30 Weeks Pregnant

Counting backwards from my EDD (expected due date), I'm currently exactly 30 weeks pregnant. That means I've only got 10 weeks or 2.5 months to go...

Grateful thoughts often cross my mind these days. I'm thankful for this remaining time when it's just the three of us- Jerry, Brendan and I. While I'm sure baby no. 2 will bring much joy to our lives, I will certainly look back fondly on this past 1.5 years that Brendan has had his mommy and daddy all to himself. In due time, our attention will have to be split between two babes. 

These days, I'm no longer able to give B all my energy. The constant backache, pelvic cramping and discomfort has pretty much left me all but partially bedridden. I used to be able to bring him downstairs to the playground, for a walk or to the pool every evening. Now, I usually stay put at home, which makes me sad because I know how much he enjoys being outdoors, just like his mommy. Jerry is having a hard time too because he now has to drive me everywhere or do things around the house after work. This usually means that he ends up sleeping very late at night and is tired when he gets up for work in the morning.

I feel guilty sometimes that I can't contribute more. I want to work more, but I can't even make it to the MRT station on my own, let alone the office. I want to get chores done, but my energy is limited to short bursts that later require an entire day of rest to make up for it. I want to spend more time playing with B and showing him the world, but even getting up from a chair is painful. But while I do feel like I could be doing more, Jerry often reminds me that I tend to overestimate my physical ability. I've been trying to listen to him and force myself to rest more these days instead of ignoring my symptoms.

For my first pregnancy, I took for granted how physically comfortable it was compared to this current one. I never understood how some pregnant women who didn't even have big tummies were acting like they were disabled. Sometimes I thought they were just exaggerating their condition for sympathy. I now understand that every pregnancy is so different for each woman. I don't even think my bump is that big right now, but my hobbling side-to-side gait would suggest otherwise. It's when I'm walking next to Jerry that I realize how slow I'm walking these days. I used to think that he was such a slow walker, but now I'm always pulling him back and asking him not to hurry ahead.

I also miss drinking wine because sleeping through the night is a luxury these days. I keep waking up due to either the baby kicking me hard, or getting too hot, or sharp pains from turning. Sometimes I forget about the pelvic pain mid-sleep and get up too quickly to go to the bathroom. The stabbing pain that ensues is the worst!

But for all the physical suffering that I'm going through, I'm truly grateful for the knowledge that this is only temporary. I can't imagine living with this sort of agony for the rest of my life like handicapped or really old people do. This has given me a whole new perspective on the kind of mental strength it takes for them to live their daily lives.

Comparing Between Pregnancies

B's in his highchair now, snacking on his Happybaby kale and spinach puffs while I wait for his food to be done cooking. So now that I've got some time, I'll just write a quick post.

I'm currently 29 weeks pregnant with baby no. 2 and I've been comparing this with my first pregnancy. This is what I've noted:

In Utero Activity

#1: I did not feel any movement until about 18 weeks. The kicks only started to get really vigorous mostly after 30 weeks. Until the very end, I have never been woken up by his kicking. 

#2: I first felt movement at 12 weeks. The frequency and intensity of kicks have been building up since about 18 weeks. Currently at 29 weeks, I sometimes get woken up by her shoving and kicking at night.

Physical Discomfort

#1: I was still able to comfortably sleep until about 32 weeks. No cramping, but I did have to deal with swollen feet and bloatedness in my third trimester.

#2: Extremely bad cramps in the pelvic and lower back area coupled with periodic cramps in the abdomen since about 24 weeks. On bad days, I can hardly walk. The penguin shuffle began around then too. However, I don't have to deal with bloatedness during this pregnancy, partly because I don't have to walk as often and I'm still breastfeeding.

Physical Ability

#1: I still felt fairly confident in skates all the way until around 26 weeks. I was able to walk easily until around 32 weeks. DDR, tennis and badminton were all doable until the very last day.

#2: I did not feel I was able to skate anymore around 20 weeks. I did play DDR around 2 weeks ago, but only up till level 13 and only one round (3 songs). Walking more than 30 minutes gives me intense cramping later on, so I try to limit sitting, standing or walking too long.

Cravings

#1: Craving all my usual foods. Did not feel nauseous except in the beginning and towards the end of the pregnancy. I did throw up involuntarily once around 30-32 weeks though.

#2: Craving all my usual foods while feeling thirsty and hungry constantly. I suspect this has much to do with breastfeeding. Was very nauseous at the beginning, lasting from 8-19 weeks. It went away for awhile, but I started feeling nauseous again around 23 weeks.

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So basically, pregnancy no. 2 has not been easy compared to the first! I don't usually like to mention this to people because it's annoying when I get comments like "oh no, that means she's gonna be trouble."

Yeah well... As if Brendan's the most perfect baby in the world! He most certainly is not.

These days, he's capable of screaming tantrums and displaying stubbornness. Especially when he's made up his mind to do something and he's not allowed to. I usually stay calm through his antics (lying limp so we cannot pick him up, throwing things, screaming and banging stuff, being defiant) and ignore him while waiting for a quiet window where I can redirect or comfort him. I don't ever give in though. If I said "no touching Daddy's computer", I really mean it! I will remove him repeatedly until he gets the message.

In any case, I am looking forward to the day my kids are old enough to enjoy each other's company. I've been prepping B by showing him how to gently stroke my tummy and be gentle with pets, children and soft toys. When I ask him "where's your baby sister?", he'll happily pat and stroke my tummy with a smile on his face. It's sweet!

L'Etoile Cafe & Public Holiday

This week has been a fairly fun week. When I say "fun", I really mean that I've been able to go out more and do something else other than cook, clean and watch Brendan!

On Monday night, Jerry took me out on a date to L'Etoile Cafe. He knows I like surprises, so he attempted one by not telling me where we were going to eat. It was a nice break from the usual because he is usually so predictable in his habits.

Given that he doesn't usually frequent hipster places like these, I was also astonished that he would even know of its existence. Of course, I later found out that he only discovered this place through a previous company dinner. Haha!

It also made the night all the more enjoyable when we discovered that L'Etoile was having a 1-for-1 main course deal.

He ordered the oregano chicken for me but we switched plates with each other afterwards.

I ended up having the roast pork belly instead and it was delicious. The skin was crunchy on the outside and sinfully buttery on the inside from the fat. It definitely felt like four pieces wasn't enough!

The first half of the dinner was marred by cigarette smoke from the adjacent table, but the patrons left soon enough and we could breathe easily again. I had initially wanted to sit indoors, but the tables were already taken.

Wednesday was a public holiday and I got to go down to ION to eat my favorite Scotts beef noodles again. It's now $6 a bowl as compared to $4.50 a bowl from five years ago!

In the late afternoon, we brought Brendan downstairs for a swim at the pool. He's really into his basketball these days. I bought it from Daiso. They have a rather fun variety of toys for $2. 

The weather was perfect and I didn't even have to use the shade on Brendan's float. We circled around the pool and even went in the jacuzzi together.