Yellow Yum

Every woman is unique. Every woman has different needs. And every woman is equally beautiful and deserving of the best products and experiences that make her confident in her own skin.

When it comes to hair, every woman is different too. Some are confident with colored hair while others prefer natural locks. Others feel most beautiful with straight hair, while others like to rock big waves. Some women feel most authentic when they grow their hair long while others like to cut theirs short. But no matter what unique hair desire she has, she deserves salon-level treatment for her strands, so she can continue to be the fantastic woman she is meant to be.

For Every Kind of Salontastic

With the new Pantene 3-Minute Miracle, women can take their pick from three variants to match their unique hair needs: Collagen Repair, Keratin Smooth, and Biotin Strength. When matched with Pantene Total Damage Care Shampoo, every woman can achieve stronger* hair as if they just stepped out of the salon!

A perfect example of how every woman has unique hair needs is how our very own Pantene women each have their own favorite variant! Which of our strong women do you relate to the most – Biotin Beauty Anne, Keratin Queen Kylie, or Collagen Gal Gabbi?

Strong like a Biotin Beauty

As a multi-talented host and actress plus a young mom, Anne faces more and more responsibilities every day. She needs strength for her mind and body, but also for her hair like a true Biotin Beauty! Anne shares that Pantene Biotin Strength keeps her hair luscious, “All smiles because I can still get the same salon lush treatment my hair needs at home with @pantenephilippines. Look at what I’ve been using to help strengthen my hair from breakage so I have less hair fall and #Salontastic hair!”

https://www.instagram.com/p/CTjnmnOBOrM/

Pantene Biotin Strength 3-Minute Miracle helps repair 3 months’ worth of damage in just 3 minutes, while strengthening each strand to lessen hair fall due to breakage. Feel the nourishment penetrate deep into the hair, strengthening it from root to tip, giving you that salon-level look right at home!

Smooth like a Keratin Queen

Kylie makes everything look effortless! She’s a mental health advocate, a content creator, a public figure, and so much more, and she does it all while wearing a crown (figuratively and literally) on her head! She shares, “I got my Miss International crown 👑 in 2016, but I got my crowning glory 💁🏻‍♀️ from @pantenephilippines! I conquer every day like a true Keratin Queen with the help of my very own #SalontasticAtHome kit.”

She shares how Pantene Keratin Smooth 3-Minute Miracle Conditioner is her “…secret to #Salontastic hair that’s effortlessly soft, smooth, straight and without lagkit!” She adds, “So happy with this NEW Pantene 3 Minute Miracle Conditioner! Give your hair the salon treatment it deserves today, too. 🤍 #panteneph”

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You too can effortlessly help manage frizz with Pantene Keratin Smooth 3-Minute Miracle Conditioner. Inspired by salon Keratin treatments, every bottle of Keratin Smooth infuses your hair with ultra-rich moisture so you can transform dry and damaged hair to visibly healthy, shiny, smooth, and strong locks!

Confident like a Collagen Gal

Young, bright-eyed, and talented, there is so much ahead for Gabbi! She’s enjoying life and sharing her thoughts with her millions of followers. She shares, “Fine, I’m guilty of posting a lot of photos of myself here on Instagram, but who wouldn’t when you have #Salontastic hair? 🙆🏽‍♀️✨ And now that #PantenePH just sent me this #SalontasticAtHome kit, I’m going to flood you guys even more! 😅”

https://www.instagram.com/p/CTPBq0uJwEV/

With beautiful hair to match her beautiful personality, Gabbi is confident she can achieve anything she sets her mind to. Get the same confidence with Pantene Collagen Repair 3-Minute Miracle Conditioner. Gabbi shares that this is her favorite variant and it’s, “what I use as a Collagen Gal with healthy, smooth hair that’s free from lagkit! 💁🏻‍♀️ I can style my hair any way I want without worry, as if a salon-expert touched my hair! 💫 Love this NEW Pantene 3 Minute Miracle Conditioner!”

With Pantene Collagen Repair 3-Minute Miracle Conditioner go ahead and experiment with your hair because its formulation helps transform dry and damaged hair into Salontastic smooth hair.

Be Your Own Kind of Salontastic

So which Pantene woman are you? Are you strong like a Biotin Beauty? Smooth like a Keratin Queen? Or are you confident like a Collagen Gal?

Whichever you relate to the most, you can be sure to enjoy Salontastic hair when you use the new Pantene 3-Minute Miracle Conditioner. Use it after you wash your hair with Pantene Total Damage Care Shampoo that’s specially designed to repair 10 visible signs of damage, on top of that, it also prevents split ends* up to 3 months! The best part is that you can do all of this from the comfort of your own home.

With Pantene, every kind of woman can feel like they just stepped out of the salon every time they step out of the shower.

Start your Salontastic journey today. All variants of Pantene 3 Minute Miracle Conditioner and Pantene Total Damage Care Shampoo are available at the P&G official stores on Lazada and Shopee.

Available at:

Lazada: https://www.lazada.com.ph/shop/pg-beauty/Pantene.htm?wh_weex=true

Shopee: https://shopee.ph/shop/73395170/search/?page=1&shopCollection=9573899&sortBy=pop

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Next step before Nia actually starts her CI journey is switching on her cochlear implants. When she had her cochlear implant surgery, the implant device was "implanted" on her head. We also received the huge bag with the external processor, chargers and accessories. We haven't tried putting on the processor yet or turning it on since it wasn't programmed yet at that time. So the "Switch On" process was when the audiologist will program her processor and finally turn it all on.

I've watch countless videos of switch ons, most are of babies and kids. These videos are from other countries usually. So I was both excited and nervous how Nia will react when it's her time.
June 2, 2021 was her Switch On. (Side story: June 2 is such a special date. 6 years ago, on the same date, was when we moved to our house. Just about a year ago, June 1, 2020 was when Nia started wearing her hearing aids.) We have been waiting for this day for her hearing to finally be stimulated.

Just a summary in case you are not familiar with Nia's case (click here if you want to read her back story and more here), Nia is bimodal. She used to wear hearing aids on both ears. She has a better ear (her left ear) and even her other ear, thank God has residual hearing. So we knew that she can hear us especially when she was aided a year ago. With this in mind, I knew there wouldn't be any dramatic moment when her processor is turned on.

I wanted to vlog it but it was difficult because I'm a one man vlogging team. I was holding her while waiting until they finished. I didn't want to bother my husband anymore because I knew he was as nervous and anxious as I was. We did get some clips, but I didn't post them anymore. Why? She threw a huge fit when we were trying to put her processor on her head even though it wasn't even on yet. Ganong levelz. It's totally understandable especially with everything she had endured, there's definitely trauma. She's so afraid of people going near her, touching her New things also makes her nervous.

When we finally got her processor on he head and turned on, mapping began she was just quiet. She sat still, playing with her dad's phone. As the beep continued, she sat there quietly. In this photo, you'll see that I'm just holding the processor on my hand even though the magnet is on Nia's head. She didn't want anything touching her ear yet.

We tried calling her name, she looked. Tried making different sounds, she engaged. That's how you know it's working. That deadly look of Nia though. Haha!

We kept the volume minimal because we're trying to make her comfortable and get used to wearing her processor first, before cranking up the volume. Because of her condition, Large Vestibular Aqueduct Syndrome (LVAS), the audiologist was careful about her balance.

Switching her on, there wasn't much difference yet. Perhaps because it was still very low volume, or maybe because she's already been wearing hearing aids for a long time and that helps with her better ear (left ear).

As per Nia's therapist, you don't notice difference right away. It takes about 6 months or more to see big development and changes.

I'm happy that she adjusted well with the cochlear implant. I feel like it's hugely because she's already used to having something on her ear when she was wearing her hearing aids.

There's something about "switch on days". It gives you hope, it gives you purpose. At least that was how it felt for us. It gave us a beginning of a new chapter on Nia's journey, one we have been waiting for, one we are still praying for- her journey to hearing and speech.

For Nia's #calears journey, click here. And for continuous donations for Nia's therapy and other medical expenses, you may refer to her story here. Thank you so much.

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We felt so relieved when Nia was finally brought back to the room after her cochlear implant surgery. It took 4 hours to finish, 4 hours of waiting, 4 hours of intense nervousness. When I finally got to see her in the recovery room, it felt like the world was lifted off my shoulders.

May 11, a day after surgery, Nia was still a little groggy. She still couldn't balance her head. Dr. Chiong did a great job dressing her ear/head. They also put diapers on her hands so she wouldn't be able to scratch and remove her dressing and her dextrose.

Around lunch time, we were told that she can already start eating. Good thing, H and I decided to order some food. I gave her some mashed potato. I was so happy when she started eating. She didn't eat much, which was expected.

With the help of my husband, I cleaned her up. I brought a basin, wash cloths, head to toe wash, tooth brush and toothpaste. Since she couldn't lift her head still, I just cleaned her while lying down.

Another tip I got from a fellow CI mom, mommy Jeng, was to bring side tie and easy clothes. So I brought side tie dresses and button down tops to easily remove them if she needs to change. It made life so much easier. Given that her head size is bigger because of the dressing, it was definitely more difficult to wear shirts from her head.

The whole day was just quiet. She was mostly sleeping, perhaps still groggy from the anesthesia, or just plain tired. Nurses also came to give her some meds through her IV. They also gave her pain medication to handle pain. I was also allowed to breastfeed her. There were also times she was getting angry at her bandaged hands. She is usually an active girl, so this was especially annoying to her. Hehe!

Around dinner time, she was finally able to sit up. Yey! She still needed assistance and she still couldn't walk. My friend, Roma, sent over some chinese food for dinner. I was able to feed Nia some congee. It was advised to feed her soft food so it was the perfect choice.

We stayed in touch with the house through video call. It was sad when we learned that Robyn had cried several times. She isn't used to us not being together, that's why. And add to that the fact that she feels pity on Nia. She has been emotional few weeks before surgery. When we talk about the procedure or plan for it and she hears about it, she would instantly tear up. She would always say "kawawa si shobe." And how she doesn't want her to get an operation.
Niko, on the other hand, obviously couldn't speak his mind. But my sister told me that he hasn't been eating much. That says a lot, because Niko is a good eater. We also noticed when we got home, that he has lost weight. It just goes to show that even though he can't speak yet, he was still affected by this change.

My husband and I were both just "lutang". We were happy that the surgery's over and done. And we just want to finish everything and get back to normal. We felt like we were in a dream.
I slept beside Nia on the patient's bed. It was not the most comfortable, but it was the most convenient. Nia kept asking to be nursed and I gladly obliged. It was tricky positioning her and myself. We were afraid she wouldn't be comfortable because of her dressing. But it turned out okay. Nursing her round the clock was exhausting, but it was nothing compared to what she had to endure.

May 12, we were finally visited by Dr. Chiong. She visited around 10am, checked on Nia. She briefly discussed what happened during the operation. We were also advised that we can finally go home that day just as long as Nia is able to drink her pain meds orally.

We tried giving it to her, but she kept vomiting after. When we asked the nurse, she said that Nia should be able to take it without vomiting or else they have to administer to through IV which mean we wouldn't be able to go home. We tried different tricks including giving her some juice to help with the taste. After a few failed attempts, she finally took it and we celebrated because it means we graduated! Woohoo.

Around 12:45pm, while nursing Nia for her nap, they finally removed her IV. This was a huge moment for me. It just dawned on me that that was it! We're free to go and finally get back to the other kids.

We settled the bill, prepared our things and finally made our way home.

My dad and my sister stayed with the kids while we were away. We were so excited to see everyone. When we got home, they were all so happy to see Nia healthy. She was still puffy but that didn't matter.

I remember my dad being worried because Nia jumped on her horsey ride and rode it so vigorously and so fast. "Parang walang nangyari." :) I was also so stoked to see all of them 3 together.

We could see how happy she was. As cliche as it may sound, nowhere is better than your home.

She also began starting to walk, though unsuccessful at first. She needed to hold on to something to help her walk. She was all smiles, and was excited to see familiar faces. Eating some of her favorite snacks, napping on her own bed.

Our family felt the same relief as I felt. You see, Nia is a favorite of the family because she's so bubbly and all smiles. Our families and friends all said a prayer for her successful operation and we got that. Thank you God.

Eventually she regained her strength and balance. She started standing up and walking on her own again. By the way, we kept her hearing aid on her left ear so she can still hear what' happening. Thankful that she was okay with it.

Recovery was smooth, thank you again God. What was most challenging during the first few days was her scratching her bandage. Perhaps sweat also made in unbearable, she was so itchy. We'd remove her hand when she starts scratching. We were so afraid she'd remove it.

A week after her operation, May 17, we were asked to go back to the clinic to remove the dressing. We could't wait! It was difficult keeping Nia from scratching herself. It was also the first time we saw the "bump" on her head, where the implant was placed and the stitches she got from the surgery.

We also asked the doctor to put thread on her ear hole because she was already pierced. And she could't keep her earring on her right ear. I didn't want her to go through another piercing again, because from what we've observed, her ear hole closes so fast. So I really asked the surgeon as a favor to just put thread so the hole doesn't close.

We cleaned it, removed tape residue (which was so difficult to remove by the way), we had to use alcohol to do it. And Dr. Chiong also checked the magnet that was implanted inside. Here, she used a mock cochlear implant to check if it will stick properly to the implant.

Nia was checked and everything checked out great. Her wound was healing properly. We were to finally set a schedule for the “switch on” or when they will finally turn on the cochlear implant and Nia will start wearing her device.

Thank you to Dr. Chiong, Ms. Mhel and her whole team for a successful operation. We will forever be grateful!

Another CI mom, Mommy Thessa, lent us this "helmet" that Nia could wear while her wound is recovering. We were told that it's important she doesn't bump on anything so that the implant stays in place and get settled well.

Unfortunately, she didn't like having anything on her head. Pretty sure because of fear and trauma.

We headed home, bought some bandages to protect her implant before switch on.

On the way home, I couldn't help but remember everything she went through to get all the way here. It hasn't been easy, heck, it has been hell. But my little champ is so brave and so resilient.

I know that she doesn't understand what's happening and what we did or why we did it, at this point. But my prayer is she realizes it when she's older. She realizes that we wanted her to have the best future she can possibly have, the same opportunities, the same life.

When I look at her implant, I think to myself gosh, it looked huge on her tiny head. But this gives her options and gives her an advantage and ability to hear, understand and speak.

The next stop on this long journey is Nia's switch on.

For Nia's #calears journey, click here. And for continuous donations for Nia's therapy and other medical expenses, you may refer to her story here. Thank you so much.

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After submitting all requirements, it was time to get admitted. We chose Capitol Medical Center for the surgery to be done. We would have wanted to do it at PGH because it's less expensive, however, because of the number of covid cases at the hospital, they suggested to do it elsewhere. And since our surgeon has two other hospitals she is affiliated with, we chose what was closer to our home (in case I need to run home for Niko, or need to send breastmilk for him.)

We went to the hospital on May 9, a day before Nia's surgery. It took long before we were able to go up the room. There were questions and concerns because Nia still has a positive result for covid. Eventually after an hour or so of waiting in the lobby, we were finally let up to our room. As promised, we were led to the clean ward. During this time, we were also told that Nia's supposedly morning surgery will be pushed back to the afternoon. Because Nia was still tagged as covid positive, they have to do all the clean surgeries (those that are negative) before her. And she will be the last. It wasn't much of a problem, except we had to make sure Nia doesn't eat or drink prior to surgery.

Our room was a small private room. We chose one that has a hot/cold shower and a bench/bed for companion. I also made sure that there was a ref because I will be pumping during our stay. I wasn't able to take photos of the whole room nor any videos because honestly, we were just so preoccupied the entire time.

By the way, we brought a lot of things, you would think we were going on a vacation. We brought 2 luggages, 1 trolley and several small bags. Let me just share some of the things I brought that were practical but not usually somethings you would think of bringing. Because of the pandemic, it was a no brainer that we bring more things to lessen our times to go out, to make sure that we are safe and the air is continuously cleaned.

I brought our own air purifier. We kept that turned on the entire stay 24 hours. Doctors and nurses come and go, and we just wanted to make sure that the air is circulating and purified very well. I also brought an air pump and air bed. We were thinking one of us would sleep there. We didn't get to use it though, because I ended up sleeping beside Nia on the patient's bed. i also brought an air pot, which we used to sterilize and heat water. I have a thermos, we transfer the hot water in that thermos. We used the hot water for hot drinks and even cup noodles for breakfast or snack. I also brought a huge blue gallon of water. I think that's about 5 gallons if I'm not mistaken. Normally people will bring 2 liters water, but I know that my husband and I drink a lot and we will be staying i the hospital for 3-4 days. I didn't want to bring a small bottle only, and end up needing to go out to buy more water. (The more times you go out, the more times you get exposed.) With that said, we brought some snacks, breakfast meals and drinks. I also brought dish soap, sponge, washing/dish basin so I don't have to put the dishes straight into the sink. I also brought a drying and storage rack. Of course, our own cutleries, cups and paper plates Too. One thing that I always always bring is our own pillows, blankets and towels. I also brought extension cord so we can plug whatever we need and my laptop for entertainment purposes. Toiletries and Nia's booster seat, a no brainer.

When we got to the room, we fixed everything and let Nia relax and be comfortable first. It was an unfamiliar place so for sure, her nerves are up there. That night Nia slept soundly.

May 10, the day of Nia's surgery. The next morning came and it was time to put IV dextrose on her. My husband immediately told the nurse the whole story when Nia had blood extractions. He already said that it's a bit difficult because her veins are too small. We also said that we're hoping that it would be a one poke thing.

They ended up placing the dextrose after 2 tries and loads of tears. I, to be honest, couldn't hold back my tears also. It's so painful to watch my baby in pain and undergoing this. They covered her hand with diaper so she won't remove it.

There was a time that I asked my husband, is what we're doing right? I needed reassurance. The whole ordeal shook us so hard. It just showed reality in a way we never thought it would.

We distracted and amused her with toys, singing and lots of Wiggles. We also video called with family back at home. My dad and my sister stayed with the kids. We missed everyone. Dane said that Niko didn't eat much. Maybe, he too, is having a difficult time with the setup. With us not being at home with them. With shobe being away from him.

The whole day felt like a dream. I was "lutang". I actually brought my camera with me because I wanted to document the process, but I just couldn't. We were emotional, trying to keep it together and not let Nia feel our anxiety. My heart was breaking each hour passes because I knew that in a few hours, Nia will be on the operating table and I won't be there to protect her. At the same time, there was a feeling of happiness, that we are a step closer to her hearing us clearly and her being able to speak. I was also grateful. People from all over helped us with Nia's medical bills. We didn't hit our target but it was still more than what I expected. I was so happy that Nia was loved by so many people and are rooting for her. Friends and family reached out and even people who I rarely get to talk to. There were also strangers and anonymous donors too. All of these were in my mind, and these helped me calm down. Because I knew that there are lots of people behind her, praying for her safety and recovery.

I was thankful when she would nap. I knew that she needed energy. It was also easier to keep her away from breastfeeding. I couldn't have done it on my own, my husband, my rock was there to help us in every way.

At 3:30pm, they brought a wheelchair in the room to come pick us up. I was going down to the OR with Nia, while my husband stays in the room.

During the ride, I tried to amuse her with the different surroundings. I didn't want her to feel my nervousness and that my hands were shaking. I needed to be strong for her. I needed her to see me cheering for her. I kept repeating "I love you. Be brave. Remember our promise to each other, that I will make you big and take care of you. And you stay healthy and strong for mommy." Even as I type this, I can't help but cry. She has been through a lot, we have been through a lot.

I was asked to put on extra layer of clothes I had to wear a mask and a face shield too. I had alcohol on hand and my cellphone in case I needed to contact H.

When we got to the operating room at 4pm, almost everyone looked like astronauts with their PPEs. Because Nia was deemed covid positive, they had to wear PPEs (which were later all charged to us.) Our surgeon, Dr. Charlotte Chiong greeted us. Too bad we were all wearing masks, I couldn't see the faces of her team. I was asked to put Nia to the bed while they administer the anesthesia to her IV. I sa goodbye to her, said I love her so much. I told her to be brave. And I told her I'll see her later. That was the time I was ushered out.

While walking away and walking to the waiting room, tears just started falling. No parent would want their kids to see in a room like that. Everything that have happened, since receiving the news from the nursery that she failed her hearing test up to the point just started crawling back. I sat on the waiting room, crying in my mask. I kept reminding myself that everything will be okay. Trust her doctors, trust the process. Most importantly, trust God. He has never failed you. I got my phone, texted my husband what was happening and told him I didn't have my hanky and my mask was full of tears and snot.

Our audiologist, Alyssa, was inside the OR too. Prior to that day, she already promised me to keep me posted what was happening inside the room. I was happy when she messaged me.

4:25pm incision started
4:40pm drilling
5:40pm insertion of implant
7:00pm telemetry and checking of electrodes
7:15pm closing

8:00pm recovery

During this time, I was just in the waiting room, praying. I didn't want to go back to the room because I was afraid they might call or need me and I wasn't there. I asked my husband to bring me down my hanky (because I didn't want to touch my face with my bare hands), my pump (I had to pump breastmilk at one point), headphones so I can watch movies and get my mind out of what's happening. He brought down some water for me to drink too because I didn't get to eat dinner anymore.

At 8:00pm, I was told to get ready because she was going to be wheeled in the recovery room and I was to meet her there. I was so excited.

At 8:15pm, I finally saw my beautiful angel. Have I mentioned that her name, Cali, means most beautiful? She was still groggy when I saw her. Dr Chiong was there, as well as Alyssa. They mentioned that there was pressure and gushers because of her LVAS that is why it took longer than expected. The gushers were pushing the electrodes back. Indeed, it was later. Normally, they said the procedure finishes after 3 hours but Nia was longer and it was starting to make me panic in the waiting room.

They started to wake her and when she saw me, she started crying again. I held her in my arms. She couldn't lift her head. The bandage was so big and heavy, she couldn't balance it. She looked weak but she was still strong. I just kept praying and thanking God. I knew she was not out of the woods yet, but seeing her respond to me and cling to me, seeing her alive was such a relief.

We stayed in the recovery room while they monitor her. When she starts feeling like something is on her or somebody else is touching her, she starts crying again. She was so tired but still my little fighter.

Finally at 9:30pm, we were back in our room. Nia was asleep when her dad saw her. I jumped in the shower, hugged my husband, ate some food and prayed until we fell asleep.

We did it. Nia did it.

For Nia's #calears journey, click here. And for continuous donations for Nia's therapy and other medical expenses, you may refer to her story here. Thank you so much.

Subscribe to my Youtube channel: http://www.youtube.com/YellowYum
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