My twins @11 days...

This is what you have been waiting for... here's a mini-video of the twins in action!!

My birth story on 23 Nov 2007 ...

I had been so busy with the twins since discharged, and also nursing my wound... Finally, I found some time to pen down my birth story, which is a planned c-section.

Here's the sequence of events:

22 Nov 2007
11.30pm:
sleepless night for both hubby and I as c-section is scheduled at 8.30am the next day. no food and drinks from 12 midnight onwards so had a light snack @11.15pm before settling down to sleep ... ...

23 Nov 2007
5.40am:
had a good shower and get ready to set off with hospital bag and cord blood storage kit in tow.

6.15am:
off we go to Mt Alvernia Hospital, with mother-in-law... keke... hubby was pretty nervous and needed some support.

6.40am:
arrival at Mt Alvernia Hospital and was directed to labour ward. Given meds to clear bowels, draw blood for blood test, get changed etc. while hubby went to settle the admission details.

8am:
all ready to go into OT. The nurse informed that my gynae had arrived and is currently doing a c-section for another patient. I'll be next!!

8.15am:
wheeled to just outside the OT to await my turn. Hubby was with me and soon the anaesthetist came to brief us on what to expect.

8.30am:
the time has come! wheeled into OT and before I know it, I am knocked out...

8.53am:
Twin 1, the boy arrived, weighing 2.845kg.

8.57am:
Twin 2, the girl arrived, weighing 2.24kg.

10am:
I woke up from my drowsy state and hubby and mother-in-law was outside the OT to receive me. They were telling me excitedly about the twins when they first saw them. The girl was wailing away while the boy had a very contented look on his face... keke.. They updated me that both babies are of good birth weights and doing well.

The final countdown.... 2 more days to go!

D-day is just 2 days away! My c-section is scheduled this Fri, 23 Nov @8.30am. During yesterday's check-up, everything is going well. My gynae was very pleased that I managed to hold the twins till now and asked me to endure for just another couple more days! keke...

I checked with him about my itch problem and also pain at the left wrist and he said that these symptoms could all be due to water retention. Once the water retention goes off after pregnancy (could take a few days or a few weeks), all these symptoms should subside.

After the check-up, we went for a family dinner at Wen Yan Lou at Jurong East. My hubby parked at the multi-storey carpark and there's a pillar near the front car door when I got out of the car. I told my hubby that its too narrow for me but he insisted that it should be fine. My mother-in-law helped me and indeed, I managed to get out of the car. The gap was just nice... keke... Then we realised that I am trapped because the gap between the pillar and car is too narrow for me to get through!! Ha ha... The scene was really quite comical!! In the end, my hubby had to drive a little forward so that I can move from behind and get out from the other side!! All of us had a good laugh over this incident.

The food is pretty good; I enjoyed the seafood claypot and bamboo clams best! My sister-in-law indeed made a few great choices! Marcus, my godson, as usual, was very curious and fasinated by my bulging tummy and kept putting his ears to my tummy to detect movements or crying, keke...

Can't stand the itch!!

I had been having restless nights for the past week, mainly due to super itchy legs, especially the shin area! Even the tummy and arms are sometimes itchy, although not as bad as the shin area... I just discovered from the motherhood forum friends that this could be due to Palmers stretchmark cream. One of them had the same problem as me and shared that the rashes subsided after she stopped using it! For me, the itch seemed to have started only after I switched from Clarins tonic oil to Palmers stretchmark cream recently. Hmmm, looks like I should stop using it and see if the itch subsides!

How to increase milk supply when breastfeeding...

I had been reading and asking around about breast feeding because I need to supply milk for 2!! I've heard a lot of recommendations from friends about drink fish and papaya soup and now, finally got the recipe from a friend at motherhood forum! Here it goes....

Ingredient
200g green(unripe) papaya
fish bones or a white fish (eg carp, snakehead, sea bream, pomfret and kurau or threadfin)
slices of ginger

Instructions
In order not t waste the fish meat, use the bones, head and tail to simmer the soup.

1. Scale and clean the fish.
2. Simmer together with pieces of papaya and ginger for 1-2 hrs or until it becomes soft.
3. Remove the bones before serving it.

To boost milk supply, take consecutively for three days.

For those who opted for c-section, it is recommended to consume this soup only after your wound has healed.

Happy breastfeeding!! ;P

D-Day is coming...

I went for check-up this morning and the babies are so cramped up that the gynae says there's no way to determine the estimated weight! The reason being that he can't figure out where the legs are! Haha... The babies are pretty active though, squirming here and there when the scan was being done. All we can do is to listen to their heartbeat to know that they are doing well.

As I had been having contractions now and then, my gynae did warned that I could go into labour anytime... If the contractions are at regular intervals and continuous for a few hours, I'll need to alert him immediately! Oh my, on hearing this, it suddenly dawned on me that D-Day could be anytime and my maid will only be coming in this Thursday! Luckily, we had made arrangements to shift in with my parents-in-law by this weekend and she'll be in charge of training the maid. (Well, she has vast experience in this area, having had a maid to help with my sister-in-law's kids since 9 years ago...)

Nevertheless, we discussed with the gynae and booked 23rd November for c-section. That would be 36+ weeks and the twins would be better developed by then. Keeping fingers crossed that they would stay in mummy till then!

Pain in pubic area...

Since yesterday, I had been experiencing pain around my pubic area, especially when I stood up after sitting for some time. The pain is so bad that I had to just stand still for a while before I start walking!! And I had to walk like a tortise because each step taken just added to the pain... Even changing position when lying down causes the pain! Arghhh...

I called my gynae this morning and the nurse said that the pain could be due to the babies pressing on some ligaments near the pubic area. I was told to observe further and come down to see my gynae if the pain gets worse.

Well, I am not too sure if this pain is due to SPD (symphysis publis dysfunction), otherwise known as pelvic joint pain. I shall observe further the symptoms and discuss with my gynae during my next visit.

Really hope that the pain will go away soon! I had been talking to my babies to be good and not press on mummy's ligaments.

34 weeks already and counting down!

Guess what's my waistline now? It's 44 inches already and there's 3 more weeks to go! can't imagine how much more its gonna balloon to...

Now, sleeping at night is really challenging! I always wake up in the middle of the night due to numbness or aches at parts of the body and had problems falling back to sleep! End up doing stretching to relieve the aches!! Haiz...

Stretch marks are also showing up and the lower tummy is itchy at times... ai yo, really cannot stand it sometimes and had to "scratch scratch".... :(

Oh, and finger joints are stiff and painful throughout the day! You really do not feel like doing anything much. Also, sit too long, your buttock aches; stand or walk too long, your legs are tired; sleep too long, your body aches. I am really glad I am off work already... ;)

To me, some of the activities I can still enjoy are surfing the web, watching DVDs and reading, keke... while waiting for the twinnies to pop! I better enjoy my quiet time now, because life would never be the same again after I deliver...

Checkup @33 weeks...

The twins are now @2.2 kg and 2kg! Wow... its count down time! About 3 more weeks to go but gynae is hoping that the twins can stay in me till 37th week. That would be most ideal for them.

I was given hospitalisation leave till my next appointment on 13th Nov. Luckily, I've handed over most of my work and duties and my bosses and colleagues had been most supportive and understanding during my pregnancy period!! One of them even came to my house for the handover session as I was working from home during the entire month of October... ;) So nice of her right?

Backache and headache!!

Oh my, last Tue night, I suddenly felt a piercing pain at my lower back, near to the right hip when I got up from the chair after dinner! It was so painful that I had to walk like a tortise and every step taken was a torture! I rested early that night upon some advice from friends. It seems like having bedrest would help to relieve the pain.

True enough, the next morning when I woke up, I felt better but it came back again after I sat down for half an hour or so doing work. I called my gynae to check and the nurse advised me to bedrest too. Thus, I took urgent leave to rest in bed. By evening time, it's indeed much better and I managed to find out more info about it from the Internet. Click here to understand more about back pain during pregnancy and ways to relieve it.

Then, yesterday, came headache and I slept the whole Sunday away! Somehow, the pain was only at my right side and its an intense pain, so much so that I just could not do anything but sleep!

Just before bedtime, I got my hubby to give me a back and head massage and this morning, I wake up feeling fresh and the headache's gone! Cool... now I what's the remedy... ;P

How to get a good night's sleep ...

Due to the expanding tummy (now, its @44 inches already!), getting a good night's sleep is getting more tough! I will often be awakened by some numbness at parts of the body or some uncomfy sleeping position... Arghhhhhhh.....

Then, last night, I got my hubby to do a back massage (some simple techniques taught due ante-natal classes) for me before sleeping and amazingly, I slept better last night! Wow... it works! Now, I know what to do when I have sleepless nights.... keke...

Another time, I was woken up due to hunger and had to wake up to eat some bread because the babies' are drumming away in my tummy! Haha.. they must be feeling hungry too!

My twinnies @31 weeks...

Guess what's the weight of the twins now? The left twin is @1.9 kg and the right one @1.8 kg already! Wow... no wonder I am walking s l o w e r a n d s l o w e r , h a h a . . . . .

During the scan, the right twin was moving quite a lot and the doctor took a long time trying to figure out where are the legs, haha. I strongly suspect that the right twin is the girl because since the beginning of the pregnancy, the smaller twin aka the right twin had always been the more active one.

Based on the current position of the twins (one is head down and the other at breech position), I would have to undergo a caesarean. My gynae even told us that we can start choosing a date for the op already because good dates are taken up very fast.

My gynae also advised that I should rest by end-Oct as I would be very heavy by then. He is hoping that the twins can stay in me till late Nov, if possible. As usual, he advised that I should reduce walking.

Count down to delivery... 5 more weeks to go!

Getting clumsier... need to be EXTRA Careful!

Ha ha... one of the common issues faced by all pregnant women! Clumsy! I even dropped a bottle of Yakult that I took out from the fridge and a mess was created because it spilled on the floor!

Luckily, the part-time cleaner was around then and I could ask them to clear up... Phew!

Feeling heavier with each passing day...

Now, I am going on my 30th week of pregnancy and really feeling the weight... Guess what is my waist line now? It has hit 42 inches!

I went in office yesterday for a couple of meeting and felt breathless even when I talked too much at a stretch! Gosh... and after taking a taxi back home, I felt kinda unwell... felt like puking... it must be due to the jerking effect of the taxi and there was an instance that he braked quite suddenly and gave me a scare! Although he apologised, the damage's done. Nevertheless, I made it home safely... keke...

My appetite's not too good these few days... guess the twins' must have occupied all the space and there's not much left for the stomach... haha...

Oh, and my finger joints are painful the whole day! And, the feet's getting more swollen too, including the ankle... looks like the water retention symptoms are getting more serious!

What I love most are the kicks and movements of the babies! It's getting more apparent now as they are stronger! Counting down already... about 6 more weeks to go... Can't wait to see my 2 darlings!! ;)

Twinnies are super active at night!

You know, over the past week, I had woken up at least 3 times to fill my stomach during the pre-dawn hours! My 2 little darlings are especially active at night and should I wake up to pee, I would feel them kicking away the moment I get in position to continue my beauty sleep! And at times, I'll feel so hungry that I just could not fall back to sleep if I did not eat something.

Now, I've learnt the trick. Before I sleep, I make sure I have some night snack. It seemed to work, at least for last night... hehe...

Third trimester's here!

My, my... I've reached my third trimester(28th week) this week! We went for the monthly check-up and scan on Tue and the twinnies are at 1.2 kg and 1.4 kg respectively!

Based on past statistics, the heavier one should be the boy... hehe... My gynae took quite some time to figure out where they are as space is getting more and more limited by the day. Ha ha, he was trying to figure out where's the legs of the first twin that he was scanning!! It was quite comical then.... haha. Now, the twinnies are postioned diagonally across each other. Hmmm........ come to think about it, it makes sense in terms of space optimisation.

As the load I am carrying now is close to a single full-term baby, my gynae advised that I should rest as much as possible and reduce walking. He wrote me a letter advising that I should work from home from now till delivery. Thankfully, my bosses and colleagues were very understanding and supportive and I had no problem making such arrangements at all.

So, starting from today, I'll be working from home full-time but will still go in office if my presence is required for important meetings or discussions. Hmm... the other alternative for meeting arrangements is teleconference, of course!

@Week 27 and feeling the weight!

We attended the last session of our antenatal class last Sat which was on taking care of the new born baby, which includes proper sterilisation methods for the feeding bottles, bathing and massaging the new born, etc. Very informative indeed! I would recommend all first-time mummies to attend such classes, preferably at the hospital they plan to deliver.

Oh, and the shopping continues... keke... Recently, I just bought a very comforter set for the baby cot from Aussino. It is just so beautiful that I could not resist... I wanted to buy some more bedsheets but they are out of stock at the moment. Gosh... this year is indeed a bumper year of babies!

Now, gotta take stock of all the baby stuff that I had bought, plus those handed over from friends and see what else I need to buy. Better get it soon as I can feel myself getting heavier and clumsier by the day... and I need to be extra careful!!

In fact, I have made arrangements to work from home about 2 days from home each week as my gynae had advised that I should not be walking too much due to twin pregnancy.

It's shopping time... ;)

We went for our antenatal class last Sat and the entire session was on breast feeding! The session was very informative, covering topics from what to expect, what are the problems you might face, the importance of family support, etc...

We were so inspired that we went to get Medela PIS Advanced at Baby Kingdom the next day. Besides that, we also bought the baby cot, a MIM sling and some other items for babies' daily use.

You may be wondering... why only 1 baby cot for twins? Well, I gotten feedback that babies do not turn during their first 2 months, thus, it should be fine to put both on the same baby cot for the time being. Subsequently, we shall get a play pen which could double up as a bed for the other twin... ;) Isn't this a great idea? The play pen can also serve as their play area during day time when they are older!

What a sense of achievement after buying all these stuff!

@24 weeks ...

I went for my 24th week scan on Tue, 28 Aug and my twinnies had grown considerably! The left twin's weight was @705g (this should be the boy) and the right twin @655g (the girl). They were moving quite a bit during the scan, though so the image captured was quite hazy...

The doctor wanted to control my blood pressure better so he prescribed my aspirin, to take 3/4 tablet per day. Hoewever, when I took the medicine the next day, my eyes got a little bit swollen; my eye lids looked as if there's a couple of mosquito bites there! Oh dear, looks like I am allergic to the medicine. The doctor advised that I stopped the medication immediately and he would discuss the next best course of action during my next appointment.

Yesterday, I had a departmental event. We went for a wine appreciation course at Wine Bos and it was informative and lots of fun. Well, the only drawback is I CANNOT DRINK! ARGHHHH!!! I did take a couple of sips of the first white wine though and that's about it. Although I can't drink, the food was great too! They served quite a variety, from cheese and crackers to nachos to sausages to chips! The waitress was pretty attentive and seeing that I am pregnant, she even served me iced water to dilute the effects of the alcohol. That's what I call great service!

More movement by the twinnies!

Now @23rd week, My 2 darlings' movements are more apparent now and even my hubby felt it! Haha, he was thrilled when he first experienced it! So far, it appears like the girl is the more active one (the one on top).

With my tummy growing by the day, my feet also getting more swollen, I am getting clumsier man... haha. I really need to watch every step I take and be extra careful. Sleeping at night is also getting uncomfortable and I often wakes up to shift my body due to numbness after being in a position for too long. Also, it is not recommended to sleep face up due to the weight of the tummy so I have to sleep either on my left (which is recommended as its the best position for the babies to absorb the nutrients as well as increase the blood flow) or right side.

Yesterday, I went for a pedicure with my sister. Ha ha, it's also getting tough for me to cut my toe nails! It was a great session and the nail colour chosen looks great. I really felt quite pampered...

Oh, and I went for a baby shopping spree at Takashimaya Baby Fair too! The selection was very comprehensive with some genuine discounts... very shiok! Haha... felt very satisfied after the shopping's done!

Next Tue is my 6th month scan... looking forward to see my 2 darlings man...

Another one of those preggy problems...

I had a bad bout of constipation during the last few days and this morning, the stools were so hard and tough to output that there's bleeding! Gosh, I was quite alarmed and thought I better check with the doctor about it. I was given some meds to soften the stools and some tablets to help in output in case I need it. Oh, and my blood pressure was on the high side again, not too sure if it is due to the constipation problem or not though... Anyway, he instructed me to have a good rest today...

Last Saturday, I went for my 2nd ante-natal class at Mt Alvernia. The topics were on proper posture and back care, some basic exercises for strengthening tummy, pelvic region, as well as massaging techniques to help all the mtb relax... Cool! The best part is the massaging techniques, of course! Haha, now my hubby would have no excuse not to do massages for me since he had mastered the techniques!

Oh, and incidently, last Saturday was my birthday! We went to Michelangelo's Italian Restaurant at Chip Bee Gardens for a celebration dinner... We enjoyed the food and ambience there (I had the lobster pasta... yummy! and my hubby had the grilled lamb), especially the tiramisu! It's done to perfection, with just the right amount of liquor and coffee combination.

An amazing experience...@20th week!

I went for my detailed scan at Thomson Medical Centre today (@20 weeks + 1 day) and the mystery is finally revealed! I am expecting a boy and a girl! Their statistics as below:

• Twin 1 - lower twin @381 g (boy)
• Twin 2 - upper twin @300 g (girl)

All their main organs and limbs were scanned and everything turned out well. We even saw them moving quite a bit! The girl was playing with her hands at some point of time and turning here and there... As for the boy, at one point, his legs were wide open and we saw his vital organ quite obviously... ha ha... The twinnies were moving so much that the doctor could not scan their hearts properly so we had to take a break and be back for another attempt!

During the wait, I told the twinnies to be good and co-operative and not move so much, haha. Fair enough, they moved less during the 2nd attempt and the doctor managed to get the statistics successfully. Hmm... talking to them actually works!

The experience was just amazing!! See pictures below for some interesting poses of the twinnies ...

Picture 1: it's the little prince... the heavy one @381g!

Picture 2: it's the sweet princess... the more active one @300g!

Picture 3: on the left side is the princess and right side is the prince, both curled up... Find the arrow which is pointing to their vital parts!!

Picture 4: The twinnies, head to head... so loving right?

Fluttery feeling at tummy...

I felt some bubbly, fluttery feeling at my tummy last night at around 3am! Well, its kind of hard to describe... Must be my darlings' movements!! It happened when I changed my position from sleeping on my right to left side.

Hmmm... I did not sleep too well last night. I had to change position constantly as I was not comfortable if I had been at a position for too long...

What an eventful week!

Firstly, my department is shifting from 7th to 5th floor during these 2 weeks so my office is in quite a mess and there's lots of boxes and packing going on. Thus, I decided its best for me to work from home if possible, especially on the day of shifting. Luckily, my boss and colleagues were very understanding so making such an arrangement wasn't an issue at all.

Next, my sis-in-law and hubby went Korea on Wed (will be away for 10 days) and had requested for baby-sitting services from my hubby and I. Well, we thought that's not an issue because there's a maid anyway so we are kind of just supervising and making sure that the kids are well taken care of. Anyway, the boy is already 6 years old and the girl is 10 years old. Who knows, my poor nephew got quite ill (running nose, cough, fever, vomiting, rashes) and today, the doctor diagnosed him as having IMS and recommended that I evacuate asap. He's worried that if the virus spread to me, the babies will be affected!

The only thing I can do now is to pray hard that I will not get the virus and my babies will be fine!

Take a break man...

Oh, my... woke up today and whole body aching!! It must be due to the impact of the fall yesterday. Thus, decided to take urgent leave to rest at home... The well-being of the babies and myself is most important at this point of time!!

I tripped and fell!!

I had a scare this afternoon. I tripped over a curb and fell while on the way out to lunch at my office carpark! Luckily, I managed to break the fall with my hands! So far, everything's fine except for some aches at my shoulders, due to the impact, I guess ...

I shall observe further and see if I need to visit my gynae tomorrow for a check-up to see if my 2 darlings are ok. Gosh, that was really scary and my 2 colleagues with me were equally shocked and very concerned!! Now, all of us paranoid already and they kept asking me to watch out whenever there's steps or platforms!!

My 2 darlings, so sorry to have caused you some stress!! Mummy will definitely be extra careful in future!

Piggy's feet appearing!!

My my... i am @week 18 and my feet's getting swollen already!! Can't imagine how my feet will look like at third trimester! Well, must be due to water retention but it seems to be happening really early for me! According to the doc, its due to too much walking. Sometimes, it will subside after a night's sleep. Hmmm.. looks real funny... haha...

First leg cramp in the middle of the night ...

Last night, I was awakened by a sharp pain at my right calf! Having leg cramps!!! I was like screaming away, " ai yo... so PAIN!!" and my hubby was, of course, aroused from his sleep... He started massaging my calf and it felt better after a while... Phew!

The next morning, I asked if he was shocked by my screaming in the middle of the night and he was like "oh, expected la... leg cramps are very common during pregnancy..." Apparently, he knows more about pregnancy issues than I thought!

Mystery revealed partially....

Today, at week 17, my gynae did a scan of my 2 little darlings. The upper twin was so cute! It was kicking and punching away... haha... doing morning exercise, i guess. As for the gender, can't figure it out at this moment. The lower twin was also moving here and there and my gynae managed to check out the gender of this little one... and its a boy!! Ha ha, something's sticking out very obviously.

Down with flu...

I must have caught the flu virus from this woman sitting next to me at the cinema last weekend! She was coughing away without covering her mouth, so inconsiderate! Anyway, the flu came on quite badly by Wed and I had to leave half-way from work to see a doctor near my place.

Besides the onset of flu, my blood pressure reading was still high, about 90/150 and the doctor was quite concerned. She wanted me to bring my blood pressure monitoring machine from home to her clinic to measure to confirm that the measuring machine I am using at home is accurate. I went down to the clinic again the next day and fortunately, it is accurate. She wanted me to continue with the home monitoring and alert my gynae should the reading reaches close to 90/140.

By Sat, my sore throat had subsided but not the cough and running nose. In fact, I had lots of phlegm when coughing and the running nose is making my nose sore! I went to see the doctor again and more meds was given. Sigh.... really hate to take medicine but no choice, had to quickly nurse myself back to good health for the sake of my babies!! Oh, and appetite has been poor... everything tastes so bland! Really hope for the flu virus to go away soon!

Back to work!

Oh man... finally, I am able to get out of the house! I felt great to be back in office. Well, colleagues had been supportive and understanding and I am really thankful...

I went for a follow-up checkup on Tue, 12 Jun (Week 13, Day 1) and the twinnies are doing well; one @ 7.6cm (the first picture) and the other @ 6.4cm (the second picture). Quite a difference isn't it? Well, the gynae assured us that this is not an issue and that the smaller twin should catch up along the way. See their pictures below...

Hmmm... however, mummy' s not so well... my blood pressure reading was at 100/160 which is considered very high! Thus, the gynae gave me MC for the next day and wanted me to monitor at home before deciding if I need to be put on medication or not. Well, I had been monitoring the last few days and the reading is not so high at home... a little high, probably on the average of about 86/136... let's see what the gynae would recommend.

Yipee... It's Week 12!

The twinnies had officially graduated from embryos to foetuses... Next Monday, I will be back at work! Looking forward to going back office because I had been away too long and really missed some of my dear colleagues... hee hee.

Hmm.. still having occasional brown discharge. Also, these couple of days, I had been experiencing headaches, especially in the afternoon. I will check with my gynae during my next appointment next week.

Scan @ Week 11 + 1 Day

Just had my scan done this morning (check out their pictures above!) and the great news is the twinnies are developing fine! Their statistics are:

• smaller twin @4.2 cm ( this is the active one; we saw that it's waving at us! haha.... so amazing!!)
• bigger twin @4.62 cm (this is the lazy one, sleeping away.... ZZzzzzz.... )

Well, the not so good news is I still need more bed rest till end of next week as the placenta is not fully formed yet... so I still need to be very careful. As for the brown residue discharge, gynae says should be ok as its due to old blood, which the vagina is still discharging.

Ai ya, still thought I can go shopping this weekend! Really need to get some maternity pants cos most of my bottoms cannot fit in already... Looks like I'll have to endure for another week!

its week 10 already!

I am now back at home because something cropped up at my mum's place and they have no time to "take care" of me... Well, still manageable at home; I just have to be disciplined not to do things around the house and rest, rest and still more rest!! So far so good and my mother-in-law will deliver my lunch... At times, my hubby will arrange to work from home so that at least, there's someone around the house should I need help.

Well, the support was great at my mum's place because my sis and bro will also help to get stuff for me all the time... hehe... esp my bro who always goes out to tabao for me should I have cravings. Well, no choice, just have to make do with the current support now... ;P

Hmmm... I am still having some brown residue discharge now and then. Really hope for this to clear soon!

Bump's showing already!

Hmm... the bump seems to be showing by the day! I bet I am not not able to get into most of my working outfit, esp bottoms! Well, as I will be still on MC for the next two weeks, its fine cos at home, I normally wear shorts and T-shirt which still fits fine.

Kinda miss my colleagues and my office ... haha... guess this break's too long and having to do nothing can be boring at times! Really hope the doctor will give an all-clear during my next check-up so that I can resume work again!

My little darlings, pls be strong and healthy! We'll make it!

Feeling bloated and nauseous...

The appetite hasn't been great these few days... feeling kinda bloated and nauseous, especially when I see steamed fish (which my mum loves to cook!). Well, she'll have to figure out other ways to cook it, haha.. such as fried fish with sweet and sour sauce or with soy sauce.

Oh, I have been craving for the chicken soup la mian at Crystal Jade La Mian Xiao Long Bao! Hoping to go and eat this Sat!! ;P

To give your baby the best start in life!

Just thought I'll share some interesting read that I had come across to give your babies the best start in life! Food and nutrition plays an important role so whatever you eat during your pregnancy would affect the babies' development.

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For a start, let me share with you what's beneficial for the development of the babies' brain.

Essential Fats

• seafood
• seaweed
• walnut, nuts
• pumpkin seeds
• sesame seeds
• dark leafy vegetables, eg. spinach

Choline

• beef
• fish
• egg yolks
• lettuces
• peanuts

iodine

• fish
• seaweed
• iodized salt

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Next, I'll share with you on the food list that's beneficial for the development of the placenta, esp during the first trimester.

• Asparagus
• Broccoli
• Avocado
• Spinach
• Prunes
• Blue berries
• Strawberries
• Red grapes
• Plums
• Garlic
• Brussel sprouts
• Cauliflower
• Red pepper
• Green pepper
• Tomatoes

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Hope you find the above information useful and enjoy the journey towards motherhood! ;P

Babies are doing well! ;P

Yesterday, I finally stepped out of the house as I've a follow-up appointment with my gynae. I had been a really good girl and resting in bed most of the time since the last bleeding incident 1.5 weeks ago. Putting up at my mum's place till the end of the first trimester is probably the most ideal solution as there's more support here.

During the scan (via vagina) today, we could even hear the babies' heartbeat! Really cool! Well, one baby measures about 2.9 cm and the other about 2.5 cm. They had practically doubled in size over 2 weeks. In fact, the smaller baby seems to be catching up and it actually tripled in size! Based on the sound of the heartbeats and the sizes, my gynae said that the babies are doing well. He also noticed that the blood clot (resulting from the previous bleeding incident) appeared smaller via the scan so as long as I continue to bedrest more and minimise movement, it should be fine.

Oh man, as for the progesterone jabs, that has to continue till end of first trimester so hubby would need to carry on his job for the next 3 weeks or so! Ha ha, my gynae was commenting if there's any more space at my bum bum to administer the jabs over the next few weeks!

Why so pain?

Do you know why it was so painful the first time my hubby administered the jab? He actually did not insert the needle fully into my bum bum!! He only inserted 3/4 of the needle in! That explains the painful after effects! Imagine my bum bum was in pain for the entire day!

Today, its much better... but I still notice that there are air gaps in the syringe after extracting the medicine. Huh, must improve this aspect for the next injection on Fri... and gosh, the needle is really thick!

1st jab administered by hubby...

Oh my, when I woke up last Sat morning, I see red again! I immediately woke my hubby up and we rushed down to the clinic. The doc did a scan and luckily, the babies are fine. The doc also did a check on my cervix and realised that there are some residues from the usage of crinone, the vaginal gel. He removed those residues (gosh, very uncomfortable man) and advised that I stopped using the vaginal gel for the time being as he suspected that it's causing the bleeding problem. Instead, he wanted the progesterone jabs to be administered alternate days and wanted my hubby to do it for me so that I need not move around too much. He also wanted me to have more bed rest and not to do anything.

We decided that the best approach would be to go over to my mum's house to stay during this critical period as there's more support there.

This morning, my hubby came over to administer the jab. Gosh, it was painful! Huh, I gathered that he had not really got the hang of it yet. Hope it will improve the next time!

2 heart beats... Cool!

The doctor did another scan today and there's 2 heart beats! It's confirmed that there's 2 babies in my tummy.... I am really elated!! He even measured the size of the babies; one is 0.8 cm and the other is 1.5 cm.

The EDD is 17 Dec 2007. However, as it's a twin pregnancy, it's normally about one month earlier so it could be around late Nov or so ... Oh man, this is so exciting!!

More bedrest required

I went for another progesterone jab last Friday and the gynae advised that for the first trimester, I will need more bedrest. Thus, he issued me 1 month of hospitalisation leave so that I can rest at home. Also, I will need to take a jab every 3 days subsequently... Gosh, both sides of my bum bum are already pretty sore from all these jabs!

Hmm... I had really been sleeping quite a lot recently... must be due to the fact that it's a twin pregnancy... ;P

red... the taboo colour

I had a scare yesterday. Just when I was about to go to visit my gynae for a scan, I went to the toilet and I see red! It's just a gush of red liquid... Once I reached the clinic, I immediately tell the nurse the symptoms and requested them to put me to see the doc asap. The doc did a scan and it revealed 2 sacs; one with heartbeat already, the other not yet. The doc said that my pregnancy is very unstable and i would need as much rest as possible and minimal movement. The best is not to do anything. He gave me another progesterone jab and wanted me to go back again on Fri for another jab.

I was very worried and even called my parents to come over for the next few days so that I can fully rest well. Although I was very tired when I got home, I could not sleep. Whenever I closed my eyes, my heart just kept pumping very fast. I kept talking to the babies to be strong and fight this battle with me. I am also trying my best to stay positive and be strong!

Luckily, its much better today. There's only little bits of brownish discharge... I really tried my best to minimise movement, even within the house. I am praying hard for everything to be fine.

Feeling giddy and tired...

Due to to double dosage of progesterone tablets, I had been feeling giddy... even now, when I am typing my blog, my head is spinning. Definitely need to go and take a nap after this.

Last night, had another scare again cos there's slight bleeding when I went peeing. I suspected that it is due to the abrasion caused by the use of Crinone insert because I felt some pain when I did the insert before bedtime. I woke up real early and called the clinic to check. The advice given is to observe further and call the clinic if the spotting happen again. Well, so far so good...

btw, I am eating lots of yogurt, hoping that it will clear the infection and the progestrone level will go up. In the morning, I also went to the temple with my husband to pray for a smooth 9 months.

I also had been talking and singing to the embies to encourage them to be strong and fight this battle together with me... ;P Now is the time to keep positive and be strong.... Seriously. I really can't wait for next Tue to do the scan!

Oh my... another jab required!!

Today, the nursed called to ask me to go down to the clinic for another jab of progestrone. My most recent blood test done yesterday revealed that the progestrone level had dropped dramatically which could be due to the vaginal infection I had, which could had affected the absorption of the vaginal gel, Crinone that I had to use twice daily.

In fact, yesterday, I went down to the clinic too for the gynae to check on the vaginal infection as I kept having brownish discharge the last couple of days. A sample of the particles was taken for further diagonsis and I was prescribed another course of antibiotics and vaginal tablet to try to clear the infection. Really praying hard that this time round, it will clear ...

This week had been pretty crazy, with me visiting the gynae practically everyday, except Wed! Some many unusual symptoms and now the sudden drop in my progestrone hormones! Oh.. btw, the hcg reading is good at 22505.... looks like a high chance of mutiple pregnancy! ;)

Keeping fingers crossed that everything will be all right!!

More rest required...

I went for my third blood test on Mon and the HCG reading is 9415. Due to the vaginal infection, I'll need to see the doc again tomorrow around noon for a check and he'll also try scanning to see the number of sacs.

During the dawn hours of Tue morning, I felt some pulling cramps around my lower abdomen and was quite afraid. Furthermore, the discharge I had after peeing was of a weird colour; kinda light brownish... Thus, I went down to the doc first thing the next morning as I was pretty worried.

Upon diagonsis, the doc commented that the pulling cramps could possibly be due to a lack of hormones and stress, thus, he gave me a jab to stabilise my womb and also MC for the rest of the week so that I can have more rest. He did the scan but was only able to confirm that there's one sac (this is only the fifth week, so a little too early to see clearly actually) and commented that there might be one more, but it's not so clear at this stage. He would perform the scan again next week, as well as listen for the babies' heartbeat! So exciting!! I can't wait for next Thur to come!!

As for brownish colour discharge, he wanted me to continue monitoring it as it might be due to the vaginal infection I had earlier.

The 2nd blood test...

I went for the 2nd blood test on Thur and the HCG reading was around 2000. Wow... that's a big jump! According to my sources, there's a high chance of multiple pregnancy... Both my hubby and I are pretty excited and eagerly anticipating end of next week when a scan can be done to confirm how many embryos had implanted successfully.

Today, I had very heavy discharge in the morning, which is like very light greenish globlet of particles... Well, this is due to the Crinone vaginal gel that I had to use to support the embryos. I was quite alarmed so I quickly called up the clinic to check. The nurse advised that I should come in the afternoon so that the doctor can check the problem. Gosh, I was worried upon hearing that.

There was a number of patients and I had to wait for over an hour. After diagnosis, the doctor confirmed that its a vaginal infection and prescribed me some medicine for insertion via the vagina as well as oral. Let's hope this would clear the infection and the embies would not be affected.

Keeping fingers crossed!

Its a BFP!

I just couldn't believe my ears when the nurse called in the afternoon to reveal the results of the blood test. She said I am pregnant!! Gosh, I was like... hmmm... are you sure? She said its definitely positive and the HCG reading is 448.7. I would need to go for another blood test on Thursday as part of the monitoring process.

Aftering putting down the phone, I was in quite a daze and first thing I did was to call my hubby, of course! His response was like "REALLY! CONFIRMED?" I can even "see" his smile as he was asking all the questions to confirm the news! Ha ha... I was so happy that I teared while breaking the news to him...

Actually, as we talked, I told him that this is just the beginning!! I would still need to continue the medication and the doctor would also need to monitor closely the progress throughout these 9 months.

2nd week of 2WW...

Well, this is now the 2nd week of my 2WW! During the last couple of days I had been experiencing a fair bit of whitish discharge. Just called to check with the nurse and she said it should be ok, unless the discharge causes itchiness or is not clear in colour. Well, I'll monitor and see how it goes.

My progesterone level is up again... Phew!

I went for blood test again last Sat and thank goodness, the reading is good. The progesterone level is at 708, a good level. Phew! I told the nurse that I had been feeling drowsy and she said its a good sign... it's an indication that my body is absorbing the progesterone well. The objective of boosting up the progesterone level is to support and stabilise the embryos.

Oh, and last night, I slept real early again... very tired. And in the middle of the night, I suddenly felt a pulling pain at my left lower abdomen. Just pray that everything's ok...

Lots of wee wee during wee hours...

I think it must be the hormone pills at work, because I had been waking up like 3 times last night to wee wee.. Gosh, kinda disruptive sleep really... but no worries, catch up on the sleeping part after breakfast... ;P

Well, to increase my progesterone level, my doc had actually embarked on a 3-pronged approach, which is injection, oral medication, plus crinone, the vaginal gel. Let's hope this works! I will be going for the blood test again tomorrow morning to check the level. Keeping fingers crossed!!

Hmmm, I also gathered from the pals at the IVF forum that all these hormonal stuff might cause mood swings... haha... hasn't happen to me yet though... My hubby is pretty lucky, huh? However, I better warn him first...

Drowsy day

Hmmm, the progesterone tablets really made me quite drowsy... slept really early yesterday night; around 10pm! This morning, had a little nap after taking the medicine too! Oh dear, becoming a pig already! Somehow, there's an aching pain at my buttocks where they administered the jab yesterday... sigh...

Yesterday evening, I tried making chawanmushi and its quite a success. Well, it's using the recipe under "Fav Sites"... although I did modify a little on the ingredients. You may give it a try too if you are a cooking fanatic. ;P

As advised by the nurses and doc, I should relax and rest during these 2 weeks to maximise the chance of the embies implanting. So, how to relax? Hmmm... first thing is not to think about WORK! haha... which i am trying hard not to! Hee... somehow, my colleagues always come to my mind and I'll be wondering how they are coping. The reason being our team is undergoing a lot of changes and there's a fair amount of uncertainties.

Of course, the way to relax is to do the things I enjoy la... haha... and it should not be strenuous stuff. Well, as I enjoy cooking, looks like this is a chance to try out some other new recipes! Ha ha... will keep you posted if I have other great recipes to share!

First blood test during 2WW

This morning, I went for my blood test to determine if my progesterone level is ok. Shortly after lunch, the nurse called to say that the level is not good; the reading is just 48. I would need to go down in the afternoon for an injection, plus take progesterone tablets!

Gosh! no choice... gotta go downtown again! btw, it had started to drizzle... sian... Luckily, I managed to flag a cab easily, went Mt E, take the jab, collect the medicine and now I am back home, typing away...

Well, according to the nurse, the progesterone tablets may cause drowsiness so I may be sleeping most of the time for the next few days... haha... rest more and hope the embies co-operate and successfully implant! What else can I do? Try to relax, pray, eat and sleep well!!

My 2WW has just begun!

This is my 2nd shot at IVF... As I have remaining embies from the last failed attempt last Oct, I did FET this round. Based on the previous experience, I was very tense during ET and doc felt that that could have affected the chances of success... Imagine, other patients just need 10 mins to do ET, mine was half an hour!! Imagine having to control a full bladder for half an hour!! The agony was really indescribeable...

In preparation for the coming FET, my doc recommended to do a video laparoscopy to check that everything's all right in my uterus, at the same time, remove a polyp along the cervix that was obstructing the tube during the earlier ET procedure (which explains why my ET procedure took exceptionally long!). Fortunately, the video laparoscopy, done last Dec, revealed that all is fine.

For the FET this round, my doc advised that I be on GA so that my body will be on relaxed mood and hopefully, the chances of implantation is higher... I was really relieved that I can go for this option as my bladder control power is not so good.. haha... thus, will be especially tense if I need to hold a full bladder...

The FET procedure, done on 26th Mar @4.30pm, went very smoothly and i had no side-effects from the GA at all, except feeling a little gorgy for a while upon waking up. I rested at the ward for 3 hrs after the procedure, then went home. This morning, i went to the nearby supermarket to buy some liver and pork meat to cook lunch for myself for the next few days... haha.. i did take care to walk slowly, haha.. felt quite weird to be walking s o s l o w l y. . . it also felt good to breath in some fresh air...

My 2WW has just begun! Today is only the first day! Seriously, this round, I dared not have high hopes... All I can do now is to pray, eat well, sleep well, relax and leave the rest to fate!

My first blog

yo... just thought I'll try blogging for fun. Currently, facing lots of uncertainties... at the family front, my hubby and I had been trying to start a family for a number of years already and now, we had decided to embark on the IVF journey. It is indeed a tough and tedious journey, having failed my first try last year. I will be doing FET next week, so keeping my fingers crossed for good news after the 2WW (2 week wait).