We are 28 Weeks! January 30, 2010

Yes we are now 7 mths! The THIRD tri-mester!

Baby @ 28 weeks

From now onwards it will be a bi-weekly checkup at the doctor’s. Wowee…this means we are getting closer and closer to our baby’s birthday. I am weighing a nice 53 kg; an odd thing since I have been eating well (not excessively) and lazing around most of the time. Believe me, I am NOT trying to avoid putting on weight. On the contrary, I do want a nice chubby little package. But I really have no idea where the food is going…to baby I suppose. Since she is measuring well and growing nicely, I suppose that is fine. The average weight gain for preggy mummies should be in the range of 10-15kg. So I do have another 4kg or so to stuff myself with? Woweeee!!!! Ok ok…I won’t …

Anyway, as we will be staying put for CNY this year, I thought it might be a good idea to snap a nice face shot of baby during the ultrasound and send it to the in laws together with the CNY card. Unfortunately the little munchkin wasn’t coorperating today and snuggled up to the placenta; probably being annoyed at us for probing her face with the ultrasound scanner. All we managed to get was a side view of her cheeks, nose and mouth; attached here…if you can make it all out. Honestly when I was lying there listening to Hubby and doc excitedly discussing baby’s features and what she was up to…I could not see anything.

We can now SEE baby wriggling inside through the movements of my belly. She is getting rather vigorous now, and sometimes a little weird…so much so that her squirming sometimes wakes me up!

I must say, I LOVE LOVE LOVE the look of my little belly. I think I am going to actually miss being pregnant, having all these little nudges inside me, it is such a precious experience. But having baby soon in our arms..? Priceless!

P/S. I am addicted to popcorn!

26 Weeks and Counting January 23, 2010

Profile of baby's face at 26 weeks: Baby is facing right

We can now literally watch baby’s movements – from the erratic movements of my belly, of course. A  few weeks back, there were 2-3 days when baby just decided to remain quiet and relatively sluggish that it made me worried sick and turned into some semi-psychotic mum-to-be who searched for any articles online, in books on that particular subject, and not forgetting checking and re-checking with other mums. In the end, I decided to make an extra appointment with Dr Aida, requesting her for a brief check-up to see if baby was doing alright. Of course come the morning of the check-up baby suddenly decide to wake up from her slumber and started moving rapidly again. So all is well….PHEW!!! Thank YOU!

Since then, baby’s movements have intensified and even causing a slight discomfort. She’s now moving ALL THE TIME. Like she’s never sleeping at all. Oh my… I wonder if this reflects how she will be when she comes out….but well, for now I am not complaining. As long as I feel a nudge here, a vibration there and punches everywhere…at least I know she is active and happy and alright.

We were also in KL for a brief visit to attend Petrina’s (a very close friend) wedding and while there over the weekend, Dr Aida suggested we pay a visit to a fetal heart specialist to have a look at baby’s tiny little heart, reason being I do have a minor PDA in mine and she wanted to see if everything is fine with baby at the moment. Thankfully, baby is 100% dandy! To quote the good doctor’s words, he was “very happy” with how baby looks now. Oh the joy of hearing those reassuring words!

Baby baby baby…. we cannot wait to see you soon !

A New Year’s Wish December 31, 2009

Happy New Year, Baby….

Here’s wishing the both of us and, daddy too, a wonderful start to the new year. Daddy and Mummy are waiting patiently to finally kiss your cheeks and tickle your feet in a few months’ time..

MUAH!

OUCH! Tooth/Gum Ache! December 24, 2009

At first, I thought I might be suffering from a tooth decay problem. Then, a day or two later I noticed that almost my whole gum and all my teeth started to ache…as though I’ve been grinding them too much. Apparently this is a normal occurance for pregnant women – the gums become tender and swollen and require extra gentle care. Brushing has become a dreaded chore now – I am constantly spitting out a little blood as the gums bleed easily now. Oh crap.

I am not even going to put my top and bottom teeth together when I have my mouth closed….they are just too sensitive. I really hope they are not going to get worse… this cannot be happening…I am already not into the ‘eat-like-a-pregnant-woman’, now if eating will become a dreaded thing as well, I might as well be on a liquid diet.

Hmmm…I wonder if special toothpaste will help, because I really do want to enjoy my food without pain.

Updates:

Brushing dilligently at least twice a day with toothpaste for sensitive tooth and gums seems to help. On top of that, I gargle with a mild anti-bacterial (diluted) and floss to remove any food residue from between the teeth. No longer feel as uncomfortable, except I still have to watch what I chew…my teeth feel like they’ve expanded and pushing against each other. Is that even possible? Teeth getting bigger isn’t one of the symptoms I read about…hmm…

Happy Hour December 21, 2009

I am so sleepy but how does one sleep with a samba going on in the belly?

Random Updates @ 21 weeks December 20, 2009

1. I have gained about 4 kilos to date

2. My current favorite hairstyle – a very short layered bob (I psychologically think it makes me look less round)

3. If a particular dish requires chillies as an accompaniment (e.g. noodles), I HAVE to have LOTS of it!

4. My only food indulgence is a weekly dose of birds’ nest – home brewed, of course.

5. Baby kicks all the time!

6. My christmas tree is up! (<–Okay totally unrelated but it IS Christmas!)

7. The pimples from first trimester are finally gone (PHEW!)

8. I am two bra sizes up.

9. I don’t like prawns.

10. My favorite maternity outfits are my Padini t-shirts in larger Medium sizes and stretchy yoga pants – who needs to spend on maternity outfits? He he…

11. I am still eating mainly 3 regular main meals a day with very few needs for small in-between meals. I am not on a diet, just not hungry like how most books say I will be *shrug*

12. I have stopped reading pregnancy books or websites – I watch too much Discovery Health programs on pregnancy and am kinda bored of it all…

13. I love fresh vegetables with sambal belacan.

14. The hair on my belly has not grown any longer (PHEW!)

15. Greasy food still makes me sick.

Boy or Girl…? December 20, 2009

We honestly do not know yet.  The last few scans showed baby in a very comfortable position with the legs both clamped tightly shut…. so modest

It’s Alive! It’s Alive! December 12, 2009

Before I got pregnant, I would always ask other pregnant mothers, how do they feel when baby starts to kick…I would always wonder…that it must be one of the most amazing experience a new mother would have… specially if it is the first child. But oddly enough, there would always be a period before baby starts to kick and the mother would be going on and on about how excited she would be, and then after that, a time of silence and then baby’s kicking would end up being like an everyday conversation piece… like ‘yea…I ate rice today’ kinda everyday normal. I would ALWAYS wonder why.

Now, I understood. I, too, went through the exact the same thing. Up to 18 weeks or so, I would try so hard to lie still and wait for that ‘butterfly flutter’ that I read so much about. But there was nothing. Then, gradually I began to feel a nudge…but only fleetingly, so faint that I would dismiss it as my imagination. Soon, there were more nudges…and more…and they got stronger and I began to feel them against my palm if I waited patiently enough. No doubt about it, baby’s moving! And sure enough, because it was such a gradual thing, I was not rushing to the phone to tell someone or posting it on Facebook status . Somehow it was something so natural… like how it seems ‘normal’ and ‘natural’ now that baby is nudging me while I am typing this. So now, I finally understood why none of my mummy friends ever came and said “OOOOOOMMMGGGGG MY BABY IS KICCCCKKKIINNNGG!!!!!” even when this is like the sweetest thing ever.

Because really, this is such a very private experience that comes ever so gently… you put your palm flat on your belly and for the first time you feel as though when you say – “Hello baby” – someone is really there to say hello back.

Nesting & The Minimalist Mum November 29, 2009

I keep coming across statements in pregnancy infosites and books that expecting women start to develop a need to start preparing the home for baby sometime within the 40 weeks. For me, it is more like… I want to get rid of things. Things that have been sitting on shelves and serving no particular purpose. Things that started off as gifts, were kinda cute initially but ain’t cute no more when I have to painstakingly dust them ever so often. You see, I am sort of a minimalist… I like the house tidy and as bare as possible – with all the basic essentials, of course. I hate clutter! And the thought that when baby arrives, there will be more things lying around is driving me to clear out the unused stuff even more.

While there are new stuff that we need to get to prepare for the little munchkin, I am sticking to my principle of using whatever we have now as much as it is practical. For example, we will be converting hubby’s unused study and study table downstairs into a secondary changing area. We live in a double storey house and running up and down the stairs when we frantically need to clean up accidental messes might not be a good idea. So why not just convert the study temporarily. I am trying not to have additional pieces of furniture where practical. Of course, we do have the crib, but that is a neccessity.

Next, I have cleared up some space in the spare wardrobe in the guest room for baby stuff. While doing so, I packed up two bags of used clothing and stuff that I have not touched for ages. Some are almost new, but what the heck. I feel they could go to someone else who might need them more urgently. So I am giving those away to our weekly cleaner. She can pass them on to her kids or to anyone in her kampung who might need them. As for changing upstairs, perhaps we might use a side of the spare bed or get a small table. Hmmm…. the constant battle between minimalism and practicality.

As for toys and play things, don’t even get me started. Anything that takes up too much floor space and cannot be packed up into a box once done does not rank very highly on my list right now. Yes, call me a military mummy…whatever….but I suppose there is more than one way to raise a child. We do already have a few small toys for baby – gifts from people and hand me downs, and I believe enough for those infant months.

Let’s see how all this work out later… smack me please if I turn into a hoarder later!

Nineteen Weeks! November 27, 2009

Back in August, I probably will not be able to imagine sitting here with a rounded belly. How time flies! And I am grateful for every single blessed day

I can still get away with hiding belly under over-sized T-shirts but I do not have many pieces of in-between sized clothing so I am starting to wear maternity tops now, which are much more comfortable actually. So it is no longer a secret that I am preggers wherever I go. I kind of enjoy it actually… new outfits… loosely fitting and I don’t have to feel self-conscious of my slightly bulging belly. It’s brilliant, actually!

Baby is also starting to squirm lately. Well, I am sure she’s been squirming for a while now, it’s just that I am just starting to feel her now. At first I was not so sure, but the very faint nudges have become quite noticeable now… that I am ALMOST sure it is coming from this lifeform within me

We cannot wait for the next check-up in a week’s time. Why? Because I will be twenty weeks along and we might find out if baby is a boy or a girlie! Excited !