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*

Recipe: Spaghetti meatballs

This post is for a dear friend who has asked for the recipe sometime ago, here you go D!

Hubby finds it amusing that I won't eat spaghetti bolognese, yet I will have spaghetti meatballs. Haha! Technically the same thing, just presented differently. I just prefer something to cut into, rather than digging into a plateful of slush.

We usually have beef mince in the fridge and canned tomatoes in the pantry. It is a no brainer and really quick to whip up. I happened to have carrots and some bacon this time in the fridge too, but you don't have to. It could be just as simple as mince and onions really. Just based on my own estimation on things as usual, so really, taste as u go ok?





Me and my pregnant brain forgot to include the bay leaf and egg in the photo LOL....AND I forgot to take a photo of the actual dish itself! *slaps head!*But u guys know how spaghetti meatballs look like right?

Seriously, this pregnant brain thing had better not be permanent!

Spaghetti meatballs

serves 4

400gm beef mince

1/2 brown onion diced

1 egg

splash of worcestershire sauce (I use Lea & Perrins)

bit of sugar

bit of flour

bit of water

1.5 tsp mixed herbs (I use masterfoods)

pinch of thyme (masterfoods)

1 bay leaf (optional)

carrot diced (optional)

bacon diced (optional)

1 can italian whole peeled tomatoes in juice (u can use diced ones as well)

salt and pepper to taste

olive oil

1. Mix the mince with the mixed herbs, egg, water, worcestershire sauce, sugar, salt and pepper. I see how the mixture looks like and then I put in some water and flour if necessary, it gives it more bite with the flour and prevents the meatballs from falling apart, and the water makes the meatballs alittle bit juicier. (sometimes I cheat and I also use sausages from the supermarket into the mix, I just squeeze out the meat from the skins!)



2. Roll out into golf ball sized meatballs and set aside for abit.



3. Cook spaghetti in a pot of salted boiling water until al dente and set aside.



4. Heat generous amount of olive oil in pan, throw in all the meatballs and cook it until it browns. It does not have to be fully cooked inside at this point. Remove and set aside.


5. Drizzle abit more olive oil and sautee onions for a minute or so, throw in carrots. Cook until just starting to brown or softened. Add bacon and wave it around for a little bit.



6. Add the meatballs, canned tomatoes and moosh up the whole tomatoes. Throw in a couple of pinches more of the herbs, worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper to taste. Also throw in the bay leaf now if you are using it. Leave it to simmer, until the sauce thickens. If you have some fresh basil leaves from the garden, here's when you throw a couple of them in as well.



7. Plate up your spaghetti and plonk the sauce on top.



8. Serve.

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.

Starting the spring garden

Remember how I said we were getting the garden ready for spring? I sowed some seeds in and around the garden and they have just begun to emerge. My neighbour's cat, Taco, came over to suss me out when he saw me clicking away at a pot haha!

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.

Double yolks

I have heard of eggs having double yolks, but have never seen it for myself! But look what I got for breakfast one morning! =)

Recipe: Lemon peppered chicken pasta

Hubby doesn't cook often, but when he does, he usually whips up something really tasty! He made this chicken pasta the other day for dinner. It was soooo good, I had seconds even though I was so full!

Lemon peppered chicken pasta

For 4 servings

5 chicken thigh fillets chopped into chunks

2 cloves garlic minced

1 red capsicum julienned

2 cups fresh button mushrooms sliced

a light sprinkling each of:

- lemon pepper

- cajun spice seasoning

- cayenne pepper

1 can diced tomatoes in juice

spiral pasta (however much u need)

salt to taste

olive oil

1. Marinate chicken chunks with some salt, all the peppers and a drizzle of olive oil. Leave for 30minutes.
2. Prepare pasta according to instructions. Remember to add salt to the water, no oil though! It coats the pasta preventing it from absorbing sauce later on.
3. Heat olive oil in pan, sautee garlic until fragrant. Add capsicum and wave it around for a minute or two, and then add in the chicken and cook until it just starts to get some colour.
4. Pour in the can of diced of tomatoes including the juice. Mix well until it starts to boil again. At this point, if you can add alittle water if it looks dry, not too much though, you don't want to end up with a soupy pasta and also because you're going to...
5. Add the mushrooms and mix it through until the mixture starts to simmer again.
6. Add salt to taste. If you think it needs more kick from any of the peppers you can put some more in again now.
7. Pour in the pasta, mix it through the sauce.
8. Serve.

So good! =)

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!