8 weeks and counting!

And don't the picture look just adorable?

But nope, that's not how I feel at all! I've been feeling physically horrible, with waves of nausea, bloating and HURRAH! I've vomited like twice since Friday evening.

Yeap, like how I have been telling my friends (those who know, and those who have been through with me when I had Sesame Seed), I've been perversely enjoying these new feelings of pregnancy! Especially after my confirmation of 8 weeks of pregnancy on Saturday. So BRING IT ON! I'm ready for more! =)

I'm still continuously praying so hard, day and night, that things will be fine!

Faith...

And so I'm living by Faith day  by day...

Everything that happens to me daily, every ache I feel, every pain I feel, I tell myself that it's normal. I leave myself in God's hands... and I pray so hard that things will turn out fine and the scan this Saturday will show the little one growing bigger, in the right place...

Trish was sharing with me briefly over messaging that she felt pains and aches too, in her first tri, and that translates to how the body is adjusting and making changes for the little one who's to grow bigger in no time to come.

So Father, please be with me. Please give me your blessing and grant me this little life that has been placed in my womb.

RAWR!!!! (In the middle of the night...)

So we brought forward my appointment with Dr. Paul, because I saw a tinge of mucousy pink on a tissue wipe.

I was a complete ball of nerves on the 12th of February. But phew, a small tiny sac we saw... a gestational sac, was what was printed on the scan. Only 1 cm in length, it was too small to see anything else. I was in my 5th week. So a visit was made to see Dr. Paul again, on the 26th of Feb, when I would be nearing my 8th week.

As what Trish pre-empted, I would be living day to day, in between visits, counting down and praying so hard that everything's fine. What worried me even more was, I felt slight pains on my lower left abdominal, and horrid thoughts often come into mind, e.g. possibility of an ectopic pregnancy. But research and reading up on the net told us of so many other reasons -
1. The presence of Corpus Luteum - this Cyst which helps to produce the hormone for the foetus growth until the placenta can kick into play.
2. Round Ligament stretching
3. Uterus stretching

and so on and so forth... I've read in many forums that this seems rather common in first trimester as well.

So in faith, I'm putting myself in the hands of God. Really praying hard that it's all a figment of my imagination...

Any how, I've made a weird discovery! Probably because of my fears and worries, I had my first 'pregnancy nightmare' yesterday night!! It was horrible!

I woke up screaming 'HELP' really loud which kinda worried Rob. He said I was breathing very hard and furious before I screamed out 'HELP!', after which I woke up!

It was kinda a scary dream - I was in somewhat like a holiday apartment with some others (I can't really remember or tell who), and we were sitting around in the 'living room', lounging away.

I remembered that I had some work to do, so I picked up my stuff and went into one of the rooms. As I was closing the door, a huge force pushed me backwards, and held me back. As the door was closing, I was frantically calling out 'Help! Help! Help!' before screaming my loudest, which was the one that I actually shouted out and Rob heard it.

And the rest of the day was just horrible... Neck aches, backaches and feeling real lousy.

Hopefully, my imagination and thoughts will not get wild, and in prayers I'll live, from appointments to appointments.

Anticipation...

In prayers, I douse myself everyday.

Every morning on my way to work, and every night before I lay me down to bed.

We have fixed up our first Gynae appointment, with Dr. Paul Tseng of TMC again. We were with him when we had Sesame Seed. We contemplated changing gynaes, but Dr. Paul is much acclaimed and I guess a healthy pregnancy will always be a healthy pregnancy, no matter which Gynae we go to.

And so, we will be meeting Dr. Paul on the 14th of Feb, the very first time that we will be checking on my Positive pregnancy test. Based on Baby Centre.com, I've just hit 6 weeks. This is the same time when we first saw Sesame Seed as well.

Pray for us, as hard as we will be praying ourselves, that we will see this baby to the full term. That we may both be healthy and strong, to forever Praise His name.

And so... it's important to exercise!

From Baby Centre.com:

The benefits of stretching during pregnancy

Stretching will enhance your flexibility, prevent your muscles from tightening, and make you feel looser and more relaxed. Use the following stretches after a workout as a way to cool down, or just when you need to relax. Be sure to breathe deeply and regularly as you stretch.

Shoulder circles

• While seated or standing, rotate your shoulders backwards and down in the largest circle you can make. This opens the chest, counteracting the rounded shoulders so many pregnant women get.

Chest stretch

• Standing in a doorway, place both hands at shoulder height on either side of the doorway, elbows bent. Step your right foot forward until you feel a slight stretch in the chest muscles (being careful not to stretch too much). Hold for 30 seconds.
• Switch feet, stepping your left foot forward. Hold for 30 seconds.

Roll-down

• Stand with your back against a wall, your feet about shoulder-width apart a comfortable distance from the wall, knees slightly bent. Inhale, then as you exhale, draw in your abdominals, moving your chin toward your chest as you roll your torso down one vertebra at a time. "Roll" as far down as you're comfortable going. Keep your weight centered between your feet.
• Inhale at the bottom of the roll-down, and as you exhale, roll back up, trying to "print" each vertebra on the wall. As you return to an upright position, make sure your head is the last part of your body to uncurl. Repeat. Note: As your pregnancy progresses, you can modify this pose by doing it seated in a chair with your feet wide apart to make room for your belly. Sitting right on the edge of the chair, inhale, then exhale as you move your chin toward your chest and roll your body forward and down. Your hands can hang between your legs. Inhale, then exhale as you roll all the way up.

Waist twist

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart for stability, knees slightly bent.
• Extend both of your arms toward your left side at shoulder height while looking over your right shoulder. Hold the stretch and breathe into it.
• Moving slowly, reverse the motion, switching your arms to the right while looking over your left shoulder. Repeat.

Wall push-up and calf stretch

• Stand about 2 feet from a wall with your arms extended in front of your shoulders.
• Reach your hands to the wall and lean forward, bending your elbows on an inhale as your body tilts.
• Keep your heels on the floor to stretch your calf muscles. (Don't do this exercise in socks or slippery shoes; you want your feet to stay put.)
• Exhale, contract the abdominals, and slowly push away from the wall to straighten up. Repeat eight to ten times.

Mermaid

• Sitting on the floor, sit tall with your knees bent to the right and heels close to your bottom. With your left hand, hold your left ankle for support as your right hand extends overhead. Inhale, then exhale and reach up and over to the left side.
• Inhale and hold the stretch. Exhale to return to an upright position. Repeat one more time on your right side before moving to the left. You will feel a stretch in the sides of your waist, hip, and lower back. Repeat twice while sitting on your left hip.

Thigh and hip flexor stretch

• Lie on your left side with your head on a pillow or a folded towel. Slightly bend the left leg for stability.
• Bend your right leg, moving your foot toward your bottom, and take hold of your right ankle. Gently pull the heel closer to your bottom and draw in your abdominals to support your lower back. You should feel a stretch in the thigh and deep hip flexors. Hold for 30 seconds.
• Release and switch sides, lying on your right side.

Hopeful start to a new beginning...

And so it was on the first day of the Lunar New Year... I felt the strong urge to conduct a pregnancy test as I've felt what I thought were 'implantation cramps' for 3 days in a row. Subsequently, for a few days, I felt cute little pinching sensations which were a little painful.

Having experienced a missed m/c in August last year, I was eagerly looking forward to receiving positive results, though apprehensive. 9 months or 40 weeks is a long long time... I lost Sesame Seed at 8.5 weeks, only to discover it when I was 10 weeks.

We ended the first day of visiting really late, and da hubbz resorted to bringing me to petrol kiosks in hope of buying test kits. To our disappointment, we couldn't find any. He drove by the 24-hr convenience shop in Bishan, and alas! They didn't have it as well... However, I remembered seeing a couple in my FIL's place, in the toilet, which belongs to my SIL. When we reached home, I dug them out to see that they have expired in July 2010. Thinking that it was only 5 months ago, I used it anyway!

And results? POSITIVE... However, I cautioned da hubbz... saying that this pregnancy stick has expired! But we were both quietly happy and joyful.

Two days later, we grabbed a pregnancy test kit from Guardian Pharmacy, and we tested positive again! Joy! I've always wanted a baby Rabbit! I hope I get mine this time around!

I've been cautiously keeping quiet about it... I am hoping to only visit my gynae after week 8, and to announce it to my parents then.

I've decided: I'm going to start a journal on my thoughts, my reads, my feels and my emotions. I'm keeping faith as a humble servant that this time will be different.

I'm keeping strength in God, as I did the last time - He alone knows His plans for us. He alone has His reasons for allowing the course of nature to occur. I'll keep my faith in prayers, and in Him.