My amazing 18 hours labouring process in PPUM!

It was Monday night. My last dinner cooked was chicken rice with soya sauce chicken and vegetable with onion oil. I would say that is so far the best meal I cooked ever since we stayed here. Right after the dinner, I felt some mild contractions. I wonder if it is going to be real. Throughout the whole night, on and off I had to go to toilet. Had diarrhea for 3 times, then I thought perhaps it is not contractions after all. Still the pain did not go off right until 5.30am. I found out there's slight bleeding. At first, if the bleeding didn't happen, I wanted to go back to office just to check things out and made final wrap up before proceeding to the hospital.
I had my bath and washed my hair, asked hubby to wake up. I guess he is nervous, he ended up changing into his work clothes. I asked him why, he said he will work after sending me there. And I said "Hello, aren't you suppose to accompany me throughout the whole process? There's paternity leave right?" Then he said "Oh ya, how could I forget?" And I just had a glass of warm water. Reached there around 6.20am and there goes my 18 hours journey.
I went to Level 1, Maternity building. I said I had bleeding. The nurses confirmed if I wanted to be admitted or wait to be examined by the doctors at the maternity clinic. I said I wanted to be admitted. Hubby wasn't allowed to enter. I changed into the uniform and they checked my blood pressure, temperature and baby's heartbeat. The nurse then put in a medicine at my buttock to let me pass out all before I start to deliver.
I was placed on a bed and the nurse placed a hearing machine on my tummy, to check the baby heartbeat and the frequency of my contractions. A doctor came in and had his hand inserted into my vagina. 2cm he said. Another trainee doctor came and asked a series of questions. He really tested my memory, as to understand my medical history.
I need to wait until 10cm before I can proceed to deliver. They transferred to the normal ward at level 2. It is considered a waiting ward. I can't remember how many doctors came to examine me, but what they said is to ask me to go back home and come again when the contractions become frequent. I said I want to stay here as I might turn out to be nervous if I am at home or work. Hubby was with me at the waiting ward and he saw the contractions I had throughout the morning right till 12noon. My contractions become frequent and at about 2pm, I asked the doctor to examine me again. 4cm this time, and they instructed the nurse to bring me down to the labour ward. I started to get very sleepy as I did not sleep well throughout the night.
They did not allow hubby to enter the labour ward. I was all alone and only God and Angel knew the pain I went through. Nurses there encouraged me to walk around and not to sleep on the bed to encourage faster delivery. It become harder to walk when contractions came. I reminded myself to be strong and prayed for the process to be easier to me to go through.
At about 6cm, it is 4cm. They did ARM on me, which is to break my waterbag. So I asked how long do I need to wait before it can go to 10cm. They said it is normally a cm an hour. But case to case, it might be different for each person. I must remain lying on the bed, and I felt water flowing out. At about 8pm, my contractions become more frequent, and the nurse asked if I needed epidural jab or painkillers. I said No, and the nurse asked if I can take in the labour pain as it is unbearable. I insisted No.
After half an hour, I can't bear the pain anymore. I quickily asked for painkiller, but it wasn't helpful at all, maybe only 10%. At about 9pm, I felt the urge to push, like passing out. The doc said it is about 7cm and I can't push yet as I might rip off the vagina. So I wait and wait until 9.45pm, the doc confirmed it is 10cm. Doc said I can practice pushing out. I had to take in deep breath, lift the head to the front and push to the fullest. This can be done provided the contraction is there.
My pushing started from there, and many times I felt sleepy and drowsy. Perhaps also I did not take much food, I got no energy to push her out. My breath is not deep enough and my techniques is not right. Thanks to all the nurses and doctors there. They really encouraged me throughout the session. The session lasted for almost two hours when at the very last minute, 11.20pm, I just push to the end and the baby came out. First feeling, I felt awake and I felt relieved. The doctor praised me for my good effort, and gave me an option, "boy or girl". I said I wanted a girl, and she smiled at me and showed Angel to me. A girl, she said. But another nurse said she passed out motion in my womb and swallowed some into herself. She needed to clean her up first and she wasn't crying that loud yet.
They proceeded by taking out my placenta and stiched the wound. The doctor, Ms. Premilla, she was good, she mentioned there's alot of cases today and she felt tired. I thanked her for the good job she did. She injected painkillers and started to stich. I felt the process and not as painful as I thought it can be. She must have done a good stiching.
After that the nurse pushed the baby to me and said she given her oxygen gas as she is quite weak. Her head is slightly longer and red as I delayed the pushing time, her head is in and out. But she will be recovering soon.
The nurse pushed me to the ward at Level 3 at about 1am. She bathed Angel and brought her to me to breastfeed. But I think she doesn't like it and I don't have much breastmilk yet. And she pushed her to the baby room after that. Hubby was there when I complete my labouring process. He went back home and constantly calling the nurse to check out on my status. We both were thinking that Angel will be out the next day. Guess she wanted to be born on the same day with her Uncle cum my Brother. Husband brought me a flask of hot water, cereal and bread. I ate a bit, went to the toilet and slept. That is the end of my 18 hours journey.
The next morning, at about 6.3oam, the nurse brought Angel to me. We were told to eat breakfast and changed our clothes. The doctor will come to examine us. They checked out on the stiches, body temperature and blood pressure. Everything is normal.
I received alot of calls and SMSes from family and friends. Thanks you to them. Thank you to my office colleagues who bought me a hamper of Eu Yan Sang products and my Taiping friends who bought me a bottle of DOM wine. My mother-in-law also reached KL and cooked me lunch. My sister's parents in law also cooked me red dates and her brother-in-law brought it to me. Thank you. Baby and me were discharged at about 7.30pm.
I managed to capture a few shots of Angel in the hospital:-

Daddy's girl

She's very alert and look around!

All prepared to go back to home sweet home

Daddy is still finalizing her name. To me, she's always my Angel. And prayed that Angel will grow healthily to become a smart and beautiful lady in future.

Eighth PPUM checkup : 6 November 2009

Today, we reached around 7.20am. I followed hubby to buy The Star and then we walked together to the maternity clinic. I am the fourth person today. As usual, my urine and blood pressure were perfectly normal. Gained 0.7kg compared to previous week, to make it to 9.5kg total weight increase. I didn't wait long to be called to see the doctor. This round, the doctor greeted me cheerfully as she congratulate me saying that my baby has reach full term. And she is testing me on all the symptons of delivery. Just in case if it happens, I won't be panic. She measured the length of my belly and took the heartbeat of my Angel. Normal. She even said that Angel's head is locked in the pelvis area already.
Before I left, she reminded me to observe Angel's movement. Should there be no movement, I am required to come back to the clinic and check it out. I was told that if I still have not deliver after the due date, they will give me a grace period of 7 days before they induce me. This however only happen to 20% of pregnant ladies.
My next checkup will be next Friday. We returned to office right after checkup. I reached office at around 9.26am.

Experiencing first power failure during pregnancy and in my new home!

Yesterday I had a terrible 2 hours of power failure. Apparently the whole area is in darkness. At first I thought it is just a while. Never did I know it will last that long. It started around 9pm, just after we had our dinner. I made a report to the TNB call centre. We stood at the balcony for fresh air. I couldn't stand as my body temperature is now higher compared to normal times. I went into the bathroom to take a short bath. Still it does not help much. Hubby asked me to go to bed early. It rain a while after that and I thought situation could be better. At around 11pm, I was awake and found myself sweating terribly. I couldn't help but to wake up. About 5 mins later, the power is back to normal. My first action is to switch on the air-conditioner.
During the whole two hours, I was thinking what if I were to deliver my Angel? I threw this question to my hubby, but no respond. He was pretty confident that Angel wouldn't be out that soon. Still, he tried his best to make me comfortable during the two hours.

Getting busy trying new recipes just before entering MOTHERHOOD

Right now I own a kitchen myself. And best of all, there is somehow the "cooking mood" is in the air. Office colleagues also getting busy experimenting new recipes, which in fact an encouragement to me as well. My first try is the Egg Tart. Hmm, I've tried twice, but still not good enough. The pastry is very very hard. Reason I suspect is the milk I used. It says to use the milk powder to make the pastry, but I used fresh milk instead. I do not know if there are other reasons, but will make the third attempt probably this weekend. I apologized to all my white mices in office for still taking in the egg tarts no doubt it is not that very nice. My second attempt is better, but still not perfect enough. Anyway, the egg tarts looked perfectly nice. A snapshot of my first attempt:-

They looked nice, but sadly the pastry is hard.....

My second try is the Glutinous Rice, also known as "Loh Mai Kai". I made them yesterday night. Elaine gave me the recipe. Not too bad, except that it is abit salty. I should have reduce the sauces given that I used three cups of rice when the recipe said 3 bowls of rice. Kinda subjective to measure the rice used. Hubby gave me 80 marks for this dish. He said this is the highest score he can give. Somehow, he is being too frank with me, which sometimes discouraging me, sometimes motivates me to improve further. I also managed to take two shots of the dish:-

I managed to make 9 bowls, these are just freshly steamed out from my I-chef

This is the ingredients i placed on the bottom of the bowl:- chicken drumstick, wax meat and mushroom

And given that there are some ingredients left unused, like few pieces of chicken, mushroom and wax meat, I decided to my own 'claypot rice version' for my dinner tonight. Hubby is not taking much as he had a farewell party to celebrate in office and is full taking in the food. I cooked rice and placed all the ingredients plus an egg and onion oil on top. And using my I-chef steamer, I steamed the rice. And it turn out to look like this:-

My own version of "claypot rice"

Hmm, what will be my next try? Perhaps I will learn to make cheese cake or cook chicken rice or nasi lemak.....I wonder if Angel is excited inside. If she's out, then I shall postpone my plans. Then again, I'm very proud of myself for being able to cook meals everyday even though I'm now carrying my Angel. I just pray and hope that someday Hubby will be happy eating every single meal I cook.

Seventh PPUM checkup : 28 October 2009

Today I went for my checkup in PPUM. Hubby took leave and fetched me there. We are a bit late today and resulted in me to be the 27th person to queue up. I had to go for my ultrasound scan first. The lady doc said Angel's head is down and she is growing healthily inside. Everything seems to be normal and she is about 3.464kg. Hmm, pretty good, still it is subject to +/- 500g.
With the report, we went in to see doc for consultation. Doctor also commented that the head is down, but it is not exactly down to the pelvis area yet. Anyway, she said it would pretty much stay there till delivery. I am now 36 weeks 5 days pregnant. Doc said she is not worried if I deliver now since the baby size is all right and it will be full term come this week 37.
I asked for the symptons of delivery, she commented either blood stains with mucus, water bag burst or contractions every 15mins. If I have doubt when I had one of the symptons, it is advisable to come to the hospital to double confirm as they are operating 24 hours.
She couldn't determine my actual delivery date and asked me to observe if I have the symptons she mentioned.
My next checkup will be much closer, in 1 weeks time. For this checkup, my weight increased only 0.6kg, totalling to 8.8kg increase for the whole 36 weeks.
My feet still swell from time to time, seems very ugly to me. Still, I have to accept it. And good luck to me, counting down the days to welcome my Angel, about 25 days left.

Yesterday went to see gynae!

I was not feeling very well on Wednesday night till Thursday night. I had stomachache and also sudden headache. I wasn't feeling well to eat and felt restless the whole day in office. Hubby drove me to the clinic after work. The doctor checked my pulse, body temperature and blood pressure. All that are fine. Then she examined my belly. I asked if the pain were contractions as my office colleagues are very anxious to hear about my pain. Doc said it wasn't contraction because my belly is not that hard yet. She said probably it is food poisoning. She gave me two tablets of Charcoal to eat. That is to get rid of the wind inside my stomach.
She then asked if the PPUM doctors did perform the scan to check the water level. I said no. She asked me to insist to be examined by a specialist. She said my belly doesn't look big and my baby might be a small one. I then asked her to perform the scan just to be on the safe side.
She started off by measuring the water level, this round it is about 14.5cm, compared to 8cm earlier. According to her, it is a good reading. Big relief for me. She then measured the weight, and it came up to about 2.989 kg. Angel is growing 1 kg more in about 3 weeks time, oh my goodness. Doc asked if I force myself to eat more. I said I ate more compared to before, but can't be forcing myself to eat alot. Anyway, it is a good progress. Angel might come up to 3.5kg.
According to her, the weight shown in the scan might have 20% margin difference. And Angel's head is engaged in my pelvis area already, indicating that I should not be having any problem to deliver normally. Indeed a good news to hear, Angel knows Mummy wanted to deliver normally so as not to spend a lot of money.
Angel, you must keep on growing healthily, you've got just one more month to go. Mummy and Daddy will be welcoming you very very soon. Mummy will get you a nice chest drawers to keep your clothing and items. We'll do our best to make you feel comfy at our new home!

My feet started to swell!

On Monday night as I was preparing myself to sleep, I noticed that my feet swell. And I couldn't accept the fact that they swell that much. I remembered Mummy was telling me that this is the symptom of delivery. I began to worry. The next morning, as I was on my way out from home to work, it is tighter when I wear on my sandal.
I showed to my colleague about my feet. They laughed at me saying that it is normal. But they also commented that it is a sudden change. They taught me to lift up my feet higher during sleeping time. I used to have a pillow for my feet, but on that night, I added another one.
Thank goodness, the next day they are not that swelling anymore. I was being reminded to rest more, not to stand too long.

Sixth PPUM checkup : 14 October 2009

It was a rainy day. I drove myself to the checkup. I fetched hubby to work, then straight to PPUM. Reached there right at 7.30am. This means I'm late to take the number already. Still, I walked carefully to the maternity clinic and to my surprise, I am the eight person to take the number. Not too bad, it must be raining and many of them still haven't reach yet. I ate the bread I took and waited for my turn. As usual, my urine test and blood pressure were perfectly normal. Gained 1 kg from the previous checkup, in total gained about 8.2 kg so far.
At about 9am, only my number was called. This doc said my belly looked small and after checkup, she commented that my baby is of average size only, not too big. And the baby's head is down already. My next checkup would be on 28 October 2009. PPUM will also perform an ultrasound scan on my next checkup.
After the checkup, I drove to office to work. I was surprised that there are so many cars on the road despite it's already 9.30am. Reached office at about 9.50am. Surprisingly, there are about seven to eight late comers today.

A short holiday in Taiping and Penang before the birth of Angel!

Hubby and I went back to Taiping right after work on Friday. I remembered my last trip home was during Labour Day, May 1. It seem very very long time since I was back and I found there were lots of changes to my hometown.
Saturday morning was like a war day for me. Hubby is good enough to wake up on time and together, hubby, me and Mummy went to Restaurant Ka Ka to have my favourite bowl of kuey teow and lou shue fan. It was so yummy. Next, we went to the kitchenware shop and the shopping begins. We needed to buy a few things for our kitchen use and we successfully bought the following:-

• Stainless steel whistling kettle, 5 litres
  
• Wood chopping board, 12 inches
• Stainless steel chopsticks, 5 pairs
• Knife stand, plastic
• Stainless steel bowl, small, 15 pcs
• Stainless steel cake bowl, round, small and medium
• Stainless steel cake bowl, rectangle
• Egg tart moulds, small, medium and large, 10 pcs each
• Stainless steel pot (to soak Angel's milk bottles)
• Lesung
• Stainless steel turner
• Soup bags
• Steamer rack

The boss gave us good prices to the items we bought, since he knew Mummy very well. And we got good advices from him on the quality of each item. Somehow I felt secured buying things from Taiping, the people are far more friendly and honest than other places.
Next stop, we went over to the shop selling soya sauces, sesame oil and vinegar. I bought a bottle of soya sauce (recommended by Mummy), two large bottles of Ghee Hiang sesame oil and two bottles of Swallow black vinegar. I do not know if they are sufficient, if not we will get them in KL later.
At about 3pm, we went out again to exchange the broken lids for my Tupperware. And I bought a few new lids for Li Yin's tupperware too. So kind of the lady to exchange for us, courtesy of the good relationship with Mummy. Mummy cooked the vinegar pork for me to eat too.
At night, Ee Lin and her hubby drove from Juru to visit us. We went for makan makan in Prima restaurant. We had nice chat and I even encouraged her to be pregnant like me. Haha, getting more members to join my Mummies club!
The next day, we went to Penang. I wanted to go to Kek Lok Si Temple. Never been there for such a long time and I wanted to visit the Bronze Statute of Kuan Yin. Hubby was kinda excited and took alot of photos with our camera. Here are the photos he took:-


I personally like the few photos we had with our zodiacs. Mum's one is the nicest, the pig is simply fat and cute. And I represented the one for Angel too, as Angel will be born in the Year of Bull. The bronze statute of Kuan Yin is currently undergoing a renovation. They are building an octogonal pavillion for Kuan Yin and they are scheduled to complete by Dec09.
I am surprised that I could climb up all the steps to come up to the temple. Kuan Yin bless! After that, they had the Air Itam laksa. Hubby only allowed me three spoons. So I had my Si Ko Thng, something like Leng Chee Kang and the deep fried popiah.
Later, we went to Komtar and Queensbay to jalan jalan and had dinner at Papa's favourite bak kut teh restaurant in Jawi. Again, I was allowed to take only a few spoons of the soup. Hubby controlled my diet strictly.
Today morning was a rainy day. We had breakfast with Mummy and packed our stuff to go back KL. Thank you Papa for buying me fishes and vegetables plus my favourite guava. We reached KL around 2pm. And I vacuum the floor, Hubby mopped the floor, and I cooked dinner. And now, enjoying my few hours before midnite. Tomorrow, I have to face the reality, BACK TO WORK!
Overall, I consider this trip a short break for me and also a holiday just before we welcome our Angel!

Fifth PPUM checkup : 30 September 2009

I drove myself to checkup this time. Reached quite early than expected, 7am. Got the number 1006 though, as the pregnant ladies are real fast to press the button at 7.30am. This round, I gained 0.8kg than the previous checkup, which is a good progress. I told doc about my scan a day earlier, showed her the scanned photo and also comments about my water bag by the gynae. She examined as usual, and commented everything is fine.
She gave me a form to get the appointment date for my second scan in PPUM. Hmm, the date they set is 28 October 2009. By then, it would be around 36-37 weeks. The doc should be able to confirm with me Angel's position and determine if I can go on with natural delivery as planned.
I also got my second tetanus shot that day. This time, the checkup did not last that long and I get to go back home early.

Not so good news!

I went to see my gynae after work today. It has been a month since I had my ultrasound scan. PPUM does not scan all the time and I rely on my gynae to tell me about Angel's development. Also this round I am abit worried since I did not put on much weight. On 14 Sept, I only gained 0.3kg (from 26 Aug) and now, another 0.2kg only, which totalled up to only 0.5kg for a period of a month. The gynae said if I don't put on weight that much, it will result in my baby being underweight.
A scan was done and the result was my Angel is now at 1.933 kg, showing an increase of 0.469kg from the previous scan on 29 Aug. This means that my 0.5kg increase is in fact Angel's weight increase. Haaaaa, good to hear that. At least she's growing! She commented that Angel might come up to 3kg upon her due date. If it is, then it is good news!
I was complaining to the gynae saying that I lose my appetite recently. She said it might be due to work stress. She stressed that I need to force myself to eat even I do not feel hungry. I should be taking frequent smaller meals everyday.
During the scan, she told me that Angel's head and abdominal measurements were normal. Her hairs are very thick, I wondered how she read the scan, I don't understand at all. And this round, Angel's legs are crossing each other, not willing to reveal herself to us today. Another extra thing the gynae done today is measuring my water level. It turns out to be 8cm only, which is just slightly above the lowest level which is 6cm. She reminded me to inform the PPUM doc to monitor my water level. This could be an indication of an early delivery. And she even said one part of my belly looked tight like contraction. If it comes along with pain, there's also chances of delivering early. It is best to keep it until week 38 to deliver.
Then again, I was praying in my heart. Somehow I do not want Angel to come out that early, I wanted her to grow even bigger than now. Plus there are simply too much preparation left undone. I just finished washing the clothings for Angel. With contributions from my sis and also my sis-in-law and my purchases, wow, Angel really had a big collection of clothings to choose from. Next thing, I need to buy the milk bottles for her. And hubby needs to find a suitable name for Angel. We simply running out of time.
Kuan Yin Ma, bless us. Bless Angel. And I'll be truly grateful!

Fourth PPUM checkup : 14 September 2009

It is another checkup in PPUM. Hubby drove me to the hospital. He dropped off a plastic cabinet at our new house. I reached there around 7.40am, got the number 1015. Hmm, the 15th person. This round, hubby was caring enough to get me tuna bread and packed Milo. He wanted to ensure I am not hungry while waiting for my turn for doc consultation. Thanks Hubby!
Too bad, each time when hubby is with me, somehow it took longer for me to wait for my turn. I was so tired that I dozed off till my number is called. My urine test and blood pressure were perfectly normal. The nurse praised me for my good blood pressure reading. However, talking about weight gain, this round only additional of 0.3kg. I was shocked. For the past one week, I have been following my colleague to eat good stuff, not forgetting the buffet dinner cum karaoke with Hubby. Still that doesn't add to my weight. Hmm, I wonder why. Does this mean my Angel only gain 0.3kg for the past 3 weeks?
I asked doc about my weight. She said it was normal. As usual, no ultrasound is done, just purely measuring my belly and also to hear my Angel's heartbeat. I also asked doc about the changes in my breast nipple. She said this is due to hormone changes and asked me to ensure that they are always clean. The checkup lasted about 10 minutes only.
My next checkup is in 2 weeks time, 30 Sept 2009. The checkup interval get shorter and shorter. The next checkup I would need to have my second tetanus shot.

Mummy shops again for Angel!

On Friday night, off work, I just felt like going for another shopping for Angel. Given that I still have the Jusco vouchers, I thought to top up a few item for Angel. And since Hari Raya is in the corner, they have discounts to the items I wanted and this would make my purchase even more worth it. The items I bought this round are:-

• Cu Cuddles Velcro Binder, RM 5.30 less 20% discount
• Jusco Face Towel 8' x 8', Set of 4, RM 3.90
• Jusco Bath Towel, Set of 3, RM 10.00
  
• Pigeon Infant Cap, Mittens and Booties, RM 17.90 less 10% discount
  
• Pigeon Silicone Pacifier (0-5 months), RM 9.00 less 10% discount
  
• Puppy Winks Infant Cap, Mittens and Booties, RM 9.90
  
• Pureen Blanket with Hood, RM 18.90 less 20% discount
  
• Tollyjoy Cotton Balls 100pcs, RM 3.90

I didn't have the chance to take photos of the items I bought. They are all transported to our new home. I specifically like the Pigeon set of cap, mittens and booties. I thought of welcoming Angel with that and a babysuit when I'm ready to go back home after delivering Angel. And the pacifier is just a spare, just in case Angel is really hard to be managed. I choose red colour for that, coz I like red alot. And the blanket was yellow colour with orange strips and a logo of an elephant. Hmm, still I haven't decide on the milk bottles. Avent is currently having 20% discount in Jusco. But their BPA-free bottles are seriously expensive. I had sourced through some baby online stores and some are selling the set for infants which is not available in Jusco. Or I was thinking of MAM. I will decide in the coming weeks.
Not much week left, I am now in Week 30. 10 weeks to go. I would need to stock in a few bags of diapers. I just had one pack of Drypers diapers currently. Thinking of buying Mamy Poko. Had to check out the price first.
I do not know why, but I felt Angel is feeling very nervous too. She seems to be very active lately. She's probably spinning, kicking, laughing and singing inside. Especially during the non-work days. She seems to be waking me up early in the morning. And I started to talk alot with her, she seem to respond to my questions. And she grows alot now, Hubby felt the difference too. The thing I now worry is the labouring process. I heard alot about mothers delivering their angels, each with different stories. And I can't imagine what's mine going to be. Pray and pray that I will sail through the process and it wouldn't be a difficult one for me. I will definately cry out happily in tears when they show me Angel. All sacrifices and hard work will pay off and be worthwhile.

Shopping in Baby Love

I did mention that we are going to buy cot mattress previously. Hubby was busy this whole week and had only time to bring me to Baby Love in Pandan Perdana yesterday. It was the last day that I can enjoy the special price they gave me during Parenthood Exhibition in Midv.
The things we bought are:-

• Babylove Coconut Fibre Cot Mattress 28' x 52', FOC Cotton Mattress Protector, RM 239.00, NP RM 259.00
• Babylove Premium Cot Fitted Sheet (pink), RM 24.00, NP RM 33.90

These two are the ones we picked during the exhibition. We also looked around the shop and hunted for several items. They have also discounts for these items.

• Babylove Bouncer (big with blue net), RM 59.00, NP RM 79.90
• Babylove Bouncer Net (pink net), RM 15.90, NP RM 19.90
• Babylove Tub (green), RM 23.90, NP RM 29.90
• Babylove Musical Mobile Merry-Go-Round, RM 38.00, NP RM 49.90

I specifically like the musical mobile. It is operated via 2 AA batteries, with 12 songs playing continuosly and adjustable volume. At first thought I thought it can be very costly. There are wide selection of choices, they have also the soft toys version, but I afraid it could accumulate dust. Or there are also like a big soft toys where you just pull the string underneath and it will play the song.

I've tested it and I am looking forward to install my baby cot together with this musical mobile. Hubby also liked this and said it is very colourful. Ha ha, hopefully Angel would love this.

A treat for Mum-to-Be

Hubby was busy painting these two days. Yesterday after fetching hubby to the new house, I went to Rustic Nirvana to enjoy the trial pre-natal massage. It is RM 28 and I bought it during the Parenthood Exhibition. It was a 45 minutes session and a de-stressing treatment for mums-to-be. The benefits from the massage include relief from leg, hip and back pain, reduced swelling and improves blood circulation. The lady was kind enough to provide a comfortable support for my belly and I slept the whole 45mins session. A big thank you to her.
Next, I went to do my facial session after not doing it for the past 29 weeks. The session lasted for about 2 hours. I must say I had my 3 hours of relaxation yesterday. The consultant is also kind enough, making sure I lie comfortably. She commented that I had alot of blackhead and also a drier face. She reminded me to do more hydrating mask. I don't think I will do that, I'm simply feeling restless.
After the two sessions, I went back to pick hubby and off we went to Baby Love.

I've reached Week 29, the start of my third trimester!

Today is the start of my week 29 of pregnancy. It is the start of my third trimester. Time really flies and I have 11 weeks left. There are greater changes I find now. I started to get tired than before. There are times when I am so sleepy that I can just dozed off even sitting on a chair. And Angel is moving actively almost every hour. Sometimes, I could felt Angel is pushing my belly from left to right and it is really intense. My belly now become more and more noticeable.
I read in the Web that at this time, pregnant lady may gain weight very fast than she ever notice. And it is important to drink at least 8 cups of water everyday to prevent fatigue and constipation. There might be also possibility of water retention or high blood pressure. I must make sure I remain calm this whole trimester, not over stress myself and always maintain a cheerful and positive thinking lady. I pray to Kuan Yin Ma that she will bless me and Angel. Let Angel be born to this world happily and healthily. We will be very thankful and grateful then.

Last minute rush for Merdeka Sales

Hubby came home at about 3pm and he fetched me to buy some stuff for Angel. I went to Jusco to utilise the vouchers I had and also to enjoy the discounts. The items I bought are:-

• Baby Kiko Manicure Set For Baby, RM 5.90 less 10% discount
• Baby Kiko Finger Silicone Toothbrush, RM 5.90 less 10% discount
  
• Pureen Soft Rim Brush & Comb, RM 7.50 less 20% discount
• Pureen Foldable Brush & Bottle Nipple Cleaner, RM 7.90 less 20% discount
• The First Years Deluxe Nail Clipper With Magnifier, RM 14.90
• Tollyjoy Baby Face Cloth, 2 packs (2pcs each pack), RM 2.90 per pack

The major things I have not purchase are the cot mattress, milk bottles, breast pump, stroller and baby car seat. Hmm, I guess I need to do more surveys before purchasing them. Milk bottles, I was thinking to buy Avent as Jusco is selling the BPA series already. But still I find it expensive. Bumble Bee is cheaper but I don't quite like the design. There's one brand "GreenToGrow", but it is quite troublesome as I need to purchase them online and the price are pretty much similar to Avent. Hmm, maybe I'll try MAM. But I have not check out if they have promotion now.
As for the cot mattress, we'll purchase it at Baby Love tomorrow I guess. For breast pump, I will ask hubby to buy later on when I really need it. We still have time to source for stroller and car seat as Angel will not be using them at least for the first 2 months.

3 days of no-work worries

It's National Day today. Happy Birthday Malaysia. Somehow I felt it is quieter this year, maybe everyone is afraid to go out due to the H1N1. Still at my area here in Wangsa Maju, there are fireworks here from 12midnite to God knows when. And my Angel kept kicking me the whole night. As if she is celebrating the N-day herself in my womb. Or maybe she felt irritated with the noise outside. Sorry Angel, Mummy is currently in the most happening student area in KL, couldn't avoid all these. Wait till 20 Sept, there will be more peaceful environment for three of us, I hope.
On Saturday, Hubby shifted some stuff to our new house. The curtain lady came over to measure the glass door and window panels. Then we head on to Sunway Pyramid, where there is this Enfa Smart Camp going on. Since I am the Enfamama Club member, I received a SMS to go there to redeem a mystery gift. It turned out to be a tissue box holder, orange yellow colour with a bird maskot wearing a graduation hat. Not too bad!
There is also a booth for pregnant mothers. The lady representative there is kind enough to educate me on the importance of DHA for my Angel's brain and eye development, also for IQ development plus the importance of fiber for the immune system. The one-to-one session lasted about 15mins and I was given a free Enfamama T-shirt plus info pamplets for pregnancy after successfully answering a quiz of 10 questions. The other lady also given me samples of Enfamama milk and also a checklist of 'must-bring' items during delivery of the baby. Here is the list:-

Mummy

• Pyjamas
• Undergarments
• Breastpads
• Sanitary pads
• Panties/ disposable panties
• Room slippers
• Socks
• Toiletries - Toothbrush, Toothpaste, Moisturizer, Comb, Soap, Shampoo
• Face & bath towels
• Clean clothes for going home
• Books/magazines
• Cardigan

Baby

• Baby cloth
• Mittens and booties
• Receiving blanket
• Disposable diapers
• Baby wipes

Daddy

• Jacket
• Camera/Video camera
• Charger for camera/Video camera
• Handphone
• Handphone charger
• Snacks
• CREDIT CARD

Do you notice the last line? Credit card! Hubby laughed looking at this list.

Sunday, Hubby went over to new house to paint. This time, he needs to repair the holes on the wall with cement. Reason being that the air-cond man came to do some hacking for the air-conditioner piping. Hmm, I began to wonder, Hubby is slowly catching up with the renovation techniques. He seemed to start DIY some of the procedures, just to save up the cost of calling the contractor. As usual, he shifted some things there and spent the day there and paint until 4pm. One thing I am not happy with is he does not eat anything since morning. He said he's not feeling hungry. He started his first meal right at 4.30pm.
He asked me to drove him to the CIMB Perfect Livin Exhibition in PWTC. He brought me to see the Electrolux washer. They are selling the 7kg washer, 1000 rpm at RM2,469.00. I intend to buy only the 7kg, 850 rpm which Sen Heng is currently selling at RM 1,949.00. The difference is the spin rpm and also the model I wanted is the old model. I told hubby it is too expensive and I rather wait and source for my wanted model elsewhere.
We went around the exhibition and bought the Yale lock for our door grill. They are selling 2 locks for RM 143.20, FOC 2GB pendrive. The security level is at Level 5. And Hubby also bought me the kitchen weighing scale for RM 23.90, in case I am starting my baking session next time.
We even went to Jusco Wangsa Maju to purchase my face cleanser. I am getting prepared, just in case I finished mine during confinement and I have one to spare. And Jusco is kind enough to give out RM 10 for every RM 100 spent in the Beauty and Cosmetics counter. I bought 2 tubes of cleanser, the sales lady gave me some travel samples and also a biege cream colour handbag. And RM 20 Jusco voucher. I am now collecting the vouchers, to buy stuff for Angel.
In Guardian, I also bought myself the disposable panties. It is for the confinement period. I knew it would be a hassle to wash my panties that time. There is 15% discount for each pack and they are giving out RM 5 cash voucher for each RM 30 spent on the Guardian brand. Hubby used the vouchers I got to buy the Salmon fish oil supplements for his dad, the batteries and also a pack (28pcs) of Drypers Newborn. This is for Angel of course. The price is RM 14.98. One thing we noticed during our purchase, the cashier gave me some samples of panty liners, the liquid for garggling teeth (3 bottles) and also an umbrella. There is no notice saying there will be free gifts. I wondered why. She must have been surprised that I bought alot of the panties from Guardian.
And today, Hubby shifted more things to the new house. As usual, to continue with his painting again. It is now 1.30pm and he is not back yet. I do not know if he had his meal, but I have cooked red bean for him. I am now alone at home, blogging, washing clothes, etc. I am waiting for him to come back home. Today will be the last day for Malaysia Mega Sales. And I planned to use the Jusco vouchers to buy some stuff for Angel, hoping that there will be discounts. Things like the milk dispenser, grooming stuff like nail clippers. I have with me the newborn checklist and I want to ensure that I don't miss any. I am still energetic to walk and I wanted to get things ready. But things like breast pump, I will show Hubby and ask him to buy next time when I need it. They are real costly.

99%

I went for a gynae checkup yesterday night. I have been passing out soft stools for the past 1-2 weeks. The doc said it is due to gastric, she examined my stomach and said my stomach contains alot of 'wind'. I told her also about changing the milk to another brand. There is also a possibility that I can't adapt to the new milk. She asked me to stop drinking the milk first and provide me the medication. Furthermore, my groin area has fungal infection. I felt itchy. I searched in the web and found it to be common during pregnancy as higher levels of estrogen are produced in our body which in turn influences the vaginal to produce more glycogen (a type of sugar). Yeast growth thrive in such an environment and spreads easily in the reproductive tract. I will have to apply the cream.
Next thing, I asked the doc to perform an ultrasound scan. My Angel is now 1.464kg, just nice for week 28. But the thigh n leg's length is at week 30, which the doc repeated that it is definately a tall baby. I asked more about the gender since the previous scan wouldn't allow us to see it. This round, Doc said it is 99% girl. And her explanation was, she could see the 'burgers', describing the labia, the female external genitalia. It is like a 'lip like structure', which is why the doc said like a burger. Personally I couldn't see clearly the scan, but I guess she is more professional to read it. Somehow she reserve her statement by saying that she can only conclude 99% girl. If it is a boy, then it is 100% definite. For girl, she can only say 99%, as there is a slight possibility that it could be otherwise.
Hubby remain quiet there. Ha ha, I knew there is a slight disappointment there, all men the same, and I knew he wanted a bubbly, naughty boy to play about. Anyway, Angel is his creation, and I believe he will love her as much as I do. And soon she'll become Daddy's girl in future.

Third PPUM checkup : 26 August 2009

This round, I drove myself to the checkup. Hubby wasn't free to take time off work. I reached PPUM around 7.15am. Managed to get the number 1002, second person. My urine and blood pressure test is normal. I put on 6.1kg, 2.5kg more than the second checkup.
This time I do not have to wait long to be called in. I told the doc about my diarrhea. I have been passing out soft watery type for the past one week. I do not know if it is due to the milk I drank. I went to buy another can of milk, and the Dumex salesperson came to promote the brand. I just thought why not I try once since it is the original taste and claimed to be the lowest fat content of all brands.
Doc said it shouldn't be the case. Somehow I need to monitor myself. And this round, they gave me a tetanus shot. Tetanus as defined in the Wikipedia as follows:-

Tetanus, also called lockjaw, is a medical condition characterized by a prolonged contraction of skeletal muscle fibers. The primary symptoms are caused by tetanospasmin, a neurotoxin produced by the Gram-positive, obligate anaerobic bacterium Clostridium tetani. Infection generally occurs through wound contamination and often involves a cut or deep puncture wound. As the infection progresses, muscle spasms develop in the jaw (thus the name "lockjaw") and elsewhere in the body.^[1] Infection can be prevented by proper immunization and by post-exposure prophylaxis.^[2]

This shot is the first dose, there will be two doses all together. Next would be a month later. The shot can last for about three years. Whichever come earlier, either 3 years or next pregnancy, I would need to repeat this step again.
I went back to office after lunch. And for the first time, I felt Angel's major movement. Angel is kinda of pushing my belly from left to right and I can feel the impact. I do not know if Angel is moving upside down. Not only that, I felt that my belly is growing very fast. Somehow I felt tired than before. Poor me, I have to wash my own clothes. I really hoping that Sept 20 will come very very soon. I really need a washing machine. I'm so restless now!!!!!