Week 34.

Its 3 weeks to full term at 37 weeks! Omg I am really getting the jitters. How will baby look like? How will her personality be? Will she look like mummy or daddy? Dr siow has predicted that she will be about 2.8-3kg at birth, and although I was hoping for a 3.2-3.5kg but that’s okay, as long as she comes out healthy and I have a smooth delivery.

No one will ever understand how im feeling and what im going through now. The aches and pain, the pushing pressure on the pelvic area, the sleepless nights, the anxiety, and most of all, the one that is getting on my nerves the most, incontinence!!! I feel like I cant control my pee and poop. Sometimes the pelvic pressure is so strong I feel like im going to pee on my pants. And when I do run to the toilet, it is just a dribble. Sigh!

But I know I will miss the kicks and pushes I get in my tummy now, the only special feeling that only I can experience and the only bond I have with my baby. No one comes close to having this 40 weeks of personal bonding time. Hee. Okay, daddy sometimes get the kicks and punches, but it feels so special for me to be able to feel and protect the baby 24/7.

As we prepare to welcome her arrival, we have started to wash her clothes (we realised we got too much clothes!!!), and her towels and swaddles and bed sheets. We also packed our hospital bags in case of any emergency. I just need to throw in my toiletries and clothes. Over the next few weeks we will also install the car seat and check out if our stroller can fit into our hatch back boot.

Im starting to feel heavy and clumsy that I had a small fall last Friday. I was sort of rushing to the toilet and I didn’t see a little kerb. So it seem that it all happened slow motion style, I remember that I was trying to protect my belly and from falling flat so the impact from the fall was on my left knee and left palm. And then the next thing I knew, hubs ran over but by the time he ran over I was standing already and I just said I needed to go pee. And then in the washroom, there was a throbbing pain on my knee. Oh yes and I remember when I fell, I heard a lot of people muttering “she fell she fell”, sorry to say but no one came to help me up. ;( I googled abit about falling down in the 3^rd tri and it seems that it should be ok as long as no direct impact on the belly. But my mom and in laws were concerned so hubs and I emailed Dr Siow just to inform him and to ask if there is anything to look out for. But so far, I guess it was just like a roller coaster to baby, she is well protected by the amniotic fluid and shouldn’t have any impact. Phew. First and hopefully last scare in this pregnancy.

I realised that as the pregnancy progresses, the more anxious I get about baby’s safety. Not so much about what I been through but its more of the love that been growing for this baby. I want to see her and I want to hold her, I want her to be healthy and safe. That’s why I guess they say a mother’s love is always the strongest.

Am starting to keep my colleagues in the loop for my work matters, just 3 more weeks to full term and anything can happen from there. Although baby may choose to stay in until 40 weeks since its so comfy in there, but lets see. Perhaps the next time I update will be her birth story. Heh.

Till then, time to relax and get more sleep!

Today, we hit the big 3! Has 30 weeks just past like that?

I was telling the husband the other day that I really loved trimester 2 and that it seemed the fastest. But truth is, tri 1 and tri 3 is the fastest. Because by the time you find out you are pregnant, it would likely be half way thru tri 1. And then in tri 3, depending on when you deliver, tri 3 may not be the full trimester anyway.

The last visit to Dr Siow was also good. I passed the GTT (Glucose Tolerance Test), they smsed to say my results are normal. So next up is the GBS swab test at Week 35, this is just to make sure there is no bacteria, this is to prepare for natural delivery where baby will pass through the birth canal and out. If there is bacteria detected around the private regions, then have to administer antibiotics prior to the delivery. So praying that I don’t have such complications.

It has been quite good that my pregnancy has been uneventful in a good way. Im just praying for it to continue being a smooth and safe for me and baby.

We are almost prepared with the essentials. Now all we need is to get ready our documents, prepare the hospital bag and to wash baby clothes and items. Waiting for our helper to join us on 1 Jan and we can go full steam into washing and sterilising. My colleague ask what happens if my water bag burst at work? Told me to prepare a towel in office and in the car. Im freaking out. What if it really happens? Can I still drive to the hospital? Or will I be in too much pain? Should I ask hubs to come to fetch me there? Or should I dump my car and take a cab? Will I be able to have a proper shower before I deliver? Argh!

These days it has also been quite tiring for me physically, walking around or even sitting too long causes a lot of pain everywhere. The back especially. Some days my legs hurt and feel swollen. And the skin on my belly feels like its stretched to the max and is going to tear apart. Some days I ask hubs if the baby is going to come out from my belly button because it is so sore and painful. I know the belly will be stretching more in the next few weeks and im just going to relish in the last 10 weeks of baby in me and cherish these moments (and pain) before I get to see my baby princess.

I cant wait to see her, honestly I am a mix of feelings. Excited and nervous. Excited over seeing this human being that I been growing and protecting and how she would look like. But nervous over the whole delivery process and if it would be smooth. Pain is one thing, I just hope both of us will be safe.

10 more weeks, baby girl. See you soon!

Welcome to Trimester 3!

As much as I am excited that we are progressing so well and baby is doing good and that we are one step closer to seeing her, I am also starting to feel nervous and anxious about the whole delivery process, financially, and if we have bought all the essentials ready for her arrival. It is also at a stage where I can feel her very often and once I don’t, I start to panic. Mummy worries are never ending!

We are almost complete with our anenatal class, I wouldn’t say we are ready to be perfect parents, but it did give us a headstart and glimpse into parenthood and how we can manage it better. There are so many things to think about and also depends on our baby’s needs and wants. Every baby is different so as much as theory classes provide a good overview, it really all depends on the “practical” when our babygirl is finally out. But I would strongly recommend going for such a class if you can afford it if you are first time parents.

Tri 2 has been the best period for me, and the beginning of Tri 3 is starting to prove to be tiring and achy. I start to get breathless after walking for a bit, and my back seems to be breaking. Baby should be about 1kg now and im already feeling the strain on my back. Now I know why mummies cant wait for baby to be out when they are full term at 37 weeks! My belly button hasn’t popped too, but the skin feels so stretched that when baby kicks that part, I feel like my belly button is going to tear! But I read that it is normal to feel pain around the belly button area because of the thin skin.

Doing housework is also tiring now. Simple tasks which I took for granted has now become a pain in my life. Bending over the sink to wash dishes… putting clothes in the washing machine… taking clothes out to hang… hanging clothes on the rack… bending to take something from the lower shelf of the refrigerator/snack cupboard… reaching up to take a container from the overhead cupboards…. Omg… every other minute im shouting for my hubby to help me. Bleh.

Im thankful for the smooth pregnancy so far, although there were bouts of morning sickness (I would like to thank the strong pregnancy hormones), so far I haven’t had much discomfort or issues which require immediate medical help. My body has also been pretty healthy, I haven’t fell sick (always been praying to be healthy because I do not want to take any form of medication at this point), and that I am able to sleep and rest, I only had 1-2 leg cramps and I haven’t had any strong and bad cravings. I been eating alright, my usual portions and nothing extra, so I only gained about 3kg so far, which is a healthy gain for me since im kinda a chubby to begin with. Hee.

Continue to jiayou with me, my baby girl, it wouldn’t be long before we meet each other face to face. Papa is also looking forward to reading you stories and playing the piano for you. I am looking forward to kissing your chubby cheeks, dressing you up in the MANY clothes we have bought and looking at those feet which have been kicking me from inside. Stay warm, stay protected and stay healthy in my tummy for the last lap of this pregnancy – 13 more weeks!

Loving you much!

It is the tailend of Trimester 2. I am quite surprised Trimester 2 just whizzed past like that. Just when I was starting to enjoy the pregnancy and enjoying the moments of no-nausea, the regained energy level and the starting of feeling baby movements in me, it is already the tailend! And I can feel the difference. The bump had a growth spurt over the last month and I put on the most weight during this period. I am desperately applying stretch mark cream, hopefully to reduce the stretchmarks which will come in vengeance in tri 3. Talking bout stretch mark creams, im sure everyone has their own preference, I had recommendations to try the Clarin’s Stretch Mark Control Cream and I absolutely love it! Well of course that didn’t come cheap, but I love it because it is scentless and easily absorbed. It also helped to make my belly skin supple and soft, so that there is elasticity when stretched. I know there are people who also swear by Palmers or BioOil. Well, just try a few and stick to what works best for you 😉

I also am using the Clarin’s Tonic Oil. It is supposed to be used after showers so that the oil gets absorbed well by the skin, but I use it when hubs help to rub my back or light massages. The aroma from the oil is so yummy, its almost like being in a spa. I also bought the Clarin’s Leg Emulsion Cream which helps to energize tired legs. In fact I felt that it helped when I had to walk a lot and before I sleep, my legs do not attempt to cramp up so much. There was once I had a bad cramp while sleeping and the cramp effect lasted till the next day, I applied the cream and felt so much better. Hubs says it smells funky though. I think it is a mixture of tonics that’s why. But heck it! As long as it helps and doesn’t smell like shit, its fine.

So we are also mid way through our Anenatal Classes at Mount Alvernia’s Parent Craft. The 1^st lesson was about basic nutrition, and the next 2 lessons were on posture, massage and breathing techniques. As much as I would think that the breathing techniques are good, but in times of labour, who would have the mind to breathe properly?! We also went on a maternity tour at Mount Alvernia, and I am glad that we have decided to choose this hospital to deliver our baby. The tour guide, Veronica was awesome, she explained everything so clearly and made us feel like the patients are most important, and that the hospital is not out to profit from us. We visited the delivery suites, the various available wards and the nursery. When we were standing at the entrance of Mount Alvernia, it was about check out time, and there was so many new born and their parents going home. For a moment I felt so emotional, and I know it would soon be our turn. Psst, I tried to have a few options and I tried to book the maternity tour at Mount E Novena, but somehow the patient liaison officer was not helpful at all, and there wasn’t any available slot till end December. So we decided to give it up.

Baby kicks are awesome. I don’t know how I survived first tri without this! Im sort of addicted to feeling my baby kicks. Although I have yet to establish a daily routine of the baby kicks, I know she is most active at about 8am, 3pm, 8pm and 3am. Some nights I even wake up because of her kicks. Some days when im driving, I can literally feel my whole belly shift! I really wish I could share this experience with hubs, but whenever he place his hand on my belly, I don’t know if she feels comforted that papa’s here so she stops moving or what. Hahaha! She doesn’t do all these violent kicks when he places his hand on my belly. Strange!

We had our gynae visits (now on a monthly basis) at Dr Siow last Saturday, and baby is weighing in at 720grams. The average weight of baby at this week is 611g to 861g so phew, baby is still within the range. The last we saw her on the ultrasound, she was still gaining her fats and basically still looking like a skeleton. In this visit, we were so amazed because she has put on weight and fats and we could see her chubby cheeks! Because her eyes are still fused closed, and one of her hand was near her mouth, she somehow look like she was smiling at us. Sigh, so cute already. Cant take it! The next visit, I have to take the Glucose Test to test for Gestational Diabetes – a high blood sugar condition that happens in pregnant women. Am not looking forward to the test because it involves taking a blood test, and then gulping down a 50grams sweet liquid, and then another blood test. It is the sweet liquid im afraid of because I heard you may gag and want to puke it out but you cant!

I also started reading up on delivery methods and pain interventions during delivery, and to be honest, im starting to freak out! As much as my pain tolerance is quite okay, but the thought of labour is scary. Epidural? Or no epidural? C sec? or au natural? I am also starting to worry about breastfeeding. I am on a few breastfeeding groups and reading the problems they face, it is quite scary. I tell myself not to stress out if I am not able to breastfeed, but it is the best for the baby, no? im not sure, all I want is a healthy and happy baby.

Anyway, 15 more weeks to go, I will continue to enjoy the pregnancy and wait for my baby to be in my arms. Babygirl, continue to grow strong and steady. Mama will do anything just to make sure you are safe and healthy. Papa is working very hard to make sure you get the best in everything ok? love you my little sweetheart.