The Last One Standing

It's been a little crazy for the past days. Hubby is sick, as well as four other people in the house...(almost five, because mom-in-law is already showing signs). I don't know what hit them...it's some kind of viral infection or something. They have on and off fever, cough, colds, and a terrible headache. Our nephew was already brought to the hospital because he just wouldn't eat and every time he does, he vomits. He's the first one who got really sick. The doctor has no diagnosis yet, but I'm sure it's not dengue fever because it's not suppose to be contagious. 

This is the second day my husband is absent from work. Since he's not yet a regular employee, he won't get paid for his absences. :-( We also decided that it's best for us not to sleep in one room, so that I won't catch the virus. It's my 8th month of pregnancy and in case I get infected, this will be the first time I'll be really sick, and I don't want that to happen. 

As of today, I'm the last healthy person in the house...yeah boy, the last one standing! I just kept on declaring that Jesus' blood is covering me and my baby, and that no virus can touch us. I am also thankful to have complete prenatal vitamins because it really boosted my immunity. And, do you know what else helped? Frequent hand washing! I also "quarantined" myself inside the room. Yeah, it should be the other way around...I mean, the sick ones should be quarantined...but, what the heck! It's too late for them to be quarantined because almost everyone in the family is already sick. Besides, I can feel the virus all over the place, except in our room. Haha!

I just hope and pray that they all get better soon, especially my husband. As much as I wanted to hold him and take care of him, I have to let him take care of himself to avoid risking my and our baby's health. Because of what's happening, I realized that my husband should have taken some multivitamins or Vitamin C at the same time I started taking prenatal vitamins. This is the second time he got sick during my pregnancy (the first time was last October), and it's very difficult because it makes me and the baby vulnerable to whatever sickness he has. I also thought that we should both be very careful not to get sick especially when the baby comes out. As soon as he gets better, I hope we can work on something to boost our strength and immunity, so that we're ready to face the challenges of being first-time parents.

How about you? Did you have the same experience? What did you do when your husband got sick during your pregnancy? How about after giving birth? What did you do as a couple to make sure that you're fit to take care of a newborn?

Approaching The End Of My First Trimester

I'm finally approaching the end of the first trimester. I'm feeling much better now after resting my eyes from reading and playing PC games. But, my eyes weren't just the problem I encountered during the past months. I also endured heartburn, aching sides, constipation, a general feeling of "not feeling well", being emotional and enduring delayed gratification of my food cravings. 

From what I have researched, heartburn and constipation is very common among pregnant women. That's why it is advisable to take lots of fiber-rich fruits and vegetables, and to drink plenty of water and natural juices during pregnancy to at least put constipation at bay, and also to prevent hemorrhoids. Unfortunately for me, I've always had a hard time removing my bowels and I was also diagnosed with hemorrhoids even before I got married. A week ago (I think), I did my thing and really had a hard time getting it out. I bled and I got really scared. Then I realized that the blood came from my behind. I know this is really disgusting, but what the heck! I'm sure I'm not the only pregnant woman who experienced this. 

For heartburn, it really helps if meals are well-distributed for the whole day to prevent over-eating. Because in my experience, once I eat too much in one meal, I just have to wait for the acid reflux to attack in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1... I also find it hard to breathe while lying down and it's very difficult to sleep at night.

The "not feeling well" part is also quite normal, but some say that it is the effect of taking prenatal vitamins. This is why some are advised to take them later in the day or before going to sleep. My right side also ache at times. The doctor explained that it's just the pressure on my bladder caused by the growing uterus. Nevertheless, the doctor advised that I drink fresh calamansi juice everyday and to drink lots of water to prevent any bladder malfunction. I think it helped a bit. I also found out that drinking calamansi juice lowers the risk of high blood pressure.

As for food cravings, I specifically asked for Greenwich lasagna from a local pizza and pasta fast food chain  and congee from Chowking, another local fast food that offers Chinese food. Unfortunately, the Chowking branch here do not offer congee, so we had to buy from another Chinese restaurant. I didn't get to eat these foods as soon as I wanted them. In fact, I waited for weeks before my husband gave in to my daily rants. Hahaha! It even resulted to petty fights. 

Then, I discovered that my appetite improves when I get to eat what I'm craving for. ;-) Well, I guess that is how cravings work! Hahaha! My mother-in-law also cooked some siomai (pork and shrimp dumplings) with matching chili-garlic sauce combined with soy sauce and calamansi ..yum! That's when I realized that eating spicy foods helped with my heartburn. I'm not sure if this works for everybody, but it definitely did wonders for me. Haha!

In just a few days, we're gonna visit the OB again and I'll be entering the second trimester. This means that the crucial stage is almost over and my baby is steadily growing and breathing inside me. Thank God! :-)

My First Morning Sickness (I think...)

Studies show that most cases of morning sickness occur from the 4th week of pregnancy until the 16th week at most. Experts also say that it is an indication that a woman is having a healthy pregnancy. But, this doesn't mean that there is something wrong if one doesn't go through it.

As for me, I'm not even sure if what happened this morning was an actual case of pregnancy morning sickness or a bad case of eye strain. ^_^ I said this because I have been spending too much time reading pocketbooks and playing Diner Dash and Plants vs. Zombies. Last night, I wasn't able to sleep well because of severe headache and itchy eyes. When I woke up this morning, the pain is still there. I went on to eat breakfast, drink Anmum and take my prenatal vitamins. I sat down for like 20 minutes in front of my computer just to check my e-mail and Facebook account, then I felt like I was going to be sick.

I tried to stop it but I couldn't so I rushed to the bathroom...and there goes my breakfast and my vitamins! It was a really huge red pill and it definitely clogged the sink...eeew! Throwing up is the worst feeling, ever!

My headache continued until late this afternoon. I literally slept all day.

No more reading and PVZ for 2 weeks... :-(

My First Ever Visit To An OB-Gyne

Believe it or not, I reached 27 years without ever having the guts or the realization that every woman needs to see an OB-Gyne regularly as soon as she gets her period. Including frequent visits to an OB-Gyne to your routine is as important as having an annual medical check-up for over-all health or regular dental visits for oral health.

Now that I'm pregnant, there's no reason for me not to go. Earlier today, we we went to a friend's recommended OB-Gynecologist.

The doctor's first question was an irritating..."So, what's the problem?"