Baby Kena Kuning

Aku belom sempat abis lg tulis entry yg aku pasal birth story Baby Aisyah Nurzahirah ni, tp aku terpaksa la dahulukan post yg ni.

Aku ada cerita x best nak share.

Baby punya bilirubin level naik, so kena admit ke wad utk photothereapy for a few days. Mmg dari sebelum kuar wad lg Baby dah ada jaundice sket2, tp wat phototherapy one day dah okay. Then masa 1 week check up, Dr ckp bilirubin level dia 15, kena admit balik. Tp kitaorg minta tangguh dulu, nak cari la usaha alternatif. So after another one week, kitaorg gi check semula kat klinik paed tu, amik blood test, level dia naik 16.5. So kitaorg pon decide la nak admit semula ke wad.

Aku sedih.

Korg tolong la doakan ye agar Baby cepat2 sihat. Mengalir air mata aku kena tinggalkan Baby kat wad. Walau laki aku try pujuk kata ini mungkin Tuhan nak bg aku relaks sket, aku sebagai seorg ibu rasa x pe la, biar la kena berjaga mlm pon cam biasa, aku rela, daripada org lain (nurse/Dr) yg jaga dia mlm2 dan sebagainya.

Bukan senang yek nak membesarkan anak? Time2 cam ni, meruntun jiwa sungguh!

Hi, Please Meet My Baby ...

Aisyah Nurzahirah.

Yup. We've finally got her name decided, announced and registered. On her tenth days of life.

Phew... I am so relieved we got this done and over with. We weren't sure at first whether or not we could make the 14-days deadline, as we found out that JPN wanted the original Sijil Nikah, not the laminated card one. All this year I had been carrying with me the card, and Lord knows where I had stashed away the flimsy Sijil Nikah. Even worst, we had just moved into our new house shortly before delivery, so Hubs wasn't sure which box to unpack to look for the folder he had kept the documents in. As for my copy, for the love of God I couldn't be sure whether I'd kept it at the office which I haven't stepped in since the last four months, or whether it's just ... somewhere else.

Anyway, why in the name of God would JAIS provide a Nikah card, only to have it useless for anything?

Okay, enough rant. In the end we've found out marriage certificate and got her registered on Thursday. At least that's out of the way, Alhamdulillah..

With Arms Wide Open

Well I just heard the news today

It seems my life is going to change

I closed my eyes, begin to pray

Then tears of joy stream down my face

With arms wide open

Under the sunlight

Welcome to this place

I'll show you everything

With arms wide open

With arms wide open

Well I don't know if I'm ready

To be the man I have to be

I'll take a breath, I'll take her by my side

We stand in awe, we've created life

With arms wide open

Under the sunlight

Welcome to this place

I'll show you everything

With arms wide open

Now everything has changed

I'll show you love

I'll show you everything

With arms wide open

With arms wide open

I'll show you everything ...oh yeah

With arms wide open..wide open

Introducing... Baby

Baby a few minutes after entering this world. Masa ni tgh diberi oxygen, tu yg nmpk cam kepala dia letak dlm boxy compartment tu. Hubs yg amik gambar ni. I was still being stitched up!

Baby was delivered on the 17th June 2008 at Hospital Pakar An-Nur via emergency C-section. The time was exactly at 2.21 p.m. Both mother and Baby (and father!) are doing fine. Baby is a healthy girl, weighing 3.88 kg at birth. No name has been yet decided, just a few less-than-satisfying pics that do Baby no justice at all to share with you guys in the meantime. Birth story will follow shortly after, followed by a few other post-birth 'stories'. We are still in the hospital by the way, hoping to get discharged soon today. Thanks for all the prayers, visits, and gifts. The three of us are eternally grateful for your show of support, in real life and in the online world.

Like mother, like daughter ke? Org kata cam muka aku... ye ke?

Not (Yet) Today

Hisy... segan rasanya nak menulis kat blog ni lg. Tp sebab dah janji nak update kan... Ye, tuan2 & puan2... saya masih mampu menulis blog pada jam 6 ptg Jumaat ini adalah kerana saya tidak jadi bersalin pada hari ni. In fact, saya kt umah mak saya ni pon... baru lps semayang Asar lps bantai tido ptg ... Huhu...

OK kita start dari awal. Lps menyelesaikan beberapa errands pg td spt gi bank dsb nya, aku n Hubs pon bertolak la ke HPAN. I was prepared, seriously, I was ready to have Baby today. Baju2 dah pek elok2 dlm beg sejak minggu ke 34 lg. Usaha2 lainnya pon dah prepare dah sket2 sblm ni seperti minum air zam zam, mandi air selusuh, shave apa yg patut (ngehehehe) etc. Signals dari body pon rasa cam dah ada gak, sakit sket2 kat bwh perut tu mlm2, perut dah drop, kaki pon dah kurg sembapnya. Org kata, tu tanda2 dah dekat la tu.

Hubs was also very adamant about having Baby delivered today. He had been going on and on about how today was going to be it. He had even dreamt that I had refused to give birth today, so he kicked me. Jahat tu mimpi dia. Nasib baik dia kata in reality dia tersepak bantal sahaja semasa tido.

Tp kitaorg sbb sampai lambat, dlm 9.40 pg cam tu, dpt la no 13. So tunggu la. Mula2, mungkin sbb berdebar kot, BP mmg tinggi, 144/91. Lps wat ulangan, nasib turun jd 122/81. Air kencing semua OK. Alhamdulillah... Berat aku maintain 76.6 kg. Sah aku nak bersalin dah ni sbb berat dah x naik...

Bila turn aku masuk, Dr tgk record sket2, tanya aku mcm mana, etc. Aku dah 37 minggu 5 hari. 2 days shy of 38 weeks, standard utk full maturity, kata Dr. Then Dr scan. Guess what? Baby skang dah 3.7 kg. Wohohoho... sihat sejahtera tu. Kata Dr, kalo cukup oksigen, cukup makan, cukup rehat, mmg la dia grow. Bila Dr measure tarikh expected due date from the measurement, mesin tu bg 15 Jun 2008 maksimum.

Yg best nya, kepala Baby dah engaged, dah masuk jalan yg benar. Amin... Siap Dr puji2 lg, pandai Baby ni cari jln, slalunya kalo baby duduk dalam air ketuban yg byk (kes Polyhidramnios spt aku), baby akan terapung2 x boleh nak swim ke bawah. Baik Baby ni... x nak nyusahkan mama dia... Sayang dia ... Aku rasa berjln2 ke hulu ke hilir kat central parking tu ada gak menjadi penyumbang utama. Maka x sia2 la aku usaha aku berjln ke Fakulti Bahasa tu, yg nyaris2 memberikan warga UPM heart attack utk bbrp ptg sblm ni.. hehe

Then Dr wat vaginal exam (VE). I readlly dreaded this part, but I knew it was coming. The good news is, it was VERY uncomfortable, tp x la menyakitkan sgt. The bad news, pintu rahim x terbuka langsung!

Since aku ada complained yg Baby mcm dah slow sket pergerakan dia lately nih, Dr aturkan aku suh monitor heartbeat and contraction guna mesin CTG. Maka kami pon naik la tingkat atas utk wat test tu. Bilik yg sama masa aku wat D&C dulu. Nasib dah x de perasaan trauma tu dah. Alhamdulillah, semua OK lagi. HB masih kuat, cuma contraction baru sket aje. Baru ada satu peak dlm tempoh 20 min test tu. Aku syak contraction tu ada pon sbb lps wat VE sat ni. Spjg aku wat test tu, ada Misi yg dtg briefing kat aku psl birth options, psl painkiller options (pethidine vs epidural), stem cell bank etc. Membantu la jugak, sbb dlm kekonfiusan aku nak bersalin kat mana sblm ni, aku dah termiss ante-natal class yg HPAN bg free utk semua bakal ibu dia setiap sebulan skali. Rugi tul...

Selesai tu, kitaorg discuss la apa option yg ada dgn Dr. I could be induced today, should I wish to. Tp kalo pintu rahim x terbuka, ada potensi sakit tu lama la, and if I can't stand it, mmg akan end up ngan c-section. It's a 50-50 chance. She also said, medically, 38 weeks (which is in 2 days), is full term. So chances of respiratory complications pd Baby pon kurang. And sometimes, 2 days can make a difference. Mungkin by then pintu rahim terbuka dah sket, so kalo induce pon x lama dpt result dia. But in 2 days, ada risk la Baby will gain some more weight, which kalo besar sgt, I won't be able to push Baby out, then we'll end up with a c-sec anyhow. Pening... pening...

But Dr promised that 38 weeks is top. She will not let me go beyond that. So kitaorg pon agree la, this Monday, 16 June, jam 7.30 pg adalah hari utk kitaorg menyerah diri utk di'admit'kan ke hospital, tiada berbelah bagi lg. I am praying to Allah that my water breaks naturally over this weekend. Dgn itu, x payah la ada adegan jolok menjolok nak pecahkan air ketuban dan induce menginduce nih. Sungguh x natural n membawa kpd kesakitan tambahan aje. Kena byk kan berjalan dan buat aktiviti2 fizikal. Dr aku open minded, dia kata, nak try alternatif kampung pon bole gak. Sometimes what works for one woman does not necessarily work for others. Ni lps ni nak gi read up kat Net apa yg bole dibuat to 'speed things up'.

Apa pon, kita merancang, Allah merancang, dan perancangan Allah adalah yg terbaik. Asal Baby and aku sihat walafiat, Ahamdulillah syukur nikmat ... Buat masa ni, kengkawan, keep the prayers and positive thoughts coming. Baby and I really need it. Jazakallah...

We've Decided...

Hari ni sepatutnya ada appointment ngan Hosp Serdang, tp aku x gi. Looks like we've finally come to a conclusion as far as nak bersalin kat mana is concerned. I didn't go to work either. I wanted to stay at home, all relaxed and away from distractions. Also, kalo kat umah senang sket nak buat amal ibadat lebih sket kan, and kurang sket dosa kot, x perlu berckp byk2 ngan sesapa especially benda2 yg x berfaedah atau tiba2 kang terngumpat org ke. To prepare physically, mentally and spiritually la, kata org.

I don't know if tomorrow is IT, but yg nyata mmg ada check up la ngan HPAN. Apa2 pon, tggu kata Dr esok la.

I got on the phone with K Ti td, my ex-room mate yg sama2 tgh tggu hari utk deliver baby. K Ti dah balik Klate rupanya. It was fun talking to someone who is going through the same thing as you are. Mmg simptom2 hujung pregnancy ni sama je lebih kurg. Knowing that other women who are going through the same thing as I am, feel the same about way about labour and delivery (nervous, scared) makes me feel kinda normal, and somewhat put me at ease, if only a little bit.

Tghari td mak aku masakkan lauk simple je, ikan bilis goreng ngan telur masak kicap, tp aku mkn siap tambah 3 kali hehe. Ni dah pkl 7 p.m., tp aku dah lapar balik. Huhu... cam ne la agaknya nnt kalo dlm pantang tu. X leh mkn itu, x leh mkn ini... mau kebulur aku nnt...

Ingat mlm ni plan nak gi Alamanda. Konon nak mkn la apa2 yg besh sblm before confinement starts (ice cream Baskin Robbins springs into mind). Also nak window shopping, my last ditch of effort to get Baby down to where s/he is supposed to be. Org kata, berjln byk2 di akhir2 pregnancy ni nnt memudahkan bersalin. Spjg minggu ni sbnarnya aku mmg dah berjln2 dah pon after office hour, sambil tunggu Hubs. Berjalan mundar mandir kat central parking tu, rasa cam org baru blaja bwk keta la plak. Pusing2 x de tujuan. Smlm aku try jln hingga ke Fakulti Bahasa dari fakulti aku, tp lps sekerat jln aku patah balik, sbb byk sgt org who gave me really odd looks. Rasanya aku telah membuatkan mereka semua freaked out kot. Ye la, an image of an awfully pregnant woman walking by the sidewalk kat Msia ni bkn la sesuatu yg familiar. I swear, ramai yg memperlahankan kenderaan masing2 tgk aku. Bkn sbb nak ngorat (duh!), tp aku jamin la, kalo aku berenti jln n duduk mencangkung ke kat tepi, memang konfem ada keta berenti la nak bwk aku gi spital. So, masih ada ramai rakyat Malaysia kita yg prihatin, Alhamdulillah...

Anyway, that's all for now. Doakan keselamatan aku n Baby yeh? I'll keep everyone posted soon.

Hospital Dilemma

I have an appointment with Hospital Serdang tomorrow, and another appointment with HPAN the day after. I have a strong feeling that at both visits (should I choose to go), I will be warded for close monitoring, if not induced straight away for it was decided earlier on that I was to deliver early due to previous concerns. 'Aim to deliver by 37 weeks', was specifically what was written in my red pregnancy record book by Hospital Serdang upon being discharged after the bleeding incident last April.

Which makes today, my most probable last day at work before I go on maternity leave. How time flies! As much as I am excited to meet Baby, I am petrified at the thought of giving birth! Can I do it? Will we be okay? Would it HURT?

Another issue that I have in my mind is, I am pretty much torned between delivering at a government hospital and at a private hospital. I do have faith in the system at Govt. Hosp, the specialists are there, but as far as hospitality goes, I'm not too sure. I don't mean to generalize, but I've heard and read many horror stories, and I don't know if I can go through it. From my short stay at the govt hospital awhile back, despite not having any major traumatic experience, (except for that lousy encounter with the *&^%$ labour room doctor), I know that husbands are not allowed to be besides their wives during the triage stage, and are only called into the labour room once dilation has reached 8 cm and above. Also, epidurals are not given out upon request either.

I admit, I am a big, fat, currently bloated wimp, and I don't know how far my pain threshold is, but I suspect it's close to zero. Furthermore, I don't feel like Baby is already enganged, so I know that I would have to be induced. And we all know that induced contractions are waaayyy worst than natural contractions. As they say, one medical intervention will lead to another. First, they'll have you induced, then they'll have to do an artificial membrane rupture, then they'll up the dose of the drug that causes contraction if progress is still slow, all the while checking how dilated you are thorugh the vaginal exams. Then if you're ready, you'll be asked to push. They'll do an episiotomy and extract the baby out either using a forcep or vacuum if the baby seems stuck. If all else fails, they'll perform a c-section. Yes, I know what I'm getting into. Hence, I hope you would understand where I am coming from.

I like the idea of having someone by my side to go through the labour process, to comfort me, support me, even if nothing else can be done, just be there and witness what I'm going through sympathetically and appreciate the sacrifices made by all women alike. I also want the freedom to request for epidurals should I feel the want to.

But of course, this comes with a price. A steep one at that. Oh, let's just say you're expected to fish out a minimum of RM 5K per delivery. PROVIDED there's no complication, that is. Sigh. I'm not rich. I don't sleep on a bed of money. I don't pee money. Even if I have that kind of money, I can't afford to splurge it around. And certainly not covered by some hip corporate company. I'm just a measly government servant, living off a really tiny wage, struggling to make ends meet. And so is Hubs.

Silly as this sounds, I've had the whole of 37 weeks to think an answer to this question, and yet I still haven't found the answer. We'll just see what tomorrow brings us. Please pray for me and Baby's well doing, and let's all hope that I'd have made up my mind soon. I only have, oh, 13 hours left to decide!

Elephant Feet and Sausage Fingers

Ye.. inilah rupa kaki dan tangan saya yang sungguh sembap skang di akhir2 pregnancy. Sandal dah x muat, dan carpal tunnel syndrom x usah cerita la lagi....

Comel kan? Gemok2 .... hehehe....

Happy 27th Birthday to Me!

Today, June 9th, I am a year older. Oh well, I guess being a mother at age 27 is as good as being one at 26. And I guess that Baby has decided that s/he does not want to share his/her birth date with Mama, hihi... I've always known Baby to have a personality and mind of his/her own....

On this day, I'd like to thank my Mom and give her a big, huge hug for not only giving birth to me 27 years earlier after enduring six hours of labour pain, but has since looked after me really well like any great Mom would. I would be lucky if I can be half the mother she is. Being on a journey to motherhood myself has really opened up my eyes to whole new perspective, and there is no way in the world that I could ever repay the love that she has showed me. {Sob, sob}

For my birthday, I don't want anything else other than to safely deliver my baby, without any complications, and to have the perfect bundle of joy in my arms all healthy and safe. I wish that I would make a great mother to Baby. Instead of all the pressies and luxuries for myself, I pray that all that is good goes to Baby instead.

I also pray for the health and wealth of my family, who has always been by my side and love me unconditionally.

And another one, I hope that the PhD scholarship still remains intact for me, with the fuel hike and the looming recession and all.

Oh yeah, let's see if I can squeeze this in without really stretching too far- if you want to throw in a brand new Nikon D300 as a surprise present, I'd welcome that too. I swear it's not for my own guilty pleasure, I'll use it to document Baby's growing progress ;)

Amin...

P/S: You really can scrap the last wish out. I don't need these wordly stuff to make me happy. Just a simple prayer for our well-being is the best birthday present of all :)

No, June 6th Was Not It

Lagging a little behind on posting an update over the weekend. Nope, not due to labour, but just being too busy with moving in and settling down in our new home. I guess June 6th was not meant to be it. So to those who were convinced that Baby'll be here soon, haha, the s/he has gotten you all fooled. Baby's still snug and content where s/he is at the moment, apparently.

I'm too tired to even write at the moment, I don't even know where to begin. All day Sunday I was vacuuming the hall, then dusting the furnitures, polishing the dining table, then dishwashing, scrubbing sinks, and cleaning the upstairs bathroom. I attempted on sorting out my closet, but just decided that it was too much. I was spent! Even Baby was so restless in my tummy, I guess my sudden burst of energy freaked Baby out. Afterall, I had pretty much led a very sedentary lifestyle so far, so mad dash cleaning was not something that baby was used to hehehe...

I don't know if this got something to do with nesting, but it certainly had a lot to do with the fact that we've moved into the new house. There was just so much to do, a lot of things needed to be organized. My sisters-in-law are staying there at the moment, keeping the house in order (or so they think), but on certain areas they hadn't kept it up to my standards, so I had to get on all fours to re-do some stuff, which got me a bit ticked off. But I couldn't stay mad for long, it is afterall MY house, and I can't expect them to keep everything spick and span. Seriously, if that were the case, I need a maid for that. I just have to hope that my cleaning efforts this weekend would at least last, I don't know, say three days. Sigh...

Anyway, on a cheerier note, over the weekend I got huge cravings for pizza. Saturday night, my family celebrated my birthday 2 days early, and we ordered Dominos Pizza. Everyone thought that we should celebrate early, just in case. Besides, everyone was at my Mom's that night, including my brother who was saway studying at college. I of course agreed to this early cleberation, I mean, you can't ask for pizza whilst in confinement, right? A friend of mine ate almost everything she possibly could get her hands on before the delivery. Baskin Robins, Pizzas, Starbucks Coffee, you name it, she'd had it - just to have it all out of her system before the period of confinement got here.

On Sunday, my sister-in-law who used to be the manager of Pizza Hut called up a friend for a favour and we dined on another round of pizza and fried calamari (yummy!), again in celebration of my birthday. How can you stay mad at great in-laws these? But I was a bit miffed that Hubs spilt a drop of pizza sauce on the brand new rug. The carpet was 90% black in colour, with some white patterns on it, and as luck would have it, the sauce just had to fall on the white part. If it's not the girls doing the deed, it's him... Grrrr...

After pizza, we watched the DVD, 'Over Her Dead Body' followed by another DVD. It was 1 a.m. by the time we finished. Must be the combination of being too tired and sleeping in a new house, I took the longest time to fall asleep. Even the slightest noise was disturbing. And since we've been living in an apartment this whole while, I'm accustomed to sleeping in a small bedroom. Even the guest room at Mom's house which we sleep in when we're there is puny. So I was feeling very, very uncomfortable sleeping in the really huge Master Bedroom. It wasn't helping that I kept having vivid dreams that seemed to be interconnected with one another. I woke up for a total of four times, all the while sweating. And I had to wake up to pee at my usual 4.30 a.m toilet break too. It's a miracle how I managed to get up to work today. I'm so tired!

WEEK 37 - INFO UPDATE

You are considered full-term now and your baby's final touches are being made. The crown-to-rump length of your baby is now 14 inches and the total length is around 21 inches. Your baby weighs approximately 6.5 pounds. Your uterus may be measuring about the same as it has been and is probably about 6.5 inches from the top of your bellybutton. Your baby is now fully mature and ready to be born. However, your baby is still growing and developing every day. Fat is still being laid down at a rate of a half ounce a day. If this is your first pregnancy, you can expect to deliver closer to 40 weeks or shortly thereafter. If this is not your first baby, you might go earlier than 40 weeks! Make sure that your bags are packed for the hospital and remember to preregister for admission. Your doctor may begin doing weekly pelvic exams to evaluate your cervical changes and progression. Your healthcare provider will make sure that you are not leaking amniotic fluid and will also examine your cervix to check for effacement and dilation. Before labor, your cervix is thick and 0% effaced. During labor your cervix thins out and right before delivery it will become very soft and 100% effaced. Research shows your baby can be affected by stress hormones. Make time to relax, to have fun, and to rest.

Is 6th June It?

Hari ni aku amik cuti rehat last minute. Bkn sebab apa2 pon, tp saja rasa mengantuk yg amat sgt, walhal semlm aku masuk tido pkl 9 p.m lagi. Org kata, kalo dah dekat2 nak deliver tu, body mmg akan rasa mengantuk yg lain mcm, spt nak tido all day long, x larat nak wat benda lain. Konon, bdn menyimpan tenaga la utk the Big Day. Ntah la, kalo betul bagus.

Lagi satu, smlm aku ada rasa sakit kat area bwh perut tu, yg mcm ala2 nak period tp belom la tahap senggugut kuat pon. Lama jugak la rasa x selesa tu, siap terberhenti2 masa ngaji and that's partly why aku tido awal. Agak mencemaskan coz adik ipar aku telah membuat firasat yg kononnya dia bermimpi aku bersalin on the 6th June. Siap komen hidung aku dah kembang la, dahi berkilat la, mcm2 lg la tanda org yg dah dekat sgt nak bersalin ni. Yo-yo-oh je. But still, masa sakit tu dtg n pergi smlm, aku x terlps drpd terfikir, betul ke prediction minah ni? Especially when Hubs is away on a course in Melaka. Too scary to even think that I'll be going into labour alone!

In addition, yea, perut aku dah drop. Bole rasa kosong di area bawah dada. It's a weird sensation bila mandi shower, air kena kat bhg perut yg dah empty, bcoz usually the water hit the bulging part where the baby was at. Maka bertambah2 la aku x keruan smlm, but I didn't tell a soul. X nak la semua org kecoh out of nothing plak!

Anyway, since it's already 5 in the evening of 6th June, aku rasa x betul la instinct dia tuh. I'm not too sure whether the cramps last night were just Braxton-Hicks or the result of sitting too long at my desk whilst at work, so apa2 pon aku amik cuti la ari ni. Kalo ikutkan aku mmg malas sgt dah nak gi keja. X de mood dah pon. Plus, kalo aku dok umah, mcm2 aku leh buat, termasuk la mengaji lebih sket. Time2 dah dekat ni patut berlebih2 lg la amalan wat penghapus dosa agar dimudahkan bersalin. Ralat betul aku kena keja hujung2 nih.

Speaking of amalan, I am continually thankful of all the 'petua's or tips yg diberikan oleh mereka yg well-meaning. As for as Doa goes, aku akan cuba amalkan la. Mana yg sempat hafal aku akan teruskan, yg mana tidak, aku akan cuba ingatkan. One thing that annoys me is when org bg nasihat that sometimes contradict with each other, or even worst, with medical advice. Contoh la, suruh byk kan bersama suami hujung2 ni, but with a previous case of placenta previa, x valid nasihat org tuh. Or suruh minum air kelapa, but then some say air kelapa tu tajam. Or suruh avoid mkn ulam sbb angin (?), but kena mkn sayur byk. Ntah la, konfius plak aku. And don't get me started on air selusuh la, sampai skang aku still x jelas bila agaknya org start minum. Skjp kata skang la sblm sakit, skjp kata masa dah turun tanda, skjp kata masa dah nak push. Wallahu a'lam bis sawab...

Yg aku tahu, Doktor dah advice aku suruh byk kan exercize. So if you see a big, huge round thing strolling around UPM's trek this evening, do not panic. It's not the Horrible Walking Pumpkin Monster, that would just be me, trying to get a good walk while coaxing my baby to descend further down. Wanna bet on how many laps I can squeeze? :P

Happy 3rd Anniversary

Dear Baby,

Guess what?

Today marks Mama and Ayah's 3rd Anniversary. Yup, Mama and Ayah loved each other so much so, that 3 years ago, they decided to get married. It was a lovely ceremony. And life has been a blessing ever since.

The love that Mama and Ayah felt or each other were so strong. The intensity of that love is still here today. And I want you to know that with you here, the love has increased by a million-folds. Words cannot describe what joy you have brought into our tiny family. Baby dear, you were definitely the seed of our love, conceived in love, and we can't wait to love you more and more with each passing moment!

And know this, even though Mama no longer looks as skinny and as cute as she had once looked in her wedding photos - well she is three years older and almost 30 kg heavier! -she still is the same vibrant, warm, loving person inside. Now you'll just have more of her to love!

I hope you'll love her no matter what, coz she sure loves you like no other person that walks the face of the Earth.

To Hubs, My Dearest,

Happy 3rd Anniversary. I Love you (and Baby) with All My Heart...

Ten Days and Counting

Ari ni aku check up utk Week 36+ di HPAN. All went very well. Aku gi ngan Mak aku, pukul 2.45 lg dah sampai. Dpt giliran no. 4 kali ni, so x yah tunggu lama2.

As usual, check urine x de problem. BP 126/86. Berat 76.6 kg. Masa scan baby x ngadap kitaorg, so nmpak blkg kepala je la, x nampak facial features dia yg cute tu mcm last time. Kedudukan dia mmg cephalic but still quite high for 36 weeks. Lom masuk terowong, kata Dr. Jom baby, kita masuk terowong soon?

Air ketuban still byk. Baby weighs a whopping 3.3 kg in comparison to 2.7 kg last check up. Quite big utk org Asia at 36 weeks, kata Dr. Dah eliminate dah possibility of diabetes. Hoho.. coming from ibu bapa baka melayu x de mix ni, kira semangat juga la baby yeh.. Dr pesan jgn mkn carbs byk sgt dah aku n kena gi exercise ptg2. Byk kan berjln. Okey... that's a change. Selama ni concern dia kat placenta, so x leh move sgt, nnt bleeding. Now that that issue has been resolved, kena byk kan berjln plak, supaya baby x jd big. Orait... getta sort things out ... But Alhamdulillah baby sihat....

Dr suh dtg lg in 10 days time. It looks like time will tell if Baby and I will be ready by then. Most likely induce, sbb Dr khuatir kalo2 baby gets too big if we wait until 40 weeks, kang kena c-sec plak, lain citernya. Ada 3 faktor kata dia yg boleh membawa komplikasi pada vaginal delivery. Satu, saiz tulang pelvik ibu. Dua, saiz baby. Tiga, kedudukan baby la sama ada dia mendongak ke langit, mengiring, atau menunduk spt sepatutnya. 'But we'll try our best for a normal birth', kata Dr.

At this point, I am excited, nervous, scared, all mixed in one. Mmg x sabar nak 'bergraduat', but at the same time tu, mmg sedia maklum la 'viva' tu bukannya senang. Berak sembelit pon x terhandle kdg2. I can only pray to Allah for the best utk both me n Baby and wait out until the time is here. May be I need to set a ticker, do you think?

Ten days... ten days ... ten days ... Pray for us yeah, everyone?

Full Term

Cam x caya plak dah masuk 36 weeks. We are currently Full Term! Alhamdulillah...

A lot went on since Friday. Ptg tu, janji jumpa ngan Sake n family utk makan malam kat kedai for the first time after hospital visit masa wife dia bersalin bulan Feb ari tu. Anak dia, Hassan, Subhanallah... semangat betul, almaklumlah 100% breastfed. Suka tgk. Masa lahir dulu x silap 2.65 kg. Terdetak juga dlm hati aku, haish, baby aku skang ni dah 2.7 kg, brape kilo la baby masa kuar nanti... tp x mo pikir pjg ah... janji sihat n slamat. Anyway, si Hassan ni dah pandai gelak2 n 'bercakap' dlm baby language la kot. Lps mkn, sambung lepak umah my parents utk semayang Maghrib etc. Dlm pkl 9.30 mlm jugak la baru diaorg bertolak pegi. Sian diaorg, x dpt gi Alamanda as planned sbb singgah sini dulu. Dah namanya singgah, apa lg, mmg lambat la dpt gerak, especially bila ada baby. Baby comel pulak tu, sumer org nak pegang atau agah, hehehe...

Hari Sabtu tu quite uneventful. Cuma pegi kenduri kawan Hubs. Ntah kenapa la selera makan aku bertambah2 lately. Lps tu gi Jusco utk beli sket brg keperluan umah. Alang2 tgh sales, Hubs sempat la merembat baju / seluar kerja. Aku most of the time duduk tercokoh kat kerusi je. Dah puas pusing area baby section, tp x de menda nak beli sgt dah. Cheh.. konon dah ada semua la ni. Nak beli baju2 baby pon dah malas, especially bila tgk anak Sake baru 3 bulan lebih seluar newborn dah jadi seluar yoga heheh. Mmg baby cepat besar, dah lumrah la kan? Alih2 beli baby oil pek kecik sbb yg ada kat umah tu pek besar susah nak isi dlm overnight bag aku. Also beli maternity pad wat stock tambahan ngan suar dalam in case x cukup dalam pantang nnt.

Bila masuk hari Ahad tu ingatkan the only eventful thing is nak pindah barang dari umah lama n wat naik umah baru kitaorg. Tp ada plak kejadian yg x disangka2. Adik ipar aku yg duk skali ngan kitaorg tu plak kena serangan gastrik. Makan ubat klinik dah x jln, last2 Hubs bwk gi Hosp Serdang kat Unit Kecemasan. Tempoh menunggu, Masya Allah, jgn citer la... dari pkl 8.40 pg diorg kat situ, pkl 11 pg lebih baru masuk utk treatment kat blkg. Until 1.30 tgh lom leh apa2 update lg tentang keadaan dia. Last2 Hubs mintak aku ganti tunggu kat Unit Kecemasan tu, dia dah janji ngan kwn dia yg bwk lori nak angkut brg ptg tu. Maka menunggu la aku. Sampai pkl 3.30 ptg x de apa2 aku mintak ke blkg nak tgk dia. Mungkin sbb aku sarat pregnant kot, dia bg la masuk.

Rupa2 nya kena warded. Hisy... masa tu geram pon ada, kesian lg la ada. Bkn apa, gastrik is manageable. Masalahnya kalo sendiri x mkn, mmg mengundang nahas la. Plak itu hari org dah offer nak bawa kan ke klinik, x mo, degil. Dah sakit kan susah. Cheh... mcm mak nenek aku bebel. X baik tul. Ni namanya membebel tanda sayang, okeh...

Meanwhile, Hubs bertungkus lumus la mengangkut brg dari umah lama ke umah baru dgn lori kecik tu. Siap kena wat 3 trip lg. Siapa sangka kami yg x berharta ni mmg byk juga la brg. Bila pindah baru tahu. Baju aje dah brapa plastik beg itam. Gilos sungguh... Dah la tuan umah dtg nak amik kunci x bgtau n then bising2 ckp lambat la, etc, etc... x paham betul org tgh ada family crisis.

Aku plak bila gi umah baru tu terus jd sakit kepala. Pening menengokkan benda2 yg bersepah. Malas nak komen, wat naik BP aku je.... Stakat tu je la nak story... byk yg x setel lg so maleh nak cerita... Just doakan la rumah tu settle soon, even better before aku deliver...

Hari Isninnya, kitaorg gi melawat adik ipar aku yg warded tu. Kesian dia, kena NBM (Nil By Mouth). Maknanya dah lebih 24 jam x mkn x minum, cuma masuk air 10 botol je melalui drip. Aku skang mmg paham benar apa rasanya x diberi mkn oleh pihak hospital atas alasan nak surgery etc, tp sungguh... sedih x leh mkn tu x leh nak ckp ahh... Last2 bila Dr kata dia bole mkn, mmg dia ckp sedap sungguh 1st thing yg dimkn tu. Teringat zaman aku masuk wad x lama dulu. Makanan spital pon jd lazat gile dah ni ... huhu...

Ptg nya tuh mak n abah (parents Hubs) dtg KL atas tujuan nak visit anak dia yg warded tu. Kitaorg lawa diorg stay umah kitaorg yg x seberapa tu. Malu gak sbb tgh bersepah, tp pikir, ah.. famili sendiri. Diorg tentu paham sbb baru pindah kan. Lps melawat skali lg ptg tu, aku dah kesemputan. Gile jauh koridor Hosp Serdang ni. Mengah sgt dibuatnya...

Lps mkn mlm kat umah parents aku, the in-laws pon beredar ke umah baru la utk bermlm di sana. I hope diaorg x la rasa x selesa sgt, but apa bole buat. Aku x de kudrat nak simpan brg yg berkotak tu lg .. huhu. Didoakan agar adik ipar aku cpt sembuh n kuar wad. X de sapa nak duk lama2 kat wad tu... Aku sgt2 paham...

WEEK 36 - INFO UPDATE

By this week of pregnancy your baby's crown-to-rump length reaches about 13.5 inches and the total length is approximately 20.7 inches. Your baby weighs about 6 pounds now. The top of your uterus has moved further up under your ribs and is about 5.5 inches above your bellybutton. Your uterus has grown a lot in the past few weeks as your baby has gained weight. You may have gained about 30 pounds by now and it is common for your weight to stay about the same from this point onwards. Because the top of the uterus is high as it will be, breathing may be getting very uncomfortable at times. You might notice jabbing pains from your baby's kicks. However, within the next few weeks, your baby will drop into the birth canal and this will make breathing easier again.

Source:
http://www.i-am-pregnant.com/Pregnancy/calendar/week/36