Vitor and Christine DIY Wedding Blog: The 3 month Rollercoaster

I know everyone including myself expected myself to be writing something on my beloved blog ever since my pregnancy thrill but I must say that everything just wasnt what I expected!

From the constant sickness and nauseousness feeling, I cant tell you how much I feel like giving birth immediately in the past few weeks and there was no excitement because I just felt terrible. It didnt help when I suffer an acute lower back pain so bad that I cried last Tues night and only to be accompanied to see the doctor at the KK hospital the next day. Even though the doctors have not been able to tell what's really wrong with me, it is a relief that the pain is slowly going away =)

So with all these physical conditions, I have problem even with sleeping, let alone much about blogging happily at my laptop.

But to say that as I am at the end of my 1st trimester - week 12 of pregnancy, it is happy to know that my baby is kept safe and sound and it suddenly makes all the hell suffering worth it! So now here I am back on my hobby of blogging again!!! YAY isnt it?

Ok here's to share with you, my friends, some of the excitement you have miss while I am always on my MS (morning sickness) all this while.

Hmm let me recall and let's start off with our excitement of the royal pregnancy with Sir woodblock!

Week 7 of Pregnancy: Our Very first Baby Scan

The father to be looks compose but he was so excited that he almost tear like me when we found out about the new joy! He immediately went scouting around the clinic looking for relevant information booklet about the week by week development of the foetus in Princess Mummy's tummy =)

Daddy woodblock comparing the information in the booklet and our baby's growth development.

As for me I couldnt help posing with the first photo of my little baby even though it is so small that it is still in the yolk and sac form. However, during the beginning of the pregnancy, I must warn all the vain ladies that due to hormonal imbalance, it is easy to suffer from pimple outbreaks =( I felt ugly for about 2 weeks until the pimples finally subsided after I used my fav Clinque Lotion for Blemish=> works wonder. So for those BTBs, you may want to consider getting this as I find it value for money for it's fast effects over a few days.

Now at this stage of pregnancy, it's good to start looking for a private gynae as you will want proper and private attention. Other then a good reputation, you should be looking at the cost and the hospital which your gynae is attached when you make your selection.

For me, being lucky that I have an experience cousin mummy, Pearlyn, it didnt even take me any effort to do any research at all and I was recommended a gynae who delivered all my 4 nephews and nieces and even my colleague's baby! However, this gynae is pretty popular and his appointment is packed but his fee are pretty reasonable. I wanted to be thrifty as I know having kids are expensive so why not start now?

So here I am, seeing Dr Lawrence Ang, a gynae whose clinic is located at Sun Plaza.

During our first visit, to our delight, we have a little nice booklet to house the picture scans of our little baby.

Yes, I guess being a first time parents-to-be, we cant help about being so excited about it!

Now to share the thrill part- the baby scans!
Here's how to read the abbreviation and what it means:
CRL: Crown Rump Length
Meaning: A pregnancy ultrasound measurement that measures the length in centimeters from the top of the baby's head to the bottom of the buttocks. A crown rump length can be measured by around seven weeks of pregnancy and may be useful in calculating a gestational age.
EDD: Expected Date of Delivery
Meaning: The estimated average date when a woman will give birth

Week 7 - 1st detection of life! The nurse shows us how the fast flickering on the center of the yolk was the foetus heartbeat!
CRL: 9mm , EDD: 1st June 2011

Week 8: It was the first time we hear the heartbeat sound of our baby when we see Dr Ang for the first time at his clinic. Feeling emotional, I almost want to tear again! The heartbeat sounds strong and rapid =)
CRL: 1.38cm EDD: 5th June 2011 (notice the EDD changes here and there? but this is normal and varies with each scan)

week 12: It is like seeing magic when I saw the scan pic because the yolk and sac(which is actually the mini waterbag in its initial stage), has now evolved so fast within the 4 weeks that I have not being seeing Baby Hui! It looks so much human like with the head, eyes, nose, mouth and hands clearly formed! Dr Ang magnified the head to check out the nose and told us that the chances of Down Syndrome is low (whew) so he didnt push for us to do the test unless we want to.
CRL: 5.28cm
EDD: 3rd June 2011

This is the first milestone for any preggy mummies to know that the chances of carrying out this pregnancy to full term is now highly elevated. It is also the time whereby most mummies will start annoucing the pregnancy to their friends and family. To be honest it is really not wise to buy anything for the baby during the 1st 12 weeks as it will often lead to emotional attachment between the mummy and the baby. As miscarriage is likely during this period, if the mummy suffers from miscarriage, it can be a big grief and hence depression. Hence to avoid all these worse case scenarios, I avoided buying anything for my baby at all.

BUT for Sir woodblock, now with the new title of Daddy Woodblock, is so kiasu and look at all these that he made me eat and drink on daily basis =( every since the start of the 2nd trimester!

From the left:
New Obimin - Multi-vitamins for mummy and includes the essential Folic Acid
Use of Folic Acid:
Folic acid, also known as folate or folacin, is one of the B group of vitamins, also known as B9. Your body needs it to produce red blood cells, as well as norepinephrine and seratonin (chemical components of the nervous system. It helps make DNA (the body's genetic material), which normalises the brain's functions, and is a critical component of spinal fluid. Folic acid is also one of the few nutrients known to prevent neural tube birth defects, such as spina bifida, which, according to The Association for Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus (ASBAH), affects one in every 1,500 babies born in the United Kingdom.

The Ministry of Health recommends that every woman who is thinking about pregnancy or is in the first third (trimester) of pregnancy to take a daily supplement of 400 micrograms (mcg) of folic acid and eat a folate rich diet to reduce her baby's risk of getting some types of birth defects. Women who don't get enough may also increase their chance of miscarriage. Once you are into your second trimester (from week 13), you may wish to stop taking the supplements, although continuing to take them throughout pregnancy won't harm you or your baby either.
Source: http://www.babycenter.com.sg/pregnancy/nutrition/whyneedfolicacid/

Princess Christine: In fact for ladies who are TTC (trying to concieve), they will start taking folic acid even before conception.

EnfaMama A+ Maternal and lactating Formula: Contains mainly DHA and choline which is vital for babies brain development and growth which will start to become rapid once the pregnancy is into the 2nd trimester.

Choline: Choline is an important nutrient that helps brain cells develop properly. Animal studies suggest that adequate choline during pregnancy has long-lasting effects on a baby's ability to learn and remember – and may even provide some resistance to mental illness.
Other studies suggest that choline can boost your brainpower during pregnancy, too – if your levels have been depleted. (Your need for choline increases during pregnancy as your baby draws on your supply.)

Princess Christine: I guess, it means it prevents mental illness in kids and also to prevent the mummy from growing stupid in the meanwhil during the pregnancy. Maybe I should have started taken it earlier because I started to feel stupid sometime ago.

Natal Care Triplus: Concentrated Fish Oil which is rich in Omega 3 Acids and provide DHA and EPA. Fish oil and walnuts provide an essential fatty acid that can help boost your baby's brain and visual development.

Use of DHA: There's nothing fishy about it: DHA (or docosahexaenoic acid), an omega-3 fatty acid found in fish oil, is an essential nutrient for women — especially during pregnancy. DHA helps build your baby's brain, nervous system, and eyes. "Omega-3s are a specific type of fat that our body needs but cannot make,"
Source: http://www.everydayhealth.com/pregnancy/101/dha-in-pregnancy.aspx

EPA: It is noteworthy that all fish contain DHA as well as EPA (in general, most fish contain DHA:EPA ratios of approximately 2:1 or somewhat higher). It has been suggested that some of the benefits from consuming fish (containing DHA+EPA) may also be due to the complimentary effect of EPA with respect to various parameters including the risk of postpartum depression, etc. as well as potential benefits on the growth and development of the infant and young over the early months/years of life.
Source: http://www.dhaomega3.org/FAQ/Why-consume-both-DHA-and-EPA-during-pregnancy

So how do I look now? A guess a radiant mummy would be a good word even though the word fat comes along with it. Here's the latest photo on Monday where woodblock took me down to take Xmas decoration pics at Changi Airport. It was really nice of him to take a day's off to celeb our 2nd year wedding anniversary (counting from date of rom).

My first maternity like dress I bought for myself => 30 bucks! I guess it looks so gorgeous to the point that my youngest sis in law, Ah li actually borrowed it and wore this dress to a wedding dinner. I was really amuse knowing that she is like XS in size and yet she is still insistent of wearing it. Whatever!

Daddy woodblock, ask me to put my hands down to see the tummy bulge. Still very small for the moment!

Love this lively green pasture wall! It makes people wonder why we are not doing other interesting activities for our anniversary and the reason being that I feel unwell most of the time and I couldn't do anything strenous at all. On top of that it doesnt help having a higher body temperature throughout the pregnancy and always CRAVE for cold drinks(cant drink too much) and air conditioned places!