It's time!

I woke up and contractions were 5 minutes apart. It's time!  It is really happening!  No...there are no pains just tightening of my belly.  Anyway...the King was out in the living room on the computer..I told him that my contractions  are 5 minutes apart and to wake the kids up while I get ready and take a shower.  Before leaving home, I asked the King to give me a blessing.   As King proceeds to say the prayer, Warrior 3 starts to say the prayer.  =)  Too cute.   Anyway, we left home at 1:30 am.  Dropped the kids off at Aunty Amie's house.  Thanks so much Aunty Amie for everything!  We get to the hospital safely.  We were admitted around 2:30 am.  I weighed in at 139.5 lbs.

The room was all set for delivery.  They thought I was ready to deliver when we got there.  Well, I guess that's because during my checkups... I kept warning the doctors that my labors with my other pregnancies were quick.  I guess I jinxed it.  Anyway,  I'm jotting down my contractions in my journal.  I'm being monitored.  My contractions are about 3 minutes apart but no pain.    After 30 minutes..I was allowed to walk around to speed up my labor.  I walked briskly up and down the perimeter of the birthing center.   Nothing painful was happening.  SO,  all I could do was to keep on walking.  The nurses were like.."You are walking too fast."  "You don't look in pain."   

After 30 minutes I was required to go back in the room and be monitored.  bleh.  It was kind of cool though to hear Warrior 4's  heartbeat.  I tried to nap as I was being monitored.  I kept telling myself to relax and visualize Warrior 4 descending down the birth canal.   Well, this cycle of  walking 30 minutes to 1 hour: back in the room to be monitored seemed forever!  I told the King to rest so he can have energy when the time comes.

  As you can see...5:30 am and still nothing was happening.  I kept telling the King to rest everytime he woke up to see if "something" was happening.  Nope!  nothing!  Zero!   So, since the King was up...I had asked him to take a picture.  I know...I should've asked him to take more.  Maybe if our Princess was with us..I would have a lot more shots.  =)  A variety of them.
I look sooper humangous in this picture.   Duh!  Because I am.  The hospital gowns didn't help accentuate my  sexy figure.  Ha ha ha.  I look so BLAH!  I didn't bring my makeup stuff like was suggested in one of the pregnancy sites.  Not even the basics (eye liner, lip liner and lip gloss).  =).  Nada!

Here is the King!  He is sleep deprived.  Such a good sport.    Go to bed I said!

36 weeks Today

Well, I finally got a stroller and car seat for Warrior 4.  It was used but still looked new.  I found it on craigslist.  =)  A hundred for both.  I think that's a steal!    Anyway, I feel more at ease now that we actually have a car seat for Warrior 4.  Otherwise we can't take him home from the hospital.  

Twenty two days after the "BEBE" shower and still people are apologizing that they were not able to make it at the shower and that they have stuff for me and baby!  One of them, a talented photographer in my ward,  Natalie Norton  offered to take  pictures of Warrior 4.  I can't say no to that!  Shoot Balut!   Another Aunty offered to buy Warrior 4  diapers and so forth.    Amazing!  I feel  special and loved!

Anyway,  the grounding pull to the earth's center is not very pleasant at times.  Gravity is not my best of friend right now.  It's painful to get up.  Waddle Waddle Quack Quack.  ugh!  I'm not complaining.  I'm just saying!  =)  Oh, the MANY joys and discomfort of being able to bring a life to this world.    I am just amaze how the body works.   How can anyone say that there is no God.  There is a God.   He lives.  He created you and me in His own image.  Okay, that went off to a different tangent.  

Anyway, back to being uncomfortable. Using my foot to close the drawer in the fridge feels difficult to do.  Why?  Because it's not cool to bend down, squat and use my hands.  Besides, it doesn't look pretty!  =)   Do you know how uncomfortable it feels especially when that drawer is full of fruits?  It feels like a bowling ball is  attached to my inner thighs that my legs and my crotch feels strained.  Hellow!  Coconut tree!  Oh, not to mention another bowling ball hanging or sitting in my lower abdomen and pelvic area!     I'm hanging in there.  Just 4 more weeks left.  I just keep praying that Warrior 4 is healthy.

I also pray for the King.  This week he looked and still looks miserable.  He is in pain again.  Well, he is always in pain but this week ....he looked like he was the one in labor.  For a couple of days now...his contractions (are all over his body) are getting stronger from the amount of grunts and discomfort pasted on his face.   He is not the one to complain but he is in pain.   I hope that he will feel better by the time I go into labor.    He needs to sleep  earlier too.  This King of mine ...he can stay up until 4 in the morning and then wake up and go to work.  I don't know how he does it but he makes me nervous when he goes to work knowing he didn't get much sleep.   Well, because he drives and climbs poles...that's why.

Hey, my feet look normal today.  NO swelling!  Except the areas where a FLEA  or FLEAS bit me yesterday.    It's super itchy!  I want to scratch but I know they will get worse and welt up.  ugh!  I hate fleas!  Who brought fleas in the house?  Who has been around dogs with fleas?  It is super itchy!  I am the only one who reacts like this with fleas.  Warrior 1 reacts like this with mosquito bites.  His bites will turn into water blisters.  Anyway,  I've blabbed away again.  

Until next time.

***How do you like my top?  I was feeling super bloated today so, I wore my skirt as a top.  =)  Super comfy!  Just had to wear a cardigan to cover my religion.

34 weeks and 5 days

Well, two weeks ago I weighed 133 lbs.  Today however... I weighed in and the scaled read...are you ready?  ONE HUNDRED THIRTY-EIGHT POINT EIGHT!!!  That's 138.8 lbs folks!  Talk about  heavy!    I was told over the weekend...that I was having a baby whale!  I guess that person is right on!  Dambohalang Balyena!  (Big Whale!) I gained over 5 pounds in just two weeks!  Hellurh!  I need self control! When April Vargus measured my belly she said that I was "a little big".  I wanted to know what she meant by a "little big" and so  I got the exact number.  I measured at 35.    She  also did a GBS CULTURE 

today.  

While waiting for April to check me out.  I couldn't believe my ankles!   I mean my eyes!  Where did my ankles go?  My feet look chubby and stubby.    Too much karing (stinky dried fish) and aramang (fermented shrimp paste) I bet.  I had that for lunch yesterday.     Oh, the things our bodies go through.   I can't even see a distinct medial malleolus.  (Hey, I still remember something from anatomy class).   At work today... I basically sit for 3 hours while the kids read to me and once in a while I would have to get up and grab a book from the counter behind me or to tap on another student.  

Anyway, today in particular...it hurt to get up.  My back and my pelvic area was sore.  I felt myself waddling like a big chub-a-lub-duckie.   My weight is too heavy for my body to handle.  My heels hurt when I walk...that I want to wear squishy shoes which I don't have.  In the middle of the night...my belly gets so hard it's painful to turn or even get up.  My skin is so stretched but glad that I haven't gotten new stretch marks yet.  The stretch marks from the previous pregnancies are serving their purpose and holding up.  (My mom..had 5 pregnancies and she never got one stretch mark.  Her belly is clean.  Stretch mark and scar free!)  I easily get winded and short of breath.  Exercise on a regular basis is impossible!  Some days I feel good.  Other days I just can't because once I start  picking up the pace...so does the contractions and sharp pains in the pelvic area.    Boy, I'm not trying to complain...I'm just saying.  I'm glad that my body is still able to carry a spirit waiting to be born.  I'm grateful for these experiences.  It teaches me to honor my body...it is humbling to ask my kids and hubby to do the things which I usually do.  It hurts to even squat down to bend and pick something off the floor.  I've never felt this before with my other pregnancies.   I'm not a super woman after all.  =)  ha ha.

 Anyway going back to my appointment,  I asked if she could tell me where Warrior 4's head is at and she was nice enough to get her little portable ultra sound machine and to my relief ....Warrior 4 is engaged!  His head is down.  His butt is more on my right side and his legs are more on my left side.   I hope he stays there.   

My next appointment is in two weeks. That's on the 28th of this month.  That would make me 36 weeks and 5 days!  After that..I will have to see the doctor every week.  We are hanging in there.  

We still need to get the big stuff for baby.  Hopefully next week.  =)

32 weeks and 5 days

I went to my check up today. I weighed in at 133 lbs. I was happy about that. Before my appointment I had to go and get my blood drawn at the hospital. The lab technician had steady hands...he only poked me a little bit and out came the blood. (This was the same technician that had to poke me twice and started drawing the blood when the needle was not even in the vein). I think I just made him nervous back then. This time around I kept my mouth shut and prayed for him to poke my vein the first try. It was a success.

Well, the sound doppler thing to listen for baby's heartbeat was not available but she had one of those handheld ultrasound monitor. We were able to see Warrior 4 and his heart beating. The doctor made me kind of worried when she mentioned that Warrior 4 is still BREACHED. Then C-SECTION was all that came to my mind. Hellow! She then tried to make me feel better by saying that she and Dr. Chapman helped another woman turn her baby at 38 weeks and that I still had plenty of time. "Don't scare me like that, Lady Doctor!"

She continued to say if I had decided on sterilization. I asked her about the new procedure called ESSURE and she said that it was pretty safe but suggested that I do the tubal ligation right after delivery since I'm already at the hospital and blah blah blah. I quickly responded "But I've NEVER HAD AN EPIDURAL!" She answered..."Oh, then it's not a good reason to just get one. (the epidural) Well, you still have time to decide what procedure you want done." That conversation ended right there.

My next appointment is in two weeks.

***The result of the blood test is okay. A little low compared to the last which was a little high. I don't know if that's accurate because I was talking to the receptionist. I have to double check and ask doctor on my next appointment.

"Hurry, Miss! Take the picture! I need to go pee!" =) Just a couple of goofy shots this week.

30 weeks and 5 days Check-up

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Well, I didn't cook anything green for my family today. I just reminded them to wear green! I asked them if they are sad that mommy didn't make anything green for them and they were like..."Fffff! Why would we?"

Anyway, I went to my 30 weeks check up today (30 weeks and 5 days) and I gained 6 pounds in 3 weeks. Too much sweets in my diet. I know. I really need to eat better. I fear that Warrior 4 is going to be a big baby and to my relief Dr. Chapman said that baby is about 4 and 1/2 lbs. right now. Fundal height is about 26-28 centimeters. That is good since the fundal height should closely match the number of weeks that I'm pregnant.

However..I need to do another blood test. Dr. Chapman said that when I took the GLUCOSE TOLERANCE TEST....I passed that...but because of the high count on the white blood cells April (the P.A.) suggested that I do a urine culture (suspecting that it was an infection) which I passed by the way. So, when I saw Dr. Chapman today she suggested that I do another blood test in 2 weeks. She said that the cells called METAMYELOCYTES (which were present in my previous blood test) are usually seen in patients with cancer. Helllurh! Can I just freak out right there? No, I was just calm. I figured ....I don't know for sure what it is yet so why stress right?

I will start seeing the doctor more often now. Every two weeks! yey!

Motherhood

Joy in the Journey

motherhood brings about a lot of changes

pregnancy happens

moods fluctuate

appetite grows

belly expands

stretch marks appear

discomforts  prevalent

but must carry on

gotta LOVE being pregnant even when it's not always pleasant

being a vessel to bring forth another life into this world

is a divine calling 

feeling what is inside as the fetus develops 

is  indeed a miracle

 life is formed

 a baby will be born

so find joy in the journey

of

MOTHERHOOD

Baby is strong.

My appointment went well. BMI is 23.4. I weighed in at 116.6 lbs. ( I think it's the scale.) Plus, I started out weighing 10 lbs. heavier. My first weigh in at 8 weeks is 117lbs. NGIII! TABACHOY! When I was pregnant with Warrior 3, I weighed 118 lbs at 24 weeks. With this pregnancy I am going on my 20th week and I already weigh 116+. I think we are okay. Anyway, Warrior 1,3 and Princess were with me and heard baby's heart beat. Baby is strong.

ULTRA SOUND RESULTS!

Princess and Warrior 1  comes home from school early.

Princess:  So,  are we having a boy or a girl?  

Me:  pointing to the ultrasound printout.  Here are the legs and what is between the legs?

Princess:  Huh!?  Are  you serious?

Warrior 1:   (smiles big)  another one!

3 hours later the rest of the Warriors come home.  I pointed to the printout once again...

Warrior 2:  Didn't look interested.   It doesn't matter what we are having.

Warrior 3:  Big toofless smiles!  

me:  What is between the legs?  Is that a  "tutoy" or a "peepit"?

Warrior 3:  that's a peehole!  

me:  what is that?

Warrior 3:  a tutoy.

 At first the Dr. couldn't tell what it was because the feet were in the crotch and from another angle the umbilical cord was blocking that area. Well, boy or girl..I am happy either way. As long as baby is healthy. =0




It's another BOY! =)

What should we name our baby now?     I don't know.

QUAD SCREEN RESULTS

 
The purpose of the quad screen is to measure the chance that baby has one of three birth defects: neural tube defects, Down syndrome, and trisomy 18.

I just got a call from the Dr. and my Quad Screen test results came in NORMAL.   =)

Dr. said we are doing good.   Glad we passed that test.  Grateful to Heavenly Father.

15 weeks and 3 days