37weeks 3 days

The persistent menstrual cramps since last friday sent me to my gynae today. I thought there were actually timing in between each cramp episode. I was strapped on CTG.. but only had one true contractions. -_- Baby heartbeat went up real high when i feel my cramps. But my gynae didn't said anything abt it. Was pretty disappointed when she say cervix still not dilated.

She said wun be delivering in these few days. Luckily, my cervix is soft liao.. Anyway, i put on 800g over 2 weeks and 400g went to my son. Apparently, his head grew another cm today thus she suggested that i induced next monday. He's weighing 3.4kg today and he's still engaged and low.

Started my ML today since all e aches n pains really put me off to go work. Anyway, work has been sucky too. Might as well!

Seven days to seeing Ryker!

Discomforts

When you have a woody hubby, you feel like doing this:

What happened yesterday surprised me even though i didnt feel very well the whole day. I was literally plagued with aches and pain. The pelvic pain was so intense till i couldn't get up without help. The woody hub i have usually would sit down there and watch me struggle my way up, but yesterday, he came to help. He carried me under my armpit to support my weight so that i could stand up. He did this many times yday. At certain attempts when the pain almost activated my tear gland, he would hug me and tell me things like ' Thanks for giving me a son' or ' If pregnancy is so tough, let's just settle with one kid.' Although at that moment, i find it really funny to hear such things from him but it did crave a certain impression in me. I finally felt that i was given special attention. =) With the aches i'm having, he also volunteered to massage. Even though his ethusiasm was short term, it still better than nothing.

I ended my day by sleeping at 9 plus, hoping to sleep the pain and aches away. Who knows i woke up in the middle of the night like this:

I had such kind of headache last night. It woke me up right from my sleep. The pain extended down my neck and even cause aching on my right shoulder. I woke up and told hubs about my agony. He woke up and watched tears rolling down my cheeks, me holding tight to my head. He was helpless. The pain was worse than the cramps i had. I seriously dunno what's going on but tried my best not to take medication. He managed to make me relax and pat me to sleep. It took me really a long time to learn to let loose and embraced sleep. It was really an awful night but i know without Mr Woody around it will be much worse than what i had experience.

@36weeks

At 36 weeks, my size of bump looked like this:

At 36 weeks, my son looked like this:

At 36weeks, the way of my son saying 'I love you' is:

Tsk tsk! Today I realised that I have misunderstood my gynae for the C sec thingy. She said she never wanted me to go straight to that. The most is induce me earlier if Ryker gets too big and comfy in me. The best news today was he is engaged. Not the really low kind of engagement but enough to assure me that he can pass through my pelvic in the natural way. Dr Wong asked me to walk more, have intercourse more so that labour can proceed naturally. She even taught me how to do squats! I've been doing the hip rotation that i've learnt from the antenatal classes. Some readup on website also said that doing such exercises will help engaging your baby in the correct occiput anterior position at birth. No harm trying. I'm trying to do it everytime i go visit the toilet bowl. Hope to find him even lower at the next visit.

Oh, we finally done with the procedure to donate Ryker's cord blood to help others.

This is a small little gift from SCBB for Baby Ryker to measure his length as he grows up. Really hope that his cord blood is bankable =)

Last move!

We finally decided to clear our cupboard for Baby Ryker's clothes. People tell me that's nesting instinct meaning i will pop soon. I really hope i will pop soon BUT if given a choice i rather nua my Sunday away!

As usual, my MuFFin would be loitering around looking for things she could find and run away with it! So we actually teased her by putting her into the cupboard. Tsk tsk.. yea evil me! The packing took 2 hrs plus. After which, the damn menstrual cramp like feeling came and i lie on the bed till it went away.

Once i'm free of the uncomfort, we proceeded on to my auntie's house to get freebies! Haha! The cot, playpen and car seat! Thanks to my auntie and uncle, we saved big time!

The pros of having a Honda FiT! Easily converted into a mini van. The cot was all the way below the stuffs. The blue thingy in the middle is the folded playpen... can you see the rocker frame? Oh, the car seat was wrapped in plastic at the extreme left. There is a foldable stool in the middle beside the white cushion. We bought it so that i could pump my bm in office's bathroom with comfort. Haha!

Oh, we even had the Snugli Evenflo baby carrier, Avent bottle warmer too! Phew phew! After collecting the hand-me-downs, we went back to my mum's place and continued packing the room to accomodate the playpen. My mum had some crappy excuse on not letting us set up the pen... say later affect my pregnancy... -_- I did so many things liao lo! My guess is she didn't want the pen to obstruct her cleaning weekly routine. If hubs never agree with her, i will still insist on setting it up! Sigh.. then again, we will set up latest after 19 Oct appt.

On contradiction, the cot was set up fully while i'm in the room! Mil did make some noise.. but i ignore haha! Fil and hubs completed the fixing. It took quite awhile to figure out though. Fil do have a talent in fixing up such stuff though!

In order to place the cot in the room, i have to move my dogter's crate to a place which i dun really like. It's really near the plugs. I really hate it.. but no choice.. it's really sad when you dun have a house of yr own. The only solution is to switch off the plugs while we sleep so that my poor dogter wun be at risk! In order to let my dogter get used to the cot, i played 'Find it' with her around the cot. To let her get used to the new crate position, i hid many treats in it for her to find. Things were going well! I still find her sniffing for possible treats around the cot. Hee!

Caught her sniffing the cot! Really glad that she didn't have adverse fear towards the cot =) She is a scaredy cat you know?

35weeks

Yesterday night i had the usual menstrual cramp again. On top of that, i also felt the pain that deemed to be like gastric but i'm really not sure if it was the top of uterus or gastric. It was pretty painful till i can't move in bed. The next thing i knew was i felt like vomiting but nothing came out. The call for LS was immediate and i ended up sitting on the toilet bowl for 20mins, literally urinating through my anus. I'm not sure if it's labour coz i managed to sleep through. Right now, i still have slight menstrual like cramp at my bottom of uterus. What should i do sia?

I don't want to go to my clinic and waste time....
I don't want to go there and be paranoid....

So i read books and websites. It said i could be in early labour which could last one to two weeks before the real thing. Hope he can wait till 36 weeks. I know my son wana be to give birth naturally to him and the only way he could do is to come early so that he's smaller.

34weeks

I had been feeling this weird menstrual cramp at my lower uterus once everyday last week. The cramp got more intense after each day. Today, the cramp lasted the longest. I wouldn't say it was painful but it was just not a normal thingy. I called up the clinic and asked again. The assistant asked me to go down and have a check. I thought i would be strapped on CTG but non was given. During the wait, i could feel some intense cramp that comes and goes at my lower uterus. It was also accompanied by the 'sng sng' feeling that one would usually feel during pms. I waited for almost an hour to see the doctor. Was pretty surprised when i was called into the consultation room instead of the 'strapping' room.

Dr Wong said if i was in labour, i wun be talking to her so easily. Shrugs.. she asked me to describe the cramps but i was really clueless to put them in words. 'Sng' and menstrual cramp like were all i can used. She even asked if there is a pattern. But no, it didn't have... once the menstrual cramp like feeling comes...it comes in a stretch last for a while and then go away. The consultation was then proceeded with the ultrascan. First thing was to check if his head was engaged. No, he didn't. Then go on with weight and height. She could see that i wasn't quite interested with the scan today. Asked me why i looked so miserable. Haha.. was indeed not feeling very comfortable. My uterus happened to contract during the scan for her to show me what's Braxton hicks. As usual, my baby is 2.6kg with 32.9cm as head circumference. Think i need to prepare for C section already. =( She also did the Strept B swap plus VE to ensure that there's no dilation. The VE check wasn't pain like what most ppl on forum described. Heng!! Think Dr Wong was really gentle.

Anyway, she concluded that i could be having muscle cramp/ache. l also put on 2kg in a week's time. Amazing! I think i should just drink water for every meal. I used to eat much more than what i eat before pregnant! =( Very depressing. Oh, my pelvic pain not getting any better. I couldn't sleep well last night coz i was awaken at every turn i made. My hands were numbed very frequently and obviously water was the culprit. On top of that, i dreamt that my hubby was being unfaithful to me! So imagine how groggy i looked in the clinic. She suggested me to go on maternity leave earlier. Nope, i dun wan..

I really don't wan to have an incision of 10cm long. I wanna to experience the real true way of labour. She suggested that i can try natural if cannot then C section. It's a risk. Coz you either get pain at one side or both side. =( Oh, Dr Wong was very nice to include this unscheduled visit in the package. It's like moving my next sat appt forward. So we only need to pay for the Strept B test and the extra charges on sat. Was really glad!!

Aiya... very depressing Saturday la... next visit will be two weeks later. I'm so not looking forward to it. Coz i will find myself putting on weight incessantly, my baby's head circumference getting bigger every visit.. telling me he wana come out from another artificial hole...and him getting heavier.

32w5d

Once again, i put on 2kg over 2 weeks. I wondered why. Flu bug had caught me for the past week and i haven't been eating much. All i had was porridge plus soupy stuffs. I seriously felt innocent as well as indignant for that blardy 2 kg. It was so unfair. There were people who looked really ballooned and always claimed that she never put on weight.. or rather the weight she put on all went to her baby. The kind of food she ate dun really justify! Sigh...

Anyway, Baby Ryker was in the range of 2.2kg to 2.3 kg, once again the weight of a 34w6d fetus. Dr Wong predicted a 3.7kg to 3.8kg at birth. Yea, big baby. You can't expect a small one when both parent were big.... haha.. The concern is still with the head circumference. Dr Wong said if his head circumference goes beyond 36cm, she would suggest a C- section. Right now, he's at 31.6cm... hmm hmm... There's nothing much we could do.. coz nothing can be done to control his head size. =x I just know that if i have a daughter next time, i would ask her to choose a husband with smaller head haha!

The only consoling thing yday was his head is down liao. Can aim for natural birth......... but but... head circumference is another factor...

My pelvic pain is known as Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction or maybe just Symphysis Pubis. The fact that i still can walk eliminate the word dysfunction.

What is SPD?
The symphysis pubis is a fibrocartilaginous (a mixture
of fibrous tissue and cartilaginous tissues) joint
that connects the two halves of the pelvis together and
keeps them steady during activity. During pregnancy,
the symphysis pubis widens an average of 2-3 mm
from the usual 4-5mm gap. The average gap is about
7.7mm. It is this widening of the pelvic ring that helps
facilitate the delivery of baby.
Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction (SPD) is when the joint
becomes overly relaxed, allowing the pelvic girdle to
become unstable. This instability leads to pain and
inflammation. In severe cases, the symphysis pubis
partially or fully ruptures, increasing the gap to more
than 10mm. This is known as the diastasis of the symphysis
pubis.

Why does it happen?
SPD is a result of a combination of factors; an altered
pelvic load, hormonal and biochemical alterations
causing ligament laxity and a weakening of pelvic and
core musculature during pregnancy, leading to instability.

Symptoms
You may have SPD if you have one or more of the following:

• Pain localised to your symphysis pubis, including shooting, stabbing and burning pains, grinding and audible clicking sensations and/or persistent discomfort. ( I have this but it felt more like blue black to me!)
  
• Pain radiating to lower abdomen, groin, perineum, thigh, leg and back (heng.. dun have)
• Difficulty in walking, climbing up or down stairs, rising up from a chair, impaired weight bearing activities, e.g. standing on one leg or lifting/parting the legs, turning in bed. (I have all of this point!)

The sad truth about this pelvic pain is that it will get worse when the head gets even lower. Am i unlucky or wat? Hmm...

Sick

I'm officially sick. This is the first major one during my pregnancy. I was down with sore throat first then flu. That saturday night was horrendous. I felt both hot and cold that night. The sneezing part was very very bad. Everytime i sneezed, i could feel the pressure in my womb. The sneezing was so frequent that i found blood all over my palms in the middle of the night. Terrible! I nosebleed all the way that night, frowning till dawn with my throat in pain. I refused to see doctor as i wun eat the medicine. Took coconut juice and alot of honey to help with my throat. It worked but my flu persisted. Already breathless, the stucked nose didn't make it better. My sleep was perpetually disturbed. Every turn i made with effort, every turn gave me pain in the pelvic, every turn gave a strain to my womb. Every turn reminded me that my husband is sleeping soundly!!

Getting off bed and standing up from bed would give a boost in the pain in my pelvic. I think i have started waddling like a penguin. Dunno why, i feel nausea again with this stupid episode of flu attack. I suddenly felt that i needed a lot of rest. But each time i rest, i will auto wake up after 2, 3 hrs even at night. Sigh...

My throat is getting better but coughing seem imminent. Now, i have tissue paper stuffed up my left nostril while typing this entry. Geez! I'm wondering if i shld take mc till wed since i had appt that day. Would really really really want to know what cause that pelvic pain!

Leakage

Before i bath, i always check. To my surprise, some fluid leaked out from one side. That's colostrum i guessed.

Massive spending

Massive spending on our expensive entertainment. That is, to check out how our Ryker looked like. First attempt wasn't successful. He was head down, facing inwards. Sonographer shook him over a long time but it didn't help..... he went all defensive, using his hand to grab his leg and remain defiant!

I can't figure this out too. But it's his feet all over! Guess he may have talent for gymnastic. Haha!

I was asked to lie on my right or left just to get his feet away but in vain.

See? I wonder how he could do it! Maybe he heard too much of HS's speciality stunt, the leg hooked over neck!

Finally, sonographer gave up. Asked me to go walk around and eat something sweet. I chatted with my cousin who we met on the way to buy soya milk. Guess our gigglings did make him change position. I could feel the squirming! After acquiring our snacks, we headed back to L4 to try again. We were at TMC since 2pm and it was already 4pm for the second try. Hub and I were totally exhausted from the wait. =(

On the second try, it was better in the sense that he had only a feet covering his head. So after much vibration, he gave up to show us his face!

A grumpy face of coz! Who likes to be disturb? Haha Hub was there accusing me of being grumpy most of the time to have a grumpy baby. Hmmpf!! Where got? You tried being shook for 10 mins and see whether you will be smiling or not!

He finally gave a handsome face for the sonographer to snap snap!

And even a side profile. I guessed my mum would love this pic coz she is always obsessed with nose bridge....-_-

Just before we ended, he gave us his fist probably wanna show his middle finger haha!

He really got disturbed BIG time haha! The scan was accompanied by growth measurement too! Thank god, he fall into the 'medium' range today. Weighing at 1.652g as on 30w4d. His head circumference remained slightly above average of 296mm, Everything on the wellbeing scan is good. =) My gynae was happy with my weight gain over the past 2 weeks. I think it was a mere 400g! WOOHOO! I didn't really control my diet leh... ok maybe i did, i took more fruits nowadays and limit one serving of ice-cream per week. And i resumed walking MuFFin for more than half an hour. Didn't know it helped so much!! Phew! Oh, after 7th month, i would get to swim with her too! Yeah!! But the OGTT test showed that clear the test at borderline so must remained watchful over the sweet tooth i have. Guessed i do follow my mum in this way.

I'm really happy that i get to see my son every 2 weeks from now. =) Am counting down already. This friday would be 9 weeks till EDD. Time flies!

A priceless capture on his frustration! I tot that creased up face looked like hubs when he is totally pissed!!

@28w5d

Erm, i'm pretty shocked by the stats given by my gynae. Not my weight gain, i was only 3kg since last appointment. I did eliminate most of my snackings through the day, so i'm quite satisfied with the figure on the scale. Nevertheless, i have gained 15kg and more to come.......

I was also quite nervous about my urine dip stick as my mum had gestational diabetes for both pregnancy. It turned out negative, phew.

Waited for 1.5hr for my turn! Luckily i spent half of the waiting time shopping around TMC.. haha! Anyway, gynae said got 'improvement' in my weight gain and now we have to take a look at baby's size. At 28w5d, baby should be around 1.3kg. I proceeded to the ultrasound scan area and waited for Ryker to appear. Dr Wong gave me an overview of the position. Two legs stretched straight to the right side of my womb, while his head and body were right under my left breast. And i found the reason why i kept having a sudden urge to pee when he made certain sudden movement. His bum was sitting right ON my bladder!! He must have found himself a nice cushion! ARgh! Oh, i realised he has become more meaty now!

Next, Dr Wong proceed to measure his tummy. First measurement showed 1.57++ kg, then she took a second one to make sure... it was still 1.56++kg. Couldn't believe our eyes, she took the last one which was the worst biggest measurement at 1.61++kg! My tummy don't look that big for such a big baby! Anyway, those figures belonged to a 30w5d old fetus. My dear son was 2 weeks in advance than what he is supposed to be. =S

His head circumference was also monitored at every scan since the fetal assessment. And today, he also had the size of a 30w5d old fetus! Really great news for my hub! He super happy! -_-" Both measurements were at 90th percentile of a 28w old baby. =x.... I panicked of course... coz he's going to come out from me not him! Sigh... Dr Wong consoled me...she told me that my frame can hold up to a 4kg baby by natural birth. Ermm.. i dun wan such a big baby leh...

Anyway, i started to ask if i had gestational diabetes since my baby so big. She decided to put me on OGTT test even though dip stick say negative. It will be done on this saturday. Sigh....

We've booked a single room with TMC and i'm asked to control my diet even stricter. BOOHOO! Only one ice cream per week! Oh, now i'm encouraged to walk more again! Diao!

Proof of my boy gaining fats.... Can u see the growing chubby cheeks? The extreme right picture was taken today.

Weekend buys

We finally went out to shop for mattress for Ryker's cot and playpen. First we went to kidzloft in vain. Things there were overpriced and the mattress dun looked good enough for the price. We headed out to kiddy palace at TPY on Sunday to search again. The price was reasonable and one stop for our needs.

The smaller one on top is for the playpen while the bigger one is for the cot. The cot would be placed in hub's house while the playpen would be in my mum's place. The smaller one only cost us $33 but the Lucky Baby one cost us $90! Hmm, they are still cheaper than my 3D scan leh!

After we bought the mattresses, we headed right to my auntie's place to make sure they were the absolute right size for both cot and pen. My auntie took out all the hand-me-downs from my cousin and there were four huge bags! They all looked cute and new to us! Thank god for her, we saved quite a bit. Our carseat would be my cousin's too.

These were only part of it when i sorted them out according to age.

The many mittens and socks.

Oh, we also bought Baby Bottom balm which took us so long to find it!

There, @$18.50!

Oh, Baby Ryker received his second gift from Auntie Ju even before he is born!!

See the very nice bean sprout pillow? Thoughtful Ju actually bought an extra casing for him! =)

This picture showed the other side of each casing. We really loved it alot! (I dunno why the orientation didn't come out right on blogger)

Having a baby is not cheap at all! Definitely not worth to jus have one. hah!

Last but not least,

Tummy @ 28 Weeks!

The cons of pregnancy

Today marks my entry into third and last trimester of carrying baby Ryker. I had already felt all the fatigue, thigh achings and difficulty to sleep. Every night i lie on the bed and sigh... coz no position would be comfy enough for me. Actually, i really prefer sleeping on my back. Sigh sigh...

In a few weeks time, i think i cannot walk as much already. Sigh sigh sigh.... 84 days more to go!

Things to prepare for the BIG day

For Mom

• 2-3 pairs of warm socks (to wear in the delivery room)
• 1 extra pack of pads (most hospital provide only one pack and will charge you if you get more. It is not necessary to get maternity pads; just get pads used for heavy flow. If you want to get maternity pads, buy them from the Hospital pharmacy, Cold storage or the bigger NTUC FairPrice outlets might have them but quite hard to find. The Hospital Pharmacy is your best place to look for these items.
• Disposable underwear. (4-5 sets)
• Discman with your favorite CD (of course music that will help you relax)
• One presentable robe (For you to look presentable to your visitors or when checking on your baby in the nursery)
• Massage oil (recommended in most childbirth classes)
• Two sets of nightgown (one that opens in the front if you are planning on breastfeeding and preferable thick enough because you are not likely to be wearing bras. Have seen some nice ones at Robinsons (Karmy brand) and Metro. If you don’t mind spending, more, Victoria’s Secret has nice nightwear too)
• One set of clothing for happy trip home (clothing with plenty of room will be the most comfortable, breastfeeding dresses will be good for moms who have gone through natural or caesarian birth)
• Cosmetics
• Toothbrush, toothpaste, floss
• No Deodorant. Preferably not, as you will musk your natural scent from your baby. Studies have shown that traces of deodorants can be found in the breast tissues.
• Slippers
• Handphone and charger
• Breastfeeding pillow to assist you during breastfeeding, but I find it rather unnecessary as newborn are pretty light.
• Breast pump to help stimulate milk production ASAP as babies tend to be sleepy during the first few days after birth.
• Inflatable ring or Boppy pillow to ease episiotomy wound.
• Nursing pillow to make positioning of babies easier especially if you have a c-section.

For Dad

• Snacks or sandwich (keep food on hand so the "labor coach" won't have to leave your bedside.)
• Vending machine money. Coins. $1, 50 cents, 20 cents.
• Books or CD's to help Mom relax.
• Camera and extra film. Or with digital, plenty of megabyte space. Make sure your camera is fully charged.
• Camcorder and batteries
• Phone list to call to announce the birth of baby to one and all.
• Baby car seat for trip home. (compulsory in Singapore)
• Original Marriage certificate to register name of baby. You can either register your baby’s name at the hospital or at Immgration and Custom Authority(ICA). Birth should be registered within 14 days from the date of birth, including Sundays and public holidays. If registration is done after 42 days, a letter of explanation stating the reason for late registration must be submitted for the Registrar/Registrar General's approval. After approval has been given, the birth will be registered and the birth certificate will be issued. Such cases can only be registered at ICA.Visit the ICA's website for more information on how to register your baby.
• Admission form (good to bring this form everywhere you go after 36 weeks gestation as you might deliver anytime).
• In the meantime, think of a good name.

For Baby

• Newborn clothing (1 set for going home as hospitals will provide clothing only during the stay, see shopping list for baby)
• One Receiving blanket (for going home. Metro Orchard have a good selection of affordable and nice receiving blankets)
• Extra diapers (hospitals will provide one pack of diaper, so you can bring yours if you want)
• One set of anti scratch mittens (for going home as they will be tightly swaddled during the hospital)
• Cans or bottles of infant formula if you intend to bottle-feed so your baby can start with the brand you prefer as soon as possible.

Pretty informative, from Baybsupplies. Right now, i have to be an auntie to find the cheapest available deals!

At around 25 weeks

BOOHOO! I had a major weight gain of 4.7kg over a month which made a total of 12kg weight increase!!!!! Where did the weight go to? My boy boy is only 820g today at almost 25 weeks with a head circumference of a 26 week. My BP was flashing at 130/82, i wondered if what happened yesterday affect it. Dr Wong wasn't worried about my BP at all. She mentioned probably after some rest it will drop. Because i was the first patient of the day, i actually had a 30 mins consultation. Questions from walks to epidural to weight gain. Dr Wong couldn't explain the weight gain though she mentioned i looked 'riched' (think she meant enriched) when i asked if i looked fat. She asked about my snacking which i usually have at 10 to 11am and 3 to 4pm. I don't even take supper after dinner lo. Anyway, she suggested that i buy more fruits and cornflakes to put in office to prevent myself on snacking on chocolate filled/marie biscuits. =x Because boy boy is not fat, she cannot control my diet yet. She even suggested that i stopped my powdered milk but start on HL milk just in case the former is too rich. Oh well, i don't know how many tablespoon of milo my hubs mix with my powdered milk though. Haha.

The anxiety to see baby on Ultrasound decreased tremendously when you could monitor and watch the movements under your skin. I would say nothing much to be seen on the photos printed out. They were just the face and legs of the little one. From the ultrasound, i realised that he really love to cover his face with his forearm across. Oh, and i'm right about his biased side of my womb. He loved that right side which explained the pain in my right butt! Today he was head down with his leg fully stretched.

Dr Wong affirmed that my baby would follow the fate of big baby since both parents are 8lbs plus plus at birth. BooHOo... But she assured me that it could be done through normal delivery coz with her petite frame she could push out a 3.6kg baby, so can i. Haha

I will put in some pictures at the end of the day.

Move it!

While I was lying down on the bed with a pillow underneath my right butt (due to the constant pain),the skin underneath my sleep shirt jolted up and down, asking for attention. I beckoned Daddy to watch it and waves like movements were seen. It was indeed very interesting. We turned on the Baby Classical and continued observing my tummy. I could watch it all day long seriously. It just brought me lotsa laughter at how the movements were going. It could twitch like some disco beats or move graciously across a short distance. Totally amazing!