Unlock #2 - Finally Full Term!!

This is the second of my 'Unlock' series of posts because I want to keep it hidden until after little bun arrives safely.

********************************************

I don't think I have ever revealed little bun's gestational age here (and to honest, I haven't revealed it to many people other than family). Little bun is full term today!! I want to shout it out to so that the world can hear me... Yes, I have reached full term, i.e. 37 weeks!! Didn't think I'd ever reach 'full term' and throughout the pregnancy, 'full term' are 2 scared words to me. It's unbelievable but true, my little bun is 37 weeks old and counting! Well done, my little baby... Daddy and Mummy are tremendously proud of you for staying 'in' there.

There is another fun fact about little bun which I thought I'd share here too. He/she was conceived on Valentine's Day, and I always find it meaningful because it is the day that honours and celebrates love. (I know this because I was being monitored so closely and scanned daily while undergoing the course of fertility treatment.) Maybe I can name him 'Valentino' if it's a boy and 'Valentina' if it's a girl. Ok that's just a cheeky thought... though I am absolutely certain Mark wouldn't agree anyway, plus I don't quite fancy long names.

My weight gain so far is still a rather long way from what is stated in books/websites. According to the books/websites, the weight gain during pregnancy should range between 25 to 35 pounds (11 to 15 kg). At least I did manage to gain at least 1kg from my stint in hospital till now (around 5 weeks), which brings my total weight gain to a grand 6.4kg!! I think it's rather unlikely that I'd ever reach 11kg at all. LOL!!

From the weekly ultrasound scans, little bun is definitely growing and I can see/feel that my belly has certainly gotten bigger, so it's good to know that the extra weight has gone to little bun. Actually I think I still look pretty much the same as I did pre-pregnancy, only difference is that I have a rather cute and compact bump in front! At least it is one less worry that I am not eating enough and the thought that I won't have to struggle too hard to lose weight afterwards is comforting.

Names.. Names... Names.... (Part II)

I have been bouncing off ideas at Mark for some possible names for little bun. Can't say we have anything concrete yet, not even a decent shortlist. Mark is very good at telling me what names he does NOT like, but stopped short of giving me names that he likes! It can get rather frustrating cos I can spend hours or even days scouring the internet for names that I fancy, but he dismisses them in 3 seconds. Grrrrrrrr.....

Initially I have put together my own preferred list of names while idling my time away in hospital. I had about 5 names for each gender but ended up deleting most after Mark vetoed them. Now we are back in square one..

To make it even more complicated, we also have to come up with a Chinese name for little bun. Let's just say that Chinese isn't my best subject and Mark is basically pretty hopeless with it too, so we are sort of depending on my dad for help in this department. It just seemed so much easier when I was coming up with our god-daughter, Rynnae's name (which I still love a lot and am mighty pleased with).

Unlock #1 - Let the the Countdown Begin

This is the first of my 'Unlock' series of posts because I want to keep it hidden until after little bun arrives safely.

********************************************

Other than being Chloe's 2nd Birthday, today is also exactly 1 week from when I am tentatively booked for my scheduled C-section. Yup, we have booked the C-section on next Friday, 21 Oct. Dr Anu proposed 3 dates - 21st, 24th and 25th. However while going through the availabilty of the Operating Theatres, both 24th and 25th appeared are rather full. Dr Anu said that if we prefer 24th or 25th, she'd be happy to beg one of her colleagues to swap/change their slots, but Mark didn't want to impose on her and frankly, we do not have any preferred dates in mind. Hence, the 21st it is!

Coincidentally, 21st Oct is also an extremely special day for Mark and I. It marks the day I officially became 'Mrs Lee'.. Yup, 21st Oct is our 8th Wedding Anniversary!!

Naturally things can change anytime because little bun may decided to take things in his/her own hands and decide to come early. Whatever it is, I will be grateful as long as my baby is healthy and normal.

I was doing some 'housekeeping' on my phone and came across some 'souvenir' pictures from my 3 week stay in hospital...

This is one of the machines which I was strapped to 24/7. It was used to monitor my eart beats per minute (BPM). A normal adult's BPM is around 80-90 but mine was 124 at that time due to the medication (Salbutamol) that I was on to control my contractions. The other number on the monitor is my oxygen saturation level (99%).

This 'plug' was where the Sambutamol was 'fed' into my body. The location of the plug had to be changed every 3 days and the Medical Officer who inserted it for me didn't do a very good job cos other than causing me a lot of pain, my blood spilled over onto the blanket and bedsheet!! I wasn't amused AT ALL cos she literally caused a bloody mess.

Yet another location of the plug.

CTG or Cardiotocography... Another machine that I was strapped to during the entire hospital stay. It was used to monitor little bun's heart rate as well as the frequency, duration and intensity of my contractions. Mark is now a self-taught expert in reading the 2 charts, the one above is little bun's heart rate and the one below tracks my contractions. The little peaks indicate when I am having contractions and the higher those peaks are, the more intense are the contractions.

Happy 2nd Birthday to my Princess

My Dearest Chloe,

If you are still here with us, you would/should have turned 2 years old today. Happy 2nd Birthday to you, my precious darling.

On this very special day, we hope that you receive all the love and wishes that we are sending your way. Wherever you may be now, Daddy and Mummy hope that you are happy and enjoying what every 2 year old loves doing. Our only regret is that we are not there to celebrate this day with you; to spoil you with presents; to hold you tightly in our arms; and to smother you with all our kisses. Please know that although we are not there with you, there's never a moment when you are not in our hearts and minds.

Happy Birthday Darling Girl... We love and miss you so very much!!

Birthday Hugs & Kisses,

Daddy & Mummy

Big Decisions...

I made Mark accompany me for my appointment with Dr Anu this morning because there are a number of important decisions that need to be made and we also attended a briefing on the different types of birthing packages that are available (mainly the category of wards and cost of each type). I guess I am more comfortable in making the little day to day decision but when it comes to something big and important, I actually depend a lot on Mark!

The biggest decision is still whether to deliver naturally or to opt for C-section (I am still undecided). This is then followed by if we opt for C-section, should we go for GA (i.e. total knock out) or epidural (i.e. only the lower half of my body will be numbed and I will remain conscious throughout the delivery). If I opt for GA, then Mark will not be able to accompany me and witness the birth of little bun, and if I opt for epidural, then he'd be able to accompany me and witness little bun's entry into the world.

As Dr Anu said, these are good 'problems' to have. We still have another week to ponder over it.

Today's scan also revealed that the level of my water level (aka Aminiotic Fluid Index) had further increased during the past week... it went from 11.5 to 16. That's rather interesting because the AFI is suppose to go down as the pregnancy progresses towards full term. But then considering how things have been throughout the course of this pregnancy, I guess I shouldn't be surprised since this is anything but a 'normal' pregnancy. Overall little bun is in good shape and everything is on track.

(The other piece of good news is Dr Anu said that I can now regain more of my mobility.. i.e. walk more and even go out!!! Not that there's anywhere that I want to go now that I can feel a lot more of the pressure of little bun's weight on my lower torso, but it'd be really nice if I can pick out some of little bun's stuff myself.. Oh yes, and I just read from some checklist that I need a nursing bra. It's not something that I can despatch Mark to buy on my behalf, I think!!)

I have been diligently counting and charting little bun's movements daily per Dr Anu's instructions (although she did not tell me why she wanted me to do this, I know the reason for it). On some days (like today) little bun is extremely active. My poor ribs are at little bun's mercy when he/she is trying out sommersaults in what little room there is left inside my belly. I wonder if it's because Mark is at home and little bun can hear daddy's voice (yes, apparently they can hear at this stage, if it's loud enough of course). However, on other days, it takes some prodding from me to garner a little punch or kick of protest from the little one. Those are nerve-wrecking moments while I wait for a response.

Little bun has been an extremely good baby and Mark and I couldn't be more pleased or proud (yes, we are already proud of our unborn child, if that's even possible)... During the 2 plus weeks while I was in hospital, Mark would 'talk' to little bun every single night (during those times, I'd worry that a doctor or nurse would decide to pop into my room and then catch Mark kneeling beside my bed talking to my exposed belly!!). Much of the (one-sided) conversation revolved around Mark telling little bun to "hang in there" and to "wait a little longer". Little bun seemed to have been listening to what daddy had been telling him/her!! I reminded Mark today that he'd better remember to let little bun know when it is time to 'un-wait'!!!

Finally had my first appointment with Dr Anu after she returned from her month long medical leave/quarantine. It was so good to see her, although the doctor who took care of me in her absence (he's a Professor in fact) was very good and experienced too. Dr Anu was really pleased that little bun held on until now and said she couldn't ask for anything more.

The scan today revealed that my water level (aka Amiotic Fluid Index) is at a healthy 11.5. They were not able to measure my cervical length any longer cos little bun is in the cephalic (aka 'heads down') position and his/her head is pressing down on my cervix. Anyway I don't think they are really bothered about my cervical length any longer... Now the important thing is to ensure that little bun is thriving well.

We also had a very lengthy discussion on the delivery date and mode. I am still undecided between going for natural birth or a C-section. Obviously I am terrified of getting cut open, but for C-section, the risk lies more on the mother than baby whereas for natural birth, there's more risk for the baby. I was also very surprised to learn that for C-sections, they use GA (cos from what I have been watching on television, they only use LA, but of course that is in America). I had always envisioned that I'd be awake/conscious to witness the birth of little bun and welcome my precious one into the world. Gee... now I am lost and confused, and we have 1 week to decide on what we want to do before seeing Dr Anu next week.

Shopping Time...

Mark and I have finally broken the 'protocol' and started buying some basic items for little bun. To be honest, it is done with more trepidition than excitement. I just hope we didn't jinx anything. So far we've gotten little bun's cot bed (never realized there was a difference between a 'cot' and a 'cot bed' until now, and didn't realize a cot bed plus mattress cost as much as an adult super single bed!!), bedding set, a super cute bath towel/wrap, swaddle wraps (never knew something like this existed), diaper mat, and a whole bunch of other necessities.

While I was in hospital, my sis had bought quite a lot of clothings, mittens and booties, towels, little hankies for little bun cos we all thought little bun was going to arrive anytime then. I think my sis invested a small fortune in all the stuff for little bun, and her shopping spree is still going strong. My mom also handmade something like a set of 4 baby pillows, a bolster and bedsheet... the last I heard, she's planning on making even more. My dad will be tasked with coming up with little bun's Chinese name (Mark and I are still getting nowhere with little bun's English name..not even a shortlist).

Little bun is going to be one very lucky and well-loved baby... everyone in the family is excitedly looking forward to the arrival of the newest addition. Actually Mark and I are still cautiously wary about being overly happy or excited. 'Once bitten, twice shy' I suppose. So what is 'Twice bitten, .......' ??! I don't think it's sunk into either of us that if things go well, we will be bringing a baby home fairly soon. Oh and I think one of us (most likely Mark) should have 'the talk' with Hershey soon too. She's going to be a 'big sister' and needs to curb some of her 'madness'. Hope she won't have too much difficulty in accepting little bun.