Let's Talk About Stripes

I want all of you to visualize tiger stripes in your head. Done it? Good.

'What about them?' say you.

Well, last night, for the first time, I noticed one more surprise that this journey to baby has brought me. The wonderful gift of striae. Oh, I'm just being posh here and using a big word in an attempt to cover up the ugly truth. The ugly truth that something found its way on the back of my thighs and legs - STRETCH MARKS!! Yikes!!

I have been very careful with my belly, and I'm quite proud (and very, very blessed and grateful to Allah) to not have any. I had been very careful not to scratch it with my nails even when the itchiness when unbearable I thought I could pull my hair out. I figured I'd somewhat managed to escape it since I only have three weeks or so to go. But alas, when I bent down last night, I saw the reflection of my own backside in the full-length mirror in our bedroom and noticed streaks of something that was never there before.

Arkkk! They've found their way in!!! Here I was thinking that I had protected my turf quite good on the front and they came from behind when I wasn't looking? By the look of things, they've been there for quite some time now. So sneaky!!

Which instantly reminded me of the tiger stripes. They don't look much different side by side, do they?

Not complaining (honest!), just observing and basking in the changes that happen throughout the journey to motherhood. As one person has said, feeling fat and ugly only last nine months but the joy of becoming a mom lasts forever. So true!

To those who are also in the same boat,....
Tabik Spring to All Moms and Moms-to-Be! and Double Tabik Spring to those yg ada 'Service Stripes' to show for it. Ingat Army and Navy je ke yg bole ada Service Stripes ni.. ngehehehehe....

PS: The pic on the left is not of my fleshy bits (neither is the one the right! I got it off here: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003287.htm

H&H 9 Months!

I have great news.

I know at least three people who have just found that they are expecting, and all of them are currently around five weeks pregnant! Congratulations to them!!! Babydust abound!!!

It felt like it was light years ago that I first saw those double lines. With less than five weeks to the due date myself, a lot of people have come up to me and say, ‘It feels like you’ve been pregnant, like, forever!’

Although slightly annoying to hear it coming from someone who could almost pass as a total stranger, (i.e. people whom you see everyday, say at work, but know next to nothing about you), I do think that this is only normal. Nine months doesn’t go by overnight. Heck, it’s only a few days short of a full year, and a lot does go on in a year.

I remember when my good friend Fadhlina was pregnant with her dear daughter, Azri had remarked the same thing to her. Something along the line of, ‘Ko ni asyik 6 bulan setengah je, bila nak bersalin ni? Ko rasa lama x mengandung ni?’, to which she replied, ‘Lama giler!’, or something along that line, if my memory serves me right.

In my experience, the first few weeks moved really slowly. Especially when the nausea and fatigue set in and there was nothing much you could do about it.

But I hope that they don't worry too much and enjoy their journey to baby. Things really do get better and time really will fly fast very soon. I am so happy for all my friends and wish them all a healthy and happy 9 months (H&H9Mo).

Just remember to keep us posted!

Don't Go Out, Else Your Water Will Break ...

Ahh… so this is what is feels like to be 8 and half months pregnant… all is good, Alhamdulillah.. the only thing that makes me feel a bit uncomfortable (and I really should feel embarrass for even writing this down) is that people, especially family are beginning to think that I might explode anytime soon hence the extra precautions on every single thing I do. Don’t get me wrong, I love pampering and attention as much as the next pregnant woman does but when you can’t even go out to lunch with friends anymore without being given a long sermon of what to do and what not to do, it really just takes all your mighty strength to not roll your eyes back to those loving, well-meaning family member.

I guess now I know how Danielle in Desperate Housewives Year 4 felt when she was pregnant and in hiding at the convent.

Bree: What the Hell do you think you’re doing roller blading at 8-and-half months?
Danielle: I got bored …

At least I am ten times luckier than Danielle coz I’m surrounded by family who cares and love me at times like these. It totally beats staying in hiding in a far, far away land!

P.S: I went out to celebrate my great friend Mas' belated birthday today by going out luch with her. And Thank God, my water did not break (yet) ;)

We're Back - Live & Kicking!

Hello peeps! Guess where I'm at? Surprise, surprise I'm at the office.

It feels so weird to be back at the Faculty bila dah on medical leave for almost 2 months. Especially when you know that in less than 3 weeks, you're going to go on another 2 months leave, this time maternity leave.

Sepanjang pg aku masam and monyok, malas nak bersiap gi keja. Actually make that spnjg mlm semlm lg aku dah monyok. Punya la liat nak gi keja. Terasa ringan je jari jemari nak gi laman web mohon cuti itu, tetapi aku paksakan diri supaya tidak memohon cuti. Bkn apa, I have tonnes to do as it is, and ada bagusnya aku masuk opis.

Peeps, if you are looking for me, I'll be around the Ground Floor of the Faculty. Lab ICT 1 specifically. That would be my station for the next few weeks, sampai la aku dtg balik lps deliver. And for that space, aku sgt2 bersyukur pada Allah Taala sbb:

(1) aku dah x payah panjat tangga tinggi2 ke bilik aku yg di top floor itu

(2) bilik paling dekat ngan toilet Block B

(3) PC yg aku guna tu laju giler speed die

(4) sgt dekat dgn kafe

(5) sbb dia lab, aircon dia sgt sejuk, sesuai ngan aku yg kepanasan bcoz tgh pregnant, and since aku sorg je occupant kat lab ni, nobody complaints about it being too cold

(6) staf kat sini sgt baik - aku malu sbb menempel kat sini and bimbang kalo2 menyusahkan pergerakan seharian diaorg, but it really makes my sensitive pregnant heart rasa nak nangis keterharuan bila diaorg menyakinkan bahawa sesungguhnya x berubah sehelai rambut pon dgn kedtgan aku kat lab ni (yakni tidak menyusahkan la tu).

OK. Baby hari ni sgt aktif. Kalo korg tenung la perut aku, mmg bole nmpk baby bergerak kiri kanan dan ke depan. A bit scary, and I have to say, senak jugak la. Especially masa semayang Zohor td, Ya Allah, rasa cam habis tertarik dah kulit perut sbb baby cam main betul2 dekat surface kulit.

But aku x merungut, malah aku rasa lega Alhamdulillah sebab smlm baby telah memberikan aku sedikit scare. For the first time semlm dia x nak dgr ckp aku masa aku minta dia gerak2. After a few hours of not noticing any hard movements, aku pleaded kat baby suh gerak la. Usually ckp2 sket, usap2 sket dia pun buat la acrobatic moves dia tuh. But smlm, nada. Ada la rasa mencucuk sket2 but not too convincing considering how active baby usually is otherwise. Aku yg cuak pon buat la mcm2, start mengaktifkan diri dgn menggosok baju kerja. Despite berat hati nak gi keja, gosok baju still gosok baju. Still nothing.

Then aku minum air jus dgn harapan the sugar will kick in. Pon x de respons. Aku then gi duk dekat2 TV, and hangguk2 kepala ikut muzik. Selalunya baby akan react kpd loud music, which worries my dad, konon takut cucu dia terpengaruh. But still, baby x layan.

Panicked, aku pon ketuk ais kat dapur and drank 2 glasses (yes, 2 tall glasses) of freezing cold water. Habis satu umah pelik sbb dah pkl 11 pm tp minum air ais. X cukup ngan itu, walaupon aku x lapar, aku mkn 2 kpg biskut Jacobs, for good measure. Then aku lepak tgk CSI.

Must have been the cold shower, x lama baby pon gerak2, although x seaktif yg biasa. Alhamdulillah sgt.... Aku agak dia merajuk kot, sbb semlm dulu aku nak tido, dia gerak2, aku mentally suh dia duk diam2... x pon dia kepenatan sebab one whole day semlm aku cirit birit (lagi). So today onwards, kalo dia nak wat tendangan tuju angin atau pun do the chicken dance kat dlm perut aku, aku dah x kisah (it sure as hell feels like the chicken dance, what with the sticking elbows and all - serius!).

Buat la Baby... X pe... x marah... Sayang lg ada ... No more scares, OK? :)

WEEK 35 - INFO UPDATE

Your baby now weighs over 5.5 pounds and its crown-to-rump length is approximately 13.2 inches. Your baby's total length is around 20.25 inches at this point. Your uterus is now 6 inches from the bellybutton and the average weight gain is approximately 24 to 29 pounds. Most pregnant women begin to feel cramped and heavy around this time and often become tired of being pregnant. Some women feel like they do not have to room to breathe or eat. You should eat small, but frequent, meals and rest as often as you can throughout the day. Your cervix will begin to dilate and efface within the next few weeks to make room for your baby's head to emerge from the birth canal. Your cervix needs to be 10 cm dilated in order to deliver your baby.

Source:

http://www.i-am-pregnant.com/Pregnancy/calendar/week/35

Nesting Like A Bird

Ntah apa mimpi aku semlm, bgn pg ni lps sarapan aku terus mem'busy'kan diri mengemas2 kan buku2 kat atas meja dalam bilik, menyapu2 lantai bilik tido aku, then x cukup ngan itu, siap menyental sink, toilet bowl dan lantai bilik air plak. Apakah ini yg dipanggil 'Nesting'?

Mak aku tgk aje kehairanan sbb aku ni mmg terkenal dgn kemalasan tahap gaban. Dia kata, kalo ikut pengalaman dia, dlm seminggu slps ada urge utk mengemas2 ni, bersalin la dia. Hoho... betul ke?

Nesting or not, yg aku tahu, bilik ngan bilik air tu mmg dah comot sgt. Mungkin sblm ni aku x berani buat sendiri sbb tahu ada masalah placenta previa and was advised to be on bedrest. So dulu aku slalu upah ada satu makcik cleaner tu dtg cuci setiap 2 minggu skali. Nak upah slalu bkn ada duit :P Kalo dah comot sgt tu, Hubs la jadi mangsa, kena kerah cuci toilet ... hehe ... Skang dah x de placenta previa lg, aku mula la berani merajinkan diri sket2, tp x leh lebih2, takut lain plak jadinya. Ni pon dah sakit pinggang sket2 ni.. adoii.. Tp puas ati nengok semuanya bersih ...

Aku dpt tahu td K Awien, my pregnant buddy dah bersalin smlm kat Hosp Putrajaya. Anak lelaki, melalui pembedahan c-sec. Other details x tahu lg, coz aku dpt citer ni pon from a secondary source je. Aku ucapkan Tahniah utk k Awien sekeluarga and semoga ibu n anak sihat. Looks like it's just me now. K Farah pon dah dtg balik keja dah, td call dia. Also call Azhani td, saja borak psl experience dia with 1st pregnancy dia dulu. Pray it'd be an easy one for me, ye people?

What's the Non-Posh Word for Pelvic Pain?

I am in pain.

I have my shares of pregnancy-related pain throughout the 34 weeks of gestating, but this, by far is the worst pain I've felt so far. And it's difficult to describe the pain to anyone else coz it's someplace down south. I can't walk without looking funny, I can't sleep without wincing in pain and when I finally found a comfy spot, I can't get up from the bed without yelping.

Yup, people, the fancy name for it is Pelvic Pain, where it's a sign that my ligaments are loosening up to allow for birth. But I just call it 'Sakit P*pet'.

Really. I do.

I stumbled across a pregnancy board discussing this topic and I owe it to these women for describing just exactly what it feels like.

'...In my vagina it feels like both the muscles and the bones are hurting like hell. And sometimes it hurts so bad that I can barely walk...'

'...I, too, am having this pelvic pressure. I so want this baby out. I can barely walk. It's also really bad at night when I've been laying down and go to get up. It's just so sore and achey...'

'...I can completely relate to the night pain too... Its so brutal...'

'...My pelvic hurts BAD, especially when walking. It feels like my vagina is broken...'

'...I've had the same problem ladies... walking like i'm 100 years old, thinking I was going to crack in half and that something was wrong... '

The best description goes to this one here,

'...now sorry this may come out weird but its the only way to describe it...but it feels like someone punched me over and over and over and over directly on my vagina...'

So true!

But personally, I would describe it as,

'... like someone mashed the muscle of my vagina and banged a sledgehammer right there again and again and again ... '

Seriously.

I'm thankful to Allah coz my body is actually doing what it is supposed to do now, which is to prepare itself for birth. I'm also glad that I'm not the only one going through this. Hang in there, not long to go now!

Confirmed Up

Sebelum aku terlupa, nak wish Happy Birthday utk kawan baik aku, Mas Rina. Semoga panjang umur, murah rezeki... Amin.

Pg td ada check up ngan Hospital Serdang. Asalnya nak aim amik no pkl 7.30 pg, last2 8.30 jugak baru sampai. Mula2 tggu 5 min kat kaunter utk settlekan guarantee letter etc. Then gi Unit O&G dia. Pas tu amik no. Tahu2 je dpt no.24. Huh... besarnya no. Nasib baik x dpt no. yg lebih besar lg. Duduk dlm 20 minit, dia minta urine speciment. Tggu lg setengah jam, dia panggil utk amik ukuran berat n BP. Berat 74.9 kg, BP 118/81. So yesterday's high BP was a fluke la, Alhamdulillah. Then tggu lg. Ni penungguan yg sungguh lama. Hubs dah 2 kali gi kedai pon x panggil2 lg. Last2 pkl 11.25 pg baru masuk. Hoho...

Aku dpt Bilik No. 6, ngan Dr yg mula2 rawat aku masa 1st time aku bleeding dulu sblm admitted kat ward. Aku suka dia. Nasib x bilik No.5, sbb tu bilik Dr yg pernah marah2kan aku cam *&^%$ tu. Anyway, result Pap Smear dah kuar, Alhamdulillah, normal. Then gi scan. Also, she confirmed that placenta dah naik, kira dah bkn sufferer of Placenta Previa la aku ni. Baby pon sihat, fetal movement pon OK. Alhamdulillah once more. But concern is still dekat air ketuban tu la. In 3 weeks time Dr suh dtg lg, but at the same time maintain la checkup yg aku wat kat HPAN tu. By then, aku dah 37 weeks, and most probably dah induce la, if not caeser terus. Dr quite concern takut kalo lambat extract nnt tali pusat kuar dulu coz air ketuban byk.

Whichever pon, 37 weeks sounds very fine by me :)

Packing Already? Unreal!

Aku tulis ni sbb tiba2 terasa sayu....

Esok aku ada appointment ngan Hospital Serdang. Ni kiranya 1st checkup slps kuar wad itu ari. Dulu Dr ada bgtau kemungkinan kalo placenta aku x naik by 34 weeks, aku kena thn wad sampai bersalin la utk close monitoring. All this will be decided at tomorrow's check up la.

Mak aku pesan suh kemas2 la bag aku utk tujuan itu. Mana la tahu, kena tahan gak. Dan dah sememangnya aku patut kemas bag bersalin tu lama dah, considering aku ni high risk, anytime je emergency can happen, right? But aku put it off, partly sbb malas, partly bcoz aku rasa it's too soon.

Aku pon x pasti aku ni rasa sayu sbb ada possibility kena tahan wad lg or sbb the time is really here? Nervous pon ada gak, excited ada gak. Anxious pun ada gak. Apa la aku ni. Baru packing je.

But bile dah terpaksa wat tu, aku packing je la kan. Cam x caya je, here I am, packing my overnight delivery bag. Apa yek nak letak? Lotsa seluar dalam, of course, maternity pads, kain batik, stokin, kain telekung, toilettries, etc... utk baby? persalinan dia 2,3 helai, topi, mittens, booties, baby wipes, diapers, blanket... hishhh surreal sungguh.

Nasib la Mak aku tolong. Clueless sungguh rupanya aku ni :P

Yang bestnya, dalam packing2 tu bole terkenang plak member2 yg mungkin packing beg utk holiday diorg. Quite possibly Mas tgh gather2 stuff utk holiday kat NZ tu, and geng yg nak pegi Bandung pon mungkin dah pack sket2 kot. Oh well... Happy Packing to All.... Wish me luck with tomorrow's appointment!

It Has Migrated Up North!

Td kena gi check up kat HPAN. Mcm 2 minggu lps, kitaorg bertolak turun dekat2 pkl 2 ptg. Malangnya, kali ni aku teringgal buku rekod kesihatan aku dalam keta Hubs yg tgh berkursus kat Residence Hotel, so terpaksa la wat detour ke sana. Then gi mkn plak. Kat Secret Recipe plak tu, sbb aku berselera besar n terasa nak mkn Tom Yum Koong. Why aaa... rasa dia dah x sepedas / sesedap dulu? Ke aku punya pregnancy palate yg dah altered?

By the time sampai HPAN tu, dah pon pkl 3.35 pm. Wah.. dapat no 15 aku, lambat giler tu. X pe la, dah nasib. Kesian kat Mak aku la yg tepaksa menunggu lama, tp dia mmg nak ikut. Mungkin dia lebih puas ati kalo dpt berinteraksi sendiri ngan doktor drpd dgr ckp aku je. Plus dia kesian tu kalo aku tunggu sorg, Hubs mmg x leh ikut la sbb kursus dia tuh.

Seperti biasa, ambik sampel urine. X de masalah. Timbangan berat, 75.2 kg. Expected la tu in the span of 2 weeks. Bab BP ni agak mencemaskan sket, sbb 134/91. Haish... borderline tinggi tuh. Tp x plak dia repeat BP tu. Hmmm... harap2 la anomaly je tuh... sbb aku tensen menunggu. X pon sbb aku tgh berdebar2 mencari kekuatan utk menegur seseorg dlm klinik tu yg nmpk iras2 muka member aku masa blaja dulu.

OK la, lps dpt galakan dari mak aku, aku pon approach la kawan ni. Mmg sah kawan aku. Berborak2 la kitaorg buat seketika lamanya juga. Catching up with stories masing2. Best gitu.

Dekat 5.30 ptg tu baru la giliran aku masuk. Alhamdulillah, berita yg disampaikan Dr selepas dia scan aku tuh mmg best. Placenta aku yg dulunya di bwh, dah migrated up north hingga tahap x kelihatan dah dekat2 pintu exit tuh. Suka nya aku, Allah sahaja la yg tahu. Cuma concern nya skang adalah air ketuban yg masih lg quite byk n the slightly high BP. Pulok doh... bilo maso BP ni tiba2 jd risk ntah...

Tapi the 2 hour wait tu mmg berbaloi la, sbb masa scan tu baby mmg berpaling ngadap kitaorg. So I got to see my baby face-to-face la kiranya. Maha Suci Allah sungguh... Manjanya dia, siap buat jelir2 lidah lg. Dr pon perasan, Dr suh tgk, katanya, baby tgh minum air ketuban la tu. Baby siap buat aksi tu 3,4 kali lak tu. Geram aku... rasa mcm x sabar nak jumpa baby, tp mesti kena sabar sbb baru 34 weeks. Berat baby dah 2.7 kg. Dr still suspect aku akan give birth awal, at most 38 weeks. X pe la, asal selamat n sihat sudah la.

So the day ended with a really high note. Mlm nya tu mak aku tepon K Nah bgtau berita best ni. Dia pon bkn main happy lg utk aku. Alhamdulillah, ya Allah... at this late in the pregnancy masih ada waktu utk placenta tu Engkau dinaikkan ke atas.... Moga2 engkau jauhkan komplikasi2 lain spjg baki kehamilan ini... Amin

My 3-Day Weekend

My three-day weekend was a busy one.

Hari Sabtu tu, Hubs minta tolong bebudak Kolej 14 yg dia kenal utk tolong cuci umah baru kitaorg, di samping mengupah 2 org cleaner kat opis dia utk tolong sama. Who knew umah standard cam tuh mkn masa dekat sehari nak cuci dari tingkat atas sampai bawah? Aku terasa gak diri ni useless sbb x wat apa2, tp apa bole wat. Duduk tercongok je la aku. Kejap tu balik. Ptg dtg lg bwk minuman ptg. Alhamdulillah, by pkl 4 ptg tu siap la semuanya. Puas la hati sbb umah tu kiranya dah bole diduduki.

Hari Ahad nye plak, aku ke rumah mak sedara aku kat area2 Damansara sana. Ingatkan x nak pergi, tp mengenangkan dia beriya2 ajak, aku tawakkal aje la. Bkn apa, takut apa2 dlm perjalanan. Aku yg x slalu travel ni, Damansara tu pon dah rasa jauh. Nak2 x de hospital govt dekat2 area tu, takut gak aku. Anyway, syukur la x de apa2 yg x best berlaku.

Sehari la jugak aku melepek kat kat sana. Pergi ngan adik aku (Abe) dan mak aku. Hubs pegi opis siapkan keja n also katanya nak cari brg kat Jusco. Suka ati dia la... kesian jugak kat dia, sbb aku tahu dia sbnarnya nak sgt bwk aku, tp aku lak yg x leh berjln jauh2 walau dlm supermarket. Kalo berjln ngan aku pon boring, sbb mcm jln dgn kura2. Slow. So biarlah dia enjoy sket freedom dia.

Actually, mak sedara aku ni terror jahit menjahit, and dia offer nak jahitkan aku kain langsir utk naik umah baru tu. So plan yg asalnya utk drop aje kain tu kat sana dah jadi stay sampai dia siapkan. Aku x kisah, bkn umah sapa, sedara jugak. Plak bagus la mak aku ada chance stay lama2 sket dgn kakak dia, gilir2 jahit langsir utk umah aku heheh. Aku ni manjang la tgk aje, sbb mmg fail la bab2 jahit menjahit ni. X de seni langsung. Nak sentuh mesin jahit pon x tahu, setakat tekan ON bole le...

Dalam pkl 7.45 ptg lps Maghrib tu kitaorg bertolak la pulang. Ada beberapa helai lg yg x siap, tp x pe la, tu utk langsir tingkap atas. At least yg sliding door tu dah siap la kain tebal n kain lace dia. Cantik (kata aku le). Kitaorg balik dgn agak terkejar2 sbb Hubs bersemangat nak bwk aku gi kedai perabot yg dia usha2 tadi. Katanya, ada offer best, tp last promotion until 10 p.m. mlm tu jugak. Apa lagi, pecut la Abe bwk keta.

Kitaorg sempat la sampai kedai yg dimaksudkan itu pd jam 9.15. Tgk punya tgk, runding punya runding, last2 jadi la akad jual beli kitorg pada jam 10.05 pm. Kira dah last customer dah ni yg dpt offer tu. Syok la jugak. Mula2 aku keberatan gak nak beli perabot2 ni, bkn apa, kan ke plannya nak gi luar negara x lama lg? X nak la membazir. Tp Hubs dah beriya tu aku ikutkan aje, sbb pikirkan balik, what the Hell is wrong with me? Pasangan lain bergaduh sbb bini nak beli perabot, laki x nak belikan. Aku ni, x kan la nak gaduh psl laki nak beli perabot2 baru dari duit poket dia sendiri, sikit pon x usik duit aku, aku plak tolak? Kan ke crazy namanya tu. Hehe... Untungnya aku...

Esok nya plak, aku, Hubs ngan mak aku gi umah baru kitaorg, psg langsir. Sedikit demi sedikit dah ter'transform' la umah kitaorg, resembling umah org yg dah bole diduduki la, walau perabot x masuk lg. Syukur sgt... Again aku melepet aje jd penonton setia sbb x bole wat keja apa. Tambah2 sejak dari Subuh tu aku asyik la dok buang air besar. Siap berenti tgh jln lg cari tandas awam on the way nak ke umah baru tu sbb x tahan. Tp semangat punya psl, aku cekalkan hati. Nasib baik umah baru tu dah bersihkan toilet2 dia semua, selesa la aku mengqadha hajat. Tp selesa x selesa pon, kalo dah masuk 6 kali membuang tu, lembik jugak aku jdnya. Alhamdulillah la lps kali ke-6 tu, dah x de rasa sakit perut lg n x de la sampai perlu ke klinik.

Ptg tu sempat lg nyinggah ke kedai perabot murah2 ni, beli la sket lg brg2. Aku dah tahap x de tenaga dah ni, so tunggu aje dlm keta. Penat woo.. tp respek la kat Hubs. Dah la dia masih larat pilih memilih, bila org kedai tu ckp nak hntr mlm tu juga, dia sanggup patah balik gi umah baru kitaorg nak tggu furniture, tu pun lps hntr aku balik umah mak aku. Fuh... respek... respek... ni yg wat aku sayang kat Hubs ni...

Gitu la alkisahnya how I spent my 3-day weekend tempohari. Byk keja yg di'settle'kan, tp byk aku terhutang tenaga kerja manusia lain spt Hubs, Mak aku, Mak Sedara aku, Abe, bebudak kolej, to name a few. Aku dah x terbalas rasanya jasa kalian, moga Allah sahaja la yg membalasnya dgn kebaikan yg berganda2 lg... Amin.

WEEK 34 - INFO UPDATE

Your baby's crown-to-rump length this week is approximately 12.8 inches and the total length is around 19.8 inches at this time. Your baby now weighs almost 5 pounds. From your bellybutton, it is about 5.6 inches to the top of your uterus. Measurements of your uterus vary from woman to woman. You should not worry if you do not measure the exact same as your pregnancy friends or family members as long as you are growing appropriately. When your uterus grows and gets larger at an appropriate rate, it shows that your baby is growing well inside of your uterus.

Source:
http://www.i-am-pregnant.com/Pregnancy/calendar/week/34

The Broken Ship I Craved For!

This afternoon I was chatting away with Sake. At first it was about updates on our lives as usual, then we started chatting, or rather I turned the conversation into another one of those exclusive labour and delivery interview with him. Hehehehe...

Sake is one of the guys that you really can talk about anything with ease, and this topic was no exception. It really did help BIG time that he has a wonderful wife who had just given birth to a healthy son last February. So he, in many ways, knows or at least has seen more about the going ons in the ever-so-secret procedures that take place behind the door of a labour room. And they chose to have their baby at HPAN, another reason why I took the opportunity to aqueeze all the juice from him, so that I'd prepare myself with as much information as possible.

The conversation went from contractions, to epidural, to urine cathether, to episiotomy, to episiotomy suture, to ahem... Implanon. Wow... this guys knows it all good, doesn't he? I'm lucky to have such an open-minded and well-informed guy friend. Really, all father-to-be should know these information at their fingertips already.

Okay, so Implanon was not really something I would think about in the near future. But what I was thinking was a dish called 'Broken Ship' (Perahu Pecah) for quite awhile now. I'd kept hinting that I wanted to go Malee's but everyone including my husband was too busy to entertain me :(

But finally last night, I got what I craved for. Never mind that it wasn't at Malee's. We went to Soho instead because it was too late already (9.30 p.m.) and Hubs was hesitant to make the long drive to Kajang. Ahhh... the part and parcel of being 8 and a half months preggo. Even Kajang is considered a long distance drive away now.

Anyway, we were late bcoz Hubs went to the DIY store first to get some cleaning stuff for the house (seriously). When we got to Soho, the place was still packed, but the majority had eaten, so we got our orders fast.

One look at our table and one would've guessed that we were dining for four. Which wouldn't have been a far off guess. There were three of of us... Hehehe... We had the RM16 Perahu Pecah that I so 'ngidam'ed, Udang Celup Tepung, Telur Dadar, Sate, ABC and drinks. Tak bersisa plak tu...

Yum, yum... Alhamdulillah Syukur Nikmat....

MC

Aku teringatkan pekeliling terbaru yg dikeluarkan mengenai MC di institusi tempat aku kerja nih. Katanya, kalo surat MC tu dikeluarkan di klinik2 panel atau pun swasta, maka maksimum cuti sakit dlm setahun yg dpt ialah 14 hari. Kalo kat hospital kerajaan plak, 45 days.

Aiseh... Aku pon call la bhgian cuti utk confirm kan perkara ni coz right now my MC comes from HPAN. One thing they suggested me do was to get the MC endorsed at Pusat Kesihatan (PK). Argghh..

So off I went. Mmg aku cuak sgt la.. sbb kononnya kalo lebih 14 hari nnt bole kena tindakan tatatertib. When questioned what exactly 'tindakan tatatertib' meant, nobody could answer. I guess buat masa ni mcm diorg belom decide lg je, or ntah2 pakai ikut budi bicara je, I really wouldn't know. Ni semua gara2 mereka yg tidak bertanggungjawab yg suka2 ati amik MC tipu la. X baik wooo... x amanah tu namanya. Kesannya, menyusahkan org yg betul2 sakit, sebab majikan dah kureng percaya. Susah payah kan org lain betul la...

Sepanjang perjalanan ke PK tu aku berdoa moga2 Allah mempermudahkan urusan aku. Kot2 la kalo PK x nak endorse ke, buat x layan ke.. sebab aku tahu for a fact PK x cater utk staf dia yg mengandung. But I'll let u know one thing, diorg ada mesin ultrasound tu. Aku pernah guna dulu, tp bkn utk scan baby la.. hehe.

Alhamdulillah... everything went smoothly je dekat PK tu. Lom sempat aku duduk nombor aku dah kena panggil. Discuss dgn Dr tu (Dr Latinah x silap aku), tp dia x sure la bole ke x sokong kes aku, but she was being very kind and sympathetic dgn masalah aku. Terus dia panggil SN masuk utk confirmkan and masa tu la aku jumpa Kak R*wk, ex-penasihat kelab PBSM aku dulu. Dgn bersemangat and efficient nya diorg check dgn Ketua dekat PK tu.

Akhirnya PK pon endorse MC aku without a problem. It was cleared out that the circular was only meant for minor illnesses seperti batuk, demam, sakit perut dsb nya. Kalo dah ada diagnosis spt aku, dikira exception, even kalo aku pergi swasta sbb PK kata, they would never rule out a specialist's diagnosis, x kira la swasta ke govt ke. Cumanya tiap2 kali aku sambung MC, kena gi endorse PK lg and they will support it. Tinggal claim je la x bole, kena kuar pocket money sendiri aaa kata diaorg. Aku sengih2 je la... Fuh... Lega aku... Alhamdulillah..

Seterusnya aku terus gi opis, handed out the now endorsed MC to bhg cuti. People kind of joked around when they saw me, kata diorg, 'Ko ngan Awien ni sama je. Dah besar nak meletop pon belom bersalin lg?'

Apparently K Awien is currently overdue by 5 days. I pray that she delivers safely soon. Kalo aku pon mungkin dah kurg sabar jadik dia. Aku betulkan keadaan ckp aku due bulan depan, cuma MC je manjang. After sorting out a few urgent stuff dekat opis and collected my letters dlm pigeon hole, we went home. Btw, in case u guys are wondering, no I did not get up the stairs to the pigeon hole (yg ridiculously situated at 1st floor itu). My brother did, he's such an Angel, he is.

Malamnya tu, aku dpt SMS dari HoD aku, tanya someone told her aku dah bersalin, betul ke? Aiks... cpt2 aku corrected her ckp belom, but she'll be amongst th 1st to know once aku dah bersalin nnt. I'm guessing someone must've seen me kat opis today and thought, 'Oh great, she's back from maternity leave already.' Ha!

Mmg believable pon, sbb I've been away for so long now. I just hope that kalo betul aku dah deliver nnt, the pregnant belly that I love so much right now wouldn't decide to stay for good. Haiyoh.. x mo la buncit x kempis itu mcm...

WEEK 33 - INFO UPDATE

Your baby weighs about 4.4 pounds at this point. The crown-to-rump length of your baby is approximately 12 inches and the total length is around 19.4 inches. Measuring from the top of your uterus to your bellybutton is 5.2 inches. Total weight gain at this point of pregnancy is usually 22 to 28 pounds. With the exception of crying, your baby is capable of doing everything that a newborn baby will do. Your baby is restricted now inside of the uterus, but still can kick and move. Your baby sleeps a lot of the time, just as newborn babies do. Your baby's eyes move in the manner of REM sleep and researchers believe that babies can dream vividly in uterus. When your baby is awake, she is listening, feeling and learning. There are billions of neurons in the brain that make trillions of connections. Your baby will probably have settled into the birth position by now and your caregiver can most likely tell which way your baby is presenting. If your baby were to be born now, the lungs would probably be strong enough to function properly, but your baby may still need extra care from specially trained doctors and nurses.

Day Out

Ari ni seperti yang di'plan'kan, Mas ngan Iezma datang melawat aku kat umah mak aku. Then lepak kejap, kitaorg kuar makan. Mas bawak kitaorg gi naik keta dia ke Secret Recipe Bangi. Tempat tu kira strategik la jugak sbb aku dah x payah naik tangga and bole park straight depan kedai je, x le jenuh berjalan dari parking lot sana.

Sampai2 tu baru pkl 12.30 tgh, kedai pon kosong aje. Ingat nak order tom yum kung, tahu mmg sedap tp sbb aku nyer toleransi terhadap makanan pedas ni x berapa tinggi, maka aku batalkan aje la niat tu. X nak la plak kang tiba2 rasa sakit perut ke apa ke, wat nyer penangan tom yum kung tu wat aku rasa nak terberanak awal ke plak kang, x ke naya. So aku settled la dgn order yg teramat la modest, which consisted of seafood macaroni n cheese ngan air fresh orange. Mas order Vietnamese Beef Noodles, Iezma lak order Tumeric Chicken. Semua pun sedap. Ntah camne ntah portion aku cam ciput je, so bila aku dah abis makan, geng2 tu baru halfway through, so aku pon x nak la duduk melongo je maka aku pon order la walnut brownies sepinggan. The perk of being pregnant, mkn mcm pelahap pon org sungguh x heran.... Dan memandangkan aku ada kurang sebulan je lg utk mempergunakan tiket 'pregnant' ini sepenuhnya, aku wat derk je la and menggunakannya sepenuhnya... hehehe... kenyang...

Macam2 diborakkan spnjg mkn tu. Hal pregnancy, PhD research, gosip mosip, etc.... Almaklumlah, lama sungguh x dah jumpa, apatah lg nak mkn n gosip sesama kan. Bkn setakat aku aje yg lama x jumpa diorg, tp Iezma ngan Mas yg sebilik tu pon sama2 dah lama x jumpa. Ye la, masing2 sibuk ngan PhD masing2, x mcm time keja dulu, ari2 mkn sama sampai tahap pening kepala dah tiap kali lunch, x tau nak mkn kat mana lg.

Siap mkn tu, balik umah mak aku, sambung lepak sini sambil mkn apple pie yg Iezma bawak. Giler talented la minah tu. Main2 je dia bakar pie dlm keadaan pregnant. Granted, she's only in her second trimester, peringkat honeymoon la kata org, tp aku masa second trimester pon x wat la keja remeh ni, mungkin bukan bakat n minat aku kat situ :P Anyways, kitaorg teka2 kot baby dia pompuan, tu yg mak dia rajin wat keja2 umah. Jawapan yg sebnarnya tu, hanya Allah la yg tahu sbb kata dia dah scan tp lom nmpk lg.

Tup2 tgh mkn pie tu ada org ketuk pintu umah. Ingatkan sapa, rupa2 nya ada delivery. Untuk aku! Bunga ros plak tu! Dari Mas ngan Fadhlina! Ye, Fadhlina dari UK tu. Rupa2 nya Mas ngan Ina ni pakat, order bunga online, nak cheer up kan aku and send well wishes supaya cepat sembuh n have a safe delivery.

Sebak aku... terharu x leh nak ckp ada kengkawan cenggini. Yang dtg mengunjung x putus2 masa kat spital, yg dtg umah tgk2 kan aku lps dah kuar spital, siap bwk pie, siap order kan bunga surprise... Sungguh.. aku rasa x terbalas la pemberian korang ni. Cuma aku berdoa kat Allah, moga2 Dia akan membalas perbuatan baik korg memperkenankan permintaan korg dan juga mepermudahkan segala urusan korang di dunia dan akhirat. Amiiin....

Org yg baca entry ni mesti rasa aku emo lebih2 plak, tp sebenarnya x. Korg tanya la mana2 org yg sakit atau terlantar kan, bila ada member yg melawat atau put an effort in cheering them up, mesti sayu satu mcm punya. Ye la, org sakit ni byk limitations dia, nak kuar dah x leh, nak jupe org ramai pon dah x dpt, terperap terkurung je. Sekali skala bila ada kejutan mcm ni, mmg sgt2 besar la erti dia pada yg tgh going through it. Semoga suatu waktu nnt kalo ada antara member2 aku sakit jgn la hendaknya aku tergolong dlm org2 yg x peduli atau terlupa utk ambil peduli.

Guys, you are the bestest lah! {{GROUP HUG}}