No Kickapoo for Me

I guess it can be pretty difficult to abstain from caffeinated drinks during pregnancy, especially if you’re living in Malaysia. I had only just realize it yesterday, when I had roti canai at a mamak with my dad at teatime. You can’t really go to a mamak and have a roti canai without a teh ais or teh-o-ais (limau optional). Have to admit that I was slightly disappointed that I couldn’t order a teh-o-ais to go with my roti canai.

So I got myself a can of Kickapoo, a carbonated citrus-y drink that is so old school it’s cool and to my dismay, I discover that it also contains caffeine. And I thought most carbonated drinks besides coke or pepsi (both diet and regular) are usually caffeine-free. At least that is the case for sprites and fantas in the UK. I have yet to read the labels on the ones here in Malaysia but I assume that they should also be non-caffeinated.

I try to stay away from caffeine drinks for the sake of my unborn child. Sure, it’s safe to have a little but I would like to try to avoid it. Like they all say, prevention is better than cure. My ex-colleague still drinks a mug of tea daily and she’s just a week ahead of me. Some people even continue drinking and smoking despite being pregnant but that is their decision to make and I’m no one to judge or diss them.

Being pregnant for the first time, I guess some mothers try to be cautious with what they eat and drink. There’s just so many guidelines to follow; with having to make sure we have enough calcium, iron, vitamins and etc. I’m not taking any vitamin supplements at the moment so I’m just hoping that my child will be alright as I do try to have as much water, juice and leafy vegetables (on top of a lot of scrumptious Malaysian food).

Posted with WordPress for BlackBerry.

Seeya, Salford!

So I’m back in Kuala Lumpur. Alone. But I’m not totally alone because I’m staying at my parents’. The Husband is currently in Germany for his festival.

I felt as if I was in an emotional washing machine, as I tumbled up, down, left and right, trying hard to get a grip (of myself) and not letting myself feeling too overwhelmed with excitement or sadness for the big move. It is indeed a big move for us. I have my fears for The Husband that he may not like the life here in Malaysia, especially with the crazy hot and humid weather and the extreme obsession for material wealth.

Twas quite sad towards my last days at the old Flat 9 in Salford. Although the apartment seemed as if it was going to fall apart someday with the visible and huge crack lines on the ceilings and the windows slowly rotting away, it was still home to me. It was our very first home together. Having said that, people move on. We’ve a new life ahead and we’re building a new family… in Malaysia!

As soon as The Husband arrives, I guess we’ll start looking for a place to live and I hope everything will be alright although hopes are bleak for me to get a job due to me being pregnant and all. But that’s a different story and I’m trying to enjoy my wonderful (almost) nausea-free second trimester at the moment!

Posted with WordPress for BlackBerry.

The Anticipated Scan

It was our very first time seeing the baby today! It was simply amazing. When I saw a tiny little thing that almost resembled a human on the monitor, I was so speechless and somehow couldn’t stop laughing. Such a strange feeling it is, to finally see the thing that is growing inside my stomach and has been (and still) making me ill but also giving me a certain sense of unexplainable happiness and a new meaning to my life.

I’m 13 weeks and the morning sickness seemed to have pretty much gone except for the occasional mild nausea, especially when I’m anxious. Mild headaches and dull aches (and occasional cramps) in the lower abdomen seem to be a normality. So much so that I’m quite used to not getting much sleep at night due to the stomach discomfort. Apparently it’s all normal though it did get me worried about stillbirths and miscarriage.

But all is good – at least for now. And I hope it will be for the whole of this pregnancy. Am so glad that the morning sickness have pretty much subsided, so I can start to enjoy the pregnancy now. My only concern is that I’m not exercising enough. That does worry me but I’m just too lazy. Not a good excuse but the weather is also so horribly cold that I just want to snuggle up on my couch. Don’t forget that I have stomach aches pretty much throughout the day now so that is also limiting my movements as I feel the best when I’m sat there on the couch, watching Cantonese dramas on my laptop.

Posted with WordPress for BlackBerry.

My Overdue Portugal Holiday Post

I don’t think I’ve actually posted any photos of my holiday in Portugal last November. Most of the days, I wandered the streets of Lisbon by myself armed with a miserable paper with scribbles of places I want to visit, my lousy digital camera, my Holga and my iPod (which I used to navigate me to places). Don’t be mistaken that I had GPS function in my iPod. I don’t. I simply looked up places on Google maps on the app and saved the photos of the directions. It must have been a strange-ish sight for the Portugese to see a Chinese girl walking around with an iPod, as if it was a compass to navigate me.

As I was working, I didn’t really have the time to do my research for the sight-seeing in Lisbon. I did it every evening or morning, before I left the hotel. I was quite amazed at some of the things that I stumbled upon, while walking about Lisbon.

Like the top part of the Elevador de Santa Justa, I had discovered that one does not have to pay for it to get to the top from Rua Augusta just to look at the wonderful panoramic view of Lisbon. I accidentally found it when I was trying to get to the other attraction, which was some old castle or museum or something.

It was pretty exciting but really tiring to explore a new city alone. It almost felt like an Eat Pray Love thing except that it was in a busy touristy city.

I miss Portugal and its scrumptious Pastel de Natas with delicious coffees. They also have the best mango juice ever! Mmm… And of course the food is really good too.

p.s. These photos are taken with my beloved Holga.

My First Blood Test

I would’nt say that I’m proud of myself to have survived the blood test last Sunday when Angela, the midwife came over. Trying to calm myself the whole week prior, I found myself feeling extremely anxious to the point that I had stomach ache and even had nausea minutes before she arrived. When she appeared at our apartment, right smack on time at 12pm, I was already shaking.

Angela suggested that we get it over and done with so I wouldn’t be tensed up. I laid on the couch with my left arm stretched out, the right hand covering my face with a blanket. She was gentle but a needle is a needle and it stung. She did a good job by trying to distract me, asking questions so I wouldn’t concentrate on the uncomfortable sting on my left arm. It felt like forever. The sting lasted for more than a minute. 

I later realized that the prolonged sting was because she didn’t just take a wee bit of blood but 4 syringe-fulls of my blood! I’m feeling queasy thinking about it now. So, there. My very first time having blood taken out of me for test. I’m glad I did get over it but it doesn’t mean that I like it. And there’s more to come. I shall make a point to remind my child later on that I sacrificed so much for him/her.

This week, I’m feeling pretty alright. The nausea seem to be getting less and less, which is such great news but I still don’t feel like I’m up for a lot of activities. I’m so lazy and I feel tired the whole time. It’s not good that I’m either sitting or laying on the couch the whole time, but that is how I cope with the exhaustion, nausea and the occasional stomach cramps. 

Appetite is not always easy to come by and plain room temperature water disgusts me now. I find myself drinking a lot of iced water or flavored water with ice, of course. I didn’t want to get fat or diabetes so I’ve summoned The Husband to get me lemons so I could drink iced lemon water instead of sugary drinks the whole day.

Mornings aren’t so bad anymore and I’ve upgraded from eating zwieback (dry German biscuits) to muesli or cereal with milk. I still can’t eat big portions at a time but I do find myself looking at the clock, making sure that I eat something every hour or two because I know that if I don’t, I’d start feeling a bit nausea.

Tomorrow will be the 11th week and I’m looking forward to April for my first scan. There will be another blood test, for Downs Syndrome. It’s optional but I think I’ll have to brave it because of a few reasons; 1) It’s expensive to get it done in Malaysia since I’ve decided to go back and 2) The Husband would like to know and prepare if the baby has it. 

I think (I hope) I will be fine for my second blood test.

A Reason To Smile

The See-Saw Feeling

Last Friday, I received the appointment letter for my first scan! Am absolutely looking forward to it as it will be on the 5th of April. I’m so glad The Husband will also be able to be there that day since he works on Mondays and teaches on Wednesdays and Fridays. So pleased with that it fell on a Thursday. And especially happy that the letter only took 4 days since my first appointment with the midwife. I think that’s known as the booking-in?

I’ve been feeling alright and over the weekend I’ve experience a mild wave of nausea. Vomited and it made me feel alright. It lasted till Monday and the past days has left me feeling weird. Yesterday was nausea (what else?) that came and went. Same old story. But appetite was hard to come by. Just like today with the exception of mild aches in my belly all day. It’s not excrutiatingly painful like some of my sneezes that would put me into a spasm mode but it’s just really uncomfortable. The dull aches accompanied with nausea that played hide-and-seek really put me off food and even liquid. I could usually sip on multiple glasses of water but the past days, even water is giving me nausea!

I feel miserable and fed up. Then I caught myself in the mirror, sideways earlier and noticed that even if I breathed in, my belly protrudes. It put a smile on my face to know that there’s a baby growing inside me despite me feeling like a total wreck for more than a month now.

So this Sunday will be the day when Angela the midwife comes over to draw blood from my arm. Been trying not to think too much about it as it really freaks me out since I’m afraid of needles. I hope it will be alright. I’m sure it will be. Just a little needle prick that lasts for a minute or two. Okay, I’m not talking about it anymore.

I’m going to bed early to sleep off the dull pains in my stomach and hopefully try to wake up and get out of bed before noon!

Posted with WordPress for BlackBerry.