說愛情回來過真的沒話說。Dixie Chicks 的 Not ready to make nice 也滿不錯。

差不多到樂樂餵奶的時候了，就這樣吧，明天再聽。晚安。

樂樂 has been home for a few days, and we are slowly getting used to each other.

On his part, I think he has gotten used to his feed times. He will wake up automatically around his feed times, and it has made things easier for us as well. He'll usually wake up 10 to 15 minutes before his feed time and fidget for a while before crying for his milk. According to the paediatrician's instructions, we are supplementing his breast feeding with formula milk. We are due another visit to the paediatrician tomorrow, and we are hopeful that his jaundice has subsided.

In addition, we are sleeping better at night. He has more or less gotten used to sleeping between feeds. This means that we are able to grab some decent sleep as well. He is sleeping mostly with us at the moment, but we will slowly put him to bed in his playpen more often.

On the other hand, we are also getting used to his behaviour, and we are getting better at anticipating his mood. We know better his preferred way to be carried, how to pat him to sleep, and we are able to bathe him without him crying his eyes out.

I've uploaded some more photos of his sleeping styles. Heh.

樂樂 was discharged from the hospital yesterday, after spending 2 nights at the hospital. Woot!

Upon the paediatrician's orders, we have started supplementing his breast-feeding diet with formula milk. Part of the cause for his condition was that he was dehydrated. Maybe Jas needs time to build up enough milk as well. In addition, we were not disciplined in his feeding schedule for the first few days as well. We have started monitoring his feeds as well as his bowel movements, and we're seeing the paediatrician again on Friday, so we are keeping a close eye on things.

I have now experienced for myself how challenging caring for a newborn is. Strangely enough, the challenging part is not dealing with our baby, but with dealing with our parents. The thing is, those from the older generation will typically have their own experiences and old midwives tales on how to treat different maladies. To be fair, these are mostly true-and-tested remedies, which help in their own ways.

On the other hand, parents from my generation are from the information age and most of us do our homework. We will try to find out more about childbirth, and enroll in antenatal classes. For the first few days after childbirth, the mother's hormones are still fluctuating, there is insufficient sleep, the baby is crying non-stop, and the frustration builds up. At this point of time, things can get challenging if the grandparents keep repeating an old midwife remedy. Worse, they could have heard it from this auntie they met at the market.

For example, a new mother produces a small amount of colostrum for the first few days after childbirth. It is easy for grandparents to get the impression that the mother is not producing enough milk and will recommend giving plain water to the baby. That, by itself, is fine. The trouble comes when they take every opportunity to remind you to give some plain water to the baby. Worse, they'll call up your other aunties and relatives to give you a ring, and tell you the same thing.

So far, we have managed to deflect all the suggestions, but it was certainly challenging. Speaking of which, I am totally in the camp that says mothers, and not mother in laws, should be taking care of their daughters during the confinement period. I cannot imagine my fate if my mother takes care of Jas during the confinement period. She is my mom, but she does have a soft ear, and can be easily swayed.

Anyway, we are all glad that 樂樂 is back home, and already he has brought back much joy into the family.

樂樂 is down with jaundice, and has to stay in the hospital for 2 days to undergo phototherapy. He was admitted yesterday and should be discharged tomorrow.

By all accounts, it is a common occurrence among newborns, and should clear by 10 days. Knowing that is one thing, seeing our son lying on the phototherapy bed bawling his eyes out can be difficult to take, especially for Jas. After spending 2 days with him at home, we miss him terribly while he's in the hospital. But I think we can endure anything as long as he comes back healthy. Moreover, we can always visit him anytime.

According to his latest blood test results today, he is well on the road to recovery. Both Jas and I are hopeful that we can bring him home tomorrow. Looking forward, we will be more disciplined to feed him at regular intervals, and make sure he gets the required amount of feed every time. Our pediatrician has prescribed formula milk to supplement breast-feeding, so hopefully he can shrug off the jaundice condition soon.

P.S. Hequn and Gina's son was born last night. Both mother and child are well and I'm sure Rainen and Jonen will be overjoyed with a new brother. Congratulations!

P.P.S. I have uploaded some more photos.