The last kopek.

So we are on our last lap of the pregnancy or better known as the waiting game. I was supposed to blog about how much I will not miss pregnancy but I shall not speak too soon until I am done with my pregnancy. Before you say I should feel lucky to even be pregnant or say things like that I am not thankful of the blessing I have been given, please hold that thought until you read my entry.

Let's do my baby updates.

37 weeks 3 days
Raja K. M.'s head is still down, which means natural labour is still in order. There's no need for a planned elective c-section. My water level is also good which means she is happily swimming inside and there's no need to induce. She can stay in as long as she wants (as long as not overdue). Prof Han says it will be anytime between 7 to 10 days!!! Scary mary. Hehehe. She is about 2.8kg which is a good size. Oh, I am 71.6kg, which was not much of an increase from my last check-up so that's good. I am not sure how I am going to lose all these weight but let's save that for another day.

38 weeks 4 days
Raja K. M. is healthy and doing well. Her head is down but I am not sure if that means she is in engaged position. Water level is still good, so that means there's no need to worry still. We can just continue waiting. Hehehe. It is proven that I have been providing a comfortable home for her with all the good food I have been feeding us. She's super active still which can be painful at times. Prof Han also checked for any dilation (painful like crazy!!! belum lagi give birth haha) and my cervix is still closed! So that means a lot of walking the next few days. He also said that there are 4 conditions that I have to go delivery suite immediately.

1) Waterbag leaking/burst.

2) Bleeding.

3) Contractions every 10 mins apart for an hour.

4) Baby's movement decreased by 50%.

She is currently 3.05kg and probably will be 3.2kg when she pops. Her Abi wants her to be 3.3kg so he has been feeding me! And within a week, I am up to 73.1kg. Prof Han says that he will only induce me if I am overdue by 4 days.

The lady whose appointment before me was told that she has to be induced before her EDD because Prof Han thinks her baby is growing too big for her petite frame and if she waits until she reaches full term, she will have a hard time delivering naturally. I have been doing a lot of reading up and induce is more painful than contractions coming naturally. And those who induce, most likely end up with an emergency c-sect after being in labour for more than 24 hours!!!

Well our next check up will be on Monday morning. Let's see if RKM will be nice to pop before that and save us some money from the check-up. Hahaha. I am hoping for a Halloween baby so that we can have fun halloween themed birthday parties for her until she decides that she is too cool to celebrate her birthday with us. Hahaha!

As we didn't manage to do a maternity shoot, I decided on this instead

After 48 hours when putting on the henna,

(IG: @nd_henna

#nd_henna

nadyadanis@gmail.com)

As usual, my little princess was not behaving herself during the henna session. I was embarrassed because she was not just moving once or twice, but kicking here and there too. Baobei says maybe it was ticklish hahaha. The whole thing took slightly less than 2 hours and as per usual, we had so much to talk about! So happy that I got Nadya to be part of my pregnancy journey after choosing her for my wedding henna. In Shaa Allah, many more projects between us. Her patience and professionalism... amazing. So please do have a look at her portfolio.

A lot of mummies are telling me to enjoy our alone time before RKM pops, so Baobei and I have been going for dates. Not necessarily to buy her stuff but to stuff our face with food (which explains my weight gain!!!). So happy that I am finally free from work commitments and Baobei is clearing his leave to have this time. I am also working on Klothes by Katt during my free time. I have been doing lots of homework and have been talking to my girl cousins as well as my closest friends to get their opinions.

December is my meeting with my co-designer to finalise our first 3 kollections.

This is us at exactly 38 weeks.

I haven't had any false labour or better known as Braxton Hicks. Or maybe I am oblivious. I am super excited to meet my princess but I am seriously scared of this whole labour thing. I am pulling my body apart, I know that. But there are tons of women who go through it every day, so I know that I can do it too. But you know I will share you every excruciating detail of my labour right? Hehe.

Here's my birth plan: 

1) Natural labour, with laughing gas,
2) Epidural will be only be given when asked,
3) Emergency c-section should only be recommended if my or RKM's life is in danger,
4) Baobei will cut the cord when it stops pulsating,
5) After all necessary checks and cleaning RKM up, I would like to have skin on skin touch with her.
6) I am planning to breastfeed her so I would like nurse with experience or lactation consultation to come up to the ward to ensure RKM latches on correctly. Please do not introduce formula milk without Baobei's or my knowledge,
7) For any procedures to be done for RKM like injection etc, either Baobei or my parents are present for the procedure,
8) I will like the hospital to discard my placenta and everything else. Baobei and I have made a decision to not bury it or whatever.

Please keep me and RKM in your du'as darlings.

I will be posting her arrival on my Instagram. Everyone is super excited and keeps texting me if I am in labour yet. Haha. Let's see if I get to post another entry before she pops. I can't wait to blog about the next phase of my life.

Oh, Kakak has started blogging her IVF journey. If you are interested in doing IVF or going through one, you can meet my sister here. Alternatively, you can send some du'a along her way.

I really appreciate for every kind words and encouragement you people have been sending. Thank you!

XOs

When you start the maternity leave.

So it has been 4 days since the start of my maternity leave, and I am loving every single day of it. Pregnant mothers-to-be should be entitled a month of pre-maternity leave where we just get to rest before the big day comes. It is not easy to commute to work when you are carrying at least a 2.5kg baby in your tummy! Don't even get me started on the fact that our centre of gravity has shifted! Haha! And before you single people or people who plan to never have children say that it is not fair that we get paid leave, remember that raising a child is going to cost us a long run so our 4 months paid of leave is justified. And you get your late nights with friends/loved ones, nights of blissful sleep and your future can be pretty much planned out with no "what ifs". Yes, it is a choice for made by both two different groups but honestly for Singapore, government pays for half the maternity leave for your company to hire someone meanwhile. So, if you have to pick up the "slack" is because your company didn't hire a replacement or a competent person. Complain to the company, not the pregnant for choosing the be pregnant! So yay! Vote me for president okay! Haha.

Has been a month since I last blogged? Initially I promised to blog at least once a week (even then I thought it was too little!!!) but I have so many things to handover at work, settling my maternity leave and unpacking in our new house. So far, my plan for maternity leave is perfect. Okay, the perks about being in the gahment is that your entitlement, is your entitlement. Additional perks about working in education sector... the holidays! I am fortunate enough to take a month before my EDD which means October and November will be my first half of my Maternity Leave then I do not have to take in December because well, school is closed. Then I am coming back first two weeks of school to settle my kids down before I go back on Maternity Leave and guess when I am coming back? AFTER MARCH HOLIDAYS! Three days after to be exact. Whoop! I can't wait to spend so much time with RKM.



Here's my latest pregnancy updates:

31 weeks 3 days

My current weight: 69.2kg (!!! I have officially gained 10kg since the whole pregnancy!)
Good news: Placenta looks like it is going up, which means I may not have to do an elective c-section. Alhamdulilah! But it needs to keep on moving uppp before Prof can confirm that I can try 100% for natural labour. RKM's head is also down!!! She is no longer in breech position! No wonder I have been feeling kicks at my ribcage and it is not funny okay! This girl is strong! I actually cringe when she kicked my ribcage twice in the middle of the night!!!
RKM's wieght: 2.2kg (estimated by Prof's hands hahaha but I fully trust him lah!)

33 weeks 3 days

My current weight: 70.9kg (Not bad for a span of 2 weeks! I am actually surprised since I am always hungry. I was afraid I will put on more than that but Alhamdulilah!)
Good news: Placenta is confirmed up! This means I can definitely try for natural birth. This is one of the best news so far because it has been low for about 13 weeks and I seriously had no hopes that it will go up. Almost went against Mak's advise to not do urut but like she said, "Kalau dia nak naik, dia akan naik." So Alhamdulilah. I am also thankful for the mummies who read my blog who told me about their personal experience. YAY US!
RKM's weight: 2.5kg (estimated) but she's in the healthy range to be delivered, if touch wood, she decides to show early up which she hasn't shown any signs *crosses fingers* and I hope she stays inside until week 38 at least!



Apart from check-ups, we have been advised by Prof to book our room already! He says "Standby, looks like 1st of November!" Hehehe, okay lah. 1st like the Moma okay! So after contemplating a thousand times over between class A and B1, we decided to take up B1. The price difference is about 1k, if there's no complications for both Moma and RKM. But 1k is A LOT of money to spend just for Baobei to sleepover. So I made him promise to stay the longest and come the earlier a visitor is allowed. And we will use the 1k for RKM's aqiqah, cukur rambut at the mosque etc. More beneficial we feel. Plus it will give me a chance to be with just RKM only.

You know, each time I dream about the delivery, I can't imagine the feeling I will get when I am carrying her in my arms. Just looking at my huge belly, I can't believe that a tiny human is growing inside of me. Subahan Allah. I can't believe RKM picked us to be her parents.

Just yesterday, I had lunch with Mak and Mama and they were sharing about their labour stories. Even worst for them, they had no such thing as laughing gas or epidural. And they gave birth with no worries. What they say is this which makes me want to go through it, no matter how much it is going to hurt,

"All the pain will go away when you carry the baby. The pain that you have to go through, is over and done with. The pain is not going to be remembered when you carry your baby. It will go away."

Any mummies want to share your labour stories? Hehe.

Hahahah, time dulu dulu tengah dating we had big dreams.

Now look at us!

Maybe one of the things I will miss about the pregnancy (not many) will be the borrowed glow.

My skin is rarely oily and there's hardly any breakouts!

So much different from the first trimester and the first half of second trimester!

I pray this will continue after I deliver! Hehehe.

HEHEHEH!

So much love for the Abi.

I can't believe how lucky I am to have a husband who gives me foot massages, rubs my back and makes my nightly milk for me when he sees I am too comfortable on the bed.

This is us just before we went to the babyfair!

We were 36 weeks!

People who see me will always say I don't look big. Someone ever asked if I was 6 months pregnant while my kid asked if my tummy was getting any bigger! But seriously, if you were to see me without my top, you will be amazed at how large it looks! HAHAHA. Will save that for later okay! *winks*

Now people say "Your perut da turun eh." But they actually don't know that my tummy has been low all the while. Just that now I am bigger, it is more obvious that it is. In Shaa Allah I can hold on the fort until 38 weeks! Then I can slow talk to RKM to come out Halloween ke, 1st/3rd/6th of November ke. BUT at the end of the day, it doesn't really matter. As long as she's safely out whenever she chooses, we will be very happy to receive her with open arms!

At 36 weeks where my tummy is getting smaller for her, she is super active! Sometimes it can be for an hour! Lately it has been at midnight and Baobei will be like "K, let mommy sleep okay. We will play when you come out which is in another 2 weeks. Don't be so playful." You think she listen? Peduli apa. Hahaha. The Abi can sleep some more! Wait til she comes out, I am going to campak her at Baobei! Hahaha!

Moving on from pregnancy updates, I am still straightening out the finer details of Klothes by Katt but the support I have been receiving is SO amazing! I really can't wait to build this empire and what it may potentially be. The most important thing is that I have the blessings of my husband, family and closest friends who keep disturbing me to hire them in the future! Haha! Will keep you updated about that too.

I can't believe my pregnancy journey is coming to an end and my little princess is going to come along very soon. I sometimes wake up, and wonder how our lives are going to change. I know it is going to change drastically and there's nothing to prepare us for it. Looking forward to our sleepless nights together!!! Haha, especially when Baobei is going to start his LONGGG leave soon to be with his little family.

I will try to keep up with my updates because I will definitely want to have something to look back and read. Thank you for being part of our journey and keeping us in your duas.

Raja K. M. we love you sayang. So much more than you can imagine.

/// PS: I have been told that screenshots of the Kakak-Kakak Kahwin/Tunang Part 3 is making its rounds of Facebook again. I am married to the same man I said I was going to, and I still stand by what I say.