Too hot to handle

I heard from the news awhile ago that today is the hottest day so far this year wherein it shot up to a scorching 36.6 degrees at around 3:55 pm according to PAGASA. I guess it was a good decision to head on to the mall today to cool off for a bit. Kawawa kasi talaga si baby. Super pawisin pa naman. Kahit nakatutok yung fan pinagpapawisan pa rin. I'm happy to use my ring sling whenever we go malling since less pagod to go around while carrying the baby. It was easier for me to go in and out the jeepney with the baby when she's secured in her sling. Anyway, we lounged first at cha time, one of my favorite tambayan at ali-mall since they have nice couches and it's beside a record store which plays nice music. Dagny quietly slept on the sling while I enjoyed my QQ milk tea while playing candy crush. She woke up after an hour or so. We lounged for another few minutes until she became a bit fussy already. I knew she wanted to drink milk already. We then headed on to the breastfeeding lounge at sm which is located at the 2nd floor near the baby company area. I just love this particular breastfeeding station since it's spacious and clean.

Break Time

I usually have pockets of free time in the afternoon when my little one takes a nap and I'm done doing some chores.  I value these free times I have to myself, no matter how short they are.

I'm a bit tired right now since I just finished (hand) washing her cloth diapers.  I know it takes a bit of effort washing them as compared to disposable diapers but all the other benefits of using cloth diapers (maybe I'll make a separate post for that next time) outweighs that of using disposable diapers.

Hubby has just gone out for work (PM shift) and I'm just really thankful that our little one is peacefully sleeping right now.  I can have my "me-time"! Maybe I can take some snooze time but I'm excited to watch some of my downloaded series.  Maybe I'll watch just one then take a nap (unless the little one wakes up already).

Yesterday was another story when our little one was extra fussy and cried every so often which really tested our patience.  Anyway, we just take it one day at a time. I hope tomorrow I can get another pocket of free time in the afternoon so I can update this blog more.

My birthing story (part 1)

I can’t believe it’s already 1 month since I gave birth to my little one! Trying to remember everything that happened feels so surreal! I hope I can document before I forget any details.

I have always wondered what my birthing story would be.  The build up of anticipation when our little one would come out tremendously grew as each day passed by. Even early on, hubby  and I were guessing when she would decide to come out. Will she come out on Dec 21 “before the world ends”? Or would it be on Dec 24 when everyone’s busy preparing for christmas eve? Or would it be exactly on christmas day? Would I still be able to make it on my bestfriend’s wedding on Dec 28? Or would my due date of Jan 1 be accurate and she’ll have the same birth date as my mom? The waiting game was exciting yet also a bit frustrating.

I had my first internal exam last Dec 17 and I was already 2cm dilated. That got us a bit excited since it’s a signal that any moment, THE DAY would come. I wad advised to do a lot of walking and to take primrose to hasten going into labor. I got a bit worried when OB had a bit of a hard time looking for her heartbeat. I have read some stories of babies losing their heartbeat even if they’re already full term. I was really scared for those few minutes. I don’t know if my belly fats were just too thick that she had a hard time tracking it. I was silently praying that my little one is safe. Good thing she found her heartbeat after a few minutes but was a bit faint. She advised me to have a non-stress test afterwards just to make sure everything’s OK.

The non-stress test was conducted inside the labor room. It was my first time inside and there were 2 ladies who were also there who were in labor. I can hear them whimpering and one was even screaming during contractions. That got me a bit scared and reality started to sink in…one of these days I would be in their shoes as well. I wondered how much it would really hurt. Nyaaaaaaaay! Anyway, good thing my non stress test was ok. My baby was actually very malikot (since I just ate lunch) and her heartbeat was fine. Just like my OB, the intern just reminded me to track her movements every after meal (minimum of 5 movements) since I am diabetic. I was advised to go to the hospital if I observe decreased or no movement after meals.

I posted on FB that I was 2 cm dilated already and got some friends and relatives a bit excited. Some thought I would be giving birth already (I thought so too!). But just like what one friend shared, one can be at 2cm dilated for weeks! I just didn’t know how my dilation would progress. The waiting game was still on.

Everyday, hubby would accompany me to do some walking, either at the mall or around the neighborhood. We would even go to UP so I can walk around the acad oval while he ran. It was really tiring especially with a full term belly but I had to be more patient if I want to help our baby come out. We wouldn’t want her to overstay in my belly since as the day passes the probability that I undergo CS also increases as she grows bigger.

I treasure those moments walking with my hubby since we got to talk and bond more. We would talk anything and everything under the sun. I admit sometimes I’d be stubborn to walk since it’s much easier to just lie down on bed and rest, but I’m really thankful for my patient husband who would always encourage me and cheer me on during those stubborn times. He would remind me that it’s for the benefit of our baby and that would usually be enough to make me get up and walk (but sometimes with a little more whining! hehe!).

All our bags were packed and we’re ready to go. We were just really waiting for our baby’s cue when the right time to go to the hospital would be. I admit to have some sleepless nights especially when I would feel some (irregular) contractions. I would often kid my hubby that I think it’s time already. I would sense a bit of panic every time.

I got a bit excited (and scared) when I saw some white jelly like substance in my underwear on Dec 20. I think that’s part of my mucous plug which I’m starting to shed. It got me more alert on other signs that I may be going into labor soon. As the days went by, I shed more mucous plug which got me more concerned good thing that there are a lot of articles online that I can refer to which pacified me that I don’t have to worry since one can lose their mucous plug and not yet give birth in a couple more days. I just had to watch out for any bloody show.

On Dec 24th I was scheduled to have another non-stress test. My OB was concerned if my baby is still moving enough. Since I am diabetic, there may be possible complications so she wants to monitor how my baby is doing. Thankfully, all is well. I was advised to have an ultrasound by Dec 27 and another non-stress test and was scheduled for a check-up on the 28th. But of course in case I’d have regular contractions or my water bag breaks before that, I should go to the hospital already.

(to be continued)

Hiatus

I’m now a mommy!

Finally, our little one decided to come out last Dec 28, 2012.  I’ll be blogging (soon, hopefully) about my birthing story.  I actually have tons of stuff to blog about, but I gotta prioritize mommy duties for the meantime. It can really get a bit overwhelming at times.  Getting a 4-hr sleep is already a luxury to me and being able to bathe is considered “me-time” already.

Don’t get me wrong, mommyhood can be really tiring, but a simple smile from my baby takes all the tiredness away.

Right now we’re still staying at my parents’ place but by next monday we’ll be going back to our own place.  I know that can be extra challenging since that would mean doing everything on our own.  I’m just really grateful to my parents who have been taking really good care of us.  I’d certainly miss their nutritious homecooked meals!

Anyway, I hope I can blog longer soon.  Right now I still got some laundry to finish before baby wakes up!

Cya around!

Waiting Time

I guess patience is not so much one of my best virtues. Super inip much!!! I really hope baby dagny would come out already. As the days go by, I get more paranoid. I’m really hoping and praying that everything will be ok. My OB always reminds me to take note of baby’s movements, given that I’m diabetic. Even if my sugar level has been controlled, there’s always that impending possible complication *sigh*

I’d really prefer that baby would come out already before she becomes bigger and might be riskier for me to have a normal delivery. I’ve been doing a lot of walking lately, thanks to my very supportive hubby who’s been very patient with me. With my belly growing bigger and heavier by the day, it’s so tempting to just lie down and take lots of naps. It’s a good thing that hubby has been really urging me and encouraging me to do more walking. We’d pick different paths around the neighborhood every night. We even went walking around UP last sunday. Later we’ll probably do several rounds around the mall.

I was already at 2 cm last monday. But we still have to wait and see how this will progress since there are instances that one can last at 2-3 cm for even 3 weeks! Well, I hope that wouldn’t be my case. I’m really hoping I’d give birth before christmas. My OB has prescribed me to drink Eveprim, but I’ve been having a hard time finding one since most drugstores don’t have stocks of this. Good thing that there are alternate brands (naturalle and atc).

Anyway, this morning I already saw some mucous plug discharge. Well, I don’t want to be excited since it doesn’t necessarily mean I’ll give birth already. I’m really just getting anxious when baby will decide to come out. I wonder what my birthing story would be…

Nesting

We still got a lot of cleaning to do!!! *sigh*

We plan to stay at my parents’ house by the 1st week of December.  But since my bedroom at my parents’ house has been transformed to a storage room for almost 3 years, there’s just too many stuff we need to organize, throw, clean, and disinfect.  We’ve been going there almost every weekend so we can prepare the room for when Baby Dagny comes.  So far so good.  But it looks like we wouldn’t have enough time to sort out all the cabinets and drawers.

It’s good that an aunt gave us a big plastic drawer for Baby Dagny’s stuff.  I can’t imagine putting her stuff inside the musky cabinets!  We also bought some big plastic bins we can put her other stuff.  It’s amazing how much stuff a baby can have.  We’re just really grateful that a lot of friends and relatives have contributed to Baby Dagny’s stash! We still have a couple of items in our list, though, that we still need to buy like a baby bath tub, a crib/playpen, and stroller.  We’ll probably wait for the baby fair this January to buy those stuff.

Anyway, we also need to clean our current home now to make sure that it’s baby-ready when we get back in January.  There’s still a lot of cleaning to do.  I think our problem is that we don’t have a place where we can put our stuff.  It’s an old house and we didn’t really have much cabinet space where we can put our stuff.  The cabinets have other stuff that my hubby’s family owns.

I bought a couple more big plastic bins to put some of our stuff in (I just got tons of scrapbooking stuff and other arts and crafts stuff begging to be put in their proper place).  Maybe we also need to buy some drawers and shelves.  We just have to make sure that everything has a storage box to go to.  I guess we never got around to that previously since our mindset was that we would be transferring to our condo unit soon so if we would be buying stuff, it should be something we would be using for the condo.  Well anyway, it looks like transferring to the condo would have to wait…

We also need to better utilize the other room which has become a storage space for us.  I still got a long list of things to do, but unfortunately it seems like my energy is waning as the days go by so I’m taking things slowly, lest have the baby come out prematurely.

It’s great that my hubby would start his leave by Dec. 5 and he also has a couple of leaves lined up before that as well so we still got time to do all the cleaning that we need.

Hopefully everything would be baby ready in due time.  Hold on, Baby Dagny! Don’t come out yet!!!

Prepping cloth diapers

I'm very excited to use my stash of cloth diapers for Baby Dagny! I already prepped them last weekend. Here's what I did: Inserts: - Soaked in warm water overnight - Washed with cycles detergent powder the next morning (used up my cycles sample) - Rinsed 3 times - Line dry under the sun Covers: - Soaked in normal tap water overnight - Washed with cycles detergent powder the next morning (used up my cycles sample) - Rinsed 3 times - Line dry under the sun *sayang di ko napiktyuran ng nakasampay. Anyway, here's my newly prepped stash: Current Cloth Diaper stash: 2 bamboo dappy 3 baby leaf 3 next 9 3 alva 5 happy flute I didn't fold the bamboo dappy nappies yet since they were still a bit wet (as expected. since bamboo material usually dries longer) I have 12 more Alva CDs arriving this December which I ordered through group buying. That would be a total of 28 CDs which would be enough if I will be washing them every other day. But then again, I feel like I'd still end up buying a couple more if I wouldn't be able to resist some cute designs. I'm trying to hold back on pink stuff and trying to order some neutral colors so that in case we have a baby boy next time, he'd also be also be able to use them. Anyway, I'm planning to wash these prepped CDs again when my Alva CDs arrive . They say that it's advisable to wash the nappies a couple of times to prep the absorbency of the nappies. I really hope we'll be successful in cloth diapering. I just pray that Baby Dagny wouldn't experience diaper rashing while using them.

Baby's Name

Even before I got pregnant, hubby and I have been talking about what names to give our future children. The names and nicknames have evolved over time. We would fondly call our future kids as Bochog and Dudai. We would even imagine how they would look like and what their personalities would be. Now that I’m finally pregnant and we finally know the gender of our baby, we had to finalize what name to give her. Here are our initial conditions 1. We want 2 names, one has to start with a letter J since both of us have J’s in our name. The other one should start with a letter D (since we’ve been calling our (then) imaginary baby girl as Dudai) 2. We want a unique name, unique enough to avoid getting hit during NBI clearances (hehe). Anyway, we’ve been looking at baby books and googling baby names. Finally, here’s what we have decided to name her: It’s pronounced as Dag-nee Ja-ney. I know most people have a hard time pronouncing it the first time they see it. It’s a unique name indeed and we’ve grown fond of her name. Meaning: Dagny = New day (sakto, based sa 1st ultrasound, jan 1 ang due date nya… it was also inspired by one of the characters in one of my favorite books, Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand) Janae = God has answered/ God is gracious / God’s grace People would often ask what her nickname would be and would often deduce it to be DJ. Well, we’ll just call her baby dagny and let her decide when she grows up how she wants to be called (specially when she reaches her teenage years). Side note: the felt letter pillows and felt flowers were some of my DIY stuff for my birthday/baby shower :)

Our baby in 3D

I have been urging my hubby for us to have a 3D ultrasound. Thankfully he finally gave in. It’s a good thing that I was able to find a package that wasn’t too expensive so it was easier for him to say yes. The place was also recommended by my OB. So finally, we went to Face2Face at SM the block last Oct. 18 to have the 3D ultrasound. The package we took includes 1 facial picture and 1 gender picture print out with biometry for Php1,500. We were there around 4pm. I was made to sign a waiver form which indicated that they do not guarantee that images would be clear especially if the baby is not in the right position. Since we only got the lower package, a rescan on another day would cost Php500. We were really hoping and praying that our baby would cooperate during the scan. Finally it was our turn. Unfortunately our baby’s hands were blocking her face. The sonologist proceeded, for the mean time, to scan other parts of the baby. Finally we were able to 100% confirm that our baby is indeed a GIRL!!! Anyway, the sonologist tried poking my belly and made me turn sideways but our baby was sleeping soundly and didn’t want to budge. After a few more minutes of trying, the sonologist advised us to do a bit of walking for the meantime and to drink something cold and sweet. Good thing the rescan within the day is still free. So off we go and walked around the block and drank Taro Ice (which I’ve been craving for some time already). After around an hour we went back again. There were other preggy mommies who were made to come back as well, probably with the same case as mine. Our turn came but unfortunately our baby hasn’t moved significantly enough for the sonologist to have a good facial picture of her. We can see her move but her hands were still in the way. :( It was getting a bit frustrating, escpecially considering that the previous days she’s been soo malikot in my belly. A few more minutes passed and the sonologist once again advised us to come back again. It was a good thing that she was very patient with us. We walked around for another hour and checked out some baby stuff as well. And while waiting for our turn again, we were talking to our baby and begging her to cooperate already since it’s nearing closing time already of the clinic. It would be our last chance already. We were the last couple to be entertained. Unfortunately, she’s still in the same position. It was really a bit frustrating but the plus side of the whole experience was that we were able to see our baby for a long period of time, probably an hour in total. Anyway, after a few more pokes and turning sideways the sonologist was finally able to get a decent enough picture. I really commend the sonologist for being oh so patient with us. Here’s our baby girl!!! :) :) :) Sinong kamukha? Parang si BJ no?

Belly Bump

Finally I’m able to post a decent picture of my belly bump since it’s more pronounced at 30 weeks! Well, actually, it’s more obvious when I’m wearing a dress and when I’m standing up. When I’m wearing leggings or shorts I can still just pass up as someone fat and not pregnant. When I’m sitting down you can still see the 2 big flabs and not 1 round pregnant belly. Probably because I still got loose belly skin that’s still not filled up yet since I’m still around 15lbs far from my heaviest weight way back in 2007. Oh well. That’s my body. I still get a bit overwhelmed whenever I consciously think about the presence of a baby inside my belly! And as the day goes by, we get more excited when we can finally hold and kiss our baby! Woohoo! Konting hintay na lang!!!

Baby's Movements

Feeling our baby move has been one of the best feelings I’ve ever felt. It’s somehow an assurance that our baby’s doing fine. It would often cause me some paranoia whenever I wouldn’t sense any movement for a long time. The first time I felt our baby was when we were waiting for our turn for my OB checkup. I was only around 12 weeks pregnant then. Some would say that that’s a bit early but I’m pretty sure it was our baby. It was like a bubble like quick swish feeling. I’ve never felt that ever before. I knew our baby was making its presence felt already. I felt it once in awhile specially after meals. Then our baby’s movement revolved during the 2nd trimester. It wasn’t bubbles and flutters anymore. I felt more pronounced thumps but still not enough to physically see it on my tummy or for my hubby to feel it. But late in my 2nd trimester even my hubby can feel our baby move, sometimes he would be surprised how strong the movements were. It’s not just kicks or jabs, I can feel like our baby’s turning. I would sometimes even wake up when the movement’s just too strong. It’s also amusing to feel our baby hiccuping in my tummy.

Cloth Diapering 101

Event: Cloth Diapering 101 When: Saturday, October 6, 2012 (1:00pm) Where: Medela House (#29 1st St., New Manila, Quezon City) I really looked forward to going to this event since I really want to get into cloth diapering when our baby comes out. Not only is this option more environmentally friendly, it’s also very economical in the long run. As discussed by Jenny of Chronicles of a Nursing Mom, you may, more or less, incur a cost of around 24K to 37K on disposable diapers per year (depending on the brand of disposable diaper you use and that is assuming that you’d have to change baby’s diaper on the average of 8 times a day). That’s a lot of money!!! And imagine how much diaper trash we’ve accumulated over the years! You may have to shell out quite a lot initially to build your stash of cloth diapers pero walang wala yun sa matitipid mo in the long run! Imagine, you can use those cloth diapers even until you get to potty train your babies and even pass them on to their other siblings! Sulit talaga! And super bonus pa na and daming cute designs ng cloth diapers available nowadays! Ms Clarice and Ms Abbie of Tickled Moms discussed how to use cloth diapers, suggested number of cloth diapers to have depending on every when you plan to wash nappies, how to wash cloth diapers, and how to take care of them. It was really a very informative event. Now I’m more confident in using cloth diapers. I really hope I can make it work. I know how easy it is to just succumb to disposable diapers since you wouldn’t have to deal with washing those nasty nappies, but with all the information I’ve gathered on cloth diapering I’m now more determined to chose it over using disposable diapers. Even if you can easily find most of these information online, I’m still glad that I went to this event since I was able to hear experiences from actual mom who have been using cloth diapers. Iba talaga yung naririnig mo yung actual experiences nila since it helps you prepare how to tackle certain problems that you may encounter while using cloth diapers. They were very generous with tips on what worked for them and what didn’t. What I extra love about this event is that Tickled Moms offered discounts on their cloth diapers. They sold Happy flute only at Php250 and Alva at Php275! Normally these would cost around Php300-350. I ended up buying 5 happy flute and 3 alva cloth diapers. I probably would have bought more kung di ako naubusan nung ibang design and if I had more cash on hand. Medyo takot din ako pagalitan ni hubby na nagshopping na naman ako since we agreed to do the baby shopping after the baby shower na lang. But I just couldn’t pass up on these good deals! They also gave away a free fluff stuffer with insert from Next9! That would cost around Php200 if you order it. It transforms any diaper to a stay-dry, waterproof diaper. They also gave away samples of charlie’s soap. I can use these to prewash the cloth diapers that I just bought! Cool! They also gave away lots of raffle prizes like tip tap shoes, cloth diapers, etc. I won one of their raffle items: a tickled pouch! It’s a baby carrier good for babies who can already sit unassisted (most babies are able to do this between 4 to 7 months) up to toddlers around 30 lbs. It’s light and very easy to use since it doesn’t involve any rings or buckles. Since the size depends on the adult and not on the baby they had to measure me up since the large size would be a little small for me to use and they’d have to produce a personalized one for me. I’m excited when I would be able to use it for my baby. Thank you, tickled moms!

Baby Shower Wishlist

*post updated based on the gifts we got during the baby shower. We’ll be forever grateful to friends and relatives who gave us gifts that our precious baby Dagny would be able to use. I usually make it a point to celebrate my birthday with friends and family. It’s a good excuse to have a mini reunion. With everybody’s busy lives, it’s really hard to meet regularly with friends and loved ones. I’ll be celebrating my birthday on November 4, sakto sunday yun. We decided na isabay na lang din yung baby shower para isahang pagod na lang din. I’m really looking forward to it since it would mean seeing friends and loved ones and doing some catching up. Iba rin kasi yung sa FB lang kayo nagcha-chat or nakikitsismis na lang sa mga status updates. Some friends and family members have been asking what baby stuff we still need which they can provide. Sa totoo lang, we’ve barely shopped so marami pa talagang kelangang bilin. Mostly mga basic clothes for newborn pa lang. Pinagshopping din ako ng mom and tita ko ng ibang clothes, cloth diapers, and receiving blankets (yey!). Anyway, we decided to sign up for a baby shower registry at SM Department store (since it’s the most accessible and have relatively cheaper products as compared to stores like Mothercare). But of course we’re not imposing that guests bring gifts or to buy their gifts from SM for that matter. Their presence is most important since I rarely get to see them anymore nowadays, how much more when I start becoming a mom and be busy with taking care of our baby. Nakakatuwa lang din magparegister sa SM registry for the baby shower. Guests can avail of a 10% discount on regular items included in our list (except for toiletries/diapers). They can also avail of their free gift wrapping services. They just need to go to the customer service/ gift registry area so that the staff can assist them. They just need to say the GR Code: 11266 or in case makalimutan, kahit sabihin na lang yung married name ko. The staff will print out our wishlist and the guest can just pinpoint which gift they would want to give. Yung sales ladies na yung kukuha nung mga stuff na napili, no need to go around. Anyway, guests are not limited to the list we have registered at SM. Sino ba naman kami para mag-impose, diba? Any gift is a big blessing for us, considering ang gastos talaga bumili ng baby stuff so any help we get are truly very much appreciated. Generally our wishlist includes: 1. Diapers - Preferably cloth diapers (mahal lang yung nasa SM (Charlie Banana brand), kaya personally, we’re looking at online stores for this like http://calebscloset.multiply.com. Marami na brands available online like baby leaf, alva, happy flutes, etc. *we got 2 bamboo dappy CDs with extra bamboo insert. yey! - Disposable diapers – any brand would do since we still don’t know which one mahihiyang si baby, preferably newborn/small sizes since we really plan mag cloth diapers in the long run. *we got 3 different brands of disposable diapers. yey! 2. Consumable stuff like: - Baby wipes (Giggles, J&J, etc) *we got 4 packs of baby wipes. yey! - Baby wash *we got J&J top to toe wash. yey! - Baby-friendly Detergent: Cycles powder/Cradle/ Charlie *we got cycles powder detergent. yey! 3. Feeding Bottles and Sterilizer - Kahit ano basta BPA free *I plan to exclusively breastfeed, but we’d probably need a couple of bottles in case there would be occasions when I would need to leave for awhile, atleast may maiiwan akong pumped milk kay baby. *we got 3 avent 9oz bottles. yey! 4. Breastpump - I’m considering Medela Harmony Manual Pump *we’re still on the lookout for a great deal on breast pumps. 5. Receiving blankets *we got 2 receiving blankets. yey! 6. Bolster Pillows/ comforter set/ Boppy pillow *we got a bolster pillow set and fleece blanket. yey! 7. Clothes - We’ve mostly covered the newborn clothes so if ever we’d prefer getting clothes na pang 6-12 months na. *we got 2 dresses, onesies, pajamas, and tiesides. yey! 8. Nursing Cover *I bought one already. 9. Baby Sling *we got a next9 ring sling. yey! 10. Educational Toys/ books *i joined a group buy for lamaze toys and cloth book. 11. Baby bath tub *still need to purchase this 12. Health and Grooming Kit (Brush/comb, nail clippers, nasal aspirator, thermometer, etc) *we got nail clippers and nasal aspirator. yey! 13. Stroller *hopefully kuya will buy this for us. hehe! 14. Crib/ Folding Bassinet *we got a cuddlebug moses basket. yey!

3rd trimester, Here we go!

I’m 28 weeks pregnant already. How time flies so fast! I’m on my 3rd trimester already! It excites me so much knowing that the day when we would be able to hug and kiss our little one is coming closer and closer. Somehow it scares me as well, especially whenever I think about the actual giving birth of our little one. We’re really hoping and praying that it would be an easy, risk-free, normal delivery. I really need to read more on information about giving birth. We have to discuss our birthing plan as well with our OB. So what have been my pregnancy symptoms lately…hmmm… well for one, it looks like frequent trips to the bathroom is back again, only this time, it’s a bit harder getting up from bed since I’m getting bigger already. That’s why I love having my hubby around coz he can help me get up but when I’m alone and my hubby is at work I would take my time rolling myself into getting up. I’ve been experiencing back pains as well. I really need to exercise more and do more stretching not just walking. That’s why I’m really looking forward to this saturday’s yoga event for preggy mommies. I just hope I remember the steps that they will be teaching so I can do them at home more regularly. I’ve been experiencing heartburn as well so I try to make it a point to sleep na medyo more elevated yung head. Lately super antukin ko sa umaga. I’d often snooze again after breakfast and around lunch na ko magigising. Well, probably coz I don’t get to sleep early din, like usually around 1am since I’m having a hard time sleeping at night (probably since that’s the time na medyo malikot si baby). With respect to my belly bump, well it’s bigger, but not as big as I thought it would be at this point (but then again I would have to remind myself na medyo exponential ang growth ni baby this coming months). I guess I’m just a bit insecure that it’s still not 1 big round belly but 2 flabs. So feeling ko tuloy minsan akala siguro ng mga tao sobrang taba ko lang talaga and di talaga mukhang buntis. Oh well. I just have to remind myself that before I got pregnant, I was 25lbs less than the fattest I ever got way back in 2007 so my belly skin is relatively loose. Anyway, I’m just really thankful that I’ve never been ordered by my OB to go on bed rest and so far she’s has no complaints regarding my weight gain. I hope the rest of the trimester would be smooth sailing.

Baby stuff shopping

I really didn’t intend to go shopping for baby stuff but I was at SM north last last week and decided to check out the department store. There were a couple of sale items which I really had a hard time saying no to. I’ve been to mothercare and there’s really a big price difference. Mukhang ok naman yung quality and 100% cotton naman. So here’s the stuff that I bought: 3 pairs of socks (Php90 instead of Php179.75) leg warmers (Php79.75) receiving blanket (Php135 instead of Php269.75) 3 sleeveless tieside (0-3 mos) (Php155 instead of Php174.75) onesies with pajama (Php125/set instead of Php249.75) 3 onesies with bib (0-3 mos) (Php125/set instead of Php249.75) 2 onesies with bib (3-6 mos) (Php125/set instead of Php249.75) Around Php1200 lang lahat yan since most are around 50% off!!! Sa panahon ngayon, kelangan talagang maging sulit mommy! baby stuff shopping Mukhang najustify ko naman kay hubby ang aking biglaang shopping spree given the amount of money that I saved. Ang comment lang nya: “What if boy pala si baby?” Nyarks. Actually there’s still that possibility lalo na di pa talaga 100% confirmed na baby girl na talaga. But then again, 2 OB sonologists have already said na mukhang babae nga daw, ang likot lang kasi ni baby during our last scan so di nya ma-picturan ng maayos. Oh well. I’m really hoping we can have a 3D scan soon so we can see baby more clearly and mas maconfirm yung gender nya.

Baby stuff checklist

It’s a bit overwhelming whenever we think about all the stuff we have to buy for our baby. We’ve been doing a lot of window shopping but haven’t really started on buying stuff., specially the big ticket ones I’m just really thankful for the giveaways I’ve won which somehow saves us a couple of moolah. Anyway, I got this checklist from baby company to serve us our guide. We wouldn’t probably need to buy everything or follow the quantities to a tee but at least we have a guide on what stuff to buy. We just really need to prioritize what stuff to buy. I noted which stuff we already have (there’s really not much yet! hehe!) We’re thinking of probably doing our shopping by early November. Hopefully we’ll have enough funds by then. Some friends and relatives have been asking what stuff we would want to receive. We’re not really choosy. Haha! Any gift would be considered a great blessing, specially since we haven’t really started on any major shopping for baby stuff yet. Maybe I’ll make a separate post for our wishlist :)

Another freebie: a tall starbucks drink

Have you experienced ordering from Starbucks and be randomly picked to evaluate them? You’re actually randomly picked and notified through your receipt. It includes a special instruction on how to answer their evaluation survey, wherein you have to go to www.mystarbucksvisit-ph.com. You get a free tall starbucks drink for doing this. This is not actually my first time to experience this, I think it’s my 4th already over the years. Nakakatuwa lang to get another freebie, specially considering that I’ve been on a roll of kaswertehan these days. I even got 3 out of 6 numbers correctly in a recent 6/49 draw (lucky pick). Well, I hope my luck never run out! :)

Baby & Me Event: Pregnancy and Childbearing Tips

This was another event I was looking forward to. I’ve been encouraging my hubby to take formal birthing classes but the cost somehow turns him off (can’t blame him, ang dami pa kasi ibang baby-related costs that we need to think about). Since this is a free event, we took the time to take advantage of it so that we can somehow have a glimpse of what to expect during childbirth. I know there are lots of information available through the internet pero iba pa rin yung may nagsasalita sa harapan mo at nage-explain. I was extra looking forward to it since it was Rome Kanapi who was going to be the resource speaker. I’ve heard good words about her from one of my bestfriends who attended her birthing classes. While waiting for the event to start they distributed samples of frisomum milk drink. It did taste good but my endocrinologist and OB advised me not to drink so much milk since it might affect my blood sugar and cause it to shoot up so I just need to opt to get calcium from other food sources. Frisomum sample There were more pregnant mommies this time since they accommodated 100 mommies to sign up as compared to the previous event where they limited it to just 50. As usual I was a bit insecure with my belly bump with all the other preggy mommies around me since my belly wasn’t as pronounced considering I’m on my 6th month already. Depending on what I’m wearing, minsan mukha lang talaga akong mataba specially that my belly’s not yet just one big bump but still 2 big flabs! Minsan lang hindi halata … Oh well… Mary the host Rome Kanapi - a childbirth teacher Rome Kanapi started her talk by asking what are the body aches that we, pregnant mommies, have been experiencing lately. Usual answers were back aches and leg cramps. She taught us several exercises we can do to help relieve and avoid these aches. She even let us stand and try out the exercises. The daddies were encouraged to do the exercises as well. In fairness, the pelvic exercises did feel good! I plan to do those regularly. Then she proceeded to discuss about childbirthing – baby’s position, water bag breaking (take note of the COT: color, odor, and time), contractions, breathing, pushing, CS, naturally inducing labor, etc. It was very informative and I’m glad my husband was with me. He certainly learned a lot as well, specially what his role would be during childbirth. I just really hope he would be allowed to go inside the delivery room when I give birth (we still need to discuss that with my OB). I really do hope and pray that our baby would be in the right position come birthing time so that we would have bigger chances of a normal delivery. I also hope and pray that I wouldn’t have a hard time giving birth and that we would have a healthy normal baby. She brought with her a toy doll which is almost the size of the usual asian baby as well as a pelvic bone sample. It was really effective seeing those since these aids helped me understand even more what happens to the body when giving birth. cervical dilation chart She also brought with her a cervical dilation chart. It’s just amazing how a woman’s body is enabled to give birth to another human being. I really just hope and pray that I wouldn’t have a hard (long) time reaching that 10cm. I’m just really not looking forward to having an IE. It still scares me whenever I think about giving birth. But at least I now have a picture somewhat of what to expect and what to do during childbirth. Pero syempre iba pa rin pag totoo na talaga. Nyaaaaaay!!! looking forward to holding my own baby Unfortunately we had limited time so it really is just a crash course on childbirth. I really hope we can attend her extensive classes so we can learn more and prepare ourselves for THE DAY. Anyway, there were other parts of the program, such as Mothercare’s presentation of their products, Frisomum’s demonstration of how to make smoothies using Frisomum milk, picture taking with Truman the mascot, and of course the much awaited raffle time. Unfortunately we didn’t win this time…OK lang, give chance to others daw :) They also distributed some snacks care of Sexy Chef as well as loot bags from Goody, Avent, Cycles/ Cradle, and Sweet Baby Diapers. snacks from sexy chef Here are the lootbags which everybody got, besides the free Moms Today magazine and Sweet Baby disposable diapers : Goody lootbag: cup with cover from avent avent moisturizing nipple cream avent disposable breast pads Cycles and Cradle lootbag: cycles mild laundry detergent sample cradle baby bottle and nipple cleanser sample insect repellant sample 20% discount coupon on cycles and cradle products if you buy at mothercare aprica stick on notepad It was just a bit of a turn off when the distribution of the loot bags became suddenly disorganized and the mommies started going to the lootbag table to get the stuff on their own. Some even got 3 or more loot bags! All in all, it was another great event from Baby & Me. Hubby and I definitely learned a lot. It was somehow an eye opener for us on what to expect during childbirth. I’m really glad that hubby came with me to this event since he will be my main supporter during the momentous event of childbirthing. I just really hope and pray that I would have an easy, risk-free, normal delivery. We can’t wait to hug and kiss Baby Wopwop already! Anyway, off topic, as we were walking after the event we saw these dogs lounging around BHS. Wala lang, natuwa lang ako…super cute and friendly nila! Nakipaghake hands pa sa kin yung isa :)

Hubby's spaghetti

Usually on sundays we go to my parents’ house, but on days that we don’t I would usually urge the hubby to cook or just have food delivered or probably just eat out so I can take a rest from cooking (and washing the dishes). Last sunday hubby decided to cook spaghetti. It’s one of the few dishes that he can cook (besides cooking corned beef and frying stuff and cooking instant pancit canton). This dish was the first food he cooked for me way back when we were still bf-gf. He came up with his own recipe and is very particular with the ingredients that he uses, specially the brand of spaghetti sauce. Ang bagal nya lang talaga magluto. Super gutom na kami ni baby when he finished. It was worth the wait naman since his spaghetti tasted good. Too bad my blood sugar has been going crazy lately so I couldn’t eat much of it even if I wanted to. No, I’m not making an excuse not to eat it, masarap talaga spaghetti nya! :) Hubby's Spaghetti

Smart Parenting Baby Shower

Here’s another delayed post (as this event happened last Sept 1 pa! hehe!)… Smart Parenting’s Baby Shower was one of the events I was looking forward to attend. For one, I’m not sure if I would be able to have my own baby shower so I might as well enjoy one already. The event also includes a yoga class which I really wanted to take part off since I really need the exercise. I used to do yoga before getting pregnant but I wasn’t sure which moves are still safe for preggy women so that was put to a halt. Hubby and I were supposed to go to a friend’s baby’s baptism in the morning that day but something came up and he couldn’t accompany me anymore and he wouldn’t allow me to commute all the way from QC to Magallanes alone. It can get pretty frustrating when plans suddenly change. It’s good that at least he still allowed me to go to the Smart Parenting’s Baby Shower since it was just in Ortigas. I really didn’t know what to expect from the event since I just saw it in FB and signed up for it. I’m really glad I did since Smart Parenting really prepared for it and preggy mommies were in for a treat! Yummy food c/o Discovery Suites The event started around 1pm. They first served buffet lunch before the actual program started. I’m not sure how many preggy mommies were there, probably around 70 or more? The hubbies were just made to come back after the event. Pretty delamar The event was hosted by Delamar from RX93.1. It’s the first time I’ve seen her in person. She’s really pretty and such a good host. She would often share some of her personal experiences when she got pregnant which was amusing to hear. With fellow preggy mommies There were several speakers who shared information on pregnancy myths, what food to eat and avoid, fashion for preggy moms, apparel for babies, etc. They were indeed very informative. In between there would be a question and answer portion to see if the preggy mommies were indeed listening to the speakers. It was fun to answer since they would give you a gift if you do. Luckily, I got one of them! Diaper purse with portable changing mat from Nursing Mom At some point, some of the preggy mommies who signed up for prenatal yoga were ushered into another room while the others were left to enjoy more baby shower games. I’m really glad that I signed up for this class! Oh how I missed doing yoga! I’m proud to say that despite being a plus size, I’m pretty much flexible (although I just have to work on my balance more). Ready for yoga Our yoga instructor See if you can find me and my big butt! Haha! I really enjoyed that class! I wish I can do it more often. I just hope I can remember most of the moves so I can do them at home since it feels really great and I really need the exercise. Anyway, after the yoga class, we went back to the main room to enjoy more talk and more games. I was lucky to get invited to join one of the games where we would have to guess how much was the total price of the pile of baby apparel presented on the table. Unfortunately my guess was pretty off but they were very generous to give each of us Php1,000 worth of GC’s from Goldilocks as consolation prize! The winner got Php2,500 worth of GC’s for Goldilocks as well as all the apparel that they made us guess what the total cost was. Lots of fun games and loads of prizes given away Hmmm...I wonder how much all these cost? :) Php 1,000 worth of GCs from Goldilocks as consolation prize They capped off the event by raffling prizes. Even if we didn’t get the grand prize of an overnight stay at Discovery Suites, I was still very lucky to get the first one raffled off which was a big diaper bag with changing mat. That would really come in handy whenever we would be going out with the baby. Raffle prize: Diaper bag with changing mat All in all, it was a fun afternoon. Kudos to Smart Parenting for organizing such a wonderful event. I’m sure all preggy mommies had fun! I sure did! And thanks to the generous sponsors as well. There were so much stuff given away. Even those who didn’t win the raffle all got loot bags with so much baby stuff in them! Loots galore! Para akong nag todo shopping! Here’s what’s inside the blue loot bags which everybody got: 3 pairs of mittens 3 pairs of booties 3 bonnets 3 bibs 3 washcloths 3 burpcloths Milk container Soap sample from Oilatum 2 Disposable breast pads sample from Avent Avent milk container Tiny Buds Baby bottle and utensil wash sample Stick on notes and pen from Discovery Suites Smart Pregnancy Magazine Smart Parenting Magazine Inside the loot bag which everybody got This is a really nice way to start with our baby stash. But then again, we still got lots of stuff to buy. I’d like to do a little more researching before buying stuff, especially the big ticket items. Anyway, I really had fun attending this event. It makes me think whether I would still have my own baby shower. It would be fun to have one but it’s just a bit weird if I’ll be the one to organize it. Well, I’m considering probably having it the same time as my birthday celebration. Bahala na si batman! :) Pinagdidiskusyunan pa namin ni bossing.