Princess Jolie Birthday - The night before~

On the 4th Feb 2009, the night before my C-section, I sat at home, watching TV, waiting for Cobby to come back from class. Everything seemed routine, but in a few more hours, my baby inside my tummy would be in my arms! Feels so weird, I thought, as I pat my tummy.

We arrived at the hospital at midnight, but we were sorely disappointed that there wasn't any single bedded rooms available, even when we have booked the rooms weeks in advance. The staff was apologetic, but we were angry and upset. What's the point of booking the room if you were going to give it away on a first come first serve basis?? So I was already nervous enough of everything, then I had to share a room with some stranger, then they tell me that that spouse cannot stay over for twin sharing room! My tears immediately welled up as I try to compose myself at the counter. This is NOT how I envisioned this to be!

Bobian, we got into the tiny room, hardly enough space for me, so Cobby confirm cannot stay... :( The nurses asked me to change into the surgical robe, which is just a piece of cloth and nothing else. Huh, so early change? I guess I had to sleep in this! When I came out of the toilet, the nurse told me that I wore robe wrongly. The opening was suppose to be behind! Hahaha... but because of my tummy, I can't really tie properly, so my bare butt was sorta exposed. Haha feels so comical..



A nurse came shortly and said that she had to shave me. o_o I cooly said ok, but it feels super weird as I lie there and she sprinkle baby powder over my tummy and 'below' and started shaving. It's also SUPER TICKLISH as the shaver scrap across my tummy loh! My tummy keep twitching because it's SO ticklish but the nurse thought that it was my baby kicking. Haha, so funny.

So after helping me to settle in, Cobby reluctantly left me alone in the hospital room with the stranger in the next bed. I felt so sad, scared and terribly alone, but I can't cry with a stranger lying next to me! So I just sat there and sob silently, while my room mate snored soundly in her sleep. -_-

I hardly slept at all, I hugged Cobby's jacket for comfort, but I kept waking up, checking the timing on my handphone, waiting for dawn to arrive. 3am... 3.30am... 4am... The nurses kept asking, "cannot sleep ah?" duh, I know they meant well, but quit asking the obvious! SOB! Can morning come faster??!!

To Be Continued...

Nervous or not?

Everybody seems to be asking me the same question over and over again. "Nervous or not?" Well, "Not yet." would be my most honest answer. I would be checking into the hospital after midnight tomorrow. Cobby would accompany me till morning, then he'll go pick up both our parents at 7am. By 8.30am, I would be wheeled (or walk in?) into the operating theatre where we'll welcome Princess Jolie in an hour or so. :)

Anyway, back to my current state of mind. Like I said, "Not Yet" seems like the best way to describe my mood now. I'm sure I'll be super nervous when they wheel me into the operating theatre, but right now, I'm just taking it easy and trying to relax.

I think my baby stuff is all ready, so that's good, but it's REALLY difficult to just sit around the house and do nothing. I read somewhere that it's called the "nesting instinct", where mom-to-be would have a constant itch to clean, organise, and fuss about the house - basically, to "nest".

Dad asked me to do nothing for the next few days and just rest, but I just can't! So taking CNY as an excuse, I limit myself to cleaning one area a day. Now that it's after CNY, no more excuse! I had to control myself not to do much housework, but cannot tahan, so I vacuumed the house yesterday when Cobby left for class. Then all my efforts were wasted when burnt ashes from people burning offerings floated into my house yesterday after midnight! ARGH!

Then this morning I found out that one of my top kitchen cabinets is crawling with ants! Argh..! If I can, I would grab my step ladder, rag and water bucket and clean every inch of the bloody cabinet. But I have to spare a thought for the safety of my little Princess, so I just poured some ant poison into the pile of ants, closed the cabinet door and walk away, hoping that they die a terrible death.

Hmm, must also remember to charge the batteries of my camera. Think we'll be taking alot of pictures. I wonder who would baby resemble?

Last Check Up

Went for our last check up before the delivery this morning. Gained another 800g, but my blood pressure and glucose level was perfect, so, no problems! Was waiting to see the doctor when the nurses said that I had to be put on the cardiotocography (CTG) to monitor the baby's heartbeat and also to check my contractions. So I went into the room and they strapped 2 monitors onto my belly. One of them was like a super sensitive microphone, and the moment they flip the switch, I can hear baby's heartbeat! It's SO AMAZING!!!

I knew I had to record it down somehow, so when the nurses left the room, I used my handphone and took a little recording. OK the footage not very flattering cause I had to video myself while lying down so don't laugh ok... I later realised that I spoke too softly because I didn't want the nurses outside the room to know that I'm video recording myself! But I didn't have the chance to re-shoot cause shortly after that the nurse came in and the session was over.

Basically, what I was mumbling was that, I'm strapped to the CTG, the "dups-dups-dups" sound in the background was baby's heartbeat and I had to be strapped there and monitored for half-an-hour. I also mentioned that it's very cute cause baby would keep moving around in my belly and sometimes she'll move to the back and the heartbeat sound would become very faint, then she'll change position and suddenly her heartbeat would become very loud cause her chest is very near the 'microphone'. Haha... So it's quite fun to hear her moving around.

During the Doctor's checkup we just did a final scan, clarified some questions about the operation and that's it! The nurses bid us goodluck as we left and the next time we're back would be to welcome Princess Jolie into the world!

Check up update!

Well, it's decided. Went for checkup on Friday (23 Jan) and our little princess was still sitting comfortably inside me. Dr Kee announced that baby is strong and healthy, but it's unlikely that she would turn upside down as she was running out of space to do so as she grows bigger. With that, we fixed a date for me to have my Cesarean operation. So our little Princess Jolie would be welcomed to this world on the 5 February 2009!

Well, we didn't really take the news very well, especially Cobby. On the way home and for the rest of the day, his face was like... (o_o) He didn't have to say it, but I can tell that he was super worried for me. I talked to him later that day and he confessed that having an operation do carry more risk, so he was worried for me. He's so sweet right? He informed his mom after the clinic appointment and she immediately headed to the temple to pray for my safety. She's very sweet too... :)

On my side, I was more disappointed than worried actually. To me, a natural birth was the only option that I've ever expected to have, so I NEVER considered the possibility of having any other birth option. I guess you can say that I feel kind of 'cheated' out of a natural birth.

I'm not worried about the actual operation actually, I even opt for a half body anesthesia. This way, Cobby can be beside me throughout the process and we can see baby the moment she comes out! Even though Cesarean does carry more risk, I believe in the medical expertise of the doctors. After all, Cesareans are so common nowadays right?

I was more concern about the recovery period of the operation actually, I've never had an operation before, and now I have to care for a baby after a major abdominal operation? I better do some homework on this. So I've been flooding my brain with information on Cesarean operation process, recovery care and tips, everything!

Armed with the knowledge of the pros and cons to having a Cesarean, I hope I can better prepare myself mentally and emotionally to welcome Princess Jolie into our lives!

Ready or not...

Only left with 2-3 weeks to go. 2 weeks if I'm having Cesarean, and 3 if baby decides to cooperate and I get to have a natural birth... Phew~ nervous... I'm worried, are we well prepared? I think we got everything that we need, but did we miss out anything?

I fear that we'll get the classic, "Oops! We ran out of ...." or "Oh no! We forgot to buy ..." when we bring baby home. Then poor Cobby would have to scramble to buy because I would have been confined to my home for the whole month liao... I think we need to get Mom, a.k.a. The Consultant, over to our place and take a look at everything we've bought and see if we've missed out anything.

Right now we still need to get:
1. Bottle steriliser (getting this week)
2. Car seat (don't know to get now or later - probably next week?)
3. Quilt cover and toiletries for my Mom when she stay over (can get this week together with steriliser)

We shouldn't have discussed this before we sleep last night. I think it caused my nightmare... I dreamt that I was in my bathroom, about to take a shower when suddenly, I started to lactate! Then I started to to bleed - like when I'm having menses! I was naturally shocked as bleeding, also known as 'show' is one of the signs that I'm ready to have my baby! In my dream I quickly shouted for Cobby and he was just as shocked as I was as we were SO not ready. I haven't even packed my hospital bag!

Anyway, the dream ended there and I was so freaked out by it that it prompted me to pack my hospital a few minutes ago. But I still need to buy some stuff, so the shopping list above have to include my hospital bag stuff too. Sigh~ Can we have more time..?

No good news... YET

Just came back from our check up and... no good news. Not only did we found out that our dear little Princess is still sitting happily inside my tummy in a breech position, today we also found out that I have put on 3kg within 2 weeks! FAINT~

Thankfully my vital signs are still ok, no diabetes, no high blood pressure, so, I'm still OK. By now, I have more or less accepted the fact that I may have to go through Cesarean if I really have to. But I believe that there's always chance that she'll turn before we're due! So I'm not giving up!

About my weight gain, well, obviously there's something wrong with the weighing machine. Or... it could be the vast amount of food and snacks I've been stuffing myself silly with. Hmm... let's see, the hawker food, pineapple tarts, bak kwa, ice creams, chocolates and not forgetting, I've been taking 2 bowls of rice each time I eat dinner at mom's place!

OK FINE! I have been eating too much!

Good news is, Cobby has started school again, which means light dinner on weekdays from now on. Hopefully the following check ups would have more good news!

Awww...

It took us 2 days and 4 loads, but we finally finished washing all of baby's clothes, towels, bedsheets, everything! When I was hanging up the 1st load of laundry, I can't help but make irritating "Awww..." noises to myself. Her clothes are sooo... small and sweet! I imagined her wearing them and I started to make "awww..." noises again.

The laundry made the whole house smell like there's a baby in the house and it reminded us of how life would be different soon, having an additional person in our usually quiet and peaceful home.

I thought it would be funny to blog this down because, while one side of me was going "awww..." at everything and anything, the rational side was finding it all so silly! Hello! I'm actually finding it SWEET and ADORABLE doing laundry!?

Fast forward a few months, no wait, maybe only few weeks, when I'm buried under piles of dirty laundry, and I look back on the day when I was making "awww..." noises while doing laundry. Yah, that would probably make me burst out into a cynical, hysterical laughter.

But meanwhile, let me enjoy it a while more... "Awww..."

More Gifts from Auntie Jolene

Sis: I bought you some baby's hair and body wash, body cream, diaper rash cream and stuff for your baby, so you don't need to buy ok?

Me: Oh thanks! But I've already bought baby's shower gel, but I guess it's ok, these stuff can be kept in the store room for later use.

Sis: Mine stuff is branded one ok? "Pediatrician Tested"! So use mine first, keep yours in the store room.

Me: OK loh... Thanks again!

So I've been wondering what kind of mysterious potions has she bought for baby, so precious! Last Sunday I met up with Bro, who just came back from Hong Kong, and he passed me Sis's gift.

When someone say that they bought you things like body wash and diaper rash cream, I would have expected the bottles to come in a plastic bag from some departmental store or something... So imagine my surprise when Bro passed me this beautiful red box with a pretty ribbon on it!

Pretty!

Wah got potpourri somemore...

If you're interested, the brand is Kiehl's

Turn Baby! Turn!

Went for our usual check up yesterday but I wasn't too happy about it. Apparently baby is still happily in a sitting position, when she's supposed to have turned upside down by now, getting ready to meet the world in about a month! Dr Kee say baby probably wanted to be closer to Mummy, so was unwilling to turn.

After scanning my tummy, he found out why baby still haven't turn. Apparently she's in a yoga-like position with her leg stretched out straight in front of her body, so it's a little more difficult to flip herself upside down. Har... then how... I exclaimed out loud that I don't want to have a Cesarean, so Dr Kee said to my tummy, "baby you better turn ok, or else I will smack your buttock when you come out" Erm... Don't he smack ALL baby's butt when they come out? Haha...

Anyway, Dr Kee seemed pretty cool about it, casually saying that if baby doesn't turn, he would do a Cesarean for me around the 3 Feb, which is about 7-10 days before the due date.

-_-"

Erm... I have never planned to have a Cesarean, and I REALLY don't wish to have one. So I asked Dr Kee if it's possible for baby to turn anytime soon. Luckily he replied that it is always possible for the baby to turn before the delivery. In fact, baby may decide to turn just an hour before she comes out! So it's important for us to inform him if baby has already turned upside down.

Phew... OK, now it's all up to baby. For the rest of the day I kept stressing on this issue. I mean, my mom had Cesarean for both my sis and I, so I guess it's no big deal right? Besides, that would mean I wouldn't have to squeeze her out of my vagina, so I should be happy to avoid all that pain right?

But then again, the recovery process of a surgery is much longer and definitely more painful. So, many day to day activities would be affected, even breastfeeding!

Sigh, honestly I REALLY don't want to have a C-section because I'm terrified of needles. So I'm seriously hoping Princess would be a good girl and turn around before she's due. In fact, I was so stressed about it, I even dreamt that she had turned over last night, only to be disappointed that I found out that it was just a dream.

Oh well, apart from that, baby has gained about 400g, which is nice and steady, while my weight has not gone up! Yeah for me and baby!

A Good Day

Today was a good day...

The contractors were coming down around 10am plus to install our cabinets, so we woke up at around 7.30am to get an early breakfast before dropping me off at Mom's place to 'hide' while they hammer away.

At around 8am, our doorbell rang! Cobby had to jump out of the toilet, thinking that the contractors had arrived early. Me, I was happily brushing my teeth in the bedroom toilet, I didn't even hear any doorbells.

Imagine our surprise when my parents turned up at our door! Apparently, they were taking a morning walk and ended up at our doorstep. OK... since they are here, we went out for breakfast together!

After a hearty breakfast at Chong Pang market, Cobby dropped us at my Mom's place and he went back home to wait for the contractors to arrive. My main objective was to learn how to make Mom's steamed carrot cake (actually it's made from radish). But I've also picked up many more recipes during the day.



So for the whole day, I hung out at my parent's place, watching her cook, eating yummy food, napped and ate some more. Haha...

After lunch, Cobby sms me great news. Apparently his exam results were out and he got 3 As and 2 Bs! He was SO HAPPY and relieved as he had been worrying about it for so long.



By the time the contractors were done, it was already 5plus! Cobby came to pick me up and we went home to check on the cabinets. I'm happy to say that it's very pretty!



After...!




It's the first time that we were using colours for our cabinets, so I was a little worried if they would turn out nice or not. But they turned out looking very pretty and sweet, very appropriate for a girl's room! The window cabinets turned out to be more shallow than I expected, but it's fine I guess.

After a quick wash up, we headed to Shabuya, a new found Japanese restaurant at Vivo City that serves a fantastic Shabu-shabu (steamboat).

Their Garlic Rice is to die for...Favourite!

As usual, they food was fantastic and we had a very enjoyable dinner to celebrate Cobby's good results.

It was such a good day! The cupboards were done and we love it, I had a great time hanging out with mom and dad, Cobby had such great results and dinner was fantastic. Then we thought, hmm... maybe we should buy 4D! It was the 23 Dec, so naturally we should buy 2312. The Cobby added that since he got 3As and 2Bs, we should buy 3122. Then we realised... hey, 2312 and 3122 has the same numbers! Oooo so coincidence! Must buy!

Well, we bought, but we didn't win... hahaha... but it was a fun day nonetheless.

Baby Check Up - Update!

Just an update, went for check up on 11 Dec. I weight a whopping 75kg! Phew... the last check up, which was 3 weeks ago, I was only 72kg! So compared to my first appointment, I've gained about 12kg already. With another 2 months to go before my due date, I'm definitely gonna exceed my acceptable weight gain, which is, well, between 12-13kg. Oops...

Anyway, back to the check up! Everything is fine, baby Jolie has gained another 500g to weight about 2kg. She's in a sitting position right now, sitting like a Princess on her throne inside my belly. Dr Kee said that by the next appointment, which is in 2 weeks, she should be upside down position, getting ready! Phew... So exciting! Can't imagine that we are already 8 months pregnant!

But now I'm feeling a little stressed, hopefully baby would be a good girl and turn, because I really don't want to have a Cesarean! I wonder if I should do something, like stand on my head or something to help her turn. I mean, isn't it kindda squeazy inside to turn upside down? Hmm... dunno...

I also did a swap test and a little blood test. The swap test was fine, but the nurses commented that my blood count was a little low. Eventhough I'm already taking the iron supplements, the baby could be taking alot of my blood, so maybe I should take more iron rich food stuff to boost my blood count!

Next appointment would be on boxing day, 26 Dec. The frequency has reduced from monthly, to every 3 weeks, and now to every 2 weeks. By Jan, I would have to see Dr Kee once a week till I'm due! The countdown has began!

Baby's Very First Videos

Zinc keep asking me to post some videos of baby kicking my tummy, but the movements were so subtle, it's quite hard to capture it with a vdeocam! Besides, I wouldn't know when my little princess is going to start kicking! Haha... so after chatting with zinc on msn this morning, I decided to give it another try.

Surprise surprise! Princess Jolie was pretty active this morning, so I managed to capture 2 video clips!

Baby Video No.1
Look at the left side of the belly at around the 7th second
You'll also see her give me a karate kick on the left side at the 32nd second

Baby Video No.2
For the 2nd video, notice the left side of the belly on the 22nd and 43rd second.

I thought it's so funny when Cobby asked if he can touch my tummy... So cute hahaha... Anyway, I refused because little princess always quiet down and stop moving when Daddy place his hands on my tummy. It's like she knows that it's not me and would freeze to think, "hey, who's that?" :)

Last night, we watched the show "Makan Places Lost and Found", and we were so inspired that we decided to go to the recommended Pek Kio Food Centre for lunch today. But the place was so difficult to reach that by the time we got there, most of the stores have sold out all of their food! Argh so fustrating!

So next time we plan to reach there BEFORE lunch time! Haha... I'll give my reviews when I DO get to eat the food there ok? After a not too satisfying lunch, we bought some yummy Tau Sar Piahs for tea break. Unfortunately it wasn't the type that Cobby liked, but I liked it! :P

Haha... hope u guys like the video of my giant belly. :D

Princess Room

Yeah... after much discussions, arguments and delays, we have finally started our princess room project. We wanted to make a custom made wardrobe and a cabinet by the window in the baby room.


But the idea was faced with alot of objections...

Sis suggested that we do the renovations only when I reach my 3rd trimester...
MIL joking suggested that we do the renovations after the baby is born... erm.. maybe when she reach 18 years old? -_-
Mom just don't like the idea that we wanted to do renovation works now.

So in order to please the women-folk in the family, we waited till we reached 3rd trimester. And with Cobby recently completing his exams and enjoying his term break, it was the perfect timing!

So last week we shopped around IMM for a contractor and decided on one. Today the contractor came to take the measurements and finalise on the designs.


Soon we will be able to confirm a date for the actual installation and the cupboards will be ready before Christmas!

With the fixtures ready, we can shop around for a bed for Mom to sleep in when she's helping me with confinement, plus any other furniture needed, wash all the baby's clothes, linen, sheets, etc. By end January, the Princess room would be all ready! All we need to do then is wait for the room's owner to arrive :)

I like it that everything is well planned and I'm very happy that our plan has finally started!

Happy 3rd Trimester!

HAPPY 3RD TRIMESTER!

I can't imagine that I've been pregnant for 6 months now - half a year gone in a blink of an eye! So how does it feel being a 7 months pregnant woman? Well, most of the time, it feels like the most natural thing in the world. In fact, sometimes, I get SO used to it; I even forget that I'm pregnant! I guess it helps that I didn't have a huge tummy to carry around...

But once in a while, I would get a sudden realisation that I have a real live baby growing inside my body. And in a few months, I would be able to hold her in my arms and kiss, cuddle and love her like nothing else in the world. And the thought alone would make me smile.

Sometimes it just seems so unreal... ME! A MOTHER! Haha... I still remember how, a few years ago, I actually dislike children! (Oops...haha...) But I guess my biological clock just shouted out to me, and just like that, I'm on the road to Mummyhood.



I have to be honest; it wasn't all rainbows and pretty flowers. There are days where I just wanted it all to end quickly. Some days were so bad; I secretly wished that I didn't get pregnant in the first place. But I guess that's too late now isn't it! Haha...

Most of my frustrations come from the physical aspect of the pregnancy. Most pregnant women would have a "healthy glow" due to the hormones. But no such luck for me! I have to "enjoy" a cocktail of spider veins, acnes and oily skin on my face. I sweat all the time, which I totally hate. My hair looks like crap, because I can't go and dye it, so it's half black and half brown.

Thankfully I didn't gain weight like crazy (I try not to overeat), so the main bulk comes from my boobs and tummy. But still, I feel so big, heavy and clumsy, and I hated that. I miss being slim and able to move quickly without waddling.

I also miss wearing my beautiful high heels, collecting dust inside my cupboard. I miss wearing my fitting jeans, looking and feeling good. I miss drinking an iced cold beer after dinner or a steaming hot cappuccino at Starbucks. And so many more... Sigh~

It doesn't help that sometimes, the blues would get to me, and every single thing, big or small, would be 3 or 4 times worse than it is. And I would get SO UPSET the whole day, sometimes even rolling over to the next day. Poor Cobby would be at the front line, facing my moods. The thing is, I know they are just the result of my blues, but you just cannot ask me to just stop being sad! So with persuasion, sometimes I would tell him why I'm upset.

But sometimes, I just WANT to be sad ok!

Even with so many down sides, I would still rate being pregnant as the most amazing thing in the world. Especially now, as I'm entering 3rd trimester and the baby is growing bigger and stronger! Baby started moving at around 20 weeks, but they were SO FAINT, I thought it was just gas! Then, as the baby grows, it became more obvious, like a faint kick once in a while.

Recently, the movements became SO STRONG, I can literally feel her tiny hand (or feet?) push against my belly; hold it there for a second while she stretches, before finally retracting it back. Or sometimes she would give me a giant kick that would make me jump up in surprise!

This is my new hobby now; I just love lying back and watch my tummy shake and move about as the baby stretch and kick or just move around inside me. It's so fun and heart warming all at the same time! Cobby loves to put his hand on my belly and feel baby move when he talks to her. I think she can recognise his voice!



As the due date draws nearer and nearer, the emotions gets higher and higher.
I'm happy that I would be seeing my baby soon.
I'm scared of labour - it sounds so scary and painful, hope there would not be any complications (touch wood)
I'm nervous - Our lives are going to change forever! Parenthood! Would I be a good mother? Can I handle taking care of her?

So far there's nothing that I can do except to read and learn as much as I can, and hope for the best. I guess when the time comes; I'll just have to let nature take its course.

So ends my reflections... I wanted to document all the ups and downs of the whole experience. Because these are precious memories and I never ever want to forget them!

Cord Blood Banking - Done!

Another to-do item to strike off! We attended a Seminar held by CordLife on Saturday at Suntec City and signed up for Cord Blood Banking. It was much cheaper than what we expected really, so we were very happy!

The Annual Plan consists of a one time payment of $1,400 plus an annual storage fee of $250 (payable from child's first birthday and thereafter).

But we didn't pay $1,400!

LESS:
FBI Card Discount - $450
Referral Discount - $50
TO PAY: $900 only

We got $50 discount just by naming another friend who has signed up for Cord Life! Best thing was, my friend would get rewarded with a referral fee too! So if you want to enjoy discount when signing up with Cord Life, use my name ok?! It's Win-Win for both you and me!

Since the price was reduced to only $900, we upgraded the plan by opting to use Sepax processing system. So this process can help draw more stem cells effectively from the cord blood. So for another $200, we get more stem cells!

When we were down to the payment method, the guy mentioned something about using the Child Development Account (CDA) to pay for the onetime fee of $1,100. As it was way pass lunchtime, Cobby was getting a little impatient already, so without thinking he said "Huh? What CDA? Aiyah, nevermind lah, I think we just pay with credit card"

O_O Wait a minute... CDA? What are we talking about here!?

After clarifying with the guy, apparently, according to the baby bonus scheme, after the baby is born, and we've open the CDA, Cord Life would deduct the payment from the account! And since the Government contributes dollar-for-dollar matching for the amount of savings we contribute to our child’s CDA, technically speaking, we're only paying $550 for the one time payment!

-_-

I almost wanted to slap Cobby's head. Siao ah! Got alot of money issit! Government is offering to pay half and you wanted to pay all yourself with your credit card. Sigh~ Men...

And it didn't end there! As a special promotion for the seminar, we don't even have to pay any deposit! So at the end of the day, we walked away with the plan without paying a single cent that day. HAhaha... So shiok...! This is SO much cheaper than what parents were paying a few years back! Back then they were paying more than $2K ok! So I feel so good that we were paying much lesser now... :D

Our Cord Blood collection kit

5th Antenatal Class

Sunday's class was about feeding. Our instructor, Rosalind said that it was her "expertise" and hyped it all up like she's the breastfeeding guru or something like that. But I guess I have been reading so much on this that I didn't really learn anything new from her that day.

I plan to breast feed as long as I can, but I have heard of the difficulties from some friends, so I wanted to gain as much knowledge as I can from books, internet and magazines. I guess I've more or less grasp the theories, but practical wise, well, we'll see when princess comes... Generally, breastfeeding can be summarised in the following.

Lesson 5 - Feeding

• Breastfeeding

Pros
- Can help Mummy regain her figure
During breastfeeding, the uterus would slowly shrink back to original size!

- Breast milk, nature's best
You can't find any brand of milk out there that can beat Mummy's milk! Organic, nutritious, no melamine poisoning, easy to prepare(just put the baby on the nipple!), perfect temperature, always super fresh, always available and it's FREE! Haha...

- Enhance bonding between Mummy and Baby
That's the most important! Is there anything closer than that?

Cons
- Engorement would be unavoidable I guess, but there are ways to ease the pain
- Most of the other problems arise due to improper latching of the baby, resulting in sore nipples, no milk, etc... So very important to remember:

1. Proper latching on by baby - Very Important
2. Perseverance - Very Important

Breastfeeding Steps:
- Wipe nipples with wet cotton wool

- Massage the areola, massage outward towards nipple

- Burp baby and remove swaddling, so that her arms can move freely

- Baby's body must be positioned so that it's tummy to tummy with Mummy

- Hold breast with hand, but avoid the nipple so that your hand does not obstruct baby's mouth.

- Touch baby's mouth with nipple, when it opens, shove the nipple in!

- Make sure that areola is completely covered inside baby's mouth. If not, use finger to push down her chin to position properly.

- If need to "detach", press your little finger at the corner of baby's mouth to break the suction before pulling baby away.

- Feed about 20mins on each breast, when baby stops, burp baby before offering the second breast.

- After feeding, burp baby, change diapers and pump out breast milk to store in freezer.

Feeding Structure
When it comes to feeding structure, I guess different people have different school of thoughts. According to Rosalind, she believes that Mummies should feed every time the baby cries for milk, so that the milk supply is always there. Baby-base feeding.

But according to Gina Ford, (a childcare expert's book that I’m reading) she believes in introducing a structured feeding time to a child, even at a very young age.



Time-based feeding. This helps the child to expect feeding at certain timings (every 3 hours), and I kind of prefer her technique.

Bottle Feeding & Sterilization of Feeding Equipment
Rosalind then talked about bottle feeding and sterilization of feeding equipment, which is common knowledge lah. Follow the instructions on the packaging and you'll be fine. After sterilizing the bottles, flick away the excess water and assemble back the bottles (cover and all) before storing. Keeping the bottles open would expose them to contamination.

SO ends lessons for the Antenatal class. Next Tuesday I have to attend a Doctor's talk, which is part of the package, and on 30 Nov I have to come back and attend my 1st Lesson, which I have missed. Strange...

Dreaming of my baby

I saw this topic on one of those baby books, so I thought it would be nice to document down the dreams I've had about my baby. Yes, although it may sound a little funny and obsessive, I did dream of my unborn child!

Well, so far it only happened twice, the very first dream has no story line. I just saw her in my dreams, a little baby girl, sitting on the floor. She was just a few month old baby wearing a pink little dress, and she have a very thick head of hair that stands up like a little peak. She has the most adorable chubby cheeks and pretty eyes!

The strangest thing was....

I actually dreamt of this BEFORE we know the sex of the baby! There was a smile on my face the morning I woke up, but I NEVER told anybody. So actually I wasn't THAT surprised when we did found out about the sex of the baby. Happy, but not very surprised. :)

A few months later, I had another dream. This time round I dreamt that Cobby and I had just come home from work, tired, but happy to come home to my baby. Unfortunately, because we had spent so much time at work and away from the baby, my baby girl turned out to be totally distant from the both of us and turned to the domestic help or grandma (can't remember clearly) for comfort instead... In the dream I was totally devastated!!!

So when I woke up, I was more determined than ever to stay home and take care of my baby for at least a year. Cobby comforted me that that it's just a dream, but the feeling was just so horrible! Sigh...

So anyway, those were the two dreams I've had. I've not dreamt of my baby since then, but I'll make sure to jot that down if that ever happens!

4th Antenatal Class

The last antenatal class was very fun, because we got to play with dolls!

Lesson 4 - Practical Hands-on Baby Care

• Instructional Video of bathing baby
Before we got to play, we watched a video on how to bath a baby 1st. But as usual, the video looks pretty old, and the sound quality sucks. So we just watched which was just as easy to understand anyway...

OK for those of you who have a morbid fear of life-like dolls, you better look away, because here's our "baby" for the day! :D



We chose a baby with a pink outfit, well, since we're expecting a little princess, but we found out later while changing the diaper that it's actually a boy! Kanna conned...

So with the baby, we learnt how to:
• How to carry, hand over or take over the baby
During class, we had to pretend that the doll is a real baby and have to handle it properly at all times. Always support the neck and the buttocks of the baby!

• How to transfer baby from left to right breast
Useful for mummies for breast-feeding purposes. If the baby is facing on your left breast:
1. Use right hand to support baby's bottom
2. Slide left hand upwards to support neck
3. Move baby away from your body and rotate the baby so that her head can rest on the crook of your right elbow

• How to burp and comfort baby
So we tried different ways to burp the baby and how to hold the baby close to our chest so that she can hear our heartbeat and be comforted by it.

• How to swaddle baby
Imagine being in bed on a cold and rainy morning and you are snuggled nice and warm underneath your fluffy blanket... Then suddenly, somebody comes in and yank your blanket away from you!

Yah, that's basically how the baby feels if you don't swaddle her...

Because the baby has spend so much time in the cosy and confined space inside mummy's belly, it would feel very bare and insecure with all the space to kick and thrash around. So newborns have to be swaddled or wrapped up snugly to make them feel nice and secure... :)

Anyway, we took turns to swaddle the baby, but dunno why; our towel seemed too small for our giant baby. Her feet was sticking out!

My turn...

Tada...!

• How to bath baby
1. Prepare everything! Lay out clothing, diaper, towels, diaper cream, etc.
2. Prepare bath water, (Temperature of water - 40 degrees) and some cooled boiled water
3. Remove baby's clothing - leave diaper on and swaddle baby
4. Using cooled boiled water and cotton buds:
- wipe eyes and nose using outward direction
- wipe ears, face and crease of neck
- pad dry her face with a dry towel
5. Carry baby on your side using a 'football hold' and leaning over the water, scoop water over baby's head to wet it and use a towel to rub wet hair to remove any dirt or flaky skin. Pad dry her head with towel
6. Remove diaper and towel and hold baby in a 'sitting position', with one hand on her bottom and the other on her back/neck
7. Swirl her bottom on the water so that she becomes accustom to it before gently place her on the tub while maintaining support of her neck. Place wet towel on her chest to comfort her.
8. Gently rub the creases on her body, arms, armpit, legs, hands and feet
9. Place your hand over her chest and together with your hand at her back, envelope her body and flip her over so that you can wash her back. Careful to make sure that her face is not under water.
10. Lift her out of water and immediately into a warm blanket to dry her out.
11. Using an umbilical cord alcohol wipe and cotton balls, wipe around and under her cord
12. Apply diaper cream onto genitals using a downward swipe before putting on the diaper. Make sure the umbilical cord is not covered by the diaper.

• How to change diaper
1. If there's poop on the diaper, place baby's bottom onto the cleaner area of the soiled diaper, or just place some tissue over it while you clean her bottom.
2. Using wet wipes, wipe downwards only. For the genitals area, only swipe downwards ONCE before using fresh wipes. For anus area, can swipe, fold and swipe again.
3. Remove soiled diaper, replace with fresh one
4. Apply diaper cream before wearing diaper

Daddy changing diaper

• How to fold a cloth diaper
Honestly I don't know who in this time and age still use cloth diapers that you have to fold yourself, so I guess this is just knowledge for fun. I mean, even if you are environmentally friendly, there are very good brands that sell bright and colourful washable cloth diapers.
Check out these sites for more information!
Bumwear - Available at United Square #01-35 (MRT stop: Novena)
Bambino Mio
Bummis

While listening to the instructor, I watched Cobby and found it soooo sweet that he's carrying the doll like a real baby. This was actually the first time that I've seen him handling a baby, even if it wasn't real.



My gosh, the sight of him holding the 'baby' really tugged my heartstrings and made me go "aaaawwwwww......" He really looked like a real daddy! I think I will cry when I see him holding OUR baby for real one day. I'm sure he'll make a real good father~!

3rd Antenatal Class

Lesson 3 - Labour

• Instructional Video
The instructor, Rosalind, started the class with a very scary video on REAL BIRTHS. The video showed mothers who went through different types of birth with different pain relief methods.

I tell you, that was some SCARY video footage! Screaming mothers, squirming in pain, and slowly you see the baby being pushed out from her vagina, all bloody and covered in mucus. I think most people in the room went pale just looking at the video...

Cobby said that he really felt painful for the mothers in the video... I personally wanted to run out of the room screaming. Erm, is it too late to get out of this whole pregnancy thingy now? No? Too late? Oh... shit...

• Physiological Approach to Breathing Relaxation
We did this last week, but I guess everybody was pretty freaked out by the video, so we practiced breathing again to remind ourselves how to cope with the pain and stress.

• Husband’s Role
Rosalind then taught the Daddies how to give relief massages to their queens...
- Massaging the neck with the thumb and 2nd finger
- Shoulder massage
- 'Let the fingers do the walking' down the back
- Using the palm to rub the lower back
- Arm / Fingers massage - But I like to call it the manicurist massage, which was usually given to customers after each session. Shiok!

• Learning to Cope in Labour
'dos' and 'don'ts' during labour:
- Only push when the Doctor / Nurse say push
- Only push when there's pain - if not, it would only be a waste of energy
- Sit in a semi upright position
- Hold the railings at the side of the bed (Hubby can place hand on top of wife's where it's safer)
- When pushing, hold on breath, press chin onto chest, and give a good, long, downward push
- If run out of breath, take a quick breath and give another good, long, downward push
- If doctor say "Don't push!", control by taking short breaths.

• Mechanisms of Normal Childbirth
Stage 1: Dilation of the cervix
Mummy would go through painful Contractions until the cervix is 10cm

Stage 2: Pushing and Childbirth
PUSH PUSH PUSH!!!!

Stage 3: Delivering of the Placenta
Ta-bao home to make soup... (Eww... Just kidding) But hey, it's a fact that the placenta is VERY nutritious!

We also discussed what we should bring to the hospital.
This is my list:

Hospital documents (Doctor's Letter)
Purse (ID)
dressing gown, cosy socks and slippers.
Jacket for me and Cobby
Contact lenses and spare glasses
Magazines
Music player - They say the room has one, so bring CDs instead.
Poker cards - Rosalind suggested it, she added that the only thing that we can't play there was probably mahjong! Haha... Pity!
DS Lite
A watch - This one use Cobby's one
Hair tie/band
Toiletries
Lip balm
Make up pouch
A camera and/or video camera
A towel and 2 cloths
Maxi sanitary pads
Nursing bras and breast pads
Essentials for your baby - Hospital provide, but I wanna bring my own leh~
A laundry bag
Comfy clothes and flat shoes to go home in

Snacks - CANNOT BRING - SO SAD! Rosalind says mummies cannot eat or drink in case there's any emergency need to operate...

Rosalind also went through the procedures when we decided it's time to check into the hospital:
- When enter hospital, Hubby would register while Mummy goes to ward and change into gowns
- Nurse would "inject" a type of fluid into Mummy's erm... rectum to help the mother pass out any poo poo later, before labour. (Hey, did wonder about this before, but I thought that the body would naturally NOT poo during labour! Hahaha...)
- Mummy would be strapped on to monitors, given body check up
- Waiting game!

• Antenatal Exercise
Another round of silly exercises...

• Hospital Tour - Strange... I thought we're supposed to have the hospital tour, but it wasn't mentioned... Probably ask her next week...

Class dismissed! Next week we'll be learning about baby care!

Baby Check Up

Just went for check up this morning.

Dr Kee scanned my tummy and said that little princess has a very nice strong heartbeat! Good! It's quite cool, I can see clearly the 4 chambers inside the heart, pumping away...

Again, he added that her leg bones are longer than average and calculated that she's about 800g to 1kg. So, overall, she's growing very well indeed! I was a little concern earlier as my tummy looked smaller than most Mummmys. So hearing that Princess is fine and healthy really makes me more relived.

Yeah!!!