Week 30: I love being pregnant!

Okay I know I sound a bit Jekyll & Hyde here because I have moaned in so many other posts about feeling miserable in pregnancy. BUT! This week has been really brilliant. I feel great, I have a good appetite, I am sleeping really well, I feel strangely more agile, I am positive and Bean is kicking lots. 

I would lie down and watch my whole belly wobble as he moves about. He is like a little Loch Ness monster. His body parts would occasionally push or grind hard against my abdominal wall so I can feel the growing tension and touch his little hard foot or head or hand. Then he submerges deep into the womb and the surface of my belly becomes soft again. It's really fun for me and R, although R does find touching the "hard, stony" bits of him a bit weird and somewhat gross. 

We attended an all-day antenatal workshop at the hospital yesterday. It was delivered by one of the midwives in the labour ward and I thought she did an excellent presentation. We talked through the labour and delivery process, pain relief options, breastfeeding and the best part was getting a tour of the labour ward and watching them wash a 24-hour old baby. Oh yes, we also learnt about poo colours. It should start off black like tar or Marmite, then become orangey and then dark yellow. Lovely! 

Because the midwife was so good at explaining what to expect and what we should do when we are in labour, I am feeling a lot more confident and mentally prepared for it. I found the explanation of how the cervix would open during birth particularly helpful because before that, although I knew you are supposed to dilate to 10cm before you should push your baby out, I didn't know what that really means. 

Basically, with each contraction, the uterine muscles shorten, which gradually pulls back the cervix so it will eventually fit over the head of the baby. It's a bit like putting on a turtleneck jumper. It will stretch so that your head can go through the hole. There is no point pushing when the hole is not wide enough because the baby will not go through and you will just tire yourself out. 

Knowledge rocks!

On Monday, we went to IKEA and got a carful of items for the house. We got a cot bed which Bean can sleep in till he's at least four, two wooden kitchen trolleys so we can move the dining table and chairs into the new dining room. 

And today we spent the whole day building everything. I'm pleased to announce that the nursery is looking fabulous! I just need to put up my cartoon wall decals and cotton bunting! Once I've done that I'll take some pictures and post them here. 

Oh! Another thing which really made my week was finding out that K has had her baby boy on Thursday. She had quite a straightforward delivery in the birthing pool with minimum pain relief and I am so over the moon for her. 

I'm a happy mummy this week!

Week 29: Vomiting, heartburn, hairy baby, Yong Tau Foo

This week wasn't exactly great. It started out okay though, until Wednesday lunchtime. I was working from home so I had a sandwich and a couple of chicken wings. Shortly after that I felt  sharp pain in my gut so I knew it was a heartburn attack. 

I quickly downed Gaviscon but that didn't help so there I was as usual, groaning, hyperventilating, twisted in agony. I took a stronger tablet to in an attempt to control the stomach acid and also drank some peppermint tea which eventually did help to knock back the pain. But it was still there in the background right till dinnertime. 

For dinner, I made some pasta and forced myself to eat a small bowlful because sometimes a bit of food can help to improve the situation. I also drank fizzy water and 7-up because the carbon dioxide usually works at neutralising the acid. But the pain continued to bedtime and I laid awake through the night rubbing my stomach. Nothing seemed to have helped. 

I made and drank more peppermint tea but in my terrible state knocked the mug onto the carpet. This of course woke R and he helped to clean up the mess and offered to get me more Gaviscon. The moment I downed it I felt an urgent need to be sick. I tried to fight the feeling but I was salivating and I could feel it coming up my throat. Thankfully I made it to the toilet where I vomited twice.

Being a nurse, R remained calm and went to get me a glass of water to rinse out my mouth. I kept telling him to go away as I didn't want him to see me throw up. But he said, "Don't be silly, what do you think I do everyday?" So anyway, I felt a lot better after puking and I managed to finally sleep for a few hours. I couldn't however, face going to work, so I called in sick in the morning. My guts were also very bloated and painful still so I went to see the doctor. 

She examined me and said the womb is pushing right up against the stomach which makes me more susceptible to heartburn and indigestion. She prescribed a liquid medication similar to but apparently more effective than Gaviscon for me to take after meals. I could barely walk because my insides were hurting so bad. Later, when my stomach pains had gone, I realised I was all tender from vomiting - I had pulled my abdominal muscles when I threw up. 

That day I did not and could not do anything. I slept for three hours, read for a little while in bed and had a small bowl of clear chicken soup and some bread at mealtimes. At night the muscle pain kept me awake and it still hurt to walk so I worked from home the next day. 

By the evening I felt well enough to head into town for a few hours. I had arranged to have dinner with two Singaporean girls at a Chinese restaurant which had Hakka Yong Tau Foo and I didn't want to re-schedule the appointment. I also wanted to drop by K's place (she lives near the restaurant) to see her before she pops. 

Since I last saw her, K had developed a lovely big bump and her baby could come any moment now. We sat around to have chocolate cake while her dog kept us entertained. She looked great and appeared to be calm and confident about the impending birth. I can only hope I would be half as composed as she is. 

After two days of bad belly, I was happy to indulge myself in some nice food at the restaurant. The Hakka Yong Tau Foo was absolutely delicious but I did not overeat and thank goodness the evening went pain-free. 

I heard from a friend who also suffered from terrible pregnancy heartburn that women who had that were more likely to give birth to hairier babies. I thought it was an old wives' tale until I read this - there is actually scientific proof to that theory! Oh my god I hope Bean doesn't come out looking like a baby chimp!

Pregnancy talent #3

R accidentally discovered this new talent of mine when I was lying in bed. I can make my knickers disappear between my bump and thighs. Can you? 

Week 28: 摆家乐 Home & Decor Survivor

This week I feel a bit like being on Channel 8's 摆家乐, because we have been turning the house around quite a bit. 

We finished painting Bean's room this week, giving it three coats of paint. Even though it is a VERY small room, it's amazing how long it takes to do a good job, especially around the windows. 

We opted for Laura Ashley's Eau de Nil, which is a sort of pastel green. I picked the colour because I don't really like the gender-stereotyping idea of blue walls for a boy and pink walls for a girl. I also ordered some animal safari wall stickers from the US and pastel buntings from Sarah's Loft which I hope will add a bit of interest to the otherwise plain room. 

On Wednesday, one of R's nephews came over to help us shift some furniture around the house. We cleared out the futon from the room next to ours because we wanted to build a bed in there and get it ready as my mother's room (or a guest room when she is not here). 

My "office" was also moved and a red chest of drawers we placed somewhere else now sits in my mother's room as her dressing table cum storage. Then the pine wardrobe and a chest of drawers were redistributed from the room my mother-in-law's was in, so we can get that space ready as a dining room cum "baby pram and stuff area".

Being pregnant, I couldn't really do anything apart from getting out of their way when the two men did all the hard work. The only thing I did was to share with them my tin of shortbread after they finished moving. 

We also arranged for the refuse collectors to pick up some old pieces of furniture. There are more to be disposed of next week. 

On Thursday and Friday, we did more painting because I took two days off work to sort as much of the house out as we could. We painted one of the walls in my mother's room a deep rich red and then built her bed. My mother told me I mustn't be in the room when R used the hammer, but thankfully he only used it once or twice since we could put the pieces together using just an Allen Key. 

We also made a trip to the antenatal clinic so they could take my blood to check if I was anaemic. I was given information on breastfeeding and by pressing around my belly, the midwife told me that Bean's head was down in my cervix, his back was against my left abdomen and his limbs were up against my right ribcage (roughly like the picture below). It's amazing how she knows all this just by poking me around in the tummy! 

I weighed myself and I have put on a total of 5 kg since getting pregnant. My latest food craving is anything sharp and citrusy. I suck on a orange or lemon ice-lolly every day and R got me some lemon sorbet when he went to the supermarket yesterday. 

Today, I spent more time painting - this time I did the wooden skirting board in the dining room to freshen it up as the existing paint job was looking dirty and tired. I also need to do a bit of tidying around the house. There is always so much to do and it can be difficult when we both hold full-time jobs. All I can say is, I'm glad we are getting a start on it now rather than wait till I no longer have as much mobility or energy. 

I know this may gross some people out but I can now feel Bean's skeleton when he presses right up against the wall of my abdomen. I don't exactly know what I'm feeling but it is something hard so it could be his foot, his head, his elbow. And when I rub against it, he moves away in response. 

He is a pretty determined little fellow. Although he hasn't kicked me hard enough to keep me awake at night (yet), he does kick vigorously when I scrunch up lying on my side, because the lack of space makes him uncomfortable. So I have to toss and turn to find a position we both find comfortable and this can take some time. 

But I love the little bubba and I am getting pretty excited now at the thought of finally meeting him. I just hope he doesn't chew off my nipples.

Pregnancy talent #2

I have NEVER been somebody with a sweet tooth. Yes I'll occasionally have a slice of cake with a cup of coffee at a cafe when I'm in the mood but I don't stock ice-cream or cakes or or sweets cookies or chocolates in the house. It's just the way I've been brought up - we never had any cakes or Western confectionery in the house. I don't THINK about desserts when I finish my main meal. 

That, my friends, has all changed since getting pregnant. Now in my last trimester, I have turned into a pudding (British for dessert) monster. I like sherbets, jellies, cakes, trifles, ice-creams, mousses, chocolates, yoghurts, have I mentioned cakes? 

I don't eat huge amounts (but I know I can be capable of that if I become weak-willed) or eat them everyday but it's the fact that I now actually CRAVE for all these sweet desserts which scare me. I actually consciously THINK about them and hover around Marks and Spencer's dessert section salivating at all the scrumptious cakes. 

When I went to my sister-in-law's yesterday, I had a chocolate muffin with icing and chocolate Easter eggs AND a generous dollop of raspberry trifle. Before this I had a cup of fruit jelly. 

Oh it's bad. I'm terrified I'll become a real fatty. Oh it depresses me. 

I think I need a cookie.

Week 27: Nesting

I debated with myself if I should post the picture of me wearing barely nothing but I really want you to see my bump since most of you won't be able to see it in person. I'll be 7 months pregnant next week and Bean is really growing at an astonishing rate. Both Bean and I will be experiencing a massive growth spurt in the next couple of months. I can only hope he is not one of those massive monster babies and I don't morph into a giant whale, because believe it or not, I haven't really put on that much weight so far, as you can see above. 

This week, Bean is really responding to sounds and is moving around quite a lot. He can also now open and close his eyes. (Not that I can see). Carrying him now puts a strain on my back and I am really feeling less mobile and agile with a bump sticking out in the front. It tends to brush against or bump into things. 

We went to IKEA on Thursday just to check out what kind of furniture items we may need for our redecoration project. There are a few pieces we would like to pick up - including a cot, rugs, a chest of drawers, standed lamps and other bits and bobs. But I feel we should first sort the rooms out - i.e. reorganise and move existing furniture into the respective rooms we want them in and clear out unwanted items - before we go on a buying spree. 

On Good Friday we spent a good few hours painting the baby room. It looks horribly patchy at the moment with only one coat of paint but next week we want to give it another go and when that's finished I'll put up some cute wall stickers. 

This weekend I cleaned and cooked, went to my sister-in-law's for an Easter egg hunt she organised for her grandchildren, and slept in late. It's lovely not to think about work for a few days. 

I haven't exactly put my feet up and just rot on the couch over the long weekend, but it feels good to succumb to the nesting instinct and busy myself around the house. Because frankly, if Bean wasn't on his way, we wouldn't be as motivated to get things sorted.