Second Child - Routine Checks

Gynae

Those who read my blog will know that i had some complications during my first pregnancy. Hence i decided to go to the same gynae for my second pregnancy as i think it is safer.

First Check Up (4 Dec - 8 weeks)

I decided to make appointment only when i was 8 weeks so that it is bigger and clearer to hear the heartbeat. My hubby and i also decided to bring Callen (my son) along so he know that there is a baby inside mama's belly and he is going to be a Big Bro.

5 Jan 2019 - 12 Weeks

For my first pregnancy, i did not do any Down Syndrome test, however i decided to do it for my second pregnancy. It is because i am older and i think the risk is higher, hence decided to do the test this time around. I took the Oscar test which cost $500 (before GST) which includes the 5 month detailed scan in Thomson Diagnostic Ultrasound Centre at Novena Medical Centre. 

Luckily the result is okay and nothing to be worried.

2 Feb 2019 - 16 Weeks

My gynae mentioned that she can see the gender of the baby and asked if we want to know. I replied "NO, i want it to be a surprise". My hubby told my gynae to inform him secretly haha.

2 Mar 2019 - 20 Weeks

Today is the detailed scan at 20 weeks to scan all the organs and bones as well as the gender of the baby. Different with my first pregnancy, i do not have Placenta Previa (low-lying placenta) this time.

While scanning, the staff asked if we have known the gender of the baby. I replied "NO, because i wanted it to be a surprise". So she told me to close my eyes when she is going to check the gender of the baby. However my hubby refused to close his eyes as he wanted to know the gender. At the end of the scan, i was still clueless with the gender but he knew it.

26 April 2019 - 24 Weeks

Due to my preterm history for my first pregnancy, my gynae told me to go for Cervical Length Assessment to check the possibility of preterm for this pregnancy. The result was good and hence we decided to plan for c-sect date at 39 weeks (8 July 2019).

My parents were in town and followed us to Gynae and my mum told my Gynae to tell her the gender of the baby since i told my hubby not to inform anyone until he made me Gender Reveal Surprise.
So my gynae wrote the gender in Chinese on a piece of paper and passed it to my mum, hence my parents knew about it before me.

6 April 2019 - 25 Weeks

My sisters kept trying to bribe my parents to tell them the gender of my baby but they failed. My hubby decided to give me a Gender Reveal Surprise once his online order on the clothing arrived. If you are interested, you may go to his youtube for the reveal https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjtvmYJoums 

My hubby has 2 brothers and NO sister while i have 3 sisters and NO brother. In addition, my parents already had 2 granddaughters and NO grandson when i was pregnant for the first time. Hence the preference of the gender will be different from both families as my family would be happy if i have a son while my in-laws will be happy if i have a daughter.
I am blessed and i think God love me so much that he gave me both (son and daughter) to complete my small family and also to make both parents happy. I guess you would have guessed the gender of my second baby from below pic too.

8 June 2019 - 34 Weeks

Learning from previous experience where we did not manage to pack hospital bag as my baby was born at 36 weeks, we decided to pack early when my pregnancy is at 34 weeks. 

Things to pack in Hospital bag are as follow:-

1) Admission papers from gynae;

2) Mama's IC;

3) 1 set of clothing for mama and baby (for going home); 

Mama will wear hospital gown in hospital so that it is easier for nurse and doctor to check the wounds everyday. Baby will wear the top, swaddle and mittens from hospital while being there.

4) Handphone and charger.
5) Wrapped present for my first son (Callen) from his sister.
My hubby read online and people mentioned that parents can prepare a present for the firstborn and tell him/her that the present is from his/her sibling so that the firstborn will not be jealous or angry with the arrival of his/her sibling.

Mount Alvernia Hospital provides the following:-

1) Maternity Pads;

2) Toiletries (toothbrush, toothpaste, mouthwash, face towel, bath gel and shampoo);

3) Slippers;

4) Disposable diapers for baby (1 pack) used in hospital and to bring back the remaining;

5) Bath Tub;

6) Mittens used by baby in hospital;

7) Small bag consist of baby toiletries travel sizes.

People surrounding me (ie my neighbour, my colleagues) have been commenting that my tummy is low. I was afraid that my baby will be born preterm again and kept telling my baby to be patient and wait for the time.

24 May 2019 - 37 Weeks

Few days before my gynae check up, i felt my tummy was weird as it felt lower than usual. My MIL also commented that my tummy is lower in the past few days. 
Since i was entering last month of my pregnancy, my contraction was being checked at the clinic before meeting the Gynae. Once it was my turn, my Gynae told me that my contraction was quite active, and she mentioned that we might need to bring forward our c-sect date from our planned date (8 July 2019). I calmly replied her okay as my baby is already full term (37 weeks) and i already have feeling that i might deliver earlier than 8 July 2019 since my belly was already low position.
She then proceeded to check if any dilation and luckily i did not. She further checked the position of the baby and noticed that the baby has engaged and told me and hubby that i need to deliver by next day. We expected early delivery but not the next day (OMG) it was so fast.

Once i reached home, i ate durian before i cannot eat during confinement, i washed my hair before i cannot do so for 1 month and i re-check my Hospital Bag to ensure everything is there.

The differences between my first and second pregnancy are as follow:-

1) I was nausea and had morning and evening sickness for my first pregnancy and did not have any for my second one;

2) I had Placenta Previa (low-lying placenta) for my first pregnancy and i did not have for my second pregnancy;

3) I was told to be on diet and gained only 5 kg for my first pregnancy while i gained 13kg for my second pregnancy as i was not on diet.

4) My first baby was born at 36 weeks at 2.825kg while my second baby was born at 37 weeks at 2.650kg.

SECOND CHILD is on board

Another Blessing

For those who read my previous blog post know that it was not easy for me to get pregnant after getting married. We had our first child when we decided to take things slowly on the baby plan and just decided to travel as much as possible (4 places in 1 year). 

After my son turned 1 year old (fully breastfed), we decided to plan for another baby (both of us are not young anymore, hence 2 years age gap between our kids will be good). Since we had a son for the first one, we wanted to have a girl for second one to complete the family. So i googled tips on having a girl and did the following:-
1) OVULATION PERIOD
Do not have sex during ovulation period as male sperm can swim faster and there will be higher chance that it will be a BOY.
2) DIET
Change our diet to make our bodies more acidic as male sperm cannot survive in acidic environment hence leaving only female sperm in the bodies.
For this, we avoid red meat (ie beef and pork) and eat more vegetables.
We also drank Apple Cider Vinegar whenever we remember and drank coffee every morning since coffee is acidic.
3) CHINESE CALENDAR
I asked my friend's mother to check her Chinese calendar to see which months to conceive GIRL, since her reading was accurate for first pregnancy.

Moment of Truth

This time around, we did not feel stressful and just enjoyed our times with our son. We tried for 2 months (months to conceive a Girl as per Chinese Calendar), however i was not pregnant. 
In November, my colleagues suspected i was pregnant and even gave me pregnancy test kit for me to test when i told them i haven't check as i have not buy any test kit yet. I guess their senses are very accurate hahah as i really saw 2 lines in my pregnancy test kit.

When i showed my hubby the pic of my test kit, i scolded him to make me pregnant in October as it is "BOY" month as per CHINESE CALENDAR. Well it was partially my fault too for not being careful haha...But since it is unplanned pregnancy and it is easy for me to get pregnant, i was happy too.

To be continue to another page....

Traveling with Baby - Bangkok 2018

When my hubby suggested to go holiday with my boy (18mths), i worried about everything like :-

1) Its during 7th month period, will he be okay sleeping in hotel instead of his own home?

2) Till date, i always cook for his meals, can he eat outside food since he only has 2 teeth and because of that has limitation on choice of food.

3) where should we go since we only have few days and most of the places are either summer or rainy season.

Flight

Since we have decided to go Bangkok 1 month before the departure, i have been searching for best deals for flights and hotels. Thus i have decided to book Thai Lion Air via CheapTickets.com.

Review:
Had my doubt to book from Cheapticket for the first time, but tempted with its price that is cheaper than others. The website is clear and i can book the flight easily.

Thai Lion Air is a budget airlines so it does not include inflight meal however it includes 20kg of baggage per person. The flight operates from Don Mueang Airport (DMK) which is the oldest of 2 Bangkok international airport. 

The taxi fare from DMK to my hotel was about THB400-THB500.

Hotel - Pathumwan Princess Hotel

I read a lot of reviews from TripAdvisor (my go-to website foe hotel reviews) before i decided to book hotel in Pathumwan Princess Hotel.

Review:

- Check-in lobby is located 1 floor above the main lobby

- The process was swift and the staff was very friendly 

- Welcome drink - Butterfly pea

- The staff explained in detail on the breakfast places (2 places for breakfast)

- The staff has also informed us that we could request for extra mineral water to be delivered to our room if required. This small gesture is very good for the guests like me who normally think 2 bottles is not enough for my hubby and myself.

- The staff offered us if we wish to keep the luggage with them upon check-out before our flight.

- He also explained about the distance required from hotel to the airport and the estimation on the price.

Room

- I booked Superior King room and the room is clean and big that my son can walked around happily inside

- The bathroom has a clear window which can be seen from the bed. However there is a blind which can be use to close it just by pressing the button.

- There is space to put our luggage and it can fit 2 of our medium size luggage and still have so much space as shown in the pic below.

Location

- It is conveniently located next to MBK Centre (where i shopped for souvenirs) and Train Station with link within the hotel.

Breakfast

- They provide a good range of variety of food for breakfast

- They also have high chairs and kids cutlery upon request.

Food

Since we are travelling with our baby, we  decided to go with the flow aka we eat when he is hungry.  
With exception of Som Tum Nua where we went there purposely for a meal.

Som Tam Nua

This place was the favourite place for my in-laws and hubby when we went to Bangkok in 2015, hence my hubby requested that we went back to this place again.

There are few branches for this restaurant ie Siam Square, Siam Centre and Central World Plaza.

The one that we went is located at:-
Address: 392/14 Siam Square Soi 5
Phone: 08-1257-5384 , 02-2514880
Open hours: 10:45 am – 9:30 am

How to get there : Nearest BTS is Siam Station and its located opposite Siam Paragon.

Recommended:

- Papaya Salad (we requested for less spicy) - its sour and spicy and the papaya is crunchy...so refreshing...hmmm im drooling when i type this.

- Fried Chicken - its crispy, its tasty, its addictive..OMG...we love this!!!

- Pork Shoulder BBQ - its normal..can miss it if you want to try something else.

Kum Poon

We were at Central World Plaza when its dinner time, we googled immediately and tried this restaurant after the recommendation from one of the blog.

Location:
Central World Plaza, 7/floor
999/9 Rama 1 Road
Pathumwan, Bangkok 10330
Tel.: 02.646.1044
Open daily : 10 am - 9 pm Food:-

- Papaya Salad - its different with papaya salad from Som Tam Nua...its less crunchy and less sour....its too spicy because we forget to request for less spicy (please request for less spicy)

- Larb of pork - its okay food

- Fried pork collar - not bad

- milk tea - too milky...prefer milk tea at Som Tam Nua

Phan Khom

Before we decide to eat, we will look for food that my son can eat...soupy and non spicy...We looked at the menu at each restaurant at Central World and realised that this place sell Non Spicy Tofu Soup.

It is located at 7th floor at Central World Plaza.

Surprisingly the soup was good...the filings are generous with minced meat, egg tofu and vegetables. 

It was the Best Tofu Soup compared to the ones that we tried at Food Court at Siam Centre and MBK Centre.

Attractions
We wanted to try Snow Town but it was closed permanently on 31 July 2018 (before we depart).
Our main itinerary for this trip was Bangkok Safari World.

Bangkok Safari World

After doing comparison thru blogs and reviews, i decided to purchase the entrance ticket via Klook.

There were mixed reviews on the services provided by Klook, however i was lucky that mine was good.

I purchased Single Day Pass for 2 adults (free entrance for my son as he was only 18 month) + Lunch Buffet + Car (Group 3).

Review on Klook:-

- This package allowed us to have private tour means there are only myself, my husband and my son in the van. Hence we can decide where to stop, how long we stop as we preferred.

- The driver came on time to our Hotel lobby.

- The driver is very good as he accompanied us inside the place, introduced to us the different animals, offered to take our family pictures, helped us to carry our stroller for few occasions when the road was not smooth. 

- The van is clean and has free wi-fi.

Review on Safari World:-

- About 1 hour away from our hotel at downtown Bangkok 

- The place is huge, can easily spend whole day there 

- Can interact with animals (ie feeding the animals), the food (ie banana) can be purchased to feed the animals.

- A lot of shows to watch 

- The buffet lunch is not impressive, however it is always included in the package.

 

  

Line Village Bangkok
Wanted to buy tickets in advance thru Klook but decided not to and just took pictures from outside since we think that our son might not be able to enjoy it yet.

This place is conveniently located in Siam Square.
Address and opening hours can be found in https://www.linevillagebangkok.com/

Terminal 21
My hubby wanted to go this place solely to take pictures. This is a mall conveniently located next to Asok BTS Station. Different levels in this mall themed according to different travel destination (ie Tokyo, Istanbul, London etc).

For video on our trip, you may wish to go to the link below for video uploaded by my hubby.

Bangkok - Aug 2018.

Thank you and hopefully the above reviews helpful in your planning to Bangkok.

Traveling with baby - SIN to JKT

As a first time mother, travelling with a baby is a challenging task for me. Need to consider what to bring, what to do to ensure the air pressure the flight will not affect the baby.

First flight - SIN to JKT

My baby's first flight was when he was 6 month young from Singapore to Jakarta and it was for my niece's first birthday party.

Flight

Have been staying in Singapore for more than a decade, i always take budget airlines since they are introduced. However since i was travelling with a 6 month young baby, hubby and i decided to fly home with Singapore Airlines (SQ). We wanted to make sure that he has a comfortable journey.

We chose bassinet seats as they are more spacious and i could put my baby there when he is sleeping. However, my baby did not sleep at all for both return trip (SIN-JKT and JKT-SIN) hence we did not request for the bassinet at all.

Both return flights by SQ were very comfortable and my baby did not cry at all. Good job baby!!!.

Tips

- I exclusively breastfed my son during that time, hence i fed him during take off and landing to reduce the air pressure. 

- Put on the ear plug especially for baby.

- Distract him with his toys.

- Purchase SQ tickets few months before the departure date to get the promotion price.

- Request for bassinet seats for more space.

- SQ allowed us to bring hot water and drinking water for baby eventhough it exceed 100ml as long as we are travelling with them. P.S. I also brought my cooler bag with ice pack and breast milk.

- Can request for baby food upon booking the tickets as long as we are purchasing infant tickets.

Second flight - SIN to JKT

My baby's second flight when he was about 1 year young and it is of course to go back Jakarta to celebrate his first CNY and his first birthday (blog on his birthday will be on separate blog) and again we took SQ since we managed to buy the promotion tickets.

Tips

- Same as above for travelling tips

- My son is holding dual citizenship (ie Indonesian and Singaporean) during this trip, hence we used Singapore passport upon exiting and entering Singapore, while we used Indonesia passport upon exiting and entering Indonesia.

My baby did not cry for both return flights, instead he kept waving to the stewardess during flights.

Third flight - SIN to JKT

My baby's third flight when he was about 14 months young and it is again to Jakarta to attend my youngest sister's wedding and again we took SQ since we managed to buy the promotion tickets.

My baby did not cry for both return flights, instead he kept walking at our seats when he was bored.

SQ is indeed a good flight to travel with baby especially to give them good experience for their first flight.

Callen First Birthday Party and review of the vendors

If you have read my previous blog, you would have known that i had my baby boy in 2018. Since his birthday fell during Chinese New Year, my hubby and i decided to celebrate his birthday in Jakarta with families while we went back Jakarta for CNY. The party is mainly for families and relatives and close friends.

As i am staying in Singapore and need to plan the birthday party in Jakarta, i relied a lot on  families.

After all the sourcing and checking, we decided on the following:-

1) Pique Nique 

My in-laws helped me to check out the venue and hence we decided to held the party at Pique Nique because of its location and the outlook. The venue is nicely decorated and good for photo taking. For food wise, they are just okay.

2) Dotty Dot

My sister who celebrated her daughter's birthday engaged them and recommended them to me. I contacted them and like them immediately because of their prompt responses on all my queries. Their price was also reasonable and hence i decided to engage them for all things (ie Decoration & Dessert Table, Photographer, and MC)

Verdict: They would asked for the birthday theme from me and did a draft backdrop decoration for my approval. They were so professional that i did not amend anything on their draft as i love it. Their dessert table and decoration on the day was beyond my expectation.

3) Marblebabyshop

I knew this online shop from my sister too and decided to engage them for our family matching outfit which we wore on the birthday. Their design is quite limited and their sizes are quite small.

For those who wanted to see the decoration or our outing for reference, you may wish to check out my hubby's video in https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63L6yomV1Ho

Thank you for reading....

First Child - Third Trimester (2/2)

Ninth Check-Up (7 February - 34 Weeks and 2 Day)

I was arranged for an Obstetric Follow-Up with Full Doppler Scan at another clinic assigned by our Gynae. The scan is to follow up from the last scan did when the baby was only 5 months. This scan measured the Fetal Measurements, Doppler (arteries), Amniotic Fluid and Position of my placenta.

The other results are okay except for my placenta which is still low-lying.  My Gynae then told me that C-Sect is the only option now and told me to let her know if we have preferred date to do so. Since previous visits, we already prepared to do C-sect and have asked my Mother in-law to check on the good date and hence we have decided on early March (Week 38).

My baby is now 2.7kg and i gained a total of 4kg for my pregnancy.

Since my placenta is still low-lying and i still have spotting from my last admission to hospital, my Gynae then extended my Hospitalisation Leave till my arranged C-Sect date. 

I felt bad that i am away from work for very long, i also hope that i am well and no problem with my pregnancy and could go back to work.

Now, i spend most of the times resting on bed to reduce my spotting as well as to ensure that my baby could be delivered at the agreed date (week 38). Please please, stay strong and healthy inside okay baby !!!

Delivery Booking

Since we have decided on the date of C-section, the Gynae has arranged to book the Delivery room and the doctors involved for the delivery on the chosen date I was given a Form to fill up and to be submitted to Admission Office in MAH in my next visit and was asked to sign forms on the risks involving C-Sect. I was also given a list of charges (ie doctors' fees, surcharges and etc). I was also asked to be admitted to MAH on midnight at 12am on the day of delivery with no food and drink as my operation is to be scheduled at 8.30am.

BIG Day (18 February - 36 Weeks)

We can make plan but GOD's purpose will pervail....especially for baby birth...
So despite planning to deliver in early March, the baby decided to share the birthday month with his father which is in February.

On 16 February morning, there was blood gushing out (similar to when girls are having their monthly period) when i was about to take my shower.
I was shocked, and kept calling my hubby while crying. It was the day when i plan to pack my hospital bag (lesson learnt..should have packed it earlier). We thought it will be just another few days stay in hospital like last month, hence we did not bring anything to hospital.

The moment my gynae checked on me, she said the baby will be delivered on that day. However since i already had my breakfast, the emergency c-sect cannot be done in the same morning, hence i have to wait till afternoon. Meanwhile i was waiting at the delivery suite (the place where all the mom-to-be resting while waiting for the baby to be delivered).

While waiting, i asked my hubby to go back home and packed necessary things for my hospitalization stay. When the time comes, i was being pushed into the operation room for the c-sect. My hubby cannot come in with me as it was emergency c-sect and i decided to only have half GA instead of full so i will know all the process.

The moment i heard my baby cried in the operating room, it was the best moment in my life.
He is the answer to our prayers after 4 years of marriage and after all the shocking events during my pregnancy. Happy and relieved that he is born healthy.

He is born at 2.825kg at 36 weeks, not bad for a baby whom mother has been on diet during pregnancy (my gynae asked me to refrain from sweet food, replace white rice with brown rice since i was in 2nd trimester).

Journey in parenthood begin today!!!.....

First Child - Third Trimester (1/2)

Eight Check-Up (13 January - 30 Weeks and 5 Day)

On this day, we did a Placenta Site Scan at another clinic assigned by our Gynae. The scan is basically did a scan to check on the position of the placenta since i had low-lying placenta in my last scan. Once the scan was done, i went to my Gynae's clinic with the result on hand.

It was the day where i will know the result of my Blood Test and Glucose Test. Glucose Test passed with flying colour aka no diabetic but Gynae noted that i have low blood count aka anemia. Hence she asked me to take iron supplement to boost it up.

My total pregnancy weight became 2.5kg (i lost my weight due to surgery in December). My baby as usual always bigger than expected hahaha, he was 1.93kg. The Gynae mentioned that everything is well except that my placenta is still low-lying and hence we need to consider to option of C-section.

As my Hospitalisation Leave is over, i went back to office. I was not allowed by my hubby, parents and in-laws to take bus or mrt, and was asked to take taxi for return trips. I took Grab for 1 week, until another nightmare came upon me.

23 January (Monday) - Week 32 (Another nightmare -Hospitalisation)
I woke up around 5am as i felt that i peed on my pants. I went to toilet and noticed that i was bleeding (fresh blood like menstruation). I was shocked and panicked. I cleaned up myself, went out toilet to wake my hubby up and told him about it. We then called the emergency hotline in MAH (Mount Alvernia Hospital) and they connected me to my Gynae. She asked me to go to MAH immediately and warded under Delivery suite. On the way to hospital, I was crying and worrying about my baby as i knew that bleeding is not good while pregnant. My baby then was only Week 32 (not full term yet), i kept praying in my heart that baby would be alright and i did not have to deliver him early.

Once i reached MAH, i was warded to the Delivery suite, it is a place where all the mothers to-be are warded before their delivery. I was put under drip to help me with bleeding and contractions but the side effect of the drip was light-headed, nausea, palpitations and some will experience breathless. Thankfully i felt only the first three of side effects and not the last.

This time around, i told my hubby not to inform our parents. We wanted to hear from our Gynae before we inform our families so as not to worry them unnecessarily. Before my Gynae came to check on me in the afternoon, the nurses kept visiting me to do Contraction Test and Baby's heartbeat test, Blood Pressure Test and Temperature Test. My Gynae did ultrasound on my baby and told me that i bleed was because of my low-lying placenta. She asked me to stay in hospital to monitor my progress and my baby was alright (Thank God).

In the evening, noticed that the bleeding was no longer fresh blood but its more like old blood (darker red colour). Thereafter, we decided to inform our families and told them that my baby and i were fine and stayed in hospital to monitor. The next day, my bleeding is still dark red colour, and my gynae said it was a good sign and hence she was reducing my dosage in my drip bit by bit to ensure that i would not be dependent on the drip and could just rely on the oral medicine.

On Wednesday morning, my Gynae checked my contractions test result and my bleeding was better and hence i was given a green light to go home. She gave me about 3-weeks of Hospitalisation Leave and told me to bedrest at home.

Chinese New Year (CNY) 
Since we knew that i was pregnant in last July, my parents in-law already decided to come to Singapore to spend CNY with us. In addition, my elder sister already planned to celebrate her daughter's 1st birthday in Singapore as her in-laws stay in Singapore. Hence my parents and my sisters planned to come to Singapore for 2017 CNY.

Since i need to minimise my walking, i have been taking Grabs and Taxis everywhere from 1st day to 3rd day of CNY and it was only for short visiting (ie visiting my hubby's grandma on 1st day of CNY, my niece's bday party on 2nd day of CNY and lunch with big family on 3rd day of CNY).

Those short days are my happiest days despite my pregnancy nightmares. It was the first time that my elder sister could celebrate CNY with us after she married 6 years ago. It was a happy day that my family is expanding from only 6 of us (parents and 4 sisters) to 9+2 (parents, 4 sisters, 3 my parents son in-law, 2 granddaughters and 1 grandson coming soon in few months).

Thank you for reading my pregnancy blog, Stay tuned for the next one (Pray that baby is co-operative).