Long long hiatus

I get too lazy to blog now.

Every day pass by either with me taobaoing or online shopping at every chance I can if I don't have to take care of the little Princess.

Last month has been weird, we were in Hong Kong for CNY and happened to be my O period. I came back feeling nausea the week before my period was due to arrive. All kinds of pregnancy thoughts came to me, but yet, my dear friend came to visit 1 day. :p
So yup, we are trying again this month.

And I'm having nausea again. It's 11dpo today, HPT is still -ve. Praying for good news as my uterus feels really heavy!

Milestones

I'm putting together her milestones!

14 Jan 2013 - Day 111 - Did her 1st flip
15 Feb 2013 - Day 143 - Flew on the plane to Perth for the 1st time. Spent 5 wonderful days in Perth.
16 Feb 2013 - Day 144 - Went to the Perth Zoo and saw Koalas, Kangaroos and Wallabies for the 1st time.
20 Feb 2013 - Day 148 - Fell from changing bed! :'( PD says she got away with it, cos there were no bruises. Probably slide down or fell on butt.
21 Feb 2013 - Day 149 - Started to crawl backwards
22 Feb 2013 - Day 150 - Held her own bottle and wants to drink on her own thereafter!
25 Feb 2013 - Day 153 - 1st day in Infant Care. Mummy cried buckets!
2 Mar 2013 - Day 158 - 1st High Fever - 39.3 degrees!

5 Months and a bit

So it's been a while since I had the time and energy to update.
The little one is doing so well now that she's a little bit past 5 months.

Before heading to IFC, she had chosed 2 days to show me her milestones. Talk about a load of surprises, she flipped from tummy to back (finally after a month!), she crawled backwards(which also made her fell)!, she started sucking her toes (and no, I'm not pregnant again), sat up supporting with her hand.

She also had her 1st ever high fever after 1 week in IFC and on the 1st day of me returning to work. End up I only worked for 1 day in office, and is still working from home now cos I came down with fever after that. We headed to KK twice because of the fever and finally found out that she had ulcers in her throat! It's a viral infection, same family as HFMD but luckily not HFMD.

She's recovering well now. Screaming her buaysongness all the time. I wonder what happened, she didn't use to be so feisty.

All's well now, I reckon I should be heading back to work again tomorrow, hopefully. Will really miss my little girl and hope she's doing well in IFC.

Weight at 5 months: 7.4kg

6 weeks

Dear Sweetheart,


Week 5
Weight: 4.75kg
Height: 53.5cm


It has been 6 weeks since you joined us in this wonderful world. A 2kg weight gain in 5 weeks and somehow your height has shrunk!
Anyway, time flew so fast and Mummy is actually amazed that I managed to overcome this steep learning curve, with more to come, I'm sure.

From the beginning, having another person in my home irritates the hell out of me, even though it was my own mum, I was really glad that I made the decision to let her go off and go through the rest of the confinement on my own. It proves to be right, I'm happy, she's happy, and we are all happy.

During the 1st 2 week, your life was about sleeping and latching and shitting.
I'm so glad I pulled through total breastfeeding which helped to clear your jaundice (kudos to the 2 milk friends mummy has been bestowed!)
Thereafter, you started having bouts of painful gas, screaming fits and what not. Everyday, we find ways and means to help you with the gas, keeping you upright, ruyi oil, cycling legs, baby massage. I'm so glad that your gastro has probably grown bigger and is managing the gas better. You are still dealing with reflux, but I suppose we will go through that once you learn how to control the overactive letdown.

Growth spurt days were scary, you basically nurse almost every hour on both breasts when your usual is 10 to 15 mins on 1 breast. I was basically handicapped on the sofa. And to add it on, my nipples still feel bruised even when your latch is ok. *Grits teeth and goes through it*

From the 3rd week onwards, you started to recognise mummy's voice, scent and hold. No amount of Daddy can soothe you from your crying fits. Which is really hard on me, cos I can't rest and I'm really tired. So sometimes, Daddy just have to carry you and let you cry on for a while.

Till now, you develop this bad habit of needing to be cradled to sleep, and crying when we put you down. I'm sure it's a phase that you go through, and I will miss it one day when you refuse to let me cradle you anymore.

Motherhood, is an extremely steep learning curve. I always thought the pain ends with delivery, but no, It continues!
1. The pain starts when epidural subsides.
2. Learning how to bathe you, wear your clothes in under 10 secs.
3. Understand your baby language and facial expression. Ooh, how we love you small o mouth when you shit.
4. Learning how to latch is really tiring for me, the pain, the soreness, I thought we were ok by 4 weeks, but why did the soreness come back again? A lot of mummie's friends are latching professionals, they can latch anywhere, anytime, even when walking, I really hope this day will come for me.
5. Learning to sling you! Ok, I'm not sure if you really hate the pupsik pouch, but you have threw up milk on it each time I try to put you in. Yes, all 3 times! And you look really uncomfy in it. Sigh.
6. Waking up in the middle of the night. For someone who is so used to doing things in the morning and never a night owl, this was terrible. I can't stand the crying, I even smack your butt once (sorry my baby). The moment it's 6am, I actually started becoming better. I'm trying to get used to night feeds, am really working really hard!
7. Bringing you out shopping on my own. So far we have done short trips for a couple of times. More to come ok!
8. Looking at your face change everyday and thanking God for this wonderful gift. And when I feel lost and irritated, I will start thinking that as every day goes by, one day, you will leave Mummy and be a Mummy on your own. You will probably no longer love me as much as I have love you now. So treasure what I am experiencing now.


Love you sweetheart!

Happy 2 Weeks Old.

I was right after all. After the last post, I actually went into labour the next day.
Baby Janine arrived safely on 26 Sep 2012, 2231 hours weighing 2.95kg and a whopping length of 54cm. So far, I have not seen any other baby girl with the same length. :p

Birth Story
Found mucus plug at 9am and called clinic who advised me to check in to hospital as I was already 39 weeks 1 day even though my waterbag was intact and I had no contraction. I took my time, asking 

the hubby to take half day. However, clinic called me at 11.30am asking me where I am, apparently my gynae was there waiting for me, ok, I realised later it's because gynae had another mummy at the next door. hah.

Reached hospital around 2.30pm, settled down about 3pm, and nurse started to move my bowel. Got hooked on CTG and was already having regular contractions and 2cm dilated.

Gynae came at 3.45pm, was 3cm dilated. She broke my waterbag and contractions were 3 mins apart. She did say that if my dilation is still slow, they will put me on drip at around 8pm.

Was still managing till 7pm, then hand itchy, went to ask for laughing gas. The laughing gas made my contractions haywired, I lost focus and decided to ask for epidural since I was only 3.5cm dilated then.

After 13 calls, nurse managed to find the 14th anesthetist who reached around 8pm. Apparently, it was really a popular night that day. The drip was administered after the epidural.

Unfortunately for me, I was the minority who shivered from the beginning to the end with Epidural. I shivered with every contractions and actually felt the sensation to push after 30 mins. The nurse did a check again and said I was 4cm dilated and the cervix is very soft, so it should be really fast.

By 915pm to 930pm, the pushing sensation became unbearable, called for another nurse, she said I was already 7cm dilated and should have told them earlier to increase the dosage for epidural. I felt a bit cheated here because, I was told by the anesthetist I shouldn't feel much, and I had the impression that I was on full dosage.

There was a bit of commotion in my room, the nurse started to use the tube to clear my urine, and my gynae walked in around 10pm. Started telling me she didn't expect it to happen so soon.

It then happened really fast as per my hubby and felt like a lifetime for me as I was shivering uncontrollably. She told me I had to start pushing, the nurse told me I shouldn't scream, so everyone were going PUSH and I had to 'gek' my stomach muscles, shiver, and push at the same time.

Lucky for us, after 4 to 5 pushes, Baby Janine arrived looking grey in colour! I continued to shiver for another 30 mins. Didn't know I was not supposed to drink after that, had some milo and threw up.

The next day, Janine turned from grey to blue black. :p I woke up with severe soreness, cramps and felt like I did a lot of situps. It's really an experience for me ever since the delivery. I guess you really have to go through it to understand how it really feels.

We got discharged yesterday and Janine is already crying through the night. We're trying to cope with it although I do feel really helpless sometimes especially when I have issues latching her. I suppose the power of Mummy and Daddy is really strong when it comes to managing the little new monster.

==============================

2 weeks on and we have experience the different temperament of Baby Janine. She can be sweet, coy, demanding, shrieking loud at any time. Well, the happy thing is we engaged a shifu to count her chinese characters and he said that her bazi is really good. Apparently she has chosen to come out on a good date and time naturally while others have to do it via c-sect. :p She will bring luck to daddy and is quite likely to marry someone good. :p

I guess we are happy that her life has been laid out for her, and hope that everything will go on smoothly for her. 

Week 39: Watermelon

Hi My little munchkin,

So this is really the last week and we will be fully baked!
It has been a weird 2 weeks. Week 38's visit at the gynae saw us pondering over your CTG scan. Perhaps it was because you or mummy was too hungry, you slept through half the whole CTG scan showing no activity. Nurse got worried, gynae tried to wake you up to which you finally decided to show us some peaks in the CTG. I think mummy had to lay on the hard bed for a good 45 mins.
Fortunately, you are still faring well. Still around 3kg since the last scan was 4 days ago, you appear to have moved further down the pelvic. We only managed to take a shot of you ear. Yup, Ear. :p

After that, I started feeling butt pain, and couldn't really walk properly for a couple of days. The pain then developed into this achy feel where it felt like you were pushing through. In fact, I was almost thinking you might be out soon.

Thereafter, for the whole week, I had been having cramps. Over the weekend, I was even ready to go shower and get to the hospital as the contractions appear to be coming in on regular waves. After drinking milo made by Daddy, the contractions just stopped. And I'm still here.

I'm so glad that although you are still incubating in the tummy, you have been such a good girl listening to daddy and mummy and waiting for the gynae to be back, (today, btw!). It's another week of countdown, we really hope you arrive in style, exactly on your EDD.

Perhaps, we'll be able to share on our birth story, which Mummy knows will be a smooth one, on our next post!

Love ya sweetheart,
Daddy & Mummy

Week 37: Wintermelon

Hi Darling,

It's been 3 weeks since we last updated and you are week 37 today! The gynae considers you full term today on Sep 11. Weird date. She suggests you can even try to come out on Sep 16, so that all our birthdays will be exactly 1 month away from each other. I'm not so keen, please just come out on your EDD on 2 Oct ok! There's no need to be early or late. :p

It has been an amazing 35 weeks, considering that I wasn't pregnant the 1st 2 weeks. What we have went through, what we are about to go through and what we are looking forward to go through, a lot of stuffs are going through my mind. I go through everyday wonder what you would be like, whether you would be like your dad or me, whether you will know how difficult it was for us to reach this stage, and whether you will learn to appreciate and love us till the very end?

In any case, for the next 20 years at least, I'm sure we will try to learn to love and appreciate each other... :p

Anyway, for our 34 Week Scan, you were weighing at 2.36kg! That's a huge leap again! This week, mummy put on only 400g, so gynae was ok.
For our 36 week scan, you reached 2.8kg and mummy put on like 900g? Haha, somehow the gynae was ok again, so I better cross my fingers that mummy don't put on that much weight this week!

You have been head down for a while, please keep it that way and get engaged when you are comfy ok. Everything looks ok for you, we are now just waiting, in another 3 weeks, our lives will change, and for the better. :p

Ooh, maternity shots are almost ready, aren't you excited to see how you look in the tummy?

Love,
Daddy & Mummy

Week 34: Butternut Squash

Hi Sweetheart,

It has been a sick 2 weeks for mummy. First started with cramps after Mummy spoke to an irritating guy on a Friday evening. Then on Monday, the cramps were bad enough that I had to rest at home and go on bed rest. Thereafter, what started as a dry throat developed into the worst flu ever coupled with cough for the whole week.

Finally, decided to go to the doc for medicine, and met a crazy man who refused to leave the doctor's room as he was refused an MC. Anyway, the medicine did help with the sore throat and flu, fortunately. I thought we could enjoy our long weekend, but who knows!

On Sunday, Mummy started having cramps in the afternoon. It was menses like cramps, but bearable. Since, they were supposed to be normal, and they went away after a while, I didn't think much of it.

I then decided, I should make some fried bee hoon and ended it off with a green coconut since there was still remnants of the virus. Lo and behold, I started having cramps before bedtime. It went off as well, so we dismissed it.

However, I woke up at 3plus in the morning and had the worst cramps ever! I was curling in the bed, it was all over my lower abdominal and back. The frequency of the cramps scared me. It was usually once a week or every couple of days. This was 3 times in 12 hours and you are definitely not ready to be out.

Daddy called the gynae and we were asked to go do a CTG at the hospital. At the point of time, Mummy was really worried, what if you decided to come out? When we reached the hospital, I was being strapped to the machine while the nurse asked why it took me so long to come since the cramps started in the afternoon.

Anyway, we got monitored for 30 mins, you were kicking the CTG belt and I was having mild contractions. It seems to be ok, so gynae says I can go home, moreover, the pain subsided!
By the time we got home, the cramps came back again, it wasn't as bad as the previous time, and it slowly subsided, came back with another time and then it was totally gone.

Mummy was so tired, I practically slept and slept and slept. So it looks like I'm actually ok now! I hope you heard what we said to you and decided that you should incubate till 40 weeks ok!
Much as we love to have you with us, we still need to make sure that you will be a healthy, full term baby.

So sweetheart, remember to be patient, your cot is still not here yet! :p

Love,
Daddy & Mummy

Week 32: Squash

Hi Sweetheart,

We are at Week 32 and less that 2 months to go from now.
During the 32 week scan, you are weighing in at about 1.88kg. Assuming a 200g growth per week, we are estimating you at 3.4kg during full term.
Gynae seems to think that you are marginally heavy, especially with your FAT chubby cheeks. :p
Mummy apparently needs to control what I'm eating as well as the amount of sugar I'm taking in! So far, my net weight gain from pre-pregnancy is 7.9kg, hopefully we can keep it below 10kg for the whole pregnancy! :p

And you, my sweet little pie, still covering your face when we try to take a 3D picture. This time you were better cos you decided to listen to us and sleep, but the hands are still there, unfortunately! You do sleep like daddy!

We are getting nearer and nearer to the finishing line, you are still having fun inside I supposed. My hospital bag's not packed, the cot's not here, but your clothes are ready though. :p

We did discuss about the birth plan with the gynae, hopefully, we can go through a normal natural delivery. Work with me here ok, I know we can do it! Daddy says I need to be in control, hopefully I can la. :p

Keep yourself happy and healthy ok!

Love,
Mummy and Daddy

Week 29: Acorn Squash

Hi Sweetie Darling,

And we are on week 29 with 77 more days to go! That's a little bit more than 2 months.

On our 28 week scan, you were weighing 1.1kg, that's only about 350g increase from 4 weeks ago. Dr Chua says you are on track, but Mummy hopes that you will grow more in the next 4 weeks ok? Mummy managed to keep a 1.5kg weight gain for the past 4 weeks, total weight gain is now at 5.7kg. :p

Please work hard with Mummy to grow more okie darling.

For some reason, I'm feeling really happy this week. We're expecting the delivery of your carseat! We bought them last friday, it's the First Years True Fit Convertible Car Seat which will be your good friend in SKAC for the next 4 years at least!

This Friday, we're going to get your stroller. Hopefully, we have a good deal.

This morning, Daddy came in to the room while Mummy was preparing to go to work. He suddenly showed me this checklist of what to prepare for the arrival of your baby. It makes me really happy, cos I can see that Daddy's really excited about your arrival too.

On sunday, we will be going to the wedding dinner of Daddy's good friend. This will be the first time everyone of them will see Mummy carrying you! Aren't you excited? :p

Keep yourself happy and healthy ok sweetheart!

Love,
Daddy & Mummy.