Being a Mom in this Age of Technology

In this age of technology, moms like me, or soon to be moms will have no problem acquiring knowledge about pregnancy, parenting and family stuff since there are plenty of things you can learn through the internet. I myself go to several parenting sites and mom forum to ask some mother like me about their experiences and advice. When I first heard of my daughter condition on vesicoureteral reflux (its an abnormal movement of urine from the bladder into ureters or kidney. Urine normally travels from the kidney via the ureter to the bladder. In vesicoureteral reflux the direction of urine flow is reversed), me and my husband went blank. Its the first time we heard of such condition. Although our doctor did explain it to us thoroughly, I had to look online for some parents whose children had such condition. I did find a few online, their advice and experiences really help us in dealing and preparing for our daughter condition. 

My daughter's condition is okay now, she had surgery a couple of years ago. Gone are the days she would go on high fever and we had to admit her to the hospital, gone are those expensive and ever changing antibiotics we had to give to her. 

I wonder how my mother had raise me and my siblings, we are a total of six siblings (5 girls and a boy). When before when there was still no internet, they don't have any information available from just a click of the mouse. When only doctors and relatives are the people mothers can get advice from.That makes my mother super, having to raise all six of us. I guess I am very fortunate to have all these information around me all the time within reach it really helps a lot.

How to Collect Urine Sample for Urine C and S test

Urine check is a way of determining so many diseases. When I was pregnant, I have a urine check every now and then to determine if I have diabetes and monitor for a urinary tract infection.

When my little Keona was 4 months old, she was having UTI. It is becoming recurrent that her pediatrician suspected there might be physiological problems in her urinary tract and not just mere hygienic reason that she often has UTI. She referred us to a Nephrologist- a doctor specialist of kidney diseases. We had her undergo ultrasound which reveals that she is having ureteral reflux. Then she had to undergo VCUG- vesico-urethrogram to determine the grade level of her reflux.

The result of VCUG revealed a grade 3 reflux which does not necessitate surgical intervention and just a regular antibiotic which acts as a prophylaxis to keep the bacteria in a lower level so as not to have an infection which can result to damage kidneys. In spite of her prophylaxis, she had outbreaks and she keeps on getting an infection that we finally decided to have her undergo surgical operation.

After the operation, we have to monitor Keona's urine through Urine C and S test or urine culture and sensibility. It a test wherein we have to submit a urine sample to the laboratory and they will incubate it for 48 hours to see if there will be bacteria that will grow. If there's bacteria, there are corrsponding list of antibiotics that the laboratory people will determine if the bacteria growth will be susceptible or resistant. It means that those antibiotics that the bacteria is susceptible can cure the said bacteria while the resistant one's cannot cure it.

Lately, we have urine cs test and we are very sad because there's a bacteria growth on Keona's urine C and S test. Our doctor said that there might be a problem with the collection of the urine sample that we have submitted to the laboratory and he wanted us to have repeat urine culture and sensibility test. Indeed, the second urine cs test has no bacteria. The pediatrician is indeed right, it was the way we collected the urine sample.

To avoid getting trapped with the same problem and to avoid unnecessary expense on urine c and s, here are my tips on the proper collection of urine sample especially for baby girls like our little Keona.

1. Clean the vagina of the baby properly. Wash it with water.
2. Include the labia in cleaning your baby.
3. Use the cellophane urine collector if the baby is still infant or cannot manage to sit down yet when urinating. If possible, use a newly purchased baby urine collector and not an old stock one.
4. You can may use the plastic sterile urine collector if the baby can be instructed to sit down and collect urine properly.
5. Bring it or submit it right away to the laboratory, not later than 1 hour after collection.

That's all for now folks. Have a great day. Stay blissful, blessed and healthy everyone:).

Urine Culture for the third Time

It's time again for Keona's quarterly monitoring through urine culture. This is the third time that she has urine culture after her operation and the first urine CS that she's not been taking antibiotic. I got the result yesterday and was very thankful to God that there was no bacteria for the third consecutive time.

We will wait again for another 3 months and we'll have urine SC again plus the renal scan which will determine the functionality of her kidneys. I hope and pray that everything will turn out okay.

We had a check-up yesterday and as usual, she's afraid to get inside the elevator. I can't use the stairs because her doctor's clinic is on the 8th floor. Currently, Keona is having cough and colds so I make her drink ambroxol (Ambrolex) for her cough and Disudrin for her colds as prescribed by her pediatrician. I'm praying also for her fast recovery because her appetite is affected although she remains enthusiastic and playful.

Have a great start of the week friends. Take good care everyone:).

Here comes the fever again

Just when I rejoice of Keona's KUB (Kindney, ureter, & bladder) ultrasound result, she's having fever again. We brought her to the pedia and her doctor said that it might be just viral infection because there's no bacteria growth in her urine culture which we just did few days ago. If it's just viral, fever will be gone in 3 days. Today is her third day, and so far, she has no fever since midnight. Hopefully it will not go back today.

Fever Again!

I was not able to go online for several days because aside from not having a yaya to take care for my baby, Keona is having fever again. I was wondering why it keeps on coming back. We have not seen rashes on her body which is a sign of a dengue fever. Though her fever does not reach as high as 39 degree celsius but her mood is really different. She's very irritable. She doesn't like to play and she just always want me to carry her. Hope she will recover soon. I have gotten already her urinalysis result but I don't know how to interpret it. Still waiting for the result of her urine culture and sensibility. We never discount the possibility of a bacteria breaktrough again from her ureteral reflux. Since last night, she didn't have a fever. Hope it will not come back again and that the antibiotic that she's taking worked for her.