36 weeks already

Went for my O&G appt today. Everything was fine. Baby Marissa is already 2.9kg. Myself - 70.9kg. Will be doing the vaginal swab on Friday June 6th on my own and then send the sample to PathLab for analysis. Next O&G appt will be on Tues June 10th instead. The results should be out by then... and if there's still Strep B.... will have to schedule for Caesarean. If normal delivery - is possible but need to be hospitalised for 5 days to clear the infection and baby will also be hospitalised for 3-5 days too and will need antibiotics. Definitely not very good. Praying hard that I will be able to give birth naturally!

Pregnancy Progress

I'm now 35 weeks into my pregnancy. Went for my gynae appt as usual on May 15th. Dr. Yap took a vaginal swab to check on me. The results came positive for Group B Streptococci - which is not good..... Started on a course of antibiotics (Augmentin 625mg bd 1/52). If the bacterial infection doesn't clear, my gynae advised that it's safer to go for a Caesarean as the baby may get infected with the bacteria causing pneumonia as it passes through the vagina in a natural birth. My next check up is on May 29th.... so will most probably be sending another swab sample to the lab for testing.... hopefully everything will be cleared!

Now, I'm tipping the scales at 68.5kg (baby Marissa weighs 2.4kg already). My feet has expanded due to water retention..... getting harder to walk fast and tire easily. Sleeping also can be quite uncomfortable! Wishing everything will be over soon!

Pregnancy countdown

Was at the gynae on 29th April for my 32 week check up. Everything was normal - baby Marissa weighs approximately 1.9kg. As for me, I'm 68 kg. Hoping very hard not to reach 72 kg (that was what I weighed at the end of my pregnancy with Evan). Rather uneventful pregnancy this time compared to Evan's....... ovarian cyst, low amniotic fluid levels and low fetal weight. Will be going every fortnightly now, so next appointments on May 15th and 29th....

Preparing for Baby

In preparation for the arrival of Evan's baby sister..... Evan has been undergoing 'training' : learning to feed himself. Progress report : Good but can be better! He can feed himself Koko Krunch using a spoon. He can eat yoghurt, jelly and cake too - using fork & spoon (He doesn't like getting his fingers dirty). Drinking milk from a cup is not a problem for him. He can also feed himself his breakfast of oats & raisins..... lunch/dinner of porridge and fried anchovies. With the main meals, he needs help and prompting - that's because he can be quite engrossed watching his favourite TV programs (Toy Story, Ratatouille & Bob the Builder) that he 'forgets' that he's eating.

This is Evan on the potty - he's really an expert in this department.... goes shee shee on his own and can even set up his potty seat on the toilet bowl and do his business. Only thing he can't do is wipe his butt after that..... so that's why he still yells "poo poo potttttttty!" when he needs to do it. Ironically, he won't tell if he wants to shee shee or poo poo in nursery. Teachers say he's not ready and still wears diapers there.

Well, I've also done some shopping here and there for new stuff for the baby. A few newborn clothes, a new bathtub ( Evan's bathtub is cracked already due to too frequent use!), new changing mat ( Evan's previous one also cracked/split due to too frequent use), new towel and also a set of Gymboree layette for 3-6 months in pretty purple/green/white with dragonflies.

I'm planning to try out Fuzzi Bunz cloth diapers for the new baby. Still scouting for good buys from USA. Will also be using Evan's old Bumwear cloth diapers. My Boss : Dr. Sim has also consented to my 3 months maternity leave. My ebay online store is doing OK so hope to get some income even when I'm not working for 3 months. Actually invested over RM5000 in my ebay business. Each time I earn, I put it back into the business to slowly build up the inventory. Also planning a joint full moon celebration & 3rd birthday party for Evan and his little sister in mid August (Evan's birthday is on 18th August). Bought and packed all 40 party packs for Evan's birthday celebration in nursery already. The theme this time round : BUGS ( spiders, ladybugs and bees).

That's all the updates for now! Wanna do some online shopping for your little one(s)? Pls do check out my ebay stores and blogshops!

Updates on Evan & Pregnancy

Attended my gynae appt today - already 27 weeks - and 65.5kg..... Baby growing well - according to my gynae, during the scan, it's still XX. Baby weighs about 1 kg - which is good. Placenta position is posterior - which is also good too. Praise God for all the good news! Next appt at 30 weeks and then it's fortnightly follow-ups....

Evan has completely stopped breastfeeding. Actually he stopped some time ago but he was still comfort sucking every now and then and sometimes just to get to sleep. For the past one week already, he has not sucked and has no problems with sleeping. No more asking for nen-nen. However, he's always playing with my belly button (which he likes to do when comfort sucking or breastfeeding). He's also more clingy and manja as he knows about the impending arrival of his baby sister. Larry and I have more or less finalise the name..... Marissa Au-Yong Tjia Ern. Well, only setback to this name is that most people will confuse it with Melissa..... otherwise it's a pretty sweet name.

3D Fetal Scan

Went for my O&G follow-up appt and was scanned - as usual. This time it's a 3D scan. Really detailed - my gynae even commented that baby has a sharp nose! The pics that were scanned were copied into a CD for us.

This is another scan - 2D - I think this shows the baby's stomach. Anyway, she's growing normally and placenta is in a good position. Next check-up on 27th March.

Confirmed baby's Chinese name : Tjia Ern. Still mulling over Marissa, Naomi, Nadya, Angelica or Elisabeth..... any suggestions or comments?

Unexpected O&G visit

The day after Christmas, I had to make an unexpected visit to the O&G. Discovered some spotting after my big business in the morning. I drove off hurriedly to FMGC without realising that it was Wednesday - the clinic was closed!
However there was a staff there who opened the door for me and queried me. She offered to call Dr. Yap for me and see what she says. Dr. Yap made a special trip to the clinic for me that day..... and she even apologised for being slow because she was bathing her son when she received the call. I was then scanned and baby's fine. Everything else was also normal.

Then she used a disposable speculum and inserted it into my vagina - only mucus - no signs of any bleeding at all. So she said not to worry and to come back if I experience any cramps and heavy bleeding. She prescribed an anti-fungal pessary for me to use as she suspects I have vaginitis. My next appointment on 8th January has been postponed to 24th January and no charges at all for all the trouble she took to see me! Just as I was leaving the clinic, I saw Dr. Raman with 2 emergency patients......

Off I went to Mid Valley Megamall to mail 2 packages (the computer system was down at the Old Klang Road Post Office) and went shopping for awhile ;))) and ate lunch (my favourite Turkey Ham, Avocado & Cheese toasty from JJ Super Sandwiches). Then it was back to work at 1230pm.

Now I have to wait another 4 weeks to know my baby's gender during the fetal anomaly scan at 18 weeks..... Can't wait to know ASAP! Just purchased a huge lot of Gymboree outfits (worth about USD670) from the Gymboree Online Store in the USA - due to arrive next week. Will be listing them in my ebay store to sell. If I am pregnant with a baby girl I will be keeping most of the outfits because they are sooooo adorable!!!

O&G update

Attended my O&G Follow-up on 22nd Nov. Scan shows everything normal. 2 Weeks later on 6th Dec had another appointment with my Gynaecologist : Dr. Yap Moy Juan. She did a nuchal scan on me at 11 weeks. Was told that risk for Trisomy 21 and a few other genetic disorders were very low. Baby was stretching and squirming actively during the scan. 5 fingers and toes were counted on each hand and foot. Small remnant of the yolk sac still present - which is responsible for my nausea and bloating..... anyway things are slowly improving! Looking forward for my next appointment on 8th Jan. Will be able to know the baby's gender then!

Baby in Tummy

"Evan, what's in mommy's tummy?"
"Baby!" Evan responded. I was surprised he said that and it turned out to be true! Well, he also said that he has a baby in HIS tummy......nevertheless, there's indeed a baby inside me.... but not the tummy..... the womb. The home pregnancy test kit showed positive when i did the test after my period was late by one day. Now I am 5 weeks into the pregnancy and I've even dug out my old maternity clothes to wash and wear when the time comes. Larry & I have just started trying for our second baby but didn't expect God to answer our prayers so promptly! I've also booked an appointment to see my O & G : Dr. Raman at Fetal Medicine & Gynaecology Center but as usual he is fully booked! So, I will see another lady gynae instead. Been having lots of wind, bloating and nausea...... definitely different from my first pregnancy...... more on this after my medical check-up on 1st Nov.