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.
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.
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!
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
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
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.
Ahhhh the Baby Fair. I got so many warning from friends it’s gonna be chaotic and some of my friends told me i’m crazy to even want go alone. With all the pushing and jostling. But it was surprisingly an ok experience for me.
Just a little background, in my previous job, my team organised huge job fairs at Suntec for three years. Each opening day, we get the same reaction. “Ributnya!!!” Really, the crowd is even worst than the baby fairs. The queue will snake from the Registration counter at level 1 to the taxi stand and then snake again at Level 5. That queue, is just to get in to the fair. The crowd in the fair itself, is another story. It was horrendous. I dread the job fairs and cannot wait to get over it. So when i went over to the Baby Fair and found out there’s no queue to get inside, i figured it’ll be quite a breeze lah actually. Not that bad.
But unlike the Job fairs, in baby fairs, u see people bringing in strollers. Some really monster strollers and i really don’t know for what! Those strollers take up a lot of space and some really brainless people have this habit of leaving their strollers at the entrance of the booth lah, kat tepi display booth lah. They leave the strollers everywhere!
However, a tip when you’re going to baby fairs, especially alone, bring a Luggage or those trolleys you go to market, that kind. God sent i tell u.
Unlike strollers, they are not bulky and you’re less likely to leave it anywhere because it contain your purchases. All i do is drag my luggage everywhere, buy everything i want and dump it inside and then keep on moving through the fair.
What i did before the fair, print out the map and colour code the booths that i wanna check out. Print out the list of vendors available and i was ready to go! Believe it or not, i spent close to 5 hours at the fair because there were just so many stuff to look at and buy!
Queue for the payment counters were not bad. Most of the time, i only queue up for 5-10 mins max except for one counter at the NotTooBig booth, i queued for close to an hour because of the long queue!
I’ve somehow compiled a list of stuff that i’ll be getting at the Baby Fair next week. I’m pretty much happy with the promotions going on at the Baby Fair and by sharing it here, maybe it’ll give you an idea of how much you can get some of the baby stuff at Baby Fairs? Because honestly, everything is so expensive and you need so many things and everything just adds up so being able to save a $50 here and there is already good enough!
Will be going on the Thursday Morning by myself to buy the smaller stuff and then again on Saturday to collect all the stuff we’ve pre-ordered and get the bulkier items since Rusly would be tagging along as well.
The Strategy:
On Thursday, i’ll bring a luggage with me. Tak nampak auntie sangat because my luggage very cute, ok.
Because if i don’t bring a luggage, Rusly will get my in-laws to follow me so my father-in-law can help carry the stuff and that is so mean lah! Hahahaha. Bully orang tu seh. Partly also cos i love to shop alone. Yes i’m those weird ones who actually don’t mind going shopping or dining alone. I don’t wanna feel bad for making my in-laws going all over the expo hall with me, especially if it’s gonna get crowded.
On Saturday, i’ll make Rusly bring the trolley because we’ll need to transport back the baby cot, a carton of wet wipes and some other bulkier stuff like baby mattress & stroller etc. Not sure if we can fit the entire loot in our car but i tell you, sekecik2 nya kereta tu, banyak benda kita dah sumbat masok. So yakin boleh. Lol
6 months pregnant. Woaaah.
I think the 2nd trimester pass by really fast. Next month, i’ll be in the final trimester. Already?
Nothing much has changed except the bump is significantly bigger now and i have water retention particularly at my feet.
I didn’t realised it was water retention until i was told it was. I did notice at the end of the day usually, it hurts a bit when i walk longer distance but i thought it was just, you know, me getting heavier. Two weeks ago, we went to JB with the in-laws and my SIL brought us to Dr Soho for a foot spa therapy since i can’t go for foot reflexology and upon seeing my feet, the therapist asked “Are u pregnant?” U know it always amaze how some people can just know. Macam so skilled seh. So i asked her how did she figure that out since i was seated and my bump was not noticeable cos i covered it with a pillow and then she mentioned i have water retention on both feet.
Few days after that, i had my pre-natal massage and the masseuse also told me i’m having water retention already and told me to drink more fluids. So yes, more fluids again.
Baby is moving a lot more now and her moves are so much more noticeable now, especially during car rides! I have a feeling she loves car rides. Like the mummy. I’m also not sure how much she can hear but the other day, at a wedding, i was sitting down having my meal when the Bride & Groom leaves the reception with the Kompang guys and she was moving so violently inside. Suspect joget-joget and all.
Last saturday, we went to Baby Hyperstore & Baby Kingdom at Kaki Bukit since we had some errands to run at the east side so i figured we could go look at strollers as well. Saw Mommyandi there (hello you!) and i’ve never seen a place with that many strollers! I was overwhelmed and for a while all the strollers look the same! I gave Rusly a crash course on what i was looking out for and I realized i cannot handle any strollers above 7kg with one hand. So our stroller definitely have to be below 7kg.
God, i know i’m so annoying. All my posts are now baby-related!
But i guess that’s just how it is? When you’re getting married, your world kind of revolve around the wedding only. Likewise when you’ve gotten your own place, all you can think about is, the colour schemes, lights & furnitures. Or bila tengah dating, all you can post about, is how wonderful your boyfriend, your future MIL and his cat too and how he looks adorable even when he digs his nose and all. Hahahahaha
So anyway….. now that we’re approaching the 6th month soon (and the Baby Fair is getting nearer, LOL), i’m starting to really shortlist our stroller options. Like i mentioned before, i have many prerequisites for a stroller. Carik stroller sama susah macam cari new employee ok.
Cos i reckon the stroller will be my best friend (because the mummy kuat merayap)
Some of the requirements that the stroller must meet:
Lightweight.
This is very important to me. In fact, the top priority in my list. Must weigh lesser than 8kg. I had friends who invested on huge strollers because they wanted something sturdy but hated it after few uses and end up buying umbrella strollers instead.
One-Hand Fold
I must be able to handle the stroller while carrying the baby cos most of the time, i’ll be out alone with the baby. If i’m taking taxi, i don’t think the taxi driver would be comfortable holding the baby while i fold the stroller. Neither would i be comfortable getting them to carry the baby. *Clingy mother alert!*
Small & Compact
We drive a hatchback car and it’s not exactly known for having a huge boot space so the car definitely has to be compact especially if Rusly needs to transport his guitars etc as well in the boot. Even better if it’s a one-piece when folded.
Parent-Facing Option
I would prefer to be able to look at my child when we travel so a reversible seat would be good although not a top priority because i would love my child to see the crowds too. People-watching is fun, my dear.
Use from newborn
Should be able to do a full recline so that the baby can be on the stroller from birth.
A sizeable storage space
What? I need to shop ok. I need space.
Mid-Price Range Stroller
We wanna keep the stroller budget between $700 – $$1000. Will stretch it a bit if i’m sold on a particular model. Hell, if i’m really really sold, “Take my money, give me the stroller now!”
Those above are my priorities. If the stroller can match at least 80% of the requirements je, dah happy actually.
With pregnancy, right from the 1st trimester, i’ve been having weird dreams. Some too weird to even relate to the husband. It is that weird.
Now in the 2nd trimester, i’ve been having scary dreams. Sometimes jolting me up from sleep, breaking into sweats.
But never as scary as the one i had this morning.
Don’t judge me, but i’m not your typical wife who would wake up in the morning, make breakfast and bid goodbye to my husband when he leaves for work in the morning.
Partly cos i sleep very late at about 3.00am each night (not healthy i know) and the husband leaves home for work by 6.20am. I know my mom & nenek would disapprove of this for sure and sometimes i wish i’m a little bit like my mother-in-law. She will wake up waaay before Rusly leaves for work, prepare breakfast, pack lunch for him and all and sometimes when i think of him, so kesian kat Rusly cos he had to switch from being pampered and fussed around by his mother to having ermmm me. Hahahahaha
I digress. Anyway, as usual, Rusly woke up, prepared for work, with the living room lights switched on. He rarely switch on the lights in the bedroom because he knows i can’t sleep with the lights on. Just before he leaves home, i suddenly realised the lights went off. For a moment, i thought there’s a black-out. I wanted to shout for Rusly but nothing came out from my mouth and then i heard him close the door behind him. But in my mind, it’s as if he slammed the door on me. So i drifted off to sleep and that’s when i had that dream.
That Rusly and me got into a minor misunderstanding over something, we parted ways. We went back to our parent’s place and then one day Rusly told me that we should sell our matrimonial house. It all happened so fast. I can’t really figure out why exactly we were fighting but at the end of it, i remember handing over the keys to another couple and that was it. I cried in that dream and without realising it, i woke up crying. For real.
I cried for a good full minute, whatsapp-ed Rusly and relate to him my dream. Of course he dismissed it as another dream but after a while, he realised i was quite shaken by it and asked if i wanted him to take half day off work. I started to laugh at that cos what the hell is he gonna tell his boss? ” I need to take urgent half day leave cos my wife had a bad dream?” LOL
But of course i refused. I’m not thaaaaaat manja. I said a little prayer and when i felt baby moving, i know it’s just another dream.
Damn you hormones.
I googled and they said it’s normal to have scary dream from 2nd trimester onwards and the dreams would intensify at the final weeks before giving birth due to anxiety and fears. Okaaaaay.
So we had the detailed scan last Thursday and that was the longest wait we ever had. A total of 4hrs wait at the hospital! My bontot boleh grow mushroom, i tell u.
Our scan was scheduled at 4.20pm at the Fetal Scan Centre (FSC) but we only managed to go in at 5.50pm. 10 minutes before the FSC closed for the day! Of course, i was hopping mad and had to ask the counter three times to check when i can go in cos my appointment with Dr Citra was scheduled at 5.00pm and we were soooo late!
But finally understood why when it was our turn! The sonographer took so long to get the scan done cos the baby refused to cooperate. (Pretty sure baby was angry at having to wait for so long and i’ve not had my lunch and all). Baby’s face was facing my back and the back facing sonographer (merajuk lah tu!) hahaha. Because it’s a detailed scan, the sonographer have to make sure that all necessary measurements were taken. Importantly, the 4 heart chambers and if baby is getting enough oxygen from me etc. It was all very technical but pretty interesting cos it’s almost like a 360° degree view of the baby. An uncooperative baby. Lol
What was supposed to be a 40mins scan turned out to be an hour + scan. The sonographer had to even pass us to one of her senior to take over the scan cos she can’t find the 4 heart chambers due to baby’s position. I was also quite glad cos i didn’t like the sonographer cos she was so rough! The day after the scan, my tummy was so painful cos of the pressure she used during the scan. The 2nd sonographer was so much better (and totally not cranky at all), even though she had to work overtime. She was also the sonographer who detected my blocked tubes last year! She finally managed to get the 4 heart chambers and facial features and according to her, everything looks fine. However, she wants me to come back for a 28 week scan as well instead of waiting till 32 weeks scan cos she mentioned my amniotic fluid is subjectively low and she wants to monitor growth of the baby even though right now baby is of a normal size.
Deardyan 