Making Baby #3: Poser Baby

I think I posted a fair share about James when he was growing up. So I feel like I owe Lucas this much... to have one post that is only about him.

LOL.

But if you follow my Dayre, you can see that I speak more of Lucas than James now. #horriblemama
Dunno how to "balance". :P

Anyway.. I just realized that Lucas is so good at posing. Especially if you use the front camera and show him.. him. hahhaa
#selfiebaby

Here's evidence of his ability to pose.

The "I hate car seats but I'm forced to sit in it" Face.

The "I can go anywhere I want by just flashing you a smile" Face.

The "this pillow is MINE" Face.

The "what happen to my hair" Face.

The "I only love to eat biscuits, don't you dare snatch it away from me" Face.

The "sweet dreams" Face.

And here's a photo taken by a lady we met at a coffee place.

She said he's very handsome  (a very sweet girl at first, before hubby corrected her and said that he's a boy!)

So she came over and took some photos.She used the front camera.. selfie style.

She made the right move..selfie baby is a selfie expert.

But I have to say, her phone camera is quite good!

(It's a Samsung btw. :P)

If you're wondering how come we got the photo, she sent it to hubby right after taking them.

Yes, it does feel weird to have a stranger taking photos of my baby. But when she told hubby that "the greatest pleasure today was to see that perfect smile from Lucas." made me realized that not everyone out there is out to harm you.

I've read that we don't realize how much a smile would mean to a stranger. It actually saves lives!

but of course, I'm not implying that she was going to end hers. I don't know her.

I'm just saying that.. probably she had a bad day and seeing Lucas made it all better for her. You never know what a simple smile (in this case a cheerful baby) could mean to others. 

Here's to many more smiles (pose) from this boy. 

I love my cheerful babies. :))

(sorry.. have to end it with "babies" instead of "baby"... I can't ignore the fact that I have two happy babies. :) )

Making Baby #3: Hello World!

It's been 3 weeks since the birth of our 2nd son. I thought I should write a post before my confinement lady leaves and I won't know when would I be blogging next... can't be pumping breast milk and blogging can I? :P

When I was 38 weeks pregnant, I get messages from close friends and family members asking if there's any sign of labour. Guess they too were excited to greet our baby. Haha.

Finally, on a Thursday, I replied them "Yes, I'm in labour." instead of "Nope, still no pain, no leakage, no spotting and whatsoever."

However, the contractions were so mild and 1.5 hours apart, I didn't take much action except informing my hubby to be prepared and called my gynae, who was pretty cool about it and told me to see him only the next day, unless the contraction gets stronger before my appointment with him.

Yup, I was in labour for more than 24hours. To be exact, the mild contraction lasted til I was sent to the labour room right after my appointment (Dr did an internal check and found out that I was already dilated). So I was in labour for almost 36hours and it was only "active" after the Dr broke my water bag.

My "active labour" only lasted 2.5 hours. (Thank God!)

Even though I have experience giving birth, every labour is different.

This time around, I didn't feel any pain until I was already about 6-7cm dilated. I chose not to take any drugs til then. (Tried to be a hero laaa..) When it reached 6-7cm, the contractions came so strong and fast that even my hubby didn't know how to react. We really thought that the wait will be longer, but turns out to be superbly fast.

When I had the urge to push, my gynae was stuck in a jam. Yup, I went FML!
I could feel the baby coming out, the midwife also told me the baby's head is popping out, so she did her best to keep me from pushing and I was told to just use the "laughing gas" to control myself.
So basically, while waiting for my gynae to arrive, I was concentrating on inhaling "laughing gas".
In case you are wondering if laughing gas makes you laugh... NO! not when you are in labour pain that is.

My gynae arrived, got himself ready and everyone was ready .....andddd.... I don't have the urge to push!
I uttered "Aiya, where is it when everyone's ready?"
And I could even have a conversation with my gynae. Midwives and my hubby by my side, all just looking at me and waiting. *AWKWARD*

After 15 minutes of everyone (except for me) shouting 1...2...3.. PUSHHHHH! PUSH PUSH PUSH PUSH PUSH!, we heard our baby crying.

Say Hi to Lucas!

Our 2nd boy.

Lucas is born with G6PD deficiency. (You can read more about it by clicking on the link.)
When we went for his check up on the 4th day, his jaundice level shot up and we had to admit him into the hospital. I checked myself in as well as I am breastfeeding him. So we spent about 4 days in the hospital til his jaundice level was safe to go home.

Because he is G6PD deficient, we were advised to keep him under the morning sun every day just to ensure that his jaundice level stays low.

Here he is 3 weeks and 3 days old.

A little fact about my two boys, their weight when they were born are the same, 2.94kg.

What a coincidence eh?

My husband and I are very thankful for all the wishes from everyone and most importantly, we thank God for this beautiful gift that He has given to us.

Lucas was born just 3 days before I celebrated my 30th birthday. 

I would not ask for a better way to mark the end of my twenties. :)

Making Baby #3: 36, 37 & 38weeks- Ready....Steady....

Can't go yet...sigh.

I'm already 38weeks pregnant and our baby is showing no sign of wanting to meet the world just yet. His head is fully engaged.( for those who are not familiar with pregnancy terms, head fully engaged means his head is down in the birth canal, in position for natural birth.) Has been for the last two weeks and still. .he's enjoying the comfort of being in my belly.

Many people told me, (my gynae included) that 2nd child will come out earlier than the first.  My first came out at 37-38weeks.  Looks like this theory doesn't work for me. Hahaha..

My hubby and I will keep telling him, make it today baby. Mummy and daddy can't wait to hug and kiss you..but...it's not working.  He probably go..."Nah! The world's cruel..mummy's belly is comfy."
Hahhaaha..:P

This morning I asked our eldest son to talk to his younger brother and tell him to come out. He went "Come out Didi! Shake shake shake..shake shake shake..come out didi!"
(He did a dance while saying/singing it. So you can imagine how adorable that was.)

What would life be without such entertainment from our toddler. :))

Here's me at 38weeks, my belly's very tight and heavy, really look like I have a huge watermelon strapped on my abdomen.

Making Baby #3: 33, 34 & 35weeks- Gestational Diabetes, Weight & Baby's size

I'm horrible at updating about my journey in this pregnancy.  If I'm my baby, I would be screaming. ..SO UNFAIR! !!

Oh well..mummy did try, baby. I still love you..will love you..forever.

Ok..back to updating about my pregnancy. It has been a testing 3weeks as I went through some emotional rides with my obgyn nagging me (or more of telling me off) and then discovered that I have borderline diabetes and then losing 3kgs and having a horrible sore throat/cough all at the same time!

Really..I went FML so many times for the whole of the 3weeks.

1) My yo-yo weight
I gained 3kgs out of a sudden.  Ok..not really out of a sudden.  I've been gaining 2-3kgs every month throughout my pregnancy and only one month..I didn't gain any weight. I got nagged ( badly) by my gynae. His words affected me so badly that I had to seek comfort.  Thank God for a strong hubby and amazing friends.

If you are wondering, how much weight I've gained to deserve such nagging. It was 16kgs.

Then I fell sick at 33weeks. Had a horrible viral infection.  By 35weeks, I lost 3kgs.

Who was happiest?  You guessed it right..
My gynae. Hahaha.

So my total weight gain as of today is 13kgs.

Not too much right? You would say.
Buuuuutttttt....I still got nagged during my check up.
-_-

Oh well..I will just have to take everything everyone says with a pinch of salt. Cos really. .if I allow words to disturb me..I might not enjoy my last month of this pregnancy and my poor baby will feel it.

So I shall just eat la. ( ok, I don't simply eat. I have been watching what I eat throughout my pregnancy and exercising.  So why the weight gain? Really..I.have.no.idea.)

2) Borderline Gestational Diabetes
So I had to go through a round of gestational diabetes (GD) test because of my last "jump" in my weight.

And the results did not turn out great.

I have borderline GD. That explains the weight gain even though I watch my diet and exercise.

You must be wondering,  then how come I lose weight just like that too? 
Beats me. Hahaha...Dr thinks that I'm watching what I eat more but he really need to know..I haven't changed my diet. All still the same also can lose weight.  How laaaaaa...

Anyway. ..back to having diabetes.  It's genetic and hormones triggered it. That's what the professional says.

What I also found out is that my reading may have been incorrect because I had viral infection then.

I did another test. My gynae took my reading 3times in one day, just to see when my glucose level shoots up and whether I would need medical intervention to control my sugar level.

My results for all 3times ( fasting and non fasting) was way below the marker.

So do I have diabetes?
Yes, borderline according to my gynae.

Confusing..I know!

I was emotional because I found out through internet search (sometimes we really should avoid Google) that my baby might be born with diabetes and all sorts of complication that comes with it.

But I was assured, because it's only borderline. .my son will not be born with diabetes.  ( You don't know how happy I was when I heard that.)

3) Big baby...small baby
Another thing that has been bugging me.

To be honest,  I'm not bothered whether my baby will be born big or small. I only pray for a healthy one.

But because since 9 weeks, he has been growing 2weeks bigger than his supposed size. I was told to prepare for a big baby.

Then towards the last few check up...I was told he will be normal size. Meaning 3kg or less.

Then after discovering that I have GD, I was told to prepare for a big baby again!

So..big or normal or small now?
*confusing*

The only reason why I want to know is to mentally prepare myself when I head into labour.

Finally,  my gynae told us that he can only give an estimated size of the baby at 36weeks. 
So ..we shall wait.. *patience*

4) Being sick during pregnancy
It started with a superbly painful throat then I started coughing.

The cough was so bad that my muscles ached every time I cough. It's also cause of the belly weight.

It hurt so badly til I told my husband that I prefer labour pain. Yup..I was in a "FML" mode.

With the sore throat and cough I also lost 2-3weeks of sleep. Couldn't lie down and sleeping seated is just too uncomfortable.  So I only had about 4-5hours of sleep a day. ( contributed to the weight loss.)

After 2weeks. .I could finally sleep buuuuttttt...the haze came! And then I find myself being superbly sensitive towards the smell and my sleep got disrupted again.

By now, sleep is luxury!

There you go..my 3weeks of pregnancy was an emotional ride, confusing and battling illness ..oh and at the same time juggling my daily job. (No Medical Leave)

How did I do it?
I just did it la.
No voice also must raise my non existence voice when my toddler misbehaves, not enough sleep also must wake up early to send my son to school and back. All I can do is pray and complain to my loving husband (he's really very good at listening by now cos he knows, that's the best he can do & I will still have to continue with my daily routine.) and my wonderful girlfriends for telling me to just hang on in there.

Sorry that this post is so lengthy, what to do..it's 3weeks of rambling. 
Also apologise for the lack of photos as I'm blogging from my mobile.  For those who prefer photos than words, sorry la.

Having said all that, I'm thankful to be healthy again and to feel my baby punching, hicupping, stretching, kicking, bull dozing his way down every day. I really can't wait to meet him. :)))

Here's a photo of me at 36weeks,  I can't sit like a lady and I waddle when I walk now.

Big baby or small baby, who cares. As long as he's healthy. :))

Making Baby #3: 32weeks-Sleepless nights

The final month is always to prepare us for midnight feeds. Just when I'm about to fall into deep sleep....uh-oh...need to pee!

Then it will be a struggle to fall back asleep cos of the heavy belly and the fact that one can only sleep on their left or right side. (It's not advisable to sleep on our backs when we are at this stage.)

So yup. ..definitely feels like a midnight feed prep. But of course after midnight feeds you can just make yourself fall back asleep easily provided your child didn't fuss much.

I do pray that our baby will be the kind to just drink and sleep. Mummy really need to sleeeeeeepppppp!!!

The photo's me at 32weeks pregnant. 

It's 2.03am now (Malaysian time)...you guessed it right...I can't fall back asleep.  ( Mainly cause I'm having this horrible sore throat. Another story another week.) So I decided to blog from my mobile. :P

Making Baby #3: Week 31 - Because I'm pregnant

There's sure to be something pregnant women will miss doing/having.

Because I'm pregnant, I can't .... fill in the blanks....

The one thing that I miss recently is riding on a bicycle. Because balance is now a concern when you are heavily pregnant. So it's a NO-NO.

Yup, I miss putting on a helmet and ride as a family to have breakfast.

So what do you miss most when you were/are pregnant?

Making Baby #3: 2nd Trimester- The best of all trimesters

Any pregnant woman will tell you that it's the best trimester to be in.

Well, at least for me it has been such a breeze. The happiest part was that I'm allowed to exercise! :D

The energy that I have during this trimester is unbelievable. I started being a clean freak too. Made my hubby go.. "What's wrong with you???" Ya, I'm not known to be a clean freak.. so I blame it on pregnancy hormones. :P

In this trimester I started prenatal yoga too! Which I felt I should have done it with my first child because I do feel a whole lot better... oh well, all in the past. Next pregnancy, it's a must! (wait, next pregnancy?? Ok.. don't talk about that yet, I shall concentrate on our 2nd baby first.)

Here's our baby at 17 weeks (that's 4 months and 1 week for those who are not familiar with pregnancy weeks)..

Our baby has been growing bigger than his actual size since he was 9 weeks in my belly. 

So the estimated due date on the photo is not accurate. :D

I'm enjoying this pregnancy as I eat healthier, feel a lot healthier... well at least in this trimester everything is smooth sailing. (Of course there are nights when I just can't sleep because he kept kicking but it doesn't happen very often.)

I do feel bad that I don't update about this pregnancy as often as I did for my first (you know what they say, the first always gets more attention.. it's true..). 

So I will do my best to find some time to do a week by week til I pop! Just so... I can refresh my memory reading my post when I forget how it was like to be carrying my 2nd son.

Oh yes.. I forgot to mention... we're blessed with a baby boy! :)))

Yup, we're ready for our house to turn inside out (it's already upside down!). :P

Making Baby #3: Exercise during pregnancy

I don't think you can take exercise out of me. Haha. (Ok, I can say that now cause I only have one toddler to care for. Perhaps when our 2nd baby pops out, I will tell you.. "WHAT IS EXERCISE??")

Kidding, I will definitely try to find some time once we are settled with our newborn's schedule and everyone's schedule.
I personally find it important to stay fit. How else are you going to keep up with 2 kids?

So, I've been going for brisk walks in the morning, attending pre-natal yoga and recently back at the gym for some indoor walking & working out with the gym tools. I'm trying to swim more than walk as my belly's getting heavier.

Went for a swim after so long.

It felt SOOOOOOO GOOD!

I felt weightless (almost forgot that I am pregnant) and I just went on laps effortless. :D

The props used at my Pre-natal Yoga class.

I wear my running (now walking) shoes almost every day ever since I passed my first trimester.

(Sorry for the blur photo.)

But going for walks has become a chore now. 

Time to switch!

Many asked if James is excited about the baby. I have to say, he's not really bothered most of the time. At times he will just give my belly a big kiss and say "I LOVE YOU BABY!!" and at times, he will just make funny faces in front of my belly as though his sibling will be able to see it. Haha..

We are going to have two cheeky young ones soon... God guide us!

Here's our boy showing some "brotherly" love.

Making Baby #3: The First Trimester

I have to admit, even though we are overjoyed, thankful and all the happy things that you can think of since we found out that we are pregnant, there's still so much fear in us.

Like even a lil drop of spotting, sends us to "panic" mode or a little bit of cramp, then we'll go.. "HOW AR???"

We behaved like we have never been pregnant before. (We allowed ourselves to have less faith just because things happened.)

After a few weeks, we told ourselves, that we should keep cool, have faith.
Keep in mind: EVERY PREGNANCY IS DIFFERENT!
Just like how every child is different even though from the same factory.

My first trimester went smoothly. I had the "all day sickness" but I could still manage to keep food in. Could still do my "mummy duties" except that I wasn't allowed to do housework and carry heavy stuff (including my toddler. He's 17kg by the way.)

So this is me at 9 weeks pregnant...

My tummy was already showing but no one noticed it til I was way pass my first trimester. (Now I don't know if that's good or bad.)

Anyhow, the baby is growing well and I'm just so glad the first trimester is over. Of course, there's two more trimesters to go and it comes with all sorts of "worries". 

We will just have to keep praying and have faith! :)

Making Baby #3: Thank you LORD!

I owe my readers an apology for not updating my blog for SO MANY months!

I thought there's no better way to revive my blog than to bring you good news!

Yup, we're pregnant! :) 

It took us 6 months and we almost went to seek for medical help. (Apparently, it takes a healthy couple 6 months to conceive, so we thought.. one more month and that's it! WE NEED HELP!)

Before we pressed that button, God gave us the answer. No medical help needed, just 9 months of waiting for our gift from Him. :)))))

I cried when the results came out positive. 

Haha.. I know...so emo.

We are truly blessed. I would also like to thank our family and friends for their prayers and support. Our "making baby story" may not be as testing as many couples but we are still thankful to be blessed with such wonderful support.

Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it. -John 14:13-14 -

Love!

Making Baby #3: Giving up coffee

I know! You must be screaming.. WHY???!!??

It's not foreign to me though. I've done it before we were trying for our first child. I decided to do it again because a random stranger reminded me how coffee can mess up hormones. (If you don't already know, hormones plays a big part in conceiving.)

I've given up coffee for almost a month now.  Substituted it with Green Tea. Yes, there's caffeine in green tea too but at least it doesn't mess up hormones and a whole lot more beneficial.

Whatever people say.. I'm glad that I did. There's no bloated tummy or nausea or whatever pre-menstrual syndrome that I've experienced previously even though I'm near my due date.

I can has a flat tummy without coffee!

Wheeeeee!!

:D

Making Baby #3: O faith, where art thou?

It's been more than 3 months since we started trying for a baby. I have to say we lost "faith" for a while.

I know, you must be a little surprise to be hearing it from me. The one who was so strong when we had a miscarriage and now losing faith?

I'm only human.

I didn't realize that my faith in God's plan faded until we went to see my gynae.
We went to him asking all sorts of questions like if the fibroid in me would effect my fertility or cause another miscarriage, if my miscarriage would have harmed my body and then cause me to be infertile, if my hormone changes (PMS) has any impact on my chances of conceiving.

After answering all our questions, he finally just looked at me and said "Look you and your husband are still young (in my heart I went, I'm always young compared to you!) ..."and then .. he stopped me and said... "Girl, have faith. It's God's will."

That's when I realize, where has my faith in God gone to? Why do I have so much fear of having another miscarriage? of not being able to conceive again?

And a couple of weeks after that, our church declared this year as the Year of Faith. One of the clips that was shown during mass "touched" me. It was a boy holding a candle and said that our faith flickers just like a burning candle but it will never go away, we just have to keep it burning. (I can't remember the exact words but that's what I understood from it.)

I have faith but I didn't realize that it drifted away. I pray that God will keep me strong in faith, bring us back whenever we "lose" our faith.

OK, a shorter update, I'm still not pregnant but I'm not counting my menses due dates, waiting anxiously anymore. I will just make love and pray for God to bless us with one when the time is right. :)

Photo credit: http://wordsofhiswisdom.wordpress.com

Jesus said to her, ’Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?’ (John 11:40)

Making Baby #3: My expandable belly

I've been asked many times if I'm pregnant. I know, if you follow my blogging trend closely, you would think that I am since I usually start blogging about our journey only when we are already pregnant for more than 3 months.

Here's the truth: I'm not pregnant yet.
I would say that I am if anyone asked. So when you ask, I say nope.. means nope. :)

BUT.. I do have an expandable belly.

It appears from mid-afternoon til the next morning. It's also what most OBGY call it PMS. *HAHA* not funny..

Hormones has gotten the better of me after my miscarriage. *hormones + women* I've been experiencing nausea, bloated tummy, back ache, head ache, whatever ache that you can think of a week or two before my menses is due.
It's also a sign of aging. Did some search online and found out that it could be adrenal fatigue.

So..Hormones + Aging (I'm heading for my big 3-0 next year) + Fatigue= An unfit me.

I'm not the kind to just sit and rant, then do nothing about it. I'm exercising regularly, taking supplements to help me with adrenal fatigue (also to prepare for our next pregnancy) and watching what I eat (I'm guilty for indulging sometimes.). I'm also getting more sleep at night to help with this whole "situation" that I'm in.

For those who are curious..

It's just a bloated tummy. 

(You can tell that my menses are due soon. TMI. :P)

You will know, when we're pregnant. ;)

Making Baby #3: Supplements junkie

I believe in taking supplements. Although I know we can get most of the 'required' daily vitamins and minerals from food but how we cook the meat and vegetables plays a part and most of the time, kill them all off.

I take them also to ensure there's a healthier me before we conceive. (Something that I didn't do in my last pregnancy but I did in my 1st pregnancy.)

So here's what I take daily and taking these also requires me to drink a lot more water. (pssst..Water helps in losing weight too.)

1) Salmon Omega-3 fish oil (it contains EPA and DHA. may help in my attempt to outsmart my son since his milk powder has it.muahaha.)
2) Calcium : cos I'm a female and we come with all sorts of bone and joint problem as we age and after giving birth.the 'beauty' of being a woman.
3) Folic Acid : women take these a few months before they try to conceive and during the early stages of pregnancy. but not every woman who takes this are planning to get pregnant la.not a single function supplement.
4) Lecithin-E: the secret to my almost flawless complexion. ok no..I believe that I've inherited good complexion genes.
5) Vitamin C: keeps me away from having a common flu or cough.
6) Vitamin B: energy is required being a housewife and it helped with pms (which all of a sudden appear after I had my miscarriage. hormones. *rolls eyes*)

Here's to a healthier me and a healthier pregnancy. *fingers crossed*
(Don't get me wrong. Consuming supplements alone don't guarantee a healthy body. You'll need to combine it with exercise, lots of water, healthy food and enough sleep.)

Making Baby #3

Well, technically it's #2 since we had a miscarriage but it's our third try in trying to conceive.

It's been 7months since the procedure was done to remove the fetus. Dr gave us the green light to start trying again after 3months but we only started about a couple of months ago.

So far, we are still trying.Somehow it's a little tougher than before although I'm a lot fitter than I was when I got pregnant the second time. I lost a lot more weight, eat a lot healthier and workout more.

Perhaps it's just not the right time yet. We do pray that James will be blessed with a sibling or siblings.

Oh well, only God knows what He has in plan for us. Meanwhile, I shall just enjoy bringing up our first lil boy..ok..he won't be little forever ..but he is an adorable little monster now. ;P

p/s: can someone tell me why every time I blog via my mobile, my photos automatically rotate the wrong way? (like this) Mobile blogger experts?