Category: Life as an expat mum

Important information: Survivor’s Guide in Dubai’s NICU

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At the moment, there is not much time to write (Spring break at the nursery is not making anything better…). And when there is (basically, when little L is in bed), I am so super tired that I often fall asleep…

A few days ago, I was about to start writing on a blog post when I had a quick look at my inbox. “Can you share this? important guide for moms in NICU (premature babies) in Dubai‏” was the title of one of the numerous emails I had received. “My name is Sandrine, mom of Lucia Maria, premature baby born 29w+4 that died of an IVH grade 4 on the 10th of November 2015. After 51 days in NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) in Mediclinic City Hospital in Dubai…”.

I paused, not quite sure if I felt capable of reading further. But I did. I read Sandrine’s very touching story. I read it all. Being 9 months pregnant and expecting a little baby girl myself, it was hard to read it. I had tears in my eyes.

Lucia was Sandrine’s first baby. I can only imagine how hard and painful the last months, since this heart-breaking loss, must have been for this mum. Losing your baby after having carried it in your belly for months and months, after having prepared the baby room, after having bought tiny little baby clothes, after having giving birth and after having fought for her, done everything to keep her alive is too much for me to imagine at the moment…

But Sandrine did something exceptional. Something that only few mums would have done. Something that left me in complete admiration: within her sadness, she found the drive to help other mums in need. Other mums who have given birth to premature babies. Other mums who encounter the very destabilizing and frightening world of the NICU for the first time.

Sandrine wrote a “survivor’s guide” that recapitulates everything a new mum entering Dubai’s NICU should know:

  • What support groups you can contact here in Dubai
  • The common rules in NICU
  • What happens the first day you leave the hospital and come back home without your little baby that has to stay in NICU
  • What are all the machines surrounding your baby
  • The logistics of having a baby in NICU (insurance issues etc.)
  • Breastfeeding tips and inspirational quotes
  • What to do when you are finally allowed to take your little angel back home
  • A glossary about all the medical terms nurses and doctors use
  • How to cope, how to be a parent
  • A success story

Writing this guide kept Sandrine going. It gave her a purpose. It helped her stay focused. It was “made from tears, love and joy”, as she says. It is the print, the mark on earth her little baby girl Lucia leaves behind. She will live on through this guide – forever.

I didn’t immediately reply to Sandrine’s email. Honestly, I didn’t know what to say. No words seemed appropriate to express the pain and sadness I felt but also the admiration for this strong and touching woman, for this wonderful mum!

Then, I promised Sandrine that I would make sure to share her guide, to spread the word, to help her help as many NICU mums as possible.

And that’s what I am doing here. No other blog post I was about to write could be more important than this one.

Please have a look at Sandrine’s guide, share it with as many NICU mums as you can. Talk about it.

All this might feel very alien to you. But remember that stories like Sandrine’s don’t only happen to others. This guide might help many mums who feel alone and frightened, who don’t know how to deal with the NICU world. One day, it might help you. Or your friend. Or your sister.

Thank you, Sandrine, for this guide, for being such a strong woman and for giving hope to so many mums out there.

You can be so proud of yourself and of the wonderful mum you are to your little Lucia Maria.

xxx

Tani

Sandrine’s blog: https://nicudubai.wordpress.com/
Sandrine’s email address: [email protected]

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Coffee Morning at Picture People

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When you are a mummy blogger in Dubai, you are not the only one. There are many (many!) other blogger mums out there.

I do follow quite a few of them on Instagram and Facebook but there are only few I have actually met in person. It’s a strange and funny situation. Despite the fact that I talk to many of them quite regularly on Social Media, read their posts and feel like knowing them, I don’t even know how some of them look like. I would probably rather recognize their kids then the mummies themselves😉

So, about a week ago, some other bloggers mums and me decided that it was about time to finally meet up. We organized our first UAE blogger mums coffee morning.

And you know what? It was really great! It felt like meeting with some friends. We had so much to talk about! That’s probably one of the main reasons why our first blogger coffee morning was an absolute success.

Another reason certainly was the location where our first meeting took place: at Picture People UAE, a relatively new photography studio that opened at Wasl Vita Mall in September 2015.

Picture People is a US franchise photography studio, owned under by Lahadhat Photographic Company. Dubai is their first branch in the UAE but they are planning to expand further in the future.

All of us blogger mums got the chance to get to know the studio’s lovely team and facilities – and to do a photo session, which I was pretty excited about. And I have to say I was quite impressed by their professionalism, friendliness as well as the size of their studio. Thanks to their numerous camera rooms and great organization, everything went so smoothly!

It was Erika, one of the Studio Associates, who took some very nice pictures of my little family and me. I absolutely loved the result and, despite the fact that little L got a bit tired and cranky at the end of the shoot (the coffee morning took place just before his usual nap time), he really enjoyed the experience as you can see on the pics😉

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Once my husband and little L had left, I had some time to talk a little bit with Erika and to ask her some questions about Picture People.

 

About Erika:
ErikaErika is one of the Studio Associates at Picture People. She graduated in Fashion Design and Merchandising in the Philippines and is aiming to have a clothing line one day. But that’s another chapter for her. Erika started taking interest in photography back in college and has been doing photography since 2010. She loves photographing fashion, animals, nature, still life and places she travels to. In 2014, she started as a Creative Photographer for babies and families and what she loves about it, is capturing timeless memories through photos.

 

Tell me a little bit about the “Picture People Experience”. I found it quite nice that I could select my favorite pictures immediately after this morning’s shoot. Is this always like this?

The Picture People Experience from the inquiry, session to building your product is around 1 hour and 30 minutes. After the session, which takes about 30 minutes, one of the Studio Associates will upload the pictures and prepare your slideshow. So, yes, you can view and select your favorite poses directly after your session at our selection station:-) Once you’ve chosen you’re favorite pictures, we can even print and prepare them straight away so that you can leave with the final product within the same day.

Learn more about the Picture People Experience here.

As a mummy who is pregnant with her second child I am most interested in your offers for families and mummies (to be).

Sure! Parents and parents to be have multiple sessions to choose from: you can organize a maternity session or a session with your baby / child or even make it a family affair😉 (for more information, click here). For upcoming mothers, we even have a package that includes three sessions, which can be organized throughout the year: a Maternity session, a Newborn Session and a First Birthday Session. This package includes 12 Portrait Sheets, 1 Canvas, 1 Framed Portrait and 5 High Resolution USB files.

Overall, parents can choose between portrait sheets, USB files, frames and canvases. It’s also important to know that Picture People UAE has a mobile kit to cater on outdoor sessions. This mobile kit is basically a mock up of our studio set-up. This can be particularly handy for new parents who prefer to do their Newborn Session at home.

Well, it’s true that it is not always easy to do a photo shoot with a baby or even with older kids. What are your tips and tricks to keep the little ones happy?

We make sure to establish that special connection with the little ones before the session starts. We play with them, ask them questions about what they like or even play music that make them smile and dance and that we can incorporate during the session. In that way, we gain their trust and make sure that they feel comfortable at the studio. Sometimes, it’s also nice to simply let them be. Kids will always be kids, right?😉 They want to have fun, and we make sure that Picture People does exactly that.

Thanks, Erika, for your time and the really nice pictures you’ve taken of our little family. We’ll be back soon for an update with little Miss M😉

For more information about Picture People UAE:
Website: www.picturepeople.ae
Facebook:
Instagram: @picturepeopleuae

Pregnancy hormones and a toddler

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Little L is napping now. I will soon need to start preparing lunch. I should probably be having a rest now. Or I should read the Hypnobirthing book. Maybe listen to the relaxation mp3. Hmmm. Relaxation. Sounds tempting. But I am writing a blog post instead. Well, it’s some kind of relaxation as well. At least, it is for me.

I am thinking of this morning. One of the most ordinary mornings, really. Well, one of the less pleasant ones maybe. But still an ordinary morning. Sometimes, I am thinking of other mums. I am wondering how their mornings look like. And, while I am going through this morning’s events, I am thinking that we don’t share enough about the ordinary moments in life…

6.50: Peaking out of the shower as the baby phone goes on. Deciding to continue to shower as little L seems to move but to remain calm in his bed. Hoping that he will fall asleep again for half an hour or so
7.00: Getting dressed and deciding to prepare a bowl of cereals. Trying to make no noise
7.10: Sitting down to have breakfast. Hearing the baby phone go on. Seeing little L sitting in his bed. Deciding to quickly finish the cereals
7.20: Hearing that little L is protesting in his bed. Deciding to stop eating cereals and to take Luca out of his bed.
7.25: Opening all curtains with a happy little L who is full of energy. Deciding to take little L with me in the living room to finish my cereals as he is in a good mood
7.30: Sharing my (quite sugary, I have to admit) cereals with Luca. Wondering if sugary cereals are good for a 18-months old
7.35: Deciding that they are probably not so good for toddlers… Stopping to share my cereals with little L. Hearing him starting to protest immediately.
7.40: Deciding that they cannot do harm neither. He is no baby anymore. Finishing my cereals with little L (but also in peace)
7.45: Attempting to get little L dressed. Explaining him that it is time to change the diaper and to get dressed as mummy is dressed as well.
7.50: Finally moving towards his room with him. Putting a protesting little L on his changing mat.
7.55: Trying to put a fresh diaper and new clothes on little L while he is walking around on the chest of drawers, checking out everything next to the changing mat and throwing every single item on the floor. Remaining calm.
8.00: Hearing the doorbell ring. Heading to the entrance door with a half dressed little L as the cleaning lady arrives
8.05: Finishing to get little L dressed.
8.10: Starting to prepare breakfast while little L is helping push the vacuum cleaner. Remembering that little L has started refusing his usual breakfast options (porridge, semolina etc. with fruits). Wondering what to prepare.
8.15: Remembering that a friend told me that she was giving smoothies to her little one. Deciding to make a smoothie instead.
8.20: Starting to cut the fruit.
8.25: Hearing the cleaning lady shout “No, Luca, no!”. Heading to the bathroom to explain to little L that you cannot eat cleaning products. Asking the cleaning lady not the leave the cleaning products in places where little L can reach them.
8.30: Continuing to prepare the smoothie. Wondering if it is ok to put uncooked oats flakes in the smoothie.
8.35: Googling “Smoothie with oats flakes 18-months old”
8.40: Finding no real great results. Deciding to put some anyway
8.45: Seeing little L play with his color crayons. Waving to him and thinking to myself how great it is that little L is a toddler now who can occupy himself so nicely.
8.50: Not seeing little L anymore. Asking “Luca?”. No response.
8.55: Deciding to stop the food preparation and to step out of the kitchen. Finding little L in the corridor where he continues his drawings… on the wall! Shouting “No!” and removing the crayons from little L’s hands. Explaining him that mummy loves his drawings but not on the walls.
9.00: Trying to remove the color lines with a gum. Achieving a medium-good result. Wondering how life will be with two babies/toddlers under two. Deciding that this is no appropriate thought for a 30-weeks pregnant mummy of a toddler.
9.05: Handing the smoothie over to little L. Getting a very clear “No!”
9.10: Trying to convince little L to taste the smoothie at least before saying “No”. Realizing that the straw is too small for the thick smoothie anyway.
9.15: Answering a phone call while handing over a spoon to little L to eat the smoothie with a spoon. Seeing little L shake his head.
9.20: Feeding some spoons of smoothie to little L who is now watching the mobile on loudspeaker. Happy to have succeeded making little L eat a bit.
9.25: Finishing the phone call. Seeing little L stop eating again. Wondering if it’s ok for a 18-months old not to drink any milk or formula, nor to eat milk purees or smoothies. Worrying a bit.
9.30: Handing over some bread with peanut butter to little L. Seeing a happy little L who starts eating. Asking in a Facebook forum how much milk a 18-months old needs. Getting mixed responses.
9.35: Seeing little L stop eating again as he wants to go down to play. Trying to convince him that food is vital. Seeing a not so convinced little L. Getting some signs of protest. Feeling desperate. Putting little L down to play.
9.40: Deciding to wait until the cleaner is done and to go out with little L. Deciding to quickly put the dishes in the dishwasher.
9.45: Hearing some noise. Seeing that little L has removed all CDs from the CD rack and is starting to remove them from their cases.
9.50: Explaining to little L that CDs can break easily and that you shouldn’t play with them. No results. Trading with some other toys. Getting better results.
9.55: Returning to the kitchen. Seeing little L remove all plugs from the plug sockets as he wants to put them in his mouth. Heading towards him. Wondering how I will make it through the day.
10.00: Saying bye to the cleaner and going out.

Getting some fresh air. Breathing in and out.

Remembering that there are difficult days for everyone.

Remembering that little L (who is the happiest toddler in the world again now that we are out and about) is just a toddler and that toddlers a) don’t eat much sometimes, b) prefer discovering things and playing instead and c) first need to learn what they are allowed to do or not.

Still feeling a bit like crying.

Telling myself that this must be the pregnancy hormones. Or the fatigue. Or simply part of being a mum to a toddler.

Discretely pushing aside the thought of how life will be with two toddlers.

Deciding to go to bed early this evening.

And to give little L a big kiss.

Motherhood is funny sometimes.

Isn’t it?

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