Labor & Delivery in NEWS

reading about pregnancy and delivery issues in the news, mommy feel so thankful for our 'great' job with petronas (even if with under-satisfaction salary), at least we are provided with some pregnancy and delivery knowledge.

i read some news about moms laboured and delivered in the toilet unintendedly and there are babies slip into the toilet bowl (this exclude those 'moms' who intendedly deliver in the toilet and flush the babies out) while the moms think they were passing mass. i have no idea to comment, since i am yet not giving birth and no idea how the labor pain is, but i'm sure if moms out there know about their EDD and the accuracy, they'll be more careful and know that it's the baby, not stool.

last week, a 20-plus-week baby had been delivered and the parents were not satisfy with the hospital service after delivery (as what i read in the news). from my bulging belly opinion, it's not about after delivery service since in medical, below 24-week can still go for abortion and only after 25 week a baby can survive. the doctors might think that it was a miscarriage and let the breathing baby went home for funeral without proper checking, etc. that might be a point the hospital can give (up to now i didn't hear any follow up). but the hospital was something for letting the mom unattended for several hours until the baby came out. i heard several case (including my own friend) of 'unhappened' miscarriage. moms bled, and pre-mature contraction but the doctors manage to stop those.

however, i hope our journey won't end up or collide with any complication. i pray everyday so that we'll be fine until the day i can hold your body in my arms. tho pregnancy is a natural process but there's lot uncertainties out there. my body as well as yours are fragile and we are expose to any pregnancy complication.

right now i am looking after the food i take and activities i do. no over exhausted movement that can make these fragile bodies fragile. most importantly i dont want you to suffer later, when you're born or even when you grow up. some desease starts in womb, remember... but the effect comes 50 years later.

most importantly i am equipping myself with knowledge, doesn't matter the sources as long as it is beneficial and can help to save our lives, and our rights.

Shopping

we spend most of our time in KL shopping your thingies since this is the last chance we have before we come back again for maternity leave. even if a month earlier than EDD but i would expect that we won't have time and much energy to walk and shop with the bigger your.

we already have your milk bottles and the storage cups. not to forget your shirts, bedding set, blanket, as well as bootie & mitten. but since we don't have much time, we just get one set for each. but for such those things, not that fussy to get so i'll ask your grandparents to buy 'em for us later (however we believed that they'll get 'em for you).

we'll go out again today to KLCC and SemuaHouse to get breastpump with the sterilizer and warmer, and your shirts too. and you know... how we care about your welfare and try to equip you with the best products.

Listed from top-down: your bottle, milk storage, warmer, strelizer and breastpump. all AVENTs! have mommy's milk only OK!

My Bigger Tummy

it's been a week since mommy last update on this blog. we are having our wonderful vacation at mommy's hometown (place where mommy was born and you'll be born, insya Allah). and mommy using abi's ID since this pc is belong to abi and mommy don't want to sign him out from blogger.

my tummy is getting bigger and bigger. ahaqs. i tot it's not because of you, but my super duper high appetite since our first time arriving this this house. since the first nite we arrived, until now, i don't ever know the feeling of 'hungry'. delicious food is everywhere and my appetite suddenly arise. if in miri i just can eat 2 or 3 'suap' of rice, here if not 2 or 3 plates, don't call me mommy ok!

we had nasi kerabu, nasi dagang, nasi kenduri, nasi berlauk, nasi beriani nenek.. and the most important is nasi ulam budu ikan darat!!!

i feel like heaven.. believe me i never feel like this since i am carrying you for the last 5 months. i can eat and the most important is i can eat rice more and more! but the soy protein... i still can't stand the taste!

19 week fetus

i notice that my heartburn started to come as we entered this 19th week. you are bigger and making my uterus pushed up against my stomach. lucky i am already having calcium supplement so the heartburn is not much significant.

you are about 17cm.. hmm. no wonder my tummy looks big. Abi said my tummy is getting bigger day by day. oh yes, you're breathing the amniotic fluid now. and your nerve system is very busy this week. mommy keep on praying that everything will be OK. guess what, abi told me to reduce the headphone volume because he worried it might effect your hearing ability. oh no!

now that we're about halfway through pregnancy, i notice that my body is constantly changing. my heart is beating 30-50 % more blood through my body than normal, sometimes i feel my heartbeat when everything is quiet. and because of this, my face can be easily turned reddish as well as my whole body. i look glowy!

and as usual, toward the weekend you become more active. since this afternoon you're keep on kicking me. :) i'm soooo happy.

My Emotion

reading other moms-to-be writings i feel so lucky and fortunate. seems like mood swing is something common during pregnancy. someone (it's many actually) wrote that in a minute she can be very happy but another minute she changes to either very sad or very angry or etc. i used to wait for such feelings to come. how does it feel..? how would i feel with that one-minute-mood-changing?

when i reminisce, i don't have much emotional problem. just at my early pregnancy when i thought i need more attention from Abi, but he didn't give that much. i had a bit frustrating feeling that time. but i think it's not because of pregnancy hormone, it's because of me who was having an idiot-thinking : a pregnant lady should get more attention form her husband. then when there was no respond from Abi, i decided to change my mind. i didn't even think about it, at least again.

as i said, i become more insensitive. usually i would cry if Abi talk to me in high-tone-voice, but this time i can laugh. i become more independent in controlling my own feeling. maybe i just decided to be 'don't care'. like what happen in the office. if i wanted to be hot, i would, everyday. but i choose to enjoy my boring job and my boring sv (even tho sometimes i would whimper). this pregnancy taught me to be more independent. however, i'm still dependent in getting Abi drive the car. ekeke.

alhamdulillah. i feel so lucky for not having mood swing. it might be a complimentary for my severe morning sickness. hopefully i'll become more independent, optimist and insensitive toward the end of my pregnancy.

could it be a sign.. that my boy is a tough one? ameen.

Our Favourite Song

this is the song i always sing to you everyday. i would imagine that i am playing with your hands while singing. i hope this simulation would be something effective for your development even if you're not even born yet.

i heard once that a peggy mommy should imagine holding her unborn baby, sing to him and hug him closely so that the baby inside mommy's womb is gonna feel the same. (altho it's impossible for you to feel my hug, but i'm sure you'll feel the calm since i am very happy and enjoy doing that).

come honey, let's sing together...

one little two little three little fingers
four little five little six little fingers
seven little eight little nine little fingers
ten little fingers of mine..

Eating for Two?

one of the biggest myths i always heard for peggy woman is "you have to eat for two". since before i got married i always wonder about the fact. the baby is just about 3-4 kg, why should i feed him as much as i feed myself? plus, i dont want to look 9 months pregnant even after delivery! and i don't want to be a fat mommy...

i eat as usual, even little than usual since i lost my appetite and always have tendency to throw out. some not-even-married ladies and first time moms surprised the fact i didn't gain weight as they do (virgin but gaining 5kgs). they said you'll be born as a small baby.

in fact the doctor and experience mommies said that it is normal for first trimester and early second trimester to gain a little weight. since the morning sickness is still a routine, etc. as long as i don't let my stomach to be empty, it will be no harm.

however, watching out for nutrition food is very important. attention to nutrition can go a long way in preventing possible complications.

during the first trimester, i need 7335 kJ calorie, the amount is as same as total calorie i need before pregnancy. my daily energy needs as we turned into this 2nd trimester to 8759kJ. why? you're bigger, heavier and kicking around! i need to supply you a little amount of energy, right? and as you getting bigger in the 3rd trimester, we need appx. 9228kJ per day.

however, i think i lack in carbohydrate intake. i can't eat rice, even noodle or bread or cracker. i think i am excessive in vitamin E since i am now a sunflower-seed-fan! phew.. it might be i'm lacking of it so my body insist me to take vitamin E since i don't have it in my daily supplement intake.

i try to supply myself with enough sugar to ensure my blood sugar doesn't go too low (i had history), or i'll be in mood swing everyday. lucky my mood swing is not very significant and still controllable. in fact, i feel more insensitive than before. i take calcium to ensure i am away from hypertension, backache and severe labor pains (no worries, epidural is available). and it's absolutely a vital to get enough vitamins, mineral and protein to ensure i'm not malnutrition cause it might be a way to constipation, hemorrhoids, anemia, and pre-eclampsia.

and i don't think you're small since i can felt your kick since your 17th week and it's very significant now until sometimes i have to stop my job to let you 'stretch' your body and kick me from inside. and i can't sleep soundly at night since you're actively moving around inside my tummy. some of my sisters said that you're developing very fast and strong, since most of them can feel their babies only in 20th to 22nd week.

alhamdulillah... i'm so proud of you.

My Morning Everytime Sickness

during my second month of pregnancy, i started to feel something funny in myself. didn't i tell you that i was having a severe morning everytime sickness? i tot i never tell you about the reasons. yeah, it's about hormonal changes, but do you know what is it? nah, i'm sure you don't.

when my body detected your arrival, its produce a steroid hormone called progesterone. it's also known as lipo-latin, which is produced in my ovaries. the function is to stop the production of ovum, since the last ovum produced has met the sperm so that they became you. one more thing happened to my body is, my immunization system stopped to allow a foreign growth in it, that is you.

with that 2 changes, my body needs time to get used to the new environment. so, it became unstable; fatigue, extremely exhauted, nausea,dizzy,losing appetite, etc. usually by time to time it should be back to normal as the body already know enough about the hormonal changes. usually in the 4th of 5th month.

now i feel a bit better, however, it's still here. but not as frequent as during my early pregnancy. i can sit longer on chair, able to sleep late at nite.. however some other problem comes, i can't consume much plain water, enough with 2-3 sips and i have to stop. if i continuously consume plain water, i'd vomit.so goes with other kind of drinks. so i take initiative by drinking little but frequent. it's sometimes tiring & boring, 2-3 sips every hour..

sometimes i feel it's a bit disturbing, since i can't focus on my daily job, but on top of that i feel so happy because it indicates that you're my healthy boy!

I Can't Sleep

it's 3.06 a.m. but i can't even close my eyes. i tried to sleep since 12.00a.m. but then i tot it was for a couple of minutes, then i began to toss and turn. i really don't know why. i didn't sleep the whole day & i am a bit tired. but my eyes seem like don't wanna shut.

and you are moving actively inside my tummy until i can feel your kicking very slightly. today you are very active. since this morning, i didn't notice any sleeping time of yours. hmm... why are you become very active only on saturday? i am a bit wonder now. last saturday, you jumped the whole day and sleep the whole sunday. are going to do the same thing this week?

and is my sleepless because of you want to share the moment with me? oh.. okay, let's roll and roll again on the bed. jom!

Naming You

i try to keep this secret.. but i can't. i really have urge to tell you. er.. hmm.. aaa... okla. actually we've prepare a name for you, and Abi started to call you by that name since yesterday. he doesn't want to call you 'Boy' instead, since we've plan a name for you so he wants you to recognize your own name even if you're not born yet.

i'm not going to tell you here, what your name will be. actually i admirer this name, after my favourite name had been given to your uncle, Uzair. i really like that name but that time (i was 17) i didn't think that i would get married and have kids. haha. then i gave the name to my parents to named my little brother (he's 8 now). then i admire another uncommon name. suddenly that name became so famous and popular, and become no more unique.

i like names which are uncommon. for me, name is a medium to recognize individuals. if you have a name that similar with your 10 friends, that's no purpose of naming anymore. my kid's names should be unique and recognizable. my name is unique in petronas. only one S N in the address book. however, Abi is very special. ah, i have a story! last time i went to a course, then during break, i had lunch with the trainer. we had some sort of talking about each other, then i told him that i'm married. he asked me about my hubby, i mentioned Abi's name. he was very shock and his face turned red. then he asked me "is Z A your hubby?" then i smelt something... "er.. yes, but not the MITCO one, my hubby just working with SKO about a year ago". phew... it was a manager at MITCO has a similar name with Abi & he tot i married that one.

another incident about Abi's name was, one of my colleagues had wrongly sent an email, it should go to Abi, but she sent it to Z A, the GM of Sabah Operation. hehe. then when Mr. Yew from Shell came to Abi office as a secondee, he said at Shell, all Z As are managers, and now he calls Abi as 'GM'. haha. hopefully Abi would be the GM someday. ameen~

back to your name. i dont want to reveal it now.. but i can tell your the meaning. as Muslim you know, we choose Arabic name to name to. we decided to make it 2 words, the first one means Handsome and the second one means The One Who Ennoble. we want you to be a good-looking in any part, physically and mentally, and ennoble others especially your parents and families, and firstly Allah & Rasul, lillahi Taala.

i hope that we won't change this decision and won't have to change this decision ;)

18 weeks fetus

surprisingly i can see your kicking several times on my tummy! but when Abi comes to see it, you would suddenly stop. haa.. look like you like to play hide and seek with Abi eh... when Abi asks me about the feeling, the only thing i can see is "amazing!' and i can't wait to see you next kick. actually i am not sure whether is it your kick or punch or what but as long as i can feel you, you know it's the best experience to a first mom like me.

you're still small and your bones, even if they've formed but still soft. you're 15cm and around 300 grm. i guess the space becomes tighter to you since you can't stretch your leg like what you did during the 1st trimester.

what is important to us that you can hear! oh, i dont want you to listen to any bad bad thingy, i try to change my addiction to something else that do not makes you become upset. you know, there are several studies done on unborn children, then they came to the conclusion that babies will be able to remember what you have heard since your 2nd trimester. er.. i don't know how much the truth is, since i can't remember my babyhood.

granted all the theories, all the same we're keep on learning to provide all the best things to you. we want you to be the best kid ever born. and most important, the best first kid of ours. ameen~

Feeding You

since before you were planted in my womb, i plan to breastfeed my kids. and that's what Abi wants too. as a working mommy, i can't suckle you via my tits every single time you need to be fed. a breastpump is a need for us.

Abi and I made some surveys about the best breastpump in market. we went to stores, asked people, and the most popular is internet review about various kind of breastpumps in market. finally (so far), we come to the conclusion to choose Avent Isis IQ Uno. it's quite expensive, (at least for a middle-class parent like us), the current price for a single pump is RM695.00 & a complete set (excluding cooling bag) is about B$399.00 (Brunei Dollar). but since Abi wants us to be fully motivated to breastfeed, he's willing to grab it once we go back to Peninsular later.

however i'm very sure it's worth. some features those i can list down here are: it has massage cushion to stimulate my aurola, quite but yet powerful, variable control & depend on your suckling rhythm, electronic memory to remember your suckling pattern, can switch to manual mode, electronic or battery-powered pumping. wah, i heard several mommies complaints about their pain using other breastpump but not from this one. one more thing is because i am easily bored, with this i can change to any mode i like. ahaks.

i don't think it's too early to plan, actually there's lots more thing for us to plan for you. your name, your birth plan, your goodies, etc. like this one, breastfeeding program, we decide to purchase cooling bag from Coleman, which don't cost us a lot, about RM50.00 and techni ice (if needed). initially Abi wants to buy Avent's bottles for you but i said, it's unnecessary since the cheaper are widely available. see, how fatherly love shown even before he knows you.

i hope i don't have much problem to fully breastfeed you since my job now changed to full-time-office-based, furthermore most of my friends here are breastfeeding their kids. one more thing is i had request from my company's YPC (young professional club) to provide a room for breast pumping activity. hehe.

Ultrasound

some friends of mine, most of them are moms to be and just mommies usually have a common question to me "have you scan your baby?". then i say "yes, i do it everymonth but why?". some of them say "i am not doing it regularly. maybe next 1/2 months i'll doing it".

when i got the +ve result from home pregnancy test kit, i went to the doctor to confirm. she said (dr noor that time) she had to scan my tummy to ensure you were not develop outside my womb or called ectopic. that time i actually had a skeptical view about ultrasound (since a friend of mine told that it's not good for baby) but i did it. then i refer to my parents (who work at the hospital) about ultrasound. my mom (your mak tok lah) said that there's no prove that ultrasound can harm human fetus. it might happen to mice, but not even tested to any bigger mammals nor human. my mom's words made me release, since she has been my health consultant for all my life.

i am very excited to see your image in the screen everytime we have appointment with the gynae, only from there i can confirm that you're healthy and actively kicking. i go for ultrasound not to know your sex, but to see your development. it is even crucial in our 1st trimester since there's a big chance for any possibilities... no development, 'dead' fetus, chemical pregnancy, etc. phew, alhamdulillah we've been through that crucial period and now my time to observe your development month by month.

as i said, your current ontogeny is very excellent. remember that we (Mommy & Abi) dont want you to be too big, since i wish to deliver you normally. but not too small (underweight) cos it's a sign of malnutrition. and we are happy since you're showing a normal and healthy growth even if i become thinner than before.

when i told Abi, i dont understand why most of my friend dont go for ultrasound.. do they think scanning is to know the babies' sex only? don't they mind about their babies' development, normal or not? are they depend only on their weight gained to indicate that the babies are healthy? then Abi said, he didn't blame them for that situation. as a new mom like me, they don't know and the doctors have to play their rule to educate those moms, like what my doctor did. and we (petronas moms) are very lucky for being covered by ING for private gynae, out there lots of moms to be go to general gynae those are very busy to attend another hundreds moms to be. furthermore, ultrasound cost is quite high, we dont feel it since we get it for free!

alhamdulillah, since both of your parents work with petronas, the whole family get the benefits. this time i feel so thankful, even if my daily job is as boring as the most boring thing in this world but since it give me more time to relax and more coverage... oh thank you!

I Hope This Morning Sickness Will..

we are already approaching 18th week, about 4 months plus. yes, my everytime sickness is seem like fading but now i am having a lil' bit severe morning sickness. this morning as usual i swallowed up soy protein + ribena apple. i felt a bit funny feeling in my stomach, i told abi that i feel like wanna throw up. but abi just acted like usual, drove us off to the office.

i took 4 slices of roti jala with chicken curry, while abi had roti canai. after finished up the second slice, i felt like really wanna go to the toilet. and i ran in, throw out everysingle thing that had been resided in my esophagus and stomach. it was so bad.. but fortunately i could finish up the remaining slices in my plate without vomiting them again.

i told your mak tok that i'm still having this sickness even tho i am now 4 month. mak tok said that i'll be OK next month. huh? guess what, we never eat at home for this 4 months.. you know i really can't stand the taste of out-dining-food, which is TAK SEDAP. but i can't cook :( i even can't eat what i cook... sometimes when cik Da & cik Adda make something, it's really a joy time for me. i can eat up 2 plates of semenanjung cuisine!

i hope this sickness will end, kesian Abi. eating out really makes him stress. not as sedap as mommy's cooking, and he has to pay more for less.. hohoho.

Your Ultrasound Image

we (Mommy & Abi) dont have scanner, so i just take the pic of you using my handphone. it's not very clear but still can see you head, hands and torso right? you leg were folded (since you didn't want to reveal you sex!).

this pic was taken monday last week but i just can upload it now (just found the bluetooth adapter). guess what you were doing during the ultrasound! you slept soundly... didnt you know that mommy keep on waiting for appointment session to see you kicking and jumping, as what you did during our 13th week visit. maybe you were tired since mommy couldnt eat anything that day, plus a great headache.

sometimes you moved your legs, and Dr Aida struggled to peep at your toot. then she said "this might be a boy". oh dear.. please be a boy OK? a very good boy.

You're Not Underweight, I am

when i told people that i do not gained much weight, most of them are shocked. they thought that you are very small. but i told them that i feel normal, since all my food are restricted by you (you always gimme sign to stop eating before i can finish a plate). and sometimes i throw away everything i swallow before.

one of my pal said that she gained 4kg during her 4th month, and another pal said she gained 3kg + but she thought that she's underweight since a magazine told that a mommy should gain 8kg extra in 18th week! well, i am not an expert but my common sense says it is ridiculous. normal weight for 18 weeks babies are only 200gm. where does the other 7.8kg comes? placenta? amnion fluid? fat? even the full-term weight gain is maximum 16kg. hmm...her info made me more uncomfortable with magazine.

i dont buy magazine for reference, just to additional reading. i dont know, maybe i had several mismatch understanding with most magazines. to me, some magazines are meant to attract readers without caring much on what their contents. i read a magazine, where a mom-to-be asked the panel, why does her teeth become frail during pregnancy? guess what was the answer? it was "there's no specific reason". in fact, it's because of the hormonal changes that makes mom's gum loosen. hmm.. they just sell the magazine, NOT THE RIGHT INFO.

i am more comfortable with books and proven studies by the experts (eventho i dunno them). i read some books & go to some websites to compare and majority say the recommended weight gain for a-healthy-BMI-mom-to-be is:
and this is what i am. hm.. pretty cool. i like this. i dont want to gain extra weight unless what i should. your normal weight plus placenta plus amniotic fluid plus uterus plus blood plus breast and a little fat in my butt and thigh to support my uterus and you.

however, please don't let me go under the minimum curve! i dont want you to born underweight! but people say that my tummy is soo big and i am soo thin. whatever, as long as your weight development is excellent.

actually you have prove this in our last scan, your development is normal, and your weight too. that's why i'm not worry at all even if my wight gain is not very significant. i dont wanna be a FAT MOMMY!!!

Kickin' & Movin'

last saturday was a very overwhelming day for me. you moved, kicked, punched, jumped, etc. until i felt geli2 in my tummy. i didn't do anything all day long, just enjoy your play and feel my tummy harden and soften from outside. i don't know how to describe it when you make the moves. like something flying in my tummy, moving here & there like i wanna passing gas but it is you, i know.

abi tries several times to feel you from outside my tummy but i told him that you were too small to be touched and felt from outside. maybe in the next 4 weeks, only he'll be able to catch you! after all, you're still under 200gram. how heavy ar? i think just about my mouse's weight.

on sunday, i couldn't feel you often. i guess you were tired for all-day football-playing the previous day. i just noted that you moved occasionally. you were menggeliat, maybe. i dunno what made you so active on saturday and got all-day-long sleep on sunday. maybe you were preparing for your future as our kid, full of activities on saturday and rest on sunday.

hahaha. smart boy~

My Pregnancy Journey up to 4th Month

i dont face any weird experience during my early pregnancy, except the fatiguingly morning everytime sickness (still have it now). i dont have weird dream (as i notice many moms-to-be have this), i dont have 'allergy' to anything or any smell (except nasi... weeekkk!!!), i dont look 'big' to Abi (except my tummy part), my mood is stable and doesnt swing sparingly (i dont have one-time-weep-then-happy syndrome), and many other pregnancy myths..

to me alhamdulillah.. i feel more independent. since Abi is not God-he-is-so-caring person, i feel so relief. if i became sensitive suddenly, Abi would not be happy since he's not that kind of person. Abi is a very particular person. and not a kinda repetitive one. if he says "i want A", then suddenly B happens, he would definitely can't accept. and he wont say it everyday like "i want A" today, "i want A" tomorrow. it's only today "i want A" and i must be A everyday.

i dont feel anything special unless i don have to cook and tidy up the house. our kitchen has not been smoked since last 3 months and our clothes is not folded for weeks. however, Abi doesnt treat me like a queen or princess. i am just a wife to a guy called Abi to us.

however, that's how he loves us and that's why i love him so much. you must love Abi, as you love me OK!

17th week fetous

look at you! you are 19cm now! my weight is not significantly increase.. last monday i weighted myself at Columbia Asia, i am 47kg! my normal weight used to be varies from 45-47kg (can i take the average as 46?). some of my friends gain 4kg-10kg during their 4th month.

but i dont think i am abnormal. first, you restrict me from eating more.. if i can finish up a plate of nasik, it'a the biggest blessing to Abi (for dont have to eat it for me instead of let it being wasted). second, your weight is only 0.2kg plus the placenta, the cord and amniotic fluid, i think it roughly about 0.5kg. if only i gain more than 1kg, it's not because of you, it's me! huhu.

last scan, you were sleeping. hmm.. i tot i wanna see you kicking like the last time one. so horrible when you kicked like doing shadow dancing, huhu. but last time you slept.. how could you let you Mommy frustrating like that.. hehe. and you are so meant.. didnt want to show us your sex. or, maybe you feel embarrassed when Dr Aida kept on pointing the probe on your *****. if that is the case, it's OK. you are my smart boy.