My Book Stash - Ready for Confinement!

Yeah! These are the precious books I got from the Big Bad Wolf Book Sale. Thank you BBW!!

I bought 3 fiction, 2 books on pregnancy and parenting and one on health during our last trip to BBW.

I've already finished reading Nicole Croft's, The Good Birth Companion. I love her style of writing and the non-judgmental advice she dishes out. Very useful for one seeking for a natural birth. I totally agree with her on every subject:)


    

Personal Finance Books purchased during our first trip to BBW. All by my fave finance and business gurus!!

Now the final question is, will there be a third visit? It's just too tempting!! But at 36 weeks, I think it's best I stay put at home. Can't wait for next year's sale!!

Week 35 Update

I am today 35 weeks into my pregnancy. According to the ‘I’m Expecting’ app, my twins are today the size of a honeydew each! I can’t be more thankful that we’ve made it this far - the 3 of us (mummy and twins). Alhamdulillah.. Both twins are very active and they’ll be kicking more in the presence of loud noises. Like yesterday night during my hubby’s appreciation dinner and last Monday night when we watched Wreck-it Ralph at TGV. Also whenever they hear songs from Voices of Ummi being played. Hubby says we should catch their wave-like movements on video but he hasn't managed to yet because they do it so spontaneously and we couldn’t take our eyes off my protruding belly when it happens!

Where physical changes are concerned, I am ofcourse feeling larger than the past few weeks, feets are really swollen and uncomfy (I’m wearing my huge pink crocs to work these days and even those are tight fitting), am getting more discharge than usual and feeling really exhausted early in the morning as well as towards the end of the day. I wake up at least 4 times during the night for trips to the toilet and that is one cause of morning weariness due to interrupted sleep.

Preparation wise, I have already gone to Darrusyifa’ Bandar Baru Bangi and had ‘selusuh’ made in the form of mineral water and dates. Selusuh is to be taken orally the few weeks leading to birth to aid in a smooth delivery. Both mineral water and dates have been read prayers to increase their positive vibration, God-Willing.

Other than that, I attended my last Maternity and Kids Expo this year at MidValley Megamall. We went there extra early to avoid the huge crowd. I managed to drop by Susuibu.com’s and Dyna's Nursing Wear’s booth to purchase a nursing blouse and books on childcare and breastfeeding. Had a nice chat with Susuibu.com owner, Pn. Kamariah too. The last purchase I made were 2 Snoozaboo baby sleep bags for the twins. It’s perfect for our tropical climate as their made from 100% cotton material, is light and most importantly, is locally manufactured. The founder who mended the booth even gave me further discount for purchasing 2! Lovely:)

My next appointment with Dr. Raja is on Monday, 10 December 2012. I’m really hoping that she’ll give me rest as it’s only 3 weeks away before the twins reach full term at 38 weeks. I really need a break from office routine. After all, birthing requires energy and I’ll need to gather as much of it as I can! That and the need to be as relaxed and as calm as possible.

To Vacation in JB

Despite my energy level harbouring on low, I feel a desperate longing to go on a family vacation. But I guess I have to wait until the twins are out and old enough at say 7 months maybe. I just heard about the newly opened Puteri Habour Family Theme Park in Nusajaya, Johor Bahru (JB). They have a Hello Kitty Town, the first outside of Japan and a Little Big Club featuring Bob the Builder, Barney, Angelina Ballerina, Thomas, Pingu and other characters found in Astro’s Disney Jr. channel that my son loves. He’ll definitely be in for a treat!

The twins will be 7 months in July next year and since we have a wedding to attend in JB that month, it’ll be perfect! I can imagine taking them out in the Maclaren twin triumph stroller  that we bought them. I’ll also have my Boba wrap ready for breastfeeding sessions. It’ll be so much fun! Can’t wait!!:)

Hariz may not know Hello Kitty yet but I'm pretty sure he'll enjoy the kiddy rides

Now these characters are all Hariz'a fave!!

Tiny Tapir Warehouse Sale!!

Just when I thought I’m done with shopping for baby stuff, I come across this announcement in Wednesday’s The Star newspaper about Tiny Tapir’s Great Warehouse Sale to be held on 24th and 25th November at Taman Melawati.

Oh my goodness! Prefolds on discounts! Just what I’ve been looking for all these while as they don’t seem to be available at baby stores. So I guess I’ve got to head there after my translation exam on Saturday.

My, they have a whole lot of other natural parenting products on sale too. This can’t be true!! Arghhh.. Ok, I’m just going to get a few things which I’ve noted in my Galaxy Note and that’s it.

Oohh...they have these Zoobies on sale. I read on their facebook and blog that zoobies are stuffed animals that can be transformed into blankets and pillows. A 3-in-1 kind of toy. How cool is that?! And they’ll be on sale at 60% discount. Totally irresistible!!

Tiny Tapir also has a shop at Ampang Park. So maybe I can go there this Friday (tomorrow!) to check out their other products as a pre-sale inspection. Hehe...

Of course, I still need to factor in the fact that I’ll be near exhaustion in the afternoon after exams. But all totally worth it! Here I come:)

Read about natural parenting products available at the Tiny Tapir Baby Shop on  www.tinytapir.wordpress.com. 

Change of Ob/Gyn

During my last check up as a fully paying patient (FPP) at Putrajaya Hospital, (HPJ) the Ob/Gyn advised me to go for a c-section despite the twins and my overall good health and the pregnancy going smoothly. She thinks that because I have waited so long for a second child and now I’m getting a second and a third, I just shouldn’t take any chances. Apparently in  her view, a c-sect is always safer. I however, totally disagree. Ofcourse I didn’t say it out loud in front of her because she wanted me to go home and think about it first. Does that mean she’s giving me choices or is her mind set on having me in OT?

To dispel myself of worries, I decided to seek for a second opinion. So that decision brought me to Columbia Asia Hospital in Bandar Puteri Puchong where I had my first consultation with Dr. Raja Juhaidah. She was actually recommended to me by my friend Reeny (of Kanda Dinda Wedding Cards) who delivered both her sons with Dr. Raja. Verdict: I feel more satisfied as Dr. Raja seems to favour natural births more than my previous Ob/Gyn at HPJ. I also like the environment of Columbia Asia and the nurses and midwives seem friendlier. So if all goes well, Insya’Allah I shall deliver my twins there with Dr. Raja, provided the twins arrive at full term (at least 36-38 weeks as private hospitals don’t come with enough incubators for preemies).

That's pretty much the entrance at Columbia Asia Hospital in Puchong taken from their official website http://www.columbiaasia.com/puchong/

Here's Dr. Raja Juhaidah, also taken from the same website.

33 Weeks

I am nearly 33 weeks into my pregnancy. This week I feel particularly exhausted and extra hungry all the time. I have about 5 more weeks to go.. I can’t wait to meet my twins.

There are still a few things that I have to settle before birthing them. This week alone, I have to sit for my translation exams during the weekend. And even before that, this coming Friday I have to complete 2 practical papers for two classes that I missed.

Then there’s still some laundry to be done. I need wash a load of baby clothes, blankets, mittens and booties. Also need to wash nursing pillow cover, diaper bag, pillows and co-sleeper covers.

When that’s been done with, I need to start packing a bag for hospital stay and luggages for my confinement period at my parents.

Lastly, I need to see Ustaz Harun Din for air selusuh and his prayers for a safe and smooth delivery. Oh, and I guess I can start taking 2 tablespoons a day of virgin coconut oil starting next week.

Spotting

I had quite a scare several days ago when I saw brownish blood stain on my undies. At first I thought, could it be time? But it shouldn’t be since I was only 31 weeks into the pregnancy then. What if the twins want to come out sooner? Gosh, I haven’t even washed their clothes yet. With it raining nearly everyday, I’m feeling tempted to buy a clothes dryer.

My antenatal check up at the hospital was the same afternoon. So instead of rushing to the hospital that particular morning, I went to work as usual. Apparently there were no more spotting that day..  During the checkup, the doctor did a swab and took it to the lab for further scrutiny. But she said the spotting was very little so there’s nothing to be worried about. Phew...

Tanamera Postnatal Care Set

After a hearty chat with my mother-in-law on my plans for a smooth confinement, it got me thinking about the brand of postnatal care set that I should purchase. When I was pregnant with Hariz, I bought a set from Salindah which consisted of homeopathy pills which had to be consumed during pregnancy and to be continued post delivery. It also comes with externally applied solutions for use during confinement. I think I managed to use more than 80% of the products in that set. But they were pretty average.

This time around I’m going to try something different. My MIL recommended Nona Roguy and Mustika Ratu which she herself and my SIL used. But I don’t think the twins will appreciate the spicy jamu which even my throat cannot accept. So that leaves me with two option which is either I go for Amway’s Tropical Herbs set or buy Tanamera’s Postnatal Care set. The reason I mentioned Amway is because I am a member and can purchase it at member price. So that’s an added advantage.

However, despite that, I find Tanamera more tempting. The various feedbacks they’ve received from past users have been very positive. I especially like that it comes with Virgin Coconut Oil (VCO) that can be used during pregnancy for local application on the perineum and taken internally for a smooth birth. I’ve emailed their customer service at Tanamera on how I can purchase it offline and they’ve responded saying that it is available at Dynas’ Nursing Wear at Level One, The Curve. So that’s where we headed to last weekend!

As soon as I got there, I got hold of a box (which is smaller in size than I expected) and felt pretty pleased with myself. It costs RM360 for a set which contains 11 items and from my view, worth the purchase. Back home, I tried the VCO on my skin and love the smell of chocolatey coconut. I can’t wait to consume it 5 weeks before my due date! As for the rest of the products in the set, I’m saving them for confinement period. They smell so good, like being in a spa!

You can visit their official website at http://tanamerapostnatal.com/ for more detail and review from past satisfied users.

Baby Wearing With Boba Wrap

After weeks of trying to decide whether or not I should get a Boba Wrap for my twins, last week during lunch break I headed straight to Lunatots at Presinct Diplomatik and bought one! They have it in pink which wasn’t available the last time I went there. So I am more than happy and alhamdulillah, my timing is good:) Plus they’re having a special offer so I bought my pinky wrap for RM170 instead of the retail price of RM188. Any kind of discount is good, trust me.

Why Boba Wrap? Well, after viewing a demonstration by the helpful ladies at Lunatots, I discovered that it’s easy to put on, made from very durable material that’s soft and stretchy, and best of all can accommodate twins! Ain’t that good news. I tried putting it on over my bump but it looked a bit clumsy on someone heavily pregnant. So when I got home, I had a go at it with hubby and the results, he’s rather pleased with it. He actually asked why I didn’t get one for him. But later decided we should wait and see whether the twins like it. We already have a Baby Bjorn which hubs is comfortable with so can rotate using it with them.

The above photo is from Boba's US website http://store.bobafamily.com/. It's the exact pink color that I bought. Love, love, love:)

Gentle Birthing

Earlier this month, following the advice of my hypnobirthing consultant, I had attended a talk on Waterbirth by well known American expert, Barbara Harper. It was held at yoga instructor, Ninie’s studio in Ara Damansara on October 7th, Barbara’s last day in Malaysia. The talk was organised by Malaysia’s Gentle Birthing Group and the response was amazing. I guess I felt rather privileged to be able to attend the talk, meet all these fabulous mothers (and fathers) who support natural birth and also to have a one on one chat with Barbara who gave me a DVD on water birth (which she asked to pass on once I’m done with it). There was so much love and compassion in the studio that day. The tidbits and lemonade served were delightful as well.

After that event, I would frequently visit the Gentle Birthing Group’s FB page. Although I haven’t joined in on any discussion, it was great to see all these spirited mothers giving moral support to each other during those moments of needs. I’ve been yearning to ask whether any of the mothers’ have given birth to twins vaginally without medical intervention. But I hesitate knowing the odds of there being one. Most of the twin birth stories that’s been shared with me were hospital deliveries. Is it really high risk to give birth to multiples?

Every day, I would pray for my twins’ and my own good health. I pray I would be able to breath my babies down easily and naturally without medical intervention. I pray my twins and I would be able to work well together for a fast and smooth birth. Insya’Allah.

Preparing For Our Twins’ Arrival

Though the clock is ticking and my unofficial due date is approaching (which I target to be on the 20th or the 27th of December 2012), I still haven’t gotten all the essentials ready for the twins. Here are a list of things that I still need to purchase:

1. a compact twin stroller;
2. car seats x 2;
3. more cloth diapers - to be bought at Lunatots in November, our anniversary month for
                                    additional discounts;
4. nursing pillow - the one I already have looks soiled even though I’ve washed it;
5. more newborn clothes;
6. clothes bin/box/rack/shelf/drawer;
7. towels and napkins; and
8. playpen - I could borrow my sister in-law’s.

Hmmm...at least those are the things that I do remember. I may be adding to the list now and then.

As for things to do before the twins’ arrival, they are as follow:

1. wash baby clothes;
2. clean up bedroom - remove cobwebs, dust, vacuum, mop;
3. pack up overnight bag - in anticipation of a hospital stay; and
4. pump up birth ball - for use during birth process to relax during surges (contractions).

Alright then, I better get moving while I still have the strength and energy! And also the bucks!

Pregnancy Health Monitored

I am now 29 weeks pregnant with my twins. So technically, I have around 9 more weeks to go! I guess I should do a weekly countdown starting this week.

Recently, the health practitioner at our public clinic diagnosed me with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). So I’m doing my very best to control my diet. The counselling session with the nutritionist was very helpful. I learnt a lot of new things I wasn’t aware of previously. For example, I can only eat one plate of rice a day consisting of 3 serving spoons of rice, half a plate of vegetables and a serving of lean meat or preferably fish (steamed, roasted, stewed or grilled). Fruits should be taken but only after meal. There are also several fruits to be avoided or taken in moderation such as bananas, watermelons and durians. Apples, oranges, honeydews, guavas, dragon fruits are fine. Milk should be taken skimmed and only once a day. When drinking hot beverages like horlick or other brand of malt, take it with oats to bring down sugar level. For bread, choose the wholemeal type. The same goes for rice, where brown rice is best and glutinous rice should be avoided. Also oily and fatty food are a big no-no. I guess the same goes for anyone aiming for a healthier diet.

The recent Eid holiday was spent at my in-laws. What with all the delicious food my mother-in-law cooked up, it sure was hard resisting. Now back at work, I feel my stomach is unsettled and a bout of nausea come and go.

My feet are also both very swollen. They look fine when I wake up in the morning after a night of putting them up on a pillow. But after awhile, fluid will gather and make them look all puffy again. To make matters worse, I’d been up on my feet a lot yesterday due to my hunt for a new laptop. But I guess it was all for a good purpose and pain worth suffering. After heeding advice from my husband, I finally bought the lower range version of the ASUS N series which had all the qualities I required of a laptop: sufficient for word processing (for translation work), big screen (15.5 inch) that are friendly on the eyes and with keyboard backlights to enable me to be up doing work at night without having to flood the room with lights. So with this new equipment in my possession, I should be more than ready to start taking translation jobs which I plan to do during my 5 years hiatus post delivery.

Other health concerns: low hb, occasional nose bleed (only coming from the left nostril though), and seeing stars when I get up after sitting on the floor. Apart from that, I guess all is well. The twins are doing great too judging from the active kicking I get from them. And for that, I am thankful. Alhamdulillah..

Shopping For A Doctor

How do you go about shopping for doctors who support natural birthing? Especially when you’ll be birthing twins? Gosh, this is looking to be pretty tough. I’ve tried calling relatives who are doctors but sadly twin natural delivery appears to be too risky for them. How upsetting is that? But let’s not get too worked up shall we. I still really want to birth at home. However, for my own safety and that of the twins, hubby insists that there be someone experience on stand by at home. Otherwise, he says we need to opt for hospital delivery. Boo hoo.. I know it’s in our best interest. Still i can’t help feel disappointed.

On the bright sight, Wai Han says that the bidan kampung (village midwives) would be a better option. Hmm..my cousin is actually one but then she lives in Kelantan. I’d have to give it a try. She may know other counterparts who live nearer to our place.

Ok, babies..I hope you both know how hard Mommy is trying to achieve the most gentlest birth us three. Tap, tap, tap and kisses xoxox

Hypnobirth Revisited

It was back in 2005 when I had first enrolled my husband and I into a one-on-one hypnobirthing class with one of the few Malaysian practitioner, Ms. Soo Wai Han. Hypnobirthing (the Mongan Method) had opened our eyes to the freedom of natural birthing, the way God intended it to be. However, although armed with the knowledge, we didn’t succeed in putting it all into practise for the birth of our first son in 2006. Medical interventions just got in the way, as well as lack of support from the care provider.

So yesterday we had set an appointment with the very experienced Wai Han who’s unofficial accolade includes having birthed 2 of her children successful on her own through hypnobirthing. She and the many other students she had inspired are living proof that the birthing experience is meant to be a peaceful and calming one, with the birthing mother and baby work together in synchrony. In the brief meeting with Wai Han yesterday, she managed to give us a refresher on hypnobirthing, provided tips on choosing a care provider and she even showed us delightful videos of recorded hypnobirths where one was an amazing natural, home birth fraternal twins.  

It is therefore with steel determination that my husband and I have decided to choose a home birth for our twins in order to fulfill our dreams of bringing them both into the world through hypnobirthing. For that to become reality, we first needed to gently persuade our twins to be in head down position (optimal positioning) by the 28th week.

In my mind, I have a picture of a peaceful water birth with the loving support of my husband. We’re at home, everything is calm and relaxed. We have Quran recitations played on our Sony. I go through the surges at my own time, peacefully in bed and at times on the birth ball. Then when I feel ready, I get into the pool and breath our twins into the world effortlessly. Receiving them lovingly into our arms, one by one. Afterwards, my husband would perform sujud syukur to thank Allah for his countless blessings and for making our birthing experience a beautiful and successful one for myself and the twins.

On another note, should medical intervention be deemed necessary, we’d have an understanding, trusting and experienced medical team on stand by. 

For more information on hypnobirthing visit http://hypnobirthing.com.my/
 

4D3D Scan with Ms. Jezzlyn

Yesterday was another exciting experience for our family where the twins are concerned. I had earlier booked a session with the much talked about sonographer, Ms. Jezzlyn for a 3D4D scan. The booking procedures were fuss-free and we entered her room at the Poliklinik An-nisa’ as soon as we got there. 

We were the only ones there then that evening. Ms. Jezz wasted no time in doing her job. She started with a 2D scan to measure the twins’ proportions - head, waist and legs and also heart. Alhamdulillah both twins are healthy and strong. 

Then when it was time for the 3D4D scan, both twins decided to hide their face behind the hands and legs. But we managed to get a good view of their gender which Jezz confirms to be one girl and one boy! We were delighted by the news! 

Syukur... Previously my doctor at Hospital Putrajaya could not confirm this but I guess it’s been a week since we last saw her. And since then, the twins have shifted into a more favourable position for us to be able to confirm this news. A pair! Just what we wanted! Alhamdulillah! 

Jezz also did manage to snap and record clear views of our twins’ faces. They are adorable and much like their big brother Hariz! All that we managed to bring home in the form of black and white printouts and photos plus video on CD. All for the price of RM100. We were contented. Although the photos were few, we still managed to capture them to safe memories of their months in my womb or “alam rahim” in Malay.

6 Months

At 6 months, I look like I’m 8 months into my pregnancy. I’ve even received comments saying that I look like I’m ready to deliver. But no, I have 3 months to go and I pray my twins will continue growing healthily in my womb until they reach full term at 38 weeks, Insya’Allah.

The best part...

...was noticing the missed periods and getting positive results on the home pregnancy test (which I administered twice, just to be certain)! 

Then came 3 months of all-day sickness and aversion to fish, chicken, meat and veg. I managed to survive on only eggs, bread, fruits and goat’s milk (in powder form from Hi-Goat brand). So it’s no wonder that my HB level weren’t above normal. Even now at 6 months, my HB has only increased slightly but I’m still thankful for that. 

Also I have bleeding gums and 3 weeks ago a lesion on my tongue bled non-stop until I had to undergo a minor operation to remove it. The hospital still haven’t managed to get the result of the biopsy. But thank goodness that’s all over. I could barely talk nor eat with the stitches on my tongue although I think I only received 4 stitches. With the stitches removed and tongue healed, all is back to normal except for the bleeding gums which I hear is common especially with twin pregnancy.

How It Started

Our first born son, Hariz is all grown up now. So it was timely that we planned for another baby. We were all desperate for a new addition to the family. We tried conceiving the natural way but apparently nature needed help. 

Our prayers were answered with recommendation to seek help from LPPKN. Thanks to Allah’s guidance and the continued support of the team at LPPKN’s fertility clinic, we managed to conceive through one round of IUI, 2 months from our first visit to the clinic. Sure the procedures were a tad uncomfortable, but the results were well worth it! We are currently pregnant with twins! Their our miracle babies! Alhamdulillah..