mommy2baby

The labor - Part 1

2010-02-24T22:33:00.000-08:00

I believe woman is the greatest thing God has created. I really salute all the women who carry their babies to 40 weeks, if not more. For I was complaining and anxiously awaiting the day that I can take off my big belly and be done with being pregnant. I prayed to have early delivery ever since I stepped into 37th week. But NO! Aiden decided to stay till his exact due date. And so here's the story...

I had my 40th week check up on Monday 7th Dec 09 and was told that NOPE. It's not time yet. It could be anytime but it's not time yet. If nothing happen till Friday, I'll be scheduled to be induced on Sunday. So I was sent home, still heavily pregnant. Not long after I left the doc's office, I felt slightly wet in my panty. Guessing game started. Was it normal discharge or was it liquid from my water bag? But the latter will be less likely.

It's only after I reached home that I went to toilet to check. To my surprise, it was liquid with a hint of blood. My water bag really burst?? When I told Hubs bout it, he immediately said, "OK, get the bag. I'm ready." Hahah...even if it was really water bag burst, let me take a shower and we can still get to the hospital slowly. A phone call to the doc only to be told that it was effect from the check up. He inserted some equipment into my down south, thus causing it to bleed a little. If it continues, then only I have to worry.

Through the night, I kept observing but nothing happens. Sigh...I couldn't really sleep well that night.

To be continued...

It's been 6months

2010-02-24T22:00:00.000-08:00

Sad to say, I've abandoned my blog again. Now it's for half a year. As I was getting heavier being pregnant, I got lazier. I would rather ghost read others' blogs or searching for baby's information. And I couldn't wait to get over with the pregnancy as the day gets hotter and the baby gets more active. Ridiculously hot weather + hormone = volcano waiting to erupt.

After baby is out, I felt much lighter (8kg less instantly) but it was not much better to cope with. A whole lot of things happened and as baby grow each day, I started to notice that I'm missing out the small small details. That was when I read back on the stuff I wrote during pregnant, I realised that I cherish every single detail that I jot down, things I might have forgotten and had taken for granted.

Now baby is already 2.5 months. I better start writing again before my mind decided to erase all the major (and also minor) details again. As a teaser, here's a photo of baby during his first day on earth...

Pregnancy weight gain

2009-09-16T22:17:00.000-07:00

I was devastated when the last check up showed that I gained another 4kg/month. It has been the 2nd time consecutively. I only ate the usual portion except for the extra ice-cream I took after dinner :p Well, my tummy is still as small as ever compare to my tremendous weight gain. To date (@week 28), I've gained a total of 12kg. Honestly, I think the extra 2kg was from the unnoticed weight lost I had when I first realised I was preggy. I mean...all along my weight was yoyo-ing around 54-55kg. But the first time I weight myself at the hospital, I was 53kg (the weight I was in when I prepared for my wedding - read: lightest). So I'm suspecting that actually I only gained 10kg, which was more comforting...hehe

I stumbled upon the weight gain calculator from http://www.babycenter.ca/ just a moment ago. After keying in all my height and weight, this is the estimation I get.

How soothing to know this 'fact'. But then...why do doctors or nurses in gov clinic be so alarmed when I gain that much?? I still have a buffer of say...5kg for the next 12 weeks..

@ Week 21

2009-07-30T01:09:00.000-07:00

How was I doing?

Went to the government clinic for the monthly check up yesterday and was in for a big surprise. My weight was up by 4kg making me the heaviest at 60kg. I feel like an elephant now. All my life, no matter how fat I was, it had never gone beyond 58kg. As of now, I've accumulated 7kg for the past 5 months. 4 more months to go and I dare not estimate how much more I'll gain. The nurse was very worried bout my gain, thus arranged for me to come back for the two days once check up AGAIN. Sigh... although I'm not working, I don't want to spend my time going in and out of that clinic. Also, I have to take the glucose test in 3 weeks time. Was is because I gained too much or was it a normal procedure?

Mind you, I really has decrease my food intake. I was not having the elephant appetite like I used to in first trimester. In fact, after the serious sickness, I was kinda phobia to food. Hubs was extremely happy to get whatever food I want, all I have to do is ask. Everyone was commenting on how small my tummy was and although he assured me it's OK, I know he has the pressure to feed me well too.

Even though it increased so much, my tummy is still as small as a winter melon. I really have no idea where has all the weight spread to. My thigh? My butt? My boobs? My arms? Oh...for sure some has creep up to my face..cause it's been chubbier and obvious to all.
My belly button started to protrude last week. I realised it one night after having dinner. When I rubbed my tummy, I could feel a small lump instead of the usual insert. No, it was not the full lump yet. It was more to the lump on the foreskin above the belly button.

However, this week while taking bath, I realise that it does not happen only after a meal. It is there for most of the time. Now even the whole belly button is popping out whenever I finish eating. In fact, my guess is by next week, it will pop out wholly and can be detected even when I wear a blouse over it.

How's baby doing?

Baby's kicking is getting more prominent. At times, I could feel as if he's doing somersault inside. Still most of the time, he'll reside at the right side. When I was lying on bed just before sleeping, I love to put both my palms down on my tummy and feel his movement. Hubs used to have difficulty detecting his movement but now it's not a problem anymore. Whenever he moves, Hubs will go, "Eh..", "Eh..". It's so cute to see that. There was once I secretly ask him to give Hubs a big kick when Hubs palm was on my tummy. And he did just that and Hubs went, "Wow". Was it a coincidence, I really don't know. From the 4kg that I gained, I have no idea how much did the baby contribute to it. Most of the time, Doc will only say,"Baby's healthy" but he doesn't tell us how big is the baby, what's the heart rate, or is the amniotic fluid enough? Maybe I should ask him on the next round visit. At least, I'll know that I'm not the only one gaining weight.

Music for baby

2009-07-27T23:45:00.000-07:00

Most of the websites I read stated the importance of early childhood development and how it could be trained even while baby is still in mommy's womb. As I am not the kiasu mother that would go all out to train my child to be future A1 student, I just make use of what I had at home such as this CD I received as doorgift when I attended Hubs's company Grand Opening in Singapore last year. I actually forgot all about this CD, which I've chucked in the drawer along with other CDs. The last time I played it, I found it to be too boring. All it has was, "You are creative", or "You are loving" and others affirmations with soft music playing in the background. That time, I wasn't aware of the importance of music and the affirmations. I was even jokingly telling Hubs this is ridiculous boring piece of CD. Not until I started my pregnancy did I find it a good piece to listen.

Another one I had at home currently was from my sis. She got it as a gift after she delivered her twins. But since it's stated "Maternity Melodies", she thought it might be more suitable for me.

I actually like this one better as I'm quite familiar with the songs and composer, ever since the day I started my piano lessons. Bach, Mozart, Pachelbel, Tchaikovsky, Chopin, Schubert and the famous Beethoven. It has 3 CDs inside which means I tried to rotate them, a piece for a night. Hubs used to play it for me on his laptop when I go to bed while he's still busy with his work. But lately, my sleeping time was too late to even play a song. Guess I really have to make more time for baby. Sorry babe!

@ Week 19

2009-07-27T22:50:00.000-07:00

I've tried very very hard to refrain myself from going for the scheduled monthly check-up ON TIME. I tried very very hard to at least delay it for a week or so (to get a better confirmation on baby's gender). I tried very very hard to resist the urge to find out the gender of baby so early. But.......all FAILED.

Sigh. I've only managed to delay it for 4 days before I rushed to the hospital and waited patiently for my turn. A day before the appointment, I've repeatedly told baby, "Don't be shy in front of the 'camera', show it to Doc so mommy can buy new clothes for you." That time I was still aiming to get my hands on cutesy baby clothes at Metrojaya Sales in Pisa.

As usual, Doc checked for baby's head length and scan around for other things. He told us baby is on the right side. Ya, mostly I could feel baby's kicking on the right side also. We even managed to catch a glimpse of baby shoving legs during the scan. I was told if we didn't ask, Doc will not say anything apart from "baby is healthy". So right before he took off the scanner from my tummy, I asked for the gender. He tried to search around. Luckily baby's head is engaged downward and Doc could peep between baby's thigh (the bottom side). He told us (I'll keep it as a secret for now) but as expected, he will add in a line, "it's not 100% confirmed (till next appointment)".

I know if I don't ask, he'll not give us a printout also. And I was in for a disappointment cause it's too late to get the whole picture of baby, like what I used to see from others' blogs. Doc said baby is too big for a frame anymore. So the best he could take was just the head and half of the body. Can you differentiate?

.
I know it's hard to see. So here's what I draw out. If baby is too big for a frame less than 5 months, then baby must be growing well although tummy is still small, rite???

Baby...warm up

2009-07-13T03:13:00.000-07:00

Been thinking of getting a bottle warmer, as a preparation for this coming baby. Few days ago, I was still undecided which brand of warmer to get. I short listed Pigeon, recommendation from my experienced Sis; Avent, a popular brand-well known for its quality and Tommee Tippee, a UK brand I saw from website (the bottles are quite a favourite among mommies). After surveying the quality and comparing the price, Pigeon is totally out of question. Previously, it was sold at RM150+ but now they hiked up the price to a whooping RM300+. As for Tommee Tippee, although it was famous for its bottles, I can't find any product review. I was actually thinking hard whether to get it or not since the price is less than RM200. After discussing with Hubs, we finally decided to get it from Avent.

Taking advantage of this time Mega Sales, I did some survey and found a gift pack type from JJ. It contains a bottle warmer, a pack of (3x) 4oz bottle and newborn baby clothes set. All this come in a see-thru bag. It was totally worth it, after calculating the price of bottle warmer and 4oz bottle pack (@ less 20%).

Luckily it comes in orange color. Just neutral for either boy or girl.
You know what? The warmer pack come with a 4oz bottle, a baby spoon and 2 sachets of sterilizer powder.

Apart from this, we also bought a pack of (2x) 9oz bottles @20% less. It was quite worth it. But then when I went to Mom's Care, I saw the breast pump set on sales, not the Rm219 one but the RM388 that comes with a bag. I wanted to buy the normal set breast pump but every outlet also does not give 20% less for this set. They only offer the bag set @ RM277.90. It was around 28% less than normal price. But the thing is, I've already got (4x) 4oz and (2x) 9oz bottles. If I were to get this bag set (which included (2x) 4oz and (2x) 9oz), in total I'll have (6x) 4oz and (4x) 9oz which is way too many bottles for a baby.

How?? I'm planning to sell off my previous pack for 4oz and 9oz, all brand new, unopen pack. Going at more than 20% off. Anyone interested?

Monthly check up

2009-07-13T02:41:00.000-07:00

What I love about monthly check up?? Not only can I see my baby's progress....but I love the FREE GIFT too. See what I get from the one of the visit.

Wyeth Bag

And look what's inside. A sample of baby wipes and a pair of NUK breast pad. I love the compartment inside the bag. One compartment for all the bottles, one for the diapers. Another small compartment which I haven't thought of what to keep inside.

This is the second FREE GIFT I received recently. A cute bad from HUGGIES.

The content? A pack of Huggies diapers in S size. Hopefully this can last the first month...hehe..but I think monthly, I need 30 pieces minimum.

Every month, I look forward to see my baby...and hopefully get some free gift too.

Metrojaya Madness

2009-07-13T00:23:00.001-07:00

While I was happily browsing thru each and every website that has baby item on sale, I stumbled upon this poster...
And I went mad. I marked it on my calender - RED. Hubs insisted to accompany me there, before he goes for work but I said NO! knowing very well if he were to follow, I'll only have less than 2 hours to scout around.

The awaited day came and I armed myself with my beloved credit card, all prepared to swipe swipe swipe. I went there as early as I could to avoid the crowd. The first thing I saw was BRA. Yup, I've been longing to get new pair as the current ones can't seems to support my pregnancy breast anymore. Previously I did tried a few pairs but either it's too expensive or just wasn't the type I wanted. At Wacoal counter, I met a nice sales girl that recommend me a few design. But sadly she doesn't understand when I told her that those designs she recommended were not able to cover my breast, what more now that I'm preggy. She was surprised and commented on my small belly. Lucky was I, she introduced me to her (experienced mother) supervisor. She totally understood my situation, for she has my size of breast too. Initially I wanted to buy two pairs only, but her sweet mouth managed to persuade me to get 4 pairs and even 2 pairs of underwear. There goes my first Ka-ching.

As I did plan to get any clothes for myself, I totally skipped Ladies and Gents Departments. Straight I headed for Baby's Corner. Previously, I've managed to stop myself from getting any baby clothes from JJ and Tesco, with the reason I don't know the gender yet. But today I finally succumbed to it. Who cares bout the gender? This color is unisex. How could you resist this piece which initially marked at RM49.90, but now selling at only RM9? Second Ka-ching. Then I chose a bloody red t-shirt for my godson from OshKosh.
I love the embroidered wordings..Third Ka-ching
Oh..and these pairs for the twins, Yong Bin and Li Via. Last..Ka-ching ka-ching.
My total damage for the day was RM208. And I spent almost 4 hours in there...all alone.

Boy or Girl?

2009-07-07T02:17:00.000-07:00

No secret. I'm eager to know my baby's gender...be it boy or girl, I'll love him/her just the same. But why the eagerness? I just can't wait to get out and do some shopping. I've been walking thru the baby's department whenever we were out shopping and always went uh-ah over the tiny little clothes. I have to bite my tongue and get restrain myself from getting any yet. What more when there's a Sales going on, the clothes are so CHEAP CHEAP CHEAP but I have to go NO NO NO!! Suffering man!

Today I was browsing thru http://www.parents.com and saw an article to determine whether I'm carrying a boy or a girl. Here's what the old wives' tales say.

1. Sleep Position
Pay attention to which way you lay down in bed tonight. If you prefer sleeping on your left side, you'll have a boy. Right side? Your pregnant with a girl.
All the while, I sleep on my left side. Even though now pregnant, the habit didn't change. Boy

2. Upset Stomach
Little girls aren't always sweet. Extreme nausea means you are having a daughter.
I think my gene does not have the morning sickness (both my sisters don't have). Boy

3. Soft or dry hands
If your hands are dry during pregnancy, you are having a boy; soft -- expect a girl.
My hands are still the same, smooth as ever. Girl

4. Food Cravings
Your favorite pregnancy foods may tell you what sex the baby is. If you're craving citrus while pregnant, you're having a girl.
I don't have any craving except the food I always love...spicy and sour. Girl

5. Adult Acne
If altering hormones makes your skin break out, expect a girl.
Oh...I can see that pimples are popping out, even on my breast. Girl

6. Graceful or Clumsy Pregnancy
If you feel as though you're gliding through they day, you'll have a girl. Stumbling? It's a boy.
Still the same old me. No gliding nor bumping into stuff. Boy

7. Face Weight Gain
If your face gets fuller, it means you're having a girl.
This happens every time I started to grow, be it pregnant or not. Girl

8. Sugar and Spice Food Cravings
Craving salt during pregnancy? Potato chips, pretzels, and popcorn means a boy is on the way. Need a little something sweet? Ice cream, chocolate, and candy means you're having a girl.
Ice-cream, chocolate potato chips, popcorn..all are my favourite. Girl/Boy

9. Mood Changes
If you're experiencing pregnant mood-swings, expect a baby girl to arrive soon.
No extreme mood swing yet. Boy

10. High or Low Pregnant Belly
If you're carrying the baby low on your stomach, expect a boy. If it's high, you're having a girl.
No tummy yet. Still have my waistline at 4 1/2 months. Boy

11. Baby Weight
If you're carrying baby in front, it's a boy. Is the baby weight spaced all around your middle? It's a girl.
Same as #10. Boy

12. Pendulum Test
Dangle a chain with a charm over your palm. If it swings back and forth: boy. In a circle: girl.
This one I should test. Was it over my tummy or hand??

13. Model Your Hands
"Show me your hands." If you would hold your hands palms up it's a girl. Down? You're having a boy.
Have yet to notice this but since I read this, I don't know what to show....more cautious now.

14. Toddler Advice
Get baby advice from a nephew or friend's little boy. If a toddler boy shows interest in your belly, you'll have a girl. If he ignores you, it's a boy.
Didn't really try out but the boy doesn't notice my tummy also.

15. Eat Garlic
Guess the baby's sex by eating garlic. If the smell seeps out of your pores it's a boy. If there's no scent it's a little girl.
Eww..smell seeps out of pores? Didn't take notice.

16. Key to Pregnancy
If you pick up a key by the round end, you're having a boy. If it's by the long end? A girl.
I'm used to pick up keys by the round end. Boy

17. Even and Odd Numbers
If your age and year of conception are both even or odd, it's girl. One even, one odd means a boy.
I'm 26 and now is 2009. Even + odd = Boy

18. Baby's Heartbeat
If the baby's heart beats more than 150 times per minute, you're pregnant with a girl. Less than 150, it's a boy.
This one has to get doctor's help

19. Stress Test
A child tends to be of the same sex as the parent who is less stressed at the time of conception.
I know I'm stressed out from trying to have baby. Should follow Hubs then. Boy

20. Dream Meanings
If you dream about having a girl while pregnant, you will wind up having a boy and vice versa.
Never take notice in this. Will try to see if I do dream of it.

21. Breast Size
If your right breast is larger than the left while pregnant, you are having a girl. If the left is larger, it's a baby boy.
What does uneven breast size has to do with boy or girl? Was it because boy prefer the left side, so milk production tend to be more there? Boy

10 votes for Boy, 4 votes for Girl, 7 votes for uncertain. That's it. I'm not going to guess anymore. I'll go straight to Doc for a scan this coming Thursday..hopefully baby will cooperate.

@ week 17

2009-06-29T06:52:00.000-07:00

How was I doing then?

True enough, all the feasting through the weekend has taken toll on my body. Forgetting to mention the fried cempedak I had at Mom's place too. It started with a slight headache and a sore back+shin just as I woke up. Everyone in the house was so worried, they kept urging me to see gynae after I vomitted. Yes, 2nd vomitting since pregnant. Did ultrscan and was relieve baby is alright. Doc said it was a normal pregnancy symptom, nothing to worry about. But as the day went by, my sickness began to get worse. And A's phone call didn't make it any better. Instead, he confirmed that his nephew is down with A (H1N1) and his whole house was to be quarantined, that means...including him. Hubs was definitely worried sick since they just met and even shared lunch the day before. And all of the sudden, I'm down with all the symptoms....fever, flu, cough. I could feel Hubs non-stop blaming his self for all these that happen. What more with a precious in my tummy now..He broke down and apologize over and over again. It really broke my heart seeing him like that. This is probably the first time I saw so much tears from him since I met him. Hubs, I just want you to know that I love you no matter what happen.

Since H1N1 seems kinda serious case, they thought it would be better to get a real doc's opinion. So we went all the way to Bayan Lepas, just to see this super far relation relative who is working as a doc. He's not much of a help, just asked us to get a check up at GH if we are worried. And if I were to be confirmed, his clinic will need to shut down for a week too... hehe... Now, I'm pretty sure I don't want to be quarantined before they get the result...not with this precious lil one.

Anyway, I'm getting better now. Lost my voice during the weekend but still manageable. All these while, Hubs took great care of me, tending to my every wimp. There were even nights where I almost kick him out of the room, throwing tantrums due to my blocked nose. Since the week passed by with me eating lil to nothing, I actually slim down a lil now. MIL even said compared me to her friend's daughter which was almost the same period of pregnancy and how her tummy is bulging while mine? Nothing yet. What I showed you in Wk13 stayed that way. Baby, you need to speed up already..

@ week 16

2009-06-29T06:32:00.001-07:00

How was I doing then?

Our 'personal doc' came again this week and...I've got the passport to feast on one of my favourite...

Had been continuously bugged Hubs to let me have some and since Doc said scientifically, it does not do any harm, plus it's a good supply of vitamin C...that's it. At last I managed to get my hands on them at C's house, after I injected into her how Doc is a durian fanatic himself. She invited us over to her house for dinner and Boy..her mom can really cook. She cooked up delicious curry with big (I mean HUGE as a palm) prawns and squids, acar and not forgetting the yummilicious thai dessert Thap Thim Krop - water chestnuts with nangka in coconut milk.

(photo stolen from lingzie.com)

And the grand finale was of course, DURIAN!!! C definitely knows where to search for good ones. All the one that she bought tasted oh-so-good, be it the Siao Hung, 100Plus, and other names I couldn't (don't care to) remember. All I know was, I ate like there's no tomorrow...until Hubs gave me a warning look. Only then did I stood up to wash my hand...hehe..

@ week 15

2009-06-28T23:05:00.000-07:00

How was I doing then?

I officially had my 1st pregnancy vomit, although I suspected it was due to the heat wave more than my pregnancy. I didn't see it coming, just another headache and the urge to get something into my tummy. Wanted to eat pizza, particularly the one at New Lane but the stall was not open so early. So Hubs resorted to getting me fried chicken. Had quite a big one but still it was not enough. Trying stuffing myself with dried crackers found in his office, almost ate all but the feeling continued. So no choice but to go back and waited for it, even though was told it will only be ready in 15mins since the owner was still unpacking from his container (we are so late for our appointment). I knew something was wrong when I couldn't finish off the pizza but I sat through it...until I went to the loo. The moment I zipped up my pants, immediately I had to turn around and emptied my tummy. Luckily, it was cheesy flavour. I dread the moment I had to vomit right after I eat medicine, the bitter taste....eww..Instantly, I felt 100times lighter in my head and had a cool night laughing at their jokes.

SIL gave me a pretty in white dress when we met the other day. This picture does not do justice for the lovely dress.

It was a passed down from her SIL but she thought it will be more useful to me than her at the moment. Yeah, I understand...it must be hard for her. She's trying for lil one too and I sincerely hope she'll get one soon.

A teaser

2009-06-15T00:35:00.000-07:00

A photo of me at Week13.

You can't see the bulging tummy so obvious yet cause my boobs are still bigger than them at the moment. But I can assure you it's noticable in real person, as I can't seems to zip and button my pants anymore. What I do nowadays is wear them with a flowy blouse, covering till mid thigh and leave my pants hanging on my butt, unzip..hehe..I certainly won't go out and buy extra pants as I've already got pass-down maternity pants. Just that they are too big now, and might be too small at later stage. Why want to waste money, since I'm jobless now..

@ week 13

2009-06-09T00:28:00.000-07:00

How was I feeling then?

Guess preggie sure has lady luck on her side. I remembered Sis attending an event during her pregnancy and got herself a lucky draw. On a Sunday @week 13, we attended a celebration and there's lucky draw too. Since we were the early bird and I'm friend of the organizer's daughter, E, who happened to be handling the lucky draw ticket, she asked me to choose a stack for our table. The first number (which received the lowest prize) called was from our table. So lucky. Not only that a few rounds later, another person's number from our table was called too. So E got pretty excited and and keep on cheering for her number. AND her number got called too...for the 3rd prize. Actually I was secretly hoping I would get the Tupperware set (a lower prize). Who would have guess, the person next to her (ME ME ME!!) got called up too...2nd Prize. A solid ELBA rice cooker. Never felt so lucky before *grin nonstop*

But at night, I wasn't so lucky anymore. Headache struck me, from sleeping in the 'oven' bedroom. Then during dinner, Hubs accidentally dropped an antic stool right on my foot. You know how 'light' antic stool can be. My tears almost burst out while I'm standing there, with the stool still at my foot. Numb.

@ week 12

2009-06-08T23:51:00.000-07:00

How was I feeling then?
Just a week after I was told to be 'overweight', it increased another 0.5kg. I shrieked a bit when I stepped onto the weighing machine. While sitting down, waiting for the nurse to be done with recording the data, I peep onto the scale and saw that it was actually offset by 0.5kg. Phew...not my fault la..

Two days after the last weighing, my weight dropped back to original 55kg (I made sure the needle was pointing correctly this time). Which means I have successfully maintain it for 2weeks. But why are my pants still getting tighter?

Btw, I've received my online ordered clothes from http://www.kachfashion.com/. They will be my fashion cum maternity clothes.

Absolutely love the blue one. So huge at the tummy, bet it can last thru my pregnancy period. The cloth is very rough though. The yellow one is sweet, with roomy belly area but it's slightly tight at the chest area for me. The last one of course won't get me thru my pregnancy but my hand got itchy to see such a classy piece. I always hearted classy piece. Have to wear it more often, else when the tummy grows bigger, I'll have to wait after I give birth. The color that I received it so-not-the-pic-color. It's more of a gold rather than gray :S

@ week 11

2009-06-08T23:39:00.000-07:00

How was I feeling then?
This week has to be the week I felt the heaviest so far in my pregnancy. As usual I went for Gov Clinic check up and excitedly waiting for a yummy breakfast after that. Manatau, the nurse gave me a devastating news, that I gained 1.5kg in ONE month. OMG! I mean, ya my tummy is getting slightly bulky, and so is my butt. But how on earth can I start to grow at this rate? Averagely, a preggie will put on 0.5kg a month for the first 5 months and subsequently 0.5kg a week after that. Thanks to the nurse, my appetite for a hearty bowl of curry mee is gone. The worst, I'm suppose to go back twice a week to monitor my weight. Such a hassle.

When I went home and told Mum, she asked me not to be silly. Gov Clinic is monitoring the weight because that's the only way the can monitor the growth of baby. They won't do any ultrascan. Apparently, Sis's SIL had the same problem and she resorted to eating too lil. Ended up her baby is too small a size when was born.

Baby @ Week 10

2009-06-08T23:19:00.000-07:00

This is the first printout, showing baby is just a clump at the top, measuring 24.7mm

@ week 10

2009-06-04T01:13:00.000-07:00

How was I feeling then?

It has to be the best week in my life. We get to see the baby again, but this time I don't see it as a dot anymore. I saw a life, with a heart beat DupDupDupDup in my tummy. Previously I was constantly worried since it was still at early stage where you couldn't feel any movement inside yet. Thus don't know if baby is OK or not, still there or gone....all those negative thought of what if. It doesn't help that when I do research, those miscarriage articles kept popping up and so were the blogs. Whenever I had mild cramp, my mind would immediately switch to negative thought. But at that very day, sure the scan, not only can I see the heart beating so fast, I could also see the arms and legs moving. The feeling is incredible. I was on cloud9 the whole day.

Went to visit our godson, Ben and it suddenly brought back what a medium once said to me. He told us that our Chinese DOB shows that we'll have 3 children in our life but a look on Hubs palm, he said the child line on his palm shows that Hubs only have the fate of godson but not own kids. My heart almost shattered. Luckily the medium helped us and now I'm growing this precious thing in my tummy.

Ben's mom was very nice to offer us the stuff Ben used to use when he was small, playpen, napkins, stroller, mattress. They were saying,"We got this, and this and this....u can use, no need to buy...if u don't mind la." Of course we won't mind, all those were still in good condition. With most of the things being sponsored, we can actually save a lot.

@ week 9

2009-06-04T00:46:00.000-07:00

How was I feeling then?

My appetite started to make it's way home. Which means I was starting to be able to consume my usual lunch at home. With that my waistline is growing ever since.

W and M came the other day to enjoy laksa, one of the forbidden food for me. Surprisingly after listening to their quite logical explanation on why pregnant should be allowed to succumb to her craving, Hubs allowed me my very first bowl of LAKSA! It was said that if I were to suppress my craving, it's the beginning of saying NO to baby, which is not good for their emotional. Thanks to them also, I might be able to get my long craved Sunshine market TOMYAM *big grin*

This week, MIL cooked herbs chicken thigh for dinner. One for me and one for SIL. She asked me to take the bigger one, and leave the smaller one for SIL cause now I'm eating for two...haha..I almost chuckled. I didn't really thought of eating for two..not yet.

This week, Hubs made a surprise visit home one afternoon, packed with lotsa bread from Continential. He drove all the way home from office, just to deliver the bread. That was very sweet of him and a very sweet surprise for me to see him at that hour.

This week, suddenly I tasted ikan bilis bun in my mouth (a thought, a usual thing even when I'm not pregnant) at 11.30PM. Before I told him he can get it from High-5 bun, he creatively thought of getting a plain bun and some nasi lemak gravy to stuff inside. I must admit I didn't thought of that also. After giving him the idea that he can get from High-5 bun, Hubs drove around Air Itam, went to at least 5 places before he's able to get ONE miserable ikan bilis bun for me. Most of the places he went has all the High-5 bun, all except the ikan bilis type. He completed his ordeal in almost 1hour and I only managed to finish half the bun.

@ week 8

2009-06-04T00:12:00.000-07:00

How was I feeling then?

My gassy problem was getting worse at this stage. I could not even eat 10 spoons of rice without feeling bloated and suffered. It was making me phobia to eat. By this time also I get to know my baby is going to be a 'westerner'...loves to eat only bread, western food, extremely love cheese...and started to loathe oriental food. I can wallop two homemade burgers but I can't get a plate of rice clean. An oversea colleague of Hubs suddenly asked if I was expecting when she came to visit the other day. Was it my blouse, or was it because of my growing chubby face? She said it was the glow on my face. Well, it was quite late at night and I wasn't sure if the glow was really a pregnancy glow or just oily face..hmm..

@ week 7

2009-06-04T00:04:00.000-07:00

How was I feeling then?

I suddenly realised that my boobs are not slightly bigger. They have outgrown my home bras. Gosh! Wearing them were like two pieces of clothes sewn together just to cover my nipples. Even my normal day bras are getting tighter and seems 'overflow' when wore them with my usual Baby-T. Most of the shirts that I bought looks like what they called, "Balut cempedak". From my side profile, you can see that my boobs are as long as my whole palm, which measured up a normal ruler long. That does not include the body frame yet.

@ week 6

2009-06-03T23:25:00.000-07:00

How was I feeling then?

I was constantly hungry but couldn't take much. My appetite seems to have disappear. And I'm very selective on my food. Those MIL's cooking, it's turning me off. I used to heart steam fish and will have mostly a whole fish to share with Hubs for either lunch or dinner but the sight of fish just kill my appetite. I know fish is not only good, it's important for baby but for this moment, I just craved for the forbidden foods....spicy and sour stuff. It's just killing me.

Hubs and I went to shop for baby posters but after searching thru MPH and Popular Bookstore, I didn't get one that I like. Where are all those cute babies??? We diverted our attention towards pregnancy books and found one that was considered the best among our choice. It has been our baby bible ever since.

MIL has been bugging me to get a pair of good sandals. The ones I had were cheap, flimsy sandals from either Vincci or Nose. So out we went shopping again for the comfy one. My choice was either Scholl, Hush Puppies or Crocs. After surveying and trying out numerous pair, I came to a conclusion that:

Scholl: quite 'aunty' fashion
Hush Puppies: Narrow sole (I have fat sole that will spill out when press downward)
Crocs: OK but it's quite expensive for a sandal of that kind.

At last I settled for a pair of capri

A casual conversation between me and Hubs, leaded MIL to sacrifice her weekend outing and busied herself in the kitchen the whole morning. The food I craved was Nasi Lemak but then after Hubs reminded her that I can't take spicy food, I ended up only can have soy meat and rice. Argh...that's totally not so nice.

Pregnancy and sex

2009-06-03T22:45:00.000-07:00

Recently one of my closest buddy asked me a very personal question. She wanted to know if it's OK to continue to have sex after conceiving. Her open minded mom shared with her that throughout the whole 9 months of pregnancy, no intercourse are allow. According to those old wives tale, for if you do it, the sperms that were ejaculated into the vagina might hit the baby and cause him/her to be blind when born. However oral sex are allowed. I almost fall off laughing too hard hearing that from her. I just knew I read somewhere that says women sex drive might increase during pregnancy, to which I have to agree...*wink*

Today, I stumbled upon an article by parents.com that says,

'Now that you're pregnant, there's no doubt that your sex life will change. But just because you have a burgeoning belly doesn't mean that you have to spend the next nine months living like a nun.'

It also suggested different positions to accommodate the growing belly.

'Spoon: The spoon position can be very cozy and intimate. In this case you should lie on your side curled in a C, with your partner facing your back and curled around you. He then enters your vagina from behind while both of you are lying on your sides.

Side by side: Another good choice for late pregnancy, this position will control thrust and keep weight off your belly. You and your husband lie side by side, facing each other. He slips his leg over yours (your leg can be either straight and to the side or bent at the knee) and enters you from an angle. In a variation of this, you lie on your back and he on his side. Put your leg that's closest to him over his legs. He can enter you from the back and side, and still have his face next to yours.

Woman on top: This can be a satisfying position during late pregnancy, allowing you to control pacing and be more comfortable. Make sure, however, that he doesn't enter you too deeply.
Edge of the bed: Try lying down face-up on the edge of the bed, with your legs spread and the soles of your feet on the floor. Your partner can stand or bend over you. This position, however, does allow him to thrust more deeply, so you'll have to tell him how gentle and slow you want him to be.'

@ week 5

2009-06-03T08:15:00.000-07:00

How was I feeling then?

No major change. In terms of eating, I could still eat the usual stuff, i.e. oriental, western, Jap, etc. I was slightly more sleepy these days compare to before. In terms of physical wise, my weight has dropped without me knowing when. All the while my weight yoyo between 54-56kg. But the time I knew and weigh, I was actually 53kg. But then, one thing for sure was my boobs swell like nobody business. Before my period was due, it has already swollen and been a pain to touch. I dismissed it as another PMS. As for my tummy, it has the usual pre period cramp, which was another thing that I brushed it off as PMS too. But now thinking back, it was two of the common pregnancy symptom, which I totally missed out.

How about Hubs?

He has started to do some research on what to eat/not to eat. How cute. He even called up a good friend of us (a very qualified Doc) to ask his advise. Hubs started talking to baby almost every night. How cute!

First Check Up @ 070409

2009-06-03T07:40:00.000-07:00

I still remember vividly the first check up after I took the test myself. It was very early in the morn that Hubs went to place the card, so that we can get first in the line again. We did not tell MIL beforehand and when she caught Hubs sneaking back while on her way to market, her question marks began to form. At first she just asked if Hubs was out for the normal morning jog. But she just has her way of asking that I couldn't avoid telling her the truth. And so I told her the real thing plus that my period has not come YET..which made her ?? grew a whole lot more..hehe..

Well, she did not pursue further...from me BUT when I went inside the bathroom, she barked into our room and woke Hubs up, and questioned him left and right. I had anticipated this earlier on, so I had already made Hubs promised to keep quiet about the actual (tested + stuff) until we get confirmation from Doc. Hubs merely told her that it was a follow up check up. Erm...whether she believe it onot, she'll have to wait till after the check up.

We were entertained by the nurse before we get to meet Doc. What was funny was that she asked me, "Ambil ubat (Taken medicine)?" as I was prescribed with clomid the visit before. She must have thought that I was there for the follow up, after taken clomid. My answer? "Belum (Haven't)." I felt funny because the baby was there without the help of clomid...which is FANTASTIC. Doc came and did an ultra scan on my tummy. All we could see was a dot on the screen. I was thinking to myself, "Is this my baby or is it just another polyp thingy cause they seriously look the same". He further did vaginal check just to get a better look on the dot. I get a glimpse of Hubs face and I could see that he's beaming with delight, to see his junior actually starting to grow. I was actually still not relief after meeting Doc, cause from what he said, he can see that foetus inside but will not know for sure if it's safely in the uterus....that's something disturbing.

All in all I was still excited about it and couldn't wait to tell the whole world. But I can only share the news with my parents and in-laws. The first to get the news was of course none other than my MIL. When I called her, she was super cool and calm, just advising me not to eat spicy and sour too much. I bet she must have jumped on the bed and somersault a few rounds after putting down the phone. Next on my list was Mom. The first thing she asked me was, it is a twins? *Slap forehead*

I'm officially 3 months

2009-05-26T00:15:00.000-07:00

After been keeping hush hush for so long, I finally can tell the whole world

I'M PREGNANT!

Yea...it's true. Today is my last day of my first trimester. The first 3 months are usually the most risky, and hence, most people choose not to say anything. And the according to the elders, baby will be 'small gas' and might decide to leave if we tell the others. So we decided to only tell our parents.

From the previous posts, you would have read my frustration and disappointment. So I decided to take it easy that month and didn't even think of rushing to toilet to test when my period decided to stop. Day 1 passed, Day 2 passed, came Day 3,4,5...well, last month it was late for 5 days and still it was just a false alarm. Although I had wanted so much to believe that this time, it has stop for real. I just couldn't bring myself to face another disappointment. So I still delayed the test. It wasn't until it was the 6th day morning, while Hubs was still sleeping...that I quietly slipped out of bed, secretly brought the brand new, leftover test kit from last month (wrapped inside my towel) and went to bathroom as usual.

With a deep breathe, I pee-ed onto the stick and waited patiently. I thought it would take forever to see the two lines, just like last month. How wrong was I. Within seconds, they appeared before my eyes and my jaws just dropped in disbelief. Could it be? Am I truly...? I tried to control my excitement. I wanted to pretend nothing had happen and continue to take a bath but I just couldn't. Immediately after wrapping myself in towel, I rush back into the bedroom. I put on a serious face (trying hard not to give my ear to ear grin), hide the stick below my pillow and woke Hubs up. I bet he was worried when he saw my face. He kept on asking what's wrong. I lied down on the bed, with my back facing him. Until I was sure he was at the right distant, I pulled out this.

He didn't say a word...just gave me a wide smile and a deep hug. And I went back to continue my bath...haha..That morning, we went to have breakfast and brought another test kit, just to confirm. He urged me to give it another try, right at his office but I was thinking, usually it has to be the first urine in the morn. Will it show just a line this time? It took me quite some time before I thought…what the heck, let’s try. Pee-ed again, dripped it on the right hole and waited with my heart pounding. Tada!!!

The result was the same. It's confirmed. I'm going to be a mum. I'm having something growing in my tummy at that very second. I went out and secretly showed Hubs the result, which ended up both of us smiling and getting curious look from his colleagues. All we could do at that time was more research on the Internet and waited patiently for the very first check up the next day.

Sneak peak into what's coming next

2009-05-11T05:25:00.000-07:00

They said a picture speaks a thousand words..so here you go. I'll just let the picture speaks for itself.
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Don't eat this, don't eat that..

2009-03-17T23:32:00.000-07:00

You know when they say if you are planning to conceive you have to do this, do that...eat this, eat that....don't this don't that? Well, I'm not going to take it so seriously anymore. I'm just so sick of trying and waiting for nothing every month. And you know what, all this pantang larang is only making me more stress out. Giving me hope and taking it away every month. I see so many couple had theirs unplanned...need I add 'easily'? Here I am..taking every precaution just to get disappointment. So from now on...don't tell me "cannot eat tomyam", "cannot drink ice water", "cannot go jogging, just do normal walk"...To hell with NO tomyam, NO kopi peng, NO seafood, NO laksa..

Yesterday lunch when I ordered Neslo peng, Hubs reminded me that I was not suppose to take ice. I just shoot back, " All this is making me more stressful. I thought you ask me to take it easy". Haha...so syiok!

Last month

2009-03-17T23:14:00.000-07:00

It all went so well...at least I thought so. My menses was late. The most I've experienced was a delay of ONE day. And that never leave me a chance to get overexcited. The next morn sure will see the hint of blood stripe on my discharge. I had so much discharge a week before that practically one panty liner was not enough for a day, so my hope was getting higher. I was scheduled to be on flight 2 days after my predicted period due. Due to this delay, I missed the flight for fear that it might not be able to take the air pressure. Hubs was anxious as well, always asking how I'm doing. The 3 testers that I used were still showing the same disappointing ONE line. As there was still no sign of my period, I was still clinging on to that very slim hope.

At last, my worst fear came. This time, it was late for five days!! FIVE FREAKING ANXIOUSLY WAITING FOR TWO LINES DAY!!! It was the most unbearable thing that I had to face. I cried buckets of tears and was totally down. That false alarm was just too much of a joke for me. I believe Hubs does not take it easily too but he has to look strong for me. At times I really couldn't understand why am I the only one who is taking this thing so seriously. He was like, "The time will come." Arghh...

Update

2009-02-13T04:51:00.000-08:00

Although I've not been updating this blog, never had I stop my mission to get myself conceive. My dream of being a mommy still stand tall. Thus, I've been doing things without updating them here. Call me superstitious, but I'll not risk not being able to achieve my mission. You'll not be hearing anything from me until I'm in my trimester. (No I'm not hinting I've tested positive by now)

Getting Pregnant: 2nd date with Doc(S)

2008-10-29T23:18:00.000-07:00

I met a traditional practitioner while attending the 'vacation' course the other day. I actually grabbed him to sit beside me (well, it was fated) during dinner. And popped questions in between mouthful of delicious food. I told him bout the blood clog found in my uterus, which caused me spotting on the 7th day on my period cycle after it stopped. He commented that my womb was weak. So I took the step to book an appointment with him straight away, then only I seek Hubs opinion :p

With that, we went to check Hubs sperm count first(RM80). We went back to the same Hospital that we went last time. The result showed that his sperm count was normal but the mobility was low. Was it because he did not release it for too long, it became tadpole already? Or was it because he was sick that time? We didn't get an answer for that.....for Doc questioned him not releasing it too long *blush* As for me, the blood clog was not as big and visible as last time. He proceed to prescribed me a fertility medicine (RM77.50) to increase my chances of getting pregnant but I was doubtful to consume it, not at this moment...we have better plan.

So off we went to BM to see this new Dr. G. He shared a few cases of infertility that he successfully treated, and we were very impressed. He did the usual gesture, the 'bong mek' (finger to palm pulse reading). He then examined my eyes and palm. He said I was too stressed, easily stress to be exact. He also examined Hubs. What he said was actually making sense to us. In order to get a healthy baby, we have to get our body healthy first. He prescribed us a week medicine (RM166) to get our body up to tiptop condition. But then our body was not in good state. Hubs has been sick for more than a week, and if that is not bad enough, he infected me too. We shall see how after we continue to consume the chinese med, instead of the western med now.

Danger of Vitamin A & E during pregnancy

2008-10-29T22:54:00.000-07:00

A small excerpt I took while reading up info on http://www.pregnancy-info.net/ I thought it is good to share with others what Vitamin A & E are all a bout when in pregnancy.

"Vitamin E and Pregnancy
A new research study points out some possibly harmful effects of Vitamin E, stating that high intake of Vitamin E (over 1,500 IU) promotes oxidative damage, which damages cells and speeds their aging process. This could lead to heart disase and cancer. Critics of the recent study say the study is "making something out of nothing for the sake of headlines". Researchers behind the study say that you usually get enough Vitamin E in your diet and taking Vitamin E capsules may be more than you need.

Vitamin A and Pregnancy
Another vitamin that pregnant women shouldn’t overdue it on is vitamin A. In certain forms, this vitamin has been linked to an increased risk in birth defects. There are two forms of vitamin A – betacarotene and retinol. Retinol vitamin A, the type that is found in certain foods like liver, is thought to be dangerous during pregnancy and therefore should be limited to no more than 3,300micrograms per day. Vitamin A in betacarotene form is thought to be safe but discuss the issue with your health care provider to be sure. And if you are taking fish-oil supplements, pay attention to what part of the fish the supplement is produced from.
Any fish supplement that is made from a fish’s liver, like cod liver oil, contains vitamin A in retinol form and therefore should be limited. Supplements that are not derived from fish livers are less likely to have vitamin A in retinol form, but you may want to look for supplements that are specially made for pregnant women to be on the safe side. "

Freebies

2008-09-30T03:06:00.000-07:00

You know how one said that getting the little one to listen to music helps their growth and makes him/her more alert. Well some angel just provided this url for us to download for FREE. And I'm going to be an angel too, spreading this to all of you. Here you go:

http://www.munchkin.com/information_station/downloads.html

Right brain, left brain

2008-09-30T00:18:00.000-07:00

I found http://brillbaby.com website and read up a little. It stated that, "up to the age of three and a half – small children perceive the world largely through the dominant right hemisphere of their brain (the left hemisphere becomes increasingly dominant thereafter)."

I truly enjoy the website as it has so much information in how to train the child even before he/she was born. As soon as I found some interesting article relating to toddler learning or prenatal learning, I immediately send IM to my sisters (one with a child aged 7 months, another one preggy for 2 months). Now they are hooked too.

What Are Right Brain Teaching Strategies? from hslda.org

2008-09-11T00:27:00.000-07:00

I am amazed at how many studies have been done to find out the strength of each side of brain.

Do you know that we mainly stored all learning materials in our right brain, for it functions as a long-term memory storage? Basically what ever that we learned will automatically put into left brain, short-term memory storage. Then it was transferred into right brain, without we even know about this. However, as hslda.org puts it, when the left brain methods of repetition (either orally or in writing) is not transferring to the right brain long-term memory storage unit, then we need to look at ways to make this transfer more efficient.

Excerpt from hslda.org
"Right brain teaching strategies involve using “visual Velcro” to easily memorize material. For example, if learning math facts through oral repetition, games, or writing them isn’t working, then by making little stories (not rhymes because these are auditory) with emotion, and adding picture and color to the math fact, the child finds that it is easy to recall. This is using an easy, inexpensive learning strategy that totally transforms how a child remembers something as important as math facts. This type of teaching applies to all areas of curriculum. "

One of the resources this website provide leads me to find diannecraft.org. This website do sells flashcard. I heard that flash cards make kids learning much effective and fun. I already plan to get one when my lil one comes around.

Right Brain Kids at Home - 7 Secrets to Teach Your Kids Life Skills Start From Right Brain Training

2008-09-10T22:38:00.000-07:00

I started to get to know about this left brain right brain children's training when I met this lovely girl while in Singapore attending a company dinner. She told me the center that she worked in, they started to train the kids from age 0 to 10 years max. It's harder to train children of more than 10 years old. The reason is their right brain might be asleep already if they did not receive any training before that. I'm starting to do a lil research on this kind of training, just as a preparation when I have one soon.

A search thru yahoo search engine, I found an interesting article by this lady, Jas Ng. She had written numerous article on child development. The article that I've read was "7 Secrets to Teach Your Kids Life Skills Start from Right Brain". Below are the important points I've gotten from this website.

Secret #1 Observation skills by visiting local art museums and watching art performance at art theater.

Secret #2 Creativity skills by playing games and toys with siblings or friends.

Secret #3 Social and communication skills with friends and siblings.

Secret #4 Self management skills.

Secret #5 Problem solving skills.

Secret #6 Learn to be patient.Let your child learn to be patient by using 'please wait..' or 'please queue...' methods.

Secret #7 Practice, practice, practice!Practice make perfect!

I reading up more articles on this kids development. I'll share more when I've time.

AV not that early

2008-05-29T18:13:00.000-07:00

Every month since TTC, I do not have the chance of doubting whether I have conceive or not. Why? That's because it will come first thing in the morning. However, today something unusual happen. I've been up for 3 hours and yet it shows no sign yet. Although I have said that I will not try this two months till after my Bali trip, who am I to kid? I couldn't help but secretly wish that maybe some miracle WILL happen somehow. I don't know, maybe I'm too obsess with the idea it's hard to put it aside. Maybe it's still too early to say anything. There was once it was delayed by a day. So I guess it I will have to either wait a few more days (anxiously) or get the disappointment at the very TODAY.

update: one hour after I wrote this post, it started to give me red signs. somehow I still feel a pinch of disappointment. I consoled myself saying I can still go for my Bali trip

Stop for a while

2008-05-20T18:54:00.001-07:00

The reason I had not updated this blog for so long...mainly is because I had something else in hand that needs my fullest attention. Apart from this, it was also because we will be heading to Bali in July. Thus we decided to stop trying for this moment. If we happen to hit the jackpot without trying so hard, as we did for the past few months, it will be a bonus. But then, if the jackpot strike, that only means we will have to cancel our trip which we had almost paid for everything, plane ticket and hotel stay. We had been planning for this trip for almost half a year, with me doing most of the research and booking if not all. This will also be our honeymoon trip. Not only will we not have honeymoon trip if I actually conceive, it will also means that it's impossible for the future.

We shall see in a week or two times if my 'Aunt' still miss me and pay me a visit then.

Dreaming of you, lil one

2008-04-24T01:08:00.000-07:00

Three nights ago, I had a dream but I couldn't remember the much details. All I remember was there was pregnancy involved. It was a baby girl in the tummy but I totally couldn't recall who is the mother. Suddenly on yesterday morning while I was on my way to office, the whole dream became clearer. It was a conversation between me and Sis who just gave birth two months ago. I was excitedly telling her my unborn baby is a girl and I can dress her up in pretty things. She will be so adorable...bla bla bla...

Yes, I had a dream of my baby. I was so happy she gave me that dream. I know she's somewhere near and is eager to meet me too. I know she could sense my love. She will be a healthy and happy baby, full of love and care from everyone around her.

A date with Doc.

2008-04-19T18:40:00.000-07:00

I did something a couple would think of doing after many failed mission. Although mine was just 2nd attempt, I consulted a gynea on my fertility. Yes, I know 2 times is not enough, but I want to make everything clear so that I can be at ease knowing I'm not a barren. Sis did that a few months ago after failing to conceive for nearly a year. Her result was positive, she's in good condition BUT...a big BUT the problem lies in BIL. Apparently, his sperm count was unbelievably low. Ok, if they had gone for the check up much earlier, then they would have done something much earlier too, to solve this problem. As a precaution, me and Hubs went for the check up too last weekend, so equipped with questions I went to see her doctor.

I don't know what's the big deal but I was trembling outside while waiting for my turn. I wanted to do pap smear like my sis, since everything will be charged to Hubs company. But Doc said our 6 months attempts (I lied to him ;p) only started, it was not necessary. It started with me going into the bed section with Nurse asking me to take off my pants and underwear as she held a piece of cloth (for me to cover up later) while she looked on. After lying on the bed and Nurse closed up my lower abdomen, she shouted "Ready". Then Doc came in and started applying the liquid on my tummy. He did what I saw on movie, the ultrascan checking for baby I guess. He proceeded to check my 'inside', sticking a penis like plastic after squirting a massive amount of lubricant. Yet, I was still painful and actually tensed up while making, "Argh..Ouch" sound every time that thing moved. It's so shameful when Doc asked me to put my butt down so that he can continue *blush* I don't know what he put in after that but I saw the screen showing my uterus. The I saw a black round ball, which I still don't know what it was till today. Doc measured the thing from the screen and walah! He's done. I cleaned up and went outside to hear his result. Was everything normal? Is there anything wrong with my tummy? Thank god he said all is fine. So now it's up to Hubs to do the sperm count. Too bad he can't do it that day as the test requires him to store up his champion for at least 6 days. He will have to go back again if he wants to do it. Another good news, my egg was on its way. I asked Doc on the calculation of ovulation since from the last post, I mentioned that some will have ovulation as early as day 6 and I suspected mine was not day 14 due to my spotting. Here's how he taught us to calculate.

Ovulation day = Next menses - 2 weeks
Fertility period = 5 days before till 5 days after ovulation
What to do? = sex on alternate days

Also, I did asked Doc on the spotting, what caused it to happen and all those. He said he noticed a lining growth inside just now which explain the spotting. As I did not mentioned it earlier, he was not able to checked further. If it still occurs and disturb my daily life, I could opt to have it taken out thru a minor surgery (poking a hole in my body? eww...) Not to worry, it will not affect the conceiving or cause any harm to body, just annoying it always stain my underwear and pants. Nowadays I wear panty liner but somehow it also overflow and stain a lil. Never mind, as long as my fertility is confirmed good, I'm more than happy.

Spotting??

2008-04-17T00:59:00.000-07:00

I read somewhere about spotting during pregnancy and stuff and was thinking to myself. I had that almost every month, every time it occurred in between the monthly menses and the next menses. In simple words, it happened sometime near ovulation. Not exactly on the 14 day but more to a week or so before that. Today, I did some research on the cause of spotting for menses and found this Andorra Pediatrics. Well I'm sure what this thing has to do with pediatric but I find that it's something we need to know.

"At about day 14 of a typical 28-day cycle, the sac bursts and the egg leaves the ovary, traveling through one of the fallopian tubes to the uterus. The release of the egg from the ovary is called ovulation. Some women know when they are ovulating, because at mid-cycle they have some pain - typically a dull ache on either side of the lower abdomen lasting a few hours. Some women also have very light bleeding, or spotting, during ovulation. "

This explain everything. Previously, I was confused as why am I experiencing period twice a month. When I asked my friends, they said it was probably due to stress. As that time I was stress up bout my workload, I just accepted it. But then it occurred more often that it rings the alarm bell. Now every doubts are cleared but there is still one slight problem. It says that spotting is due to ovulation and mostly around 14 days. Mine was more likely to start on day 7-10, on and off till day 14. So what does that mean? Was it normal? I read so many e-info saying ovulation will be on day 14. According to one article on Parents.com,

"A woman’s fertile days are usually the day of ovulation and the four of five days before, not after. But don’t assume that you automatically ovulate on day 14 of your cycle: A study last fall from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences found that ovulation varies dramatically from woman to woman, occurring as early as day 6 and as late as day 21 of a cycle."

Now, isn't it something new? I mean, now I know one of the reason I've failed twice. Probably, mine occur not exactly on day 14 although my menses is mostly on time (27, 28, 29 days cycle).

Here's something to cheer myself up...

Mission failed

2008-04-06T23:37:00.000-07:00

I woke up early yesterday to go for a morning pee but little did I realise, that was the time I had to say hello to my menses. Yes, it decided to visit me a day earlier to end my misery waiting. The moment I saw it came, I was in the state of denial. Was it just spotting? Was it something else that had happened? I went back to sleep hoping it was just a dream. Later of the day, I started to have the menses cramp it was so bad I actually thought of the possibility of miscarriage. I don't want to accept the fact that the little one is not there yet. I was terribly disappointed I could say. Hubs just soothes me saying it will come soon. I really don't know.
Now I'm really into believing all those superstitious thingy. Some said to place a pair of baby shoes by the bedside. Some said to get the baby pictures hang in the bedroom. I even bought the wishing bird and hung it outside to get my little wish for little one. Since it was Cheng Beng, I even sincerely asked for the ancestor to provide addition to our family when I prayed to each of them. We bought a pair of cute super tiny shoes for our unborn. Ain't this cute? A friend comment on the boyish look and jokingly asked if I wish for a baby boy. I thought it look unisex and no matter which come first, truthfully I don't mind anymore and will love my baby whole-heartedly. I just hope baby will know Daddy and Mommy are waiting eagerly for the arrival.

2nd trial

2008-04-04T01:19:00.000-07:00

3 days to go till my next menses. I'm very anxious as I'm writing this. Well a lil bit dizzy for the whole day in fact. Today I woke up feeling dizzy and slight nauseous after drinking my cereal. It never happen before, so the first thing I thought was, "Is this the pregnant symptom?". Of course it's too early to tell. Anyhow also I will have to see if my menses will come next week or not. I don't want the early excitement only to turn it into disappointment later on. If you had followed my blog, you would have realised this is the second month I'm trying. I kept telling myself that dizziness is so common and I'm used to it. But at the same time I couldn't help wanting to go and take a test with Clearblue. All this while, I believe that I'm an easy conceiver but due to Sis case, it made me think twice. I totally don't want to give Hubs another false hope. I don't know, probably I'll go and find those Clearblue he bought last time when my menses was late for a day. Wish me luck that my menses will be late for another 9 months ;)

Just passed 14th day

2008-03-24T17:56:00.000-07:00

I used the technique I mention earlier; i.e. 11th, 13th, 14th......now into 16th day, I'm not sure if we can make it. Hubs is down with food poisoning and gassy tummy. Hopefully he's well tonight ;) Hubs is down, FIL is going for cataract removal, so today I need to fetch FIL from hospital after work.

I read somewhere else about the method on conceiving. It says to do it on 4 days on your ovulation. Start a day before the 14th and continue till 4 days later; i.e. 13th, 14th, 15th and 16th. Well, I don't know who to follow now. So if I fail this month, I shall try it next month.

Not only 14th day

2008-03-17T00:02:00.001-07:00

I was so shocked to learn a silly mistake I've made. A few days ago while chatting with two friends who are about to get married, the topic on conceiving was brought up. According to them (well, they are more versed than me..shame on me), although 14day is the ovulation day, one must have already started trying before that. There is a calculation, 2 times before with a gap of one day and 2 times after, with a gap of one day also; i.e. on 11th, 13th, 14th, 16th and 18th.Whoops! So many times!! Previous trial, I made Hubs keep his champion for almost a week before they are allowed to meet the eggs. I wonder if they have turned to tadpoles already or have actually died even before they see the world. I'm on 8th day now, so we will start 2nd trial in another 3 days. Wish me luck again!

Mission failed....retry in another 14days

2008-03-09T17:47:00.000-07:00

Yes, my period finally came this morning after much awaited over the weekend. Actually I was hoping it will disappear for the next 10 months but sadly, it miss me so much it pays me a visit exactly on the 28th day. Guess we have to make more effort on this. After seeing my eldest sis and SIL trying so hard and still did not show positive result, I'm a bit worried.

Probably I should not have think of wanting it so badly that it affect the result. I always hear people saying the more the wanted for a child, the harder they can get it. But as soon as the stop trying, Pop! There comes the lil one. It's kinda hard to not think of it when you wanted it so badly. Hopefully the law of attraction will help me out this time.

The 13 rules of safe pregnancy exercise

2008-03-07T06:07:00.000-08:00

Hey, I found a better website that equip me with the rules to safe excercise for expecting mum. So I'm sharing them with you here. Before that, I'll like to show how beautiful a pregnant lady can be. Ain't she gorgeous? I mean all this while she is a hot babe, but now with the growing tummy, she's a hot mama. I wish I can be like that too when I have my growing tummy....with lil one inside (not just tonnes of fat...)

Exercise has great benefits, but during pregnancy you need to approach it with extra caution. Whether you're a regular exerciser looking to continue your regime during pregnancy, or a former couch potato looking to get moving, follow these 13 rules to keep yourself and your baby safe. The 13 golden rules are :

1. Check with your healthcare provider first
2. Take in extra calories
3. Steer clear of dangerous sports
4. Wear the right clothes
5. Warm up
6. Drink plenty of water
7. Don't lie flat on your back
8. Keep moving
9. Don't overdo it
10. Don't get overheated
11. Get up from the floor slowly
12. Cool down
13. Make it a habit

You can get all those info stated above by either clicking on the link or get them at babycenter.com

Excercise for Pregnant mom

2008-03-06T16:55:00.000-08:00

I was busy searching for suitable excercise yesterday. Yoga seems to be fine but there must be pregnant yoga right? Something on what I found..

Everything you need to know to safely stay in shape during your pregnancy here

The Expectant Mother here

I stumnle upon this too when I was browsing thru.

What should I eat during pregnancy? here

Looks like I shall not use 'eating for two' to get all the yummy food into my tummy and to suffer after the birth ;p Everywhere I read, they seems to be stressing on the goodness of folic acid. Here's a lil fact I got from the website.

During the first three months of pregnancy (and preferably before becoming pregnant) a woman needs folic acid. This is one of the B-group vitamins and is also known as vitamin B9. It is important during pregnancy for the creation of the baby's nervous system. Folic acid can help prevent neural tube defects such as spina bifida and other congenital malformations such as cleft palate or cleft lip. Good natural sources of folic acid are barley beans, fruit, green vegetables, orange juice, lentils, peas and rice.

So folic acid be it. I'm going to hunt them down starting from now...

A date with Hubs

2008-03-05T19:03:00.000-08:00

As I've mentioned here two weeks ago, my date with Hubs was very predictable. He tried to kept it a secret but I managed to guess it even before he told me...hehe...no much of a surprise. From our wedding, we had a voucher for 2day1night hotel stay. We has procrastinate it for so long it is near expiry date. So he called up our hotel coordinator and booked ourself a bridal suite. He also planned the dinner to be at our favourite restaurant, Ingolf. Although not much of a surprise and the room was quite old, however we still enjoyed ourself very much.

Hubs made all the preparation.....to make a baby. Coincidently, it was also my ovulation day. Hubs kept his champion (as he calls them ;p) in quality AND quantity. He added coffee for the 'sprinter' right before. We had read so many articles and heard numerous advice from friends who are successful on the food to take, the day to choose, the position to be in, etc. So that two days went on very well and now, I'm waiting for it to be confirmed this weekend. Wish me luck!

Baby nephew's new name

2008-02-19T05:14:00.000-08:00

I bet this over excited daddy is ficker minded. Baby nephew's name has changed again. But this time is for real. He's no more Yih Xuan. His official name is Yih Khye. The first time I heard from his mummy (my sis), it sure does sound like chicken (in cantonese) to me. Well, it's nice in chinese but doesn't sound so sweet in English or BM. Sis has been looking for several option to spell 'khai' to make it look modern and nice, namely 'kye', 'kai'. At last they settled for 'Khye', taking from part of their name, 'kh' from his and 'ye' from hers. Now that the name is finally down in the birth cert, the ficker minded daddy has no say anymore.....hehe

My name is...

2008-02-10T03:47:00.000-08:00

Oh btw, baby nephew got his name already. Initially sis wanna name him Jaydon (translate it into chinese). However, singseh scolded her hubby for giving him such a girlie name. So now he has name is Yih Xuan.

Welcome aboard, Yih Xuan!

Baby nephew

2008-02-10T03:38:00.001-08:00

Today was the first time I held him in my arm. He was so tiny compare to my body, so fragile I hesitated awhile to hold him. Although the fengshui singseh has confirmed that this lil cutie is a mickey mouse instead of a piggie, I couldn't help but noticed that he inherited a few character of a piggie. First, he drinks his milk so quickly. Seems so tam chiak- like a piggie. Second, he loves to sleep. No matter how loud you talk or how hard you try to wake him up, he won't give a damn- just like piggie. Probably he will have both the goodness of a piggie and also a mickey mouse.

Godson Ben

2008-02-10T03:34:00.001-08:00

We had a blast of fun time with Ben today. He came over around 10am and we proudly wore him the gold pendant and chain we bought for him yesterday. He looked so adorable. Am a proud mommy now ;p Hubs brought him to our room and he enjoy doing somerslut on our bed, turning to the left, then to the right and left again. He repeated so many times and everytime was accompanied by his cute giggles. It really melt my heart to see him so click with us. I'm telling you we will have many more great times together....

Baby nephew progress

2008-02-09T06:12:00.000-08:00

See my baby nephew progress on http://chocmud.blogspot.com/2008/02/baby-nephew-progress.html

I'll post his pictures when I get back my digicam from my sis. Be patient ya!

My piggie godson

2008-02-09T05:33:00.000-08:00

Good news. I'm going to be mummy now. Well, not really a real one.....just a godmom to Hubs cousin's son, Ben. This lil chubby is also a piggie, a total of 24 years younger than me. Now I feel like a grown up....hehe...Hubs totally love him a lot, everyone sees it thru his eyes when he played with Ben. Coincidently, Hubs and his cousin was really close during younger age. They went to kindie together. While his cousin got Most Obedient Child Award two year in a row, Hubs was the naughty one, crying the moment MIL left him, pee in the pants, etc. We had such a good laugh when they were recalling the kiddos stories. Then the question pops up. Would we like to have Ben as godson? Hubs jump up excitedly to this idea. Actually he has already told me his intention when we were on the way to their house for visiting. So here we are, ascending to another level in a year. First, from single to married, then to being uncle/aunt, now to goddad/god mom. What a wonderful year.

Tomorrow we will officially be the goddad/godmom. Cousin will bring Ben to our house and pay respect to the god. We had even bought Ben a gift to signify our new relationship. It was a gold mystic knot pendant with gold chain. Wish him a great life and wonderful relationship with us.

Baby nephew has arrived

2008-02-05T20:58:00.000-08:00

That lil cutey is suppose to due on March but he just feel so excited over Chinese New Year, he can't wait to get out. My sis water bag leaked on Monday, just almost office hour. She was rushed to hospital and being admitted for a night for observation. They was still suspecting only that time. Doctor confirmed and she was to deliver the next day, which is Tuesday. Sis wanted a mickey mouse but turned out to be piggy, 2 rounds younger than this piggy (me!). She actually told the doctor to wait but doc's advise is to get him out as the water will be gone soon. After that, it will be infection and the baby might not survive. She was put on medication for the 'hole' to open up but sadly, after two doses and numerous unbearable pain, it won't bulge a bit. Mom and Dad waited till 3am this morn but when home empty hope.

Doc came this morning at around 9am, sent her straight into labor and c-sec her. Poor thing. Pain all night but still have to be cut. Anyway, I'm going to meet my lil nephew for the first time later. Oh, my heart is full of joy. He will be our first grandson to my family, and a first great grandson to my only grandpa.

Another 7 months

2008-01-23T19:46:00.001-08:00

I just had my HepB last Tuesday, which is two days ago. According to Doc, it's safe to conceive even when you are getting the injection. However if I'm worried, then I'll have to wait. The first question come into mind is how long? Well, after the first dose, the second dose will follow the a month after that. Then the 3rd dose, which is also the last will have to be 5 months after the 2nd one. So? If you do the calculation, I only can start conceiving AFTER July. In this case, it's another 7 months. Gosh! So long.

I was already planning for either a Mickey or Minnie. Now I can only go for Moomoo Cow. This actually enable us to proceed with our honeymoon trip to Bali which we was discussing whether to forgo earlier. I don't know if it's a good news or a bad one.

Since I have 7 month to go, I'll concentrate more on finding info for the expenses of a newborn. Hopefully with this, we can work our way to achieve better when the time comes.

mom2ashey.com/blog is gone

2008-01-23T19:01:00.001-08:00

I don't know what happen but I can't access my favourite website, mom2ashley.com/blog. Everytime I entered the URL, the wordpress will ask me to key in my username and password. I did but it failed. Isn't it suppose to be made available to all instead of just wordpress members? Anyway, I am one but still...I could not access. I really want to read it. The posts keep me alert on the growth of the baby, from fetus to now a 2++ missy. I miss them so much!!

Am I ready?

2008-01-21T06:16:00.000-08:00

Conversation after conversation, Hubs queries bout my readiness to have a baby we could call our own. Previously, I have been wanting to have one, then changed my mind about it due to some reasons and wanting it again. So it's normal for Hubs to get a confirmation. Initially we planned to have our honeymoon in Bali somewhere on July. But if following the calculation to have a Mickey or Minnie Mouse (born in year of rat), we have to try from say....Now? I wanted to go to Bali, really. But as time passed, my eagerness is not that strong anymore. I felt that Bali is just a place to see the ancient stuff and since I'm more of a bargain hunter, there will not be much for me to hunt there. Maybe I can ease my thirst of photographer but that is not the priority. I know Hubs will be eager to go for this holiday. First, he felt that he has not taken me to honeymoon since our wedding and this should be the one. Second, his buddies will be joining in so they will have a great time. I've heard and read somewhere that the first few months of conceiving is the most critical months. So it's better to stay at home and take care of the tummy.

What should I do? To go for the trip even if I will be pregnant by that time? Or cancel the trip and wait for it to happen at home?

Another 3 months

2008-01-16T22:47:00.000-08:00

I can't keep it secret anymore. Yes, I want baby. But now is still not the time yet. Why? Cause I wanted something else before I can have the baby. Well, I'm going to correct my vision tomorrow. Upon consultation with the doctor, she told me it's advisable to try to conceive only after 2 to 3 months after the operation. The operation will not affect the fetus, but the hormone change due to pregnancy will affect the vision. Some will experience an increase in power during pregnancy and go back to normal after delivery. Thus, the doctor's advise is that to let the vision stabilise after the operation before trying to conceive. So, another 2-3 months before I can start. Erm...that's not the only factor that will delay it I guess. As I have ZERO HepB immune antibody, I'm suppose to get one. So if I were to get one now, how long will I have to wait? Well, we'll know after I consult doctor next week. Sigh....

Alkaline=baby girl, Acidic =baby boy

2008-01-08T05:31:00.000-08:00

The other day I was talking to Hubs over dinner and the issue on choice of baby crept up. Mrs So and So told him that to get a baby boy, one has to take more acidic food. Not knowing what is consider acidic food, he happily explain acidic=seafood, meat..bla...bla...bla. What's on the 2nd onwards was totally ignored by me. Hearing saefood was like hearing, "you got yourself a free vacation package". For one, I'm an extreme seafood lovers. So getting to know that seafood is good for getting baby boy, I'll be the happiest lady on earth. However, Hubs totally spoilt my fun when he said that it's him that was suppose to get acidic food, not me. Hey, this is NOT FAIR! I blantly told him, I don't care. I want seafood...haha...He couldn't do anything about it, so he suggested we take it together. Yeah!

I've heard from my sister of this alkaline and acidic food for mother who want to conceive. But I didn't remember which is which. Immediately when we came home, I went online to search for more info.

It says that if you want a baby girl, the husband has to eat more alkaline food while the wife eats more acidic food. On the other hand, if you want a baby boy, it's vice versa. As I said, acidic food consist of seafood, meat, and alkaline food are vegetables, fruits, egg white, milk, algae.

I will take all those alkaline food but don't make me give up on the acidic food, especially not seafood.

Predict the sex of your baby

2008-01-06T05:18:00.000-08:00

As I was searching for the remedies to choose the sex of a baby, I came across a chart by this website, Lil Venture . It was stated that the accuracy of the chart has been proved by thousands of people and is believed to be 99 percent accurate. I am not so sure of the accuracy as calculating from my preggie sister month of conceiving, hers was suppose to be a baby girl. However, numerous scanning has proven otherwise. Well, I could only guess she is the minority 1 percent. This could be used as a reference for those who are trying hard to get a certain sex after trying for so long.

Up to come is regarding the food one should take to have higher chance of determining the sex before you conceive. Stay tune.

First step

2008-01-06T04:21:00.000-08:00

It’s a big decision for us to set a date to start trying for a baby. It fills us with excitement as well as fear. Questions keep popping into our head, will we be good parents? What if we can’t become pregnant? And most importantly – how an earth do we go about conceiving a baby? (It’s harder than it seems) The Ovulation calculator can predict exactly which days I am fertile over the next year so we can plan that romantic weekend! Having a few friends and relative trying hard to conceive but failed did not make this easy for us. We know the frustration and stressfulness on trying for a baby, and finding out you’re not pregnant. That's why I'm getting myself arm with sufficient information and increase them from time to time. Hope this will be useful info for others who are on the same track as us.

How does it take to get pregnant?

The length of time it takes to get pregnant is completely different for each couple, and while your health, lifestyle, age and when you decide to start trying for a baby are factors to consider, how long it takes is a lottery for most couples. It’s worth remembering that if you have regular intercourse without protection, 25 per cent will conceive in the first month, 60 per cent within six months, 75 per cent within nine months, 80 per cent within a year and 90 per cent within 18 months.

It goes without saying that the healthier you are, the more likely you are to conceive. One of the common reasons for infertility is your weight. Being overweight may cause insulin levels to rise in your body, which may cause your ovaries to over produce male hormones such as testosterone, which can cause ovulation problems.Studies from the British Medical Journal found that women with a high waist to hip ratio or an ‘apple’ shape had more difficulty conceiving than those with a low waist to hip ratio or a ‘pear shape’. If you are too thin, your body can also stop ovulating, so it is important to maintain a healthy weight. It is important to start eating a healthy, varied diet at least three months before you try to conceive so your body (and your partner’s) is in tip top shape.

Other factors may be the work environment. Both men and women can be exposed to unseen hazards in the work place, which can affect their reproductive health. Your office probably looks harmless, but it may be time to pay attention to the potential hazards surrounding you while you work. Most offices are completely safe, so there’s no need to panic, but it’s worth investigating your office environment if you suspect you or people in your office are finding it hard to conceive.

Computers Office equipment like fax machines and computer terminals emit a low frequency radiation, so too much exposure can pose a risk. Try to stay clear of the back of your monitor, as this is where most of the radiation is emitted. Arrange your desk so you are not facing the back of anyone else’s computer whilst you work. Push your screen back as far as it will go on your desk (as long as you can still see) and avoid taking breaks or eating your lunch near the back or side of your terminal, or turn your computer off if you do.

Poor ventilation from dirty heating or air-conditioning systems can be harmful so speak with your employer or human resources department if you suspect the system needs to be checked.

Chemicals Direct contact with toxic chemicals, often those associated with photocopiers and printers can cause a problem, especially if you work somewhere that manufactures these products. If you work in hospitals and are exposed to dangerous chemicals, or on farms where you come into contact with pesticides or pollutants it may also affect your fertility. Read the instructions carefully when dealing with chemicals and always use the correct dosage.

High temperatures are especially dangerous for male fertility, as working in conditions over 100 degrees will affect sperm production. Kitchens, restaurants, bakeries and factories can get this hot, so make sure you take regular breaks in a cooler environment.

Sitting still for long periods of time at a desk, or long-distance driving can also affect sperm production, as the testicular area can warm up if air isn’t circulating around it. Give yourself plenty of breaks where you can walk around, and don’t wear tight trousers. Having a hot laptop on your lap does much the same thing, so put a pillow underneath to protect yourself. Testicles hang below a man’s body so are at a lower temperature than the rest of the body, but if conditions get too hot, the production of sperm is at risk.