We're ready to go...

I'm already on my 37^th week which means that my baby is already in his full-term, yipee! I am oh so excited but also nervous at the same time. I don’t know how it feels to be in labor. Since I am a first time mom, I am new to this kind of experience, everything is my first.

I have already prepared my baby’s things. My baby hasn’t arrived yet but he already received early gifts. We’re so blessed to have family and friends who are always there to give support and love.

Onesies, receving blanket, bibs, washcloths, mattress, etc.

Philips Avent baby bottles, breast pump, food container, etc.

Baby's health care kit, teether, toys, etc.

Huggies diapers - small, medium, and large sizes

Shoes given by baby's cousin and ninang

Baby's books, educational materials, and toys

Disney jacket, Mossimo shirt, and Ralph Lauren sweater

My Big Baby

I went for a pre-natal check-up today and also had a Biometry/Biophysical Ultrasound at PGH. I was surprised to know that I was just 36 weeks pregnant but my baby’s fetal length is already of 38^th week. He already weighs 6.6 – 7.2 pounds. Oh my gosh! In this case, my doctor advised me to limit my food intake - only one cup of rice three times a day, and to eat only fruits in between meals. Since it’s Christmas season, I have no choice but to abstain from eating sweets, no leche flan, buko salad, cassava cake, etc.

We are going to try to deliver normally but if I cannot prevent my baby’s growth inside my tummy, my doctor told me that I might undergo a caesarian section. What can I do if he’s really big? His father is big, so I guess it’s in his genes. Well, for now, all that matter to me is to deliver my baby safely in whatever way it may be.

Mom's Checklist

I’m already on my 32^nd week, so we’re waiting for only more or less 5 weeks for our baby’s arrival. We have already bought some baby stuffs but we still need to buy some more such as receiving blanket, bibs, rubber bath mat, etc. Those marked items are the things we already have for our baby, so I guess, only few more things we need and we're good to go. Actually, in the below list, not all of it should be bought, only those that are really necessary. Abdominal binders are discouraged by pediatricians nowadays because it can interrupt the baby's proper breathing. I have learned from one of the seminars I attended that for newborn babies, baby powder is not allowed because it can cause asthma. Unlike in the US, having a car seat for the baby is not mandatory here in the Philippines.

This checklist from www.babycompany.com.ph is very helpful for first-time parents like us.

Changes in my Life

When I got pregnant, a lot of things have changed. There were things that I used to do when I wasn’t pregnant that I had to stop doing now. There were things I had to sacrifice because I want everything to be okay for my baby.

1. Goodbye to my favorite chips!

 I have to cut back on eating salty foods, so goodbye Pringles, Cheetos, Lays, and PikNik.  But I am oh so craving for salty foods, whew! An old friend of mine from Uzbekistan told me that if I crave for salty foods when I am pregnant that means that my baby is a boy. I superstitious beliefs are “only in the Philippines” but I guess people from different parts of the world have their own myths.

2. Sweet becomes sour, sour becomes bitter…

My taste buds have changed. I used to finish chocolate bars weighing 400grams in just one-sitting, but now, I don’t know, I just don’t want to eat chocolates anymore. Most of all, I don’t like the color of chocolates that’s why I don’t eat it. Chocolate-lover turned chocolate-hater? There are foods that I used to eat when I wasn’t pregnant that I could no longer eat, not for any other reasons but it’s just that I simply don’t like it…LOL, weird!

 3. Nose of a wolf.

Ewww! My sense of smell seems to be very sensitive nowadays. I hate the smell of cooking oil. Even from afar, I can smell whatever I can smell, and I hate it. I so like the smell of peanuts being sold on the streets. I feel like a dog sniffing around finding where this or that smell is coming from.

 4. Hello pimples!

I remember having one pimple on my forehead once in a blue moon only when I was still a teenager (between 15-17 years old); but now that I am already 28 years old, oh my gosh, I really panicked the moment I saw not just one but more than three pimples on my forehead. I feel so helpless that I could not treat it because as per babycenter.com, differin gel (adapalene) is not allowed for pregnant woman. Well, it’s okay, I hope that after nine months it will all be gone!

5. It’s getting hot in here.

I want to take a bath three times a day because it’s so hot in here! Aside from the fact that in Dubai our house is air-conditioned all over and here in the Philippines it’s not, it just feels so hot, really hot. My body temperature has changed. During the first trimester, I was enjoying the feeling that my underarms weren’t sweating, but immediately at the beginning of the second trimester, gosh, do I have a faucet in my armpits? I don’t know what happened.

MY BABY AND ME Seminar

My husband and I attended the Seminar “My Baby and Me” last Saturday, November 6, 2010 at Shangri-La. It was very informative. I have learned a lot especially in Breastfeeding topic spoken by Dr. Anthony Calibo (Pediatrician).

What’s more exciting was that the sponsors were very generous. Unfortunately, I did not win the raffle. But I got freebies from Avent: food container, 4oz feeding bottle, 1 sachet of nipple cream, and 1 sachet of shower bath gel. Ooops, and because I was so attentive to the speaker, I won a Breastfeeding manual since I was able to answer his question, nice!

My (not so good) IN MY WOMB Experience :-(

I had a 3D4D ultrasound at In My Womb in their Makati Branch last October 30, 2010 (Saturday).I availed their Ruby Package for Php 4,000.00.

my smiling baby

suplado si baby

I set an appointment with Dra. Sheila Illescas early September to make sure that I will be their first patient because I have read in the forums that even though you have scheduled for an appointment in advance, when you come there, it will still be on a ‘first come first serve’ basis.

We arrived there at 2:00pm and advised the staff to just contact us once the doctor has contacted them because according to her, Dra. Sheila usually texts them on what time she will arrive. So, we first strolled around the mall until we received a text message at around 3:30pm saying that the doctor cannot come because her patient was hypertensive and she cannot leave her so just re-schedule her appointment on Tuesday, that’s all. We came all the way from Imus, Cavite just to learn that the procedure cannot be done, so we rushed to the clinic to ask if they have any other doctors. To our surprise, there was another doctor sitting in the clinic who can do the procedure. I was a little upset because we were not informed by the staff who texted us. But I just let it pass.

Boy or Girl?

Everybody’s excited to know the gender of our baby, how much more are we? Everyone’s been telling us that our baby’s a girl because I am pretty while pregnant. I thank them for the compliment, but deep within me I can feel that they were all wrong. Maybe that’s what they call ‘mother’s instinct.’

I had a 3D4D ultrasound at In My Womb in Makati last October 30, and the first thing we saw on the screen was the genitals of our baby…IT’S A BOY! When we got home, my husband and I have been discussing who between the two of us really wanted a baby boy; I told him that it was him since he is the guy and wants his baby to carry his name but he’s been telling me that it was me because when we got married, we’ve already started buying some baby stuffs and I was the one doing all the picking of things, and to my shock, those that we have bought were all for a baby boy. Well I guess that’s what we call ‘faith’.

As a mother, now I understand more, it doesn’t really matter if it’s going to be a boy or a girl, what matters is that my baby will come out safely, healthy, and normal, nothing more to ask. I still thank God for this little angel inside me!

Inside a Mother's Heart...

I started to feel my baby’s movement inside my womb at 16 weeks; it just felt like a worm inside tickling me. But now, on my 25^th week, gosh, my baby kicks hard that sometimes it feels as if he’s playing volleyball inside that every time he throws the ball, it hits my tummy. It doesn’t hurt yet, but for the past three days, been having sleepless nights because he is now awake at around 2:00 am that I need to get up and eat to pacify him.

Every morning, I listen to classical music of Mozart because they said it can stimulate my baby’s brain as early as now. Then, I read Bible stories to my baby, and since he can already hear my voice, he keeps on moving until I finish reading. I keep track of my body weight and waistline size to see how my baby is growing, and feels so happy whenever there’s an increase in pounds and inches. But of course, I have to watch what I eat; it should be a healthy gain for me, so I just keep on eating fruits, yoghurt, rice, and cutback on sweets.

As a soon-to-be-mom, worries and fears hit me sometimes. Will my baby come out healthy and normal? Can I deliver him normally or do I need to undergo caesarian section? I can’t help not to think of those until the final moment but at the same time I just put my trust on God who has control everything. During this time that I know I can’t do anything, I believe that only God can do something.

Faith vs Superstition

My husband and I really wanted to have a baby. So, while we were still in Dubai, we had already bought baby stuffs (Philips Avent baby bottles, Graco stroller, baby clothes and shoes, and some other baby accessories) in preparation for having a baby. There were some people telling us not to buy stuffs ahead of time because it might pre-empt the event.  We respect the “pamahiin” that we Filipinos have but then, we held on to our faith that God will surely bless us with a precious child someday.

My husband bought me a book entitled “The Pregnancy Journal” by Christine Harris (A day-to-day guide to a healthy and happy pregnancy). Take note, I was not even pregnant yet at that time. He really searched over all the bookstores there, and once found, he had it reserved and bought it immediately. Another book he bought is entitled “Mayo Clinic Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy”, which is nowhere to be found here in the Philippines but is really very informative.

By faith we fought, we dreamed…and it all paid off. Thank God!

Simply Maternal

My husband and I attended the two series Simply Maternal Seminar conducted by Asian Hospital and Medical Center last August 21 and 28, 2010. Well, I have learned a lot about pre-natal care and newborn baby care. Good thing there are hospitals such as AHMC that are conducting seminars that are beneficial to pregnant women and first time moms like me.

The admission was free and they were also giving away freebies: Enfamama Milk, Avent container and breast pads, Pigeon wipes and breast pad, and J&J wipes, cologne, and oil. They also gave free snacks.

Me? Pregnant?

When I have learned that I was pregnant, I was overjoyed. Couldn’t express in words how I felt. This is it! We’ve patiently waited and prayed for it; finally, God blessed us in His perfect time. Having a very complicated medical history made this pregnancy really a miracle for me and my husband. I undergone surgery three years ago (September 2007) due to Endometriosis, then on December 2008, when I came back home for a check-up, I was said to have Polycystic ovaries. I had to take non-stop hormonal pills for six consecutive months as medication, so I thought it would take a long while before I conceive considering I have a retroverted uterus. Six months after I stopped taking the medicine, I finally got pregnant…thanks be to God!

Had a pregnancy test on May 13, 2010