Birth Story of Beanie

Beanie at 5 days old.

Finally I have a little break to read some newpapers and surf the net... now that my milk has come in, Beanie can suckle to her content and stop being a screaming monster. She is fully latched on and is showing regular feeding schedule at about every 3 hours, making my life easier as compared when we first brought her home.

Anyway, I wana share Beanie's birth story while it is still fresh in my head...

In the wee hours of 18 Aug, Thurs, at 4 am, I noticed that I had a "show" with some really light cramps. The cramps weren't painful and I was scheduled for a check up (39 weeks + 2 days) with my gynae later in the same afternoon, so I simply went back to sleep and continued with my usual activities until the check up.

At the clinic, through the machine, I was already having regular but very light contractions and was already about 2 cm dilated. The Gynae sent me home anyway but warned me that Beanie should arrived the next day and told me to check into the hospital if I were to have 2 strong contractions within 10 mins.

I was really excited that Beanie was finally going to arrive soon! So I called Hub, who was already working from the S'pore office that Beanie should arrived by the next day.

And I went home and did my usual stuff of having dinner and watching tv, while the contractions were rather spaced out and still painless.

->11 pm, the cramps were getting more obvious, my back begun to ache and contractions were still about 15 mins apart.

-> 19 Aug 2011, 1 am, contractions started to be painful but it was still very bearable and I ensured that I continued to walk around the house and did some yoga stretches.

-> 2 am, contractions started to be about 5 mins apart and contractions were painful enough for me to request help from Hub to massage my hips whenever contractions hit. At this point, I figured that we should checked into the hospital soon.

-> 2.30 am, I was admitted into Mt Alvernia Hospital and the nurse checked me that I was 4 cm dilated. I was thinking to myself "not bad, almost half way there and I am still coping ok, seems that I can really do this w/o epidural..." *smug*

I told the nurses that I would prefer to remain active and standing, so I was pretty much to be left alone with a quiet and dim delivery room, and I did all the "text book" stuff: swayed my hips, walked around the room, emptied my bladder regularly, deep breathing and told myself to accept the pain where every contraction would bring Beanie closer to me.

I couldn't sleep nor rest because contracts were hitting me at about every 5-7 mins from 3 am until 8 am. Hub didn't sleep at all because whenever a contraction hit me, he would help massage my hips and applied pressure to relief the pain. I wouldn't be able to survive the past 5.5 hrs without his help.

-> 8 am, my gynae came to check on me and TO MY HORROR, I was still only 4-5 cm dilated?! WTF?! Despite of my best effort, I did NOT progress in my labour at all?! My gynae suggested that the waterbag to be burst to help labour progress and I agreed.

That was when I began to experience the worst pain that I had ever experience in my life. The contractions started to come fast and furious, at every 3-4 mins and they would hit me with a vengeance in my lower back, hips, pelvic and thighs. It was excruciating pain, which was made worse because I had to lie down (on my side though) to hook onto the monitor to ensure Beanie's heartbeats were ok and to have the IV antibiotic drip due to my previous Strep B infection.

-> 9 am, I started to panic and cried aloud in pain and I was losing it. I couldn't be calm and the thought of deep breathing or visualization of my cervix "opening up like a rose" was making me even more desperate. If I had to endure such pain and even more intense pain during the "transition period" for the next 3-5 hrs, I would just DIE. So, after 7+ hours from checking into the hospital, I threw in the towel and opted for the epidural.

-> 9.30 am, epidural started to kick in and to my surprise, I was still able to move my legs, hips and toes, but no pain from contractions! Hurray! Hub and I immediately knocked out for the next 3 hours. Both of us were so tired since we didn't sleep at all in the night. Zzzzzzz.... .... ....

-> 12.30 pm, a nurse checked me and guess what, I was already 9 cm dilated! So it seemed that the more relax I am, the faster the labour could progress. Last 1 cm to go. By this time, I could feel the contractions right under my ribs and they were moderately painful. Even with the epidural, I could still feel some pain from the contractions, I couldn't imagine if I were to proceed without.

-> 1.45 pm, I was fully dilated and getting ready to push. At this stage, Beanie suddenly was showing some signs of distress. Her heartbeat slowed but thankfully I only needed to push for about 10-15 mins and Little Beanie was born at 2.05 pm!

When I saw a healthy little Beanie, screaming at the top of her lungs, being put on my tummy, I was overcome with relief and joy... ...

I have a little baby girl!

Little Beanie has arrived!

There she is... a picture of her when she is just a few minutes old from birth.

Both Beanie and I are doing well and I am still in awed that a little baby girl has popped out of me.

I'll share my birth story shortly, meanwhile, I gotta get the hang of breastfeeding first! Tonight will be the first night at home... hopefully Beanie will sleep well and only wakes up twice for feeding. Wish me luck!!!

Little booties for little Beanie

Pink booties with a matching headband.

Completed orange booties with a matching hat.

Since Little Beanie is still happily hatching inside my tummy, I do have some spare time on my hands and I've managed to complete the orange pair of booties with a matching hat, as well as a pair of pink booties.

If Beanie is still not out soon... I'll start working on a pair of cream booties, something for her to wear when she is 6 mths old.

But seriously... I'll really prefer to have Beanie out and screaming!

Beanie at 39 weeks

Still no signs of Beanie. Ugh.

There were some encouraging Braxton Hicks contractions and some of them were rather painful, but that was it. Just "practice" contractions, as long as I change my positions or rest for a while, they will usually stop.

And Beanie is happily piling on weight. The latest weight estimation of Beanie: 3.8 kg?!?!?!?!?!

I hope that's an OVER-estimation! How am I going to push a 3.8 kg baby out w/o epidural???

*stressed*

Meanwhile, I've decided to walk as much as I can to encourage Beanie to arrive. Hub is now already stationed in Singapore and both of us are really curious about how our Little Beanie looks like.

So, Beanie, please please please come out soon!!!

My birth plan

Ok, I know that it’s fashionable to write a birth plan nowadays, but my idea of a birth plan is not to have a plan.

Hrm… ok, not very organized, I know but end of the day, I’m just supposed to have a baby loh. That is the plan: have a baby, make sure that Beanie and I are safe and sound. Period.

Of course, I have done all the required readings: Hypno-birthing, Lamaze method, Bradley method … plus another 10 books on “how to birth naturally, drugs-free”. But my focus is very clear, to have both Beanie and I safe and sound. That is the most important thing… having a “good” birth experience is good to have, like icing on the cake.

Nonetheless, I do have a vague birth plan lah:

1) Epidural free. Other than the fact that I want to experience child-birth (it’s crazy, I know), since I’m only going to have 1 or maybe 2 kids, so this is like the only shot I can experience what many other mothers in the world experience, the process of giving birth and I am curious how things are going to be.

2) Labor at home for as long as I can. So, if I wana be epidural free, it is very important that I do NOT go to the hospital too early, because the nurses and doctor will tend to intervene by inducing or wana IV drip here and there, and basically make labor so painful that most mothers give up and take the epidural.
The best outcome is to arrive at the hospital where I'm at least 6 cm dilated, by then it will be too late to have the epidural anyway!

3) Get hubby to fly back from Hong Kong in time. OK, this is the idea: once I feel contractions (hopefully, not false labor), I’ll call Hubby up and he has a 7-hrs window period (inclusive of checking-in and travelling time) to get his ass to Singapore. During the 7 hours, I should be laboring at home.

4) If I am REALLY dying of pain, aiyah, take the epidural loh.

HAHAHA.

So… Beanie is now 37 weeks, her estimated weight is 3.1 kg. I think she is ready to arrive soon… maybe next wk? 8 Aug 2011 seems like a good date. ;)

Headbands galore!
Made the above 2 for Little Beanie

Above two are for Baby Alyssa and Baby Heidi. ;

Also made some hair clips for Little Katie


Having a big stomach now means that I spend more time on my butt then on my feet. Although I do try my best to walk around, but it is getting more and more tiring for me to put one foot in front of the other...

I prefer to swim any day, swimming is my favorite form of exercise now. Only when Im in a pool, I can finally feel weightless although being the only hippo in the pool, kinda makes me self-conscious. Thankfully, the pool isn't usually crowded during weekdays' lunch hour. I try my best to swim at least twice weekly but I must confess that my low energy level barely allows me to crawl to the pool once a week.

Anyway, with more time on my butt, I can now work on producing more headbands and hair clips for my Little Beanie, as well as for my friends' little girls. Hmmm... I wonder how the headbands will look like on their little heads, gotta get my friends to post some photos!

Finally, ONE bootie is completed!

After many days of struggle, I have finally completed ONE bootie! Crocheting is definitey harder than it looks...

Now, I just gotta concentrate on the other bootie so that Beanie can have a pair to wear. ;)

Hub saw the photo and commented "who wears orange shoes???"

*sniff*

Well... girls with the classic orange Birkin bags from Hermes will definitely wear orange shoes! Ok, Mummy will make the orange shoes... hrm, Beanie just gotta make Daddy buy her the orange Birkin bag to match the shoes. (but Mummy will borrow once a while ok?)

34 weeks

I attended a wedding dinner 2 days ago and it hit me that I had not taken any photos of myself with Beanie ever since I got pregnant.

So I immediately bugged Hub to take a few pictures of myself with Beanie since I was all dressed up for the wedding dinner.

To date, I've put on about 9 kg, and from the last visit to the gynae, Beanie's weight was estimated to be around 2 kg, which was considered "average weight". Phew. All these while, I was worried that Beanie isn't putting enough weight because my appetite has been poor.

Indigestion is driving me crazy and I have to eat really small meals. Other expecting mommies are eating to their hearts content, and here I am, eating like a bird. Not only that, nuasea is also hitting me once again. I am constantly gagging in the morning and whenever I walked past strong smelling coffee shops and food courts, waves of nuasea would hit me. But I guess I should have an easier time losing the weight once Beanie is born. ;)

Really not easy being a mom and it's only the beginning!

Will you eat your own placenta?

Have any of you mummies out there consumed your own placenta? The thought of stir-frying my placenta is a bit too hard core for me, but placenta encapsulation seems very do-able.

The placenta contains very high level of prostaglandin which stimulates the shrinking of the uterus (ie: I can get back into shape faster and bleed less!), as well as small amounts of oxytocin which is basically a "feel-good" hormone that can ease post-natal depression and even promote breastmilk supply.

Although there isn't any real, scientific evidence that consumption of own placenta will truely reap the above mentioned benefits... but no harm right? It's my own placenta anyway.

The only catch is that I gotta find a reliable "service provider" that can ensure that the whole process of placenta encapsulation is done in a very hygienic manner and the placenta is indeed mine!

I managed to find 2 such "service providers" online and reviews from forums seem encouraging.

Am I the only crazy woman here who wana eat her own placenta??? None of my friends had done it, so I am on my own here. Hub is very supportive. In fact, he has heard about how the placenta can improve one's complexion and he wana eat MY placenta as well?!?! He is even wondering about the "texture of the placenta and suggest that we should stir-fry it with ginger and spring onions, just like pig's liver and do a taste test..."

And I thought I'm the crazy woman... guess there's a reason why we are married to each other. HAHAHA... Anyway, I told him that the placenta is full of FEMALE hormones, so unless he wana grow some "man-boobs", I seriously dont think it's a good idea for him to eat MY placenta. My placenta is ALL MINE to eat!

More hair accessories!

Made another batch of hair accessories this weekend, a knitted headband with a cloth flower and more hair clips. ;)

Hrm... I realize that the headband might be too thick for a new born, so most probably that will only come in handy when Beanie is at least a few months old. And I also realize that Beanie might not have much hair to start with... so all these hair clips might not be useful until Beanie is older as well!

Guess I gotta make more headbands instead!

Sleepless nights

Everyone has been telling me to sleep more before Little Beanie arrives, but it is getting harder and harder to enjoy a good night's sleep nowadays. On the weekends, at least I can catch a nap, but during a workday, I do get really tired and sleepy in the afternoon, so much so that I start to develop headaches... Ugh. ;(

Typical sleep pattern at night:

11 -1130 pm: Goes to bed and try to sleep on my left side

12 am: Lucky if i'm asleep by now

2.30am - 3 am: Gotta turn to my right side because left arm starts to hurt. Turning around takes a lot of effort because Beanie is much heavier now and I gotta rearrange my pillows again.

5 am - 6 am: Cookie will start meowing at the door. She has begun to sleep in the living room instead of the bedroom, and has so far, been behaving very well. Hrm... Except for the loud meowing, head-banging or scratching of the door in the early morns. I don't mind the early hours because usually around this time, I gotta wake up to pee anyway.

So, I will feed Cookie and let her out of the house, and try to catch another 1+ hour of sleep before waking up to get ready for a workday at 7.15 am.

But last night was really bad, I woke up at 2 am, 4 am, 5 am (Cookie's fault), 630 am. I feel like a zombie right now.

Or maybe my body is preparing itself for the sleep deprivation in months to come!

Knitting
I went for my very FIRST knitting class last night and knitting is much harder than I thought!

My neighbour was very kind to pass me her old knitting needles and yarns, unfortunately they were too big to knit baby booties, so I still have to make my way down to a handicraft shop to buy a new set of needles and yarn to knit some baby stuff for Little Beanie.

Previously, my neighbour mentioned that knitting would be just like doing cross stitch, ie: easy peasy. And I was like "ahh, ok. I have done cross stitch before. So knitting should not be a problem right?"

WRONG.

I must have killed many of my brain cells last night while trying VERY hard to coordinate my fingers. Geez, this was much harder than it looked! I made so many mistakes but thankfully the instructor was very patient and she didn't make me feel toooooooooo stupid.

And I wonder do I enough time to knit her a pair of bootie before Beanie arrives? Looking at my progress last night, I really gotta buck up!

A little update from me and Little Beanie

Finally I am done with the 6-hours-marathon CFA L3 exam yesterday, I really hope I can finally pass this time round. To pass is to score 70% and above. To be honest, I am not confident of achieving that but nothing much I can do about it now, except to wait for the results in Aug.

Meanwhile, I'm 29 weeks now into my pregnancy and I gotta start preparing for Beanie's arrival! Her room is still in a mess, so we gotta get our act together to ensure that her room is decent and the Confinement Lady gets a decent bed to sleep.

Next, I gotta prewash her baby clothes, blankets, toys. Figure out how to use the breast pumps, replace some of the old parts, get her cot ready, knit her booties, hand-make a soft doll for her, buy some modern cloth diapers and convince Hub to use them.

Woah.

Then gotta read up on natural birthing techniques. Friends have recommended some books for me to read and I am hoping for a drug-free, natural birth experience. *keeping my fingers cross*

I will be giving pre-natal classes a skip as Hub is still based in HK, and if I were to attend the classes alone. I would most probabaly feel very alone and depressed, so might as well just read up some good reference books instead.

Little Beanie is very active, always moving and whooshing around in my tummy. Especially so, during and after my mealtimes. Guess she is actively exercising her limbs when she is being fed!

Talking about exercising, I've been swimming regularly at least twice a week and practising my yoga moves 3 times a week as well. All these are to prepare my body for the up and coming labour. I really pray for a safe and smooth delivery with Hubby at my side.

We are still wondering how we can coordinate, such that Hub can fly back in time to go through labour with me... Hmmm, hopefully Beanie can be corporative and arrives near the estimated date of birth: 20 Aug!

11 more weeks to go!

Minimalistic parenting

Now that most people around me noticed my bump, many asked me 2 questions:
1) So… when are you getting a car?
2) Are you getting a maid?

My answer: No and No.

Then most will stare at me in disbelief and some will even smirk and give me a “I-see-how-long-you-can-last” kind of look. Well… I, myself am also curious to how long I can last without a car or a domestic stay-in helper when Beanie finally arrives.

Hub and I can definitely afford a car if we want to, but for what? To park in office? After doing our sums, maintaining a car actually costs more than our current HDB mortgage. We’ll rather save that money for our 2nd property in time to come.

As for a stay-in domestic helper, I do not need one now as I am staying alone and I have a part-time helper who comes in once a week and I think that is more than enough. When Beanie arrives, and if I cannot cope, I will request my part-time helper to come over twice a week instead of once.

I will be lying if I said I wasn’t tired by the end of a work day and yet I still gotta do laundry or cook dinner for myself and wash up as well. But… I enjoy the independence, I enjoy the peace and quiet time that I have to myself and to my cat. While doing these household chores, I take it as exercise and it isn’t that much of a big deal.

I hope I can set myself as an example to Beanie, who learns by watching that a responsible adult will do his/her own chores and helps to clear the mess in the house. Monkeys see, monkeys do right?

I also don’t believe in buying expensive toys or items for babies and children because they outgrow these toys/items in a flash. Hand-me downs are a god-send, and I personally do not encourage consumerism. “Buy/Use what you need” is my mantra, although I must admit that little girls’ clothes and accessories are like the cutest things in the world.

So, currently I am having ideas about hand-making some soft toys and simple dresses for Beanie Girl when I am done with my CFA exam in June. Hmmm… I am not a art-&-craft person, but the thought of making little stuffed rabbits and cutesy patchwork dresses is kind of exciting!

Beanie's little feet

Todate, we have not bought many things for Beanie Girl yet because we have many generous and kind friends who have donated or loaned many baby items, such as clothes, stroller, a Cot, breast pumps, baby carrier ... ... etc. So much so that I almost don't have to buy anything.

But yesterday, I was just browsing around and saw a "50% clearance sale" banner in a shop that was selling baby's stuff, ok, that was hard to resist and I ventured into the shop. Nothing really caught my eye except these small little booties/socks.

I don't know why but my heart just melted when I saw how tiny these little booties were, and how they would protect Beanie Girl's little feet from the cold when she is born. Hrm... being only $1.99 per pair also helped in the "heart melting" process, I guess.

Beanie Girl's little feet and fists are now kicking me consistently. She is like a wriggling little fish, swimming and tickling my stomach every now and then. Sometimes, her kicks are so strong that my whole tummy will tremble.

I am now in my 24th weeks, and I am really looking forward to seeing her in person in August. Meanwhile, she has to grow and hang in there inside my womb until she is full term!

Little Beanie is a girl!

Tiny fingers, Tiny toes,
Little ity bity clothes.
Dresses, ribbons and hair to curl.
We 're so thrilled to have a girl!

Went for my 20 weeks Detailed Scan yesterday and finally my gynae could proudly annouce (with conviction) that Beanie is a girl! Previously, Beanie has been very shy and blocked the view everytime when I went for a scan. She is growing well and her scan result is normal, which is a huge relief.

Although I still suffer from morning sickness and still puke practically every morning, but my appetite is much better and I can start eating decent meals without getting the urge to vomit all the time. I've also finally gained 0.5kg from my pre-pregnancy weight and I do hope that I can continue to gain some weight so that Beanie will be a healthy baby.

Hub is very, very happy to have a baby girl, he has always wanted to have a daughter to dote on. ;)

Now I can finally start buying cute, little pink dresses, and think of a name for Beanie. ;)

Still in Hong Kong

I was supposed to fly back to Singapore on Monday, 28 Mar at 11 am. But I missed my flight because I was still warded at The Queen Mary Hospital in Hong Kong. And how did I end up there? Here's the story... (a really long post though)

I arrived at Hong Kong on last friday, 25 March 730 pm as planned and everything was fine. The flight was smooth and uneventful but my only grouse was that I had to carry my own luggage while walking down the flight of stairs from the plane, and then up the bus to the main terminal. Nobody offered any help, so there I was, lugging my luggage while being 18 weeks pregnant.

I was very happy to see Hub and we had a pleasant dinner. Hub said that he had some friends (whom I know as well) in town and the plan was to go hiking on Saturday morning. We would take the beginner's hike and it should not take more than 2.5 hours. The idea sounded good, I've always enjoyed hiking and the thought of some fresh air, greenery and exercise should be good for both me and Beanie.

So, the very next morning, we headed towards "Shek-O" village to hike the famous Dragon's Back Trail. The weather was great, sunny yet cool; and the trail started out really easy. We were happily walking, chatting and enjoying the view, the breeze and each other's company. Then we reached the Dragon's Back, where there were 3 "humps", ie: 3 little hills to climb, and each hill had a flight of rocky steps (at times, rather steep). If I weren't pregnant, these 3 hills would be a piece of cake, I have had done harder trails before. But this time round, with the additional weight of Beanie, things were different.

By the start of the 3rd hump, I began to feel uncomfortable, my tummy felt a little crampy and I was getting a bit worried. However, it was too late to quit, I had to proceed because I was basically stuck in the middle of nowhere! Everyone was getting worried for me as well, we all slowed down and took frequent breaks. I really took my time and had help from both Hub and another guy friend to continue the rest of the hike. Finally after almost 3.5 hours, we finished the trail and headed back to Hong Kong Central for lunch. I felt ok then, tired but fine. Cramps had lessen and by the time lunch was over, things seemed normal. Nonetheless, Hub and I headed back to his apartment to rest while his friends proceeded to do some shopping.

Hub was very sweet to arrange for a cosy dinner with 2 very dear friends who are currently based in Hong Kong and I was really looking forward to it. We were just preparing to dress up and I was just about stepping out of my shower when suddenly I felt a gush of warmth below and saw fresh, red blood. I was bleeding and bleeding A LOT. Fresh blood was flowing out of me and I was in shock. I screamed for Hub and he rushed over. He saw all the blood and went completely pale. I shouted that we had to go to the hospial immediately, and he reached for his phone, called up his friend to ask for the location of the nearest hospital. Meanwhile, I tried to reach for the dressing table to get some tissue and all this time, I was still bleeding. There was so much blood that there was a trail of blood from the shower to dressing area. Hub came over, saw all the blood on the floor and I saw his hands began to shake. At this point, I lost it and started crying and I was so scared that I was going to lose my baby...

We got dressed as fast as we could, rushed down and thankfully hailed a cab within minutes. The cab driver realised that this was an emergency and drove as fast as he could. In fact, he even dashed across a red light just for us. Finally after 10-15 minsutes, which felt like forever, we arrived at The Queen Marry Hospital's A&E department. Although it was rather crowded, but I was put on a bed immediately and soon, a doctor came by to check on me. She used a fetal doppler to check for Beanie's heartbeat, which thankfully, was beating strongly. By then, the bleeding had lessen. When I heard Beanie's heartbeat, I finally managed to calm down. During the short journey on the cab, I was filled with dread and was going through all the worst cases of senarios in my head...

The A&E doctor advised that I be warded so that a Gynaecologist can check on me, and also to do an ultrasound to check on Beanie. And so, I was warded for 3 days 2 nights. During this period, the doctors checked that my cervix was still closed, Beanie's heartbeats were strong and the placenta seemed normal as well. I still had spotting and light cramps for the first 2 days but thankfully by the third day, things had stabilized and I was able to be discharged. The doctors weren't too sure what had caused the massive bleeding, except that my womb or cervix might had been irritated by the strenuous exercise during the hike.

So now, I am still in Hong Kong, resting and not moving too much. It's almost like being under House Arrest. Other than taking very short walks to buy lunches or dinners, I will stay at Hub's apartment, reading, napping, watching TV, basically REST. I can feel Beanie's tiny movements and have been talking to Beanie, telling Beanie to be strong and hang on to Mummy until he/she is ready to be born.

This episode had really scared the hell out of me. I will not attempt such "dangerous" activities anymore. I just want to have a safe flight back to Singapore on Friday and be a considerate mummy, bearing in mind that Beanie can be really fragile.

I am just so so so grateful that Beanie is fine. That's all I ask for.

The big S-T-R-E-T-C-H

When I first broke the news about Beanie to my girlfriends, almost all of them asked the same question: “Hrm…Have you bought your stretch mark cream?”

“Eh…. No? Do I need to apply now? I’m still in my 1st trimester and my tummy is still flat wat…”

“OF COURSE!!” All answered unanimously. Prevention is way better than cure!

Okay…. …. ….

But deep down inside, I just thought that my fellow girlfriends are just being kiasu and forgot all about creams and lotions while I was battling fatigue, nausea and dizziness.

One particular girlfriend couldn’t believe how nonchalant I am about the “horrible” stretch marks and my impending doom that she bought me a tube of Clarin’s Stretch Mark Control Cream as a gift. Supposedly the best and one of the most expensive in the market.

“Nah… don’t say don’t have. You are going to thank me for this! Use it RELIGIOUSLY EVERY NIGHT from now until the end of your confinement period. Do you understand??” she barked.

Woah. So fierce.

Well, since it was a gift, so I started applying it religiously after my showers day after day. Although currently my tummy is barely a small bump, but at times, I can really feel the skin across my tummy stretching, similar to the feeling of my face tightening when I do not put moisturizer immediately after cleansing.

Then 2 days ago, I met up with another girlfriend who is now a proud mummy of a 8 months old boy and we were just chatting about pregnancies and babies. Of course, the topic drifted to stretch marks and she lamented she wasn’t “hardworking” enough in applying her creams and now, she has to bear the consequences of her “laziness”.

And she showed me her hips and OMG……………………………………… grayish, spidery lines were clearly visible on her hips and they really didn’t look very pleasant at all!

“The stretch marks were previously red and angry, and by the time I started on the anti-stretch mark cream, it was already too late”

Woah. Ok, that’s a wake-up call.

So I immediately went down to Robinsons today during my lunch break, and bought another tube of the cream, together with a bottle of Body Treatment Oil. 20% discount on all Clarin’s products +7% of GST absorbed by Robinsons! Yay!!!

Now I’m all ready to combat against stretch marks!

Top 5 Baby Items to buy!

Heard that there will be a few Baby Fairs in the month of March, so gotta start shopping around for the items that I absolutely must have!

*Ok, friends who are reading my blogs, I’m not trying to hint what Baby Shower pressies to buy, in fact, most of these items cost a few hundred dollars a pop, so… I’m just sharing with fellow friends and bloggers about the stuff that I need. *no pressure* ;P

1) Miracle Blanket

One particular friend SWEARS by this product. This piece of blanket has bought her precious hours of uninterrupted sleep. Anything that can buy me extra hours of sleep when screaming Beanie arrives, I’ll buy it. PERIOD. In fact, I'll most probably buy 3, in case Beanie pukes or poops in the blanket, which I can so see it coming...

2) Medela pump Free-style

This is a duo pump that according to my friends, is one of the best in the market. This piece of gadget does not come cheap but my rationale is: if I had already spent a bomb on a breast pump, I jolly well stick to breast-feeding to make my money worthwhile. Die die must breastfeed!

3) Ergo Baby Carrier

Remember the Koala mummy mantra? From my research, Ergo Baby Carrier is one of the few carriers that will allow me to wear my baby in the front or on my hip or on my back, ala “Ninga Turtle” style. And most importantly, Ergo carriers support a natural sitting position for babies, so allowing babies to be comfortable. Moreover, the design also balances the weight of the baby on the parent’s shoulders AND hips, saving the parent’s back muscles. For very young babies, I just need to buy a “baby insert” that can provide the required support to a newborn’s head. Viola, instead of carrying the baby around, I can have BOTH of my hands to run my errands and do my chores.

4) Cloth Diapers

Did I mention that I’m a tree hugger and I wana be a Koala mummy? So, I must live to my mantra right? Using cloth diapers save the environment AND money… so, I’m definitely going to give these modern cloth diapers a try. There will be mountains of poop to wash, so wish me luck!

5) ) Arm’s Reach co-sleeper

I’ve been searching high and low for this co-sleeper. But it seems that many shops no longer carry this product. I guess I just have to find a cot that can be adjusted to my bed’s height, and place the cot right next to my bed instead. I have the intention the let Beanie co-sleep in the bedroom for the first few months, I figure that night feeds will be easier for the both of us where I can just scoop Beanie from the cot (next to my bed) and breastfeed Beanie instead of running to the nursery every 2-3 hours.

There are still so many other items to buy, eg: stroller, bathing basin, bips, towels, baby's clothes, Baby's carseat, ear plugs, massage chair (for me, of course), slimming wraps... ...

Ok, buy the top 5 first!

Preggy or simply a Telly Tubby?

Now that I have just a very tiny bump, I’ve encountered a few rather funny incidents while taking the MRT.

Firstly, I must applaud that most Singaporeans and fellow passengers are really quite considerate and gracious to give up their seats when they notice a Preggy is on board. So far, many had given up their seats for me, although some were unsure whether I’m pregnant or simply… a Telly Tubby.

Incident 1

I was on the train and stood in front of this gentleman. He took a look at me and immediately had this constipated look. I could literally see a bubble above his head, “Preggy or not? Hmm, I do not want to offend this lady by giving her the seat but only to have her snapped back at me because she isn’t pregnant!”

So to end his dilemma, I decided to help him out a bit by pushing out whatever tummy that I had and did a REALLY exaggerated rub on my tummy. Very theatrical, I know… but I really do need the seat ok!

He got my cue immediately and sprang up from his seat to offer it to me. So, we had a happy ending, he was feeling pleased about himself, being a considerate gentleman, and I was so glad to grab a seat.

Incident 2

So, once again I was on the train, standing just right in front of the priority seat. The train was really full and passengers who had seats were busy playing with their Iphones. I was feeling rather good until a man got into the train with a bad case of BO. On any other normal days, I doubt I could smell anything. But now, I have become Wolfverine and can smell a fart from 2 km away.

The BO was so bad (at least to me, everyone else didn’t seem to smell anything or simply too polite to make any faces), I couldn’t help myself but to gag… hrm, rather loudly. But it was totally unintentional lah.

Sorry dude, but… you were making me puke.

Thankfully the lady in front of me saw me gagging and immediately gave up her seat. I took it gratefully. With a seat, I could fish out a tissue paper to cover my nose and breathe through my mouth, and concentrate very hard NOT to vomit on the train. So, another happy ending, although a bit smelly.

All in all, I am very grateful to all those who had given up their seats to me. Thanks fellow passengers!