Lets get serious

Putting my serious face on..(as if! :P)

So…let me share some of the info/knowledge I have earn throughout this pregnancy of mine (ecece..macam pandey gilak!)

Now, I will just share the ‘surface’…I am no expert…to know more, read and ask around and read some more…

1. Ultra-scan is actually bad for baby. The longest exposure our baby can be exposed to the scan is 15mins max per session (if I am not mistaken)…why? It might cause miscarriage in some mom…It might caused brain damage to some baby… it might be the reason why more and more babies born authistic…it might…so better be safe than sorry.

1. Bathing you newborn in warm water only can be bad for his/her bones…well..i’ve just read this from some mak bidan. I think there is truth behind this. The trick was to bath baby in warm water, then for the last rinse, use cold water…

1. Maternal milk (e.g anmum, fosil (eh..apa nama ya?!)…or any brand, is good and bad at the same time. Careful not to get GDM (gestational diabetes m-something)..the type of diabetes you get when you are pregnant…most of this commercial maternal milk has high-sugar-contain….and trust me…you really-really-really don’t want to get diabetes at all…

1. Check-up at KKIA (the government Klinik Kesihatan Ibu dan Anak), is actually better than monthly check-up in private clinic (no offense, I went to private clinic myself…but I also went to KKIA). Why? It is cheaper (free semenanya). Why? Less scan…at KKIA, the doc only do the ultra-scan at your first visit, then around 20^th weeks and 38^th weeks (more if you have any prob)…at private clinic, the doc will do the scan each and everytime…sure you can say no…but trust me, you will be too excited to get a peek at your baby to say no to your doc (at least I am). In KKIA, they check your Hb monthly for free! They palpate your tummy to learn the position of your baby (no ultrascan…but there is still the Doppler-scan…I wish they didn’t use that as well..). They check your hands and feet for edema. They check your weight-gain and your blood pressure. Best of all, they gave good advice! They teach you everything from taking care of yourself, to taking care of your newborn later… and this is all for free! The older your nurse is, the better, because in this case, older means they are experienced… if you don’t agree with them, just smile, its ok…you can always choose what to take and what to ignore….

1. Surround yourself with positive people and positive stories…before this, people keep on telling me how scary childbirth is, how painful it is, how the episiotomy is actually more painful than the childbirth itself! (urghhh…I am all against epi!) …ok….to be fair, I don’t have any experience in this, but to surround yourself with negative people with negative stories and will just serah-diri bulat2 to the doc, is really not my cup of tea. I am not undermining anyone... I am just someone who understands that the doctors are tied with the hospital policy and sometimes, the decision they make is the best and safest to avoid any lawsuit should something goes wrong. They are playing with the better be safe than sorry. Eg in the case of episiotomy. Why oh why this unnecessary procedure being done routinely before? Because it is the quickest way to get the baby out…so baby is safe and the doc is safe…what about the mom? She is safe as well…but recovering from epi is far worse than natural tear(if there is!)…unless the doc did a really good job…a really good job….there are a lot of uncertainties here. Even without episiotomy, the baby is safe, the doc is safe and the mommy is even safer…of course…let’s just say, I will say yes to epi when there is really a need for one…really really needed one…

1. spinningbabies.com has the best tips ever on avoiding breech babies

1. Ina-May Gaskin’s guide to childbirth is the best book to read…the birthing stories makes you can’t wait for your own experience.

1. Join a group of expecting moms, the best if you can find those with the same edd as you. You guys can be clueless together and support each other….there is no one is more understanding than the person who is going through the same thing as you at the same time.

1. Don’t buy maternity clothes..it is expensive! Just buy bigger clothes…much bigger clothes.

1. Read and read and ask around…but don’t expect other mom’s experience will be the same like yours. You are you, carrying your child….and your child is a totally different baby than theirs. In other words, get educated but keep an open mind.

Ok…enough with 10 things….too much of anything won’t do anyone any good… ;)

bittersweet symphony

Feeling bitter

Lots of reason to feel bitter…. :(

On the bright side, someone is coming today! It is the weekend! Hoyeah…family gathering..eating and lots and lots of chit-chatting in the kitchen I am sure!

LDR..ehe…we even have a glamorous name for it…..aiya..it means long-distance relationship.

You’ll never get used to it. Trust me.

You can only handle it and don’t let it control your life.

At first, I thought I will be ok with it…I can fly there now and then…then come the crazy-hormone-imbalance…the challenge to stay calm and don’t let it rule your life suddenly seem impossible…so…pulanglah kepada-Nya…yup…that’s all.

2 of my dearest friends is getting married this year. 

Alhamdullillah. 

As someone married myself, I can’t even begin to explain how happy I am for you guys. 

The happiness that comes with marriage is indescribable. 

You guys will fight…ok…in my case, we will still fight and argue…but the best advice someone gave me on ‘fighting/arguing’ is, make sure the fight makes you two closer…

It will be hard… :) suddenly you have this one person that will be with you for the rest of your life

It will be easier…. :) suddenly you have this one person that will be with you for the rest of your life

Suddenly my bestfriend is mine! He is mine ok

Haha…. 

Suddenly I can share every single thing with my bestfriend

Suddenly I have someone to rely on…a shoulder to lean to…a chest to tumbuk bila geram (naah…don’t do that! :p )…

The most important thing, don’t share your stories with others…especially the ‘problems’…the fights, the argument, the cold-war…just don’t…share it with Allah…because behind closed doors, no one-else knows…no-one else…

Forgive me for saying this, but us girls (girls?! OMG..haha)…anyway…us girls tend to do this. No matter what our intention is, just don’t do it. Sooner or later, you will regret doing so.

And that my friend, end our session today. :P

9 months

Happy 9 months to baby!!! ;)

The truth is , I didnt even realized we have reach 9 months. My preggy-mind somehow thought that 9 months=40weeks ..well most apps consider 40 weeks is the longest ... well 40-42weeks ... and we've been told again n again that pregnancy last for 9 months....never in my mind to realized that it is actually simple math... 36weeks/4=9months...silly me

So how am I feeling?

Great!

Minus the sleepless night and the backache and the crazy-mood swing and wanting to lay down all day and the I'm-hungry-all-the-time-but-can-only-eat-sesuapdua-at-once...

Hey...I am great... hehe

Cant believe one month left....I m counting days actually. Pray for me that baby will leave the womb between 40th-42nd weeks....aminnnn ;) ney tauk sempat g pengilan nua...hihi

Soon

By now I have gained 10 kg! 

Yup…no kidding. But I guess that’s a little compared to those who gained 20kg! 

Oh well…who am I kidding. I started this pregnancy with ‘lots of extra weight’!

This reminds me again n again how important it is to be healthy before you get pregnant!

I won’t sugarcoat this.

 I am tired just by walking up few flights of stairs. 

I can’t sleep.

My body is ‘over-heated’ all the time.

I am hungry all the time.

I have to pee all the time.

My ankles decided to start aching this morning. I realized it as I was walking up the stairs.

I am desperately sleepy at noon.

Deciding what to wear is amazingly challenging. Having this Kim K body is fun but at the same time, I don’t want to be labelled as Kim K wannabe. Haha…I have to be extra careful to cover this bumps and lumps…oh well..the perks of being a woman! ;)

If I move to fast, especially when ‘climbing’ out of the car or when ‘turning’ on bed, I will get this sharp pain…as if I stretch a muscle…

The list will go on and on and on. I am desperately clingy with my husband.  Even me myself amaze with his patience! :P

But then…I feel this flutter in my tummy (or kick or punch or that ngilu-ness when baby moves and grind against your bone)..i will smile and laugh and suddenly all the pain is totally worth it!

When I started to get miserable from being far from my husband, I remind myself, everyone has their own challenges. So this is my challenges and my blessings… ;)

Babywearing

To wrap or not to wrap?

Been contemplating on this for months now.

Babywearing.

I am divided.

At one point I have decided not to wrap....reason

• If its back carry, the wrap will be snugly across my chest...which is..ehem...xl in size....sexy sangat la pulak
• Heat! Its a warm country and I am hot! Haha.....I am a big size mommy-to-be. All that extra heat will be transfered to my baby...will both of us be comfortable that way?
• Mahal nyaaaaaa....dats the reason I cudnt decide to just get myself one of the wraps and try...its quite pricey for try-&-error. But I do understand why it is that pricey...look at the material used. 

On the other hand, just read an article on the fourth trimester. Yada yada yada...there used to be just 3 trimester...but now there is 4th trimester. The months when your newborn make the transition to our world. Their world used to be dark and wet and snuggly. Our world is bright and dry(?) and cold! 

The keyword is to hold our baby as often as possible. They've been craddled in the womb for 9 months and suddenly we left them on the mattress, alone, with loud noises and air and nothing to craddle them (thats why we swaddle them!). 

So baby wearing is perfect actually. We can actually hold our baby and still have 2 free hands.....

So the question is...to wear or not to wear? To wrap or not to wrap? 

Its a 2nd world dilemma (up skit dari 1st world dilemma... :p )