recycling my office "staples"

sort of.

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bear with me here.

this is really just a post full of vain-potty peektures of me and my belly.

ha!

something to "look back on fondly" :p

i think i can no longer wear this after delivery.

it's been stretched waaaaaay too thin :p

 ooooh! i don't look too big here (yet), yea? 

 one of my fav top from some fancy boutique in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

i caved in and purchased 2 "maternity" dresses over my entire preggers' period.

this is one of 'em simple black dress from ASOS.com

the vintage tube dress from a little shop in Perth 10 years ago!

still fits! albeit differently. haha!

notice that my hands have started swelling in week 34 :(

 love this red dress to bits!

worn over the CNY period.

and it's not even a "maternity" dress.

which means can still wear this at the next erm...... ang-gong-gong themed festival/ party? :)


ah.
so here ends my mindless, vainpot entry.
till the next time i'm preggers and take loads of similar peektures...!

Preparing for the little one - part3

We finally had a bright and sunny Saturday today!
Haven't had one of these in a looooooooong time!
It's been raining so much the past 3 - 4 months.
Mother Earth is sick :(

Anyways, today was all about washing (laundry).

Since Mr. Sun was out all day, we put the little one's full bumper and sheets etc out in the sun all afternoon.

We also (finally) picked out 2 new milk bottles (to, yes, standby) for feeding, and i got down to washing them, together with the other 10-odd milk storage bottles donated by a gf. And i gave the breast pump a good clean as well. This is on loan. Until we determine how much milk i have :p

*The 2 milk bottles for feeding are Pigeon's. Again, we are falling back on what we are most familiar with. We picked out

• a 120ml Slim Neck Peristaltic Nipple Nursing Bottle [PP Bottle/ BPA Free]
• a 160ml Slim Neck Peristaltic Nipple Nursing Bottle [PPSU Bottle/ BPA Free]

*The breast pump is a Medela Pump In Style Advanced (PISA). Looks very cool. Did a quick bit of reading about the various pumps available and this seems like a mighty good one. Dr. recommends this too. Will see how it works out for us when i actually start using it.

Oh! And i got down to buying a Munchkins Deluxe Drying Rack.

And the bright pink basket/container thingy you see in here, to separate baby's washed bottles/teats etc from everything else.

Ah...... we're finally getting somewhere.
I think.
:)

I am very, VERY upset.

 For the first time in almost 15 years, i got myself something from Buy-And-Throw-Away.

In size 8 no less!!!

All because my lovely, lovely feet decided to swell up in the FINAL leg of my pregnancy.

Up by 3 sizes!!!

-______________-

I repeat, I am very, VERY upset.

yet another "heart-attack worthy" episode

moving into week 35 soon.

the little one's movements are probably at her highest/biggest these days.

she tends to give me some awfully hard jabs now.

but after last week's scare, i'm really not complaining.

better to be able to feel and see baby's movements right?

goodness!

last week!

where do i begin?

i woke up for a drink of water at 230am one night.

got my drink from the kitchen.

somewhere between the kitchen and our bedroom, i fainted.

totally blacked-out.

cos the next thing i knew, i felt immense pain in my face - forehead and nose. i had a huge blueblack there for a good part of last week.

i heard hubs calling out to me.

then he was trying to help me up.

i had fallen at the entrance of our bedroom.

he found me on my back.

the parents come running out from their room as well.

apparently i kind of crashed to the floor.

imagine a baby elephant falling.

ttttttttthhhhhhhhhhhuuuuuuuuuuuuddd!!!

we all freaked out!

right off, i think we all feared for the little one. 

"was i hurt? is there blood?"

i think my heart nearly stopped then.

THANK GOD!!! there was no sign of blood anywhere.

but right away we tried talking to the little one and feeling desperately for her movements in my belly.

not getting any immediate reaction, it left hubs and i sleepless the rest of the night.

at 6-ish, we texted dr. tracey and was told to go into the clinic right away.

what followed were a series of tests at the clinic, then at the hospital.

CTGs.

Heartscans.

another day of tests.

and then another.

...

...

...

today we still can't figure out how and why exactly i fainted and fell.

all we know is God is good.

He was looking out for us.

hubs says it was the hand of God that held and supported us as i fell back.

i can't help but agree so.

Thank You Lord, for blessing mother and child.

we're doing ok now.

a few more weeks to go.

Preparing for the little one - part2

I ended the first entry on our efforts to prepare for the little one quite abruptly the other day :p
Ha! 
Let's try to pick up where i left off...

So dr. tracey started asking if we were done with shopping for baby about 3 weeks ago.
me: errmmm... no?
dr.: what are you waiting for! please get your shopping done before CNY!

Between then and now, we really have made an effort with preps. 
Still, when we look/see/hear of what other parents-to-be do............ sigh.


Infant milk powder/ Formula milk
What we have prepared:
None for now. BUT, this is not because we didn't bother :p
Dr. has advise we hold off buying any until the little one is born and we can more or less determine how much breastmilk i can give. If baby latches on well and my flow of breastmilk suffice for the first 3 - 4 months, all is good. We can explore the different formula milk powders available in the market at a later stage.
Dr. has given us her 2cts worth on the ones she recommends - Enfalac and Similac.
We'll keep that in mind :)

What others have prepared:
Tins of infant milk powder from various brands. To standby.
Some even explore options such as goats' milk and soy milk.
Me? I know nothing about these 'options' that are available.
*gulp. will think about that when the need does arise.


Baby's nursery/bedding
What we have prepared:
We have the babycot! We do! And the most basic of bedding requirements tOOooooo :)
Will put in a separate entry on that. 
We had NO IDEA it took so much search and research to get the little one's first bed right.

What others have prepared:
Given the very VERY limited space we have - it's gonna be us 3, living out of a tiny room for the next 2 years or so, we cannot and did not entertain any thoughts on getting a bassinet/ crib/ playpen etc etc etc.
Some friends i know are lucky enough to have space (oh, and moolah) for a crib for their baby's first few months, a cot in their master bedroom, a playpen for dayuse in the living hall......
Oh, and the range of bedding accessories available in the market!!!
I thought all we really needed was an infant pillow. seriously. the baby is too small for bolsters and blankets and whatnots. right? 
But, check these lovelies out!
Baby bedding @ Pupsik Studio
Baby blankets @ Piccolo House
And the beautiful things out there for those who can afford to set up an entire nursery for baby!!! I shan't even go into that now :( oOOOOoooooh i can't wait to actually have our house ready and the little one gets a room of her own.


For baby's bath time!
What we have prepared:
Ok, this we are abit more prepared. I think.
We know the bathtub's gonna come from Mt. A cos it says so in the Hospital's pre-admission mail to us.
For baby wash/ lotion/ oils etc etc etc, we are turning to the brands we grew up with, and so are most familiar with to start us off - Johnson, Kodomo and Pureen.
IF the need arises that we have to explore other options in future, well...... we'll think about it then.

What others have prepared:
I salute those new parents/ parents-to-be who go all out to look for "the best" baby wash for their little ones. All that participating in forums and trying to get samples etc. Takes alot of effort (time!). And money too! Cos some of these "best" products are not available off the shelfs in our supermarkets. Ordered online and sent over from DownUnder/ U.S.
Us two? We keep our fingers crossed what we get readily from NTUC/ Kiddy Palace suits our little one just fine :p


Will stop here now cos i want to kick back and admire my dancing belly!
More on that another day.

(baby) bellydancing

darling precious baby, i honestly wished there was a way to record/ video how my belly is "dancing" these days when you move inside mummy.

the "waves" you create...... anyone paying attention to mummy's belly will be amazed how you move :)

it all feels so very magical.

these days your movements are so much bigger and prominent, your daddy no longer has to stare ages or place his hands on my tummy forevaaaaaa to wait for your movements :p

you entertain us day and night with your dances and waves now.

bet you'll be quite the little entertainer in future baby girl!

happy week 34 precious!

blue/ blacks

*sniff sniff

the things i have to subject myself to......

for baby.

a series of blood tests which started off like this ---

tiny pricks.

to these ---

both right & left arms.

finally at night when the plasters are removed ---

blue/ black!!! 

omg i look like i've been badly pinched/ hit/ damaged :(

poor mummy.

happy birthday my love...

my darling hubs,

may our good Lord shower you with blessings of love, warmth, happiness & good health... all the days of our lives.

yours, me.

Preparing for the little one

With little more than 8 weeks to go before the little one is due, you would have thought we'll be done with heaps of shopping and getting the room/ house ready, yes?

Well, it seems like what the hubs and i think is "getting ready", is no where near what alot of other new parents/ parents-to-be prepare!

For a start, let's talk diapers.

Disposable diapers
What we have prepared:
The kiasu in me has gladly accepted leftovers of Newborn (NB) and Size S disposable diapers from well-meaning friends/ colleagues. Why waste, right? Not like a 6-month old can ever go back in time to fit the NB diaper :p
Sample packs - these i emailed/ called a couple of places to ask for. Namely, Merries and Mamypoko.
Pack of NB huggies diapers x02 - bought upon the advise of the friendly nurse i spoke with at Mt. A while i was hospitalized late last year.

What others have prepared (info gathered from new mama/ papa friends and colleagues, forums and blogs):
A pack of NB diapers from almost ALL the available brands in the market!!! Some people don't just buy off the shelves either! They order online tooooo! Goo.n Diapers, Nepia...... some other foreign brands...... wow!
If each brand of NB diapers comes in say, 24 pieces, 10 packs (10 different brands) means these people have 240 pieces of disposable diapers stocked at home.
We have a grand total of 72 pieces. Yes i counted.

Cloth diapers
What we have prepared:
We have 10 pieces of cloth diapers, washed and folded. Full stop. Nothing fancy. Just your simple, white, cloth diapers. We haven't even gotten round to picking up nappy liners, diaper covers etc.etc.

What others have prepared:
Okaaaaaaaaaay i'm not sure what others do actually, but did you know there are some cool (but expensive! of cos') cloth diapers like these available??? I never knew! Honestly i always thought cloth diapers were just the white ones we - the sisters & i, and even Claire & Louis, grew up with. Suaku is me.

Next.

Baby clothes!
Rompers, onesies, sleepsuits, side-snap tops, bottoms, leggings, mittens, booties, etc.etc.etc.etc.

What we have prepared:
Courtesy of some lovely gfs, we now have...... oh, about 5 - 6 pieces of most of the above-mentioned. Some, we have none of at the moment (like leggings. duh!). Some, we have a dozen (booties!). They come in all sizes and colours - for NBs, 3 to 6-month old, 12-month old (!!)... pinks, blues, purples......
Then there are the sleepsuits from MotherCare i couldn't resist :) BUT! I only picked out 3 pieces!!! That's not alot really.

What others have prepared:
Well... i read that some parents-to-be have been buying items by the dozen i.e. NB onesies (short-sleeves) x 12, NB onesies (long-sleeves) x 12, Size S side-snap tops x 12...... you get the idea yea?
I was looking at some cutesy babywear the other day at Bugis, and i asked the saleslady how much for 2 pieces (of a lovely, teeny top). She said minimum purchase 6 pieces. She looked at me like i was mad when i said i only wanted 2. But babies outgrow their stuff so quickly... why buy so many in one go???

Milk bottles
What we have prepared:
None. For now.
I reckon we can just grab a couple from the hospital? Or maybe a couple of weeks before the little one is due. I don't know yet really... argh! What's wrong with me? Do i not want to feed my baby?

What others have prepared:
However, i gather from all the discussions and reviews on forums and all, some parents put ALOT of effort into looking for that one brand of milk bottle that's best for their baby! Ooooooh the brands available! The different designs! All that talk about teats and all!




Sigh.
In comparison, we seem so unprepared. Are we just too practical?

Abrupt end cos this is making me feel depressed.

"Just keep swimming. Swimming. Swimming. Swimming."

Every time i go for a dip in the pool now,  i can't help feeling excited at the thought of bringing baby out for a swim as soon as she can take to the waters :)

Am so looking forward to days out at the pool with the little one!

the last 28-days in peektures

here goes

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new pink front button-on pjs from mum.

'cos, with the swollen and sore arms, we found out i couldn't even raise my arms to get into a tee! 

I pretty much lived in these pjs for the first 2 weeks.

ditto the pink furry slippers i got from the hospital.

so very comfy.

praying. 

lots.

and leaving a "light" on for hubby's safe return home every night.

a new read to get me through the first few days home (and confined to bed).

mum's hawaiian pizza - with extra ham+pineapples+cheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeese :)

quite simply one of the best "medicine" ever!

meds.

the real ones :(

nasty little things.

ice-cream cravings!

here's a new pint of Haagen-Dazs to soothe away the pain.

yums!

 more reading!

i love ditzy, chick-reads :p

plenty of admiring of my growing belly.

hurhurhur.

this one here was taken mid week 24.

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it's back to work tomorrow.

*thinks of 28 days worth of emails to go thru'

......

God, give me strength!!!

i ish hungry.

woke up @ 6:11am (i checked. so i could text the sister in UK) craving cheese omelette the way only Yuan makes 'em for me.
so very hungry now.
i wish she were home :(

So our 2nd ROM-niversary came and went quietly by last month-end.
Hubs was still away for work.
I was hospitalized, too sick and in too much pain to feel sad (then) about the non-celebrations.
Sigh.
Ah well, i guess we all just have to go with the flow of things in our unpredictable lives, yes?
It's just a date anyways.
On a more positive note, these's were taken earlier last month when hubs and i were off to a friend's wedding dinner.

Amazing how i can still "fit" into the ROM dress after 2 years :)
I certainly didn't plan on the design of the dress being able to stretch so nicely round the growing belly... but still! A new way of wearing this eh? Reckon i can still wear this to this month-end's weddings? Hee.

week 23 --- 24

we're coming round to week 24 now.

six months. SIX MONTHS!

this little ball here, God's gift to us, has been growing nicely for the past 23/24 weeks now.

amazing! 

Thank YOU, God! Creator of Life!

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since being home on hospi' leave, Mum has been trying hard to "fatten" me up.

i lost all the weight gained from the 1st 20-odd weeks when i fell sick.

and since we're already at the tail-end of the 2nd trimester, Mum has been worried sick thinking of how baby might not be getting enough nutrients.

in the beginning of it all, i was super nauseous most of the time, couldn't keep much down, had a pretty poor appetite.

all i wanted was soup.

it was all very well then i guess. 

most people do say we don't need additional nutrition, apart from what we would normally be getting if we ate sensibly, in the 1st trimester. Mum always did say, "不用那么早吃那么捕"

i figured my appetite would improve after the 1st 3 months too.

but now at week 24, i'm still not eating much more than before.

oh, i get hungry alright.

in fact, every morning at 5-ish, baby starts to kick and i get out of bed feeling extremely hungry.

some days, i have TWO breakfasts! at 5 maybe 6am, then again at around 9 - 10am.

but as the day progresses, i feel less desire to eat :(

come evenings, i sit at the dinner table, looking at all the good stuff Mum has prepared, but i take no more than say a spoonful of rice, some veg and soup (and on Mum's insistent, some meat) , and stop.

i'll feel extremely sick from eating, and just want to curl up in bed till morning.

sigh.

i really have no idea why i feel this way.

plenty of online resources say things get better by the 2nd trimester. the nausea, one's appetite, energy levels...... 

me?

ok, the nausea is pretty much under-control with meds and jabs.

energy levels... i have my good and bad days.

food-wise... gawd!!! while i have had the odd days when i'll crave good chicken rice (Five Star!), the odd carrot cakes, charkwayteows, double cheeseburgers with extra pickles... mostly i want to stick with soups, veg and fruits. that's all i ever truly want. even thumbing thru yummylicious cookbooks and mags don't make things any better. 

oh dear appetite of mine, please please please come back soon. the HK trip is coming up soon! i want to be able to enjoy all the good stuff HK has to offer!!! 

abrupt end here cos Mum wants me to go eat Birds' Nest now.

at least i can still eat Birds' Nest :)

healing

...and so, after that little episode at Mt. Alvernia, i am given 28 days hospitalization leave from work.

those in the know, will know my BP shot sky high to over 210 overnight. i was feverish... my arms and hands swell... there was such unimaginable pain in my bones... my body was weak... i was shaking like a leaf......

i was driven direct from the gynae's to Mt. Alvernia on Dr. Tracey's orders. thank God for the wonderful team at The Tow Yung Clinic.

thinking back now, i vaguely remember being driven by Dr. Yeong and Nurse Lilian to the Hospital. Dad had to go home for mum. Hubs was outstation.

i know i was admitted immediately (thanks to arrangements made by the Clinic) and pushed into Critical Care Unit (CCU) before i passed out.

woke up strapped to bed in CCU room #4 , hooked up to some mean-looking machines that were helping to monitor my BP, heart, and our precious baby.

the following 48hrs were mostly a blurred mix of pain, meds, visits by Dr. Tracey (thank God for her!), Dr. Tan KS the cardiologist and Dr. Pan the neurologist, blood tests, pain, med, nurses coming by to check on me, Sisters coming by to pray for (and with) me, the parents coming by to visit, porridge, apples, trying to pee into a bedpan, more blood tests, more pain, more meds......

throughout the entire time, the nurses came by every other hour to check on baby. as i struggled through the pain, my biggest BIGGEST (heart)ache was thinking of how i was depriving baby of right nutrients needed (cause i was on so much meds and taking in only porridge). thank God throughout it all, baby's heart beat was strong and i kept feeling baby moving inside me.

was finally allowed to go home after my BP came down (with increased meds dosage). 

hundreds (it feels like it!!) of followup checkups scheduled with the three doctors.

2 weeks on, the pain and swelling in the left arm and hand is gone. the right though, remains slightly swollen and sore. and weak. Dr. Pan reckons this may require long-term monitoring. blood test to continue. the right hand continues to shake, especially if i exert even the slightest bit of strength (like trying to squeeze toothpaste from the tube!!!).

daily monitoring of BP and blood sugar levels continue from home.

the bruises on my arms from all those blood tests are finally fading. where they inserted that huge-ass plastic apparatus for the drip? the wound is healing.

i'm healing. 

Thank God.

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*update: 

trying to pee with a bedpan must be the hardest thing ever! it took me three tries, over half a day, before i managed to do it that first day. dread what's to come after delivery. nurse says i'm not going to be able to leave the bed for the loo that first half-a-day after giving birth. help!!!

baby's a-okay. i'm gaining back the weight i lost. a re-scan scheduled this weekend. can't wait to see the little one.

Thank God for family and friends who have sent a constant stream of texts, calls, flowers, fruit baskets and love to us.

unpredictable...

life is.
who would have thought that little over a week ago, we were full of joy and celebrating the fact bb has crossed the 20-week mark (half-way!) all healthy and strong... and this week, i'm rushed to mt.a and strapped to bed in ccu with tubes and wires and whatnots hooked up to scary-looking machines to help monitor our health.
all i feel is pain now.

bb's growth

so the detailed scan at 20-going-on-21 weeks reveals that bb is growing very nicely now :)
everything looks normal.
bb is at a good weight (360g).
heartbeat, strong & steady at almost double the speed of mine (!!!) which apparently is the norm though.
tiny, adorable hands & feet waving & kicking about in there.
teeheehee!
it was pure joy just being able to watch all of the "action" going on in there during the scan.
we have one active kiddo there. hee!
and oh coolness, the magic of technology! we even get to bring home a dvd of the entire scanning process so i've been watching (and re-watching) the little thing in action at home!
how very VERY AWESOME rrrrrrrrrrrright??!!!
*happy is me.

week 19 --- 20

*cue music

"I'm walking on sunshine... wooooah..."

Hello baby!

Good mid-week morning!

Week 17 --- 18

 hmmm... maybe i am one of those preggers whose boobs don't getting bigger during pregnancy... i don't see no diff in my boob size. compared to the growing bump =P

best ways to end a long workday #99

When hubs offers to drive into town just to pick me up from the ofc :)

This, when he works a good 40mins away in the West.

This, despite the fact he left for work even earlier then I did in the morn (meaning he's equally, if not more tired).

All bcos he knows I'm exhausted and the train ride home would just make me head str for the bathroom to throw up when get home.

Loved is me.