Guessing game

Yup, the moment or time I have been waiting for it finally here. Baby J is technically full term this week. Which means every little twinge I feel could possibly be IT. Now I’m actually scared! I’ve been telling everyone I’m so impatient but when I started having some Braxton-Hicks contractions the other night I was on alert.

Inevitably the contractions subsided. They weren’t getting more regular or more intense. But the thought was still there. Friends are currently making bets on when I’ll pop which could start from now to the end of Oct depending on what my OB decides.

Baby J on the other hand doesn’t seem to mind. He’s blissfully oblivious to my concerns since all he does right now is squirm a lot. I guess this means he’s got good muscle tone because he’s been stretching like anything. I don’t know if he’s “engaged” yet but I do have the pelvic pressure and pain that describes it. Everyone keeps telling me to walk and walk but I already tell them that I do! There is only so much waddling this body can handle before I have to sit down and rest. Oh well.. sabi nga nila kaunti na lang.

It’s not 9 months but 10!

Here I am at 36 weeks which is the equivalent of being pregnant for 9 months. And I still have some time to go. Now I know full term is actually 40 weeks which is the 10th month of pregnancy. Sheesh. I can barely sleep straight at night, I’ve got a lot of body ache and pain but still a few more weeks to go.

I am happy that Baby J will not be born prematurely so no complications will arise from that area. But this home stretch period is making me very impatient especially since the little guy loves to stretch and his elbows/knees end up as bumps on my belly that move. He’s taking up a lot of space and my bladder can hold even less than before which explains the constant feeling of needing to go to the bathroom.

Ever since we had that 4D ultrasound I’ve been really curious to see whom he will resemble. Hubby suggested that if I was that impatient then we can have another one but I find that it is too expensive and a few more weeks will give us that answer. We keep telling each other he might look like our respective spouse. But I remember I had a dream when I was in my first trimester that my baby was a boy and that he looked like my sister. So who knows? Maybe that dream will come true.

My next OB appointment is on Oct 4 where if I haven’t given birth yet my doctor will check if I am dilated. If so, then I can’t go to work anymore.

On other news, I’ve just realized that we don’t have a pediatrician yet for Baby J. I was referred to a doctor in Cardinal but unfortunately he wasn’t around when we were there. Another referral led me to a doctor based in Medical Plaza and we’ll be visiting him this Sat to see if he’s ok. I’ve talked with him over the phone and he’s one of those really dedicated doctors because he really cares for his patients and he’s always on call.  So I’m excited to meet him.

Home stretch

Just went to the OB yesterday and she said if I counted using my LMP I would be 37 weeks. However, the first ultrasound is the most accurate and that would put me at 35 weeks. So my next appointment with her is Oct 4 where I could be dilated already. She told me to start walking and I said that I walk to and from work every day. Natuwa naman siya. Baby J was cephalic when she started a feeling my tummy and she said that was a good sign that the baby isn’t too big. More or less she was pretty happy with how I was progressing.

I then asked her how much we should prepare for the actual delivery and she said around 60k to 80k since we were looking at Cardinal Santos hospital but that is without the professional fee. It seems since she is a good friend of hubby’s dad she won’t charge us a PF! L was shocked when she said that. Heck I was too. She hasn’t been charging us for appointments so we always bring her something like a bottle of wine. Gosh, she must really be a good friend of my FIL.

On other news I joined Plurk since my friend kept bugging me. I actually got addicted since it is micro-blogging. No need to write more than what’s currently in your head and best of all you get to see your friends’ Plurks and comments in a timeline that looks like a Gantt chart. Yes, that’s the project manager in me. ^_^

Our Kid’s Names

So I was once again tagged by Aiza on why my future bouncing baby boy will have the name that hubby and I chose for him.

Child’s Name: Lorenzo Joao

Why the name: He is named after my dad and hubby’s dad. Joao is portuguese for Jose and Lorenzo is a modified Loreto.

Now if we had a girl …

Child’s Name: Ingrid Bebel

Why the name: If you’ve noticed a pattern it is that of bossa nova artists. I really liked the names and thought they were unique.

I am now tagging my friends Van, Cecil and Jane. Tell me why you chose your (future or current) child’s name.

Monetary wake-up call

I was recently informed by our HR department that I could pick up my SSS check that was my one and only monetary maternity benefit. Now as I understand maternity leave here, it means I don’t get paid while I’m gone and that our company HMO will not pay for any pregnancy related illnesses. Thus if anything happens to me that is pregnancy related, I have to dig into my own pocket or hubby’s for the cash to pay for it. Imagine my disappointment when I saw that the check they gave me would barely cover two days in the hospital. That’s not counting the doctor’s professional fee and assuming it is a normal delivery.

In my other post I was debating over where to give birth. I was deciding between Cardinal Santos hospital and the Medical City. I was really leaning towards Medical City since I was so impressed with their customer service. The place is also quite new and it looks like it adheres to some international medical standard. I also liked the birthing suite. In Cardinal Santos, they had just finished renovating so it was moderately ok as well. However the way the staff treated us during our impromptu tour at Medical City was unmatched.

My hubby told me his friend whose wife recently gave birth spent over P100K at the Medical City for 3 days and it was a normal delivery. Supposedly the room they stayed in was a standard room but the incidental expenses made their bill balloon to that amount. I immediately flashed back to the prices of Medical City where the birthing suite is billed on a daily basis and the starting day rate was 25k! That’s not counting the professional fee pa and the incremental stuff. Sigh as much as it seems I would love to give birth at Medical City, it seems Cardinal Santos is a better deal.

I don’t think it will be too different since hubby and I both have relatives who work there so most likely the staff will be alerted to that and hopefully treat us nicer. Sigh, it was really a shock to see that I’d have to live on that SSS check and my savings until I get back to work. It’s a good thing hubby and I have some savings to soften this blow to our pockets.

How do they do it?

Here I am nearing my 34th week of pregnancy and I can’t help  wondering how do women keep on working until the they’re just about to give birth? How do they cook, clean and work with stress and deadlines breathing down their necks? So far my other pregnant friend has already stopped working and she is due after me. Another friend last year had early contractions so she had to go on bedrest at least a month early than her due date. Two of my officemates didn’t even reach the 34th week with one giving birth prematurely at 33 weeks and the other at 7 months! How do they do it?

I’m seriously tempted to just resign and take it easy for the next 6 months. After all what is a hardworking hubby for? But I know that I may get a little bored with nothing to do. However, with the tiredness I feel constantly the only thing in my mind right now is lying in bed and sleeping the entire day.

The other thing in my mind is the little guy’s constant stretching exercises. According to What to expect when you’re expecting, the baby should be moving less since he’s getting bigger and there is less space to move. Right now that is not the case. In fact, he’s actually more active now and having a lot of fun pressing his foot right next to the lining of my belly. He may really fulfill his father’s dream of being a soccer player.

On other news, hubby and I are finishing up the last of the stuff needed for the hospital stay. Our baby bag is packed and ready. Our birthing suite goodie bag has recently been loaded with lollipops and gelatin. All I need is my focal point. He he he. I also bought some nursing blouses since my officemate is the sister of the owner of Mommy Matters and she conveniently brought some samples to work.

Yesterday, my in-laws bought the crib that I wanted. Grabe, they’re really going all out in terms of buying stuff for the baby. First it was the stroller and baby carrier. Now it is the crib. MIL even picked up a baby Nike rubber shoe and contemplated buying it but I said I doubted if Baby J would be able to use it. I don’t want to compress his little feet into a shoe when newborns should only be in socks or booties. But she actually wanted to make sure kasi that if he goes out hindi siya nakayapak. T_T I was a bit taken aback but really welcomed her concern. I’m glad she didn’t pursue the whole mini rubber shoe thing further. He he.

Even hubby’s Tita in the States is getting in on the act. She offered to send us stuff so I said to L that bottles would be good. Now she’s claiming that the cost of shipping isn’t worth it if it is only bottles and is asking us what else we want! Grabe. Iba talaga pag first apo. (It is something else when the baby is the first grandchild).

The home stretch is difficult but it is so reassuring that both sides of the family are there as a support system.

My body is not my own

I woke up this morning with an aching body. I’ve already been avoiding salty foods as much as possible but the bloating has yet to get better. After chatting with my friend who is taking prenatal yoga, I decided to perform some of the stretches I learned at my childbirthing class last night. I was actually scared when I first tried them in class but our teacher reassured me the stretches were safe and beneficial. So last night I spent a few minutes stretching my calves and exercising my arms. I actually felt good after my short exercise and was able to get to sleep quite fast.

This morning however my back was awful. I’m not sure if it is because of my exercise last night or the fact that there’s a flu going around the office. I even woke up last night because my right calf suddenly spasmed into a cramp. I had to sleep making sure it was in the proper position. The weather outside isn’t helping too with sporadic rains between bouts of absolute sunny heat. The office is a bit cold but that’s what my jackets are for.

Sigh, this going back on a diet again is also making me a  bit sad. My friend was right when she mentioned that you keep craving for chocolate in the last two months. However sugar is one of the things I have to avoid. I just have to keep reminding myself that this is all for Baby J and I must stay strong.

Back on a diet :(

I went to my doctor yesterday for my check-up and my worst fears came true. I had gained too much weight. In fact between Friday and Monday I had gained an extra 1.5 pounds which brought me to a grand total of 141.5 pounds! The doctor said it was most likely weight gain but that I need to go on a low sodium, low carb diet again to make that the baby doesn’t get too big. Or else she’ll have to perform a CS and sayang naman my childbirthing classes! WAH!

Baby J on the other hand was fine just swimming around and he has a strong heartbeat. He was in the head down position yesterday but who knows how long he’ll stay that way. The guy moves around a lot!

I feel really bad that perhaps I abused the slight acceptance of my doctor to allow a bit of sweets every now and then. I blame it all on frozen yogurt. I was absolutely addicted to the I Love Berries frozen yogurt that pops up every time there’s a Rockwell bazaar. I mean the yogurt itself is good na then you add pieces of cheesecake and banana/mango? Heaven! Pero diba yogurt nga siya so it is healthier?

I’m still on the high protein diet which means I can still eat as much steak as I want avoiding salty sauces. However I’m not too happy with how my body is taking in all that meat. I know it can’t be healthy in the long run but for now that’s what Baby J needs.

Most of all I have to drink more water. I’m avoiding iced tea from now on but since C2 Green only has 10g of sugar I think pwede naman yun. Maawa na kayo sa akin. Hopefully this bloating will subside soon.