Things I miss before I became a M-O-M

Time’s flying really fast and few weeks from now, my daughter will celebrate her 1^st birthday. Sometimes, I feel like I am on reverie; I couldn’t believe that my husband and I already have our own bundle of joy. She was a dream came true, and God knows, even my closest friends, how much we both wanted to have our own child. Every time we look at her, we always praise God for giving us a healthy, makulit and beautiful little girl. We must have done something really good for giving her to us.

It seems like yesterday when I found out I was pregnant, and I must admit that I am missing a lot of things that I used to do before I became a mother. 

Don’t get me wrong, I love being a mother, but you know that feeling when you realize you have given so much time and effort for your family? That sometimes, you feel the need to take even just a little break from reality? Mother’s deserve a little break too, but we’re too selfless and we’d rather spend our days nurturing and spending time with our family. That’s why I admire some moms who get the leisure to spend quality / me time for themselves - I don’t know if it’s just me, but no matter how much I find time to pamper myself, I just can’t fit the “I-want- to-do-things” on my schedule. It’s as if one day isn’t enough to do all the things that I need to do for my family. I feel like I am always cramming to go home every after work just to spend time with them. But no matter how much I love and enjoy being a mom, sometimes I’d like to spool back my life even just for a day or two.

Here are my top 8 list that I miss doing before I became a busy-mom

    1.       Me time - before, I could spend one day on the salon having my hair permed while I have my nails manicured and pedicured. But right now? I couldn’t stand sitting on the salon chair for more than an hour. I’d settle myself for a simple haircut.  I couldn’t even believe that I used to spend so much money with my hair. (Pero ngayon, I’m fine with a 49.99 haircut. Hehehe!)

    2.       Rest / Sleeping - this is what I call luxury right now. I’m always sleep deprived. Before, I could spend my rest days lying on my bed sleeping all day but right now? 3-4 hours of sleep is my daily routine. I also missed waking up whenever I want to. Before I became a mom, I could wake up whenever I want to, but now that I have a daughter, I wake up between 4 to 5am during RESTDAYS.

    3.       Shopping - yep, I missed shopping for myself. I could spend half of my salary shopping for myself but right now, every money I spend is all for my family. I always think that the money I could be spending from shopping alone can save up for Milly’s future.

    4.       Reading - I used to read all sorts of novels before a became a mom, but I don’t know if it’s just me or my time management, but I couldn’t even get hold of my e-book  these days. From novels, I am now down to reading story books and all sorts of baby books. :D

    5.       My old figure - I really don’t mind wearing size 40 and XL tops at all, but every time I look at my old pictures, I feel bad for gaining so much weight after I gave birth. No matter how much I try to lessen my food intake, my bulging tummy just won’t return to its old state. It will never be the same again.

    6.       Watching movies/series/television- call me OA, but I am no longer updated with current events! My daughter hates noise and she easily wakes up every time the TV is turned on. So ending, whenever our TV is turned on, expect that the volume is too low or no audio at all.

    7.       Clean room - Our room is always messy. Start with the dresser down to the cabinet. Toys and books are always on the floor and I’ve realized that having a clean room is close to impossible. :D I spend time picking up things when she’s asleepm waiting for the same thing to happen again once she wakes up.

    8.       Quality time with my husband - I am a wife before I became a mother and it’s a must that I spend quality time with my husband. But there are times that we can’t even do the things we used to do before. :D Oh, how I missed going out on a date with him. (We better work on this) Good thing, we enjoy spending time with our daughter by playing and cuddling with her. Now, that’s a great bonding time.    

These are just some of the things that I missed the most before I became a mom, but I do not feel any pinch of regret having my family even for one second. I may have sacrificed a lot of things for them and I wouldn’t trade it for the world. Everything I do for them is all worth it. 

First time mommy tales

Yesterday, I got the chance to finish a “mommy” book written by another mom who gave birth few years ago. The book is all about the things she learned being a new mom. Things that she didn’t learn or wasn’t discussed on all parenting books she had read. It was such an entertaining and quick book to read and I found myself always smiling as I reminisce the first few months of my mommyhood journey.

Here are some of the best points she shared on the book:

·         Mommy brain is a very real and true condition - hhhm, ever since I gave birth, I’ve been experiencing some sort of short term memory. I would always jot down things I need to accomplish, buy and what not. I am a fan or scrap paper lately. (I guess I can blame the anesthesia)

·         Showers will no longer be an enjoyment - having a shower or pooping (Too much info, eh?)  is already my escape from reality. Long baths have turned into 10 minutes of freedom.

·         Baby stores are so good in marketing strategy - as soon as you become a mom you will always have this limitless hunger for shopping for baby items. This is so me! I cannot stop buying stuff for my daughter and I’d end up being stingy   for myself so I can buy something for her. Haven’t bought something expensive for myself and where’s the fairness in here? My daughter has H&M, Cotton On, Calvin Klein and other expensive garments but here I am wearing an RTW blouse I bought near the MRT station for only 120Pesos. Haha. Also, my daughter has lots of shoes and there’s this one famous baby shoe brand that I bought 2 months ago for almost 4,000 and she can’t even wear it yet because it’s still big for her. (Patay ako sa asawa ko nito kapag nalaman nyang 4k yun)

·         New mommy fashion doesn’t exist -  well, most of your clothes will be a “thing in the past”. In reality, no mommy would ever go out of the hospital wearing skinny jeans, boots and a sexy crop top. (Just like those famous actresses and models) In reality, if you hated wearing granny panties, baggy pants and loose shirts, you will absolutely appreciate these types of clothes as soon as you become a mom. (most especially if you’re a breastfeeding mom).

·         Emotional - blame it with the hormones, because as soon as you realize that you are pregnant and once you become a mom, you will be more emotional. I gave birth 8 months ago, and I still cry over cheesy commercials. You must remember that your emotions will be on overload during and after pregnancy.  There will be crying. There will be irritability.  There will be unnecessary arguments over stupid crap with your partner. A warning - the tears are going to just start flowing for no reason.  Who knows what will set you off?  The latest celebrity break up. 

·         Obsession - During your pregnancy you will become obsessed with your baby's development and what size he or she is each week.  You are going to see it in a book, on a smart phone app, or on the web and like clockwork every Monday morning be checking on the status.  Every single week the baby will be compared to the size of a fruit or vegetable, and your mouth will instantly be watering for said food. This is so true! I have downloaded a couple of baby apps when I found out I was pregnant and kept on checking my baby’s progress. I even downloaded some tickers for my desktop and mobile too.

·          Care - less - Before I gave birth, I said to myself that I wanted to look good when the time comes that I need to push my baby. Little did I know that I never cared how and what I looked like when I started to have labor pains. I never cared how many nurses, doctors (even the male ones) saw me half naked because all I wanted was for the pain to go away.

and being:

·         Bionic - It's kind of amazing how while you're nine months pregnant all you can do is waddle around the house, plop on the couch like lump, and can't even bend over to pick up your car keys. When the time comes that you have to undergo the labor process, believe me, your body will be flexible just to find the perfect position to lessen the pain. You will be in positions you never knew you could be in.  

The author was right when she said that all those mommy and parenting books are fantastic but it would have been better if these books gave a sense of reality. I read a handful of parenting tips before I gave birth but none of these discussed what I would experience inside the labor room. How I wish I was able to read this before I became a mom. 

Every mom should read this so they can re-live what they went through during pregnancy and early years of motherhood.

Where do you keep your treasured pictures?

Gone were the days when you’d sit on the sofa, get a photo album and laugh at your baby pictures. I missed looking at real photos, as in photos that you can touch and treasure forever. I missed saying “have your pictures developed”, instead of “ have them printed. I missed the 12 and 36 shots and the term “exposed”.  Remember those black small cases where we put the films? I missed those too.

So this is my problem right now, My husband and I have over 3,000 pictures on our phones and tablets which I have a hard time sorting; unorganized google picasa web album and almost 80% used storage on my dropbox account. That’s.A.Lot.

Before, no one would ask you where you really save your pictures. Once you go to someone else’s living room, you’d see stacked of albums on their center tables and you’re free to look at them whenever you want to. Now, you hardly see any albums, because most of our photos are everywhere: Camera Roll on your phone, desktop, hard drive, Facebook, online hard drives and over the web.

I am guilty of this too; I didn't print pictures of the most important events of my life. My wedding, prenup, post nup, when I got pregnant, when I gave birth because of all them are on Facebook. Well, I still have a change though, but the momentum is no longer there. ;)

I do not even remember that I have these photos until I saw them again.  I want to preserve these memories. 

Hhhm, how I wish I could go back to my old figure. haha! :D These pictures make me feel so fattttttttt! 

 I am a fan of scrap book but I do not know why I stopped doing it. If I do it right now, I know it would take me months to organize all of our photos. When I got pregnant, I even promised myself to document each milestones of my daughter, and to print out pictures so I can display them on the living room. I even bought a baby album for my daughter but it still sits on our cabinet and only 3 pages were touched. I even bought a couple of vouchers from a photobook online store so I can have a customized album. But the process is so tedious and I just don’t know where to start decorating the online album. Egad. 

There’s something about old developed photos. They are sentimental. Remember some old photos from a dear friend who even wrote a dedication at the back of their pictures?  

It has been 7 months since I promised myself to document my Milly’s milestones through pictures, but until today I still do not have any presentable pictures frames on our living room. Thanks to our photographer during Milly’s baptism, because they were able to provide some decent print outs from the event. These are our first pictures. 20 wonderful pictures out of 3,000 plus pictures.

How about you? Where do you keep your treasured memorable pictures? 

Ready to pop anytime soon!

Hello there mommies! It's my 38th week today, and I'm ready to pop any time soon. A lot of things have happened for the past months of my pregnancy. I took an early maternity leave because I couldn't keep myself from commuting every now and then and didn't want to risk the health of my baby girl Milly Antonette. This is also the first time I stayed that long in the house without thinking of waking up ON TIME and dragging myself to work everyday. LOL. I just couldn't believe that we're on our final stretch of third trimester and I'm going to see my baby girl and touch her real SOON! 

During my first trimester, my ob diagnosed my pregnancy with threatened abortion. When we reached our 3rd trimester, i had to take a bed rest due to pre-term labor. All throughout my last trimester, we've been monitoring my blood sugar level, blood pressure and so with my baby's heartbeat. Now that's another case because I seldom feel my baby's intense kicks because I have an anterior placenta, which makes it so hard for me to track her movements. (but baby's fine. She has a strong and good heartbeat) I even had to undergo so many lab tests and ultrasound to monitor my baby and make sure that she's fine because I've experienced too much stress from my mother's sudden death. I'm so happy that my baby is so strong. Thank you Milly for behaving inside mommy's tummy. It wasn't an easy journey, but I know it will all be worth once I give birth.

I've always wanted to share stories and the progress of my pregnancy on this blog, but since I've been sluggish lately, too bad that I'm only able to update it right now, when I'm about to give birth already. :) So once I give birth, I promise to update this blog every now and then and to share my mommyhood experience! ;)

Hello, May! :)

I love the month of May. It's my birth month, our anniversary month, and since I am a Mom-to-be, I get to celebrate Mother's day already! Just a bit sad, because Mama is no longer here with us to celebrate this special month. I know it would be happier if she's still alive. ♥  But since I know that she's  happier up there in Heaven, I am doing my best to live my life the way it used to be, and enjoy every moment I have with the family that my husband and I had built :) 

As of today, I am already 31 weeks pregnant, and I am so happy because my baby girl cooperates with me most of the time. As of today, I can still ride the bus and walk gracefully without having backaches. The only thing that I am complaining right now is the excessive water retention, so my right foot tend to swell so much. But despite that, I am still able to walk gracefully except a little bit slower than the usual. 

Our baby girl is cooperative most of the time,  (Except for the 3D/4D ultrasound) we had for the past 2 weeks. Imagine, we had to go back and forth and spend almost 6 hours in the clinic just to take a glimpse of her face. But since I think she wanted to surprise us of how she "looks" like, she doesn't really want to cooperate every ultrasound session. 

Her kicks are becoming intense too; but too bad she hasn't positioned herself yet and as of right now, she's still on a breech position. And since she's quite chubby just like her mommy, she's too cramped to move inside that's why she's having a hard time positioning herself. Nevertheless, I am already preparing myself to undergo CS. 

Halfway there

My baby and I just turned 20 weeks yesterday, and based on the app I have installed on my iPad, it says that we're already halfway there. Time flies so fast and I couldn't imagine that in a few months, I'd be able to see my precious little one.

Well hello there our lil one! 

Last Feb 14, -- yep Valentines day, I went back to my OB to have my monthly check up. I was scheduled to come back to her on the 15th, but since I've been suffering from backache and some slight cramps; which she suspected as UTI, she advised me to visit her clinic so she could check my urine and do a quick scan on my baby bump.

My urinalysis results came out perfectly okay, but I was advised to drink plenty of fluid. She also told me that I ought to get some good pillow to support my back most especially during work hours. She also did a quick scan on my baby, and she said that Mark and I are having a baby girl! But since ultrasounds are not always right, hubby and I will go back next month to have my gender scan again. ♥ Aside from the "emergency" ultrasound we had which turned out perfectly okay, she also vaccinated me with Tetanus Toxoid & Hepa B.

They say that as soon as the baby in our tummy turns 20 weeks, we'd be able to feel his/her kicks already. I don't know, but in my case, I haven't felt the intense kicks yet. Though once in a while, I've been having this fluttery feeling inside my stomach and slight twitches - and I'm pretty sure that's my baby moving inside me. I just couldn't wait to experience how exactly a kick and somersault feels like. ♥

4 months and counting

Well hello there! It’s been quite a while since the last time I’ve updated this blog, and a lot of things have changed pretty much lately. I’m now on my 17 weeks of pregnancy, and I’m so thankful that my baby and I were able to surpass first trimester with no hitches (that much). Morning sickness is finally over, and my APPETITE is now on its full blast. Let’s say, I eat much like of a “kargador” who couldn’t resist two to three cups of rice; and believe me or not, I wasn’t like this before. I could skip meals and can survive by eating bread alone. But this time? I’d go rage and my stomach would rumble if I can’t eat every 4 hours. LOL. Now, that explains the extra kilos I’ve gained for the past few months. Nevertheless, I am enjoying every step of my pregnancy journey, and I love everything that is happening to my body.

Well, according to my OB, my weight gain (to be exact is 5kilos) is pretty normal for my size, but according to my good-ol-friends, I still look kind of the same, except with the excess chin and more prominent chubby cheeks. Hehe!

Aside from my body changes; like my uterus has grown larger, a lot of things had happened while I entered this phase of my pregnancy. My beloved husband and I went into a firm discussion to change OB due to practical reasons. I had to go to 4 different OB’s, and checked if they would suit my preferences and budget, but in the end I still decided to stick with my original and super concern OB. Would you believe that she would text me every now and then to keep me posted about our upcoming appointments? Who does that, really? Some OB’s wouldn’t even care if you don’t come back to them for your regular check-ups.  Some wouldn’t even bother giving out their mobile phone numbers and would just tell you to text their assistant if you have questions. (Seriously?) Oh well, OB’s job can be very demanding, and they could not reply to every text messages and inquiries you send them, but that’s why I love about my current OB. She takes care of me so much and my baby, and would reply to my text messages even at wee hours.

So to all the mommies to be out there, it’s very important to find an OB whom you’re comfortable to work with. Look for someone who’s friendly to take care of you and to be concerned about your position, and professional enough to answer all your questions. Someone who doesn’t make you feel scared and anxious about pregnancy, and makes you realize that pregnancy is such an enjoyable journey. . . And someone who doesn’t make any insensitive comments about the changes in your body J

And oh, before I forget, here’s a snapshot of how I look like with a maternity dress. My baby bump is more prominent on a side view :D 

Almost done with First Trimester

Weee! I'm almost done with 1st trimester - thank you Lord for protecting me and keeping me safe from harm. I'm so thankful because my pregnancy is not that "maselan" at all - and I am not experiencing any pain or bleeding even if I have to brave the traffic and MRT crowd everyday.
 2-hour travel going to work is no joke, most especially during the first trimester, and I am one of the lucky pregnant women who don't have to stay at home and have a bed rest all throughout their pregnancy. (Well, I hope that time wouldn't come, and may the Lord continue to guide me every day) 

The other day, I was reminiscing the time when my husband and I were still trying to conceive our baby. I had to undergo the process of raspa/d&c just to get pregnant. (hhm, it really makes me cringe every time I remember how they gave me the anesthesia) 

Ang Panginoon nga naman, He had to delay our prayers just so we could realize the real meaning of patience and understanding and  to hold on at times when you feel like giving up. Who would have thought that month we finally conceived is the exact month I stopped taking medications. Thank you Again, Lord! 

So far, I have already gained 1Kilo, and I think my baby bump is already starting to show. It's getting bigger each day and so am I. ♥

TADA! 

Taken last April 2013 at Las Pinas Doctors Hospital

That's me, right after I have recovered from the operation. The nurses told me that my pain tolerance is a bit high because I was able to stand up to take a pee after the operation. Well to be honest, I was really scared to take a pee because I thought it would really hurt, but I think the anesthesia really saved me from not experiencing any pain after the operation, though I got really scared when I saw A LOT OF BLOOD after I pee'd (sorry too much information!) ♥ 

Christmas Time is Here ♥

Weee! Christmas is just around the corner, but a major boo-boo for me because I wouldn’t be able to eat Noche Buena with my family and go to simbang gabi with them since I have work on Christmas Eve. Sigh, the downside of working on a BPO.

And since most of my close friends are spending their most sought holiday of the year in the office, we planned to celebrate it here instead by bringing our potluck. I just hope next Christmas, (by that time, I already have a 5-month old baby), I’d be able to take my vacation leave already and spend it with my love ones.

Christmas spirit is very much present in the office as well. Theme for the year is recycled stuff, and surprisingly, a lot of creative juices have been flowing per team and I must say that their decorations are really splendid. As per our team, I think we have the simplest design of all. Hehe! Good thing a friend of mine had volunteered to stick some paper lanterns just so we could have a simple decoration on our aisle. If not for him, we wouldn’t have any single design hanging on the pipes (yes, pipes!, pipes are so visible here on our office). Hirap nga naman if some of your team mates are so unhelpful and wouldn’t even bother asking if we need some help sticking these designs. Hehehe! Peace! :D

I wanted to take and document the creative decorations here in the office, but since most of the people here work at night (and I’m that shy to ask if I can take pictures of their designs), I opted to take a pic of my most favorite embellishment and creativity they’ve done on their work stations. It’s so unique, and WAY different among the rest. Not the typical lantern/stars you stick on the ceiling, or the wrapped gifts you display under the Christmas tree. They made a gingerbread house (wait is it really a ginger bread house?) out of boxes and Manila paper. How cool is that? J

See for yourself. It’s really cute! 

And oh - well before I forget, since this is a pregnancy blog, here's my tummy at 11 weeks. hehehe! ♥ 

tummy's getting bigger! yay!

Confirmed. I am really pregnant!

All the while I thought that once you see the two lines on a pregnancy test, you’re already viable for pregnancy. I didn’t know that tests and ultrasound needs to be done to confirm that you are indeed pregnant.

The moment my husband and I found out that we made it, we called almost all available clinics within Las Piñas to check if there will be someone who can accommodate me. Funny thing was that, I found out I was pregnant on a holiday, so most likely, all OB’s within the Metro are out on a holiday or is not accepting appointments unless you have to deliver a baby. Good thing I found a good OB who is very masipag and was kind enough to accommodate me on a holiday. The moment we arrived the clinic, she interviewed me about my medical history, and prescribed me the vitamins I need to take all throughout my pregnancy.

I wasn’t scheduled for an ultrasound yet, because she told me that it’s too early to check if there’s already a progress inside my tummy. Few days after my check up, I experienced some cramping and she immediately scheduled me for an ultrasound. I was too scared that time because I’ve been reading a lot of negative stuff online regarding the “cramping”. (Could be ectopic or early M/C. Akkk! Oh dear Lord.) Little did I know is that the cramping I felt that time was pretty normal because it wasn’t really severe. Medyo praning lang talaga ako.

So I had my first ultrasound last Nov 5 and was advised for bed rest for a week. I was quite sad when I found out that the baby is not yet there, because as what my OB said, it’s too early to detect the pregnancy, since I was only 6weeks pregnant that time. The feeling of uneasiness and anxiousness almost ate me up, because I was already expecting a little bit of progress inside my tummy, only to find out that there is no fetal pole and heartbeat yet. The impression below: " To confirm pregnancy viability " gave me too much worry, but then she assured me that everything will be fine and the size of the 'sac' is the normal size. So there's nothing to worry about. 

That's the sac. 

And so she advised me to come back after 2 weeks to check if the embryo will be implanted. It was a dreadful 2 week wait, and I really had a hard time thinking of positive thoughts and I tried to stay away from reading and participating in forums. Thank you to my friends and my husband who support and continuously feeding me with positive thoughts.

Come November 23 - my 2nd ultrasound, due to super excitement and anxiousness, it’s as if I would suffer from diarrhea (haha) just thinking what would be the results.

And thankfully, all our prayers have been answered, and our little blip has a heartbeat already! Yolk sac and the baby is already there. Now, I am indeed pregnant and there’s already a “new life” inside my body.

NOW THERE'S OUR LITTLE BABY! ♥♥♥ 

Thank you Lord for letting me experience one of your greatest miracles in life.

And so that’s it! ♥ For sure you’ll hear from me soon about my pregnancy journey.