Pregnancy, Uncategorized PREGNANCY WEEK 22 – 25 14 October 2010

size of a papaya
Week 22 (15 – 21 September):

He kicks strongly through the day now, and is especially wriggly after I’ve eaten. But he’s a good boy and being quiet and still when I’m in bed every night, thankfully. The weird rib discomfort I had around 5-6 times in the previous 2 weeks now doesn’t happen at all now, WHEW!!

I’m surprised at how much an unborn child can feel and react to a mothers’ stress/fear. One night, I was startled awake twice by a loud noise, and woke up suddenly with my heart *racing*. A few seconds later, he kicked and squirmed furiously inside me! It took 5 mins of belly rubbing and my voice soothing him before he settled down and fell back asleep. It’s rare for him to wake up during the night (he never does and sleeps through, as far as I know) so it was particularly obvious to me he woke up because of the cortisol (released when a person is stressed) that suddenly surged through my system. So interesting!

size of a papaya
Week 23 (22 – 28 September):

Chris is in Singapore and then Beijing this week. Coincidently, it’s also a 3-day public holiday here. Frightfully ANGRY that I wasn’t able to take the leave to go to Singapore as well, as it was so important to me to see my parents and friends there πŸ™ Sigh. At least my dear girl friends have kept me busy and lil baby keeps moving around through the day which amuses me to no end πŸ™‚ He’s responding to my voice this week. When I speak loudly at my belly and say his name and talk to him, he wriggles away and thumps at me in response. It’s really nice πŸ™‚

My belly button has flattened out now.. it’s so weird to see and feel. Give it a month and it’s going to pop out I’m sure, haha! I read that my amniotic fluid is replaced completely every 3 hrs… and the total daily replacement volumen is 26 litres!!! No wonder i drink like a madwoman!

size of a papaya
Week 24 (29 September – 5 October):

I realised something amazing today. I have NO LEG HAIR (?!?!). Seriously, it’s all fallen out since I fell pregnant! I haven’t shaved my legs in almost 6 months (!!!!!) and there is nary a peek of a hair on my entire legs. Also, I don’t have ANY stray eyebrow hairs anymore, so don’t need to pluck. So weird, right? I didn’t realise that was a side effect of pregnancy, haha. Know where the hair’s gone? To my head. My hair is so incredibly thick and grows like crazy now, it’s actually really annoying. All I want to do is to get it chemically straightened but I can’t until after I give birth. D’oh!

Oh… and I’m officially SIX MONTHS pregnant this week – hurray! It’s our week-long public holiday so I am enjoying it to the FULLEST, hehe.

size of an eggplant
Week 25 (6 – 12 October):

Felt him hiccup for the first time. It was in the morning at 8AM and I felt like he ‘hopped’ in me. Kept doing it every 15 seconds or so, and sometimes afterwards he’ll shuffle around… then after a few minutes he stopped and went back to sleep. Very cute! Happened 3 times this week. He’s also settled into quite a regularly waking/sleeping routine . He wakes up by around 8AM and wriggles actively and shifts around for about an hour, before going quiet. Then is active around 2-4PM. And again between 7-10PM. It’s almost like clockwork every day – so funny!

Had my glucose test for Gestational Diabetes this week as well and passed, whew. We did get some cute ultrasound photos that we’re in love with πŸ™‚

This week I’ve been freaking people out (housekeeper, colleagues and friends) because everyone feels I’m “far too active/mobile” for a a pregnant woman. I basically have kept up my normal lifestyle and activities – which means I do 12-hour power-eating & shopping days with friends and run around at work. Everyone feels I should be walking slower, taking it way easier, and resting a lot more. I understand that and agree.. but it’s hard to because I like my current rate of activity and it makes me feel good! In fact, I’ve been religiously going to the gym (for 1 hour a pop) 3 times a week.. for the past 6 months, ever since I found out I was pregnant. The local staff at the gym also look at me a bit shocked/worriedly when I’m working up a sweat, but I try to ignore them πŸ˜› It’s hilarious that I never bothered much with the gym until I get pregnant, and then now I love it. I need it; if I don’t go, I actually feel really awful and down.

So I don’t know what’s wrong and what’s right, but I talked to my doctor and she said it’s perfectly OK if I don’t feel like a tired pregnant woman that needs to sit down all the time, and it’s OK (and actually even healthier for me+baby) to be very active and moving around as much as my body wants to. I will try to be more aware though, and no longer go out on mad ~12-hour days with girl friends running all over town πŸ˜‰

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Great updates! Good job on the gym! You can totally do it. My bootcamp instructor was working out at my step class until like the week before she had her baby this year. She was so fit.

Great updates! Good job on the gym! You can totally do it. My bootcamp instructor was working out at my step class until like the week before she had her baby this year. She was so fit.

While I got lazy and stopped going to the gym, I was still walking quite briskly, and in my 9th month of pregnancy, I was dancing furiously away at a seminar for 4 whole days and also at a staff dinner event.

Happy pregnancy!

unfortunately, it didn’t translate to an easy birth as I was in labour for 22 hours, and didn’t have the energy to push out a big baby. Need an episiotomy and a pair of forceps.

But yes, my son loves to dance and loves to try to run (before he can walk properly).

I was working out at the gym and swimming with #1. Now with #2, I’m too busy and tired to do much cept walk, not ideal πŸ™
Keep up the good work!

I heard that, like you, all pregnancies are different. I reckon my #2 is gonna be super psycho considering this one is so smooth, doh!

While I got lazy and stopped going to the gym, I was still walking quite briskly, and in my 9th month of pregnancy, I was dancing furiously away at a seminar for 4 whole days and also at a staff dinner event.

Happy pregnancy!

unfortunately, it didn’t translate to an easy birth as I was in labour for 22 hours, and didn’t have the energy to push out a big baby. Need an episiotomy and a pair of forceps.

But yes, my son loves to dance and loves to try to run (before he can walk properly).

I was working out at the gym and swimming with #1. Now with #2, I’m too busy and tired to do much cept walk, not ideal πŸ™
Keep up the good work!

I heard that, like you, all pregnancies are different. I reckon my #2 is gonna be super psycho considering this one is so smooth, doh!

Very nice updates! You reminded me of the movement ‘routines’ my baby used to have when I was pregnant (I wish I’d kept a journal of the whole journey-he’s already 7 weeks!)
Enjoy that closeness you have with him now, it really is a once in a lifetime

Very nice updates! You reminded me of the movement ‘routines’ my baby used to have when I was pregnant (I wish I’d kept a journal of the whole journey-he’s already 7 weeks!)
Enjoy that closeness you have with him now, it really is a once in a lifetime

I’m grateful for you, as it seems you have an easy pregnancy. Some women filled me up with their scary pregnancy stories. One day if I’m getting pregnant, I will read your story and get motivated hehehe…

I’m with you! I was really scared at the start cos of all the horror stories.. but I guess people like to repeat the bad stuff but it’s not as interesting to just say “oh, mine was fine”, which is why you tend to hear more negative stories I suppose πŸ˜›

I’m grateful for you, as it seems you have an easy pregnancy. Some women filled me up with their scary pregnancy stories. One day if I’m getting pregnant, I will read your story and get motivated hehehe…

I’m with you! I was really scared at the start cos of all the horror stories.. but I guess people like to repeat the bad stuff but it’s not as interesting to just say “oh, mine was fine”, which is why you tend to hear more negative stories I suppose πŸ˜›

Yeah my skin started off so oily in the first 2-3 months, and then it suddenly cleared up. So interesting how the body changes so much!

Yeah my skin started off so oily in the first 2-3 months, and then it suddenly cleared up. So interesting how the body changes so much!

I swim/ walk on the treadmill about once a week, only becos I have nothing better to do early in the morning or need to relax my muscle. I am already into 33 weeks. Getting to be quite tired now… I have heard of some pregnant lady running on the treadmill up till her due date. So I guess your 3-times-a-week gym is still within normal range as long as your body can take it. You will know when you need to rest:)

hehe yeah, it’s ok to still run as long as you’re careful not to trip/fall and your body doesn’t ‘tell’ you otherwise. And medically, cardio is good for you!

I swim/ walk on the treadmill about once a week, only becos I have nothing better to do early in the morning or need to relax my muscle. I am already into 33 weeks. Getting to be quite tired now… I have heard of some pregnant lady running on the treadmill up till her due date. So I guess your 3-times-a-week gym is still within normal range as long as your body can take it. You will know when you need to rest:)

hehe yeah, it’s ok to still run as long as you’re careful not to trip/fall and your body doesn’t ‘tell’ you otherwise. And medically, cardio is good for you!

Most women feel the best during their second trimester so how you’re feeling is perfectly normal, and as long as you’re feeling good, movement is awesome for you and baby. Labor and birth are hard work and it’s good to get your body ready for it.

I actually thought my 1st Trimester was way better.. because I felt the same as I do now, but was a ton slimmer/smaller – haha!

Ok I was actually half-smiling when I read how your housekeeper and colleagues are worried for you now because having been to Shanghai pretty frequently, I had NEVER seen any pregnant lady on the streets! I even asked a local colleague and she is probably right when she said that because of the one-child policy, the chinese people sure take extremely great care of pregnant ladies…. to err on the caution.

And then I burst out laughing and choked on my MacDonald’s warm cinnamon melts when you wrote that you go to the gym … hahahaha the gym person must be so freaked out! I can just imagine that loooook! *LOL* Anyway, tell me you are doing brisk walking on the threadmill right ? πŸ˜›

Glad to see you are so healthy and still very much active during your pregnancy. Another 4 months to go, enjoy the pregnancy process because I had have mother friends telling me that they missed the pregnancy period because they much prefer the kid to be inside the tummy than to be outside. πŸ˜›

Heh very true.. seeing pregnant women here is pretty rare so people are quite delighted when they see me – which is nice!

I still can’t wait til Jan tho πŸ™‚

Most women feel the best during their second trimester so how you’re feeling is perfectly normal, and as long as you’re feeling good, movement is awesome for you and baby. Labor and birth are hard work and it’s good to get your body ready for it.

I actually thought my 1st Trimester was way better.. because I felt the same as I do now, but was a ton slimmer/smaller – haha!

Ok I was actually half-smiling when I read how your housekeeper and colleagues are worried for you now because having been to Shanghai pretty frequently, I had NEVER seen any pregnant lady on the streets! I even asked a local colleague and she is probably right when she said that because of the one-child policy, the chinese people sure take extremely great care of pregnant ladies…. to err on the caution.

And then I burst out laughing and choked on my MacDonald’s warm cinnamon melts when you wrote that you go to the gym … hahahaha the gym person must be so freaked out! I can just imagine that loooook! *LOL* Anyway, tell me you are doing brisk walking on the threadmill right ? πŸ˜›

Glad to see you are so healthy and still very much active during your pregnancy. Another 4 months to go, enjoy the pregnancy process because I had have mother friends telling me that they missed the pregnancy period because they much prefer the kid to be inside the tummy than to be outside. πŸ˜›

Heh very true.. seeing pregnant women here is pretty rare so people are quite delighted when they see me – which is nice!

I still can’t wait til Jan tho πŸ™‚