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.