Pregnant with Number 3 (Second Trimester) : Week 28 to Week 35

 Start from Dec 2021 to 24th Jan 2022

So far the Estria oil is working quite well at keeping itch away and it doesn't seem to tear so badly. 

Started to order and eat ngaku. I think I ordered total 7 tubs before CNY starts. But all came with some salt on it so it's not so nice. I then ordered Grade B and Grade C from Kamini who never put salt on her ngaku. Thankfully ngaku is not sweet!

3rd Dec 2021 - 28 weeks

6th Dec 2021 came to hospital at 8.35am. After register straight away went for blood extraction - 9.07am. I bumped into Pastor Kenneth... lets not talk about the conversation, it was not something significant. 

I drank a big cup of glucose and have to continue to fast without water (since last night midnight) until 11.07am. I waited near the pharmacy counter and finally 11.15am I took the second blood test and can start to drink water and eat some food. Joshua then came to join me to see Dr Rama, confirmed that I have gestational diabetes. My sugar reading in the test was 8.7. 

Dr say could be pass down from family and also my age. So I have to get a glucometer to prick myself to monitor my sugar level. And also diet control, stay away from white carbs. Can eat yee mee and basmathi rice and so on. Most important no need to stress because stress will cause sugar level to increase too. So immediately that lunch I ordered yee mee pork noodle soup. 

Felt so scared to prick myself... had to ask Joshua for help... and my first few times I wasted the test strips as the blood I put in was not enough. After 2 trips to the pharmacy I finally got the hang of it. Now to keep my discipline at testing my sugar on a daily basis and also self control when it comes to choice of food - both are tough especially when I am so busy with work as well. -_-

I saw on FB someone said Aeon Big started selling uniform, so I decided to bring the kids to buy uniform. Why wait if I can do now right? Bought for Jasper 2 sets and Jasmine 1 set. 

I remember it was tough for me to get up from squating down like this. Jasmine was the photographer. :) 

Went for an office year end gathering, had some good food and great fellowship!

Told Jasmine to help me take this photo, they are my awesome photographers. :) 

Jasper turned 6! Sorry my baby promise your next birthday we will plan better ok! I have spent most of my efforts on planning for christmas countdown etc, I felt so drained to do anything big for birthday, esp not ordering a big cake that we cannot finish and end up jamming up the whole fridge like what happened from Jasmine's yucky ice cream cake from Baskin Robbin.

Jasper's birthday dinner choice was Rakuzen. I remember I was angry with the kids because they acted like sua gu or piranha. They want to chomp on every sushi on the table, leaving none for me. So selfish!!! I did not like that behaviour and I didn't bother whether it was Jasper's birthday dinner or what, I just scolded them terribly  throughout dinner. How will we be able to afford dinner like this with 3 kids?? cannot imagine. 

11th December if not wrong was his graduation party. So before I deliver, my youngest already graduated from kindergarten. This is showing what a huge age gap between them. I pray that despite the gap, they will find a way to communicate and grow up together nevertheless. 

Dec 14th nearing dinner time, I had another round of severe constipation and swelling bottom. This is the most severe case of all times!! I remember it started at around 5pm and we have dinner appointment with Pastor Tim and Daniel & Jade at 7pm but I had to say you guys go ahead without me please. I was in and out of the bathroom trying all I could do shower myself to make the stool perhaps smoother to come out.. I digged all I can. I took Lactul syrup, drank the Forlab drink to soften stool and also prune juice, everything I could. I squat down to hopefully maybe help to make the opening bigger etc, alllllll but still stuck!

And this time so strangely I felt my bottom super swollen! I dont know what was that but I know whatever stool that's stuck must be out out out OUT! I remember sitting down on the shower floor feeling so drained and so exhausted and perhaps that's worse than child birth? Because if I am delivering a baby, there will be midwife and gynae to help me!! 

Anyway after Joshua, Anne & kids have left for dinner, I finally came to a point that feels like I could rest my bottom, it's not all cleared but it's ok for me to rest a while before I try to squeeze it out again. Although it's painful because of the swelling but I felt I should gather all my strength to join the dinner because our countdown activity that day was for kids to buy christmas presents for family members at Mr DIY. I didn't want to disappoint the kids... so I told Joshua ok la come to pick me up la. So he picked me up and I slowly walk (every step or friction was damn painful cos I have swollen Vulva - still dont know what's going on down there though) into Shinmapo and said hi to everyone. There's only 1 piece of pancake left and about 4 pieces of meat left. I just ate all those... didn't have appetite for more food anyway. I remember adjusting my sitting posture to reduce the pain. Walking & sitting = painFUL. 

Then I decided to just take the kids to Mr DIY to complete our countdown activity. I was sweating a lot cos of the pain... I slowly take my steps to guide the kids to choose presents... Anne helped me guide Jasmine and I was guiding Jasper. Then Teresa join us which was quite fun also. After a while Pastor Tim and Joshua also came up to Mr DIY. We took a group photo! Phewwww I was just glad I could make it although in a rather embarassing version of myself. I definitely kept adjusting my panty at Mr DIY to ease the pressure from the swollen vulva, but really I couldn't care at all la. Also I kept farting because of the Lactul effect. Haha. 

After coming home, around 10.30pm I finally cleared my bowels thanks to the Laxatives I took in the evening. However that night as I try to sleep, I still feel my vulva swelling didn't reduce, I read online and felt so worried so I messaged Dr Rama. He told me to go see him next day as he suspects I could've injured myself during the squeezing. 

Dec 15th I went to see Dr Rama alone without breakfast till 12.30pm. Because in case he need to do a surgery to help me reduce the swelling of my vulva. He worry it was a severe one and need a treatment on the spot. But thankfully it was not that severe and swelling already went down a little when I was at the clinic. So he gave me a cream to apply to help reduce swelling that that's it. Baby's all good thankfully, considering how hard I push to get that disgusting stubborn terribly hard stool out!!

Anyway I am definitely on MC but still have to sit down to complete mid-month pipeline report even though it's painful in a sitting position. The job is getting really annoying and I was determined to update my CV slowly so that I can start applying new jobs in January... 

Dec 16th Swelling finally no more - phew!! Thank you Jesus I am finally back to normal. And I start to time myself, to clear bowels within approximately 2-3 days. If I don't then I will need to drink laxative, eat papaya or drink more prune juice. 

19 Dec 2021 - 30 weeks

On the account of my blood sugar monitoring, the highest record were 8.6 after eating raisin bread and 8.1 after eating yee mee! :( Dr Rama say anything above 7 is not acceptable. I still did not understand what sort of consequences there might be except that baby might be over-weight or too big to be delivered naturally. I have just kept to wholemeal bread and reduce rice in my food... hopefully it's all under control because I kept forgetting to test 2 hours after meals.

Only took a photo when go for check up that time. Joshua has forgotten to take photos throughout the check up, it's annoying if I have to keep reminding him?

Christmas countdown - here we are to wrap presents. I am wearing the dress that I had worn when pregnant with Jasper and thankfully Evelyn kept the dress and passed back to me. Although the rubber waist line has become very loose by now but still can wear. 

Another Christmas countdown, take family photo. Next year we will be 5 in front of our 6 feet christmas tree there. :) 

Christmas day, we just take them to Empire for dinner at Phoviet. And Jasper asked for a snack so we bought him you tiao. 

This is probably the last time I wear this black dress, I could probably still fit into it but I dont have a spagetti stripe top that I can layer under it. Also I try to avoid wearing 2 layers for my top because I rather have 2 layers for my bottom eg. shorts under my dress, as it helps to hold up my loose belly. Having too many layers can be very hot so it has to have a good reason and layer tops does not add value to me at this point. So this yellow top has grown to a point it is only covering half my belly and getting uncomfortable. 

Aquarius on Boxing Day. It was crowded but because we bought tickets online at least we don't need to queue. I did quite a lot of walking and quite tired. 

Dec 27th Floor Depot came to fix our floors. So this is the start of renovation before baby comes. We have timed it at this time because we have to match Anne's move out date, where her room can be mostly vacated first. 

I did not take year end leave but I used the quiet time (when most people on leave) to come to this room to tape the giraffe ruler. We will have the door painted but I want to keep this ruler. Jasmine helped me in the beginning but then in afternoon after sending her to Acaredemy, I continued till evening. It was very challenging especially the bottom parts where I had to sit on the floor to do the taping. 

End result here! Baby Jared's height will also be labeled here. So we shall go with JM, JP and JR for their initials. :) 

29 Dec 2021 - Week 32

Canvas rolls at the back and boxes behind us. We are packing things up and getting ready for the renovation. 

We also removed the baby gate, kept in storeroom for now until baby starts to crawl. Jasper was not used to it at first. 

30th Dec, managed to go to Ikea and I was not happy again that Joshua doesn't help to take photos by his own initiative. I told the kids to help me to take photo and then only he jumped in here to do something. 

I resorted to taking selfie. We were at Ikea to grab things for the house renovation, mainly curtain rods. Changing from white to black. We started off with black, changed to white and now back to black. Ok we shall just stay black till forever. No more changes. 

Anne moved out on 31st Dec 2021 !!

She came back from diving trip, stayed in her room on the air mattress for a few nights before really moving. She decided to wake up to Year 2022 in her own condo. So yeah, it's finally done. 

We still haven't move the kids into the room yet because now it is our turn for renovation. Ah Yan have sent people over to handle plaster ceiling repairs. But that's minor. The real thing is happening 

Renovation is coming!!

Took these photos with the kids are this seems like the last night they're sleeping in this room. We're dismantling Jasper's bed to sell. 

I've been working downstairs at this corner and can't wait for renovation to be over to perhaps shift to upstairs. 

Don't think this t-shirt is going to last. 

5th Jan, plaster ceiling works done first. 

We also start to dismantle the bed to start wrapping things up for renovation to begin. Ah Yan is coming to start hacking on 8th Jan. 

7th Jan... as much as I can, cover the stairs with card boards... move away furnitures to prevent cement dust covering them... 

Wrap up things we unable to box up. It's very tiring to do this but prep works is very important so that we dont have too much cleaning to do after the works are done. 

January 8th - week 33 . Floor boards are layed to protect floors, fingers crossed!

We moved over to Anne's condo for the weekend.. 

I ate a lot of the mac and cheese and forgot to test my sugar. But the next morning sugar was above 6. It used to be range between 4.5-5.5... so I cannot imagine how high my sugar was after this meal.

Before we move to USJ12 for the next few nights, we pop by to check progress. Painting ongoing and cabinets are up. 

January 12th we moved back. And I went for my booster jab at 3pm. Tricky part is Joshua suspect being close contact to Tania who tested positive for covid... so we kinda have to do some self quarantine. So that day after my booster jab, I went to buy broom and mop from Speedmart, came back wore a mask and just non stop clean the place. 

This is next morning. Both kids stayed home because they need to self quarantine too just in case... Thursday and Friday with me here. Jasmine has her online lessons but Jasper doesn't have.

Joshua quarantine here.

Kids room here. But they all sleep with me at master bedroom for now. 

Giraffe ruler :) 

Turns out Tania may have gotten the virus after meeting Joshua which means we are all cleared. So we spent some time in this room here on weekend. I tried to clean the furnitures that will be used in this room. 

Including this rotan sofa, gave it a good rinse and sun treatment. This will be breastfeeding chair and bedtime story reading chair as it always have been. 

Bought Jasper his new bed frame and new mattress!

Where Joshua sitting is hopefully where the baby cot would go. We are slowly getting there! 

January 16th - week 34

Jasper's face is not happy because he was watching tv and we kinda interrupted. 

January 20th - kitchen counter top is in. Officially ends our renovation. :) 

I sorted through the baby clothes and washed them!

Finally installed the Britax car seat in Forte. Decided we will only instal the crolla one after baby full moon because that's when he will start sitting in that car seat la. For now, we enjoy the space in Serena first. 

Blood sugar getting higher, always above 7 even though didn't eat a lot of basmathi rice. Eat one durian plus little rice with dishes, sugar 8.8. Dr Rama say I need medication. Seeing him on 24th Jan 2022... 

January 24th - did the heart beat test at labour room. 

At night, we finally set up the baby cot!!!!

Jasmine was asleep but Jasper helped!