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Thursday 18 April 2013

Second Pregnancy: Week 30

30 weeks down, 10 more to go!

I pray The Little Bean will stay for full term and not pop too soon. I say this because my Braxton-Hicks contractions is a regular feature since 20 weeks. Although not painful per se, it can be uncomfortable.

The nightly leg cramps have not eased. In order to counter that, I have increased my daily intake of nano-calcium enriched fruit yoghurt. Combo of milk and banana work too when I am not able reload my supply of yoghurt at the grocer's. I wonder if there are that many pregnant women targeting the very same yoghurt in my area?
 
Light stretches before retiring for the night seems to lighten the frequency of leg cramps too. Hydrotherapy sessions are greatly missed. I wish I could attend more, but not with my current situation of not having anyone watch The Little Girl while I am in the heated pool...so I'd just have to make do.
 
Emotionally, I have been a tad sensitive/fragile lately.
 
Not responding well to nosy comments, unreasonable requests from people around me and harsh tone of voice. Maybe it is my hormones, maybe I am just exploding instead of imploding. So often I will catch myself holding back my tears. Or blame myself so being so fragile and easily bullied.

One recent comment about it being "better for me to breastfeed directly and to pump less" came from a mother of three who was herself "half-assed" about breastfeeding. She had admitted to giving up night feeds to succumb to sleepiness and substituting with formula etc.
 
Instead of letting it pass knowing that I will try my very best to do what I can, the statement provoked me. What made it worse was instead of retorting on the spot, partly due to respect for the elder person, I festered for days.
 
Until I could fester no more.

I then rang up a dear friend to just "explode" with "verbal vomit". Thankfully, I have very understanding punching bag to rely on. You know who you are, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for listening without judgment!
 
Now that the matter has blown over, I guess I made a mountain out of a molehill.
 
There were many other instances when I found myself losing my cool but I try to keep a cool head on my shoulders. You know the usual triggers, people in public lifts who squeeze themselves into an overcrowded lift and bump their bottoms into a pregnant bump? *rolls eyes*

On a positive note: Quite glad to "see" The Little Bean at the monthly check-up today - 18 April 2013. Big nose, cherubic cheeks, both salient features of The Other Half. Photocopy of The Little Girl when she was a newborn.

The Little Girl came along for the appointment and was only too happy to provide running commentary of what she saw on the screen. The Little Bean must have realised that The Little Girl was around as there were a lot of face shots compared to before.

Heartbeat was 143 counts per minute. All the other measurements are slightly on the small side, causing me to launch into worry-wart mode, praying incessantly that The Little Bean will be gestating for full term and not be born too small or too early.

Oh my sweet darling, if you only know how much we all love you since finding out that you are growing within me...may Allah protect and nourish you always.

Measurements taken by Dr. Seri Suniza Sufian on 18.04.2013:

BPD: 7.72 cm (was 6.54 cm)

Head circumference: 27.63 cm (was 24.01 cm)

Abdominal circumference: 25.07 cm (was 21.55 cm)

Femur length: 5.49 cm (was 4.89 cm)

Estimated fetal weight: 1.385 kg (was 906 g)
Monday 15 April 2013

Light Urinary Leakage

I did not have LUL/bladder control problems during my first pregnancy. After the birth of The Little Girl, I had a slight reduction of control but that quickly resolved itself with Kegel.

Not all women have weak pelvic muscles. Bless those who don't. And please do not jeer at those who do. Everyone is built differently.

Luckily for me, my current ob-gyn is a specialist in this area as well. Dr. Seri Suniza Sufian referred me to a physiotherapist by the name of Neng at PCMC. Hydrotherapy was prescribed alongside the correct method for Kegel. Thanks to a quick troubleshoot and treatment with continued exercise at home, I have regained control over my bladders. Bye bye LUL for now.
 
Golden question: How to you manage pregnancy related LUL or incontinence?
 
From my personal experience:
 
1. A normal panty liner may be sufficient for the super light leaks. Hint: Poise.
 
2. A maxi pad may be called for if the volume of accidental leaks increase with the added pressure towards the second and third trimester. However, urine and menstrual discharge are not the same and as such, require different products. Hint: Poise.
 
3. An adult diaper may see you through a long sit down conference or seminar without any embarrassment, especially if you are also suffering from fits of coughs in your third trimester.
 
Which would you choose?
 
Do share.
Sunday 14 April 2013

Second Pregnancy: Week 26

I have been so sluggish with this update *blushing in shame* unlike during my first pregnancy when I was so free and diligent to update on a weekly basis.
 
Our last check up was on 21 March 2013.
 
Ooh, that is a long time ago and now my updates are not up to date *double blush in shame*...
 
Anyways, the Little Bean was quite quiet during the scan and evidently sucking on right arm when the scan was taken. Pretty much like how The Little Girl was as a newborn, peacefully sucking on a thumb or arm or fist to self soothe. Eventually after birth, the paediatrician is sure to recommend moving the thumb/arm/fist away to prevent sucking on germs and bacteria, sigh. We do not give pacifiers too for the same hygiene reasons which leave me as the human pacifier. Tsk tsk tsk!
 
Wishful thinking: If only there is magically no germs and bacteria on baby's thumb/arm/fist and The Little Bean can continue to self-soothe that way.
 
Estimated weight: 1 kg. Mummy's weight: 58.4 kg. Other measurements all look normal and at par for gestation age. That put me at ease somewhat knowing that The Little Bean has gained some weight and is growing well despite Mummy being down with bronchitis, alhamdulillah!
 
The flutters that progressed into kicks and punches have slowly changed into Mexican waves and softer but bigger movements, signifying a slightly bigger size of baby within me.
 
On a more interesting note, we went to one session of physiotherapy, and one session of hydrotherapy. The hydrotherapy session was really relaxing and I had Braxton-Hicks twice. Definitely will return once the dust settles at home (literally too!). Being in a heated pool calms and relaxes all my muscles. Next project involves shopping for a much more accommodating baby doll with shorts type of swimwear (and larger maternity wear), to accommodate my bigger build.
 
The leg cramps and pelvic cramps have all set in, with the occasional baby head down position resulting in added pressure on bladder/nerves. Every time I consume calcium with vitamin D tablets, I throw up. I have given up and just resort to consuming more nano-calcium laden yoghurt, milk, bananas and ultimately, some light stretching before sleeping.
 
My nipples cracked too, from all that rapid expansion but luckily, Lansinoh works well for me. The skin is so dry and thirsty it soaks up every drop of almond oil that I rub on in an instant. My pedicurist is pampering me with slightly more scrubs and heel balm too, bless her!
 
The fatigue? Let's just say I am so glad that most of the shopping for The Little Bean is complete. How else would I find enough time and energy to scout around for the right price and good deals? I took my own good advice/experience from first pregnancy, hah!
 
Perhaps I should pack my hospital bag, just so that I can tick it off my checklist of things to do.
 
Until the next check up in mid April, stay happy!

Measurements taken by Dr. Seri Suniza Sufian on 21.03.2013:

BPD: 6.54 cm (was 5.53 cm)

Head circumference: 24.01 cm (was 20 cm)

Abdominal circumference: 21.55 cm (was 16.94 cm)

Femur length: 4.89 cm (was 3.54 cm)

Estimated fetal weight: 906 g (was 444 g)
 

Busy Bee

Please pardon the long silence and lack of updates. We have all been terribly busy since the last entry!

Let's see...

1. The laptop battery died on us. It had to be sent to Sony for assessment/diagnosis (took them a week!) then a placement for new battery (we have yet to receive what we have ordered and are still waiting - deposit has been paid too). Seriously thinking of getting a MacBook!

2. My MIL successfully underwent a surgery to correct a prolapse and is recovering. She is not allowed to carry any weight more than 3kg for the next 6 months. As such, she has stopped looking after The Little Girl until further notice.

3. The Little Girl is on school break for 3 weeks, and without The Grandparents around, she is 100% around me and The Other Half. Needless to say, her energy level is so high there is no way we both can match hers. Results: Exhausted parents. Super exhausted parents.

4. Paint chips on door frames. Never underestimate fine dust emitted as ours proved to be an annoying allergen (an expensive affair to treat our chocked lungs). After thousands of good ringgit being spent at the respiratory specialists' clinic for all of us, my doctor finally narrowed the allergen down to fine dust (he asked if I live next to a construction site after going through a long check list for his assessment and diagnosis questions). I then had a light blub moment. The paint of on our door frames at home have serious chips/flaking. Luxury condominium my bottom! Poor workmanship/cold contraction/heat expansion does not discriminate. So we got ours fixed. Independent contractors came in, sanded all the old paint off, put in tropical sealant, painted the frames back to its former glory, so we pray.

5. Work from home husband. Did I tell you how much I love The Other Half? Seeing all the above has been stressing me out/ causing much exhaustion-aches-pains-Braxton Hicks, he had resigned from his full time employment as an IT Engineer. He is now a stay and work from home father (yes, quite rare and luxurious unusual in Malaysia despite being in Gen Y era, quit a professional position to work with the family business from home), while I have been and will continue to be a stay and work from home mother (clap hands, please!). Hopefully we will cope better as a team.

6. Annual continued professional education. I was away for 4 days to update my skills, refresh my knowledge and network with my peers. This is something I have to do as part of my post professional education qualification, which results in me being able to continue to work from home. One word for company secretarial work going online: BRAVO!

7. Car trade-in. The Other Half has had his Honda City for 6 years now and whilst it served us all very well (oh, those romantic dating days), we also need a bigger family utility vehicle. So we have traded in the sedan for a SUV. Waiting with bated breath for new SUV to arrive!

8. Back to the dust issue: We bought ourselves a Rainbow cleaning system. It is impressive. Never in my life have I seen so much dust, dead skin, dust mite, dust mite eggs what-nots being collected from my mattresses, carpets, floors, air, soft toys, wall papers etc. Money well spent. We can finally sleep without coughing our lungs out. Couldn't help but recommend it to close friends! Read about one of them here.

9. Personal income tax. Needs no explanation, this one.

10. Finally planning a staycation. We could not plan for a vacation earlier as we were waiting for the Parliament dissolution and Polling Date to be announced. Now that we know, a staycation is in order!

That's how busy we have been.

Do share, how busy have you been? *smile*