Baby Swaddling

Lora, my friend from college is also expecting. She's 3 months ahead of me and expected to deliver on the last week of November. She's been practicing how to swaddle a teddy bear...I mean, a baby. :-)

So, I asked myself, do I have to learn how to do that, too? So, I searched baby swaddling videos on YouTube. I found out that there are several ways of wrapping a baby and that swaddling is really effective in calming a fussy infant. This is because it mimics the warm, tight and secure feeling they used to have in the womb.

Here's a funny baby swaddling video. I think it's funny because the baby's wrapped twice. One comment even said that the infant looked like he's ready to be sent to the courier..haha! But, the amazing thing is, the baby calmed down after. I think, this style of swaddling is best used if you're living in a country with extremely cold climate.

Here is another video of a father swaddling his adorable baby girl. Here, he used a much simpler technique and made use of just one swaddling blanket.

Swaddling, however, should be done properly and with care to prevent baby from developing hip dysplasia. This is a condition wherein the joints are loosened and the hip sockets' soft cartilage are damaged by wrapping the baby's legs too tightly in a straight down position. To avoid this from happening, one should make sure that the legs are able to move and bend up and down by leaving enough space at the bottom of the blanket. 

Here is a final video on how to correctly swaddle a baby in a hip-healthy way.

Now, that I have an idea on how to correctly swaddle a baby and how effective it is in calming and helping him sleep through the night, it's time to practice! But first, gotta shop for cute swaddling blankets. :-) 

My Friend's Baby Shower

Lora with her female guests

Lora, my friend from college, had a blast with her baby shower last October 8 at Eastwood City. Her best friend, Bai, and sister, Lei, organized the event and it was well-attended by both Lora's and her husband Patrick's friends and family. 

Cute and yummy cake; Lora and the giant pizza

There were enough food and drinks to fill everyone's tummies. They needed it for the whole night's fun games and activities. 

Baby shower games

The organizers prepared baby shower games, which called for the participation of both the parents-to-be and all their guests. One of which had the guys drink beer from a small feeding bottle. The fastest drinker wins. The next one was a couples' game where the ladies race against each other in putting on a newspaper diaper to their partner. This one's hilarious! 

Of course, they also played "Guess Mommy's Tummy Size", which is a baby shower classic. This game is easy. Female guests are asked to cut a string to the size they think would fit perfectly around the center of mom-to-be's belly. The one who has the closest guess to the actual tummy size wins a prize.

Diaper Cake from Lora's bestfriend, Bai

Last but not least is the opening of gifts! Now, this is the most fun part. Did you notice that most of the gifts are wrapped in blue? Obviously, Lora and Patrick are having a baby boy. 

And, to make gift-shopping hassle-free for their guests and for them to get items that they really need, Lora created an SM gift registry for the baby shower. I even used it to pick out my gift for them. :-) 

Congratulations, Lora and Patrick!

I can't help but be envious because I won't have a baby shower like this here in Koronadal. That's because my friends are all in Manila and Iloilo.:-( But, who knows? Maybe I can get them to organize a baby welcome party for me when we go to Manila next year...hehehe...^_^

Someone Broke Into Our House!

I received a call last night at around 8:30 pm. It was my friend from Manila who was temporarily staying at our apartment in Iloilo. She said someone broke into our house. I thought she was just mistaken. She didn't go inside the rooms yet because she was a bit scared. But, from where she was standing, she said that she could see some of our things already scattered on the floor, and that the window screen from the next room was already open. I tried not to panic but my stomach was already hardening as we spoke.

When We Were Still Young

Can you spot me in this picture?

If you guessed I'm the girl in the middle, then you're wrong. That's my older sister, Diane.

I'm actually the one with bangs near the Coke bottle. 

Can you guess who else is in this picture? 

If you don't know me personally, you might be surprised.

:-)

The Halfway Mark: At 20-21 Weeks

Now sporting side bangs, I just hit the halfway  mark
of my pregnancy at 20-21 weeks!

It's OB time again and I can't believe that another month just flew. I am now on my 20th going to my 21st week of pregnancy. Babycenter sent an e-mail today reminding me that I'm already at the halfway mark of my pregnancy and it's definitely a reason to celebrate. Thank you, Lord!

"You're halfway there. Hooray! The first trimester is over, the second is well under way, and you've probably got your energy back. Celebrate by splurging on a pedicure, a prenatal massage, or a new outfit that shows off your baby bump. Now's also the time to hang out with friends, go on a baby moon, and live it up before the baby arrives about 20 weeks from now." - www.babycenter.com

For the past month, I actually noticed that my energy and appetite did increase (I think I'm eating 5 times a day!) and I feel hungry more often. However, I'm still suffering from constipation even if I drink lots of water and eat lots of fruits. 

I can also feel my baby move now and while I was lying down at the OB's examination bed, I felt the little one kick. It's really amazing and I can't help but laugh everytime I feel tiny movements inside my tummy. It assures me even more that my baby is alive, healthy and growing inside me! :-)

But, because of the sudden change in climate (from too hot and humid to rainy and damp), almost everyone in the family is down with the flu. My husband has it and I'm already feeling the symptoms as well...itchy throat, clogged nose and headache. But, I guess my immune system is still fighting it because the symptoms are still manageable. Nevertheless, Dra. Bendita gave me a nasal spray with 0.65% saline solution for my semi-clogged nose and prescribed Forvexine to fight the flu.

Here is a summary of my prenatal check-up today:

AGE OF GESTATION: 20-21 weeks

BP: 100/70

WEIGHT: 125 lbs. (Maintained!)

FUNDAL HEIGHT: 18 cm

VITAMINS: VitaZinc OB