And thus begins my 'vacation' in UMMC.

I stayed in a 4 bed room as that is only type of room available in the prenatal ward. The wards' were recently refurbished, so they look quite cheery and bright.

I'm served 4 meals a day (breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, and dinner). There's a menu for me to choose my meals from, ranging from local spicy, local non spicy, western and vegetarian. Taste wise is so so. Some dishes were good, but some were not.

My next door neighbor is also having placenta previa, and like me, has not experienced bleeding thus far. Her due date is one week earlier than mine. So we're both we like 'residents' in that room, while our opposite neighbors come and go.

Every couple of hours, the nurses will come and check the baby's heartbeat, and once a day, my blood pressure is taken. Every morning, and sometimes in the afternoon, the doctors will do their rounds, checking on all patients.

As UMMC is a learning hospital, and as I wasnt experiencing any bleeding, I was approached twice to be a 'test' patient for the medical students. The first was for an ultrasound demo/talk, where the doctor did an ultrasound presentation on my condition to her students. The second was for the final year students' exam, where they had to do a practical, by interviewing a patient and present the case to their examiners to be evaluated. That was quite an interesting insight. Boy, the students were nervous! I was given a small monetary reward on both occasions.

I spend my days reading, sleeping, eating, playing games and surfing. In a way, it wasn't too bad, cos I got to rest quite a bit the whole time, as third trimester does take it's toll on me. Due to the position of the placenta, the weight and pressure on my lower abdomen is greater. I move a lot slower and can't sit too long.

I have another week to go before my scheduled c-section. Crossing my fingers that everything goes smoothly.

During my 33rd week checkup, my gynae asked that I pay a visit to a government hospital for further checkup. Due to my placenta previa condition (which is considered high risk pregnancy) he mentioned that most private won't accept these kind of patients. Furthermore, I may loose a lot of blood, and may require blood transfusion. Government hospital are better equipped to handle cases like this and have a better network of blood supply.

And so, on 26th of March (my 34th week), hubs and I went to UMMC (University Malaya Medical Center) for checkup. After the necessary registration and routine tests (blood and urine test) we went in to see a gynecologist. We were told then that I should be warded immediately, in case of bleeding. That totally freaked me out. My first time hospitalized!! But after a couple of deep breaths, I realized it would be for the better. At least I'm already IN the hospital in case of emergency. And there are doctors and nurses around, monitoring my condition.

So hubs and I waited a while until a nurse came to wheel me to the ward.

I will have to stay until the baby is delivered. If no bleeding occurs, a c-section will be planned sometime in week 38th.

My gynae had been mentioning that I had low placenta since the last few checkups, but with some hope that it will move up as the pregnancy progresses. However, I had a checkup last week (32 week), and it still has not move up. He mentioned a condition called placenta previa.

From Babycenter:

If the placenta is still lying low in your uterus after you are 20 weeks pregnant, it is called placenta praevia. Even at this stage, the placenta may still move up in time for your baby to be born. By the end of pregnancy, about one in 200 women has placenta praevia to some degree. Most of these are minor cases. 

If the placenta covers your cervix at the end of your pregnancy, your baby's exit route through your vagina will be blocked. The placenta may be partly covering your cervix (partial placenta praevia) or completely covering it (major placenta praevia). See our images, below. Either way, your baby will need to be born by caesarean section.

source: http://www.babycenter.com.my/a830/placenta-praevia#ixzz2NDalZJ9k\

Apparently, there's also a tendency for early bleeding due to contractions - thus early delivery. Hubs and I are really praying that our lil girl will stay inside till at least week 37. I'm mentally preparing myself for a c-section now and reading up more about it. Hopefully, I won't lose too much blood as well when the placenta detaches itself from the uterus - as I read, this may happen as well for placenta previa cases.

I'm having so much fun looking at baby clothes, thinking of what to buy for my lil girl!! There's sooooooo many adorable clothes that I just want to buy them all! But of course, the practical side of me kicks in to withhold myself from buying too many, since babies tend to grow quite fast the first few months.

As my belly grows bigger, I get tired too easily after walking a short while. So I'm clothes-shopping from the comfort of my own home - online shopping!!

Aren't these two rompers just oozing with cuteness?!? Yea, I bought them, even though they're only available at a bigger size (9-12months). :P

Before being pregnant, I always thought how cool it would be to experience naming a baby. Fast forward to the present, I must say, baby naming can be pretty exhausting! Not that I'm complaining, but the choices are a plenty! And with me who's always having difficulty making big decisions, this one is certainly tough.

There are a couple of names that I like, but alas, they're already taken - either a friend's name, or a friend's baby's name. Then there are names which I like, but hubs doesn't, or vice versa. Or names that doesn't sound nice when put together with the last name (family name). Or names that mean something else when saying it in a different language/dialect. Or names which may be difficult to pronounce by certain groups of people.

I guess the weight is really upon us as parent to choose the correct name for our children. After all, it'll stay with them for years to come, and if we happen to choose a wrong name, we're doomed! :p

It brings a smile to my face every time I feel the baby kicking. I only really noticed the kick sometime in week 19. It's still a gentle kick for now, although I do hear from other mommies that the kick gets harder as the pregnancy progresses. Initially hubs had been trying to feel the kick as well, but whenever he puts his hand on my belly, the kick stops. Cheeky baby! LOL! He has now felt the kick himself a few times now, and his face literally lights up as well. The miracle of life :)

Came across this cute illustration, from Show Mom How.

I was down with sore throat, flu and cough last week. Typically, I'll get a sore throat, followed by fever, then flu and finally cough. My cough can usually last up to 2 weeks, even with cough syrup.

A friend of mine introduced coconut oil to boost my immune system and advice me to try and avoid taking the usual medicine for flu and cough. So I bought myself a bottle of virgin coconut oil from BMS Organic shop. It was selling at RM56+ for a 750ml bottle. At that time, my sore throat was almost gone, and I starting to have flu already.

I took a tablespoon of coconut oil, three times a day, and popped in vitamin C tablet as well. The next few days, I still had flu and started coughing a little, but that was it. It seemed to be 'under control'. By the third day of taking coconut oil, the flu and cough was gone. Yay!!! And that was without taking any antibiotics, flu or cough medicine.

I googgled about coconut oil and discovered the below:


So I guess I'll be taking coconut oil from now on. :)

Additional good reads:
http://www.thevirgincoconutoil.com/articleitem.php?articleid=217

I'm so happy to be able to start exercising again - with my energy up and morning sickness gone. I wanted to start things slow, since I've not been exercising the past three months.

I didn't want to sign up for formal prenatal classes yet, so I thought I'd just start with some light stretches on my own first. I was regularly practising yoga pre-pregnancy, so I was comfortable doing some yoga routines on my own.

I googled for prenatal yoga videos online, and found this routine which I absolutely love. I've been doing it a couple of times now, and it has help relieve my backache a little. I love how her routines includes learning to make connection with the baby and at the same time, stretches the body to make it more flexible for labour and delivery.

Now that I'm finally over my morning sickness, the days certainly look brighter and the skies look bluer!! I still get occasional bouts of headache in the evening, but most of the time, I'm feeling good!

I'm super hungry most of the time now, but I still try to keep my meals small, but frequent. Stomach space is shrinking a little, to make room for the baby to grow, so I can't eat too much at any one time anyway. I'm also getting slight backache now, so moving around or getting up from a sitting position needs to be done at a slower pace. Oh, my baby bump's starting to show and my clothes are all getting tighter. Time to go shopping!!

I started experiencing slight constipation during my 14th week of pregnancy. It took a little longer than usual, although I was still able to 'do it' every day. I was worried things may go out of hand, so I was determined to keep constipation at bay.

The one thing I found most efficient in getting my bowel movements 'smoother' was papaya. I really love this fruit. Just one big slice of papaya, and the next day, wooooosh, everything comes out much easily. I never knew papaya to have laxative effects! According to google, papaya contains the natural digestive enzyme papain which supports digestive health. The vitamins, fiber and water content also helps to maintain a healthy colon.

Since I was not able to buy papaya everyday, my second best solution was to drink more water. I've had trouble drinking too much water earlier on due to my morning sickness. Before pregnancy, I've always been drinking lots of water. I think I usually drink 3-4 liters of water everyday, but it probably dropped to 1-2 liters during my first trimester. My lips cracked the whole time during my first trimester, and I had occasional nose bleeds, which my doc said was due to dehydration.  However, I started drinking like a camel the moment my morning sickness was gone, and toilet visits were also much smoother.

After weeks of being 'stuck at home' due to my morning sickness, I'm longing to go out. A gateaway, more like it. A pre-baby holiday, for hubs and I to enjoy the company of just the two of us, before our new addition comes into play. Hubs and I were actually planning a trip to Japan early next year, until we found out I was expecting.

So a baby-moon would be lovely. It may happen or it may not, seeing that I still haven't fully regain the so-called '2nd trimester feel good energy', but there's no harm planning rite?

Some places I've thought of:

Pulau Redang - have been wanting to go back Redang, since the last time I went was many many years ago. But will have to scrap that, since it's the monsoon season now, and going to the east coast would be out of the question

Next best local island option: Pangkor. Perhaps trying out the oh-so-extremely-overpriced Pangkor Island Resort

Back to nature relaxation: Tanah Aina, AwanMulan

Krabi, Bali

...hmmm, where else..

I'm so so looking forward to this ultimate preggo indulgence, to be pampered, to rest and relax, before sleep deprivation and midnight feedings become the norm.

I experienced bouts of insomnia throughout my first trimester. There were nights where I would be tossing and turning the whole night, while other nights, I would fall asleep, only to wake up at 3 or 4am and not being able to sleep after that.

From what I read, it's actually quite common for one to experience insomnia during pregnancy, especially during the first and third trimester. During the first trimester, the body is going through hormonal changes, while the third trimester is due to sleep disturbances such as frequent urination, heartburn and backaches.

I've compiled several tips which I have found to help me sleep better (at times!):

Go to bed at night when you're tired, instead of following your usual sleeping time

If you wait till your sleeping time, the tiredness may have passed, and you may find it difficult to fall asleep.

Listen to relaxing music before sleeping

To calm down your mind and soul.

Avoid watching tv, computer or reading books before sleeping

Sometimes, the things you watch or read may trigger your mind to start racing again, thus making it harder to fall asleep. A rule of thumb is also to avoid having a tv in the room.

Jot down problems and thoughts instead of keeping them recycled in your mind

As I'm a born worrier, I find this very helpful. I'll imagine pulling out my problems or thoughts from my head (kinda like Dumbledore in Harry Potter movie), putting it in a balloon, and letting it slowly float away.

Exercise is a great way to relax

I haven't actually done this yet, but I'm itching to do it. I've always been exercising before my pregnancy - either swimming, walking or yoga. But I had to stop during my first trimester due to the morning sickness symptoms.

Hopefully these few tips will help you as well.

I have a new found appreciation for lemons and grapefruits!

I have always been drinking hot lemon juice first thing in the morning before I was pregnant. I find that it's a very refreshing way to start my day, apart from the fact that it's beneficial for the digestive system. But somehow, I stopped when I found out I was pregnant. As for grapefruit, I've never really been a fan of it, due to the slight bitter-ish taste.

However, as I was experiencing frequent bouts for indigestion and heartburn throughout my first trimester, I was looking for natural ways to elevate the discomfort without having to resort to drug-based remedies.

I started taking lemon juice whenever I have indigestion. I read somewhere that drinking or eating something citrusy helps, so I tried. It does help, but then it made me hungry even faster. And I didn't like that, as being hungry means I need to eat, and since I had very lousy appetite during my first trimester, the act of eating was a torture.

Then my dad chanced upon the use of grapefruit skin to help elevate nausea. My sweet dad was going through some of his old food related books, to see what kind of food is suitable for pregnant women. One of his books talks about food that can cure/help relieve ailments based on Chinese belief, and it mentioned that boiling grapefruit skin in water and drinking it as 'tea' throughout the day helps with nausea.

Unfortunately, the grapefruit skin tea drink didn't quite help me with nausea. However, I soon discovered eating the grapefruit itself whenever I had indigestion and heartburn helped me a whole lot! And it doesn't make me hungry even faster after that, unlike lemon juice.

And so, grapefruit is now, always, readily available in my fridge, for days when my digestive system is acting up.

My first trimester hit me like a tornado. It was quite overwhelming considering this was my first pregnancy. I certainly had not expected it to be that difficult.

The symptoms started somewhere in mid week 5. I'm now almost towards the end of week 11, and it still has not fully gone yet. I am nauseated and dizzy throughout the whole day. My appetite went down the drain and being hungry all the time makes it worse. I get heartburn frequently, especially towards late afternoon and night. Sleeping is difficult due to the frequent heartburn, bloatedness and nasal congestion. I'm put off by the smell of certain food, including cooking oil, so cooking at home was a no-no. The only thing I want to do most of the time is sleep.

Working was difficult as well. Luckily, I was able to work from home until I was 'fit' enough to go back to office.

Hubs was pretty supportive throughout the whole period. He did all the cleaning and washing! The only unfortunate thing was he doesn't cook much. And that's where my parents came in. I stayed with them for a couple of weeks, just so that I could have home-cooked meals. Eating out was a no-no, as the food was mostly too greasy for me.

All in all, my first trimester had consisted of the longest weeks of my life. Hopefully things get better soon *cross fingers*