My Birth Story

Been wanting to update my blog for ages! The mind is willing but the body is not co-operating.Well, finally both mind and body are pretty in sync today so here goes:

26th Mar 10-Went for Gynae’s visit. 0 cm dilated boo hoo. Dr Wong said the baby will not be out on 26th or 27th Mar. Could be 28th Mar or likely the week after. Ok, so the waiting game continues..

27th Mar 10-Went to do volunteer work and they were so surprise to see me. All of them thought I have given birth already as I was MIA for the past few weeks. After that we went to Orchard to support EL and RX for their flea market stall at Cineleisure. Walked over to ION as K has not been there before.

28th Mar 10-2am: Woken up by K as he got cramps on his arm for sleeping on one side for too long. Duh! Scare me, I thought what happened, I even told him I thought he was the one going into labour. Felt some pain in the tummy after that but did not think about it,continued to get some sleep till morning.

8am-Woke up from the pain. Timed and the pain was 5 mins apart, gosh, it hit me that I was having contractions!! Kept timing and it was coming closer and closer. K was like this is it, get ready to go to the hospital. I was still hesitating, maybe its not the real thing. Somehow when you have been waiting for so long and when the real thing comes, you just feel otherwise. Quickly bathed, got the hospital bag and set off. We even went to Guillmard Village for breakfast with my contractions, can’t believe it. Better eat something as not sure how long the labour will last and if I can eat anything once I reach the hospital.

Reach the hospital around 930am. Was directed to the observation ward. The nurse checked and I was 3cm dilated! Baby will be out today :) Told the nurse I wanted epidural. For me, I just wanted it there and then, no need to be hero and experience the pain first. Nurse say ok, so they directed me to the birth room for the Doctor to come and give me the injection. Think that was around 1010am.

The doctor came around 11plus and once epidural was given, all pain was gone :). My gynae came around 12noon and checked, I was 4cm dilated. She broke the water bag and predicted that baby will be out around evening so she will be back again later on. Watched the repeat of American Idol and the nurse was also watching with me at some part (eat snake)-when Ryan was about to announce the one who was going home, she somemore tell me, wow this girl (Paige) always in the bottom 2 yah.

Started pushing around 545pm. By then I could feel some contractions as the dosage was pretty low but it was still bearable. Gynae came in around 6plus. She said that baby’s head was facing upwards. Gotta push really hard to avoid using forceps. The nurse on my right ‘help’ by pushing my tummy. Ouch! I even told her can she use lesser strength lol. Baby still not yet out, Gynae asked if Nurse M is around. Nurse M is one big lady and whenever they have these ‘special situations’ they will activate her. Nurse M is indeed around and she came into the room, I was like die, sure pain like hell. At the count of 123, both she and the other nurse help push my tummy forward and miraculously, baby popped out at 1851!

My wonderful gynae.


Was so happy baby came on Sunday as the waiting game is not that fun :P I think it must be all the walking on Sat in town plus K’s arm cramp that prompted baby’s arrival.

Wk 38

Bb is 38 weeks today. Friends have been sms/msning to see if I have pop? Well, not yet, I am still here :P Thanks all for your concern as well as your comments for those pictures uploaded in the previous post :-)

There will be a gynae visit tomorrow and we shall see if there are any updates from her.

 

My tummy has increased to 39 inch.

Sleep is a luxury these days. Can’t really sleep on my back now and even if I sleep on the sides, its not comfortable also. My right rib cage aches like crazy. Bb come out soon!

Maternity Shots

Some of our DIY shots taken by photographer K.

At week 34:

Week 34: Tummy=36 inch.

Week 36: Hair today

Gone tomorrow

:-)

Things people say and do…

You are having a boy if:

• Your belly button protrudes out
• You do not look like you are pregnant from the back view. (I heard this from a 15 year old gal!)
• Your belly looks pointed
• Your linea nigra is very obvious

Based on the old wives' tales above, I have fulfilled all the requirements and I am indeed having a boy. So accurate?

Our volunteer group even took bets among themselves to guess the gender of bb. Money to go to the weekly food distribution program.

Since we are on gender issues, I always thought that in this era, people are not so 众男轻女, apparently I am quite wrong. We shall not go into details here but you know what I mean..I am quite surprised that people are still so ‘backward’ in their thinking-sometimes to the extend of cmi. Even babies born under so and so zodiac signs also got things to comment. <shake head>

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I think another topic that pregnant people like to comment is on public transportation. For me, ever since I got pregnant, I like to take the bus rather than the MRT. The MRT is perpetually filled with people whereas if I take the bus, 9 out of 10 times I can get a seat the minute I step onto the bus.

If I take the MRT, due to my tummy size, no one can tell and of course I would not get any seats. I think people often associate pregnant people as big sized or have super humongous tummy. Other than that, they probably think otherwise. It was only later on that my tummy grew bigger than I encountered some privileges. The encounters were so few I can remember all of them.

• Took the MRT home at City Hall after dinner with the babes. Train was crowded as usual. Me stood in front of the priority seat and the guy was (pretending) to sleep. Train reached Aljunied. The guy standing next to me tapped my shoulder and asked me to take the seat in the middle as someone just alighted. Told him is ok as I am getting off at the next stop.

• Took MRT from Outram to AMK for Parentcraft. At Outram, a nice lady offered me her seat. I told her is ok as I am going to get off soon at Raffles to change train. The guy (guy again) at the priority seat who was (pretending) to sleep even dared to open his eyes to kaypo what the lady and me talking about. Then he went back to (pretend to) sleep.

• Took MRT with Jinny at Orchard to Buona Vista to visit Daph. At Orchard, nice uncle immediately offered me his seat. At Raffles interchange, a girl also gave up her seat to me and the guy next to her also gave up his seat to Jinny. She was so happy, not pregnant also got seat. Best part was while waiting for a cab to go into Daph’s house, the young boy in front of us offered to let us take the cab first. That was the nicest gesture we ever encountered! There is still hope for Singapore youths.

Overall, I still enjoy taking MRT over the bus. The travelling time is shorter and with just a few weeks more, I can revert back to MRT days! Moreover with the Paya Lebar new terminal for the circle line opening next month, it is so much nearer and cooler to walk to the MRT now.

Maternity Wear

Nowadays there are so many variety of maternity wear unlike last time the women mostly wore long unflattering maternity dresses.

I am lucky in the sense that I did not have to spent much on maternity wear as I did not put on a lot of weight in the beginning and I have quite a number of loose fitting tops which I can wear out . I must also say the maternity wear that are being sold in SIN are really not that enticing. Furthermore, they are not cheap to begin with. Throughout the entire pregnancy, I only bought one maternity 3/4 jeans (very good buy), one maternity pants (which I only wore when I was in HKG) and one maternity tights from a Taiwanese site (should have skipped the tights as I could still wear the tights I got from Cotton On)-the stuff they sell online are so much nicer and cheaper!! [I survived PEK as Jinny lent me her maternity jeans-she did not wear it before as well as it was too hot to wear long jeans in SIN when you are pregnant!]

Other clothes I bought during this period were normal wear-I could still fit into size S loose fitting tops :) Furthermore, I have 2 dresses which I have not wore till date, must wear them after bb is born.

 

On second look from the above picture, even I myself cannot tell I am pregnant from half of the pictures. LOL.

Heading for the Homestretch

Baby is 36 weeks and 2 days (9 months) today! In a week’s time, he will be a full term bb and will be out to meet us very soon. Time really flies, in a few weeks’ time, we will be able to see each other face to face instead of through the ultrasound scans.

Here are some significant milestones for sharing:

Early Aug 09-Suspected I was pregnant, so I went to the pharmacy to get a test kit and was tested +ve, whoa.. the feeling was so surreal…..Went to the GP 2 days later to triple confirm as we bought another kit to test 2nd time at home before going to the GP.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5th Sep 09-Went for our 1st visit to the Gynae. Our gynae was recommended by K’s colleague who gave us loads of information regarding pregnancy and bb as she just gave birth not long ago also. Thanks to all her information and tips, they really helped us a lot. Also not forgetting all our friends who have been there, done that, they have also offered us plenty of advice. Thanks!

Our gynae is a really nice lady. She gave us a lot of information and assurance. Thumbs up to her.

That’s bb taken during the first scan. Felt so amazed seeing bb for the first time.

As with majority of pregnancy,they say the first trimester is the worst and I totally agree. Though I am one of those lucky ones that did not vomit all the time, I still felt terrible: fatigue-I must get into bed by 9pm,930pm latest to fight the sleep monster;cold-the slightest wind sent me scrambling for my jacket;heartburn/bloated tummy-the bloating is the worst! I can’t eat much and lost around 5kg during the 1st tri. Luckily I had my mum’s soup to save me. Mum’s the best!!!

On the topic of food, people will tell you not to eat this, while some will say it is ok to eat. Who do you listen to? After so many months, I have learned to listen to all these talk with a pinch of salt. Doctors being western trained will tell you that is ok to eat everything-except those raw stuff. Of course the older folks do not believe in these western style and still insist certain food are to be avoided at all costs. For me, I could not eat much also during the 1st tri, so no love lost. K’s thinking was to eat everything in moderation. I have friends who ate sashimi, crabs, pineapples, watermelons etc  and their baby and them are as fine as ever. However, I do keep away from sashimi and bah ku teh to name a few items.

25th Sep 09-Did the OSCAR test and Dr Wong said bb is 70% boy. I told K he must be damn happy yah.

29th Oct 09-Bb is 18 weeks today and this is the first time I felt bb move! There were 2 small ‘taps’ and I knew immediately they were bb’s movements. So happy! From that day onwards, I could feel bb move everyday. K was gutted he did not get to feel it and kept asking bb to give me karate kicks. He got his chance 1 week later. Bb movements/kicks are getting stronger as the day passes. Can even see my tummy moving in wavelike movements from his exercises.

The second trimester is indeed the best trimester of pregnancy. Felt a lot more energetic and cheerful.

20th Nov 09-Did the 20th week detailed scan. This time, our bb is 100% confirm boy! Everyone when they know the baby’s gender will say: K must be so happy. I was like yah.. the bb can accompany him play PS3 and do sports.

7th Jan 10-Into the last trimester, started to experience the symptoms associated with this tri-one of them is leg cramps. It only happened to me when I am sleeping but luckily it does not happen often.

19th Jan 10-Went for our first ParentCraft lesson. The venue is at AMK Hub and this was the first time we stepped foot at AMK Hub. Our instructor is Mrs Wong who is a pretty well known figure in the industry. Her lessons were really interesting and insightful.

4th Feb 10-Went for the 3rd lesson alone as K was away to HKG. Luckily there was this girl who always attend the lesson on her own so we ‘paired up’ together with Mrs Wong for the exercise routine. That day’s topic was on labour-PUSH PUSH PUSH.

5th Feb 10-Bb is 32 weeks now and I went to see the gynae with my mum this time round as K is still away. Dr Wong said bb is on the heavier side. He weighed 2.1kg while she mentioned the average was around 1.8kg. The scan detected him as a 33 week bb. She kept measuring bb’s stomach to confirm and made me kan cheong. She asked me to come in to take the gestational diabetes test on the next visit to be on the safe side as she said I am thin and tummy not very big but bb is considered big. She also passed me the admission letter for delivery and indicated: Slightly big baby. LOL. Dr Wong said bb has not yet turned and gave me an exercise to do to aid bb in turning. Mum also commented that Dr Wong is a really nice lady-very patient and detailed.

14th Feb 10-CNY Day 1 : I have swollen feet-YUCKS! Luckily it only comes on and off. We were at Parentcraft the other day and saw this gal with really swollen leg/feet. Poor gal.

19th Feb 10-Went for 34 weeks check up. Had to fast the night before so as to take the GD test. The clinic gal took my blood sample and gave me an orange drink (tasted like Fanta Orange). After 2 hours, I needed to be back to give them another blood sample. Bb is 2.4kg and Dr Wong said bb has turned! Bb is so clever, I told him he must turn down and he did turned by 34 weeks.

22nd Feb 10-The clinic gal called to inform me that the GD test is ok for me. I do not have GD. Phew~~

23rd Feb 10-Went for 4th Parentcraft lesson. My mum was supposed to go with me as K is away to Ireland. This is the most important lesson I feel-taking care of baby-how to bathe, change, feed baby etc. My mum flew aeroplane on me as she wanted to go for a relative’s CNY dinner. So I went alone and told them, especially Mr K he have to go hospital to learn then as the hospital conduct daily lessons on how to bathe the baby, change diaper etc.

24th Feb 10-Mum came over to stay with me while K is away and she started preparing the ginger vinegar. Love the smell!

2nd Mar 10-Our last Parentcraft class. (next week there is this doctor’s talk but we are not going as the topics which they are speaking on, we have heard similar ones during the Stemcord’s presentation :P) Mrs Wong was so helpful, she even gave us her hp number and told us those delivering at TMC can look for her once baby is born so that she can come and see us, see if we carry the baby correctly, whether bf latch on is correct etc. Felt more relived knowing that she will be around.

3rd Mar 10-Went for 36 weeks check up. I will be having a more than 3kg baby from Dr Wong’s measurement but these are only estimations. We shall see what is bb’s real weight when the time comes. Dr Wong said I can start packing the hospital bag this weekend which is something I must do-been procrastinating for too long on this.

6th Mar 10-Just came back from XM’s place and also met up with the gal from Cordlife. Finally signed up the package to bank bb’s cordblood after dragging for so long. Thanks to XM for getting the book and passing us loads of clothes as well.

More updates again……

冬至-22nd Dec 09

It was 冬至 yesterday and we had a sumptuous dinner at my mum’s place. Had 2 rounds of tang yuan, first at mum’s, then to the in-laws side. Too bad, no pictures as we were all busy eating :P.

Mr K had a haircut yesterday and came back with this-to match his Christmas party’s theme this year. Really must go all the way meh.

I also received this from the mail yesterday from D-Thanks a million again!

I still have so many entries not yet updated!!! The trip is only done till Day 2, faints.

Hello Baby Evan

Congrats again to XM and El on their baby boy Evan who arrived on Sep 23 :) (Without epidural coz labour too short, ouch! XM and I were still telling ZY what is epidural and what it does and how we die die must have epidural during delivery at our last meet up. She said she nearly peng san, really salute her (not forgetting our dear SW! 3 children without epidural!), no wonder everyone say 妈妈真伟大)

Will be going to visit mum and baby in early Nov once ZY comes back from TPE. Can’t wait for ZY to come back so that he can pass me my online shopping loot which I ordered from a Taiwanese site (otherwise I would have no pants to wear, I can’t fit into 95% of my pants now,urghhhh)

Since we are still on baby topic, I would like to thank all of you again who have left me your well wishes as well as those who have contacted me directly, especially to Fay and NL who have called/msn to say they are also preg and EDD so close to me as well!!!! AND also being/going to be stay at home mums too :) Congrats to you gals again :)

Below is a complied list of my preggie friends (Sep 09 already delivered) :P

Sep 09-Welcome Baby YX and Baby Evan!

Nov/Dec 09-Kr’s baby due

Jan 10-Daph’s baby due

Feb 10-Fay’s baby due

Mar 10-NL’s baby due

^__^