My beautiful girl has arrived :)

its now officially over to:

Mirabelle Teo

all ready for her arrival :)

*playpen at grandma's house*

by this time tomorrow, i'd be caressing her soft cheeks :)

Attack of the stretchmarks!!!??

its seriously a battlefield on my lower tummy... :(

*sob*

the stretchmarks didnt appear till really really late into the preg! thought i would be lucky enough to avoid it.. didnt know it was slowly but surely creeping up my lower tum.. cant see at all from my angle.. and the mirror in the toilet is too blur to reflect the truth...

glad that she'd be out in 2 days time... its seriously getting way too heavy...

i want my mobility back!!!

hopefully they'll fade over time...

2 more days!!!

waist measurement at 39 weeks

kinda regret not having measured my belly each week..

its currently measuring 42 inches at 39 weeks.. :)

3 more days..

just came back from my last official gynae visit before the BIG DAY.

no surprises, little one is still breech.. so its all set for this Sat, 6 March!! checking in at 12noon.. op to take place about 3pm.. strictly no food after 8.30am.. am soo soo nervous!!!

request for c-sec with epi, hopefully anaesthetist wont ask me to be on GA where i will miss all the action! and not to mention that hubby wont be allow to be part of the process..

3 more days.. 3 more days..

gynae says i've been lucky that little one's staying put inside so far, otherwise it may be tricky to go into labour when she's still breech.

cant wait to see your little face!! :)

love you loads,
momo

Bloom shots!!

Bloom Shots with StudioLoft at 36 weeks :)

spent the entire day editing the photos, airbrushing away all the stretchmarks, fat chins (still is fat!), triple chins.....

glad i took the entire cd indeed! :)

6 Mar 2010 - seeing Mirabelle next week!!

the date for the c-sec is set - 6 Mar 2010, Saturday, 3pm!!

6363? or 3636? buy 4D lo! :)

sweet little crotchet hat

have i stopped shopping? :P

well.. not really. hee... but its been significantly reduced.... cuz belle is well-stocked till she's 2!

6th or 8th March 2010

change of plan.

3rd mar is not that great a date after all for Mirabelle's arrival because:

1) although its an auspicious date, its with the exception of Horse (me!) (chiong horse!)
2) operating time - 9.30PM = a tired gynae, to add that he has to give a talk prior to cutting me up
3) NIGHT tiger = fierce tiger
4) popular date = less chances of getting a single room

next 'popular' date = 10th Mar, which is a no-no because:
1) too near my edd, which meant higher risks of my body kicking into natural labour, which will be bad cuz she's breech and may end up with an emergency c-sec
2) chiong Cow (my father-in-law)

soo.... its down to 6th or 8th of March, which arent the best, but good enough dates....

and gynae is out today and after many rounds of calling and chasing, thats all the nurse could tell me.. grrr... she'll get back to me only tomorrow afternoon... so i'm keeping my fingers crossed till then.....

c-sec scheduled - 3 march 2010

my ecv was unsuccessful today, unfortunately. although belle's legs were tucked in, dr cheng could also turn her a little before she got stuck and slipped back into her original position. think doc didnt wanna stress her (and me!) too much and said "thats enough exercise for today".. the procedure wasnt painful, just alot of pressure, was totally bearable.

csec scheduled for 3 march 2010, the supposed 'auspicious date' coming up, the next one being 10th march.. (which was too close to my edd for comfort).. at 9.30PM.. yes.. P.M.. not my best option but had no choice as there was no operating theatre available in the morning and doc had to give a talk in the late afternoon.. and 9.30pm was the time he gave.. which meant:

1) he'd be tired after a long day at work

2) little one will be a 'night' tigress! supposedly more ferocious than a docile 'morning' tiger.. heh..

well..doesnt matter i guess.. once all these groundless superstitions are put aside.. all i want is a healthy baby cub..

might consider homeopathy as a last resort to turn her..

http://www.midwiferytoday.com/articles/turnbaby.asp

a friend from the Mar Mother-to-be forum tried it and it worked for her.. just wary still cuz its not something i'm familiar with.. and although it claimed to have no side effects.. still.. u'll never know right?? but... i'm kinda desperate right now... so.....

oh well...

if i look on the bright side.. i'll be carrying belle at next week this time!! :))

still breech...

its now weekly checkups.. gynae did a scan today and Mirabelle's still breech :(

he said he will try to perform a ECV (external cephalic version) next week if conditions are right (baby's legs tucked in, enough amniotic fluid etc).. there'll be a charge of $300 if the ECV is successful..

check this video out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6AM6wDwTjmc

looks pretty painful to me :(

my little belle.. will u pls turn soon?

Preggie Hippo in swimwear at 37weeks :)

about to enjoy a relaxing swim on my first day of maternity leave :)

36 weeks with Mirabelle

Mirabelle making more ripples :)

Officially a Tiger Cub

hey there my little one :)

u're now officially a Tiger Cub. i'm so excited just knowing that i'd be seeing you in 3 week's time or less.. cant wait to start our new life together.. :)

what will you be like? who will you look like? how will your voice sound like? cant wait to unravel these little mysteries one by one...

love you, my dearest daughter :)

pretty nails and toes and more :)

going to http://www.thestudioloft.com.sg/bloom.htm for maternity shots tomorrow.

also planned for this photographer http://www.kellysjyphotography.com/index2.php for Mirabelle's newborn shoots :)

after a couple of unsuccessful attempts to do my last-minute manicure and pedicure (and really cuz i can no longer cut my toenails properly!!), i thought i would never get them done in time for the shoot.. thanks to bee (*hugs!*) for his meticulous research, we finally found one at Siglap area yesterday and i must say they did a pretty neat job, with high standards of cleanliness. now i feel totally detoxed, pampered and happy with my clean, shiny and pinky nails, all dead skin removed and rough skin polished.. tempted to try one of their 'spa' series, supposedly leaving your skin baby smooth.. :) after 'suffering' for almost 10 months.. gotta pamper oneself once in a while.. no crime aint it? after all, its only my 4th mani and pedi in my entire life, first two sessions being for ROM and Wedding.. 3rd time in Bangkok (cuz it was cheeep cheeep!).. and now.. getting ready to be MOM! finally...

also had a hair cut.. lotsa hair chopped off but no one really noticed any diff.. feels so much lighter and also dries faster now.. all ready for the eeky, sticky confinement... eeww.... (i dont plan to stick it out all the way anyways... so heh...)

one of the March mommies popped last night! at 35 weeks and 5 days.. baby was abt 2.1kg.. considered light.. but still ok.. so exciting.. i wonder when belle will decide she's had enough of the cramped space and wanna come out for a stretch.. :)

havent been talking much (out loud i mean) to her.. i kinda think she will know how i feel.. :) would rather much prefer to stroke her through rubbing the tummy.. and sending funny vibrations to her.. she's been very active the past few nights.. and my tummy went lop-sided one night! it was quite scary to watch.. haha..

are u head-down yet my little one?

*chants.. turnaround..my little one..*

Finally did up the nursery! :)

lovingly put up by mommy & daddy :)

counting down....

to Feb 11, last day of work.. away from the mad kids.. away from the filthy vulgarities and negativities..

to the day i can finally hold Mirabelle in my arms and give her sweet loving kisses..

saw my gynae today and told him about the uncomfy tightening of the tummy and breathlessness.. he reassured that it was normal unless the frequency increases with increased pain.. told him about my blacking out during morning assembly and he gave me some days to rest.. getting extremely heavy and clumsy as the days go by.. cant climb a flight of steps without stopping to catch my breath..

current weight - 71.9kg
total weight gain - 15kg (and still counting)

shared my concern with gynae about not knowing her weight.. he explained that it was a very rough estimate and he said his machine is not able to see bb's femur bone clearly. he then spent some time explaining to me why he doesnt measure and how bb's weight is just a very very rough estimate..he says that the measuring of the bb's weight is like assuming that bb is a perfectly round sphere.. and does not take into consideration alot of things.. like bb's bone density etc.. measuring of bb's head circumference only one dimensional.. doesnt measure how long bb's face is etc.. and no head is perfectly round etc.. so he told me not to worry.. as long as bb's active, it shows that its getting enough fuel, nutrients to keep it active and all's fine. will only need to worry if movement is low.. and he measured my belly fundal height and its on par with my weeks.. feel better after he took the time to explain to me..

given that he's a very experienced gynae, i should just relax and trust that i'm in good hands..

and she's still breech... :(

and i think she finally has her Chinese name.....

张韵涵
Mirabelle Teo

:)

for now :)

latest loots :)

2 weeks more to my leave

seriously... i caaannnttt waaaiiitt....

m soo tired......

Belly Pix @ 33 weeks 5 days

constant hiccups

my little one is a supposed strong breather for she hiccups many times throughout the day! strong pulsating at my lower pelvic area is felt constantly.. heh.. such a cute sensation.. mom thinks she's just kicking.. but i doubt it, unless she's sucha groovie lil one who can kick consistently and so rhythmically :)

but what i dont understand is, why is she breech when her hiccups and heartbeat is felt so low down? hmm.. pls remind me to ask my gynae the next visit.

http://www.thelaboroflove.com/articles/why-do-babies-hiccup-so-much-in-the-womb/

1.8kg at 33 weeks :(

my Mirabelle is a small to average baby, weighing only 1.8kg at 33 weeks.. finally got to know her weight at yesterday's checkup.. her head circumference is ok.. on average.. but her abdominal circumference and femur length were below average.. :( my gynae didnt seem concerned since there is no evidence of baby having insufficient nutrients or that she's fighting hard to get more.. head circumference being ok, means that her brain is developing well.. but of course i'm still worried.. and also, she's in breech position.. if she doesnt turn by week 36, very unlikely she's be delivered naturally... i DONT WANT a c-section... :( recovery is slow and will be more painful... gynae showed me a couple of exercises to help her turn, will be practising more of that every day diligently especially when she's active..

my poor belle havent had the best since 2010... since it was filled with tears.. heartache and sad feelings to begin with.. i hope she wont become a melancholic baby.. i so want her to be a healthy and happy girl..

hopefully she'll start to pile on weight soon...

here's the comparison of her growth since week 20



head circumference at 20 weeks: 17.97cm (20 weeks 3 days)
head circumference at 33 weeks: 31.33cm (35 weeks 1 day)



abdominal circumference at 20 weeks: 14.36cm (19 weeks 5 days)
abdominal circumference at 33 weeks: 27.77cm (31 weeks 6 days)



femur length at 20 weeks: 3.06cm (19 weeks 4 days)
femur length at 33 weeks: 5.87cm (30 weeks 5 days)

my Mirabelle is a DaTouWaWa... :(

Pig Trotters legs at 32 weeks 4 days

Mirabelle making ripples

very subtle ripples :)