How to Include Vegetables in Your Kids' Diet Minus the Tears and Battle of the Wills

One of the challenges that most parents face is getting their kids to eat vegetables.  Most kids get to taste vegetables when they start eating solids as parents introduce them one vegetable at a time.  Some kids easily adapt to the taste and get accustomed to them; while other kids show their dislike from day 1.  But kids who learn to eat vegetables at an early age or who have been eating vegetables since they started solids can sometimes start snubbing these nutritious foods for reasons parents usually do not know.  That is the case with my eldest son.  We introduced different kinds of vegetables to him since he started eating solids and he continued to eat vegetables as he grew older.  Then, all of a sudden (when he was around 3 years old), he became a more picky eater and refused to eat some vegetables.  This led me to become more creative and resourceful to ensure that vegetables continue to be part of his diet.



Photo source here.

Let me share some tips or some ways by which we, parents, can include vegetables in our kids' diet without the power struggle or tears.  Hope these tips would help make your meal times something that you and your kids would look forward to.

1.  Mince or puree vegetables and mix them in sauces. - This is one strategy that I hear most moms do.  The taste of the vegetables get overpowered by the sauces thus kids no longer notice that there are vegetables in the dish.

2.  Air-dry vegetables, pulverize and add to regular dishes. - This is similar to number 1 except that here vegetables are air-dried.  This strategy is highly recommended for leafy vegetables like malunggay which are also easy to pulverize once dry.

3.  Pair or combine vegetables with the kid's favorite foods. - Try combining vegetables with some of your kid's favorite foods.  An example is cheese.  Most kids love cheese and many dishes that have cheese as one of the ingredients.  You can try cheese quesadillas or cheese fingers/sticks.  You may spread torn or chopped spinach leaves together with the grated cheese as you make the quesadilla or roll the leaves together with the cheese sticks.  Try adding spinach also to pasta. 

4.  Use products that are fortified with vegetable ingredients. - There are now products that add vegetables to them to make them more nutritious.  An example of this product is Del Monte's tomato sauce with MMK.  MMK stands for Mongo, Malunggay and Kalabasa.  I usually buy this product whenever I need to use tomato sauce.

5.  Juice them or integrate them to fruit juices. - One example of a vegetable juice we like making is the camote tops juice.  We add some calamansi and sweetener after extracting the juice by boiling.  You may read the recipe and read more about its benefits here.  We also drink the award-winning Vitaplus juice/natural health drink whose ingredients are 5 nutritious and medicinal vegetables/herbs namely: malunggay, saluyot, uray, dahon ng sili and talbos ng camote or camote tops.  The great thing about Vitaplus juice is that it comes in 3 fruit flavors (dalandan, melon and guyabano) thus kids like drinking it without detecting the inherent taste of the vegetables.  My eldest likes to drink this with me and his Dad.  It is best for babies 6 months and older, growing active children and the elderly although regular adults can also benefit much from regularly drinking the juice because, through its nutritious ingredients, it helps boost the body's immune system.  I highly recommend this product to parents with children who are picky eaters and who do not like eating vegetables.  This is a much better alternative to powdered juices in the market which has high sugar content and artificial flavors and ingredients.  It has been awarded the Outstanding Herbal Juice Drink Brand from 2006 to 2009, the Consumers Quality Award in 2007, Consumers Quality Award in 2008 and the Consumers Choice Award in 2009 among others. 




Photo source here.

  

Let me share some of the benefits of the individual ingredients of this juice. (Source: Vitaplus brochure) 

Malunggay (Moringa Oleifera) - Scientific research has proven that these leaves can rebuild weak bodies, enrich anemic blood and nourish breastfed babies.  Ounce per ounce, it contains 7 times the Vitamin C in oranges, 4 times the Vitamin A in carrots, 4 times the Calcium in milk, 2 times the Protein in milk, 3 times the Iron in spinach and 3 times the Potassium in bananas.  It can help prevent 300 kinds of diseases/illnesses.  It helps prevent malnutrition and fight anemia.  It is a diuretic (increases the discharge of urine) and lactagogue (increases mother's supply of breast milk) as well.

Saluyot (Corchorus Olitorius) - This is reported to be a potent demulcent, diuretic, lactagogue, purgative and tonic.  It may also be a remedy for aches and pains, dysentery, enteritis, fever and pectoral pains.  It is rich in vitamins, carotinoids, calcium, potassium and dietary fibers.

Uray (Amaranthus Spinosus) - It is a good expectorant and an effective astringent, especially in stopping liquid bowels.  Locally, it has been reported that a decoction (flavor extract obtained from boiling in water) of the root relieves one's breathing from acute bronchitis.  

Dahon ng Sili (Capsicum Frutescens) - These leaves are excellent sources of calcium, iron, phosphorous, vitamin A and B.  It is an important gastrointestinal oxidant and also serves as a stimulant, digestive, lactogogue, antispasmodic (prevents, relieves or lowers the incidence of muscle spasm) and anti-pyretic (reduces or relieves fever).

Talbos ng Kamote (Ipomoea Batatas) - This is the only plant that is very rich in iodine, high in calories and vitamin A.  It lowers blood sugar and cholesterol and is a remedy for constipation and stomach distress.

For only Php40.00 (cost per sachet) each day, parents can include these 5 vegetables/ herbs in their kids' diets minus the tears and battle of the wills. The juice is sold at Php800 per box of 20 sachets or booster packs with 3 boxes each at Php2,400. You can also buy 10 boxes and get 2 boxes free by buying the power pack. Purchasing the power pack entitles you to 25% discount on succeeding purchases or repeat orders.

You may get in touch with me through email (teresa@handsonparentwhileearning.com)  or 09178345846 if you are interested to find out more about the nutritional value and medicinal qualities of these power herbs found in Vitaplus juice/health drink.  You may also order Vitaplus products through me since I am a distributor.

Sharing the Gospel as a Family: Our DZME Experience

The disciples approached Jesus and said, “Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven?”  He called a child over, placed it in their midst,  and said, “Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the Kingdom of heaven.  Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven.  And whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me.  “See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven always look upon the face of my heavenly Father.  What is your opinion? If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray, will he not leave the ninety-nine in the hills and go in search of the stray?  And if he finds it, amen, I say to you, he rejoices more over it than over the ninety-nine that did not stray.  In just the same way, it is not the will of your heavenly Father that one of these little ones be lost.”

 

 

This was the Gospel according to Matthew 18:1-5, 10, 12-14 last August 14, 2012.  My husband and I were invited to share our reflections on this Gospel passage that night in the radio program, Kristianong Pamilya at DZME 1530 khz. We got the inviation to share our reflections through the recommendation of one of our co-parishioners with whom I had a Bible study session one time.  The invitation naturally excited me because it was an opportunity to share God's Word and to inspire others to live out the Word of God. 

 

 

We became a bit worried however when monsoon rains continued that week after causing floods in many areas in Metro Manila around a week before our scheduled radio guesting.  My husband said that if the strong rains will continue on that day, we will call Brother Bobot who hosts the program together with his wife and tell him that we can't make it.  It's dangerous to travel from our place (south of Metro Manila) to Caloocan where the radio station is given the bad weather and the conditions of our roads. 

 

 

So, we prayed for better weather and for God's guidance.  We also monitored the weather reports on the days leading to our radio guesting and on the day itself.  It was still rainy when we woke up that Tuesday but not as much as in the past days and the weather reports did not predict any strong rains in our area nor in the Caloocan area.  Thus, we decided to push through and I left the house together with our kids and our maid to meet my husband in his office so we can go together to the radio station.  We met my mom along the way too so she can watch over our eldest son while my husband and I are sharing our reflections. 

 

 

God heard our prayers.  He made a way for us to get to the station just in time for us to have dinner and have a chat with Brother Bobot and his wife before the actual program.  Even our baby cooperated by sleeping throughout the entire program.  Our eldest son was relatively behaved. :)  And our sharing and discussions with the hosts went smoothly by God's grace. 

 

 

We were about to leave the station already and were just waiting for our copy of the program in dvd when our baby woke up and suddenly vomitted.  We thought that it was nothing to be concerned about because it wasn't much and we thought it was simply due to his awkward position while sleeping in the past hour.  We got inside our car and left for home. 

 

 

Sadly, our baby's vomitting did not end there.  He vomitted some more while we were on our way home.  My baby and I were soaking with vomit.  I breastfed him when we were nearing our house thinking that it would help replenish what he lost but it did not help because he vomitted again after that.  My husband decided that we would rush our baby to the hospital to prevent dehydration and to find out what was causing the vomitting.  

 

 

Our baby was put on dextrose right away and was under observation.  He vomitted one more time while we were at the emergency room.  We were then advised that he will be confined for further observation and tests.  They said that they will get some blood and urine samples.  It was his first time to be confined since I gave birth to him.  I was reminded of the difficulty we experienced getting blood samples from him for his newborn screening.  I prayed that it will not happen again.  But it took two tries before the nurse was able to get some blood sample for testing.  I still thank God for giving us the grace to endure it and that the second try was already successful. 

 

 

At the pedia ER

 

I was advised not to breastfeed him for the next 5 hours to let his tummy rest.  But our baby kept on crying and he could not sleep even when on dextrose.  Thank God one of the nurses came to our room after hearing our baby's cries and told me that I can try breastfeeding again for around 15 minutes only.  That was after around 2 hours since his last feeding.  Then, we'll observe again if he will vomit.  If he does, we will postpone his next breastfeeding session. 

 

 

I kept praying all the while I was breastfeeding him.  I asked God to heal my baby's tummy and that he would not vomit again and that he'd fall asleep.  God answered my prayer.  He slept peacefully in the next hours and he did not vomit again.  Since our baby did not vomit after our last feeding, we went back to our routine of breastfeeding around every two hours but I was still limiting it to 15-20 minutes to give his tummy time to recover gradually.  We were happy again when our baby did not vomit the whole morning and we were able to get some urine sample already.  

First confinement in a hospital.

When his attending doctor arrived, she said that all the tests showed normal results and we were advised to try giving him a bit of solid food again to see if he will vomit again.  We gave him some rice or "lugaw" that day then oatmeal the following day.  Thank God he did not vomit again.  We thanked God as well that he was still playful even while in the hospital.  He even played with his big brother who stayed with us in the hospital overnight.  After 2 days and 2 nights in the hospital, our baby was finally discharged!  Praise God! 

 

Crib party at the hospita with Kuya Yanthy.

 

 

We thanked the Lord for answering our prayer to heal our baby and to provide for our needs while we were in the hospital.  I was thankful that my mom was with us when that happened and she was able to sleep with our eldest son in our condo while my husband and I rushed our baby to the hospital.  We thanked God that our hospital expenses were covered by Medicard and we only paid less than P50.  Most of all, we thank God for the grace to just trust in Him all throughout the time that our baby was vomitting and confined. 

 

 

What were my thoughts about that experience? 


I thought that it was just the enemy's way of trying to rob our family of our victory after successfully proclaiming God's Word through a radio program.  But he was not successful in distracting us or in making us question God's plans or His Will.  We praise and thank God for the grace to be still and to depend on God's mercy and grace.  Instead of feeling bad or asking God why it happened to our baby, we used the opportunity to bond as a family and to count our blessings amid the trial.  We claimed that we are victors in Christ and indeed we were!  That experience did not dampen my spirit or resolve to continue preaching the Good News.  I knew that the God we serve is faithful and He proved His faithfulness once more as He delivered our baby and our family during that time.  To God be the glory!

Six Tips on How to Breastfeed Longer

Here is another article I wrote recently at Philippine Online Chronicles' Wellness Section on Breastfeeding.  Happy Breastfeeding Month!

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Based on the 2009 Poverty Statistics released by the National Statistics Coordination Board on February 8, 2011, an estimate 23.1 million Filipinos or 26.5% of the total population are poor. Official government data also showed that 20.9% or 3.8 million Filipino families are poor. They earn an estimate of P230.70/day; P7,017.09/month or below P84,205 a year.

These figures show that breastfeeding can help many poor Filipino families since they have very little budget for food and non-food needs. On top of helping families stretch their budget, breastfeeding also keep babies and moms healthy. This would lessen the chance of moms and babies getting sick and spending money on medicines or hospital bills. Breastfeeding can even help families space pregnancies by acting as a natural contraceptive.

August is Breastfeeding Month and there are many benefits of breastfeeding to moms and babies.

I interviewed breastfeeding coach, Zenaida ‘Zeny’ Feliciano to ask her wellness tips to breastfeeding moms so that we can breastfeed our babies/kids longer.

According to Zeny, it is crucial that a pregnant mom who contemplates on breastfeeding her baby attend a breastfeeding class so she would be well-informed and prepared for the challenges ahead.

Support of the people surrounding the breastfeeding mom can also make a big difference especially in the first 24 hours after giving birth. A new mother needs her husband, ob-gynecologist and pediatrician to be a part of her team. The decision to breast feed exclusively and not to resort to glucose supplement or formula milk is made during the first few days after giving birth. Making the baby room-in with the mother right after birth is a good way to ensure this.

She further said that it would be helpful to have a list of Ob-gynecologists and pediatricians who are breastfeeding advocates so that the nursing mom can get the support she needs in her breastfeeding adventure with her baby.

Here are 6 tips from Coach Zeny:

Coach Zeny teaching Dads how to massage their wives.

 

Click here to continue reading the article.

A Mother's Reflections on Cleaning and Dressing Wounds and Scars

It has been more than a week since our eldest son, Yanthy, scraped his knees when he fell after running very fast while playing outside the house.  The result: two wounds on his right knee and one big wound on his left.

Wounds on Yanthy's right knee.

He had been crying so hard for since day 1 every time he hears that it's time for his bath.  He would cry really hard that his body would be shaking.  When we ask him why he's crying, he would say that his wounds are painful and he's afraid.

Wound on Yanthy's left knee.

My husband and I would do our best and try different strategies to comfort him and to dispel his fears.  Since Yanthy got wounded on a weekend, his Dad took charge of cleaning them and dressing them during the first weekend.  I took over after that.

His wounds with dressing.

It has been more than a week and Yanthy's cries before bath time are lesser and if he'd cry it would be shorter compared to the first few days.

He was more cheery also when we bring out the cleaning supplies these past days because his wounds are starting to dry up and heal.

Since he sustained those wounds, he sat down longer to play and read.  We got to read more books together and conversed more.  We also embraced each other more often.

Looking back, I thank the Lord that He has given me this opportunity to be with my son when he needed me the most.  For us grown ups, having wounds may no longer be a big deal.  But not for kids like Yanthy who scraped their knees big time for the first time.  I'm glad that my husband and I were there on the same day it happened.  I'm glad that we were there to embrace him tight as he sobbed for what seemed like hours.  He actually fell asleep from crying after his Dad cleaned and dressed his wounds for the first time.  I'm grateful that he was not left to just a maid who might not be knowledgeable enough of the right things to do to clean and disinfect his wounds.  I thank the Lord that I'm not working outside the house anymore and I was able to clean and dress his wounds myself, comfort him and cuddle with him until he was no longer afraid or in pain.

I thank God that He has given me and my son an opportunity to bond and though it started out to be a very unpleasant situation for both of us, it's slowly showing me the truth that good things can come out of bad situations.  I wasn't happy that my son got wounded.  But I'm happy that while he was in pain and was afraid, I was there for him.  I'm happy that when he remembers this episode in his childhood, he would remember that Daddy and Mommy took care of him and that we were instrumental in helping his wounds heal.

I'm happy that we were able to teach and reinforce lessons to him through his experience.  Initially, he said he doesn't want to run anymore so that he would not fall and get wounded.  After a few days, he said he will not run fast anymore.  Yesterday, he was running again... fast!  I'm glad he did not get traumatized to be back to his usual active self by the experience.  I do hope that he would remember the safety lessons we've been constantly reminding him of. 

What's my biggest take away from this experience as a young mom?  I can't be with my children ALL THE TIME to watch over them and protect them from getting hurt.  BUT I can and should be there for them WHEN THEY NEED ME THE MOST so that they would be confident of my love, commitment and love for them even in times when I'm not beside them.

Other lessons learned?  A hug and a mother's touch and presence always make hurts seem less painful or make the hurt go away.  The joys that one experiences when the wounds start to heal are doubled when shared with someone you love. 



The scars after more than a week since he got wounded.



I've been worrying in the past days because I was concerned that his wounds would leave ugly scars on his knees until I remember now a story wherein a boy rejoiced over his scars because those scars remind him of his mother's love.  I still pray that my boy's wounds would heal well and that they will not leave ugly scars on his skin.  But in case that wish of mine is not granted, I pray that like the little boy in the story I heard, my son would remember my love and that of his Dad's for him every time he sees his scars.

Camote Tops Tea/Juice Recipe and its Medicinal Qualities

My batchmates and I were led to the dining area for some refreshments.  Then, we noticed that the juice was pinkish in color.  One of my batchmates asked one of the Sisters what it was and the Sister said it was camote tops/talbos ng camote iced tea with calamansi.  We tried it and we asked for more!  It was good!

That was many years ago when I was still in college and was investigating the life of the Carmelites.  Yes, it was in the Carmelite house that I learned about camote tops being made into tea.  Why I did not become a Carmelite is another story. :)

Trivia:  Do you know that this is the only plant that is very rich in iodine, high in calories and Vitamin A?

 This is how to make it:

1. Wash the camote tops (talbos ng camote) with water and vegetable and fruit liquid cleanser like that of Pigeon's cleanser for baby bottles and toys.  (It's made of 100% food grade or edible ingredients and removes pesticide residues on fruits and vegetables.)

2. Boil water in a pot.

3. Once the water is boiling, put the camote tops (leaves only) and let them boil for at least 5 minutes.

4. Steep some more for 5 minutes.

5. Remove the leaves (or talbos) using a strainer and set aside.  You can make these leaves into a salad.  It's delicious too!

6. Pour on glasses (or cups if you want hot tea).

7. Squeeze 1-2 calamansi to get the juice and mix into the tea.  You can add some more if you want it to have a stronger calamansi flavor.

8. Add a teaspoon (or more if you have a sweet tooth) of honey and mix.

9.  Add some ice cubes for a refreshing and nutritious iced tea!

Now, while you're enjoying your glass/cup of camote tops tea, let share some of its medicinal qualities.

• It's a remedy for constipation or aids in regular bowel movement.
• It's a remedy for stomach distress like those cause by indigestion.
• It helps maintain thyroid hormones that prevents the thyroid from getting big.
• It helps lower blood sugar and cholesterol of patients with type 2 diabetes.

According to Wiki.answers.com:

 Sweet potato tops are excellent sources of antioxidative compounds, mainly polyphenolics, which may protect the human body from oxidative stress that is associated with many diseases including cancer and cardiovascular diseases.

 Sweet potato greens have the highest content of total polyphenolics among other commercial vegetables studied.

 Sweet potatoes contain protein, dietary fiber, lipid, and essential minerals and nutrients such as calcium, phosphorous, magnesium, sodium, potassium, sulfur, iron, copper, zinc, manganese, aluminum and boron.

 Sweet potatoes are also important sources of vitamin A, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin and ascorbic acid.

In recent years, it has been reported as well that this tea can help Dengue patients recover.  Read more about this on an article here.

Below is the nutritional value that every 100g of camote tops contain as taken from First Vita Plus website :

• 30 calcium
• 24 magnesium
• 373 potassium
• 13 sodium
• 49 phosphorus
• 85 chlorine
• 26 sulphur
• 0.8 mg/kg iodine
• traces of manganese, copper and zinc

Were you surprised that this cheap vegetable can be this nutritious?  In fact, some people plant this in their backyards and just harvest them when they want to have them for salad or tea. 

Why I Don’t Feed My Baby from My Own Spoon and Insist that He Uses His Own Eating Utensils

It might seem trivial or harmless to some; but, feeding your baby or toddler from your own spoon or from any spoon other than the child’s own utensils can harm him/her. I have always been strict about hygiene and sanitation at home even when I was still single. This behaviour has been highly influenced by my upbringing and the Microbiology and other Food Safety and Sanitation subjects I had when I took up Hotel and Restaurant Administration in UP, Diliman. The parenting books I read when I was still pregnant also taught me a lot about it. Thus, I became all the more conscious about sanitation when I finally gave birth to my baby.

My younger brother and I grew up having our own set of plates, glasses and eating utensils. It wasn’t our practice at home to share these things unlike in other households. And it was with this same mindset and approach that I planned to raise my child. So when our little boy started eating solids, we excitedly purchased him his own set of bowl, plate, cup and eating utensils.

Then just before Christmas, our two-year old son got sick. Our very active toddler suddenly didn’t have the energy to play. He refused to eat or drink. He had high fever that reached almost 40 degrees Celsius and he was vomiting. I got worried so I brought him immediately to his pediatrician. That was when we discovered what was bothering him. He had plenty of “singaw” inside his mouth. (The medical term is quite long and I had some difficulty reading his doctor’s handwriting.) That caused his high fever and refusal to eat or drink. A “singaw” may just be a source of discomfort to us adults; but in young children, this can cause fever. The doctor said that children with high fever usually vomit. That explains it.

But how did he get “singaw?” The doctor asked me and our maid if we had “singaw” at that time. But we didn’t. She said that it is viral and contagious. One can get it upon contact with the saliva of the person with “singaw” like if you used the eating utensils of the person with “singaw.” So, from whom did Yanthy get his “singaw?” We discovered early that evening that Yanthy got it from his Dad who had fed Yanthy the night before from his own spoon while he was eating dinner. My husband and I have already agreed in the past that we will only feed our son using his own utensils but he sometimes forgets. This could be because he grew up sharing his eating utensils with his immediate family members. It was a habit that he finds difficult to break. Unfortunately, this bad habit caused our toddler to get sick.

It was very challenging to feed Yanthy while he had “singaw” in his mouth. He found it painful to eat or drink. He refused to drink even his milk. He lost a lot of weight. And he continued to have high fevers which led him to vomit. I just kept wiping him with a face towel dipped in cold water to keep his fever down because his fever was high even with paracetamol. His doctor said that his condition will only improve once the many “singaw” in his mouth decreases in number and eventually disappear. His appetite went back after around a week which was what the doctor predicted.

The other day, I read in a parenting magazine that one can also pass on cavities to babies or toddlers through their saliva when they share their eating utensils with them. The article said that babies naturally do not have that bacteria in their mouth and they usually get these from their moms when the moms feed them using the mom’s spoon or fork. Having learned that, I grew in conviction to be vigilant with what goes inside my son’s mouth.

Sharing food with a baby or toddler seems to be a very sweet gesture but it can be very harmful. It can bring sickness or cavities to the child. So, next time you are tempted to feed a child using your own spoon, remember that you’re not only sharing the food… you might also be sharing a virus or cavity-causing bacteria. Use his/her own eating utensils instead. It’s better to be safe than sorry; because in the end, the child will suffer either from “singaw,” high fever and vomiting or toothache.

Yanthy’s Ordeal was My Ordeal Also

It started on a Monday evening. Yanthy had slight fever so I gave him biogesic for children. I thought that it’s just due to his colds. His pediatrician prescribed a new medicine (Alnix) because his colds had been there for a number of days now even though he has been taking Nasatapp. I made a to-do alarm in my cellphone that we’re going to buy Alnix later. Then, off we went to attend a Christmas party. But as the party progressed, his fever progressed as well. We left the party after dinner and a few games, bought medicines again and headed for home. He was burning hot with fever by the time we reached our condo. My husband checked his temperature and found out it was almost 40 degrees Celsius. We gave him a sponge bath until his temperature went down a bit. We continued to monitor his temperature and gave him paracetamol Biogesic every four hours. We brought him to the pediatrician the following day since his high fever was recurring. It’s the first time he had a fever that high. The pediatrician said he has tonsillitis so she prescribed an antibiotic (Himox). It was his first time to take antibiotics.

We thought that after being given an antibiotic Yanthy would be fine. But we were wrong. Two days after he took his antibiotic, he started to have diarrhea. We informed his doctor again and we were prescribed erceflora and glucolite to prevent dehydration. His diarrhea persisted, though and to make matters worse, he started to have diaper rash. It was very painful for him every time we would clean his bottom because it was all red. There were times when I would cry with him as I clean his bottom and change his diapers. I would silently pray for his healing and that God would give me the pain instead and spare my child from further suffering. The diaper cream we used after every diaper change helped to remove the diaper rash but it kept coming back due to persistent diarrhea. Yanthy started to lose weight. Sometimes he would poop as many as 8-9 times a day. It was very scary. It was a good thing that he continued to eat and breastfeed from me. After around 4 days of continuous fever and diarrhea, his pediatrician instructed that Yanthy undergoes CBC and fecalysis (stool exam). We were very grateful when we got the CBC result and found out that it was not dengue. He had amoeba however. So another antibiotic (Flagyl) was prescribed to combat the amoeba. His two antibiotics overlapped – one for tonsillitis and one for amoebiasis. His fever gradually left him after a few more days but he still had diarrhea. His new pediatrician said that it’s normal for the treatment of amoebiasis. She said that Yanthy needs to take antibiotics for 10 days and before the 10-day period is over, he needs to undergo another fecalysis to check if the amoeba is gone. If it’s still there, he would have to continue taking his antibiotic for four more days for a total of 14 days.

We had a hard time getting stool samples from Yanthy. We were just lucky during the first time but the succeeding times were very difficult. We kept coming back to Asian Hospital’s laboratory even during the Christmas holidays. Luckily, we were able to get a sample on his 10th day of taking antibiotics. We noticed however that although his diarhea episodes were less frequent, he developed a cough. So we brought him to an EENT this time who prescribed another antibiotic (Augmentin).

When we got the result of his second fecalysis, we found out that there are still traces of amoeba so we continued his antibiotic against amoeba together with the antibiotic for his cough. This is the second time that his antibiotic overlapped.

Thank God, his cough and diarrhea stopped after a few more days of taking medicines. I thought that our ordeal was over so we chose to celebrate by pushing through with our family outing at Casa Santa. We were supposed to go there either before Christmas or right after Christmas but since Yanthy got sick, we postponed it. We were glad that it was still open until the New Year so we went there armed with our new digital camera and ready smiles.

Just a couple of days after we thought that Yanthy is all healed, Yanthy had fever again. We brought him again to the pediatrician who gave another medicine (Remidril) for colds. He got healed after 5 days of taking the medicine. But there’s another problem that surfaced. He now has crusting on his eyes. It started with his left eye until even his right eye developed excessive crusting. So we applied Erythromycin ointment on his eyes to combat the infection.

In just a span of four (4) weeks, Yanthy took four different kinds of antibiotics. That does not include the different cold/antihistamine medicines prescribed to combat his colds. My poor baby.

I thought that Yanthy’s sicknesses will all be gone by New Year’s time but I was wrong. Today, all I wish is that he’d be in the pink of health again and that his ordeal would soon be over because his ordeal is my ordeal as well. I pray that God would have mercy on my little boy and heal him completely.