@ 31 weeks

Just came back from review.
Hmmm... on another 2 weeks MC

Dr Tham mentioned that:
1) My baby is low
2) the cervix is abit short from the scan
3) the cervis is abit open and soft (from the finger examination)
And since i'm still experiencing contractions even with medication, he thinks that I should be rested at home, minimise any walking, have someone with me all the time in case i go into labour, and call for an ambulance if i'm in labour as my baby will be premature.

All these sounded pretty scary and serious....

What's more.. Dr Tham will be on leave from tomorrow onwards and returning only on Dec 13. I pray pray pray very hard that i will not go into labour when he's not around....

So it looks like rest rest and more REST is what i need to keep baby within me...

Head Circumference - 29.5cm

Abdominal Circumference - 27.3cm

Thigh bone length - 6.2cm
Estimated weight is therefore 1.95kg

Heartbeat - 150bpm

3D pictures of baby:

This one look like she's crying...

This is a nicer picture of her

Oh my... she has daddy's nose

and mummy's mouth

I pray she has daddy's eyes :)

Mummy @ 31 weeks

Some pictures of me at 31 weeks

My tummy's not considered huge...

but i wonder howcome i have such difficulty walking normally

Little Tigger... Bday pressie from QF

Can't help taking this picture

Daddy tends to talk thru my belly button treat it like a microphone

I "heart" my baby :)

Still MC at home....

Still on MC... its really hard to "Nua" my day away... feel so bored !!!!

I hate some of the changes to my body recently.
1) I have short spans of breathlessness.. esp when i just lie down
2) I can't walk too fast / too far
3) I can't bend down from my waist.. gotta bend my knees
4) When i'm on my knees, i have difficulty standing up
5) I have difficulty turning in bed

But one change i enjoyed is..... I could feel alot more baby kicks :)

This morning at 730am, i woke up to take medicine. After getting back into bed, baby starting her "morning exercise".. hahhaha.. was twisting, turning, kicking, punching.... i could see like she was doing somersault inside my tummy.... my tummy was stretched and dancing in all directions... What an active rascal !!!!

Quickly took hubby's hand and hubby felt the movements...

Its such an amazing feeling :)

Not feeling good....

I'm not feeling good..

Can't sleep well cos i have to wake up almost every 2 hours to take various kinds of medicine.... 12am, 2am, 4am, 6am, 10am, 12pm, 2pm, 6pm, 8pm... That's the number of times i have to take medicine in a day....

And i don't know why my legs are super wobbly.... felt like i just ran a 10km marathon (though hubby keep asking how i know since i've neva ran a marathon before).....
The medicines are also giving me a headache... and this reminds me of the headache i had when i was in first trimester....

Geez... 2nd trime is really the honeymoon period... once i reach 29 weeks, horror starts again :(

I just hope that the review with Dr Tham on Wednesday will give me the all clear... I don't wanna be admitted again, and i am looking forward to attend Pynk's wedding on 28th Nov...

Phew.. finally out from hospital...

Here's how the story goes:

Wed morning.. Woke up at 9am, and went toilet. Realise i had thick mucus with streaks of blood... recalled that it might be my mucus plug degenerating, but normally it only happens near to delievery. Was quite worried.. took breakfast, surfed the net for more info... And finally decided to call TMC hospital for advise. Well, they advised me to go to the hospital immediately.

Reached hospital around 12pm... was whisked into the labour room for tests... Coincidentally, my obstetrician was at the hospital. Therefore, he came round for a visit.. saw that i had blood, and was experiencing contractions... before i knew it, i was hooked on a drip, piled on with medications, had injection to mature the baby's lungs in case baby decide to pay an early visit...

Hubby was damn shock to see me after he found parking. I was on the hospital bed in hospital gown, strapped on a drip, and to all the monitoring equipment... and we thought that this was a normal review to make sure everything's fine...

At around 6pm, my contraction stabalised and i was sent to the normal ward for observation. Things were ok for the whole night...

The next morning (Thur), i had contractions again.. so that had to hook me up to the drip... the drip made me feel reallie horrible.. my heart was pounding and pounding so hard.. i felt breatheless and was gasping for air... my head was spinning... and my hands were trembling... The drip was around 4 hours.. imagine i had to suffer 4 hours... grrrrrrr.....

After the drip, i was put on medication again.. they need to make sure that the medications can control my contractions before they discharge me... after several more rounds of checking and checking, i was given the all clear to go home today (Fri)...

Had to rest at home for 2 weeks.... doc says he piled me with all available medications to stop contractions... I have to continue with the medication till i'm 34-35 weeks. Thereafter, if baby wants to come out, she is then more ready.. Now, what i can do is to rest more, eat well, and make sure baby stays inside me for just another 6 weeks at least...

Well 34-35 weeks is just 6 weeks time.. i can't imagine that i'm really going to see my precious soon....

@ 29 weeks.....

Went for our review today....

Baby's head is still high...

Baby is doing fine but mummy is not too good.

Been experiencing bouts of breathlessness....

And when i stand up after sitting down for long periods, i tend to lose some of my strength in my right leg and walk with a limp initially... need at least 30-40 steps to get the strength back...

Also, mummy's putting on weight "too" nicely as mentioned by doctor...

put on 9kg already... from 56kg to 65kg now... geeez.....
No wonder my legs felt like it'll give way anytime nowadays.....
And i have to sit when i change into / out of my bottoms....

Its not easy.... i have to endure... and i can't wait for January to come so that other ppl can help carry my "weight".....

Here are some pictures :)

Head Circumference - 259mm

Abdominal Circumference - 234mm

Thighbone - 53mm

Estimate weight - 1.3kg

Front profile (head squeezed beside my placenta)

Side profile (not too clear)

My first 3d picture

(i think resemble mummy w pouty lips)

Daddy speaks to Baby.....

Daddy in a very loving tone:
"Hello baby, how are you? I wonder how many hours you sleep a day? I wonder what you do during leisure?".....

Mummy:
"??????????????????????????"

@ Week 25

Had our review this morning...

Everytime during the review, the first thing that the Doc did is to check the baby's heartbeat.
This time, we had a initial shock as the heartbeat wasnt that regular and strong...

I could hear, bib bop bip bop.. *pause*.. bip bop.. *pause*...bip bop bip bop....

Was hoping that the irregular sound was due to the unstable position of the scanner cos maybe the baby is moving... but i saw that the pumping of the heart is actually not stable.. not the problem w the scanner..

And it didnt help that the doc took longer than usual to listen to the heartbeat... Anyway... eventually, the doc gave all clear and say that sometimes, this do happen... after a while, the heartbeat stabalised and i heaved a big big BIG sigh of relief !!!!!

Can't take this kind of stress u know.... Everyone, please keep me and my baby in your prayers...
My precious baby girl, please be strong, be healthy, grow well and u r the most impt thing in mummy and daddy's life now... JIAYOU !!!!

Here are some pictures.. not v clear though cos the baby's in a breech position.. Is upright rather than lying down....

The face: See the pointed chin :)

Head circumference
Thigh bone @ 4.3cm
Doc says should be abit longer..
Jialatt... short legs like me..

The heartbeat which nearly made my heart stopped..
Eventually stabalised at 139BPM

Stomach circumference

Baby's weighing approx 800-900 grams

Urgh.. then how come i already put on 6kg?

Kungfu baby in action @ 22 weeks

On Monday night.. i was rather worried... didnt feel any baby movements for the whole night, till tues morning...

On Tues night when i was in bed, i started talking to baby that its time that she gave me a kick so that i know she's growing well.. after a few minutes, I felt a little kick... i was elated... and told her she can kick and punch as hard as she wants... as long as its not too painful for me... heee..

And i knew that she could understand me... cos within a few minutes, she was performing acrobatic acts in my tummy !!! I could feel that she was facing inwards... as in i could feel movements deep in my tummy but couldnt see the movements... So i requested that she flip over and start kicking so that Daddy can see her movements...

Within 2-3 minutes, I could see my tummy moving.. immediately screamed for hubby to witness this and yes.. Its the first time that Daddy is able to feel and see her movements....

Baby, you've never failed mummy and i hope you will continue to grow well and listen to Mummy and Daddy :)

Kungfu Baby

I've been feeling baby movements for 5 weeks... the movements were most deep inside my tummy near my bladder / pelvic bones..

But today is the first time that i SAW my baby move... or rather, my belly move.
Was on the couch watching TV when i felt an exceptional strong kick/punch.
Quickly lifted up my blouse and i was very amazed to see my belly vibrating !!!

Screamed for hubby to come and witness this amazing sight... but then.. the movement stopped... *CHEY*...

I've noticed bigger and stronger movements recently and i'm glad that baby is growing well...
WELL DONE BABY !!!

Mummy and Daddy love u !!

@ 20 weeks

As you all can see from the change in the blog design……
YES !!! Confirmed we’ll have a princess next year :) we’re all so excited to be able to doll her up for CNY celebrations !!

Had our detailed scan yesterday, which covers the appearance, internal organs, blood vessels, amniotic fluids, skeleton… All seems fine..

I really believe that baby understands when I talk to her. When I first started the detailed scan, the radiologist said that baby is facing inwards, and if she doesn’t turn around, we might have to wait till she turns before we can complete the scan. When I recall the horrible wait we had during the OSCAR scan, I spoke to baby and told her to cooperate cos mummy doesn’t want to wait a few hours again…

Amazingly, after a few minutes, the radiologist said that she indeed flipped around!! And we’re thus able to complete the scan in 10 minutes or so… YIPPEE !!!… Baby, Mummy and Daddy are so proud of you.

Baby appears to know that she’s done very well this time… after the scan and throughout the day, she was kicking and moving excitedly inside my tummy…

Our baby is now 14cm..
Good growth for the baby and good growth for me as well.. in fact, I put on 5kg in 20 weeks… gosh !!!

And as requested by Ling.. here are a few horrible fat pictures of me…

@ 17 weeks

Today went for review... hoping to find out whether our baby needs pink or blue booties !!!
But, Doc says cannot confirm yet but higher chance that it'll be a girl~!!!

We're happy as long as she/he develops well and is healthy :)

Bad news is, I put on 2kg in a month... damn !!!
I should start watching my diet.... and start exercising ! Brisk walking in the evening...

Length: 11cm

Heartbeat: 146bpm

Skeletal face
My favourite picture: My baby sucking its own fingers :)

First Stretch @ Week 16

This morning..... the most amazing and wonderful thing happened....
My baby gave a big long stretch and i could feel a hard lump protruding !!

At around 230am, i was woken by what i though was a tummy cramp. When i felt my tummy, i was surprised to feel a hard lump at the right side of my tummy... it was a firm, palm-sized lump, and i could feel my tummy stretching.. I couldnt believe that it was my baby as i read that most 1st time mothers onli felt movement after 18-20 weeks, and i'm only at my 16th. After rubbing the "lump" for a few seconds while saying that i'm sorry baby must be very uncomfortable confined in such a small space, the lump slowly went down...

At around 530am, i was awaken by the same feeling and this time, the lump was to my left tummy. At this time, i was pretty sure that it must be my baby stretching. The feeling is so indescribable and the first thing i did was to call out for my baby... (the big one), my hubby.

I told a half-awake hubby what happened and he was laughing excitedly.. we were both very amazed that our baby is strong enough to give such a long and hard stretch !!! I'm really looking forward to more kicks and punches from baby :)

My pregnancy's been very "predictable"...
Whatever i read that may happen in a particular week, it will happen to me.
For instance:
1) Week 6 - Feel nauseas
2) Week 12 - Feeling of nausea will be almost gone
3) Week 13 - Energy levels will slowly increase
4) Week 14 - More transparent discharge and decreased frequency to urinate.
5) Week 16 - Skinny / non-first time mum will start to feel baby movements..

Which was why I was surprised to feel movement since i'm not skinny, and i'm a first time mum...

He's the man....

We always hear about how much people, or rather a mother go through to have a baby...
Morning sickness... abstaining from certain food... fatigue... carrying a 10kg+ load till full term... putting on weight, water retention, puffy face.. stretch marks... the list goes on and on...

However, for my case, i don't think i can go through my pregnancy without the man behind me... my hubby...

From the 6th week of my pregnancy, i've been hit by a bad case of morning sickness.. vomitted, felt listless, giddiness, headache, cramps, fatigue, disturbed sleep..... I was in a foul mood everyday, my best pal being the toilet bowl (for puking) and milo (no appetite for food)...

After my first trimester, things started improving.. i feel my energy level slowing coming back (though not fully) and i started to be more pleasant to be around (u wouldnt want to be near me during my 1st trime)..

During these few months, hubby's been extremely patient w me.. He's taken over ALL the housework... i can't do anything except maybe to wash a cup...

Every weekend, Hubby vacuum and mop the floor, wash, dry, and fold the clothes, clean the toilet, do all the dishes, make milo, and buy snacks and supper to fill my small appetite but frequent demands for food... He's such a good help and supported me everytime i feel horrible or is on the verge of pulling out my hair...

Hubby, I will let baby know how much effort u have put in to help me through this period... Thank you for being behind me always....

At 10 weeks - Baby's blood flow from placenta thru umbilical cord

At 10 weeks - Baby kicking

When i first saw this video, it nearly brought tears to my eyes...

All the morning sickness is worth it :)

At 10 weeks - See clearly - Baby's tiny heart is beating

Spotting.. yet again @ week 13

Had some spotting last evening..

Just back from seeing Dr Tham -
Warning that he gave is - any brown discharge / blood is NOT normal.
For 2nd trime, the worst case is the opening of the cervix which may cause miscarriage.
However, if found out early, it can be treated (hospitalisation required)

Therefore, he recommend that I stay in SG - Abstain from travelling by bus, coach, air... (I have a biz trip coming up next week).
And visit him for a scan everytime i bleed/ spot.

The bad news is, i have to continue eating the horrible hormorne pill that gives me headache and makes me nauseas.... geez....

Good news is, my OSCAR test result is out... everything is clear... risk of down syndrome is low.
So.. i've got to pray to god tonite that everything is good so far and hope things continue to improve as the pregancy progresses...

Oscar Test - Baby @ week 12

Today is the Oscar test (to test for possibility of down syndrome).

Didnt went very well initially:
1st scan - Baby not in the right position. Radiologist suggest that i fill up my bladder
2nd scan - Bladder bursting.. but baby is still not in the right position
3rd scan - I talked to baby and ask for cooperation... and.. finally....


Results:
Presence of Nasal Bone - GOOD
Average thickness of skin behind the neck - 1.5cm - GOOD...
Pending results for blood test but all seems well...

Statistics:
Heartbeat - Approx 150bpm
Length - Approx 6cm

Some images:

Sleeping comfortably in mummy's tummy

Length of Baby = 5.87cm

Prescence of Nasal Bone and Thickness of Skin behind the neck

Scan images

Baby at 9 weeks 6 days

2.98cm

Estimated due date on Jan 29,2011

Blood flow from Placenta, thru umbilical cord, to Baby

Heartbeat at 161bpm

Nearing the end of a Horrible 1st Trimester

Finally its 1 more week to the end of a horrible first trimester...

Summary timeline:

May 27 - First Appt w Dr Tham - Saw an empty Sac
June 03 - Started to feel nauseas and vomitted
June 11 - 2nd Appt w Dr Tham - Heartbeat at 120bpm
July 02 - 3rd Appt w Dr Tham Baby at 9 weeks 6 days - 2.98cm
Estimated Due Date - Jan 29, 2010