Claire @ 4 months

From What to Expect

Plenty of parents consider the next few months to be the golden age of babyhood, and for good reason.

Great news for weary moms: Your little one will likely be in a sunny mood most of the day, sleep more during the night, and stay put wherever you plunk her (she's not mobile yet). She's ready for fun and conversation, with you or anyone who happens by, so be prepared for lots of laughter (hers and yours!) as she tries out her new routines. By this age, your baby can raise up on her arms when placed on her tummy (thanks to all the tummy time you give her) and keep her head level when propped in a sitting position. She might even turn in the direction of your voice and complain if you take away her toy. Her second round of immunizations is scheduled this month, so ask your pediatrician what's on the agenda. This is also a good time to ask about starting solids and discuss upcoming (or missed) milestones. What else is up? Maybe your baby's temper every time you strap her into her car seat. There are some pretty effective diversionary tactics to try, such as singing her favorite song and attaching plenty of car-safe toys to her seat (rotate these periodically for boredom's sake). Ultimately, she's just got to get used to it. (That means never give in and drive with your baby out of her seat.)

She still doesn’t like tummy time. She is malandi and chismosa. She tends to play with her milk as she always turns around whenever she hears someone talking. Often times, she wants to be carried most especially in the afternoon. She had her very first taste of medicines – she had cough and colds a week ago. She can now hold her head when carried around. She consumes 4oz of milk every feeding – still 100% breastfeed by me.

Drool all over

One week after we celebrated Claire’s 3rd month, we said bye-bye to her mittens. Behold, she has discovered her hands and was inside her mouth everytime – hungry or not. In short, drool is all over her face. It’s high time to use her bibs.

 

 

 

 

 

Bubble thought: Should we buy her binky? Joshua never used one when he was a baby.

Pedia visit #4

Vaccine: IPD

Weight: 6.1 kgs
Lenght: 60 cm

The vaccine is originally scheduled last December 5 but we were so busy with her baptismal so we decided to move it a week after. Last Saturday, we were at St. Margareth around 10 in the morning and there were a lot of kids. We were 15th in the list.

Dr. Patdu decided not to give her IPD as Claire has colds and cough. Instead, he gave us medicines to treat it and we will meet this coming Saturday for her vaccine. So, her day includes three times of Salinase (2 drops per nostril) and four times of Ilosone (60 mL). She’s getting well every single day, thank God.

Losing my milk

Okay, I've been hiatus for the past weeks. My hands are full of to do's. Blame it all to tons and tons of work load, boss from Geneva coming in and addiction to Farmville. The latter is a very, very bad idea as I need to focus my attention to a very important milestone in my career that will happen on Feb 5 of next year. I have to refocus myself. Aside from that, this month has been very, very hectic because of parties, get togethers, and what nots. The stress makes me loss my milk, literally. I usually get disoriented when I can't produce enough milk for Claire. I hate it when I can't even produce 3oz of milk in one sitting. There are times when my mom doesn't have any choice but to give her formula when I'm still not around.

According to BabyCenter:

To increase your milk supply:

• Let your baby feed as often and for as long as he wants and offer both breasts at each feed.

• Give him only breastmilk and avoid using dummies which may reduce the time he spends at the breast.

• Do not be tempted to top him up with a bottle of formula (this is called "supplementing" or "mixed feeding"). Your milk supply will adjust to the demands your baby makes on it. If you satisfy his hunger with formula he will require less breastmilk and your supply will reduce.

• While you are working on improving the way your baby latches on, you could also try expressing your milk after each feed. Removing as much of the residual milk in your breasts as you can will help stimulate your milk supply. If you store this milk in the fridge or freezer, you can use your own breastmilk to give him a bit extra if he gets particularly hungry at one time of day, perhaps in the evening.

• Some herbs are said to increase a mother's milk supply -– they are known as "galactagogues". Malunggay is a popular local herb that is traditionally used to aid in milk production. You can prepare viands and soups using this ingredient or you may also buy them in capsule form to supplement your diet. Many experts believe that nursing moms do not need galactagogues to increase milk supply. However, if you feel the need to try, you should ask your doctor or lactation consultant about using herbal remedies during pregnancy and while breastfeeding.

Claire @ 3 months

From BabyCenter

How’s your baby growing

Babies love to be touched. In fact, they thrive on it – it's a critical part of growth and development. Skin-to-skin contact not only helps you and your baby bond, but is comforting when she's upset and soothing when she's irritable.

Develop your baby's sense of touch with a variety of materials – such as fake fur, felt and terrycloth. Your baby will probably try to eat the fabric, so choose carefully. Don't leave her alone with anything that could come apart in her mouth. And look for books that make reading a tactile experience.

Claire still doesn’t like tummy time. Perhaps, she finds it difficult to carry her body. She lifts her head 45 degrees. She can hold her head when carried upright position. She loves to coos and smiles a lot – her smile is contagious. She sleeps through the night, and feeds twice or thrice.

She bites me too. Often times, I would tell her it hurts. And she would smile her sweetest smile. I read from somewhere that when the baby bites, you have to show her that what she did is wrong. The instant reaction of babies when she hears her mom saying ouch if bitten is to repeat it to know where did her mom’s reaction came from.

Bubble thought: Is she teething now? Ain’t it too early for her to have teeth?

Sibling love

I haven’t had time to blog how Joshua accepted his sister Claire’s arrival.

When we arrived in my in-laws house after we were discharged from the hospital (he has to stay there while the husband and I are away since it’s near to his school), my SIL carried Claire as I am still having hard time walking – talk about learning to walk again. When she entered the house, Joshua got confused. He got more confused when I enter without carrying a baby. He even asked me “Mommy, baby natin yun?” while he pulls my top up to exposed my belly. When he realized that the baby he saw was indeed our baby, he cried, “Baby namin yan, ibalik mo na.”

At present, he loves to kiss his little sister. He even hugs her every now and then. What we avoid most of the time is his gigil moments as he has the tendency to squeeze Claire’s arms (it already happened twice). He fears of losing his sister so he doesn’t make kulit when the baby is asleep. He throws tantrums when a relative or a friend would carry his sister and joke him of taking her away from us. I have to assure him that they won’t and can’t take the baby as they won’t be able to feed them, they don’t have milk for Claire.

He would also puts his toys beside Claire and would repeatedly tell her to play as he will share his toys to her. He would tell us whenever we put small clothes on him, “Maliit na to, kay baby na.”  He always plead to allow him to carry his sister and we obliged twice.

On the side note, he refused to wean from the bottle. He wants to drink milk whenever he sees his sister feeding. He even tells his sister to stop first as they would do contest of who feeds the fastest, LOL!

I hope his love for his sister will continue and grew stronger. Ah, sibling love…

Pedia visit #3

Vaccine: Infanrix Hexa (Hib-DTaP-IPV-HepB) and Rotarix

Weight: 5.4 kgs
Lenght: 56 cm

The immunization is supposedly scheduled last Oct 24 but was moved to Oct 31 as her pedia was in the States then. Last Saturday though, typhoon Santi had finally made it's landfall in Manila and there was a strong gush of wind (plus no electricity for more than 12 hours for us) so we opt to move the her vaccine again. I don't want to brave the storm with a baby in tow. Luckily, her pedia had schedule during Sundays so when everyone was in the cementery visiting their passed loved ones, we, on the other hand were at St. Margareth for her vaccine.

She was first given Rotarix (oral medicine) then Infanrix Hexa. She didn't cry at all. Her pedia prescribed Biogesic for her and we had her take it for 24 hours.

Next vaccine, IPD on December.

My birthing experience

Warning: A very long post

Ok. My birthing experience is not as exciting as others. Why? Because mine is a repeat CS. Boring.

I was scheduled to have a repeat CS August 18 at 10am. Prior to that, my OB advised us to be admitted in OsMun a day before the scheduled operation as it was “hard” to get a room in the said hospital. True enough, we really had a hard time getting a room.

August 17, roughly before lunch time, we were already in the hospital to be admitted. We were advised that there were still no available rooms and we could call them after lunch. We had lunch at Festival Mall then went back home. After lunch, we called the hospital but was advised that there were still no rooms available. Ok, I’m already in panic. I was stressed already that we even fight as the husband was ever cool about what’s going on. Around 4pm, I insisted to go back to the hospital to personally ask if there is an available room. At that time, I don’t care if I’ll be in a private, semi-private or even ward. What’s important is to be admitted asap. We arrived in the hospital, and yes, there is an available room, semi-private that is. Hallelujah! Everything was all set but the last minute, we were advised that the patient who was supposedly be discharged is still waiting for the “sundo.” We have to go back 8pm but the room is already reserved under my name. We had dinner at Festival Mall and went back to be advised that the patient is still in the room. To cut the long wait short, I was wheeled in the room 12mn of August 18.

Morning of August 18, before I was wheeled in the operating room, I was able to take a bath as I know it’ll take days before I can have a complete bath again. I was wheeled in the operating room before 10am but had to wait for an hour as the anesthesiologist is still not around (he attended an urgent delivery in another hospital).  After prepping up, I was given ampicillin that made me groggy during the operation. I swear, I was asleep 99% of the operation. I woke up in time when my OB said “baby out.” I forced myself to be awake as I didn’t hear a cry after hearing my OB. I tilted my head top-right and saw my baby. One nurse said “baby iyak na” while clapping her hands. I saw another nurse who just arrived with a sort of pump with a mask (whatever it is called) which he used with my baby. A few minutes of rattling my baby to cry, I heard a faint cry. I fell asleep immediately.

I woke up past 12nn and the first thing I did was to move my feet. When a nurse saw me being awake and all, he asked me to move my feet. It was then that I was wheeled in my room. I was trembling all over (effect of anesthesia) and when I saw my husband I immediately asked how’s the baby (I had fears I lost her). When he told me she’s ok, that’s when I fell asleep again.

I delivered a preterm baby weighing 4.38lbs only. She was roomed in the day after which made me hate the nursery as I wanted to breastfeed her 100%. She was so small and hardly cries.

Mommy duties

I will temporarily be absent in the blogosphere for a few months so I can focus on my mommy duties to the little princess. Please also pray for a successful operation as I'll be admitted tomorrow morning in Ospital ng Muntinlupa. The operation (caesarian delivery) will be on August 18, 2009 at 10 am.

Hello Baby loots

Remember this post?

 

Here are the loots I got for only PhP 1300.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

37 weeks pregnant

From BabyCenter

Your baby weighs close to 6.5 pounds/ 2.8 kilograms and may be about 20 inches/ 50 centimeters long from head to toe. Your baby's head is now cradled in your pelvic cavity - surrounded and protected by your pelvic bones. This position clears some much-needed space for her growing legs and buttocks.

 

Many babies now have a full head of hair, with locks maybe around one inch/ 2.5 centimeters long. But don't be surprised if her hair isn't the same color as yours. Dark-haired couples are sometimes taken aback when their children are born with bright red or blond hair, and fair-haired couples likewise can produce babies with dark hair. And then, of course, some babies don't have any hair at all.

 

Speaking of hair, most of the downy coat of lanugo that covered your baby from 26 weeks has disappeared, and so has most of the vernix caseosa, the whitish substance that also covers her. Your baby will swallow her lanugo and exterior coating, along with other secretions, and store them in her bowels. These will become your infant's first bowel movement, a blackish waste called meconium.

36 weeks pregnant

From BabyCenter

Your baby is still gaining weight - about an ounce/ 28 grams a day. She weighs nearly 6 pounds/ 2.7 kilograms and is 19 inches/ 45 centimeters long from head to toe.

You may begin to feel an increased pressure in your lower abdomen and notice that your baby is gradually dropping. This is called lightening or engagement, and your lungs and stomach will finally get a chance to stretch out a little - breathing and eating should become easier. However, walking may become increasingly uncomfortable - some women say it feels as if the baby is going to fall out. Also, you may still feel as if you need to go to the toilet all the time.

The good news is that by the end of this week, your pregnancy will be full-term and you could give birth any day now. (Babies between 37 and 42 weeks are considered full-term - a baby born before 37 weeks is premature and after 42 is post-term.) At your weekly visit, your doctor may check to see if you've started dilating (when the cervix opens) and effacing (when the cervix thins). The doctor will also check what position the baby is in, in order to estimate how far the baby has dropped into the pelvis. This information will be entered into your maternity notes so that your doctor in will know the position of the baby when you go into labor.

Hello Baby

Yesterday, after lunch, my colleague and I braved the rain and went to Hello Baby it Bel-air. It was heaven for me. I was able to buy 4 blankets, 6 bibs, 3 burp pads, and 7 onesies. My total bill was PhP 1300 only. Cheap right? Pictures to follow as I was dead tired when I (together with the husband) arrived home.

Here’s the address for those who want to go: #48 Zodiac St. Bel-air 1, Makati City. You may want to call them at 8964802. They are open from 9am to 6pm daily (not sure during weekends though). Manang Vicky (the one who oversees the store) is so bait that she even gave us 10% off my total bill. She said new stocks usually arrives twice a month, on the 15th and before the end of the month.

Democracy Icon

After more than a year of battling colon cancer, our President Corazon Aquino passed away today. It was his only son, Senator Noynoy Aquino who announced her passing.

The official statement states: “Our mother peacefully passed away at 3:18 a.m. August 1, 2009 of cardio respiratory arrest. She would have wanted us to thank each and every one of you for all the prayers and your continued love and support. It was her wish for all of us to pray for one another and our country. Hinihiling po ng aming pamilya ang konting panahon para makasama namin ang aming mahal na ina."

Read more here.

Corazon Cojuangco – Aquino (1933-2009 )

Musings

I am on my 34th week now. If everything falls into place, I am scheduled for a CS operation on the 21st of August. Finally, the little princess will have her grand entrance. In my entire pregnancy, I never had problem with the leg cramps. I had only experienced it twice. The husband is so lucky that there is no need for me to wake him up in the middle of the night to assist me with this. On the other hand, I am now feeling severe round ligament pain. My groin area is always in pain. At night, I need to have a pillow between my legs to ease the pain. I sleep on my side now, but feeling such pain made me sleepless. I can’t turn my on my other side without growling in pain. Also, braxton hicks are getting intense now. If I haven’t experienced labor on my first pregnancy, I would have thought I am already in labor the past few days. The little girl is so active inside my tummy doing here somersaults.

I have already filed my maternity leave and will be effective on the 10th. I am really having a hard time now - moving and walking.  I still have a lot of things to do, especially the baby shopping part, LOL! We have covered almost all essentials sans the toiletries. The husband also has pending tasks – the most important one is general cleaning of the house.

35 weeks pregnant

From BabyCenter

Your baby now weighs about 5.25 pounds/ 2.4 kilograms and measures approximately 18 inches/ 45 centimeters from head to toe. His elbow, foot or head may protrude from your stomach when he stretches and squirms about. Soon, as the wall of your uterus and your abdomen stretch thinner and let in more light, your baby will begin to develop daily activity cycles.

This week, your little one is now sporting fingernails and has a fully developed pair of kidneys. His liver can also process some waste products.

There's much less amniotic fluid and much more baby in your uterus, which has expanded to a thousand times its original size. You've probably put on between 25 and 30 pounds/ 11 and 13.6 kilograms and your weight gain has hit its peak. Even your belly button has got bigger and has popped outward. You may be feeling breathless now that the top of your uterus is up under your ribs. Try getting down on all fours to take deeper breaths. Although the pressure on your bladder will make the bathroom your second home, don't drink any less water - your baby needs the fluids. But you may like to cut down on diuretic drinks like tea and coffee, which will make you have to urinate even more often.

Your doctor will probably want to start seeing you every week until you give birth.

H1N1 virus severely affects pregnancy

A colleague of forwarded me this article. It was scary and I fervently prayed that me and my preggie friends will be spared from the virus.

Study: H1N1 virus more severely affects pregnant women ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Pregnant women infected with the H1N1 virus are more likely to be hospitalized from it and perhaps even more likely to die from it, according to a federal study released Wednesday. The authors of the study suggest that pregnant women infected with the virus, commonly known as swine flu, take antiviral drugs to protect themselves and their fetuses. "If they feel sick, they need to call their health care provider and their health care provider needs to prescribe antivirals promptly," said Dr. Denise J. Jamieson, lead author of the study and a medical officer at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Some doctors are reluctant to prescribe the drugs to pregnant women because they are concerned about their possible effect on the fetus, but Jamieson urged them to put aside those concerns. "We know, in this situation, the benefits very likely outweigh the risks, because pregnant women could get pretty darn sick with influenza," the obstetrician-gynecologist told CNN. In fact, they could get more than sick. Of the 45 H1N1 deaths reported to the CDC between April 15 and June 16, six (13 percent) were among pregnant women. All of them had been healthy before infection, and all went on to develop viral pneumonia, leading to acute respiratory distress that required them to be placed on ventilators, Jamieson said. She acknowledged that the numbers are small, but said data collected since then are still reason for concern. Of the 266 H1N1 deaths investigated by the CDC to date, 15 (6 percent) were among pregnant women, she said. That's six times the percentage of U.S. women who are pregnant at any given time. In addition, pregnant women infected with H1N1 were four times as likely as sick people in the general population to be hospitalized for it, she said. But the study cautioned that part of that increase may be because of doctors being more likely to hospitalize a pregnant woman than a nonpregnant person with similar symptoms. Still, the apparent disproportionate impact of H1N1 on pregnant women is not surprising, given the body changes that occur during pregnancy, she said. As the uterus grows and pushes the diaphragm up, there is less room for the lungs," affecting a woman's ability to breathe, she said. Pregnancy's impact goes beyond structural; it affects the body's ability to fight off illness, she said. "A pregnant woman has to accommodate this foreign body of the growing fetus, so there is an immunological shift that occurs in pregnancy," she said. Though it is not clear whether that immunological shift translates into a greater likelihood of contracting the virus, there is no doubt that it can result in more severe illness among pregnant women who are infected with it, she said. "They are more severely affected, and that is consistent with what we are seeing with this H1N1," she said. Still, Jamieson said she is not recommending that pregnant women avoid crowds or take any other precautions that would affect their daily routines. She said she hopes to continue to track what happens to the H1N1-infected pregnant women in the report, though the details have yet to be worked out.

Rave

Remember what I rant here.

Being the trusty person that I am, I still tried to shop online – in multiply that is. It was a fuzz free transaction.

IndigoBaby offer a lot of products for babies and mommies and what’s best about them is that they accept PayPal. The downside, they have a “high” add-on fee.

July 20 – Inquired about their products and how would the transaction be if I pay them in PayPal.

July 21 – I paid $26 for the Boncho (in Fuchsia Fountain) and Funky Feet (a box of Mary Janes). YummyMummy Monica told me that they are out of stock for Mary Janes and offered me to choose for other varieties. Since I really like the Mary Janes, I told them that I could still wait until next week.

Didn’t bother to make kwento to the husband about it but I already told him on hand that I am eyeing products on their site. I might be scolded again.

July 24 – I was so surprised when our messenger handed me a package from Xend. It was the products I ordered. I didn’t expect it and I didn’t even gave out my shipping details yet. They just get my office address from my e-mails’ signature.

Now, I have another additional stuff for the little princess and for the mommy too. I’m planning to get the Milk Trays and a breastfeeding top from them before I take my maternity leave.

We already have a date of delivery. We just had to confirm it on the 8th of August. Watch out for that announcement here.

Photos grabbed from Indigo Baby

Rants

I was so happy when I blogged about this. The happiness I felt about having BPA-free bottles for the little princess became STRESS last week. Here’s what happened in details:

May 14 – I ordered Born Free products (2 5oz twin pack, 2 9oz twin pack and 1 twister brush). The delivery of the products could be by second week of June according to the seller.

May 15 – Deposited half of the total bill, it’s a pre-order anyway.

June 9 – Followed up as to when the ETA of the bottles. She said arrival of the bottles is on June 20.

June 18 – Deposited my remaining balance. The seller said she’ll have delivery on June 20 and 25.

June 22 – I followed up again (I’m makulit na here coz the husband is bugging me already, thinking I have been scammed. 5k isn’t a small amount.)

June 26 – The seller finally replied to my inquiry. She told me that the bottles are still not part of the delivery. Her supplier advised her that the bottles are out of stock since last week. She has an invoiced already and that new stocks will be coming next week. In this case, delivery here in PH will take two more weeks. On that same day, I agreed that I’ll wait for two more weeks. (See, I’m such a good buyer. I simply don’t want to get stressed out.)

July 9 – I followed up again. She said the delivery is on the way and it’ll arrive either on 15 or 16.

July 13/14 – I added Desitin cream on my order. This time I was planning to pay through paypal as she accepts such mode of payment na.

July 16 – Followed up again and replied afternoon. She’s asking for my shipping details and she told me there are scratches on the bottle and she’ll be sending me 1 9oz twin pack, 1 twister brush and 1 diaper rash cream only. She’ll return the others to her supplier daw.

This is the time I was irritated already. Asked him to be online so we can talk. Bagal kasi magreply sa email eh. I told her no, I can’t wait for the other bottles anymore. I was thinking of changing to Avent BPA should she have on-hand stocks of it. I told her to have it refunded, I don’t want the bottles anymore. In the end, I agreed to have what’s available to be shipped on my address and she refunded the rest of the money.

July 17 – My husband received the package. When I got home, I checked the bottles. It has scratches too :(

Lesson learned: Never buy anything pre-order.

34 weeks pregnant

From BabyCenter

Your baby now weighs more than 4.7 pounds/ 2.2 kilograms and is 18 inches/ over 45 centimeters from top to toe. She's filling out and getting rounder - she'll need her fat layers later to regulate her body temperature.

If you don't already talk to your baby, this is a good time to start - at 35 weeks her hearing is fully developed. Don't feel ridiculous if you're already chatting in baby talk. Some evidence shows that newborns pay closer attention to high-pitched tones.

If you've been nervous about going into premature labor, you'll be happy to know that 99 per cent of babies born at week 35 can survive outside the womb - and most have no major problems. Although your baby's central nervous system is still maturing, her lungs are nearly fully developed by now.

Many women start to notice a tingling sensation or numbness in the pelvic region or pain as they walk. This may be caused by the pelvic joints loosening, ready for labor. If you're terribly uncomfortable, mention it to your doctor and check out our self-help tips.

33 weeks pregnant

From BabyCenter

Your baby now weighs about 4.2 pounds/ 2 kilograms and measures approximately 17 inches/ 44 centimeters from head to toe. Your baby should already be getting ready for birth by turning upside-down - his head should be pointing down.

Your doctor will be paying careful attention to your baby's position in the coming weeks - some babies do decide to turn back round again.

Your baby's skull is still quite pliable and not completely joined, so he can ease out of the relatively narrow birth canal. But the bones in the rest of his body are hardening. Your baby's skin is also gradually becoming less red and wrinkled.

f you're a first-time mother, your child's head may move into the pelvis this week and press firmly against your cervix. (This happens for about half of all first-time mothers.) If you're a second-time mom, you can expect this to happen a week before labor - and for some this won't happen until the start of labor. Hoping to manage your labor naturally? Here's all you need to know about natural pain relief.

You may notice that your feet and ankles are quite swollen by the end of the day. Water retention, also known as oedema, is often worse in warm weather and late in the day. Surprisingly, keeping hydrated helps reduce water retention. Your body - particularly your kidneys - and your baby need plenty of fluids, so drink up. If you suddenly feel swollen or puffy in your hands or face, however, call your doctor - it may be a sign of pre-eclampsia.

Breastfeeding full time

When I had Joshua, I was able to exclusively breastfed him for two months only. When I returned to work, I had him formula fed during day time and breastfed during night time. When he reached six months, and right after he had UTI, he stopped latching on me. That was the start of his journey of formula feeding.

I'll be delivering the little princess via C-section in 6 weeks time. And like her kuya, she'll be more prone to infection, based on studies. So, I am 100% sure to breastfeed her for one year. Aside from all the good benefits she will have from it, mommy and daddy will save more :D

This will be my wishlist for my breastfeeding journey:

1. Milktrays - Instead of using 4oz bottles for storage, these milktrays will be more convenient and will not eat a lot of space in the freezer. Available here.

 

 

 

 

2. Breastpump - This will be my ultimate companion / fairy for the success of my breastfeeding chronicle.

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. Nursing Bib - I have to have this as I'll be directly breastfeed her when we're out of the house.  Available here.

My OGTT ordeal

As what I have shared with you, I was 16-point higher than the normal range of glucose count for Asian people. So, to verify if I am diabetic or it’s because of my pregnancy, my OB advised me to take the 100gm oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT).

From 4^th of July to the 11^th, I was in a rigid diet. Imagine my ordeal, me being pregnant and all, only allowed to eat half cup of rice plus chicken, fish or veggies (soup based) for one week. Having a sweet tooth, I was always craving for something sweet but I dare not taste one. Gawd! It was one hell of a week for me – a torture for me.

My last food intake come 10^th of July was at 9pm, it was a glass of Anmum. I wasn’t able to wake at 10pm to have a light snack. We were in the hospital by 6:30am the next day.

The ask me to pee first and had my first blood extraction. Then I was given 240mL of too sweet orange juice, which I drink until the last drop with matching closed eyes. Yes, the taste was grossed I almost puke.

By 7am, I peed again and had my second extraction. By third extraction was at 8:30am, my fourth was at 9:30am and my last was at 10:30am.

The result was released at 2pm. We went home first than stay in the hospital that long, besides I am HUNGRY already. On our way home, I just had water after my very long fasting.

Finally, at 2pm the result showed: Yes, I am not DIABETIC! Thank God!!

32 weeks pregnant

From BabyCenter

Your baby now weighs approximately 3.75 pounds/ 1.7 kilograms and is about 17 inches/ 42 centimeters long from head to toe. Although his lungs won't be fully developed until just before birth, your little one is inhaling amniotic fluid to exercise his lungs and practice breathing.

Some babies have a head of hair already, others have only a few wisps. Thick hair at birth doesn't necessarily mean thick hair later on but children with fine hair in childhood usually have thinner hair in adulthood.

If your baby is a boy, his testicles should be descending from his abdomen into his scrotum. Sometimes however, one or both testicles won't move into position until after birth. In two-thirds of all baby boys who have undescended testicles at birth, the condition corrects itself by the boy's first birthday.

You're probably gaining a pound/ 450 grams a week, largely because your baby is likely to gain more than half his birthweight during the seven weeks before birth. Make sure you are eating well in these last few weeks.

Banned

I just had my 50gm glucose challenge and urinalysis last Saturday and the result wasn’t good. I am 16-point higher compared to the normal sugar count for Asian people. The ending? Sweets banned for the week. I have to undergo a rigid diet that contains chicken, fish and veggies only for viand (soup based only!) plus half cup of rice per serving.

On Saturday, I’ll be undergoing the 100gm oral glucose test wherein I’ll have to fast (again!) for 8 hours then they’ll be getting blood sample from me every hour for 3 straight hours. Wow! I’m not afraid of the needles this time, I’m afraid of getting hungry for so long. I can’t even drink water during the lab test, imagine.

Oh well, I have to follow my OB’s advice as I don’t want to end up being diabetic and all.

On too my urinalysis, nothing has changed, I still have UTI. This time, I’m taking up cefalexin capsules every 6 hours for 7 days then water therapy.

So imagine, my diet shouldn’t have sugar and salt. Wow! Are these signs of aging? I just noticed that I’m having a lot of complications with this pregnancy compared to my first one.

31 weeks pregnant

From BabyCenter

Your baby's arms, legs and body continue to fill out - and they are finally proportional in size to her head. She weighs about 3.3 pounds/ 1.5 kilograms and looks more like a newborn. She measures about 16 inches/ 41 centimeters from crown to toe.

You may notice your baby isn't moving around as much. Don't worry; she's just running out of space in your uterus. As long as you can feel her squirming, you'll know she's just fine. Believe it or not, she still has plenty of growing to do. You can expect her to gain at least two more pounds/ 900 grams before birth.

Your baby's organs are continuing to mature and she is passing water from her bladder: good practice for the urinating she'll do after she's born. Soon you can wonder what your baby is wishing for - brain scans have shown that fetuses have periods of dream sleep around month eight.

You've probably gained three to four pounds/ 1.3 to 1.8 kilograms this month. Gaining a pound/ 450 grams a week is quite normal during the last trimester as your baby has a final growth spurt before birth.

Me and Kuya Joshua

I haven’t showed myself now that I am almost 8 months pregnant. See for yourself how big I am now.

Joshua and Dux

Joshua and his second cousin Dux had a grand time yesterday playing in Alabang. The pictures says so – notice their hair was so wet because of sweat.

 

 

 

 

 

30 weeks pregnant

From BabyCenter

Your baby's lungs and digestive tract are almost fully developed. While your baby may soon slow up growing in length, (he measures about 15.7 inches/ 40 centimeters from crown to toe by now), he will continue to gain weight until he's born.

This week your baby continues to open and shut his eyes. He can probably see what's going on in utero, distinguish light from dark and even track a light source. If you shine a light on your stomach, your baby may move his head to follow the light or even reach out to touch the moving glow. Some researchers think baring your stomach to light stimulates visual development. But don't expect 20/20 vision when your baby is born - newborns can see a distance of only about 8 to 12 inches/ 20 to 30 centimeters. (Children with normal vision don't reach 20/20 vision until about age 7 to 9.) To complete the picture, your baby now has eyebrows and eyelashes.

A pint and a half/ around a liter of amniotic fluid now surrounds your baby but that volume decreases as he gets bigger and has less room in your uterus. As you and the baby continue to grow, don't be alarmed if you feel breathless, as if you can't get enough air; it's just your uterus pressing against your diaphragm. There is a light at the end of the tunnel though. At about 34 weeks (or just before birth, if this is your second or third pregnancy), your baby's head will move down into your pelvis as the baby gets into the right position for birth. That will make breathing and eating a lot easier.

Endurance Athletes

Endurance training and racing requires quite a commitment from athletes ... the commitment is for time and money ... they put up with pain, they eat for the event and buy supplements that cost a bundle ... their equipment is specialized to their events (shoes, high performance clothing, bikes, skis, wet suit, heart monitor, exercise equipment, etc., etc.) Some of the athletes are in the professional ranks, but most are age-groupers. Why do the age-groupers do it?

Spot the difference

Joshua had his haircut after a sporting a very messy do for quite some time now.

SpitzTunes -- Working My Way Back to You!

I've been away for a while .. not because of lack of interest, but because I've been away ... wanted to get this convo going ... in coming convos I'm going to do themes ... for example, politics in music, sports in music, sexuality in music ... if you have any suggestions, please let me know in the last question. And yes, the first question came about because I just did exactly that, with The Best of the Four Seasons!

What Makes a Dad

God took the strength of a mountain,
The majesty of a tree,
The warmth of a summer sun,
The calm of a quiet sea,
The generous soul of nature,
The comforting arm of night,
The wisdom of the ages,
The power of the eagle's flight,
The joy of a morning in spring,
The faith of a mustard seed,
The patience of eternity,
The depth of a family need,
Then God combined these qualities,
When there was nothing more to add,
He knew His masterpiece was complete,
And so,
He called it ... Dad.

 

 

Three men

I won’t be able to go online tomorrow so I’ll be posting this a little early.

Meet the three men who had played important roles in my life.

1. Papa Boy – hubby’s father

2. Papa Alex – my loving father who is in Qatiff right now 

3. Daddy – of course, the world’s #1 dad in our lives, my husband

Happy Father’s Day!

Joshua, me and the little princess love you all!

29 weeks pregnant

From BabyCenter

Your baby now weighs around 2.5 pounds/ 1.1 kilograms and measures about 15 inches/ 38 centimeters from head to toe. In boys, testicles descend from near the kidneys through the groin en route to the scrotum. In girls, the clitoris is relatively prominent because it's not yet covered by the still-small labia. These will grow to cover it in the last few weeks before birth.

Your baby's head is getting bigger, and brain growth is very rapid at this time. Nearly all babies react to sound by 30 weeks.

Your baby's nutritional needs reach their peak during the third trimester. You'll need plenty of protein, vitamin C, folic acid, iron, and calcium (about 200 milligrams is deposited in your baby's skeleton every day), so eat foods rich in these nutrients. The skeleton hardens even more and the brain, muscles, and lungs continue to mature. So take a look at our eating well guide to make sure you are getting the right minerals and vitamins.

28 weeks pregnant

From BabyCenter

You're in the home stretch. The third trimester typically starts at week 29 and lasts until week 40 and sometimes even beyond. (Don't worry - 42 weeks is the maximum! After that, a woman usually is induced to give birth.) Most women gain an average of 11 pounds/ 5 kilograms during this trimester.

By this week, your baby weighs nearly 2.3 pounds/ a little over 1 kilograms and may measure 14.8 inches/ 38 centimeters from top to toe. At about this time, your baby can open his eyes and turn his head in utero if he notices a continuous, bright light shining from the outside. His fat layers are forming and his fingernails appear.

You're probably vacillating between feeling as if you've been pregnant forever and being nervous about labor and birth. Checking off things on your to-do list can help. Start selecting possible baby names and begin thinking about life after the birth as well.

You'll probably be seeing your doctor more often in these last few weeks.

27 weeks pregnant

From BabyCenter

Your baby now weighs nearly 2 pounds / 875 grams and measures 14.5 inches / 36.6 centimeters from head to toe. Her eyes open and close, she sleeps and wakes at regular intervals and she may suck a finger or thumb.

Sweet dreams, little baby! Some experts believe that babies begin to dream by the 28th week. What do they dream about? No one knows for certain but the brain is active this week as well. The characteristic grooves on the brain’s surface to start to appear and more brain tissue develops.

Chalk up any rhythmic movement you may be feeling to a case of the hiccups, which are common this week and throughout the pregnancy. Your baby has them but is breathing in amniotic fluid rather than air. A paper bag can’t cure her hiccups, obviously, but an episode usually lasts only momentarily. The sensation for you may be strange but not unpleasant.

Since your uterus is now up near your rib cage, you may now find yourself short of breath if you haven’t already. Starting now and continuing through the last three months of pregnancy, you may be plagued by leg cramps, hemorrhoids, varicose veins and an itchy abdomen. Are pregnancy discomforts getting you down? Try some natural remedies to perk you up.

If you were found to be Rh-negative earlier in pregnancy, you’ll probably be tested for Rh antibodies this week or next and have an anti-D injection to combat the incompatibility. You may be offered a repeat injection at 36 weeks.