Mummy at 22 weeks

Here is a comparison of Mummy at 18 weeks and 22 weeks.


18 Weeks




22 Weeks





 

I Love My Gynae

Yalah, I know I don't have any experience with anyone else but I really like his manner and style. He tells me what he needs to tell me, he takes the time to explain things to me and answer our questions, reassure us. He is just great! Wanna know who? Dr Dev Menon from Tropicana Medical Centre.

For those of you who are planning to find  a hospital and are in the area - you should check out Tropicana. Can be a bit pricey but worth it for me - it feels and looks nice, the delivery suite and rooms look just nice, the staff are friendly and I love my gynae! Hahahahahhahahaha....Plus never underestimate the value of using a hospital close to your home - you never know when you need to make a midnight run! :)

It's usually very busy (a bit surprising for me since I always think of it as a premium hospital) but if you make night appointments then it's so easy! You breeze in, chat with your gynae and breeze out again. Seriously! That was one of the main reasons I chose Dr Dev cos he had the most night shifts and his picture looked kind. (Yeah, I know - I think I've said this before)

I won't put up a link to the hospital on the website but just google it. It's there.

Where to Buy Kampung Chicken to Make your own Essence of Chicken?

So cool! Since I am now pregnant and my mum has made essence of chicken for me with a double-boiler pot, I thought I'd find out how to make my own too here in KL.

The thing though is that it's nowhere near as easy as you thought it'd be to find genuine kampung chicken here - don't believe me? Google it! I couldn't find anything anywhere that told me where I could buy these pure free-range chickens that when double-boiled, would give me real goodness for my baby and not a cocktail of hormones and chemicals! God Forbid!

So finally, I chanced on Allo Expat and found DQ Clean Chicken. I was so happy I went screaming down the stairs to my MIL that I had found allegedly pure grass-fed chickens that I could feed my baby with! And DQ, if you are not clean as you purpot to be, then it's on YOUR conscience! Cos I am making my own chicken essence with your chicken - oklah, I plan to order (which is the OTHER REALLY COOL THING!) but I haven't yet!

MIL suggests that I order 2 chickens first and have them delivered! YES you read right! THEY DELIVER! to my HOUSE! For RM3! Yeah, I'd prefer if they were free but what to do right? Everyone needs to make a buck. Maybe they should say that if I buy above a certain amount or an accumulation of a certain amount, then they provide free delivery for a couple of times....... :)

So, anyway, for those of you who are looking for clean chicken and convenience, then check out DQ Clean Chicken! However, caveat emptor! I haven't tried thme and and I don't promise anything so don't complain to me if service/quality is not up to your expectation!

Yippee! I'm going to be able to double boil my own essence of chicken - they even provide the technique and some recipes!!!! Good good! Sets my mind at ease abit with the fact that I haven't been fortifying my body with herbal goodness......

Update to Strollers

We went to check out Sweet Cherry strollers at Jaya again. This time with Ju Han there, we tried to open and close the strollers which I didn't want to do on my own before. So, apparently, the easiest to open and close and light as well! is the SCR8. Yeah meaning the latest arrival lah - cheap too - RM349 or RM369 only. And that's without discounts! Woooohooo! BUT smallest basket ever, cannot reverse steer and no switchability from the baby carrier to the normal stroller chair. And it's 3 wheeled which I didn't like just because I thought it wasn't as stable.

Ju Han of course, most disliked the one I liked the most - go figure!

What is important in a stroller actually? Is it the basket? I want a full stroller handle meaning I cannot strap on bags and etc to one handle and another like people do alot of......I can hang a satchel kind of bag over the full handle though.....but not a backpack. I see some people using the basket and some not.....Is reverse steering important? Babies all over the world can get used to non-reverse steering so it most definitely isn't a mandatory thing. And is the baby carrier important? Depends on how often we expect to be taking baby around right? HMmmmmmmmmm......

Well, the SCR5 which has all the above (except with small basket) apparently is the most popular model, I guess due to its versability but it's not easy to open and we don't like the idea that to open up the thing, we may have to touch the wheels of the stroller....and it's padding isn't very thick.

SHITE! But I think opening and closing as well as weight ease is very important so we could end up with the SCR8 in the end...............cos I want to be able to be independent with the stroller too.....But no cup holders too.....

First Trimester Happenings

From my first blog post about how I got pregnant and what I felt etc, I think most of you can glean what I went through but I just wanted to list down some of the major/common thingys I had just so it's easier for new moms out there:

1. Butterflies in the tummy (probably hormones tickling the stomach/uterus lining)
2. Wind in the tummy (cos I didn't know how much to eat and when to eat - basically eat whenever you feel you MIGHT be hungry and know your frequency - I knew I had to eat approx every 2 hours and never get caught without food - like in a traffic jam....always have some biscuits at hand and try not to drink too much if you don't have access to a toilet cos you need to gooooooooo)
3. Not having much of an appetite and not being able to eat very much at all.
4. Increased urination
5. Backpain (I had to shift around alot when I was driving but this could also be because I have a history of lower back pain)
6. Throwing up (nothing to do with the normal nausea, which I didn't have much of, but I always threw up when I brushed my tongue and sometimes felt like it when I just brushed my teeth - try not to think about it but it's difficult to quell once the feeling has taken over your tummy and twisted it into knots - really that is what it feels like)
7. Not liking fish anymore and char kuay teow which are usually some of my favourite food. Until now, I don't really like fish so I take extra supplements so the baby has enough DHA etc. I also cannot take much spiciness anymore.
8. Not much temperamental moodiness - due to a very supportive husband and support unit like my in-laws and family
9. Anxiety about the baby, about changes to my life and our marriage.
10. Boobs increasing in size.
11. Not too much in terms of cravings but I did note an increase in preference for ice-cream and coke.
12. Not really tired/sleepy.
13. Advised not to exercise yet due to the fragility of the foetus in the first 3 months.

Baby's Age

Ok, I may not be as good a mum as I want to be - I can't quite figure out how old Baby Boy is. Hahhahaha - I think he's 22 weeks old and sis thinks he's 23 weeks old. (yeah, I know my baby ticker says 21w2d.)

But anyway, I read that at 26 weeks they can really 'remember' voices already - in the sense that they hear and retain an auditory memory of the tone/pitch/cadence of the voice and when baby is born, they recognise these voices and they can calm the baby down! I must get Ju Han to talk to the baby cos apparently, babies can recognise their dad's voice in a roomful of voices immediately after birth! And if they're irritated/annoyed or upset, their dad's voice can calm them down cos it's familiar! Initially I thought that dad's voice would be easier for babies to hear from within the womb cos dad's mouth can be closer to them but no!!! I also found out that a mother’s voice comes to the womb through her own body and it is stronger, richer and less distorted when it reaches the baby than outside sounds. Many sounds and noises travel to the inner ear through vibrations in the baby’s skull.

A newborn baby may show preference for their mother’s voice, but a father’s deeper voice travels well through water.

How cool is that????!!!!!! :)

Baby Shopping

Today I measured the baby room in order to get ready planning for it. I have scoped out some items and am really excited that as of today at least I have a mental image of what I want the room to look like! I need to buy chests of drawers, a sofa bed at the very least.

And guess what I found this really interesting site that converts your ultrasound pictures into wall art! Just check out prinz-prinzesschen.de. The small ones cost 44EUR which is approximately RM174 and it goes up to RM376 excluding 19% tax - not sure if postage is another price. Ummm... it is not in English so ummmm....just use the Google translator..

I also love these maternity t-shirts - look here. Don't know where you're supposed to buy them though - of course cos the site is a Trend Hunter site, maybe it's just announcing possible hit trends and not really mentioning where one can make purchases.

Dreams and Nightmares during Second Trimester Pregnancy

This is one thing I have noticed quite consistently through my second trimester. Don't remember having much of it in my first but recently......

This is what happened in the first trimester that I do remember - I used to get up and go to the bathroom alot during the night - like 2-3 times and used to prefer not to get up because I didn't want the baby to get used to waking up in the middle of the night. Hahahahha....; I also had a lot of tummy butterflies which got me really upset; wind in the tummy from not knowing how much to eat and when; increased urination. I still had good skin though.

And now I either don't or I get up just once throughout the night but the new development is that I have started to have either insomnia or terrible terrible nightwares or dreams that are just plain weird. I can't really remember them but Ju Han says that one time I told I dreamt of green people standing on a playground and of course I had my normal dreams about worms too and then once about a cockroach that I couldn't escape from cos I was held down. And definitely definitely awful nightmares like me getting unspeakably FURIOUS with my nanny - 2 TIMES!!!!!

I want to try not to get so upset during the dreams for fear of spreading bad vibes to the baby but oh my god! I've never felt so angry before.....The dreams about the worms, yeah, I have felt so scared before but the anger is the one that frightens even me.

The more normal stuff is just when I wake up (don't have so much problem Falling asleep) but then I wake up in the middle of the night, either from a dream, or toilet break, and just can't seem to get back to sleep. I have read, watched TV for hours on end and just can't seem to get drowsy again.

I have found out on the internet that it's normal so please - if any one of you out there is experiencing it, don't worry too much unless, I think, you have a recurring theme. Then perhaps you ought to study it a little bit more because it could be your sub-conscious or God trying to tell you something. Hahahahhaha - yeah I think God speaks to us through our dreams sometimes.

Sweet Cherry Strollers

Ok, so today I checked out some Sweet Cherry strollers. At One Utama where there is a sale going on - but am not buying yet cos there will be another sale in December before the baby is born, and cos I am not sure yet which one I want to buy, and cos I am also not sure yet if this is the brand that I want.

The strollers seem ok to a naive new mother like me. I have several models I like which I tried to find out more about online at http://www.sweetcherry.com.my/ and couldn't really find. Also, will need to check out some forums and see what other mums say.

Basically the most popular model the SCR 5 - I don't quite like. It's slimmer (what if baby takes after dad and needs a lot of space) plus it's got the teeniest-weeniest basket ever as well as no cupholder. But! it can be reverse/foward facing and I can either use a carrier car seat or actual stroller seat (switchable/replaceable).

I like the C209 Nano Stroller Click one comes with a matching bag, cup holders, looks nice, ok basket, 8kg but the material I saw which was brown and beige circles felt a bit rough - which is a minor thing to remedy I supposed. I also like the TS012 Gra Stroller that comes with a huge basket underneath and 4 wheels which I prefer over the 3-wheeled ones. The problem (?) is that it doesn't face front and back and I am not sure if the wheels are wide enough to be steady.

The C918 Bingo Stroller faces front and back, has a large basket, looks nice and is extra padded for comfort (as is the TS012) but it's 9kg. Heavy?

And oh, The Gra comes with a single unlocking system - cos it's not two separate locks at both back wheels, it's one lock controlling both back wheels with a single step. None of the others has that.

So, of all:

C209 Nano looks the best but only faces 1 way
C918 Bingo looks second best but bulkier at 9kg
TS012 Gra looks most old-fashioned but has everything I want including the one step brake system.

Have to check with Ju Han.....sigh. Also can't seem to find any reviews. All my items no one want to use one . first years baby bottles and sweet cheery strollers....sigh. Am I a bad mommy for not buying a Peg Perego or something like that?????

I still also have not checked out how to open and close them, one handed or not, whether they fold standing up or lying down, covers are detachable and washable or not.

Btw, found this website http://thechildrenplace.blogspot.com/search/label/Stroller has discounted strollers. All from Combi brand but the Combi Urban Walker has gotten great reviews. Hmmmmm...the UR-300Y looks cool. But don't know if the padding is enough or not. Let me check it out......

Here's another online site http://mama-and-kids-junction.blogspot.com/search/label/stroller.

Ooooh, reviews say they love the Urban Walker - mostly complimented the one hand fold/unfold. But most complaints about the tricky reverse steering so meaning even though it tells you it can do that.....it doesn't do it very well at all.....AHA! Hmmm...better go try out my Sweet Cherry one. Meaning if the reverse is also difficult - then the Nano will be the best bet....for me.....don't know about Ju Han yet. Though I know people using the SCR 5/6 and they did reverse quite easily lah - those aren't in my list though....

Listssssssssssssss

Here's what I need to plan for still:

1. Decide on stroller model
2. Decide if we need carrier car seat to go with stroller?
3. Decide if I want to have Malay post-natal massage and if yes, Find urut lady
4. Decide on baby bottle brands
5. Buy cloth diaper covers for lampin
6. Buy baby cot
7. Buy baby clothes and booties and mittens and blankets and etc. ARRAGHGGHHGH!!!!
8. Buy baby bath tub
9. Buy baby mat
10. Buy baby mobile
11. Buy baby proofing items
12. Love baby changing table seen at BabyJaya for RM500!!! But not buying cos waste of money?, space wastage?, no use?
13. Buy nanny mattress and bed
14. Figure out where to let confinement lady and nanny sleep
15. Figure out where to pump breast milk during office days and where to store in a non-baby friendly office/organisation - yeah I'm talking to YOU E-yore Bank.
16. Quit being paranoid about not eating well enough for baby and not taking any herbal por por stuff
17. Sleep more
18. Ask grandma for old sarong to place under baby
19. Design baby room
20. Buy sofa for baby room
21. Buy side table for sofa for baby room
22. Buy chest of drawers for baby room
23. Baby-proof house
24. Buy foldable play pen
25. Buy baby monitor
26. Buy breast milk pump if I am breastfeeding together with milk storage bags etc.- need to fit baby bottles
27. Buy baby wipes and all those thingys like rash cream, baby soap, baby detergent and etc.
28. Buy stainless steel pot for sterilising
29. Buy nursing bra if nursing, and disposable nursing pads etc.
30. Buy toys
31. Handle and manage and stay on top of all the etcs.

My First Favourite Baby Brand - The First Years

Like I said in my last post, I had been having such a worrying time trying to find 'The First Years' brands anywhere else but at Metrojaya. Well, I found them again - online! At the my.BBstore.com and I believe BabyJaya (physical store at Damansara Utama) also has them! But BBstore has a wider range - the only downside is that I won't be actually able to hold the items and touch them and try them out.....you know like how it feels in the hand and such.

myBBstore is having a sale now in conjunction with the Mega Sale and I hope they have it again at year end and then I can buy some stuff for baby!!!!!! Obviously if I breastfeed I won't be needing so many bottles (I think) and I just love their stuff - seems really well thought out like the handsfree baby safe gate and the bath tub, though a friend did advise me that if the 'hump' in the tub was removable, it would be easier for toddler to use. I also like the side bolsters which keep baby in place - yeah, it's just as easy to use 2 actual individual bolsters but....this one won't move! They are attached with a supposed great air flow mat underneath! Hehhehehehee..... The swaddle blanket also looks nice cos it has open legs - the ones I've usually seen has a pocket where the baby slides into it and then is wrapped up - I can understand the logic of that in that the baby is completely secure and doesn't slip out, doesn't kick out of the swaddle blanket but then in Malaysia - ummmmm.....just think the baby might be cooking in his own juices! :)

Well, I am a first time mum - don't know much about what is good or not for the baby. Just trying to see what catches my eye and what seems to make sense. Must get Ju Han in on this cos he always thinks of things I completely miss out! .

By the way, for those of you who are interested, BabyJaya has a gift registry - you know like wedding registries. Seems like a great idea cos people need to know what to buy you especially since this is such a personal venture....kinda like a housewarming gift - you wonder what the hosts colour schemes are like, what kind of decor they have etc.....But as usual, I think maybe for the Asian mentality - it still seems a bit much! I used to hate it when I saw wedding invitations with an attached pink card that thanks the guests for the gifts. Have you seen those? Or remember them? Yeah, I thought it was presumptous!

Diverted! Diverted! Ok, like I said in the title - this is my first fave baby brand - maybe I'll still come across others I like better....but somehow, the first time I laid eyes on it - the look, the feel, the products they produce just give me the impression that these people really thought about what a new mum and baby needs and the items look classy, colours are elegant and mmmm.....just nice lah. HHahahhahahaha For example - I really didn't like the NUK baby bottle look with the cartoon coloured animal cartoons all haphazardly strewn on it. MAM bottles look nice too but not best breast complementary and Avent, what can I say, ....BORING!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's a zygote - embryo - foetus - BOY!

Yeah, you read right! I'm 5 months pregnant! HMmmm....how can it be that long?? I last wrote in April, that makes it - May, June, July, Aug, Sept.....WOW! Time flies when you're having fun! Hhahahahaahhaa....

Well, yeah we started fooling around in let's see March but that was kinda all off in terms of timing. And then in April we went to Redang right, with Ju Han's parents.....and in May, we went to Singapore and Universal Studios with my family - I rode the roller coaster twice! My friend Thing May says that it was the turning and twisting of the ride that aided the little soldiers! But now, having just outlined it above, I guess Ju Han's main men didn't need any help at all cos we probably made the baby in Redang eh??? :) HAhahahhahaha Ok, he is going to be all grossed out about me writing this online!

So, I pretty much felt like I was pregnant when I missed my period in Singapore. And when we came back I still waited a few more days before testing because the month before, I had wasted a test after being late for a week! So, I waited a few more days just to be sure. But I had already noticed some changes in my body - noticeably (to me only) my boobs.

I tested before work one morning because they said that's the most accurate time to test eh - what with the high concentration of pregnancy protein. HAhhahahah - and it was POSITIVE! I wasn't sure what to think because yeah, we'd talked about it at length, about whether this was the time to start a family or not besides the fact that I wasn't getting any younger.....I woke Ju Han up and got him to come take a look - his joy was instantenous! And then after a little while, I can still remember, the reality of him becoming a father sank in, and he quieted down and kinda just whispered it to himself! It was a heartwarming moment.

People stated the fact to me that I must be so happy and I was - but at the same time I was also cautious, as in I wasn't sure what really to feel...pregnant, my life was going to change, can I be a good parent? Do I know how to parent? Do I want my life to change? What about the world of two of us? I never was the "OOCHI-WOOCHI-Oh-You're-So-Cute" type and this development in our lives also had me kinda scared.

We decided not to tell anyone yet and to make an appointment at a nearby hospital to get it all checked out. Actually the first person we told was Dr Sharina from our local clinic because we went there first to get the results of our blood test (just to test that we were healthy before we started having babies....) and she calculated that the Estimated Due Date (EDD) was to be 18 Jan 2011!

I scoured the internet, as I am wont to do when making life changing decisions hehehehhehe, and we decided on a prominent gynaecologist from a nearby hospital. I was abit worried about the expense of it but well, Ju Han in his wisdom, emphasized that we wanted someone and somewhere good for the baby and having the hospital nearby would be a boon should we need to make a mad midnight dash to the hospital to give birth! :) I love that man!

So, we got an appointment made, saw him and then it was quite exciting to see the little kacang putih (peanut) on the ultrasound! Baby boy was literally a peanut in my uterus! We heard his strong FAST heartbeat and after that during dinner, broke the news to everyone in the family - parents, siblings and it was just a hoo-ha! My dad started addressing himself as Ah Kong (Grandfather) already! :)

A couple of months passed, I was lucky with not very much morning sickness at all - in terms of nausea. I threw up like 3 times; wasn't very sleepy or tired but I did feel lots of tummy flutters. I don't know how to describe it but it was an uncomfortable feeling and I called them the butterflies. I didn't know how to eat my food portions and very often ate too much at dinner time - making myself full to a point of discomfort (I didn't have much appetite too) and then at night I would get hungry and get wind in the stomach which felt awfully bad too.

But it's true, after 3 months, all that passes and it's hey-ho now! I have gained about 3-4kg in 5 months of pregnancy which I think is quite ok seeing as I am supposed to gain, ideally, 13kgs only throughout the entire pregnancy. And my tummy is now at 35inches around. It's very sharp in shape.

I kept referring to the baby in the feminine standards at first like "I hope she'll like this" or "I wonder how her body is forming now" but sometime around the 4th month I kinda stopped that .....firstly, cos Ju Han advised that if it was a boy, I'd be super confusing it! Which scared the hell out of me! And also, cos I think I kinda felt like it WOULD be a boy! I looked just like I always do - no bleahness and my tummy was sharp so yeah, I thought - it's gonna be a boy!

At our last checkup, the gynae showed us his "rocket". Hehehhehe. It looks HUGE!!!! And my dad is super excited and happy it's a boy cos having had two girls, I guess this one would be someone in his camp! :) Ju Han loves the idea of an elder brother who can take care of his younger siblings if we have any more.....and my mum in law said that knowing his gender really brought home the fact that she's going to be a grandmother!

We've gone around a bit looking for baby stuff but have not bought anything yet. We found quite a nice looking cot and kinda know what pram we wanna buy. I love 'my first years' feeding bottles which are supposed to be best for complementary breast-feeding but am a bit concerned that they seem to only be available at Metrojaya.

I can now feel him moving around my uterus, shifting places and all that but have not felt him kick or felt an elbow poking out etc yet. I talk to him, hold him alot and his dad sometimes whispers to him that he loves him....... :)

I have a bit of back ache - god knows I've had them since my teens.....and I breathe a heck of a lot louder now...hahhahaha....but everything else seems the same except that it seems different too. It's just wonderful.

And we are surrounded by such a wonderful family unit. My sis bought me maternity tights from Paris! Mum said I look so ready to be a mother, dad thought my tummy would be out to THERE when he first saw me at 4 months.....father in law has already hired a nanny for his grandson and mum in law spends loads of money buying fish and juices and vegetables and fruits to make me healthy. And Ju Han, well he's just been my rock - my husband, my friend. I feel like he has changed so much since when I first knew him....but maybe he hasn't changed at all - maybe this is the way he always was and I just didn't deserve to see it til after we got married, til now....when I have grown and matured and am better towards him too.

So, here we are - our own little fmaily unit - Dad, Me and Baby.

Mummy at 18 weeks