not for the faint of heart

Last Sunday, during our 4th childbirth preparation class, Rome showed us some videos of real women giving birth. Shall I say that the video was very... enlightening. Women after women were shown giving birth, in all sorts of grunts, moans, and expressions. A lot of sweat, tears, and blood were also shed in the video. After watching them all, Ramil and I wanted to just have a scheduled CS.

Despite bringing back all my fear and apprehension regarding childbirth, the videos brought tears to my eyes everytime a baby comes out of the mother. After being all weird watching the baby actually coming out of the mother's vagina, I was subjected to mushy, overwhelming feelings once the baby comes out and is placed on the mother's abdomen. Ramil felt the same way, he told me that he too, felt teary-eyed everytime the baby comes out. So despite the horrific experience, we felt motivated in the end. Thinking that yes, if women all over the world has been doing it for centuries (without anesthesia and all), why can't I? I am even going to have the support of my husband throughout the whole ordeal.

minispin

This is our new toy.

I never thought I would be so excited by an item so....domesticated as the minispin.

Ever since we got married, Ramil and I would have our laundry done by a nearby laundry shop. This usually costs us around 250-300 every week. For the past 2 weeks, we've been bringing our laundry all the way to my parents' house in Novaliches and ask our helper to do it for us. We would pay her 200 pesos but she would always only accept the 100 pesos. With the addition to our small family coming this January (and being the delicate little beings babies tend to be), we realized we couldn't keep on asking other people (laundry shop or parents' helper) to do the dirty work for us. Plus, we would need to do the laundry more than once a week so that the baby always has clean clothes.

We were watching a local channel (ABC5) last week when we happened upon their own version of Home TV Shopping. There we chanced upon the temporary answer to our prayers. Ramil and I wanted to buy an automatic washing machine originally but we deemed it an unnecessary expense right now. Plus, we wanted a machine that would let us do small washes since we don't consume a lot of clothes in a few days.

The minispin is a cute little thing now outside our bathroom. It's so small, it can only wash 2 kg of clothes per load. In effect, it doesn't make the chore that heavy. Did I mention that it also has a dryer too? Damn, I'm turning into a wife and mommy ;)

preggy portraits

When I saw Toni's maternity portrait a few months back, I knew I wanted my own souvenir of my pregnant body. I told Ramil about it and he said it sounds great. The only thing that would prevent it from happening would be our lack of budget for it. Hence, it was serendipity that I happen to stumble upon Ging Lorenzo through the Newlywedsatwork egroups. She is just starting her maternity portfolio and she is looking for pregnant women willing to expose their bellies. The best part is, since she's going to be using the pictures for her portfolio, it's for free!!! She wants to do location shoots so I think some women are squeamish about it, it's ok to expose your pregnant belly but it's another thing to do it in public.

Ging was able to make us feel very comfortable during the shoot. It helped a lot that she happened to be a former schoolmate (Pisay). She and her fiance, Pete were very easy to talk to, we didn't feel awkward at all. The shoot also included the daddy-to-be, of course! Here are just some of the samples of our shoot last November 5. You may visit Ging's blog for more samples of her works. She also does weddings and baptisms. She has rates now for maternity portraits also (I was the last preggy model). So to all other preggos out there, check her out. This is our chance to look preggy and sexy! Hehe!

not yet

I had a very tiring day last Tuesday, I had a total of 6 classes of 45 minutes each. I couldn't really teach while sitting down so I was standing almost the whole time during these 6 classes. As a result, my ankles were a bit swollen by lunchtime (edema) and I felt really tired.

By the time I was having my last class, my tummy felt really heavy and there were moments when I would feel it harden. I tried to rest after all my classes and still, there were times when I would feel my tummy harden. There was this tired, slightly crampy feeling. Unfortunately, we still had a faculty meeting which involved going around the school to do some classroom tour. I felt really, really tired.

Finally, we were able to go home. I immediately sat down on the sofa and put my feet up because the swelling has worsened. I was very comforted by the fact that I could feel Mateo's movements every now and then. Still, my tummy would sometimes harden so I decided to text my ob-gyne just to be sure. Being the first-timer that I am, I didn't really know if what I was feeling was normal. I described what I was feeling and ended my message with 'is this normal?' She replied with a 'No, it's not. You're having premature contractions. Have a urinalysis and drink duvadilan 3x a day. See me when you have the urinalysis result.' HUWAT?! I refused to believe her and even tried to second-guess her by replying, 'is it possible that I'm just tired? I had a very tiring day po kasi.' Her reply was a very firm 'have the urinalysis done and drink the meds'.

What was a very tired preggo a few minutes ago was turned into a very tired, worried, and tensed preggo. My thoughts were no, not yet! I was on the edge of my nerves, almost snapping at Ramil. He told me to just lie down and relax. After a few hours, the frequency of my tummy hardening lessened and I could still feel Mateo moving a lot. Thank you Lord! I was able to convince myself that I'm really not having premature contractions and I'll just wait until I get a urinalysis. We didn't go to school the next day and had a urinalysis at a nearby laboratory. We got the results at around 11am and what I saw made me want to go to my ob immediately. Ramil and I know more or less how to read a urinalysis result, him being a biology graduate. The results showed I have a urinary tract infection. I guess I am one of those women who are prone to one because I've had two experience of UTI's in the past. Unfortunately, we wouldn't be able to reach St. Luke's in time for my ob's clinic hours so we opted to postpone it for the next day.

I did the next best thing, read on UTI and pregnancy (What to Expect) and surf the net. It seems that UTI can trigger premature labor and should be treated immediately. I am now trying to take it easy, to drink volumes of water, and to urinate whenever I feel the slightest urge. A little over two more months baby, hang in there!

childbirth preparation class

As I've mentioned in my previous post, Ramil and I enrolled ourselves in a childbirth preparation class. Some may prefer to call it lamaze class though it doesn't just focus on the lamaze method. The class will hold a total of 6 sessions with around 2.5 hours per session. We attended the first session already last Sunday and although it wasn't that spectacular yet, it looks very promising. The instructor, Rome Kanapi, was very lively and a very good teacher. We look forward to learning a lot from her.

Some people ask me why we are enrolling ourselves in the said class. Well, the class doesn't just prepare you for natural childbirth but for childbirth itself, whether medication-free or not, normal or caesarian. Our first assignment for the first session was to write down everything we're eating and drinking for a week. I was suddenly shy about sharing my list, I feel like a bad mother just looking at it. My list had ice cream on it, different kinds of cake, and other sweets which I shouldn't be eating. There was of course, a discussion on what an expecting woman should be eating. We were asked to continue with the assignment until the next session and I think I am doing better this time. We also did several exercises during the session. Exercises for backaches, cramps, etc.

The women in the class are due to give birth mostly on January and February. I think one is 32 weeks pregnant and Rome was worried that she might not finish all 6 sessions before giving birth. We were also given a module and looking at the topics we will be covering, Ramil and I are very excited. The class puts importance on the roles of the fathers during pregnancy and delivery, emphasizing that things will be so much easier for the mother if the father is very involved. I am very scared of delivering without any medication but I am very determined to try. Hopefully, the class will be able to prepare me and Ramil to be able to accomplish this. Delivering medication-free is not the main goal of course, we know that I might not be able to stand the pain and ask for an epidural, or maybe some reason would cause a caesarian delivery. But I plan to have the most rewarding, enjoyable, and safe delivery possible.

long overdue post/s

A lot of things have happened the past 2 weeks and yet I haven't been able to post anything. Blame it on lack of online time and our 1 week no-work vacation (which would be ending tom, sniff). So let me make a one-post-contains-all update:

25 at 25

Turned 25 last October 25! Since October 24, tuesday, was declared a holiday because of the end of Ramadan, several people surprised me with a birthday party-baby shower at our house.

Ramil and I woke up at around 9 am to do a little bit of cleaning around the house. He wanted to try Jollibee's Super Breakfast Joys so we hurriedly took a bath and went to Jollibee. My dear husband took so much time eating, looking at vcds at a nearby Video City, even chose a longer route home, and ignored my pleas to go home because I needed to go to the bathroom. My naturally suspicious mind was on red alert by the time he finally decided to go home. Upon approaching our house, I already knew something was up because the gate was open, a Starex was parked in front, and I saw a student of mine in the garage. So we went inside and despite my suspicious mind, I was very surprised to find my TIC class, several of my co-teachers, and several of my friends inside.

They all brought food, which were all very delicious, and gifts for the baby. Ramil and I haven't bought anything for baby Mateo except for a pair of cute infant socks (an impulse purchase) so we were very excited with the baby gifts. Mateo got several clothes, a toothbrush set, a comforter+2 bolsters+1 pillow, feeding bottles, teethers, a bottle warmer, and other baby things like a set of diaper, etc. Ramil and I were very happy parents that night. I felt the kind of selfless giving that mothers usually feel for their children. I didn't care about my birthday but I was so happy with the gifts Mateo received. I feel this everytime Ramil and I go malling, I don't window-shop for myself anymore, I window-shop for baby Mateo.

It was a very satisfying day. I ate a lot of sweets (birthday ko naman e, hehe), won the poker game (unfortunately, the sore losers refused to pay), and was able to catch up with my bestfriends.

dancing pregnant lady
Our school had its sportsfest last Oct.28. The week before that consisted of a lot of practices for the cheering competition so we were very tired before our much-needed vacation. Ramil and I (and another teacher) were 'coaches' of one of the teams. Last year, Ramil and I organized a very entertaining cheering number using the song Jump by the Pointer Sisters and our team won 1st place! This year, we were bent on keeping the title so we again came up with a cheering number using the song The Heat is On. Despite my very pregnant belly, I choreographed our little cheerleaders and practiced with them nonstop every afternoon. On the day itself, I positioned myself in front near the audience and danced discreetly (or so I thought) with them to help them remember the steps. Little did I know that a dancing pregnant lady is a rare spectacle for most people. Hehe! Needless to say, aside from getting compliments for our nice cheering number, my belly got its own set of compliments. Unfortunately, our team only won 2nd in the said cheering competition =(. Better luck next year.

51 at 29
My mom celebrated her 51st last Oct.29! Very little exciting things to say here except that we got to see relatives we haven't seen in a long time. And again, my belly was a constant focus of attention. I got to eat a lot again (birthday naman ni mama e, hehe).

27 at 30
We went to Dra. Olympia at St. Luke's last Oct.30. I was on my 27th week at that time (on my 28th now). Time really flies, we are now asked to go to her every 2 weeks because I am now at the start of my third trimester. Ramil and I are very excited! We couldn't stop talking about the baby. I keep thinking about the baby. I keep talking to the baby. I keep feeling for the baby. Mateo is really growing, sometimes I can now feel solid parts on my tummy and Ramil and I will try to guess what body part it is.

Our last check-up before this one was 3 1/2 weeks ago. I was very, very surprised to learn that I gained only a pound! Wow! After my escalated weight gain of 6-7 pounds in 4 weeks, I didn't expect to gain as little as 1 pound. I think all the dancing burned me up. Ha, I now have license to eat a little bit more. Hehe!

We also consulted our doctor about enrolling in a childbirth/lamaze class. I asked around for a childbirth instructor and we found one in the person of Rome Kanapi. My doctor happens to know her and recommends enrolling in it to help us during labor. According to Dra., success rate (for a medication-free delivery) is not so high but it doesn't mean it's useless enrolling. The class would help us have a better understanding of what's coming our way and hopefully, if not a medication-free delivery, a shorter labor for us. I am very excited to start the classes so after the going to St. Luke's, I immediately texted Rome to confirm our enrollment. She gave us instructions on what to bring and she told me to write down everthing that I would eat and drink until our first class. Wah! I was suddenly self-conscious with what I was eating/drinking, knowing that I would be giving a detailed list to another person. Our first class is on Sunday and I can't wait! =)

posing pregnant lady
I got to know a good photographer through N@W a few weeks back, Ging Lorenzo. It seems that she is trying to build her portfolio on maternity portraits and she is offering her services for free!!! I got in touch with her and I am very lucky to be the last pregnant woman accomodated for the freebie. We will be doing the shoot this Sunday morning. To those interested in her, please visit her blog.

lazy pregnant lady
One advantage of being a teacher are the vacations. We enjoyed a whole week of no work! Yipee! Actually, Ramil and I have tons of work we should have done but we chose to lounge around without doing anything. Basically, our week was composed of renting vcds at Video City and watching them the whole day. We barely even cleaned our house. We were bad teachers, ignoring the pile of test papers to check, not making any report we were supposed to be making, not even thinking about our lessons when classes resume. Our excuse? Nothing good except that we were enjoying our last moments of two-getherness because soon, it will be a threesome. We'd rather catch up with work some other time because once the baby comes, lazy times won't come as easily for us.

So now I end my very long update. A boring post, I might add, since I didn't even put pictures. I was too lazy to upload some, hehe! ;)