Maternity Clothes (Part 2)

In my previous pregnancy, people asked me where I got my clothes. So i posted a blog sharing where most my clothes were from, for I am not one who buys maternity stuff.

When expecting Vesper, I didn't grow very much in size, although I was heavier than when expecting Verity (mystery of mystery). I could still wear normal working skirts (Mango size S somemore!) For the 3rd pregnancy, i was into Korean frilly styles and dresses. Best of all, they were non-maternity so post-delivery, just wear them with belts cinched at the waist.

Now, ahem, fashion show time - again!

4 wks preg. Uniqlo spaghetti top and tights

14 wks preg. Mphosis shorts suit

 

19 wks. Pull and Bear T-shirt, Fox skirt



17 wks. Mango top, Joop skirt



22 wks. Joop dress

24 wks. Top shop top, floral skirt from Japan

25 wks. Dress from shop in Toa Payoh

27 wks. T-shirt from Forever 21, skirt from Cotton On

28 wks. T-shirt from People's Park, lacy black skirt from Japan, tights from Uniqlo

31 wks. Top from United Square, skorts from Japan

33 wks. Sequinned dress from Arthur Yen

33 wks. Dress from Bali

36 wks. shorts suit from Bali

 

The Story of Vesper's Birth

29 November 2010.


I still wonder how Dr could “imagine” that Vesper will pop out this day and she really did. Anyway, I went to work as usual while Clem took leave. I asked him, why are you taking leave? Are you giving birth? Anyway he brought the kids for a swim in the morning and ran errands in the afternoon.

5.45pm
He fetched me from office for our appointment at Sun Plaza. Dr has specially instructed me to see him there at 6pm. I was late. I had a missed call from Dr! I quickly retrieved the voice message, only to hear him talking to another patient in the background. Aiyo, this Dr so kancheong, consulting a patient still want to call me. Afraid that I don’t show up is it?

6.30pm
When I arrived at the crowded clinic, he called me again and asked where I was. Dr, I’m just outside! Ok, he replied satisfactorily, I thought you’re not coming.

When I got into Dr’s room, he asked, “Do you know why I called you? I called to check whether you are in pain. If yes, I will ask all the patients outside to go home.”

Whoa, suddenly I felt very important. At the same time, I thought he was a little mad. Why would he be so sure i will deliver today?

“Dr, I feel perfectly fine!”

The ultrasound showed that baby’s head was down. Very good, Dr commented, but the weight is around 2.2 kg. Quite low.

Of course low lah, I thought. Now only 37 weeks what. If carry to 40 weeks, sure normal weight.

Suddenly he turned to and said in a serious tone, “Do you know you are having contractions now?”

Knitting my brows, I tried to feel whether I was. He pointed at my belly and exclaimed, “There, there! You see, you’re having contractions! Joker lah, you.”

I retorted that tightening was very common. Clem told Dr that I’ve been having them for almost 2-3 weeks already.

He proceeded to do an internal check. I was 2-3cm dilated. I was to be put on CTG to track the contractions. So I went to the next room with clem, and the nurse strapped me up. We were cracked up how Dr called me a joker and were joking and taking pics to pass time.

7.20 pm

Then suddenly, I told clem “um, I think the contractions seem to get stronger.” He looked at the chart and reported that out of 200, my scale was 155.

Wondering why that happened, I asked whether clem saw Dr put anything when he did the check. No leh, nothing.

When I went back to Dr’s room later, he wanted to check me. Again? Anyway, still same.

“I think you won’t deliver tonight. Maybe 2-3 days’ time.” He went on to answer my query about what will happen if I pop when he’s not around.

When Clem told him that my contractions seemed stronger, Dr smiled and said it was normal and would usually happen after a check. He had to rush off for a delivery. “The baby is crowning already but never mind, she’s on epidural so can wait. Thought I’d better check you first.”

Before he left, he gave me all the instructions – go straight to hospital if I had the signs. Mine was an express case so better don’t wait till the last minute unless I wanted my hubby and son to deliver for me at home. As he was rushing, he turned around and reminded me, “And please answer your phone. I will call.” And he continued nagging at me even as he sped off.

It was the first time I hear a doctor asking the patient to pick up her phone.

8 pm

I was feeling quite uncomfortable as the contractions really were stronger. Clem was hungry so we went to the foodcourt to eat. I told him to hurry as I had a feeling that this could be IT. Just like when I was having the other two, I totally had no appetite. Clem bought me ginseng chicken soup.

After he was done, he seemed dissatisfied and asked if I wanted to eat anything else. I was mildly irritated as I felt I had to rush for time. I certainly did not want to deliver anywhere other than the hospital! Can you hurry up!

We rushed home so I could wash up, prepare and pack the bags . Called the children to prepare them that we were going to the hospital. Suddenly, Clem asked he could swing by the petrol station to pump petrol.

WHAT!!?? I’m going to pop soon and now you tell me you’re running low on petrol!!?? Why can’t you do it earlier since you were on leave?

He said never mind then.

What never mind? What if we were rushing to hospital halfway and the car couldn’t move? That’s worse! I’m not going to give birth on the road!

Our plan then was for Clem to bring the kids out to pump petrol so they won’t hover around me. Don’t think I can respond to them when the contractions kick in. I could also wash up and pack in peace.


8.45 pm

Reached home. Timed the contractions while I was doing the necessary. They were between 40 – 60 seconds with 1 min plus intervals. When clem came back with the kids, he told them that we were to going to the hospital and won’t be coming home that night. So they had to sleep in their room with Nancy. The kids were incredibly understanding and didn’t fuss. Cavan asked whether he would get to see me. Yes, tomorrow morning daddy will come and bring you to the hospital to see mummy and baby. I was so confident that baby would be out by then.

We were in such a hurry that I didn’t take my customary bikini shot, as I had with Cavan and Verity. But Verity wanted to take a pic with me.

 
Clem put the kids to bed. We said good bye and zoomed off at 9.30pm


10pm

Reached TMC. I had to stay at the admission counter to sign some documents. Later one of the recep asked, “You’re Mdm Chng?” I nodded. “Oh, Dr Ang told us to expect you.” Later she commented that I didn’t look like I was having contractions. I told her I had 3 in the past 5-8 min. I had to tahan, can’t be yelling and screaming in public, right?

Finally, I was released from withholding my pain and agony and was brought to the delivery ward. As I reached the nurses there chimed, “We have been waiting for you! Dr said you are very fast, express lane!”

I changed into my gown, the nurses did the necessary. I asked for gas and the nurse checked me. “5-6 cm. Not so soon, not so soon darling.”

I was very demoralized to hear that. After Verity broke my record having arrived 1 hr 45 min after I was in the hospital, I expected a shorter labour this time. “Gosh, is it going take me another 4-5 hours?” I thought.

I was in such a pain and I heard the nurses talking something in distress. Removing my gas mask, I asked feebly, who is in distress, what’s distress? I was fearing any complications. “Oh no, you don’t have to worry, it’s a medical term.” If it concerned me or my baby, of course I wanted to know. But another contraction came, I had to use gas so I didn’t ask further.

Shortly after, the nurse said she wanted to wheel me to the delivery room. No no, I want to walk there. I feel better walking. I had to hurry the nurse for I didn't want to be caught having a contraction while walking. Thankfully, the delivery room was very near.
By this time, I didn’t check the time, as with my other births as I didn’t want to be demotivated by how slow time is crawling.

It seemed the contractions this time were stronger. Or the gas wasn’t working. I asked the nurse, is the gas working? Why am I feeling so much pain?

Later, I heard the nurse told Clement that I was in distress, whether I was in distress previously.

By then, I was experiencing such violent contractions that I bent to the side. “Don’t twist your body, if not the baby can’t come out.” I listened to the nurse’s advice and lay on my back and to labour in that position was terrible. At one point I was thinking, “Why am I going through this AGAIN??”

I felt pressure below and was trying to push. The contractions made me raised my upper body instinctively.  Then I felt the nurse holding her hand below. I didn.t know what she was doing and somehow I felt less pressure. Clem later told me that she was trying to adjust baby’s head inside. I didn’t know what that meant.

There was busy-ness in the room. It didn't occur to me that the end is nearing as the nurse earlier told me not so soon. Even when they propped my legs up, it didn't register to me that I could pop soon.

Suddenly Dr burst into the room and exclaimed, “Whoa, I made it in time. Soann, how many pushes you want? One or two?”

He then showed Clem where he was going to cut. Clem told him that I didn’t want to cut for I heal faster without episiotomy. Dr thought for a quick second and went along with my decision.

Clem told me that baby’s head was crowning. I quickly asked him to grab the camera.

I was pushing hard and I felt I was tearing below, and a bolt of fire that shot through my right leg to my sole. It was totally unbearable and I didn’t think I could continue. But, for the split second, I thought, just get over and done with!

The next thing I knew, the baby was placed on my tummy. It was so fast, clem didn’t witness the birth. He turned to take the camera. When he turned back, the baby was already on me.

Later, when we were waiting to go to my ward, I asked clem whether my water bag burst as I didn’t recall it bursting. He said no.

Was the baby wet when she came out? No.

Was the mat wet? No.

Then what happened to my water bag?

Maybe you don’t have a water bag, said Clem.

Don’t be ridiculous, how can anyone not have a waterbag?

Later I asked Dr. He wasn’t sure either.

Till today, it remained a mystery.

Anyway, was really glad I broke my record – 1 hr 13 min upon reaching. Good job, Vesper!

Reasons for Having Three

(From 2010...)

When you are pregnant, you can expect these 3 common questions from people, even strangers:

1. How many months?
2. Is it a boy or girl?
3. It's your number...

The interesting part comes after this. People will start speculating the gender of the kid(s) you already have. The conversation continues from question 2...

Me: It's a girl.
A: It's your number...
Me: 3.
A: So you have 2 boys?

There's where assumption kicks in.

People readily assume that you're trying for a gender you don't already have, that's why you have 3 kids. So is there really a reason for having 3? Let's analyse the reasons for having 1 and 2 first.

Baby #1 happens for various reasons: Parents are ready, parents are not ready (so-called accidents), erm I can't think of anymore. Make that 2 reasons then.

Baby #2 happens for more reasons: Because the 1st one is a boy/ girl, and parents are (secretly) hoping for a different gender (Don't believe them if they say it doesn't matter); Because the 1st is lonely and needs a playmate; Because parents believe in one-to-one replacement rate (ok, I'm kidding for this one. Who seriously thinks for the nation when it comes to procreation?)

Now, Baby #3. There are parents who are really trying for a different gender if the 1st 2 are repeats. Or parents grow up in a big family and would like the same bustle around at home. Or parents simply like kids and don't mind having more.

What about OUR reason? Before it happened, I don't have a reason for having #3. One boy, one girl is already perfect. Foodcourt seats are designed for a family of 4. NDP tickets are restricted to 4. Coin-operated kiddy rides are designed for at most 2 riders. When you go on amusement rides, you go in pairs. If you live in a four-room flat, each of the kids get his/ her own room. Each of the parent holds one child, just nice.

People asked whether it was planned or accident. I said for Clem it was planned. For me, it was an accident. My gynae called it accidently planned. Whatever it was, it happened.

Now that it happened, I began to see the up-side.

Having come from a family of 2 kids, the benefit of having more siblings only occurred to me after I got married.

I realised how quiet and empty my house became after I married. That's why I tried to go back as much as I could. It got worse after mom passed away, leaving pa and bro. It's just my bro and I trying to handle family affairs together, taking care of parents' needs, and sometimes I wish there was another sibling to share, to discuss.

#3 is really God-given and a blessing. I guess there are adjustments to be made, and more expenses. And I always tell Clement that he is such a good dad that he deserved to have more children (sorry, but after this, STOP!).

I'm proud to say I'm a mom of 3. I think it's so cool. Cavan was delighted to have another sibling. As for Verity, I feel sorry for her. I really wanted her to be the baby of the family, the princess of the family. For Verity's sake, I would have felt better if #3 were a boy. But then, it's God-given and I would not have it another way.

I'm looking forward to a noisy family setting. Already, we can hardly hear ourselves talk with the 2 loudly demanding 100% of our attention. How, with one more, I always asked Clem playfully. When I see Clem fooling around with the 2 at home, I would imagine another young one toddling along and it brought so much warmth to my heart.

I'm looking forward to you joining our family, Vesper.

Akan Datang

The visit to the gynae today really made me all anxious.

I've been taking it easy with the preparation, knowing that my EDD was 21 Dec 2010. I still have a month to go. There's time! So I planned my work right down to my last working day - 20 Dec. Or so I wish.

For the visit today, I knew that Dr was going to perform an internal check. Plus I had several questions to ask him, so we didn't bring the kids along.

He confirmed that he might not be around for my delivery as he is on leave from 3 - 15 Dec. I asked him for his stand-in doctors and he provided me three names, out of which two were his good friends.

When we did a scan, he exclaimed oh good, the baby's head is down already. And after performing an internal check, he said rather matter-of-factly, "You're very open. Maybe I can get to deliver you," as he pulled out his gloves and walked back to his table.

I was stunned. "Huh, do you mean before 3 Dec or after 15 Dec?"

"Maybe before 3 Dec. Might even be this week."

Whhhhat??!!

"When you said 'very open', how many cm?" I persisted.

"You're already 2cm dilated."

So he had me scheduled to see the following Monday (29 Nov), muttering that would be the last Monday he's around. My mind was full of suspicion. I certainly hope he won't trigger labour by a vigorous internal check, like what he did for Cavan and Verity. At the same time, I was hoping he would deliver me. After all, I paid to see him, not his stand-in doctors!

Clem chuckled, "You'd better tell your colleagues on 29 Nov to be prepared not to see you in the office the next day."

I glared at him and pouted.

Well, I just hope I get to celebrate our anniversary, my birthday and watch Pinocchio the Musical with the kids before baby comes.

And try to settle my work matters by this week. And quickly start buying and washing the baby stuff, re-organise the house and wardrobe. And train the kids to sleep on their own beds, not on my bed!

So many things to think about. No wonder I can't sleep now.

A Name for #3

For the 1st time, we already had a name for our baby even before she was born.

For Cavan, we didn't check the gender so we prepared a list of boy and gal names. Cavan was shortlisted and he had the Cavan look, so it was perfect.

The name Verity was not in the list of names when we had Cavan. I was inspired cos I knew someone named Verity and she was a sweet person. And the name was so sweet, and not a hybrid. And you can find it in a dictionary.

This time round, we decided to start early a few months ago. I polled the stakeholders and asked what name is nice for our baby. The following names came up:

Hannah - suggestor: Cavan. Not a bad name. Biblical too. Why did you choose this name, I asked. Bcos I like Hannah Montana, he said. Strike off.

Sarah - suggestor: Verity. No particular reason. But too common, I said. So, strike off.

After this came many suggestions. Eventually, Cavan the ingenious one exclaimed with a sparkle in his eyes.

"I know, I know! We combine my name and Verity's name. We call our baby Cavity!"

We laughed and ruffled his hair. He was so innocently pleased with his contribution until we told him what that meant.

We were still in search of a name, preferably starting with "V". I jokingly told Clem that since I can't have my dream scooter, Vespa, I might as well name our baby Vespa.

This name got stuck. And I was getting serious. And Clem thinks I'm being ridiculous.

Later, I remembered that there was an English word "Vesper". I checked and got the following:

1. Vesper Martini is a cocktail that was originally made of gin, vodka, and Kina Lillet.

Oops, ok, I like Martini but I don't think this is a selling point if I need to convince Clem.

2. the evening star, esp. Venus; Hesper.

3. Also called vesper bell . a bell rung at evening.

4. a) a religious service in the late afternoon or the evening.

b) the sixth of the seven canonical hours, or the service for it, occurring in the late afternoon or the evening.

c) Roman Catholic Church . a part of the office to be said in the evening by those in major orders, frequently made a public ceremony in the afternoons or evenings of Sundays and holy days.

d) evensong

5. evening

It didn't sound so bad after all. I smsed Clem that I've decided to name baby Vesper.

He: What? I'm not going to name my baby after a scooter.

I: It's not Vespa, it's Vesper

He: What does it mean?

I: It means evening

He: First, it sounds like a scooter. Now, in the dark some more. Cannot cannot, sounds like a rebel.

Grrrr... so dense!

Then one night, something happened that I was convinced it was a sign.

I was sleeping when suddenly I awoke in the middle of the night, humming a familiar tune I used to sing during my Girl Guide days. Remembering some of the words, I did a quick google and got the following result:

Scout Vespers

I should feel spooked at this time. Instead, I was elated!

I shared with Clem excitedly the morning he awoke. He was skeptical. Then I recited the lyrics to him. Meaningful right? Meaningful right? It's so reflective.

Ya ya ya, was his way of entertaining my ridiculous outburst.

Anyway, I was a good persuader and salesman so eventually he got used to the idea. I kept calling our baby Vesper, to get him into it. Clem said now the name has a nice ring to it.

I shared the name with our kids. Cavan wrinkled his nose and asked "What, it sounds like a TV show!"

Curious, I asked which show had Vesper?

"Vesper Housewives, your favourite show!"

This boy is really funny. Desperate Housewives lah, I corrected him.

Anyway, here are the lyrics to Scout Vespers.

Scout Vespers

Softly falls the light of day,
While our campfire fades away.
Silently each scout should ask:
"Have I done my daily task?
Have I kept my honor bright?
Can I guiltless sleep tonight?
Have I done and have I dared
Everything to be prepared.?"

Listen Lord, oh listen Lord,
As I whisper soft and low,
Bless my Mom and bless my Dad,
There is something they should know.
I have kept my honor bright.
The Oath and Law has been my guide.
Mom and Dad, this you should know,
Deep in my heart I love you so.

#3

2 Learning Points:
1. Do not jump up the Ladder of Inference. It could cost you a life.
2. They do not sell rubber in Japan (or Hakone's) convenience stores.

This test was taken on 22 Apr 2010. In the office.

I didn't really feel like going out for lunch. So decided to pack. As I passed by Watson's, clouds formed in my head. Should I just buy one and test? I picked the cheapest kit from the shelf.

As I returned to office, I didn't even care about the lunch. I tested in the toilet. Left the stick in on the table while I log on, pretending not to care. When the results showed, my head was in a muddle, my thoughts jumbled up. I tried reading the instructions over and over again, but the words just flew past my head. My hands were trembling.

My colleague, A, was in the office. I asked her to read the instructions. And to see my stick.

"It says you're pregnant."

So here comes #3.

Maternity Clothes? No way!

I am sure glad that I didn't need to buy maternity clothes at all durring my pregnancy! (also didn't buy any when expecting Cavan.) They are expensive, mostly frumpy and, what am I going to do with them after birth?

Friends ask me where I get my clothes from so I share a few tips with them. Actually during this pregnancy, the boho style were in, so I did not have to worry. Loose clothings, flare tops were common, so almost every retail shop carried something I could wear. My normal size some more!

I could also always count on dear Mango, which carries a range of stretchy tops and bottoms with elastic bands.

Now I can still wear them, in my post-natal-neither-here-nor-there kind of size and figure. Some people still have to resort to wear maternity clothes post-birth cos they still can't fit into their normal clothes. So buy smart, and save money!

*Ahem*! Fashion Show below:

20 wks preg.
Top: Esprit, Skirt: New Balance

22 wks

Gold top: Mango, Flare pants: Pasar Malam

23 wks
Top: Esprit, Hipster denim skirt ($10): Factory outlet

24 wks
Top: Esprit, Flare pants: Pasar Malam

25 wks
White top: Giorgano, Jacket: Padini, 3/4 hipster pants: Billabong, Belt: Esprit

31 wks

Top: Pull and Bear, Skirt: Mango

33 wks

Black camisole: Mango, Linen skirt: Mango, Knitted wear: No brand

33 wks
Top: Baleno, Skirt: Pasar Malam

34 wks
Top: Giordano, Long skirt: Fox

39 wks
Top: Ebase, Skirt: Mango

See, Mango is every preggie's best friend!

Counting the kilos

I was determined not to make the mistake of putting on too much weight, as I did with Cavan (whooping 18 kg in all).

The determination was there but the flesh was weak. I was hungry all the time. And I fell prey to enticing cakes, pastries, chocolates and ice cream. Usually, I'm a strict non-coconut milk consumer. This pregnancy, I loved my chendols, bubur char chars, laksas and red rubies.

I blamed it all on my little gal.

And blessed enough, I put on 10-11 kg for the whole of my pregnancy. Well, for the 1st trimester, I lost a bit of weight. Towards the end, my weight gain was negligible, not even enough to cover the baby's gain.

What was the magic? Less weight gain despite eating more "sinful" food? I did control my carbs intake during dinner, eating mainly the dishes and soup. But after that, I could polish off 1kg's worth of rambutan/ longan and had ice cream for supper.

Maybe it was due to my activeness. I was still conducting full-day workshops, running full day events, running about to prepare materials etc. Back home, I was still running around with Cavan, carrying him and busied myself. Maybe these helped to burn off calories.

Whatever the magic was, I'm not complaining. Just too glad the weight gain wasn't too substantial. Now, post delivery, just to burn the rest off...

What a burden.

Not Ready

Babe was already down but position was not correct. She was facing up. Dr said if she were still facing up during delivery, I’d scream like mad. At the same time, I was not dilated yet. These sounded worrying to me. When I had Cavan, I was already dilated 3 weeks before EDD. Why did it seem more difficult this time? Didn’t they say 2nd one would be faster, earlier?

Dr then exclaimed happily, hey it was unusual to have baby facing up near full term, so can do 3D scan. Will be a beautiful pic.

Thanks so much for the optimism.

Baby dreams

Babe is still in there... thank God.

I was negotiating with her not to come out too quickly as I was involved in organising a week-long event for my organisation last week. After so much preparation, I just HAD to be there for the action. Everyday, my colleagues were prepared that I would not turn up, or go into labour. When Friday came, they marvelled at how "obedient" my babe was, still in there! Of course, how could she come out without "parental consent"?

After Friday, I've been having dreams. A dream of holding her in my arms. A dream of my bulging tummy going flat (or rather, flab). Another dream more shocking, babe is not a gal, it's a boy!

My colleague said, to my amusement, babe must be sending dreams to me asking for permission to come out. Err... ok, but things aren't ready yet. Moreover, she isn't due till next Wed so I'll feel so cheated if it's anytime earlier.

Hang in there!

Innovation Baby

Cavan was termed “SQA Baby” cos he was in my tummy when I busied with SQA in 2004. This baby was termed “Innovation Baby” cos I busied with Innovation.

Today, I got a scare. Was running errands for the preparation at Bras Basah when I slipped off a flight of slippery stairs. Thank God I wore pants that day (I seldom do!) otherwise my fall would have been worse. I only suffered bruises and a bleeding toe.

Babe was still blissfully sleeping. Cushioned by mommy.

Mummy seat

This would be the last time I was able to bring Cavan to church by myself. In order to let him sleep longer, I asked Dar to go to Children’s Church first and I would bring Cavan to church myself.

With my bulging tummy, I was still able to carry him across the road, up and down the bus. Singaporeans! I don’t know what to say about them. They wouldn’t even let us up the bus first, after even seeing our condition!

One thing that made me uncomfortable was that Cavan insisted sitting ON my lap. At the initial stage, it was okay. As my tummy ballooned, it became increasingly uncomfortable for me. It felt painful to have him leaning on my tummy. And he was sliding off but he didn’t seem to mind.

Towards the last few trips, I always had cookie or candy. To persuade him to sit on his own. If all else fails, a stern “Mummy said sit by yourself!” worked.

Ah well.

Anticipation... D-Day #2

For the past 2 nights, been dreaming that I was on the way to "bombing".

A friend asked me, "Are you scared? Should be ok right since it's your 2nd one." I thought for a moment and replied, "For the 1st one, I was scared cos I didn't know what to expect. For this one, I'm scared cos I KNOW what to expect."

Anyway, for the 1st one, I don't know how but I managed to pull through successfully. Epidural-free.

Maybe I was ignorant, I just went with the flow of the whole birth process and didn't ask for any pain relief. Now that I have gone through the experience, suddenly the options become very tempting and suddenly I also become more cowardly.

I am so not looking forward to D-Day and wish that the girl will stay in my tummy as long as she wants.

Also bcos we've not prepared anything yet!

Now there are no infant clothes at home. No nappies. Where is my breast pump? No bottles. Haven't set up the play pen. Haven't washed the baby's bedsheet. Haven't washed the steriliser. Haven't registered and get the cordlife kit. Haven't got a name yet.

But we're still not fretting. That caused me to fret. Not fretting.

So, anticipation? Not really.

It’s a Girl!

People have been commenting how my tummy protrudes out, so it must be a boy. As usual, the theories. Today’s detailed scan confirmed it’s a girl!

Cavan was there to see his mei-mei. But to him, it may seemed like a monotone animation without dialogue. The only sound the animation had was a chi-gog chi-gog galloping sound of his sister’s heartbeat.

A Sibling for Cavan

Initially I thought end 2006 would be a good time for Junior #2. But there were other schedules overridding the plan. I was offered by my company to take up a 9-month course, starting in July '06 till May '07. After that, need to serve 1-year bond. Take it, my colleagues goaded. After that, take maternity leave and shave 3 months off the bond! Good idea.

But still need to have some responsibility right. So we counted to make sure I needn't to leave halfway through my course. Okies... a good time to start planning would be Oct '06. Wait, wait, wait... I already signed up for the marathon so must wait till Dec!

So there, now I'm 19 wks.

Bump not showing much. Managed to keep the news from my parents till 2 weeks ago when Cavan started to chant "Got baby, got baby" while perching out his little tummy. My aunt got suspicious for a whole week (or 2) and finally pulled me aside and interrogated me. Finally, the truth was out. If I hadn't confessed it, they couldn't even tell...

Boy? Girl?

We wanted a surprise for our first baby. For the 2nd, we figured it was more interesting to find out the gender. Friends joked that we were more likely to have boys than gals cos we were meat lovers. And Dar always thought well of his vigour (ahem!).

However, we suspected that this time round should be a gal. Cos we suspected that she was conceived right after our 42.195 km marathon. Either that or that day when Dar was nursing a flu. Go figure.

1st Trimester

I expected lethargy and loss of appetite, as with my 1st pregnancy. On the contrary, I was still active, and had hunger pangs most of the time. I was famished every breakfast and was happy to have a cuppa in the afternoon, with chocolates, muffins, cakes and what-nots in the office.

I could still work out at the gym and did so till I was 5 mos. I worked out on treadmill, gliding machine and rowing machine. As I grew bigger, I stopped as people were looking worried and I didn't want unnecessary attention.

At 5wks

At 10 wks

Secret

Didn’t mean to keep it from my family. My mom’s health was declining with her arm and legs swollen with water retention due to the removal of her lymph nodes. Perhaps it was not the right time to disclose to them yet. Dar said perhaps this good news could lift up everyone’s spirits. Perhaps. But I was not ready.

Violating the no-nos of 1st trimester

My gynae is quite a careful person. As per the 1st pregnancy, he would instruct the following no's:

No alcohol
No smoking
No sex
No raw food

Apart from the 1st 2, I violated all the rest. I also still continued with my coffee. I still love my sashimi and fresh oysters (ok, I ate them the day after I discovered #2. Clem was prohibitive. I argued that if I hadn't have the check. I would still eat anyway, right? He retorted that now I knew, I had the moral obligation to stay off. Ok, you win. Today's the last time. But can continue after 1st trimester.)

I was more worried about something else. Preggies are not supposed to go for hot spring or sauna. Unaware of my pregnancy, I went for hot baths during my hols in Taiwan, supposedly 3-4 weeks preg. I prayed hard that my baby was not harmed.

All said, I was adopting a more laissez-faire attitude even though I was already quite chin-chai during my 1st.

#2 Discovered

Missed my period so thought I'd better check with doc. Usually sychronised with a colleague's (EJ). If mine hadn't come and hers came, mine would be triggered by hers (amazing but true!). This time, nothing happened.

So I went to see the company doc at Capital Towers. I was having mixed feelings. Somewhat the same when I was seeing the doc when I suspected my 1st pregnancy. What if I wasn't? Then I would have felt let down, given my anticipation.

The doc this time was a different one. A lady. Oh my, she was super positive. Asked me if I had xxx and yyy symptoms. When I said yes, she exclaimed these were very good signs. This is not good, I thought. What if she raised false expectations. I asked these could be pre-menstrual signs too right? Yes, that's right. So I needed to do an urine test.

Came out positive. Well, we plan to have #2 in end 2007 so this was earlier than expected...

Smsed dar who called and expressed his excitement. Went back to office and handed my colleague my doc visit slip and she asked, "Are you pregger?" I just grinned and simply asked her to sign my slip.

That night, as Dar was on duty, I went to catch a show with Brenda and EJ. Oops! I left my wallet in the office! Brenda commented that I always become stupider during my pregnancy. Ya hor...

EJ commented that I seemed to take this announcement pretty well this time. For the 1st one, I was in shock the whole day and in denial for weeks.