My 3D2N in KKH

Finally, I am going to blog about my 3D2N at KKH.

It was indeed a terrible and traumatic experience for all 3 of us, me, my Laogong and Baby Jamie…

It started like this…

On Tuesday Afternoon, I was happily packing baby things and clearing some rubbish away in the room… And that Night was peaceful too, as I helped my MIL hanged up the freshly washed hand-down baby clothes to be dried.

Suddenly, it started after past midnight like a curse…

At first, it was just the pooing…which comes like every few minutes…. But that was only the beginning…

I decided to sleep earlier and crawled into my bed and covered myself in blanket. After a while, my Laogong joined me in bed.

Halfway through my sleep, at about 3am, I started feeling uncomfortable and wanted to puke… I moaned and moaned and finally I struggled out of bed to puke… and it was like endless… there was like so much things to puke out… I wonder if I ate so much at dinner…

I crawled back to bed and soon, the most horrible thing happened… I ran to the toilet with a bad tummyache and started puking and pooing AT THE SAME TIME. I know it sounds really gross but try to imagine someone sitting on the toilet bowl pooing uncontrollably and also puking onto the toilet floor uncontrollably…

Saw ‘Drag me to Hell’ the Puke is as disgusting as THAT… coming out from my mouth uncontrollably…in Green somemore coz there was nothing left in my tummy but gastric juice…

I screamed for Laogong to come help me. He woke up in a shock and was even more shock when he saw me puking and pooing… He didn’t know what to do but just keep clearing the toilet floor as I continued to puke my gastric juices out. He gave me warm water… held on to my hands… but there was nothing else he could do… I could only keep moaning and said I didn’t know what’s wrong with me and I wanted to leave the toilet because I felt I was so disgusting myself. We were both so helpless…

When everything finally stopped, Laogong helped me to the bed where we both were so exhausted and sleepy… But that was not all…

After a few minutes, I suddenly have this sharp series of contractions coming from my tummy. It lasted for like 5 minutes each time it struck me. It went on for another hour as I squeezed my Laogong’s hand each time the contraction came.

When he realized the contractions were getting more frequent, he decided to send me to the hospital. I was then wheel-chaired to the car and sent to KKH… I couldn’t walk so had to be wheel-chaired all the way. The nurse sent me to the delivery suite because I was more than 30th weeks pregnant.

It was about 6am when I reached KKH.

They monitored baby’s heartbeat and contractions with a machine and told me that baby’s heartbeat is weak and there are signs of contractions…

The nurses suggested I stayed warded for observations since there were signs of contractions and not sure if baby was affected and need to be delivered prematurely. They even did the figures for us and it was a 50k bill if baby had to be delivered now. OMG…

We discussed for a while before deciding to stay warded because we really cannot afford to risk the 50K bill and of coz baby’s health since I was dehydrated and maybe unable to take solid food for a while.

At almost 8am or so on 23th September 2009, Wednesday, I was warded into KKH.

This was when my 3D2N began.

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Day 1: 23rd September, Wednesday

I was pretty surprised at the system in KKH and wondered if it’s the same for all hospital. It seems that everyone had a designated chore to do and there was no one person who can help me settle everything at the same time. Weird.

A ward attendance wheel-chaired me to my ward and I was left there unattended for some time. A nurse came and put my name tag on. A doctor came to needle me and put me on the drip holder. Another nurse came to pass me my ward-wear. Then another nurse come and put me on the drip. Then the doctor came and inject medicine into the drip for me.

*Cough* it took like 1-2hrs to get all these done. And I kept telling each person I saw that I was in shorts and very cold, can I have my ward-wear… haizzz…

But maybe it’s more systematic this way? Hmmm…

Anyhow, by the time, I put on the ward-wear and drip and lay down in bed it’s already 10am. Was alone there because Laogong needed to go home to get my stuffs, handphone, informed my close friends, informed my mother, took urgent leave from work etc…

I was very hungry then and very much neglected. Just as I was about to take my nap with an empty stomach, a lovely angel in white brought me biscuits and a cup of milo… And told me she would be sending some bread up for me as well. True enough, I was served with two slice of bread and another cup of milo… I finished the biscuit, 1 slice of bread and the two cups of milo before I dozed off.

I woke up to see my very cold bowl of lunch = fish ball noodles… I wondered it was cold because I had overslept past lunchtime. It was about 1.30pm.

I called Laogong and true enough he had fell asleep. Poor him, he must be very tired because of all the hassle the night before. He came over to company me and I thought he was very bored and poor thing also because there wasn’t much he could do. He watched TV, tried to sleep, played internet games and even tried to squeeze into my bed. But having him around was a great comfort already.

I ‘observed’ my ‘neighbours’ (I was in a 4 bedder ward) and realized one was a Malay lady inducing her delivery and the other was a Malay lady who had just given birth. There was a whole kampong of people who came to visit the Malay lady who had just given birth.

Well, I had to say I always love children and had medium tolerance for noise. But then the kampong of young children were running around and screaming away. I told Laogong to go out and scold them like a teacher. :X hahaha… Of coz he didn’t lah.

He accompanied me until 4pm and decided to go to NTU for his master classes. But I think he was then too tired to concentrate in class and hence went home for a nap and dinner instead. After Laogong left, I dozed off again.

My MIL came to visit me after work at about 5.30pm. And I was had just taken a few bites of the cold bowl of dinner = wanton macaroni.

My brother and da sao came at about 7pm and my two ‘jiemeis’ came at 8pm to see me.

Really grateful to all those who came and see me. Though I was weak and unable to entertain them much but I was really glad to have some company.

I dozed off again when they all left. And woke up at close to 11pm. Laogong then took over the ‘night shift’ and company me till 2am when I dozed off again. So happy he brought the camera and we started snapping photos~!!! See how weak I was… helpless… so helpless…





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Day 2: 24th September, Thursday

I realized why I was freezing in the middle of the night. It was raining when I woke up at 8am. I was eager to go home today. However, when the doctor visited me at 8.30am, he advised me to stay for another day and to stay on drip in case baby was malnutrition if I was unable to take solid food. And hence, I had to be warded for another day.

Breakfast came at 9am and cheered me up a lot. It was steaming hot chee cheong fun and siew mai!!! I also had a hot mug of milo without milk served to me. I had to say for the 3D2N in KKH, milo was my life savior especially when I couldn’t eat much for the first day. I was served milo 4 times a day, for breakfast, morning teabreak, afternoon teabreak and for supper~

I never had so much milo in my life…

Lunch was something different. This time, I ordered something ‘normal’ like porridge with the meat and vegetables… yummy…They tasted good and HOT…



By the way, halfway through my breakfast, I was asked to try to off the drip and see if I can eat solid food. And so by lunch, I was off the drip already :)

I was happy to see Annie who came over to visit me before she went out to meet her friends. Wow… I envied her~ After giving birth to her baby Brian, she actually still can have her social life. She dressed up nicely and put on makeup too. She told me she was all ready to be back at work. I was really happy for her too because she had gotten a good maid who can not only do the housework but also take good care of her baby. Her life seems undisturbed. I look forward to having such undisturbed post-delivery life too… I hope…

I dozed off again. There was nothing much to do but to zzz all day. And later I realized why I could sleep this much. It was one of the medications that was making me sleepy which was a good thing. Cant imagine myself staring into the blank for the whole day. But I had to say, I was still lucky because the ward had a good view and I was just lying by the window. And since I was off the drip, I could get on and off the bed more easily now. So going to the toilet was actually a happy thing to do since I could move my muscles abit. I felt weak on the first day and didn’t feel like walking at all.



Laogong came to visit me at about 5pm. It was dinner time and he was hungry too. I couldn’t finish my dinner as usual and passed it to him to finish up for me. See how happy he looked in the photo. It was rare of him to want to eat porridge, hence I believe he was really very hungry.







I was also very happy that he brought me a laptop and our maxonline toggle. I could then FINALLY go online and update all my friends on MSN and Facebook on my whereabouts. Feel warmth having so many asked how I was. Thank you all for the well-wishes… Love you all ^^

Russ and my older SIL came at around the same time at 8pm and we all had a good chat. I was advised on how I could try to claim the rest of my medical bills via medishield… wow… this is something new. If we can claim, will be great~!!!

I told Laogong to go home to rest after they left. At 11pm, I called Laogong up again because I couldn’t sleep. He decided to come back to accompany me till I managed to fall asleep. So touched… Poor Laogong, coz of me, he didn’t had a good rest for the 3D2N too.

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Day 3: 25th September, Friday
I woke up around 8am as well and was in an extremely good mood today! Because Doctor told me I could go home today!!! What’s more, I was having yummy hotcakes and milo for breakfast!!!





Yummy…

Actually, Doctor did ask if I wished to stay for another day, just in case. But then I asked if I had any major problem and he said no. And since I was still pooing (but not puking anymore), I asked if I would eventually recover even if I don’t stay for another day. He said Yes, and since it takes time for the body to recover, so it’s normal that I was still pooing. Hence, I decided to go home.

And weird enough, immediately after I was granted to go home, I felt healthier already! I even stopped pooing the whole morning!!!





By 11am, I had changed to my own clothes and packed my bag. Nurses came one after another, to remove my drip holder, check my baby heartbeat, gave me my medication and also got me to sign the discharge form. I waited anxiously for my last meal in KKH. It came at 12.30pm and it seemed to be the best meal I ever had, although the fish was a bit too salted.















I was off to the pickup point shortly after 1pm to wait for my brother to fetch me home…



(Anyone wan buy 4D??? If tio, can just donate some to my medication bills or/and baby fund k? thank you very much...)

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Latest Update on my Well-being, 28th September, Monday

Now, I had started my rice diet… and I seemed to love rice more… And I started to fear porridge…

I guess, too much of anything is not good. I had loved porridge when I was in the ward. Because that was the only food I can eat after I took off my drip. And I still love porridge when I got home. But since my porridge breakfast today, I suddenly fear porridge. I even chose to eat wholemeal bread with margarine for lunch and cheese biscuits for teabreak.

And I love my lunch and dinner yesterday and my dinner today. I had rice in soup :) I had lotus and corn soup yesterday for both meals and fish and vegetables soup for dinner today.

I am definitely looking forward to feast soon~!!! Hehehe…

And I can try my first feast in a while.. roti prata :X

Had my First Rice for Lunch today... (270909)

Finally~!!!

I had my First Rice for Lunch today~!!!

It had been days since I was discharged and every meal was Porridge...

(Other than yesterday's bowl of 爱心快熟面 with cheese hotdog and crabstick + a cup of hot milo by the hosts, coz I was hungry halfway through a housewarming session.)

I feel so 幸福 being pregnant ^^

Anyway, I just uploaded my photos from my 3D2N in KKH into Facebook :) Will be blogging about it maybe later tonight or tomorrow...

Time for my dinner~!!! Hope it's RICE...

A Traumatised Experience - Warded for two days...

Anyone missed me?

Just as I was happily sharing my packing and washing experience on Tues... that same night something traumatizing happened to me and Jamie...

I was down with virus infection... and ended up warded for two days at KKH since wednesday, 6am. Just got discharged at 1pm today.

Will provide the details and some shagged looking photos of me over the weekends after i have more rest k :)

Thanks all for visiting me and Thanks all for the well-wishes on Facebook as well :)

Mummies out there, must take good care k? 9 weeks more to go and we must hang out and jiayou~!!!

Pack and Shop Day 1

It was not easy to wake up before 11am these days. But I did~!!!

Managed to pack the room abit and did some shopping... bought two airtight boxes for the baby clothes and toys after washing them :) And of coz bought the baby detergent to wash baby clothes :) Wow~!!! I just realised my da sao passed me so many clothes, mittens and socks!!! Think baby has enough till 3 mths old!!! But of coz baby still need new clothes for her outings ^^

Will be buying a toyogo drawers set for baby after we get the cot in October.

Feeling uncomfy now :( It's like the false contraction symptoms... OMG...

9 weeks more and counting down...

wow...

Can't believe it...

I got only 9 weeks more to delivery and I had yet gotten everything ready!!!

Kinda of panicking now :( Now looking through my shopping list also and checking what else i have to buy. The good thing is I have many nice people handing things down to me. Really Really grateful to them~!!! From baby clothes to stroller to stretch mark cream to baby cot to baby toys to even maternity pads, backup instant milk for baby etc etc etc... wow... I am very grateful to all the donors!!! 真的很感谢你们!!!

Think for the rest of the 9 weeks, we can count down together liao ^^ hahaha... and I can share with ya what are the stuffs I get in some shopping bag for baby :) I have this shopping list shared by a friend. Very very useful one indeed. And I will just have to amend it accordingly and add in the other items i need.

Tomorrow is going to be my packing day~!!! Hope I can get rid of most of the things i don't need to make more space. Then clear the two cupboards where the baby cot will be at, so that we can plan to move in the cot liao. Coz once we have the cot, we need to get the mattress and bedsheet ready oso... Hee.. alot of things hor? Coz my room is really small... will take a before and after picture for u all to see tomorrow before i start my packing~!!!

Jiayou Jiayou Jiayou~!!!

Nowadays I feel sleepy everyday wor... and having Pelvic pain from today liao... which means baby is going to be engaged very soon = will have more bladder problem and can't move around as much... sob... But thank goodness, I had enough fun so far~!!!

Heard that my hubby's exam will end on 25 Nov 09. So now am telling baby everyday that as much as mummy wish to see her soon, but coz of daddy's exam schedule, we two have to wait a bit more before we can see each other...

Another issue is... After being to so many first month celebrations, we realised we have a serious problem for our baby first month celebration... Yea, those who had been to my house will know we have a serious SPACE CONSTRAINT...

Sighh.. there are other options for our baby first month celebration... one of which is chalet. But then we also don't know the exact delivery date for baby so very hard to book chalet now. And most likely the first month celebration will be during the December holidays, so by then most likely we have no more available chalets liao :(

Haizz haizz.. see how ba... Will decide when baby is born :)

Stay tune for more count-down updates!!!

The Gungho Mummy~!!!

Yoyoyo :D

It's my 30th weeks now~

Can feel Jamie moving a lot these days... and sometimes she will give me her 'shadow kicks'... hahaha.. quite fun actually. But I think I am looking forward to see her in person more than just feeling her ^^

And I am staring at this poster of a cute female baby with the cutest and most innocent expression you can imagine. She has this big big eyes and look so KAWAII~!!! I hope Jamie is as cute as the baby in the poster ^^

10 weeks more... think I better seriously pack the room and make space for my baby girl soon... very soon... coz u never know if she wants to surprise her mummy and arrive earlier than expected~!!!

Waiting for the 7mth to be over actually... clean up the room a little... squeeze some space out, throw away the unnecessary items etc... sacrifices have to be made from daddy and mummy because of the space constraint... But well, it's all worth it~!!!

And as Gungho Parents, we just came back from our Genting Trip~!!!

Hahaha, and this is our first drive-up to Genting somemore~!!! We thank all the passengers on board for their faith and trust in our driving though I know alot of the parents were pretty upset we actually made an overnite roadtrip, despite being our first drive-up to Genting...

We had a lot of fun, merely just sharing moments together, relaxing and bonding. And most importantly enjoying the COOL weather~!!! Love the weather~!!!

Laogong and I also had our many first times together during the trip:

- First roadtrip to Petaling Jaya and Genting
- First gambling experience
- First visit to the mushroom farm

5 of us (Laogong, me, Yeewen, Yeepey and her bf, Yi-shun) set off at 11.30pm, headed for supper to fill the mummy's tummy and then chiong past the woodlands causeway by 1.30am. It took us less than 4 hrs to reach Petaling Jaya to meet up with Yeewen and Yeepey's sister, Yeeting and bf, Zhiyong. We took a short nap till 8.30am, had breakfast and drove up to Genting. We reached there before noon. Managed to check in earlier and look for lunch.

After Lunch, we spent a good 4-5hrs in the Casino, trying out the various 'games'. We like the 'Big and Small' game the most and frankly speaking.. the tiger slots are the most boring...zzz...

Anyhow we discovered some techniques in the "Big and Small' game and were pretty thrilled about it. We didn't win any money though but lotsa experience and the fun of it ^^ The last time we were in Genting was in 2005 but we didn't have a chance to really try out the games. But this time, we tried them out and it's a good experience.

Dinner time was full of surprises because it was Yeeting's birthday. And after dinner, we had a 1-2hr rest before we explored the place further. We even walked out into the open to 'experience' the WING.. phew... sooooo coldddddd...

The next morning, we went to the well-known mushroom farm 10minutes away frm Genting before we headed back to Singapore. We stopped by Yong Peng for dinner around 7pm and reached Singapore before 9pm.

Yea, it's a short short trip but I think every mummy and daddy or mummy-to-be and daddy-to-be deserve a good getaway before all the chores come in. At least you won't feel that you miss out a whole part of your life after you have your baby. Guess what? Even my brother and da sao went traveling when my niece is 6 mths old... I think I will do that too. At least there is something I can look forward to. And also at least it means the baby has added colours to our lives and not making it black and white instead...

Check out the photos~~~

we had reached Petaling Jaya and setting off for breakfast!!!



some nice scenery on our way up to Genting...







Our Pictures





Dinner time







Eating Icecream and La Ko-pi Together











The Fog and The Wind...





The Morning After...







More Photos before Byebye to Genting





The Mushroom Farm











On the Way Home...Love the Initial D alike route...Plus the Fog...

11-13 sept 09 - Roadtrip to Genting Highlands

Heehee,

Shshhhsh...

yaa, I will be off to Genting Highlands in a while.

Thanks all for the concern, sending me comments on my Facebook to remind me to check with my gynae for the need of declaration letters etc. I think I will bring along a copy of my EDD date letter from my gynae ^^, just in case...

But should be fine lah.. coz I know of someone who drive to Genting just 2-3 weeks before her due date too ^^

Anyhow, I feel all mummies should enjoy themselves before the caretaking chores come into the picture. And it will definitely be minimum 6 months away from our next overseas trip. Hence as long as we are well and okay, we should go for a short getaway during our pregnancy :)

Another reason for the getaway is for the daddy as well. Coz not only the mummies will be tired out when baby comes, the daddies too had to make the sacrifices and commit to more time at home with the mummies and babies too. Hence, we must give the daddies a good treat as well.

All the more, when my hubby is a teacher and he can only 'get away' (literally) during the school holidays. We had been traveling during the December Holidays since 2005, but yet this year we can't do that because my confinement period will fall in December. Thus, it will be fair to let my hubby has his getaway during the September Holidays.

My hubby has always been very supportive all along, and even now with a single income, he has been very very understanding still. He will even be giving me a single bedder room~!!! I am so thankful to him!!! Thus, I am going to have his thrill and fun in driving up Genting Highlands~~~

Will take lotsa pictures and post it once I get back on Sunday :)

Cheerz~~~

10 Steps to Be a Happy and Pretty Mummy~

Heehee,

Sorry all for the long long wait…

Was busy trying to find a full time job which I can start work after my delivery, to sustain our livelihood as it is really not easy to have an unstable income when you have a baby.

Sighhh… some people may say, ‘that’s why they decided not to have a baby!’…

I don’t deny that having a baby will mean missing out a lot of fun or limited to a certain range of jobscopes. However, it may not necessary means you can’t be a super-mum – juggling career and baby at the same time. I guess, it depends a lot on each of our aspirations.

I will say I can always find a job with a stable income, regular working hours and yet a job I really enjoy doing. It’s really how we choose to look at things. Instead of thinking that a lot of sacrifices have to be made, why not look at it with another angle. Parenthood will make life more fun and fulfilling…

I know of mummies who tell me that they feel that ‘it’s all worth it’ when they come home everyday and look at their little babies… their smiles will make all the tiredness go away.

Yes, we can have both the cake and eat it at the same time~!!! So, we can really look at the same situation at many different angles.

This is the same reason why I name this blog - 10 Steps to Be a Happy and Pretty Mummy~

I believe that ‘losing your prime years’ may not be the only reason for fearing parenthood. Another most common reason among women, is ‘fear of losing your figure and attractiveness’.

Frankly, it’s not scary to be a mummy. Some may say ‘OMG, see how WIDE you had become~’ But never fear because it will only be temporary!!! As long as you keep up with a good diet, exercise regularly and be active on breastfeeding, you will be back in shape in no time! And I heard that breastfeeding is the best solution to slimming~~ because each 30minutes of feed will burn up to 500 calories. It’s something the treadmill or dieting cannot do for you. So just make full use of your natural ‘giving’ abilities to the full potential ^^

I had seen amazing model examples so far. I had seen mummies back in shape by the full month celebration. And I also have known of non-active breastfeeding mummies who are back in shape by the 6th month too! So never fear, because as long as you choose to believe it is possible, it is definitely be possible~!!!

Hereby, I will share with you my 10 steps to be a Happy and Pretty Mummy~

1. NEVER LEAVE YOUR HOUSE WITHOUT MAKEUP

Frankly, I NEVER get out of my house without Makeup, unless I don’t wish to be recognized! Hahaha…

Anyhow, a simple makeup will take you less than 15minutes. So why find excuses that it’s tiring? A simple makeup will not only make you look good, it can brighten up your mood too! And a Happy Mood = a Happy Mummy = a Happy Baby~

Check out my before and after photo… Normally, I won’t like to pose a non-makeup photo online, but well, for the sake of proving my point, I have to make this exception. So please DON’T circulate my horrible non-makeup photo around hor~!!!

Before makeup



After makeup




2. YOU DON'T NEED TO MAKE DO WITH UGLY AND EXPENSIVE MATERNITY WEAR

I believe, most mummies don’t wear the conventional maternity wear until their last trimester these days. Partly coz the latest fashion trend is flair dresses and partly coz the conventional maternity wear really look UGLY and fairly more expensive.

Well, we don’t really need to make do with the Maternity Wear too if your tummy is not VERY BIG or if you can replace it with something more cheerful and pretty.

Just showcase some of my wardrobe. Not super pretty dresses, but then I think makes me look ‘normal’. Hahaha…

But, this may also be the reason why I always don’t get the seats on buses and MRT trains during my 1st and 2nd trimester. Nowadays, when my tummy really STICKS out, I realized there are kind Singaporeans around too.





3. SHOW OFF YOUR MUMMY'S GLOW WITH BRIGHT AND CHEERFUL COLOUR CLOTHES

I was told to wear more cheerful and bright colours because it will give me more GLOW…And I think so far, the comments of my cheerful clothes are positive :)

But of coz if you prefer to look ‘unpregnant’ then you can go for dark colours too~


4. READ MORE TO BOOST YOUR CARETAKING CONFIDENCE

It is normal to feel helpless and worried about whether you can handle your baby or not. But then there are so many resources available online and offline nowadays!

a. Read about Information and Knowledge on Caretaking of newborns

Pick up any highly recommended parenthood books and start reading~

But of coz, beware of the overwhelming information too. Try to compare the information with what your friends have and filter out the old wives tales or the unproven contents.

Always stick to the credible authors and websites. I stick to website like www.babycenter.com where a lot of information can be found there. They even have weekly newsletter to keep you updated on your baby’s growth progress.

These are some of the books I read too.



Other than books on caretaking of babies, you can read about recipes for pregnant mummies and recipes for confinement too.

b. Take up Preparation Classes to welcome the arrival of your newborns

You can also attend the Parentcraft Lessons by Mrs Wong Boh Boi. You can find out more information from Thomson Medical Centre’s website. It’s a 5 lessons + 1 seminar course. Mrs Wong is the expert who will teach you what to expect during pregnancy and some of the skills required to caretake your newborn baby.

c. Always have Faith in yourself

Most importantly, always have faith in yourself. Especially as first-time mummies, we need to believe practices make perfect, and try not to be too hard on ourselves.

5. INTERACT WITH YOUR BABY MORE TO INCREASE BONDING

You can choose different ways of interacting with your Baby. You can do it on a routine-based or randomly.

a. Reading to Your Baby

Since mine is a baby girl, I like to read fairytales or girlish stories for my baby. Sometimes it’s quite cute because the daddy also wants to hear the stories together with the baby :P

Remember to be dramatic and interesting when you read the stories. And if daddy can join in, will be even better!

b. Playing Music for Your Baby

I personally like symphony music and bought one CD from THAT’S MUSIC. They have symphony music collections and nursery rhymes for newborns to toddlers.

So far, both Laogong and I enjoy the CD too :)

By the way, some researchers said that Symphony Music can help the baby to have better brain development and concentration span. Not sure how true it is. We will know when baby Jamie grows up. Heehee…

But if daddy and mummy prefer other music, it’s fine too. You can play any music you prefer to the baby. Ohh.. and we love KTV… hope my baby loves it too! Hahaha…

c. Talk to Your Baby

The easiest way to interact with the baby is to just TALK TO THE BABY~

Believe it or not, your baby can recognize your voice birth when you TALK to him/her enough. Many daddies and mummies exclaimed that the baby turns to their direction when their names are called. Amazing right?! So make sure your baby recognize your voice. And they will feel extremely safe and secure when him/her hear your voice at birth.

You can talk to the baby about anything lor. But most importantly is the 3 words ‘I Love You.’

6. TAKE IN MORE TONIC

These are just some of the well-known Tonic or Herbal supplements.

a. Birdnest is Good = Improve Baby Complexion

Ehhh, it’s really up to you to believe or not. There are those who pledged by that birdnest will produce fair and smooth skinned babies even if the parents are tanned.

b. Tang Sheng is Good = Improve Breathing (气) = Helps in Natural Delivery

It’s known that drinking Tang Sheng + Red Dates + Wolfberries can increase breath counts, especially for mummies with asthmatic history. Since I had been making the drink lately. Worried I don’t have the 气 to PUSH when it’s time for delivery.

c. Huai Shan helps in 安神

We all know that as the tummy grows bigger, mummies will have difficult in sleeping. And Huai Shan has the calming effect to help mummies to sleep better.


7. INDULGE IN FOOD THAT BALANCE YOUR HORMONAL CHANGES

Depending on each of our cravings, mummies should eat as much as they want to, but not unnecessarily. Which means, mummies are supposed to eat when they are hungry but not overindulging in unhealthy food or eating for the sake of eating.

Well, so far, I am not a very carbo person, hence I don’t eat a lot of Rice or Noodles now still. But I eat chocolate and/or icecream maybe 2-3 times a week (which I normally don’t).

However, for those who have high glucose level, I think they should eat as much icecream and chocolate as me. But still, they don’t need to give them up totally still.

Moderation is the magic word.

But one thing to note is, never to have unnecessary weight gain. On average, mummies shouldn’t gain more than 12kg throughout the 40 weeks of pregnancy. Experienced daddies will tell you, most mummies will need extra effort to lose the extra weight after deliveries.

8. MEET YOUR FRIENDS UP FOR GIRLY TALKS

Yupyup, you must always remember that you are not alone. There are other mummies out there going through the same thing as you.

Guess what, I have many friends and relatives giving birth or had given birth this year. And we had been sharing a lot online and offline.

Sharing our frustrations and doubts will help to ease your uncertainty. So don’t keep to yourself when you need a listening ear.

But of coz, the best support is still your spouse. But most men are unable to understand the emotional and physical change in mummies, hence we need to always update them on how we feel. No one will know when you need support if you don’t voice out your thoughts.

Continue to update your friends and spouse on your emotional needs after delivery. This will prevent pre-natal and post-natal depression. I believe your girlfriends will always be there for you. I am really grateful I have a group of very lovely girlfriends who always lend me their listening ears… Thanks girls~!!! *Hugs*

9. HEAR NO EVIL (FROM THE ELDERLY)

As we all know, the Elderly always have something to say.

It’s ranged from old wives tale to 老人言. And they always think they know everything. But sometimes I really wonder, everyone has been first-time parents before, including these Elderly. Hence, how can they think we should know everything when they didn’t know everything at their times?

And I agree that most of them think we are stupid or something… But actually, we may be more informed than them because we are more educated and have more reading resources. However, we cannot deny that many of them are very experienced with the babies now. But since they had been given the chance to develop their caretaking skills in the past, they should give us the chance to develop our caretaking skills too. No one is born to know how to swim or walk or talk right?
Anyhow, we should filter whatever ‘suggestions and comments’ given by them. Only believe what is factual or have been proven by the doctors.

Don’t be affected by Big Mouths or discouraging statements especially after our delivery. There will be bound to unforgiving comments like:

- How come no breast milk ah?
- If it’s so hard to breastfeed then never mind lah, just feed formula milk, don’t starve my grandchild
- Must be eat too little during pregnancy, that’s why baby so small size
- Must be this and must be that…

If we take everything these Big Mouths say seriously, we are going to go crazy manz!

10. YOU CAN STILL DO YOUR SHOPPING!!!

Being pregnant, doesn’t stop us from shopping!

But of coz, we can’t walk as much as before. However, just take short breaks in between and have some girly chat and tea before the next round of shopping!!!

a. You Can Save By Getting Free Hand-downs

Always check with your friends or relatives before you draw up your shopping list. You never know how much you can save by actually getting free hand-downs!!!

I am grateful that I have quite a bit of hand-downs from my sibling, relatives and friends. It helps me to save a lot, especially on newborn clothes! Since baby outgrow very fast, it will be wasteful to buy too many newborn clothes. And 2nd hand clothes are actually more comfy to wear as it’s more seasoned. But of coz it depends too whether these 2nd hand clothes are hand-washed or machine-washed. Hehehe…

b. Prepare a Shopping List, Don’t Buy What You Don’t Need.

Believe me, shopping for babies can be so addictive!!! And you will suddenly feel everything is SOOO cute and you somehow will end up buying some things which you may not need.

Hence, it will always be good to prepare a shopping list and just keep to it. It’s better than spending more on unnecessary stuffs and realized you haven’t bought the necessary stuffs.

c. If You Can’t Walk Much, You Can Always Shop Online

During our last trimester, walking may become a hassle. However, never fear~!!!

There are many online shopping websites which you can shop on if you have last minute items to purchase. If not, you can shop at the Singapore motherhood forum too. There are many good deals there!!!