How I survive the first trimester of pregnancy

I would like to share some of my first trimester woes and how I overcame them.

For the first time experiencing pregnancy, it was really difficult for me.

I have to talk about my morning sickness, which I swear to people around me that 1 child is all I am going to have if I have to go through it all over again.

We were trying to conceive, and were mentally prepared to have our very first child. So, when we found out that I was pregnant, I felt really good. Happy that a new phase in life is about to begin, as well as excited and nervous at the same time. I was basically high on euphoria. For that one week only.

At 6 weeks of pregnancy, my biggest fear came. I thought I would escape from having morning sickness, since my mum did not had it, and people who are/were pregnant around me did not experience it as well. And the term ‘morning sickness’ is definitely misleading, since I experienced ‘all-day sickness’ which gets worst at the end of the day. I feel awful 24/7, have a really poor appetite, and extreme fatigue/tiredness/lethargic.

To make things worst, I was having sore throat which led to high fever, and I took like 2 weeks to totally recover. The only comforting thing is the flexibility of my job arrangement, allowing me to skip work when I felt really crappy that day. I was prescribed anti-morning sickness pills, which did not help and made my stomach upset more. Furthermore, I worry about drugs intake during early pregnancy, since drugs can cause fetal deformities. Therefore, I can say that the most effective method for me was to sleep through my first trimester heehee. Every time I feel unwell, I sleep, luckily the surged pregnancy hormones have a sedative effect anyways.  I clocked in like 16 hours of sleep a day (how is that even possible), and when I am awake, I do things that do not require the brain. Since my appetite is poor, I drink more double-boiled soup, since they are high in nutrients and calories. And taking prenantal multi-vitamins daily is a must, drinking bird nest and chicken essence once a week. And being paranoid, I avoided eating the same food more than twice a week.

For other mummies-to-be out there, I think the first trimester is the time you can cut some slack, try to be as stress-free as possible, and ask for help (hubby, family) when needed. Do what your body feel good doing, and few weeks is actually faster than you think!

At 12 weeks pregnant, my morning sickness just miraculously went away (thank god!). And have been feeling great since! I think I can do it, I am gonna have 3 kids.

xoxo,

Tea and coffee suitable during pregnancy for that crave!

I am an avid coffee and tea fanatic. And it is something that I find most difficult to cut down during pregnancy. However, caffeine is not good for pregnancy, so, I resorted to looking for alternatives.

Why do we need to be wary about consuming caffeine during pregnancy?

-Caffeine can pass through the placenta to the fetus. It is a well-known fact that kids should not drink coffee, because it will make them jittery and cause insomnia. Imagine what it can do to a fetus.

– During pregnancy, the body is less efficient in metabolizing caffeine, which means a higher amount of caffeine in the body longer.

-Coffee/tea contains phenol, which affects iron absorption. Iron is one of the most important supplement needed for a healthy pregnancy.

When I read about the harmful effects of caffeine, I really freaked out. However, despite the harmful effects, as long as you keep overall consumption lower than the recommended 200mg a day, should be fine. But this also includes caffeine found in chocolate, and other beverages like coke, pepsi etc.

And our local tea and coffee (those from coffeeshop, Yakun etc) actually contains a higher amount of caffeine. This is because the quality of tea leaves and coffee beans they used are crude and not as refined.

So, here are the few drinks that I have been loving during pregnancy:

Caffeine-free teas

 

 

I use rooibos tea to replace the english breakfast/red teas that I love drinking.

And chamomile lavender has such a nice fragrance and calming effect. Mint tea is also calming and good for digestion.

Decaffeinated coffees

The one from Boncafe is pretty decent. The one from Nescafe is more acidic.

xoxo,

Pregnancy week 10: Breathlessness, emotional, poor vision, vaginal discharge

 

Still riding the emotional rollercoaster nowadays. I will sometimes feel sad for no reason, I think I’m having pregnancy blues:(. To make things worst, I find it difficult to breathe, especially at night. I think I am anemic and should start taking iron supplements soon. Increased blood is also flowing through me to meet my baby needs, so I believe that the feeling of breathlessness is my body adapting phase.

I also noticed that my vision is getting poor, maybe because sleep too much? Or my body refusal to work (my work requires alot of reading)?

I am getting alot of white mucus discharge (sorry if TMI haha), so have to wear panty liners now to avoid dirtying my undies. Have read online that it is normal. They don’t smell or anything, so it doesn’t really bother me.

xoxo,

How to get pregnant

Before we decided to have a baby, my hubby and I were living the ‘honeymoon life’ for the past six years. We would go for long and frequent holidays, sometimes impromptu. We enjoy clubbing, chilling at pubs, hanging out with friends and basically anything nightlife. We would go for random suppers and midnight movie dates, and really enjoyed our freedom together.

However, we have to make some changes to our lifestyle now that we plan to expand our lil’ family and enter the next phase of life 🙂

#1: Stop drinking alcohol and reduce caffeine

May not be a issue for most people, but i am both alcohol and caffeine dependent. I think is because of the stress from my studies/work. I do just civilised red wine drinking, but frequent. It helps me relax and sleep well at night, because my brain is simply too occupied with work stuff. I should definitely cut down to once or twice a week instead.

Coffee. I am such a coffee and tea fanatic, a habit since university days. Trying to reduce coffee intake or switch to decaf coffee.

#2: Reduce stress from work and relax

I have high expectations of myself, thus, I am constantly pushing myself to do the best I could. This kind of mindset definitely have to go.

#3: Take 5mg of folic acid everyday

Folic acid can reduce risk of fetal defects, so don’t wait till pregnant then take. It is very affordable and should start taking when trying to conceive.

#4: Charting ovulation

I started taking my basal body temperature every morning before I got out of bed. For this, you have to start a few months before trying to conceive, because you need to chart a pattern from the previous cycles.

#5: Creating a romantic ambiance in the room

When we were trying to get pregnant, we make an effort to sleep earlier. Also, I bought aromatherapy and massage oil to help in creating the romantic feel heehee.

#6: Using a fertility lubricant

I was using the Durex lubricant, before I found out that it may kill sperm. So, I switched to ConceivePlus (You can read my review on this product) and got pregnant easily.

#7: The last and the most important! Have alot of SEX!

We were doing the deed every other day during my fertile period heehee. Enjoy it while you can, since being pregnant, you may just not be in the mood.

xoxo,