Bun in the oven

We're happy to announce that Bun is officially in the oven :-). Bun will turn 13 weeks old tomorrow. Today we did the Nuchal Translucency Test which is an ultrasound test that measures a small fluid collection within the skin at the back of the baby's neck. The larger the nuchal measurement, the higher the chances of the baby having Downs syndrome. The test is 70 - 80% accurate and is recommended for mother's below the age of 35 and should be done between 11 - 14 weeks. Our test result today came back normal and we're thankful and glad.

We have always discussed about having the 2nd and our last child when our first turned 2 in February and lucky for us Bun was conceived in February. Talk about hitting the jackpot :-)

I was initially terrified to go through pregnancy again due to the complications I had with Hayley but everyone assured me that no 2 pregnancies would be alike and I shouldn't assume or worry too much. Heeding their advice, we went for it. And guess what? Both my pregnancies were indeed alike :-(, how unlucky of me.

During the 5 - 10 weeks of Bun's life, I had the same condition called 'threaten miscarriage' where I will constantly have spotting or bleeding that could cause a miscarriage. The only difference this time is I didn't experience blood clots coming out of me (thank God) but I did have spotting for 5 long weeks and bled fresh red blood twice during those weeks. Again, they scared the hell out of me and I rushed to the nearest clinic (I was at work during the 1st ordeal) with an ultrasound machine everytime it happens to make sure Bun is still intact. Thankfully Bun is but the GP was concerned.

When I missed my period, I knew I was pregnant. We bought the the home pregnancy test kit and did the test sometime around the 5th week. It was positive. And you know what, again we have the same mixed reactions. I thought I would be happy but I wasn't. I suddenly felt that I was being unfair to Hayley. She's not going to be my bao bei anymore and a sibling will be joining us soon and we'll have to divide our love. I suddenly felt sad for her and wanted to just hug and kiss her all the time. I felt that I was taking away something that is solely hers, our undivided love. I wasn't sure if I could handle it.

Again after a few weeks the reality sank in and my love for Bun slowly developed. It was a strange feeling, not feeling the love, feeling unsure and lost at the initial stage, don't know if this happened to all the mothers out there or maybe it was just me. Maybe I am strange.

During the difficult weeks, I was again given MC to rest at home. This time I was given 3 days of MC which could be prolonged if the spotting or bleeding continues but I didn't want to sit at home. Instead I requested from my boss to work half days from home for a week to see if my body could cope. I was not allowed to walk unless necessary, lift heavy stuff, exercise, go shopping etc. Despite being very tired and lethargic (I swear don't remember being this tired carrying Hayley), thankfully we sailed through yet again.

This time, we've also changed to a new gynae due to the bad experience. And this time we didn't take the progesterone pills which some gynaes claimed could help strengthen the womb like we did with Hayley. When I was carrying Hayley and dealing with the bleeding, the gynae suggested progesterone. I woved to do everything I could to make sure the baby would be safe and so I took it. For my curent pregnancy, my new gynae said there were no scientific proof that progesterone would help strengthen the womb and I should just let nature do it's own thing. If the baby is meant to stay, it will stay. This time his words made perfect sense and we decided to listen to him and let God decide.

Going through 2nd pregnancy with a toddler at home is no easy thing let alone a complicated pregnancy. Again papa stepped in during those difficult weeks. I didn't carry Hayley for weeks but I tried to hug her as much as I can to compensate. Papa had to attend to her most of the time while I just sat on the couch and supervised. Papa had to send her to the babysitter in the morning, pick her up in the evening, bath her, feed her, carry her, take her to the playground, play with her, entertain her as well as cook healthy and delicious meal for us. I was all the while the spectator and only helped out if the tasks could be done with me sitting down. It felt horrible but I was thankful for having such a reliable and loving pillar!

The other surprise with this pregnancy is that the gynae found an additional sac in my uterus at around 8 weeks. He could not determine if it was a fibroid or it was an undeveloped twin. And since I did an ultrasound and pap smear in January before conceiving, he said most likely it wasn't fibroid but he still could not rule it out. He said we'll need to monitor it for a while but judging from the colour as seen on the ultrasound, it does look more like a sac than a fibroid. It was 3.1cm and it was separated from Bun. We also did a vagina scan just to make sure there isn't a foetus in the sac. I had to go back for a check up every 2 weeks. 2 weeks later (10 weeks) we did another scan and the sac shrunk to 2.5cm. Dr said it was a good sign. This could also be one of the reasons why I was spotting/bleeding.

With the 2nd pregnancy, I also felt nauseated more often and for a longer period. With Hayley, I remember experiencing it for 1.5 - 2 weeks. With Bun, it lasted more than a month and sometimes I could feel it the entire day. Thankfully I didn't really throw up. I just need to make sure I eat when I am hungry (I'll have the nauseated feeling when I am hungry) and eat in moderation. I am also more picky in terms of food. I prefer spicy and tasty stuff whereas with Hayley, I could eat anything and everything.

My little bump was also more obvious this time. Those who know me personally could guess that I was pregnant as early as 8 weeks cause the bump was already visible. Whereas with Hayley, the bump only appeared around 4 months. Bun is also more active compared to Hayley, everytime we check Bun out on the ultrasound, Bun will either be stretching, waving hi, sucking fingers or doing kicks and punches.

With Bun, I have to admit that I am doing less than what I used to do for Hayley. Probably because it's Bun No 2 and like most mothers who've experienced first pregnancy, we'll slack a little when it comes to the 2nd :-). I didn't drink red dates or birds nest as frequent as I used to, I also eat a lot of fast food and unhealthy stuff, something I didn't do when I was carrying Hayley. Once I saw someone eating Twisties BBQ flavour and I wanted to eat it straight away and so I did [guilty]. But, no matter what I do, I will religiously take my folic acid and drink my Enfamama :-)

We are eager to know Bun's gender and not planning to keep it as a surprise until Nov. Bun is expected to arrive 10.11.10. Hopefully it will be a boy so we will have the perfect combo but even if it's a girl, we'll be happy and thankful. Nothing is more important to us than having a healthy perfect little baby to complete the family.

With all the complications and issues I've had with both pregnancies, I told papa that this will be the last. I am not physcially and mentally strong enough to go through another one. Moreover, age is catching up and I would love to end the sleepless nights, breastfeeding and terrible twos drama as soon as I can :-)

Our next check up will be end of May. Hopefully everything goes well from now on and I can finally enjoy my pregnancy.