Past 2 months in pictures

Pregnancy & baby updates;

Dear baby at 28wk 5d on 23 January 2013. She's growing well, alhamdulillah :)

New friend for baby. Mommy found her at John Lewis & just couldn't let go :P

Mommy's belly at 32wk 3d on 18 February 2013

Baby's 1st perfume. Sorry, mommy's the one over excited here

23 February 2013 (33wk 1d) - mommy, daddy & baby enjoyed scrumptious lunch menu at Pak Awie :D

Pregnancy, birth & parenting books - mommy has finished reading all!

Not a walk in the park

My pregnancy is not a walk in the park. Though I tend to keep negative stories to myself, sometimes I feel like I need to let it out.

I am pregnant with fibroids. Huge ones. And they are not getting any smaller due to the pregnancy hormones. And to make matter worse, they started degenerating a few months ago and have caused severe pain. I was on cocodamol (a combination of codeine and paracetamol). When cocodamol did not work anymore, I was given a higher dose of codeine to be combined with paracetamol. Codeine causes severe constipation, nausea and sleepiness.

For all the side effects, I was given lactulose (to help with constipation) and cyclizine (to combat nausea induced by codeine). But cyclizine also makes me sleepy and drowsy (team that with codeine and you'll see how drowsy I can be when I am taking these two).

My phd progress has not been great for these past few months since I have taken many days off school - stressing me out to the max. The graduate school is also putting on a lot of pressure, monitoring the attendance record and what not, though I am thankful that my supervisor is super understanding (at least for now).

Taking those drugs does not mean that I can function normally or be totally pain free. Most nights I'd be wide awake for hours due to pelvic pain from degenerating fibroids, leaving me totally drained by morning.

Fyi, degenerating fibroids don't get any smaller. The centre is degenerating because it has outgrown its blood supply due to its rapid growth, but the whole fibroid is in fact still growing due to pregnancy hormones. How complicated can things be?

I have two fibroids near the neck of the womb (near the cervix), and the doctors did mention the possibility of a c-section, but we'll see how things are at 36 wk (9 mo). I am now at 27 wk 5 d, almost 7 mo. There are also risks of early labour and heavy bleeding following delivery.

If you are wondering, the fibroids won't be removed during c-section. They are highly vascularized (full of blood vessels) and any attempt to cut them from the uterine wall will cause massive blood loss. If they're to be removed, it will be done a few months after delivery.

So for those commenting on me not gaining so much weight, I hope the reason is clear. I am actually unwell. For the days that I can walk, pain-free, I will put on a wide smile, go to school, or walk around the city with dear husband - snap some pictures for memory sake, be happy. On the days when things do not go so well, I stay at home and rest.

I am grateful that my husband is super helpful and caring. From massaging my back, doing the laundry, grocery shopping alone, and attending to my every need - I can't thank him enough. Alhamdulillah for one of the most precious gift in my life.

Overall, I am more positive these days. There are people who went through worse. I am in a far better situation. At least my baby is healthy and kicking! :) My husband & I (not to mention our family) are praying hard for everything to go smoothly, for both mommy & baby to be safe. InsyaAllah..

Cari ketam

.. di Rasa Sayang, Chinatown

Pie tee sebagai starter. Taklah sedap sangat pie tie ni, auntie kantin sekolah dulu buat lagi sedap

Yang ditunggu-tunggu.. Singapore chili crab!

My husband had the winter promo menu - teh tarik, king tiger prawn char koay teow & cendol

Konon nasik putih & ketam mak buyung sorang lah yang punya

Surprise!! Bila sampai di meja, ketamnya lagi besar dari muka saya. Hahaha.. Mampuss

Dah mengah tersandar, dear husband tolonglah tolong. Tak laratt

Ini lah rupa orang mengah. Nak bangun pun rasa berat

Mintak waiter bungkuskan ketam yang tak habis. Cendol pulak sampai. Masa ni masing-masing dah tak excited tengok cendol sebab perut dah meraung penuh

Ok, sampai tahun depan kot rasanya takkan teringin nak makan ketam lagi. Kot lah. Hehehe :P

A date

Bila sihat, panjanglah langkah. Ini kejadian pada 5 Januari lepas.

26 minggu, bersemangat nak keluar jalan-jalan setelah berhari-hari memerap dalam rumah

Tempat dituju: The Lounge at Odeon Whiteleys, Bayswater. Tempat terbaik untuk menonton wayang. Kerusi boleh baring, makanan boleh order. Tapi tak boleh selalu :P (botak laki aku). Ini gambar fried squid with rocket salad & English breakfast tea

Tengok The Hobbit in 3D. Sebenarnya laki bini prefer tengok 2D sebab masing-masing berkaca mata. Tapi apa nak buat, 3D je yang kena dengan jadual, hentam sajalah.. Alkisahnya, ini kali kedua tengok The Hobbit. Kali pertama, tengok di Odeon dekat rumah saja. Tapi tak sampai 30 minit filem mula, kami keluar & balik rumah terus. Bini dia mabuk & muntah-muntah sebab masa tu dapat seat yang sangat dekat dengan skrin. Hehe.. Kali kedua ni langsung tak pening. Tqvm dear husband! :)

Nak? Buat sendiri!

Nasib badan..

Nasi kerabu & daging bakar

Laksam

Makan sampai puas. Sampai nak tengok pun tak lalu. Ambik kau.

Lepas ni nasik dagang la pulak kot? :P

Mengidam...

...keropok ikan.

Tapi susahnya nak cari. Dekat Chinatown memang tak jumpa keropok ikan.

Paling hampir? Keropok udang di Tukdin. Sedap memang sedap tapi tetaplahh tak boleh lupa keropok ikan. Hihi..

Menikmati keropok udang

Penyelesaiannya? Teringat pada sorang kawan baik di Terengganu. Hantar Facebook message mintak tolong dia beli & poskan 6 bungkus keropok ikan.

12 hari kemudian...

Haa puas hati aku. Keropok ikan paling mahal setakat ni. Hehe.. RM 220 untuk 6 bungkus. Kalau hati dah mau, nasiblah labu.

p/s: Rasanya dah makan banyak sejak akhir2 ni, tapi harini timbang berat turun lagi 1kg. Weighing scale fening kah?

On baby

Siang tadi ada appointment dengan fetal specialist consultant. Last scan masa 20wk+ nampak saiz baby yang kecik (almost below average parameters untuk normal baby) jadi semua orang sudah ribut2lah. Risaulah risauu. Takut kalau2 cord vessels cuma ada 2 instead of 3 dan kebarangkalian fibroids restricting normal growth.

Harini, pada 23wk 4d hasil scan adalah menggembirakan. Walaupun masih tak jelas pandangan sebab fibroids, tapi consultant berjaya kenalpasti injap & ruang jantung, pembentukan muka yang normal dan yang paling penting cord vessels ada 3. Berat pun dah 542g, masuklah dalam normal range (walaupun low normal, kira aci la tuu).

Growth chart - ada peningkatan yang baik walaupun tak banyak :) Yang paling ketara biparietal diameter tu tak lagi terkeluar carta. Hehe..

Mata baby normal kata doktor. Dalam gambar ni baby terlentang. Macam muka burung hantu terbalik kan?

Tangan baby. Nampak ibu jari dan jari2 yang lain

Banyak lagi snapshot lain tapi memang susah nak terangkan biji butirnya. Pandangan masih restricted sebab fibroids besar2. Ni pun consultant tu dah usaha seboleh mungkin tonyoh perut dari sisi sana sini barulah boleh nampak. Sakit mak dibuatnya nak. Baby pun ada sekali tu tendang transducer kuat jugak, sampai consultant pun tergelak sebab dia pun boleh rasa.

Daddy? Daddy sanggup masuk kerja lambat sebab nak tengok baby. Sejak semalam dia dah bagitau supervisor dia lewat sebab ada hospital appointment. Daddynya tiap kali scan asyikla tanya sonographer "can we find out the gender?" Guess what? Kalini ada jawapan. Teng teng tengggg :D

Mommy dah excited pilih nama. Pilih punya pilih masih belum ada keputusan. Selagi tak keluar, selagi tu lah.. 100x dah tukar fikiran :P

Too early for this?

At 20 wk 5 d, something arrived for you, dear baby. Your dad bought you a stroller already! Why the rush? Well, that's kinda tricky to explain. He's always excited about buying thing when he have the budget for it. Secondly, we're after a limited edition item in the whole stroller set and were worried we'd miss the item if we didn't act fast.

Daddy waited the whole day for this to be delivered but guess what? It arrived when he's out having his driving lesson :P

Trying to figure out how to attach the front wheels

All wheels on the ground, daddy looks ecstatic for some reason :P

With the seat attached front facing. One plus point, the seat and backrest can be extended when you grow, baby!

Sun canopy in place. It's in limited edition dark purple. The colour doesn't picture well here as the photo was taken under orange-y, dim lighting

And that's the baby coccoon for you lil baby :)

Finally, we had to try the rain cover on :P

We hope you'll love the stroller, baby! Now we can't wait to see you, hold you in our arms. You must see all the things daddy bought for you. He loves you very, very much already.. :)

Update

Maaf kalau lama tak melawat rumah kawan2. Sejak akhir2 ni kurang kesempatan nak melawat singgah2. InsyaAllah lepas ni kalau ada kelapangan kita sampai :)

Saja nak update beberapa hal berkaitan pregnancy, apa lagi kan?

20 wks (5 months) - Jumaat lepas

Perut aja besar tapi baby kecik. Sedih tau. Fibroids yang besar2 buat perut besar & buatkan baby tertolak ke kiri uterus. Mungkin jugak mereka2 ni berebut khasiat sampaikan baby kecik dari average baby. Lagipun mak dia memang tak gain weight langsung sepanjang pregnancy. Turun 3kg dari pre-pregnancy weight & tak naik2 sampai harini. Tapi tidaklah alarming sangat, sebab mak dia overweight pun. In fact kalau ikut BMI, obese! Masa 1st trimester memang kena severe food aversion. Masuk 2nd trimester dah ok dah boleh makan segala cuma tak menggila makan macam dulu.

Menurut laporan anomaly scan semalam (on 20 wks 4 d),

Estimated fetal weight        281 g
Biparietal diameter              41 mm (below the normal range)
Head circumference          166 mm (low normal)
Abdominal circumference  138 mm (low normal)
Femur length                       30 mm (low normal)

Harap2 baby cuma kecik aja lah, boleh catch up tumbesaran lepas ni. Risau sangat kalau perkembangan otak dia terganggu ke apa ke kan. Setakat ni hanya boleh doa banyak2 moga2 Allah pelihara baby.

Good news is, amniotic fluid, brain hemispheres, ventricles mid brain & posterior fossa, gastrointestinal tract, kidneys and bladder all appear normal. No spina bifida or kyphoscoliosis, skin oedema or cystic hygroma.

Cuma sebab fibroids mengganggu view, sonographer suruh datang lagi 2 minggu untuk follow up scan. Harap sangat kalini boleh tengok struktur jantung, muka, cord & find out the gender. Amiiiiin..

Mommy dalam misi nak makan banyak mulai skarang. Berusahalahhh :D

Dear baby

Jumaat lepas, tepat pada hari genapnya 16 minggu, your parents bought these. Just because they're at discounted price.

Haih la pantang tengok potongan harga, jadi sawan semacam. Lepas ni apa lah lagi.. Sikit2 lama2 jadi bukit. Pushchair & car seat aja yang tak mau beli awal2 sebab makan space & paling mahal. Yg lain akan perlahan2 diangkut pulang, insyaAllah :)

Belum tahu

Gender anak memang belum tahu, tapi kami berdua tak tahan daulat. Disebabkan dah 20 juta kali keluar masuk Mothercare (kedai ni memang dilewati tiap2 kali nak ke Morrisons beli groceries), akhirnya harini tekad lah nak beli sesuatu untuk our unborn baby.

Bukan apa, nak kuatkan realiti yg ada baby dalam perut (since pergerakan dia belum dirasa, mungkin ada rasa geli2 macam kaki labah2 menggeletek kat dalam, tapi hati ini tak pasti) dan nak kasi kesedaran yang kami dah mula kena fikir pasal peruntukan untuk membeli barang2 anak pulak.

Sebenarnya dah banyak kali belek sleepsuit dan baju2 comel kat situ. Kalini pilih punya pilih, bapaknya berkenan dan beli;

Maknya pandang aje.. Eh daddy dia nih... Macam confirm aje baby boy. Kata bapaknya dua2 jantina boleh pakai. Iyolah tu, kaler biru & tiger2 ni kan lebih sesuai untuk budak lelaki. Tapi pada kami, tak jadi masalah. Baby tu boleh pakai apa warna atau corak sekalipun, buat apa nak pening2 kann. Sedangkan Aiman dulu pun kena pakai mittens & booties berbunga sebab kakak dia berhajat nak adik perempuan, sekali bila scan nampak pulak "bird". Redha lah budak tu jadi mat bunga. Hehe..

Jadi baby, redhalah dengan pilihan si bapak ni ye, walau apapun jantinamu.

On the way out si husband nampak pulak Tommee Tippee feeding set (ada steriliser, botol susu, etc), katanya dia nak beli itu pulak next. Wahh laki aku ni pandai pulak bab2 ni. Terkejut rasa, sebab memang ada niat nak beli menatang tu tapi tak pernah bagitau dia.

Mulai sekarang,kami plan nak start membeli sebab kalau tunggu nak beli semuanya sekaligus kang pengsan pulak nak membayar. Lagipun sementara maknya gagah lagi berjalan mohle kita membeli.

Serba-salah jugak sebenarnya nak mula membeli, sebab baru masuk 2nd trimester ni haa. Mudah2an selamatlah baby. Kalau sebaliknya (nauzubillah), barang2 boleh simpan untuk yang seterusnya atau bagi kat orang je lah.

Kurnia

Little bub at 11 wk 4 d :) Nampak tak tangan kanan dia tengah melambai tu? 

Hari ni baru terasa nak kongsi berita dengan semua. Harap-harap semuanya akan terus selamat dan dipelihara Allah SWT hingga ke akhirnya.

Pregnancy kali ni memang totally unplanned, kalau boleh ada niat tak mau conceive semasa awal-awal ber-phD, tapi kami bersyukur dengan kurniaan Allah. Yang paling happy? Dear husband, Mak, Ayah & adik-adik di Penang :)

Due date: 12 April 2013, di kala musim bunga yang boleh tahan sejuknya.

Moga sihat sempurna & menjadi anak soleh/solehah. Amiin.