Things you just don't say to a first time mom

OK.I rarely whinge on my blog, But this has been on my mind abit lately. It has been a full year since I had my baby. During the past year and even when I was pregnant, I had so many well wishes for the pregnancy and the birth of baby Kayden. And sure, everybody meant well when they passed on their thoughts, comments and experiences. But to be totally honest, some comments truly irritated the heck out of me.

I know quite a few of you who read my blog don't have children yet. So I thought, maybe I should make a list on what some people said that just didn't come out the way they thought it did.

For example.

"Ohhh! You are tiny!  Poor baby has no space to move around in there!" (it made me want to just get bigger so it doesn't feel like its my fault my baby's so squished in there)


"Morning sickness is just part of pregnancy. It will pass / I had it all through my pregnancy, even when I was on the delivery table!"

"Oh he's sleeping well? Just wait until he starts teething."

"He has a temperature? He must be teething."

"He has diahorrea? (sp?) It must be because he's teething."

"Grumpy/ lack of appetite/ restless? Oh it's just his teeth!"(yea teeth! All your fault!)

"Babies can sleep in a noisy environment, they just need to get used to it!" (yes he's sleeping now because of all the over stimulation from before!  A cousin and I used to gossip about people who said this to us all the time! It drove us both so mad!)

"Why are you doing/not doing this instead? OH I NEVER did that when xx was a baby!"

"I NEVER referred to books or any other materials. I just did what I had to do and it came instinctively." 

And my NUMBER ONE pet peeve? THIS.

"Women have been giving birth since the beginning of time. Labour is NOTHING to be scared of!"


It was annoying! Thankfully towards the end of my pregnancy and today, I have mastered the art of listening to things like that with one ear, and it goes straight out the other ear. I smile and nod, and change the subject. They mean well after all.

But really, as a first time mom, there are enough things on our mind as it is already. It is very often an emotional roller coaster. So saying things like that that affect our self esteem and worth as a new/to-be parent just aren't helping much.

So next time you speak to a pregnant lady or a mom, remember not to say things like that!

IT IS ANNOYING!

Kayden's birth story

Be careful what you ask for because you might really get it! Baby Kayden came early like I was hoping he would. 13 days ahead of his due date.

Thursday. 5th November. 2.40pm.

Being pregnant can bring about constipation. I think you know where this is going. No need for embarassing public display of my waters breaking. No mess! And true to the fact, like they mentioned at the antenatal classes, contractions do not happen straight away once your waters break. I quickly called Hubby, my doctor and the hospital's emergency department who told me to get to the hospital as soon as I can.








We grabbed my bags and quickly left for the hospital as soon as Hubby got home from work. By 4pm, I was already having regular contractions that were about 5 minutes apart. Whatever happened to the contractions that were supposed to start gradually starting from 30 minutes apart? Liars I thought to myself! At that point, I was coping with the pains, which felt alot like period cramps, which I used to have severe cases of.
This was only the start of a looOOooong night ahead of us.
Time : 4pm.
Got the hospital, still smiling and coping. Midwife strapped me onto the machine that tracks my contractions and baby's galloping heartbeat. She officially tells me I am now in labour.
Obstetrician was with another patient delivering her baby, so I had to wait until he was done. Meanwhile, while waiting, my contractions were getting stronger. And the pain was getting to me. Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth, Hubby keeps reminding me.
Time: 7.30pm
Obstetrician finally arrives and tells me I am 3cm dialated. We took a slow short walk to my birthing suite. Midwife settles me into the calm and serene room, dimmed the lights and brought out a fit ball and a beanbag and tells me what positions I can use to help with the pain. But, all I could think of was I feel soooo feral. Waters still trickling and all I wanted was a shower. So I did. I must have been in there for the longest time. The 2 shower jets designed for the birthing suite aimed at my belly, and my lower back gave me some relief at last. Still, the contractions were getting even stronger. Back in the birthing suite, midwife asked if I wanted to try some of the gas to take my mind off the pain. It helped.
Until around 10.30pm.
After 3 agonizing hours, I was devastated when my obstetrician checks and tells me that I am 4cm dilated now. What!?!? After all that and only 1cm!!?? Arrrrrrrrrrrgh! I was ready to strangle someone. He suggested I go for an epidural. I declined but somehow ended up with a pethidine injection. It lasts about 3 hours he tells me and we are still a long way from delivering baby, so it will not affect baby when he arrives. (Pethidine makes the baby drowsy and hard to feed after delivery). I say yes, just do it already.
My anesthesist who was on standby this whole time, comes into the birthing suite to tell me he lives 1/2hour away. And he is going home to rest for the night. He asks me if I wanted the epidural now. I said no. Not yet. GO! Do whatever u want to do and leave me alone!! Obstetrician later tells me I didn't want to talk to anyone then LOL!
Friday. 6th November. 1am.
Not coping with the contractions anymore. I told hubby lets do the epidural. From there things happened fast. Anesthesist quickly returns and performs the insertion of the epidural. By 2am, I was pain free!!! I finally relaxed and managed to get some rest. Extremely strong contractions were still happening, but I was numb from chest down. Midwife had to keep an extremely close eye on me from then. I was only meant to be numb from waist down with even a little feeling in my feet. They were afraid it would seize my lungs up and cause me to stop breathing. I was extremely sensitive to the epidural.
8am.
Obstetriciam returns and tells me I am now 9cm dilated. YAY! Instructs the midwives to get ready for baby's delivery at 9am and I was to start pushing then.
9.24am.
Baby Kayden's cries filled the birthing suite. Hubby cuts the cord and Kayden was promptly handed to me bright and alert. He weighs 3.05kgs, head 33cm and 48cms in length. Midwife assisted me at breastfeeding shortly after. He was a natural at suckling at the breast , I heard some babies don't know how to.
Kayden is an averaged sized baby, but was considered large for my small frame. Obstetrician describes his birth like a train that came crashing through me. He told me shortly after that he had to perform an episiotomy, and that I was badly bruised internally because of his size. My long labour lasted 19 hours. Boy! Do I have a story to tell him when he is older!
The delivery was considered very successful, and the medical team left us 3 to bond.

Welcome to our world my baby boy!

37 weeks pregnant

On the home run! Another 2 more weeks or so to my due date and I can hardly wait! Bring on the soiled nappies and sleepless nights! I am ready! I am looking forward to being able to see and paint my toenailstoes, rid of my clumsiness, turn over in bed without heaving and panting after, be able to moisturize my legs more effectively, get rid of the soreness on my butt when I sit, go out for walks without feeling exhausted only after 1/2 of leaving the house, and this increasing pressure down there where baby feels like he is going to fall out!

But more importantly, to hold and cuddle a healthy mini me, after carrying him for 40 weeks. I whinge about all these pregnancy discomforts now, but I think somehow, I will miss having him inside of me. Sometimes it feels like I have a little friend I have with me all the time, where ever I am. Have him finally meet everyone around us who have been so generous with their caring words, help and gifts!

This week, I have been experiencing even more frequent Braxton Hicks contractions. They used to only happen mostly at night, but I am now even feeling them in the mornings. To date, I have put on about 11kgs. There is a slight backache that comes on and off throughout the day too. Groin pain is still there, but lesser, probably because I am eased off being on my feet. But that's probably what is causing the backache.

I try and sit on the fit ball more often, firstly, because it is more comfortable and it encourages an open position for the cervix which will help in an easier labour later on. I try to also sit cross legged whenever I can for the same reason.

Just playing the waiting game now....

Engaged at 37 weeks

Yes! Went to the doc last night and he says the groin pains I have been getting is due to baby moving further down and is now deeply settled into my pelvis. Meaning he is engaged! Finally! So really, ANYTIME now. And I can hardly wait.

Technically speaking, we still have 2 more weeks to go, since he is only due at 40 weeks, the normal gestational period. But, if he's ripe and ready to go, so am I! So baby, please don't get too comfortable inside (doubt he is, otherwise, I won't be posting this entry at 6am in the morning!).

Did somebody say eating papayas will bring about early labour? Mom just let me have a huge bowl of it to myself last night *shrug* We also have a watermelon sitting in the fridge *wink*

36 weeks pregnant

This post is almost a week overdue. I am actually 37 weeks pregnant tomorrow!



I feel pretty much the same as the week before, but I get alot more braxton hicks these couple of days and they last much longer than before. I also get these twinges in between my legs, they hurt at times. Not too sure how to describe it but its like a nerve being pulled or stretched. It happens only when I am walking around.





There's alot more pressure down below as well now. Sitting with my leg apart isn't exactly lady like, even for a pregnant person, especially when you are out in public!



I can hardly believe how time is flying! How on earth did I get to 36 weeks?? This time next month, I should hopefully have baby in my arms! Complete with dark circles under my eyes from the lack of sleep, and in auto pilot mode feeding baby!



In my previous entry, I forgot to mention that some pregnant women may get a vertical line ( called linea nigra) over their belly. People tell me that you are more likely to get it if you are expecting a boy. Mine's really dark, I never had any pigmentation on my belly prior to this pregnancy! I really hope it goes away after!!!

Things they don't tell you about being pregnant

And there's heaps. So perhaps this post isn't for the faint hearted, click away now!


You know how some people tell you they luuuurve being pregnant. In my head, I roll my eyes when I hear people commenting that now. I don't mean I hate it but, I am certainly not totally luuuurving it either.


Did you know:

• that morning sickness does not just happen in the mornings? It hits me around 10pm at evenings. I also find that I get nauseous when I am starting to get hungry.



• your sense of smell is heightened. Hence the reason why some pregnant women are so put off by certain smells. I start retching at the smell of raw onions and fish!



• Ultrasounds scan can be both external (over the belly) and internal. Thank god, I didn't have any complications and no need for the internal.



• I feel that I get extremely thirsty. At the beginning I was going through 2 huge 1L bottles of water a day. I am still thirsty, but I try not to drink too much, because going to the toilet every 1/2 hour is a pain.



• First movements of baby are felt as little bubbles popping inside your belly. Then, they become little buttefly wing flutters. And then much later on? KUNG FU high kicks!!



• Watch what you say. Because baby can hear you (from I think around 20 weeks or so)! That's why they can recognize Mommy's voice and even Daddy's.



• Excruciating leg cramps!!!



• Constipation



• You will feel extreme exhaustion at the drop of a hat during the first 3 months.



• Also, towards the end of it all, because your belly is huge, it is uncomfortable to be lying on your back. So you will have to sleep on your side, which means your shoulders and hips may get a little sore from being in that position all night. And god forbid, like me you have trouble turning from side to side during the night.



• You have a tendency to have the pregnancy brain. There was once I almost poured OJ into my bowl of fried rice, instead of the glass next to it. And I asked hubby along the lines of "what are those things at the fast food place that has the beef patties in it called?" and "what is that thing at that thing, do you know what that thing is?"



• Towards the end of your pregnancy, you will develop a nesting instinct. Organizing, cleaning and planning for the birth of baby by rearranging furniture, scrubbing out the kitchen, etc, at ungodly hours! Like I did before!
• You are more likely to develop diabetes during pregnancy. It is called gestational diabetes and usually goes away after birth. According to my obstetrician, sugars that u consume go mostly to baby. So you have to watch your sweet tooth!

..............ok you get a second chance. Here comes the gross bits. So seriously, click away now if you don't want to know! Don't say I didn't warn you.

• during vaginal delivery, if it looks like you are going to tear yourself down there really badly, the doctor or midwife may give you a little snip. YUP. You heard me right. U know the spot in between your vagina and ahem, your 'chocolate starfish'? They cut it. And the procedure is called Episiotomy. You will have to be sewed back up after. NOT looking forward to that happening.



• You really give birth twice. Baby comes out first. Then the placenta. It is a flat disc that sits usually around the top of the uterus, and is about 3cms thick or so. I think they are about the size of a large dinner plate. But over here, after baby is delivered, you do 'skin-to-skin' contact with baby (to up baby's immune system by colonizing their sterile skin with normal bacteria,etc). And probably because you are so mersmirized by your new baby, you hardly notice the delivery of your placenta.I think.



• You bleed for around 2-6 weeks after delivery. It is called lochia, and it is because your uterus is contracting back to its usual size (about the size of a pear). Did you know they sell maternity pads? I didn't!



• Your boobies can get rock hard when they fill up with too much milk. And according to the books, and from word of mouth from friends, they will hurt! It happens when baby is not feeding enough yet or you forget to express your milk.



• And the twins may leak too. So you may need to wear breast pads. Yes, I only realised that they exist just recently.



• Braxton hicks contractions (I explained this before in a previous post)



• Breathlessness because as baby grows, all your innards are pushed up and against your lungs.



• Rib pain because they expand to accomodate for the above reason.

Have I put you off having kids yet? LOL!!! But there are good bits to it all of course.

• You get really nice hair and nails. Some of my friends and I did anyway.



• You can eat all u want, put on weight and have the perfect excuse for it!



• You get to live like a queen for a while at least. People naturally want to help and are extra nice to you! Especially when you start to do the waddle.



• I was told that your waters (amniotic fluid) don't necessarily gush out and you go into excruciating labour pains right away.I was starting to worry that it is going to happen in public like on TV. It really depends on the position baby is lying. If he's upside down already, and his head and body are blocking most of the fluid it may then it may just only be a trickle. Releasing just the fluids around his head. And the rest of it comes out in a gush only after baby appears.

You learn so much about your body when you are pregnant! And there are heaps more that you probably never knew about a newborn baby too, but I shall leave that for next time.

35 weeks pregnant

I have to admit I have started to do some things I have said I will never do. U know how in some TV shows, where the pregnant lady holds the front of her belly with one hand and has her other hand on the small of her back? I carry my bump with my hands. And I waddle.


I don't see the obstetrician until next Tuesday, but I hope he is going to tell us baby is now engaged. I swear I can feel his head in between my legs and doing this head shaking motion, trying to dig his way out.


Being pregnant is definitely much harder than I had expected. I thought was coping fine. Until this last trimester. I haven't worn heels for a long time. Not even before I was pregnant, I am more of a comfort girl these days and I prefer my flatties. But, when we attended a friend's wedding this past weekend I wore a low heeled pair of slip on heels with my outfit. By the end of the evening, my feet and calfs were so swollen! There wasn't even much walking involved either! We parked the car nice and close, so the only walking/standing I had to do, was car park to restaurant and chair to toilet during the dinner! I wake up every 2 hours during the night now to go to the toilet, which is soo annoying and exhausting. Every time that happens, I have to readjust myself on the pillows all over again! I believe its nature's way of preparing us for those late night feeds and cries.


Like I said in my previous post, I have started experiencing pre labour pains. They feel somewhat like VERY bad period cramps. I feel like there is a extremely tight band on the inside of my belly and there is also that crippling backache that comes along with it. I also feel extremely nauseous and I retch until my whole face turns red, I'm all teary eyed and I'm gasping for breath! So far, the contractions I have been experiencing have been irregular (hence pre labour pains, real labour is persistent). To cope with the pain, I feel the need to take slow walks around the house with hubby supporting me, as sitting down puts even more pressure on my lower back. Or at times, I lean forwards against a wall or over the arm of our couch. Somehow that makes me feel alittle better amidst all that pain.


I need to practise on my breathing techniques alot more I think. Hubby notices that I forget to breathe when I am in excruciating pain during the contractions. Apparently, I hold my breath when it happens. That's not good as it doesn't help with the management of the pain, and it decreases baby's oxygen supply too.


And I have just realised there are still a few things we have yet to get down to doing. We have still need to get a baby capsule for the car (it is a legal requirement here in Australia), and even though I am not looking forward to shopping anymore, I still need to go out for a hunt for maternity bras and nursing wear for use later on.


Time is drawing near!

Getting ready - the hospital bag

This post is really for myself to keep for next time. In the case that I don't change my mind about having a second child!
I am the type of person who makes lists way ahead of my travel plans and I am usually packed at least a week ahead. But with a pregnancy, you never know when that mad dash to the hospital comes along. So, being true to my style, my bag is now packed and ready for operation labour. I actually had it half packed a couple of weeks back, but it wasn't complete. But, I had a false alarm the other night, and that us into a frenzy inbetween the irregular contractions, rushing around the house and really putting things together.

I am 98% organized and prepared (my mom who is arriving in a couple of days has some of baby's clothes) . The bags (hospital have reccomended a labour kit and a post natal ward bag) are almost bursting with all its contents.
For myself :

• front buttoned PJs
• hoodie
• toiletries (Shampoo/conditioner, shower gel, fash wash, moisturizer, face cloths, cotton tips, non-fragranced facial mist,lip balm, toothbrush/paste,comb)
• socks and slippers
• maternity pads x 2 packs. Until I was pregnant, I don't think I ever noticed they have maternity pads? Nor did I know there were breast pads - for you know... the dribbles.
• Lanolin nipple cream
• bath towel
• Underwear
• hair ties/clips
• tissues
• plastic bags (for soiled laundry)
• some money and coins
• medibank/medicare cards

For baby:

• nappies
• cotton wraps
• baby wipes
• bath towel
• shampoo/body wash
• nappy cream
• rompers/ tops/bottoms
• face washers
• mittens/socks/beanie

For hubby:

• board shorts (australian birthing suites have huge bathrooms, for hot showers to ease labour pains, a nozzle for the back and another one for the tummy), he will have to come in with me just in case I fall off my chair in there!
• change of clother
• underwear
• towel
• camera
  

**Also need to make sure:

• petrol is always at the very least 1/3 full at all times
• mobile phones are always charged (hospital's emergency and obstetrician's mobile number stored into it)

I wonder if I have left anything out. I think I have the necessities for the labour at least, and I suppose hubby can always drive back home after the birth to grab bits and pieces if need be.

34 weeks pregnant

Doc says that Baby K is already in position this week! He is now head down and will soon be engaged. His back is also against my belly button now, the ideal position to make his way down the birth canal.

Despite making an appointment, we end up sitting in the waiting room for an hour for most of the times. I usually have no complaints and only quick easy questions for him, so we are out within 10 to 15 minutes! I feel alittle duped! Most of the times, the obs end up asking the questions.

How is baby? Good!

Is he moving? Heaps, all day long. He even puts on a show for our friends at the dinner table.

Any complaints this week? Hmmmm, not really, I feel pretty ok.

Have you finished work? Yes

Enjoying your time off then? Going shopping heaps? Not really, I'm so over shopping. Besides, I've already done most the shopping for baby way before.

Are you taking regular walks? Uh. No....? It's still alittle too cold for me to go out for walks? (I didn't want to ask if going to the supermarket counted)


And then he does the usual blood pressure check, baby's heartbeat, baby's position and some other measurements. He sometimes also asks me how I am feeling about going through labour, and if I have thought about pain relief, things like that. And then, he goes back to his laptop and types in his observations and we're done!


I wonder what people discuss with their obstetricians during their consultations? Others seem to take forever during their consultations!

33 weeks pregnant

Obs said to expect Baby K anytime after 37 weeks. 37 weeks! That is only 4 weeks from now. Eeks! Am I ready?

I think so?

I have been truly blessed with a smooth pregnancy so far. I thank my parents for the good genes I have inherited, and also all the help from hubby, his parents, and so many of my friends during my pregnancy. Everyone has chipped with some form of help or other! I put on 9kg so far, and I can see most of it have gone to baby. I don't have too many complaints during my pregnancy. Just the usual morning sickness at the start, headaches, some leg cramps, breathlessness and alittle bit of reflux. All the usual signs of a healthy normal pregnancy. Now, I just need baby to turn the right way. For most of the pregnancy so far, he has been lying horizontally across. For the past couple of days, I have been rubbing the spot where I think his head is, hoping he will move away and turn upside down instead. But he seems to like a particular position and always resettles in the same spot! Sigh. I am hoping for a normal natural delivery, not really a cesarean if possible.

Everyone seems to think I am going to cope really well during delivery. Do I look so gungho? I didn't think so! Every time I bring up the labour process with the obs, he tells me that he truly predicts that I am going to cope with the pain really well. Uh huh.

Also, here is my new friend. Meet Mr Fit Ball. I can no longer sit for long periods in a couch because my back gets sooo sore, as does my coccyx (sp? I'm referring to that little tail bone thingie at the end of our spine). Sitting on the fit ball really eases the pain quite a bit.

32 weeks pregnant

Where did time go?!


Baby's movements are different now, he's no longer doing his high kicks as much, however I can feel him squirming and turning alot more. I have a small frame, so I can imagine how squished he is in there, the poor thing! To me, it feels like he is shoving and pushing with all his might trying to make some space around him.


I have started getting my Braxton Hicks contractions.Double checked with the obstetrician and he confirms that they are usually painless. However they can be quite uncomfortable when it happens. The muscles of the uterus tenses and tightens up for 30 to 60 seconds, and it feels rock hard when that happens! Apparently they start at around 17 weeks, but we don't feel them until much later on.


Mini me still gets his hiccups, but not as often as before perhaps just twice a day now or so.


I have been feeling breathless alot more this past week too. Uterus is now pressing against my diaphram and I have to practise my breathing exercises when that happens.


My bump has also popped out quite a fair bit now, and I am really running out of things to wear now. I managed to get away with not getting any maternity clothes so far for this pregnancy. But I might have to. Sigh. Either that, or hope the weather keeps getting warmer so I can swish around in some dresses instead. So, I've been doing some window shopping online.



But u see, I got distracted and have been looking at these removable wall decals from forwalls. Too cute! I just can't decide which one to get!

Nesting @ 29/30 weeks

Pregnant women go through a phase called 'nesting'. There is this natural instinct to want to do things around the house to prepare for the oncoming birth of the baby. I am definitely experiencing this at the moment.



Here's what I got up to Sunday night and Monday.

• 10.30pm: I had this urge to tidy my bathroom cabinet. I sat on a little stool in front of it and dragged everything out from under the sink. Friends who know me know that I have enough skincare products and make up to last almost forever. I organized, cleaned out the bottles and tubes and even sorted them out by their use by dates. Knowing mom is arriving in a month or so, I even packed her a toiletries bag of skincare products so it is ready for her to dig into when she arrives on her morning flight. I packed myself a toiletries bag for my hospital stay. That probably took me an hour in all. But then, packing my hospital toiletries bag also reminded me that I could now start putting things into my hospital bag, and so I did. I spent another 15minutes or so pulling out little bits and pieces that goes into the bag. By the time I finished, I was exhausted and my back and shoulders were aching. Bedtime, finally...


• I'm not a morning person, so Monday after lunch I opened up 4 big boxes of stuff that needed to be put away in the garage for storage. So I cleaned packed and reorganized our documents and bits and pieces for 2 hours. I would have started hauling them into the garage myself if I had the strength! A little annoyed it will still have to sit in the study until the weekend where Hubby will move them.


• All that packing left bits of shredded paper and dust on the floor. I start dusting and wiping down surfaces in the house.


• Eeeks, floor is now all dusty, so I vaccuumed.


• While vaccuuming, I realised the laundry hamper is full, so I did 2 loads of laundry and put them up.


• Folded a basket of laundry


• Did the dishes

Yesterday:

• Swept the deck. Sounds easy enough, but carrying a 8Kg load on your belly and being bent over is exhausting. Especially when we are talking about trying to scrap off possum poop! That I think took me about 40minutes.


• Weeded some potted plants.


• Put drawers liners into our bedside tables and coffee table.


• Folded up more laundry.


• Finally remembered to call the local council and after a few phonecalls,finally got us upgraded to a bigger recycling bin (yay!)


• Cleared out an unwanted 4 drawer unit.


• Did dishes again.

Right now:

I have an urge to attempt to scrub away the bird and possum poop marks left on the deck, while the deck is still wet from the rain. (If you look closely, you'll see the poop marks even though I've swept it yesterday)

Damn u rain. I need to clean.

30 weeks pregnant

So I am now 30 weeks pregnant. A full term pregnancy is 38-40weeks. Anything earlier than 36 weeks is considered a premature birth. I feel similar to how I first felt during my first trimester, only without the morning sickness. I have put on about 8kgs so far, and my body isn't used to carrying so much weight 24/7. People tell me I am all baby, I haven't put on too much weight elsewhere. But I feel like a sumo wrestler.

My joints hurt like crazy. My knees and soles of my feet are sore when I stand. But my butt also hurts if I sit for too long. I just can't win! And now, to get off the couch, I need to physically grab onto something/someone to lean forward, then bum shuffle towards the edge to get up. I have started to feel that sheer exhaustion that I had felt during my first trimester again. It is as if there is an automated switch where I am fine the one moment, but then I would be completely spent the next. It does not matter whether or not I have been up and about doing something. I would wake up at 7am in the mornings, have breakfast, and by 9.30am I am back under the covers again. And then probably another nap in the afternoon again.

Another pregnant friend of mine has her due date really close to mine and she has already started to get Braxton Hicks contractions. They are like false labour pains to get the body ready for the real thing. They say I should expect them round about this time, but I have yet to feel any. I think.

Baby is still practising his acrobatic moves everyday. But he is running out of leg room to give me his hard high kicks so he wriggles and squirms more instead. And much to my discomfort, he loves wedging his hand/foot up against my ribs. He still gets hiccups daily! He used to kick and move around alot more when that happens, but I think he's finally realised there is nothing he can do about it. Sometimes I picture him rolling his eyes at himself haha!

I tell myself not too long now..... I will soon have my own little mini in my arms, we can't wait!

And a new chapter of my life starts....

Yesterday I finished up at work! What an emotional rollercoaster ride the day was! I took time when I arrived to take in the last sights of my work surroundings and my workmates around me on my last day of work. I had expected to feel happy and perhaps even excited, but instead, I was feeling extremely nervous!

I have been working at the same place for the past 6 years of my life. The characters I have met, workmates and experience have given me so many fond memories to treasure and keep. I was extremely reluctant to leave at the end of the day, and without me realising how time flew past, I was still around 3 hours after I was meant to finish for the day!

For the past couple of years, I have gone into work every time, been an advocate for the brand I work for, planned and strategized for events and formed many new friendships over time. I am possibly one of those really odd weirdos you make a face at, when they tell you "I LOVE my work!"

Throughout the day, workmates from all across the company's departments came to say their goodbyes, tears rolled off our cheeks and we exchanged hugs and tummy rubs for baby. I was a wreck by the end of the day!

I have truly been very blessed with so many friends and a fantastic boss at work, what more could I have asked for?

A new chapter of my life starts from here on...

Good restful sleep is a luxury

Sleep. Need sleep. Week 29 this week, and I am definitely feeling baby's weight alot more. So my joints and back are now causing me abit of grief. If I am sitting or lying in a position that is uncomfortable for him, baby wriggles around quite a bit causing me some pain and discomfort sometimes. He has also found my bladder which he tends to use as a pillow or a foot rest in the middle of the night, which means I wake up in a hurry in the middle of the night, try to throw my body forward while lying on my side like a giant hippo and then heave myself off the side of the bed and shuffle quickly to the toilet.

Good restful sleep is a luxury these days. Way even before baby arrives. Even for hubby. My sleep routine every night:

1. Strategically position 2 pillows for my head at an angle, 1 more to support my belly/legs
2. Sit on bed, SLOWLY lower myself onto my side, supporting myself with 1 elbow/hand
3. Lie still for 10 seconds. Turn off bedside lamps.
4. Nope. Not comfortable.
5. Hubby turns his light on again, heaves me up and helps me adjust all the pillows once more.
6. Turn off light. Try to lie still and go to sleep again while huffing and puffing from all that moving around.

This process repeats itself about 3-4 times before I finally doze off, not because I found a comfortable position but because by the end of it I am utterly exhausted.

28 Weeks Pregnant

I am currently 28 weeks pregnant, its amazing how time just flies. It seemed like just only last week I did the pregnancy test, and wondered if I am really pregnant. I remember when the 2 lines appeared, and because one was fainter than the other, I was questioning it. And spent the next 3 hours watching tv, and stealing glances at the pee stick on the coffee table to check that a line didn't disappear! It took another pee stick first thing the next morning to truly sink in, that I may truly be pregnant!

Bringing time forward, 6.5 months later, here I am sitting at my laptop typing away while feeling baby's king fu kicks on my right hip. Owww!! As hubby says, its surprising how a little bundle that so soft and squishy cause so much pain!? Baby has also recently discovered the space around the right side of my body. I swear sometimes he also knows he's tickling me when he reaches into that spot with his little foot! It's also alittle weird at times, being tickled from the inside. I also feel him pawing my insides with his little fingers or SOMETHING.



I felt his movements really early on, like little flutters in my belly, even when people say its probably in my mind. But now, feeling how active he is, I am convinced he was already trying to make his presence known at 14 weeks.



Baby also responds to touch now, when I rub my belly, I very often feel him trying to reach out and feel my hand over him through my skin. It is an amazing feeling, and we are so looking forward to meeting our little one when he is finally ready to make his way into our world.

Ready? Set. Go.

Technically speaking, I'm jumping ahead. Life with my mini haven't started, yet. I am 27 weeks pregnant with my baby boy, and due in November at the moment.

Singlet is a very creative and special birthday gift from a friend earlier this year. I thought it would be nice to start recording little bits and pieces of life before the little one arrives.

My life is about to change, and I'm looking forward to it.

So here goes....