Pregnancy Journey

… no, I haven’t outgrown the habit of adding the word “shit” to plural things that I cannot name, hahaha!

As of writing this, I am 8 days post-partum. It’s been a great week, I’ve healed enough that I no longer need the pain meds (although I still take it to minimize the risk of muscle soreness), Rocky is such a good boy, he’s not as fussy as his big brother, and I am getting the rest I need because I have a lot of help.

Since I am still on a break and there’s not much to do, I can focus on all the changes that happened after this pregnancy. Mind you, even in the midst of the pandemic, I never stopped working (something I am so grateful for!) so this is the only time that I have for myself.

Hyperpigmentation

One of the things that I am currently dealing with now is the intense hyperpigmentation that I got on certain areas of my body, particularly the pits. TMI I know but it has to be said, my pits are so fucking dark right now, I have no idea what happened. Admittedly, my pits turned dark during my first pregnancy and it never really returned to its former fair color (I was pretty proud of my white kilikili back in the day) but this is something worse!

I think I mentioned this in my previous blog, that I resemble a dalmatian because there is no transition from my fair skin to my hyperpigmented skin right now. It’s baffling, honestly. I also noticed that my neck and nape got dark as well but not too dark to cause any alarm. I think the color should go back to normal within a few short weeks but I know my pits will remain dark from experience.

The short-term plan is to use whatever whitening products I could get my hands on to treat the affected areas. I am also planning on going the all-natural route and use calamansi to whiten my pits, something that I did back in the day. The future plan is to have these areas treated by a professional so my pits would look decent again.

I know I seem maarte about this but grabe guys, Batman could never.

Skin Tags

Some of the most common yet rarely talked about effects of pregnancy are skin tags. I was surprised as heck when I started getting skin tags all over my neck on my first pregnancy and was kinda expecting the same this time around.

On my second pregnancy, I didn’t develop a lot of skin tags all over the neck. But I got them in weird places, like the underboob. Thankfully, these are easily resolved. I’d just have these lasered off once I start heading out again.

Weight Gain and Weight Loss

I know I shouldn’t be obsessing about my weight so soon but hey, that’s part of it, I suppose. When I had Damien, I gained about 45 pounds and this time, I only gained 30 pounds so that’s a major improvement. Because I had my tubes cut, I was more motivated to lose the baby weight this time around, knowing that it will be my last.

As soon as we got back from the hospital, I went on a strict diet. Portions were cut, no snacking, and only Nesvita for dinner. Damien and Rocco are exclusively formula-fed so I don’t have to worry about eating more to achieve a steady supply.

So far, I lost 22 pounds of water weight so I am less than 10 pounds away from my pre-pregnancy weight. But since I was overweight when I got pregnant, I still have to lose more weight. It’s not like I’m pressuring myself to lose the baby weight in a few weeks but I wanted to feel like my old self again as soon as possible because it makes me feel like I’m still in control of this rapidly aging shell, if you get what I’m saying. So yeah, the diet is still happening and will continue to happen until I’ve healed enough to work out.

Baby Blues

Ah yes, the dreaded baby blues. I had these briefly when I had Damien. It lasted for a good couple of weeks and it sucked. The dreadful sadness came in the afternoons and honestly, that was the worst part of the entire “bringing new life into this world” bit.

8 days into it, I haven’t had any experience close to the blues I got with Damien. I mostly feel anxious these days because so many people are losing their jobs and I’m afraid that I might lose mine too. But God and the universe are good, I’m still getting by. I’m one of the lucky ones.

I try to maintain a positive mindset no matter how much fate tempts me to do otherwise. There are so many bad things going on all around and having a new baby is challenging enough as it is, I’d be damned if I let the negativity affect my fragile mental health.

My life isn’t perfect, there are hiccups but I am working through them and keeping it together. I wish everything goes back to normal, it’s been a challenging few months for everyone.

Rocky and I totally made it to September 1, guys, I am very pleased! As you know, I’ve been pregnant for what felt like forever and I finally gave birth on September 1, right around the time when Jose Mari Chan’s memes reared its ugleh head, hahahaha!

Can you tell how happy I am?

I finally got the snip snip too so this is officially my last pregnancy. Again, I know that I will regret this at some point in the future but for now, I’m just happy that I won’t go through another year of pregnancy sometime soon.

Getting to the Hospital

For the sake of documenting the experience, I’ll recount the entire thing. The day before I was scheduled for an elective CS, we went to the hospital to reserve a room. Since there’s a health crisis, we have no choice but to come early. We got there too early, me think, because there was no room available and we had to check-in to a nearby hotel until the room we wanted is vacated and sanitized.

Around 7 in the evening, we finally got to our room and we waited the following morning for the surgery. I was scheduled for a 7AM CS, which I liked because I just wanted the whole thing to be over and done so I can finally recover. The surgery didn’t take long, it was only about 30 to 40 minutes, including the ligation ha, so my OB was fast.

Everything about this pregnancy is the opposite of my last pregnancy. During the surgery, I was actually awake. I didn’t like it because I’m enjoying none of the sensations but when I heard Rocky’s cries, I was relieved. Also, the entire OR burst into laughter when they saw how big Rocky was, he’s freakin 8.6 pounds. His older brother is big na at 7.9 but apparently, the second is bigger.

It’s amazing how Damy and Rocky looked so much alike as a newborn. Like, I couldn’t believe my eyes, they look almost identical.

We stayed in the hospital for 3 days because of the uncomplicated, healthy birthing. It was amazing because everything happened so fast and most of the time, we were just waiting for the discharge order.

After we got the discharge order, we pretty much got the heck outta there because, COVID. The ride home was just as smooth, Rocky was such a good boy. He never cried, he just drank his milk, locked eyes with me, and fell right asleep until we got home.

When we got home, the yayas dressed Damien in an outfit that matches Rocky’s going home outfit. It was so cute. I got these at Ali Basics on Instagram, check them out.

Unsurprisingly, Damy didn’t know what’s going on while he’s being introduced to his little brother. He kinda got a bit scared of the baby too, which was so funny. He was hiding behind my back at first!

After the introductions, we sat down for an impromptu family picture. Since there’s a health crisis, my husband was unable to join me in the OR to cut the cord and take more pictures although Rocky was shown to him right after the surgery.

So here’s us! Our little brood is complete.

Healing from the Surgery

We’re still adjusting to our own “new normal,” but so far, everything is going great. Since I’m still on a break, I get to rest more. I was dreading the healing process because I remember how painful the incision was after the surgery.

Surprisingly, I am healing quickly and the pain, though ever-present, is much more tolerable this time around. Not sure if it’s because of the stronger pain meds or the fact that the incision site was numb after my first pregnancy. I’m healing so fast yet I don’t feel like I’m in so much pain I cannot move.

Quite the opposite, I’ve been moving around, getting things done, and apparently, writing this piece, hahahaha!

So yeah, this concludes the quick recount of my last pregnancy. The timing was so off, it was difficult to be pregnant in the middle of a global health crisis but it made me appreciative of the simple, little things.

Like the fact that my health was good throughout the pregnancy, Rocky was healthy and he developed normally despite the stress. We found a good OB who really took care of us and everything else went so smoothly. There were no complications during and after the surgery. We were in a good place mentally, physically, and financially despite job loss all around.

All these things made us extremely, extremely lucky and I know I’m so blessed. Sometimes when so many things are happening at the same time, we lose track of what’s important, the little thangs. That’s what I’m grateful for the most!

 

It’s funny how I haven’t written anything here for the past few months. I guess in many ways, the lockdown dampened my enthusiasm to write, huh.

The last time I updated this blog, I was about 3 months pregnant, going on 4. Well, now I’m about 8 months pregnant, exhausted, hurting, and just about ready to get over this whole pregnancy thing. I wish I could post a picture but due to sheer vanity, I decided against it, hahaha!

We only announced the pregnancy after the quarantine because it was the only time we were able to go back to our OB for a scan. So sad considering all the scans and tests were done for Damien but not so much for Rocky. Still, we’re just relieved how easy the pregnancy has been thus far. And I thank my lucky stars because the pregnancy is very healthy, I didn’t need to visit my OB as frequently, a good thing in these dreadful times of COVID-19.

I’m on full nesting mode right now, I’ve started buying essentials for Rocco Dorian (his nickname is Rocky although we lovingly call him “number 2”) So far, we’ve bought more plain white playsuits that we got at Rustan’s before the quarantine (Thank GOD!), a new Haenim UV sterilizer (Damien’s own Haenim is always full so they cannot share), a going home outfit for Rocky and a coordinating meeting outfit for his kuya, newborn baby bottles, and so on.

Because it wasn’t that long ago before we took care of a newborn, most other essentials are already stowed away in our closet. That means this pregnancy is less expensive too, hahaha! I thought that was awesome given the job situation here and around the world.

The health crisis did ruin our babymoon. We were thinking of having a staycation in the city in the same hotel that we stayed in on our first babymoon, which is Raffles Makati. But alas, all borders are closed and rightfully so. We won’t have a babymoon this time around but I’m pretty sure it’s for the best.

Finally and most importantly, we found a night nurse! I can’t tell you how hard it was to find a good Yaya these days. We started looking for a Yaya when I was about 2 months pregnant and though there were loads of applicants, we only found a good one last week.

Lawrd.

You know how it is when an issue keeps you up at night and there’s no solution in sight? That’s pretty much how I felt all these months before we got a Yaya for little Rocky. Granted, Damien’s yayi is more than happy to step in but I’d like a dedicated Yaya for each child just because I want the kids to be looked after carefully.

At this point, I’m just sitting around waiting for the big day to come.  I dread the pain but I’m really excited to see my second baby! I wish I could take a break from work but I might not have to keep working a few weeks after recovery. That’s still up in the air, we’ll see.

 

So! What have you been up to? How’s the week been treating you? I know we’re all having a hard time with the current health crisis and all but hey! I believe that this too shall pass. So hang in there and make the most out of every single day, okay? You’ll be fine!

Hey, hey! Yes, it’s been too long! I’ve been hella busy the past few weeks, juggling business and work. Now on my second pregnancy, I feel tired all the damn time too. But unlike the first time, I am not as thorough when it comes to observing the progress of this pregnancy. Most likely because I barely feel any morning sickness at all. But I am getting ahead of myself.

Observations at Week 6 – 8

After getting a positive on the pregnancy tests, we went to our OB the next day for a scan. After the scan, it was revealed that I was, in fact, 5 weeks pregnant and there was a heartbeat. Pretty much made everything feel real from thereon.

I wasn’t as pukey as I was back when I was pregnant with Damien. In fact, the only thing that cued me in that I *might* be pregnant was the sudden bouts of acid reflux. I never had acid reflux until I got pregnant the first time. So feeling that one night, I felt that we’re in for another surprise, lol

So! The first few weeks were a little hazy because I started feeling all levels of exhaustion. I get tired just watching Damien. Also, my sister is back home from China (the country was in crisis) so that added to my exhaustion. Also, I kept eating, jujuju!

I am trying to keep my weight down and I am trying my best not to overeat. But it’s hard when you have a balikbayan at home!

Around 6 to 7 weeks, we visited the OB a second time. Things seem to be fine and my doctor didn’t sign up for a second scan.

Observations at Week 9

The morning sickness started creeping in the afternoons if you can believe it. It starts at around 2 in the PM and then on and off until 5-7 PM. No severe nausea or morning sickness, mind you. Just the gentlest hilo and then it’s gone.

Honestly, if it weren’t for my baby bump (which is huge for 9 weeks), I don’t feel pregnant at all. Sure, sometimes I have mild bouts of morning sickness but nothing that I couldn’t handle. Of course, since I’m not feeling sick, I’ve become a bit worried. That’s why I can’t wait for the next scan, I’m hoping things with the baby are okay!

Observations at Week 10

We are up for a checkup sometime this week. I don’t feel pregnant and there are barely any pregnancy symptoms at all so not sure what to feel about that. Should I thank my lucky stars or did I *knock on wood* lose the baby? Who knows man, I’ll know once we get another go at the scan.

Overall, I’m feeling good. I’m about 3 mos pregnant now but the first trimester won’t be over until the last days of February. That seems so far away at this point.

Observations at Week 12/13

We’re at the end of the first trimester and honestly, apart from the occasional mild nausea and my omnipresent bump, I don’t feel pregnant at all!

I got a little worried about it that I asked my OB to check the baby on our last checkup. She used a doppler and it detected the heartbeat. After that, we also had an ultrasound and got to see our little one who’s not so little apparently. He looked so different from the little bean that we saw the last time. He’s now fully formed and quite malikot.

Although it’s too early to tell, the dr said we may have another boy on our hands, jujuju! I wanted a girl SO bad! Although I was slightly disappointed, I’m still hopeful, hahaha! Granted, I wouldn’t mind another boy because Damien is pretty wacky, he’s a fun little guy.

I’ve been trying not to eat at night as soon as I found out that I got pregnant because I didn’t want to go over 200 pounds. Jesus, I was so big when I had Damien, I don’t think I’d forgive myself if I go bigger the second time around. I barely lost the baby weight when I got pregnant again.

At the moment, I try not to think too much about the weight I’m gaining and focusing on staying as healthy as possible.

On the 13th week, I’ve been feeling very crampy all over especially the back and abdomen area. Not really sure what’s going on but I’ll have myself checked just to make sure everything’s alright with the baby.

And just like that, the first trimester is over! This chapter is a whirlwind of emotions but now that everything has settled, I can now enjoy the honeymoon period that is second trimester, hahaha!

It’s funny how we were planning to have another baby later this year or early next year only to find out days later that I was already 1 month along, hahaha!

So without even trying, we’ll be expecting a sibling for Damien sometime in September 2020.

I suspected that I was pregnant about two weeks ago when I started feeling crampy after an intense workout. Yes, I was working out like there’s no tomorrow for the past several months and it’s a good thing that this didn’t affect the baby so far. That’s gonna stop soon, I’m afraid.

A couple of nights back, I felt persistent cramping in my lower abdomen after spending hours at the mall with Damien and the hubs. That’s when I asked the husband to get me a pregnancy test. I couldn’t wait for the morning to take the test so I took one as soon as we got home. It tested positive and I just stood there for a second trying to process the whole thing.

I showed the test to the hubs and we literally spent the next one and a half-hour in shock. Not that we’re unhappy for being pregnant – quite the opposite because we wanted Damien to have a brother or a sister before he turns two – we just didn’t think conceiving would be this easy. And that we’d be conceiving this soon.

This early, I am already thinking of a good baby name. I felt that I’ll have another boy but I am crossing my fingers for a girl. Dorian Rocco is the working name right now. I like Rocco because it’s modern and Dorian is the name that we’ve already had in mind for a second boy. Vivienne Celetine still, if it’s a girl.

The good news, we’re doing this a second time so I feel that things will be less stressful to handle as far as where to give birth, what baby stuff to get, etc. Our only issue now is finding a full-time yaya for our little Peach!

So yes! Our family is growing soon so watch this space!