Shangrila Journey

I’m done with my congenital anatomy scan last week and results were all normal, thank God!

I was advised by my OB though to watch out on my sweets intake as baby bullet is big for his age. He is said to be on the 90th percentile and since I’m just on my second trimester, I cannot afford such as he can get bigger when I reach my last trimester already.  Oh well, we’ll see. I crave for caramel sundae almost everyday pa naman.

By the way, we just got back from HK the other day and I must say, traveling while pregnant is a bit hard but manageable.  I just needed to walk slow the whole time to my husband’s dismay haha. He kept on kidding that we were walking in the moon LOL!

More baby bullet updates soon.

I am scheduled to have a Congenital Anatomy Scan tomorrow at Asian Hospital and I hope results are what I hope for. This is just a standard procedure from my OB but of course I can’t help but be worried. According to this site:

This scan is used to detect abnormalities of the baby and it is often performed at around 22 weeks. Most babies are healthy but sadly some have serious problems, which almost always cannot be predicted by a family history of the health of the mother.

Approximately 70 per cent of all serious congenital malformations can be detected by this scan. Thus, even if the baby appears normal on this scan there is still a small chance that your baby will have a problem.

Sometimes it is difficult to obtain optimal views of a certain part of the baby’s anatomy if the baby is in an awkward position. Rarely it might be necessary to come back for a repeat scan so as to complete the examination.

The sex of the baby can almost always be determined on scanning at 20 weeks but Mr Economides will only tell you if you wish to know this information.

A table is included below of some of the problems that can be detected on ultrasound at 20 weeks and the likelihood of detection. (RCOG 2000)

Problem	Observation	Detection Rate
Open spina bifida	Open spinal cord	90 per cent
Anencephaly	Missing top of head	99 per cent
Hydrocephalus	Excess fluid within the brain	60 per cent
Congenital heart disease	Major heart defect	60 per cent
Exomphalos/gastroschisis	Defect of the abdominal wall	90 per cent
Major kidney problems	Missing or abnormal kidneys	85 per cent
Major limb abnormalities	Shortened or abnormally formed bones	90 per cent
Diaphragmatic hernia	Defect of the muscle separating chest and abdomen	65 per cent
Cleft lip and palate	Defect in lip	80 per cent
Down’s syndrome	Heart, limb, and bowel problems	50 per cent
Cerebral palsy		Not detected
Autism		Not detected

These are Baby Bullet’s loot from the US aside from his bottles and other feeding accessories I posted here.

This is all new to me. I am not used to seeing blues and greens. LOL.

Preggy’s cravings for today …

Belgian Waffle (strawberry) and fresh mango juice from Starbucks.

through my pregnancy! I am 21 weeks pregnant to be exact.

According to http://www.i-am-pregnant.com/ :

This week marks the half way point of your pregnancy. It has been 18 weeks since the date of conception and your baby’s crown-to-rump length is 5.6 to 6.4 inches. The fetus weighs about 9 ounces and your belly definitely has an obvious bulge. Your waistline has expanded and is no longer visible. Your uterus has now moved up enough that it is pushing your abdomen outwards. The top of your uterus is even with or just below your navel.

Sex organs are showing clearly on this girl

For the remainder of your pregnancy, the growing uterus puts pressure on your lungs, stomach and kidneys. This will make you feel short of breath, the need to urinate more frequently and can cause indigestion. The added pressure on your abdomen can also cause your bellybutton to protrude and cause an `outy` instead of an `inny`. Many pregnant women begin to notice stretch marks around this time as well. Your abdominal muscles are being stretched and pushed apart as your baby grows inside of you.

Your baby’s skin begins to thicken this week and will develop four layers. Your baby’s sebaceous glands secrete a waxy substance called vernix caseosa. Your baby will be born with this wax and it will look like paste. The vernix caseosa is crucial because it protects the fetus’ fragile skin from the continuous immersion in amniotic fluid. Lanugo hairs secure the vernix caseosa in place and it is thick around the eyebrows. Scalp hair and toenails are beginning to form at this point. Hair can also be seen on the upper lip and eyebrows.

Around twenty weeks, most doctors will order a routine ultrasound to check the baby’s development. Measurements will be taken and the sonogram technician will check to make sure there are no defects or abnormalities. Your ultrasound technician can also see how long your cervix is and can tell you approximately how much your baby weighs at this time. Most expectant women also find out the sex of their baby during this time! If your sonographer does not offer pictures, ask them for a copy of the photos.

We really are in cloud nine. Jon is probably the happiest dad on earth right now, HAHA. You all know how we wanted to have a boy, right? And thank you to the Big Man up there who heard our fervent wish. We really can’t ask for anything more. To say that we are so blessed is an undertatement. So, all I can say now really is just THANK YOU.

As all of you have said, quota na kami. Yes, I believe so. Well, atleast that’s what we think right now. I wonder if it’ll change in a few years or so but so far, having two - a girl and a boy, is already enough for us. We have big plans you see so Jon believes we can only sustain two (or three the most) with the lifestyle and plans we have for our kids.

During my ultrasound, funny how my OB Sonologist commented that all the while she thought I was so prim and proper but when she finally wrote the word BOY on the screen, I screamed like a little girl. I just couldn’t help it as I was preparing myself for another baby girl because most people I know commented that I looked like I was having another Sophia. But were they so wrong! LOL. Jen are you hearing me?!?! LOL!

Jon had the biggest smile too, I swear. He kept calling everybody after. He even is treating friends to a buffet dinner at Circles in Makati Shang and his farm employees had the whole night drinking, partying and merrying, LOL! Super happy obviously. As for me, I think I still am in denial. I still can’t believe it. I so wanted to have a boy really para we are done and yun nga ang binigay.

… is over.

After reading stuff about BPA, I am now switching from Avent Bottles to Dr. Brown’s. I know, there isn’t specific proof or evidence yet as to how dangerous BPA is but every mom would agree with me that its better to be safe than sorry, right? After all, I’ve got nothing to lose if I go on the safe side, aside from the few more dollars maybe. LOL.

Dr. Brown bottles are highly recommended. According to KK:Cool Tool:

The secret to Dr. Brown’s Baby Bottles, apparently, is the tube system inside — it prevents the infant from swallowing air, which makes for a happier baby (and by extension, happier parents). As baby eats and the bottle drains, the internal tube directs incoming air to above the bottle contents, so the young one’s not working against a vacuum. This is supposed to be easier on their eardrums, too. Make of it what you will, but we’ve managed to avoid the ear-infection boogeyman which seems to hit nearly every other young family we know. Also, unlike similar systems that use collapsing bags to keep out the vacuum, you don’t need to keep a supply of the little bags around.

Here’s my loot care of my sister in law from the US:

Dr. Brown’s Polypropylene Bottle - 8oz. 3pk

Dr. Brown’s Sterilizer Gift Set

Dr. Brown’s Standard Vent Inserts

Dr. Brown’s Standard Vent Reservoirs

According to http://www.i-am-pregnant.com/ :

At this point of your pregnancy, your baby is approximately 4.3 to 4.6 inches long and weighs 2.8 ounces. Not only is your baby growing, your uterus and placenta continue to grow to accommodate the growing baby inside of you! Just six weeks ago, your uterus weighed about 5 ounces. This week it now weighs 8.75 ounces! The amniotic fluid that surrounds the baby is increasing and there is about 7.5 ounces of fluid. You will easily be able to feel your uterus approximately three inches below your navel.

This is an important week for testing and you will most likely have an AFP test done. This is a harmless blood test that is done to detect abnormalities such as Down’s syndrome or spina bifida. This is a non-invasive test and it carries no risk to your developing baby. Most doctors will offer the test, but in most cases it is completely optional.

Your milk glands start production at this time and this causes some tenderness and swelling in early pregnancy. Your veins will become more visible because there is an increased amount of blood flowing to the breasts.

Five and a half inches tall and only six ounces in weight. The child can grasp with his hands, kick, or even somersault.

At this time, your baby is holding her head erect. Because her muscles are developing, she can make some faces now. Your baby is able to squint, frown and open its mouth. There is enough calcium in the bones that they will show up on an x-ray. Your baby’s fingernails are well formed now and the legs are longer than the arms. Because your baby is moving well now, you may begin to feel his movements! Some women say that the early movements feel like gas bubbles or a slight flutter. If you have not yet felt the baby move, don’t worry. Fetal movements are usually felt between the 16th and 20th week of pregnancy.

You may feel your heart beating ‘louder’. This is because there is a lot more blood in your body than normal. (about 20-25% more)

… yesterday, June 25.

It was the very first time I didn’t take Sophia to school. You see, since she started toddler classes at a play-based toddler school when she was almost 2 years old, I made it a point to take her to class. All other activities or classes too like The Little Gym and Gymboree, I was with her. Never missed a class. And so, yesterday was a first for me and I didn’t take it well.

I HAD SEPARATION ANXIETY.

I was literally holding my tears back while I was taking her inside the car with her yaya and the driver. She, on the other hand, didn’t have any hint of sadness at all which made me want to cry all the more. SUSME, ano ba ito? Could it be the pregnancy hormones or what?

When she shouted “Goodbye, Mommy!” with hands waving while the car was about to go, I couldn’t hold it any longer. I ran inside the house and wept. I called the husband and continued to cry over the phone. Crazy, isn’t it? OA, ano?

But things are better now. I have managed to accept the fact that I cannot be with her all the time and besides she needs to be on her own every once in a while. It’s both for our own good. After all, Ill be having another baby soon so we both need this so we can adjust. I’ll still take her to school maybe twice or thrice a week though but everyday is not feasible anymore because three hours in Starbucks every morning each day will do me no good. Malls are still closed by the time she’s in school so I have nowhere to go.

Hay, another mommy moment for the books.