Belly measurement - Oh my! :S

I haven't been doing much measurement of my belly or taking many photos since I've got pregnant. I used to love taking photos with my slimmer face/body and long hair.. just posted an old photo which was taken in April 2011 as my blogger's profile photo. My goal/resolution for 2012 is to get back to my pre-pregnancy clothes by December 2012!

Photo taken in April 2011

I think I'm definitely much bigger compared to many other expectant mothers. My Mom & Mom-in-law were so slim when they were pregnant that no one could see their bumps until they were in their 5th to 6th month! I have got so much bigger even before I reached week 13 :/ I couldn't fit into any of my pants or skirts by week 13. The only pre-pregnancy clothes I could still wear were my low-hip jeans, leggings and some dresses. It was pretty stressful standing in front of the wardrobe & staring at my clothes trying to figure out what I could fit in, almost on a daily basis. I want to be an awesome stylish looking mom-to-be but at the same time I don't want to buy too many maternity clothes because I know I would not be wearing them very much often. After the announcement of my pregnancy, I was really lucky that I inherited many maternity clothes from my aunty, architect and my friends/clients :)))))) It was as if the universe has answered my calling that I was stressed with nothing to wear.. I can throw a maternity wear exchange party now!

I would expect to 'inherit' some slim genes from Mom because I was told how big I get when I am pregnant or whether I would get any stretched marks depending on my 'genes'. I am trying to prevent the stretched marks from happening by putting a lot of oil on my tummy area like crazy; everyday, morning and night. I'm using Bio-Oil for night and L'Occitane Supple Skin Oil for day because it has a nice fragrance and less oily compared to Bio-Oil. I want to wear bikini with my baby in the pool!

I am concerned with my much bigger size. I am quite confident that I would be gaining quite a bit of weight compared to my previous Dr's visit when I get weighed on this Friday, 9th. I measured my belly (around the belly-button/navel point) for the first time last week, 27th Feb at week 20 and it was 37 inches!! Pre-pregnancy waist line was about 27 inches.. I gained 10 inches in 20 weeks, averagely 0.5 inches or 1.27cm in a week. Measured again yesterday, 4th March at week 21 and I was 38 inches!!! That's like a gain of 1 inch or 2.54 cm in just one week (2.7% growth)! If I continue to gain an average of 1 inch for my remaining weeks, that is another 19 weeks to week 40, I would be gaining an extra 19 inches, to a total of 57 inches!!!!!! OH MY!!! That is going to be a really SUPER HUGE BUMP!!

I have asked my yoga instructor, exchange notes with some mothers for their past experiences and even checked out the internet and all of them told me the same thing: not to worry and every pregnancy is different. My major concern if I get too big are gestational diabetes or other pregnancy complications and difficulties in delivery. It's not so much on the 'vain' factor. I am going to ask my doctor about my size this Friday and he probably says it's nothing to worry about. I usually have quite a long list of questions to ask him, which is quite funny. Dr. Choong has an amused look every time I takes out my phone from my handbag to look at my notes before I ask him questions. He usually ends his consultation by saying, 'do you have any questions?' and of course I would use that privilege! Dr. Choong has been very nice and patient. He would answers all my questions and sometimes he would take out articles/scientific journals to back up his explanations.

Well, I guess it's pointless worrying about something I can't control. I cannot control if my tummy gets too big or any other pregnancy matters; it's not in my hands. I guess I'll just do the very best I can in my circle of control.. that is to eat well, have less sugary food (I really miss my chocolate cakes & chocolates!), drink lots and lots of water during the day, exercise and most importantly THINK HAPPY thoughts every single day!