[Pregnancy] Week 22 + 6 : Colostrum

This is weird but strangely exciting.. my colostrum has finally made its first appearance on my shirt!

I'm normal. Yay! I've been so worried if I will ever produce milk because from what I've read I was supposed to have my first leak a couple of weeks ago but it didn't happen. So I've been waiting. Even John was happy for me! He even recorded a video for keeps :|

In malacca now for a weekend getaway. Having a blast this far!

TEC Baby Expo, Shah Alam

[Pregnancy] Week 22: General Tiredness @ Work

[Pregnancy] Week 21: Dr. Valli @ UMMC

Finally met Dr. Valli at UMSC after waiting for a month to.

First impressions : quiet, subdued, soft spoken

Her ultrasound machine was pretty old school, images were very unclear and the scan itself was not as clear as Dr.  Kamaljit's. However she was a nice older lady and told me that I needed to make an appointment to see the heart doctor within the same center- UMSC.
Despite the fact that my VSD repair was done at 2 years old it's always better to take extra precautions to ensure my heart health is fine - especially now that I'm carrying a little one in me and his health & wellbeing is of top priority!

Because we struggled to find the specialist center (Drove to UMMC instead at first - hospital side) we were late to our appointment and had to wait after everyone else before we could see her.
By the end if it we were really tired and decided to tour the hospital another time. Since we will be in malacca this weekend, hospital tours will most likely happen next weekend.

Hospitals we are thinking of touring : UMMC, Prince Court, Pantai

Will be posting hospital tour reviews after that! Stay tuned.

[Pregnancy] Week 21 : Skinny jeans

Yesterday I wore my favourite black skinny jeggings to work (using the rubber band hack, of course) and I felt like I could burst in it.

Definitely need maternity pants in the next few weeks and I'm thinking of perhaps investing in just one black pair since I only have about 3.5 months to go and I wear more dresses and shorts anyway.

Also did some research on newborn essentials so we are equipped with some knowledge when we go to the baby expo @ shah alam tomorrow morning! How exciting.

It's a busy weekend for us - Saturday would see us visiting our gynae at UMMC  (Dr. Valli) followed by hair cut for John then photoshoot for IKEA then dinner with the brothers (John's mates from Melbourne)!
Sunday would see us spending almost the whole afternoon at the baby expo followed by Skype with Lianne and beloved Char.

Can't wait for the weekend to begin and I wish it never ends - I'm starting to dread work more and more.. i feel like my mind just naturally drifts off these days. Not too sure if it's because of my hormones but I feel more lazy as the pregnancy progresses.

Anywho I have to get ready for the gynae visit now - will update later!

Urinary Tract Infection (UTI)

Had throbbing sharp upper left abdominal pains yesterday morning that went on for 1.5 hours.

Decided to pop by my gynae for a quick  check up - whilst little bubs is fine and active in my belly, I've developed Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) which explains the throbbing abdominal pain. If left untreated the infection can and will spread to little bubs.
She prescribed me Zinnat 250mg which is a round of antibiotics that's supposed to clear the infection.

This morning I took Zinnat with my daily supplements - Diabetmin & Obimin Plus - and felt queasy almost immediately after for an hour. Bad, bad idea.

Pregnant mummies please remember to empty your bladder frequently and as soon as you feel like going to the bathroom you should (even if it's in the middle of the night) to avoid getting UTI. That's because of our hormonal changes plus the fact that as little bubs grows in size, he/she presses against your bladder preventing the complete emptying of it, thus leaving old urine & bacteria in your bladder allowing it to harvest and spread. 
If you feel any abdominal pains that last beyond a few minutes, please go and see your gynae immediately!

Mosquito bites & Sweat

I don't know if it's just me.. or if other pregnant mums out there are experiencing the strange double phenomenon of getting more frequent mosquito bites and possibly overactive sweat ducts (compared to when we were NOT pregnant of course).

I find that I am getting at least one mosquito bite a day (no kidding) and on some weekends I'm getting more. Mostly on my legs though. And also I find that I am sweating more easily these days.. I can be standing and totally immobile in a room without air conditioning and I will be sweating buckets.

I did read an article online anout how  pregnant women have 1.5 to 2 times the amount of blood supply through the course of pregnancy, contributing to the increased amounts of heat dispersed and carried throughout your body which results in more sweat and also a more likely blood feast for the hungry flying creatures. To combat this I've been using a roll-on insect repellant to keep them mozzies away from my legs. It took me so many years to achieve nicer looking legs on my skin (used to have too many scars) and now it's all doomed! #sadface

Anyway I'll do a review later on the insect repellant I'm using and hopefully if any preggy mums out there are experiencing the same issue, then hopefully this will help! 

To combat the increased sweat I intend to buy a mini portable fan to take around with me especially when I'm really feeling the heat and getting uncomfortable!

Off to a triple date dinner now! John has fallen sick so we will most likely come home early so he can rest for work the next day.

Burt's Bees Mama Bee Belly Butter

This stuff is so gold I bought an extra 2 tubs for the remainder of my pregnancy. Will do a full review later. However if you are contemplating and/or hesitant about this product, I'd say - BUY IT.

Feelings.. 20th week

Nearing the end of my 20th week and I'm feeling great! So far no complaints about back aches or stretch marks and I really hope the second half of this pregnancy will be smooth sailing!

So my dearest John has fallen sick with a high fever. He's been stressing at work lately which has negatively affected his immunity. Poor baby. I wish I could take away all his sickness but I'm carrying our child and I need to protect the little one. Can't afford to fall sick for the next 4 months at least!

My bump is getting more noticeable now although some colleagues say I hide it very well under flowy tops and breezy dresses.
Well now that I've officially announced it on Facebook I can wear whatever I want to work and not have to worry about what others may suspect/assume/think.

Speaking of which I just had a long time friend message me on FB and was all like "I didn't see any wedding pics on your feed" and I told him I'm not married and he went "wow announcing baby before marriage!" Uhm okay. I get that you carry conventional practices with you in your pocket and probably eat them for breakfast lunch and dinner - but not everyone is like that so try and be a bit more sensitive with your words..

Honestly, and like I told him straight, conventionally speaking you graduate from school, get a job, meet mr/ms right, get married then have kids and then retire and die. Why must I stick to conventions? Why must I follow what the norm dictates for me and for my life?

Nope. I choose to keep the baby and have my wedding ceremony 2 years down the line. I love John. And I know that he loves me. We both care so deeply for each other and want only the best for our baby and his future so that really, is all that matters the most to us.

God has blessed us with a miracle baby - one that wasn't even supposed to be conceived because of my PCOS and that's why we treasure this beautiful gift even more.

As Steve Jobs nicely puts it in his famous quote.. "don't be trapped by dogma..." & I can't agree more. I want this baby and I am going to make sure that I work super hard so he can have a good life.

Daddy & Mummy love you so much AJ.

19th week

Went on a 3D4N trip to Perhentian with 2 of my colleagues.. had a blast!
We tanned, snorkelled, partied (well, not much), bumped into random German travellers who were just too bloody young.. etc.

Got a burnt on my back and ass, and a tan everywhere else. Little AJ was so obedient - and he has been obedient throughout the last 19 weeks, no morning sickness, no puke, no body aches, no pains etc. He only kicks when I'm working in the afternoon or lying down at night - sometimes it seems as though he only works up a fuss when I'm not moving around (i.e sitting at office desk working). I can see how active and cheeky this little monkey is gonna be :)

John is still talking to my belly every morning and night - nowadays he rubs it more and I totally love it. Embracing every moment of pregnancy and motherhood as it is. According to articles online, AJ can now hear sounds. I've been playing classic music from a Spotify playlist, with some EDM too.

What I miss? I miss partying. So much. Sad to say, I do miss alcohol. I bought an absinthe hand cream from The Body Shop over the weekend and that's pretty much the closest I get to alcohol these days. I miss going to raves, concerts, festivals. I miss them all..

John has been the most supportive partner - the best I could ever ask for, for me and for our baby. I know inside me that this is God's plan.

How we found out...and more!

9th May - Saturday
I have been feeling nauseous, tired and just generally lethargic at this point, and my period hasn't arrived in close to 2 months... thought nothing of it initially (because, PCOS) but then I had this aching feeling inside that I might be pregnant.
Took a pregnancy test at night - VOILA! 2 distinct lines.

11th May - Monday
Popped into doctor across the road from work. First ultrasound scan - VOILA! Yes I am indeed carrying a 5 week old foetus. Doctor told me the heartbeat has not developed yet and to go back in about 2-3 weeks to see heartbeat/fetal viability.

Decided to make an appointment with a gynae at Gleneagles Hospital. Dr. Jean Woo was highly raved about online but she is unavailable on the weekends and I really wanted John to be with me too.
Settled for Dr. Andy Low - Terribly gynae. We went there twice - 9th week and 12th week scan.

What is bad about Dr. Andy Low? I have several pointers off the top of my head.
- John couldn't take a photo or video or the ultrasound scan
- His WIFE did most of the relational talking
- Cold as a rock - no emotions - felt like he was obligated to become my Gynae
- Kept pushing for expensive treatments/tests e.g. XXX Triploidy test - 3k!!!

etc etc.
Just the feeling I got from him in general - and John too - from those 2 visits was that he wasn't really passionate about his job, maybe doing it for the money? He kept pushing for all sorts of tests to be taken and I was quite dumbfounded. Didn't really go into details about ANYTHING. Didn't shake our hands to greet us. Didn't tell us more about what to expect, what to avoid eating etc etc.

Then I found out 2 of my colleagues were pregnant too - all 3 of us due in December! And one of them recommended her gynae to me - Dr. Kamaljit Kaur in Jalan Telawi Bangsar.

Dr. Kaur was the complete opposite of Dr. Low, in every aspect. She was nurturing, kind, detailed and best of all, AFFORDABLE. I had 2 blood tests and a scan done with her, plus consultation fees, came round to only 200RM. I am thankful for the introduction by my colleague!