Week 40

We have finally arrived at Week 40! I'm thankful that my little one is able to stay in my womb till Week 40 so far but a part of me is slightly anxious and excited in meeting him soon. :)

Looking at it differently, it's not so bad to enjoy more rest while it lasts since I have a long journey ahead of me in caring for the baby. And of course, the gentle care from family members and the feeling of the little wriggles ... I'm very sure I will miss them! :)

So I had a sudden urge to clean up the house today. Started with vacuuming, mopping, wiping, changing of bed sheets and doing the laundry. Wow. That's a lot of nesting instinct accumulated within a day! Usually I would just be a lumpy mass, lounging on my reclined sofa... haha, but I have to admit it feels good to see a cleaner place! :)

The increase in movement actually sent slight discomfort as I feel cramps at my abdominal abdominal and thigh area. But all is fine now. :)

The two toys are the little friends awaiting the arrival of the little one. We can't wait! See you soon, little baby! :)

No Hurry, Mummy!

So the doc checked and said that I'm still dilated at 1cm. It's been days and we are still at 1cm, so I'm pretty thankful that we didn't opt to break my water bag earlier as I would not be surprised if I were to end up with a long labour process.

I was advised to walk more. Seriously, after stopping work, I've reduced my movements significantly. Most days were spent at home and I hardly trot around for fear that my water bag might burst at some random place. Haha! So right after the consultation, I went shopping and bought 2 bags from Cath Kidson. Just couldn't resist their sale! Bought the 2 bags at 50% discount. Just the right size for bringing him to the park or a short walk in the mall, I reasoned!

The hubby might have to put up with more random shopping as long as the little one continues to stay comfy in me. :D

So, any effect? Well, the long walk yielded me some more head drilling by the baby which resulted in slight discomfort and also some shooting pains down my thighs which didn't last for long.

Let's continue with the journey tomorrow!

That all so familiar sticker

This is the first time I've thought of taking a picture of this sticker for my routine tests. Could it be the last time as well? :D

Anxiousness while waiting to see the doctor.

Oh yes, I think I'm officially as heavy as the hubby. 

Waiting Game

We are almost at the end of the race, patiently waiting for the arrival of our little one.

It is likely to be a week earlier, says our gynae. A week earlier to meet you, our precious.

Undeniably, my heart is filled with anxiousness and worry, but you are worth every ounce of it. :)

Daddy and Mummy love you. ♡

The Hubby on Being Daddy

I must say it has been an interesting journey observing how the hubby has changed throughout my pregnancy.

At the initial stage, he was really rational about things and tried to play down my excitement level, which made my feel slightly disappointed. You know how TV would always show dads-to-be in an ecstatic state, like they would throw confetti and do a unicorn dance if they could. Well, hubby was happy, but not THAT happy. HAHA! Hence, the early stage was threaded with caution, with the hubby advising on when I should see a doctor and nagging at me to eat my supplements, etc. What got him really pumped up (in a bad way!!) was be my refusal to eat. Dinnertime would sometimes be such a dread as it would end up in scolding sessions as I didn't feel like eating and I was losing weight.

In the mid-stage, it was pretty much the norm for me. I recovered from my morning sickness and I went about the days like I would when I was yet to be pregnant. No special treatment from the hubby. BLAH! Again, the practical side of him took charge, forbidding me to make any baby purchases until we knew the gender and even after that, no purchases were allowed until I clear my crap (things I no longer use) to make way for the new items. And even then, I wasn't allowed any big purchases (e.g. Pram, car seat, cot) until the later part of the pregnancy as he reasoned that we don't have much space at home. Raaaaah!

The bigger changes in him were observed to take place in the 3rd trimester. We started to take a concern in baby stuff and he was actively giving me his inputs based on practicality and his past experiences. He would tell the kids to help me out whenever we had to carry more bags of shopping. Towards the later stage, he would also not allow me to carry any heavy items. I would often insist on helping to carry a few items, but he would always nag at me to enjoy the privilege while it lasted. Yes, indeed. Getting him to carry my bag in the past was soooo tough but he would readily volunteer to carry my bag nowadays.

Towards the later stage of the pregnancy when my tummy started to grow bigger, he started to take an interest in playing with my tummy, and my non-existent belly button. He would take the initiative to rub and feel my tummy, putting his ears against my tummy in the morning and asking if the baby was active for the day. He would also wait for me as we walked, taking the initiative to hold my hand, ensuring that I was doing fine. What more, he would also voluntarily take charge of a lot more household chores, ensuring that I do not get over exhausted or strain myself. It is a very different him, as if it finally hit him that a baby is on the way. It's a very nice change which I cherish and appreciate. =)

Recently, his radar for babies seems to have heightened! He would take a look whenever he hears a baby nearby and would make comments like it would be how we would be like / life be like when our baby is out, etc. Upon hearing that I'm likely to give birth very soon, he immediately suggested that we go buy a pack of NB diapers as standby (he was so reluctant to buy any just a few weeks earlier) and also purchased a thermometer suitable for the baby. It was almost heart-melting and cute to see him take a second look and studying the baby items at stores that I feel this stage of change in him is too short!

Well, I don't want to make it sound as if the hubby was uncaring and indifferent in my earlier days of pregnancy. In fact, he does so many things for me on a daily basis, even since pre-pregnancy which I don't even talk about. I just want to document the change in him for my personal relishing, just so that I would be able to look back and remember this part of my pregnancy with a smile on my face. It has been an amazing journey so far and it certainly would not have been possible without my hubby by my side.

I love you, hubby! <3

Into the last lap!

Yesterday was the first day of work in the new year for me and I found it quite torturous already. Despite being able to sit down most of the time, my body condition wasn't too kind. However, I am extremely thankful that even at this stage of my pregnancy, I am able to move about easily and be engaged in normal activities. The highlight of the day was going to the hospital for my scheduled gynae visit.

How do you mark your visits in your calendar? I tag them in my mobile with 'Hi, Baby!' =)

So anyway, the scheduled visit was pretty late in the day and the hubby and I had the luxury to have lunch together and rest a little before making our way down. Times like this are always welcomed and cherished, especially when I am about to give birth soon. Hubby wasn't able to accompany me on the last few visits due to work but I am thankful that he was able to make it for the session yesterday.

I was checked for dilation. Not the most comfortable thing, but it wasn't as bad as I imagined it to be. Sometimes, reading about other people's experiences can instil quite a bit of fear and insecurity within me. :X

As of yesterday's check, I was already dilated by 1cm and the cervix is thinning. WOW! Maybe it was due to the check which I was nervous about, or even the fact that I wasn't ready to hear that I was dilated. I was in shock. Fear, anxiousness and uncertainty filled me but thank goodness the hubby was pretty happy and excited. We were told that I would be giving birth soon and the doctor scheduled for me to return for checks in a few days.

Truth be told, like I mentioned earlier, my immediate reaction wasn't that of bursting excitement and happiness, which I expected myself to be in. I guess, I am really anxious about the whole thing. Wish I could be more cool about it!

Am really happy to see hubby's excitement and he was in his usual "ok-I-think-this-should-be-done-next" mode, advising me to inform my immediate boss about my possible earlier delivery, texted his boss to request for urgent leave for the next check up and texting my mum to update her about me.

We then adjourned to the admissions office where we were briefed on our available options and their costs. The officer was very helpful and soon, we left with the completed documents and a info. package on Baby Bonus and CDA application, etc.

It is all getting too real!! HAHA!

Well, the fact that I went to bed at 1am and woke up at 5am and unable to fall asleep again says a lot about my current state of mind. I am feeling very anxious but thought I should blog about the important news that came our way. I just hope that my anxiousness would not affect baby and my impending labour.

All will be fine! =)

Week 35 and Counting

Currently in the 35th month and counting. 1 month-ish to go! Hang in there, mummy and baby!

So, how has the late 3rd trimester been so far?

Doctor visits: Doctor visits have become more frequent so far. From the initial once monthly, we are now having visits every fortnightly. Soon, I believe, after my next visit, we would graduate to once a week. Doctor has been assuring and positive during our consultations. Baby is in  good weight range; around 2.4kg the last time we checked. Well, I'm very curious about how the baby's weight is gauged as he would tell me the weight after feeling the baby. It comes with experience, I guess! Doctor also mentioned that my placenta has shifted up and I'm able to try giving birth naturally. The only thing he cautioned against was the carrying of heavy items. Pretty standard, I guess!

How the mummy feels physically: I would say I feel pretty good! Apart from the usual fatigue which comes in easily, I'm fully functional and very mobile. Aches are usually found at the shoulder areas and the back is spared from much discomfort. Mum warned that water retention and swelling would come in or get more serious as the Big Day draws nearer, but I pray that day would not come! I could generally rest pretty well in the night. On most nights, I would have to wake and empty my bladder at least once, but on nights when I'm exhausted, I could sleep through. However, there were a few occasions when I woke up exceptionally early at around 4ish or 6ish and couldn't go back to sleep anymore. I would feel a burst of energy which would dwindle quickly after a few hours. After that, I would be like a grumpy dead fish, wanting to crawl back to bed.=(

How the mummy feels mentally and emotionally: I feel more anxious and uptight. Yes. Surprisingly, it's not about the baby, the pregnancy or what. Rather, (putting it in a nice way), I put a lot more thoughts into the people and things that are happening around me and sometimes, they make me upset very easily. I tend to fault more fault in people and things and I admit, it's not very nice. Apart from that, I tend to worry too much about things. Case in point - I check with the hubby if he has locked the car every.single.time. RAAAH How annoying can I get? How do I make myself feel better? Most of the times, I would casually remind myself that it might just be the hormones taking charge and tell myself to let it go. On days when it really grips me, I pray about it and I would also distract myself with other activities like watching TV or going online. I figured that it's most important that I am aware and accept it could be part and parcel of being pregnant and be more forgiving towards myself. Most importantly, I feel that its important that I take active steps to make myself feel better and happier on days like these. Beating myself up after feeling so lousy would not help.

How have I changed physically: The tummy is feeling really stretched these days and my belly button is half popped out already. The tummy area doesn't look pretty as the skin is pretty dry. I have since gained around 7-8kg and I do feel a little whaley already, due to restricted movements.

Little Baby: As the space in my tummy gets lesser since little bub is growing, I can feel his movements more intensely. In the past, the movements would likely be described as a ballet dance, but now, it feels more like a dragon dance! :p Most of the movements are still felt on the right side of my tummy and the little one is still having frequent hiccups. Sometimes, the movements would cause a little pain and I would have to talk to the little one to remind him to go easy on me.

Our Preparations: I would say we are almost done preparing the items for Baby Y, but seriously, how fully prepared could we really be? From what I can remember, we are still lacking the baby carrier, bath tub and diapers. Skills wise, hubby was initially insistent that we attend parenthood courses to pick up necessary skills to prepare ourselves, but I am not too keen as

1) Hubby has attended it before previously (Although he claims he has forgotten everything) and he has 2 grown kids! Instinct would probably kick in for him; and

2) I believe my instinct would kick in pretty well too! =P Nah.. truth be told, I didn't want to attend the courses and end up being too fixated in doing it right. You know, like how I may have learnt something and become unforgiving when I still can't get it right? I would leave it more to trial and error and learn along the way.

3) Nowadays, help is everywhere. Apart from the net, which offers a truckload (maybe two truckloads!!) of information, I believe the doctors, nurses and consultants would be able to attend to me and guide me along (e.g. breastfeeding, breathing techniques, etc) where necessary. Ha, I highly suspect I may not even remember much after the courses given that I have really bad memory nowadays.

4) My mum is helping me to care for the baby and I am very assured with her by my side. =)

5) The stingy self in me feel that the few hundreds of dollars could be spent on other necessities. :D

But, at the end of the day, if the courses are for free.... BRING IT ON! There's no harm in knowing more and I believe there's always the fun factor a couple could count on during the learning journey.

Alright, that's all for this post. Will be updating a little more on my trips in my next few posts. =)

Hello, 26th!

Say hello to the 26th week of pregnancy! :)

It seems like it's just yesterday when we first found out that I was pregnant. Being the excited first-timer I was, I was busy counting the days and eagerly striking weeks off the first trimester. Now that we are in the 2nd-turning-3rd trimester stage, things seem to have been fast forwarded significantly.

Current weight: around 65kg. It varies but it's usually the water weight that makes it go up-down a little. Still not much weight gained compared to my pre-preggy weight but I'm thankful that Baby Y is growing fine. :)

Tummy Updates: the tummy has ballooned significantly in the past 2 weeks. It was like a sudden thing and it has been making me feel itchy at the tummy area. I haven't been regular in applying the stretchmark prevention cream, thou!

The tummy shape is more rounded than pointed and I'm still carrying the bulge quite low.

Baby Movements: Baby has been significantly more active in recent weeks and the movements are stronger. Sometimes they feel like punches/kicks, and sometimes they feel like a carnival is taking place inside, with Baby Y going swish and swash. The feeling is really amazing. :)

Daddy has managed to feel Baby Y's movement a few times already but Baby Y seems to know that it's daddy when O's hands rest on my tummy and he would usually stop or reduce the frequency of movement. Hehehe!

Baby Music: to the horror of everyone in the family, I've been playing some nursery rhymes during the weekends. So, we hear some usuals like Do Re Mi and Baa Baa Black Sheep, but we also heard a few interesting ones which sent us laughing really badly. Is there such a thing as bad nursery rhymes? As the songs are pretty lively, the hubby warned against playing them, for fear that it may make Baby Y too active. I've since switched to playing gospel instrumental music or pieces from Yiruma. But... Baby Y seem to be more receptive to the lively children songs! :D

Food Preferences: I've been wanting to eat a lot of sweet stuff and carbs. I can have a full meal of pasta and down it with milo thereafter. Well, I know it's not the best combination but they almost seem like comfort food to me. For a while, I drank a lot of milk and every night was a routine of 2 packets of Oreo cookies with a glass of milk. Will have to be more watchful of my diet!

Discomforts: I felt pain at the weirdest of places. I've read about backaches and aches at near the lower abdominal area, but never in my imagination would I expect myself to go through aches at one of my butt cheeks. And you can imagine how awkward it was having to turn around, butt-facing Mr. Gynae,  complaining pain at that area that's seemingly very much unrelated to pregnancy. Further research online led me to a specific term that seem to fit the discomfort I'm feeling - Pelvic Girdle Pain.

At times, I would feel sharp jolts all of a sudden at the said butt cheek and I wouldn't be able to move for a while. Moments like this would come when I bend down to do the dishes or brush my teeth, or even a very innocent turn of my back would lead to such jolts of pain that would render me motionless. Moments like this would throw us into fits of laughter as 1) it's really quite funny, considering the circumstances and 2) M would shout out loud to O, saying, "Papa, mummy cannot move!!!!!!!"

And, consider the time when I was in the office doing some photocopying and the oh so loathsome pain struck. I couldn't reach out to massage my butt (not in the office!!) and I had to slowly move around like a penguin. Sigh!

So, upon reflecting, I figured out that the condition could have been triggered due to excessive walking that week during work. This week, with lesser movement, the pain has become less frequent and more bearable. :)

The Hubby: Hubby O has been nothing but an angel and constant blessing during my pregnancy. Well, some might say it's a given, since I'm pregnant and he SHOULD take care of me. I don't think anything should be taken as an entitlement just because I'm pregnant, hence I think O has been very loving, kind and patient towards me. Apart from doing the laundry, doing the usual cleaning at home, he would always cut fruits for me to ease my constipation woes, remind me to eat my supplements, prepare breakfast for me every morning, send me to work, cook for me occasionally and boil yummy soups to nourish my body. I'm thankful for him every.single.day. :)

Baby Tales: Week 23

According to an app. that I have, baby is currently about the size of a pomegranate. How cute! :D The app would give me updates every week, and some of the fruits they chose to represent the baby was really cute (say, banana!)

So, what's up at the 23rd week? :)

BABY GENDER:
It's a BOY! We found out about the gender during our detailed scan on 3rd Sept. =)

BABY BUMP:
My bump is finally big / obvious enough for people to recognise that I am actually pregnant. For the very first time, a lady gave up the reserved seat to me and I'm very grateful for that! :) Before pregnancy, I didn't think that women in their early pregnancy would need a seat that much since their bumps would still be rather small. However, now that I'm pregnant, I would say it's not only the bump that would make us feel tired, but generally, tiredness sinks in easily throughout the day and for whatever reason, the legs don't take to our weight that well anymore. I remembered there were a few occasions during my T1 when I would just plonk myself onto a seat on the train and be knocked out completely as I was feeling really exhausted.

APPETITE / CRAVINGS:
I must say my appetite has returned to normal. Or should I say, it's back with a vengeance! I eat normally during meals and I can't stomach extras, but not long after my meals, I would be wanting to eat other stuff like cereal with milk, fruits and chocolates. I think it's these snacking tendencies that are contributing to my weight gain. Craving wise, I still do not crave for any food that's sour in nature. I still very much favour sweet or salty food stuff - one of my favourites is a mini Snickers bar! <3 I'm still very much I love with fruits and I could finish half a pomelo on my own. Apples (Esp. New Zealand Apples) are my favourite! Crunchy, sweet and fragrant, they are also a big help in regulating my bowels!

WEIGHT:
My pre-pregnancy weight was around 63.8kg and I went down to the 61kg range during my T1. Currently, I'm back to the 63kg range but it's still fluctuating.

DISCOMFORTS:
So far, I've only suffered one incident of leg cramps in the middle of the night. It JOLTED me right from my sleep but funnily, I went back to bed easily right after that. Hubby was overseas during that particular night, hence there wasn't anyone else to whine to when it happened. :p

I also suffer from haemorrhoids. It's terrible. And they come to be pretty fast - like if I don't eat fruits for a day or two? The initial few incidents were mild but the last one I had was so bad that the amount of blood present was like I was having my period. It was scary. For me, these were individual incidences and the bleeding stopped once I've done my big business in the toilet and I have realised that higher fibre and water intake do help me to reduce / prevent such occurrences again. If you do suffer from haemorrhoids or find blood in your stools during pregnancy and if you are worried about it, I would say it's best that you consult a doctor, just to set your mind at ease.

DRESSING:
I've since bought a few maternity dresses and home wear. I'm careful to not spend too much on them as I am unlikely to use them again at least till the next pregnancy. So far, I like the maternity dresses from ASOS and they are what I would wear even after I've given birth. I'm trying not to dress too casually or look too frumpy but sometimes, comfort is still my priority. I've since been wearing Crocs sandals in a regular basis. :D

BABY INTERACTION:
I could feel flutters at my tummy/ womb area since week 18. Initial few experiences were very subtle but I was very sure those were it! :D The movements have been getting stronger and hubby managed to feel it for the first time on 14th Sept. =) Baby seems to have a routine and I would know when he is likely to be awake. He seems to be able to recognise my voice and call my crazy, I have a feeling that he recognises some words! Well, I'm not sure.... but this is why.... I often speak to him using the same words and able the same things and he would respond very quickly when I'm addressing him directly. Say for example, I would say, "Baby YY, are you awake?" and his response would almost always come within 5 seconds or so. Sometimes, it's so awkward to be caught talking to your baby by others, and sometimes, I find that I don't have really much to say. What do you usually talk about with you baby?

Okay! We are heading out in a few moments, so I shall sign off for now! =)

Baby Tales: 1st Trimester

I have been wanting to update the blog on my pregnancy but was always too lazy to do so until now. Guess you could gauge my level of procrastination as I'm currently already in my 2nd trimester. :D

The hubby and I discussed about it and we decided to let pregnancy take its own course and embrace it when it comes our way. Frankly speaking, I was hoping that a baby would come our way soon and I'm thankful that God has blessed us with one. =)

TRIMESTER ONE:

So, how was Trimester One for me? I took it easy, actually. Looking back, perhaps, I should have been more cautious. I had a change of work environment and there's no longer a lift in the building. I have to be very mobile during my work and hence, have been climbing up and down very frequently. Perhaps, this is good exercise for me! :D

FOOD:
I avoided raw meat as much as possible. Hubby brought us out for a celebration during my early pregnancy and he reluctantly fed me a slice of sashimi after seeing my pitiful face longing for them. I also had some medium-rare steak with blood oozing out during one of the meals, but that's about it. I've since made a point to avoid them totally. I was craving for sashimi so badly one day that I was contemplating smoked salmon as an alternative. But that was also a no-go since there are mixed info. on whether it's safe for pregnant ladies. *Sigh* Well, anything for my baby. ;)

DRINKS:
I haven't been able to avoid drinking cold beverages. As much as my family and relatives have been nagging at me, it's something that I enjoy and it kind of helped me to feel better when I had morning sickness. I was told that having too much cold stuff would result in the baby having poor health, hence I've tried to cut down on it recently. I also reduced on my caffeine intake, limiting myself to cup of tea a day and perhaps an occasional Coke. However, coffee is still decaf-ed for me. I've been turning to caffeine-free alternatives like chamomile to warm my stomach.

During the first trimester, I didn't have it easy. My appetite was poor and I couldn't eat well. Mornings were the best as I could eat more and with better appetite, hence the hubby insisted that I feed myself more in the mornings. In the afternoons, I would often feel the gas creeping in and I wouldn't be able to have a full meal, but it's still better than nothing. Rather than morning sickness, I would say mine's a case of evening sickness. Whenever evening kicked in at around 5, my stomach would be filled with gas and eating was excruciating. I burped very frequently and I took forever to finish my meals. Force feeding would likely result in vomiting but I'm glad that never happened. The nauseating feeling was so bad that I resorted to wearing seasick band to ward off the evening sickness. I will talk about them in another post! =)

CRAVINGS:
I didn't really have many cravings as my appetite was poor most of the time, but the rare ones which I could remember were durians, crabs and potato chips! :D The cravings were quite manageable as it wasn't like I NEEDED to eat them. If we couldn't get them, I could move on with life and sleep as normal. HEHE! But surprisingly, I started to eat more vegetables and fruits and actually LIKE them. So, because of the evening sickness and the loss of appetite, I lost a few kilograms in my first trimester and I have yet to gain them back until now. But it's okay, I believe with my current eating habits, it's only a matter of time! :p

DRESSING:
I could fit into all my normal clothings in Trimester One, but the leggings got a little tight nearing the end of T1. My baby bump was close to non-existent and I thought I looked more fat than pregnant as it was just like I had a fuller meal, that's all. :D

MOOD:
I was pretty much my normal self with no changing moods or extreme mood swings. I was pretty cheerful throughout and I think it's a very good thing! :D If I must, the times when I would feel grumpy or moody were probably during meal times. :p

SKIN QUALITY:
I had pretty bad breakouts during the first trimester. It could be because I did not go for any facial treatment since my wedding (In March) but really, it was really bad. I felt like my face was full of clogged pores and white heads. EEEK!

Alright! That's all for the post on my Trimester One. Let's hope I'll find more energy to continue with updates on Trimester 2! :)