Updates

So we went for the weekly check up today . CTG did not detect any contractions but am already 3cm dilated. However, according to Dr W, baby's getting a little too big and about time to have him out. He's now 3.6kg and she recommends inducing on Friday, which is a day before edd. Typically, she will only take the route of inducing 3 days after edd, but in this case to avoid an emergency c-sect for fear of a too large baby, she recommends this Friday.

I have such mixed feelings after this news. For one, I had really hope labour would come naturally, with as little intervention and drug as possible. A doctor friend with 3 kids said all her 3 boys were late as had to be induced, she said "trust your gynae". Which I do and will listen to her. At the end of the day if it comes to the point where we have to do a c-sect, there's not much we can do too. All we want is for him to be healthy and safe.

Well, at least we now have a date to look forward to. That is if he doesn't make the finale appearance today or tomorrow!

See you on Friday baby!

(Bloody) Show Time!

Hello! Here I am, at 39w1d. I'm less anxious as I was 2 weeks back, maybe because I know there really isn't much I can do. Baby is the king here, he decides when he wants to come.

I've been walking quite a bit, and on Saturday it was at least 4k walk. Maybe that was why I had some brownish discharge the moment I got home from exercise. It stopped and came back again yesterday, but much lesser. This morning, I woke up at 5+ to use the bathroom only to find more bloody show - this time it was red tinged and pinkish discharge. And then I thought I felt the cramps, so I asked DH to go to work a little later today just in case. But the cramps went away and I slept till nearly 9.

So then I did a little bit of housework, and bam! more pinkish discharge. But no signs of contractions. No mummy's gut feeling either, only King Bradley's decision. :)

Strapped Up

I wasn't prepared to go see Dr W today because DH an I both thought we would have delivered Baby B by now.

Anyhow, we left home almost 2 hours before our appointment, wanting to grab a leisurely breakfast as we always do prior to any doctor's visits. But the traffic this morning was crazy!!! We were stuck for almost 2 hours it was unbelievable. Needless to say, we didn't manage to get any breakfast and got to the clinic about 5-10min late.

The clinic assistant strapped me up to the CTG machine and it was my first time. So exciting to be hearing B's heartbeat for almost 25 minutes. Heartbeat is good, but my dilation is still at 1.5cm. Yawn! Dr W said we still have time, lets monitor for another week and then we decide what's next. She don't think it will be overdue as baby's fully engaged and in good position as well as cervix is already opened. Bahhhhh.... She laughed when she sensed my "helplessness".

It's ok baby, choose your right time. A matter of time before I get to hold you.

Still Here

Yes, I'm still here with no signs of baby coming at all.

Today, we are 38w1d. Only signs I had? Woken up by cramps again last night which doesn't increase in intensity nor regular intervals. The insomnia is annoying the crap outta me. I go to bed and fall asleep at say around 1030, only to wake up at 2 to use the bathroom, and then bam! Wide awake till 4.

Obviously I got up feeling a bit cranky this morning but what's there to complain? At least I'm not in the office. So I decided to clean the house a little, when I was done, it was only 1030. So, I decided to clean the windows, they haven't been cleaned in awhile. Now, I'm sitting in the tv room, watching CSI, typing this on my phone and knitting at the same time.

Ahhh... I should enjoy this limbo period while I can.

Hello Chubby Cheeks

At our check up yesterday, Dr W touched and prodded my belly and said "good, baby's head is engaged". I was impressed. How could she tell just by touching? DH and I have been touching B's unknown body parts from my belly for months and trying to guess if its the limbs or buttocks. Now that's why she can charge us whatever she charges for the prenatal visits and delivery.

Because B is engaged, it's harder to see his face, but one thing that's for sure, he does have chubby cheeks. A few visits back, Dr W showed us his hair, she said very short and minimal. So we thought he's going to be a botak baby. The botak image has been imprinted in our minds for the longest time and we thought botak boy can look quite cute too. During the scan, I asked if he's going to be a botak baby, Dr W's reaction was, "hmmm... he's going to be a chubby cheek baby. Let me try and find his hair". Turns out, he's got plenty of "seaweed". Because baby is surrounded by the amniotic fluid, hair in the fluid will look like its floating around like seaweed. According to Dr W, he's got a good amount of hair. Oh well, say goodbye to botak. (Note to self: shave baby botak at 4 months mark!! :D )

Then Dr went on to check my cervix - I now understand why all the mummies out there said its painful and uncomfortable. I couldn't imagine why it can be painful or uncomfortable, but now I know. But, the good news is, I'm already 1.5cm dilated! Now that can mean a lot of things but for one, labour is definitely on the way. For some people, they stay 1.5cm dilated for a few days or even a week, for others, they go into delivery within 24 hours. Well, clearly I'm not the latter as I'm still sitting in the office typing this out. I've been having a lot of Braxton Hicks but no signs of real contractions. We really don't know when it'll happen, but Dr W said definitely before the EDD, which is 27 April. She wants me to continue my activities and not sit at home and wait, I think that's a good idea. Except I've handed over most of my work and there's not much to do in the office now. Sitting in the office, walking around, chatting with people is probably better than sitting at home, watching horrible cable tv and waiting for signs I guess.

See you soon my love!!

And Now We Wait

So I stayed home on Monday just in case.

"In case" didn't happen.

I had applied for a day off yesterday. Started the day by having brekkie with DH before sending him off to work. Stopped by the post office to pick up a parcel, turned out it was a gift from a friend in Seoul, she sent this for Bradley.

When I got home, I started cleaning the house. I know its hard to imagine a 37w pregnant woman doing housework, but it's not that tough afterall. A bit of exercise will do me good I believe. Of course, I had the luxury for taking a power nap in the afternoon. By the time I got up, I decided to head down to the mall to get an extra ball of yarn for the scarf I was knitting, which was supposedly meant to be completed months ago. Alas, they don't carry the design anymore. DH will have to make do with a weird, short scarf! I did buy more yarn of a different design, in my hope to knit a throwover for the couch, we'll see how long it take me to complete that.

I don't know what triggered my shopping spree, but I saw a beautiful lava lamp at a very reasonable price and bought it for B's room. And then I went back to Changi Expo to pick DH up - he has an event there, and found out there was a John Little sale. Of course I had to go in and take a look. Shopping spree continued with me buying a play gym/mat and replacing our bath towels. So much fun!! DH got a shock when he saw all my purchases in the car. Maybe staying at home wasn't such a good idea afterall! :)

2.5 more days of work and I'm off for 17 weeks of bliss!!!! Endure!

37 Weeks

We are officially 37 weeks as of yesterday. B's considered full term now and it's ok for him to come any time. I wonder if it's because of that, my mind and body are playing tricks on me.

Yesterday, after a long afternoon of family gathering at my sister's place, I went to the bathroom and saw spots of brownish discharge on my pantyliner. I stopped whatever I was doing and scrutinized it. It's dark brown, definitely came out of me and not some foreign matter. The first thing that came to my mind - is that show?

What is bloody show?
Bloody show is a pink or brown-tinged stringy mucus discharge - a sign that your cervix is dilating and/or effacing. This is a definite sign that you're on your way toward labour and delivery.

Source: http://www.whattoexpect.com/pregnancy/symptoms-and-solutions/mucous-plug.aspx

Dr W did explain before that show can happen a few days before labour and if there isn't red blood or painful contractions accompanying it, I can continue to stay at home until contractions become 5 minutes apart.

I didn't feel any contractions nor discomfort yesterday. But DH and I got excited. If it really is part of the show, then it should be anytime now.

This morning, I woke up around 5+ only to feel a dull menses cramp - what I would normally have felt if my period was coming and I will be awoken to make sure I have my tampon in place. Deep down, I don't think baby's coming but I thought why not just stay in and work from home today. Should anything happen, at least I'm home and not in the office. The menses-cramp is still there, though not intense, just a dull feeling. Baby's moving alright, Braxton Hicks is getting stronger with the tighter ab feeling, but mentally, I feel ok. I somehow know it's not time yet.

Or could it be?

Acid Reflux During Pregnancy

I've read before that pregnant women are prone to heartburn. I've never experienced it, so I don't know how bad it can be. I've heard women complaining about it, but I count my blessings I don't have to go through what they did. Until.....

A couple of nights, I got woken up in the middle of the night very abruptly. My throat was burning and I thought I was going to throw up. I quickly drank the glass of water I had on the bedside table and felt slightly better. But, it was the beginning. Last night, it came back again. It was then I realised, this is acid reflux. Whilst I don't have the heart burn around my chest area, this acid flow back to my throat is bad enough. Thankfully, I'm really at the very last leg of the pregnancy already. To be plaque with this acid reflux and constipation is really horrible, but as my friend K mentioned, it means baby is growing big and about time to meet the world.

So what is acid reflux?
> when stomach acid doesn't stay put in your stomach and creeps up into your esophagus.
> more common in pregnancy because of the hormones which slow digestive system
> combined with the pressure of a growing baby, it increases the possibility of the stomach acid making its way up

What are the signs?
> Most commonly - burning sensation in throat or upper chest (heartburn)
> Nauseous
> Burping and regurgitation

How to prevent acid reflux?
> Eat small, frequent meals. Avoid greasy, spicy food especially close to bed time.
> Avoid milk
> Avoid peppermint tea

Source: http://pregnant.thebump.com/pregnancy/pregnancy-problems/articles/acid-reflux-during-pregnancy.aspx

Our Little Pouter

Updates from 36w check up:

It was another one of those fast check ups - everything under 10 minutes I think. 

Dr W asked how I felt, I said "ok besides a little constipated". I like that she tries to avoid giving medications whenever possible, and told me to have plenty of fruits and fluids. And if all else fails, Fybogel works. Good to know, I'll try to go get some later.

B's head is still down but not engaged yet, doctor's not concerned as there's still time according to her. I did manage to see his face clearly and make out his features. He has a very sharp nose bridge from the side profile, and his nostrils kinda look like mine. How do I describe it?  Mine are kinda tilted towards each other at a 45 degrees angle whilst DH's are more horizontal? Doesn't matter, we'll be able to see for ourselves soon.

At some point, we saw him pouting!! Even Dr W laughed when I said "did he just pout?". Seems like he did and then although he had his eyes closed, he had the breathing actions, we could see him move up and down with each breaths. 

Water level is good, doesn't look like, or rather there isn't any signs that he'll make a surprise appearance this week. Next week, Dr W will start to check the cervix for dilation and I think also to do the Strep B test. I'm a little worried about that seeing how prone I am to infections and UTI. I just hope it doesn't affect me wanting to deliver naturally.

36 Weeks 2 Days

My current mood: anxious, excited, nervous and impatient.

Simply can't wait to meet the little fellow. Who is he going to look like? Is he going to be long at birth? Will he be a big/heavy baby? So many question marks to be answered, and all in due time.

The hospital bag is in the car already, clothes all washed and folded, sitting in the drawers waiting to be worn. I'm not sure what else we need to do now except wait.

Something that came through the post last week:

2 packs of nursing tea and a gigantic bottle of lemongrass/ginger shower gel for confinement

Too bad I can only start drinking the tea after delivery, otherwise the kiasu me would have started drinking now to boost milk supply.

I have mentioned many times before on this blog, that I've dreamt of nursing B so many times. The last two consecutive nights, it was the same! I have no idea why. DH thinks its my maternal instinct. I think I'm just too hyped up in wanting to meet B. Any case, we both don't have to wait long.

See you soon my love.