Author: Dyan

Pregnancy, Third Trimester

Oh Mother

Dyan

Not sure if it’s the pregnancy hormones at work again. Sod it. Really, it is the pregnancy hormones at work again.
This morning, the mother called me to ask if i have kain batik at home for postpartum. I found it weird she’s asking me this so early. Afterall, we have another 2 months to go before i deliver.

and then i realized, no.. she doesn’t want to know the no of kain batik i have at home (which stands at zero actually because i hate kain batik). She just wanted to hear my voice and see if i’m ok because in between our conversation, she asked “kakak sihat?”

I cried when i put down the phone because i felt so overwhelmed with love. You know how mums always tell you “You’ll never know how your mom feels until u become one”

Well, technically i already am a mother? Just that my baby has not made an appearance. Yet.

I don’t know why i got so emotional this time round because she does call me time to time to ask how i’m doing and all but lately i’ve been pretty exhausted. Lack of sleep, a heavy tummy and an Energizer baby kicking all day long (does she not sleep?) It’s been pretty sucky with all these pain but an exciting period for me, each time i feel her move inside me knowing that we’ll be meeting soon. Each day, i wonder how she’ll look like, what’s her personality like and stuff like that.

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I’m the first child in the family and i couldn’t help wondering, was this how my mum felt when she carried me many years ago? Uncertainty, excitement all rolled into one.

Did my mom wake up with hands on her tummy, just like me?
Did she spend her nights stroking her tummy to sleep, like me?

Only thing i’m sure, just like me, my mom is also counting down to the day we see this little girl and if anything, this pregnancy made me appreciate my mother a whole lot more.

Le Familia, Makan Chronicles, Pregnancy, The Husband & Wife, Third Trimester

KL-Waddling

Dyan

So we went to KL over the weekend to get my Tony Romas fix. It was a really short trip.
We flew over to KL on saturday on the 8.45am flight and then back to SG on Sunday on the 5.00pm flight.
Thank you Airasia for the many many SIN-KL flights.
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This time round, we brought my in-laws together with us. Although it was a wrong timing cos my MIL sprained her back weeks earlier and had difficulty walking and we had to do many pitstops so she can rest and sit down and take a breather. I almost felt guilty for dragging her to KL just so i can have my cravings fixed. But she said she enjoyed the trip. So i don’t feel that guilty anymore! And to think initially she was worried i would be too tired out from all the walking! But i walked like nobody’s business.

On a sidenote, Rusly’s hair is of the same length as mine now. I think even longer and i’ve been pestering him to get it cut but he refused to listen! Macam nak bakar je rambut dia tau time dia tido.

Our 1st stop right after we landed in KL was to head over to Publika Shopping Gallery.
Initially i wanted to go to Journal by Plan B but we were so hungry by then, it was close to 12.00 noon already, and i was scared if we eat at Journal, then we wouldn’t have space for Gyu-Kaku so we went ahead to Gyu-Kaku instead.

We were the 1st group to come in for lunch so one of the staff Mike offered to help us with grilling the meat etc and i was glad he did that cos that boy is good with his meat! I think if it was up to us to cook the meat ourselves, we’ll probably over-cook it and also cos four of us really macam tak kuasa nak masak mood.

IMG_5204We ordered one of the set and in a second, we were overwhelmed with the amount of meat we have! For a while, i doubt we could finish them all up but yes we did!

Sampai senget-senget.. Jalan pun dah macam lembu.

Continue reading “KL-Waddling” →

Pregnancy, Third Trimester

Going Low on Sugar

Dyan

The appointment for the Diabetic Clinic was yesterday and i was nervous as hell. I kind of expected it to be pretty depressing especially since the appointment is at 9.10am. Lol

I was out at 7.45am but only reached NUH about 8.50am cos of the traffic jam. So i was left with 20 mins for a quick breakfast. Especially cos i was already feeling nauseous. Not sure if it’s because of the cab ride or the morning sickness is kicking in again.

IMG_5117Grabbed my favourite Cheese Bagel for breakfast and Toffee Nut Latte. Because i somehow know if i don’t drink it now, i won’t be able to drink it nanti once i start recording my sugar levels. Hahahahaha Perangai buruk seh.

Managed to finish up everything and go up to the Diabetic Clinic by 9.10am and i don’t know why, but i kind of expect the Clinic to be small but it was huge and there were so many people waiting for their turn! Obviously not everyone there is pregnant lah. Waiting time for Registration was quite long but other than that, it was quite a breeze but the whole appointment took a while cos i had to go through so many rooms and meet so many different people!

1) Blood Pressure & Urine Test 
I don’t know why my BP was slightly higher today at 132. It is usually at about 110 and never exceed 120.
But maybe cos i was rushing and i was all flustered and hot. God, really really hot. Everywhere i go, i feel like the aircon is not working!

2) Blood Test 
After that, it was the finger prick test. My test result came back as 5.1, which is normal by their standard. I was secretly hoping my OGTT Test result was a fluke. Haha. Fat hope!

3) Diabetic Doctor Consultation 
Met Dr Pradip & Dr Claudia. Both doctors are so likeable! They reviewed my case and also enlightened me more about Gestational Diabetes. Both told me that if we treat it and keep my diet under control, a natural birth is possible. As of now, they will not put me on Insulin jabs unless my sugar level spike three days in a row. If that happens, it is an indication that controlling my diet no longer works for me. I asked Dr Pradip more about GD and it seems that the cause of it is not mainly because of what the mother feeds her herself during pregnancy but partly because of the extra hormones and how our natural Insulin is unable to cope with the extra hormones.

For example, in the office, you have 10 Customer Service Officers to handle phone calls. Suddenly, you hold a promotion and lotsa people start calling in to place their orders and obviously the same 10 CSO won’t be able to handle the surge of calls right? That’s how the insulin feel. Suddenly my extra hormones is too much for them to handle so they only process what they can.

However, with Gestational Diabetes, it’s hard to pinpoint when exactly things will go haywire as in, they won’t know how “hormonal” i would get hence the need to test for glucose level 2 times a week until i safely deliver my baby. If i have a surge in glucose levels for the day, i’ll need to do back-to-back test for 3 days in a row and if all three days indicates high level of sugar in my blood, i’ll need to call the clinic asap and arrange for insulin jabs.

What happen if we don’t keep Gestational Diabetes under control?
1. Baby would be too large for Natural Birth and C-Section would be the best option for the mummy. I have no problem with C-Section. Although it is not a preference because i would prefer a quicker recovery so i’m more inclined to Natural Birth. But if i have to do C-Section, then so be it lah. As long as the baby is safe.

2. Baby would get too used to having too much sugar while she’s inside me, so naturally, her body will produce more insulin while she’s in my womb. However, when she’s born and only taking breast milk etc, her extra insulin would still be present in her body and later on when she does not have that much sugar intake and her insulin is so active breaking down all her sugars, obviously she’ll have low sugar levels. This is dangerous because it causes jaundice and difficulty in breathing and to be really honest, this is the part where i’m scared. I’m ok with going through C-Sect if it needs to be done. I’m ok if i have to take time to recover but i think i’ll blame myself if baby have low sugar levels when she is born later on.

So i guess it is my responsibility to ensure that my GD is treated and under control.

6 weeks after delivery, i’ll have to do another OGTT. If my numbers are normal, then i’m cleared of Diabetes. However, if my number is high, it is possible i have Type 2 Diabetes and would have to receive treatment for it.
So i’m making a conscious effort to keep my sugar levels as low as possible!

What i have to do currently: 
– Monitor glucose levels with the finger prick test twice a week.
– I can choose any two days i want but there will be 7 tests a day.
Pre & Post Meals for Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner and also a Late Night Test before i go to bed.
So in total, there will be 14 tests a week. Phew.

I loaned the Accu-Chek Active from NUH but would have to get the test strips and needles myself and the test strips are so expensive ok! About $30 for 25 strips and that’s excluding the needles! 25 strips should be able to last me only 2 weeks since i need 14 strips per week. So i got my Father-in-Law to buy it for me instead since he also have Diabetes and get his from Polyclinic under subsidized rate cos of the Pioneer Generation scheme. heehee.

The next person i have to meet is the Dietician but i’ll do a post on it separately because this post is getting too wordy and really, there’s so many things to write about my meeting with the Dietician, it was the most depressing part of the entire appointment. Hahaha

Imagine being told to only eat 1/3 cup of rice per meal. *nangis*

Uncategorized

The 31st

Dyan

The 31st was a simple affair. I guess as u grow older, u don’t really care much for birthday celebrations. I wanted to spend the day with my family and i was glad to be able to do so.

I requested for Mak’s Place cos i wanted to eat Salted Egg Crab. It’s been a while!

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Oohhh salted egg, i love u so.

We all went back to my parent’s place after that to continue our conversations till late night. Nothing beats the comfort of home, eh?

For my 30th, i got myself The Bag. This year, i got myself another bag. A diaper bag. LOL

And i changed my phone, at last! I was reluctant to change my phone cos the iPhone was part of my hantaran gift from Rusly, 3 years ago. So sentimental me refused to change the phone but the iPhone 4 was lagging so badly and it wouldn’t be compatible with iOS 8. The iPhone 6 it is then! I wouldn’t exactly call myself an iPhone evangelist but i just prefer the iPhone / iOS. I tried using Android once and i didn’t like it as much. I was about to just go get the iPhone 6 Plus and then realized it was so big! I couldn’t hug the phone in my small palm. LOL.

And please stop asking iPhone 6 users if they can bend their phones. It’s annoying and really why would u want to purposely bend a phone?

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Another 28 weeks bump shot.

One thing i wish i did, was to consistently take weekly bump shots but most of the time i’m in singlets and shorts, my weekly bump shots would be so selekeh.

So that sums up my favourite October!
Love October cos;
– we got engaged on 5th October
– we got married on 15th October
– my birthday on 25th October

And no it wasn’t all planned. Especially my birthday, of course.

Pregnancy, Third Trimester

Home Stretch…..Baby!

Dyan

and so we say Hello to the last trimester and hopefully it’ll be as smooth-sailing as the entire pregnancy. Admittedly, the 1st trimester is not exactly a bed of roses but kira ok lah kan.. Tak cerewet.. All the nausea and the morning sickness that came with it is quite normal & bearable actually. I know some people had it reaaalllly bad. Think Kate Middleton, sampai masuk hospital semua for morning sickness. Or maybe not ah.. she’s part of the Royal Family so obviously she’s given the royal treatment kan? But u get what i mean? Some people really had it bad, going in and out of the toilet from morning to night, so i shall not complain excessively about the 1st trimester because #inisemuanormal.

I had my 28 weeks Growth scan yesterday. It was an additional scan requested by my gynae cos of my low amniotic fluid detected previously so naturally i was pretty nervous. I didn’t read too much into it though cos i didn’t wanna scare myself unnecessarily. But for the last 2 months, i drank so much water, you cannot imagine! Cos that is the only way to counter the problem and Alhamdulilah, my amniotic fluid is back up in the healthy range.

This time round, the waiting time was pretty fast, by that, i mean max 30-40mins wait.
I managed to see baby on screen again.. She’s so big now, she’s filling up the entire womb space already. She’s now 1.1kg. No wonder i feel heavier. Went to see Dr Citra for the scan review after that, asked for the travel note and then she dropped a not so good news. I have borderline Gestational Diabetes.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO…

Told you i was scared of GD cos my mom had it during her pregnancies and actually i thought i’m safe from GD cos i didn’t hear any news from them.
Continue reading “Home Stretch…..Baby!” →

Pregnancy, Second Trimester

Birth Classes

Dyan

Would anyone be kind enough to recommend me Birth Classes, preferably by a Muslim Doula etc?
NUH hold Antenatal Classes but i would prefer something more errr.. spiritual? How do i put it eh? Something that is not so clinical because i foresee the content at the Antenatal Class at NUH would be something i can get off from Google.

I was set on attending Yaqyn Birth Classes cos Rina went and gave good reviews but i was a little too late cos by the time i’ve decided to attend, Yaqyn has stopped all classes for this year as she is in her last trimester and giving birth anytime soon.

I didn’t wanna go too early, scared that both me & Rusly would kind of forget about the things we’ll learn at the classes. Was looking forward to classes in November / December.

Might be registering for the Breastfeeding Classes by Blessed Beginnings soon because i’m keen to breastfeed and would like to prepare myself mentally for that and maybe also cos i kind of needed the push? I’ve been reading how some new moms suffer from breastfeeding and give up halfway and i just needed to know how i can overcome all these.

I know some MTB think that these classes are not necessary because if other mothers can survive motherhood without going to these classes, then i should be able to. I can already conjure up images of people who would say that to me actually, but to each her own really. I think i’ll benefit from these classes and it’s a small price to pay for the knowledge i’ll acquire.

Pregnancy, Second Trimester

Rub-A-Dub-Dub

Dyan

No i did got into a tub and do a rub-a-dub-dub per se but i went for my 2nd pre-natal massage today!
i did my 1st pre-natal massage at 22 weeks because nobody would massage any pregnant woman if they are not at least 20 weeks.

My 1st pre-natal massage was done by Pre & Post Natal Massage and it was a home service.
Nothing to shout about so i didn’t blog about it. It wasn’t very bad but it wasn’t spectacular. I rate massage service by how relaxed i feel during and after the massage. If i fall asleep during the massage, then it’s good enough for me because i have very unusual sleeping pattern, i don’t fall asleep very easily.

During the 1st massage, i was tensed. Not sure if it’s because that was the 1st time i’m having a massage since i got pregnant so naturally i was paranoid if she was hurting the baby etc. Lol
Secondly, because it was done on my bed and my bed is quite low, it was a bit difficult for her to move around etc and i didn’t feel much relief after the massage. In fact i was aching all over. Macam kena langgar truck.
After she left my place, i slept and woke up aching all over again and i had subtle cramps. But they said it’s normal to feel like that after a massage cos of the blood-flow etc.

My massage today was done at Beauty Mum & Babies by Bodywork Clinic at Paragon. Location wise, it’s a convenient 20mins bus ride away from home. The place itself is ok lah. Not fancy-schmancy like some boutique spa. It felt more like a private clinic actually but quite comfortable and importantly, the aircon wasn’t blasting like nobody’s business. I hate it when the room is too cold during a massage especially cos you’re mostly naked and to have the aircon blasting on you is quite uncomfortable and i’ll end up shivering and that’s quite embarassing. Hahaha

My massage therapist, Alle asked which area i prefer to concentrate on and i told her mainly my lower back and my hips area. They were aching so bad! There’ll be days i can’t even roll over in bed because it was aching too bad.
So Alle concentrated on that area immediately and i fell asleep shortly.
The pressure was just nice. Usually, i would have requested for a harder pressure but Rusly told me to be mindful and not go overboard with the pressure. Partly also cos the lower back is quite sensitive for the baby especially if baby is facing the back.

With pre-natal massage, instead of lying flat on your tummy, you’ll be asked to lie down on your sides and they’ll have a long bolster for you to hug and place your legs on and they won’t touch your tummy at all.

Price-wise, i got a trial session from them at the Baby Fair at $39.00 only but the usual price is $150.00. Expensive i know.
But they were promoting a Pre-Natal package at $399 for 5 sessions and it’ll work out to be around $80.00 per session which is fine for me because that’s the average of what i usually pay for my monthly massage.

I’ve not really decided if i should take up the package. I did place a $50 deposit but if i decide not to take up the package, i just need to top up another $100 for 1 pre-natal massage session. According to them, i can do the massage till 37 weeks. So that’ll be a once-every 2 weeks massage session till i reach the full term. Very tempting if you ask me but not sure if i really really need it. if i do take up the package, i’ll take it as a pampering session before i give birth.

Ahhh.. decisions.. decisions.

Pregnancy, Second Trimester, Shopping Spree

Braving the Baby Fair II

Dyan

Wanted to draft this post earlier but was too busy to! For the past two weeks, i went to two baby fairs and have striked off almost 80% off the items on the Baby List. Alhamdulillah.. Kind of relieved because i think the exhaustion is setting in. I’m getting lazier to do stuff / go out especially with the weather.

Baby’s Market – 4th October 2014

The day we collected all our pre-orders. I insisted Rusly bring the delivery trolley and i wished i brought my luggage as well because we bought some other random small stuff as well. The 1st trip in, we went in with the trolley to carry all the bulky items and i really mean bulky!

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We didn’t bring that supermarket trolley though. Only used it to transport the items from our void deck & back up to our place.
We didn’t bring back the Baby Cot as well cos it was quite bulky and wouldn’t fit the car and true enough, after filling up the back seat with all these, we wouldn’t have space for the baby cot! We added baby beddings etc to qualify for free shipping & installation instead and they mentioned they’ll deliver it in November although i’m trying to push it to December since we have not done up the nursery yet and also cos i don’t want them to install the baby cot too early and let it collect dust. Lol

Continue reading “Braving the Baby Fair II” →

Her, Him, Relationships, The Husband & Wife

and so we’re 3!

Dyan

3rd Anniversary

and we’re three today! Although i kept thinking it’s only been 2 years.
How did 3 years pass by so fast?

We did not plan anything for this year although we pretty much go for short trips on each Anniversary, this year is an exception because my husband is a pregnancy nazi. He is not ok with me taking flights during the pregnancy although i’m having a pretty normal pregnancy and i see pregnant women travelling for work & holidays all the time! I had to beg him to let me take a flight to KL this November because it’s less than an hour and it’s so close to home.

Yesterday, we were watching some Cooking/Travel Show and they were showing Tom Yam Goong at Krabi and i asked him if it’s okie if we go to Krabi for a short while on my birthday weekend (which is next week hahahahha) because i wanna eat that Tom Yam Goong at Ao Nang.

He gave me a death stare so i assumed that’s a no. I told him i was craving for Tom Yam Goong and he told me to cook it myself. Pffft.

They say pregnant women get everything they want. So not true!

and then i thought maybe we should go to Carousel and pig out but selfish me think it’s not worth it because i cannot eat Sashimi and Oysters and who the hell go to Carousel and not force-feed themselves with Sashimi & Oysters? Definitely not me! I think i’ll either be so sad i can’t eat sashimi & oysters when i’m there or i’ll just try my luck and eat them, and then get salmonella. Hahahahaha

So, it’ll be a stay home anniversary for us with him catching up on Suits on the ipad and me playing Frozen game on my iphone. How interesting. Lol

Pregnancy, Second Trimester

26 Weeks

Dyan

Insha Allah next week, we’ll bid adieu to the 2nd trimester and forge ahead to the third trimester.
Had my Glucose Test yesterday to detect Gestational Diabetes. It is not a compulsory test but Dr Citra ordered that for me and for a peace of mind and since it’s non-invasive, i figured why not?

I was required to fast from midnight till the test the next day. The test was scheduled at 9.05am but Dr Citra was available and she wanted to see me for updates and a short scan. Yay! Managed to see baby, so much bigger this time round. She was sucking on her thumb and we caught her having the hiccups! Lol

Finally did the 1st blood test at 10.05 am. I thought it’ll just be a prick on my fingers but turns out they had to draw out a tube of blood. After drawing out the 1st tube, i was required to drink a bottle of Glucose drink.

Click on picture for original image & post
Click on picture for original image & post

SO SWEET! It’s like drinking Orange Cordial with 20% water. Really sweet and concentrated.
But at that time i was really thirsty so manis pun telan je lah.

While drinking, one of the Lactation Consultant was making her rounds and randomly asked if i’m free to have a brief consultation on breastfeeding. Of course i said yes! It was quite an enriching session. Managed to ask her of my concerns, especially because i’m already leaking colostrum since 23 weeks or so. She reassured me that it’s fine and a good indication of good milk supply. Insha Allah. I really hope so! But she warned me not to try to pump or hand express it before birth because it will induce contractions.

Back to the Glucose test, i was supposed to finish up the glucose drink within 10 minutes and then go 2 hours without food and drinks until the next blood test. So i went to One@Kent Ridge at the Medical Centre and went shopping for basics at Uniqlo. Hee. Didn’t do too much shopping cos i was really hungry and sleepy, badan cam melayang2 so i went back to the Women’s Clinic to rest. Went back in promptly at 12.15pm to do the next blood test and the total bill was only $19.80. I don’t know why, but i was surprised! Because blood tests are usually quite expensive? I had to ask twice if it’s $19.80 or $90.80? Lol

Nurse told me they’ll call me if the test comes back abnormal and i’m hoping they won’t call me! Like really really, DON’T CALL ME ah please. I don’t know know why i’m paranoid over GD. Maybe because my mom had it during one of her pregnancies and also because i’m overweight.

Before i forget, baby been doing this rhythmic bumping lately and i thought it was one of her kicks and i was just wondering how come it happened so often and so rhythmic and then Dr Citra told me yesterday it was her having hiccups! HAHAHA So cute don’t know for what! Sometimes when it happens, i’ll stare at my bump and see it going up and down.

Weight-wise, i lost another 3 kg from the last visit. But i wasn’t too bothered about it already ah. Dr Citra said nothing to worry and that means i have lesser weight to lose post-natal. As long as baby is growing, i’m ok lah.

Next scan will be at 28 weeks for my growth scan and also to check on my amniotic fluid since it was classified as subjectively low during my 21st week scan. I’ve been drinking a lot of water since then so hopefully the situation is better now.

I think i’ll miss the 2nd trimester a lot and hopefully the 3rd trimester won’t be so awful.