My little prince is finally here

I delivered baby Zachary on 26th March 2015 @ 1757hrs!!! 

He was 3015g and 50cm long!😍

Stay tuned! 

Am I in labour?

It's the third day after my first sign of labour... Woke up at 1.40am due to the heat... Then I couldn't sleep already. Started to feel contractions. On and off. This time it's much different from the period-like cramps. More intense and took a longer time to fade. Interval is still not too frequent. Lots of movement from Zac Zac.

Happened about twice and more brownish mucus coming out. So I told myself "Cannot wait already." I went to bathe and prepare myself.

Time now is 3.30am. I have a sheet mask on my face haha. Hubby still sleeping beside me unaware I've been up preparing.

Actually we are seeing the doctor later at 11.45am. I even told Hubby maybe I should bring my hospital bag in case doctor says I'm in labour already.

Still monitoring the frequency and duration of contraction. Dun wish to wake hubby up, hoping he'll get more sleep. 

Keep telling myself: I can do this. Talked to baby too. We can do this together. We can do all things through Christ who gives us strength. *breathe in and out*

I wanted to go pay my respects to Mr Lee Kuan Yew and was hoping the doctor says I am still far from true labour. Now I am not so sure.

Time check: 4am

My hair is wet but I can't blow dry if not hubby will wake up. But I can't get sleep. Worried if I'm indeed going to deliver today I will be tired because of a lack of rest.

Lots of anxiety but focusing on the end: finally seeing my little prince!! 

40th week

At 39 weeks Day 3, I'm showing signs of labour!!

First I had a 'bloody show', diarrhea and very very mild cramps which go off after awhile. Basically I felt like my period is gonna come... 

Haha, he looked so tired and I was afraid I needed to go to the hospital any time so I only filled my brows!! Look at my swollen self haha!!

But anyway I spent the day shopping for baby and my stuff... Almost 4-5 hours!! Then my back got achy...

Went to tampines IKEA, Giant and Courts. First we had our brunch at 1pm. We always have the tendency to order too much but this time I reminded hubby, I can't eat that much already, so we were very conservative with portion sizes. I'm also trying to 'train him' not to be greedy and order everything that looks delicious.

We had: 15 meatballs, 2 chicken wings, a salad, a plate of gravad lax (I cheated and ate a piece oops), 1 mushroom soup and 2 pieces of garlic bread. Ice cream too!

Over at IKEA, we bought mattress protector, changing mats, fitted sheet, mobile, a photo frame, cloths for baby. I was disappointed actually cause my main reason for going IKEA was to get their baby bath tub but it was sold out and stocks will only be in from May!!! Baby tubs are so expensive!

Then we went to Giant, and I bought 2 nursing bras. Oh they are ugly but cheap and good. 

Only $9.90 each! I went to kiddy palace and they start from 20plus but designs are much nicer. I have a church friend who told me CK departmental store sells them for only $5! The one near my place don't have them.

Previously due to my expanding chest I bought wireless bra and they are very comfortable too. 2 for $39 from Pierre Cardin. Not sure if my chest size gonna go bigger or smaller that's why only bought 2. I bought 4 wired bras previously and I can't wear them already 😆

Went to Courts to buy a pillow for the confinement nanny. Hubby bought a tab as well.

Went home and got all excited. Baby's cot is ready! Got hubby to fix the stroller. We didn't manage to do it previously. 

Recently I been applying facial sheet masks every night. Maybe it's my way of welcoming our little prince. Wanna look good. Feels good and my skin looks refreshed as well.

I hope we won't be awaken tonight. Hope baby will stay in there for a while more... See you soon my little prince! 

Mourning of a nation

My appetite has gone down, not much craving, deciding what to eat has become a chore. I get full easily.

Can feel baby's every micro movement cause it is too cramped for him inside haha.

I will be seeing the doctor on Thursday instead of the midwife if baby haven't arrive by then. The midwife is surprised that I have no cramp/contractions etc. Says baby is too comfortable inside! My back has started to feel uncomfortable some times.

Today is officially the start of my manternity leave. The whole of Singapore woke up to a piece of sad news: Our founding father, Mr Lee Kuan Yew, passed away peacefully at 3.18am.

It was 7.20am when I received the info. I turned to hubby who was still sleeping beside me and woke him up. But he was still in a daze. I cried silently. All I hope was that he eventually know who God is. I sat in front of the TV waiting for our Prime Minister's live address. My heart aches for him as he had to address the nation even though his own father had just passed on.

This week will be a mourning period for our nation, until 29th March. Baby, maybe you can wait till 30th March to arrive, like what I've always told you. I think you can sense mummy is sad. That's why you are not as active this whole time. 

Rest well, Sir. Singapore will continue to build on your legacy. We are forever indebted to you.

39th week update

Time for another update! School holidays started yesterday, I went back to school just for an hour to finish up some admin work.

The visit to the midwife last week, she gave me lots of info on what to expect on the day of delivery. She said baby's head has gone down a little lower this time! :D My weight went down a little. From 12.5kg gain to 12.35kg. She was curious and mentioned another mummy also had the same issue and said she had lunch before coming in the other time. It was the same for me haha.

We went to book our room type as well. For subsidized we can choose from C, B2 or B2+ ward. I personally went up to the wards to take a look. Hospital directory will not indicate which level has which ward so it was a guessing game for me. I've seen the C and B2 class ward. Though they say its without aircon but there will still be air cooler. So its not so bad. But I wanted to have at least some privacy and basic level of comfort so I chose the B2+ which is actually a room with 5 beds and attached bathroom + aircon. Another tip, B2+ is the most popular among the subsidized wards so there is a high chance you might get an upgrade :D

I collected my photos last Friday too. Let me share some here...



Beautiful memories, I really encourage all expectant mothers to go for it at least once. I know some of you might be feeling self-concious about your body but you will not have your pregnant body forever. To me its even more important than wedding photos! These were taken one month ago on Valentine's Day. I passed the 38th week mark already :O

Met up with Linda and Wen on Sunday, went to SSC, not sure when will be the next outing? :( They might need to come over more often.

The baby cot is here today! I find that its a little big, but its still beautiful! I can imagine myself going into the room many times a day just to look at baby Zac... Mummy can't wait for you to be here. I love you <3.

I've finally gotten down to packing my hospital bag. The next few days will be about cleaning and tidying the house. More things to buy... OK time for a short nap. Till the next time... :D

Nightmares (not me)

Time really flies, at 1000km/hr. I'm in school now, last day before I go on leave. I don't know why when I say last day it feels like I am leaving forever =X

And my closest colleague have been on medical leave since yesterday... oh no. as much as I wished she is here, I would rather she rest and recuperate at home.

Somebody is more anxious than me. Hubby says he had 2 nightmares in a row. One was about HIM giving birth (he says because he doesn't have a vagina so the doctor wanted to cut open his... LOL, another one was about me going into labour............................ well that will happen eventually.

Baby, mummy can't wait to meet you... Promise to come on the 30th please?? I got a feeling his head is engaged already..

God has given me victory - 凯 the chinese character for victory, part of baby's name ❤

Mood swings kicking in

Very tired.

Washed quite a bit of baby's clothes yesterday. My colleague gave me her laundry detergent, super grateful for that. It smells really nice! We bought additional clothes drying rack exclusively for Zac's use because sure no space... How to when there are already 4 of us living in the house. I'm quite horrible. I realized I only bought 4 baby vests (they were paid by my father-in-law during our taiwan trip and it was just a random purchase), 7 pairs of mittens, 9 pair of booties, 4 swaddle blankets... oops

I have more to wash later.

If not for my church friend who gave a whole lot of clothes I think my baby got nothing to wear. Haha. Not sure why I just don't have the desire to go shopping for baby stuff. I am not a person who enjoys shopping anyway but I thought I would be different when it comes to baby.

Our designer friend came to paint the room and added nice cloud and balloon stickers on the walls. I told him I wanted something along the lines of 'Up'.

Need to fix the stroller and wait for cot to arrive.

Today is my second last day at work. My colleague is on medical leave, will be taking over her class. Kind of looking forward to it. Going back to my mum's place for dinner later. Can't wait to knock off. I reached school just on time, had my breakfast, check my email, read articles and just took a nap. Yes that was how tired I was. All the commotion last night, many times I wished my house really belong just to me and hubby alone.

Don't get me wrong, my FIL and BIL are ok people. But when people with different living habits and expectations come together, friction is inevitable. Getting used to your spouse is already a huge challenge, and yet I need to get use to 2 others. I just feel it is so unfair for me. I finally understand why couples are encouraged to stay apart from parents. They need to set up their own family rules and structure but I feel even that is taken away from me. If I demand them to do things a certain way, that would be uncomfortable for them as well right?

I'm not even someone who is particular about household stuffs, I never had to lift a finger to do housework when I was single and now I am doing housework my whole pregnancy. The house would be less messy and dirty if it was just the 2 of us. I wished people would try to help. I wonder if I had problems with housework would anybody even take the initiative to clean the house for me?

Enough ranting, we will work this out together.

Pre-mummy jitters

Sleepless nights, thinking about the impending birth. Worried about the pain (how can a baby go through down there??), worried about having to go through a c-sect if failure to progress. How bad would the pain be, will it warrant an epidural? Should I? Worried about not being able to breastfeed/low supply. Hubby admitted he is also 'scared'.

Reading about birth experiences doesn't help either, I'm curious la. Can't help looking. Also been reading lots of different stories mummies everywhere been through, trying to conceive, stillbirths, ectopic pregnancy, miscarriage. Every woman who becomes a mother (or has the desire to be one) seems to share an unspoken bond.

I was just telling hubby its now 一天过一天. I'm at 37 weeks, day 3 - 19 more days. My appointment with the midwife this Friday again, and I wonder if I can make it to the next appointment?

There were some points during the pregnancy I asked "What did I get myself into??" Am I ready?? But other times we talk about when we are going to have a second one... haha

I guess we can never be ready.

I don't really like the month of March, I don't find any dates that look nice. But I thought my original EDD 30th March looks nice. That would be 40 Weeks + 1 Day. I told baby, can come out on that day?? :D

2 more working days excluding today. I will have 2 weeks of rest/preparation. Just waiting for time to pass and preparing to hand over.

Yesterday I took over the class for my colleague. Those adorable kids. Gonna miss them. When I'm back from long leave they would soon be in Primary 5, how fast kids grow up! One of the triplet asked me, "Why is your nose so red?" I replied, red and big right?? Then I told her that there are many changes when a woman is pregnant. she later add on, "how come your tummy become bigger but not your other parts?"

I felt better after that haha.

My maternity photos are ready! Gonna collect them this Friday too. I planned quite a number of things for this Friday. Planning to do my hair, go for my appointment, collect the photos, will be having dinner with the bridesmaid team.

I'm actually craving for apple strudel now... Can I fly to Australia for one? I missed the one my cousin brought back, had it during CNY! yummy.

I shall end off with a picture of my bump at exactly 37 weeks!

See you soon my cutie pie...

Officially full-term

Here I am at 5am, wide awake in bed. Oh Zac is starting to move again <3 it's really any time from now. Want to thank God for His promise, that this baby will indeed be carried to full-term. That's what He assured me when I often have fears of losing baby.

An update on the midwife visit on Friday, I tested negative for the Strep B test!! Woohoo one thing off my mind, another small step towards a smooth delivery. Baby's head still not engaged yet. In just one week I gained another 1kg - total weight gain: 12.5kg

Been reading up on cord blood banking and we decided to donate it to the Singapore Cord Blood Bank. My takeaway is that if baby has any kind of illness later in life, his own cord blood might not be suitable as it already contains the defective cells? No point banking it for private use, might as well donate it for someone else to benefit from it. See baby, you are saving lives the moment you are born and I'm so proud of you!

After midwife appointment and signing forms for cord blood donation I went for a short session on breastfeeding. Previously I attended Mrs Wong Boh Boi's antenatal class and it covered this topic. However I felt I needed a refresher and I'm glad I went for it! 

Hubby had already gone for his meeting after seeing the midwife together with me. After the session I had a sudden thought to go take a look at the nursery. Felt a little emo when I saw those babies...

I was in need of a mani/pedi so I went back to Northpoint. Removed my CNY gelish (not bad it lasted me for a good 2 weeks plus). Also did a classic pedicure, needed to get rid of the dead skin and trim my toe nails as well. It's getting uncomfortable to do it on my own. I might go back again before I give birth. The lady serving me was not bad! The price was reasonable as well at $35, I could do this more often :D

Hot pink on my toes! Can't stop admiring them though my feet is not the prettiest part of me. I always find that they look dark and dirty :S Slight swelling as you can see. I refer to them as sausage toes haha!

Had dinner, went home and waited for CG members to arrive. 

Been craving for Teh O... 

Discovered something funny when I saw myself walking towards the mirror. The bear on my nightie looks 3D due to my belly haha!! And when I walk it looks animated like the bear is tilting its head left and right!!! I showed hubby and he found it so cute!! Haha the position is perfect!

It's 6am now on a Sunday morning! It's my last week at work before I go on leave. I will have about 2 weeks of rest and preparation if baby arrives around EDD. Next appt with midwife will be on Friday again. So just another 4 more days of work.

Ok I should try to get back to sleep!

Days out of school

I've basically been out of school for most days this week. Last Friday I went to KKH, Mon and Tues I was on medical leave, and tomorrow I am going to the midwife again. I'm hoping I do not have the Strep B bacteria so that would be one less thing I need to worry about.

So I made use of the days at home to clean and pack the house (especially baby's room). I didn't buy a lot of stuff for baby and was unpacking and feeling really thankful for all the hand-me-downs and brand new stuff friends and colleagues have given to me.

I've been so emotional recently. I cried wondering if I will be a good mother. I was literally sobbing. I told hubby sometimes I feel like we are still kids and now we gonna have a kid of our own. I was at kiddy palace yesterday and looking at all the baby stuff made me feel so blessed that I have a son.

More people have commented on my huge oily, red nose!!! I'm not upset at them but I wish it wasn't that prominent! Its like the first thing people see when they look at me!!! In fact I think my face look kinda different.

But besides that I really do not have any uncomfortable symptoms at the 37th week (Yes I am officially full-term this Sunday!). It's been really a breeze. No aches even though I still do housework (laundry, vacuuming, dusting). Cramps are very minimal. Its just my NOSE, UNDERARMS, WEAK/ACHY FINGER JOINTS, FEELING WARM, STRETCH MARKS.

Some people commented "You are so fit/strong." Actually I wonder does a person's fitness level have anything to do with how their body handle pregnancy? Because I know I'm not the fittest person around. Not exercising regularly since 10 years ago and food choices not as healthy as before. 

One example, I just had laksa, and I finished the gravy. Who eats laksa on a hot hot day in a non air conditioned place, on top of increasing body heat in late pregnancy??