Hey Luke!

My little Luke made his grand entrance to this world on 15 August 2013. It's surreal to finally meet him face to face after feeling him squirming in my belly for the past 38 weeks.

I will write about my birth story soon... I hope. :)

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Almost there...

Photo source

Almost there...

Determining real labor from false labor

Contractions in true labor:

• Increase in frequency and intensity over time
• Persist despite movement and/or change of position
• Generally begin in the back and move to the front

Contractions in false labor:

• Occur at irregular intervals and may wax and wane in intensity
• Decrease with walking or movement; they do not become stronger or more frequent
• May ease with change of position
• No increase in frequency or intensity of contractions
• Discomfort located in the front only

Keeping tab of signs that labor is near

(Source: 8 Signs That Labor is Near)

Dropping

• Also known as "lightening" (baby's head settling into the pelvis) or "engagement" (baby's head engages the pelvic opening).
• Breasts probably no longer touch the top of your abdomen.
• Able to sense baby's head resting just beneath the middle of your pelvic bone.
• My experience: I feel soreness in my pelvic area during late 36 weeks. This soreness becomes more and more intense in 38 weeks.

Frequent urination

• My experience: I have to pee every two hours between 12am until the time I wake up in the morning.

Low backache

• As baby gets heavier and drops lower, count on some aches or pains in your lower back and pelvis as your uterine and pelvic ligaments are stretched even more.
• My experience: I don't have much backache but the discomfort in my pelvic area can be quite unbearable at times.

Stronger Braxton-Hicks contractions

• Known as warm-up (pre-labor) contractions that feel like menstrual cramps.
• Start the work of thinning out the cervix from a thick-walled cone to a thin-walled cup.
• Get stronger prior to labor for a week or two before labor starts.
• My experience: Yes, these warm-up contractions do get quite strong as time passes.

Diarrhea

• Loose, frequent bowel movements is nature's enema to empty your intestines to make more room for baby's passage
• My experience: Not yet.

Increased vaginal discharge

• You may notice more egg white or pink-tinged vaginal discharge. This differs from the "bloody show".
• My experience: Yup.

Bloody show

• This happens when the mucus plug that previously sealed the cervix is released.
• The consistency of this mucus varies from stringy to thick and gooey. Some women notice the one-time passing of an obvious mucus plug; others simply notice increased blood-tinged vaginal discharge.
• Some of the tiny blood vessels in your cervix break as your cervix thins, so you may see anything from a pink to a brownish-red-tinged teaspoonful of bloody mucous.
• Once you notice a bloody show, you are likely to begin labor within three days, but some mothers hang on for another week or two.
• My experience: Okay.

Bag of waters breaking

• Only 1 in 10 mothers experience their bag of waters breaking prior to labor.
• For most mothers this doesn't happen until they are well into labor.
• If your water breaks before labor has started, plan on your labor starting intensely within the next few minutes or hours, or at least within the next day.
• My experience: Okay, let's see if I get this.

Exciting times!

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Kampua brunch fix @ Strawberry Restaurant, Bandar Puteri Puchong

Food brings people together. How true! After a little exchange of conversation on Facebook over Sarawak's humble yet famous noodles dish known as kampua, I made new friends today over our kampua brunch fix!

Note: Kampua means dry noodles, a bit similar to Klang Valley's wantan mee.

Let me say "Hi!" again to Annie and Esther! Thanks to Uncle Arthur Wee, you started all this. Hahaha!

Venue: Strawberry Restaurant, Jalan Puteri 2/2, Bandar Puteri Puchong (behind Station One Kopitiam)

"White" Kampua

Literally translated from Chinese, it means dry noodles tossed without soy sauce. I love the pork slices, they are very authentic. If I'm in the mood for some doses of spiciness, I will mix chili sauce with the noodles. :D

"Black" Kampua

 Literally translated from Chinese, it means dry noodles tossed with soy sauce. :)

Fried Kampua

I have never tried fried kampua before. My hubby commented that this dish tasted like maggi goreng. Not bad!

Piansip

I haven't eaten this for almost 14 years! I'd describe piansip as chee cheong fun stuffed with pork and drizzled with oil.

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Celebrating my pregnancy's major milestones

First trimester 

4 weeks: Pregnancy kit shows positive result. Hurrah! 

6 weeks: Pregnancy is clinically confirmed. Ultrasound scan shows a round gestation sac. There's a life form in me!

8 weeks: Hear baby's heartbeat via ultrasound for the first time. Awesome! Very touched too.


Second trimester

14 weeks: Second trimester begins. Nuchal translucency (NT) scan shows baby is healthy.

17 weeks: Feel baby's movements for the first time. The sensations, known as "quickening" are quite sudden and feel like subtle tickles / twitches under my belly's skin.

19 weeks: Blood test results come out normal.

21 weeks: Baby's movements are getting stronger. This week marks the midpoint of pregnancy. Belly is showing.

23 weeks: Fetal anomaly scan (detail scan) shows baby's major organs are all accounted for. Baby's gender is revealed too.

24 weeks: This week marks baby's viability. Baby's kicks are stronger and I can actually see my belly's skin moves when baby moves!

25 weeks: Linea nigra (the slightly darker line down the belly) is showing.


Third trimester

28 weeks: Third trimester begins. Did glucose tolerance test. My result: 4.8 (before) and 5.7 (after) is super excellent, according to the nurse. :)

30 weeks: This week marks 75% of my pregnancy journey.

31-34 weeks: Baby's movements especially kicking are now so much stronger with prominent pattern of sleeping and awaking. Prepared our birth plan.

35 weeks: Washed all of baby's clothes, mittens, booties, etc.

36 weeks: Discussed birth plan with our obgyn. Accepted. Packed our hospital bag. Done our pre-maternity photoshoot.

37 weeks: Full term. Baby is now ready for birth.

38-42 weeks: Baby will be here soon.

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