Cameron's story...

How much do you remember your labour experience? Deana & Joyce shared theirs and prompted me to share too! I think its a good idea to write it down, coz 3 years after my 1st child, I couldnt recalled exactly what happened until someone asked me... even that took me a while to get the bits & pieces together. My gynae said jokingly, that human tend to forget painful experiences... that's why they give birth to more kids... hahaha!

My EDD supposed to be on the 19th April.. but in my 37th week, I had a strong feeling that I would be in labour by the 5th April (Same time as my mom's bday). A day before my 38th week, on the 4th of April 2008...

2.30am ~ Went to bed after surfing the net for CDs... (yah, I know! muhau!)

4.00am ~ Got up to go weewee... Got my bloody show!

7.00am ~ Took my bath, washed my hair (knowing the confinement regime... urghh!! I might not able wash it for 30days..), got ready my labour bag, drank a glass of Glucose water (recommended by MIL) & prepared soft-boiled eggs for breakfast. Sempat lagi blog (have time to blog)! and finished my third rinse of the prefolds I bought from miabambina.com.

8.30am ~ went back to sleep. Contraction very very mild.

9.30am ~ Awaken by lil C, asking if I was ok. Told him that today, MaMa & PaPa needed to go and see doctor as MaMa wasnt feeling too well. Lil C replied,"Just like yesterday? MaMa have to stay with doctor and I will visit you when it's dark???" Hehehe.. funny.. he relates things that had happened as YESTERDAY! Called SMC for appointment. Contraction was still very mild and irregular.

11.30am ~ Met up with my gynae. Did a VI, baby's head was still high up, dilated 4cm. Went to do my CTG and baby was doing well. Admitted to the ward. Walked and walked (so they said, walking would make the labour an easy one!), till I got so bored. Decided to have a nap. Contraction was still very mild. (DH also curi tidur)..

1.30pm ~ My aunt, who is working in SMC came and visited us.. Suddenly, there was power black-out and the hospital was running using gen-set...

3.00pm ~ A nurse came into my room, and introduced herself.. "Hi, I am nurse C, I am your dedicated nurse from now until 8pm.. hopefully you'd deliver before that and I will assist you during the delivery!" Walaueh.... syok nya... so professional!. like watching ER.. Then, she asked me to go to the labour room, which was just next door as the gynae wanted to see me...

Entered the labour room, I saw the doc & nurse was checking the power sockets.. There was still power cut-off and they were testing the power socket if it was working... Scary thoughts came, imagining if there was no electricity at all, what if I needed an emergency c-sect... *breath in & out... needed to stay calm, silly thoughts!! * but really, what ifs...

Gynae did a second VI, dilated only 5cm. Broke my water bag (ewww!!! like rich, thick, hot flush running through!) Stayed in the labour room, continued my walking session. haha! This time, contraction became slightly stronger, and within 10 mins apart.

5.00pm ~ Got bored! Contraction was 7mins apart and the dedicated nurse came to do another VI. I was still 5cm dilated! Oh boy! This was going too slow, I thought! I heard another nurse said, "Belum lagi bah kan, saya mau beli kuih dulu!" (She wont deliver so soon, I am going to buy some cakes first).. Sampat lagi! Another nurse said that maybe the baby wont come out due to the date : 04/04 (According to the chinese belief, 4th is not a good day). Maybe baby is waiting till midnight! Gulp!!! Oh no!

5.30pm ~ Nurse came and asked me if I have any urge to push. Well, contraction has been quite regular, i.e. 5 mins apart; but no urge yet. I got tired of walking, I decided to lie down and was strapped by the CTG again.. hmmmphh.. DH was being nosy, kept reading the meter from the CTG (baby's heart beat & the contraction rate). He would tell me when I was experiencing a contraction... oh doh!!! I could feel its coming lah! So far, the contraction reading went up as high as 80; according to the nurse, it could shoot up to 120... The funny part was, when the contraction was coming, hubby suggested to do the breathing "pant, pant, blow" thingy... we kinda forgot how / when should we do it! hahaha!! And he wanted to test run it on that time itself!!! arghh!! I wanted to scream in pain, at the same time I laughed because it was so awkward!! Silly us! yeah! I could still laugh!!! The nurse kept asking if I wanted to take any painkiller. I told her not necessary. She made a remark, saying that by looking at my face, it's either I wont be due so soon or I just have a high tolerance towards pain... hahaha!!

6.00pm ~ Ok, this was the time when the contraction came and hit me real hard!! I have to close my eyes to bear the pain, and did my breathing quietly. Hubby was kind to massage my feet (hehehe.. I prepared him for that! Syok!) Another VI, this time its 6cm dilated... 6cm only??? another 4 more to go? I thought. This could take forever.. Still no urge to push! By this time, my thighs were shivering! I was panicky coz I could imagine it would be a looooong labour and I might not be able to wait too loong! I was worried that it might take another 10 long hours (I dunno why I think like that).. and I might not have enough energy to push.. and might go through c-section! I dont wanna go for c-sect!!!

Hubby noticed that I got panic and scared. I didnt how what to do and almost in tears. He asked how can he helped. I told him how I felt and asked the nurse to give painkiller to calm me down. The nurse gave pethidine..

6.15pm ~ FINALLY, I felt the urge to push.. Took a long breath! Tahan first!! Told the nurse about the urge and she smiled. She called the gynae... I couldnt hear what she said but informed her about my situation.. I was trying to defocus myself on the pain... "Doctor is on her way", the nurse trying to comfort me..

6.25pm ~ My second urge to push!! I tried to keep my mind off from pushing.. Doctor wasnt there yet... But the contraction was soooo intense, I cant really take a deep breath and I pushed.. I felt there's a blop came out of me.... I was stunned!! I looked at dh and he said, baby's head is out! OMG!!! The thought of my V terkuyak was ...*speechless* The first delivery (lil C's), I had an episiotomy and I didnt even feel it.. and second one (baby's), it tear naturally. eww!! (But later then I realised that natural tear less pain and heals faster!)

Then, I hear my gynae rushed in... I felt relieved! I just close my eyes and let the doc do her job.. I felt that she hold baby's head and brought him out. I didnt have to push anymore.. hmmm... (Later also I found out that baby was so tiny that it was kinda easy for the doc to take him out from me).. All I could hear was doc instructing the nurses what to do, including collecting the baby stem cordblood...

Then, its time to stitch me up.. it was painful compared to my first one.. I closed my eyes and heard baby's cry.. Nurse was cleaning him up and brought him to me after that.

My first encounter with baby C : I saw him, but I was too sleepy (I think due to the painkiller). I just smiled and called, "Baby!! Hello Baby!". He turned and looked at me... Wow! He recognised my voice.. Hubby noticed too! I was overwhelmed!

Doc was still busy doing the stiches.. I closed my eyes and dozed off.. A while after that, the nurse woke me up and brought me to my room.. I continued my sleep.. closed my eyes.. but I heard people came in and out.. I just couldnt be bothered.. I was too tired and sleepy..

Baby C having his first milk, an hour after he was born..
mmm.. my mom's best!!!

Blardy Show

Sandra asked me yesterday, if I still stay till 3am surfing the net. Told her that after purchasing the CDs, I can sleep peacefully....

Last night, I was again surfing the net, checking on CDs online... till 2.30am. Sigh! When can this addiction would come to halt? Heheheh.. I found some nice prints of Cover Diapers, but wasnt sure if they sent to Malaysia. Send an email to them, and checking like every second if they have replied mine... Muahaha!!! Too kiasu odi!!

Oh.. did I say blardy show? Yeap, woke up around 4am as I need to go to the toilet, and I spotted the bloody show... Is it time yet? Woke hubby up and told him about it.. Then I told him to go back to sleep... well, he went back & snored (I still cant figure out why men can switch off so easily)... but I cant! I remembered my labour bag.. havent really put the things in the bag yet.. Is it time yet? I tried to go to sleep, but the blardy garbarge truck & gang were too noisy collecting rubbish... They were so roudy, the dogs were barking... erghhh!!! I just cant go back to sleep.. Check the time, it's 5am...

So, I lied down on my bed, thinking.. thinking... and started to get worried (for not doing anything). Hubby opened his eyes and looked at me.. asking if I were fine.. if I were experiencing any contraction.. Hmmm... yeap, I felt it.. and it became more intense as I keep trying to 'feel' the pain.. This wasnt good. ... I should stop thinking and trying to get some rest first, before the main task that I need to do later part!! Am I nervous..? I think I kinda know what to expect, but the thought of bearing the contraction pain made my mind numb... I cant think further..

I need to check my labour bag.. I need to take my bath.. and wash my hair... I need to do lots of things...

And here I am, typing out in this blog...

Is it time yet?

My CD Stash

Got my first stash of CDs from Miabambina.com. At last, I can have some good rest sleep.. I bought 12 prefolds, 4 Pocket CDs & 3 cover diapers... For a start, I think its good enough.. (but of coz, I cant help wanting for more). I would start baby with the prefolds first, until MaMa is convinced with CDs.

I saw the kissaluv's fitted diaper, and I fell in love with it!!! They look so adorable, that it made me wanting to chew them... They look like delicious, colourful marshmellow!! hehehe.. I stopped myself from bulk-buying them (even Sandra was giving discounts for it) coz I need to settle my mind with the basic diapering first... First comes first!

Now, I am doing my 3rd wash for the prefolds... :) Happy Cloth Diapering, CD-addict moms!

CD Learning

I am 'CD-learning' in the process... Have been reading soooo many CD info online lately.. (Not a grad yet, coz I havent bought any.. and blamed it to the prego brain, still kinda blurr2).

Some friends told me, just do it! Get them and learn... Actually, I am just lazy a 'poo-poo' freak mom! That means, I will run away if I smell poos. I know this sounds ridiculous from a mom of a 3yo kid by now... But even now, I do feel like throwing up when I clean lil C's. I dont touch any other kids' nor ever clean any kid's butt apart from mine! Imagine, now I am putting myself as a fulltime 'poo-poo' cleaner soon!

Sigh! I guess, now that I am worried about my kids' future generations.. (hahaha), I have informed DH that I will go on with my CD plan. (I kinda ditched the plan after a while, but dear Elaine's post made me to think twice.).. Also being green and stuffs like that!

I am in my 37weeks now.. anytime!!! I have to plan stuffs soon.. and I guess my first CD purchase would probably go to Miabambina.. becoz her place is just around the corner of mine.. (Not so close la, maybe 7mins drive!).. psst! Got discounts, ah? heheheh.. just kidd, sandra!

Ok, going back to my CD learning center! Adios for a while!

Cloth Diaper Journey

Its not mine... This is like a bookmark for myself, becoz I tend to forget about the links... ;)

1. My good friend, Elaine's CD journey with the 3rd child
2. Disposable Diapers ‘Linked To Rise In Male Infertility’
   
3. Joyce's CD madness
   
4. Another CD craze mummy : Farrahar
5. Miabambina CD story
   

So, am I ready for CD yet?

My lil Parrot

The Malay phrase, " Bapa borek, anak rintik" (Like father, like son) has really got me.. but I think it should be changed to "Mama borek, anak rintik" instead.. (Like mom, like son).. Its the not-cute-side of lil C!!

I have noticed that every single most things lil C does, esp the ones that irritates me, he learnt that from me.. indirectly. I have to admit that sometimes, when someone asked for something from me (as the object was closest to me), I would get it and throw it to the person rather than politely pick it up and send to the person gently (like walking towards him).. Haha! Lil C does it to us too, just like the way MaMa had taught lil C indirectly! "Christian, can you please get MaMa the tissue?" He will get the tissue and throw it towards me *piak!*... Boo hoo, mama!

Then, his speeches... Sometimes he asked MaMa too many questions at a time.. and MaMa was too lazy busy to answer him, MaMa would reply, "Dunno!"; "Later"; "Wait first"; "Hold on"... etc.. and guess what, that's exactly how lil C replied to us, and its irritating! hahaha!

Lately, he uses demanding sentences like, "Papa, answer me please!! Why you didnt answer me?"; "Listen to me first"; "Let me talk first"; "You see what you have done!"; "I am not happy with this!" ; "You made me very upset!" all in exact words & expression, thanks to MaMa! Oh.. not to forget, he whines & sighs too.. just like an old maid!

Sometimes, he would say things to save his butt, like "Please Papa, I want that. MaMa says if I say please, I can have it!!" "Maybe MaMa took/did it" hmmmm.... screwing MaMa's reputation in front of PaPa.. Ahem! Well, I did it again.. if lil C was trying to find his toys and I dont want him to get it or I just couldnt simply find it or just lazy to look for it.. I's say PaPa took it to work!! Boo hoo!

At times, I couldnt control my laughter... other times, I would be mad at him for doing/saying things like that! Well, cant blame him.. its like GIGO! "Garbage In, Garbage Out!".. reminding me of the term WYSIWYG (What you see is what you get), during my computing class back then.

The next newest behaviour is that, he likes & purposely, make us angry because he wants attention! He would climb on the table, but before he does it, he makes sure that we notice and realise what is his next step. His eyes will look at me... feet on the table... waiting for me to scold him.. ?? Or, when he drinks his water from a glass, he looks at me again... just to make sure I am looking, and pour the water out from the glass...

Urgghh!!! These are the most recent irritating behaviours, and the above mentioned were just a handful! Sometimes, we think he does it because he knows there's a baby coming soon... But sometimes, he does it because he just want to be noticed, esp at this age!

Sigh! It is sooo mentally tiring to sometimes think what have I done wrong... what must I do.. If I spank/scold him, he will repeat the behaviour because he know that he manage to get attention from us! Recently, I ordered a book on Discipline Without Shouting/Spanking. It hasnt arrived yet... I wonder how the westerners can bring up their children without spanking....?? They use terms like time-out, offering choices, re-directing etc.. (not that I adore their culture so much, but in the Asian society, I was brought up with the phrase Spoil the rod and spare the child .. or issit the other way round?? *scratch head)

I want to raise my kids where they have their inner thoughts and own character... the question is how to do it?

Further reading:

• How to discipline a child effectively without spanking
• Discipline without disgrace
  

Lazy Buffalo Me!

I am just so lazy to update anything... Too tired, feeling sooo bloated! I think I have turned into a buffalo... erghh!!! Gained 21kg to be exact!! Not a good sign! (gained very drastically since Dec last year.. blamed it to the Christmas & CNY celebration). Dunno why.. I dont crave for any kind of food.. Maybe I am bloated with water retention... My doctor friend said I looked as if I am already 'masak' (riped - direct translation, which means as if I will give birth anytime soon!) My feet are soo swollen, this happened a week ago.. My hands/palms are always numb... I walked funny... Getting my stomach cramps now and then... Double chin is sooo obvious by now.. urgh!!! I feel sooooo fugly!

Havent prepared my hospital bag yet... Havent prepared for baby's receiving clothes/blanket yet... Havent tidy up baby's drawer yet!!! Oh no!!! Such a procrastinator (if there's such word)! Havent squeeze my brain if I want to go for Cloth Diaper or not (havent read up articles about it)... So lazy to do anything extra.... Old mundane routine... I am so mentally/physically drained! This week alone, I went for my gynae appointment as well as review for my recent asthma attack!

Need to do some shopping!!! Need to clean the room!! Need to do lots of thing! Wake up, MaMa!! Wake up!!!

Btw, if any of you interested on some cute baby shoes... Check out MiaBambina's store before the 23rd of March!!!!!! I still havent decide which shoe to get!! Urgh!!! But I kinda like this one! Its indeed sooo cute!

They feature buttery soft leather and are lined with a layer of white cotton fabric to keep all dyes away from baby. Cute Baby Shoes also feature black suede soles to keep the shoes looking newer, longer �no more dirty footprint outlines on the bottom of baby's shoes. All of the shoes are made from cow leather.

Something to share for further reading : A gentle Beginning, Trust in the world ~ The First Year!

A short vacation

Another vacation for MaMa! Guess how did I spend my 3d2n holiday since tuesday?

A view from my auto-ascend/descend bed

My bedside table

Airforce II trainee.. on the nebulizer!

My left arm (IV for steroid input)

My right arm was poked for blood output. Urghh, dont you just hate needles?

Ok, that wasnt funny! That tuesday evening, I could hardly take my breath! My airway felt so tight! A family doc advised us to go to the SMC emergency unit to check my oxygen level (to ensure baby was having enough oxygen too) and also for observation. I was panting and breathing hard... The only thing in my mind was if I was going to deliver this baby on this point of time, based on my condition, I would definitely have to go through a C-sect delivery.

That was a scary thought! I was worried I would give labour prematurely.. Could feel the contraction coming, but I prayed that it was only the Brixton Hicks and nothing serious.. I wasnt ready, dont think baby was ready either! The physician in-charged in SMC advised that I was to be admitted for the night for observation, put me on the nebulizer to ease my breathing. Thank God my oxygen level, tho it wasnt 100%, but good enough for both baby & me. The nebulizer also help to relax my muscle, therefore, I didnt feel any contraction after that!

Couldnt sleep the whole night, dozed off around 3am and got up at 4 hours later. The same doc came to check on me. Still wheezing, I was given a steroid jab for prevent futher airway inflamation.. Scary thoughts, but according to doc (again) that at the third trimester, baby is safe if mother was given steroids (of course with proper administration). In fact, there were cases where premature babies, steroid will be given to mature their respitory system.

Was brought to the maternity ward to do CTG (cardiotography) test to monitor baby's heartbeat. Strong & heathly as a horse! That's what all matters to me! Sigh! What a relieved!

Another different medication was given, my inhaler has been changed from ventolin and pulmicot to symbicort (so-called 2-in-1) in powder form! Whatever cort laa.. just so sick and tired!! Was asked to stay for another night for observation... That night, I think I was overdosed by the nebulizer, my whole upper body was numb!! My face, ears, lips, chest, hands.... felt semut-semut all over! Urghhh!!! another unpleasant moment!!! Was given actifed for the blocked nose/flu, so I went to Zzzzzz early this time.. Before 10pm, I was already snoring!

Thursday morning, woke up by the nurse to do another CTG, coz I complaint I didnt feel baby's movement (DUh! I was drugged to sleep that night before).. again, relieved to hear baby's heartbeat galloping fast! Doc came to see me that morning and confirmed I could go home provided I must take all the necessary medication given and come back for review 2 weeks later.

I JUST WANNA GO HOME! Missing my lil C so much, and PaPa told me, he was behaving well, but still down with flu and refused to eat.. I think he must have missed me too!

I am just so happy that I am home now... Still gobble up few kinds of medicine i.e. antibiotic, clarinase (morning), actifed (night), and my steroid pills which need to be taken for the next 7days. I just want to get well before my delivery. I dread to think that what if I get short of breath agaib during my delivery? No No No! I must get better......

I did ask doc's opinion what actually happened to me. At first, I suspected it was becoz I was given the wrong medication for my fever/sorethroat. But doc's explaination, it was an unregulated medication treatment, plus the weather, got my airway inflamed. Also, me in my 32+weeks pregnancy, the growing baby was pressing on to my lungs (laymen's term) cos me to have difficulty in breathing. So, the ventolin/pulmicot didnt enter my lungs fully, that didnt help either.

Bug attack!

I am so down with flu & fever! It started last friday morning, having blocked nose & slight cough. Then, friday night, it worsen to sore throat & high fever!!! The worst I had ever experience.. maybe becoz being prego, everything was sooo sensitive.. My stomach muscle cramped.. Can you imagine that? Being overstretched 400% by the prego hormone, and now it is so difficult and painful to even take a deep breath!

Saturday morning, I went to SMC, gynae did an ultrasound to check on baby. The heartbeat was racing, gynae explained it was due to my sickness. Baby probably got slight fever from me too. She gave me tons of medication; i.e. antibiotic (zinnat), anti-histamine/anti-congestant (clarinase), cough (Durotuss), airway allergy (ventoline & Pulmicot inhaler), Lozenges (difflam) + Paracetamol (Panadol).. 7 different medications! Gulp!!!

It's scary, but come to think of it, my stomach/body muscle were all aching..I felt light-headed all the time... I was worried the pain & strenous cough would caused me to deliver sooner (prob read too much!!), I decided to gobble up the medicine without much questions asked. Pray hard it wouldnt harm dear baby!

That Saturday night, lil C caught my bug! He too was having sorethroat, cough & fever. Brought him to a family doctor on sunday morning, instead of his regular paed who closes on weekends. Medication given was different, I realised they were at a higher dosage. Poor kid, he was hyper all night long, that he only fell asleep around 4am in the morning (MaMa & PaPa took shift to accompany him).

Sigh.. had never felt sooo sick & fatigue as bad as this episode.. We have cranky MaMa and cranky lil C under the same roof, at the same time.. Can u imagine living with us ? Poor PaPa.. hehehe

HK/Macau D6 - Going Home

A late checked out from Eaton Hotel around 2pm. Didnt wanna rush (another vun's excuses!) coz everyone had a loooong day the night before.. :p The weather was good as compared to the past 2 days, too bad we hadda leave..

During the last minute shopping, the boys kept asking me taking their photos with a couple of mannequins... I think they had too much of Madame Tussaud!!

Then went to the Hong Kong China Ferry Terminal to catch the 3.30pm First Ferry shuttle to Macau, before headed for Macau Airport.

Eating HK Steam Yam in the ferry

We were quite ambitious that we planned to visit the Macau Fisherman's Wharf to kill time before our AK511 depart around 8.45pm, but it was so windy and chilly that we decided to stay put in the airport.

In the airport, I complaint that I was feeling light-headed esp when I entered the one and only Restaurant at Level 1. Then I realised that smoking are allowed in the restaurant, where a few tables were doing so. The pix above, noticed the bright square-like light on the right... That is the smoking lounge.... ??? Yep, can u believe that... in the airport itself!! What were the management thinking? Seated more than 50m away, the smoke was killing me!!! Ah yes... being preggo, our sense of smell is very very sharp!

Our AK511 plane home.. Good bye Macau, Good Bye Hong Kong!!! Till we meet again, but not so soon!

Next trip, I would like to travel to a more baby/kid-friendly place.. Maybe Australia / NZ.. SIL, BIL... interested?

I love you, Baby

Lil C just loves to be called KoKo (big bro). . "I am KoKo", he would say! He told me that he loves MaMa, PaPa and also BaBy...

and showed it too ...

Muah!!! I love you, baby!

"Baby play with me!" he cheered when baby kicked.

Lil C's photo taking skill..

p/s Pix taken using N80 phone... not very clear!

Good Bye, Nenek Keningau!

Late last night, I was busy preparing an itinerary with dear hubby for our next trip . Around 1am, being the only two of us working downstairs, suddenly we heard a male's voice saying, "Excuse me, boss. You have a text message ." It gave hubby a shock as he thought someone else was in the house. Little did he know that was my text message's ringtone.

"Message from Fr. Charles Chiew. Pls pray for my mother's soul. She died just before midnight. Funeral likely Sunday afternoon."

I was sad, I was shocked. Though, we knew and prepared for this moment, just that the thought of her not being around really hurts!

The whole day today, I kept thinking of her, the times she spent with us esp when my grandma was still around; and the times when she was with us after my grandma had left us. She was a sporting grandaunt! Romance stories (gossiping about how my grandparents were matched and how my parents fell in love) ... stories about my great-grandma's wedding with an Italian man and how she left him for her own parents (Later then I knew that was Jinian & Pungun's story).. so much more...

I missed her, her laughter (she closed her mouth with her hands when she laughed).. I just missed everything about her, the nenek keningau that I knew.. She was the closest nenek I have, after my own. God bless her soul.


Dear Mona, Mel, Yvonne, uncles, aunties and cousins,

I am so sorry that I am not able to attend Nenek's funeral due to some restrictions/cultural beliefs (of being pregnant). My prayers will always be with her.

Love always,
C&M

Being parted from a beloved one leaves a terribly raw ache which one can't imagine will ever go away. However, time is a natural healer and eventually your memories will bring you fond comfort rather than sadness and loss.

26 weeks

Here's the latest me.. being preggie for 26 weeks now.. Big, bulky and heavy! Pix was taken after attending cuz April's wedding reception on the 9th Jan.

Showin off my bump!

This is the first time I pose for my preggie pix... dread the 'buffalo' size look! But hey, my friends said its now or never...

Today, just came back from my gynae, baby is doing fine! Kicking and all! And baby seemed big compared to lil C koko.. now, at 26weeks, baby is already gaining 980g. ;)

24 weeks

Time flies speed fast! I am in my 24th week today! and tummy still look pretty small, as many commented! I remembered when lil C was in me, tummy looked small too!

The top of your uterus is now an inch or so above your belly button, which means it's about the size of a soccer ball. With the skin on your abdomen and breasts stretching, you may feel a little itchy now and then. If your skin is dry, keeping it well moisturized may help. Also, your eyes may be sensitive to light and feel gritty and dry. This is a perfectly normal pregnancy symptom known as dry-eye. To ease your discomfort, use an artificial tears solution to add moisture. [Read More..]

Yeap, that's what I am experiencing now *scratch..scratch*.. And I think I am experiencing Mama prego Blues again... maybe the hormone level is too high! Couldnt sleep well few nights now (why do u think I am blogging at this hour)... Baby's vigorous movement kept me awake all night long.. Its a good thing, of course.. just that baby kept waking poor MaMa up.. Last night, I slept around 4am, trying to put myself to sleep by reading books.. but failed.. Woke up by lil C early morning, around 7.30am... so MaMa was kinda fatigue and tired and cranky and everything else that a person would do when they're lack of sleep.

I havent done much exercising.. as I 'delay' the activity till next year.. (ada juga?) Currently, doing my prenatal yoga mentally.. I hope I will start by early next month as I want to prepare myself for an active labour.. My gynae always say that "Giving birth is like climbing mt. Kinabalu.. You must train yourself for stamina and endurance even during the begining of your pregnancy". When I was carrying lil C in me, I went to Bukit Padang track for morning walks and mild stretch.. This time, I just didnt have the time... Hope this coming labour will be easy for me... I must be mentally prepared!

Ah!!! being very emotional again... The thoughts of my 1st labour haunted me ... of coz I cant deny the pain... but at that time, I didnt know what to expect.. This time, I can just imagine the pain that I am going to endure, the cursing during the contractions etc... geezz.... it gives the shit out of me... I hope I dont chicken out with my plan to have an active labour.... hmmm...

Its 2am in the morning and better force myself to sleep.. It's going to be a loooong day tomorrow with Mass, lunch & dinner with friends...

My recent appt with gynae, she told me that baby has gained roughly 500g... :) The ultrasound scan isnt so clear... wont be posting any..

A day with lil C

This is a post-dated photos, a day after I arrived from Singapore. Lil C just couldnt leave me alone,so clingy. I dont blame him after left him for 9 days with his grandparents... Poor darling!

So, we did some activities together.. he has been wonderful during my absence. He deserved the attention.. to let him know that I am very proud of him..

Doing his artwork outside, at the garden.

See the blue colour, untouched. LLC wanted to save for Isaac when he arrived.

Help setting up the Christmas tree

As you can see, he only managed to place the balls at the lower part

Proud with his artwork!

Cloth Diapers - to do or not to do

Once, before lil C was born, I was quite interested with cloth diaper with a brandname Bumwear. It was sold in one of the local mom-baby shop in town. Too bad, the salesperson couldnt really explained to me on how it really works and with one innocent glance, hubby thought it was too expensive.. and MIL informed that it would be troublesome to use, so I dropped the whole idea of cloth diapering.

Recently, I bumped into an online store that does cloth-diapering and the wonderful thing is that it is run in KK, just a few minutes drive from where I live!!! I made the initiative to attend a mini gathering which was held this afternoon, to understand more about this cloth diapering concept...
Was I sold? Well, I was kinda tired after a looong stretch morning with lil C crying for Papa at the Golf Club, and managed to talk to lil C into having his hair-cut.. etc... Rushing to get Papa's car which was left at the club and etcetra... I almost cancelled the idea of attending the meeting I just wasnt sure how and where to start..

Sandra, the owner was very kind to introduce the different kind of cloth diapers available.. Good thing that she knows and is very experience with what she shared becoz her younger daugther is a full-time cloth diapered and a model for Miabambina too.

I was attracted by the soft materials, esp the fleece... I can just imagine how comfy would babies feel in them!!! But I hafta do my homework too! Need to read more about cloth diapers and the different types available. Wanted to check online a night before, but our home streamyx failed me last night!

For those interested to know what am I babbling about, visit miabambina.com for more info!!!! Sandra, most of the time, will be online, very helpful with any questions!!


Once I have gather my thoughts about cloth diaper, I will blog about it!!! Let me first digest the info Sandra shared! Thank you very much for your time *in case you drop by my humble blog*!

Btw, why cloth diaper?

1. Cloth diapered babies have less diaper rash
2. No chemicals in cloth diapers
3. Health of the Environment
4. Early Potty Training
5. Cloth diapers cost a LOT less.
6. Cloth Diapers are easy to put on
7. Better cushioning for baby's little bum
8. Cloth diapers are more comfortable for our babies
9. Cloth diapers are easy to wash
10. Stand out from the crowd ! [Read More...]
    

mamalink - services for mothers and mothers-to-be

I always believe in active pregnancy and pro-100% breastfeeding. My pregancy with lil C, I prepared and discussed a list of my birth plan to the gynae. She was, in a way, uneasy about it as if I am a pro about giving birth, but she accepted it and said that she would follow the plan provided everything is okay.

So far, she followed the plan and even instructed the nurses to respect it.. No epidural, allowed me to have my walk and streches (for a limited time.. hmmmph).. I wanted hubby to cut the baby's cord upon arrival but he was a lil scared about it, so we agreed that the gynae would do it.

All went well, hubby was great with the relaxation, massages & the pant,pant,blow thing... except he forgot to record the whole episod of me giving birth! haha! I guess both of us were too excited and overwhelmed with the contraction and delivery.

Then, when it came to breastfeeding for the first time, I remembered a nurse made a remark that I might not be able to breastfeed coz my nipple was 'short'. Bloodyhell!!! That remark made me felt as if I am a failed mom... I cried bcoz true indeed, lil C rejected his moomie and the words from the nurse kept lingering in my ear. I feared that she was correct!

I thanked my SIL for inspiring me, giving me the courage and determination to be able to be a succesful breastfeeding mom (a.k.a moomie) to lil C. She is a working mum from 8-5 and still have the time to go home during lunch time to pump milk for both her young sons. Without her, I think I would not have done so far. Everyone else seemed to tell me that my milk isnt enough, should mix formula and breastmilk esp if I decide to go out & leave lil C at home, dont hafta worry about his food, wouldnt be too troublesome. Thinking back, I think a lot of people still think that breastfeeding is obselete.. that if you do it, its very kampungan / old fashion. If you ever listen to the Negarakuku song, the lyrics also did illustrate on the old-fashion breastfeeding belief.

I became a succesful breasfeeding moomie for my lil C for a whole 13months. I wished I had done it longer.. and wished I didnt start with bottle feeding after that.. Being ignorant, I thought every kids should drink milk from the bottle.. sigh!! This belief being too commercialised and the old people has the same thinking too!!! Next time around, it will be a longer breastfeeding session and no more bottle drinking! I will also take lots of pictures of my breastfeeding journey with the next one... I didnt take any good ones when with lil C, thought it was too embarrasing at first! (See, I once had the same old belief once upon a time too)..

Dear mom & mom-to-be, please educated yourself with breastfeeding and the benefit of it to the child and to yourself. Plug your ears when relatives/friends start telling you the negative side of breastfeeding.. Just get rid of them!! muahaha!!

Here's something to share:

Breastfeeding isn't just feeding & providing protection against illness, it is an amazingly intimate relationship between you & your child, also providing your child with the sense of security they need to venture out into their ever expanding world. Truly amazing is the sense of pride you feel when looking at your growing baby & knowing that from the time of conception everything has come from you.[more..]

Here's a wonderful resource from ante-natal, active labour, delivery and breastfeeding, which can be found in Kuala Lumpur.. Too bad that at the moment, we dont have such service in Kota Kinabalu.

Thanks montessorimum.com for the link. And no.. this is not a sponsored link..

18+ Weeks Old

I havent really mentioned about the baby in me.. Well, I guess the worries about the baby's health and everything else made me being mum about it... Deep inside me, I keep praying so that everything will turn our okay. The horrors of my miscarriage in my 1st still haunting me.. My mum had miscarriage twice , MIL had miscarriage once and a stillborn .... Cant help but keep thinking about it.

Of course with joy, I am glad that baby seemed to be okay so far. Thank you, Lord. He started kicking when he was 16weeks, that was when I was in Membakut at my parent's place.

Lil C starts enjoying his new sibling's presence. Early morning, he will ask if baby has awaken, wish baby Good Morning and give a kiss on my growing belly. Sometimes, when he wants me to carry him and I am just too tired, I will tell him that I couldnt carry both baby & lil C together. Of course, he wouldnt understand and insisted.. Urghh!!! My back is really aching and I hadda put hotpack everynight to ease the muscle strain.

This morning, I was wearing my skimpy-T and lil C made a remark saying that my tummy is very big, how come? I told him that baby is getting bigger and bigger everyday. Lil C asked if baby kicked my tummy, I told him sometimes. Funny, he always asks WHY? WHY? HOW COME? I just have to think of reasons to explain to him..

Few days back, he told me that he wants to keep his toys, to share with baby when he comes out. He wanted to show baby his new drum and will let baby to hold the drumsticks. I told him that baby would love it esp when Koko (lil C) teaches baby. Lil C asks, why?

I havent got the time to scan baby's ultrasound scan photos, to put in this blog yet.. My next review with gynae will be on the 14th Dec, after I return from my Singapore trip. It will be a thorough check-up from his head to his toe..and I just cant wait for that day to come. At least it eases my curiousity.. esp on baby's wellbeing. I had once during my pregnancy with lil C, when he was 20weeks old. It checked his skull, face, spine, femur, stomach,liver,heart etc development. I remembered the nurse who did the scanning informed that lil C will have pointy lips.. true indeed.. hehehe..

Oh, btw, I did tell doc that I dont really wanna know the sex of my baby... (Tho hubby is the opposite.. hehehehe).. My previous scan, I tot I saw something that revealed the sex... but not too sure yet... *grin* Till my next post on baby in me

Tea.. anyone?

Pregnancy brings out a different ME! Well, I am not a tea lover, not really my cuppa.. I am more of a coffee person... or shall I say, used to be one... I was label as a Coffee-Queen in my previous workplace, coz apart of plain water, coffee is in my next list.. I could just have 5-6 coffee during working hours.. Havent counted the ones after dinner, before going to bed...

The blurry image above, taken just a minute ago via my trouble-making N80... my sabah tea in the black MMI mug, in front of my HP 22" LCD screen... (hmmm... showing off huh? hahahaha).. Nah, just testing my phone's camera after a fix from the Nokia Service Centre...

oh.. back to the topic.. I drink tea.. hmmm.. for now.. I read a lot of articles about Tea/Coffee & Pregnancy dont really mix... but for this pregnant lady's taste bud, TEA is just the ultimatum!! hhmmm...

Oh, why Tea? Not sure... With lil C in me, I cut down caffeine... No Coffee, No Tea... My fav drinks were Soya Bean and Ice Milo, which were never in my lists before that! And now, tea.. I just cant stand the horrible (how can I say that?) Coffee smell, what more the 3-in-1 Nescafe smell.. Ewwwhh!! Sorry, but they are just just so ewwwhhhh!!! Smelling tea is like .. like, shall I put it this way.. heaven, so addictive!!! Giving me that relaxation sensational feeling, like I am in Cloud9...! hahahah!!!! But seriously... that isnt the real me... that is the prego lady who just love to look for excuses to eat & drink whatever she likes..

One article stated that:

...the fact is, if you are trying to conceive, it may be a good time to cut down on caffeine. Even more importantly, when you become pregnant, eliminating caffeinated beverages altogether would be a great idea, as caffeine may be connected to increasing certain risks of prenatal health problems. Coffee specifically, in high dosage, has also been associated with an increased chance of miscarriage. ( Mama: Was that the cause of my miscarriage in my first pregnancy? I just couldnt get over the guilt thought, the fact that I did drink 5-6 coffee a day ...)Though smoking and drinking should be the first habits to go (even when you are trying to conceive), caffeine and pregnancy do not mix that well either.

During pregnancy, caffeine is believed to pose some risk to fetal health - and caffeine will pass from the mother's system through the placental barrier to your developing baby. As most of us know from experience, caffeine causes an increase in heart rate, and when pregnant, this results in increasing your baby's heart rate as well (not a good thing). Yes, you may need that jolt in the morning to get going, but your baby certainly does not. As noted above, caffeine is also a diuretic and can cause mild dehydration/frequent urination; another effect is that it can prevent the nutritional absorption of foods (vitamins and minerals) - a deficit that is passed on to your developing baby.

Another article stated:

You can still enjoy your favorite caffeinated drinks as long as you don't overdo it. After years of controversy over the issue, most researchers now believe that, although caffeine does cross the placenta, moderate amounts (less than 300 milligrams a day) won't harm your baby.

See, wont harm baby.... moderate amounts... okay.. I had a cuppa after brunch this morning and another cup now.. :-) Not so accessive.. I am not overdoing it!! :-)

So, tea...anyone??

Sleepy head..NOT!

It is half-past two in the morning and my NOT sleepy head isnt going to bed any earlier... It must have been the Teh Tarik Madras + Roti Pisang + Roti Tisu I had at 10pm today... the cafein/ sugar effect.. Geez...

I am suppose to complete my next assignments tonight, yet I was blog-hopping everywhere! Went to dear Elaine's blog.. wondering if she will deliver today... Quite excited with her pregnancy.. We kinda met during our Montessori's Workshop last year december.. and found out that we are so much alike!!! Hooked like magnet.. till today... Elaine..elaine.. have you delivered yet?? hehehe...

My head just cant think of anything else.. but hmmm... Okay, not a productive mind..

Today, I am in my 15th week of pregnancy.. And I feel better as compared to the previous weeks.. Wanted to continue my Yoga classes.. also a time where I can be alone from the mundane 'community'.. hahaha!! I might start early next month.. mentally, I still do Yoga every morning & night.. Physically, I try to think about it a lot of times.. hehe..

This pregnancy, my best buddy, the asthma, had return after it left me 15years ago!!.. The worst of all attacks... I pant, I wheez... what more, I am also suffering from skin eczema, esp on my fingers.. the kind that comes with my asthma allergy.. Had to use my Ventolin inhaler.. Hubby wasnt really keen on me starting the inhaler, but I just cant stop my cough/wheez without it. He took his time to browse the net and tried to comfort himself that it is safe for me & baby... I contacted few of my friends who were in the same condition as I am now.. and they told me that they too used the inhaler during their pregnancy...

The thing about Ventolin's effect (when consume orally) to pregnant lady is that, it can slow down the labour process. But using inhaler might not have the same effect, as it is only localised to the lungs area.. in fact babycentre.com.uk mentioned that:

"it's recommended to keep your asthma under control. According to a 1993 report, "The known risks of uncontrolled asthma are far greater than the known risks to the mother or fetus from asthma medication." Although most women with asthma have perfectly normal, healthy babies, uncontrolled asthma can result in too little oxygen getting to the baby, increasing the risk for low birthweight and other problems. Uncontrolled asthma can also increase your risk for pregnancy complications such as pre-eclampsia (development of swelling, high blood pressure, and protein in the urine) and excessive vomiting. "

Ok.. thats a lil scarry... I must make sure that it is under control... baby needs enuff oxygen...

Lips dry, eyes baggy... "Achoooo" xcuse me! I shouldnt have my teh tarik.... I need sleep, but just cant! hmmm... Time for blog-hop again...