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. ♥

Maxi dress for preggies

I’ve been a fan lately of maxi dresses, and I pretty much enjoy the comfort it gives me every time I wear it; most especially that my baby’s getting bigger each day. Actually, I’ve always wanted to wear dresses, it has been my frustration for quite some time already; but since I am not confident with my thunder thighs at all, I am left with no choice but to wear long tops and jeggings. That’s why I’m so thankful that maxi dresses are in nowadays, that’s why I can enjoy the ease of wearing dresses going to work every day.

So far, I have already collected 5 dresses, and I’m eyeing to buy 5 more. Most of them are imported from Bangkok (well that’s according from the sales lady hehe). Good thing I was able to find a nice store here in Crossing that gives me discount whenever I buy 2 pairs. I also braved the busy streets of Redemptorist road to check if I could find some affordable maxi dresses, but the price range is even higher than the one here in Crossing. 

The reason why I also enjoy wearing this is because my baby bump becomes more prominent. PS: People tend to be nicer to me whenever they see my baby bump. Hehe! 

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!

Now at 10 weeks

Happy December! Since my dear husband and I have already received one of the best gifts God has given us, I simply couldn’t ask for more this Christmas season. A lot of things have changed already since the time we found out I am pregnant. My attitude and perspective towards life; my relationship with my husband even got better and the way I look, physically. Hehe! Well, nothing much has changed in terms of my physical appearance yet, and I couldn’t wait to see the baby bump in my tummy. So as early as now, I am going to document my baby tummy look to see how it progresses week by week.

To top it off, I am already 10 weeks pregnant, and a tiny bump is already showing. I don’t know if this is because the way how I eat a lately (I MEAN, I EAT A LOT LATELY. THANK YOU BECAUSE I’VE ALREADY OVERCOME THE DREADFUL MORNING SICKNESS), but every time I look at my “puson” which is already big before, I couldn’t help but smile because my puson looks more firm these days and more round. 

This is what my tummy looks like at 10 weeks. ♥ 

Thanks to my husband for taking this picture. 

 My husband has shaky hands and he ended up taking too many blurred pics (20 plus pics akk!). This is the best shot he could offer. I had to filter the above pic because my eyes looks so deformed on the original pic because of his uber pasmadong plus nanginginig na kamay. hehehe! 

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.