I buried myself in the Desertland

Scary big men with beards and mustache, wearing crease-free white kandura (wonder why they don't get dirty at the end of the day) and guthra (headscarf) fixed with egal (black rope); reserved women in their black abaya and shela; sizzling 45 degrees humid temperature during the long summer months; no fun in Ramadan; dry Christmas celebration are just among the many other culture-shocking moments of my stay in Dubai, UAE.

I wouldn't say I've been harrased or intimidated by these Arab people and their norms. Perhaps it's just a little part of the cultural indifferences that we have to understand and accept when we go out of our national territory. In this place, I rarely experience the taste of raindrops but rather a shower of sandstorm (literally, it's stick on the scalp for days). I experienced watching belly dancers (they're really on their fluppy bellies) that almost had their waists detached from their bodies (obviously, an exaggerated description). While working in the hotel, I worry myself so sometimes of threats thrown at me by Arab callers whenever they are not promised of something they want. The usual meeting with Managers and firing employees out of an irrational behavior these local people displays, are unimaginable but do happen sometimes (case to case, worst comes to worst situation).

Nevertheless, I coped up with the culture-related idiosyncracies and had a cautious sense of living in Dubai. It's a motivated mechanism of self-defense that pull me off and put me just right into my place. Working in a multi-cultural environment is not a quip. Insisting yourself is not as easy as you think, no matter you believe how right you are. The technique is minding your own business. The more you involve, the more you get yourself into trouble.

Not all the times do I feel this way. I am not what I am now if I didn't step in the desert land. I couldn't have met Xam's dad if I didn't cross the boundaries. I sure had a lot of wonderful memories to share, having met new friends and families: Asian, Arabic, Egyptian, German, Russian, to mention the least. The reality seazes and brought me to know and use my sensibilities by familiarizing and acknowledging other nationalities' background and culture.

Whew... Sigh... Single

I sought and I conquered. So now, it's time to understand the fact that there are just some things I held back to recourse the track and enjoy the reward (at least for now!) and thank for:

• I have all the freedom and undirected choices when it comes to Xam

• I can set justifiable rules for him without offensive discourse



• No further arguments and fill-the-gap moments



• Nothing and no one to get jealous of



• No budget-this-for-that kind of conversation



• No it's-my-turn hang-ups

• No one to blame for anything that goes wrong but me (it's okay, all lessons learned are signs of progress)

For all the reasons I know, yes, all is fair in love and war.

How to Respond to a Hyperactive Baby

Every day seems so fast for me and Xam. Everytime I come home for the weekend, I could see a change in him- his features, built, actions, language, his over-all personality. He is becoming a different person, from being so quiet and submissive to a strong and willful character. If he gets struck to an object, even beyond his reach, he would put all the effort and do all ways to get hold of it. He moves a lot, goes in circle quicker than I imagine. It's difficult to keep him still, particularly during meal and changing time. He would scream atop of his tongue when I try to put him inside the crib or when he's tied up in a stroller. He is so excitable especially when we go out for a walk. And more often than not, he seems so uneasy during bedtime. I suspect that this is an outburst of his motor activity and becoming "hyperactive."

While I'm having anxieties on his hyperresponsiveness, I was told by his physician that I shouldn't be because it's but a normal manifestation of his reaction to his environmental stimuli. Rather than being aggressive on him while keeping him calmer, it's more effective to do other way around:

1. Speak to him softly.



2. Lift him up slowly.



3. Touch him gently.



4. Keep him in a quiet and comfortable environment - no loud music and television; no banging of doors



5. Loosen him if he tries to agitate.



6. Create a safe environment for him whenever he explores.



7. Provide him with his 'security object' - it could be his favorite stuffed toy, a pillow or a blanket.



8. Stroll him in the park during a fine weather.



9. Assure him of your love and affection and always wear a smile when he looks at you. He doesn't have to sense for a problem at this period of his life.



10. Lower your temperament before attending to him.

Our personality, traits and behavior are 40% environment-dependent. Babies may outgrow certain activeness as they respond to new environments, so we should prepare them and make it safe for them to explore.

What you crave is what you get

A little late this morning, while cleaning up the center table in the living room, I had the chance to flip one magazine from those craps sent through sea cargo from Dubai. My eyes were stuck on the Häagen-Dazs ice cream ad with the yummy photo of the strawberry concoction. Then I began reminiscing my first 2 months of being pregnant in Dubai.

As fresh as it seems, the feeling was actually quite odd. I would describe it as an exaggerated craving of the taste buds. It's beyond satisfying my hungry tummy. It's a haunting desire I couldn't resist. I said it could have all been in the mind. But actually it's real and it's running in my nerves. My ob-gyne simply call it hormonal imbalance.

Hungry preggies, you might want to try one of these to ease your crazy tummies.

1. Lip-smacking ice cream. That means 1 pint to a quart of Oreo Cookies & Cream of Baskin Robbins. My sister who used to work in a fast food in Dubai would buy me after work. Besides the cooling effect to my entire system, my all-time favorite cookies 'n cream has just got even better with bigger bits of the creamy cookie wrapped in a vanilla-rich mixture. The best thing with Baskin31 is the longevity of it's solidness given a certain period of travel time. It takes about 15 minutes before my sister gets home and it really proves, my ice cream is as good as a freshly scooped one. Well, I can say that this was my antidote to all the insanities I felt out of hormonic disturbances of being pregnant.
2. Buko shake (young coconut shake). I was too fussy on this one. Everyone at home were so upset that I'm not getting what I want. Besides, coconut variety in Dubai doesn't taste as good as our coconuts here in the Philippines. I tried it all but none of those shakes quenched my rising thirst. Though I've been all seeing in my dreams the icy creamy shake I've been always wanting, that didn't happen while I was there... and it upset me.
3. Donut. My donut had to be powdery white outside and a creamy strawberry filling inside. I'm glad donuts are everywhere; I didn't have to worry about getting what I particularly wanted.
4. Tikoy (Chinese rice cake). Another white delicacy rarely found abroad. There are groceries that sell Philippine or Chinese products in Dubai but unluckily, I didn't find one that satisfied my craving. Alternatively, my sister got me a sapin-sapin (Filipino rice cake) which is quite similar to the taste of tikoy. Not bad after all.
5. Spaghetti. The funny thing about my experience is that I had to ask my brother look for spaghetti around 1 o'clock in the morning. He had been going around Satwa area only to call me that he only found pancit bihon. What would I do with pancit bihon? I was too weak to argue with him so I just contented myself with what I have. But believe me, the whole night was ruined and I haven't slept so well. Anyway, he made up to me the following day and got me one.

As much as I try to leave my mind at peace of these memories, it keeps coming back so often whenever I think of Xam. Perhaps to remind me and testify my endurance, that I survived 2 immeasurable months of pain and upsetting hormonal craziness of being pregnant. Now, I'm enjoying the fruits of love and labor as a mom to God's wonderful creation in Xam.

A Day Today

I just got home from Manila for a weekend and I miss my roommates. They're cool, they're great, they're not serious at all. No, only when everyone's around after a long exhausting day. I'm so lucky enough that I can relax at my boarding house from a 9-hour day at work without worrying of getting disturbed by inconsiderate annoying housemates. You'd better behave guys.

Before even leaving Manila, mommy sent me an SMS that Xam has a flu. Since a month old, I always worry for Xam getting infections. Because of his G6PD deficiency, there have been a lot of restrictions particularly on medicines. And I worry that he might be given, again, with the wrong prescription. I'm relieved we still have the medicine prescribed by his pediatrician when he had first got a flu. But during the trip, he's all I'm thinking of. Poor Xam. I'm sure he can't afford one smile again.

I arrived exactly at 1pm and I saw Xam at once attentively watching a noontime show. When I opened the screendoor, he stared and crawled fast towards me. I carried him at once and he embraced me so tightly I could cry for missing him a lot. He leaned on my shoulder and when I got the chance to look at him, I saw the watery nose he doesn't want to get wiped of. But he wanted to hug me so I offered. I know he misses me and I can feel it.

He got so drowsy with his medicines so I put him to sleep. It didn't take long though and worst, he fell down from the bed as he got awake. We heard the banging fall and we were alarmed so Mom, me, my aunt who's here to visit run to get him. He cried so hard, I cried inside as I comfort him. I told him, "It's going to be okay, Xam," while rubbing his head, back, arms and legs to make sure nothing is hurt. After just a few seconds, he stopped crying but I still fear for an after-effect. The time he learned how to crawl on his knees and can sit by himself, I told everyone at home not to leave him in bed alone. We don't put him in crib because he is uncomfortable with it and easily wakes up. But today was all an accident. I didn't even anticipate.

A little later, he bumped his head again from unbalanced crawling position. I know he's limbs are a little firmer but he's too weak to move because of his flu. So I just took him outside for a walk before the impending heavy rain falls.

I was waiting for a smile since I'm home but I'm out of ways how to get it. Good thing the television was on- his favorite advertisement on shampoo opened his mouth to grin.

We had enough for the day. I hope tomorrow would be more safe for Xam.

Raising Xam... Alone

Who would have thought that a plain Jane have blown her chances away to raise her child alone. But it wasn’t that alarming at all. Besides, being a parent, especially mother, is the best gift we could ever receive and believe me, your happiness will get doubled and even grows even more. No one can ever explain the downpour of feelings the time you first hold your baby.

Plain Janes like me are everywhere and increasingly dominating the single-parent statistics. From the time I see the heartbeat of Xam inside me until I gave birth to him, I shouldered all the emotional, physical and psychological struggles all alone. Yes, it was so difficult, or I should say painful - physical pain, emotional pain, psychological pain, it tortured me. Until now, I still can’t help but cry everytime I recall those life-threatening moments - and I survived. Oh I’m crying. But why should I? With just one look at Xam, I know that I am blessed with the greatest gift.

Xam has never been a hard-to-please baby. He was so quiet and calm. He had less fussy periods during his first month unless he is hungry, uncomfortable or sleepy. Some infants cry so loud and uncontrollably for no reason at all and I’m glad that I rarely experience this with Xam, though from doctor’s point of view, fussy crying is just normal. It even helps the baby release excess energy so they could return to a more contented state. This is easy for a single mom like me, for a having a very cooperative son.

Kidding aside, what we need to understand about single-parenting is that this is not a half-way journey. I have no one to meet me there so why should I stop? I care a lot for my family so I want to take care more of myself.

Guilty-feeling Not

At times, I couldn’t help but to feel guilty for not even thinking about Xam, that he would only be having one parent. But I don’t have to make amends by spoiling him. Spoiling is but natural. It’s just means that you’re giving attention to your baby because that’s what he needs in a single-parent family. I’m just so grateful that my parents support me and share the day-in, day-out job of taking care of Xam.

Don’t look for problems that don’t exist.

I don’t anticipate problems but I do recognize them when they arise. Sometimes I may fall short of my responsibility as a parent but that doesn’t mean that it’s a hole in the heart that I should be guilty of and that Xam won’t grow up a better child. I know I’ll be facing challenges of being a single parent and one of them is handling things alone. But this is a challenge or a difficulty not a problem. Only when times get rough and specific things get complicated and unhandy will I need a source of support. And again, I’m fortunate enough to have my family and friends around.

The best medicine of all: laughter and humor

I realize how important it is to maintain good humor in ourselves. Everything seems so light and manageable if matters are taken positively. Challenges are more fun before you know you surpass it. So laugh it all the way and you’ll feel 16 again.

Relax, see a movie, go to the spa…

Why not? For you and for your family’s sake, stay healthy – eat right, get enough rest and sleep, and get a break by hanging out with friends once in a while. Pursue your interest and hobbies.

MOM'S STANDPOINT

Being a single parent doesn’t mean being alone. We all have extended families and friends to support us and it’s completely fine to ask for help from professionals like your pediatrician when you need it. They’ll be most concerned not only about your child’s development but also about you and your relationship with your family. So don’t feel alone and isolated. You too as a mom has your own emotional needs and don’t be afraid to acknowledge it. Face it optimistically and with confidence.

Around the Clock

I am a hands-on mom, from the time I delivered my son up until now. I didn’t mind the stabbing pain of my cut and being so weak after days of giving birth. There is nothing more fulfilling for a mother than to see her child growing so wonderful with all the sacrifices she had made. Until now, everytime I go home for the weekend, though tired and hungry from the 5-hour trip from Manila, there is no meal or couch that would relieve my body’s discomfort without a hug and a charming smile from Xam first. While my mom prepares for my meal, we open up the presents I bought for him- his favorite cookies or cereals, a pair of shirt or pajama, and some interesting toys. I tend to spoil him. After satisfying my hungry tummy, we laugh and play all the rest of the day and go out for a walk which he enjoys so much.

Xam is 10-month old now and he’s very picky with so many things and activities in his daily routine. So I observe these changes and patiently provide for his little wants.

5:00 to 7:00 AM

Xam’s widely awake and plays by himself while I’m pulling myself to wake up (of which Xam’s role is tickling my ears or nose) to start our day together. When I’m up I’d check on his diapers if it’s all full, have it changed then let him play with his toys while I prepare for his milk. While waiting for dad as he prepares the breakfast, we would stay at the terrace for a morning fresh air or listen to his favorite music.

7:00 to 8:00 AM – Breakfast

As early as his 6 months, Xam is very choosy with his cereals. His favorites are mostly of banana, mixed fruits and brown rice flavors. I didn’t have a hard time feeding him not until he turns 9 months when he suddenly lost his appetite on cereals and craved for more milk.

8:00 to 8:30 – Bath Time

This is one of our favorite activities of the day. The moment I take off his clothes, he knows that his going to have a bath. He loves splashing in the tub and play with his rubber floats. But if bath time is up, he would scream and cry for an extension. This eventually ends us up to a difficult changing time.

After bath, it’s time for his vitamins – another difficult part of the day. He loves the vitamin C for its orange flavor but once he tasted the Iron vitamin, he hastily shakes his head and everything mess up.

9:00 to 10:00 – Sleeping or Leisure Time

Because Xam wakes up early most often, he is likely to have a little doze at this hour; if not, the next best thing to do is have a leisurely walk outside. He is always so excited and happy whenever we go out. But for sure after the walk, whether he likes it or not, he naps his tiredness away. This usually takes about 1 to 2 hours and wakes up just right in time for lunch.

12:00 noon to 6:00 PM

In the afternoon, we opt to stay inside, watch TV or play with his toys and when it’s safe to go out, we’d take a stroll to our cousins’ place and chat the rest of the day.

Around 6 or 7 o’clock

After all the sweat, dirt, sticky cookie drops, and all sorts of baby muddle, Xam always deserves a warm bath and a comfy getup to dream the night away. Messing up cannot be avoided even in this time of the day so I provide an array of comfort toys or books to lessen the roaming-around-the-house moment and just prepare the eyes to close and end the day with a goodnight and sound sleep.

Baby Walkers Don't Help At All

One of the most-awaited moments that we moms are most excited about is when we witness the fearless effort of our babies to take their first step. This is also the beginning of more challenges for us to prepare for given the fact that they are now more independent and explorative, going back and forth, reaching for everything that they could.

But before we get to that end, we first make sure of that very first step. We have to know and do our part to help them achieve it easily and efficiently and what to consider with regards to facilitation.

Most moms in our neighborhood including me rely on walkers believing that these would make it easy for our babies to learn how to walk sooner. I also observed that kind of freedom my own son is enjoying with his walker as he roam around the house and how he can glide easily without him hurting is butt or limb when his balance is about to weaken. But lately I realize that I’m only keeping my son from actually developing his normal muscle control and mental growth (AAP, 2007). Thus, as opposed to what we believe, walkers are not a helpful tool at all.


WHY NOT WALKERS?

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics and most pediatricians, walker only:

· impedes the normal development of upper leg muscles which are used most in walking;
· poses safety hazards and causes injuries and major accidents, supervised or unsupervised;
· delays and inhibits correct learning process of walking;
· creates monotony to baby’s routine and eventually veer them away from more vital and challenging opportunities such as crawling, scooting or hitching;
· slows down mental processes during the baby’s first year when brain stimulations are active and established significantly.


SIMPLE ALTERNATIVES

From the articles, Q&As, comments and reactions I’ve read about using baby walkers, it simply imply that we parents are the true “walkers” of our babies progress. With the advance technologies growing incessantly, nothing can replace the effort we put forth to secure their full potentials. Alternatively, even working moms like me can initiate a smooth step-by-step process to an efficient walking skill of our babies.

· Patiently assist them with our own hands, keep them in a sturdy position and allow one step forward at a time. Do this as a daily exercise and until baby quits and pulls himself down to shift to another activity.

· During this period, we somehow take advantage of the “separation anxiety” of our babies and use this as a mechanism to help stimulate their brain function.

One instance is to get his attention while you leave his place to go for example to the kitchen. The tendency is that he would cry for you and try to catch you willfully. This would encourage your baby to think and try to look for other option to get to you quickly other than crawling although it’s perfectly okay if they come to you on their bellies. It all starts there. But always ensure their safety, that there are no obstructions and hazards ahead like pins, scattered toys, rugs and slippery surfaces. This activity will later on introduce him to the idea of walking, when he senses that you are able to get from one place to another fast using your feet. I myself observed the evident change in my son’s pace day after day of doing it.

· Also a good exercise to strengthen his muscles and urges him to climb up and stand is to make him reach an object with an obstacle along the way. Simply place an object or a toy of his interest a little far away from him then put a safe and strong barrier on his way like a pile of pillows or by simply extending your legs across the floor. Just make sure there are no other ways for him to get through like holes or alternate route. If he really wants the object he’ll try hard to pass through the obstruction by climbing.

· Working moms are likely to choose other helpful alternative to walkers such as baby “push-carts” or “push-cars” which are more advisable and mostly recommended by child care specialists as it strengthens the right muscles and helps their children learn to walk.


MOTHER’S STANDPOINT

There are actually more easy and practical ways to developmentally support our babies in their formative age. We just need to observe, exhaust our creative minds, and learn straight from our babies’ daily experiences. Of course, experts know better but without constant guidance and practice, we’ll lost track of the learning process. Always get involved and be a player during this time of dramatic changes in our baby’s life.

Developmentally Helpful Toys

My son is now 9 1/2 months old and he is so fond of banging, shaking, and even tasting his toys. He has all sorts of it - rattles of different shapes, colors and even equipped with sounds, stuffed character toys like the famous Teddy Bear and the much-loved Barney, bigger than his size. He even has Mr. Taz, Speedy Gonzales and Duffy Duck, courtesy of McDonald’s Happy Meal collection. But did you ever wonder what other purposes these toys serve to our babies, aside from keeping them busy while we’re doing our chores? I’m sure most of us mothers consider a lot of things when buying toys for our kids and I think the most important factor we’ve been always considering, first and foremost is its developmental purposes.

Do you know that the first three years, based on research is the most critical of our child’s brain development? This is the period when our children’s thinking and responding are established significantly. And how do toys help them achieve their potentials? Let’s look at each toy in the basket and why are they specially made like this.

Baby rattles

You’ll definitely agree with me that when it comes to baby rattles, it’s good to buy the see-through one. This would help stimulate our kids’ brain and think rationally as it leads them to finding out what makes up the sound of the rattle whenever they shake them. They’ll in turn, see the pieces inside that create the noise when it hits the casing.

Baby blocks of different shapes and colors and stacking toys

These toys help our babies facilitate their basic skills of problem-solving. They’ll learn to identify the common shapes and colors. Bright colors amuse them. If the blocks come with a sorting bucket, it’ll help their coordination skill by recognizing the shape using eyesight that eventually helps the handwork of inserting the blocks in the right lid or hole of the bucket. Moreover, it builds up and strengthens their motor skills and agility by grasping the blocks and expands their discovery of other ways to play with them like stacking and beating them down.

Musical toys

My son was exposed to music as early as his first month. By then, he’s physical and coordinative skills are considerably established, by simply flexing his hands and legs along with the tune thus, introduced him to dancing. Some stuffed toys are set with sounds and songs for our babies to sing along and get familiar with. It also enhances their language development and expands their vocabulary with new words.

Toy Telephone

Whenever I have a phone call, Xam would stare diligently like he’s wondering whom I’m talking to when I only have my mobile phone in hand stuck on my ear. Then he would reach for it. At times, I let him get hold of it and observe what he would do. He would actually look at every corner like he’s trying to find where the voice I’ve always been talking to is coming from then he’ll place it close to his mouth and move it to his ear. When he can’t discover how this had happened, he’ll press all the keys until his fingers tire out. But if still no sound is coming out, he would give up and drop my phone. That’s not good.

This is what the toy phones are after for – to help develop our children’s ability in all areas without destroying our valuables. In a serious note, it engages our babies’ language skills, encourages them to practice their speaking and communication abilities and builds self-confidence and a feeling of fulfillment whenever they manages to work or make things happen.

Teddy Bears/Dolls

Teddy bears are just like us moms- we give our babies comfort and security. Though teddies do not move to hug as we do, it’ll help our kids express such compassion otherwise. And of course, the colorful and adorable features fascinate them, and teach them the value of appreciation and friendship. It could also serve as their security object as part of the emotional support system they need in their early years.

MOTHER’S STANDPOINT

Toys are vital instruments to facilitate the development of our children’s physical, mental and emotional wellbeing. So it’s very essential to pick and match the right toys to our baby’s age and abilities. Meanwhile, let us not forget that above all, we must look after the safety of our kids and consider this everytime we let them play with their toys. And to top it all, nothing can ever nurture and develop our babies’ full potentials than us mothers and the environment we create for them: proper nutrition; a warm, responsive and loving family; fun playtime; consistent positive reinforcement; engaging conversation; good books to read and listen to; music to stimulate brain activities; and the freedom to explore and learn from their surroundings (The American Academy of Pediatrics, 1998).

Did your ever wish your were a child again?

Last weekend, when I went home for a 3-day vacation, I had the chance to look at our old photo albums again after quite a long time. Some photos are actually vanishing that I can no longer recognize who’s in it or I could ay recognize the image or the background but only to find out that it is one of my favorites and I just feel sorry that I haven’t kept and preserve them the way they deserve. Anyway, as I kept turning the pages, I was smiling and even bursting in laughter on my childhood pictures where I look so darned and perky, with my sister, brother, cousins, grade school classmates and friends and childhood neighbors. While looking at them, I also remember what happened then, why it happened. Like, if my younger brother didn’t kid and went up stage beside me during our school dance number, it could have been only me in the picture as the star dancer and the dance wasn’t at all ruined. But I have to admit, he was actually great. I didn’t know he was watching on us during our practices and learned the steps by himself. I was surprised he can follow with us during the performance. It’s just that, he was going in wrong directions most of the time.

Everytime we had a school occasion, I was the star. The graders looked up to me whenever I perform upstage that even when I graduated, they would ask me to help them arrange a dance number for a school activity. Whew! What a pressure! I actually didn’t have to feel it ‘cause I really enjoyed dancing. Well, I can still dance but I don’t have the time now. Only when I go for a weekend vacation in the province will I dance, not only me as the star dancer but with my son, Xavier. He loves music so much. He loves to be swayed. Maybe because when I was still pregnant, I get to listen to classic instrumentals and we have this CD that I kept on playing every morning when I wake up. It’s the classic version of Abba songs. So everytime Xam’s about to fall asleep, I turn on the stereo and play his favorite ‘I Have a Dream’ and then we swing together. Without a doubt, he’d close his eyes quick for a sound sleep.

I didn’t realize what a child simply wants until I became a mother. And I wouldn't want to deprive my son of his simple wishes. When he wants to reach for something he’s fond of, as long as it’s not going to hurt him, I help him get it. Whenever I notice he’s not comfortable with his shoes, I remove it. If he screams while the priest is praying during mass, I don’t warn him to shush; I just take him at the back and turn his attention to things that would make him quiet. As much as possible, I don’t want to make growing up hard for him, but as early as possible, I want him to learn how to go about it on his own. I want him to enjoy it like I did. The experiences were hard-earned for me but it wasn’t at all rough. I do get being reprimanded most of the time and had been deprived of my wants sometimes, yet I could still do what I love doing a lot; just like dancing, I could go with the flow.

"For the lessons of life there is no better teacher
Than the look in the eyes of a child..."

We can give justice to what we believe is right in our present time, by trusting to our childlike instinct, with love, hope and trust in our hearts.

Newborn Screening: Make it the First Step

My son was born physically healthy, no defects, no abnormalities until after a month when I discovered that he actually has G6PD (Glucose-6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase) deficiency. He doesn’t have enough of these enzymes for his red blood cells to function properly in synthesizing carbohydrates into energy, thus is prone to hemolytic anemia. In the Philippines, 11,643 or 1 out of 55 newborns examined are confirmed to be G6PD deficient (NSRC, December 2006). Did I worry for this? Of course, but my prolonged anxiety was pre-empted and lessened by the early detection of this disease through newborn screening. And now, after knowing certain dietary restrictions, I may be able to manage and even help my son understand later on about his condition so he could live normally as any children do.

What is Newborn Screening?

It is a simple, inexpensive test for newborn babies for early detection of possible fatal disorders in metabolism (the so-called “inborn errors of metabolism”), hormones and even in blood.

How is newborn screening done?

Newborn screening is done by simply taking a few drops of blood from a baby’s heel or arm blotted in a filter paper to be taken to the laboratory for analysis.

When is newborn screening done?

Tests are ideally done in two (2) parts: within 48 hours after birth and 2-6 weeks of age. In my son’s case, screening was done only after 2 weeks from birth and a precise confirmation test after 2 weeks upon receipt of the result.

Why is newborn screening important?

Newborn screening is part of the newborn care program of Department of Health which helps prevent serious and life-threatening disorders and even pre-mature death among our babies. In the Philippines, at least 33,000 newborns can be saved yearly from mental retardation and death through newborn screening (PPSI, 2004). The five (5) main disorders that the newborn screening can detect are: Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia (CAH), Congenital Hypothyroidism (CH), Phenylketonuria (PKU), Galactosemia (GAL) and Glucose-6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase (G6PD) Deficiency.

Mother’s Standpoint

In this time of global crisis, we should invest a lot more on and prepare at the earliest for our family’s wellbeing especially our newborns. We don’t want to compromise their future or worst, regret for their loss, do we?

The cost of the test is very nominal at about $10 to $15 or PhP650-PhP800 but the alarm it would cost us if our newborns are not screened early and later diagnosed with one of the abovementioned disorders may go as high as $10,000 or more or the life of our precious one itself. If we love and care for our babies, this would give us enough reason not to take this important test for granted. Being a mother is a lifetime commitment and it should start from the time our babies are born.

For further information about Newborn Screening, ask your child physicians or visit www.nsrc-nih.org.ph or www.doh.gov.ph.