Z is 21 weeks old and he has TEETH! :D

As I am typing this, Z just had his feed about half an hour ago and he is fully awake. He must be thinking that it's morning now because he has been sleeping for so long. Z goes to bed at 7pm every night since he was about 7 weeks old but we feel he sleeps lesser recently. Can't believe that he is 21 weeks old now and growing incredibly fast. I wished that I have a slow down and rewind remote control so I can slow down and rewind to watch those many beautiful moments that I have witnessed over and over again.

He is now talking baby language to himself or at his mobile in his cot while hitting his feet on the mattress  trying to get our attention. He has not started crying or making the fussy 'ngek ngek ngek' sounds yet, so we're just going to leave him there so he could sleep by himself. SJ is doing a great job as a daddy; sitting beside the cot to make sure he is ok and trying to coax him to sleep.

Z is so heavy now that my arms hurt when I carry for him a little too long. The last time we weighed him at the pediatrician was when he was 7 weeks old and he was 6.4kg. I believe he should be around 8 to 8.5 kg now :S

Can you see Z's two front teeth? 

We noticed Z's bottom two front teeth popped out on the 1st December. It can be visibly seen on the 6th December that we took a picture and announced in our Facebook. SJ & I are so excited for him. Most people commented that he is growing extremely (or maybe too) fast and my mom thinks he is really matured. My colleagues deduced that it could due to the high calcium that he gets from my breastmilk as I am taking calcium magnesium supplements even before I deliver until now. Usually babies would have their first tooth cutting out after 6 months and boys' growth are usually slower than girls. So, Z is really quite fast. We gets shock or surprise looks most of the time whenever we tell people how old is Z now. Most thought he is 3 months older than his current age.

So much to record and I have a almost 5 months worth of things about Z to record here! Things are very hectic and busy at the moment as we're preparing to move to our new home next week. SUPER YAY!!! *am jumping with joy while screaming with joy inside!* The house was abandoned for more than a year since we bought it in 2010 and the renovation works were almost 1.5 years. Really so glad that we're finally moving to our own place. I can't wait to unpack all our things, start organizing my things and decorating our home :)

Am going to stay up a little while to get some work done. I am going to end today's post with a sneak preview of our new home.. taken a nite this week. We loved the lightings!!  Thanks to our wonderful architect for all her suggestions & ideas :)))))) Have a great Sunday everybody!

We survived the first 8 WEEKS!!

Baby Z is 8 weeks old as of last Friday. This photo was taken last Friday, 14th Sept 2012. These 8 weeks were probably the most challenging and overwhelming 8 week ever but it has been so rewarding. Seeing baby Z growing day by day gives me such great fulfillment that the pain that we went through seemed to disappear when we look at him. 

Baby Z went for his check up with Dr. Eric on 5th Sept at 7 weeks old and I was so proud that he is growing well. He was 6.43kg and 62cm tall. He was in the 97th percentile of the USA growth charts for boys. SJ predicts that Z is going to be huge and really tall. I just hope he won't be too tall and we have to custom make all his clothes and bed! :S

So much to update and there are so much things to do: house renovations is almost done! We're all so excited because we're moving to our very own home really soon :)))))) We applied for a Filipino domestic helper and she has arrived on the 15th Sept. We will pick her from the agency after we get her medical report results next week. I went back to the office for the very first time last Wednesday. Felt good to focus and concentrate on what's happening in the office for a few hours without any baby cries interruption.

Photo taken with Ah Mah on 10th July 2011. 

.

On a sadder note, my dearest Ah Mah (paternal grandmother) passed away today, 17th Sept 2012, Monday at 7.20am. She was 88. Was nursing baby Z when I received a phone call from Uncle Fabian at about 7.30am that Ah Mah had some difficulty in breathing and probably took her last breath at about 7am. The moment I heard that, a cloud of sadness came over me even though I have been anticipating this moment for quite a while. Ah Mah's health condition has worsen so much in this year. She couldn't recognize me since few years ago; I had to remind her my name every time I saw her and she would remember quite easily. She has been calling SJ as Ah Fung for a while. I was probably the grandchild she remembered the most because I was the first grandchild that she took care since I was a newborn followed by my sister. We spent a lot of valuable time together at home when my parents had to work. I was very clingy to Ah Mah and slept in the same room as her. She told me many bedtime stories that I still remember until today; Yung Ka Mah - the name of a woman who eats little children and a story about a pretty genie/spirit that appeared from banana trees. I didn't know any standard Cinderella bedtime stories or nursery rhymes until I started kindergarten. I could still remember the times when I was a little girl, Ah Mah would walked me and we sat at the bus stop watching cars passed by probably for hours because I was bored/difficult at home. Things were simpler (no ipad or computers) and definitely safer then.

Ah Mah was a very strong woman; single-handed brought up 3 kids as a young widow as her husband passed away when my father, being the youngest of 3 was just a baby. From what I gathered, she had a very tough life being a woman in her era. She was denied of any education just because she was born as a girl; she had 2 brothers and these 2 brothers were sent to school back in the 1930-40's and they were all university graduates. My grand uncles were lecturers in the university and spoke fantastic english while Ah Mah was illiterate. She had to slave over her brothers at home because her family thought that she would be married off one day and would benefit the husband's family instead. But little did my great-grandma know that in her dying days, it was Ah Mah that took care of her instead of her successful sons. I have heard stories that Ah Mah was arranged to marry my grandfather during the Japanese occupation and after my grandfather passed away, Ah Mah worked as a rubber tapper to bring up her children. If she had some form of education, her life would have been so different. 

Ah Mah was a quiet simple lady and she had brought up all her children to have these traits: understanding, friendly, kind and patient. These are the similarities that I noticed in my dad and my uncle and aunty. She realised that education is important and all her three children, including her daughter had the opportunity to study. Ah Mah hardly had any health problems; her blood pressure and sugar level has been good all these years until age started catching up on her. Ah Mah lost her independence about 5 years ago. She had a fall about a year ago and had to be wheel-chair bound since then. She lost so much weight and began to lose her mental capacity. First, it was the memory, followed by the ability to speak. Ah Mah stopped speaking since beginning of this year and it saddened me so much when I looked into her huge eyes knowing that she could quite hear and understand me but couldn't express herself. The last time I saw her was before I deliver, in June and I broke into tears when I saw Ah Mah's body was restrained to the wheel-chair with a cloth because she could not sit up and kept slipping down from the chair. It was then I knew Ah Mah would be leaving us really soon. 

It is really sad that Ah Mah didn't get to meet Baby Z, her first great grandson. She would be so proud of me. I thought of bringing baby Z to meet her when Baby Z is older, at about 6 months old. The only way I console myself is that Ah Mah wouldn't be able to recognize or know baby Z anyway. One thing for sure is when Baby Z is much older, I'll definitely tell him a lot about his grandparents and family history. I want him to know his roots and there are many important people with colourful history that came before he was born.

Ah Mah will be deeply missed and may she rest in peace. 

Hello! This is Zachary ;)

I would like to introduce my son, born on the 20th July 2012, Friday at 9.49am, birth weight of 4.15kg. I am so thankful and grateful that we have a healthy baby boy! Motherhood has been fantastic so far, even though it was such a huge struggle at the beginning. Looking forward to see him grow up. Posting a few photos here & will update this journal later on the birth and the start of my parenting-breast feeding journey.

At the hospital, new Mommy and Baby Zach! 

Day 2: Eyes closed

Day 2: Eyes open!

 Day 6: Sleeping like a boss! 

Day 7: New Daddy with Baby Zach 

Day 10: He was smiling so broadly after his morning feed. This is my favourite photo so far! ;))

We're so EXCITED that we'll see baby soon!! I'm 41 weeks pregnant tomorrow!

These photos were taken by Jay at my baby shower thrown by my wonderful childhood girlfriends on the 3rd of June 2012. Will blog about this fun filled party another day.

This post is probably the last entry before baby is born because tomorow at this time, I'll be in the hospital. SJ is taking a day off tomorrow to accompany me so we'll spend some time together before the 3rd member that forms our very own family unit joins us on Friday ;) We will have a good relax day tomorrow and I'll get admitted tomorow night after dinner. Then, inducing of labour will happen on Friday morning and we'll meet baby on Friday evening! :D

I have organised almost everything at work today and I promised my assistant that she won't be seeing me again for another month or so as baby will definitely come out on Friday. She kept getting surprises from me appearing in office and she asked me today whether do I feel any pain or discomfort as I have past my due date. I told her I am feeling good, just heavy and big; I even drove to office today.

Came back home and called my confinement lady to finalize the ingredients to buy so she can cook for me when I discharge from the hospital this weekend. I have tidied and packed our things to move to my parents' for confinement. Here are pictures of my confinement room:

SJ set up the portable baby cot few weeks back and we bought a storage shelf from Ikea to temporarily store baby's items during confinement period. The room has two single beds; one for me and another for my confinement lady. We'll be moving to this room right after I discharge from the hospital; which should be Sunday or Monday afternoon. 

The day that we have been waiting for months is finally here! It is quite hard to believe because I used to think that the day baby will be born is very far away. I used to worry so much that sometimes I could get so negative and worried that this day would not come.. but it's finally here! SOOO HAPPY!! :)))) SJ asked me whether would I miss being pregnant since I have been carrying this bump with me all the time for so many months. Baby has been accompanying me in everything I do on a daily basis for the past 9 months. It is quite hard to believe that 41 weeks have passed and I think it would take me a while to get used to not having a huge bump and the kicking sensations in my tummy. Well, I guess if I missed it so much, we can always go for the second baby ;)

Realizing that baby is arriving also gave me a realization that our lives are REALLY going to change forever and there is no turning back now. We are officially responsible and in charge of another human being's life for a very long time. Suddenly felt a little stressed and pressured that I need to plan better and be focused. I guess it's a good positive change. We're growing up and we have a new title now: PARENTS! I could still remember the time when I was discussing with SJ the pros and cons of having children before we decide to get pregnant, and at that time, I viewed parenting as a job or a thing which can be measured and weighed. But now I have a completely different viewpoint of parenting; you cannot measure the love you have for another person, my child! I'm looking forward toward bringing up the being in my womb into this world and to show him all the wonderful and beautiful things in life. I feel that my life and our lives as a couple is complete with the arrival of our newborn. Can't believe that we've created a life together and it's truly a miracle.

Baby coming to this world on Friday! Life is beautiful! 

Just 3 more sleeps!!!

Just 3 more sleeps and we'll meet baby!! Hopefully baby will come out on Friday and hopefully everything will be quick! SJ and I are so excited!! :))))) So are our family and friends. The most common question is these past few days were, 'Baby's here already?!' or something similar to that: 'Your wife or You deliver already?'

I think I felt contractions while watching tv after dinner tonight; my bump suddenly felt very hard and contracted for quite a long while and then the muscles released. Felt it twice within a short period. Told SJ that I could be having contractions and we started to time the 2nd one at 9.43pm. Waited for a long time for the next one and it didn't come. So, that was not a contraction; it was a Braxton Hicks. The moment I thought I had contractions; SJ said that he had to cut his nails because he is afraid that he will be too busy when baby arrives. I told him immediately that I need to update my blog more, complete some forms for work and do some yoga moves before baby can comes :S Well, that was a false alarm, so I have more time go update this blog and prepare more things.

I had the most productive day today in the past 1.5 weeks since last Monday, 9th July whenI officially took off from work. I have bought almost everything I need or want before baby comes today :))))) Started off today by driving to Midvalley to have a lunch with a client as she wants to increase her insurance coverage. We had a very good happy chat. Then, I walked a lot around the mall buying things. I was swiping my credit card almost every 15 minutes and I told SJ that I should redeem something for free from the mall for doing this. Was chatting with SJ and sending photos via whatsapps while shopping, so it's like he was also accompanying me virtually to shop. 

First stop, I went to Jusco and bought my pajamas that has buttons so it's easier when I want to breast feed baby. Bought 4 sets of these : 2 one-piece and 2 two-pieces pajamas in both red and blue colours. I was searching for them at Carrefour but couldn't find any. So glad to have found these at Jusco and most importantly, they are really affordable; one piece pajamas cost RM29 each and 2-pieces pajamas cost RM49 each. Now, I have the right equipped clothes to breast-feed baby full time during confinement.

A client of my mine heard that I wanted to to fully breast-feed my baby, so she suggested that I must get this nipple cream called Lansinoh from Mothercare. Walked to the information desk of Midvalley to enquire the location of Mothercare and found them on the first floor. Bought this next ;) It's only 10mg! Such a small amount.

Went to use my Rm20 birthday voucher from L'Occitane next. I have been using this scalp care conditioner since I've cut my hair really short when I found out I was pregnant. You can read more about my haircuts here. This conditioner has been really good because I used to have major dandruff problems. Had Rm20 discount on this, was quite happy ;) The promoter was trying to ask me to get more things; like getting more shampoo and conditioners which I rejected him by telling him that I won't be washing my hair so often soon because I would be in confinement. He wanted to ask me to get more cream or oil for stretched marks which I rejected him by saying that L'Occitane was not very effective. Very pleased with myself that I didn't get anything more because I could be easily influenced to buy more things; I was tempted to buy birthday and Christmas presents for family and friends.

Next, went to Crocs to get myself a new pair of slippers :)))) I bought a pair of slippers in the middle of this pregnancy and the sole is almost completely worn out due to my heavy weight. The colour of this slippers cheered me up and I wearing this to the hospital on Thursday! 

My confinement lady called me asking about my labour and she is glad that baby has not arrived yet as she wanted to attend her nephew's wedding on the 14th July. She jokingly said to tell baby to come after 15th so she can attend her beloved nephew's wedding. Well, her wish came true :P She told me to get a few Chinese herb items for my confinement which are 'So Hup' pills and 'Wu Kan' pills. I have no idea what are these and I was very skeptical because I was not sure if this would affect my breast feeding and most importantly, would these have an effect on baby since whatever I'm having would also go to baby through breast milk. I posted this question in 'The Breastfeeding Advocates Network' (TBAN) on Facebook; TBAN is a forum founded by Malaysians lactation experts and as the name suggests, it fully supports new mothers on breast feeding. I have been following this forum for months and it has helped me a lot in gaining confidence in breast feeding and I have learnt so much from this forum. It is so fantastic that I have been adding many new mothers into this group, not only new mothers; I added SJ and my mom too!

So, the first few replies on TBAN after I posted my question was it was alright to take these pills during confinement as So Hup pills are for expelling wind from the mother's body and Wu Kan pills are for removing blood clots in the womb. However, some replied much later that they would not advise taking any of these as it would probably affect breast feeding. I told my confinement lady that I want to fully breast feed my baby and would taking these affect the flow of my breast milk. She told me no because she had experienced with breast-feeding mothers. I thought I will just get some and if I don't feel comfortable about it, I won't take them at all. Was advised by a lactation expert in TBAN not to take any Chinese herbs on the very first week because it could cause jaundice in baby. I seriously have no idea what are these as these chinese traditional medicine are mostly in Chinese as I can't read Chinese. I thought it would be good to get them from reputable shops so I can be sure the ingredients are at an acceptable standard.

Went to Eu Yan Sang and asked about So Hup pills. This is the smaller packet and it's a supply for 3 days only, to take 2 sachets every day and I was advised by this shop's promoter to take it for 3 weeks to one whole month. The promoter was telling me that if I shower everyday, I should take 2 sachets but if I am about to shower less, then I can take less as it is believed that showering will bring in or trap 'wind' in the body. I only bought a box which cost RM45. The promoter was trying to introduce me the whole range of post-natal soups and herbs which I sort of zoned out when he was explaining because I have no idea what he was talking about. I felt I was entering a whole new strange world which I know so little about. They should give me an introduction leaflet instead about this whole post-natal herbs/foods.

Eu Yan Sang doesn't sell Wu Kan pills, so they directed me to another Chinese herbal shop called Yin Onn, which I also have no idea what/where was it. That guy who was serving me gave me the strangest look that I have never been to Yin Onn before because it's huge and probably been in Midvalley for many years. Went to Yin Onn and it's a Chinese shop that I have seen for years but never entered it before.

The person serving me immediately showed me a box of  So Hup pills but in a different brand, hence a different English spelling; Su He Wan and this is a box for 10 days supply costing Rm44. 

My confinement lady told me to get only 6 pills of Wu Kan pill which I've got that. This certainly look like Chinese medicine to me. It's RM5 for each pill. He advised that if I'm concerned about these herbs affecting my baby; I should take it 2 hours before I feed baby so these herbs would be fully digested and not enter to baby via breast milk.

The last thing that I've bought was 'Yu Yee' oil which is going to be used to rub baby's tummy and body to expel wind from his body (maybe before or after shower). I remember my mom used to apply this on our tummies when we had stomach ache when we were young. 

I will try to find out more about these Chinese herbs before I start taking them. My father-in law thinks that all these are completely fine and won't affect baby in any way because many Chinese have been taking these for decades. I guess he has his point and many Chinese beliefs have their benefits; it's just that there is not hard scientific proofs that these are effective. Many Chinese are just following based on information passed down from the previous generations. At the end of the day, it's my body and I'm going to be a mother; I'm in charge of another person's life until my baby turns 21, so I'm responsible of my own well being. I just going to do my very best based on the information that I've gathered. I'm so thankful that both my parents and parents-in-laws are easy-going and giving me the freedom to choose on what I want ;)

Just before I left, I went to Robinsons and bought another bottle of Clarins's Tonic Body Treatment Oil. Am still trying to get rid of my stretched marks and will not give up even after delivery! Went home feeling very happy and satisfied because I had such a productive day! Oh, I even filled my car tank full with fuel before I reach home :)))))

16th July 2012: Our last antenatal visit before baby's here!

July 20th 2012, this Friday is the date that we're going to induce labour if baby doesn't arrive naturally before that. We saw Dr Choong at our 12.15pm appointment today and as usual, he would take my blood pressure and the result is normal. My urine test result is also good. Did an ultrasound and baby's head is still down and his heartbeats sounds really strong and loud today. It seemed much louder and clearer today, maybe because baby is bigger; or maybe Dr. Choong turned up the volume of his ultrasound machine. I always love seeing the black and white images on the screen especially when Dr is focusing on the blinking part, which is the heart!  

Dr. Choong then proceed to measure baby's head circumference, abdominal circumference and the length of baby's femur bone. Before I could really see the numbers at the bottom of the ultrasound machine screen, SJ exclaimed loudly, 'WAH! 4.1kg!'. Dr. Choong measured everything again (I think twice) and finally he said that baby is estimated to weigh 3.732kg today. This is just an estimate; baby's real weight could be plus minus 400grams. I think Dr. Choong gave me a lower weight number so that I would not be so frightened about delivering a huge baby. He doesn't know that I am actually fine to deliver a big baby because my antenatal class practitioner told us that a woman delivered a 4.9kg baby in normal birth, a new record; and I thought since that woman can do it, I'm sure I can do it too. Anyway, I don't think my baby will be more than 4.5 kg. 

Ultrasound for today! Baby's head is on the right and his body is on the left. I cannot make out his head and body as baby grows (that was about since week 30).All we could see was his heart and his spine. Baby is 3.73 kg and Mommy has gained 18 kg in this whole pregnancy.

After that, we sat down and told Dr. Choong that we have decided on the induction date; which is this Wednesday, 18th July. Dr. Choong felt that 18th is too early to induce. He really doesn't recommend induction of labour because it would cause a lot of stress on both the mother and baby with a higher risk of having cesarean section. He explained that my pregnancy has been a very good and smooth one, my placenta is functioning really well; that is why baby can be so big because baby is able to absorb all the nutrients via the placenta. The date that he recommended for inducing labour is between 23rd and 26th, which is almost 2 weeks from my EDD. 

I was telling him about I'm just worried if something is not well; I was telling SJ that I couldn't feel baby much yesterday and I was quite worried over the weekend; my mom was concerned about baby suffocating etc, which Dr. Choong thinks that there is really nothing to worry about because everything about my pregnancy has been good. SJ was nodding and completely agrees with him. SJ always thinks that I'm such a worry-pot! They both don't think that my placenta will stop functioning or baby suddenly unable to live in the womb after EDD because the EDD is just an estimate, it's not the final date of baby in the womb. SJ's colleague, SY told me that if we pick an induction date, baby would usually come out earlier than the date that we picked because the baby is afraid of getting induced. We'll see if this is true!

After listening to Dr. Choong, I am feeling more confident and my mood was lifted. I told SJ that I should see Dr. Choong every 3-4 days so I could get a confidence boost every 3-4 days. There have been so many people telling and asking me why am I not inducing earlier or having a c-section now since I've passed my EDD for so long?! It's only 4 days!! Met a colleague in the hospital after my Dr's visit and she also asked the same thing. It's a world of difference when speaking with Dr. Choong and I am so thankful that he has cleared all my doubts. I know that many people have good intention but they usually based their opinions solely on their one or two experiences. Dr. Choong has more than 30 years of experience and I trust and have confidence in him. He is very logical and he speaks very sensibly. I am definitely happy to have him as my doctor ;) 

So, now it's just another 4 days to go before baby arrives by 20th, which is this Friday!!! Can't wait! Baby could be coming anytime earlier but Friday is definitely the last day! I asked Dr if I need to prepare or do anything before I get admitted. He told us to have a very nice dinner on Thursday night and then get admitted after dinner, at about 10pm on Thursday. Then, a pill will be inserted vaginally to ripen and soften the cervix on that night. I would be given an intravenous drip the next morning and inducing of labour will commence. If everything goes smoothly, baby should be delivered by Friday evening. I was wondering would inducing labour will have a short labour and delivery? Dr. Choong told me that some people could take days; some needed to be induced twice and some would have a quick one. So there is nothing certain. I hope my labour would not take days because I wouldn't want Dr. Choong to work on weekends. Must tell baby to be good and quickly come out to see Daddy and Mommy!

I'm 40 weeks & 4 days pregnant!

I'm 4 days overdue and there is still no signs of baby wanting to see this world yet! Dr. Choong's prediction is right! My mom was getting worried about baby being overdue that she called me twice today and advised me to speak with Dr. Choong tomorrow on our weekly visit on our next course of action. She thinks that we should pick a date to induce and we should pick an early date. We have picked a date! It's going to be 18th of July, this Wednesday, about 6 days from my estimated due date (EDD), 12th of July. 18 is a good number for Chinese (means 'sure rich' in chinese) and an ob-gyn specialist friend advised me not to wait more than 41 weeks because baby could be in distress after 41 weeks. I'm feeling a little worried and emotional in these two days, maybe we really should induce labour soon. I know that baby is all ready to come out and I somehow have a picture of baby with a round face, big eyes and a head full of hair in my mind. So happy that I'll be seeing Dr. Choong tomorrow afternoon so I can hear baby's heartbeat again! :)))

The Chong family had a bet on the dates on when baby will arrive. My sister, Jamie Yi Yi is the winner because she chose 15th and the nearest to the date is the winner. My dad, mom and SJ picked earlier dates. So many friends and relatives have been calling and messaging asking about baby's arrival. A client of mine, Fidael was so excited that he called me yesterday just to ask if baby has arrived and when I said not yet, he just said ok and ended the conversation. That was a rather funny phone call. I have been putting up photos and updates of myself in Facebook to let everyone know that I'm still hanging around and baby is not out yet.

I have been eating so much desserts for the past week! I'll definitely have a dessert with SJ almost every night after dinner, thinking that the dessert that we're having that night would be the last in case I go on labour the next day and I would be in confinement for one whole month. Have to go slow on the cold desserts and drinks because many people advised me that it could cause my baby easily to catch a flu and cold in the future. 

Let me update what I have been feeling and experiencing in these past few weeks: 

Getting out of the bed and turning on the bed for the past few weeks had been really painful and difficult :( The pain in my pelvic/pubic bone has been so bad that I don't think there is anything could be done to relief the pain. I told my yoga instructor for weeks about this pain, which eventually in week 39, she told me that there is probably nothing I can do about it; so, I'll just have to bear with it till delivery. I cannot sleep on my back anymore as baby is too huge and is pressing against my chest which would make breathing very difficult. I couldn't lie on one side for too long because my arm and hip that I lie on would ache terribly; I had to turn to my other side in the middle of the night and it has been such a huge chore every time I do that - I struggle so much, making so much, grunting away while holding my tummy to push it to the other sides that SJ would usually wake up too. When morning comes, I literally had to swing both my legs together out of the bed to be on the sitting position because if my legs were separated, my pelvic bone would ache a lot; almost felt that it is going to break apart. This pelvic pain is making me waddle when I walk and I had to arch my back to balance my huge belly; hence, walking really slowly and like a penguin.

Other than that, my fingers are so swollen with water retention that I could wear SJ's wedding ring! His ring used to be able to fit my thumb only but it can fit my ring finger now. I sure hope my fingers (and my feet!) will be able to get back to its old size so I can wear my wedding ring and my many favourite shoes! My Aunty couldn't get back to her old shoe size after she delivered her children more than 10 years ago. Her feet got permanently a size bigger. 

The swell on my fingers has also caused my fingers joints/knuckles to ache, especially in the mornings. The pain is worse on both hands' 3rd and 4th fingers. I would shove my hands to SJ every morning when I wake up and request that he give my fingers a massage. Same goes for my swollen feet too. SJ has been extremely sweet to fulfill my requests; giving me feet massage almost every night and fingers massage every morning :)))  

I can deal with swollen fingers and feet or the pelvic bone pain. I think the most depressing part about this whole pregnancy is the stretch marks!!! :(((( Stretch marks beginning to appear in week 36 and I was really sad about it. Since the beginning of this pregnancy, I have tried my best to make sure I apply oil and lotion everyday (morning and night) on my thighs, arms, bust areas and the whole tummy area with the hope that stretch marks would not appeare. There is a guide on where to apply oil in the L'occitane Almond Supple Skin Oil box which I follow closely. I even look and scrutinize my tummy area almost every night after shower for stretch marks; was quite pleased until week 36 when I saw nasty red lines on my buttocks (!!!), the lower part of my belly and both sides of my belly :(( It just caught me by surprise that stretch marks would appear on my buttocks!!?? That's the last place I actually thought it would appear, hence, didn't apply any oil in that area at all :S

Somehow, deep down I know that there is nothing I can do or prevent these stretch marks from happening because I was told that this is genetic, if your mom has it, you'll surely have it. So my mom has it, I would surely have it too plus my bump is really huge compared to many people. I noticed in these 2 weeks that stretch marks appeared around my belly button. My bump is really quite huge, measuring at 43 inches today. So many people been asking me whether am I carrying twins. SJ's theory was that I'll definitely have stretch marks because of these reasons: my bump is huge, baby is huge, I'm been so active walking and moving around which gravity plays a part in pulling and stretching my bump downwards which the skin will definitely stretched. The body needs a much longer time (more than 9 months) to accommodate and adapt such a huge change of the body. I was wondering those fat men with huge beer bellies on whether they have stretch marks or not; SJ doesn't think so because they had years to get to that huge belly, which their bodies can adapt to that changes slowly. 

 I quickly bought a bottle of Clarins Tonic Treatment in week 36, that is specially applied to treat stretch marks (heard many good reviews but was told that it was expensive) but I guess it's a little too late now because the stretch marks just increased (quite drastically) in these past few weeks. I am not even bothered to look at them in  the mirror anymore after shower. Was talking to a friend and she told me that she didn't have any stretch marks because she literally shower in these oil or cream. She used a huge amount Palmer's cocoa butter and Bio Oil until it drips :S Both her boys were also very small when they were born; they were less than 3 kg. My baby is definitely more than 3.5kg. So, her bumps were smaller than mine. If she wasn't as mobile as me, it should be surprising that she didn't have any stretched marks. 

I guess there are worse things that could happen in this pregnancy; like having varicose veins, lots of facial hair, terrible acne problem, darkened spots/patches on face or neck etc. I should be thankful that this pregnancy has been good so far because I didn't have any of those mentioned above :))) Well, I guess I can always do laser treatments if I 'really' want to get rid of the stretch marks in the future. I was complaining to SJ that it's not fair that my body has changed to much; stretch marks, putting on so much weight (I'm the heaviest now in both Yong and Chong's family) and so much cellulite on my thighs! Now I know the sacrifices that mothers have to go through to deliver a child. No wonder everyone told me that you'd appreciate your mother more after you become a mother. I totally agree with that statement. 

 SJ's colleague who has the same EDD as me, we are seeing the same Dr. Choong for our pregnancies, we even attended the same antenatal class with Jenlia; she delivered her baby girl on Saturday, 14th July and her baby is 3.85 kg. We didn't expect her baby to be that huge! My baby is definitely bigger than hers, so now we're expecting our baby boy to be about 4kg or more! :O I am ok that my baby is big, I don't really mind because many people been reassuring me that bigger baby is easy to care for. I'm ok as long baby is healthy ;) Am trying to set a very positive mindset for baby's arrival. I can't wait to meet baby! Now I can't wait to listen to baby's heartbeat tomorrow afternoon!

I'm 40 weeks pregnant today!

A photo of me taken yesterday, 11th July; a day before I'm 40 weeks pregnant. 

SJ and I were sharing a Baskin Robbin's Brownie Ala Mode ice-cream :)))) 

Yes, TODAY is the date of my estimated due date (EDD) of baby's arrival but there's no sign of baby coming tonight! Can't believe that 40 weeks have gone by so fast and we're anticipating baby's arrival anytime now! Dr Choong told us that baby most likely will be late based on his 30 plus years experience because it's our first baby. In my last antenatal visit, which was last Monday, 9th July, as usual, we (or rather just me) have many questions to ask him. Questions that we've asked were: 

1. How long should we wait before we induce labour? Dr. Choong said that the EDD is just an estimate and usually it's not accurate. We should not use this date as the last date for baby to be born. He is willing to wait for another 14 days but he is up for negotiation to induce earlier depending on how I feel as many new expectant parents would be pressured from the grandparents and friends. Dr doesn't suggest induce because it puts a lot of stress on the mother and baby, which could cause a difficult labour and delivery; unless both mother and baby have medical risks such as gestational diabetes, high blood pressure, low amniotic fluid etc. Dr. thinks my pregnancy been good so far, so it's good to wait. SJ and myself agree with him too.

 2. I was concerned about baby swallowing feces at birth because I was told by my colleagues that this is very possible if the baby is overdue. SJ has no idea what was this about when I mentioned it to Dr. Choong. Dr. Choong explained and clarified further that baby could be ingesting his own poo (meconium aspiration) starting from week 38 onwards. This means that it could be happening way earlier and before baby is due and I should not be worried about it because there is nothing I can do to prevent this. Of course I had to find out more about this from the internet and I found this site to be very informative in this area: 

Meconium (the first stool that passed out by baby) aspiration is a potentially serious birthing complication that could result in severe respiratory complications in affected newborns. This condition occurs when a baby breathes in meconium, the black, sticky waste product that has been present in their digestive tracts since the 10th week of pregnancy. Factors that might increase your baby’s chances of suffering from meconium aspiration include an extended or difficult labor, a history of gestational diabetes and a prolapsed cord. 


 Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/530644-signs-symptoms-of-meconium-aspiration-in-newborns/

3. Is SJ going to cut baby's umbilical cord? Throughout this pregnancy, Dr. Choong never mentioned about cutting baby's umbilical cord. We have friends telling us that their doctor would ask the dads to decide whether they want to cut the umbilical cord on the birth-day or not and I was wondering why Dr. Choong never asked us this. When I brought up this question, he said that it has been his standard operating procedure for the past 20 years that the fathers were the ones that been cutting the umbilical cords. He has not been cutting umbilical cords for many many years. He said that if the dads are not going to cut the cord, he would offer it to the grandmother and if the granny doesn't want to do it, he would offer to the new mommy to cut it herself. I thought it was pretty cool and I was happy with his reply.

I'm liking Dr. Choong more and more as this pregnancy proceeds. He is experienced and he never fails to give me comforting and positive replies. Most importantly, he is always patient and answers all my questions. Both SJ and I like his standard operating procedure and we know that he will respect and will work together with us on how we want our baby to be delivered ;)))

I am off from work since beginning of this week! FINALLY! It was so difficult to tear myself away from work and finally able to do so this week. I guess I just love my work too much :D Been wanting to stop work for the past 3 weeks! Will try to update this journal as much as possible on my experience in this pregnancy while waiting for baby to 'decide' to come out. :P

I'm 34 weeks pregnant today!

I'm officially 8th month pregnant today! Baby is arriving in about a month time!!!! The moment I received my weekly email update from babycentre.com.my about me in week 34 now, it was like an alarm went off in my head.. OMG! Baby is coming so soon & I'm not sure if I'm ready for baby's arrival! Instantly I messaged my friends & family to tell them that I'm 8th month pregnant now. My mom called me right away to tell me that 8th month is a very crucial month and I should really relax and stop working soon.

So glad that SJ and I have separated all our baby things according to baby's age in months and we have put them all in our storage boxes, ready to be sent to my parents' place as I'll be doing my confinement there. We just need to send the clothes, towels, toy etc for washing first before to my parents' place. After that, I will pack my hospital bag. A good friend of mine, Cin Neng been asking me about my hospital bag since 2nd trimester. Her biggest concern is the hospital bag but I'm having the more relax attitude towards this hospital bag. I shall get it packed when baby's clothes are all washed :P

Updates on my pregnancy and how I feel..
1. I think I had my very first experience of Braxton-Hicks contraction today! I didn't (and still don't now) really know what is Braxton Hicks until my yoga instructor asked us about this last week. I asked the yoga instructor what is braxton hicks and she described it as a mild contraction, cramp of the womb. It felt like a contraction but it sporadic, it comes and go randomly. It could due to dehydration. I think (am not sure) I experienced one today while driving. It was a sudden cramp in my womb with a slight ache and then it went away. Most probably because I didn't drink as much water today as I used to.

2. I am still drinking lots of water during the day, I can finish about 2 litres of water in the day and would start taking sips of water after dinner time to reduce water retention and the need to go to the wash room at night.

3. I am still very thankful that up to today, I don't wake up in the middle of the night to go to the washroom. I don't have interrupted sleep and have been getting restful sleep throughout this pregnancy :)) Hope this will go on for as long as possible in this pregnancy.

4. I could feel that my bump is getting really big. I could feel it resting or touching my thighs when I am sitting down :S Been measuring my belly's circumference on every Sunday, and last Sunday, 27th May, it was measured as 42 inches. It would stay in the same measurement for about 2 to 3 weeks and steadily grows bigger by half an inch each time. I would scrutinize my belly almost every night in front of the mirror looking for any stretch marks. I admit I am a vain person! :P So far, no sight of stretch marks yet. Finger crossed that it will never come but from my findings with other mothers, I don't think I can avoid them even though I put lots of lotion and oil every day. I guess I will have to accept that this is part (the stretch marks) as being a Mom.

5. I am starting having problems finding the good comfortable position to sleep as my belly is getting bigger. I definitely cannot lie on my back (this is my favourite sleeping position!) now when I sleep as I would feel very breathless with my belly is pushing against my lungs. I have been resting my head on two pillows since last week so I could breath easier, at the same time elevate my feet so I would not have swollen feet, which have caused extra stress on my back, hence, I have worse backaches now. When I lie on my sides, I would get numbness on the side that I lie on as I would sometimes stay on the same position for the whole night. I need about 5 to 6 pillows to sleep now: 1 or 2 for my head, 1 for my feet, 1 for my belly to rest on, 1 for between my legs and 1 for my back so if I were to roll on my back, this pillow would serve as a stopper so my back would not be totally flat and therefore, won't give me terrible back ache in the next morning. SJ been very nice; arranging the pillows for me every night which leaves him with very little space to sleep in the bed.

6. I am temporarily permanently walking like a penguin now, due to my huge belly. I think the only reason why pregnant women are waddling like a penguin/duck is to create a balance so we won't topple over. It is also so much harder to get up from the floor or chair and I am definitely walking way slower now.

7. I am feeling so much warmer nowadays too. This is also because the weather is really hot recently but I know I am feeling it more than others. The air-con in my bedroom is turn on with the lowest temperature and in 'powerful' mode almost every night for the past few weeks.

8. About a month ago, we went to get a 3D scan and the doctor told us that our baby is bigger than average. Hence, I do look bigger than average for someone at my stage. There is this funny lady, Shirley that works in my company, she thinks that I am so huge and she has been asking me to stop working and rest at home for the last 3 days, consecutively past 3 days every time she sees me! She is so afraid that I would pop anytime. haha! She has never met me until last Monday and she has been telling me the same thing everytime she saw me :S

9. I have been going for my weekly yoga classes since week 13 and these classes have been really helpful in relieving pains at my back and joints. Just counted that I have 7 classes more to go in my 12 classes pass. I must try to go for all before baby arrives.

10. I went for my very first pre-natal massage last Friday at Amvory Puchong, and another one tomorrow! Bought these massages at the Mommy-Baby Fair at Midvalley in May. I was really looking forward for these massages because the last time I had one was before I knew I was pregnant, which was last year! Been wanting to get a massage but been has adviced against it. The massage I had last Friday was good even though it was short, only an hour. Looking forward for my 2nd and last massage of this pregnancy tomorrow! I was told that I shouldn't have any massages from week 34 onwards :(( and was told that foot reflexology is a big NO NO :(( I thought it would be ok to get a foot reflexology in my final trimester but was told it's really dangerous as it would cause early labour.

11. Am feeling easily tired nowadays, mostly because it takes so much effort and energy to move because I am getting heavier. It's like I am carrying a ball that weighs a few kilogram the entire day for weeks/months. I have gained a total of 14 kilograms since my first visit to the doctor in November 2011. Am seeing the doctor tomorow and will know my new weight. I am hoping to gain another maximum of 2 kilograms before baby arrives. I read that I would be gaining about 250 grams every week in my 3rd trimester, so that's about 1 kilo per month and I have about 1 month plus to go.

12. Baby is moving practically all the time! This baby hopefully is a day baby because he moves more during the day, especially between 9 to 11am and move much lesser at night. He sleeps when Mommy sleeps :)

Things to look forward this coming week:
1. Going for my fortnightly antenatal visit tomorrow! So happy that I'm seeing doctor every two weeks now ;)
2. SJ and I are going for our Antenatal Class next Saturday, 9th June!

Overall, I'm doing good mentally, emotionally and physically :))) Trying to fit some time to swim in my schedule and trying to finish all my work before I officially takes off in the middle of June. I feel torn between the workholic me and the want-to-be-a-good-mother me. There are so much to do at work (I know work will never end!) which I love doing especially things in the office are getting better and gaining momentum but I know I have to slow down to enjoy my pregnancy and prepare for baby's arrival. I read it somewhere that, being a mother and watching kids grow up is really precious, and you have the entire life to work. Oh well, maybe I should follow that statement and enjoy every moment now ;)

Babymoon Part 2 (Day 3, 4 & 5 on 6-8th April 2012)

Day 3: We were dressed in RED (coincidentally!)! Heading out to Taipa Village for breakfast before we catch the ferry to Hong Kong. 

We checked out from Venetian Hotel early that morning & kept our luggage at the concierge. There were a massive amount people in the hotel that day because it was a Good Friday public holiday. So many tour groups were visiting Macau that weekend. Glad that we were heading out of Macau.

Here's a pic of me with our breakfast spread at a random shop at Taipa Village. We just picked this shop because it was filled with localsl; thinking that their buns and instant noodles were something special but turned out not.

A quick dessert fix before we leave Macau! Ice-cream pudding is extremely popular in Macau because we keep seeing them everywhere. We think it's a portugese dessert and the brand 'Serrdura' is a chain store selling puddings. I had an original flavour from Serrdura but I think the saw-dust pudding I had the day before tasted better.

Walked for a bit in the shopping area of Venetian Hotel before we headed off to the ferry jetty. They have so many big brands in this hotel and it is massive! There's a canal running around with people sitting in the gondola and gondolier was singing so loudly that his/her voice was echoing loudly in the mall. It was way better than the 'real' gondoliers in Venice! You would have to pay a huge amount of money to sit in a gondola in Venice & the gondoliers don't even sing for you in Venice. 

We took a ferry to Hong Kong and thankfully, the ride was not choppy. It was quite a comfortable ride even though the weather was cloudy. The first thing we encountered when we reached Hong Kong jetty was a grumpy and naggy but with good intentions taxi driver. He was lecturing us about the bad timing we took for coming to Hong Kong because it was a long public holiday weekend and the weather was horrible. He also advised us to check the calendar and weather in the future because the cable car ride to Victoria Peak would be surely close for maintenance or bad weather. What we didn't told him that this 'bad timing' is not new to us because we had it in almost all our holidays! Must really do more 'homework' before we plan our next holiday!

Had dinner with my Form 6 friend, Hui Yee with her hubby, Louise and son, Caleb. Caleb is so adorable; sitting in his car seat quietly. He was so attached to his face towel that the moment he started whining or crying, all I had to do was to cover his face with the towel and he would be soothed. That was both funny and amazing!

A picture with Hui Yee and family at Mikichi restaurant

We walked around AEON and a huge baby products shop in that mall, comparing prices and items that they have there with Malaysia. We found that baby items were not cheaper but they have many interesting and cute products in Hong Kong! It was quite fun just walking around and looking at these baby stuffs.

Hui Yee and Louise brought us to this amazing location to view Hong Kong's beautiful night line. 

It was cold because of the strong wind and we saw a couple standing in a dark near the pier taking their wedding photos!

Of course we had to end the night with DESSERT! Haha! Since we missed the steam egg/milk in Macau, we found a rather popular shop via blogs near our hotel, Novotel Hotel at Jordan. We went to Yee Shun Milk Company which was only a few minutes walk from our hotel. The menu was all in Chinese and we couldn't read any of them. We asked an uncle in the shop what is good? His reply was everything is good! Our next question was what's the top three best sellers & he pointed on the menu that the first three on the list are the best sellers, which didn't help us to order at all! :S Later we told him that we couldn't read chinese, so please read them out to us. He was puzzled, probably wondering why we can speak cantonese but cannot read. I get this puzzled looks quite often. He finally read out the top three bestsellers: ginger steam-milk and double layer steam milk which were what we ordered. I must really send my kids to chinese school! He later came back & advised SJ that he must not stir the egg because that was not the right way to appreciate this steam egg :S 

Left: Ginger steam milk (mine!) and SJ's double layer steam milk on the right.

We went to bed happy that night because we had our steam-milk desserts! :)

Day 4: Exciting day ahead because we were planning to have dim sums at this place that has Michelin one star rating! The last time we had was last year, June 2011 at Mong Kok & this time, we went to another branch at Shum Shui Po because this branch is bigger, hence, less waiting time. We waited for 2 hours plus in Mong Kok & only about 30 mins in Shum Sui Po.

The massive amount of people waiting outside of this restaurant. 

Good thing they have the menu in English. 

Thanks Kok Hoong & Yu Ling for bringing us to this yummy dim sum place

FOOODDDSSSSSssss!! The 'char siew chan pau' (BBQ buns) on the bottom left in this picture is super yummylicious! I think both SJ & I can have these buns every single day! Haha!

I don't think we will ever say 'NO' to egg tarts in Hong Kong. We bought these from a popular chain egg tarts store in Hong Kong. Just had to grab these while we were on our way to the MTR station. 

 Then, I saw these! Chinese Pudding or 'put chai kou' in Cantonese. 

Had to buy one and try because I've never tried before. Yes! I can eat really a lot as you can see my huge belly in this pic :P

Later that evening, we had dinner with my uni friend, Rockie & her hubby, Ocean in a chinese restaurant. Forgot to take photo of the main dishes. Only had a photo of dessert. Haha! Really dessert junkie! Here's a picture of coffee pudding (it was similar to our Malaysian many layer kuih but it was in coffee flavour), sesame seed roll (interesting! and apparently it's very rare nowadays as not many people make this dessert anymore) and finally my favourite glutinous rice in ginger soup (YUMMSSSS!). 

 Even though we had desserts after dinner at the restaurant, Rockie still suggest that we go to another dessert place to have more dessert and chat! We went to Hui Lau Shan and they served many desserts with mango and other varieties of fruits. 

Day 5 (Final day!): Last day to eat before we head back to Kuala Lumpur! 

Morning picture at the hotel before we go eat ;)

Read about this 'Australian Dairy Co.' from a blog and it was near our hotel! We went the day before our dim sums lunch but the queue was too long, so we've decided to go on our final day in Hong Kong and we had to make sure we were up early to start queuing. Here's a picture of SJ, standing about two shops away from the restaurant. We waited for about 20 minutes before we were shown to a table. 

The efficiency level in Hong Kong is really superb! The waiters really tried their very best to make sure every table is full. If there was a table of 3, they would sit another single person in that table. We being the 'foreigners' and cannot read chinese (they did not have an english menu) plus not knowing what to order; we were looking around & told the rather impatient waiter that we wanted breakfast sets, not knowing what are the breakfast sets. The only thing we understood were how to order our drinks and a rough guess of how we wanted our eggs. Then, suddenly came two bowls of macaroni with bacon, SJ had scramble eggs with toast and I had fried eggs with toast. Even though this restaurant has a very english name but the food served were so chinese! Quite misleading.

 Many bottles of milk, which I believe were imported from Australia. They served steam-milk desserts too. 

Then, it's time to leave to catch a ferry back to Macau and then to catch a flight back to Kuala Lumpur. 

We were planning in the ferry what we should do and eat before we get to the airport. We really wanted to try the famous pork chop bun with its original buns again and we also wanted to buy the famous Macau's almond biscuits and almost pastries. So, we split the tasks as we had very limited time: me to queue for the pork chop buns and SJ to run over to buy the biscuits.

This is the long queue to get the buns. 

SJ with almond biscuits/pastries and me with the pork chop buns. 

A photo to end this post of our Babymoon: Daddy SJ sitting happily on a bench by the street eating his pork chop bun! 

That's the end of our Babymoon! I saw my doctor the following week & I gained 3 kilograms but I am a happy mommy! :)))