1 week old

A week has passed n Skyler boy is 7 days old! This one week just flew past with lots of adjustment n getting used to. Ever since i came home on tuesday, i have not slept longer than 3 hrs in a stretch, except for last night where i felt sick n didnt wake up for the ususal 4am+ pump. In the end i woke up at 7am+ n I felt so much more rested but with full, leaking n painful breasts. Its really tough being a mom..just pumping alr took up a LOT of my time n rest. Aching all over now. Luckily i still have my CL who take care of my boy, feed him, bathe him, change his diapers n cook for me just so i ca rest in between my pumps. Really not looking fwd to the day she is gg to leave.... sob sob.. also, during this period, i was pretty emo, which according to Dr Yam, its normal as my hormones r returning to its normal level, thus for a short period of time, the drastic decrease in hormone levels will make us emo. Lucky hubby is quite understanding n will humor me...hehe..thanks dear! Hopefully will feel better abt myself n everything soon.

Brought Skyler to the PD for his 1 week checkup yesterday. He has since put on abt 400g after discharging from hospital (birth weight - 3.3kg, discharge weight : 3.1kg, yesterday's weight : 3.5kg) n has grew 2cm. Jaundice level is low so dun need to sun him :)

This is now his fav position...wonder whats so nice abt smelling his own mittens..lol..

Bb Skyler has arrived

Finally after the long wait, Bb Skyler has finally decided that he has enough of my womb and wanna come out. Haa, i was still afraid that i might need to induce him out. But luckily my boy decided to be punctual and came out exactly on his EDD. Here is my birth story:

Started feeling mild contractions ard 8am on 24th Jul. At that time, it was 8 mins apart and feels like mild mense cramps. Since i have a gynae apptm that same morning, i wasnt too concern about it.

Did CTG at Dr Yam's clinic and confirmed that my contractions was at 8 mins apart. Also did the VE check and found out that i was alr abt 3-4cm dilated. Dr Yam asked me to go home to wait and if nothing happens by the next morning, i am to check into MAH to get my waterbag broken so as to trigger labour.

At night, i joined my family and attended Charlene's farewell party (she is gg to UK to study for 5 yrs) at Orchard Hotel. I took this opportunity to eat all i want before starting my confinement and that includes lots and lots of cold water!!!! Also ate a big bowl of durian puree!! Yummy..i am so missing it now!!!! (*hint - anyone wanna buy me durian when visiting? Heehee) Towards the end of the dinner, i can feel that my contractions are getting more intense and frequency has increased too. By 11pm, contractions became 5 mins apart. Called hubby to chase him to come home quickly (he was working and has got function at his outlet that night). By 2 am, checked into MAH. Was weighed and directed to Delivery Suit 3. Nurse did VE and found out that i was 6 cm dilated. Was given the "medicine" to clear bowels. By 3+am, i couldnt take it anymore and asked for epi..nurse checked and said i was abt 7-8cm dilated, too late for epi. On one side i was happy that i was too late for epi, at least that forces me to go all the way natural but on the other hand, the pain was killing me! I was telling hubby if this labour is gg to drag for another 3-4 hrs, i think i could die from the pain..lol... By 4am, i couldnt take it anymore and asked for the "laughing" gas. Hmm..it didnt really help much actually, so i was given penciline, a painkiller that was given via injection into the thigh. This also didnt help much. And so, the pain goes on until 5+am when i have the urge to push. I always read this "urgue to push" in the internet but not sure wat it meant. Now i know..its really like when u r having stomache while doing ur bowels n during those contractions, u involuntarily wanna push. As Dr Yam is on his way, nurse asked me to resist pushing..but i tell u, thats really quite impossible to control! Imagine all tat pain n still must control not to push... but anyway, Dr Yam reached ard 5+am~6am, so by then i was allowed to push!! This goes on for almost an hr n Dr Yam knowing tat i was exhausted from all tat pain n pushing decided to help me via vacuum. Thus bb Skyler was borned on 25th Jul 2010 at 645am, weighing 3.3kg.

Ta-da! Freshly delivered

A funny clip to share :D

39th week check

Went for my 39th weeks check today. Bb Skyler still no sign of wanting to come out..lol..no contractions, no "show", no nothing. But Dr John did mention that he dropped further down, which is a good sign. My next apptm is on Sat if nothing happens in between these few days. At 39th weeks, Bb Skyler weighs 3.4kg. Hopefully he doesnt get too big when its time for labour!

Hai, got a feeling i might end up needing to induce. My mom mentioned that both me and my sis are induced babies and both of my sis's kids are induced babies as well. So maybe it runs in the family that we all needs to be induced? lol... But its getting on my nerve when everyday there would be someone asking me if i have given birth or not, or why have i not given birth yet. I mean how would i know why i have not given birth yet? Bb just dun wanna come out loh. Thats such a stupid qn right! And its getting very stressful too when u see your peeps giving birth one by one and you are still waiting... hai... gg crazy over this waiting period. Really excited to see how Bb Skyler looks like. Hee, like me or like hubby...

KS diaper bag

Saw this Kate Spade diaper bag and am so tempted to buy!! Told hubby abt it and he just rolled his eyes and say i siao.. :(

So pretty right...

Confinement rules

Was chatting with Yuxi over FB regarding confinement rules and agree with her. Nowadays still got ppl who follow the rules? I mean most of the rules are quite ridiculous and redundant. Example of which includes:

1) cannot have a fan blowing directly at you - will cause wind in body

2) cannot bathe, wash hair or be in contact with water for too long (then i wonder who is gg to bathe the bb???) - will cause rheumatism during old age

3) cannot stand while eating or drinking - will cause womb to fall out

4) cannot drink plain water. Can only drink either red dates or logan tea - cant remember why no plain water..

5) must wear long sleeves top and long pants - to prevent wind from entering body

6) must wear slipper at home as feet cannot be in direct contact with the floor - due to wind also

Most of these rules are directed at having wind in body which will cause rheumatism during old age. But then again, for the old folks who have been reminding and demanding us to follow such rules, didn't they practice such rules when they are doing their confinement? If so, then why are they still aching and having rheumatism now? Whats the use of following these rules when it didn't work? That only means 1 thing. Such stupid rules doesn't hold. It dun mean that by not bathing, blowing fan, or not drinking plain water during confinement period = no aching or rheumatism. Aching and rheumatism are part and parcel of old age, unless you can prove to me that by following such rules, i wont be aching when i am old, then i will be glad to do it, if not, sorry to say..i will try my best to do it, but if stress + tired over caring for my newborn + PNB, these rules are the last on my mind. So pls stop nagging me to wear long sleeves, long pants, no fan, no plain water, no this , no that..its getting very irritating..

39th week

Just reached 39th week! Another 7 more days to go!

"Ru Zhai" loh!

We had performed our "Ru Zhai" (ie moving house) ceremony today. The date and time was chosen by our Fengshui master and we were taught what to do and what to bring in. Have invited my parents and inlaws to join us as the more ppl who attend this "ceremony", the better it is. Actually its not much of a ceremony. Its more of an official "entering" of the house and to bring in some household items to symbolise/bless the house with smooth and flowing wealth/luck.

Things that we did:

1) For the male master of the house (ie Ah Dear): he has to hold a lighted charcoal stove and upon entering the house, he is suppose to put the stove in a location in the kitchen (identify by the master) to make the house "Wang". A kettle full of water brought over from where we are currently staying (ie my inlaw's place) and cook it over that stove. Its to prevent "shui tu bu fu" after we have shifted in. In addition to that, Law has to bring in the 7 household item:

a) Cai - We used matchsticks for this

b) Mi - Rice

c) You - Oil

d) Yen - Salt

e) Jiang - light and dark soya sauce

f) Chu - Vinegar

g) Cha - Tea

2) For the female master of the house (ie me), i need to hold onto the "cash" which we uses gold coins to symbolise and upon entering the house, go to our house's "cai wei" ie fortune location and place the coins there.

For those guests who came with us, each would hold some auspicious items, like pineapple, our Fu Lu Shou statues or with just some cash/coins in their pockets.

Also to clarify some mis-practice on the Ru Zhai ceremony that most ppl do:

1) Charcoal stove : we are not suppose to "walk over" the stove when entering the house. According to the master, walking over the fire stove is only for bad luck ppl. By walking over the stove, its said to burn away the bad luck. So if normal ppl walked over, it would burn off our normal luck, thus its not good for the person.

2) Rolling of pineapple - We are not suppose to throw/roll the pineapple into the house. Hmmm cant remember whats the reason behind this (blamed this on pregnancy horomones), but we are told and reminded not to.

So after the small entering house ceremony, we have the 1st official lunch with the attendance of both families :)

Yummy food! After this, its followed by desserts : Tang Yuan, which symbolise Tuan Yuan for the family.

So now that the ceremony has been done, we can move in anytime we want :) So now its up to Bb Skyler to choose his birthday, after which once discharge from hospital, we will move in striaght away. So for now, its waiting and waiting and waiting for the moment..

On CTG AGIAN...

Went for my 38th weeks checkup today and Bb Skyler weighs 3.1kg. I told Dr Yam that i noticed lesser movement from Skyler for the past 1 ~ 2 days. After some checking, measuring and scanning, Dr Yam suggest that i do the CTG scan to check. And so, i was directed to Mt A for the scan. Haa i was a bit reluctant to go since i was at Boon Lay and needed to travel all the way down to Mt A at Thomson. Hmm..think Dr Yam must be thinking why this new mama so not anxious abt her own bb :P

So here i am, strapped to CTG at Mt A. After an hr on CTG, nurse declared everything is all right, no contractions as yet (Bb Skyler too comforty in mama's tummy) and Bb Skyler's heartbeat is very good and strong.

38 weeks

Another week has passed and bb Skyler is still happily and comfortably staying in my tummy. Hopefully he will stay there till at least after Thursday, cos Thursday is the day whereby we are going to do the "lu zai" ie moving house ceremony. After the ceremony, we can shift in anytime we want. So if bb Skyler decides to come out before that...then i have to do my confinement else where! So pray that bb Skyler is obedient lol...after thursday ok boy..be patient.

Tummy at 38th weeks

Bad memory during pregnancy - Its true!

Your Brain on Choline During Pregnancy

Lost so many brain cells, you're afraid you'll leave the baby on the bus? Choline to the rescue!

Can't remember where you left the car keys — or where you left the car? Showing up on Tuesday afternoon for a Monday morning meeting? Have your desk blanketed in Post-its reminding you to be home for that crib delivery — but managed to miss it anyway? Pregnancy forgetfulness has a way of sneaking up on you without any warning (or maybe you got a warning but you forgot). Here's a slightly unsettling, yet illuminating explanation why you've been having senior moments ever since you started gestating junior.

For sure, hormones play a part (the same ones that kick in when you're premenstrual — except they kick in at much higher levels, leaving you in a much thicker fog). But it also turns out — just as you suspected last time you spaced out when you were supposed to turn off the oven and ended up with burnt chicken instead of baked chicken — that your brain has actually been shrinking during pregnancy. Researchers have noted that the brain cell volume of pregnant women actually decreases during the third trimester of pregnancy, only to plump up a few months after delivery. So you're not imagining your brain drain at 38 weeks pregnant (and you have a valid medical excuse for why you forgot to pay the electric bill until the lights started flickering).

Article extracted from whattoexpect.com

Finally the template is up

Hehe! Finally did it! Managed to put back all my links and tickers. This template is MUCH better than the last right? Been searching so long for the right one.

Template

Just changed my blog template. But still trying to find out how to put back my ticker and blog links..be patient ya.

Forum down

The Sgmotherhood forum has been down quite often lately. Dunno what are they doing man..i am so hooked onto the forum, now i am having withdrawal symptons, especially when i am on HL this week..super free at home and nothing to do.. Hubby said when i am super free, its not a good sign, cos my mind will start to wonder and he says i liked to think too much.

In some way i think he is true. Looking at my ticker counting down to THE day, its just another 20 days away +/- ..seems scary...20 days are very short. After that our lifestyle would change forever. I cant go out as and when i like, i need to accomodate to the timing of our "KING". I cant have undisturb sleep for 5 hrs in a row, cos i need to wake up for the feed/pump. And there are a lot of i cant this, i cant that...but on the other hand, in exchange, i would have our precious bundle of joy (hehe hopefully) in my arms, watching him grow and progress, an experience which no one else can take on :) so its a trade off :P

Am looking fwd and not looking fwd to THE day..haha so contradict ya.

37th week checkup

Went for my 37th week checkup today. Skyler's weigh went up by another 200g, ie now at 2.899kg. Progressing as expected and is an healthy and avg weight :) Mummy's weight dropped by 1.5kg this week! So happy! Hehehe.. But nowadays, walking has become a pain. Cant walk for too long..imagine carrying an almost 3kg bb + another 3 kg of water + tissue in front of you. So thats 6kg in your tummy alone. And not to mention loose joints (in preparation for the birthing process) all over my body, walking has become a more wobbly matter.

Was on CTG scan today. Bb Skyler doesnt really like to be strapped in..lol..and thus you can see the increase in heartbeat at the beginning of the scan.

Also did the Strep B Swap test today. Results would only be out next week..keeping finger cross.

37 weeks

Today marks my 37th week. Another 3 more weeks to go (max)! I am starting to get kan cheong alr. Last night i dreamt that i was admitted to hospital but couldnt dilate.. :( and they have to poke a thick needle into my left foot sole to help me dilate..duhz.. also nowadays, my 1st trim nightmare is back.. i went to the toilet at least 5 times last night...tired....

F8 Angels photoshoot

Finally went for our official maternity shoot with f8 angels today. Did it at their studio at Henderson Industrial Park and YES, we did went for the nude shots :P hope they turn out nice and artistic and not just some bunch of fats infront of the cam :P We had fun at the shoot and frankly speaking, even though the shoot only lasted for about an hr, the positions and stunts were more difficult as compared to our wedding shoot. Even hubby say so..haha maybe now i am not as light and as flexible as i was when taking our wedding shoot. Nowadays if i sat on the floor, i would need someone to pull me up. Not able to get up myself anymore. :P

After the shoot, went to collect some furnitures and appliances from auntie Roslyn for our new house. Thanks aunty Roslyn! Brought the items back to bukit batok before going back to my parents' place for dinner.

36th week checkup

At 36th week 1 day, bb Skyler weighs 2.7kg. According to gynae, its a good weight and estimated full term weight would be around 3.1kg ~ 3.2kg. He said with my height and size, no problem doing natural birth (that is if nothing corks up last min). From this week onwards, checkup would be on a weekly basis until i give birth. Next week's checkup would include the CTG check and Strep B Swap test. Not sure if he is gg to do a VE check on me..cos i am anxious to know if i have started dilating or not...will keep you guys updated. :)