Oh gosh! I can't believe I'm already at the end of my 24th week now! I have already passed half way and soon I'll be off for maternity leave.
BODY CHANGES
Of course my body is changing, rapidly. The stomach feels tighter and tighter by the day, it's as if I'm going to explode. Some people at the office still couldn't tell that I'm pregnant because of the way I wear my hijab which hides my baby curves and also because most of my clothes are baggy/loose, which is a plus because I don't have to buy maternity clothes! I have retired all my pants and my jeans skirt. And instead, took out all of my skirts and stretchy pants (which I rarely use because I hated it, but now I love them a lot).
I've gained around 4-5 kilos by the end of this week. I'm a bit worried how much more I would gain because I still have another 3 months to go. Baby needs to grow even more, but I can't gain more than 14 kilos by the end of my pregnancy! I guess now it's really time to get myself moving. I think my diet is already good. I eat carbs only for breakfast and lunch, and when I'm still hungry at night I fulfilled my hunger with fruits - really trying my best to cut the carbs by dinner. But I definitely failed at exercising, hahaha.
My appetite is definitely back. I am much more happier now that I can eat and drink anything I want. But I do need to watch my diet and exercise so I don't 'expand' too much! I've also realised that I don't eat as much fruit as I used to anymore since my appetite's return, so I also need to work on that as well. Milk has been on my list daily now that I want bubba to get used to it (I don't even know whether it would make any difference!).
Face-wise, no (or hardly) any pimples! But I can tell that my skin is much drier than it normally is. I have heard a couple of times that if the face skin is dry during the pregnancy it usually signals a baby boy - that's one of the reason why I was quite convinced that this bubba is a boy. I just need to religiously use face cream everyday. My current favourite is the Nivea Soft moisturising cream (I ran out of Kiehl's but have just reordered the large size).
FIRST DOCTOR VISIT
Two weeks ago we were due for our first doctor's visit. Our original appointment was at 9 am but I didn't get called in until 10 am when I checked with the nurse who collected my urine sample. She said, "oh sorry, we must have skipped you!" I was a bit annoyed because I was planning to return to the office at 11am, which then got delayed until 12pm.
The doctor's appointment only lasted around 10 minutes. She checked my health records which was taken by the midwife from the previous meeting and also asked whether I have started to feel the baby's moves. I also informed her of my previous breast surgery, just in case I need to do any follow up in regards to breastfeeding. The doctor advised me that this will be my first and (perhaps) my last appointment with the doctor before labour. My regular biweekly check will be with the midwife, not the doctor, because my pregnancy is quite normal and there is nothing to be closely observed by the doctor, unless something comes up along the way.
After the doctor's visit, we received counseling from the maternity ward liaison officer. Not everyone gets it, because there are so many people to counsel sometimes they would miss a couple of them. Basically the officer needs to explain thoroughly about a list of topics listed on a red card, such as having the appropriate support after birth, importance of attending parental class, . This red card will eventually be handed to you at the end of the session. At first, this officer of Asian decent touched on how it is different from the care that we would received from our home country. She said, "The health system here is very different from our country, I know because your country and my country is almost similar. We don't need to pay for any of these maternity services. I was like, uhmmm, of course I know that. It's not like I just came out of rural area in Indonesia who knows nothing. Anyway, this lady talks a lot, I guess it's for a good thing, but she made me even more late to arrive at the office.
BABY'S KICKS
Like I mentioned previously, the doctor asked me whether I have started to feel the baby's kicks. I hesitantly told her "no" because I wasn't even sure how it feels like! She said, "Well, people have told me that it feels like butterfly in your stomach. But I don't know how it feels like too because I've never been pregnant before." I said, "I'm not sure how 'butterfly in your stomach' feels like either..." She took me to the bed to check bubba's heart beat. Alhamdulillah, it's there. Phewww. Then she said that if I don't feel anything by week 24, then let the hospital know.
I was already so excited to feel baby's kicks since the nurse who helped our 19-week scan said that she felt baby's soft kick. Unfortunately I had to have the disappointment that it took me a while to actually feel it. I have a thick rhino skin!
On the following week after the doctor's visit, I started to feel baby's little kicks, especially at night. It feels so funny and amazing at the same time! It's like having a fish bowl in your tummy! I began talking more often to him, reminding him to be careful while 'playing' inside. Last night baby was especially active, it's like he's having a blast at his own party! He was kicking here and there, making the surface of my stomach vibrate, hahaha. Can't wait to see you soon, bubba.
qwqwwwwwwwwwwwww
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