This is my favourite nursery rhyme so far and I think I have been driving Bean crazy by singing it too much. The question to ask is: Why did Suki take the kettle off after Polly put it on? My take is Suki wants to use the stove to make sushi rice! Enjoy the song anyway.
On Monday I had lunch with K, who gave me a pair of maternity jeans which she could no longer fit into. K is 23 weeks pregnant but if you hadn't seen her belly, she still looks the same as before. We had a meal in a quiet cafe and talked about our journey so far.
I shared with K that for the first time that morning, I gagged when I brushed my teeth. Apparently that is very common among pregnant women. I'm not sure if it was the taste of the toothpaste or the brushing action itself, but it just made me want to throw up. K said it was the same for her. "I can't brush my back teeth." No wonder they say pregnancy cost you a tooth.
I flew long-haul this week, via Paris, to head back to Singapore for M & J's wedding. My family was quite worried about the long journey but I made sure I looked after myself on the way. I wore R's baggy track pants on the flight and put on compression socks. Pregnant women are more susceptible to deep-vein thrombosis so the socks will help to the blood circulation in my lower legs. On R's advice, I also drank lots of fluid and frequently walked around the plane.
I have been feeling great in Singapore, well except the usual jet-lag, but I've been eating well and feeling quite bright. I told the girls the good news in person and they are all going to be Bean's godmothers. Everyone has been asking about the baby's gender, but it's too early to detect now.
I had dim sum with Emily and the gang and she said, "I think you are going to have a boy because you look good." I told her my mother thought I was a boy too, because of the way she was carrying the child, but then I surprised her on the delivery bed. (Sorry, no hot dog today, Mum). So I'd just like to think I'm having a healthy, normal baby, whatever the gender.
But I tell you, my hormones are really all over the place! At M & J's wedding, I could not stop crying when they were exchanging their vows, and I was the only bloody one sobbing my heart out at the ceremony. I also cried while reading Neil Humphrey's Be My Baby, on the page he telephoned his mother to tell her his wife was pregnant. That made me sob. My goodness, I am such a wreck!
On Friday, Mum and I went to see an obstetrician in Gleneagles Hospital because I wanted a local doctor's opinion and advice on the pregnancy. He scanned me and I requested to check the nuchal fold (measurement of the neck's thickness) as it is a possible indicator of Down's syndrome. I told him the sonographers in the UK don't do it anymore as they said it's not really an accurate gauge. "What? But they were the people who told the world to do the nuchal fold examination! And now they don't do it anymore?" my doctor exclaimed.
The nuchal fold examination should be done between 7 - 13 weeks. Any later the neck would be too thick to measure. Anyway, the doctor examined it for me and said the thickness is 2mm, which is normal. Any reading above 4mm would be cause for concern. He recommended that I requested for an episiotomy during delivery to prevent vaginal tearing all the way to the back. "I think they must realise Asian women have very small pelvises and they usually end up tearing." he said.
Bean was hiccuping when the scan was done and seemed pretty dormant, unlike the last ultrasound we did. But this time we got to hear his heartbeat as well, to which my Mum said, "Wah so loud!" We tried to suss out the gender but Bean had his legs crossed (so modest!) so we couldn't really see and we'll just have to wait till the next scan in 6 weeks.
My nausea has subsided except when I get into cabs and they start their accelerator, brake, accelerator, brake rubbish at frequent intervals. Cabs are really a bad idea for pregnant women and drunkards. They can be vomit-inducing.
Everyone has been taking extra care of me since learning I am pregnant. This includes not allowing me to carry anything, including my own handbag! I keep telling them, I'm pregnant, not handicapped!
My Mum has been showing her concern by scolding me. "You're not resting enough!", "You do too many things and tire yourself.", "You really shouldn't be travelling!"
My other relatives have been expressing their love in more conventional ways. My aunt bought me a black maternity dress from Hong Kong on her recent trip there and my other aunt came to see me with a pot of freshly brewed bird's nest soup.
Bean and I could get used to this pampering!
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