Sitex fair

Waited for hubby to finish IPPT test before going to Sitex at Expo, reached Expo closed to 7pm and the carparks were closed cos it's full. All the cars were queueing to go into the carpark via another route. Looking at the queue, don't think we can even get into the carpark at 7:30pm so gave up and went home instead. :P

Baby active as usual and tummmy getting bigger and bigger. Just left with 9 weeks but feel like such a long time. Quite sian to answer the same question again and again about my EDD especially when it's the same people asking once every few weeks. :P

Beansprout Pillows

Woke up at 4:30pm to pee again. Just receive my Wee Justin beansprout pillows today, a gift from my cousin. Door to door delivery at 8+pm, quite impressed with the service. They even gave a free silk pillow case with every 2 pillows purchased. The pillow is longer and not as hard as the one I orderd from Bulk purchase. :)

BB is super active, she kicks, pokes and shifts her body so often. Starting to wonder if she ever sleeps and if she'll be as hyperactive when she's out. :P

Sony handycam

Having second thoughts about the Sony handycam. There's another model that is more basic without ClearVid (good for night & outdoor settings), at only $899, $600 cheaper than the model we were eyeing. Not sure if it's worthwhile to pay so much more for the ClearVid feature. :P But at the same time, if we were to buy extended warranty for 5 years, will we be happy with this basic camcorder for 5 years since technology is moving so fast and HD is the way to go. Sigh, decisions decisions. So difficult to decide cos both me & hubby are not techies. :P

Popping early

Went to read the MTB Dec 07 thread at motherhood forum. 2 more mummies going to hospital & going to pop today and their EDD was 10 Dec and 20 Dec respectively. Looks like so far, all the Dec mummies who popped are early by 2-6 weeks. Scary... Now, hubby asking me whether it's possible for BB to be a Dec baby or even have the same birthday as him: 6 Jan. Don't want BB to be born too early leh, she was only 1.5kg during my last check up. Don't want her to be too small when born. :P

Heard some mummies saying that eating durians will help BB grow very fast. Seldom eat durians but went hunting at ShopNSave & NTUC Tampines. But no durian to be found. Bought durian curry puff from A1 curry puff at Tampines Mall, Basement instead. Better than nothing. Hee. :)

Had leg cramp at 6:30am today on left leg calve. Super painful, woke hubby from sleep. He helped me push back my foot to ease the pain. Bought 100plus just now, hope it'll help. :P

Char Kuay Teow

Went for antenatal class yesterday. This speaker was not as humourous as the lactation nurse manager last week. But she did clear a few doubts. She said don't use ear thermometer for baby because NB's ear membrane very fragile. Instead, just use a digital thermometer and measure under the armpit (must make sure BB's armpit) is dry. She also showed us how to fold a cloth nappy (won't be using it, too tedious to wash & dry lar) and how to give baby a bath. She also clarified that no need to use cord spirit to clean BB's umbilical cord, just use cool boiled water and cotton ball because KK did a study and found out the risk of umbilical cord infection is the same whether we use cord spirit or boiled water. Yeah, no need to buy the container for cord spirit liao. :)

Received my beansprout pillow with extra cover yesterday. It felt very hard though because they packed a lot of beansprout husks inside (at least they are not stingy about that). Asked the supplier if it will soften with use and she said yes. Received the bamboo baby chair from my colleagues yesterday. They even attached a golden ribbon to it, looks very sweet. :) A lot of colleagues were admiring my BB chair cos I left it at my cubicle until hubby came in the evening to pick me up. One of them pointed that there were some rough corners which may scratch BB's tender skin. Must ask hubby to find sandpaper to smoothen before letting BB use it.

Just came back from Parkway parade. Wanted to eat char kuay teow for supper yesterday but the stall was closed. Had dry fishball mee pok instead. Had swensens breakfast at Parkway and satisfied my craving for char kuay teow at Marine Parade food centre with the famous watery char kuay teow for lunch. Found it too garlicy (lots of roughly chopped garlic) but at least the pork lard was good. Hee. Had sugar cane juice too.

Went to kiddy palace and saw the 'hard cover' Pigeon wet wipes, $7.20. Some mummies said it was hard to find, I didn't buy since no promotion. The 3 packs (82 pcs each) on offer though at $10.10. But I want to wait until JL expo sale and see if got promo since I have JL vouchers.

Went to Harvey Norman too to check out video cam, think we more or less decided on which model to buy liao but costs about $1499 (excl extended 5 year warranty fee) so must wait until get Dec bonus before can buy. :P

Was looking for pretty little girl dress for BB's first month. Came across this french shop called Chateau de sable on the 3rd floor. Saw a little pink dress with 2 ribbons which I really like but $39 quite expensive and there was no promotion so didn't buy. :P

Waking Up is Hard to Do

Have not been sleeping well since Sunday night (woke up 2 times), Mon night (woke up 3 times at 2am, 5am & 7am)and last night (woke up once at 5am). Most of the time, woke up to go toilet but also woke up because of leg cramps. Was so zonked out on Tuesday that I wanted to take urgent leave but got 2 colleagues on MC so was too paiseh to ask my boss. Been taking more nuts (some mummies say it may help), isotonic drink like H2O, hope it'll help. :) Some people tell me I have to get used to this type of disruptive sleep when breastfeeding but can't imagine how I'm going to drag myself to work for one full day next time. :P

BB has been kicking and poking more and more. Her kicks are powerful but her pokes are even worse. Really painful. Sometimes, when the pain is bad, I'll raise my voice and ask her what she's trying to do but she'll only stop for a while and it'll start all over again. Another reason why I'm having such lousy sleep because she's very active at night. But she very sayang her Daddy, when Daddy put his hand there, she'll kick or poke less. :/

Hubby has been borrowing story books/fairy tales and reading stories to BB a few times a week. :)

Story Time!

Breastfeeding lesson

Went to antenatal class on Fri, the class was on breastfeeding. The lactation nurse manager was very humorous, never saw hubby laugh so much in any antenatal class. :) She gave out baby dolls for us to practise the different holds, 1) cradle 2) modified cradle and 3) football hold. I'm still not very good at it. :P She talked about the use of cold cabbage. She can use we can use that when engorged, 1-2times a day is fine but not too often unless trying to switch to FM cos it will reduce BM supply. If you want to do TBF, then try to let BB latch on as soon as possible after delivery so that body can release the colostrum cos mature milk only comes in after 3 days. If wait until discharged & go back home then start BF, then you'll only get colostrum which is not enough for hungry BB. She said don't switch BB from 1 breast to another after 5-10 mins, if not BB only gets foremilk (thin and quenches thirst only), no hindmilk (richer and satisfies hunger). If you want to switch, wait until BB suckles at least 20 mins at one breast then switch to the other one. But if pumping then can only pump 5 mins each breast then must switch, if not will get sore nipples. So pumping will take more time cos may need to pump 3 times for each breast. :P

She also said it's very important to plan ahead. Eg. if going back to work after 3 mths maternity, start pumping and bottle feeding by end of 2nd month. If not, BB will refuse to take bottle when you go back to work cos he/she will be used to direct latch on. If intending to supplement with FM when going back to work, start feeding 1 bottle of FM for the first 3 days, followed by 2 bottles of FM for the next 3 days so that BB can get used to it. Also, this will prepare our body and prevent engorgement after going back to work. She said we can ask for the lactation consultant (on call) if we need BF help after delivery. If still warded, the service is free. Reassuring cos I think I'll need help in the beginning. If we need help after discharge then it is chargeable from $30 onwards depending on how long the consultation is. :)

Chosen 2 design from WeeJustin beansprout pillows since cousin is getting that for me, one for my house, one for ILs place. :)

Diaper Bag

Still wondering whether to buy a diaper bag. Besides Allerhand, there's another brand called Skip Hop that seems quite good. The bag can be slung across a stroller so quite convenient. The bulk purchase price is $98 but I think usual price is $120+. The only bad thing is that the Skip Hop is slightly smaller than Allerhand and the bottle holder is not insulated. But I think should not be a problem since I have a thermos flask and will be making milk on the go instead of keeping milk warm. :)

A MTB from Feb 08 thread shared what is usually in a diaper bag but I added a few more things I'll need. :)
1)diaper(about 4-depends on how long u going out)
2)3 set of clothes(in case of accidents)
3)milk powder container(abt 3 feeds)
4)wipes
5)toys
6)snack(depend on how old the bb is)
7)sweater(in case cold)
8)ziplock(for dirty clothes)
9)changing mat
10)nappy rash cream
11)milk bottles(1 big/1small)
12)pacifier
13)thermos flask for milk
14)thermos food jar for porridge
15)security pillow/blanket

BB Update

Went for gynae appt at KK today. Got the results of my OGTT. No diabetes, YEAH! Fasting glucose is 4.1 (<6.1mmol) while 120min glucose is 5.0 (<7.8mmol) Also, Dr Judy Wong told me she'll do a weight estimate for my BB today. Very happy, was prepared to pressure her to tell me BB's weight today. ;) Based on BB's waist circumference, she is between 1.43-1.51 kg now, above 50th percentile and I'm 51kg now. Gynae estimates that if she maintains the same growth rate, she'll be about 3.1kg at 39 weeks. She said BB size is good because nature always ensures that slim mummies with smaller pelvis won't have big babies unless the mummies binge a lot, then can't be helped. Slim mummies with big babies will find it difficult to deliver.

BB was facing us when gynae was scanning, she's now head down (but not engaged), her spine was on my left side while her hands and feet were on my right. She also said the placenta position and amount of amniotic fluid are fine. She also told me that she'll be leaving for private practice in Apr 08 though. Sigh, looks like all the good female gynaes I know at KKH are leaving for private practice. :P

Went to Mothercare before going for gynae appt. Finally bought 2 pairs of 3/4 jeans & brown cropped pants for weekends and a nursing top. At $150.10 in total, I even qualified for the Mothercare privilege card. :)

Decided to order the small beansprout pillow with an extra cover from BP ($16) cos cousin told me she will buy the bigger Justin Wee beansprout pillows from www.beansproutpillow.com for my BB. :)

BP for Beansprout Pillows

Saw a BP for beansprout pillow & bolster, something that's on my wishlist. They have it in normal cotton, cotton from US/Japan and two tone cotton. Asked hubby if MIL will make for our BB but he doesn't think she has the time. Since no one has said that they are buying that, think I can get it for BB. Like the 2 tone version but a bit expensive. $11.50 each for small pillow and small bolster. If not, maybe the Japanese cotton one which costs $9.50 each. Will ask the supplier how much for extra covers first before deciding. :)

Bumper Mat & maternity clothes

Went for OGTT today, not as bad as I thought though the glucose drink was really sweet. Got "2 snake bites" on my left arm vein now. Went to OIO maternity shop to kill time while waiting for the second blood test. Ended up buying 1 sleeveless working dress good for meetings ($50), 1 grey working skirt ($27.50) and 1 pack of 3 low waist maternity panties ($23.50). Quite cheap, considering they are working clothes. Not enough maternity clothes liao, cos I returned some of my cousin's which no longer fit. Only 1 of the maternity clothes (a black dress) my colleague lent me fit either, think I'll bring the bag of clothes to return her.

Wanted to see Dr S F Loh just to check the weight of my baby since I'm idling at The Private Suite anyway, but he refuse cos he didn't want to cause any misunderstanding with Dr Judy Wong. Wonder why since I don't have a package with Judy Wong yet plus I'm not changing gynae. It's just that it's Sat and Judy is not working. Plus any gynae can do a scan right as long as patient is willing to pay. Hmmm... :/?

Received my bumper mat today. It's really soft though only 11mm. Luckily I bought the smaller sized one. Got no space in the BB room for the big one though a thicker mat will probably be even more comfortable. Cleaned it with baby bottle detergent and lay it out to ventilate (get rid of rubber smell) and iron out the creases as recommended. BB's cosy corner look good enough for me. :)

Antenatal class

Attended antenatal class today. Today, the nurse went through how to prepare for admission and what we need to bring. Took the chance to clarify what's on my list. No need to bring diapers, adhesive maternity pads, & disposable panties. It is in the ward package, can pay using medisave. Toiletries are provided, but can also buy from the ward or bring your own. No slippers, so have to bring my own bathroom slippers. After that, we watched a video on delivery of baby but it was an abridged version so found it not so scary or bloody. Today's lesson ended early which is good cos I still need to go back to KK tomorrow for OGTT and back on Monday for results. But we had to pay $2 ERP coming back. Should have hung around at Macdonalds for fries instead. :P

Finally bought BB bathtub

Went to Kiddy Palace at Sengkang today to buy my BB bathtub, the Tampines branch is closed for renovation. Bought one that was on offer $29.90, there's a non slip mat and a free net to hook on when bb is small. Very important to have a drain-off plug so that BB can stay in the tub as the water is being changed. :) Wanted to buy a pink one but there was only 1 piece and it had a black mark that cannot be cleaned off. So bought a blue one instead. Can't use my cousin's privilege card because the bathtub was already an offer item. The bathtub is quite big (can use to 1+ - 2 years old), but need to buy a S hook to hang in the common bathroom. No space in BB's room liao. :P

Bought a pair of beige maternity working pants too. Only have a pair of black working pants from Spring maternity, not enough. But prefer my spring maternity pants because it's low waist, more comfortable and wrinkle free. The kiddy palace one is high waist so leaves itchy marks on my tummy, but it's cheaper, $41.90 after discount. The Spring maternity one costs about $70. Yi fen qian yi fen huo I guess. :P

Baby gifts

My cousin from NZ came back to Singapore on Sunday and visited me on Monday night. She gave me the 2 dresses, 2 pairs of shoes, and a very cute Peter Rabbit Baby's First book. But now, I have 2 Baby First books. Don't know which one to use. Think I'll have to keep one for no. 2.

Collected my precious moment wall tiles yesterday. Hubby commented that they look very home made, printed colour pixs mounted on styrofoam and wrapped in plastic book cover. But because I combined orders with another MTB from the forum, we only paid $3.70 instead of $4.50 per tile so I'm ok. Some MTBs complained to the vendor at the BP thread though that they felt short changed that the tiles look so cheap. :P

My colleague passed me a musical changing mat, a bottle carrier with ice pack and 6 velcro waterproof backing bibs today. Her boy is already 1 year old. Many bags of stuff, no space in the wardrobe, some too early to wash and some don't know whether will use at all. Baby room look very messy. Can't imagine where I'm going to put everything. :P

Videocam and list

Thinking of buying a videocam to record BB's milestones during the Dec year end sales. Our budget is around $1k, considering between Panasonic SDR-H250 and Sony DCR-SR200E. Sony is more expensive though. Asked hubby to check with his colleague to see which model is better.

Cousin and colleague passed me some used baby clothes for my BB, think I'll ask my CL to go through them to see which one is suitable for BB.

It'll be another 2-3 months before delivery but should pack the hospital bag at least 1 month before so it's good to know what to pack. Assembled a list after gathering advice from some experienced mummies:

For the Mother-To-Be:
- 2 Night gowns with front opening for breastfeeding
- 2 Bras
- Socks (to be used in delivery suite)
- cardigan
- bedroom slippers
- toiletries
- sanitary pads
- magazines (to kill time)
- polythene bags (for your soiled linen)

For New Born
- 2 pairs of mittens & booties
- A set of baby's clothing & wrapping blanket to be used during discharge

For Father-To-Be
- Bring along a sweater, as the Delivery Suite may be too cold for some.
- Videocam
- List to send friends
- Original marriage cert
- Identity Card & Spouse's Identity Card
- Doctors Admission Letter
- No valuables

Zhi char Dinner

Had dinner with my family at Blk 802 Tampines coffee shop. Had zhi char, there were 6 of us and we ordered 7 dishes: Deep fried Garoupa, Oat meal Prawn, "Cai po" beancurd, Stir fried broccoli with scallop, Seafood Yam Ring, Fried spring chicken and 'San' mee. Already ate so much and they still gave us a free dessert (Sago red bean soup) which we didn't expect. Food was quite ok, the deep fried garoupa and cai po beancurd was good. I found the chicken and scallop a bit bland. But it's definitely value for $ cos the whole bill came to about $100 for so much food. So full now. :P

Baby weaning cutlery

Saw my cousin's 2-year-old daughter is struggling to scoop her rice with a straight spoon. Cousin said she missed the golden opportunity to teach her to eat on her own when she was 9-10 months old. Heard angled spoons and forks are easier for toddlers learning to feed themselves. Bought a baby bowl cutlery set and 2 sets of luvable friends forks & sppons from Yahoo auction, will pass her a set. Hope her little girl likes it. :)

Book Out in Amazon

Been helping hubby to publicise his book to my colleagues and friends. Sold 7-8 copies to some supportive colleagues. Hubby provided personalised service by autographing and drawing special cartoons for them. The book is now out on Amazon. :)

http://www.amazon.com/Why-Procrastinate-Teo-Aik-Cher/dp/9814222259/ref=sr_1_1/104-2105679-5428737?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1193919652&sr=8-1