My Pill phobia

S0 I've been taking folic acid pills everyday since we started planning to have kids. This pill is a breeze to swallow because I hardly even feel its in my mouth, one gulp and it's down.

Then when I got pregnant, I started taking Progesterone pills, now they were much bigger, but the soft capsule type, so they were easy to swallow too.

Now... as I entered my 2nd trimester, gynae prescribed me prenatal supplements - Obimin, and calcium ones too... These pills....... these pills!!!!!!!!!!! I gag almost every time I swallow them. Thank God nausea is much lesser now.... If I had taken these pills in the first trimester, it would have been horrible.

I can't swallow pills very well... especially HUGE ones.. and believe me, these are HUGE for my humble swallowing ability. I just finished my once a day gagging ritual with darling hubby by my side, coaching me in the 'ways of pill swallowing'. He is an expert I tell you. But his techniques didn't quite work for me... =(

Here's a shot of the 2 pills....

The dark red one is a semi soft capsule kinda thing... so I can't half that... but I found it went down easier when I bit it in the center just to dent it into a V shape. =D

Now the yellow one is the killer.. it's HARD and THICK!!!! GRRRRRrr. So I split it into 2 with my pill splitter!! =D I really would like to split it into 4... but I'm a bit weary if that would affect anything... Some pills have a no-crushing-or-splitting-allowed policy, but I read the info sheet and nothing was mentioned, so to achieve some sort of balance between lesser gagging and weariness towards splitting the pill, I decided to half it instead of quartering it. Makes sense? Probably not.. but it sure helps with the swallowing.

Now I dread swallowing these pills... every night after dinner.... =(

But Justin reminds me every time, it's for the baby! Think of the baby!! Yes dear... I am.

I hope to finish this 30 day course, and then ask the gynae for a different brand.... actually... a smaller pill... Ohhh Lord help me!!

Gynae visits - 3

Went for our week 12 checkup yesterday. Couldn't see the baby clearly as the gynae said I had lots of wind inside me which interfered with the ultrasound waves. =(

But but but, we were thrilled!!! Baby grew and is now 6.04cm crown to rump! And the head was HUGE. We also saw long long legs and nice arms and hands =D Still thumb sucking.

What greeted us on the screen was an upside down baby! Yeap, head was downwards. So interesting! With much prodding and coaxing from the doctor (or more like annoyance XD) bean squirmed and wiggled back into the regular position.

Gynae was pleased with what she saw. She said she was mainly looking out for the nice back bone (which we saw!! ), a nicely formed nose, and no swelling in the neck area. So we had 3 positives! On top of that, there was no sugar and no protein in my urine, another 2 positives!

And this time, Justin brought the camera to record a video of the ultrasound. To all mothers to be out there, bring a video cam to record those ultrasound moments, they are amazing!!

Thank You Lord for holding us through this journey. 1 trimester down, 2 more to go!! Praise the Lord!

Baby spurts - week 12

Hello Week 12!!!
It's been a long journey, but I gladly wave goodbye to the first trimester! =D

Here's more info about this week from Babycenter.com

• delicious
• stumble upon
• facebook
• digg
• mixx

See the big picture

How your baby's growing:

The most dramatic development this week: reflexes. Your baby's fingers will soon begin to open and close, his toes will curl, his eye muscles will clench, and his mouth will make sucking movements. In fact, if you prod your abdomen, your baby will squirm in response, although you won't be able to feel it. His intestines, which have grown so fast that they protrude into the umbilical cord, will start to move into his abdominal cavity about now, and his kidneys will begin excreting urine into his bladder.

Meanwhile, nerve cells are multiplying rapidly, and in your baby's brain, synapses are forming furiously. His face looks unquestionably human: His eyes have moved from the sides to the front of his head, and his ears are right where they should be. From crown to rump, your baby-to-be is just over 2 inches long (about the size of a lime) and weighs half an ounce.

See what your baby looks like this week. (Or see what fraternal twins look like in the womb this week.)

Note: Every baby develops a little differently, even in the womb. Our information is designed to give you a general idea of your baby's development.

How your life's changing:

Your uterus has grown to the point where your healthcare provider can now feel the top of it (the fundus) low in your abdomen, just above your pubic bone. You may already be into maternity clothes, especially if this isn't your first pregnancy. If you're still fairly small and not yet ready for maternity clothes, you've no doubt noticed that your waist is thickening and that you're more comfortable in loose, less restrictive clothing.

You may begin to feel heartburn (also called acid indigestion), a burning sensation that often extends from the bottom of your breastbone to your lower throat. Many women get heartburn for the first time during pregnancy, and those who've previously had bouts of heartburn may find that it gets worse. During pregnancy, the placenta produces a lot of the hormone progesterone, which relaxes the valve that separates the esophagus from the stomach. Particularly when you're lying down, gastric acid can seep back up the pipe, which causes the uncomfortable burning sensation. For many women the problem doesn't begin (or get worse) until later in pregnancy, when your growing uterus starts to push up on your stomach. The discomfort may range from mildly annoying to intense and distracting.

Momma bump - 11 weeks

Week 11!

* * *

* * *

Momma bump - 10 weeks

Hello...

This is late I know. =)

* * *

* * *

Baby Spurts - week 11

Hellooooo Week 11!

Entered week 11 last Saturday. Here's what's happening to the baby bean!

• delicious
• stumble upon
• facebook
• digg
• mixx

See the big picture

How your baby's growing:

• The fetus CRL is about 1.5 inches (35mm) in size.
• The fingers and toes have completely separated.
• The taste buds are starting to develop.
• Baby has tooth buds, the beginning of the complete set of 20 milk teeth.
• Baby can swallow and stick out his or her tongue.
• Whole body except tongue is sensitive to touch.
• Cartilage now calcifying to become bone.
• If it is a boy, the testicles are starting to produce the testosterone hormone.

Your baby, just over 1 1/2 inches long and about the size of a fig, is now almost fully formed. Her hands will soon open and close into fists, tiny tooth buds are beginning to appear under her gums, and some of her bones are beginning to harden.

She's already busy kicking and stretching, and her tiny movements are so effortless they look like water ballet. These movements will become more frequent as her body grows and becomes more developed and functional. You won't feel your baby's acrobatics for another month or two — nor will you notice the hiccupping that may be happening now that her diaphragm is forming.

See what your baby looks like this week.

Note: Every baby develops a little differently — even in the womb. Our information is designed to give you a general idea of your baby's development.

How your life's changing:

If you're like most women, you're feeling a bit more energetic now and your nausea may be starting to wane. Unfortunately, you may also be suffering from constipation (caused by hormonal changes, which can slow digestion) and heartburn (hormones again, relaxing the valve between your stomach and esophagus). Just remember, all this discomfort is for a good cause.

Don't worry if nausea has made it impossible for you to eat a wide variety of healthy foods or if you haven't put on much weight yet (most women gain just 2 to 5 pounds during the first trimester). Your appetite will likely return soon, and you'll start to gain about a pound a week.

Learn which of your symptoms are normal and which are a sign that something might be wrong. You're probably also wondering things like, Can I keep going to dance class? Could the air bags in my car hurt my baby? Which cold medications are safe to take now? Find out what's safe and what's not during pregnancy.

Baby Spurts - Week 10

See the big picture

Welcome Week 10!

How your baby's growing:

Though he's barely the size of a kumquat — a little over an inch or so long, crown to bottom — and weighs less than a quarter of an ounce, your baby has now completed the most critical portion of his development. This is the beginning of the so-called fetal period, a time when the tissues and organs in his body rapidly grow and mature.

He's swallowing fluid and kicking up a storm. Vital organs — including his kidneys, intestines, brain, and liver (now making red blood cells in place of the disappearing yolk sac) — are in place and starting to function, though they'll continue to develop throughout your pregnancy.

If you could take a peek inside your womb, you'd spot minute details, like tiny nails forming on fingers and toes (no more webbing) and peach-fuzz hair beginning to grow on tender skin.

In other developments: Your baby's limbs can bend now. His hands are flexed at the wrist and meet over his heart, and his feet may be long enough to meet in front of his body. The outline of his spine is clearly visible through translucent skin, and spinal nerves are beginning to stretch out from his spinal cord. Your baby's forehead temporarily bulges with his developing brain and sits very high on his head, which measures half the length of his body. From crown to rump, he's about 1 1/4 inches long. In the coming weeks, your baby will again double in size — to nearly 3 inches.

See what your baby looks like this week.

Note: Every baby develops a little differently — even in the womb. Our information is designed to give you a general idea of your baby's development.

How your life's changing:

At your next prenatal visit, you may be able to hear your baby's rapid heartbeat with the help of a Doppler stethoscope, a handheld ultrasound device that your practitioner places on your belly. Many women say that the beating of their baby's tiny heart sounded like the thunder of galloping horses and hearing it for the first time was very moving.

Before you got pregnant, your uterus was the size of a small pear. By this week, it's as big as a grapefruit. You may or may not be ready for maternity wear now. Even if you're not there yet, your regular clothes are probably feeling uncomfortably tight and your blossoming breasts are straining the seams of your bra. The thickening in your midsection is most likely due to slight weight gain and bloating. If you're between regular and maternity clothes, pants and skirts with forgiving elastic waistbands (or low-rise waistlines that sit below your belly) will provide some much-needed comfort.

Depending on your level of fitness, you can most likely participate in a wide range of activities during pregnancy. Swimming and walking are excellent choices for the whole nine months. Exercise promotes muscle tone, strength, and endurance — three qualities that can help you carry the weight you gain during pregnancy, prepare you for the physical stress of labor, and make it easier to get back into shape after your baby is born. (Unfortunately, there's no evidence that regular exercise shortens labor.)

Dealing with evening sickness "My version of morning sickness developed every evening around dinnertime. I couldn't eat anything, but I was starving (and cranky) nonetheless. Things improved after I adjusted my schedule, eating my big meal in the morning and something light — usually crackers and cheese or cereal — for dinner." — Susan

Ultrasound Scans

Justin has been fiddling with the scanner to get the best settings to get clear ultrasound pics scanned... but after that, it was still blur. So we decided to use our good old digital camera's macro function. Here they are.

4 weeks
Gestational sac (GS): 0.89cm

6 weeks
GS: 1.92cm
Crown to Rump length (CRL): 0.71cm

8 weeks

CRL: 1.79cm

10 weeks
CRL: 4.01cm

** Observe week 10, the bulge on the left is the baby's head, the second bulge is the big tummy =D. What's sooo special about this picture is that there's some thumb sucking action!! Look closely!

Our second one

So the cat is out of the bag. Now all of you know that Sher-Mayne is pregnant again. Quite fast if you ask me. After all, it wasn’t too long ago that we lost our first one. Now that the second one arrived about 4 months after the first, we are looking at a June baby.

Having this was somewhat similar with the first and at the same time different. Both are similar in that they were unexpected. However, they were different because the first one was unplanned and the second one was. The first one really caught me by surprise and I must admit, I wasn’t really ready then. This one however, we consciously agreed and decided to have him/her but even so, it was unexpected in its own way.

Let me explain. We decided to conceive during my birthday in September. Things were going along fine as Sher-Mayne’s cycle more or less was normal for 2 months. Then came Sept and it seemed as though she was fertile much earlier without any mid pains. I thought this was due to her polycystic ovaries (early fertile period with no mid pains). So my birthday came and went without her appearing to be fertile. She didn’t feel anything, I didn’t feel anything. Then one day came when she just decided that she should test. I can’t remember what was the reason but it was pretty random. And then bam, she tested positive. What happened? Wasn’t it a cyst that burst? She wasn’t during that period. I was at a loss at how to explain or even understand what happened. So now I have had to conclude it was God because there is no other explanation. What I will be doing is to watch this one carefully because if it was really God, then not only will great things follow, hard times will accompany it.

Nevertheless, it shall not detract from the fact that God gave.

The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised. – Job 1:21

Daddy-to-be Justin

Whale-ly Updates 9

Hello readers!

This week, nausea and gastric reflux has decreased to 10% of my worst weeks!! That's a huge 90% reduction. Reduction started about 1 week back and symptoms have been decreasing almost daily! I admit I am a bit worried, but there is still this calm in me. Thank you Holy Spirit!

As of today, my only symptoms include: lots and lots of lethargy, heavy white discharge, breast tenderness, feeling bloated, and I needing to eat every hour to 2 hours. =)

My next gynae visit is next Thursday. Hope to see a healthy, alive, and jiggling 10 week bean! Oohhh yaaa we've named the bub Bean!!! Justin blurted out Mr. Bean which sent us laughing. =D Mainly because we saw a kidney bean on the dinner table and realised that the bub and the bean resembled each other. So bean bean it is =D

Baby spurts - week 9

HELLOOOOO Week 9!!!





This week:

• The embryo has grown to measure 30 mm (1.2 inches) in length.
• The fingers and toes are well defined. Cartilage and bones begin to form.
• The upper lip as well as the nose tip is being formed.
• The tongue begins to develop and the larynx is developing.
• The eyelids are developed, although they stay closed for several months.
• The main construction of the heart is complete.

Your new resident is nearly an inch long — about the size of a grape — and weighs just a fraction of an ounce. She's starting to look more and more human. Her essential body parts are accounted for, though they'll go through plenty of fine-tuning in the coming months. Other changes abound: Your baby's heart finishes dividing into four chambers, and the valves start to form — as do her tiny teeth. The embryonic "tail" is completely gone. Your baby's organs, muscles, and nerves are kicking into gear. The external sex organs are there but won't be distinguishable as male or female for another few weeks. Her eyes are fully formed, but her eyelids are fused shut and won't open until 27 weeks. She has tiny earlobes, and her mouth, nose, and nostrils are more distinct. The placenta is developed enough now to take over most of the critical job of producing hormones. Now that your baby's basic physiology is in place, she's poised for rapid weight gain.

See what's going on in your uterus this week.

Note: Every baby develops a little differently — even in the womb. Our information is designed to give you a general idea of your baby's development.

How your life's changing:

You still may not look pregnant even if your waist is thickening a bit. You probably feel pregnant, though. Not only are morning sickness and other physical symptoms out in full force for most women, but you may feel like an emotional pinball as well.

Mood swings are common now — it's perfectly normal to feel alternately elated and terrified about becoming a parent. Try to cut yourself some slack. Most women find that moodiness flares up at around six to ten weeks, eases up in the second trimester, and then reappears as pregnancy winds to a close.

Momma bump - 8 weeks

* * *
This was taken at 9 weeks and 3 days actually... Will take another 9 weeks shot in 3 days =)
* * *

How my life has changed since pregnancy

You know how people say that life changes dramatically when you get pregnant? More so for the women than the men? I never really sat down to think about such life changes. Today seems like a good day to do so.

Apart from the physical aspect which I blog in my Whale-ly updates, lots of changes have been taking place in the emotional and psychological person as well.

When I first found out I was pregnant, I was elated. I kept thanking God that I was pregnant again! But deep inside, there was this inhibitor, something that kept me from rejoicing totally. The previous miscarriage still weight heavily on me, and there was a sense that this was so surreal.

Weeks after that I caught myself taking extra care of my body, taking slower steps down the stairs, not running, not shouting, not carrying heavy things, which is hard for me to do... See, I am a workaholic as Justin would say. I cannot sit still and watch while there are things left undone. I need to do them. So for me to slow down my pace, and to need to ask for help when it comes to carrying things or doing basic housework, is torture. It made me feel helpless. I felt needy, and as though I was a burden. Till now I still can't function perfectly at work, I get bouts of nausea, gastric reflux, dizziness, and lethargy that makes me even more helpless.

Then there's this morphing body to deal with... my tummy and waist areas have risen up to declare that they exist. As a result, I feel fat and unattractive. Big blow to the self esteem... People say pregnant women glow. Yeah right... I'm sure they weren't refering to the first trimester preggers. For me, there's no glow in sight. Clothes are getting tighter, and there's only so many loose pieces I have. =/

But inspite of all the horrid feelings I've been experiencing, there's also this sense of calm and thankfulness... that I have been given this precious gift. People tell me that this thankfulness comes full blow when I hold my baby in my arms for the first time. I'll wait till then to confirm that. =D

Relationship wise, it's been different too... as I mentioned, because of the myriad of things I cannot do, Justin has to pitch in and take on my part. It's not very nice to feel like I'm not contributing as much and to watch the other partner burn out faster due to the many responsibilities that require his attention.

Sometimes I wish I could celebrate this pregnancy like I envisioned I would. But I guess that may have to wait till the second trimester? I hope...

So in short, life has changed quite a bit... even though my baby is less than 1 inch CRL now, he/she is sure making a great impact on every aspect of his/her mommy's life.

Whale-ly Updates 8

Hello readers.

Haven't written about my bodily changes in a while.

First stop, I'm putting weight... 1kg to be exact (since getting pregnant) and it shows in my tummy and arm area, so some people have started speculating that I'm pregnant. =/

Secondly, there's this crazy lethargy that surprised me this afternoon. I felt really really tired before and throughout lunch. When I got home, I only had enough energy to change and climb onto bed and then falling into a deep sleep for 3 hours. And now (9.48pm) I'm still tired! Why I'm surprised is because I haven't been feeling this tired for about 2 weeks now.

Gastric reflux is gradually decreasing (HOORAY!) and hunger pangs have decreased significantly in this past week. =D But I've learned that I MUST eat on time, especially dinner @ 6pm. Anything later will mean gastric reflux and my whole night will be spent dealing with metallic taste in my mouth, trying to burp so the gas will leave my stomach, and at the same time trying to make sure I keep my food down.

In addition, I can't eat heavy meals. I need to eat small amounts at a frequent time span. Take yesterday for example. I ate dinner at my mom's about 6.15, and at around 7.15 I took another round. Also, I've realised that for me, warm/hot food sits way better than cold stuff. Ooo and soft drinks are a no no. Too much gas = bad bad gastric reflux.

My abdomen hasn't been feeling as sore and stretchy as few weeks ago, but this week my back has been terribly sore! I don't know if it's the bed, my sleeping position, or the pregnancy. I know I haven't put on enough weight for my backbone to feel it but... Any one has any clue?

Finally, mood swings.... =/ Over the past 2 weeks, I've been ding-donging from worried + crying to placid. This few days, I've been somewhere between placid, angry+crying, and feeling very lonely. Everything's just a mess, and some days I just wish I could retreat somewhere for a nice long holiday... I just want to be somewhere where I can not look at the mirror, not need to try to look or feel normal, and just relax. I told Justin the other day, I don't feel beautiful anymore. I feel like crap, and I even look like crap now. Especially when gastric reflux and nausea hits, I look pale, listless, and grumpy. And people keep reminding me to stay happy so that I will have a positive and happy child. Oooohhh how I wish I could. I want to celebrate my pregnancy too... but at this stage, it just seems physically, psychologically, and emotionally oh-so-challenging.

But all that said... I'm currently at week 9. So that leaves me 3 more weeks of this. I have approximately 2 weeks of progesterone pills to go, then I'll be off of it! I'm sure that will minimize the morning (whole-day) sickness. Hallelujah!

Note: I'm not trying to sound ungrateful. I am 110% grateful to God for this baby! And if I was told that I would suffer like this before I had this baby, I'd still ask God for this baby. It's just nice to share how I'm feeling in this trimester of great bodily change. =)