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After three kids, Nadine Samonte feels grateful for the lessons she's learned and she's applying along the way. One of these lessons is to always ask for doctor's advice, especially in matters of kid's health.
"Mahirap magmarunong," the actress said during the online media launch of Bepanthen baby ointment. "Na-try ko na ’yun, nagmarunong ako once. Lalong lumala, eh. Kaya sabi ko, ayoko na. No more na. From there, I learned my lesson."
Nadine elaborated on what happened when she had a one-on-one interview with Smart Parenting.
"It happened sa firstborn ko," she told us, referring to her daughter Heather Sloane, now 5 years old. Nadine and her husband Richard Chua's other children are Austin Titus, 3 years old, and Harmony Saige, 5 months old.
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Nadine recalled that she wasn't very selective in getting advice then. So when she saw rashes on Heather's inner thighs, she simply followed those who told her things, like "Lagay mo lang ’yan. Okay lang ’yan."
She then applied "petroleum [jelly] or something," on her daughter's inner things, without taking in consideration that the girl has "very sensitive skin" like her.
"Lalong lumala," Nadine said on her daughter's rashes, asking herself, "Hala, anong nangyari dito?" She went on telling the rest of the story: "’Tapos nag-blister na siya. Nag-panic na ’ko.
"Tumawag na ’ko sa doctor n’ya. Sabi ko, ‘Doc, may kasalanan ako, ganyan-ganyan.’ Sabi niya, ‘Bakit mo ginawa ’yun?’ ‘Eh kasi sabi sa ’kin ng ibang mommies puwede daw ‘yun.’ Simula no’n, I learned my lesson. So magdo-doctor na lang ako parati."
Nadine's tips during taranta moments
The mom of 3 acknowledges the tendency of moms, especially the first-timers, to panic when faced with difficult situations. She offers her proven ways in dealing with these situations:
Just pause
"Inhale, exhale ka lang. Relax your mind. Kasi the more na hindi ka mag-pause, the more na natataranta ka, wala kang maiisip na tamang gawin."
Think
"Think lang kung anong tamang gawin."
Call someone you trust
"If wala ka talagang maisip dahil sobrang na-stress ka na, nando’n ka na sa moment, call someone you trust. Ask someone.
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"It’s best to ask, eh, kesa nagmamagaling ka. Tulad nga ng experience ko. It’s better to ask someone na mapagkakatiwalaan ko talaga. And ‘yung kilala mo na alam mo kung paano nila hina-handle ’yung anak nila."
Read here the difference between urgent care and emergency care for children.