Sinus Congestion

I have been having sinus for the longest time. Even before I am expecting, those polytechnic days with congested nose and teary eyes has made a nasty comeback. The air is really bad in Singapore. And the sinus does not seem to get better when I got pregnant. I remember my health condition was in peak form when I was carrying Oliver. Not this time round. Perhaps I had not taken good care of myself during the confinement period, or perhaps, I am two years older now. Or, according to the book on pregnancy, it is due to the high levels of estrogen and progesterone circulating in the body that bring increased blood flow to the mucous membranes of my nose, causing them to soften and swell - just the same as the cervix does in preparation for childirth. And I am expecting this stuffiness to actually get worse before it gets better. And lucky for me, some will actually get a nosebleed. Hope not.

Guess the Sex of Little Baby Chew

" girl "

Boon Heng (Before his dream, otherwise it has always an affirmative boy)

Yuen Yuen

Karen Chiew

Laura

Siti

" boy "

Gina

Karen Ho

Week 17 Check Up

The Private Suite at KKH

The Waiting...

The Yawn

... not because of the waiting , but after we ate the delicious Bah Kut Teh

The Bulging Nose...

that sense my taking pictures of him only now

my weight ... 54.5 kg

I had my scheduled checkup this week. I was happy to have my checkup done at The Private Suite and not Clinic B. Clinic B is relatively cheaper, but definitely the wait was longer and the atmosphere less cosy.

The process goes like that...

I went to the Counter to register myself. Suffering from forgetfulness and double the dosage this time round, I had forgotten to bring my appointment book. This had never happened during my first prenancy. Next, the nurse asked me to go for my routine testing. The routine testing required me to pee on a paper stick with three indications of colours. Once again, I was being myself again, asking the nurse what colours I should look out for. I remembered that Green indicated high glucose level, but thought I just wanted to make sure. The nurse confirmed that my pea-sized brain still remember it correctly, but I was slightly irritated when she asked (quite nicely) if I was a first-timer. Gosh, is it just me or an erratic moodswing caused by the surge of hormone ?

I waited for about 20 minutes for my turn. The check lasted less than 10 minutes, as expected. Dr KT Tan usually asked how you were feeling. My answer would be good, and I would retreat to the corner of her room where the bed and scan machine were. Once again, I have to remind Dr Tan that I wanted a copy of the scan picture. I wonder why she could not just give to her patient automatically. Wouldn't most mothers ask for it?

I love looking at the scan picture. The baby legs were all cramped up here. Sorry, cannot give you the breaking news of the sex of the baby. But no harm for you to start thinking what you want to give me during the baby shower. haha.

Comparing the scan picture with Oliver, Little Baby Chew seems to have sharper chin and more prominent nose. Alright, you must be thinking I am ridiculous to even say that the nose is more prominent... that's maternal instinct, mind you... haha

Week 16

Source :http://www.webmd.com/baby/your-pregnancy-week-by-week-weeks-13-16?page=2

Week 16
Baby: Your baby now measures about 4.3 to 4.6 inches from crown to rump and weighs about 2.8 ounces. Fingernails are well-formed and the fine hair, lanugo, may be growing on the head. Arms and legs are moving. The nervous system is functioning and muscles are responding to stimulation from your baby's brain. You may be able to hear the baby's heartbeat in the doctor's office.

Mom-to-be: Your uterus has grown significantly by now and weighs about 8.75 ounces. Within the next few weeks you may start to feel your baby move, called "quickening." It's often like a gas bubble or subtle fluttering movement. As it happens more regularly, you'll know it's your baby. There are other physiological changes happening in your body. Increased blood volume to support your growing fetus may produce nosebleeds, and leg veins may become more apparent. Your uterus is shifting so you may not have to urinate so much.

Tip of the Week: If veins in your legs are beginning to bulge, you may want to use support stockings, elevate your feet when you can and exercise to improve blood flow. Indeed, I seems to have quite a number of leg cramps this week.

Week 13 - First Trimester Scan for Down Syndrome

According to the information leaflets given by Dr KT Tan, Down Syndrome is the most common cause of learning difficulties in newborn babies. It occurs in 1 out of 700 babies. Anyone can have a baby with Down Syndrome, regardless of age, family history or ethnic background. However, a woman's risk of having a baby with Down Syndrome increases with age. At my age, the probablility of getting a baby with Down Syndrome is 1:300.

Down Syndrome is caused by having an extra copy of a particular chromosome (the part of cells that contain genetic material from our parents).

Besides having some degress of learning difficulty, individuals with Down Syndrome are also at a greater rish of having medical problems, including heart defects, abnormalities of the digestive system, hearing and eyesight problems, seizures, thyroid problem and childhood leukaemia.

Gosh, reading all these information saddens me and I wonder why anyone has to go through such a process in their life.

At the scan, the length of the fetus would be measured. It must measure between 45 to 84 mm for any risk estimation to be valid. Less than 45mm, a repeat scan will be scheduled. More than 84 mm, one will have to discuss on an alternative method of screening for Down Syndrome. My baby measures 66.1 mm.

The back of the baby's neck is also measured for its nuchal transluceny. If the measurement taken is larger than expected, this means that there is an increased risk.

The presence of nasal bone is also another tell tale sign of down syndrome. If the nasal bone is absent, a re-scan has to be scheduled at 16 weeks. Again, it is a relief to find out that the presence of nasal bone of my baby.

Somehow, I feel paranoid yet thankful for such advancement in technology which allows couples to get mentally prepared. My heart goes to all parents who need to make a decision after the scan to accept the risk of delivering a handicapped child.

Week 9 - First Scan

Finally back at KKH Private Clinic. Merely just 14 months, the clinic has made some changes. The counter registration is different. The room for routine test is now smaller as they partitioned the room into two rooms.

What is still the same? Doctor KT Tan is still the same. No nonsense checkup. Checkup is quick and before you know it, you have left the room. I have no idea how good KT Tan is, although my first birth experience was short and successful. I hope my second one will be the same.

Here's some details of my checkup:

foetus length ... 2.5 cm
my weight ... 53.4 kg
my pulse ... 91
Bp ... 97 / 51

Naming our baby

If it turns out to be a girl, her name could be....

Bridgette Chew

Audrey Chew

Olivia Chew

If it turns out to be a boy, his name could be....

Timothy Chew

Ralph Chew

Harry Chew

Trevor Chew

Jamie Chew

Orlando Chew