IVF Cycle No 2, Pregnancy, Third Trimester

31 weeks

We’ve passed the 30 weeks mark. o.m.g
Time pass by real quick with this one, it’s scary.

Didn’t we just go through IVF not too long ago? I’m getting increasingly heavy & uncomfortable lately. It feels sore down under and suddenly i feel like a first time mom again, googling everything. Why does it feel so sore in the last trimester?

That’s because baby is probably in a vertical lie. I totally forgot about it ok. I forgot baby will have limited room space by now to stay horizontal & might be in the bottoms down or heads down position by now.

Baby is also getting more active & kicks are more frequent these days. Tak yah tunggu malam. Siang malam dia main tendang2 bola kat dalam. Also getting more breathless now & cant walk for long. Can’t sit for long as well. Hahahaha. The third trimester is really one kind. Lol.

It’s funny though cos people keep telling me I’m very active for someone who’s pregnant but I feel otherwise! Not in a hurry to give birth though. I wanna feel pregnant for a bit more and spend more time with Nadya alone while I still can.

Nadya has been such a gem! Sometimes when I can’t get out of bed, she’ll offer to pull me up and when she sees me in pain, she’ll say “Be careful!” and sometimes she’ll offer to hold my hand to help me get around the house and say things like “slowly“. The 1st time she did that, I almost burst into tears. Lol

She’ll be a great sister, I’m sure of that, at least. ❤

Motherhood, Nadya Raessa, School

Homeschooling

I’ve been thinking of homeschooling Nadya many times but I wasn’t sure if I can actually execute it on my own and I spoke to a friend recently about it & she told me that executing it is possible if I can manage my expectations and keep to a timetable.

I can manage my expectations (when u have a kid, you’ll more or less master this) but keeping to a timetable is slightly harder but with another child coming, I think we can somehow keep to a “loose” half-day timetable maybe? For a start. I’m not one to be tied to a schedule cos I love doing things at my own pace.

But I also firmly believe social interaction is essential for kids so I might put her up on weekly classes but not sure where & what kind of classes.

And no, I’m not that ambitious to homeschool Nadya all the way. It’ll only be till she starts formal education (Kindergarten) cos I’m keen on sending her to the MOE Kindergarten near our place, which I really really hope she can get into cos we’re only 500m away & will be given priority but… Nadya is a SG50 baby and we all know there’s A LOT of SG50 babies (hahahaha) so yeah, keeping our fingers crossed.

For now, the plan is to start off with 2-3 times a week, for 2-3 hours a day at a fixed timing. I’m still reading up on Homeschool Curriculum & Lesson plans we can follow. But if you know of any local mummies who homeschool their Pre-kindergarten kids & blog extensively on it, let me know?

I’m honestly still on the fence about it and might need more convincing on my part (and Rusly’s) cos he feels like I might have too much on our plate when the baby is out.

Just a disclaimer, I’m not anti-preschool or anything. Lol. I just cannot find a school I like within our area. The ones I’m considering (10-15mins away) only offer full-day programmes, which I’m not keen on. There is one I like which offers half-day programmes but it’s at least 30mins on public transport and they don’t offer transport services, which is a bummer and I really don’t want to send Nadya to preschool somewhere convenient just because she has to conform to society’s standard cos to me, formal education starts from kindergarten onwards. Before that age, play-based learning is still the best for them. But that’s just my opinion as a mom and I’m not an educator so don’t take my word for it. Hahaha.

 

IVF Cycle No 2, Pregnancy, Third Trimester

28 weeks

Home stretch! I’m in my last trimester already and for someone so kancheong like me, i really have not started on much. I’ve been having Braxton Hicks since few weeks ago but yesterday’s was much more noticeable cos i was out on my own with Nadya most of the time, walked a lot and all so just before sleep, it came stronger than before. But at least this time round i know it’s Braxton Hicks.

My heartburn is also showing up slowly. Was kinda glad it didn’t show up during early pregnancy. Read that it’s normal since we usually carry our babies lower during the second pregnancy. Thought I could escape it altogether but i guess baby is growing bigger & i have a short torso. So i guess no escaping it then. So uncomfortable especially during car rides. 😭

The nausea & headaches are back too, hello! Didn’t miss u at all during the 2nd trimester. Why do 2nd trimesters go by realllly quick eh? I’m so cranky it’s not funny.

Will be doing my glucose test on Tuesday. Not looking forward to it at all cos of the 3 hours wait and also cos i know i’ll probably be diagnosed with it again. So i’ve been having my ice cream dates with Nadya before i get diagnosed & feel too guilty to indulge.

I know I complain a lot this pregnancy but at the end of the day, it still feels nice to be pregnant again & i always look forward to night time when baby is more active & will be all topsy turvy and i get to see my tummy being lopsided & all.

13 weeks till i meet u sayang! ❤️

Uncategorized

Baby Boys Clothes

Ever since i announced we’re having a baby boy, the most common question i get is “So will u be selling baby boys clothes next year?!”

Hahahaha i’m not kidding seh. Friends just automatically assume i’ll bring in boys clothes since i brought in lotsa girls clothes with Dear Raessa.

But honestly, it is not in the pipeline yet. I have not even bought clothes for Baby Adik yet seh! Mata asyik tengok baju baby girls je. Then cam mana….

I guess when i do realize that it is very hard to find nice boys clothes, then i’ll make an effort maybe? Till then, i’m pretty happy with where Dear Raessa is going.. bringing mentel clothes for girls. Hahahahaha

Motherhood, Nadya Raessa, Our Little Family

Weekend Play

 

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We finally did something productive for Nadya last Saturday. Productive cos i’ve been really tired so she has limited outdoor play unless her Papa is around.

First stop was the Baby Fair. We came at 1.00pm and left by 2.00pm. Not kidding seh. I knew exactly what i wanted so i zoomed in straight to the booths & chop2 purchased everything. To be honest, we didn’t get much. I got the Babysafe newborn essential set for $55 which is such a steal! Consists of the newborn pillow, bambeanie & mattress protector.

We also did bottle trade-ins for Comotomo. Nadya is still using Comotomo bottles so adik will also use them later cos I just love the bottles. They’re easy to wash cos of the wide opening & Nadya never got any colic etc from it when she was younger. So i’ll just stick with that brand.

I also borong the Pureen bottle cleanser cos that’s the only formula i like. (I hate the Pigeon one!) Also got boxes of the clothes detergent for babies. Nadya sekarang pakai normal detergent je. But of course for babies, i’m more careful cos they have delicate skin & all. Collected some preorders & left the place promptly to get my nutella-filled doughnuts!

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Got these from YazKitchen & they were so good! Anything with nutella is good lah to me.

Since we were at the East area, i thought it’ll be nice to finally drop by The Artground! Wanted Nadya to explore the Down the Rabbit Hole art installation before they change it to another exhibition and they also had this Slime Attack workshop which i know Nadya would love cos she loves Crafty stuff like this! Anything that involves hands-on activities, she suka!

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The place itself is not that huge but i like it cos there’s enough space for Nadya to run around without bumping into another kid. Everything is open-ended. It is up to the kids how they want to play & explore.

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We went in for the workshop at 3.30pm and Nadya had fun, as expected. I didn’t expect her to actually sit down for the entire 30minutes though cos girl got short attention span. It has to be really really fun for her to sit through anything. She was also the youngest there. Lol

She had fun mixing the slime ingredients & watching it turn from liquid to this stretchy & squishy little thing. It was so worth it!

Admission to The Artground is free but the workshops are at $10/- for a parent-child pair and they have different workshops every weekend for different age groups. You can check out more details here.

We then head over to East Coast Park since it’s nearby.

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She’s currently very into her skate-scooter and been scootering the whole house. Lol.
We need to bring her swimming very soon though. She kept asking to go swimming but i don’t know if i can still fit into my swimsuit. Hahahaa.

I slept through the entire journey home cos it was so tiring but i know Nadya had fun so it’s all worth it. Well, i had fun too actually but it would be even better if the weather was kinder. Lol

IVF Cycle No 2, Pregnancy, Second Trimester

Hello, Baby No 2!

Hello!!!! In case you’re wondering why I’ve been pretty quiet, it’s because I’ve been keeping most of my entries private because I’m keeping the 2nd pregnancy under wraps till we’re ready to share. Yes, you read it right. We’re pregnant with Baby No 2!

Scan

Looks like baby has Nadya’s nose. Or rather mummy’s nose. HAHAHAHAHA

We’re expecting a Baby Boy this time round. Yay Team Blue! I’m at my 26th weeks right now. Heading to the third trimester very very soon! Insha Allah we’ll be expecting him in January 2018. His EDD is 1 week after Nadya’s 3rd birthday and i’m really hoping that he stays in there till after Nadya’s birthday cos if not, i cannot eat cake. LOL.

You can now read all my private entries on the IVF Cycle 2 & the Pregnancy here.

Although there’s really not much to read really. Because, 2nd child syndrome. Sorry baby! I didn’t even blog much about my IVF cycle this time round cos to be honest, i was really quite slack about it and i chronicled my 1st IVF cycle in detail. Most of it remain the same (except the cost but i’ll blog about that in another entry, hopefully.)

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Please pray for our well-being & my sanity. Getting pregnant with an active toddler is….. tiring.

Meanwhile, Nadya is really excited about the baby. We brought her to the detailed scan appointment & when she saw the screen & adik on it, she shrieked “Ehhhh… baby!!! mummy!!! Baby!!” So loud k and each time she chances upon the scan pictures of her adik, she’ll  say aaaaawww so cute baby.” Ye lah. adik kau sorang je yg cute.

This pregnancy is really different so i had a feeling from the start it could be a boy but i didn’t wanna get my hopes high up cos i cannot be thaaaat lucky. But i prayed for a baby boy this time round. Just like how i constantly prayed for a baby girl the 1st time round. Allah is great indeed.

It’s also quite tiring this time round & i’m sure it’s because i’m older now & i take care of Nadya full time? Toddlers are exhausting. I want 40 weeks to come by fast but i also want to enjoy the moment because this might be my last pregnancy cos i don’t think i want to go through IVF again.

But my father told Rusly “Women are fickle-minded. They’ll tell you they don’t want kids anymore. Next thing you know, they want to get pregnant again.” HAHAHAHA True story kalau tak, takde nya mak aku anak sampai 6. LOL

Tapi kalau nak suruh aku beranak 6 memang tak lah. Kalau kena semua active cam Nadya…..

Ewan Mcgregor Fainting GIF - Find & Share on GIPHY

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14 weeks to go before we meet Baby Adik! ❤

IVF Cycle No 2, Pregnancy, Second Trimester

25 Weeks Pregnant

I’ve not been updating, i know. Is this really the 2nd child syndrome? Lol
So kesian you adik.

But i guess this pregnancy i’m really not as kancheong macam when i’m with Nadya. With Nadya, i google every single thing & always worrying about everything.
This pregnancy, i know what to expect & i’m more comfortable with what i’m feeling. But i still get excited over Babycentre notifications still & i still do worry but not so much lah.

We went for our detailed scan at 22 weeks & Alhamdulillah everything looks fine. We also managed to know the gender! I passed my Gestational Diabetes test the last time round but not sure if i’ll pass the next test when i go for the next blood test end of this month.

One thing for sure, this pregnancy is going reaaaal fast this time round. Can’t believe i’m entering my Third Trimester this month! So exciting but yet still so scary? I think you’ll feel the same way for every pregnancy cos you don’t know what to expect and we all know not all labours would be the same kan? I hate that part. The not knowing what to expect cos i want to be prepared.

Also i’m really hoping i can breastfeed longer this time round, but again not pressuring myself. I’ll take whatever i can.

So far we’ve not bought anything much for Adik. Except for a Tula blanket & a camouflage hoodie cos it’s cute, although not quite necessary. Hahahaha. I believe we’ll reuse most of the major items like baby cots, strollers etc. We just need to get small items like clothes (yay!), pillows, bottles etc. I also tried switching on my Spectra Breats pump & it’s still working. HAHAHHA. But i need to get all the spare parts like tubes & flanges cos i have no idea where i kept everything. Maybe i’ll check at the Baby Fair or Pupsik etc and see if there’s a promo!

Till the next update! ❤

IVF Cycle No 2, Pregnancy, Second Trimester

16 weeks pregnant

I’m 16 weeks pregnant now & officially in my 2nd trimester. That was fast!

Went to NUH to do my 1st OGTT. Because I have a history of Gestational Diabetes when I was pregnant with Nadya, they put me at high risk for gestational diabetes again for this pregnancy. I was initially reluctant to take two tests but deep inside I also want to make sure that if I have early GD, it can be detected early so I can control my diet again. Not too scared about the baby being too big that I’ll have to go under the knife or anything. But scared if the baby might end up having low blood sugar during birth. 16wks

The dreaded orange drink! Urrrgh. Tastes even nastier this time round cos I seem to want to puke at everything. So I was told to from midnight and report to Clinic G at 9.00am and take my 1st blood test at 9.30am & drink the glucose drink within 10 minutes. The 2nd blood test will be taken at 10.30am and the last blood test at 11.30am.

Managed to see the gynae after my 2nd blood test to hear the baby’s heartbeat. Felt so relieved because at this point I’m still unable to feel baby’s movements yet so hearing the heartbeat reassures me that the baby is fine.

I’ve felt quickenings though. That flutter feels and I can hardly wait to feel actual movements because I really miss that.

So far everything is going fine except my headaches are still here and they’re really persistent. They can go on from morning to night and I’m still so tired most of the time.

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A bumpfie at 16 weeks! I’m also showing quite early this time round maybe cos this is the 2nd pregnancy. We’ll also be switching to the Private clinic when I see Dr. Citra come September. I have no problem with the subsidized clinic this time round but I prefer seeing Dr. Citra again and also we would want to take the A1 class again when I deliver so it’s just a preference. My detailed scan is scheduled 3rd week September so maybe we’ll find out the gender then. We’ll probably announce our pregnancy then as well cos the tummy is bigger now and it’s harder to hide. Lol.

Our Little Family, Special Events

Shawal 2017

Raya dah bis baru nak post this because i really wanna compile all the pictures taken for Raya 2017 & post it here! So Raya dah bis pun takpe lah! A picture-heavy post ahead!

First day of Shawal is my favourite! Everyone in my family gets together and we’ll convoy together, eat lotsa good food, gossip2 & take lotsa pictures!

Second Shawal weekend where we head over to the East side for visiting!

Raya with my HKSS girls at Caca’s house. Also the 1st time we met her twin boys. Nadya is so obsessed with them! Me too! So adorable!!

One of our weekday Raya at Nek Long’s house!

Raya with the bandmates! Not sure why but macam berjanji everyone is wearing either blue or black.

With Rusly’s bandmates at Shafit’s place and i don’t know why but we forgot to take a group picture! Semua sibuk makan tak abis2.

With the mummies at Ross’s house! So kecoh this one because so many toddlers and they all refuse to pose for pictures. We gave up after a while. Lol

Raya gathering with the #bloggirls at Farna’s place. Mexican food so yums. This one also amik gambar kecoh. Think we gotta wait till the kids are at least 12 yrs old before we can have a proper group picture.

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We end our Raya extra special this year. With the kids from Pertapis Children’s Home & Pertapis Women & Girl’s Home. It was so so emotional. I cried so many times but it also made me happy to see the kids happy. Wish i could share more pictures but i can’t release pictures with their faces on it so this would do!

Told you it’ll be filled with lotsa pictures but i don’t want to miss anything out. This Raya, sampai pikiran nak pakai baju apa lagi cos we only bought 3 sets. But we end up reusing last year’s baju & it all worked out fine!

It is also my 1st Raya wearing the hijab so it was also a hassle to match with my baju raya & all and while i’m more or less comfortable wearing it now, i still have my own #hijabproblems during Raya. Kuah tertumpah kat tudung jgn cakap k. Tudung aku leh buat world map sendiri.

Nadya Raessa

Separation Anxiety

Never thought i’ll say this but Nadya is finally having separation anxiety! lol.
I wanna shout Yay cos i finally feel like she needs me but it’s also so painful for both of us.

I think she finally understands that School = No Mummy.
She was so so good during the 1st three sessions and then she refused to go to school and would cry & scream during drop offs.

The last 2 session, she cried for a full 15mins. I was hesitant to leave so i lingered (out of her sight) at the lobby area. But hearing her cries & screams was so hard for me, i left. I felt so bad leaving her because i don’t want her to think i don’t care about her but if i don’t, she’ll end up being like some of the kids in there. Refusing to let go of their mum / maid and they sit in the class from start to finish and that kinda defeats the purpose of me wanting to put her in an independent class?

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The last session was slightly better though. She cried at drop off but her favourite teacher swooped in and calmed her down. Her teacher gave me updates & pictures to show me she’s ok already and i felt so much better after that and at least she didn’t cry when i picked her up.

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I think it’s just a phase she’s going through and i’m hoping it’ll get better soon! Apart from that, i think she really enjoys the activities in school and it’s all fun packed cos she’ll go home singing a new song and all. It’s so adorable!

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