Prenatal Yoga Class at Magee Women's Hospital

$10 per class for six classes is pretty cheap. I just wish it didn't involve an hour's drive each way!

I signed up for it because I have a yearning to flock with other expectant moms, and this momma-herd instinct isn't being satisfied in Natrona Heights where I live.

There are eight in our class, and at 8 months, I'm the most pregnant! Two others are due in June, two in September, one much later, and I believe there rest fall somewhere in between.

The class itself was good. Patty, the instructor is friendly and super nice. Turns out she teaches there every night of the week. This first lesson focused on pelvic floor awareness. We practised breathing in and out in an upright spread-legged position, and feeling how our pelvic floor descended on inhaling and came up when exhaling. I don't have any pelvic floor awareness. I couldn't feel anything really :)

We also did circles while seated cross-legged, to stretch the pelvis; rocked back and forth while inhaling and exhaling; reaching left and right while spread-legged; cat-n-cow poses; one downward dog; a couple swan dives; one warrior pose; tree pose; and some hip wiggles.

Everyone seemed in a hurry to leave right after the class ended, but I stayed to chat with Patty.

I'll be early next week to hopefully do some mingling!

Pregnancy and Running, Cross Country Skiing, Cycling, Snow Shoeing, Swimming, P90X

Following a previous post on 'Exercise while Pregnant', here are my adventures (and misadventures) while pregnant so far (32 weeks and counting).

Running

I've continued to run and hope to be running up till when Peanut is born. I am careful not to fall when running in the snow on trails, and even more so on the road where it can get icy. I play it by ear - if I feel any pain when running, I switch to walking. What kind of pains?

• I have experienced sharp pains on the left or right side of my belly. I think this is round ligament pain. The round ligament extends from the front of the womb to the groin. It supports the uterus and stretches as the baby grows. This stretching causes pain sometimes, and it's normal. Exercise can also cause this pain. Heck, even laughing can cause round ligament pain. It hurts bad. Probably not as bad as giving birth, but hey what do I know (yet...). 
• I've had some pain as my uterus contracts and becomes hard. This usually happens as I transition from the warm up walk to the run. Usually if I keep running (but at a slower pace), the contraction and the pain eases after a few minutes. If it gets too intense, I switch to walking. 

Cross Country Skiing

Since hubs got me a pair of cross country skis for Christmas, I figured I would try it. Unlike downhill skiing, the risk of falling at high speed is low. We broke in my skis on the Rails to Trails starting at Freeport towards Butler. My balance wasn't great - has never been - but I managed to do a slow shuffle. As I was afraid to fall backward onto my bum, I leaned forward more. I fell forward a few times because of that. Ending up in a crouch/squat put pressure on my belly and it hurt. So after a mile, I turned around to go back. No more skiing for now!

Cycling

I've spent many hours in the saddle, but not ridden through most of the pregnancy. I went out for a short winter-slush Rails-to-Trails ride in my 5th month, and boy was it uncomfortable. Having to lean forward to hold the handle bars put pressure on my baby bulge. Also, although my balance felt OK at that time, the slippery conditions had the bike sliding around and that was not good. Pass!

Snow Shoeing

Now this I enjoy and can foresee doing all the way up to D-day. (Except D-day is going to be at the end of May, and thus, snowless). It's just like walking, except the additional weight of the snowshoes gives a wee bit more of a workout.


P90X
I did 60 days of the P90X program while in Malaysia (and got into really ab-ripping awesome shape), got sidetracked by my move to the US, and had been backslidden for close to six months when I got pregnant. Some time in Month 3, I attempted to ease back into P90X very gently, but failed. Couldn't do the pull-ups, nor most of Ab Ripper - it actually hurt my abs! I know I know, I shouldn't have even tried. I was just bored of the Pregnancy Yoga DVD and P90X is a lot more fun! Oh well. :)

Swimming
I had lofty plans to swim throughout the pregnancy but these plans were derailed by Winter. The YMCA near my home has a 'heated' pool but the temperature is still too cold for my liking. I tried my best to make it work for about a month - after an hour of swimming (about 1.5 - 2 km) I would no longer be able to stay warm despite continuous movement. Worse, I would get chilled upon exiting the water all through the shower and dressing. I went home every time, shivering and chilled to the bone. It was too physically stressful and did me more harm than good, so I stopped.

However, during my visit to the tropical paradise that is Malaysia, I enjoyed the bath-water-warm sea swims tremendously. I guess I'm just a wimp when it comes to cold. :)

80 degree bath-water-temperature seas are just my cup of tea. At 7 months, Avillion
Admiral Cove, Port Dickson, Malaysia, for a Tadonamo Trieathlon 

What physical activities did you partake of while pregnant, if any? Or did you stop exercising completely the entire duration? :)

Mucus Plug at 21 Weeks: Oh the Horror

Warning: Content is graphical in nature and could induce violent regurgitation. DO NOT READ if you have a weak stomach or are averse to 'Too Much Information'. 

I worry about everything. Every little thing. 

HOWEVER, I think I was justifiably freaked out when, after doing the ah 'Deed' (you know, the one that started Peanut in the first place), I found little lumps of brown-reddish snot-like stuff on the toilet tissue. OMG.OMG.OMG.OMG. Trepidatious exploration of my inside woman-parts ensued. Curiously, instead of smooth, my fingers encountered what can best be described as a string of slimy, firm, GLOBS. I tugged on the 'string' and each time, small pieces broke off that I smeared onto a piece of tissue. There was a little bright red blood that accompanied the pieces. 

Second Warning: DO NOT PROCEED IF YOU HAVE A WEAK STOMACH!

I tried to stay calm but I was close to freaking out. Ok fine. I was freaked out. I'm not averse to the sight of blood or anything, and I think I have a reasonably tough constitution. But what I was seeing was a bit too much. However, I put on my poker face so as not to worry hubs. Then I turned to Google for answers. 

I learnt that when spotting 'bloody show' is accompanied by 'mucus plug' in the third trimester, labor is eminent. The mucus plug, which plugs the cervix, is a physical barrier that prevents bacteria from entering the uterus. Close to labor, when the cervix effaces (thins out), the mucus plug naturally dislodges. 

Mucus plug in the 2nd Trimester?

However, I was only 21 weeks pregnant, so what could that mean? Preterm labor? The forums were abuzz with women like me worrying about preterm labor and asking if what they were seeing was a mucus plug. It appears that there is a lot of confusion over how exactly a mucus plug looks. A mucus plug isn't just any vaginal discharge. And, in the second trimester, it usually doesn't just happen. I read of women miscarrying shortly after losing their mucus plug. I read of mucus plugs being dislodged by the rigors of intercourse.

Should I be worried?

After more than a day of combing the forums and pregnancy websites - and with no further spotting, no cramping - I decided the following information made sense: 

• I had indeed lost part of my mucus plug. The mucus plug does sit in the cervix and sex can dislodge it. 
• Losing the mucus plug (outside the 1st/2nd trimester) does not mean labor is going to happen. However, if miscarriage is (sadly) going to happen, then mucus plug and bloody show could precede that (accompanied by cramping, which I did not have).  
• Mucus plug production is continuous - as fresher stuff is produced up in the cervix, the older plug material moves outward and makes an occasional appearance that serves to horrify pregnant women all over the world. 
• I was going to be OK.

Just to be sure, I called up the midwives at Magee and told them about it. They said not to worry, as there was no further spotting and I had no cramps. 

Phew.

Guessing Baby's Gender: Old Wives' Tales

As of today, the vote was EIGHT to NONE that Peanut would be a boy.

All the signs were there:

1. "Boy = all belly, Girl = hips and thighs" - my belly seemed to have grown while my hips and thighs looked the same.
2. I was carrying low = BOY, instead of high (GIRL).
3. The Ring Test (also known as the Needle Test) - when dangling a ring on a string over my belly, it moved up and down (BOY) instead of circles (GIRL).
4. Morning sickness was mild = BOY
5. Courtney dreamt Peanut was a boy. 

Also, half the voters had that gut instinct that said "BOY".

THEY WERE WRONG.

Today's 20 week Ultrasound found nothing 'sticking out' where Peanut's pee pee would have been IF it were a boy. So Peanut is most likely a GIRL!

Of course we won't know for sure until Peanut is born, but I'm going to start referring to Peanut in the feminine now. :)

Here's Peanut kicking back while chomping on her hand. She was taking a little break from the vigorous kicking and butterfly-arm-stroking that characterized most of that 30 minute ultrasound.

New Projects: Well Rounded Parents = Well Rounded Kids?

So I'm into week 19 now and Peanut has been steadily moving up towards my belly button. Peanut has quite a personality I think. Peanut is most relaxed in the morning when I first awake. Anytime I work out, Peanut seems to work out too - after my runs, my uterus gets h-a-r-d and stays that way for hours.

Anticipating being a parent makes me want to be the best mom I can be for the baby. I want to be a well-rounded mom.

I haven't played or felt like playing the piano for ages. But I'm picking it up again so Peanut can listen to some music. Not very nice music, but hey. I've also been learning guitar using books borrowed from the library. And I figured I might as well take up violin again while I'm at it :p.

I've also been brushing up on my Mandarin so that I can talk to Peanut in Mandarin, in addition to Malay and other Chinese dialects that I know. That way, Peanut will be able to get around okay whenever we visit Malaysia.  Maybe even be able to make small talk with Popo and Kung Kung in Hakka :)

Scored a used Yamaha DGX203 on Craigslist for $50!

Exercise During Pregnancy: Some Rules

I ran regularly before getting pregnant, and was determined to continue throughout my pregnancy.

The first trimester was sort of a bust though. Jogging however slow compounded my nausea, so I was limited to long walks most days. The best I felt was during the Trailapalooza where I ran and walked 30 km over 12 hours.

Beginning the second trimester, nausea-free, I started enjoying my runs again and am hitting the trails a few times a week. Nothing hardcore - between 5 - 10 km over an hour or so, so it's an easy pace. I'm also doing 'Prenatal Yoga' (by Shiva Rea), 'The Perfect Pregnancy Workout' (by Karyn Steben) and P90X (with modifications).

A Few Pregnant Lady Workout 'Rules'

• Whatever exercises you were doing before getting pregnant are largely OK to continue at the same level during pregnancy, with modifications (lay off aggressive ab exercises that could cause diastasis recti (ab separation) e.g., sit ups, crunches).
• Don't overheat as this could harm baby.  You should be able to carry on a conversation while working out.
• Keep hydrated!

xoxo

Failure to Pee, and Where is My Uterus?

Over a week ago, into Week 14, something strange happened. I went to pee, but my trudge to the bathroom was rewarded by a mere dribble. I still felt my bladder was full, but nothing else appeared.

With a preexisting medical condition that I've lived with for 13 years, and one that involves kidneys, peeing and urine dipsticks, I immediately got worried. What if my kidneys were acting up?

But the dipstick showed no protein in my urine.

I pushed down on my lower abdomen, feeling for where my bladder would be. Instead, my fingers encountered a hard lump the size of an orange, just above my pubic bone. I was 100% sure that was never there before. Now that got me really concerned. I prodded it. I pushed down hard on it. Was this my bladder - full, and hard? I read that failure of the bladder to empty can result in urinary tract infections and even spread to the kidneys.

Worse - was this some sort of tumor?? (You can see I have hypochondriac tendencies).

Guess what. That hard lump was actually Peanut.

Where is my uterus?
I feel a little embarrassed to be admitting this, but I thought Peanut was located somewhere near my belly button. Actually, the uterus starts way low in the abdomen, and only begins to rise out above the pubic bone around Week 14.

So all this while I was cradling my growing belly thinking that's where Peanut was, and I was actually cradling my small intestines. :p

In the coming weeks though, the uterus should continue to rise until it reaches my belly button and beyond. In fact fundal height, which is measured from the top of the pubic bone to the top of the uterus, is used to quite accurately indicate fetal growth.

Back to Pee Problems
Towards the end of Week 14, Peanut was more noticeably peeking out of the top of my pubic bone. And with that, I guess the pressure on my bladder or urethra or such, eased. Now I pee just fine. (Thought you might like to know :)).

Breaking Baby News to Family

Courtney

After Pa & Ma, we decided to tell Courtney that she was going to be a big sister. It was no easy task getting the chance to do that. Courtney has a crazy busy social life, and often misses her weekends with us due to parties, sleepovers and such.

Fortunately we managed to lure her over for the weekend with the promise of Breaking Dawn and Olive Garden. :)

At home, in the evening, we sat her down. Spencer started the process. 

Spencer:   Can you keep a secret?

Courtney: Immediately looks suspicious

Spencer:   Well, can you?

Courtney: Erm. Yeah.

Spencer:   Ok. Well... you're going to be a big sister. Grace is pregnant.

Courtney: Hands over mouth, turns bright red

Grace:      Courtney, are you okay?

Courtney: Speechless

Anyway, I think that went pretty well hehe. We swore Courtney to secrecy until Thanksgiving lunch, which was when we planned to break the news to the Clarks. After recovering from her shock, Courtney quickly got down to helping us pick out baby names. :)

Popo and Kung Kung

The same weekend we had an appointment to meet Popo and Kung Kung on Skype. After a small technical glitch (ah technology), we got down to the business. Popo was happy to hear the news, cautioning me not to put on too much weight: "No wonder that day I noticed your face look fat". Yes Popo hehe. 

The Clarks

A few days later at the Clark Thanksgiving Meal (which we hosted this year), Spencer executed our plan to break the news to them. The plan was, before the prayer for the meal, to go around the table and have everyone say what they were thankful for, ending with Spencer's announcement, which went something like this:

"I would like to thank all of you for coming and spending Thanksgiving here with Grace and I. And I am thankful for the baby that is growing inside Grace."

And that was that. :p

Breaking the Baby news to Pa & Ma

Yesterday night Spencer and I sat down to Skype with Pa & Ma. I asked for the chat meet on the pretext of 'I miss you la'.

But of course, the REAL reason was because we wanted to tell them about Peanut. You see, many years ago, Pa & Ma promised that the only reason they would make that arduous 25+ hour journey from Malaysia to the US would be if we could manufacture a Baby for them. Time to make good on that promise!

Unfortunately, our planned strategy of breaking the news to them didn't work. (Spencer had predicted it wouldn't but I didn't believe him!)

The Strategy

We started by giving them a visual tour of our home and the current state of renovations. Then we told them that we would also be renovating the upstairs room for them to stay.

Me:  So, can you come visit us ah?

Pa:   Cannnn. When is a good time to come?

Me:  Middle of May (that's when Peanut is expected).

Pa:   Okay. 

Me:  (Wow this is going better than I thought!)

Pa:   Wait... Faith cannot miss school wor.

Me:  You and Mama come la. 

Pa:    Nobody to take care of Faith wor. 

Me:  Faith so big girl already. (ok, this is not going well after all hehe)

Pa:    We come later la. End of the year?

Me:   Noooo! Must come in May! And bring those herbal mixes!

Ma:   Hah? What herbal mixes? Why must be in May?

Me:   ....

Pa:   No la, end of the year better.

Me:   .... (aaaaargh!)

Ma:  So..... when you going to make a baby hah? We will visit you when you got baby la. We bring herbs and all that.

Me:   ...

Ma:   When ah?

Me:  In May la. You come in May. 

Spencer:   We got baby la. (So there, we told them. Not in the smoothest way. But yeah, we told them).

Ma:  You faster make baby la.

Me:  ?????   ... Got already la! 

Pa & Ma:  ....

Me:  Wait, I show you my belly. (I showed them my belly)

Pa:  Got nothing also. 

Spencer & I:  ....  (don't know what to say already).

Ma:  I don't believe!

Sigh!!! At that point, our carefully thought out and genius strategy of breaking the baby news to my parents had totally disintegrated, and Spencer and I were scrambling to find proof that Peanut wasn't made up. So we showed them this:

After that, Ma & Pa got it hehe.

Now, how should we break the news to the rest of the family? 

Genetic test results - Out of the Woods!

Three weeks since my last post! I blame all-day sickness for my lack of motivation to do anything but sit around all day.

The test for Downs and Trisomy 13 came out NEGATIVE. I was told that the ratio was 1:935 for Downs, which is excellent. What a load off my chest! Now to figure out how to break the news to the family...

Below is the ultrasound at 11 weeks, taken last week. I was told that peanut was cooperative. The technician managed to get the nuchal measurements within five minutes. Apparently sometimes it could take an hour to persuade the baby into the right position. All the tech had to do was push (kinda hard) on the right side of my belly - I was told that that shifted the amniotic fluid and annoyed peanut just enough to turn its head away.

My feelings when I saw peanut emerge on that screen were indescribable. For most part I felt incredulous, like, is that for real, that is growing inside me, like, right now? Peanut's arms were flailing about in a very passable butterfly swim stroke, and legs were doing frenetic air-cycling motions. The fella is going to be a Triathlete for sure.

I couldn't stop grinning. I wish Spencer coulda been there though.