We're Halfway through the Journey, Babybee..

Yes, we've reached the 20week mark.. which means we've gone through halfway through this pregnancy. Woohoo!! Credit goes to my beautiful Babybee for being so very cooperative through this journey.. even more strong than his/her mother... Kamu hebat, Nak! Hiks.

Babybee so far...

Weighs 331grams.. still normal. Responds to his/her mother talking to him or when I read the Qur'an.. by responding I mean he/she will start moving inside my belly. I can feel him most when I lie down.
The gender is still a mystery.. for the second time he/she shows the exact same position during the ultrasound.. that is prostrating (posisi sujud) , with his/her legs bent so we can't see what it is between the legs. I'm kind of convinced that they hide male genitalia.. so he's shy to show it to the nice female doctor.. despite me already coaxing him to show it before we went to see the doctor :) The doctor tried hard to put a better image on the screen of Babybee, but my baby won't flinch. Saking khusyuknya sholat Maghrib.. Subhanallah shalehnya anakkuu... So I really want to have a 4D USG, the problem is it's costly.. and the clinic offering affordable 4D USG has a male doctor so I'm not too keen.. but on the other hand maybe my baby will be more comfortable being handled by a male doctor for the USG.

The preggie mummy so far..
Only gained 3,5 kg since the first check-up at 5weeks. The babybump is still hidden, the stomach is pretty much flat unless I press my shirt back to show a tiny bump. People say I don't look pregnant, well at least not like I've been pregnant 5 months. Was worried at first, but after seeing my baby's weight is normal, and the doctor saying she only gained 7kg in her pregnancy, I'm consoled. Since I am quite big to begin with (though not yet obese, maaaybe just slightly overweight perhaps), and with a history of diabetes in my family, she advised me not to gain too much and that my weight gain is still normal now. Phew!

Other physical changes (should've said physical discomfort) are increasing backpain, swelling feet and face (esp. nose.. but doctor said it's just me getting fatter..), more hyperpigmentation around the neck, breasts, increasing clarity of linea nigra from the chest to 'down there', belly getting bigger though not much, itching breasts and nipples due to their growing (yaay!! hehe), pimples and biang keringat (apa si Englishnya) on my back because I sweat sweat sweat like craaaazzyyy everytime!!! I can change clothes 3 times more each day.. even down to the underwear because they're soaking wet from sweat, even though I've got the aircon on. When I told this to my doctor, she said "Welcome to the club!" Haha.. Oh and one more thing I discovered.. stress incontinence! You know, how you pass a little urine everytime you cough or sneeze or laugh. This is because I tend to hold when I have the urge to pee.. so when I do go to the toilet it doesn't come out fully, causing it to come out when I don't want it to.. I reported all these discomfort to the doctor and luckily she said it's all normal. I'm all good.

On other things the doctor told me..

One important information I mentioned to my doctor is that I have a history of diabetes my family, so that might affect me in my pregnancy. She said it's good she knows, but she's not worried unless she sees that my baby is overweight inside, then she will run blood glucose tests. But since 2 months ago I had my urine tested and there is no sugar present, she won't test me until I'm 7 months pregnant. Meanwhile, I'm advised not to take a lot of sugary food.. whenever I have the craving for something sweet, I have to nibble on fruits instead. Okily dokily... duren boleh kan dok.. kan buah juga hehe.
 I also asked her if I need to make some preparations from now regarding my choice to breastfeed my baby. Surprisingly, she said no. Breast milk comes naturally, it does not need stimulation (i.e. breast massage) from pregnancy. Soo.. I'm re-considering my choice to go to Basic Breastfeeding Class or come to counselling session at a lactation clinic while I'm pregnant, due to its high cost. To save cost, I will just buy a book on breastfeeding instead, then pray a lot that my breasts will be cooperative enough to secrete milk :D Anyway, I do agree from what the doctor said that it comes naturally and what everyone else said that it's all about having the right mindset (which is that having breast milk is natural for mothers with newborn babies). So I'll try to keep that in my mind (kind of hypno-breastfeeding) from now until my baby is born.
Oh and I also asked her about fasting. She said there's nothing against it, it just means moving your meal times. I've been given the green light to fast during Ramadhan and also starting from now if I wish. She just told me to not push my limit, if I feel dizzy or unwell I should break the fast. She said there's never been a better time to fast, to send as much prayer as possible for the baby. :') Hurraayy... Udah kangen puasa :)

So what will the second half bring?
Well, seeing my baby healthy is definitely a mood booster. Although honestly a bit worried that he/she is still hiding the things in his/her legs hahaa.. Penasaran boo... I want to know the gender before I start baby shopping hehe. I'm planning for a 4D USG if by 24wk check-up he/she is still shy to show us.. So that means a 4D USG around 26weeks (1,5 months later).
By that time I also will start to do baby shopping.. I know people start at 7 months, but my 7 months is Ramadhan month and prices will soar, and also having to go to the crowded ITC while pregnant and fasting means that I might faint any minute there hehehe.. So to be on the safe side, we'll start shopping for baby stuff at 6 months. Only buying the essentials like clothes and stuff. Other things like stroller or even a baby box is still under consideration (hoping someone will donate a stroller.. and just found out that my husband still has his baby box at my inlaws' house which had been handed down for generations.. so yeay!).
My pregnancy enters 7 months days before Ramadhan.. so maybe we'll have Syukuran 7 Bulanan, but it's still tentative as we already had syukuran 4 bulanan.. and I'm not too keen if my mum insists on having the traditional siraman for the 7 months...
Meanwhile, I'll start to fast from tomorrow.. repaying my fasting debt from last Ramadhan and preparing myself for the coming Ramadhan. And by doctor's orders.. do some physical activities!!
And I'm going to seriously start to make some money.. our finance is getting very tight, which means even though our house is fully renovated we can't move in because we haven't really paid for the house itself and may not have enough money to get the furniture in..
I'll start surveying on birth costs when I'm 8 months pregnant, after Lebaran.. to get the most updated price.  Most probably it'll be at the current maternity hospital I go to since my doctor is there, and the hospital is quite recommended. I'm just going to keep praying for now that the Kelas 2 room will be empty so that we can have the 2 beds to ourselves. And also hoping that I can give birth normally.. I am more scared of having to have my stomach cut open in a sectio operation rather than enduring the pain or normal childbirth... Luckily my doctor is a supporter of normal childbirth so I hope she will keep supporting me to have a normal childbirth.

Soo.. pray for me.. may the second half of this prenancy bring more blessings and happiness for me and our little family.. amiiinn!!!

Mummybee and Babybee signing off...