Freebies for Preggy

Now I realize that pregnant women in Taiwan are entitle to lots of freebies if you are diligent enough to run here and there. Blame it to the low birth rate and the competitive market in this industry. Having said that, I am of course benefited a little bit from this phenomena. I was given free Mamypoko diapers ( 5 pieces), Pampers diapers ( 13 pieces), free body shampoo and lotions, baby gauze handkerchiefs and other little things from Internet and supermarkets.

Besides that, I am enjoying free cakes from famous bakeries for the past week and the coming weeks too. As it's the tradition of Taiwanese to give cakes instead of our tradition yellow glutinous rice during full moon celebration almost all of the bakeries here are providing free baby shower/full-moon cakes tasting for pregnant women after 36 weeks till the baby is born. So far we have tried one which I personally think is delicious and more free cakes will keep on coming for the coming weeks =)

Free Tiramisu Swiss roll and layer cake

As for the confinement meal packages, as we are planning to order 2 days per week, I am again given the privilege to taste the food for free from various providers too. However, as the time is near and I am not that particular in this I have just tried from one of the recommended providers last Monday. One thing that I dont like about it is the services. Not that it's not good, but as the market is too competitive, every provider tends to give their very best services to their potential customers. As for my case, I have decided to order from this provider and I was assigned to a particular nutritionist. This nutritionist has made appointment with me this coming Monday to our place to brief me on things that I have to take precaution and adjust the meals according to my special needs. Besides that, she will be 24hours on call if I need any advise during the confinement period, she will be my personal tutor so to speak. Where else can you find such an outstanding customer service? Maybe I should learn to appreciate their hard work.

The free tasting package

36 Weeks Now

It has been a long 36 weeks so far.

Baby weight: 2290g

Baby's presentation: Head down since week 32

My weight increment: 8kg

Blood pressure: Normal

Urine test: Normal

Had my routine check this morning with ultrasound and group B streptococcus test. It was not a pleasant check up this morning especially the ultrasound. It made me super uncomfortable to lie down on my back for the check up. Though I got to see my baby again this morning but I started to feel dizzy and breathless half way through the ultrasound. I had to call it off and rest for about 5 minutes before proceed to the routine check up with the doctor.

From the previous two ultrasounds on week 32 and week 36 our boy seems to be a week behind his due date. Thus, doctor has delay the due date a week later to 23rd Nov instead of 16th Nov though I still hope he will have the same birth date as mine on 16th! And I had been advised by my obstetrician not to start exercising yet at least for another week before meeting her again next Thursday. Guess maybe the baby is still too small to be independent and she scared that I would have preterm labor?!

On symptoms wise I thank God that I am just suffering from minor third trimester symptoms for the moment. There is no backaches, no swelling or leg cramps, no stretch marks or itchy skin (don't appear pls!!!) for the moment but the most severe symptom would probably be shortness of breath. Otherwise, I would just need to take an extra trip to the toilet every night and take longer time to do the household chores.

Some say pregnant woman is more emotional and I reckon it's quite true. Recently I would get mad by the hard kicks by our baby. It feels extremely uncomfortable and sometimes very painful to be kicked and punched in the tummy. And needless to say it's very frequent!!! He must be a very active boy who has started to practice his soccer skill inside the womb.

On the other note, last Sunday we have the opportunity to visit the labor, delivery and recovery rooms in Adventist Hospital. We were advised on the procedures and step-by-step on where to go and what to do during the actual day. We think it's good to familiarize the environment before the actual labor so that we would not be "kelam-kabut" on that day. Basically we are satisfied with the facilities and settings in this hospital.

@ 32 weeks

@ 33 weeks

@ 35 weeks

@ 36 weeks

26 Weeks and 2 Days

Just had the 26 weeks check-up two days ago and all has been well so far. In this check-up, I was asked to do the oral glucose tolerance test for gestational diabetes and the hepatitis B test. The glucose test involves drinking a sweetened liquid which contains 50g of glucose and a blood test after an hour later. I initially like the liquid quite well as it actually taste good but after taking the whole 50g of glucose I started to get headache and dizzy for the whole day and ended up with bed rest for the day. I have no idea why it happened to me. The hospital will call me up in two weeks time if there is something wrong with me, otherwise I will get my report a month later.

Next about the baby. Oh... if you havent already know, we are expecting a baby boy! And the father named him Christopher Chee. We havent seen our baby since the last ultrasound at 18 weeks but according to the doctor our boy is growing well and in fact a little bigger than 26 weeks gestation. Baby has been very active especially during the morning when I wake up and night time when we go to bed. He will normally starts by kicking and followed by somersaults which hurt me sometimes. However, I guess he is soothed and comforted by his father's warm hand coz he will stop whenever he feels his father's hand. Otherwise, he has been a good boy.

About me, I have only gained 4kg so far and people around has been saying that my tummy looks SMALL. I myself also feel that it is not big. However, it is not the case with my doctor. She has been asking me to control a little bit as I have gained 1.8kg for the last month. She hopes that I will only gain 1.5kg per month. On symptoms wise, I have not have much symptoms since the 2nd trimester other than occasional dizziness & headache and also pain on the tailbone when I sit down.

On the other news we are planning to move house next week from a studio room to a 3-bedrooms apartment. Moh Herng has been very busy recently as he is just finishing his Latin I & II courses this week and have been told in the last minute to in charge of the church English camp which has been excused initially. This camp started on Wednesday and last for a week till next Tuesday. And it has caused us to rearrange our plan since we initially thought that he will have a few days to slowly pack up our stuffs before moving but now we are really busy with the tight schedule. Furthermore, we will be off to the church retreat next weekend! I hope that we'll have a relaxing time there at the nice and luxurious beach resort but guess it wouldnt be the case anyway since he is in charge of the activities for the two days retreat. Anyway, we will see how things go.

Isaiah40:28-31

The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.

He does not faint of grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable.

He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength.

Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted;

but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;

They shall mount up with wings like eagles;

They shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

Morning Sickness - GONE!!!

Yay! Morning sickness has finally came to an end. After suffering horrible morning sickness for 4 months, I can say it has gone for good! Life has been getting better without feeling lethargy and vomiting all the time. I feel more energetic this two weeks and can do much housework without relying on the hubs.

What I can say is... morning sickness has made life miserable! It made me too sluggish to do anything but napping and sleeping most of the time. I couldn't even do the routine house chores like tidying up the room or cooking a proper meal. I couldn't even hang up the washed clothes or have a pleasant shower due to the super sensitive nose that made me sick whenever I smell on the detergent, shampoo, toothpaste, or any strong odor.

I lost about 3-4kg during the first 3 months of pregnancy though it was not the right time to slim down in this manner. However, now that I am entering in the second trimester I thank God that I am gaining back the weight but just a bit too aggressively. Gaining 1.5kg in two weeks time is a lot!! Luckily I am not seeing my OB until two weeks later else I guess she would nag me on the excessive weight gain.

During the 4 months, I think I have missed out on quite a lot of stuffs but I am glad I am still in one piece and the Lil' Bun is doing fine. After all, all these things are worthwhile just because of this little person in me.

Taken at about wk 8

Taken at about wk 12

Awful night

I hate this awful feeling...

The night started great with a casual dining at Lacuz Thai restaurant in Taipei Main Station. It has been at least a year since the last time we had delicious Thai cuisine. We ordered our all time favorite red curry set meal and another fried beef set meal which comes with rice, side dishes, soup and drinks. We also ordered a Thai bubur cha-cha dessert which is quite refreshing. Too bad there isnt any photo taken.

However, the night did not end up well. I came home, had shower and finally all the delicious food that I had for the dinner had all been awfully thrown up into the toilet bowl. It was an awful night! And that's why I am still awake in this hour writing up this post.

I will need to take in some light food before I go to sleep...

Be reminded on this song- God Is Good All The Time

God is good all the time
He put a song of praise in this heart of mine
God is good all the time
Through the darkest night, His light will shine
God is good, God is good all the time

If you're walking through the valley
And there are shadows all around
Do not fear, He will guide you
He will keep you safe and sound
'Cause He's promised to never leave you
Nor forsake you and His Word is true

We were sinners - so unworthy
Still for us He chose to die
Filled us with His Holy Spirit
Now we can stand and testify
That His love is everlasting
And His mercies - they will never end

Lord I may not understand
All the plans He left for me
My life is in your hands
And through the eyes of Him I can clearly see

God is good, God is good, all the time

What a "feverish" month

Who would get fever twice in a month without having found out what's really happening?

It was one fine afternoon three weeks ago that my temperature elevated so high just within hours that I started to feel cold and shivering uncontrollably and ended up being sent to the ER of a hospital nearby. I was given a jab and put on drip for a few hours and taken many other tests before being discharged without a root cause..

Then just the day before, I had the same condition as the previous fever experience. It all started with the uncomfortable feeling for the whole body and fast enough when I tested the temperature it was already 38.5degree and keep going up. I started to shiver as well so I got myself the previous leftover medicine and rested for a while. This pill is kind of magic. It took just about 10minutes to bring my temperature down. However, as my temperature was still 38.2degree, we decided to visit the physician for a check. It was the same procedure that has been taken, rapid flu test and blood test. After an hour of waiting, the outcome of the report was all FINE.

Sigh! Another without reasoning fever.