Pregnancy : Health Supplement taken

 First trimester 

HEALTH  SUPPLEMENT

As for now, I am taking the following supplement 

1. Folic acid 5mg 

2. Neurogain – DHA 250mg

EPA 20mg
AA (arachidonic acid) 35mg
OA (oleic acid) 30mg
Mixed tocopherol 3mg

Who should not take Omega 3 supplements? People who currently take blood thinners such as aspirin and warfarin should not take omega 3 supplements. Omega 3 supplements may prolong bleeding times. It is advised for these people to get their Omega 3 from fish and other dietary foods rather than from supplements.

MOre information

3. Calcium 600mg (my friend asked me to drink plenty of milk too)

4. Blackmores Pregnancy & Breast-feeding formula

(Left to Right 1-4 )

Went to Klinik Kesihatan on 24th Feb. They presribed me the Zincofer  (Iron + Folic Acid )

I searched online, under the site of MIMS , it is said to bring undesirable effect during the first trimester, so I guess I will eat them in the second trimester when my nausea is slightly better. 

• Ferrous Fumarate 350mg (elemental iron 115mg)
 

• Zinc 55mg (elemental zinc 19.8mg)
 

• Cyanocobalamin 5mcg
 

• Folic Acid 1mg
 (Folic acid 1mg is sufficient unless if you eat very little vegetable )

Ascorbic Acid 75mg

Some information about Vitamin B9 - Folate

Folate and folic acid

Folate is a B vitamin found in many foods. The manmade form of folate is called folic acid.

Folate is also known as folacin and vitamin B9.

Folate helps:

• the body form healthy red blood cells
• reduce the risk of birth defects called neural tube defects, such as spina bifida, in unborn babies

A lack of folate could lead to folate deficiency anaemia.

Good sources of folate

Folate is found in small amounts in many foods.

Good sources include:

• broccoli
• brussels sprouts
• leafy green vegetables, such as cabbage, kale, spring greens and spinach
• peas
• chickpeas and kidney beans
• liver (but avoid this during pregnancy)
• breakfast cereals fortified with folic acid

How much folate do I need?

Adults need 200 micrograms of folate a day. A microgram is 1,000 times smaller than a milligram (mg). The word microgram is sometimes written with the Greek symbol μ followed by the letter g (μg).

There are no long-term stores in the body, so you need to eat folate-containing foods frequently.

Most people should be able to get the amount of folate they need by eating a varied and balanced diet.

If you're pregnant or could get pregnant

If you're pregnant, trying for a baby, or could get pregnant, it's recommended that you take a 400 microgram folic acid supplement daily until you're 12 weeks pregnant.

Folic acid supplements need to be taken before you get pregnant, so start taking them before you stop using contraception or if there's a chance you might get pregnant.

This is to help prevent neural tube defects, such as spina bifida, in your baby.

Some women have an increased risk of having a pregnancy affected by a neural tube defect and are advised to take a higher dose of 5mg of folic acid each day until they're 12 weeks pregnant.

Source: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vitamins-and-minerals/vitamin-b/

My gynae told me if I want to look for alternative choice of iron+ folic acid, here are some of the other brands. 

1. Obimin

2. Iberet 

3. Ganilia 

Rm 70 for 60 softgels 

At the moment, week 9, I am taking the BHB Floradix iron  and Udo oil too.  

Pregnancy Diary:My thought during the Third trimester

 1. 

Q： 你知道为什么小孩子那么开心吗？    

A : 因为他们被爱包围着。 

Q: 你知道为什么打人那么不开心吗？ 

A： 因为大人缺爱又缺钱 😆😆😆😆😆

Q: 那么你想变成小孩子 （变幸福）吗？ 

A： 没有， 因为可以有守护的人也很幸福。 

2. 

Q: What's the information that you learn lately?  

A : I learn quite a lot lately.  

1. Hindmilk has more calories than foremilk. Apparently you can drink more coconut juice to boost up hindmilk . However, it is a point of concern as long as your baby is drinking enough of milk (in terms of volume)

2. Kancing gigi - Tetanus jab 

Kancing gigi (Bahasa Melayu)

The fierce and rude nurse in the KK that I visited only mention it in Bahasa Melayu, which I don't understand. I only get to learn it from my pharmacist friend, who is also a mom-to-be.

And because I dont understand, I only got the Tetanus jab during my next visit. After the nurse asking me if Ihave got any jab/vaccine.  

3. 

What is the silly mistake that you made so far? 

A:  I had taken double times of folic acid.  I have Obimin consumption from second trimester onwards, then I also continue my seperate folic acid consumption without knowing that Obimin actually has 1000mg of   Folic acid already. 

I only realised that I have taken double folic acid when I request for the Obimin and Folic acid. t

then

The doctor answered " You have taken Obimin, so you don't need to have Folic Acid " 

Aiyor...   

4. 

Feeling hungry once every 2-3 hours during the third trimester  

Does Pregnancy make you behave like a baby? 

Yes ,sometimes. In terms of crying, sleeping and eating routine 

Crying :  Usually when I cry , it is only the tears coming out and I can weep quietly. But since pregnancy, I can cry like waterfall.... like the tears keep gushing out and my breast keeps moving up and down.  So...unlike me.  Sometimes, I wonder is it me crying or the baby inside me crying. So it is like double crying. 

Sleeping: Turning your body, sometimes breath diffucultly even though your body is tired. But you just can't asleep.  So just keep turning, and sometimes I cannot tahan, I would walk around in the room (in the dark) to burp (to let the gas coming out) , so that I can sleep easily. 

Eating:  Eat small but frequenctly. and Feeling hungry almost every 2 or 3 hours.   

Pregnancy diary - Third trimester :Week 30 & 31

Week 31 -  Teeth Discolouration 

At week 31, I developed Teeth discolouration. At first , I was quite panic, because this is the image of people have too much coffee and smoke too much. I really don't like this impression of people on me. 

Then my sister asked could it be because of the calcium deficiency. So we just went to a normal physician. (LIke a doctor from Klinik Medivron) to get diagnosis. 

The doctor said if it was due to the calcium deficiency, then I would most likely experience other symptoms like   wiggle teeth, gum pain and so on. I just feel that everything is normal except that tooth discoloration happen in less than 3 days. (I mean it suddenly becomes so worse in less than 3 days.)

Oh yea, but I had bleeding gum on those days also. hmmm...

When I went to physician and pharmacist in the normal clinic and normal pharmacy. They would suggest me to go to 

1. Dentist 

2. My  regular obstetrician 

At that point, I was feeling a little bit upset TBH. I really hope that I could engage an obsterician. I mean the SAME obstetrician who can oversee me throughout my pregnancy journey, but not the obsterician from KK, from General HOspital in which the doctors who give consultation is not the same person. 

Dear me,  work harder , earn more, so that you can engage with a private obsterician that give you a piece of mind.  

Eventhough at last....those private hospital could have sent you to General hospital should you have any serious complications, high risk like high blood pressure , or Covid... 

The feeling of getting consultation from the professional at the time of uncertainty is so comforting. 

The changes in third trimester so far 

1. Craving for food , Less spitting 

2. Sleep less, but it is okay 

3. I feel baby kicking more often  

1. Craving for food , Less spitting 

	Food craving condition
First trimester	NO craving for heavy-flavoured food at all. In fact, those food make me nausea.  Would like to feed on plain food like porridge, mee sua soup, fruits, milk, very limited food choice. Feeling disgusting when people post food like hot pot, raw food on insta story. I nausea when watching it. Those fried, stir-fried food, heavy-flavoured food are making me nausea. Splitting habit develop , to ease vomit.
Second trimester	Started to heavy-flavoured food. 2nd trimester is like holiday to me. I eat whatever I want. Sweet, char key tow …80% of the food craving, haha Splitting habit continues, but disappear towards the end of the 2nd trimester
Third trimester	Crave for heavy-flavoured food, but have to control. The only thing that still making me nausea is the smoky food like smoky bacon in pasta, smoky salmon. It reminds me about how nausea I am in the first trimester. No more splitting, but sometimes still split whenever I feel like vomit, due to sleeping position?  Not sure

I made a promise to myself . I would eat cleaner, healthier during the third trimester.  

1. Less cold drink

2. Less sweet food/dessert 

Although I don't have gestational diabetes so far. Hopefully I don't too. But when I watch those pregnancy video from Xiao Hong Shu, most of them also ask the pregnant mom-to-be to watch on diet, including less sweet food , because eventually we want to 长胎不长肉。 (Baby grow healthily , but not getting heavier)

Also, if I have too much carbohydrate loaded  food- I tend to be sleepy much easier than before , and I feel that it could be baby size overly big also. There's why If I can choose between chap fan (economic rice, you get to have better balanced nutrient from protein and vege) than most of the Asian food （chicken rice, curry mee, noodle）, I will definitely go for the balanced nutrient meal. 

Although I admit that some time I would succumb to my food craving also.  Like 3-5 times out of 10 times. but It's okay, as long as it is not too extreme.

2. Sleep less, but no complain 

I could wake up in the middle of night. Feeling sweet because my baby is kicking, dancing in the belly. Then I couldn't sleep some time, but it is very sweet. I could stay awake for 1h for situation like this, and ended up feeling extra sleepy on the second day.  

I actually feel so strange...HOw could one having insomia, but still feeling sweet. ....

3. I feel baby kicking more often  

During the day time, night time. 

Baby moves most vigorously when I lie down, followed by sit down and finally stand up. In fact, my baby is still moving in the womb as Iam typing this right now. 

It is very sweet. Everyday I feel blessed knowing that she is growing healthily and actively in my womb. Also, Baby kicks connects us together. Whenever baby kicks, I would talk to her, coo to her if I am not working, not teaching. I would even stop pause on my phone, pause on the TV programme just to watch her move around in my belly. 

 And this action connects us and between the baby and her father too. The feeling is extremely wonderful 

💙💚💛💜💙💚💛💜💙💚💛💜💙💚💛💜💙💚💛💜💙💚💛💜💙💚💛💜💙💚💛💜💙💚💛💜

Sometimes, when I feel lazy, slacked. It is the baby's kick reminds me that I need to be discipline and complete my to-do list so that I can have more time , focus on her better earlier before sleeping.  

💙💚💛💜💙💚💛💜💙💚💛💜💙💚💛💜💙💚💛💜💙💚💛💜💙💚💛💜💙💚💛💜💙💚💛💜

Also, we confirm our confinement center in the first trimester. 

At that time, my main thought is to rest more , and care more for myself during the confinement, because I know my baby could be in good hands under the care of the professional confinement team (meaning the nurses la)

Now, my main thought is ...I wish to ask for baby to be rooming in all the time, stay in the same room with me all the time, just to watch her sleeping, watch her to whatever she wanted to do. Because right now, I am more connected to her already. 

Like even though you are tired and need more time to rest, you feel like you can recover faster by watching her. That's how I feel for now. Not sure if about my condition by then. 

One thing for sure is...I would definitely asking for  baby to be rooming in whenver possible. and I guess ...even If I don't, my husband will do. Hahahahahah. 

💙💚💛💜💙💚💛💜💙💚💛💜💙💚💛💜💙💚💛💜💙💚💛💜💙💚💛💜💙💚💛💜💙💚💛💜

By the way, I am not done with baby kicking story yet. The feeling is quite...not to say overwhelming....but ..Wonderful.... 

Carrying a foetus around = carrying weight with you 24/7 , could be tiring also. 

So my favourite activity recently is to sit on the couch and watching TV, relaxing myself. This also explain why I don't update my deary blog here frequently lately. Been busy in completing my to do list. But I miss blogging too. Every small little progress is a progress not to be missed. 

Do you know how much I actually miss blogging sometimes, but too tired/sleepy to do that. Coz need to priortise on working too. 

And also when I lie on the couch, i get to watch baby moves around in my womb. It is again...so sweet 👼👼👼

Week 30  

During week 28

Feeling amazing at the size of my belly at Week 28. I didn't know it actually looks like this until I sit  right next to the mirror!  and curious about my belly size in the mirror.  

I received the Tetanus jab on  20th July at Week 29.

in KK (Klinik Kesihatan) The nurses call the Tetanus Jab as Kancing Gigi 

I didn't know this until I have a conversation with my another friend who is also a mommy-to-be, Yihan. She is a pharmacist. 

The 

I received the Tetanus jab on  20th July at Week 29. When I shared this to my friend, she said the tetanus jab should be given earlier. 

The second jab of Tetanus vaccine should be given within the 4 weeks also.   Which I am also have not getting yet.  Thanks to the fierce and rude nurse in the KK who serves me.  She keeps mentioning Kancing gigi when I dont know WTH it is. I heard kencing gigi. 

  Baby Preparation  

Testing on all the given second hand baby stuff like baby swing.  Am excited to see what's coming! 

Messy home because of the coming in of large baby equipment. And We still have a lot to buy. LOL 

-  Week 30!!! 22nd July 2022 

Went to TCE Baby Fair tonight. We didn't buy much. But Hey, we got our baby 

1. a car seat 

Which WS thinks is a priority because we might need to go out alone with our baby, and that the Baby fair is the best time to compare the prices.  

2. a stroller 

(it is a bundle purchase that come with the car seat )

3. NUK Bottle

PPSU material, the highest grade material at Rm 109  

That's all we bought. We spent like 3 hours there , mainly to feel all the car seats in the fair. For the rest of the baby stuff ..like breast pump....diapers.... we just bought eat when we want to use la. since our house is so small, and I still have to keep those things for 2 months. LOL 

I actually wanted to buy the baby's shower set . Those all in one set , along with the stand. The stand is what I mainly wanted. But WS asked me to buy online. So we plan to buy the rest of the baby stuff later. Also, some baby stuff is cheaper online.  

Read here about my thought that I have contemplated during those sleepless night 

Antipodean @ Atria 2022 : Great atmosphere, Great varieties

 If you are looking for Big Breakfast, you have to keep Antipodean into your list! In fact, if you browse through the google review photos of Antipodean , the food photos with Big Breakfast, All day breakfast are  the most abundant.  

Big Breakfast  Rm 33 

Fluffy scrambled eggs with artisan toast, homemade hash brown, mushrooms and a choice of bacon or sausage (chicken, pork or beef). The one that we have in the pic above is slides of pork bacon. 

Pumpkin soup Rm 16 

I was looking for a healthy choice of beverage. Something hot, savoury, but not coffee and drink.Pumpkin soup is the one! 

Homemade pumpkin soup with nutmeg and cinnamon served with toast. I am not sure it is the taste of nutmeg or cinnamon, it tasted like pepper to me in a delightful way.  

 

Antipodean also served a selection of desserts at the bar counter. I had my eyes on  their Lemon cake. Dense , moist and delightfully sweet.  

What delight me the most is the wish ! Imean look at the way  they serve their food!  I would say their food quality , services and the way the food were presented and served  were quite pleasing! 

Grilled Chicken Rm 28 

Healthy option of grilled chicken on steamed beans served with grilled tomato and a balsamic vinegar glaze. 

I would not suggest you to order this if your companion is having something heavily flavoured. It makes this dish taste bland. 

This grilled chicken was indeed healthy. and lower calories compare to the big breakfast. So yes, you can have a choice of healthy food if you don't want to have fried bacon which is found in most of the dish in Antipodean here! 

On the other hand, I was also eyeing on their another healthy choice of protein. This chicken served with chickpea salad intrigues me too! Haven't tried it yet, but would love to try! 

There also serve wide variety of salad. I didn't order them because some of it comes with cheese, which I doubt Ican eat as a pregnant woman (I mean I try to avoid raw cheese). Feel free to look at their wide selection of salads too! It makes me drool by looking at the description as well as the visual. 

Great variety of selection of SALAD . You can come back for one week to have different salad each day! View more from their menu here. 

The long black here served with frozen ice-cube too! 

Long Black Rm 11

This is how it looks like whenever it was freshly served. 

Mushroom Pasta Rm 25 

I think I ordered Mushroom pasta , not sure why it comes with bacon too. 

Personally, I like it better with mushroom only, without the smoky bacon. It tastes so smoky for me as I am pregnant at the time of tasting it. 

Avocado Milkshake Rm 19 

Ordered Avocado as it is a super food. Packed with good fat (monounsaturated fat), high protein, high fiber. Also one of the super foods recommended for pregnant woman like me. 

Ambience / Vibe 

In my opinion, what makes Antipodean @ Atria so special is their surrounding. Decorated in warm cozy yellow street light around you. With candle burning on the table really opens up your appetite. 

It was not so crowded as I had it during the weekday morning in Atria Mall, which is marvellous. NOt too crowded. Yet, this cafe is consider quite happening compare to the shoplots around it.

Image credited to Lynn Chong from Google Review 

Also, that was this kids-friendly corner, quite a vast area for the kids play corner. As I am pregnant. I was like....hmmm. this is a good way to keep my kid occupy in the future! 

Image credited to Sherman Chin from Google Review 

Also, I like the ventilated indoor environment here with water feature next to it. Enjoy having meal in this serene environment.

Antipodean Cafe Malaysia 

 Bangsar | Tan& Tan  | Atria Mall, PJ  | Mid Valley 

I have been to Antipodean in Mid Valley and Atria. So far I prefer the Atria Mall vibe. Chill and less crowded.  

Highlights of Antipodean @ Atria Mall 

1. Parking is not an issue here. Just park in the Atria Mall. 

2. No hassle 

3. Less crowd

4. Great Feng Shui (hahaha, I mean it is quite opened and ventilated)

In short, when you have great food in a pleasant environment without hassle and much noise.  You get to enjoy your dining experience the most! 

Pregnancy diary - Week 27 - Visiting KK - MGTT 2nd time

At my week 27

 Week 27 - Antenatal visit to KK

As usual , I paid visit to KK monthly. This time it was a special one.

1. I have glucose found in my urine.

2. I also have protein albumin found in my urine.

What does that mean?

1. I could have Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM) . To confirm on that, I need to repeat another MGTT again. FYI, my first MGTT result was normal which I did at Week 26 was normal. So it is still fine, becase all Ineed to do is only to fast from 10pm the night before.

2. Protein albumin found in my urine

Parent.com : What does high protein in urine mean during pregnancy? A very high amount of protein in anyone's urine, formally called proteinuria, can be a sign of kidney problems. In pregnancy specifically, it's an indication of preeclampsia when combined with high blood pressure after 20 weeks' gestation

Mayoclinic :Preeclampsia is a complication of pregnancy. With preeclampsia, you might have high blood pressure, high levels of protein in urine that indicate kidney damage (proteinuria), or other signs of organ damage.

Pubmed : These data support 260 mg per 24 hours of urinary protein and 29 mg per 24 hours of albumin as the upper limit of normal in pregnancy.

Elaboration :

In short, it means that I could have kidney problem, which might be linked to preeclampsia. To investigate on that, I was required to collect 24 hours of urine and pass it to the lab in KK. and wait for the result. 

NOt only that, the doctor also wrote EOD BP  - Every Other Day, Blood Pressure. 

Meaning, I will have to get my BP (Blood Pressure) , Urine (Glucose and Albumin) monitored every other day. Not sure what is the reason for this. I just follow only. 

How I feel? 

I would be visiting various KK, Hospital for 5 times in JUly. That is enough to disturb my morning routine 😒😒😒. But Okay la, I just follow diligently , for the sake of my baby's health.  

Then I have to go back to KK to check BP, and conduct Urine test EOD for 2 weeks. THat one also very troublesome  😒😒😒

Then, to think further...It is good that the KK is quite strict when it comes to all of these, because this further ensure my baby's health. So, as much as I moan about the troublesome-ness. Iam happy that I have my healthy check at the optimum level. 

This incidence also prompt me to conduct body check-up every year after this. I mean. I know we should do body check-up annually, but I am not so aware about the consequence. But after this, I should really take care of my body. Also because, I am more than 30 yo already. Should get my health check since I would potentially become a mother, hahaahahah . 

It was one of the rare weekends that I dont have to teach. Haha. I mean I purposely cut down on my classes just so I can have more time to rest during the weekend. At the same time, some part of me feel ling going out, so I suggest WS to go play golf, since I miss going outdoor.  

Sifu gave us this while paying visit to Fo Guang Shan lately 

Drinking the healthy Herbal Life breakfast. Just want to try the feeling. 

I always anticipated for whatever they prepare for us every day.