BB's teething update -third teeth

Bb's third tooth is out.. the upper centra incisor.. rather big tooth compared to her first two..

My Weekend project

This weekend i finally find time to do something for bb's room's decoration.. i wanted to buy the wall stickers to create some colourful environment for bb which i strongly believe will help to stimulate bb's senses.. i noticed she is easily attracted to colourful toys or decorations..

so this is what i've made. tulips..using patterns i found from magazines.. this is when those magazines that piled up for so long come to use.. heee.. talking abt recycling huh..

nice bo..i will go n get the 3m wall sticket tmw and get it pasted on the wall.. my next project will be to create a family tree with her granparents photos and all.. shall post here when done.. sometime la.. dunno when can have time to do all these..

DMSA (Renal cortical scintigraphy)

Another medical term we need to familiarise with, this is the last scan we are doing to check the functions of the kidney and to detect if any scarring..

Gotten this from a website:

What is a DMSA scan?
A DMSA scan evaluates the size, shape and position of the kidneys. It is also used to detect any scarring in the kidneys caused by frequent infections.

This exam requires the use of a radiopharmaceutical through an IV catheter.


What should you do prior to the exam?

This test does not permit any movement. Your child will need to hold still for about an hour. You may want to practice with your child.

If your child requires sedation you will receive additional instructions to follow.

Dress your child comfortably, in clothes that are easily removed. Your child may be given a gown to change into for the procedure.

We have a large variety of video entertainment to choose from, however, your child can also bring along his/her favorite video or DVD to watch during the exam.

You may want to bring a snack or drink for your child to have after the exam.

Note: Parents will be allowed to accompany the child into the exam room. It may be helpful to make other arrangements for siblings.

What should you expect during the exam?

A technologist or nurse will place an IV in your child for the radiopharmaceutical (tracer) injection needed for this exam. This IV tube will be placed in the child’s arm, hand, or foot. Your child will only feel a little discomfort, like a mild pinch. Once the child has proper IV access, the procedure can begin.

The technologist will ask why the DMSA scan is being done, and explain the study to you and your child. The technologist will inject the tracer through the IV line.

Your child is then allowed to take a break. During the break, you and your child may leave the Nuclear Medicine department if you wish. The technologist will tell you what time you need to return to the department for the imaging portion of the test.

The set of delayed images will begin anywhere from 2 to 4 hours after the tracer is given. Upon return your child will be placed on the table on their stomach, with the camera above. Five pictures will be taken, lasting 10 minutes each. Your child must lie absolutely still or images may be unreadable. The nuclear medicine physician may then require additional imaging, after viewing the initial images.

Sedation is an option for the delayed imaging portion of the test for young patients and those unable to hold still.

Educational CDs

I have been playing these CDs actively since bb into her 5th month..we started with pee-a-boo then right brain and left brain..

Here are the series of collection i have so far. Recetly i got the Art CD as a gift from Similac milk powder.

Just some description for these CDs:(all about 45 mins each)

(1) Pee-A-Boo (Ages: 1-3 years)
o introduces such important skills as object permanence, communication,cause-and-effect, language basics and many others
o Babies and toddlers will delight in eye-catching visuals, silly faces, ryhmes and music and lots of Peek-a-boo games
o special features: Baby bloopers.ehind the scenes and storybook

(2)Right brain (Ages: 9 months - 2 years)
o features classical music and gentle voices, and explores creative Thinking, Art & drawing, Ryhmes, Imagination and more

(3) Left brain (Ages; 9 months - 2 years)
o features classical music and gentle voices, and explores logic, patterns, letters& numbers, sequencing, analyzing details and more

(4) Art (Ages: 2-5 years)
o intruduces fundamentals of art including color, texture, mediums and more
o highlights fun activities, painting styles and art images such as Van Gogh's "Starry Night"


So far, bb is interested with pee-a-boo, left/right brain.. the art i have yet to introduce it to her, too complicated i guess..

happy learning while watching

MCU ( Micturating Cystourethrogram)

New term for me & LGG.. But we learnt as it is now part of the vocab to be familiarised for bb's condition..

Gotten this from a abstract from internet:

MCU is a pne of the most commonly performed fluoroscopic onvestigations in any pediatric radiology department. It is the essentila and a primary tool for diagnosis and evaluation of infants and young children with many genitourinary disorders.

The MCU demonstrates anatomy of both the bladder and urethra and the presence or absense of vesicouretral reflux (VUR). it also provides information about the fucntion and co-ordination of the bladder and urethral sphincter. The MCU is indicated in the investigation of patients with wide variety of clinical conditions including UTI

Method:
Prior to starting this procedure, it shoudl eb ensured that the child should has received the appropriate dose of antibiotic. The procedure should not be performed if the child has active UTI. The procedure should be performed under fluoroscopic guidance with the child awake. The nurse will lay the child on the fluoroscopic table and the parent is asked to stand at the top of the table and hold the child's hand. Urethral catheterization should be done on the table using strict aseptic technique, after proper cleaning if the interlabial area. the gel is applied to the tib of the catheter in all children .

the catheter is not advanced any further than 1-2cm, the nurse will fill the bladder with dye awhile the catheter is still in. VUR can be detected if any. detecting the grade of reflux is of vital importance to plan appropriate treatment. The fluoroscopy should be kept to minimum and low-dose technique whenever possible. The gonodal radiation dose received by children undergoing MCU can be as high as 309mRad in boys and 1,900mRad in girls. The risk of developing leukemia at this radiation does is calculated at 7-9 cases per 10 million children examined. With recent advances in fluroscopy, dose reduction can be easily achieved without any perceived loss of eiamge quality.


==============================================================

So the risk of doing MCU is there.. but like the doc said, MUST do means must do.. this is the only way to find out more about the severity of bb's condition for further treatment.

We did the MCU yesterday, she did not cry when the doctore inserted the catheter and fill her bladder with the dye. But she cried so hard when she was strapped down and turned about to get the right image .. anyway, the whole process takes around 30 minutes..

now, we shall wait for the report to be out in a week's time. Finger cross she will be fine or at least in a lower grade which is easier to be treated.

Motor Skills

Extracted from babycenter website..

What's the difference between fine motor and gross motor skills?

URL: www.babycentre.co.uk/baby/development/motorskillsexpert/

A motor skill is an action that involves the movement of muscles in your body.
Gross motor skills are larger movements involving the arm, leg, or feet muscles or the entire body -- things like crawling, running, and jumping are gross motor skills.

Fine motor skills are those smaller actions like picking things up between the thumb and finger or using the toes to wriggle into sand or the lips and tongue to taste and feel objects.

Gross motor and fine motor skills develop in tandem because many activities depend on the co-ordination of both sorts of skills.
At 3 months you may notice your baby bringing his hands together over his chest as he lies on his back (a gross motor skill) and then playing with his hands (a fine motor skill).

Even filling a shape sorter box, at about 18 months, for example, requires that your baby be able to use gross motor skills to hold his body steady enough to grasp the shapes firmly and fine motor skills to twist or turn each shape so that it fits into its appropriate hole.

You can encourage your baby to develop his fine and gross motor skills by watching to see how he uses his fingers, his arms, and his legs and then providing other opportunities for him to use his body in similar ways, perhaps with different toys or from a different position, which makes it slightly more difficult.

A good activity is one which stretches your baby just a little. Your baby will find that developing his skills is more fun when he has a frequent change of position and activity. Let little and often be your motto.

my baby is developing her motor skills well. she can stretch to reach her favourite toys.. she holds herself up.. she loves to be carried high up.. she can crawl.. can sit.. play pee-ka-poo.. search for people..

i may want to play game liek hiding her toysand let her search .. this is one of the fine motor skill to be pickup up for her 7th month..

Happy playing

Duplex Kidney

From this episode, LGG & I serach quite a bit on website for information on this condition..

If a infant is diagnosed with UTI, usually they will suspect something is not right with the child's urinary tract, blockage and a condition called vesicoureteral reflux (VUR)

The test doctor usually will recommend include:
1. Ultrasound to show a picture of the kidneys & bladder

2. MCU or on web, usually they called this VCUG, which shows whether urine is backing up from your baby bladde's into her kidney. During VCUG, X-rays are taken before a catheter is inserted into the baleer through the urethra. A liquid dye is put into the bladder through the tubeand more x-ray are taken to watch the dye as the bladder fills and as your baby urinates. The porcess takes about 20 minutes <-- im not sure if this is exactly how MCU works for bb.. but should be something like this and im expecting lots of crying from her for sure.. she cried alot during the ultra sound and only kep quiet when i carry her..

aftre MCU , then only we can tell the severity of her condition and whether a surgery is needed.

Finger cross.. the waitings to the truth is very testing...