My precious bab-bee

The 2nd Coming

2009-04-12T08:58:00.000-07:00

Well, the 1st is now almost 3 yrs old. The 2nd is on the way and due to arrive naturally on the birthday of the 1st. What an amazing coincidence!!! We did'nt plan it at all. Just not in our spontaneous nature to devise such a plan.

Currently, worried about how the 1st will react to the 2nd. Will he be jealous? Or will he be magnanimous about the diverted attention? How will we handle the 1st during delivery? Who can we send him to? He's such a special boy and very attached to his parents, especially his mommy.

Am anticipating the best while being both happy and anxious, excited and worried...

Baby Videos May Hinder Language Development, Says Recent Study

2007-10-09T01:28:00.000-07:00

Here are articles on a recent study by University of Washington, USA which indicates that baby videos like "Baby Einstein" and "Brainy Baby" can hinder language development in babies/toddlers below 17 months of age.

Baby DVDs, videos may hinder, not help, infants' language development -
http://uwnews.org/article.asp?Search=baby+einstein&articleid=35898

Baby Brain Drain? According to a new study, popular infant educational
DVDs like ‘Baby Einstein’ and ‘Brainy Baby’ may actually slow language
development rather than enhance it. -
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20167189/site/newsweek/page/0/

Baby Einsteins: Not So Smart After All -
http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1650352,00.html

He crawls unusually

2007-05-28T21:29:00.000-07:00

Here's Hahn's unique "crawling" method. He shuffles on his butt. He crawls on his tummy too but his butt shuffle is much cuter and funny too.

Let's pray for him.

2006-11-26T18:33:00.000-08:00

As we go about our daily chores on this Monday morning, there's a 13-month old boy by the name of Divyesh lying on the operation table of Universiti Hospital in KL undergoing major surgery to remove a brain tumor which has grown to half the size of his brain. The surgery started at 10am and is expected to take more than 10 hours.

Outside the operation theatre, his worried parents, maternal and paternal grandparents, and uncle anxiously await him. They all want him to be well again. They all want him back to his active self again.

His mother have asked that we pray for a successful operation and that he comes back to her as himself again.

Let's all pray for him.

"Thank You!" - from our hearts

2006-07-23T22:43:00.000-07:00

To our loving parents, caring relatives, wonderful friends, great colleagues and kind neighbours,

My wife, our newborn son, Hahn and I would like to say a sincere and heartfelt thank you for the generous support, help, advise, visits, gifts and, last but not least, well wishes from each and everyone of you.

We could not have gone through the challenging and life-changing last 6 weeks without all of you.

Kudos and thank you!

A dream came true

2006-06-20T00:06:00.000-07:00

Having going through the 9 months without much pain and difficulties, the final 10 hours were pretty much the most excruciating moment of mummy's life. First 5 hours passed by slowly with irregular contractions, the next 5 hours (which felt like eternity) full of dramas and heavy groanings and shoutings from mummy. A fren of us, who is a doctor in University Hospital once said, you can identify the race of the mother based on the shouting in the labour room. Malay has the highest pain tolerance, Chinese a step behind, and guess what, the lowest pain tolerance champion belongs to Indian!!! So, next time, if you pass by a labour ward, you can test out this theory yourselves. Based on mummy's shouting and groaning, probably mummy belongs to the later catergory!!!! Hehehehehe.

Back to mummy's labour, 3 minutes apart, and every contractions lasted for more than one minutes. From 5am to 8am, nothing much to do except kept using the breathing techniques to manage the contraction pain. At abt 8 sumthing, Mummy really felt like pushing baby Hahn out, but sister Lee said not the right time yet. She checked mummy's cervic opening, still abt 8cm. "Keep on breathing, you are doing very well!!!!", words of encouragement from sister Lee. Daddy was by mummy side all the time, mummy's ever faithful companion. Honestly speaking, without daddy by mummy's side, mummy dont think mummy can brave through the whole labour process. Thanks Daddy!!!!

At abt 9am, sister Lee checked the cervic opening again, oredi 9.5 cm!!!! "Now you can try to push when contractions come, call me in when your waterbag burst". Thank God!!!! Mummy is allowed to push!!!! The next push broke my water bag straight away. Mummy was shouting "Waterbag burst!!! Waterbag burst!!! Call missi!!!" Somehow all the pains have disappeared just like that after the water bag burst. Now is the moment of truth to bring baby Hahn out to the world.

The next 1.5 hours was purely pushing and pushing. At each push, can see the head was crowning, but when mummy let go, the head went back in, according to granny which was there to witness it. At the end of the hour, mummy already did not have much strength left. Dr Wong has then suggested to used suction to facilitate the birthing process. The longer we wait, the baby might go into distress. Daddy and mummy agreed. Dr Wong get himself ready for the moment, putting on his apron and Phua Chu Kang boots. One glance, he really looked like a fishmonger. The suction was placed on the head of baby Hahn. "Push as hard as you can on the next contraction!!!!" Here we go!!!, First push!!!!! Aaaaaaaahhhhh!!!!!! The whole head came out!!!! It was truly amazing seeing the baby head at the vaginal opening, according to daddy. Second push!!!!! Aaaaaaahhhhhh!!!!! The whole body came out!!!! And the 3rd push basically complete the whole moment!!!! Baby Hahn was born at 10:36am on 10 June 2006, definitely a World Cup baby. No words can describe the feeling of joy and fulfillment seeing baby Hahn for the first time. Not to be forgotten, kudos to Dr Wong, our gynae and Sister Lee and Sister Chitra for the great support and help in realizing our dream of experiencing a drug-free labour. No epidural, no pethidine, no etonox!!!! Yeah!!!

Proud parent of baby Hahn

Baby Hahn soundly asleep

Confused look of baby Hahn

He was coming!

2006-06-16T23:18:00.000-07:00

The most important food for confinement.

Although it was expected, it was still very much unexpected.

It started with "show", a bright pinkish patch of blood the size of our 50 sen coin. We just enjoyed the first half of the first match of World Cup 2006, the one where Germany beat Costa Rica 2 - 0. Mommy wanted to go to bed but discovered "show" on her panties after a bathroom visit. Then the contractions came. Irregular and irratic at first.

10 minutes apart... 15 minutes apart... 5 minutes apart... 15 minutes apart...

As our doc have said, contractions are an unmistakable feeling. None which mommy have ever experienced before. The time was about 12.45am.

Mommy was a bit restless and could not go to sleep. Doc advised to go to the hospital when contractions are about 15 minutes apart, but a knowledgeable friend told us not to hurry and only go when they are 5 minutes apart. Spend as much time as is safe in the comforts of your own home. Once in the hospital, their clock will start, and you might be pressured and rushed into ARM (artificial rupture of membranes) and other birth induction methods when mother and baby is not quite ready.

Our friend is a proponent of hypno-birthing (or here and here), a movement that promotes the use of meditation and self-hypnosis to empower women to give birth naturally without any medical intervention (analgesics like pethidine and pitocin via epidural or injection), unless necessary, and to give birth in a mind-state and environment of peace and calm. She told us she have a mother who was out shopping even with contractions coming every 5 minutes. More about analgesia here.

Calm and peace is a birthing mother's good companions. Fear and panic can easily lead to maternal and fetal distress, and hence a caesarean.

Daddy did some last minute packing while mommy started reading "What to Expect When You Are Expecting". Both our hearts were beating faster. Daddy kept asking mommy if she's alrite. Mommy is a tough cookie and told daddy to sleep and she will wake him when it's time. Even granny was excited and got up to boil red dates water. Mommy rested on the couch and experienced her contractions without distractions.

It was about 5am when we reached our birth-site or hospital. Daddy drove with extra caution. Granny keeping a watchful eye from behind. Mommy was in her birthing zone in the front.

Mommy & granny went straight up to the delivery ward via entrance at the Emergency ward.

Once there, her cervix dilation was checked. 6 cm already! Then she was strapped with the EFM (electronic fetal monitoring) listening device. Fetal heart rate in the CTG (cardiotocography) seems stable to us but the nurse insisted that mommy remain strapped since our baby's heartbeat is a bit lower than they expected. Base line of 110.

Her contractions were coming fast and furious, 3 minutes or less.

To be continued...

Due but not quite yet...

2006-06-04T19:04:00.000-07:00

Today is Baby Hahn's estimated due date! But looks like he's not going to show up as expected. Think he's more interested in making a more grand belated entrance into the world (like the father who's always a little late). However, there are signs that mom will be going into labor very soon. Over the weekend, she felt some kind of muscle pull around her loins and it's happening more often. However, it's not the regular contraction (1 contraction every 15 minutes or closer) one looks for as a sign to go to the hospital.

She's starting to feel an uncomfortable muscle pull around her left hip and buttocks area which travels to her thigh and calf. This could be due to the baby pressing against the lumbar region of her spine and the many leg nerves there.

She's also starting to have more vaginal discharge that is clear and odorless. However, it's still too little and inconsistent to imply that her waterbag has "broken". Anyways, we will be seeing our doc this evening, unless birth starts before that :D, and hoping for him to give us a clearer picture of the above signs.

About syntometrine, which we talked about here, our doc told us that it helps to reduce heavy bleeding (major uterine haemorrhage) in about 2% of deliveries. He mentioned that major haemorrhage occurs in about 6-7% of deliveries and with syntometrine, it's about 5%. By the way, we have decided to forgo the syntometrine injection unless there are signs that bleeding is more than it should be.

Birth Is NOT An Illness... So Don't Treat It As Such.

2006-05-16T19:39:00.000-07:00

This morning my wife found an Australian website, bellybelly.com.au offering many good articles and information on conception, pregnancy, birth, post-natal, relationships, and even grandparents. There's even articles about the roles of the father or male partner during and after delivery.

Among the articles which struck me was "16 Recommendations for Birth from the World Health Organisation" which is shown in its entirety below.

BIRTH IS NOT AN ILLNESS – Fortelesa Declaration
Recommendations from the World Health Organization 1985

These recommendations are taken from a report on Appropriate Technology for Birth published by the World Health Organization in April 1985 and are known as the ‘Fortelesa Declaration’.

The recommendations are based on the principle that each woman has a fundamental right to receive proper prenatal care; that the woman has a central role in all aspects of this care, including participation in the planning, carrying out, and evaluation of the care; and that social, emotional and psychological factors are decisive in the understanding and implementation of proper prenatal care. They are:

1. The whole community should be informed about the various procedures in birth care, to enable each woman to choose the type of birth care she prefers.

2. The training of professional midwives or birth attendants should be promoted. Care during normal pregnancy and birth, and following birth should be the duty of this profession.

3. Information about birth practices in hospitals (rates of caesarean section etc.) should be given to the public served by the hospital.

4. There is no justification in any specific geographic region to have more than 10-15% caesarean section births.

5. There is no evidence that a caesarean section is required after a previous transverse low segment caesarean section birth. Vaginal deliveries after caesarean should normally be encouraged wherever emergency surgical capacity is available.

6. There is no evidence that routine fetal monitoring during labour has a positive effect on the outcome of pregnancy.

7. There is no evidence for pubic shaving or pre-delivery enema.

8. Pregnant women should not be put in a lithotomy position during labour or delivery. They should be encouraged to walk during labour and each woman must freely decide which position to adopt during delivery.

9. The systematic use of episiotomy is not justified.

10. Birth should not be induced for convenience, and the induction of labour should be reserved for specific medical indications. No geographic region should have rates of induced labour over 10%.

11. The routine administration of analgesic or anaesthetic drugs that are not specifically required to correct or prevent a complication in delivery should be avoided.

12. Artificial early rupture of the membranes, as a routine process, is not scientifically justified.

13. The healthy newborn must remain with the mother, wherever both their conditions permit it. No process of observation of the healthy newborn justifies a separation from the mother.

14. The immediate beginning of breastfeeding should be promoted, even before the mother leaves the delivery room.

15. Obstetric care services that have critical attitudes towards technology, and that have adopted an attitude of respect for the emotional, psychological and social aspects of birth should be identified. Such services should be encouraged and the processes that have led them to their position must be studied so that they can be used as models to foster similar attitudes in other centres and to influence obstetrical views nation wide.

16. Governments should consider developing regulations to permit the use of new birth technology only after adequate evaluation.

The number of Caesarean births (selective or necessary) among Malaysians seems to be on the rise. Somehow, these days, women, parents and obstetricians seem to have forgotten that giving birth is not something to be feared and treated like surgery, but it is what Mother Nature intended women to do. Women are bestowed with the biology to give birth naturally, and not just as a carrier for their child and leaving the birthing process to medical science and practitioners.

It also seems that current generation of mothers have failed to empower their daughters about their capabilities to give birth to new life. Birth, like any other great accomplishments in life, should be an empowering process.

38 weeks and counting...

2006-05-15T20:16:00.000-07:00

Last nite we heard our baby's heartbeat at our gynae. His heartbeat was strong and regular. In fact, it sounded quite amazing, like a big drum beaten to the rhythm of life at 120 beats per minute (twice that of a resting adult).

Sexy kah? Introducing PlayMom, female mag for the expectant father. ;-)

Talked to our gynae about syntometrine, a drug injected into the mother immediately after delivery of the baby to hasten the contraction of the uterus, thus preventing excessive blood loss through the uterus walls, or what is medically known as uterine haemorrhage. We read an article that linked, but without any statistical evidence, syntometrine to what is known as the "3-month colic" condition in newborn babies.

According to this report, major haemorrhage, where blood loss is over 1000ml, occurs in 1-6% of deliveries in the UK. Uterine haemorrhage is the commonest cause of maternal morbidity and mortality worldwide. Our doc said that when it occurs, the mother could die within 10-15 minutes after the baby is delivered.

Mont Baby Hahn, about to erupt?

Our doctor pointed out that the benefits of using syntometrine much outweights the implied risk of colic to our baby. Also, there can be other causes of colic in newborn babies. We have yet to decide on this but we do feel that our doc is right, and like lots of decisions in life, we have to weight the benefits over the risks.

And like most expectant parents, we want our baby and mommy to be as safe as possible.

Baby Hahn (inside tummy) and Homer (on top of tummy).

Kindly share on this by leaving your comments here. Thanks.

Pictures from the womb...

2006-03-30T02:53:00.000-08:00

Thanks to advances in computing and ultrasound technology, we can now take pictures of babies while they are still in their mother's womb.

So, everyone, say Hi to Baby Deng!

This is the usual 2D ultrasound image.

This is the newer 3D ultrasound image.

Here's one giving us a glimpse of how Baby Deng will look like. Isn't he handsome like his father?? Hahaha!

Sex Education

2006-02-09T18:46:00.000-08:00

It was during the thorough ultrasound scan. Our gynae measured the physical aspects of our baby. Head diameter, thigh bone length, arm bone length, brain size, lungs, all fingers accounted for and suddenly (gasp)...

there it was on the monitor! An appendage between little thighs. If it wasn't there, it would have meant otherwise. However, our gynae was confident. He used the trackball of the scanner to point to it, them drew a short line from it, and then labelled it "XY".

What's "XY"? Girl, boy or oh-oh?!?

Well, abnormalities aside, in human and mammals genetics a pair of two chromosomes, "X" & "Y" determine the sex of offsprings i.e. male or female. Males have a combination of both chromosome types or "XY", while females have two of the same type or "XX".

So, now we know. And so do you.

It's a B-O-Y!

We can now start looking for all tiny cute blue-colored things for our baby...

And lest not forget, a proper label, a name for our son!

Merry Christmas Little One

2005-12-21T18:46:00.000-08:00

Dearest Bab-bee, both your mom-mee and dad-dee would like to wish you a Merry Merry Christmas! For this Christmas, we will be taking you to Singapore to meet your uncle and aunty and cousins. We hope you enjoy this trip and if it gets too noisy, cramped or crowded for you, just let mom-mee & dad-dee know and we'll take a rest from the maddening crowd.

Merry Christmas to you! Soon it'll be a whole new year...

1st hurdle completed!

2005-11-28T19:26:00.000-08:00

Last Friday, we went for our 2nd checkup at gynae. The appointment supposed to be on Monday 6pm, i was already making all the arrangements to work from home when Jothi called me at 5:30pm, saying that Doc Wong still stuck in OT. He actually had 3 operations that day and when she called me, he hasnt finish with the 2nd operation. One of them actually a cancer patient. Hope everything went well for the 3 patients. Well, no choice but to make way for the operations. My checkup was then postponed to Friday 4:00pm.

I was bit anxious going for this checkup up, as this marked the end of my 1st trimester. Things didnt go so well emotionally for the past few weeks, so i was kinda worried if it affected the bab-bee. Friday's morning itself, i wasnt feeling to well, bit nausea and dizzy, probably due to lack of sleep. Took time off from work after lunch and straight headed to bed. Had quite good rest for 2 hours.

Now moment of truth. As usual, Doc Wong was asking usual questions on health, any changes during the past 1 month. I complained abt dizziness. According to Doc wong, it is pretty normal for pregnant mom to feel dizzy due to hormonal changes and also new diversion of blood to the fetus. Hence, less blood to the rest of the body and head. He advised to drink more water to increase the volume of blood flowing in the body. I lost about 0.5 kg, which is not to be worried. Going forward, I would need to increase my food intake, coz this is the time where the unbillical cord will be fully developed and baby will get direct nutrients from the mom. Gotta eat more good food, especially in the evening when I have the least appetite.

Now, my favourite time, looking at baby. Gosh!!! My heart just dropped when I looked at the screen. Bab-bee has really grown a lot, from 18 mm to 66.3 mm. Now can see the head is fully developed. Hopefully my daily intake of virgin olive oil helps in the brain development. Can see the heart beat. Cant really see the legs and hands as I guess they are not developed fully yet. Doc Wong said bab-bee wriggles a lot; hope it is not an alarming sign. Bab-bee is healthy and normal. Size is good for 12 weeks old. More baba-nam and keva-lam for you, bab-bee.

Phew!!! There goes my 1st trimester which surprisigly quite a breeze through for me. No nausea, morning sickness or vomitting. Bab-bee must be very 'kwai', not giving hard time to mommy. :-)

Luff you bab-bee!!!

Prince or Princess??

2005-11-10T01:19:00.000-08:00

Saw this from BabyCenter on how ancient ppl found out if the baby is a boy or gal. Pretty interesting read. To me, prince or princess, doesnt really matter. Equally happy for either one. ~L~

There are plently of myths about how to tell whether you are pregnant with a boy or a girl. Here are some of the most popular, gathered from around the world — and remember, they've all got a 50 per cent chance of being right!

You're more likely to be carrying a boy if...

• Your baby's heartbeat is lower than 140 beats per minute

• you're carrying all out front

• you're carrying low

• you're blooming in pregnancy

• you didn't suffer from morning sickness in your first trimester

• your right breast is bigger than your left

• you look at yourself in the mirror for at least a minute and your pupils dilate

• you crave salty food or protein, such as cheese and meat

• your feet become cold more quickly than before you were pregnant

• you tie your wedding ring to some thread, hang it over your stomach and it moves in circles

• your skin becomes dry

• you combine your age at the time of conception with the number of the month you conceived and the resulting number is even

• your hair has become more full-bodied and shiny during pregnancy

• the hair on your legs has been growing faster during pregnancy

• you are more prone to headaches

• your pillow faces north when you sleep

• you're asked to show your hands and you present them palms down

• you lie on your left side when sleeping

• your urine is bright yellow

• you were the more aggressive partner during love-making when you conceived

• you eat a clove of garlic and the smell seeps out of your pores

• your previous child's first word was "dada".

You're more likely to be having a girl if…

• Your baby's heartbeat is faster than 140 beats per minute

• you're carrying all round

• you're carrying high

• you've missed the "blooming" period altogether

• you suffered morning sickness during your first twelve weeks

• your left breast is bigger than your right

• you look at yourself in the mirror for at least a minute, but your pupils don't dilate

• you crave sweet things, such as juice, fruit and sweets

• you tie your wedding ring to some thread, hang it over your stomach and it swings from side to side

• your skin is soft

• you are more moody than usual

• you're asked to show your hands and you present them palms up

• you were the less aggressive partner during love-making when you conceived

• you eat a clove of garlic, but you don't smell of it

• you combine your age at the time of conception with the number of the month you conceived and the resulting number is odd

• your hair has become thinner and dull during pregnancy

• you lie on your right side when sleeping

• your pillow faces south when you sleep

• your urine is dull yellow

• your previous child's first word was "mama".

My first gynae visit

2005-10-25T23:40:00.000-07:00

I was not able to sleep well the nite before due to anxiety, i think. Woke up few times in the middle of the nite. My mind was hovering at all directions thinking abt the outcome of my first gynae visit. Of course, the worst came to my mind. I was not able to concentrate on work either. Finally, the clock in the office struck 4:30pm. Time to make a move. I was driving quite fast from Cyberjaya all the way to Puchong toll. Imagine, it took abt 18 mins only in my small-small beloved Kancil. Reached up right on the dot to see dear and mom waiting at the doorstep. Being very familiar with the way, we reached the clinic 5 minutes before time.

It was a nice cosy clinic, first impression very good. Got myself registered and my weight and height measured, nurse told us that we need to wait. I drank abt 500ml of water right b4 i left office, so, god knows how full was my bladder 1 hour later. The nurse mentioned to have my bladder full so we can see clearer on the scanner. But this time, it was beyond full, a single movement, i think.... habis.... kencing will start dripping. I cannot tahan anymore, headed straight to the ladies. I think I spent abt 5 minutes in the toilet, so much water!!!! Gosh!!!!

Luckily the doc was still engaged with another patient, giving me some time to refill my bladder. Here I go again, another 500ml of water. 20 mins later, it was my turn already. God knows, how fast my heart beat the moment I entered the doc's office. The first question the doc asked me, "So, what are you here for?". I found the question kinda amusing, and i cheekily replied, "i'm pregnant". "obviously, if not you want have your whole family here", the doc then jokingly replied.

The rest of the hour went on quite smoothly. Doc was asking the standard questions. Based on my previous period, I could be between 8-10 weeks pregnant. Wow!!! that's long..... 2/3 of the first trimester, and i wasnt even aware of it. Hope I didnt do anything that might hurt bab-bee at that time. Then, the moment of truth, the ultrascan. It was the moment when I first saw the heart beat of bab-bee. Boy!!!! I'm really becoming a mom!!! there is a precious life inside me!!!!! The baby length was abt 1.52cm and estimated already 8 weeks inside my womb. Bab-bee's heartbeat is normal, and everything is normal. Too bad, we didnt bring our camera which just got repaired few days back. If not, we could have captured our very first ultrasound scan.

So, everything went on smoothly. Doc went on to advise on the food intake, exercise, the no-nos during pregnancy. Coming out of the clinic, I really felt a different person altogether as if I'm starting a new life. Yah, a new life and sould inside me.

What not to be eaten during pregnancy

2005-10-20T01:25:00.000-07:00

1. Santan
2. Pulut
3. Onion
4. Cabbages
5. Kangkong
6. Watermelon
7. Nangka
8. Coffee & Tea
9. Bean spout
10 Red Bean

Just had pulut for breakfast and nasi lemak for lunch. Aiyo, habis!!!
Fotokem just called, my camera is ready, they fixed the CCD problem already. Cool!!! Can add some pixs to the blog.

Quite a big huh-hah in the office today on Endon's demise. The immediate response from almost everyone is "Tomorrow holiday ah???". I feel kinda insensitive of them, here we have Pak Lah and the rest of nation mourning on her demise, here we have ppl concerns on getting a public holiday. worse still, receive an email on Pak Lah declaring public holiday on Monday, which seems to be a hoax. How can ppl fool around with such thing? Dont they have any compassion and sensitivity? Malaysian being malaysian!!!!

Top 10 signs of Pregnancy

2005-10-16T23:25:00.000-07:00

Thought it would be useful to share the top 10 signs of pregnancy which available at BabyCentre.

1. Food cravings: Sure it's a cliché, butfood cravings sometimes can be a sign of pregnancy. Don't rely on them as a sure symptom (it may be all in your head, or even a sign that your body is low on a particular nutrient), but if cravings are accompanied by some of the other symptoms on this list, start counting the days from your last period. (NA AH)

2. Darkening of your areolas: If the skin around your nipples gets darker, you may have successfully conceived, though this may also signal a hormonal imbalance unrelated to pregnancy or be a leftover effect from a previous pregnancy. (BINGO)

3. Implantation bleeding or cramping: About eight days after ovulation, you may experience implantation spotting a slight staining of a pink or brown colour, as well as some cramping. You might also see some spotting around the time you expect your period; this is caused by the egg burrowing into the endometrial lining. (BINGO)

4. Frequent urination: Once the embryo implants and begins producing the hormone human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), you may find yourself gong to bathroom more often. (MAYBE)

5. Fatigue: Feeling tired? No, make that exhausted. High levels of the hormone progesterone can make you feel as if you've run a marathon when all you've done is put in a day at the office. Fatigue is a hallmark of early pregnancy, though probably not a surefire symptom on its own. (BINGO, I sleep so much more lately)

6. Tender, swollen breasts: If you're pregnant, your breasts will probably become increasingly tender to the touch, similar to the way they feel before your period, only more so. Once your body grows accustomed to the hormone surge, the pain will subside. (BINGO)

7. Morning sickness: If you're lucky, morning sickness won't hit you until a few weeks after conception. (A lucky few escape it altogether.) But as early as a couple of days following conception, you may begin feeling nauseated and queasy. And not just in the morning, either — pregnancy-related nausea can be a problem morning, noon, or night. You may also notice that your sense of taste changes. Some women say they have a metallic taste in their mouth, others that they cannot stand the taste of coffee, tea, or a food they usually like. (NA AH)

8. Your basal body temperature stays high: If you've been charting your basal body temperature and you see that your temperature has stayed above the coverline for 18 days in a row, you're probably pregnant. (BINGO, my dear said my body are warmer nowadays)

9. A missed period: If you're usually pretty regular and your period is late, it's worth trying a pregnancy test. A missed period is the surest sign of pregnancy in a woman of childbearing age who usually has regular periods. (BINGO, but my menses was always not regular)

And finally ...

10. A positive home pregnancy test: If you've waited to test until at least the first day of a missed period and a blue line appears in the test window, you're most likely in the family way. Make an appointment with your doctor to confirm the good news, and head on over to our pregnancy. Congratulations! (BIG BIG BINGO)

My first pregnancy test ---> POSITIVE

2005-10-16T23:05:00.000-07:00

For the past few weeks, I noticed there were some difference with my body. My breast felt fuller, my nipple (or what they call areola) seems to be darker than usual and I experienced unusual vaginal discharge during my flight to Penang last Monday. At first, I thought it was my menses, but it was not.
Then my dear actually went to babycenter.co.uk to check and told me that I have 5 of the 10 pregnancy signs described on that site. Oh My god!!! Am I pregnant???
Moment of truth, I finally tested it using the pregnancy test kit that my dear bought quite some time ago. I was dumbfounded when I saw the results. 1 line = not pregnant. 2 lines = pregnant. The 2 lines appeared within minutes. Dear was also quite surprised.
Still not so sure, I asked dear to purchase another brand of pregnancy test kit . The earlier one was Sure & Easy. The next one was Clear Blue, the so-called trusted brand. Again the test was positive.
Well, this marks a new beginning of my life. All I ever wanted, is slowly coming to me. :-). My first appointment with gynae will be next Monday. Pray for the best. Meanwhile, must really take good care of myself physically and emotionally.