38 weeks

Went to see Dr. Goh this morning for our weekly check-up. This week I gained a little bit more weight, now at 66.9kg. As for the scanning, Dr. Goh commented this week that baby's head is further down already, though still not engaged yet. Gosh! Wonder when baby is going to engage himself and get ready to meet the world!! We checked his heartbeat too and things seem fine. A part of the scan again showed his little 'birdie' and scrotum quite obviously again. Haha..

Anyway, at the moment, I'm still trying to keep myself active. Been going shopping quite a lot during this Christmas period and also post Christmas period. Somehow, I just hope that by staying active this way, it will help make the delivery a little bit easier. In terms of eating, I think my appetite got a bit affected on some days this past week as my stomach digestion became a bit weaker again. Do get a bit of flatulence feeling and burp quite often. Guess it's being very much compressed by baby.

I've not really had the contraction pain yet too, I guess it's all pending on when baby is engaged before I get such feelings. Next week we'll probably set up the baby room a bit more like fitting the bedding sheets etc. In the meantime, I guess I'll enjoy whatever time I have left of baby inside of me moving and pushing....

37 weeks.....

We went for our weekly check up again on Saturday and this week, I did not seem to put on weight. Still weighing in at 66.4kg. Dr. Goh was wondering if I was not eating much or something, but he did a check on baby anyway. Well, baby is still not engaged yet, though his head is still down. So Dr. Goh commented that it's still likely to be a Jan 08 baby at this stage. Checking on the measurements, baby is estimated to weigh about 3 - 3.1kg now. His heartbeat is still beating strong and I can still sense his movement pretty often. So that's good. I guess it's a matter of waiting and counting down from now on...anytime baby is engaged, Dr. Goh was saying that I could go into labour within 1 - 2 weeks. Back at home, we decided that we will wait till we know baby is engaged before laying out the baby cot sheet and setting up the fan for the room etc.

Well, it's the Christmas week coming up...let's hope that I can get through this week fine. I've so far experienced a bit of Braxton Hicks contractions in the last week. This was when I had some form of cramp like feeling for a short while on 2 days. It was still bearable, so certainly cannot imagine the real contractions that comes frequently next time...must be really painful! Anyway, let's take each day as it comes...

Baby at 36 weeks

This is the start of my weekly visits to Dr. Goh as I approach the last couple of weeks of my pregnancy. The clinic was exceptionally crowded on Saturday and we had to wait the longest time for our turn. Interestingly, I was able to meet up Tracy during this appointment as our appointment dates worked out to be the same day this time :)

The check-up was quite fast this week. Ultrasound scan was done to check on our baby and with his measurements, Dr Goh estimated that our baby was now about 2.9kg. As for me, I'm about 66.4kg. All seems fine with baby, thank God. Apparently, his head is down still, but not engaged yet, so still some time to go I suppose.

Our little one has also been very active so far, always pushing me on the right side then sometimes concurrently on my right and left side. He seems to move more from early evening, then late at night. In the day time, he could be moving around 9plus in the morning onwards. And my back aches are still there every now and then too and particularly on Saturday, it seemed a bit aggravated by some housework I did. Gosh, I ended up feeling really tired....

Sadly, I do spot a bit more stretch marks again :( This time round, on my lower part of my tummy already. Even though I've been putting cream every day. Sigh... can only hope that all of this will fade after birth!

Ok, will be seeing you again next week babe...

Hospital Bag

I recently also started packing up a 'hospital bag' for me to bring to the hospital anytime that I may go into labour, whether induced or naturally. I've got most of the items already, but this weekend, managed to buy a couple more necessities like nursing bra and disposable maternity underwear. Thanks to a friend's recommendation, I bought my nursing bras from BHG at Bugis Junction, under the brand 'Eternity/Impression'. The sales lady was a very friendly middle-aged lady who was very helpful and sounded really experienced. Ha ha. Anyway, the main thing is that I found it to be very affordable, at only $12.90 a piece. Of course, I can't be certain if this quality would last very long.... but at least it's something value for money for now.

Anyway, just to share, here's a combined list of items that I've read from other mothers' blogs...for reference :)

Hospital Bag Contents
- Maternity Pads
- Front button PJs
- Pack of maternity disposable undies
- Socks
- Jacket/Cardigan for myself
- Baby mittens & botties
- Baby new set of clothings for discharge wear
- Breast pumps
- Nursing bras
- Disposable breast pads
- Digital camera & charger
- Hp charger
- Hospital admission letter & prenatal receipts
- Notebook and pen to jot down sequence of events
- One set of clothings for discharge wear
- Plastic bag to store soiled clothes
- NRIC, Marriage Cert
- Slippers

Aching still

This week was still an 'aching week' for my body. Actually, the lower back ache improved after Monday, but the next few days after that, I still felt the short acute pain in my lower right back near my butt every now and then when I walk, and especially so if I sat too long or lay down too long and then stood up. Gosh... I tell you, it's times like this when I really wish that I don't have to feel this way any more! I keep trying to tell myself, it's ok...it's just another couple more weeks to go..just bear with it!!! It's the last stretch already!

Talking about stretch, this also leads me to another issue on my stretch marks :( Sadly, a little bit more have appeared on my upper thigh. Oh dear, does this mean I can't go swimming next time!? It's pretty ugly to me :( Dear Dear tries to encourage me by telling me that it's ok and that it should fade next time after birth. Well, I already told him to sponsor me any form of post natal treatment in future if necessary!! Ha Ha...

Baby's growing fast and I'm aching!!!

Went to the gynae for my check-up again on Saturday. Now at about 33+ to 34 weeks, I weighed about 65kg. Well, Dr. Goh thinks I'm a little overweight already, but he didn't ask me to cut my diet either. Anyway, with the usual check up, we were able to see baby again :) This month, Dr Goh estimates with the ultrasound measurements that baby weighs about 2.5kg. Again, he said it's ok, normal growth. Baby was still facing down, but his face was at a certain angle, so not totally engaged yet either. Dr Goh assured that there was still time for the baby to still move or turn. Oh well, better be a good boy son!! I also asked him if there was any change to my EDD and he commented that the first ultrasound scan was still the most accurate, so at this stage, still likely to be around 10 - 11 Jan 08.

We also got the results of my vaginal swab test I did the last visit. Thank God that I don't have the Strep B bacteria thing, which would have required antibiotics when delivering. However, I did have some form of fungus, which Dr Goh said it's quite normal. He applied a little bit of medication into the vagina area (which was a little bit painful!) and said that I would have some form of whitish discharge over the next few days. With some constant sanitation wash, I should be fine. Nothing serious.

I'm soon approaching the end stage of my pregnancy already as my visit to Dr Goh will next be 2 weeks later followed by weekly! Somehow, the changes to my body do come quite suddenly. Like on Saturday, I started to have the back pain again, around the lower part of my butt when I walked or lay down in certain positions. The pain could be quite acute at times too and I suddenly felt very heavy....walking is certainly getting quite tiring. My feet are also starting to swell just slightly...can see that they look a little bit bloated and sometimes, it would hurt a bit when walking. Gosh...no wonder the last stage can be quite the worse....haha....Well, all for the sake of baby like I always say...mothers are so "wei da" right? :) But a supportive hubby also helps tremendously :)

Weird Dreams

I think quite a number of pregnant women do have lots of weird dreams during the course of their pregnancy. I for one am one of them. Sometimes I remember my dreams quite clearly and would tell Dear Dear about them. The most recent strange dream I had was of myself breastfeeding my baby. Ha ha. It seemed so real where I could actually see my own son that I'm carrying and trying to breastfeed.

Perhaps at this stage it could be a bit of apprehension and anticipation that I'm feeling that leads to some subconscious dreams of actually seeing my baby physically. Well, all I can continue to pray is that our baby will be healthy, joyful and obedient!

My tummy

Decided to take a photo of my tummy today and here's how it's looking at the moment. To be honest, I'm quite tired of people telling me that my tummy looks quite small given I'm already about 7 months plus. To me, it does not matter. Most important thing is that baby is growing well and is healthy and fine. Anyway, baby is rather active these few weeks. Always feel him moving in one way or another. If he's not pushing on the right side, it would be the left side. Even when sleeping, I can still feel him at times. There are some nights that I can't seem to sleep very well too. Partly because I am somehow rather conscious of my movements...that is whether I'm turning left or right side on the bed. So sleep has not always been that smooth and peaceful.

There were also a few days this week that I also felt some pain in my whole tummy area. At first I was concerned it was some form of contractions, but I realised that it's not. It was more of gas or wind that was in my stomach or something. I was burping quite a bit during those times and the whole tummy area felt really uncomfortable. Fortunately, after 2 days, the feeling went away and I felt ok again.

Well, Dear and I also finished with our last antenatal class this weekend. The last class focused on how to take care of your newborn, from feeding to bathing to knowing what to expect of the stools, urine, umbilical cord part, etc. Actually Dear and I were rather silly and having fun playing with the doll that every couple was given to try out the right way of carrying and taking care of a newborn. That marks the end of all the theory that we've learnt. Hopefully we will know how to put it all to good use soon!

Breastfeeding

Just wanted to update that in the 5th session of the antenatal class, the lesson focused on breastfeeding, the benefits and how to do it. Quite some useful tips indeed. Of course, I would very much love to breastfeed my baby in future, but it all depends on nature too?! Will I have enough breast milk to feed? Will I encounter latching problems with my baby? How would I cope with the constant feeding? All I can say is, I think mums who are able to breastfeed easily and for a long time, are really blessed. I do believe that breast milk is the best for the child, but I guess I will not force things and stress myself too much. While I will try my best to see if it works out, but if it doesn't, then falling back on formula milk is still not that bad I guess.

Hope that I will have the opportunity to bond with you closely baby!

Baby is facing down

We went to see the gynae yesterday for our monthly check up and I'm glad to see that our little one is facing downwards, according to the ultrasound scan. Dr Goh did the usual checks on measuring the head circumference and body measurements. At this stage where I'm about 31plus to 32 weeks, baby weighs about 1.96kg. According to Dr Goh, that's ok and normal. As for me, I've put on a bit more weight again. Now weighing about 63 kg plus. Added another kg from the last month. Anyway, the happy thing to know was that baby's head is down in the right position, so thank God for that. Could see baby moving during the scan too :)

However, there are also other things that I have to be aware of. Took a finger blood test to check glucose and haemoglobin level. It turns out that my haemoglobin level dropped slightly from the very last time I did a blood test. Doc only said I had to make sure I take my iron supplements, which I have been doing so every day. Perhaps baby has been taking a lot more iron from me. As for glucose level, I'm also a little bit on the high side, so have to watch a bit of my diet, not too much carbo and sugary stuff. I guess I'm most concerned about this, so really hope that I can maintain an acceptable sugar level for the rest of the term. Finally, Dr Goh also did a vaginal swab for me. This was to check for a form of bacteria infection. If present, I would need an antibiotics during labour and delivery, while my child would have to have some antibiotic jab after birth as well. Gosh....again just pray that God will see me through and that it will not be present...I guess even if it is, will just have to do according to what the doctor advises.

Well, overall, getting excited and nervous as the weeks go by... also trying our best to buy whatever else that is needed to be bought!

Pain relief ?

Attended the 4th session of the antenatal class this weekend without hubby. Instead my mummy accompanied me. It was back to lecture style this week and the session focused on the labour process again and also pain relief options. At the end, there was even a short video clip that showed the delivery of a baby! Errm...haha..must admit quite gross! Think everyone in the room were like...yikes...haha... Have to get myself to not think too much and just trust God that things will be fine when it comes to my turn.

Anyway, was talking to some friends this week at work and some topics that was shared about include pain relief options. There were some people that went for epidural right away, while some took it only when they could not bear the pain anymore. I did mention previously that I think I would have epidural as an option as I seriously do not know my threshold of pain. But after attending the class today, again I feel a bit hesistant about wanting to take epidural as an option. The process itself also seems so scary...haha....

Gosh, really admire those mums that did not take it. I have a colleague with 3 kids and she did not take any epidural for all 3. Bravo! Sometimes, I wonder could it be that we are so educated to believe that this is the best way out of pain? I mean, look at our mums who certainly did not take such stuff in the past when they delivered us. How did they bear with it?! Sigh...but to be honest, anything can happen during the labour stage. Will have to experience it to know what to do I guess!

Baby...it's all for you! Even my stretch marks on my thigh/butt area which really bothers me! Sob Sob...It's still all for you......looking forward to meeting you....

Starting to get a teeny bit nervous

At this stage, which is already about 29 weeks plus going to 30 weeks for me, I'm starting to feel a teeny bit nervous. In about another 10 weeks or less, I should be going to deliver my baby already. Gosh...I think it has not really settled in yet, but I think to some extent, I feel excited and also nervous and scared. Not sure what to expect is the main fear I guess. Also, I still have not fully finish buying stuff that I may need for the after birth!

Also today I experienced some slight pain around my tummy too. Not sure if it's some form of false contractions. It happened about twice so far today. Once around noon, and something similar, though for a short while only around evening. Just pray that it's nothing serious at the moment. Baby, be guai ok!!

Oh yeh, I'm still very amused by my baby's movements in me. I quite enjoy just staring at my tummy and see it move when he move his arm or leg. Haha. Can't really see the shape of course, but can see a movement outwards....hehe :)

Sciatica

I experienced this slight pain in my right bum area these few days, but more so on Friday, which I could not figure out what was it. It only happened at certain angles that I sat/walked and the pain would be slightly acute and sharp. Not something that unbearable but something to make me feel uncomfortable. It felt like you needed to rub the pain area or stretch it such that the pain would just go away. Anyway, I brought this up to the physiotherapist after our antenatal class today. She suggested that it could be some form of Sciatica symptom. She said it does happen in some pregnant women, so nothing to be too alarmed about. Unfortunately, nothing could really stop it until after pregnancy according to her! I can only do certain stretching exercises to help at the moment.

Well, I then came across this article in babycenter, so thought I'd share some excerpts of it here. But some of the facts don't quite tie in with what the physio said. Hmmm.....

What is Sciatica?
The sciatic nerve is a large nerve which comes from your lower back and travels down the back of your legs and then branches out to your feet. It allows you to feel sensations and move muscles in your legs. Sciatica is where inflammation or pressure from the back causes the sciatic nerve to become painful. Sometimes, the function of the nerve can become impaired resulting in weakness or pins and needles. Sciatica can be present with or without backache and can send pain down the back of your leg.

Why might it happen in pregnancy?
Contrary to popular belief, there is no evidence to suggest that sciatica is caused by anything specifically related to pregnancy. Pregnancy related changes can cause pelvic pain and back ache, but not sciatica. The majority of women who think they have sciatica during pregnancy actually have a condition known as Pelvic Girdle Pain (PGP). Sciatica is not caused by the baby pressing on a nerve. In younger people, it is often caused by damage to a disc leading to inflammation around the nerve or direct pressure from a prolapsed or 'slipped' disc. In older people, it may be due to compression from a ligament or bone. Neither of these situations occur more frequently in pregnancy and the chances are that if you do have sciatica during pregnancy, it would have come on whether you were pregnant or not.

Self-help tips

• Applying a heat or an ice pack to the painful area for ten minutes can provide relief and is safe in pregnancy.
• Wearing flat, soft shoes may help prevent jarring of the spine when you walk, however, some women find that wearing shoes with a bit of heel helps their back pain. Ask your physiotherapist for advice.
• Keep mobile and avoid sitting still for long periods.
• Listen to your body and stop doing whatever is causing you pain.
• Watch your posture and try to keep your back as straight as possible. When seated use a small bolster cushion or a rolled up towel behind your back to support the spine.
• Use pillows and cushions to support your bump in bed.
• Avoid heavy lifting -- if you do have to lift anything, always bend from your knees and keep your back straight.

Source: http://www.babycentre.co.uk/pregnancy/antenatalhealth/physicalhealth/sciatica/

Well, for now I would say that my condition is not that serious, still ok, the pain does occur once in a while. Just pray that it will not get worse.

Oh yeh, the antenatal class today focused on the stages of labour and breathing techniques to use. It also highlighted about the pain relief methods. To be honest, I have not fully decided whether or not to take an epidural. One part of me want to experience labour in full and just go through without it. But as I think more and more, I probably want to have the epidural in mind to take when I should....even though the thought of the jab itself is also pretty scary!! Oh gosh, I think no one can really explain to you the feeling of labour till you experience it yourself....

Having Preggie friends

Found out this week that another friend of mine is also pregnant and will be due sometime in Apr 2008. Really happy for her and found it all so interesting that I would then have another friend to talk about preggie stuff, in addition to Tracy whom I've been getting tips from :) Oh ya, thanks Evonne for tipping us off about this free baby journal set that the National Library is giving out. Well, next time our kids will all be around the same age so they can play together when we meet up. He He...

Also in office, here and there I've had the opportunity to talk to quite a few mothers on their experiences and picked up some further tips. Actually, for some of my current colleagues, I find it quite amazing that they have like 1 or 2 kids already. They certainly do look quite young! Since becoming pregnant, I really think that it's best to try starting a family when young if possible. The journey is pretty long and imagine after having your first one, you still need to spend some time with the child before you start on the next one and so on. Soon the process will repeat and gosh...it will be another 9 month pregnancy journey ok!!

Anyway, I shall not think too far first. This weekend Dear and I attended our second antenatal class. This session taught us about the right standing and sitting posture, and also various exercises to strengthen the abdominal, pelvic and calf muscles. The physiotherapist then got the class to try out the exercises while she came round to check if we were doing it right. Was a little bit tiring on the thighs for me as some of the exercise require bending of the knees. Well, I guess I will have to try my best to do these exercises regularly!

Check up at 27+ weeks

Went to see Dr. Goh for my monthly checkup this morning. Today I went on my own as Dear was not able to take the morning off. Well, as usual I got to see baby when he did the ultrasound scan. This time, can see that baby has grown bigger again and as Dr. Goh measured, baby is estimated around 1.3kg already. As for me, I've already put on about 10kg to date. That's just slightly above average according to the doc. I also highlighted to Dr. Goh that I seem to have some slight whitish discharge lately and he suggested doing some form of test the next month to check for some form of infection. He had a term for it, but I can't remember it coz' the medical term sounded a bit cheem. Anyway, according to him, it may mean that some form of antibiotics may be needed during labour if it is anything serious. Oh gosh, I certainly hope it's nothing much! But the test that he suggested doing seems a bit like pap smear, where I think he will need to get some vaginal swap. Sounded a bit intimidating, but he assured that it will be fine, not painful. Guess I can only wait till then to know....... : |

Feeling heavier

It happens as I go along in the pregnancy that I suddenly feel myself really getting heavier and things seem to get a bit more uncomfortable. Getting in and out of bed, sitting back and getting up all require a bit more effort than previously. Also, I seem to get this tight sensation around my chest and upper body area. It's like the body feels tight and the need to expand but can't really do so kind of feeling. Wonder if this is just part of the body growing and adapting or that the uterus is just pushing my organs higher and hence the body feels more 'squashed'.

Also, other than my bump that's getting bigger, my butt/hips area have definitely increased in size. Yikes! Haha..... guess it can't be helped, but even wearing my underwear requires me to sit down or at least hold onto something to steady myself! Feel quite clumsy indeed! And the back, yes the back still aches slightly each day. Really need the massage from Dear Dear almost every night now.....

But no matter what, I just have to think of baby and the experience is all worthwhile. Beginning to look forward till the day we meet with baby.....

Our first antenatal class

We signed up for a 6 lesson childbirth education course at Mt. A hospital and the first lesson started on Friday. The first session was actually a combined session for all the weekday and weekend classes and the topic was all about nutrition during pregnancy and also after birth. So there we were, in a seminar room full of expectant mothers and fathers to be. So many pregnant women at one time, I wonder if the babies can all sense on another. Haha...

Anyway, felt that the session was quite useful in re-iterating the various food and nutrition needed during pregnancy. It also made me a bit more cautious about the food I'm eating, though at times you just cannot help but dig into a bit more 'unhealthy food'. Over the weekend, Dear and I were even inspired to buy a cookbook for pregnancy and confinement so that we can show it to his mum to try cooking some of the dishes. Quite some delicious dishes that I found in there...pity I don't know how to cook them myself...

Oh yeh, this week also feel that baby seemed to be more active the whole time. Experience his kicks quite often in the day, be in early morning, or mid morning, then late afternoon and night. When we watched soccer on TV over the weekend, baby seemed to kick quite a few times too. Wonder if he can sense what I'm watching?! Maybe he will be into soccer too like his Daddy.....arrgh!! Hahaha...

Nagging ache on right upper back

I started to have this slight ache on my right upper back since Monday. Not sure how it came about, but it felt a bit like I might have over-stretched myself or as if I sprained it while doing something. I really don't know, but it's still there. Actually it's quite bearable in the day, but by night time, I really long for a massage and rub to that area to soothe the aching feeling. Thanks to Dear who helps me massage my back since this happened.

I'm also beginning to have more cramps in my calf. This usually happens in the morning before I wake and stretch my legs in a manner that triggers it off. Gosh, maybe all the weight is starting to take a toll on me gradually. Well, as long as baby is fine and healthy, will just bear with it all.....

Baby items arrive

This weekend, we waited for the delivery of some baby items that we bought recently from Baby Kingdom. They arrived in the afternoon and the delivery man helped to put together the baby cot and baby stroller. We were quite excited as this marks the beginning of us starting to put together a nursery room for baby. So as you can see in the picture, we've got the cot, stroller and baby car seat all ready!

On Sunday, while shopping for our usual groceries we also bought a bit more baby items that were on sale. I guess we will still be shopping around for more stuff gradually, but so far it's been quite nice and fun :) Baby also seemed more excited and happy this weekend. Maybe due to Mummy being more happy too as Papa came back from his business trip and and resumed his chats with baby again. Felt baby kicked more actively on Friday and Saturday in particular :)

Baby's about 23 weeks now

It was my monthly check up at the gynae again on Saturday and always a great time to be able to see baby through the ultrasound scan. I've started taking urine tests ever since last month's visit. I guess this is when the doctor needs to track the expectant mother to see whether or not one develops gestational diabetes. So far so good for me.

Anyway, in this month's visit, Dr Goh went through with us the detailed scan report which we did at Mt. A hospital about 2 weeks back. All's ok with baby for the various body parts were seen to have developed well. After that, Dr Goh checked through the lastest development of our little one with the usual ultrasound scan again. Baby seems pretty 'guai' whenever we do the check up as he does not move that much. Haha. Probably in dreamland at that time :) Now at about 23 weeks plus, baby weighs about 640g or so, which is all normal. Too bad we can't get anymore ultrasound pictures to keep as he is getting bigger, which does not allow for 1 full shot with the ultrasound. I guess I can only keep those images in my mind.....

Other than that, we are still looking around for our chest of drawers/storage cabinet. It suddenly occurred to us that we had better try to get something more child-friendly to minimise any accidents in the future. So we had to re-think about the shape and edges of this cabinet that we are going to get. Guess this shopping around will take us a while more indeed!

Shopping around

For the record, just want to mention that I'm feeling much better already. I'm on the way to recovery from my bout of cough and cold. This time round, it really wasn't as bad as what I experienced during my first trimester, so thank God for that.

Anyway, Dear and I went shopping for a chest of drawers over the weekend. We're thinking of putting one in the guest room so that we can keep our baby clothes and stuff in it. We saw some possible options at IKEA, VHive and even a furniture shop in AMK Central, but have not decided on which to get. I guess we are still keeping our options open and will still look around a bit more before making our purchase. I guess being pregnant is no joke when it comes to shopping around! I became really tired out after all the walking and felt so sleepy by the early night. Haha...maybe it's due to the extra weight that I have to carry as I walk around all the time now. :)

Well, our next gynae appointment is this Saturday again. Look forward to seeing the hard copy results of the detailed scan we did at Mt. A hospital recently. More importantly, looking forward to see our baby again!

Mummy's sick

Yep, I'm not feeling too well today. Basically caught a cough and cold bug and so have been coughing a lot today with phlegm stuck inside me. It can be very irritating to have this type of cough as sometimes the throat just gets so itchy and irritated you can't stop coughing :( Saw a doctor this evening to get some medicine and MC. Hopefully can recover fast...

Strangely, baby does not seem to move as much these 2 days when I'm not feeling well. I wonder why...baby are you not feeling well too? Hopefully not. Hope that baby is well protected by the amniotic fluid....

Anyway, can only hope for speedy recovery....

Names Names!

Have started looking at names for our son and indeed it will take us a while to finally decide on something. Just felt like putting down some considerations here to ponder over it... After looking through the first round, here are some names that Dear and I could kind of agree on:

• Adriel Tan
  
• Issac Tan
  
• Kendrick Tan
  
• Matthieu Tan
  

If we shortlist some more, might add on to the list....

Detailed scan

We went for a detailed ultrasound scan this morning at Mt. A hospital. As advised by our gynae, this is done around the 20th week or so to view and check the baby in more details. Well, the radiographer that attended to me was a nice lady. As she went through the motion of the scan, she explained to us what we saw on the screen each time. She checked for quite a few things, like the bladder, the abdomen circumference, the kidneys, heart, limbs, thigh, etc. It was indeed very interesting to be able to view baby for so long and in such details today! Fortunately too, baby was very 'guai' as the radiographer was able to capture most of the things she needed to check quite easily.

When confirming the gender, it was pretty obvious from her scan that baby is indeed a boy. Yup, she commented that baby is not shy, as he opened his legs big enough to see his birdie sticking out indeed!! So funny :P Then as she continued the scan, she was telling me that baby was in the profile position. That is lying in a way such that we were seeing his side profile. So she also made funny comments that he's handsome lah, trying to pose pose lah :) This was especially so when baby showed one arm in a way that looked like he was showing off his muscle! Then she had to talk a bit to try to encourage baby to turn so that she can measure other aspects more accurately. I had to turn my body sideways as well to help move baby a bit.

Eventually, baby did move and change position and we were able to see baby's head, brain, eyes, nose, lips, chin area and spine. The whole detailed scan helped to ensure that our baby was developing well and all seems pretty fine. I'm about 21 weeks now and baby weighs about 425g already. Another thing that I'm truly thankful is that my placenta does not seem low already. Thank God for that!

Overall, it was certainly a thrilling experience to see our little son through the ultrasound scan. We certainly look forward to the next gynae visit!

Baby stuff

This week, I've been able to consistently feel baby's movement in me :) So far, I notice that baby tends to be more active in the evenings, round about dinner time and also later at night. Haha. Wonder what baby is doing during such times. It's really interesting that I can now see the slight movement visibly on my stomach out of the blue. It's like the skin suddenly protrudes out just so slightly. :)

Dear and I are also starting to look around more at baby stuff. Trying to get a chest of drawers to put in the spare room to store baby stuff. I'm also rather keen to buy baby clothes, but Dear says it's better to continue to look around first before buying anything since we still have time. I guess the main thing is to check out the market prices of clothes. So far, I saw some at Kiddy Palace and tops cost about $5-$6 a piece. Really want to buy already! All so small and cute! Hehe...

On top of clothes, still got so many other things to buy. My colleague shared with me a list of baby items to prepare and that is really helpful! Well, I guess we will have to take our time to look around and gather all the necessary stuff :)

Feeling happy!

We visited the gynae this morning for our monthly appointment and was very happy to know that baby is growing well. Dr. Goh was commenting that my weight gain seems a bit on the excessive side, which surprised me, as I thought my weight gain was considered quite slow. Perhaps I was wrong? Anyway, before I was preggie, I was about 51kg and today, I measured about 56.2kg. Anyhow, he just told me that weight gain is even faster at the later stage.

During the ultrasound scan today, Dr. Goh measured the head length, head circumference and abdomen of baby and said all was ok. As a result of these calculations, he mentioned that baby now weighs about 315g, also all normal. The next thing he did was then to try to show us the gender of baby. Dr. Goh had to try a few angles before we finally saw....well, actually I did not what to look at, but Dr. Goh indicated the little 'birdie' and told us that we are having a baby boy!! Haha....Dear and I were a little unconvinced, as we somehow thought we would be having a girl. Dr. Goh seemed quite certain that it was a boy though, as he tried to show us again. Well, for now, we will take it as so! We should be going for a detailed scan in 2 weeks time to further confirm this and also check out other aspects.

So we left the clinic, feeling pretty happy and excited that we finally know our child's gender :) Another thing that I'm really happy about is that in the last 2 days or so, I began to feel baby movements in my tummy! It started out as a sudden slight movement I felt in my lower tummy area. It did not happen that often, but today, while I was watching TV, I felt quite a few kicks! Feeling really excited, I got Dear to put his hand on my lower tummy to feel too and he felt it too! So I guess that's what it feels like. I'm not sure how to describe it, but it's like something 'jabbing' gently in your stomach. Really quite an amazing feeling, especially for a first time mummy :)

Ok, looking forward to buying some baby stuff already :)

*Burp*

Yup, that's exactly how I feel lately. Always burping so much so that it has really become a 'normal' part of my life it seems! Actually, I am a little frustrated by it. I've had this feeling since the longest time. I guess it got more regular from somewhere around the 3rd month onwards. Whether I eat or don't eat or have a drink, I will somehow burp. I even tried to do some frequency count of how often I burp in a day!! Well, I was venting my frustrations in the motherhood forum and was glad to know that I'm not the only one having this issue. Sigh, guess each pregnancy is different for everyone!

Anyway, my next gynae appointment is coming up this Saturday. Looking forward again! Wonder if baby is cooperative this time to let us know the gender? :) Must try to talk a bit more to baby these few days. Haha...

How are you doing baby?

The days that go by before the next gynae appointment are times when I always ask this question:" How are you doing baby?" I guess being a first time mother, you always have it on your mind as to how your baby is growing inside of you. Well, I really hope that baby is growing well, coz I certainly can't tell on my own. I'm eating fairly well I should say, not skipping any meals and in fact eating tea snacks here and there. But these couple of days I seem to enjoy sweet drinks quite a bit. Apple juice, Ribena and I also crave a bit for ice lemon tea. Gosh, wonder if it's the weather or just me. Seem to feel more thirsty for these drinks :) Nevertheless, I try not too take too much cold drinks as it may not be that good for baby, but I guess sometimes you just cave into your cravings :P

What shall I eat?

As the days go by, my bladder is getting more adaptable to the feeling of my pressing womb. Although I do go to the toilet a bit more often, it's much better and I guess I'm getting used to the feeling already. Quite glad about that. Also find myself getting hungry a bit more. Especially in the morning. Somehow, my bread for breakfast don't seem to last very long. Sometimes the hunger comes close to lunch time as well. Eating might affect my appetite for lunch so I don't really snack too much then unless I can't help it. Then in the late afternoon, sometime around 4pm, I tend to get hungry again. I've been fretting over what I should eat. Well, for one, I've been buying buns for my tea snack. Sometimes I have biscuits too. But after a while, you just wish you had nicer food to eat. It could be hot desserts, or even things like a chicken pie, muffin, chee kweh, etc. Unfortunately, like no such options at where I work. Walking to the canteen is just too troublesome too..Wish I could have easy access to lots of nice food easily! Sigh...

Mixed feelings

Went to see my gynae yesterday morning. About my bladder being pressed issue, he reassured me that it's part of the process of the expanding uterus and my discomfort should get better by 4th or 5th month. I certainly hope so. Anyway, after this visit, I'm having mixed feelings because firstly, I did not seem to put on much weight, so I find that a bit strange. Gynae did not highlight it to be a problem though. On doing the ultrasound scan, so glad to see baby grown again. :) This time we were able to make more shape of the baby. From the head to the hands to the legs. We could see that it was in a position where the hands were over its body and legs covering its genital area. Haha...so still don't know gender yet. Baby measures about 9.13cm now which is roughly about 15 weeks. Wonder if you can make out the shape in the shot below? :)

Another mixed feelings that overcame me was because the gynae noted that my placenta looked a bit low at the moment. He told me not to worry, as it has possibility of moving higher as the baby grows and uterus expands. At first I was not quite sure of the implications of this, but I went back and read up some information and understood. Well, in the worse case scenario, there's this pregnancy complication called Placenta Praevia, where the placenta is in the lower segment of the uterus and covers part or all of the cervix. Bleeding may be a symptom of this especially in the later stage. Ultimately, it also means that only caesarean section is possible for the baby to be born. However, the info that I read up also stated that at the early stage, it is almost certainly not Placenta Praevia, because as the baby grows, the expanding uterus naturally pulls away from the cervix. So there's still hope. For the knowledge of some, I thought I'd just share this picture...

Source: Babycentre.co.uk

Finally, we also did the antenatal blood test and triple test procedure in this visit. This requires drawing of blood which was just slightly painful. Guess the poking wasn't done too well as my arm is a little bruised in colour due to slight blood clot. Anyway, hope that results turn out good for us.

With all these in mind, I will still remain optimistic and really pray that as I progress along, I will continue to have a smooth pregnancy. Must have faith that all will turn out well.... Dear Dear also tries his best to encourage me. Well, grow well babe, mummy and you will be fine...

Waiting for next Gynae appointment...

Well, I decided not to see the gynae this week ahead of my planned appointment. Although I still feel the difference to my bladder since the start of this week, it became more bearable with each day. Not as bad as the feeling I had on Monday. Since I did not spot any blood, decided to just wait for my appointment this Saturday to see how things are.

Still feeling rather bloated too...though I do feel hungry a bit more often, eating always results in lots of burping which I've been experiencing throughout my 14 - 15 weeks..sometimes I wonder if this will ever stop?!?!

Ok, looking forward to seeing you on Saturday babe....

Another different experience

Today I felt something different which I have not felt for the last couple of weeks. It all started on the bus trip to work. It was crowded but I managed to get a seat. I recalled that I sat down a little suddenly or in a quick movement. And then I felt it...the extreme pressure of my bladder. Within seconds, I felt like I really needed the toilet!! This was quite shocking to me as I did not experience this before. At certain angles which I sat, it made it feel worse. Thankfully, I was able to bear with it till I reached office.

After relieving myself at the toilet, the rest of the day still felt really strange. My bladder was still having this feeling like it was being pressed against by my womb or something. I called my gynae and he suggested 2 possibilities. One was a bladder infection, which could be the result of lack of water or holding my pee for too long. The other one sounded a bit more possible, and it had something to do with the growing uterus that has pushed against the pelvic bone or pushed out of the pelvic area causing more pressure on my bladder. That was normal according to him, but he did suggest that I could observe for another day and see him if I want to.

Tried reading some pregnancy books and they don't seem to really indicate a possible reason that I could be sure of. Some even mentioned I should feel less pressure on my bladder as the womb moves upwards into the abdominal cavity...

Have not really decided whether I want to see my gynae tomorrow just to be safe...will observe and think about it.... : |

Getting a bit excited about baby stuff

Thanks to a friend's recommendation, we took some time to check out 2 wholesale outlets at Kaki Bukit that sells baby stuff like - baby cot, pram, car seat, toys, etc. Although it's still a bit early to buy some of these stuff, we wanted to see if it was really cheaper at these 2 outlets - Baby Kingdom & Baby Hyper Store.

Well, the trip down helped us to decide on the type of baby cot that we will likely buy...it would be those wooden type with adjustable height and can last for quite a while as the mattress area could be lowered all the way down as the child grows older. With all the lovely pillows and cushions placed in a cot, I could not help feeling very excited about how our little one would feel so cosy lying inside :) Even looking at the tiny little newborn clothing also got me looking forward to that day I can carry our little one in my arms.

We also checked out the prices of baby prams and baby car seats...all not cheap indeed. Hopefully we will be able to receive some items as gifts...haha...Anyway, I guess we will continue to do a bit more market survey before deciding on some of the basic necessities to get. Update again on this next time.

Crossing the First Trimester

On passing the first 9 weeks, I guess you could say that I was slowly getting used to my slightly expanding stomach and womb. I'm starting to find some of my skirts and pants tight and slightly uncomfortable to wear. Such a headache finding clothes to wear to work at this stage when I'm neither that big, nor that small...

Hence, I started shopping around for maternity clothes, particularly bottoms. Managed to get a few pieces here and there. For the tops, interestingly, the fashion at the moment seemed to favour large and long tops, which can be quite suitable for preggie mummies. So that's what I bought so far too. We also started looking at the possible hospital to deliver our first baby. It was between Thomson Medical Centre (TMC) and Mt. Alvernia (MtA). We did some 'hospital touring' on one weekend and very likely will settle with MtA.....

Anyway, by the time I had my next gynae check-up, the ultrasound showed a growing baby...with CRL now at 6.96cm. During this session, we were able to see our little one quite active! His or Her limbs were moving quite a bit and the doc was commenting quite active! So happy to see that. Too bad I don't feel anything though. Soon I will..I'm sure. :)


With that, it sort of marks the crossing of the first trimester. A grateful moment to God for taking me through what most people say is quite a tough period of pregnancy. The second trimester is suppposed to be the best period of the whole pregnancy, which I really hope so! My appetite is getting slightly better, but I won't say I'm got more energy. Still feel tired and sleepy on weekend afternoons. Especially since nowadays I practically wake up once every night to visit the toilet...they say it's nature's way to prepare for after birth when you have to be up several times a night!

I wonder if I'll ever get peaceful and restful sleep again...No matter what, I love you baby...Daddy and I hope you continue to grow well.... :)

At 9 weeks

The next visit to the gynae was at 9 weeks. Before that happened, I went through various experiences during the early stages of my pregnancy. Somehow, after the confirmation of my pregnancy, I started to be more aware of the changes happening to me. I experienced cramping which seemed a bit bad, but already started checking out forums and books and it seems like it's quite natural as the womb starts to expand. Then came the indigestion and very bad bouts of gas in my stomach. So much that I could not tell if the uncomfortable feeling was due to the womb expanding or my flatulence. I guess it's a bit of both.

My appetite was not that great too initially. I ate, but not like I really wanted to eat. I felt like I was just eating for the sake of eating. Eventually, I started to have some form of morning sickness. I would say I'm again quite fortunate in that I probably had a pretty mild case. Feelings of nausea hit me every now and then, not necessarily in the morning. It happened anytime in the day to night in fact. I didn't actually puke, but just felt like it at some points in time.

Finally on seeing the gynae at my second check-up, I was able to see the baby quite a fair bit more taking some shape! CRL measured around 2.74cm according to the ultrasound scan. The doc also allowed us to listen to the baby's heartbeat for the first time and it was so loud and fast!! Really happy and interesting to see all of that :) Anyway, he advised that my bloatedness should get better with the weeks. Could only hope so!

Oh yeah, it was also at around this time that I fell ill with sore throat, cough and cold. It turned out to be quite a bad cold as I tried to avoid taking medicine in hope that it will just heal with time. It took me 1 week to get well...so suffering!! All in hope that our little one will still be ok....

My Journey Began

The discovery of my motherhood journey began officially on 26 May 2007 when we went to a gynae to confirm my pregnancy. Well, before that we actually did our own home pregnancy test and it showed a positive. Not really believing it to be so, we also went to a normal GP for urine test. Again, positive. For the record, we conceived in April, but it's interesting not to feel anything until around the 5th - 6th week.

I guess the feeling was great at that point in time. Interesting, nervous, exciting and quite unbelievable! I was really thankful to God for this blessing that came half unexpectedly. You could say we were trying, but at the same time leaving it to the right time for things to happen. In any case, I was also getting a little nervous, not knowing what to expect for the next 9 months ahead!

Anyway, the first official trip to the gynae gave us the opportunity to first see the pregnacny sac, confirming that yes, the baby is there and existing! So small, but so interesting...:) You can see our first ultrasound picture below..can you spot where is the sac? :) We shared this joyous news with our family and decided to keep it as that for the time being. I was after all, only about 7 weeks pregnant at that point. We will be expecting a Jan 2008 baby (most probably for now at least based on the EDD), so still in time for the year of the Pig.

Well, from here on, my journey began...