The First Trimester of Pregnancy

6 weeks
Chewy Junior at 6 weeks

As soon as I discovered I’m pregnant, I made an appointment for a prenatal checkup. I have always wanted to deliver at Thomson Medical Hospital but due to our working schedule and most gynae’s availability, we chose Dr Chia Yee Tien from Mount Elizabeth Hospital. She does night consultations at Choa Chu Kang’s The Edinburgh Clinic, which is very near my place. It also means that we don’t have to take leave for my checkups as misterchewy can accompany me after work. He used to work on Saturdays.

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During our first consultation with Dr Chia, she helped to determine my estimated date of delivery (EDD), asked about my medical history, did an early ultrasound to confirm my pregnancy and told me what types of food to avoid. We were to see her again 2 weeks later. At 6 weeks, Chewy Junior was about 2mm in length.

8 weeks
Chewy Junior at 8 weeks

Isn’t she cuteeeee?! The hubs and I were very amused when our gynae said, “Oh look, you can now see your baby, like a little teddy bear.” LOL. And we could see our baby’s heart beating very quickly! πŸ™‚ Dr Chia also commented that our little one grew really quickly within that 2 weeks. Must be all that junk food I ate! If I didn’t remember wrongly, she was close to 2cm in length.

12 weeks
Chewy Junior at 12 weeks

Visited Dr Chia when I was 12 weeks pregnant at her clinic in Mount Elizabeth Hospital to do the first trimester ultrasound (nuchal translucency) scan, also known as the NT scan. This scan aims to detect Down’s Syndrome and also many other chromosomal abnormalities. The NT scan, together with the blood tests, cost us about $500.

Here are most (if not all) of the symptoms that I had during my first trimester:

Physical Symptoms
– Morning sickness (it lasts through the day, not just in the morning but it’s the worst in the morning)
– Constantly hungry (found myself snacking in between meals if not I would feel nauseous whenever I’m hungry)
– Breast changes
– Bloatedness
– Fatigue (no amount of sleep could save me)
– More frequent urination than usual (visited the bathroom once or twice in the middle of every night)
– Nausea without vomiting (I think I’m quite lucky because I never once puked!)
– Increased sensitivity to smells (fried oily smell of food became a turn-off for me)
– Occasional headaches
– Metallic taste in mouth (making most food taste bland)
– Food aversion (certain fried food)
– Food cravings: sour sweets (esp Sour Power apple flavoured candy strips), tuna sandwich, tomyam, chicken rice, my mum’s cuttlefish and peanut porridge

Emotional Symptoms
– Frequent mood swings

Total weight gain: 4kg

How I felt about the first trimester: It was the most horrible phase of my life, no kidding. I felt like a nauseous zombie 24/7. It’s definitely one stage of my pregnancy that I will not miss!

Stay connected with us on Facebook www.facebook.com/missuschewy and on Instagram @missuschewy and @misterchewy πŸ™‚

I’m 6 months pregnant at the time of writing.

missuschewy is 6 months pregnant!

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Hihi chewys! Just a little pregnancy update here lest you forget about Little misschewy! πŸ˜› We are past 24 weeks already! I admit that I tend to rely on my calendar and pregnancy apps in order to figure out which stage am I at. My second trimester has been really great so far and I wonder what the third will bring! The hubs helped to take a couple of baby bump shots on Saturday and I did some minor editing πŸ™‚

I’m also happy to announce that I’m collaborating with Maternity Exchange and I managed to pick out a few of their lovely dresses over the weekend at Marina Square. Will be sharing about their unique concept in a separate blog post. I’m still in the midst of drafting my first trimester post which hopefully will be out soon ok! Stay connected with us on Facebook www.facebook.com/missuschewy and on Instagram @missuschewy and @misterchewy πŸ™‚

From Preparing for Pregnancy to Conception

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(Photo taken during CNY 2012 with my niece, Naomi)

Ever since misterchewy and I registered our marriage in September 2011, many of our close friends have been teasing us about the possibility of popping a Chewy Junior. Eh hello friends, want to pop baby then pop meh? LOL. We had to wait till our customary wedding was over before we could set up a family! Our baby is planned such that my EDD will take place early 2014 even though our BTO will not be ready anytime soon. Age is a concern (not that we are very old!) but we would like to have at least 2 or 3 kids so we gotta start early. I don’t wanna end up giving birth to our second or third child after 35 because of the possible risks and complications. Preparing for pregnancy and getting ready for a baby is very important because it will affect how both parents deal with the news! πŸ™‚

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About one month prior to trying to conceive, I started taking Blackmores Folate tablets which I bought off the shelves at Unity. The consumption of folic acid may reduce the risk of giving birth to a child with birth defects of the brain and/or spinal cord. I chose Blackmores because it’s a reputable brand and each tablet contains 500mcg of folic acid which is around the recommended daily dosage. Unity sells its own housebrand folic pills as well and at a much cheaper price. I also reduced my alcohol consumption (it was tough!) and started to be more mindful of my diet. I’m not sure what misterchewy did on his part. Probably hit the gym more often? Hahaha. The first trimester, or you can call it first 12 weeks if you like, was an absolute nightmare. I’m thankful that the first 3 weeks whizzed by because I didn’t feel a thing but suspected that I could be pregnant because I was missing my period by a week. Ignorance is bliss huh? πŸ˜›

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As a first timer, I was horribly embarrassed about having to shop for a pregnancy test kit at Watsons so I picked up a few makeup items while making my way to the cashier. Went home and peed on the Clearblue Pregnancy Test with Weeks Estimator. I recommend this pregnancy test because it lets you know the number of weeks you are pregnant for. It totally ups the excitement levels. I mean, don’t you wish to know that? We had our arms around each others’ waists while waiting for the results and I actually gasped, “F***!!” when the test showed that I was 3+ weeks pregnant. How could I not feel a thing for so long?! I’m carrying a life inside me! :O We were overwhelmed with joy as this marks another significant milestone in our lives and relationship. Shared the good news with our parents that week. πŸ™‚

In my next pregnancy post (not the next post), I will be touching on what mummies-to-be should take note of during their first trimester! Stay connected with us on Facebook www.facebook.com/missuschewy and on Instagram @missuschewy and @misterchewy πŸ™‚

I’m 5 months pregnant at the time of writing.

Welcoming a New Addition to our Chewy Family!

Chewy Junior at 5 months

Hello chewys! We have some exciting news to share with all of you today!
It is with great pleasure to announce that misterchewy and I will be welcoming a new addition to our Chewy family! πŸ™‚

Little misschewy is expected to arrive in March next year! πŸ˜€ πŸ˜€ πŸ˜€
Our close friends whom we have shared this piece of news with were very quick to point out that Chewy Junior will be a perfect one year customary wedding anniversary present for us. LOL.

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Sorry for keeping you guys in the dark for so long because we wanted to find out Baby Chewy’s gender before announcing. Right now, I’m halfway through my second trimester and I have never felt happier! Will talk about my first trimester really soon. Promise! Till then, take care everyone! XOXO

Stay connected with us on Facebook www.facebook.com/missuschewy and on Instagram @missuschewy and @misterchewy πŸ™‚