Fetal 2d Echo at 30 weeks and 6 days

I transferred to a different doctor last September 13th, who specializes in Perinatology. She asked me if I've already done a Fetal 2d Echo. I told her I haven't and that I've done the Congenital Anomaly Scan (CAS) which turned out perfectly. She told me that she requires all her diabetic pregnant patients to do this test at 27-29 weeks because poorly controlled diabetes can damage the baby's heart vessels but she also explained that it's only for good measure, not that she saw anything wrong with my baby's heart in the regular ultrasound.

When I finished the CAS in July, I felt so relieved but being asked to do the Fetal 2d Echo made me frightened for my baby once again. My doctor told me that the Fetal 2d Echo is more detailed and precise at gauging the health of my baby's heart and so I had to do it. I was scheduled on September 21st at 30 weeks and 6 days since that's the clinic's earliest and only available slot.

We started at 2:15 pm and was asked to take a break at 2:45 pm because my baby was moving a lot, making it hard for the doctor to get a clear view of his heart.

At around 4:05 pm, we resumed and got a few good shots but was asked to take a break once more. My baby is acting up real bad, taking all sorts of somersaults in there. At past 4:30 pm, my doctor came back and I told her that the baby is still moving a lot. So she just asked me to come back on Saturday, September 24th at 3:30 pm.

The doctor told me that we're done with about 70% of the test and so far, everything looks normal. But she has to finish the remaining 30% because it's a vital part of the test and she needs to see it.

I'm scheduled to come back tomorrow. I hope and pray that my baby cooperates this time and that his heart is perfectly fine.

Although not included in the fee, she threw in a 3d ultrasound of my baby's face and printed one photo for me. I've already done the 3d scan last September 4th at a different clinic. Had I know that I'd be given a free photo, I wouldn't have gone ahead and paid for a separate 3d scan earlier. But how was I to know, right?

My baby looks chubbier now than how he looked at 28 weeks and 3 days. Here's the comparison of the two scans:

Baby at 28 weeks and 3 days

Baby at 30 weeks and 6 days

I'm just so eager to hold my baby in my arms. November, please come sooner!!! :)

29th week checkup

On September 7th, my brother took me to the hospital for my regular weekly checkup. This was me, all smiles, eager to get an update on how my baby is doing.

I was second in line at my doctor's clinic. She didn't want to me get tired and hungry while waiting so she put me on priority for all of my remaining check ups. Here's her findings on baby and me: Everything is okay with my cervix, my amniotic fluid is adequate, biophysical scoring is perfect. Downside is, I still have placenta previa partialis and now my baby has cord coil which prompted my doctor to endorse me for NST (Non stress test) which is supposed to be scheduled next week.

I told my doctor that I had a 3D ultrasound last Sunday and that our baby looked like my husband so she took a picture of my baby's face too. :) Here's my hubby and baby's face side by side. They really do look alike, especially their lips. :)

Here I was, undergoing my first-ever NST which I thought would last for only a maximum of 40 mins but was prolonged because I had mild contractions every 7-8 mins.

My doctor held me there for almost 6 hours. They had to inject Terbutaline to stop my contractions. I was told that I could be confined if my contractions didn't stop within 30 mins from the injection. My hubby went straight to the hospital from work. This is him, taking a quick rest.

He borrowed my other blanket because our room was so cold. I was given a thicker one.

Since we had to stay longer, they asked us to have our dinner. So my hubby went ahead and bought some food.

My supposedly ordinary day turned out to be extraordinary and something I will never forget. I didn't feel any pain at all and they said it's normal because my contractions were only mild but is detected by their monitor. I got discharged past midnight and asked to come back on Saturday for my follow-up check up. Hope everything turns out well. I don't want to experience this again. Hope my baby stays in my belly until the second week of November.

3D Ultrasound at 28 weeks

I belong to this online forum and several moms there recommended having a 3D/4D ultrasound at Baby Ultrasound - Robinsons Place Manila branch.

I scheduled it at 28 weeks and 3 days and specifically travelled there on a Sunday to avoid heavy traffic.

My brother drove for hubby and I and my mom also tagged along, eager to see her very first apo (grandchild in Filipino).

I was #18 on their list for that day since I came in past 4pm and had to wait about 1.5 hours for my turn. Their cut-off is at 6pm. I chose the basic package with (4) 4R printouts worth P1,500 and P50 for each additional printout. I added just one so I got 5 prints in total. Overall, I'm super satisfied with their service and the staff are nice too. :)

Here's my baby's best pic and the proof of his manhood! Hahahaha :)

Mommy Hair

When I was younger, I used to have really long hair. When I started working, I kept my hair on shoulder length. With my hair's texture, I had to regularly have it rebonded and adding color damaged my hair. I have also permed it once which I totally regretted big time.

I had below shoulder length hair before I got pregnant. I had it colored last December. I always wondered why my new mom friends on Facebook suddenly cut their hair really short as soon as they became a mom.

I didn't even plan on it but I suddenly had the urge to cut my hair as soon as I found out I was pregnant. As the weeks went by, it grew longer and so I had to trim it again.

I joined this forum on Facebook and new moms were talking about hairstyles when one member shared her picture with a pixie cut. I suddenly felt intrigued as to how I'd look with a similar cut since I've never cut my hair that short. Ever. Well maybe when I was in 6th grade and I was on our school's soccer varsity team.

So last Thursday, August 26th, I went into the salon and got a pixie cut. It felt so liberating. I posted it on my Facebook page and Instagram and surprisingly, a lot of people liked it and told me it's really a practical hairstyle for new moms who just no longer have the luxury of time to fix their hair because of the demands of the baby.

My hair is naturally wavy so I have to iron it out if I want it to look perfect but it is typically wash and wear if I can handle having to carry on with a wavy pixie cut. Here's how it looked when blow dried by the salon expert. :)

Cauli's Things

In my earlier weeks of pregnancy,  I was dying to find out the gender. I was even on the verge of going through the Panorama Non-Invasive Prenatal Screening at Hi Precision to find out the gender as early as 9 weeks but it was so expensive.

Surprisingly, we found out the gender on my 14 week checkup. My doctor just blurted it out.

It's a boy.

It was too early on for me to start buying stuff at 14 weeks so I waited a little longer. I looked for stuff mostly online since I'm on bed rest. I was determined to get a second hand wooden crib because brand new ones are so expensive in malls. At 18 weeks, I found the perfect one and immediately bought it. The following week, I was also able to purchase a second hand branded stroller.
(Pictures of the crib and stroller are posted on my previous post on my pregnancy update at 24 weeks.)

So that's the first two items I bought for Cauli. And the list went on and on as you can see below with their respective prices.

These are the items I still need to buy.

Summer Health & Grooming Kit at P1,399.75 less 10%.

Dr. Brown's Nipple Shields at P679.75 less 20%.

Breastflow feeding bottle set at P1,099.75 less 10%.

Breastflow feeding bottle set (unboxed)

Bottle holder at P299.75

Free storage boxes (on the left) at SM's Baby Company 

when accumulating P3,500 worth of baby items.

Gifts from my maid of honor, Ai. :)

Receiving blanket and Bath towel.

Pj's and shorts.

Socks, bibs, fitted sheet for his crib mattress and a hooded frogsuit.

Hooded frogsuit (unwrapped)

Stroller pads for only P300 at the HSBC sale bought for me by Junie.

Crib bumper for only P650 at the HSBC sale bought for me by Junie.

Carrier given by Junie and Oan during my baby shower. 

Toiletries and baby's essentials given by Junie and Oan during my baby shower. 

Chicco Infrared Ear Thermometer given by my pretty Korean friend, Myung Sun Kim 

(aka Heather Kim).

Onesies from the HSBC sale.

Wearable blanket for only P300 purchased by Ai from Divisoria and his hooded frogsuit.

Spectra 9+ breast pump purchased from Babymama 

during their sale last Aug12-15 for P9,000 less 10%.

Diaper bag bought at the Ultimate Mommy Clearance Clearout sale at Fun Ranch last August 14 for only P350.

Award winning Boba 4g Carrier bought at the Ultimate Mommy Clearance Clearout sale at Fun Ranch last August 14 for P5,950 less P2,000. :)

Most of the items were purchased from SM's Baby Company while his plain white tiesides, pjs, shorts, bonnets, mittens & booties, lampin and receiving blankets were bought by Ai from Divisoria. :)

There will be another 3 day sale at SM BF on August 19-21 and I'm surely gonna be there to purchase the other items that I still lack. :)

I never thought shopping for baby items was so much fun. I don't really feel like spending on any item for myself. It's all for my baby now. :)

Pregnancy update: 25 weeks

I went in for my follow up check up at 24 weeks and 4 days and my baby measured at 26 weeks weighing 853 grams. The amino acid vitamins are doing well in making him grow. My doctor asked me to continue taking these vitamins until August 25th. She told me that Metformin can cause a baby to be smaller than it should so I should still take the amino acid vitamins.

She said everything looked fine with my baby except for my placenta previa which is back to being totalis again. My doctor is still hopeful that it will move up in the next few weeks.

My next check up will be on August 29th and it will be weekly check ups from then on together with the Biophysical scoring ultrasound.

If I remember correctly, I will also be going through the Non-stress Test starting 30 or 32 weeks. I just can't remember if that's also going to be a weekly thing. I really hope not.

I am so excited to hold my baby in my arms. I'm currently 25 weeks and 2 days and my original due date is on November 24 basing on my LMP. However, since I'm delivering most likely via C-section, I can probably give birth on November 3rd onwards. My hubby's birthday is on November 2nd hahahaha. I know he secretly wishes to have his son born on his birthday but I'm worried he'd be premature then.

I can feel my baby's movements more often now, especially in the morning. I always wake up to his movements and I am always happy each time I wake up knowing he's alive inside me and very active.

I love my baby so much and I just can't wait for November. :)

I promise to be the best mommy ever. :)

Pregnancy update: 24 weeks

Hi. It's been awhile since I last wrote something here. I am now 24 weeks pregnant and a lot has happened. In my pregnancy journey, I got to talk to a lot of women online about their TTC and pregnancy journey. It feels so much better having other women to talk to that are going through the same things.

I joined lots of forums so I get educated about pregnancy and motherhood.

Anyway, here are the things that have taken place in my pregnancy:

1. My blood sugar is now under control. I have been taking insulin since April and have been on a diet for the most part. However, I have occasional cheat days. Hehehe.

2. At 14 weeks, we found out we're having a baby boy.

3. At 16 weeks, I was diagnosed with placenta previa totalis. I had to take meds to calm my uterus and remain on bed rest.

4. At 18 weeks, my baby measured 5 days behind so my doctor replaced my pre-natal vitamins with amino acid vitamins. I started drinking maternal milk.

I also started buying things for my baby and bought a crib and stroller online. :)

5. At 20 weeks, my baby's size has improved. I also did the congenital anomaly scan and thank God, everything is perfect with my baby boy. :)

6. At 22 weeks, my placenta has moved up a bit and is now classified as placenta previa partialis.

I will be going in for another check up on August 8. I hope my placenta is high-lying by then and that my baby is still looking perfect. :)

I will try to update this blog as often as possible to document the remaining 14-16 weeks of my pregnancy.

By the way, this is his gender scan.

And these are his things. :)

That's his awesome great grandfather so eager at assembling the crib! 

This is gonna be his ride.

These are the things I bought for him as well as the things I asked my friends to buy for me 

and some of their gifts,