Office Babies

     Remember how I mentioned my staff have infants at the moment? They often visit their mums in the office after work and I get to play with them and Oh My God they are the most adorable creatures on this planet! Plus they laugh and smile at me instead of being scared or cry so that's a great bonus! At least I know my baby won't be scared of me (lol).

     My biggest fear right now is keeping the baby alive- the last thing I do not want is a miscarriage and considering this is my first pregnancy, I guess there is some form of (immense) pressure.
     My maternity clothes and baby's accessories arrived today! It's like Christmas but with more anticipation. At the moment the clothes are loose and wide around the belly area but I'm sure the bagginess will be filled in no time.
     Morning sickness has not paid me a visit although there are occasional short nausea. Like today, I was in the car and I had a cold where I wanted to sneeze. Except that 'pre-sneeze'  subsided and I started getting nauseous. How is that even possible? I will never know. I'm just glad that I'm no longer under the weather or should I say the turbulence of morning sickness.
    

5 Pregnancy Taboos

      In case my readers are not yet acquainted, I come from a very conservative country where premarital sex is the biggest taboo and not to mention unplanned pregnancy like I'm having. Even if the woman finds out she's with a child, the couple is obliged to get married and probably have a wedding before the bump becomes visible.

     So here is little old me who will be breaking the following pregnancy taboos, one step at a time.

     1. No house renovations, moving or even painting. (This is a bit of Feng Sui)

 This may not apply to most cultures but I believe in a bit of Feng Sui except I can't afford to not move houses. I'm even building my own dream house before the baby's arrival just so I can enjoy my privacy and not have other relatives nagging on what to do and not to do.

       2. No exercise during Pregnancy.

   I'm not exactly the skinniest of the bunch and there's a high risk of diabetes if a pregnant woman is overweight so I try and get 45 minutes on the elliptical since it's not advisable to run on the treadmill. I guess one should work out in moderation while trying to keep fit. Also, exercising helps a lot to prevent morning sickness. Rather than lying in bed all day if you are constantly moving the sickness will  mitigate after the first trimester!

     
3. We can't dye our hair!

   My hair stylist love my hair and it's not because it's healthy but because after three months my roots will grow up to two or three inches which means I will have to redo my roots every time there is growth. I have to dye my hair at least once every five to six months. I can afford to live without sashimi and wine for my baby's sake but not dying my hair is almost unbearable.

4. We must eat for two.

    This is a common misconception because we shouldn't gain more than 10 to 15 kg and if we are overboard, chances are the newborn will face a type 2 diabetes. We should only be eating around 200 calories more a day. The body also absorbs more nutrients from food during pregnancy where our calcium and iron absorption increases as well. How neat is that?

5. No sexy time

Since my doctor hasn't given me any order against it, I don't see why I can't (though my libido is zilch)

Is it Too Soon to Buy Baby Accessories?

      I may have done some damage to my bank account today. I know it might be too early to even think about cribs, strollers or even a bath tub but I can't help myself. I am known as a shopaholic so if I'm not buying things for myself, it will be for someone else and in this case it's for my new baby!

      I can almost feel all the mothers around the world shaking their heads in disapproval but we have always wanted children even when we were kids. Some may deny it and others will pretend that they don't want children but that's all lies! I can tell because I was one of them before. I was anti-babies once, I didn't like other people's children since most of the time they would be either yelling, screaming or even kicking. This is a different story though because it's my child, new born who will be entering my life and I can feel it will be a beautiful arrival.

       

It only hit me after I bought all the things that I have to especially take care of myself and prevent myself from any form of accident. I do not wish to jinx this but buying all the items just made my awareness even more alert. I have become the ultimate caretaker and I must protect my newborn no matter what. You can call me a 'Mummy Warrior' even haha! You know the Xena-ness is there, I just discovered that today.

       I know I am on an adventure of a lifetime and since this is my first, it just puts more pressure to be the perfect Mummy. I am constantly haunted by What Ifs and What Nots and sometimes I worry myself sick! I am the first to get pregnant out of all my girlfriends (though one of them are pregnant too) so it's harder for me to share my experiences.

       Now I just hope I have made the right decision of purchasing all of the accessories. Plus there is a bonus if I didn't like the things I have bought I can even give them to my staff since there are three wonderful babies in the office.

Emotion, Emotions and more Emoness

Even the title sounds depressing, doesn't it? One minute, I'm the happiest person alive but the next, I'm saddened or mad. Pregnancy is really an emotional roller coaster and I just have to brace it for the next few trimesters. There are time where I wish to be alone and not be bothered because I'm annoyed for no apparent or logical reason.

Week 6 and 7 has been probably the toughest week due to my constant traveling and stress from work. It doesn't help that I'm constantly tired from losing so much energy in the scorching sun. Oh the perks of living in South East Asia, I suppose. Don't get me wrong I love the warm climate, it's a lot more comfortable to sweat than freeze my tush off in the blistering winter.

Agitation is also a daily habit and I shouldn't be bothered by minute mistakes or the wrong thing my employees say but I can't help myself even if I used to be the most patient person. On the plus side I'm so glad I have my girlfriends to keep sane. You'd think your fiance is the most important person during your pregnancy, he really isn't. It's your girlfriends who will be there to support you at every little step and milestone.

My next appointment with Mr. Ng, my gynecologist is next week so I'm super excited and a tiny bit nervous. I guess the only way to keep myself sane is to not over think or have any expectation.

I Really Like Rubbing My Belly

    There's something very therapeutic when it comes to rubbing one's pregnant belly. Why do we do it? Perhaps it's my possessive nature kicking in or because I am trying to connect with the baby (in retrospect it's only an embryo). No matter what the reason is, I like it. 

    My first gynecologist appointment was last Monday on 24th March. I was such a nervous wreck, at a loss for word and would only reply when needed to. But Mr. Ng made the process of pregnancy made it seem like a piece of cake. The highlight was when I saw the scan of my tiny little egg form WITH  a heart beat as an added bonus. I suppose this is what they call a magical moment, a moment when I felt connected with this tiny pea sized baby- my pea sized possession.

    I'm just super thankful morning sickness didn't pay a visit this morning though I still felt the nausea from time to time. If anyone feels a terrible nausea the gyno should prescribe  'Metoclopramide" and should be taken 30 minutes before a meal when you feel the nausea creeping in. This tablet works like a charm! I'm just grateful for modern medication because I feel fine after taking one. 

     I also try to inhale deeply and exhale sharply a few times just to distract myself and abstain myself from being sick. It is also not advisable to stare at a computer screen or be on your smart phone too long since they can trigger it as well.

What Does My Gut Say?

Apart from the fact that I'm ALWAYS hungry every hour or two, I'm pretty excited about what the future holds. For once in my life- I'm selfless, caring, super meticulous about my diet, not ashamed to let gas out in public if it's not too loud (sorry! But gas is quite abundant ​at this stage), insecurity is non-existent and last but not least, being pregnant makes me appreciate my parents more.

I am Seven Weeks

        My emotions are very intense. They are so intense that sometimes I don't even know how I should really feel. Pregnancy- especially for rookies like me are a very confusing and scary time where I am utterly lost no matter how much I read.

         I am in my seven weeks and these are the following symptoms:

1. I am constantly peeing. Holy Sh*t! It's embarrassing at the office because no one knows I'm pregnant yet and it just looks like I have a very bad diarrhea or something worse. I mean every half an hour my bladder starts to act up and remind me it's time to go.

2. Today was the first day of my morning sickness and boy do I love it! It is nothing like your usual vomiting. I felt like the bile were force exiting from my body and the immense pressure was terrifying. But thank god it was less than 30 seconds, I couldn't endure for more. During that 20-second ordeal, I didn't want my fiance but instead I longed for my mother's comfort. Definitely a mini enlightenment that mothers know best!

3.  My appetite has increased tremendously . Instead of my usual 3-meal a day, I find myself eating in the morning at 7am then noddles at 10am, rice and chicken around 12.45pm then oranges or apples (I mean it in plural, don't ask me how many) at 2pm, followed by tea and dinner by 7pm. I try and get to bed by 9pm and if I don't I'm starving! Like stomach grumbling, heart beating starvation, which I try to console with a glass of milk. I don't think it's advisable to eat too much at night and risk high blood sugar and pressure.

4. My sense of smell has heightened till the point I can't stand my own perfume. I guess I can't abide by Coco Chanel's rule of wearing perfume anymore but hey if it means less nausea, I'm willing to risk it.

5. Maternity clothing and bra shopping is not the same. I'm a shopaholic and if you know me I like to put a dent in my bank account. Unfortunately that does not apply to maternity wear. I was so bored and demotivated that it actually scared me. Maybe I should have done it online but I don't know the sizes and I don't know how big I will get so there is a lot of pressure to find the right outfits and in most cases the appropriate attire.

However, at the end of the day I'm constantly reminding myself that I'm creating a beautiful baby and this life-altering experience cannot be traded for anything, anywhere. I can't forget the look on my fiance's face when I told him I was pregnant. Initially he thought I was joking because we have had a few 'scares' before but here we are and there is nothing scary about this experience.