Any time now...

Week 38...and Mummy is 1.5cm dilated! oooohhhh....means anytime now!!

Baby Louisa, please stay inside for at least another 11 days...Mummy and Daddy are not quite ready yet. We haven't quite gotten the Christmas tree up. Your baby cot / cradle is ready, your clothes are ready, your bottles (well, you're not allowed to use bottles till 2nd month) are ready, just that the home is not quite ready to welcome you yet. It's still a bit messy...

The contractions are becoming stronger. It's not painful...just uncomfortable. How does the "uterine massage" (aka contractions) feel on you?

During my last gynae visit, I was strapped to the CTG machine to monitor heartbeat and contractions. Woah, Baby Louisa kept moving during that whole session. Could hear her move. Gynae did an internal check (yucks!! I hate that!! It's painful....aiyoh!) and found that I'm 1.5cm dilated. Almost cried when gynae did that check. I can't imagine having to be checked a few times druing labour, to see if it's time to push...oh my. Couldn't stop shivering/shaking after the check was over. Guess I really need the epidural. What was I thinking of, when I first planned to deliver without epidural. I must be crazy.

On top of the low threshold for pain (all my life, I thought my threshold was rather high...), Baby Louisa is estimated to be 3.2kg at 38 weeks. She seems big. How to deliver naturally without epidural? I must really be mad. hahaha...That's it. It'll be epidural for me.

As the date draws nearer, as it starts to sink in - Baby Louisa will be out soon...., I find myself getting more and more nervous. I'm actually nervous about the whole labour process, something which I've been reading up on. I guess no amount of reading can prepare you enough for it. I afraid of the pain that might come with it! And any complications that might arise....

Oh dear, I need to go back to this and pray...

The past few days / weeks have been extremely hot. It's so hot that I feel like I'm melting. I have to stand in front of the fan when I'm at home. Otherwise, the air-con has to be turned on, regardless rain or shine. Whereas Daddy is complaining it's too cold. Hahaha...So I ended up eating the 2 tubs of ice-cream in the freezer to keep cool ( and also trying to finish them up before confinement, so that the ice-cream won't be around to tempt me during confinement period...)

And...my feet started to swell again!! On Sunday. This is the 2nd time the feet swelled. The first time it swelled, the swelling lasted 1 day. It was gone the next day after I kept drinking water. So, it could be due to the saltier diet I had the day before (salt retains water...). However, the 1st time it swelled, the swelling was much lesser than this time round. This time, my ankles are really fat! And I cannot fit into my shoes!! Fifrst time in the whole pregnancy, feet cannot fit into shoes...hahaha. The ankles ache when press on them. The knuckles on my hands are also aching, especially in the morning. It is as if someone had bashed my fingers while I was asleep. Owwww.....

However, all these experiences showed me how amazing our body is. The body is preparing itself for labour, hence the water retention. During labour, there's hardly any chance of a drink. Besides, you wouldn't want to embarass yourself by relieving yourself at the inappropriate time (not that one can help oneself, during labour. Baby will be pushing against the bladder!). Therefore, the body begins to store water to allow it to function normally during the long labour hours.

Amazing, isn't it? This mechanism created by God...

18 More Days

In summary:-

Baby Louisa is now estimated to be 2.9kg (week 37).

Amniotic fluid is sufficient.

She’s not engaged yet (but that does not mean she won’t come out early).

Gynae visits are now every week. Will be put on the CTG this Saturday to monitor her movements...

We collected her cot/cradle yesterday evening. I want to get her a new mattress. Foam should be better than sponge…The sponge mattress can be a spare mattress.

Should I get her a baby bouncer?

Her present for us on our 1st wedding anniversary – lots of BIG movements throughout the day. Hehs. It was fun watching my tummy move (it always is fun…)

And my confinement ‘nanny’ has not stocked up on the essential ingredients for confinement food yet. What if Baby Louisa decides to come out earlier? Maybe I should just take one day’s leave and go get them myself.

FINAL countdown...Exactly 1 more month!!

Mummy's thoughts:-

It's exactly 1 more month to Baby Louisa's EDD...07 Dec 07.

Have I gotten everything ready? hmmmm....(whips out checklist). Tick, tick, tick,...nope. Not quite ready yet. Gotta get baby soap for Baby Louisa, deco her room (or what would be her room, since she's gonna be in the master bedroom for the first few months...), get more clothes (we've got a few hand me downs, but those are kinda too big for her, I think)

Gotta stock up on all that old ginger, red dates, mee sua, rice...(for confinement).

****

I watched a CNA (Channel News Asia) programme this morning. Yupz, our office TV is tuned to CNA. It was about different birthing methods. The programme was hosted by Lisa Ang and a few mummies gave their experience. It was mainly about alternative birthing methods - hypnobirthing and water birth. I think I will go for the more traditional delivery at the hospital, afterall this is the first child. I have no idea how my body will take to giving birth... However, what struck me in the programme, was what one mother said. She shared about how happy she was opting for that alternative method, because she knew she gave her baby the best present..."by giving birth to him with a calm and relaxed mind" (ok, maybe not the exact words, but something to that extent). But that's it. The best 1st present to give her child was a mother who is calm, relaxed and not fearful of the process. A mother who is not screaming in pain at the process of birthing. Basically, a peaceful birth. Not that other births are not peaceful...imagine this, you are on your way out into this world, and your mother is screaming her guts out at the same time. It does sound like it's a "messy" world to be stepping into. hahaha. But sometimes, it can't be helped.

What she said struck me because I've been quite pre-occupied with worrying about how much pain I can tahan, would I need epidural, would I be screaming my head off etc. But it has never occurred to me to instead, focus on being calm and relaxed during the brith process. The moment I think of giving birth, I'm thinking: head full of perspiration, legs on stirrups, squeezing Daddy's hands, cringing in pain and screaming "I can't take it anymore!"... Hmmm, that shouldn't be the way. The birth process is a unique process, a miracle, enjoyed only by unique people, us FEMALES. So I really shouldn't think about how bad it can be. Rather, I should be thinking about how to enjoy the process. Yes, it sounds like a very tall order, and I do sound unrealistic. Is it a case of "mind over matter"? Hmmm....the moment I think of giving birth, I should be thinking: relaxed process, calm surroundings, my body is just guiding Baby Louisa out into this world.

Time to find a nice soothing CD to pack into the hospital bag to bring into the delivery suite...Hmmm, should I bring the aromatherapy too?

Week 33

We went for our gynae check up on Saturday. We’re in Week 33!! Yippee!! 7 more weeks and we’ll be able to see Baby Louisa. At week 33, Baby Louisa is estimated to be 2.3kg. She’s in good position (i.e. head down, facing my back). Let’s hope she stays that way till delivery. That’s the best position for delivery…

I noticed, everytime the gynae performs a scan of Baby Louisa, she will be soooo quiet. She would not move (in other words, we have never really seen her in motion via the ultrasound scans – well, I did, when we had to do the FTS screening, and Daddy wasn’t at the clinic yet). It’s like, Baby Louisa would “freeze” all motion at that time. But before and after the clinic visits, Baby Louisa would be moving and kicking a lot. Hmmm…...

In fact, Baby Louisa has been kicking rather aggressively the past few days, that my tummy muscles are feeling a bit bruised – like when you have been exercising a lot, your muscles tend to ache a bit…..

****

At the previous gynae visit, Dr. Tan took a swab from me for testing (it’s a routine test at this stage of pregnancy). The purpose of the test is to test for Strep B infection. What is it?

Was quite worried about it, as Strep B infection for infants is no joke. While antibiotics can help the situation, no expectant mother would want it, not that we can help it. It’s a naturally occurring bacterium in the body of both men and women, and it does not present any symptoms. We got the test results at this visit, and thank God, there’s no Strep B infection. Dr. Tan says everything is ok. Yeah!

However, level of sugar present in the urine is 1 level higher than normal. Hmmm, gotta watch that diet (I hardly ate that durian mooncake from Marriott! My favourite…..*sulk*)

9 more weeks

Mummy's thoughts:-

I'm in the mood to deco Baby Louisa's room. Yup. Have been in the mood for a while already, just that there's so much other things to look out for. Baby Louisa is well travelled...around Singapore, that is. Over the past week, she's been to the North, East, South and West of Singapore. Ok, we haven't been to Central Singapore (AMK, TPY area) much...

So anyway, I've been thinking of how and where to place the cot, what to stick around the room to make it more...cute. It's so exciting, planning Baby Louisa's furniture. heehee...

Whenever I lie on my side, Baby Louisa likes to "walk" on my side. I can feel this lump (not sure if it's the feet, knee or fist) moving up and down the side...feels like she's walking or climbing. Hahahaha...Then the karate kicks. It is becoming more of a pattern. hehs. Gives us a preview into the kind of movements she is likely to be making when she's out...

My clothes are getting tighter. And they are maternity wear!! Oh my gosh! But everybody still says I don't seem to have put on weight. Still look normal. But my maternity tops are getting shorter (probably due to the growing belly). Now belly peeks out from above the skirt or pants...peek-a-boo...

Well, it's 9 more weeks....We're at week 31. Hey Baby Louisa, we made it together...to 31 weeks! Thank you, God. :-) Let's keep going.....We can do it together. :-)