Week 23 update (Nov 22 - 29, 2009)

How far along? 23 weeks!
Total weight gain/loss: I'm figuring I gained one kilo from all the pigging out the last two weeks. I'll know for sure how much I gained in next week's OB checkup.
Maternity clothes? I'm wearing one in the photo above! My sis-in-law gave it to me, so cute huh?? =) Other than that, I'm still wearing my mom's clothes and some of my loose stuff.
Stretch marks? Nothing yet! Or maybe hubby and I just don't know what a stretch mark looks like, LOL!
Sleep: Switched to a new sleeping position: me on the left and hubby on the right. I lie on my left side while hubby hugs me from behind to support my aching back. So far, it's working and I'm sleeping quite soundly ^_^
Best moment this week: Watching New Moon last Nov 24! It was so kilig as expected and Labsie also had fun guffawing the "romantic" scenes, LOL! Another best moment: eating WAGYU beef steak last Nov 26!! Dang, it was sooo good, fat and all!! And because of it, my blood pressure rose (I had palpitations, cold sweat and was dizzy for 20 minutes). Scary!
Movement: LOTS!! And everytime our baby kicks me, I talk to him/her. I noticed s/he's awake early morning (6am) then sleeps then awake at 10am --> sleeps --> active again at 3-4pm --> sleeps --> awake at 7-8pm or at 10-11pm, our bedtime. So far, I haven't woken up between 12-6am due to his/her active movement.

Food cravings: Nothing.. I had all I wanted to eat this week! =) Labsie made me french toast last Nov 25, ate Wagyu, had roasted chicken last Nov 27, ate plenty of eggs yesterday (courtesy of my paternal aunt) and had Sbarro pizza today! Yep, my parents arrived from Manila and we got more food! =)

Gender: I feel we're having a girl coz I'm so mellow. According to mommies, when they had boys, they had mood swings and raging anger (probably due to testosterone?). Truth to tell, I'm much more bitchier when I wasn't pregnant than the past 6 months :p

Labor Signs: None!

Belly Button in or out? Still in!

What I miss: Shopping without getting tired! Was looking for storage and baby stuff on Nov 24 (NCCC) and 26 (Victoria Plaza), and my feet + back were just killing me! Guess it couldn't handle my additional weight + extensive walking -_-

What I am looking forward to: The ultrasound next week! Hope our baby will not hide his/her privates anymore!

Weekly Wisdom: Try spooning with your hubby to support your back while sleeping, it's really good! =)

Milestones: My nipples oozed a bit of fresh milk last Nov 23! I had been suspecting I have breastmilk already but until this week, I only saw its dried remains. I have milk for our sweet baby, woohoo! =) Another "milestone" are the "bubbly kicks" I felt this week. I'm not sure if baby came up with a new movement (aside from kicking) or s/he's having seizures inside me. Coz that's how the "bubbly kicks" felt, like there's something vibrating inside me, shaking me from inside. Maybe our sweet baby is just hiccuping? Forming bubbles and all that burst against my belly? Must ask my OB about this..

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pregnancy breakdown

This table opened my eyes to how the 9 / 10 months of pregnancy is broken down to lunar / typical months and weeks. I actually started my 6th month of pregnancy last week! I thought sixth month = 24th week, but it wasn't the case as evidenced by the pregnancy breakdown table below. Hope you learned something too! =)

Your First Trimester: 1st Month = Weeks 1,2,3,4 2nd Month = Weeks 5,6,7,8 3rd Month = Weeks 9,10,11,12,13	Your Second Trimester: 4th Month = Wks 14,15,16,17 5th Month = Wks 18,19,20,21 6th Month = Wks 22,23,24,25,26	Your Third Trimester: 7th Month = Wks 27,28,29,30 8th Month = Wks 31,32,33,34,35 9th Month = Wks 36,37,38,39,40
Week 1 till end of week 13	Begin week 14 till end week 26	Begin week 27 till Birth

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Week 22 update (Nov 15 - 22, 2009)

Another busy week! And a rainy + cold one at that! End-result? I cooked a lot of saucy and soupy dishes to keep our lil family warm =) Yup, another food-gasmic week! I just hope my weight in my next month's OB checkup won't balloon from all the over-eating this month. Sigh! Anyway, we cooked spaghetti and pork BBQ last Nov18 (just because!), I cooked kare-kare last Friday and shabu-shabu + udong + crispy bacon last Saturday. Then we had a yummy Chinese dinner early tonight in Kowloon Dimsum (along Roxas Ave). I just love Chinese food! ^_^ Oh, I also had Panadero Expreso's specialty, cheezy overload bibingka today! Sooo good! I was in Panadero with my doctor friends for our monthly chismisan, hehe ;-)

How far along? 22 weeks!

Total weight gain/loss: around 6.5-7.5kg

Maternity clothes? nope.. still wearing Mama's dresses

Stretch marks? nothing yet! hope it stays that way! =)

Sleep: Not so good.. I'm having a hard time finding a comfy position that's also good for our baby.
Best moment this week: The food trips!! Our sweet baby will grow up a food-loving person, that I'm sure! At his/her young age, s/he has been exposed to many wonderful cuisines already =) Another cool thing: Labsie laid his head on my belly to talk to baby and s/he kicked hubby's cheek! The dad-to-be was startled, LOL
Movement: LOTS! And I'm kinda seeing the sleep/awake cycle of our baby.

Food cravings: Nothing.. I guess that's what happens when you eat great food the entire week, hehe! I want to have another bite of Panadero Expreso's cheesy bibingka though ;-)

Gender: Anything goes for me this week!

Labor Signs: None!

Belly Button in or out? Still in!

What I miss: The sun! I feel the cold weather will take a toll on my health -_-

What I am looking forward to: Knowing our baby's sex in 2 weeks! I really, really wanna know!!

Weekly Wisdom: Eat and be merry! LOL! But, don't forget to exercise also =)

Milestones: According to BabyCenter.com, our baby is almost 1 pound heavy now and is starting to look like a miniature newborn. His/her lips, eyebrows and eyelids are becoming more distinct too. Cute! Daddy and Mommy can't wait to see you sweet baby! Mwahh!

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the aches and pains of pregnancy

I'm nearly five and a half months pregnant, and boy, the weight I gained is taking a toll on my petite body and bones! On a side note, I had a free bone scan recently and I was overjoyed that despite me not drinking milk / taking calcium supplements regularly, I have uber-healthy bones! No signs of osteoporosis or whatever -- happiness! =) Anyway, I gained a total of 6.5 kilos for the first half of my pregnancy and though my body mass index (BMI) is still normal for my height, this is the heaviest I've been my entire life! I've been chubby during my high school life and during summer times but at most, I only weighed 47-48 kilos.

The added weight plus my bulging abdomen have been killing my back, calves and feet! I can definitely feel what the pregnancy books are saying with regards to my growing belly changing my body's center of gravity. My body is a mess and my muscles and bones are taking the all the glorious pain! I badly need a full body massage to soothe my aching muscles and foot spa but I'm so lazy to get out of our house. As it is, I'm relying on hubby for mini-back massages and foot massages every day. He sooo good at it, especially with the foot! ^_^ Hope you won't get tired massaging me Labsie.. Thanks so much and I love you so!
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Week 21 update (Nov 8 - 15, 2009)

My best preggy photo yet.. ^_^

This has been one of my busiest weeks ever since I got pregnant! I organized our closets, cleaned up our bedroom, made space for baby, went grocery shopping, sold all my pocketbooks (I lugged 45 books in the streets of Davao, gahh), and celebrated my father in law's birthday. Busy, busy!! Thank god I had the energy to do all these stuff. Hooray for second trimester energy boost! ^_^ Also this has been another food-gasmic week! Hubby cooked for me early in the week, I had my fastfood fries and pork barbecue fix last Friday, Labsie got his pistachios (super yum!!) from his aunt in the US, and we had a grand food spread for my FIL's birthday. Roasted pig is to die for!!

How far along? 21 weeks!
Total weight gain/loss: Around 6.5 - 7.5kg (14.5 - 16.5lbs)

Maternity clothes? Nope. I'm wearing more dresses now to accommodate my growing belly though..

Stretch marks? None! Yippee!

Sleep: Finding it hard to find a comfy position at night -_- I'm also napping during the afternoons to rest my back for 1-2 hours.

Best moment this week: When our sweet baby kicked me real hard last Nov12! It was his/her strongest kick yet and it surprised the hell out of me while I was resting. My belly literally jigged from the impact :p Another best moment was last Nov13 when baby and I played the poking game: s/he kicks me and I poke him/her back. So far the longest we played was 14 straight back-to-back kicks and pokes. Quite intelligent our baby is! ^_^

Movement: LOTS!! See above answer.

Food cravings: Hubby's french toast! He said he's gonna cook for me last Nov10 & I was expecting his yummy toast but instead he made a pork & chicken dish. Still yummy but I want his special french toast! *saliva dripping*

Gender: I want a boy right now! :p

Labor Signs: None!

Belly Button in or out? Still in.. And I cleaned it! Lots of 28-year old gunk inside, yuck!

What I miss: Labsie at home on weekends. His sked is Thursday to Monday, and it's been ages since we went to church on a Sunday! -_-

What I am looking forward to: Shopping for baby stuff!! We still do not know our sweet baby's sex but I wanna buy cutesy stuff already! I'll just buy it in neutral colors just to satisfy my nesting & shopping cravings :p

Weekly Wisdom: Do all the cleaning / arranging / renovating in your second trimester. That way, your growing belly won't get in the way.

Milestones: Being able to play games with our baby! This means s/he responds to stimuli and has an intact nervous system! *happy dance* In other developments, our baby's eyebrows and lids are present now, and if we're having a girl, her vagina has begun forming already.

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our 20-week old baby is a cantaloupe!

Baby's digestive system is busy creating meconium (a tarry black substance made of swallowed amniotic fluid, digestive secretion and dead cells), which will fill the first diaper after birth. And, speaking of the diaper situation... baby's genitals are now fully formed! (SOURCE: The Bump)

pregnancy checklist (part 2)

Check out part 1 of the pregnancy checklist HERE!

Week 11
Start shopping for maternity clothes - I started window shopping, no purchases of official maternity clothes. I bought leggings, loose blouses and dresses though =)

Week 12
Milestone: Belly starting to show - You bet it's showing! Take a look of my 14th week belly HERE. Looks really bloated -_-
Milestone: Tell friends and family - Told my parents on Week 10 while we told hubby's family at this week. Everybody's excited!

Week 13
Start looking at maternity leave - I'm not working so..

Week 14
Research and sign up for childbirth classes - Researched and reserved a slot for January 2010 classes! If you're in Davao and looking for Lamaze classes, contact Ms. Alexandria Hao in her Multiply page.

Week 15
Schedule amniocentesis and multiple marker screening - Not done -_-

Week 16
Schedule monthly OB visit - Checkup last Oct 7, before we left for our babymoon =)

Week 17
Milestone: First baby kick - Felt baby flutters since Week 14 and I felt baby's first strong kick on Week 18. It was unreal!

Week 18
Pick up some baby books - My sis-in-law lent her baby books 2 months ago. Thanks Rye! =)
Consider using a doula and start interviewing - No doulas or midwives..

Week 19
Research public and private cord blood banking - I don't think we have this in our country, or at least in my city -_-

Week 20
Schedule standard mid-pregnancy ultrasound - Had this last Oct 4 but our sweet baby hid his/her privates from view! Thus, until now, we don't know his/her sex. Til next month then! Other than that minor hiccup, our baby is all normal ^_^
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Week 20 update (Nov 1 - 8, 2009)

How far along? 20 weeks! Or 5 months! Woohoo!

Total weight gain/loss: I gained 1.5kg since my last OB checkup.. Which brings my total weight gain to 6.5-7.5kg in 5 months! My weight is now 51.5kg -- shocking but not all bad, hehe!

Maternity clothes? Still not wearing.. I bought 2 new blouses and 1 dress (pink!!) last Nov 4 though, both non-maternity but loose enough so I can still wear it while pregnant =)

Stretch marks? None!

Sleep: Still good but I'm trying to sleep on my left side (better circulation for baby) and I panic when I wake up lying on my back or right side -_-

Best moment this week: Seeing our sweet baby again last Nov 4! And knowing s/he's growing well =) Currently our baby is 9oz heavy, in breech position. On a sidenote, my placenta is posterior and high-lying. All good! ^_^

Movement: LOTS!! Our baby is quite an acrobat and I'm not exaggerating!

Food cravings: Pansit Molo by Ate Minya (hubby's cousin). My MIL brought several servings to our house last Nov 3 and I've been rationing it to make it last the entire week, hehe =)

Gender: 80% chance of being female! Our baby hid from view during the ultrasound and our OB can't say for sure if baby is male or female. Naughty baby! :p

Labor Signs: None, though I feel my uterus contracting at times. Mostly painless though..

Belly Button in or out? Still in..

What I miss: Sleeping in whatever position without worrying if baby is getting enough blood / nutrients. It's making me paranoid!

What I am looking forward to: Knowing 99% sure the sex of our baby! I badly wanna shop for his/her clothes and baby stuff in blue or pink! Plus Black Friday and Cyber Monday is coming up, lots of discounts!

Weekly Wisdom: SHOP!! You're entitled to it! After all, you need new clothes for your expanding body plus stuff for baby =)

Milestones: Halfway the pregnancy!! And everything is all good, thank you Lord! ^_^

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a look back of the first 5 months

Yep, we're halfway there!! ^_^ Here are the highlights of the first 5 months:

FIRST MONTH

SECOND MONTH
THIRD TO FIFTH MONTHS (click to enlarge!)

Week 19 update (Oct 25 - Nov 1, 2009)

How far along? 19 weeks!

Total weight gain/loss: Around 5-6 kilos.. I'll know for sure in 3 days in my monthly OB checkup.

Maternity clothes? Still wearing my mom's clothes and leggings.

Stretch marks? None! Cross fingers I'll never get it =)

Sleep: is GREAT!

Best moment this week: Hubby's birthday last Oct 31! We went to his family home and had an intimate dinner with our 2 families. The food? ALL seafoods! Super yummy! =) My photo above was taken before traveling to hubby's home.

Movement: Plenty! Baby kicks me left and right, up and down my abdomen. Crazy kid!

Food cravings: Seafood and spaghetti! We cooked the latter last Oct 27 and we had the former last Oct 28 (Yellowfin Resto) and 31. BURP!!

Gender: Toss up between boy and girl.. No preference.

Labor Signs: None!

Belly Button in or out? Still in =)

What I miss: Traveling by land long-distance without worrying about how it affects baby -_- This weekend was very travel-heavy as we celebrated hubby's birthday and All Soul's Day. From our home, we went to hubby's family home (90min) on Oct31. The next day, we went back to our home and traveled to my family's ancestral homes (120min), spent the day there and went back the same day to our home. 3 cities in 36 hours, PHEW!

What I am looking forward to: Baby's ultrasound and celebrating the 20th week of our pregnancy next week ^_^

Weekly Wisdom: Don't feel bad that you're getting fat -- at least you have an excuse, you're pregnant after all! =) Gaining 25-35 pounds is just normal as long as you're eating healthy.

Milestones: My relatives seeing lil me with a pregnant belly for the first time =) Also, surviving the travel-heavy and food-gasmic weekend! Super tiring, I was full with food most of the time (which is really uncomfortable with my uterus pushing my stomach), but it was all worth it!

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