Mummylicious remembering pregnancy woes from "The Back Up Plan"

Last night Daddylicious and I watched one of our *new* DVDs that were bought ermmm a month ago? You think we have bought dozens to only reach to this, but you know Malaysia, buy 5 get 1 free DVDs offers? Yeah, 6 *new* DVDs, bought a month ago, and we only reached movie number 3. And people wonder why I have no time to go to a cinema, its taking us forever to finish watching 6 DVDs!. Life of a parent eh?

Anyway, I digress. We watched Jennifer Lopez's new movie "The Back Up Plan" whom she starred with this other guy who is not very popular at all. Without giving away the spoiler *hah! its a romantic comedy*, I'll give you a basic summary of what the movie is about. 

Madam Lopez is a single lady of unknown age grown tired of being single decided to start a family by herself, got herself artificially inseminated then met a guy soon after and then found out she was pregnant after that first insemination *who would have thunk that?*, but can Madam Lopez and the forgetful guy be together anyway? 

So, in conclusion, lots of pregnancy stuff and whacked hormones behaviour. And me saying to Daddylicious, "No wonder we're supposed to be married first then get pregnant" cause being pregnant = not so sexy behaviours and sudden hormonal tantrums that if you're not married ie: your man is stuck with you = run man, run.

Scenes that got Daddylicious rolling his eyes and saying "this brings back memories of *someone* i know very well"

1. Madam Lopez throwing clothes around and yelling nothing fits her.

3 months up and nothing fits. All my beautiful clothes. All my expensive jeans. It was terrible, terrible time. Going out would bring fits of tears because nothing i want to wear fits. and it doesn't help that i was refusing to buy maternity clothes. 

What makes it worse? When you decide to go maternity pants shopping, nothing still fits! You are still too small to fit maternity pants OR its too blardy expensive. 

What with maternity clothes anyway? So its designed to fit women double their normal size so you decide to double the price as well? Not like the designs are nice anyway. I am pregnant, doesn't mean I should be wearing ruffles and floral patterns for the next 9 months! Ruffles, ruffles and ruffles and FLOWERS. Look, i know i am pregnant, the testament of actually being a woman but doesn't mean i automatically want to dress like a flower bouquet.

I retaliated by not buying maternity clothes but to buy larger sized dresses, maxi dresses, empire styled tops and the best...leggings. At least i can wear them AFTER pregnancy and not to be mistaken as still pregnant. I had and still having issues with pregnancy clothes.

2. Madam Lopez went shopping with LOOOADSS of baby clothes and her forgetful co-star yelling at her, that's a lot of clothes for an unborn child, what happens after?! 

Answer: More clothes. Baby PP closet is bigger than Daddylicious. Dudududuuduuuuu

3. Madam Lopez and the pregnancy pillow attachment

I didn't get a pregnancy pillow which is basically a very huge long pillow for pregnant women to hug and support her growing stomach while she sleeps. I think its a waste of money. 

 

Ugly aren't they?

Instead, i made my half of king sized bed into a fortress! 

1 pillow for the head, 1 pillow for the stomach, 1 pillow to hug between my legs, 1 just to wrap my arms with and 1 pillow to support my back. Needless to say, my half of bed turned into 3 quarters and Daddylicious ended up with a small portion to curled up in. I loved my fortress of pillows, he hated it. He tried to moved my pillow no.5, the back support pillow several times and that ended up with me growling at him.

Note: Dear husbands to current pregnant wives. Do note that her pillow fortress is very important and vital for her to be comfortable. Although your stomach may be equivalent to her stomach size, it does not mean she is as comfortable sleeping without her pillows as you are. Deal with it.

4. Madam Lopez eating junk food in bed while reading baby/pregnancy books

That says it all.

5. Buying stroller scene.

Choose ONE out of hundreds

Once you hit the stage of pregnancy where purchasing begins, choosing a stroller to fit your lifestyle and budget will be one of your important purchase. And the choices are mind numbing. Safety vs price. Style vs comfort. Ways to fold. Space it requires in the car. etcetcetc. Literally, mind numbing. Good luck on that one.

But I miss them all. Not sure if Daddylicious does but honestly, who cares?

PS: Happy Birthday to me :)

Since my birthday is still ongoing for the next 19 hours, the post and pictures will have to wait

Mummylicious easy peasy scones: While pregnant at 38 weeks

image from Recipecurio.com

During my pregnancy, i got the strangest urge to bake. Bake, bake, bake. That's what I did most. My nesting period was mainly baking. Don't know why. I even baked on the day i was scheduled to give birth (schedule induce delivery). 

What did i bake on that morning? Baby shaped scones! or tried to at least to make them baby shaped...

I just love to have fresh scones for breakfast and tea!

Concentrating hard on making scones :P

Mummylicious at 38 weeks pregnant, on the day we were to go to the hospital.

Before we started our day in history!

Want to make scones this weekend? Try this Mummylicious recipe for Easy Peasy Scones

Mummylicious Easy Peasy Scones recipe

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups of all purpose flour
• 4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 cup of white sugar
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 5 tbs unsalted butter - softened (most of the time i use salted butter and not add salt)
• 1/2 cup of raisins (optional)
• 2/3 cup of milk (or 1/2 cup milk and 1/4 cup of sour cream. i never tried this one)
• 1 egg
• 1 tbs milk

Preparations

Preheat oven to 200 degree Celsius

I just use bowls, spoons and my hands. I find its more soothing.and i get the right texture this way.

 Pose! See...using hands to mix. 

Don't worry, I am a sucker in washing hands between every procedure.

1. Sift flour and mix with baking powder, sugar and salt
2. Slowly add butter and mix until butter is pea sized lump. (this is when using hands are easier to know when to stop mixing! the mixture should be dry like crumbs.
3. Stir in raisins if you like
4. Mix in 2/3 cup of milk (or sour cream option). Stir gently until well blended.
5. Floured hands and pat dough into  2-3 inches wide balls.
6. Place on greased baking sheet and flatten the top of dough lightly. So it gets its flat top. 

Finished texture. Should be something like in the bowl

If you want to make shaped scones. Grease cookie cutter and place dough inside. Gently lift out cookie cutter and then bake! ....shape will expand though..like mine did. need to experiment more.

1. Prepare the eggwash! Whisk egg and 1 tbs milk. Brush on top of scones with egg wash.
2. Rest scones for 10 minutes (i always skip this step! or at least just leave it for 5 mins :P)

Baking time!

Oven 200 degree celsius. No fan!

Bake for 10-15 minutes in the oven until top is golden brown.

Guess the scone shapes game for breakfast!

And tadah! you have your fresh from the oven scones in 30 minutes! Yumyum. Now to eat it all, less than 10 mins...*nom nom nom nom*

Stretch marks during pregnancy?

Mummylicious at Week 12 of PP's pregnancy-Milk Cravings.

Have you ever had the weirdest dream? and days past, you are still thinking about it? Well i did and that is what happening. I dreamt i had gotten new stretch marks POST-pregnancy. Is my subconscious still worried about that?! If i follow Freud's theory on dreams, most probably yes. He would also add that I am jealous of my daughter and wish I had men's body parts. Right.

I didn't get stretch marks when i was pregnant. At all. I had cellulites but no stretch marks. i think i would prefer stretch marks than cellulites. Plus, I had a really dark linea nigra from 3 months onward of my pregnancy.

I theorise, i didn't have stretch marks because of 3 factors.

1. Genetic - G-Na doesn't have any even after 4 children. None. So that was in my favour. 

Dear PP, if you get any, that's your father's gene, not mine.

2. Gradual weight gain - I gained slowly for the first 2 trimesters, i ate  alot, but always in small portions 24 hours a day. Only the last trimester i started to gain at a much faster rate. Ps: Dr Tang never let me worried about my weight gain. She said "it's totally normal and you're not supposed to be eating for 2 early in the pregnancy anyway. You are gaining healthly." See..love her.

3. Luck.

Every pregnant women would worry about getting stretch marks. Especially the new Mummylicious and especially when the statistics of getting them is higher than not getting them. 

"Between 75% and 90% of women develop stretch marks to some degree during pregnancy...during the sixth or seventh month, primarily during the 3rd trimester, as that is when skin tends to be subjected to higher levels of stretching forces" Wikipedia

Early in the pregnancy i was 50-50 worried about stretch marks. I would inspect myself, abdomen, chest, buttocks and thighs for any reddish lines forming. Asked Daddylicious "Would you still be attracted to me if i had stretch marks?" every.single.week. 

 

When I got bigger (which you will because you are pregnant), I had Daddylicious inspect me nearly every week. Especially under the belly cause  you will get to a point, it will be so difficult to check there! and thats where the first stretch marks were to appear if it was going to appear! I was going crazy at that point just trying to look for the elusive stretch marks. I would sit in front of the mirror. Lift my butt to check under the belly. Go round in circles looking at my backside. Using multiple mirrors to bounce images. TAKE PHOTOS! 

Mummylicious at Week 33 of PP's pregnancy. No stretch marks visible

.......but....

at the same time, I was not afraid of stretch marks. Maybe I was trying to channel positive thinking. But sometimes...I really did want some cause i think they can be a beautiful thing. A story of your pregnancy. The beautiful journey of the miracle of life in lines etched onto your skin.

So when I really didn't get any, not even a bit. (i was hoping for teeny tiny stretch mark), I was to be honest, dissapointed. Where was my lines to proof i carried PP for 9 months? Where was my mark of motherhood? I didn't have that....i didn't have my mark of motherhood that some mothers carries so proudly everywhere they go.

But because God hates complainers....He told my doctor to give me a C-section scar instead. SO there. Padan muka.  (roughly translated: Ha! Ha!)

While writing this post, I asked for the last time to Daddylicious "Would you think I still be sexy if i had stretch marks?" To which he answered for the gazillionth time since I got pregnant, 

"You've asked this question a gazillion times, if you had stretch marks it really wouldn't matter. You will still be my sexy wife". 

Sometimes, that's all you need to hear. So go on dear pregnant friends, ask your Hubbylicious that and you will know to him, you will always be Mummylicious, stretch mark or no.

Concern or not for possible stretch marks, when your bump starts to show and grow, it will be itchy! Everyone from the lady at the supermarket to your MIL will warn you, "Don't scratch them! they causes stretch marks!"

I wish I could answer, 

1. It doesn't cause stretch marks. 

"Stretch marks are caused by changes in the elastic supportive tissue that lies just beneath the skin. They start out pink, reddish brown, purple, or dark brown, depending on your skin color."Baby Center

"The second factor, which is still a subject of debate among experts, involves the priming of the skin by increased levels of hormones in pregnancy. Together, these hormones attract more water into the skin, which relaxes the bonds between collagen fibers. This makes it easier for the skin to tear when it is stretched and for stretch marks to form" American Pregnancy.org

2. It's not the end of the world if i had stretch marks.

"Renet DeRepetigny..."I'm proud motherhood has left an imprint on my body as well as my heart," she says. "It reminds me that I'm a strong, capable and courageous woman."

Her words prove that your stretch marks are what you make of them. See them as a reminder of your strengths, and they will empower you. See them as a source of embarrassment, and they will hold you back." Babies Today "The beautiful side of stretch marks"

3. It blardy itches!!! 

Scratching tummy was out mainly because simply the more you scratch, the more irritated your stretch ed tummy skin will be, the more it itches. and it really does itch.

So what does one do? Other than a lot of rubbing  my tummy like rubbing little buddha's tummy for luck and if i had to scratch, it must be done above your outer wear. Ie: Not on skin directly. .....but it sure was tempting.

This might sound contradictory, but I bought moisturisers for stretch marks, even when i know, if you are gonna get it, no amount of cream or oil will prevent it. but it will minimise the scars if any formed. But I bought them for different reasons, normal moisturisers that i already had, made my itchiness itchier. Gah!

"This study found a daily application of a cream containing Gotu Kola extract, vitamin E, and collagen hydrolysates was associated with fewer stretch marks during pregnancy.^[7][8] Another study, though lacking a placebo control, examined a cream (Verum) containing vitamin E, panthenol, hyaluronic acid, elastin and menthol. It was associated with fewer stretch marks during pregnancy versus no treatment.^[9] Though cocoa butter is an effective moisturizer, no research studies have shown its ability to either prevent stretchmarks, or to reduce their appearance once a stretch mark has already formed" Wikipedia

First, i used Palmer's Cocoa Butter because everyone raved about it. Daddylicious did not liked the smell. And personally, i didn't like it. It felt heavy and my skin didn't feel soft for long.

Then someone gave me BioOil. Smell weird. and i found it's too oily for my liking.

Then i bought Earth Mama Angel Baby. Perfect. Loved the smell. (Daddylicious did too). Skin remained moisterised for hours and hours and I like to think this helped my skin remain soft and supple that whatever stretch mark that were to appear at the last trimester of my pregnancy, did not. It can be hard to find but I really recommend this to any pregnant mothers out there to give it a try. Plus! Its ORGANICS! Needless to say, I became a loyalist to Earth Mama Angel Baby products. (See links for more) 

PS: If you are still worried about stretch marks, start using the oil as early as possible! Like, first trimester early. Not when there's an existing stretch mark. 

Facebook status back when i was pregnant at Week 13.

Dayang is at 51.8kg! The last time she hit that was in melb (Mon, 13 Apr 2009 09:58:54 GMT)

I think i am around that weight now. 6 months post-pregnancy and i am still at Week 13 pregnancy weight. Haigh.

Useful links

Earth Mama Angel Baby

Earth Mama Angel Baby at BabyLoft

Babies Today "The beautiful side of stretch marks" 

"Stretch marks, in the direction of a beautiful love story"

American Pregnancy.org "Are pregnancy stretch mark any different?" This site have diagrams!

Baby Center "Stretch Mark"

Baby Online "Are stretch marks inevitable during pregnancy?"

Wikipedia "Stretch Marks"

Pregnancy signs and symptoms, test and denial

Image from Going2B.com

Let's start from the beginning.

When: 21 Feb 2009, Saturday
Where: Sunway Pyramid (a huggeeeee shopping mall in suburban Petaling Jaya, Malaysia)

Daddylicious was away for golf. I was in NEED for a manicure treatment. It was, a beauty emergency. As my usual manicure place require appointments and they are in Bangsar (way further away than Sunway), I decided to head to Sunway to search for a manicure place. Now, previously Sunway was a decent shopping mall. A size of 3 football fields with 4 floors but it was amongst my first time there after the renovation. Now, it tripled the old size! with many many wings and many many parking entrances.

To say it simply, i was an ant trapped in Victoria Beckham's Birkin's collection looking for an unknown unnamed manicure place. As i was wandering my way through the heavy weekend crowd, looking for this elusive shop, i got lost. often in the opposite wing where i was supposed to be in, according to Sunway Pyramid's confusing gigantic map placed at the END/START of each wing. I went around the shopping mall twice. covering 3 floors. i started to sweat. i started to feel flustered. and hot. and LOST. and angry. angry at Sunway. angry at my husband (Daddylicious) for playing golf that day. angry at this couple of teenagers holding hands! and then, in the crowded weekend in the middle of the wing, i started to cry.

CRY! alone! in the middle of everything. and i said to myself

"oh F*ck." (the irony, i know)

So i ran to the nearest public bathroom and shut myself in a cubicle all the time asking myself,

"why the hell are you crying?!!"

"Need to clear head. need to calm self. need to find that magic manicure place"

Lo and behold i found A Cut's Above even though it wasnt what i was looking for. The same franchise in Bangsar i usually do my hair and manicure. As i was being calmed by one set of hands giving me a shampoo and another set of hands lovingly stroking my fingers, i begin to have my suspicion.

As soon as i arrive home. I Googled 'Pregnancy symptoms' and 'Am I Pregnant?' and 'How to know you're pregnant' 'and begin ticking, or in my case doubting the boxes. The questions are same for every site. So let's borrow this list from stages-in-pregnancy.com

Breast changes. Blue veins running across the breast - breast tenderness - darkening of the areolas.
-eeeh. no. still normally dark areolas. how much darker can it go? black?

Cramps. A result of the expanding uterus at around the time the menstrual period is due.
-eeehh..nope. nothing.

Fatigue. Hormones run rampant during pregnancy and the side effect is extreme fatigue, especially for a first time mom.
-hmm maybe. I've always been lazy but extreme laziness to wake up in the morning have kicked in recently. Maybe i'm just don't want to go to work? not that i am known to be a morning person anyhow. hmmm...maybe. half tick. That word "hormones" might be it. But then again. I am a woman...with hormones. not balanced hormones.


Food cravings or aversions. Sometimes those funny little food cravings or aversions will appear right away.
-ai nope.

Frequent urination. This occurs during the first trimester and the last trimester. Early on it is due to the swelling of the uterus over the bladder. As the baby and uterus grows it will lift off the bladder giving some relief during the 2nd trimester.
-what kind of question is this? i drink a lot! its hot here. drink=urinate. nothing new.

High basal body temperature. If you chart your temperature - it will continue staying in the high range because of the progesterone running through your body. Sometimes on a fertility chart you may even see a third level of high temperatures called "triphasic". This is a possible indication of implantation taking place. This is among the first month pregnancy symtpoms.
-huh? not that i understand but lets half-tick based on Sunway shopping mall marathon before.

Implantation spotting. This can occur anywhere from 3 to 12 days post ovulation. This sometimes happens when the fertilized egg burrows into the uterine lining
-hmm nope

Morning sickness. The effects of the pregnancy hormones can cause morning sickness with or without vomiting even before you know you are pregnant.
-the most common. but NOPE!

So i scored 1/8. Tiredness that can be mistaken as laziness. and one word about 'hormones' and increased body temp that can be questioned by my head exploding while looking for that elusive shop. That.did.NOT.help. wheres the "YOU WILL SUDDENLY CRY FOR NO REASONS AT ALL IN A SHOPPING MALL!" ????. Yeah. Fantastic.

I even failed at another list which state missed period. but only for those whose period comes regularly. Mine doesn't. So i fail.

It was still in the 'maybe-im-just-being-paranoid' stage.

My reasonings why i can't be pregnant:

I only stopped The Pills late December 2008. That's less than 2 months ago. I'm not the healthiest person. I was only 46kg. hardly the optimum weight to get pregnant. My periods were irregular before The Pills so its not meant to be regular after The Pills. Can't .be .pregnant. We're not trying! just leave it to Fate. to God.

When: 22 Feb 2009, Sunday morning.
Where: home

Extreme laziness/fatique sets in. but somehow manage to ask hubby to go to pharmacy and get me a pregnancy kit. his response? a blank stare. so in all my non-patience had to shout,

"Go.Buy.Pregnancy.Kit!NOW!"

After i peed on a stick, waited the longest 2 minutes i have ever endured, my life turned upside down.

Just for those who never peed on this particular set of stick. We used a ClearBlue Pregnancy Test kit. You are supposed to wait 2 minutes (3-5 minutes to be sure) or until the line in the second window appears in 2 minutes. We saw it clear as day less than a minute. and we waited 10 minutes to look again just to be extra extra sure. There were questions of course as we anxiously looked at the blardy stick even though its clearly evident it's positive.

"is the line clear?" "is that the line?" "don't you think its faint?" "it's not that clear, right?" "the line is faint! what does that mean?" "is this thing accurate????"

It is accurate. We have our proof right beside us now.

The 2 blue lines showing a cross appeared.

The video of my reaction.
I was obviously in shock. and nearly in tears. Except at that time. i wasn't sure whether it was of joy or fear.

I.couldn't.be.pregnant.
Me? Pregnant?

When: 23 Feb 2009, Monday morning.
Where: Dr Pearl's clinic

In the doctor's office, the 2 blue lines appeared again.

I was definitely pregnant. Oh my oh my oh my.

Useful links:
Clearblue Pregnancy Test kit
Early Pregnancy Symptoms by Women's Health
Top 10 Signs of Pregnancy by Sure Baby
Top 10 Signs of Pregnancy by BabyCenter