Sorry for not updating earlier. Things of life got pretty busy since my last post 2 years ago. And plus my laziness, new hobbies, distractions and many other excuses, I couldn't update more frequently. I apologise.
I had a post fully typed up back when I'm 16-17 weeks, on my way to Singapore back in March. But for some reason, it disappeared! And I lost the entry forever. :(
So here I am, introducing my little baby. Lets call him J. He's 26weeks + 1day old at the moment. Kicking and rolling around in my tummy all day.
I know I should have update here more frequently so that I can remember all the milestones and happenings throughtout my pregnancy. BUT, time was quite tight with running of clinic and teaching and Church's activities. And in a blink of an eye, it's more than halfway of my pregnancy!
Let me see if I can recap and update bits and pieces of my first trimester.
Eric and I had been trying for a few months after our last miscarriage in July 2016. It was sad, as we were quite shocked by the loss again after our first in August 2015. Looking back, over worked and being constantly tired, late nights finishing, traveling everywhere for work doing home visits. These would have contributed to the miscarriage. I was back home almost 11pm daily throughout the week, with minimal breaks in between. Thinking back, I think I should have focus more on my own health than the patient's health at that time. Back then, Eric was again quite unsympathetic with my second pregnancy, thinking that working will help distract me from constantly worrying. He also reasoned that many women in a worse off situation than I am, can get through pregnancy just fine. So I just had to suck it up.
We had a sad memorial for our little baby whom we named Shadow, and it sort of helped us regain the trust with each other, and care more about each other. This second miscarriage experience also open our eyes to the lacking of support from our GPs and even the people in the ER at the hospital, and the Nurses who see us through after the miscarriage. I felt that the nurses at the IVF clinic I worked at, are so much more knowledgeable in pregnancy support.
So we started trying again from September, giving my body two month's of rest. Unlike the previous times, I decided to let my own knowledge of using Chinese medicine and acupuncture to help my body recover. Firstly, by regulating my period. It's been in a chaos after my two miscarriages. Periods were painful and not regular. I did temperature charting, observing the mucus discharges, ovulating testing, timing our activities at the right time throughout the month. But month after month, the period just came. And it was really disappointing for me. I felt like giving up and just go down the IVF pathway. BUT of course, Eric don't want to do that. November would be the last month we'd try falling pregnant, before stopping for the summer months, as I do not want to fly to my friend's wedding in March 2017 during the first trimester.
And so we waited... And waited... for my period. And we realised we were pregnant! :D
I know I should have update here more frequently so that I can remember all the milestones and happenings throughtout my pregnancy. BUT, time was quite tight with running of clinic and teaching and Church's activities. And in a blink of an eye, it's more than halfway of my pregnancy!
Let me see if I can recap and update bits and pieces of my first trimester.
Eric and I had been trying for a few months after our last miscarriage in July 2016. It was sad, as we were quite shocked by the loss again after our first in August 2015. Looking back, over worked and being constantly tired, late nights finishing, traveling everywhere for work doing home visits. These would have contributed to the miscarriage. I was back home almost 11pm daily throughout the week, with minimal breaks in between. Thinking back, I think I should have focus more on my own health than the patient's health at that time. Back then, Eric was again quite unsympathetic with my second pregnancy, thinking that working will help distract me from constantly worrying. He also reasoned that many women in a worse off situation than I am, can get through pregnancy just fine. So I just had to suck it up.
We had a sad memorial for our little baby whom we named Shadow, and it sort of helped us regain the trust with each other, and care more about each other. This second miscarriage experience also open our eyes to the lacking of support from our GPs and even the people in the ER at the hospital, and the Nurses who see us through after the miscarriage. I felt that the nurses at the IVF clinic I worked at, are so much more knowledgeable in pregnancy support.
So we started trying again from September, giving my body two month's of rest. Unlike the previous times, I decided to let my own knowledge of using Chinese medicine and acupuncture to help my body recover. Firstly, by regulating my period. It's been in a chaos after my two miscarriages. Periods were painful and not regular. I did temperature charting, observing the mucus discharges, ovulating testing, timing our activities at the right time throughout the month. But month after month, the period just came. And it was really disappointing for me. I felt like giving up and just go down the IVF pathway. BUT of course, Eric don't want to do that. November would be the last month we'd try falling pregnant, before stopping for the summer months, as I do not want to fly to my friend's wedding in March 2017 during the first trimester.
And so we waited... And waited... for my period. And we realised we were pregnant! :D
Praise God!
Unlike the previous two pregnancy, I took daily herbal medicine to strengthen and calms the baby, all the way from my ovulation to 12 weeks of pregnancy. And each week, I insist that Eric gave me weekly to bi-weekly acupuncture. I also monitor my own blood pregnancy and progesterone blood levels, even though my GP don't understand and finds it unnecessary. But that's the standard protocols in IVF clinics. At 8 weeks, we had our first ultrasound and saw a healthy, on time sized baby with a strong beating heart. We named him Lumpy.
My first trimester was thankfully during the December January time, where I had plenty of rest during the Christmas New Year break. The only complaint during my first trimester is tiredness. No nauseous, no vomiting. Just very tired. I'll nap on the reclining chair every afternoon for at least three hours. My preference of food had also change. I prefers salty food, and is put off by smells of western food that is tomato based (pizza, pasta, lasagne), red meats, Northern Chinese food (dumplings, fresh hand pulled noodles). My cravings were Malaysian and Singapore food. I even had to make my own nasi lemak during Christmas time to satisfy my cravings. Other food includes yam cakes and char kuey tiao.
We had another scan at 13 weeks, just to make sure baby is growing well and that I'm safely going into the second trimester. At the 13 weeks scan, we saw the placenta's position, baby was much bigger and brain, stomach, heart, kidneys, bladder, fingers and legs are all well developed. We were very pleased. Another reason we had the scan was so I know that baby is safe to travel overseas with me. Yay! First trimester is over!
My energy got better the week before my flight to Singapore. My flight there was comfy as my dear friend Rong upgraded my flight, so there's extra legs room for me.
I first felt the baby while sleeping in Singapore. It felt like gas movement when I tried lying down to bed. Something I've not felt before.
I ate well in Singapore, satisfying my cravings for locals food that I've missed so much.
The flight coming back was uncomfortable as my body was so swollen from the cabin pressure. My left arm was in constant pain that I had to keep it raised the whole way back. Probably no more flying for me in the rest of the pregnancy.
At 18 weeks, we did the morphology scan to check if Lumpy is growing well. He's actively kicking and waving his arms, probably annoyed at the prop that is pressing down in his little space. His stomach circumference is on time. Thigh bone length is about a few days late. While his head circumference is a week in advance. Just like his dad! With big head and short legs. We also saw his gender through the scan, and decided to name him J. We were so happy that he's healthy and all his organs are formed well.
By 19 weeks, J's little kicks were quite pronounced. Especially when I rolled purposely onto my tummy while sleeping on my left side. Whenever I did that, I'd feel this big strong nudge on the tummy to ask me to give him more space. And yes, I do purposely squash him just to feel is reaction. Haha. Bad mummy.
I caught a cold around 19 weeks as well, which lasted for two weeks. I cough so much that I cracked my rib on the Sunday 2 April. It was so painful. For the next few days, I felt less of J's movement when I squashed him. Not sure if my illness will harm the baby or not, I called up and went in to the antenatal clinic for a request to check if baby was ok. Thankfully the heart beat detector shows that he's still moving lots. The explanation could be that he's just kicking a different area, aka the placenta region, where there are no nerve to relay the sensation.
It took me three weeks to recover fully from the cough. The rib took about a month to recover. During that time, we found out that ear seeds works!! It help to reduce the pain on my ribs area, so I can have a better range of motion, with the growing belly plus the crack rib. I couldn't take normal painkillers for cracked rib in pregnancy, so it's quite good that the ear seeds works like magic on reducing my pain. Since then, I've also use it for my hips when it's hurting from walking up n down the stairs in my in-laws's place.
Thank you little bub that you don't kick mummy on the painful rib area when I'm in pain!
We did a birthing class call Transition to parenthood on the Sunday of 30 May. It was very helpful to us both first time parents, on how to help each other during labour contractions and how to look after a new born. Since attending the class, Eric is having a 'dadd's time' with J every night before bed. Talking and chatting to little J. There was once when Eric asked if little J likes his voice? Kick if yes. No response. And kick if he finds it annoying. A BIG STRONG KICK responded! Hahahahaha.
There will be a calm birth class that we'll be going at the end of this month, to help prepare me for the birth. And lets just say, little J don't understand what he likes and don't likes yet. =p
Overall, the second trimester is quite smooth sailing, except for the few weeks of coughing and rib pain. I'm thankful for the regain in energy and movement. My belly swells up bigger and bigger, that most of my normal T-shirts are now too small and short. I get occasional heart burn, which usually happens on Saturdays. But I have been managing it well so far by eating less white bread and sugary food. Eric has been giving me daily back rubs to ease my back ache. There's just days where my back feels like it's breaking after a long day of work.
I'm looking forward to seeing you soon little J!! =D
Thank you for your little gentle kicks on and off. So I know you are happy and safe in there. Sorry for the time where I shut the door too loudly and it frightened you. Or the days where I had to had lunch super late and you were so quiet as if you were conserving your energy.
Love you little one! Grow up strong and healthy with a love for Jesus!
kcan
There will be a calm birth class that we'll be going at the end of this month, to help prepare me for the birth. And lets just say, little J don't understand what he likes and don't likes yet. =p
Overall, the second trimester is quite smooth sailing, except for the few weeks of coughing and rib pain. I'm thankful for the regain in energy and movement. My belly swells up bigger and bigger, that most of my normal T-shirts are now too small and short. I get occasional heart burn, which usually happens on Saturdays. But I have been managing it well so far by eating less white bread and sugary food. Eric has been giving me daily back rubs to ease my back ache. There's just days where my back feels like it's breaking after a long day of work.
I'm looking forward to seeing you soon little J!! =D
Thank you for your little gentle kicks on and off. So I know you are happy and safe in there. Sorry for the time where I shut the door too loudly and it frightened you. Or the days where I had to had lunch super late and you were so quiet as if you were conserving your energy.
Love you little one! Grow up strong and healthy with a love for Jesus!
kcan
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