We managed to sneak out for 2 hours for some sashimi lunch yesterday at Kuriya Dining in Great World City! I've limited myself to only well-cooked food for the last 9 months... so what a treat this had been! We must be the only diners who finished up all the food within an hour!
Taking some time out wasn't too difficult, with some planning and family support... it's actually possible! We timed it such a way that we were able to breastfeed Luca and got him to sleep when we were at my folks' place. Then off we went! And you know what! He was still asleep when we got back 2 hours later! :) Acheivement! Will do this again next weekend when we attend Ethan's 1month party!
We took awhile to decide on this name for our baby after knowing the gender some time in early November last year. People tend to associate this name with the song 'Luka' by Suzanne Vega.
Luka
My name is Luka
I live on the second floorI live upstairs from you
Yes I think you've seen me before
If you hear something late at night
Some kind of trouble, some kind of fight
Just don't ask me what it was
Just don't ask me what it was
Just don't ask me what it was
I think it's because I'm clumsy
I try not to talk too loud
Maybe it's because I'm crazy
I try not to act too proud
They only hit until you cry
And after that you don't ask why
You just don't argue anymore
You just don't argue anymore
You just don't argue anymore
Yes I think I'm okay
I walked into the door again
Well, if you ask that's what I'll say
And it's not your business anyway
I guess I'd like to be alone
With nothing broken, nothing thrown
Just don't ask me how I am
Just don't ask me how I am
Just don't ask me how I am
My name is Luka
I live on the second floor
I live upstairs from you
Yes I think you've seen me before
If you hear something late at night
Some kind of trouble, some kind of fight
Just don't ask me what it was
Just don't ask me what it was
Just don't ask me what it was
They only hit until you cry
And after that you don't ask why
You just don't argue anymore
You just don't argue anymore
You just don't argue anymore
But as you can see from the picture, our baby Luca isn't very pleased with the association! Hah hah hah!
Anyways, the name Luca, which originates from Italy (coincidentally, we honeymooned in Italy in late 2000!), means 'Bringer of Light' and is a variant of 'Luke'.
As for his Chinese name, it'll be Chen YiYang ( 曾毅洋 ). After the first surname character, the middle character means 'resolute and decisive' and the last character means 'ocean'. We would like Luca to have a heart as big as the ocean and the perseverance and strength to go through life's ups and downs.
Been awhile since I last blogged... that's cus I've been busy settling down at home with our baby!
YES! I've delivered! On a very auspicious date (or so I'm told) of 18 March 2009.... at exactly 39 weeks gestation.
Many friends have asked about my birthing experience, so here it is!
13Mar Friday: Bloody show @4pm! We've been anticipating for so long.... will he arrive this weekend? Keeping fingers crossed!
14-15Mar Weekend: Another bloody show.... and then.... NOTHING....
16Mar Monday: No news over the weekend. Went for the scheduled weekly checkup at clinic, and Dr Tseng confirmed I was in labour! At 3-4cm dilated, it was just amazing I wasn't feeling any pain. Doc said he'll augment my labour on Wednesday if things don't speed up by then!
17Mar Tuesday: NOTHING! This waiting game is driving me nuts! But I know I'll be seeing baby real soon. Tomorrow!
18Mar Wednesday:
11am- Went to the clinic and Doc said I was just 5cm dilated.
12noon- Checked into the labour ward, and was hooked up to the fetal monitoring machine which shows baby's heart rate and my contractions. Dave saw the 'spike' in the graph and told me this corresponding feeling is contraction. Great. So this was how contractions felt like. It wasn't so bad.
1.30pm- Doc broke my water bag. From the monitor, we could see that I was experiencing more contractions, but they were very irregular. I was just 6cm dilated after more than an hour.
3.20pm- To speed up my labour, I was administered Pitocin. Things really did speed up!!! So this was what Labour Pains was all about!!! The deep breathing really helped and at the height of each contraction, I had to squeeze Dave's hand soooo hard. In the cold cold labour room, I was all hot and sweaty. I could no longer feel comfortable lying down on my back, had to change to the side lying labour position. I believed this helped baby to move further down the birth canal.
5pm- I felt the sudden urge to push. The baby is coming! I was in intense pain which felt like very (x10) severe menstral cramps. This got to be the 10th(??) time I got Dave to get the nurse in to check on me... it's gotta be time to push. I was just 8cm dilated. WHAT THE?!?!?!?!? I opted for the Laughing Gas (Nitrous Oxide), which gave baby 50% oxygen and the rest of it to relax my cervix, so that I could concentrate on breathing instead of pushing. I wasn't sure if this was all psychological, cus at one point, Dave noticed the tube for the gas got disconnected and I was still busy inhaling! Hah hah! But the gas definitely kept me sane in this mind-blowing transition phase of the labour. I have to keep my focus on delivering the baby, it's gotta be soon...
6pm- The nurse checked me again and I was 10cm dilated! HOORAY!!! Dr Tseng arrived. It was so timely. Even in my exhaustion, I felt a tremendous sense of relief. Finally. The end is near. We all got ready for the pushing. With every contraction and what was left of my energy, I pushed with all my might. I gave it all I've got. I busted all the blood capillaries in my face. I think we did about 3 to 4 pushes per contraction. So after 6 contractions and around 24 pushes...
6.34pm: Our baby is out! He was all cold and purple. 50cm long at 3.35kg. He's beautiful.
I wasn't sure what really happened after. Dave was really calm throughout. I needed that. Like any proud father, he cut the umbilical cord. The cord blood was collected. My placenta was delivered without me needing to push further. I cuddled our baby as Dr Tseng repaired my perineum; I had a 1st degree tear which required just 4 stitches. I know I would heal well.
This is the story of my Labour Day. There were certain aspects of the delivery that could not go according to my Birth Plan, like augmenting my labour although I had wanted baby to take his time to arrive. And I did not manage to use water therapy as a form of pain relief. But overall, for a first-time mommy, I had the most wonderful birth experience and it wouldn't be possible without Dave and Dr Paul Tseng! They totally rock!
Date of Birth: 18 March 2009
Time of Birth: 1834hr
Weight: 3.35kg
Length: 50cm
Head Circumference: 34cm
Apgar Score: 1min-09 5min-10 (hooray!)
After 2 bloody shows (first time it happened was on Friday, and it happened again on Saturday!), I'm still waiting for further signs of labour.
It was Dave's birthday on Saturday, and we had hoped baby will arrive over the weekend; that would be 1 huge pressie for the Daddy-O!!!! But I suppose he's really taking his time! The thought that baby could be arriving any time soon... we decided to indulge in some comfort food on Friday evening, somewhere nearer home at Buckaroo!
I am 38 weeks today.
This is me... waiting to hatch.
I'm almost 38 weeks pregnant, and according to yesterday's ultrascan at the clinic, baby's head is still only partially engaged. Baby now weighs 3kg! and me a whopping 64kg!
Carol just delivered baby Ethan earlier this morning! Went to visit them and he's sooooo adorable at 3.59kg and 50cm long!! And mommy Carol's doing really well too; already up and about, and looking as strong as ever! It's great the whole pregnancy and delivery had been very smooth and positive.... looks like someone is already ready for #2! :)
I've been a good girl. I've not taken anything uncooked since the time I found out I was expecting. It wouldn't be too long now before I can start indulging in sashimi again. As a reward for abstaining 'tis long, Dave suggested Raffles City's Sushi Tei for some wholesome sushi for me... while he and Tina get to savour a whole platter of sashimi in front of me!
I'm glad I've managed to catch up with most of my closer friends before I get too homebound soon!
The first trimester went by really slowly; and although I knew of the pregnancy, to everyone else, I had just 'put on weight'. There was no morning sickness, and my appetite had never been better! So well... yes... while most mothers stayed the same or lost some weight... I put on almost 2kg! I did notice I get quite tired during the first 3 months, but I felt great! Life was no different; I continued running, teaching and practising yoga.
My growing belly really started showing after the 14th week. And although my energy levels rised, so did my weight. I stopped running during the 6th month and brisk walked instead. I had to improvise certain yoga poses, but see no need to stop my teaching and practice. It was possibly around this time I experienced my first craving, for soon kueh. It wasn't something I needed to eat... but rather something I could eat everyday, if available. And then, there were the red beans.... I loved red bean anything! Even as I'm writing now, I'm preparing red bean soup with gingko nuts for tonight! :)
As my belly continues to expand in the third trimester (every month I thought my skin could not stretch any further... but it did), I had to slow down in terms of my activity level. I completely stopped teaching after the 7th month as I no longer could comfortably practise Vinyasa, and I stuck to practising Maternity yoga once a week and continued with brisk walking and swimming on Sundays.
But even that had to stop now! I've never felt heavier walking about in this body and I'm starting to have quite frequent cramps in my lower abdominals which send sharp little twinges of pain to my pelvic floor. Had my 37th week checkup on Monday, and Dr Tseng said these shocks are due to the pressure of the baby's head as he descends.
For the first time, we did not carry out a scan; since it's gonna be checkup and scans every week from next week till delivery day.
