Saturday, 27 November 2010

Morning sickness blues, building a nest



Ball’s girlfriend Jay has morning sickness, and has entered her third day in a row of being unable to keep food down.

I have urged her to see a doctor but she wants to wait until pay day on Tuesday. Her health insurance has run out, so she will have to pay the medical fees herself.

‘It can’t come to more than a few hundred baht, surely,’ I said, urging her to go straight away.

‘But I have no money,’ she said.

On pay day, Jay gives a few thousand baht from her meagre pay to Ball’s mother, to help pay her way. Towards the end of the month, she must borrow from Mum, as her money has usually run out.

Even when she needs it, she is reluctant to borrow, as she worries Mum will resent it. Ball is just as unwilling to borrow from his mother, as he doesn’t want to impose.

In such circumstances, I feel obliged to hep occasionally, though I would rather the couple made their own arrangements, as I am sure the money is there, or at least some of it, were they to ask.

On the internet, I am depressed to read that there are no simple cures for morning sickness, although plenty of self-help remedies are on offer. However, even they require money.

Another reason Ball wants to delay taking Jay to the doctor until next week is that Jay wants to arrange pre-natal care with the doctor at the same time. ‘We may as well do both at the same time, as it all costs money,’ he says.

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In happier news, I am pleased to report that Ball’s bedroom is now ready to welcome a child into the world.

For the last couple of months his mother and I have been doing it up. He now has new boarding on the walls, and a tiled ceiling. We have also lined the floor, bought a wardrobe, a mattress, and bedding.

Ball’s mother does most of the work, though to repair the walls and ceiling, we hired a builder. In her youth, Mum was a painter, so she tackled the walls and door, and also lined the floor.

I gave moral encouragement.

Actually, I did more than that, but want to keep the language vague, as Thai eyes are watching.

2 comments:

  1. 10 comments:

    Anonymous26 November 2010 at 20:11
    Thai eyes are watching and they would mind that you spent money on Ball? Have to be the eyes of your boyfriend then!

    ReplyDelete

    Anonymous27 November 2010 at 08:12
    your purse strings are in tatters....lol...the baby will be an instant atm card...i saw this coming!!!!

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    Bkkdreamer27 November 2010 at 17:50
    Anon: That's right.

    Anon 2: Not quite in tatters, but they have taken a battering. I hope the spending settles down, as I am sick of it.

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    Hendrikbkk28 November 2010 at 02:15
    Isn't the Ball/Jay/baby enterprise moving towards a disaster? These are kids themselves and how can they handle a baby?

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    Bkkdreamer28 November 2010 at 06:00
    Ball's mother has brought up four kids (all now adults).

    The household is also home to two kids under two, and a teenager from her side of the family. If anyone can do it, she can.

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    Anonymous28 November 2010 at 07:36
    Try a couple of dry biscuits (Rich Tea if you have them!) or a couple of dry crackers before getting up. Or nibble on them during the day to keep the stomach lined.....Jay not you BD. lol. Sipping warm Lemonade can be soorthing too. It's true though, this is something thats hard to beat. After 3 months it'll ease off. lf she is not keeping anything down at all for more than a few weeks, she must get medical help. The baby should be fine, they're good surivors but she mustn't dehydrate!!

    Love to all
    Wilks xx

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    Joyce Lau29 November 2010 at 07:07
    Hi BKK, I'm usually one of the ones telling you to spend no more money on these people. But if there's one thing that's worth a donation, it's letting a young woman see a doctor in early pregnancy. More worth it than treating someone to the brown stuff.

    There's no cure for morning sickness that I know. God knows there are rich women in Hong Kong with top doctors who spend 2-3 months eating tiny, frequent meals and sipping water. Some say that it's a sign of a healthy pregnancy -- it means the baby is growing.

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    Bkkdreamer29 November 2010 at 15:33
    Hello, Joyce. I offered to send her to the doctor...nagged them and nagged her, in fact. In the end, Ball's mother sent her instead. The visit was expensive - B500 - but at least she is eating again.

    As for whether I should help this family in other ways, we are in the process of laying down new imbibing rules for Mr Ball. I can't say I am that committed to helping shape them, meaning I am willing to accept whatever arrangement they end up with. I find being with them a chore at the moment, and find myself longing for more adult commpany.

    The mother would be reluctant to see me walk out of their lives, but the girlfriend is probably less worried, as she tends to associate my presence with the brown stuff.

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  2. Bkkdreamer30 November 2010 at 16:31
    Wilks,

    I am sorry I did not reply to your message earlier.

    Thank you for the advice on how to get a morning sickness sufferer eating again.

    However, as you can see from the message above, Jay has now been to the doctor, and is on the mend.

    If it recurs, I wll buy her some dry biscuits as you suggest, so she has something to line her stomach. She let herself go for three days without eating anything, which I think is mad.

    ReplyDelete

    Anonymous2 December 2010 at 07:31
    You are such a caring person BD.
    l'm glad she's ok now.
    Love to you both
    Wilks xx

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Comments are welcome, in English or Thai (I can't read anything else). Anonymous posting is discouraged, unless you'd like to give yourself a name at the bottom of your post, so we can tell who you are.