3rd trimester, yay!

How time passes quickly. I am already in my third trimester. What a journey.

From the day that I held a positive home pregnancy test in the toilet and cried with joy, to my first antenatal appointment, to my 12-week scan, and then my 20-week scan, numerous blood tests and urine tests, I am now more than half way through. It is indeed a good excuse to celebrate!

The bump is so obvious now, and the pregnancy glow boosted, I have only just started to experience mild back ache, I have had two leg cramps so far, zero morning sickness during my first trimester and let's celebrate before the stretch marks start to crawl on to my bump and leave me horrified! I am still rubbing lots of cocoa butter and bio oil to my bump every day, with the hope that stretch mark will not appear (such high hope) ! Now, with the growing bump, the dark line on my tummy which is called the linea negra has darkened. I am also glad to know that the line will fade away after birth.

I am still reading pregnancy related magazines, books and websites. I am still amaze and awe by small facts about my baby's week-by-week progress as documented in books. I actually love discovering the week-by-week development. I am also reading more other topics, such as birth and breast feeding. This is such an exciting journey, and I am learning new things every day. Life is, simply beautiful!

Getting all the love...

Hmm, life is good. I love being pregnant, and it seems I am getting all the love from Sugar!

Life is simply wonderful!

My maternity portrait...

As I am stepping towards my third trimester, it is quite sad to say that I have yet to find a photographer to help in taking my maternity portrait.

I wanted Sugar to do it for me, and every week, it is either the weather or there is some other things that occupy our days. So, without us realising it, my baby bump is growing bigger each day. I want to have my portrait done before those stretch marks appear. I want to have the memory of silky smooth baby bum. My efforts of rubbing bio-oil and cocoa butter every day will pay off, I keep telling myself that. We shall see, i guess it is still too soon to say!

I have been browsing maternity portraits on the websites, some are really impressive, and I want one of those too!

Picture shown my self timer portrait at 25 weeks pregnant, the location is my lounge!

Coming to an end of my second trimester...

I am officially at my 26th week of pregnancy. I am coming to an end of my second trimester, and stepping into the third trimester. What a milestone!

I have been feeling very moody for the whole week. There is something at work that is bothering me and I constantly feel frustrated with everyone at work. There are even times that I do not even feel like communicating. I guess keeping quiet can prevent lots of arguments and misunderstandings, and it helps not to make me feeling too miserable.

Oh, I am so glad that I am starting my maternity leave on the second week of December. I really think that this is such a good idea for me, because I really do not like the working environment, which is full of souls that are not good for my baby and I!!

Anyway, miserable working life aside, I am overall very good. Lil' B is kicking, kicking and more kicking. I love it! He is very active, he amazes me every time I talk to him, I guess he understands how I feel, he just knows how much I adore him, every time!.. I secretly hope that he would be a very patient man, just like his daddy!

I just cant wait for my maternity leave to start. I want to spend my time organising the nursery, and getting ready to welcome Lil'B home with us!

25 and it is getting bigger..

I am at 25 weeks and 4 days, and I went for my routine midwife appointment.

It goes well, so far. We listen the baby heart beat and my lil'B is moving a lot these days. He is even moving when the midwife used the fetal Doppler to check his heart beat. So cute!

As usual, I brought in my urine sample for screening. They found that I have protein in my urine and need to be sent to the lab for tests. I hope there is nothing complicated. My blood pressure is normal, my weight gain and BMI are normal. My midwife said nothing serious so I pray hard that this is not a sign of pre-eclampsia :(

Earlier on GBS was found in my urine, Group B Streptococus (GBS), my GP prescribed some oral antibiotics for me and it went all clear. I have also done lots of research online about GBS and it is said that it can come and go, with or without symptoms. This is quite difficult, and I have got this high alert GBS sticker on my pregnancy notes. Not just one sticker, there are three stickers in the whole notes! I am worry that I will not be able to have a natural vaginal birth. GBS can affect the baby during birth and this is something I am so worry for a while.

Here are some useful websites about GBS:

Group B Strep Support

Group B Streptococus from BabyCentre

Group B Strep Facts

Swine Flu Vaccination

A few days ago, I received a letter from my local NHS inviting me to our local hospital to participate in the swine flu vaccination programme.

As a pregnant woman, I am considered to be the most vulnerable to serious illness from swine flu. I did not realise that my turn will come this fast. I am really grateful that I am offered this vaccination at this time of my life. I have not had any jabs since a decade ago,I hope this won't hurt, ouch!

I am worry..

Yesterday evening, I clumsily slipped and fell down, and hit my butt, sat right on the tiled floor. I quickly stood up and went to sit down and rest.

I pray hard that it would be alright. I did not encounter any cramp of bleeding. Lil'B is still moving actively, except that my tail bone hurts a little bit. I did not tell Sugar about it and I guess I will be fine.

I am sure Lil'B is well cushioned inside my womb...Today, I have been feeling moody for the whole day and feeling upset about the fall. My next appointment with my midwife is next week, I guess we are fine.

I also read in the forums that many of other pregnant women had slipped and fell and they were all ok! It does help to eliminate my worries....

Somersaulting, perhaps?

These days, the baby's kicking and wiggling around and it is nothing new anymore. Day and night, and I lost counts how many times in a day he has been moving...

Yes, i still get the feeling of awe every time he kicks, sometimes I just ignore him for a bit, then when he becomes quiet, I will tease him and he starts moving. He is one playful little boy, how cheeky!

Sugar has been feeling the baby movement quite a lot these days. He loves it, he starts to sing for our baby, and I guess I will want Sugar to talk or sing more to our baby, so that he gets familiar to our voices when he is born. Research said that at 24 weeks, the baby is able to hear us, and I guess I will talk more to my baby these days.

We have starting to think about name for our boy. We kinda finalise both the Chinese and English names. Still too soon to say, we might change our minds...

Lil'B is in my womb for the 6th month now...

How time passes quickly..

From the moment I jumped to joy with my positive pregnancy test stick, until my very first 12-week scan, then numerous antenatal appointments, and the latest 20 weeks scan and found out that Lil'B is a boy. I am now 24 weeks pregnant, and it is not long till I meet Lil'B.

I am more than half way through. The first three months was more like a roller coaster ride, with lots of emotions, yet it all went on so well. Since this is my very first time, I do not know what to expect. I read books and magazines, I joined lots of mum-to-be websites and browse the forums, I read so much, like all the first time mum, my bedside reading books are all about pregnancy and the week by week progress of the little one inside me.

These days, I am reading all about birth and labour, and how to look after a newborn. How things change now, it is just like yesterday when I reflect from where I came from....

I just cant wait for the BIG day to come, and I soon will have a baby, wondering what it is like when my baby calls me 'mummy'!