My 2nd delivery

I thought this time that I am staying on my own with access to PC and high speed broadband, I would update my blog faster and more often. Clearly, I thought wrong. Today mark the last day of my confinement period. Hooray? Hmm, not really. Apart from the fact that my baby is growing healthily, I don't foresee myself joying over anything in particular. Food... I have been slowing introducing stuff that I couldn't/shouldn't eat in confinement and I couldn't/wouldn't just eat everything now that it is over because I am still breastfeeding and my wound, although healed, is still quite sore sometimes. Anyway, let's flasback to my 2nd delivery journey.

We checked-in into SJMC at nearly 6pm on the 16th of March, Sunday. We were told there were no single room available, which we expected. Before I could suggest we take the double room and pay double the rate, the lady called up post-natal ward and hooray, we got a single room. Room 377. I was told by my Dr that soon after we checked in, we could go out again but the nurse said they needed to shave me and I was supposed to see my anesthetist. I should have taken up the offer by the lady at a spa I went to earlier that day to wax me but I was embarrassed to let people see my private part. If I did, maybe it won't be so itchy like the after effect of shaving. Anyway, was done by 8pm and not seeing anesthetist that night so we signed the release paper and went out. Promised to be back by midnight, when my fasting began.

We went to have dinner at TGIF Subang Parade, where mummy and abang joined us. Then around 10pm, hubby decided to go all the way back to Bangi to freshen up and somehow we managed to reach the hospital back at midnight. I sneaked in that night, not knowing I should have reported back so the nurse came to check on me around 2am or so. Teehehe.

I couldn't sleep so well that night, knowing the fact that I would be under the knife the next morning. Was waken up by a nurse around 5.50am to prep me up. She asked whether I had been fasting since midnight, which I answered yes. I asked whether I could have a drink and the answer was no. I later went to the toilet to pass motion naturally so the nurse said no need to insert the "inducer" into my anus. Dr Siti visited me before the surgery around 8am. After that, I was given medicine for gastric, IV line was inserted into my left hand, were asked a number of standard questions before an operation and signed the release form. Standard questions include:

1) Have I ever had any other surgery prior to this one? No.

2) Any medicine I am allergic to? No.

3) Am I under any medication or vitamins? Last time taken? Obimin Plus. Last Friday.

4) Read the possible risks associated with the operation.

Then we wait, around 8.30am, I was taken to the surgery room. Hubby carried Tricia and sent me to the operating theater door at Level 1.

In the operating theater, I was parked at the waiting area for awhile. God knows how nervous I was waiting there. People were being carted in and out the operating room. Lucky, no one was screaming or looked nervous. Everyone was composed and calm. Staff looking ready and professional. It was like I was watching Grey's Anatomy, only this time I was one of the actors. Huhu. 

Just before I went in, my anesthetist came to brief me and I was told that we were going with regional anesthesia, instead of general anesthesia and the more common epidural. Reason being the needle is smaller, making for a more precise incision and with that lower risk of failure. I just agreed to it, trusting the details to the professionals. Dr Siti came over and I heard them discussing over that option and she said it is a good choice. She wondered why not many people opt for it. I guess, it's good to hear that from Dr Siti.

They sent me in around 9am and I requested that they start with the anesthesia first before putting in the catheter. I was asked to sit upright, face facing forward when they put the needle in my back. Thank God the needle insertion was not painful and everything went smoothly. When I laid down, both my hands were bounded. My left was the IV line and my right hand was tied to the BP monitor. I couldn't feel the catheter and when my Dr made the first cut, she confirmed with me that I didn't feel anything before they proceed. So my anesthesia was a success. Yeay.

During the operation, I didn't feel any pain. Only the sensation of pushing and tugging my abdomen to push the baby into the right position. At 9.11am, 17 March 2014, the baby was safely delivered, weighing 3.19kg. I heard her crying so loud when they cleaned her up and that time, all I could do was wait. I remember wondering why it took them so long to let me see the baby. She was crying all the time until they brought her to me. I remember kissing her eyes and tasted her tear. I had tear in my eye too that time. This is more emotional for me because I was awake and fresh, unlike last time when I was all tired and sleepy. I reminded the nurse to let my husband azan the baby before they do anything else to her. After that, my Dr and her team continued to stitch me up and I was held up to recuperate in the operating theater hall for about an hour before I was sent back to my room.
I was silent throughout the whole procedure, updated occasionally by my anesthetist who was the only one by my side and only answered when they called for me. I was told by Dr Siti there was no reason why the baby was in breech position. Nothing was blocking her passage and she was not that big. I guess her bambam was heavy. That's why she couldn't push it up. =p Since nothing else to do during the recuperating hour, I took a nap. At 10.30am I insisted to be sent up to my room as I couldn't wait to see my family.

The experience this time is a completely different one. In terms of pain during delivery, this one is more smooth, less painful experience. Hassle-free, stress-free option. But given a choice, would I opt for elective caesarian next time or would still try for normal delivery? I would say, I would still try for normal delivery, unless a situation like this arises.

39 weeks

Done with my final prenatal check up for this pregnancy yesterday. As expected, the baby didn't turn so we are all ready for c-sec first thing tomorrow morning. Going to check in later today and is really hoping for a single room though I doubt I would get one. 

One thing I concluded from this pregnancy is that since the baby didn't get into position, that was why I didn't experience leg cramps every time I stretched when I woke up in the morning as often as the first pregnancy. To be exact, maybe 3 times through out the whole pregnancy, when the last one it was almost every day whenever I forgot and accidentally stretch my legs. Remember mom told me maybe it was because it was still too early. Nope.. not until the very last day. Tricia was in position as early as 31 weeks so it made sense that I experienced my leg cramps through out my third trimester. So it was NOT because of my calcium level as I kept forgetting taking my supplements during THIS pregnancy. 

I am suspecting the baby is a tad too big to get into the normal position. As you might remember, the baby was already in position at 35 weeks but she changed her position a week later. I think she felt heavy and uncomfortable in that position and that's why she changed it back. Maybe she weighs a little over 3kg. Will know for sure tomorrow morning. Pray for me!

38 weeks

Things getting more serious now. Baby is still in breach position... Her head is up and her buttocks is down. My Dr didn't recommend us doing ECV (external cephalic version) to assist the baby in changing her position but told us to just keep talking to the baby to do it herself. If she refused to budge by next Saturday (15 March 2014), we are scheduled to deliver by C-section on the 17th, Monday, at 8.30a.m. 39 weeks of pregnancy to be exact. If we wait any longer, we might have to go for emergency C-sec, instead of a scheduled one.

I have accepted the fact that I need to go under the knife this time. If she turns on time, great!!! (though I may be unprepared for normal delivery now) If she doesn't, to major operation we go. (*gulp*) So many people went through it already and we all know it is the best decision given the circumstances. It is not like it is elective surgery, right. So yeah... I believe Allah knows what is best for us.

37 weeks

I should be jumping for joy for reaching full-term today. However, last check up revealed that the baby is currently in breach position again... songsang as the Malays call it. Dr said if she doesn't change her position on time, we will have to go for Caesarian section. *cry*

Not only am I scared for the procedure, I am also a bit concern with the cost. It could go more than RM10k. Please pray for me. If that is the only choice, then I will accept the fact with a heavy heart. But for the time being, please pray that the baby turns on time. I would prefer to go for a normal vaginal delivery than a C-sec.
Next check up this weekend, I will have to do a blood test to check my hemoglobin level. Weekly check ups from now onwards.

35 weeks

Hello peeps. I am now 35 weeks into my pregnancy. Last weight was 73kgs. It's looming nearer and nearer and I am kind of nervous. But I am so happy to report that so far things have been great. My check-up last week was good. Still negative protein and glucose in my urine. Normal blood pressure. Also did vaginal swab so any follow-up required from that test will be done at the next check up... Just in time before the baby comes out. 

Apart from my legs, currently my fingers are also quite swollen. I have been complaining on and on about it only to find out that it is just edema/water retention... quite normal to feel it in the hands also, apart from the legs. Another new thing during this pregnancy. Heard stories from a friend about a mother, who had diabetes during 3rd or 4th month pregnancy. She needs to keep checking her glucose level in her blood and need to inject insulin regularly. Also another mother who had varicose vein around her private part, where it is painful for her to even walk/climb up the stairs especially when she is stressed out. So what I have is nothing to complain about. Yeah, should stop complaining and learn to be more thankful. =) But actually I do feel a bit stronger this pregnancy. Only started to pray on a chair recently, when last pregnancy I started around 7 months or so. Also up until now, I haven't experienced frequent leg cramps at night. Maybe once or twice in the past trimesters. Mom said it is still too early to have that but if I remembered correctly, it happened quite frequent during my last trimester last time. Every time I stretched in the morning, I would MOST definitely get a leg cramp. This time, topped with my laziness of taking my calcium supplement, it is quite amazing I haven't been experiencing it yet. So yeah, add to the list of things to be thankful for.

Baby is also in the right position already. She is so good. We have been telling her to adjust her position before she became to big to move around in my belly and she DID. So her head is down there now but not engaged yet. Still too early for that, I guess. She is now supposedly around 2.5kg or so and looking good to cross the full term mark. Hubby and SIL said maybe next check-up I can tell the Dr to induce already. Then, I don't have to wait so long. But no no.. that's not what I want. I want it to be on time or at least just a week before EDD. 1) Because my confinement lady couldn't come earlier than that. 2) Induce labor is more painful, I heard. I would prefer to go natural, as much as I can. 3) I want to go to Taylor Swift's concert on June 11th while I am still on my maternity leave. So it has to be after March 11th. Hehe.

Honestly, I am quite nervous that my MIL is going away for a 2 weeks holiday end of March. I need herrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. I hope the confinement lady will be around the whole time my MIL is away. Wahahaha. I sound so spoilt. No wonder my own mom didn't want to leave me. My cousin was supposed to get married in March. I told my mom to just go and attend the wedding but my mom said she won't be leaving me. So the wedding got postponed to June. I feel like so special. =p Wahahaha.

Last but not least, I made my pre-admission registration last week. It's getting so real now. =p A sneak peak into the oven. Can you see her chubby cheek? Ngeee  ^_^

31 weeks

Hey peeps. I am sooo happy. My check up last weekend was good, except for my rapid increase in weight, that is. It was 72kg, 3-4kg increase from last month but I'm blaming it on the scale as it was a different scale last week. Haha. My urine was clear: no glucose, no protein. For the record, I was so scared that I drank so much water the night before and in the morning that my urine for the test was very clear. I'm sure if I had anything, it would show up anyway so it was not cheating. =p Normal blood pressure = not at risk for pre-eclempsia for now. Baby's weight was around 1.7kg and Dr confirmed that it is still a girl. Next check up in 3 weeks time. Baby's head not engaged yet. She's horizontal, the head was on my left side. No sign of pre-term labour for the time being. Woohoo! Keep praying! Next check up, I can start registering for my room already. Nervous. Huhu.
Having a headache finalising the baby's name at the time being. Hopefully we can finalise with one we are both happy with soon.

Interesting article I received through babycenter email today.

Top 5 things doctors wish you'd do for your baby during pregnancy

In this article

• 1. Give up the idea of eating for two
• 2. Get a flu shot
• 3. Check with your OB before going off your meds
• 4. Find your baby's doctor in your third trimester
• 5. Get into the "it takes a village" spirit

While #1 item comes as no surprise, I was quite happy to see #5 item in that article.

5. Get into the "it takes a village" spirit

"Stress during pregnancy has been linked to preterm birth and low birth weight, and those can cause developmental delays and learning disabilities," says pediatrician Alanna Levine. Obviously, just because you're pregnant doesn't mean the demands of work, home, and other children come to a screeching halt. That's why Levine counsels her pregnant patients to ask for any help – from friends, family, or partners – that lightens their load, whether it's doing laundry or providing an hour of childcare. It's especially tough for women who already have kids to take her up on this suggestion, she says, but it's just as important.

I'm not putting it up to hint anyone because I already have wonderful family and friends around to support me. I know I am very very lucky in that sense and I am very thankful for the blessing. Alhamdulillah. It is just that I totally agree being pregnant while taking care of a toddler is much more challenging compared to my first pregnancy. Last time, I can take my time to rest, put my feet up and just chill while waiting to deliver. Now I need to constantly chase after my girl, who can be quite rough at times.

27 weeks

Hello hello. Since we moved into the new office in KL sentral 2 weeks ago, I had been taking the KLIA transit from Terminal Bersepadu Selatan (TBS) / Bandar Tasik Selatan (BTS). I loved the idea of beating traffic especially on a rainy Friday night. But knowing me I always arrived just on time and that means I always need to RUN to catch the train. Sounds healthy eh? except I am heavily pregnant at 6.5 months and I think sometimes it is kinda dangerous for me to keep be doing that.

Mom has been worried that my legs are now kinda puffy since I am not even 7 months pregnant yet. She said it could be the beginning of Preeclampsia — a serious disorder characterized by high blood pressure and protein in your urine — most often shows up after 37 weeks, but it can happen earlier so it's important to be aware of the warning signs of this condition. Call your caregiver if you have swelling in your face or puffiness around your eyes, more than slight swelling of your hands, excessive or sudden swelling of your feet or ankles, or rapid weight gain (more than 4 pounds in a week). With more severe preeclampsia, you may experience other symptoms. Let your caregiver know immediately if you have a severe or persistent headache, vision changes (including double or blurred vision, seeing spots or flashing lights, sensitivity to light, or temporary loss of vision), intense pain or tenderness in your upper abdomen, or vomiting. Copied from http://www.babycenter.com

Went for check up last weekend with Dr Tan but he was very brief. He checked my blood pressure. Checked the size of my belly, which was normal for 26 weeks. Checked the position of the baby, the water level and everything was okay. But he didn't check my feet. Met him for less than 5 minutes, I think. I miss Dr Siti although it was just amazing that everything was done by 9.30am, when we only arrived there at 9am. Unlike when Dr Siti is around, we need to reach the hospital by 7am to get in front of the queue and we are usually done only after 11am or so.
So yesterday after I went back to KL to send abang's graduation picture, hubby massage my legs lightly and I could see great difference in my right leg. I can now see my ankle. Haha. Left leg still a bit puffy but I believe it was slightly better than before. Huhu. Don't know what else I can do to relieve the puffiness other than elevating my legs at office and when I sleep (which both I didn't do =p). Would exercise help? But isn't walking and running considered exercising. That was a contributing factor to all these. I don't know. One of my colleagues went on maternity leave so she temporarily grant me access to her parking. So no more running to catch the train now for me. And mom said no stress. Okay. Work has been pretty quiet so no stress at work too. Please pray that I have a smooth labour later and at least if it has to be early, at least let the baby be full term.. 36 weeks and above. To that, 9 weeks to go!

The Hunger Games 2: Catching Fire

Last weekend was supposed to be about 3 things: check-up, movie date and attending a wedding. Hubby however, didn't sleep at all Friday night. He forgot about the check-up but insisted to follow anyway, which was very sweet. But after the check up he blacked out for the whole afternoon. Wasted a beautiful day.

Anyway, the check-up confirmed our 2nd baby will also be a girl. As I said, I am equally happy whether it is a boy or a girl. Sometimes I worry if Batrisyia will think/feel I love her less later when her sister arrives. But I hope she knows that this baby is her sibling, HERS. Hehe. We have started referring to her as kakak and she knows she is a kakak. So I hope she is prepared. Anyway, I gained another 3kgs apparently for this check-up. 0kg + 0kg + 2kg + 2kg + 3kg = 7kgs within 5.5 months, which is A LOT. Haha. No. Don't blame the baby. It is 99% my fault. I tend to keep eating and eating with minimal exercise and I had to have RICE. =p Fine... Will watch my diet closely after this. Every thing else is good. Baby's growth on track, enough water, sugar and protein in urine negative. All is good. Next check-up I will have to go to another Dr though because Dr Siti will be on long leave. It's okay. It is just a routine check-up so I can live with that. Hehe.

We went home and slept the whole afternoon. I was supposed to be cleaning the house but now that I am heavy, I feel very lazy to move. So I just cleaned up here and there as I passed by. Woke hubby up nearly 6pm and we went back to Nilai for dinner. Went to Giant to buy stretchable pants and top for myself. Yeay. And went back to Bangi to join Uda and Irna for karaoke session at MyPop Avenue in Jalan Reko. Hubby wanted to go for a quick exercise but stopped by to drop me off first. We warmed up with a few songs and Tricia didn't look like she was enjoying herself so I asked her to follow her father, which she obliged, happily waving bye to me. But 10 minutes later, hubby sent her back with her bottle and her bag. Apparently, they made a move already when Tricia started shouting wanting to be with mummy. *super happy smile* =D She wants mummy. Hehehehehe. After karaoke, we continued our party back home with Kinect. Danced to a few round of songs and we think it was a good enough workout that we cancelled our Sunday morning aerobic. Haha.

Sunday morning, I was complaining to my hubby because he was supposed to take me on a movie date the day before but he didn't. Wanted to send Tricia to Nilai but was told that no one was at home. Didn't have the heart to leave Tricia there without her cousins, especially on a weekend. Hubby, sensing my concern, suggested that we brought Tricia with us to the movie after we attended my junior's wedding in Putrajaya. I was skeptical but went along with the idea. As I have read the book, I could afford to leave the cinema once in awhile and not feel like I missed anything. Hubby picked MBO Desa Petaling, which I thought was a brilliant idea. Firstly, they are not super strict, considering that we had a baby with us. And secondly, it was not as packed eventhough it was the first weekend of screening. No one was sitting beside us and the row in front of us was empty. Tricia as usual was restless most of the time. Finished balance of her milk and kept asking for more, which we didn't have. She went and made a mess with the popcorn on the seat next to us and came back to me full of popcorn in her hair. I took her out to the corridor once... then hubby came out and asked me to go back inside. Seeing how restless she was, hubby took her to buy drink and rota. It kept her occupied for awhile. And the last 15 minutes or so, hubby watched the movie by standing at the back of the cinema while carrying her. So it was a successful movie trip for the first time!!! Congratulations, best father in the whole wide world. Hehe. Mind you. This is our third attempt. First one lasted 10 minutes. Second one lasted half an hour. This is the first successful attempt. So exciting. Haha.

 

About the movie, I felt that it was cramped nicely. Some details were taken out to fit into the 2 hours screening without sacrificing the main storyline. 1) The scene where Katniss had to climb a tree and jumped back when the electrical fence was activated. 2) Scene at the party in District 1 where Heavensbee showed his clock to Katniss as a clue for the game. 3) Katniss not knowing how to use the thing Haymitch sent her until she saw a wet rat drinking from a tree. But all-in-all, I loved the movie. The final chapter to this trilogy is going to be a gory one. Looking forward to watch it later.

21 weeks

Woohoo... crossed my halfway mark of this pregnancy. 21 weeks down... 19 weeks to go. Funny my immediate superior just found out about my pregnancy recently when she was the one approving my claims. Maybe she's not aware of what prenatal check up was. When she asked me about my due date and I told her end of March, she said the baby will have a strong character. I was quite blur that time, then only it hit me... strong character like HER! Oh my gosh. If that's the case, I'm gonna have 2 power houses in the house. 1 Scorpio, 1 Aries. That's a handful. Combined with the father's Leo, mummy's gonna have a hardtime handling everyone. But there's still a possibility that the baby will be a Pisces, which has a milder personality, I think. The crossover date is 20th March. Batrisyia was 5 days ahead of her EDD. Since this is my second pregnancy, there is high possibility this baby will come out slightly early too. Ah well, quite exciting to see. Not that it matters or will affect me significantly in any way. I just find zodiac reading interesting. Come out whenever you are ready, baby. All of us can't wait to see you. ^_^

Gingivitis and Periodontitis

This is the second time in this pregnancy I am having gum infection. The first time, I thought, it was one of my wisdom teeth acting up. My dentist told me before that because it came up half way, it would cause pain once in awhile. So I lived with it and did nothing about it other than putting on bonjela to the affected area i.e. my lower back gum on the left... down to my left-side of the throat. Swallowing was difficult during that period. After nearly 2 weeks or so, it went away. That was just a couple of days after raya, exactly when we were climbing up Cameron Highland in mid-August. 

Earlier this week, early October I would say, my right gum was having the same symptoms but on the right side. This time, I know it is not because of my wisdom tooth. It must be infection. Other than gurgling with mouth-wash day and night, I did nothing else. But when I told my mom what I was having, she suspected I have Gingivitis like what she experienced before. Consulted my group of friends and the Dr in the group suggested I went for scaling immediately to clean my mouth so that it doesn't breed more bacteria, thus help with the healing process.

So yesterday, during lunch time, I went to a dentist in The Curve. I was not surprised when the dentist told me that I could not do my scaling that day. On normal days, scaling would cause my gum to bleed and is super painful. Now with infection and sensitive gum, brushing alone already caused me to bleed, what more scaling. However, I was surprised when she told me that both sides of the gums were swollen because I only felt pain on one side. She inspected my neck and said my face was also slightly swollen because of that. I asked her whether this is Gingivitis but she said, no... this is Periodontitis.

Although she knew I was 4 months pregnant, she still put me on a course of antibiotics and told me to come again next week. I asked her whether it is necessary. She replied, yes, if not, it won't heal. Haaaaaaaaa. Setting up the next appointment was a nightmare because she insisted me to stick with her than going to other Dr and that I go to TTDI branch instead of The Curve but was told that parking there was difficult. Her timing and mine clashed and she scolded me for not wanting to take time off from work to come for check up and bla bla bla. I am so going back to my old dentist in Setapak next week. 

Met mom that night and told her it is not Gingivitis but Periodontitis. Expecting she would say the latter is not as bad as the former but she told me the opposite. Periodontitis is worse as it is now affecting my bone. Urgh... Bad news. Mom checked with her friend to ensure that the antibiotic is really safe for pregnancy and was told that it is. (She doubted my dentist. Haha.) But she still asked me to continue massaging my gum and use mouth wash, instead of taking the antibiotics first. I agree with that. I'll give it more time as I can live with the pain at the moment and I don't need to take the pain killer yet although it is also provided. If I can survive labour contraction, I definitely can survive this. Haha. Byk pulak dugaan this time round.

Progress so far

Our baby's progress so far: 6 weeks. Right after I came back from UK, I had cramps like period pain near my lower abdomen. I knew it was probably due to travelling stress. Scheduled my first appointment with Dr Siti around 8 weeks and being the busy Dr that she is, I couldn't move my appointment forward so I went to Klinik Wanita Taman Tun in TTDI just to be extra sure that everything was okay.

 

8 weeks: First appointment with Dr Siti! I missed her. Haha. Was so proud to answer her that this pregnancy was planned and not an accident. Did pap smear test and everything was cleared.

13 weeks: Second appointment with Dr Siti. Did blood test. Result to be given at next check-up. Couldn't believe baby was so big already. Some bones already formed. No wonder mummy felt knees a bit loose again. You have been taking my calcium storage. Baby was moving actively during ultrasound. Wahhh... another active child we have here.

For comparison purpose, my weight before pregnancy was 56kg. Now at 16 weeks: 59kg. I have been eating to my heart's desire and stopped my gym workout, which explains the rapid weight gain. First month of pregnancy was fasting month so I didn't gain weight considerably during that time. When I entered my 2nd month, I turned into a cookie monster and had to constantly eat all the time. Now in my second trimester, I am more stable... could go on hours before another meal. However, I have been frequently forgetting to take my supplements =_= bad mama.

Not only that, I have been drinking too little water and last week I thought I feel a funny feeling when pee-ing. Went to the Dr to test my urine and luckily no infection whatsoever. Colour was a bit dark so need to DRINK MORE WATER. One more thing, I just found out, the sharp pain I felt in my lower abdomen when I sneeze is called Round Ligamen Pain.

Gift from God

Hubby and I had been talking about expanding our little family for awhile. We talked about it and took into consideration future travel plans. Since my younger brother graduated this year, there will no longer be scheduled UK trips in the near future. Mom talked about going to Umrah early 2015 because that is when her current contract ends. I asked her if we can go early 2014, mom said she couldn't take that long a leave while being employed.

Hubby, being the fatherly figure he is, wants to have another child soon. I asked him whether we could delay the plan for another year... i.e. 2015 after we got back from umrah or whether he would still prefer to go ahead with 2014. He said 2014 sounded better. Actually, my mom (especially) and I are not for having kids close apart. I personally think I won't have enough energy, attention, affection to spread between 2 very small children. But hubby thinks he can handle it and let's face it, he handles the kid more than I do most of the time. After much thinking, I agreed to go ahead with his plan... Planning for a 2014 baby.

It goes well with my "list of achievement before crossing 30-years-old" or lack thereof. At least, now I have another item on my list. Having 2 babies before 30. As we all know, my CFA is nowhere near completion. Work... as I just moved to a new department, I had to start from below and it's kinda demotivating to see my "juniors" progressed faster than me. So I have nothing else to look forward to. And since family gives me as much happiness as anything else in the world, why not focus my achievement here!

So after the hustle bustle of the first half of the year, we decided to cut loose and not think about "family planning". We went on a short weekend getaway in Cherating and 2 weeks later...

Even it was not an accident, to be honest, I was still quite shocked to find out. Haha. The pattern was the same. I called hubby to our bathroom to show him the test result. When I asked him to look inside the bathroom, he replied "Pregnant lagi?". His responses. =_= Haih.

We expected to get pregnant maybe 3-4 months down the road but Alhamdulillah, we were given the gift earlier. Allah works in mysterious ways and we are definitely blessed and happy to be having a baby again. Be it a boy or a girl, we will be equally thrilled. Please pray for our safe journey and hopefully it will be as easy as my first one was. InsyaAllah, we will try our best to be good parents to our children as they are truly Gift from God. My expected due date is (EDD) 24th March 2014.

The Final Push

This is the final journey of my first pregnancy.

On 10th November, the day I was supposed to be admitted, I had some blood show in the morning. Although I was only supposed to "check-in" at 6pm, mummy insisted that I go the hospital asap as she said, that was a sign of my cervics dilating. From Nilai, hubby and I went back to Bangi for some last minute preparation. We took it easy. Had breakfast at pasar, went back to do laundry and packing, went to Manjaku to grab some stuff and only left Bangi around 12pm. Hubby refuses to go straight to the hospital as he said it's going to be boring to just wait around so we stopped at Sunway Pyramid first for lunch. We  went to Delicious, where I packed my pavlova and hubby bought starbucks coffee on the way out. By then, it was 3pm and I couldn't wait any longer.

Off we went to the hospital. I went to the labour room first but they were still preparing my room so I headed downstairs for my admission. It took quite awhile. We only went back up after 4pm. I was given room 12 but sadly mummy can't go in so she had to wait in the waiting room outside instead. After I changed into my hospital gown, the nurse came to check on me. I was 2.5cm dilated. Immediately, she strapped me on to the machines to monitor baby's heartbeat and my contractions.

At 5.25pm, I think I felt some minor contractions but it wasn't painful. Saw baby's heartbeat increased out of the ordinary once in awhile. I commented to hubby that baby was just as nervous as I was. Little did I know that the irregular heartbeat was the reason the Dr broke my water at 6.45pm when I was only 3cm dilated. I wanted to wait awhile since I really wanted the 11/11 date but the Dr had other worries. She checked my water and found it to be normal, no traces of green discharge of baby poo, which was a relief. Dr also gave me something to help me pass motion to clear my bowels by flushing some sort of water into my anus. Yucks. I had to rush to the toilet within 5 minutes.

Around 8.30pm, I could feel the pain getting more intense. Hubby wanted to comfort me by holding my hand but I was gripping the wood bed-handle so tight, I made him warm my legs instead. It felt so nice that I requested him to squeeze my feet with every contraction. Not long after, I called the nurse in to check on me. As much as I dreaded vaginal examination, I had to ask for it to know how many cm I had dilated that time. At 9pm, it was 6cm. At the rate I was going, I knew I wouldn't be able to hold it in until midnight. Dr came to check on me and offered gas or jab. Nurse offered me the gas but I refused to take it. Fearing the pain to come, I asked hubby for my notes. The jab, pethidine, will only take away 20% of the pain but will make you drowsy. Hmm, tough choice but fear got the better of me so I took the jab. Following which, 10pm onwards was a blur to me. I remember instructing hubby to hold my feet tighter and made buzzing sound when the contractions came. I remember asking for nurse to check on me again as I felt the urge to push. I remember I was told it was 8-9cm, which means I still should not push. I remember one of the nurses took out my urine using a cathether but because it was quite uncomfortable, also with the pain of contractions, they gave me gas. With that, I struggled less.
I remember Dr walked into my room at 11pm. I was thinking maybe I could still hold it in until midnight. I was still drifting in and out of consciousness that time. I remember the Dr refusing to give me more gas when she walked in. I remember the nurse reported to my Dr that my first push was no good, the second one was better although I don't quite remember pushing. I remember telling the Dr I needed to pass motion. I remember the Dr telling me that the feeling was the contraction that I need to start pushing. I DON'T remember that they couldn't find the baby's heartbeat halfway through the process. I DON'T remember that they had to stop the whole process to put the monitor on to find baby's heartbeat. I DIDN'T notice that the Dr was using vacuum down there and I DIDN'T feel her cutting me and put cotton inside of me to contain the bleeding. I do remember the Dr came to me, asking me to help her by pushing the baby out. She can't help me if I don't help her. "We don't want to go for C-Section kan Farah?". I remember shaking my head slowly. I remember my final 2 push. I was finally fully aware that time (although I was still closing my eyes) and that was when I actually applied the breathing techniques learned in my prenatal class. With my final push, my baby Batrisyia Hana was born with the help of vacuum. It was 10th November 2011, at 11.32am.
I may not remember everything that happened that night clearly, but I do remember the look of my baby's face looking intently at me when they put her on my body. The feeling was priceless.

My Surprise 2-Tiered Baby Shower

Last Friday, I was supposed to attend my last antenatal class. Hubby, however, was a bit reluctant to attend. I only wanted to since I already paid for the whole program but I didn't mind skipping it because I only signed up for the program to attend the 3rd class, which was focused more on the delivery day itself. Initially, I was still thinking on whether to go to the class but hubby asked me out on a date night, instead of attending the boring talk on how to take care of the mother and baby after delivery =p. I was excited to go out on a date night with hubby so I gave in.
He wanted to go to The Curve, where we could have dinner and watch movie so I made a booking to watch Bini2ku Gangster at cineleisure at 10pm. I would have preferred to BUY the tickets rather than just booking them but I couldn't do that at cineleisure. Had to collect the tickets by 9pm or the tickets would be sold off to public. We arrived at The Curve only around 9.15pm so safe to say the bookings were no longer available. I was a bit upset but whatever, as long as I get to spend the time with hubby. I was wondering where hubby would like to eat, suggested Marche, Bubba Gum Shrimp, Tony Romas but hubby just kept walking. Suddenly Hudam called me to apologise that she could not attend. I was like "Huh, I'm on a date night with hubby! I told you earlier". After I hang up, I was pouring my heart out to hubby that I suspected they were planning something behind my back and hudam got the details mixed-up bla bla bla... when I suddenly saw my girls sitting at The Garden restaurant with balloons and everything on the table. I immediately turned to hubby and hit him. He knew about the whole thing and didn't tell me! Well, where's the surprise in that if he did. =p
It was a wonderful occasion. I got the 2 presents that I really wanted. A pregnancy photoshoot and a pink MAM bottles gift set. Ngeee... ^_^ Happy! No wonder hubby had been preventing me from buying a photography package myself. He knew all along. The whole looperz crew were there, almost. Haslin, Irwan, Daanish, Acik and Fariq dropped by. Met Dr Hana too when I arrived. Thank you SoOoO Much girls... No worries to those who couldn't be there.


Why was the surprise baby shower 2-tiered? The next day, on a Saturday afternoon, Hanijoe and Cyantiah came over to my house to hang out and there was my second surprise. I got a new baby cot (installation included) hehe and nice colourful baby playgym and a hang-on-compartments to put my baby stuff. Hanijoe also brought chocolate rice crispies and Domino's. Irna joined us a bit later, exactly after the babycot was put together. Then we watched Bini2ku Gangster on AstroFirst. That night we wanted to go to Apis' shop at Dataran Nilai but due to the rain, we went to KLIAS instead. Burp~ Made a quick stop again at Dataran after dinner where I got myself a nice RM5 solitaire ring. Hehehe...

Anyway, BIG THANKS TO ALL MY GIRLS OUT THERE. You know who you are. Love lots!

Baby Stuff

A couple of friends have been asking what do I want as the baby's present. At the time being, I don't have a clear idea yet of what we REALLY need. Of course, ikutkan hati semue nak beli but I don't want to clutter my room only to find out those things are not necessary. Plus that would be a waste of money. So maybe it's a good idea to list down what I already have and what else I need. Need to ensure I constantly update this post. Hehe. Anyway, I am not expecting it from you people. If I find a good deal first, I will just buy it. Normal gifts such as ang pow and new-born hampers like clothes and powders are also welcomed. Tak payah pening2 nak beli ape. Tak bagi ape pon takpe... But kalau sorg dah kasik, jangan berebut yer. Heh.

What I want/need:
1) Baby monitor (I have not surveyed which brand is the most reliable one, whichever you think is good.)

2) For later, baby carrier. This one looks affordable. - RM 174.90

3) Baby car seat
4) Stroller - Specs: Light (<6kg). Doesn't take that much space when folded. Flexible.
5) Set of cloth diapers - Little buddy - Experience Bamboo CD or Explore CD Preliminary Package - RM148

6) Nursing pillow - Booked by Asri and Echa

What I already have:
1) Pump (I will not explain this further here =p) - Thank you, mummy.
2) Bottle warmer - Thank you, mummy.
3) Bottle sterilizer - Thank you, mummy.
4) Baby cot/play area - Thank you, Hanijoe and Cyan for playgym, hang on compartments and our 2nd set baby cot

5) Mam Gift Set For Newborn and pregnancy studio photoshoot from ilovediscounts ^_^ < 3 - Thank you, looperz!

I fell down!!!

I had a real scare yesterday! Took my shower in the afternoon after I had done my laundry and dishes in the morning. With all that shampoo and shower foam, I slipped and fell down in my own bathroom! IT WAS DAMN SCARY I tell you... being 7 months pregnant and falling down like that. Lucky I was still thinking. I concentrated hard to NOT fall flat on my bottom. Instead I broke the fall using my left hand and made a soft landing with my legs and on my buttocks. Thank God it was not that bad. Only my left wrist hurts and somewhere down my left rib feels a bit sore as it hit hard against my left hand. I was so so so worried about the little one inside of me. Called hubby's primary school friend who is a practising Doctor, aspiring to become an Obgyn, for consult. She said as long as there is no bleeding, baby is still kicking and my belly is not hardening more than usual, I should be fine. No need to go for a check up. Anyway, my next check-up is due tomorrow so I'll just wait to see my Dr then. I'm sure she'll give me a piece of her mind tomorrow. =_= Dunno whether she will still clear my trip to China mid this month.
Anyway, read this on babycenter.com and felt much better.
Is it normal to feel clumsy during pregnancy?
Yes. Many women feel ungainly when they're pregnant, particularly in their last few months. Clumsiness comes as no surprise when you consider what your body's going through: You're carrying more weight, your center of gravity has shifted with your growing uterus, and hormonal changes can cause your joints to loosen, including those in your fingers and toes. You'll get your balance and dexterity back after you give birth.
When should I call my healthcare provider?
...
Also, a shifting center of gravity means you're more likely to trip and fall, which can be scary when you're pregnant. If you do take a tumble or bang your abdomen, your baby will most likely be perfectly fine. But give your healthcare provider a call right away, just in case. You may need to come in and get checked out.
Btw, today is only the fourth day of Raya and 2 days after our National day. So Selamat Hari Raya and Maaf Zahir Batin to everyone out there and Selamat Hari Merdeka, Malaysians! Loves~

Ramadhan Activities

First day of Ramadhan I managed to go home and berbuka with hubby. He went to bazaar Ramadhan first and bought food for both of us and I drove straight home, just in time for berbuka. Second day hubby was busy so I went for berbuka with my mom and Bojol at Haslam. Third day I went to service my car in the morning and both hubby and I went for baby's 3D scan in the afternoon. We went to Seremban later with Zairie and broke our fast there. Fourth day went back to Bangi, only to be caught in jam as it was raining (and there was a lorry with hazard light on in the middle of the road just before Nirvana) so I had to break fast in the car and only managed to reach home around 8. My dearest hubby was loyally waiting for me to eat together. I was touched. The next day, as I regretted my decision to brave through the traffic the day before, I decided to break fast with my bestie, Nadia at Marche, The Curve. She was actually craving for meatballs from Ikea but I was craving for Marche's Rosti and since I am pregnant, she gave me priority. Hehe. We practically just shared all the food we ordered. Rosti with cheese, 2 buns, 1 small mushroom soup and one drink each.

Rosti with cheese

After prayers, we went for dessert at Paddington House of Pancakes. 3 layers of oreo pancake with strawberry and marshmellow. ^_^

I went back to KL that night. Hubby came back to me later as he didn't want me to drive home alone so late. We were supposed to attend a property investment talk organised by CIMB Propertymart the next morning but both were not in the mood so we just slept in and went to watch movie at GSC Mid Valley later. As there was no suitable screening time, we went to watch Captain America Gold Class!!! Freaking RM100 for 2 tickets. =p Yes, hubby likes to splurge like that once in awhile. Haha. Didn't take any nice shots as I didn't want to appear too Jakun. =p Plus can't take pictures inside the cinema as it was already dark. The seat was large and comfy. There was a small table in between us to put our food with a little button to call for service but too bad it was fasting month so we can't order any. We even get a blanket each. I overheard a mat saleh asking for extra blanket and he was making so much noise when he was charged RM5 for it. Satu dah cukup dah... Yang ngade2 nak order extra tu apa pasai?


We were supposed to break fast in KL with the extended family that day but hubby couldn't resist his mom's nasi lemak and ikan bakar so we went back to Nilai instead. Came back down to KL and brought mummy out for pancake. This time I used the 2 coupons I bought from Mydeal.com.my. RM8 for one pancake and iced lemon tea each. Yummy.

Ramadhan During Pregnancy and Twin Girls Birth!

Okay. Where do I start? Maybe I shall go backwards, most recent events first. Today is 11th Ramadhan. Thankfully... so far my baby and I have been fasting without fail. Yeay! Alhamdulillah. Dr Siti said I should have no problem fasting but try to sahur as late as possible, which is exactly what we've been doing at the moment. I have been waking up around 4.30am, cook fried rice, wake hubby up and go back to sleep for about 15mins. My worry is that if one day we overslept, should I still continue fasting? Let's hope Allah gives us opportunity to fast for the whole month this year. Ameen.

Terawih wise I have not been successful. Mainly because I usually get very tired by the end of the day and go to sleep around 8.30-9pm like that. Perform Isya' prayer only when I wake up for sahur. Secondly, as my belly gets bigger and my feet sometimes swells up, it is harder for me to pray especially for an extended period of time. Even performing the daily prayers is a bit of a task now but I should not make that an excuse. Should try to squeeze in a few days at least.

Last Monday 08/08/11 at 10.10pm, Bang Own and Kak Zizah's twin girls were safely born into this world via C-section operation. The mother was fully awake during surgery and was only given epidural for the pain. While Bang Own was in the labour room with Kak Zizah, I waited with Nyah, Bang Amir and Bang Sham at Haslam, sipping a cup of teh tarik. Mummy arrived just on time to see the babies. We are estatic to welcome both of you into the family, Qistina and Qaisarah!

3rd and 4th check up

3rd check up was a success. It fell on my mom's birthday. Hubby and I arrived around 7.05am and managed to get number 7 from reception and was 4th in line for Dr Siti. Yeay! Had early breakfast where I had coconut water, which made me frequent the toilet like every 10 minutes. The baby was downward-facing that time and when asked whether we could know the gender already, Dr said it's too early for that =( Anyway, Dr Siti put the radio on so that we could hear the baby's heartbeat. Hehe. Hi baby. Funny thing after the check-up though, I rushed to the toilet immediately. Only after I was done was I told that my blood test came with urine test. =_= By that time, after 5 toilet trips, my bladder was, as you can guess, empty. Hubby had to go downstairs and bought mineral water for me before I could successfully filled my cup. LOL.

16 weeks

After a successful race for our 3rd check up, we were late for our 4th one. Thanks to Ahmad, hubby's friend, who managed to keep us up outside from 12-4am the night before, by telling us his tales of a broken engagement. Arrived slightly after 7.30am, got number 30+ which we thought was not too bad but only to be told that we were no 19 on queue to see Dr Siti. Sigh. Lucky none of us was in a rush so we just hang out, had breakfast, visited Cyan, who was admitted there at the time and came back for the check up just ard 12pm. Just after mummy had a short conversation with Dr Siti, she was called to the labour room pulak! Haish. Byk betul dugaan. When she came back about half an hour later, she informed us that the blood/urine test was good. Baby has a low chance of down-syndrome, which is a good news, hopefully... amin. And then the Dr asked, "Do you want to know the gender?". I immediately shouted, YES!

Mind you, both of us were very sleepy that day since we didn't have enough sleep. All this while I was so damn confident it is going to be a boy. So you can imagine when the Dr announced that "It's a girl", we were both very shocked and very HAPPY! Not that we won't be happy if it is a boy. Just a little more excited to have a girl. That's all... =p Hehe. I asked the Dr whether she was sure it's a girl or she just made that deduction since she couldn't see a boy's balls. She taught me to see the private part. In her word, "when you see 3 lines, like a hamburger, then it's a girl" So here's her picture on her 20 weeks check up. Too big to fit into one ultrasound picture already. Can't wait to meet you, sweetheart. ^_^

20 weeks