TTC

During our Discovery Weekend, Leo and I planned to have two kids with a three year age gap. So far we already have one kid and he's turning three this coming January. In order to meet our self-imposed deadline, my husband and I have been trying to conceive since June.

It's not easy for me to get pregnant. I have a condition called PCOS which I posted about here. Any pregnancy attempt would require a cycle of duphaston/provera, clomifene, follicle monitoring and keeping a close watch on the calendar.

We have been on this cycle for two months already and each attempt has failed. When I got my period last Friday, I just cried. I felt so exhausted and wondered whether our son would be an only child. I decided not to go back for a third session and to just rest this month.

The past two disappointing months that we've had made me question God's plan for me. We already have one child and there are other couples who are struggling to even have one. Maybe this is God's way of telling me to be content with what I have. Also, maybe He has other things planned for me--something better.

Whatever it is, I just have to wait for it to unfold in His time. In the meantime, I will just enjoy the holidays and be thankful with what I have.

A friend who recently lost her 19-day old son sent me a bible reading which she said helped her through her loss. I was so touched when she sent it to me as for someone who has suffered more than I did, she still managed to reach out and provide me comfort:

From Jeremiah 28:11-14
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the LORD, “and will bring you back from captivity.[a] I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the LORD, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.”

Milk

When I was pregnant, I swore to myself that I will exclusively breastfeed my baby. No formula for him for the next 3 months! Well, I thought wrong.

A few hours after I gave birth, the baby was brought to me to breastfeed. I immediately brought him to my breast and thought that was it. But Basti wouldn't latch. We continued on for several tries but to no avail until his cries finally unnerved me. I broke down and asked the pedia to prescribe formula for him.

For two weeks, until we got home, I could only count the number of times that I was able to successfully breastfeed my baby. It has become a stressful time for the both of us as he would cry when he couldn't latch and I would cry with him feeling that I failed him somehow. We became dependent on the formula to feed him and seldom breastfed him as much as I wanted. I pumped milk from my breasts but I only do it so often as it was so tedious and I can't get enough milk as I would want from my manual pump.

However, this changed when he caught a cold on his 3rd week. It was too soon for him to get sick and this was because he did not have enough of my anti-bodies to fight off the germs. Thankfully, the pedia did not prescribe any antibiotics yet. I hunkered down, researched tips on breastfeeding over the web and steeled my resolve to breastfeed my son and I won't let his cries affect me.

Thank God my husband has been so supportive through the whole thing. After a few tries, my baby and I found the right positions for him to latch and breastfeed comfortably. We still mix feed but I ensure to give him as much of my milk as I can. After a week of breastfeeding, his cold was gone and we could breathe a sigh of relief.

I still continue to breastfeed him and I'll continue to do so as much as I can. Just last week, we learned to breastfeed while lying down and we were both happy with that. I didn't have to strain my injured wrist further.

I'll be returning to work in three weeks and hopefully, I'll be able to express some milk even with my hectic and busy schedule at work.

Picture taken from http://sayyestobreastfeeding.com/

9 MONTHS!

This is it. I'm on my 37th week already and I can give birth ANYTIME. I just had my check-up this morning with my OB. Sadly though, I'm still not yet dilated and my stomach is still "high". I JUST WANT TO GET THIS OVER WITH!!! Aaaargh!!!! According to the IE, the baby is pressing against my bladder and hip bone (I could definitely confirm that when I have to go to the rest room almost every hour) and his head is still not yet engaged. My cervix has also not yet softened. All the while, I thought I'm dilated already as I felt really strong pains during the new year's eve celebration. It turns out it was just my baby moving around as he was annoyed with all the noise.

Last night, I got paranoid and thought I have pre-eclampsia as I was nauseous the whole afternoon and there was pain in my upper abdomen. Turns out it was just indigestion as my BP is still normal (100/60) and there is no trace of protein or glucose in my urine. However, I did gain 4 lbs in the last 2 weeks due to all the Christmas eating that I did totaling my pregnancy weight gain to 13 lbs. Not bad. At least I'm not nagmamanas. My feet and hands are still ok (although I can barely wear my wedding band now).

Leo has already installed the baby's car seat in the backseat of our car and we've packed our bags (3 bags all in all!) for the hospital stay. I'm having second thoughts why I'm giving birth at Makati Med when Asian Hospital is closer. But well, I've decided on Makati Med so I'll stick to that. Besides, I'll have more visitors there. :)

I really want to give birth by next week but it looks like it's not meant to be. I don't mind going to work but I hate going to work with interrupted sleep. I mean I wake up 3-4x during the night and I wake up woozy and cranky. I won't also have a ride going to work next week as my mother-in-law, who usually brings and fetches me from work, will have a minor operation at St. Luke's next week (please pray for her quick recovery). The driver is also not available as he's out of town and won't be back until end of January, I think. I'm still persuading my husband to bring me to work everyday at least only for next week (it's easier to find a ride going home than going to work).

If I won't give birth by the 2nd week of January, I'll start my maternity on January 19 to get ready for my due date on January 24. So that means I'll only be in the office for the first two weeks of January. I think I can survive that.

Wish me luck and please keep me, my baby and my mother-in-law in your prayers.

36 Weeks!

This is it. This is the last week of my 8th month. By next week, I'll be 37 weeks already and will be considered full term. I can give birth anytime by next week. I really really want to give birth already. My stomach is so heavy and the aches and pains have already intensified.

I think my stomach has dropped. I really don't know how a "low" stomach looks like and I'll know when I return to my doctor for my weekly check-up on Saturday. Nevertheless, I have to keep on walking and exercising.

We're off to Tagaytay tomorrow to spend the rest of the holidays there with my in-laws. We'll be back though before the New Year. We were told to bring sweaters and jackets as it's bloody cold up there. Hopefully the trip up won't be too difficult for me but I have to get out of the house and as they say, kailangang matagtag para bumaba pa yung baby.

Probably the difference this week as compared to the previous weeks is that the bathroom trips are more frequent. Previously, I only wake up once during the night to relieve myself. Sometimes, I can sleep the whole night through. Nowadays, I get up 3 to 4 times during the night and the interrupted sleep can make me cranky. I guess it's practice when the baby inevitably arrives and interrupted sleep becomes the norm.

My lower back, lower tummy and thighs are also aching which is an indication that the baby is settling and getting ready for his birth. I returned to doing my stretching exercises which somehow relieves the aches.

I've also packed my hospital bag and have had the baby's clothes washed (with Cycles, of course). The baby cabinet (chest of 4 drawers) also arrived today. Will have the clothes washed in batches so we can start storing them in the cabinet. Leo also unpacked the baby carrier/car seat (from Tita Chit!) and has prepared it for the baby. Which reminds me, we still haven't purchased a stroller yet and a bottle sterilizer. Those are the two items remaining in our list. We'll probably go sometime this week. And I still don't have a yaya!

I have prepared the nursery as best as I could. Although we'll be moving the crib in our room to make breastfeeding easier. I'll probably try it until I return to work and will go for mixed feeding.

Ok, wish me luck! Please pray for an uncomplicated delivery and for the baby to come out safe and healthy.

35th Week Check-up

I can't believe I'm on my 35th week of pregnancy already. In a couple of weeks, I can give birth anytime as I'm considered full-term already. I really want this to be over with. Everyday is already a struggle. I'm thankful that I'm on leave already starting on Wednesday and not due back to work until the 2nd of January (hindi pa ba holiday yung day na yon??).

My stomach is so huge already but my doctor said that my baby's size is still okay for his age of gestation and still a candidate for normal delivery. I'm experiencing a lot of Braxton-Hicks contractions and every turn and kick of the baby is already uncomfortable.

I had my check-up yesterday and my doctor is still happy with my condition. BP is still normal and I only gained 1 pound in the last couple of weeks. Thus my total weight gain in my whole pregnancy so far is already at 9 lbs. My doctor does not want me to have any sudden weight gain throughout the holidays.

We already discussed my birth plan. Leo will be with me the whole time and the new hospital rooms at Makati Med will be open by the time I give birth. I'm still not decided with the epidural but we agreed that they will only give it to me when I ask for it. If I can still handle the pain, they won't give it to me.

The baby is still riding "high" in my stomach. Good thing as I really don't want to give birth on December. I would really prefer that he comes out after the New Year. People laugh when I tell them my main reason: that it's difficult to plan a children's party during the holidays. Can you imagine booking suppliers in the midst of the Christmas rush?? Not only will I be charged Christmas rates but people might be too busy to attend my kid's party! 

Anyway, only two days of work left. I really want to start my vacation already.

Baby Shower Pictures

My Mother-in-Law and Sister-in-Law threw a baby shower for me on Dec 18 at Lolo Gening's and Lola Remy's house at Magallanes. They even had games and everything!
My mother-in-law's sisters were there together with Lola. Leo's other cousins were also in attendance.

Sunshine's baby shower

Start:	Dec 18, '08 7:00p
Location:	have no idea as they're organizing it

Mama, together with her sisters and Ate Tricie will throw a baby shower for me.

Are We There Yet?

Everyday, I marvel at my ever-expanding and ever-growing stomach. My butt/back aches are getting worse and walking and getting up from my chair is already a herculean task. I've taken to walking around the block after dinner as what my doctor recommended even if it gives me a backache afterwards.

I measured my tummy and from underneath my breasts up to the bottom is already at 37cm! I read somewhere that the stomach grows 1cm for every week of pregnancy so does that mean my stomach is already meant for 37 weeks??? I really do hope that this is all fluids and not all baby. I know my baby's weight is just enough for his gestation (he's at 1.6kg 3 weeks ago) so my guesstimate is he should be around 4 to 4.5 lbs now--just enough as well.

People have been remarking on my size and how they're guessing that I'm due any minute now. Thing is, the baby is still "high" and is not settling down yet. However, he's already in the position (cephalic) and according to my OB, his head is just a few inches away from being engaged.

I have an inkling that I'll be making it to my 40 weeks (end of January). However, a part of me wishes that I'll be giving birth on my 37th week (first week of January). I really want to get this over with. Whenever I walk, my hands either support my lower belly or my lower back.

Just a few more weeks...

Baby Kicks

By next week, I'll be on my 8th month already. It means that in less than 8 weeks, I'll be giving birth! I'm excited and anxious as the same time.

Since this Monday, the baby has been moving and kicking a lot. Yesterday while I was taking a nap, I woke up after the baby gave a very hard kick. No amount of begging or pleading would make him rest. I shouldn't complain though. The point that he's  moving a lot means he's ok. I can't help but feel very battered though. I feel very stretched already

I'm very thankful though that Leo has been taking very good care of me. He would immediately wake up or rush to my side everytime I would utter a surprised or painful cry. He's always ready to take me to the doctor or hospital everytime I complain of pain. He would give in to my whims whenever I would want something--as long as it's reasonable. During our birthing class, there was a question wherein the husbands were asked how they perceive their wives' pregnant bodies. Leo answered "fragile". I laughed at that. Never in my life have I been described as fragile until now.

The heartburn is getting worse as the baby starts pressing against my stomach making the stomach acid go up my esophagus. At least the hamstring/butt pains have eased. It was really so painful early this week as the baby must have been pressing against a nerve.

Though I'm anxious over the birthing process, I really can't wait for this pregnancy to be over.

4d Video of Sebastian #2

Sebastian's 3D and 4D Ultrasound Pictures and Video

You can view the pictures here

While the video can be viewed here

There are actually more pictures and videos. I'm just too lazy to sort through them to find a decent one to upload.

As I mentioned, our apologies for the hazy pictures. Try not to enlarge them too much. Sebastian was loving his placenta too much as he was sticking close to it. If he's not there, he's trying to wedge himself down my pelvic bone thus we couldn't get a complete whole picture of him. Most of them are just profile shots.

4D Video of Sebastian

Again, sorry for the hazy pictures. Same explanation as the stills.

Sebastian's 3D Pictures

Don't enlarge the pictures too much as it would be too hazy. Sorry if we couldn't get any clearer pictures. Basti was too near his placenta and my pelvic bone and he did not want to move away. I think it took a total of more than 2 hours (2 sessions at 1 hour each--even more) just to get these pictures. He just did not want to cooperate though how much wheedling and cajoling that we did.

So, who does he look like?

Day 2 of Block Leave

Finally, I was able to start cleaning the baby's room. I threw away 4 garbage bags worth of stuff (some of them are actually trash while others will be given away). I'm really anxious to have the baby cabinet fixed so I can start putting away the baby clothes.

I also managed to organize Leo's papers into files and folders. My new system surely beats his old system of just stuffing everything in the filing cabinet that it's already overflowing.

In the next few days, I'll start wrapping and tagging presents and figure out who else I need to shop for. My last project is to fix all our pictures and hang them either in the baby's room or our room. A lot of people gave us really nice pictures frames for our wedding last year and I can't wait to put them to use.

All that hard work really drained me though. My lower back and hamstrings are aching. I would expect the lower back but my hamstrings? My doctor said that it's due to my center of gravity shifting. My stomach is really big now and I can feel the aches more than ever.

3d/4d Ultrasound and Prenatal Check-up

I don't have pictures yet as the baby was very shy when we went for our 3d/4d ultrasound today. However, I can categorically say that based on what we saw of the baby's profile, he just looks like Leo. Hah! We'll be returning on Saturday to try again and hopefully get the pictures and video.

As early as now, it seems this will be a serious child. He refused to smile whenever we were coaxing him to do so. There were also some pictures of him hugging his leg and trying to suck his toes! When he finally let go of his leg, he turned away from the camera and showed us his back! Ang kulit! :)

Based on the ultrasound, my baby is already 3.74 lbs which is also normal for his gestation. Forgot to check the length though.

I also had my long-delayed 7th month pre-natal check-up today (I'm already on my 30th week!). All signs are good. My BP is normal (100/60), there's no protein in my urine and my glucose is also normal. My doctor is also very happy on my weight gain (5 lbs total since I got pregnant). My iron though is low which is normal for pregnant women so I'll still be on my Natalbes prenatal tablets. I was also given my 2nd Tetanus shot and 1st HepaB shot. Both my upper arms are now painful. For the flu shot, I'll probably get that early next year.

We also talked about my birth plan. She said that basically what I want will happen. I'm still a bit wary on the epidural but she said there's nothing to worry about. We'll talk more about it when I see her again after a couple of weeks because she saw how scared I was of the epidural. She wants to assuage my fears and to assure me that it's safe.

Hopefully by that time, the new wing of Makati Med will already be open. It seems we won't be getting the package as husbands are not allowed in the birthing room and I do so want Leo to be with me when the birthing happens. We have to time it perfectly though as charges in the birthing room runs by the hour (my doctor said para daw taxi). So the longer I labor, the more expensive it will get.

My OB also said that she managed to campaign for the hotel administration to get a water bath for the new wing which was approved. She's in the process of writing the rules and regulations of the tub's use. It's meant to make labor easier and if I would want, I can give birth in the tub but I'm not that adventurous yet. I'm happy with the bean bag and the table, thank you.

Can't wait to get the pictures. This baby is definitely a Sangalang. :)

Leo's Project

Leo is particularly proud of this project. I mentioned yesterday that he wanted to assemble the crib and he managed to do so today.

This is the baby's crib. I initially didn't like the color so it was a pleasant surprise that it matched the curtains in the baby's room. Hah!

Now, I just have to get rid of the mess.

By the way, see the propped picture frames at the lower right? That's me actually. I'm thinking of having both pictures re-framed and will hang it in the baby's room.

I have to find picture hooks that wouldn't need drilling. I have lots of picture frames here and I would want to hang our wedding pictures and other pictures as well.

Shopping for Baby

Leo and I made our first big purchases last Wednesday and today for the baby.

First of all, we bought a new digital camera to record the auspicious event on January. It's a nice new toy. We bought a Canon Digital IXUS 85 IS. It has a whopping 10 megapixels! My old digicam already gave up and the response time is too slow to capture the eye-blinking moments. It can also take video shots (with sound) as well.

We haven't actually tinkered with it fully but we gave it a test run today. We can whole-heartedly say that it's definitely worth the price.

Other than that, we finally bought a Graco crib for our baby boy. As we were meeting up with Tita Loida, Tito Ruben and Sean at SM Southmall, we braved the Alabang-Zapote Road mid-day traffic and was there two hours before our meeting time.

We bought a Graco Contour Electra same color as the right but with the cot inside is red. (Thank you Lola Jennie and Russell for the crib!). Leo was really excited to buy this and he wanted to immediately assemble it when we got home. I didn't want to as it will just gather dust but he's adamant as he reasoned out that it's one way to find out if there are any missing parts or pieces which I found odd considering he had the thing assembled and dissambled before we bought it just to make sure.

I wanted to buy cloth diapers and other clothes but Leo stopped me as we already bought a dozen Chino Pinos (no pins needed. Go velcro!). I was tempted to buy more baby clothes but again, I already have lots stocked up here. I did try to look for a baby cabinet but Leo said that we already have one here at home that just needs to be fixed.

When we met up with Tito Ruben, Tita Loida and Sean, they gave us our pasalubong from them and Claudine and Mommy (thank you thank you!).

Mommy gave us the Baby Bjorn (the one at the back) which Leo loves. I also got the Medela Breast Pump (from Claudine or Mommy?) which I wanted to buy ever since. Oh and there's also the baby monitor that Claudine sent us early this year.



The Chicco crib mobile was given to us by my sister-in-law and the baby mat on the top was given to us by Tita Loida. The plastic on top of the baby carrier contains lots of baby clothes which I have yet to wash.

The crib is the long box while the baby carrier is the big box (thank you Tita Chit!). Looking at the stuff, it seems that we haven't bought enough.

The picture on the right will be the baby's room. I have yet to clean out all the stuff which I will be doing on my vacation. I'll definitely be throwing out lots of stuff. Oh and I will keep the ball and the bean bag. The ball helps soothe my aching back while the bean bag makes a nice recliner when I put it on the bed.

Which reminds me, I'm looking for a nice breastfeeding chair (either a rocker or a nice chair with arm rests). I want to exclusively breastfeed the first three months and I'm still trying to figure out if it's possible. Oh and I wonder where the maids put the breastfeeding cover-up that I bought last month. Gosh, the room's a mess!

Block Leave

I can't wait to start my block leave. It'll start on the 19th of November and I'm due back to work on the 4th of December.

I have so many things lined up to do and I hope I can finish them:

1. Prepare the baby's room - the spare room is a big mess. It's basically where we put stuff that we don't use but might use. We need to get rid some of the stuff to make way for the baby stuff.

2. Buy baby stuff - so far the big major thing that we already have for the baby is the baby carrier. Other big purchases are: crib, stroller, cabinet, sterilizer and breast pump (yes, I intend to exclusively breastfeed for the first 3 months).

3. Finish Christmas shopping - I really don't know how far along I am in our Christmas list. I have to sit down and check out the stuff that we already bought and match them to the people in the list.

4. Wrap Christmas gifts - I love wrapping gifts. I'm already preparing my gift-wrapping station. I already bought dozens of gift wrappers and had stickers prepared. Can't wait to start wrapping!

5. 3D/4D ultrasound - I also scheduled this during my block leave and on a weekday. Hopefully, there will be fewer people at the clinic and the doctor can take her time. I'm glad I already had my congenital scan done and the baby's healthy. With the 3D/4D ultrasound, we can have a clearer view of the baby and probably see who he looks like.

And some other stuff.

Leo and I intend to go somewhere also for my birthday but we haven't really talked about it. For sure, I can't travel too far as sitting for too long a period makes my back ache already.

OGTT and CBC results

I called my doctor's clinic this afternoon to check if my results were already forwarded by the lab. The nurse immediately told me that my blood sugar is normal--THANK GOD! That means NO GESTATIONAL DIABETES. I'm still a candidate for normal delivery! Yay!

However, my CBC results say that my iron is low. Odd though considering I take my Natalbes on an empty stomach (it's the first thing I do immediately when I wake up). My doctor will probably give me more iron tablets or change my pre-natal vitamins. I'll see her again probably on the 15th.

The whole day though, Sebastian kept on poking the right side of my stomach. I kept on rubbing my side and was quietly asking my baby to move a little bit to ease the ache. My stomach's better now but I think the baby's still settling down for the night.

Childbirth Classes

We had our second session of our childbirth classes yesterday. Since Leo just arrived from Jakarta yesterday morning, he did not join me as he hasn't slept yet. Fortunately, there were three other women there without partners so I did not feel left out.

The classes are really informative and one can really learn a lot. I treasure the exercises that I learned to relieve lower back pain and our exercise ball here at home is my new favourite chair. We were also taught breathing techniques to get through the contractions during labor--one I hope that I would remember when my actual labor happens.

I'm already on my 26th week and my third trimester is fast approaching--the last stretch of my pregnancy. I'm very excited to meet this baby that's making his presence felt more each day. The movements are getting more pronounced and the kicks are getting stronger. I can feel his movements more during morning and before I go to sleep each night. He's pretty well-behaved as when I ask him to rest (especially when I'm going to sleep), he follows my suggestion. I hope he's this well-behaved when he comes out.

We still haven't finished shopping for the baby. One of Leo's maternal aunts was kind enough to send us a Graco car seat/carrier. We still kept it inside the box as it'll be three more months before we can use it. I think we can find a stroller that will match the car seat and probably the crib will match as well. Nothing like a matched set to keep the OC in me and Leo happy.

We were at Town Center this morning and we kept passing by the Baby Couture store. There was this diaper bag (blue, brown and white stripes) that I've always kept my eye on but was having second thoughts of buying. Maybe because I'm hoping that someone will give it to me as gift (hint hint hint!). :) Anyway, I can always buy it last minute as it's not a big purchase anyway.