Our little girl

So I told Dr Paul our little girl's head is back up... and it was! Amazing how you managed to turn back up at 39 weeks almost immediately after he turned your head down. He said your had your reasons for turning back up.

He perform another ECV and instructed me to sleep on my right.
I asked whether it was an option to induce after doing an ECV.. Apparantly induction was a better option if my cervix was opened.. but.. sadly.. it was closed!

So we were thrown 3 options to consider.. Induction if your head is still down, vaginal breech or c-section breech.

See you in another 3 days Louise!

Overstayer

Where are you our little Louise? It's your estimated due date today.. mummy's tummy is soooooooooo stretched! Come out and say hi to us soon!

ECV by Dr Paul Tseng

Brought Colin to meet Louise via ultrasound scan at gynae's today.

Dr Paul Tseng usually don't scan towards the end of the pregnancy cause the appointments were just 1 week apart and really, there isn't much to see anyway.

But because Colin  was around, we decided to scan... only to find out that this little Louise managed to somersault in my tummy and got her head up against my ribs after 2 weeks of being head down! Her weight is quite impressive too @ 3.4kg (39 weeks). Her heartbeat was much faster time @ 160+. Her usual was 140+. I told hubs it's  because this girl knows she's gonna get caught for going back to breech position.

Dr Paul immediately check the location of everything (placenta, umbilical cord, baby position) and performed a External Cephalic Version (ECV) before I could ask "What's next?". He told me to inform him if it was too painful to bear. It did hurt, but bearable.. more like discomfort than anything else. At some point it was ticklish. :P He scanned again to confirm the location of head when done, and also listened to the heartbeat to ensure no distress. Cool.

I seriously recommend him to anyone who is pro-natural. Best Dr ever!!

The scales for me read 68.9kg.. My weight gain so far is almost 20kg.. where did all weight come from?!

Full Term with Little Louise

We are ready to meet you, little Louise! This was how mummy looked like with you @ 38 weeks. Dr. Paul Tseng said you have a pair of long legs.

Everything was up 1 size for this pregnancy. More nausea and hunger episodes. My tummy showed earlier and was bigger overall. Weight wise.. heavier! Was almost 66kg with Colin @ week 40, but already at 69kg with this little girl @ week 38. This time I could feel myself bloating up more as well; rings, shoes and clothes were tighter. I even outgrew some of my maternity dresses. :S Medical bills also went up cause I opted for 1 bedder this time round (didn't have a very peaceful experience the last time in 2 bedder), and gynae delivery fees were raised too due to increase in dr's insurance or something.

Amidst all the money spent (and will be spending), I'm thankful for a supportive husband who does his best to be there for me every appointment. Don't know how challenging having 2 kids will be for us but we'll get by somehow by God's grace. One step at a time!  :D

Our no. 2

We are halfway through our second pregnancy! Went for our detailed scan at Thomson Medical Centre this morning and confirmed that a girl is on her way~ Everything looked good so far.

My belly showed much earlier and weight climbed way faster this time. I wonder how much weight I will gain this time?? With Colin I weighed almost 66kg. AT 20 weeks today, I weighed........ 59,5kg. :S

Pray for a safe pregnancy and healthy girl! Thank you Lord for your grace and mercy. Amen!

Reminiscence

I'm in the midst of doing up a photobook for Colin's first year. Expect more upcoming flashbacks of his infant days which I missed so much!

This was mummy with Colin in her tummy. It was awesome being pregnant, I enjoyed every moment. :)

What was there to complain about having little morning sickness, no food cravings and aversions, no breakouts, no severe water retention, no sleepless nights, no frequent visits to the bathroom and no lack of energy.

The only worry I had was when Colin was in breech position at Week 34. After doing lots of "how to turn a breech baby" exercises, Colin finally turned, and came out naturally in Week 41, after 30 over hours of labour.

Cleaning day

I fell asleep at 9.15pm yesterday and ended up with a lot of energy to do work today!

2 rounds of laundry, cleaned 2 fans, de-fur the sofa, wiped and kept the vacuum cleaner for good, wiped some windows, bedside table, 2 bed head boards, packed service yard, wiped kitchen windows and table tops.

I'm tempted to wash 2 sets of bedsheets now.

4 hrs later, I continued with cleaning! Wiped more windows, changed and washed 2 sets of bedsheets.

Is this the nesting effect? Colin is estimated to be due today, but no signs of him coming out yet. Really like mummy! (I had to be induced cause I stayed in my mom's hotel past week 42, and came out weighing 3.85kg).

Colin is 3.4kg already! Come out soon! Everybody is waiting for your grand arrival!

Week 39 and counting

Time for our weekly appointment with Dr Paul Tseng again! Am thankful he's back from his 4 day getaway!

This time we didn't do an ultrasound scan since it's pretty much the same.

Dr Paul estimated baby to be around 3.2kg. Head engaged, back on the left. Not worried at all about me losing weight (64.5kg to 64.3kg) despite baby gaining a kg. He asked me to take a deep breath to see If Colin's heartbeat would increase (some natural reaction). So coool. Hehe.

The nurse said my sugar level was a bit high. I knew it was due to....

Yes! Awfully chocolate ice-cream the night before, at 10pm. Haha! Didn't drink much water after consumption.

Dr Paul said he could do nothing about the pain at my rib area - dear Colin, try not to place pressure there can? Advised to pop a pandadol if it gets unbearable (not considering this option).

So we are still waiting for Colin to greet the world.

Coconuts

First time buying coconuts! Will Colin greet the world after drinking these? :)

Mama Kam

Learnt 2 new things about my mum last Sunday when we bought newborn tie-front tops.

Kam: Mummy, what colour shall we buy?
Mum: White! I like babies to wear white.
Kam: Pink can?
Mum: No!!! Boys cannot wear pink. Girls can wear blue though.
Kam: ...............

Loot: 6 white tops and 1 blue top.

Hypnobirthing class

We've started our hypnobirthing class @ ParentLink. I won't go into details of the class, just check out their website. :)

Some pics of hubs having fun during class. hehe!

Acting emo.

How about mimicking the doll's pouting lips. haha! :P

35 weeks and counting

The bump is feeling heavier and it gets in the way. Sometimes hubs will accidentally hit my bump. Haha!

Went for appointment last week.
Kam's weight: 62.5kg
Colin's weight: 1.8kg
Head hasn't descend down.

We're thinking of changing gynae, back to Paul Tseng cause he's more pro-natural, opened to doulas and birth plans.

Michele Lee has been nice. Too bad our views on childbirth are too different. When I told her I wanted a natural drug free childbirth, she replied "Just have a taste of how contractions feel like for about 2 hours, then ask for the epidural". When I insisted, she went "we shall see on that day". Seriously?! Oh well.

Then during last appointment, she commented "Baby is still in breech position. If he doesn't turn by week 36, we'll have to schedule for c-sec on week 38". But there are babies turning in week 39, or even just prior to birth. What's with the rush? I've already indicated to her my plan to deliver naturally. At least advise us how we could get baby to turn or some other alternatives.

We made an appointment with Paul Tseng on 3 May. Dear Colin, please coorperate! :)

Week 33+

Hubs: Your bump is getting bigger!
Wifey: Grabs the measuring tape and measures baby bump.

40 inches!!

爱心日

Hubs prepared breakfast for me! He was such a sweetie for spreading margarine instead of butter, and placing a slice of cheese... :) I was really afraid he might prepare butter bread for me. Haha.

Then he surprised me with my all time favorite Ritz Strawberry Strudel after work.... and prepared mama milk for me before bedtime.

A day filled with lotsa love. :D

Updates on pregnancy!
32 weeks and hiccuping! Colin hiccups daily, anytime of the day - feels like a regular pulse from within.

My bump measured 39inches today. Hope we are gaining sufficient weight. I don't have much appettite lately. So hubs prepares mama milk for me to ensure I'm getting enough nutrients.

Colin starts fidgeting quite a bit whenever I lie on my back (so much more comfortable!), so I have to rest/sleep sideway. :)

We decided to do away with the doula package with Four Trimesters. This means we will deliver Colin together, as a team. :) I am still sourcing for hypnobirthing class though. If you ask me, yes, rooting for drug free natural birth. My birth plan is more or less fixed. Hopefully Colin coorperates by getting into the right position first! Be our good boy okay?

Looking forward to next appointment on 14 April, my 28th birthday!

30 weeks

Time to see baby Colin again!
I'm feeling a little affected after the visit. :( Gynae said I'm not gaining enough weight, and that baby's weight gain could be better. Am I not eating enough? :(( is this why I've been feeling more tired lately?
Anyway, weighing at 60.4kg, with bb Colin at 1.4kg (gained about 600g).
Gynae advised me to stop moving around. Go home and rest on sofa and bed so that more blood can go to baby - basically live like a queen. How to with so much chores? Nurse gave us all their Mamil mom's milk samples to boost my weight too.
Add oil! 2 more months to go! Happy mama = happy baby. Breathe!

27 weeks

Approaching the fast and furious phase! :D

Tummy has grown from 36 to 37.5 inches in just 2 weeks!

Stomach feeling tighter (which calls for some butter treatment).

Stomach getting heavier too, squatting down and getting up are getting challenging.

Bending forward to dry my long hair brings backache. (-__-')

Sharp increase in kick boxing sessions. Sometimes outwards sometimes inwards. Sensational. Stops when daddy places hand on tummy to feel.

Responds to Mozart's fast tempo piano pieces (ignores violin!).

I'm still enjoying every bit of our pregnancy. Thank you for bestowing us with a dear son.

Week 25 to 26

Last week of our 2nd trimester! Visited gynae today and was informed our EDD is 26 May instead of 1 Jun.


This time the staff gave me a namecard with emergency contact number, which just means there might be a need to call them anytime! I only want to dial that number once, which would be the delivery day itself. Hehe


Mama is doing well! Gained 9kg, jaw dropping 4kg since my last visit! Gulps.
Baby is doing well too! Weighs 863g, almost 500g gained since last checkup! Gosh! Amazing! No wonder my stomach ballooned so much this month.
My colleagues are beginning to discover that I'm expecting. Some are astonished to learn that I'm almost 6 months pregnant. Haha.


I'm trying to enjoy my last week of second trimester. This trimester flew by very smoothly. Lotsa energy, far away from nausea, and a growing bump. I hope third trimester will be kind to me too.


Our house isn't ready yet. Which meant we haven't got down to buying things for baby Colin. The only thing we purchased so far was a hot water airpot, 4 packets of Pampers Newborn diapers (sale! 2 pkts for $8.95) and 2 bubble mats.



The growing bump

Can't wait! :)

23 weeks 1 day - Braxton Hicks

"At 23 weeks pregnant, Braxton Hicks contractions may start appearing now. They are usually tightenings in your lower abdomen similar to menstrual cramps. These contractions may last from 15 seconds to one minute, keep track of them. You need to inform your doctor if they last longer than an hour or become more intense. Their purpose is to begin preparing your body for labor and birth." Source

I felt some mild cramps. Maybe I'm over sensitive? :) Baby's kicks are definitely getting more forceful. I wonder what his fingers are grabbing inside! My breasts have grown and my bump is at 35 inches. Wooooo.

I have past middle of 2nd trimester and still can't get used to being fussed over and observed by people around me.

A little good news. Big uncle Ong and mummy will be helping me with my 1 mth confinement cause the dragon year drove confinement charges up to SGD2800. Madness. That's one item off our to-do list.

Next will be preparing for Colin's arrival! Cant wait for our house to be ready. For now, familairising myself with baby item check lists gotten from internet.
http://www.babynames.org.uk/new-born-baby-checklist.htm
http://www.babynames.org.uk/shopping-list-for-a-newborn-baby.htm
http://ben-wakeling.suite101.com/essential-items-to-buy-before-your-baby-arrives-a195474

Light chasing

I read from somewhere baby can see light by now. And the article suggested interacting with baby by playing light catching game. The rule is simple - Shine the light at one area and wait for baby to catch (hit) it.

I tried it just mintues ago when baby was most active and he responded! He punched/kicked at the spot which I shone! Adorable! :))

22 weeks 2 days young

Happy birthday to everyone! The 7th day of Lunar New Year is called 'Ren ri', which means man's birthday.

Baby's heartbeat at 22w2d is 150 per minute, accompanied with lot of swishes and swooshes!

Colin has been punching and kicking quite a lot. Sometimes I get 10 kicks in less than 3 minutes. He responds when I poke him at the area he just punched/kicked. :)) Wish I could see what he is doing inside!

As for me, I have gained about 7kg. Energy level is back, no backaches, no leg cramps, no cravings, no food adversion... Immunity is down though! I've caught the flu bug twice in 3 mths, compared to once or twice in a year before pregnancy.

We've signed up for Doula Deluxe Package with Four Trimester by Ginny Phang. The package consists of 2 Prenatal Sessions; HypnoBirthing & Breastfeeding Group Classes; Birth Support; 3 Postnatal Visits.

I hope my birth plan materialises - all natural, drug free and no episiotomy. Baby Colin, we will have great teamwork with daddy cheering us on right? :)