Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Check-up at ADNOC Clinic
i had my 6th monthly check-up today and the results were fine. my urine was OK, my blood pressure's normal at 90/66, and my weight is 56.1 kilos. hmmm... still at the same pace of 2 kilos/month.
my doctor scheduled me for an ultrasound on the 14th of February. wow... Valentine's Day and a chance to take a peek at my baby boy! :)
ADNOC clinic has been too complicated and not to mention, slow in admitting patients these days. there were lots of documentations that they need to fill up. if they are gearing up to be ISO certified, they must at least do it efficiently. they can do all these documentations paperless, i dunno why do they have to move backward instead of forward in terms of changes. =(
4:46 PM |
Saturday, January 27, 2007
More signs....
so far, based from the book "What to Expect When You're Expecting", all my 7th month pregnancy symptoms were normal. =)
of course, rounder tummy each day - which hubby likes to wiggle more (to wake up the baby!)... pasaway huh!
so sleepy, especially around 2-4 pm
constipated - this i have to counteract with my favorite ripe australian mangoes so i don't have to suffer that much. as for the mangoes it's expensive but yummy! oh well, close to philippine mangoes kaya OK na, than Kenya or local mangoes available here.
bloated after a meal - this is because i have an extremely good appetite these days kaya bloated talaga :)
backaches and sideaches... - difficulty in sleeping. nde ko talaga malaman kung anong pwesto ang gagawin ko...
protruding navel - advantage = time for that really good clean!
clumsiness - i always drop things including 2 glasses, 2 saucers, 2 glass covers (serving dish and pot) and some rocks (hihi, don't tell my bosses).
leg cramps - i usually experience this at night when i stretch. i dunno, why i tend to stretch so much these days. sign kaya yun na tatangkad pa ako??? hihi
dreams - yep, my vivid dreams are back. just been waiting for Richard Gere to pop into my dreams instead of the local actors that i see on TFC. =)
swelling of feet and hands and face... =)
shortness of breath - i notice, i breath quite a lot these days as well. i was worried that i might be snoring, too. my hubby said otherwise. buti na lang.
shopping - oops, it's not on the book but hey it's an excited preggy mom's sign! anyhow, been trying to limit my shopping tendency because it is not advisable as per my sister's and friends suggestions. according to them, things for the baby will only be used for a short period. but even if i don't buy something for him, i still long to loiter around malls, especially at baby shops, just to look around. ang ku-cute kasi! =)
11:39 AM |
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Precious Gift
By Kelli S. Jones
"Are you going to find out what it is?"
"Well, we're really hoping it's a baby, but I did see a lady on the front of the Enquirer who had kittens . . ." Okay, okay, so I never actually answered anyone like that, but I was tempted many times. By the time I entered my seventh month, I had already gotten used to ridiculous questions (e.g., "Haven't you had that baby yet?" or "Well, are you ready?" and the ever-popular, "Won't you be glad to have it?"). And since my husband and I had chosen not to learn the sex of our first child, we decided we would ask the sex of our second child at the seven-month ultrasound. We already had a happy, healthy four-year-old son, so our decision to find out invited many comments like a) "Maybe this one will be a girl," b) "Well, when you get that daughter you'll have the perfect family," or c) "Now Matt needs a sister." Although I secretly longed for a daughter I kept telling myself that it didn't really matter.
The morning of my ultrasound I was a nervous wreck. The doctor had told me to drink the requisite fourteen gallons of water and, the fool that I am, I followed her instructions. By the time we drove the thirty minutes to the office I was about to die, and after I waited in the reception area for another thirty minutes I was standing on the edge of hysterical. After all, hell hath no fury like a pregnant woman denied her right to potty. I begged them to let me go to the bathroom, but they gave me a tiny cup and said, "Just a little," with an unsympathetic smirk. I made a Herculean effort to stop my flow and went back to the waiting room. Finally, it was time for the test. After smearing incredibly cold gel on my swelling tummy, I was parked unceremoniously on my back on a cot. The tech strapped every possible monitor firmly (read: tightly!) around me and I began to wonder if I could ever feel any less attractive. Surely this is what a beached whale feels like. I fully expected a group of Greenpeace activists to break in, shouting, "Don't worry! We'll get you back in! You're gonna be fine, Shamu." She began to describe the flickering image on the screen. "I see the heart, and all ventricles appear perfectly formed. The brain also appears normal. Measuring the legs, we can determine the approximate weight to see if we're on track with your due date." Dramatic pause, and then the announcement. "And if you want to know the sex, I can definitely tell . . . it's a boy!"
Her lips kept moving after that, but I didn't catch too much of it. All I do remember is trying to maintain my composure while my husband held my four-year-old (who was squealing with delight). I am human enough to admit that I was disappointed at first. The drive home was the longest thirty minutes of my life. And after I closed the bedroom door, the tears finally came, bringing with them the acknowledgement that I didn't want a daughter so I could have "a boy and a girl, the perfect family," and I didn't want a daughter so my son could protect her at school. I wanted a daughter for me. I wanted a little girl to wear mother/daughter dresses with, to go to the hair salon with, to go shopping with (for prom dresses, wedding gowns) and to sniffle through It's a Wonderful Life with. And as I kept on thinking about it, I realized that my deeper desire was not for a daughter but to go back and do my adolescence again.
Then something happened that really changed my perspective for the good - the phone rang. Our dearest friends were calling to tell us she had gotten some bad news from her ob-gyn that same afternoon - she was in the same stage of pregnancy as I was - and she was experiencing some complications. We cried and prayed with them and for them, and as I hung up the phone I began to realize what an amazing gift of life was moving inside me.
As I drove to work the next morning I braced myself for the impending question, "Did you find out what it is?" And immediately I knew the answer: Yes, I do know what it is. It is a gift. It is life. It is a priceless treasure. It is healthy; it is whole. It is another chance. It is laughter; it is joy. It is part of me. It is my son.
i received this forwarded email from a friend today. somehow, i could relate to the main character. in the end, i am so thankful for my little baby boy. God's gift to me, to us...
7:38 AM |
Thursday, January 18, 2007
Edema (aka manas)
yep, i'm suffering from edema at this moment. my feet, legs, hands, and face are swollen! ok, ok, so my face has always been swollen... but this time, it has become twice (or thrice??) swollen... you know what i mean...
according to my doctor, i should refrain from eating salty foods and exercise from now on. hmm... i can deal with the foodstuff suggestion but exercise??!! hehe. since i went here in UAE, i have forgotten the meaning of this word already. anyhow, this is what my friend Google, has to say about edema:
Edema results as a by product of the extra blood your body has acquired during
your pregnancy. The growing uterus puts pressure on the pelvic veins and the
vena cava (a large vein on the right side of the body that receives blood from
the lower limbs). Circulation slows down and causes the blood to pool. Pressure
is caused from trapped blood forcing water down into the tissues of the feet and
ankles. The water is fluid that would normally be in the body, it has simply
become displaced. In addition to this fluid displacement, at times pregnant
women also retain excess water, which will add to the swelling.
so... the pain i am experiencing on my right "you know where" is actually the vena cava vein!!! haha... now, i can sleep soundly... at least at some point i know that it really is expected to be on one side only. i thought my anatomy's extraordinaire to only have pain on the right side when i am standing eh. =)
well, for the exercise thingy, i'll try to take a walk from now on. me and hubby went out last night to check Baby City, but none of the stuffs they have there caught my fancy. i'll just go back for that decorated Pigeon bottles in one of the Emirates Supermarket shops...hehe. i might also check out 0-9 Baby Shop as well on Saturday, for that Graco crib i just couldn't find...
9:03 AM |
Sunday, January 14, 2007
Follow-up Check-up and Opening of File
me and hubby went to Adnoc Clinic for my follow-up chek-up. he just waited at the lobby since males are not allowed in the female clinic. anyhow, i appreciate his gesture to wake up early and did not have any tantrums in waiting for more than 45 minutes...haha.
after confirming with my Ob-geny that my blood sugar and urine were OK, we headed straight to the Corniche Hospital. it is situated at the end of the Corniche Road, just adjacent to the Sheraton Hotel.
the said hospital specializes in maternity admissions/treatment only. we were there around 8:45 AM. like Adnoc clinic, husbands were only allowed in the male visiting area. with that, i decided to let hubby go to work instead of wasting his time. wawa naman siya at maiinip. the queue for opening of file in the said hospital took ages! it costed me 100 dirhams (50 for the file and 50 for the blood test) and 2 solid hours! good thing, despite of the long queue, a beautiful pakistani woman who sat beside me was nice. at least, it's good to know that not every arab women who wore an abaya is a snob. good vibes for both our babies to keep smiling always. =)
after having signed up, i also had a blood test (again!) and that compulsary breastfeeding seminar. as discussed, they said that the hospital encourages breastfeeding so 30 minutes after the baby is born, they will room him in with me. wow... so exciting! just wasn't so sure if i'll have milk that early. baka mangayayat si baby sa akin... hehe. anyway, my next check-up with this hospital is on the 7th of Feb. while for the Adnoc Clinic will be on the 31st of January.
12:46 PM |
Monday, January 08, 2007
98 days to go!!!
yep, less than a hundred days to go and as i zoom out into a big mommy (literally!), my feeling of excitement to see my baby boy very, very soon is getting quite big as well. if before, i have been so obsessed with wedding planning, now i am getting obsessed with christening and even first birthday planning!! haha, talk about being futuristic!!! =)
aside from the party ideas, i am also on the look-out for after-birth plan ideas. this is what i have so far:
on the day my baby's born, buy the newspaper of the day both in UAE and philippines
baby's first photo with mom and dad
a scrapbook to document all the dates of his firsts... date he first crawl, date of his first tooth, date he first walk, date he first talk, first smile, first laugh....etc.
have a monthly footprint, a monthly celebration of his birth
as for his christening, i am now planning the event which starts of with a color motiff of blue and white, the clothes that the guests should wear. oh i do hope, they comply though. or else, no compliance, no entry...haha. of course, it should be a family and friends affair, solemn and memorable. i'll have the guests fill-up a wish card and a photo of the guests with my little boy. truly a day where everyone will say, "Thank heaven for little boys"! :)
oh well, still a long way to go... on the other hand, i am now beginning to buy my baby's things. i have quite a number of onesies and shirts already. hubby said that onesies aren't advisable for newly born. so, i might ask my sister to bring shirts with side ties instead.
i now have a baby bag, some feeding bottles, crib toy, brushes... so far, the only thing i am missing for now is the crib/playpen itself as my officemate pledge to give me a stroller and bathtub. =)
1:58 PM |
Thursday, January 04, 2007
6th Monthly Check-up
i had my check-up today with my nice doctor, Dr. Hejasi. i now weigh 54 kilos, 100/69 b.p. and having a urine with sugar traces. =( this does not sound good... anyhow, aside from the routinary pricking my finger, i also had some blood samples taken for glucose. =( as usual, pinagpawisan na naman ako sa nerbiyos during the bloodtaking process. i felt like a lantang-gulay afterwards.
anyhow, the doctor prescribed the usual iron vitamins plus the vitamin C and some gel for my nose bleeding. i was asked to come back next Thursday for the blood test result. Ferida, the nurse cum angel, advised me to open up a file in Corniche Hospital.
11:59 AM |
