Two more weeks

I can't believe how time flies. I've got 2 more weeks left to my maternity leave. It seemed like it was ages away and would never end... every day and every minute with Marc is precious and knowing that the prospect of returning to work draws nearer, I've become more patient with him and even his difficult moments are easier to bear. I will miss him heaps and heaps when I return - thankfully I return mid week on a Wednesday after new years', so it won't seem like a whole long week to face without him. I guess returning to work is a bittersweet experience. On the one hand, I will miss sharing his milestones, watching him smile and babble to me during the day time, taking him on our daily walks to Holland Village. On the other hand, its nice to have my own time and life back and being able to have a conversation with adults will be refreshing. I'm sure it will also help me be a better mother in a way, as I will treasure each moment when I'm with him and give him more quality time. As it is, I'm usually caught up with chores and other things during the day whilst he's most alert and wakeful, so he's had to learn to play on his own.

I'm apprehensive about how I will cope with the lack of sleep though! He's a good sleeper at night - usually in bed by 7.30pm, then woken up for a feed between 12-2am (depending on when the Husband and I go to sleep) and he wakes on his own between 5.30 to 6.30am. He's a horrible sleeper during the day though, he can't nap for longer than an hour, usually 30mins or 45mins, so he gets over tired very easily. The solution we've found is to take him out - he loves going out and looking around and when I walk to Holland Village in the Baby Bjorn, it lulls him to sleep on our return leg. The solution I've found for me is for me to express milk at 8pm, nap from 10pm to 12/1am, then feed him and do a last expression for the night until he wakes up in the morning. I get through the day drowsy but I'm more or less able to handle it without a nap.

We've decided to hire a domestic helper - balancing ministry, work, family and the Husband's part time study is possible without a helper, but it means either one of us spends time on chores (and trust me, scrubbing bottles and breast pump funnels takes AGES) which means less time for the other things that matter. A domestic helper also frees us up during the day when I'm at work and when the Husband needs to be out to attend meetings, etc. In a ministry that involves people, its not unusual for emergency meetings or crises to arise. A domestic helper gives us the flexibility to be available. My in laws have been very kind to allow us to transfer their existing helper to us. She's been with them for a couple of years and is responsible and loves kids. We've started training her this week.

My greatest fear is that he will become so attached to the helper he'll forget me. My friend assures me this won't happen, if I give Marc my 101% when I'm home with him, he will know and he will not forget that I'm his mummy. My consolation is that the Husband will have more time with him so if anything, he'll become more attached to daddy, which is fine with me. The helper won't have it easy either. I've been spoiling Marc by letting him latch on to breastfeed during the day when he's fretful and it lulls him to sleep. When I'm tired I feed him lying down and we both drift into sweet sleep together. I'm not too sure how she's going to pacify him! The one thing I've tried to avoid is breastfeeding him at night so that he doesn't get into the habit and require the breast to fall asleep.

Christmas is coming up and there's just so many things to do...cherishing every minute!

Marc's First Holiday

We made it! A 6 day roadtrip from Singapore to KL and Penang with a 3 month old baby. Some people thought we had lost our mind, but we prepared our checklists, packed our bags and went anyway. I fell sick with my second bout of mastitis the day before we left. I was so knocked out I had to ask my mother in law to come over to help babysit whilst I took lots of panadol, nurofen and antibiotics and prayed real hard that I would get well. The pain is one thing, the fatigue and fever is another. Thankfully, I was well enough to travel the next day and we made it to KL! Everything takes much longer with a baby - we had to stop often to change his diapers, etc, but we still enjoyed the trip. We drove from Singapore to KL on the first day and stayed one night, then travelled to Penang the next day and attended my friend's wedding. Stayed another night before driving back to KL the next day where we stayed for another 2 nights.

I've concluded that the best formula for a road trip with an infant involves a few things:
1) Lots of prayer!
2) Preparation preparation preparation (checklists, packing, etc)
3) A good attitude (see every detour or change in plans as an opportunity)
4) Flexibility (all your plans will be awry cos baby gets tired, etc)
5) A hotel that is located right next to a shopping mall and lots of food (you won't be able to go out much with a young baby)

We stayed at MiCasa in KL and G Hotel in Penang. We loved the G Hotel! It was right next to Gurney Plaza and all the food stalls on Gurney Drive. The Husband and I took turns to shop and ate in the hotel most of the time as Marc needed his naps, which worked out just fine cos the hotel is lovely! Check it out:
http://www.ghotel.com.my/
We managed to devour all the local delights in the comfort of our room and watched Heroes on DVD at night. We also got to catch up on sleep! Yay!

As for Marc - he enjoyed himself lots. There was always something new to see and do, and he dozed off really easily in the car cos of the rocking motion. His cot in G Hotel was placed right next to the full length window, so he got a sea view everyday! He's lately become SUPER talkative - he used to only respond when spoken to, now he talks to his rattle, to himself, to anyone who goes up to say hi. He especially loves having his diaper changed and bum wiped along with his daily baths.

Of course, packing for such a trip is like moving house - that's why we decided to drive, there are just too many things to bring along! We survived and are thinking of the next challenge - taking him on a trip that involves a change in timezone!

10 Weeks Old!

Its amazing how time flies...Marc is already 10 weeks old! He's become very talkative of late, talking to us, to strangers, to the air, to anything in general. I went out to lunch with my colleagues today and the Husband babysat him for a while. When I came home, he was extremely chatty, almost as if he had so much to tell me about his 2 hours with daddy. He is now 5.5kg. According to the Paed, he was below average weight when born. He's now slightly above average, which means his weight gain is rapid. The poor guy has a serious reflux problem though. He has to take Zantac, which cuts down the acid production in the stomach and reduces the pain in his throat when he regurgitates. He hates the medicine, so the only way to fool him is to syringe it really quickly into his mouth and stick the bottle in before he has time to scream. I've also started to freeze some breast milk in preparation of my return to work. In the bid to increase milk supply, I took fenugreek 2 days in a row. This resulted in a serious case of mastitis - infection of the milk duct. It was horrible - pain, lethargy and fever. And it had to happen on a Sunday that the Husband had MBA class. But the Lord certainly knows our need - just the night before, a sister from Church rang to offer to babysit Marc in Church so that I could listen to the message. After his 5am feed on Sunday morning, fever struck. I was pretty zonked out at Church but managed to listen to most of the message thanks to this sister!

So at the end of the day, a lack of milk is no good. Too much milk is no good either. Conclusion - be content with what you have! The Husband has been asking me to consider stopping breastfeeding to make life easier for myself and to avoid having to pump at regular intervals at work. I'm still going to persist...

We will be going on a family holiday to Malaysia, partly to visit the Husband's grandparents and partly to attend a friend's wedding. We're praying Marc will enjoy the car ride there and not scream his head off the entire way!

Marc's getting very strong too. Bathing is difficult - he loves his baths so he kicks up a storm. A slippery, strong, wet 5.5kg baby is not easy to handle. I keep telling the Husband something bad is going to happen. And it happened today. Marc got particularly excited and whilst trying to wash his groin area with one hand and supporting him with the other, he went under completely for one second. I scooped him up really quickly and he sat there stunned for 30 seconds. Then it finally registered and he screamed his lungs out! The good side is that his face was really clean after that! No need to use cotton wool to cleanse! We've been trying to find bath solutions and wanted to purchase a bath cum changing table. But a friend with a bigger and older baby told us it won't take the weight after a while - they are considering bathing the baby with a tub on the floor - which is currently what we're doing now!

Marc the Lady Killer

We brought Marc to see a renown lactation consultant, Mrs Wong Boh Boi last Tuesday. We attended her prenatal class and enjoyed it lots. She works at Thomson Medical Centre ("TMC") and is well known in Singapore for her baby-handling skills and knowledge. The Parentcraft centre at TMC is amazing - they have well-trained staff to help you with breastfeeding, all manner of breast pumps, classes on baby massage and care, etc. We arrived at 9am in the morning and after a short wait, I was ushered into a room and fed warm milo. The staff helped me to breastfeed Marc and noted that his latch was good, but his problem was that after the initial few minutes, he starts to nibble and ocassionally fall asleep at the breast. This was why he was taking an hour to feed and still ended up hungry. They also have a super duper machine that weighs the baby before a feed and after, so that they can determine how much the baby has drunk. After an hour of intense feeding, latching and un-latching him and breast compressions, he had only drunk 70ml! No wonder he was still hungry, he is full normally with 150ml!

We were told to leave Marc behind, go out and relax and have a nice lunch and return at 1.30pm to breastfeed him again. This is to determine that milk supply wasn't the problem. We were THRILLED! An afternoon without Marc was heaven-sent. We love the kid and all, but it can get very tiring facing a crying baby all day at home. Needless to say - we had Japanese food for lunch and I was so happy, my milk supply was SUPER abundant that day!

After returning to Parentcraft we found Marc quietly swaddled and lying in a cot with Mrs Wong by his side chatting to him. The consultants said he had a lot of wind in his tummy and passed it all out after they applied tummy massage on him. Mrs Wong also commented that he didn't cry much and was good all morning - we were surprised! She mentioned that Marc likes older women and was checking out all the women coming in and out of the centre - he was not interested in the infant girls at all!

That marked the start of his new career as the lady killer. We brought him to a birthday party last week and he woke up from his nap, hungry for milk (or so I thought). Normal scenario at home: Scream and yell at top of his lungs for milk. Scenario at the party: All smiles and giggles at the aunties! We were shocked needless to say. This boy is an Aunty killer! All the girls gathered round him and commented how handsome he was....the Husband and I are thinking...oh no, he likes women more than food! And we thought he was obsessed enough about food, now this....this is going to be lots of trouble when he grows up!

Two landmark things from the past week.
Sunday Nov 4th - Marc's first service to the Lord - appearing on stage in Church with a bunch of young adults from ACTS to promote Family Day!

Monday Nov 5th - My first time out with Marc ALONE - pushed him out in the stroller for a walk to Holland Village. He was thrilled, but thankfully I had the sense to turn back after 25 minutes because he spent the last 5 minutes screaming at the top of his voice, inviting lots of stares from passers-by. I can attest that every first time parent's greatest fear is - CRYING. The crying is unnerving at first, then you get used to it when he cries at home. Crying in public is a totally different matter. The fear is crippling! You get people staring at you like you're some crazy parent letting your baby cry in the stroller. They have no idea that its perfectly normal for babies to cry and that they don't have to be picked up the minute they cry - a few minutes is good exercise for the lungs! But no...many well meaning strangers actually come up to you, open the hood over the stroller, touch the baby and start telling you what's wrong with him and why he's crying (and they ALWAYS say he's hungry). This has happenned to us COUNTLESS times (and Marc's not even that old) and its always someone from the older generation who does that. I don't understand why - first of all, we don't know you! Secondly - please mind your own business. Thirdly - talking and smiling at a stranger's baby is perfectly fine, but TOUCHING without asking is way out of line...This strange phenomena happens everywhere we go and sometimes we cover the stroller hood as a hint for the person to "please go away" but they still don't get it! Friends from overseas - please tell me if this has happenned to you or if this is a Singapore phenomena!

A good friend commented that its been a week since Mum and Dad have left and I was still sounding cheerful. I hadn't realised its been a week already! Yes, the fatigue is a constant companion but we're getting the hang of things and becoming more familiar with taking care of him. Each day has been full of little mercies from God and we can see His hand at work with each step we take. Time flies - Marc is exactly 8 weeks old today!

Thanks Mum

Upon reflection, I've realised how misinformed I was about motherhood before I became a mother. I know that I've always wanted to have kids and be a mother, but I really had to idea what it entailed. I now have a deeper and greater understanding of a mother's heart and this has made me appreciate my Mum a lot more.

The past few weeks has really taught me a lot about myself. I'm a real control freak and even when things are beyond your control at work, its always manageable. Handling a baby really teaches you about helplesness. The kind of helplesness that drives you to your wits end and you have no choice but to say "help me Lord" - and really mean it! This has really humbled me and taught me the true meaning of dependence. I've never really had to depend on God till now and its truly a day by day dependence for everything. I'm in constant conversation with God, although most times the conversation sounds like "please make him sleep Lord!" or "please help him burp Lord"! I'm the sort of person that wants answers - but I've learnt that sometimes, there is no answer and perhaps God doesn't want me to have the answer - at least not just yet! This is tough for a control freak, but perhaps there's no other way for me to learn these lessons unless I become a mother!

After Aunty Mei Lan left, Mum and Dad came to stay with us. Chores were split up between everyone in the house. Dad was in charge of sterilising all the bottles and feeding equipment, laundry, general hygiene and all the other "hardware" sort of things around the house. Doesn't sound like much but I guarantee you that its kept him busy enough! There's lots of laundry for a baby even if we don't use cloth nappies. Mum did everything else - the cooking, the marketing, helping me to bottle feed Marc when I'm too pooped, bathe him when I'm totally exhausted, pat him to sleep, change his diapers, etc. Handling a baby day in and day out can wear anyone's patience thin and if not for Mum, I think Marc would have been left at the local orphanage by now! She has tirelessly volunteered to help and even wakes up at night when he cries for his feeds. Thankfully, I've never made her feed him at night as yet!

Mum is a very ambitious, assertive and business-savvy type of woman. I knew she took care of me but I didn't really know what that meant till now. She never gives up on Marc, even when he's really cranky and cried for the 200th time that day. She's always willing to help and patiently plays with him and entertains him. The best part is that she's really easygoing and doesn't insist that we handle Marc in HER way, but allows us to make our own decisions as parents. I'm thankful for the many mornings that she's taken over feeding and burping Marc when I'm too tired from countless night feeds.

Both Mum and Dad return to the US on Monday and we will miss them lots!! Thanks Mum for all that you've done for me, a lot of which I haven't really understood till now. And thanks for all the help you've rendered to us in the past few weeks. Thanks for being so encouraging and telling me that I can do it as long as I've set my mind to it, which means a lot to me during moments of helplesness. Thanks for giving up the chance to eat a proper meal to take care of Marc so that I can have a proper meal. Thanks for patiently "grooming" Marc and painstakingly giving him "facials" to remove his cradle cap. Thanks for babysitting so that we can have some time alone. The fact that you and Dad managed to take care of me in my infant days without any hired help is encouragement enough for me to know that it can be done! I will miss not just the help around the house but having an adult around the house to share a decent conversation with during the day! Now we're on our own and another chapter of lessons await us in the months ahead.

Marc is growing fast and learning new things each day. He's able to army-crawl on his belly, which is amazing for a 6 week old. His arms and legs are really strong and he can flip out of your hands if your grip is not firm enough. I've dropped him several times, which didn't result in him actually hitting the ground but being suspended in mid air with whatever part of his body I still have left in my hands! His reflexes are fast and his ears are sharp, so much so that he startles at the slightest sound. He's recently started trying to converse with us and smiles lots - as long as he's full! He's still got an appetite of a monster and feels heavier each day - partly due to weight gain and partly due to arm fatigue! We're slowly getting the hang of parenthood - there's so much to learn, not just for Marc but for us!

An Unwell Baby - the next greatest challenge

Whoever said that maternity leave is a 3 month holiday is obviously a man with no kids. No mother who takes care of her kids herself would ever agree with that statement.

Baby Marc is generally good natured and easygoing...I started him on a routine recommended by Gina Ford, author of the "New Contended Baby Book". http://www.contentedbaby.com/
It advocates putting babies into a routine so that there are set sleep, feed and playtimes. I was amazed that Marc actually woke and fed naturally in accordance with the recommended times, and managed to sleep for a 4 hour stretch at night. That was until Sunday.

He got over tired and didn't manage to nap during his afternoon nap which meant that he got super cranky in the evening. This resulted in lots of crying, which may or may not have led to lots of wind in the tummy. He was inconsolable from Sunday till today and between Mum, Dad, the Husband and me, we've been taking turns to console him and put him to sleep. We've also been using colic drops to ease his discomfort. Its heart wrenching to see your baby in obvious pain and screaming his head off, with nothing much you can do to calm him.

Still we are positive and praying that he will recover soon. Apparently they outgrow this phase when their digestive system is more mature.

Since the confinement nanny left, my free time is now a luxury. My days are a blur of feeds, small snatches of times for meals, going to the loo and showering when someone else is tending to him. Still, its important to see the positive side of things. Motherhood trains you to be patient, humble and totally dependent on God. For those husbands out there reading this - your support is absolutely essential to your wife's sanity. Don't think that looking after the baby is "her job" - its a 24 hour job with no lunch breaks, no smoke breaks and no job scope! You must offer to help so that she can take a nap or even pee during the day.

Here are some gift ideas for those of you thinking of buying your friend who is a new Mum something (disclaimer - only applies of the Mum is looking after baby herself, otherwise some items will be redundant).

1) A Waterproof Apron - very useful for baths. Baby normally pees on Mummy just before or just after entering his bath. This will save Mummy less of a laundry hassle.

2) A Massager that can be operated single handedly and without the help of another human being - sore necks and backs are a norm for mum's, whether breastfeeding or not. Imagine holding baby, 6-8 times a day for 30minutes at a stretch, with neck craned downwards towards baby while he feeds. This is a SUPER gift. Don't bother getting a spa voucher, she wouldn't have time to go out anyway.

3) A Breastfeeding pillow - a MUST for breastfeeding mums.

4) A voucher for Nursing clothes - a MUST for breastfeeding mums so that she can feed baby easily in public

5) An IPOD - I discovered its use recently. Good gift for breastfeeding Mums as listening to music whilst looking at babies pictures encourages letdown when expressing milk. To read more about letdown, go to:
http://www.babyworld.co.uk/information/baby/breastfeeding/breastfeeding_early_days.asp#Let-down

The day Aunty Mei Lan went home was a sad day for me. I had a short spell of feeling very depressed cos she has been such a great help. I think she grew attached to Marc as well and gave him an angpow before she left. I admit there was a twinge of envy as I thought to myself - she gets to sleep for 8 hours tonight. But that was quickly replaced with the depression again. My first concern was - what do I do with night feeds? I have been expressing breast milk at 3 hour intervals at night and leaving them in the fridge for her to bottle feed Marc so that I can get some rest. How does waking up at 3 hour intervals equate to more rest you say? Well, feeding time is usually an hour - by the time he's finished drinking and burping. Expressing milk can be as fast as 15 minutes - that's a whole 45 minutes more sleep, which equates to A LOT!

That's when I decided - Marc really needs a routine because I can't be waking up to feed him based on a demand feeding schedule. That's 1 hour feeding time plus additional time to express milk - I might as well not sleep at night! The other great push factor for getting him into a routine is our ability continue to have a life! I can't see how being held hostage by his feeding demands as something healthy, especially if we want to be able to continue serving in Church and for me to go back to work after maternity leave. Plus we never really know what's wrong when he cries, is he hungry, is he tired, is he unwell? With a routine, its easy to tell because you know exactly how much sleep he needs and whether he's had enough and how much milk he needs and whether he's still hungry. It also means we can actually tell people when is a good time to drop by for a visit, or when we can come out to meet them for a meal, etc.

I may not be able to update my blog so regularly now that the confinement nanny has gone home...but I will still try so stay tuned for more updates!

Motherhood 101

Nothing you read or hear ever prepares you for motherhood, so I'm going to come up with my own Motherhood 101, in the hope that it will help first time Mums out there. These are the things they never told you in prenatal class and the book "What to Expect When You're Expecting." Now that I'm hitting the one month mark, I kind of feel qualified to give advice on motherhood!! This is what I've learnt in the past 4 weeks.

1) When they say you will be tired in the first few weeks, they mean you will be so tired, you will hit the tired barrier, after which you will be running on adrenaline and sheer willpower alone. The tiredness never goes away, you just get used to it.

2) You will get some form of the blues so make sure your partner is prepared for it. Recognise it for what it is, have a good cry, speak up about how you feel and realise that it will get better.

3) EVERYONE has an opinion and view on how baby should be taken care of and they are absolutely certain that their view is the only right view. Be prepared for it and don't let it affect you. It will usually make your blues worse if you take it to heart. Learn how to discern and sift through all advice wisely.

4) When you walk on the street with your baby, many strange aunties will come up to you and tell you that you are either carrying your baby the wrong way or not dressing him up with sufficient clothes, even in the 34degree Singapore heat.

5) You are not a bad mother, just a new one. (Courtesy of the Husband who has given me tons of assurance)

6) Don't feel bad about outsourcing - if there are people willing to care for your baby so that you can take a break, accept it!

7) The best way to increase your milk supply is to do something you like and stop focusing on the supply. For me, it involved getting out of the house with the Husband and leaving baby with the confinement nanny for a few hours.

8) The malay jamu wraps really work! Get a good and skilled therapist, the full body massage helps ease those aches and pains from 2 hourly breastfeeding sessions and from constantly straining your next to look downwards at your baby.

9) Babies cry all the time, don't freak out.

10) Talk to your friends to vent and don't be afraid to ask for help and advice from other Mums. It helped keep me sane.

Breastfeeding - the greatest challenge

I am one of those people who was bent on exclusive breastfeeding for my baby before he was born. I read up a lot, spoke to many breastfeeding mums and psychoed myself into being a milk machine. When Marc was born, I breastfed him in the labour ward, even though a second dose of the anasthetic was given to me through my epidural and I felt like throwing up, along with getting the shivers cos the silly nurse overdosed me. Marc is a good sucker - to put it crudely - he latched on pretty quickly and had no problems sucking.

I told the nurses in the hospital that I wanted to breastfeed, so during my 2 night stay in the hospital, baby Marc was wheeled into the room in his plastic tub every 3 hours for a feed. I read that at that stage, I don't actually have any milk, but the body produces colostrum, which is high in antibodies and nutrients needed by the baby. These regular feeds are necessary to stimulate milk production, but it also meant that I got zero sleep, coupled with the flood of visitors during the daytime.

By the time I arrived home, I was already running on adrenaline - the sheer exhaustion is indescribable. The closest thing to it was when I didn't sleep in a 48 hour period during my Year 12 Maths Method project. Even that is peanuts compared to the early days of breastfeeding.

When we arrived home, Marc just wouldn't settle - I would let him suck till my nipples started blistering, then bleeding. All my pro-breastfeeding friends told me this was normal and to just bear with the pain till my nipples toughened up. The Husband was getting worried as he remembered pictures from our antenatal class where an overzealous mum let her baby suck for so long that she got such sore nipples that were infected and she could no longer breastfeed. Still I persisted.

On the first night back Marc's lips started to peel and he just wouldn't sleep at all. We were getting worried and he wouldn't stop crying - a good friend who's a second time Mum and successful breastfeeder told me to just supplement him with a little formula milk. The key is to get him to suck so that milk production is stimulated, but to stop after 15 minutes on each breast and just top up with a little formula. That did the trick and he finally slept.

Still I persisted and told the confinement nanny to bring him to me at nights whenever he cries. She told me outright that I would be totally exhausted by the second week but I insisted and said that I need to do this in order for my milk supply to come in.

And it came in all of a sudden on the Saturday after I came home from hospital in the form of breast engorgement. The pain is terrible - feels like giving birth through your nipples cos the pain is like muscle cramps all over your chest. My entire chest was rock hard and I couldn't even sleep properly! This didn't help things because baby Marc couldn't get any milk out due to the engorgement. I tried massage, cold compress, warm compress, but they helped minimally. This was until my Malay massage lady arrived on Monday morning for my slimming massage and wrap. She massaged my breasts and it was excruciating - but she managed to clear all the lumps and milk started to flow! What a relief! I also learn the proper massage technique which really helped.

Still baby Marc would suck for AGES - sometimes up to an hour and still end up screaming afterwards from hunger, so we would supplement. The first 2 weeks was an emotional roller coaster. I was so bent on breastfeeding, I felt so awful everytime I had to supplement him to stop his screaming. The Husband kept telling me that if I don't get any rest, I won't have enough milk anyway. Supportive friends told me to the same thing, relax, don't worry about the supply and make sure I get enough rest. Others said to stop giving him formula totally otherwise my supply will never catch up.

Herein lies the irony - if I don't supplement, he will scream his head off, which ends ups stressing everyone out, which means getting him to latch on again after 1 hour of sucking, which means he will be sucking continously, which means I won't get any rest, which means my supply will decrease. But if I supplement, he will sleep more and suck less, which means my breasts will not receive sufficient stimulation, which means my supply will also not be enough.

I ended up pumping extra to stimulate milk production so that I would have more milk for him. I took herbal remedies like fenugreek to get more milk, ate fish every meal every day, drank green papaya and fish bone soup and became totally obsessed with my milk supply.

Then I found out that baby Marc was no ordinary baby - at 2 weeks, he was drinking enough milk for a 1 month old! I was actually producing enough milk, for a normal baby his age, but not enough for this little monster! And the strange thing is that he's not a big baby by any standards. I kept thinking that I should still be able to produce enough milk for him so I kept pumping more milk at 2 hour intervals to stimulate production, which also meant less sleep at night. I'm now paying the price of my greediness - I have a miniature version of me!! When he wants his food, he makes it very clear and screams his head off and will give everyone hell until he's satisfied. And he takes his food VERY seriously, when he drinks, he zeroes in on the nipple, gobbles it up like a crocodile and covers his face with both his tiny little hands whilst he sucks voraciously. He even gulps his milk down loudly. Its like a war - he growls and grimaces as he tries to swallow every precious drop and sighs in between when he's tired from sucking. He makes such a racket when he's feeding that everyone can hear this tiny infant at my breast!

He recently went through a growth spurt in Week 3 and everything went haywire again. We weighed him today at the doctor's and he's put on 1kg in less than 3 weeks. We realised he was fussy and upset a lot because he wasn't drinking enough milk, so we topped up with more milk and he's gone back to his 3 hourly cycle again.

The Husband has been very supportive and put up with my obsessive compulsive streak with breastfeeding - he keeps telling me that 1) milk cometh not from the east or from the west but from the Lord and 2) breast milk is better, not best. In fact if I were to stop breastfeeding he would have no qualms after seeing how much I have tried and suffered sleepless nights.

Right now I'm at the stage where I've accepted the fact that I may never have enough milk for Marc and I may have to supplement as he grows, but I've stopped feeling guilty about it. I still get up at 3-4hourly intervals at night to pump but I've also learn to let go, rest as much as I can and not stress about the supply. After trying just about everything, I'm resigned to the fact that if God wants to multiply my milk supply, He will and He can, no matter what I do using my human efforts!

Confinement Nanny - the Sanity Saver

When we found out we were pregnant, we decided to book a confinement nanny. For those of you who live overseas, this is probably a foreign concept. But for us lucky folks living in Asia, we can actually hire a live-in-nanny for a month. Job scope includes caring for baby and mummy, including feeding, bathing, sleeping with baby and cooking for the recuperating mummy. I started asking around for recommendations and had about 5 on my list. When I started calling them in my first trimester of pregnancy, I was horrified to discover that many were already booked! There's a joke among my group of mummy friends that you basically have to book the confinement nanny first THEN try to get pregnant, otherwise the good ones get snapped up at the word "go"! I was quite discouraged but kept asking around.

The paradox is this - most of the confinement nannies come from Malaysia. Looking after an infant 24 hours a day for a month AND cooking for the mother is no easy feat and something that most Singaporeans would shun. Because these confinement nannies are not Singaporean, technically, a work permit is required. However in practice, many of them work on a visitor pass. The standard term of work is 28 days, so to get around the rules, most will work for 14 days, then cross the causeway back into Malaysia and return again for another 14 days. After some deliberation, we decided that we would hire a nanny that is agreeable to a work permit. It costs an additional $200 but we wanted to be on the right side of the law. I also felt it would affect our Christian testimony to the nanny if we were unable to even let her work legally.

We finally found a suitable one from an ex-colleague who fit all the requirements. After a telephone discussion, where I stated very clearly that 1) I am not traditional and intend to bathe everyday and 2) I intend to breastfeed, we had a verbal agreement to book Aunty Mei Lan. She indicated on the phone that she will care for the baby, cook for the Husband and I and clean up the kitchen after cooking. If she has spare time, she'll help out with other chores. I thought this was reasonable.

When Marc arrived early, Aunty Mei Lan had already made plans to spend the weekend with her children who were visiting her from KL. The earliest she could arrive was Saturday the 15th. We agreed, but to our delight, she rang on the day of my discharge to indicate that her children had urged her to come to Singapore early begin her engagement with us as promised. Hence she managed to come on Friday the 14th and rescued us from more sleepless nights (as indicated in my earlier post).

The first thing we realised about Aunty Mei Lan is that she's super hardworking - she has cleaned our home 10 times over, packed up and organised the kitchen, created a system for baby's clothes, sterilisation of bottles, storage of bottles, etc. The Husband was very pleased. Her daily routine involves waking up at around 7-8am every morning, regardless of how little she's slept, having breakfast, thawing food for lunch, putting a round of bottles in the steriliser. Next is to bathe Marc at around 8-9pm after he's had a small feed, then making sure he's full and ready to settle for a nap. Then she's off to empty all the bins in the house, magic-wiping the floors, packing up, preparing lunch, packing the sterilised bottles, etc. She's ready again for his next feed before cooking lunch and washing up ALL the dishes. The only rest time she has is after his afternoon feed where she lies down for a little nap, and steals an hour to watch her Chinese program at 4.30pm - to which she would tend to Marc if he's hungry or fussing in between. She's up cooking dinner again in the evening and washing up, then boiling my red date and longan drink in the slow cooker overnight so I have a supply for the next day. PLUS night feeds - I diligently woke up to breastfeed him every 2-3 hours for the first 2 weeks. Aunty Mei Lan kept telling me that I would tire myself out by the time she leaves and I realised it was affecting my supply, so I've resorted to expressing my milk at night and letting her feed him from the bottle.

After waking up 2-4 times a night, she's up again and the whole routine begins. There have been times when Marc would fuss and we would have no idea what he wanted, thankfully Aunty Mei Lan is here to help. I've been fed with nutritious food, daily bought and delivered by the mother in law. One piece of good advice given by friends is to accept all help given and do not hesitate to ask for help if you need it - I couldn't agree more! I think we would have gone insane if we didn't have Aunty Mei Lan's help. As it is, I feel like a zombie everyday from the lack of sleep, if I didn't have her help, I would be totally delirious!

Now I'm starting to worry - what will I do when she leaves???? We've started to observe how she bathes the baby so that we can learn and will probably do a hands-on session whilst she's still here. I've heard many horror stories about confinement nannies who discourage breastfeeding and believe in lots of hocus pocus and old wives tales - whilst Aunty Mei Lan has her views on my daily hair-washings and drinking of plain water, she will voice them but pretty much leaves me to decide. She consults me on what she intends to cook for the day and on how often and how I want to feed my baby. In this respect, both the Husband and I agree that she's very professional and has a great work attitude. Would definitely recommend her to friends!

13 September - First Night at Home

Marc and I was discharged from the hospital with a clean bill of health on Thursday, 13th September. We were taught how to clean his cord, after which he was dressed in his going home outfit and we were free to leave. I carried him in my arms down through the Gleneagles lobby, the Husband and I both beaming with pride at our new bundle of joy. As is always the case, Marc was quiet and sleepy all the way through our application for his birth certificate at the admissions counter, our payment of the final hospital bill, the car ride home and the arrival to our doorstep.

Grandma was home with the helper, already preparing our lunch and having the house all spruced up and ready for Marc's arrival. The afternoon proceeded relatively uneventfully, with us trying to figure out where to place the cot during the day and debating whether the fan was needed to keep him cool. We had dinner with the Husband's family and Marc started to fuss. He didn't seem satisfied after feeding from the breast and kept crying. We noticed that Marc's lips were dry and peeling, fearing that he was dehydrated, we started furiously sms-ing some experienced friends. They advised us to supplementing with a little formula milk, which he drank a few sips and refused to drink anymore. He managed to settle and we thought that would be the end of it.

We decided to try bathing him - it was quite a scene. Imagine 2 adults, sitting over a tub of water, with a newborn babe screaming at the top of his lungs, whilst one adult kept running in and out of the toilet to re-check the "Childcare" edition of Mrs Wong Boh Boi's books. The end result was a not-so-clean baby and 2 very harassed adults!

Then night fell. We wheeled the cot into our room and swaddled him plus added a layer of blanket to keep him warm in the airconditioned room. Within an hour, he started fussing again. Feeding from the breast didn't help. His diaper was clean. Singing to him didn't help. Carrying him didn't help. Feeding him formula milk settled him a bit, but he woke again and the cycle started all over again. Nothing seemed to work! We even tried letting him sleep between the 2 of us but that didn't work either.

By 8am, we had managed to settle him, after taking turns to wake up and tend to the crying babe whilst the other person caught some shut-eye. We were both very very tired.

When the confinement nanny finally arrived at 10am, she arrived to find a house in chaos and 2 very tired adults! Our first night at home with Marc - memorable indeed but truly a lesson that no matter how well prepared you think you are, its never the same as the real thing!

Week 38 - My Labour Story

Yes! I'm back in cyberspace after what seems like a lifetime. But I've now realised its just been a matter of 5 days! Seems like ages. I logged on to gmail today and had so many messages! Still getting through them.

I thought Week 38 would be my last week at work as I had planned. But obviously, both Pipsqueak and God had other plans.

It started on Monday, 10th of September. I had woken up, had breakfast and started putting on makeup to go to work. I used the loo and noticed some spotting. I went to the Husband and told him and he didn't think it was a big deal. I said "This is a sign that I am going into labour! We should call Dr Ang!" Still not thinking it was a big deal, the Husband agreed. I started sms-ing my colleagues to tell them that I would need to see the doctor this morning and not be in the office.

At around 9.30am I managed to get my doctor's receptionist on the line and told her about the spotting, she said she would speak to the doctor right away and get her to call me back.

My doctor rang back in about 5 minutes and after assessing my situation, advised me to make my way to the hospital labour ward for a CTG - this measures the baby's heartbeat as well as the level of contractions.

"Take your time, have a shower, have your breakfast and proceed to the Labour ward at around 11am"

We took that literally and dilly dallied till around 11.30am. Paul headed out to run a couple of errands and buy the papers, whilst I re-packed my hospital bag, took a shower, ensured I had enough snacks in the bag, etc. When we arrived and I got hooked up to the CTG machine, it was close to 12pm. We were told that the CTG would take an hour. At first we found it quite interesting to see baby's heartbeat and my contractions on the graph paper. Then my hunger set in. And oh boy was I hungry. I started harassing the Husband to ask the nurse if I could eat. When she finally came round she checked the readings and the conversation was a bit like this...

"You are having contractions and they are quite regular, do you feel them?"

"Yes, but they don't hurt." Pause "Can I eat? I'm really hungry"

(Surprised expression from Nurse) "No not yet, but let me check with the doctor and let you know"

I decided to disobey anyway and the Husband went down to delifrance to get me a tuna croissant. By the time the nurse came to tell me I could eat but that I had to wait till my doctor came to see the results before I could go home, the Husband had already returned with the sandwich and I had a few sips of Orangina. I chomped down my sandwich in a flash!

My doctor arrived a while later and explained that I was having contractions, but I was not in labour yet and my cervix was only 1cm dilated. Having a show indicates that labour is imminent but real labour could begin anywhere from the day itself to 1 week. I had a choice to stay and have my labour induced or to go home and wait it out. I chose the latter and was given 2 days medical leave. If labour didn't start by then I was ok to go to work on Wednesday. I was thoroughly confused about the contractions and double checked with the doctor that I was to return if I had contractions 5 minutes apart and that these contractions were indeed supposed to hurt. I have been having painless contractions for about a week and some are already 5 minutes apart!

We went home and the day was relatively uneventful, although I could feel the contractions and they were definitely stronger than before. After dinner, the Husband decided we should junk out and suggested we order pizza. I was quite excited at the prospect as it was a long while since I ate junk food and we figured since baby would arrive anytime, why not!



I had 2 slices and finished them faster than the Husband!

We went to bed and I was still having painless contractions, but with lots more spotting during the course of the day. At around 2.30am, I woke up with painful contractions. The pain was bearable, and they came regularly at about 10 minute intervals. The books say that 5 minute intervals is when we have to go to the hospital. So is this it? I decided to walk around the house and see how it would progress. I discovered that the pain was heightened with sitting and lying down, but walking helped. So I kept walking around the house and timing the contractions. By 4.30am I decided the contractions were regular and they did hurt enough for me to do the breathing exercises we learnt in class, so I woke the Husband. We ate a light breakfast and continued monitoring for some time. It took a bit of debating to figure out if this was for real, and when we finally decided it was, it was close to 6am. We decided to head to the hospital.

We arrived at around 6.30am and the nurse showed us to Delivery Room 7 where I was told to get into a hospital gown and lie on the bed. If anyone was not scared of labour, I think the delivery room is enough to put you off! It looks so clinical and cold. They tried to use pretty wallpaper but really, it doesn't feel that way at all! After going through lots of paperwork, I was given an enema and that was NOT COMFORTABLE at all! Feels like 2 bouts of food poisoning all at once!

I was told to lie on the bed and was hooked up to the CTG machine again. The nurse on duty was super-grumpy and when I was asked if I could walk around to ease the labour pain, the flat answer was no. Here's a pic of me looking relatively positive on the delivery bed!



The contractions started coming more regularly and they grew in intensity and pain. I was at 1cm from 7am till about 9am and whilst I kept getting contractions, my cervix was dilating very slowly. My doctor came at 9.30am and burst my waterbag and put me on a drip with Syntocin to speed up the contractions. I was offered an epidural and I asked the nurse if the contractions would hurt more with the Syntocin and the answer was very diplomatic, to the effect that different people react differently, but in a nutshell, it was a yes. I decided to wait it out and see if they got worse. By now, the husband was already massaging my lower back with each contraction and I was doing my breathing exercises. Hearing that my cervix was still 1.5cm was totally discouraging.

By 10.30am the pain was so intense and came very 3 minutes - I was only 1.5cm and to go by estimations, the cervix generally dilates 1cm every 1 hour. This meant possibly 9 more hours of pain, which would increase and not decrease! I decided to take the epidural. The Husband was finding all sorts of different means to give me by back massage without having his hand fall off when the anaesthesist finally arrived. He was very calm and after a few questions, told me to turn to my left side and curl up like a ball as much as physically possible whilst he inserted the epidural tube. It was hard to keep still when a contraction came and trying to do deep breathing at the same time. The only part that hurt was the local anasthetic to numb the back, everything else was pretty painless. When the epidural finally kicked in, it was bliss! My legs felt a bit weird and numb, but I could still move them.

By now it was almost 1pm and the Husband went downstairs to have his lunch whilst I lied down and tried to rest. A bit hard considering there are 2 large plastic disks strapped around my swollen belly, a drip connected to 2 tubes on my left hand and a blood pressure arm band around my right arm. I was also told to turn from side to side occasionally as the baby's heartbeat was a bit high.

My dilation was checked regularly and I was progressing well, by the time I hit 7cm I was very positive and decided to start wiping my face to prepare for photos after baby was out. By around 5pm I started to feel the urge to push. I told Paul to call the nurse who arrived and did one more check on me and indicated that I would be able to start pushing soon. I was prepped and stirrups were placed on the end of the bed. Several different midwives came and left the room, each trying to explain to me the pushing technique. Honestly, the Husband was WAY better than all the midwives combined. I only managed to get him out in a relatively short time with the Husband's contstant support and encouragement.

And the strange thing is - people kept calling whilst I was in labour! There were occasions when I was ready to push and needed the Husband's support and he was busy answering the phone! Can't people leave you alone when you are in labour?

After pushing with all my might for about half an hour, baby Marc entered the world at 5.29pm! My doctor was pretty impressed that the baby came out that quickly - she basically walked in, put on her boots and gown delivered the head, gave me an epistotomy, then delivered the body in one swift motion.





Thank God he is well and healthy! God certainly answers prayer and we are both doing well at home.

The Husband noticed that the delivery room was really quite a warzone after the delivery and took some pictures of the aftermath.





Here's a pic of Marc in the plastic hospital tub.


Marc was 2.56kg at birth, 48cm long and had a head diameter of 32cm. He was very fiesty and cried very loudly as soon as he emerged. I also managed to breastfeed him in the labour ward, which I was very happy about.

Will update with another post soon on our first few days at home. Its the start of an amazing journey! Thanks to all for your love, prayers and well wishes!

Latest Update

Just got back from the hospital...had a bloody show this morning so doc told me to take a shower and make my way to the hospital for a CTG. Took our time, and was hooked up to this machine for 1 hour - one measured Pipsqueak's heartbeat the other measured contractions. I was indeed having contractions, but they didn't hurt, just felt like strong Braxton hicks. Not sure what it means but the maximum contraction hit about 110.

The nurse came round and told me that I was having contractions and asked if I could feel them. My answer was "yes but they don't hurt and I'm really hungry, can I eat?" Her answer was no as I had to be examined before they could let me go. I spent the next 15 minutes harassing the poor Husband about how hungry I was. In the end he bought me a delifrance tuna sandwich from downstairs and an Orangina. I disobeyed the nurse and started sipping on my Orangina. She came back and told me that my gynae wanted to come in and check on me and that I could be taken off the machine and I could eat. HURRAY!

Was examined by my gynae who confirmed that I was only 1cm dilated, so I had the choice of either inducing labour or to go home and wait it out. Chose the latter option, would rather let nature take its course and my boss has told me numerous times that induced contractions always hurt more. Was told to return if my water bag breaks or if I get contractions every 5 minutes. But this is the confusing part - how am I supposed to know if my contractions are 5 minutes apart, when I'm already having them and they don't hurt? I asked the midwife and my gynae if my contractions should hurt before I come in and they both said yes.

According to my gynae, I could be in this pre-labour state for as long as a week, so I could deliver tonight or I could deliver next week! In any case, i was given 2 days medical leave to rest at home. Let's wait and see what happens!

Week 37 - Intense Braxton Hicks

As the song goes "anyday now...", that's kinda how Week 37 feels like. At the last checkup, Pipsqueak grew again and is now about 2.6kg. Doc says he's not a fat baby which is good for me. The only bad news this week is that I tested positive for Strep B - its a kind of bacteria that lives in the birth canal and my reading tells me that between 16-40% of women have it, but have no symptoms whatsoever. Its not harmful to me, but if I deliver naturally, baby may be exposed to the bacteria and develop illnesses like Meningitis and Pneumonia. So I've been put on a course of antibiotics and will be given an injection when I go into labour to minimise the infection to Pipsqueak. I didn't realise it was SO common until I chatted with a few colleagues who had the same infection when they were pregnant.

My Braxton Hicks contractions have been getting more and more intense, it kept me awake one night and is starting to feel more uncomfortable. The worst is having a Braxton Hicks in the car - and the car goes over a bumpy road or speed hump! Oh my, does it hurt! Its a strange sensation, my entire belly tightens and becomes very hard. Amazing how God created our human body to even have test run contractions before the real thing! I hope I'll be able to tell the real contractions when they come! I am still optimistic about trying for a natural labour without an epidural and some friends think I'm crazy, but I'll give it a go anyway!

The Husband and I have finally gotten off our lazy bums and done our hospital pre-admission. Involves going to the admissions counter and getting some paperwork done, so that when I arrive in labour, I go straight up to the labour ward. The Husband has got his labour plan ready - I can't remember the acronym he's come up with the remind himself what to do, but my main concern is getting the hospital bag ready. And strangely enough, I keep adding food to the bag. I have the greatest phobia of waking up hungry in the middle of the night in the hospital and having nothing to eat by Milo and biscuits! So I've packed Mcvities and recently bought some nice Japanese chocolate biscuits too.

I've been getting lots of pampering at home. My parents are enroute to Melbourne and Dad has been giving me lots of food massages and Mum has been cooking up a storm. Dad's a super ironer as well so my clothes are all well ironed this week! The Husband tucks me into bed at night and helps me get into bed (yes its even hard to get in and out of bed!). He's also my fitness instructor - the gynae has been encouraging me to do squats, as the lower Pipsqueak's head is, the easier and shorter my labour. So we walk up the stairs to the car park in the morning to keep my stamina up and do squats at night to push Pipsqueak's head down! But to me, the best form of exercise is retail therapy! I've been sneaking in lots of shopping during lunchtime - my rationale is that it won't be so easy for me to get out and shop after baby arrives, so better do it now!

Week 38 will be my last week at work. I've been praying that Pipsqueak won't arrive too early so that I will have enough leave to tide over Christmas, and he's been pretty good so far I must say. Let's see how this week pans out!

Week 36 - Pipsqueak is 2.4kg!

We had our 36 week checkup and Pipsqueak's estimated weight is about 2.4kg. Doc says this is a good weight for my frame and if he's just below 3kg at full term, it would be just nice. He's gaining weight steadily, which is good too, as most babies stop putting on much weight towards the last few weeks. His head is down in my pelvis, but could be lower, so I was taught to do squats to push his head lower for an easier labour. She also recommended me to walk more and especially walking up flights of stairs at it improves stamina for labour. If you can imagine carrying around a very large watermelon at your belly and having it wrapped in your own skin, such that its pulling forward and downwards, the strain on your back is immense! Walking up stairs is no joke...plus with the baby's head so low, the pressure in the pelvis is incredible...I sometimes feel like my entire pelvis is about the fall out between my legs!

The pelvic and pubic bone pain has eased somewhat, so I'm able to walk a bit more freely now. It still hurts when I lie down on my back and left side.

Everyone is placing bets as to when I will pop - most are placed around the 14, 15, 16 & 17 of Sept period.

We had an office party on Friday and my colleagues were concerned that I would go into early labour with all the excitement. Since I had my checkup on Friday my gynae assured me that my cervix was still closed and nowhere near dilating, so I made it through the night without any dramas. Although I couldn't join in the fun, I did manage to join in the song "YMCA" whilst sitting on a chair...Pipsqueak was quite excited with all the music and talking...and I felt a bit like the Chinese pot-bellied buddha, with lots of people rubbing my tummy. Apparently its good luck to rub a pregnant woman's belly!

Most of my maternity tops are at maximum stretch - if a very young child were to walk underneath my shirts they would see some part of my exposed belly as there's just not enough fabric left! I'm also starting to get Braxton Hicks contractions, or at least that's what I think they are. I get them most in the evenings, they are relatively painless, but my entire belly hardens and becomes squarish in shape. There is also a slight shooting pain from the lower abdomen area and breathing becomes a bit harder.

Whatever the case, the end is in sight! 4 more weeks at the most...so I'm hanging in there by God's grace!

Week 35 - Pack your bags!

Went to see a Physiotherapist this week and she did an assessment. Turns out that one of my Sacro-iliac joints is stiffer than the other, hence one side of my hips have to over compensate, causing the pubic symphysis joint in the front to rub against each other, causing some misalignment and inflammation. Its not too serious and quite common, most pregnant women feel better after delivery but its important to take good care of my joints and prevent permanent damage. All this joint weakness is caused by the body producing the hormone called Relaxin which loosens all the ligaments and joints in preparation for labour. Apparently there are exercises I can learn to strengthen my core muscles to compensate for the joint weakness, but I've been too lazy to make another appointment to go back and learn them!

Pipsqueak is definitely getting heavier and his head is really low in my pelvis. I can actually feel him turn his head and I get shooting pains in my pelvic area when he decides to do a head butt or turn from side to side.

As a result I've been freaking all my colleagues out because I have no idea how soon I'll go into labour and all my files will be left hanging! So I've been trying to brief my colleagues on my active cases so that there is some continuity should I pop unexpectedly.

His growth rate is pretty phenomenal now, you can actually see the growth from day to day. I read that he's pretty much fully formed now, just putting on weight so that he can regulate his temperature in the outside world. He's also shedding his lanugo hair which covered his body in the womb, protecting him from the amniotic fluid.

I have another checkup this Friday, after this checkups will be weekly. I've got my hospital bag 90% packed, if not for the stuff which I still have to use from day to day. I've been trying to convince the Husband to read the labour and delivery chapters in "What to Expect when you're Expecting" so that he's prepared - but I haven't been very successful yet!

Week 34 - Waddle Waddle Waddle

Woke up on Wednesday feeling really heavy and strange, Pipsqueak's position seemed to have changed a bit and felt quite low. Then at lunch, I got this excruciating pain from the pubic bone radiating out to the inner thighs everytime I walked. I was reduced to walking very slowly and waddling like a duck. The pain didn't go away so I pushed forward my Friday checkup to Thursday.

The good news is that Pipsqueak is around 2kg now, so he's growing. His head is also 3/5 engaged, which is why I felt him being so low in the pelvis. Doctor says the pain is normal, some women can't even walk! She thinks it will go away in a few days as my body adjusts.

Its Sunday and it still hurts! It hurts when I walk, when I lift up one leg, when I turn from side to side in bed (this hurts the most) and when I cough. Worse still, I can hear something clicking in my pelvis when I walk. Did some reading online that there is a disorder called Pubic Symphysis Dysfunction. You can read more here:

http://www.babycentre.co.uk/pregnancy/antenatalhealth/physicalhealth/pelvicpain/?_requestid=1123266

I think I may have this, the symptoms match. The Husband doesn't think I have it, but its really slowing me down and affecting my mobility, so I've started making enquiries with physiotherapists to see if anyone is specialised in this. Apparently permanent joint damage can be caused during delivery if the doctors and nurses are not aware. In the meantime, everyone has noticed the waddling and much slower pace that I'm moving at.

After hearing that his head was engaged, most of my colleagues panicked (especially those who are not parents) and started asking what to do if I go into labour. I hope Pipsqueak doesn't arrive so soon, so that I can tide over my annual leave and maternity leave till next year!

Decided to wash Pipsqueak's clothes and linen this weekend since we're running out of time and technically, he can arrive anytime from Week 37. Its a good thing the Husband had the foresight to buy an extra clothing rack as Pipsqueak's clothes are so tiny, its hard to hang them on hangers and place them on our retractable clothes line. Everyone is telling us to enjoy our last few weeks of "freedom" before Pipsqueak arrives. At the moment, I just want my normal pelvis back!

Week 33 - Getting Wedged in Small Spaces

I don't know how it can possibly happen, but I seem to forget that I am taking up more space sideways and yet I still attempt to squeeze through small spaces. Just this Sunday I got wedged between the pillar and a table. I don't know what was going through my mind to make me think that I could possibly fit through the gap, but I had to gingerly reverse and walk the long way round. I've heard of women getting stuck in the barriers to the MRT train station! Hasn't happenned to me yet, but I can imagine why. Somehow toilets and barriers are not built with pregnant women in mind. I'm not sure if I have blogged about it yet, but I've been to one public toilet where I had 2 options, climb on the seat or stand pressed against the toilet bowl to get in and out of the cubicle. I chose the latter, but it still involved pressing the door against my belly.

The other unpleasant things I've discovered about pregnancy - the sweat glands work overtime! I keep smelling myself and not liking the smell the emanates, so I end up showering extra on the weekends when I'm home.

The constipation comes back on and off every few days, but its manageable. There is a feeling of incredible pressure in my groin and pelvic area, am told that it will get worse when baby's head engages. Sometimes his head seems so low I wonder if he's engaged already!

Visited a friend over the weekend who's just had her baby 2 weeks ago - and she looks like she's shrunk back to normal size! Her belly was tiny at full term and her baby was 3.5kg! As if that's not amazing enough, she's really petite but her labour was so short, she didn't even have time for an epidural. I pray mine is like that! Short, speedy and smooth!

Here are some shots of the lovely crabs we had on the weekend from Eng Seng Coffee Shop in Still Road. We ordered and bought them back for dinner to celebrate my sister in law's birthday. YUM! The pepper crab was awesome!



Its not uncommon now to see my belly go lopsided - my colleagues and friends find it quite intriguing. I'm not sure if I'm getting Braxton Hicks contractions, but sometimes my entire belly goes hard and I think its because Pipsqueak is sticking out his bum, but my friend tells me that she thought so too but her doc told her it was a Braxton hicks contraction.

I've also found out why Pipsqueak responds to the Husband's voice more favourably than mine - he can hear it more clearly! Mine probably sounds garbled as I'm further away, whereas the Husband can place his mouth right next to Pipsqueak's head. And I thought he was already starting to show favourtism between the parents. Of course the Husband still likes to think that Pipsqueak likes him better. Let's wait and see!

Week 32 - Daily Hiccups

We've finally hit the 8 month mark! On some days, I feel so heavy all my tummy muscles are aching and walking is a chore. I suspect that its his growth spurt days as I manage to adjust within the next day or so. As food is my greatest joy, its also one of my greatest challenges as I grow bigger each day as my stomach is being pushed higher and digestive capacity decreases. Sleeping is also getting more difficult, I still wake up at 4am or 5am in the mornings and find it hard to fall asleep again.




Here are pictures of the cot and stroller which arrived this week. The cot matches perfectly with the room decor, so I'm quite pleased. It has a one-handed drop down side which we were advised to look for in a cot as its hard to drop down the side with both hands if you're carrying a baby. Plus the height of the cot is adjustable so it grows with baby and prevents constant bending of the back.

The stroller was a gift from Uncle Ben and Aunty Grace, we selected a lighweight stroller so that its easy for me to handle on my own. You won't believe the multitude of functions that come with a stroller. There's actually a 4-wheel drive stroller - basically all 4 wheels can be unlocked and turn 360 degrees. If you think of it, its very handy if you need to rotate on the spot, but to push the stroller around or to walk in a straight line is quite challenging, so you end up locking 2 wheels. So in the end, you very rarely use the 4-wheel function. We decided to forgo the 4-wheel drive function and stick with a 2-wheel drive.

Pipsqueak has been hiccuping on a daily basis. I read on Babycenter that its because they take in small amounts of amniotic fluid as they learn to breathe, so they end up hiccuping. I don't think he likes the feeling as he gets agitated and starts kicking around. He's been hiccuping so much I'm getting quite concerned about whether he's in distress, but I've been told its normal. Anyone got suggestions on how to stop a baby hiccuping in the womb?

And I found out today too that a baby's kicking can be quite painful! My ribs have been sore partly from the kicking and partly from the expansion. Pipsqueak went on a rampage today and kicked like crazy - an entire limb popped out of my belly and it hurt! I hope my placenta is built to withstand constant pounding, I keep wondering if one day he's going to kick so hard, it will dislodge the placenta or cause a hole in it!

Week 31 - No More Durians

We had our 3 weekly checkup this week and discovered that Pipsqueak has put on a considerable amount of weight. He's gained 700 grams in 3 weeks, so he's 1.7kg. The strange thing - my total weight gain was only 400 grams. Which means he got 300 grams off me! His size is within the normal range, so nothing to be alarmed about. But I am convinced that his weight gain was attributed to durians. I had 3 large durian seeds over the weekend and I felt so heavy and I could see my tummy had grown considerably the 2 days after. Another pregnant friend of mine has been eating durians and also gained a lot of weight. So to all the pregnant mummies out there who have babies that are too small - EAT DURIANS!

I'm going to stay off durians for now, I don't want Pipsqueak to become so huge that he gets stuck in the birth canal!

Every day that passes, I think that I can't possibly grow anymore, but I keep growing and I think I'm surviving on God's grace alone. Its getting really hard to breathe and I get reflux when I lie down to sleep at night, so I have to prop myself up a bit higher. He likes to turn around a lot and do somersaults when I lie down, which actually really hurt now! His legs are also kicking my ribs a lot, so I have to sit up really straight.

My belly also becomes lopsided a lot nowadays, you can see his limbs or his back sticking out at odd locations. He does respond to his Dad though, who gives him a bit of a massage and speaks to him, which results in the offending body part returning back to position.

Despite feeling very heavy, taking a walk or swimming actually makes me feel better, not worse. I suppose its the circulation. I've been waking up at 5am in the mornings and the worse thing is I can't get back to sleep! Probably my body's way of getting ready for the late night feeds in the coming months.

We finally bought Pipsqueak his cot and stroller today! Will post pictures of them in next week's update. I've also finalised his wishlist, so for those who would like to know what presents to buy, just ask and I can email you the list. I've started packing my hospital bag and placing items in as and when I can. I didn't realise there were so many things to pack, so I figured no harm getting ready although I'm not due yet.

Week 30 - Visit from Aunty Winne

Pipsqueak got his first visitor this week - Aunty Winne from Hong Kong! Well, she actually came to visit me, but for now, its kind of the same thing. :) Aunty Winne brought presents for Pipsqueak - check out these cute mummy and baby matching shirts! Can someone who knows german tell me what the word means??? Winne has checked with her sources and they have assured her that its nothing vulgar. Which is a good start. But it would be nice to know what it means...hehehe...

We visited Sungei Buloh on Saturday afternoon to bring Winne back to nature - and we got totally feasted on by mosquitoes! Suffice to say that we were covered in mosquito carcasses by the end of the day after smacking each other's limbs to kill them. The park ranger assured us that these are not dengue mosquitoes, as Sungei Buloh is a swamp area and the Aedes mosquito needs very clean water to breed. Cold comfort to 3 itchy people. On the bright side, we visited some of the farms in the area and came home with a freshly killed sea bass and lots of organic vegetables. We had a sumptous dinner of HK style sea bass, carrot and corn soup and fresh leafy vegies. YUM! I also learnt the trick to making good soup, HK style. Anyone who wants to know, ask me. :)

We visited the Night Safari on Sunday night and although it was raining, we didn't let it dampen our mood. In fact, it ensured that the weather was nice and cool. The down side is that the Creatures of the Night show wasn't on as its an open-air show. But we had a good time nonetheless - would recommend you visit if you haven't been there before.

I took the day off on Monday and we watched Harry Potter and went for a massage after that. The massage was really sub-par, and its a well known spa chain called Rustic Nirvana. They promote their pre and post natal massages a lot, hence I decided to try out their promotional deal, but really, its not worth it. Don't waste your time and money trying. We had planned to have XO fish slice noodle for dinner after the massage but we were so lazy, we ended up coming straight home and cooking what was in the fridge! Check out our fusion meal - Korean noodles, HK Spare Ribs, Chinese Cod fish and Green Salad!



Am feeling so so heavy these days, and I have quite a fair bit to go before full term. I read the babycenter update for week 31 and I almost jumped out of the seat - it says Pipsqueak is headed for a growth spurt. OH NO! I can't imagine growing any bigger. We have another checkup tomorrow, I suspect Pipsqueak is lying sideways and not head down, will see what the gynae says tomorrow!

Week 29 - Bursting out of Pants

I think I'm really running out of space for Pipsqueak, breathing is getting difficult after a meal and especially so when sitting down. He's starting to kick me in the weirdest places, I think he's close to some nerve near my bladder and rectum, cos I've jumped out of my seat a few times from the sharp pain I get from his manoeuvres.

I was sitting down at my desk this morning and it was just before lunch. Suddenly I just couldn't breathe. I had to go to the toilet and remove my pants. And I hadn't eaten lunch yet! Thank goodness for the maternity shops nearby - I walked out during lunch and bought a brand new pair of black maternity pants and wore them straight away!

The fun part now is to see Pipsqueak's joints sticking out of my belly. I'm so stretched that I can actually stroke the limb that's sticking out of my belly as it moves around. The feeling is strange and amazing at the same time.

The Husband has been busy assembling the furniture pieces we bought from IKEA to store Pipsqueak's stuff. I predict we'll run out of storage very shortly as the drawers are already full!

Nanny Search Broadcast

As most of you know, I will be returning to work part time after Pipsqueak is born. We are looking for a good reliable nanny to help take care of Pipsqueak during the day time for about 2 days a week. Preferably someone close to our home with experience for caring for infants and loves kids. If you know of a friend, relative, aunty or friend of a friend that fits the bill, please let us know! We are willing to drop Pipsqueak off at her place and will pick him up at the end of the day.

Week 28 - The 1kg Mark!

Pipsqueak has hit the 1kg mark! This is apparently within the normal range for this stage. We had our routine checkup this month and all looks well. Sorry I can't post his latest ultrasound - the printout is really unclear and he's grown so big, the picture shows his face but its rather distorted...not like the earlier scans of him. Plus the machine in my Gynae's clinic is not the super duper modern one at her hospital, so its rather rudimentary (by my standards anyway). But what we could see very clearly on the screen was firstly his chubby cheeks (he's put on some flesh now) and his genitals. I don't know what this means but I guess for the Husband, he's proud that his son appears to be all man.

His head is also turned down and he's lying on one side of my belly, hence when I lie flat, you can see a bulge on one side of my tummy. Which explains all the kicking I feel on one side only as he's kind of lying sideways. We also saw his lips very clearly and my Gynae calls it "rosebud" lips.

I've been advised to keep active to help with an easy labour and I'm able to start doing squats too. I can't believe I've finally entered the last leg of pregnancy, the third trimester. I'm already feeling so heavy, I can't imagine how I can possibly put on any more weight. Apparently weight gain at this stage is exponential. I've put on 9kg in total so far, which puts me at 50kg. My Gynae estimates I will probably put on 14kg in total, which is fine. She's encouraging me to eat healthily so that Pipsqueak won't get overly big and make it a difficult labour for me.

I've also been having quite a bit of inspiration to cook - The Husband thinks I've been cooking exceptionally well since I've been pregnant. This kid is a gourmet I tell you. Here is a pic of what we had for breakfast this morning. We had some leftover potatoes which I made tuna potato patties with for dinner. I used the leftovers this morning and heated them up with a side salad of fresh cos, tomatoes, poached egg, oranges and a viniagrette dressing. YUM!



Pipsqueak is also a lot more active nowadays, or perhaps he's always been but he hasn't been as big as he is now for me to really feel the movements. Its good that I'm a heavy sleeper, so his nighttime activities doesn't affect me. But he's getting so good at moving around that he sometimes kicks my bladder and rectum and some nerve around that area that sends me a shock and I end up yelping. Good thing he's never done that in a meeting as yet!

I've also compiled a gift list for Pipsqueak as we've been getting requests from friends as to what to buy him. If you want a copy of the list, let me know.

From now on, my checkups at the Gynae will be every 3 weeks, followed by every 2 weeks and every week when I'm term. Time really flies, I can't believe I have 8 weeks to go to 36 weeks, which is technically term, although he will have another 4 weeks to full term. I've been diligently doing my stretching exercises every night and reading up on labour and delivery. The Husband is also taking note of when he has to really bring me to the hospital. We've also bought a bit of extra furniture - a chest of drawers to store Pipsqueak's clothes, a breastfeeding chair and a storage rack for the kitchen.

Week 27 - Prenatal Class

This is Pipsqueak's latest gift, a Touch and Tug Discovery Book from James and Pauline. Its really quite cute, I think I enjoy playing with it more that Pipsqueak! There are 3 different animals and the book tells stories, sings songs and makes animal sounds. I've been playing the lullabies and wrapping the book round my tummy so that he can listen to the songs and recognise them when he's out. The book can even be attached to the crib!



Pipsqueak also got another gift this week from Eekwang and Benita - a cool Winnie the Pooh outfit! As well as another bag load of hand me down clothes from James and Pauline. I really don't need to buy any clothes for him!

We attended our first prenatal class this week. We missed Lesson 1 and 2, so we jumped straight into Lesson 3. I was down with food poisoning when Lesson 1 was held, and that was the class on pregnancy nutrition and exercises. Lesson 2 talked about early stage labour and Lesson 3 is on labour and delivery. We signed up with Mrs Wong Boh Boi at Thomson Medical Centre based on feedback from friends who said her classes were very good. We rushed down from work on a Wednesday night to find the entire class packed with pregnant mummies and their husbands. We sat on comfy mats on the floor and did various pregnancy exercises. It was quite interesting, and the Husband was aghast that the husbands had to do the exercises with the preggy wives. He was muttering under his breath "But I'm not pregnant, why do I need to do these exercises?" He was sweet about it and aceded anyway.

We had a section on massage and that was really nice - Mrs Wong taught different massage techniques and once again the Husband started muttering "But I already give you massages exactly like this, why do we have to pay money for someone to tell me to do something that I'm already doing". We learnt a game to play with the daddies which is a form of communication between the unborn child and the dad. It involves mummy kneeling behind daddy who is seated cross-legged. A rhyme about raindrops and winds is recited whilst rubbing daddy's back. Then a thunderstorm comes and mummy has to pat daddy's back very loudly. After that, preggie mum presses her tummy against daddy's back so that he can feel baby kick him. Well the funny thing was that no one's baby kicked at that point! Mrs Wong very matter of factly said, "Well, sometimes baby doesn't know what games mummy and daddy are trying to play!"

The key part of the lesson was breathing techniques and relaxation exercises. We learnt how to breathe deeply during labour, the correct position for optimal pushing and how to visualise our babies in "crystal clear waters" and the "opening of canals" to cope with the pain. We went through a mock labour with daddies learning how to support mummies physically and emotionally, but were warned not to start pushing as some women have really gone into premature labour during the mock sessions!

The class ended with a tour of the delivery suite. Although I wasn't going to deliver at Thomson, I wanted to see how a delivery suite looked like so we joined in. Turns out there was a mummy in labour right next door! We heard the nurses counting to 10 to encourage her to push. Mrs Wong said if we were lucky, baby would be out when we finished our tour. True enough, when we walked out, we heard the loud cries of the newborn! Everyone was overjoyed for mother and child. Mrs Wong asked for permission from the daddy to allow us to watch the newborn being weighed and he agreed. She was gorgeous - a baby girl, 3.4 kg and super alert, looking around at the 30 pairs of eyes watching her being weighed. Quite a way to end the class.

I thought the class was pretty helpful and gave us a good idea of what to expect during delivery. The Husband thought otherwise and has been having father and son conversations with Pipsqueak about the happenings outside the womb. The funny thing is that I hear absolutely everything, even when father and son talk about me - so much for confidentiality. The Husband and I can be quite the opposite on various issues, which I must admit is a good thing. I have no doubt that he will stay my pillar of strength and calm should I get hysterical with pain at any point. I'm still optimistic about having a natural labour with no epidural and as the Husband likes to say - "Its all in the mind - half the battle is won if you win the battle of the mind".

I had a super appetite day this week. This is a log of what I ate over 2 days.

Day 1:
Breakfast - cereal
Mid morning snack - 1 slice of bread
Lunch - beef hor fun with sour plum drink
Mid afternoon snack - 1 small tub yoghurt, 1 grapefruit, 1 muesli bar
Dinner - Rice with Pork Ribs (Pai gu wang), kang kong and tofu hotplate
Supper - Longans with sea coconut dessert, 1 slice cheesecake

Day 2:
Woke up at some ungodly hour (it was still dark) absolutely famished. Struggled between eating and going back to sleep, hunger overtook me. Ate 2 Marks & Sparks raspberry tartlets from the jar next to my bed (yes I keep food next to my bed cos I've woken up hungry before)
Breakfast - grandma's nyonya bak chang and iced milo
Mid morning snack - Egg mcmuffin from Mcdonalds
Lunch - Yong Tau Foo & Fruits (I deliberately bought this cos I thought my body would go on overload soon with the amount of food I was eating)
Mid afternoon snack - 1 sardine puff
Dinner - 8 course wedding banquet

I was really amazed at how hungry I was and how much I ate - and I swear it was a growth spurt for Pipsqueak cos he hardly moved the next day! Babies grown when they sleep and he was sleeping alright. I panicked again and told the Husband maybe Pipsqueak was in distress, but he comforted me and told me not to get paranoid. True enough, Pipsqueak was back to his normal active self the next day and so was my appetite. You'll be glad to know I'm eating normally now.

After this week, I will enter my third trimester - the last leg! I can't believe how quickly time flies. I'm feeling heavier by the day and sleeping at night is becoming harder and harder. My hips feel so heavy with the weight and my legs get numb after a while, so I have to switch sides and stretch my feet before the leg cramps hit. My next checkup is at 28 weeks, which is a detailed one to check baby's growth and weight.