As Sophie is slowly growing I have started to look for a baby carrier that would allow me to carry her in- and outside the house and being hands free at the same time. In addition I wanted to look for an additional solution to calm her down, especially in the evening as she seems to be colicky at times. Our Chunei arrived today and the reason why I chose to go with this one is the fact that it relieves the mother from carrying the weight across her shoulders and her neck. Many women seem to complain about shoulder and neck pain with some of the major baby carriers . With the Chunei the weight is distributed to the shoulders and the lower back. Putting it on is very easy and quickly done. It comes with a head support for the baby. Sophie and I love it. It helps my carpa tunnel syndrome as well as I don’t have to constantly carry her on my hands. I can highly recommend it! I will post some pictures soon. If you are curious you can take a peek at the company’s video here.

After my doctor’s visit yesterday we got some surprising news. My last two checkups revealed a sudden increase of blood pressure within the hypertension range. In addition protein was found in my urine, which should not have happened. This combined with my swollen hands and feet are signs of preeclempsia. Only a small percentage of pregnant women do get it but it is a pretty serious condition as it could result in multiple organ failure and seizure for the mother one of the main reasons for maternal and perinatal mortality. Because of the risk my doctor told me to go ahead and schedule the delivery for today or tomorrow. As I am not ready for an induction we will only have the possibility of a c-section. Voila! There goes my plan for a natural birth. Now I am anxiously waiting for the doctors office to call me back for the hospital schedule. I am exhausted. I hope everything will go fine…Can’t wait…

In the meantime, enjoy this pug strolling around Portland with his favorite stroller..

A few days ago James and I were strolling around the park with our dog Sunny when we realized black smoke and clouds coming up in the air from far far away. We could not believe that this was a sign of one of the California wildfire still going on which apparently is still not fully contained. In fact the sun was covered by the smoke and it was all hazy. Even the air smelled smoky. It was pretty bad…

I had another appointment today to meet with my new OBGYN. During the last few weeks our little baby girl was in a transverse position and seemed all comfortable. She did not wanted to do the obligatory turn and go head down. I was worried as this would mean an indication for a c-section. I did several excercises and it seemed to have worked. She has finally turned! Yay! I am so relieved….

I have decided to opt for a natural birth without any drugs (if possible) and the least medical intervention as possible. As my current OBGYN does not allow having a so called ‘doula’ or birth assistant/midwife present and does not accept birth plans I decided to switch during my last weeks of pregnancy to a new OBGYN. It’s crazy. I was lucky enough to find a doctor who does share my vision of a natural birth in a hospital environment and is willing to accept me as a new patient. In the US it is common that the OBGYN delivers the baby. The OBGYN does not show up until the very end. He/She also performs a c-section in case it is needed. I don’t know how they do it. Running a medical office on the side and in between rushing out to different hospitals to deliver babies whereas Midwifes are only allowed to perform home births.

In order to prepare myself for the upcoming pain my new OBGYN recommended Hypnobirthing. It’s a kind of self hypnosis that trains the mother to be in relaxation and breathing techniques. I decided to opt for Hypnobabies, a slight deviation from the Hypnobirthing technique. After reading a lot about it I really want to give it a try. Many women who have applied these techniques have almost had pain free deliveries without any drug intervention. I hope I have enough time to study the material as I am already pretty late in getting it. The course is usually stretched over several weeks….Aie aie aie…

A few days ago I went to my OBGYN for another visit. For some reason she and the doctor at the ultrasound office are like 2 weeks off when it comes to determining the due date of our baby. My OBGYN has determined that it would be September 27th! Oh my…that is only a few more weeks away. I can’t wait.

I have been struggling lately with edema in my hands and feet, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, sleepless nights and other things. But I know that in the end it is all worth it.  Our little girl is about 4lbs and 5 ounces heavy. She seems to be a strong baby. I can’t wait to take her on a stroll with us or just to hold her in my arms. It’s just soo amazing!!!

…the hell out of me. When I woke up this morning, I immediately noticed that something was different. I felt my slowly growing belly and noticed no movement whatsoever. I turned to the side. No movement. I got up, started to walk around like a mad woman. No movement. I climbed up and down the stairs and moved my belly a bit. Still no movement. This is when I started to despair. I ran into the kitchen, grabbed a joghurt and some cereal and started to have some breakfast. After another long 15 minutes, I was lying down on the sofa, I finally felt a relieving ‘kick’ and a little movement. Ohhhh…That was probably the best feeling ever during my so far whole entire pregnancy. I read on the net, that you should be drinking OJ or some kind of sugary drink and then lay down. It’s mostly due to the fact that at this stage of the pregnancy, the baby is running out of space and is getting lazy in moving around so much. I will start a kick counting sheet now. This is usually recommended at this stage to make sure that the baby is okay. You will count the baby’s kick in the morning and in the evening. She is supposed to move at least 10 times during 2 hours. It is a way of keeping track of the baby’s well being and monitor possible fetal distress or any kind of problem.

James and I have decided to come to LA for 2 weeks. Vegas has been heating up quite a bit lately: 120 Fahrenheit! A perfect weather to make your scrambled eggs on top of your motor grill…lol

After also passing the fear of James having swine flu we managed for me not to get infected. I was pretty worried. It started with a sore throat, coughing, runny nose, muscle ache and high fever. I almost freaked out but I did not wanted to take any medication as none of the ones available right now have been tested on pregnant women. So we just stayed away from one another and wore masks. I disinfected the whole house and we lived on two separate floors. Pregnant women are at high risk for further complications such as pneumonia as the immune system is weakened. Many of them who have caught it have either died or are either fighting for their lives. It’s just so sad…

I am currently very cautious and am wearing a mask when I am in public. Especially when it is a crowded place. I wash my hands probably twenty times a day. I know it sounds ridiculous but I would do anything to protect the baby…

One of my absolute favorite Asian singers…She is from Singapore and I have been listening to her music since a few years. I had the amazing opportunity to meet her personally and her husband at a small gig a little over a year ago in California. She is just so sweet and down to earth. She was performing at this little coffee shop that she frequents pretty often to chill out or just to get some inspiration for a new song. It was such a nice atmosphere and truly very special. I bought a couple of her CDs and this is one of my absolute favorite songs: Safe in a Crazy World. The lyrics are just fabulous and so is her voice…Enjoy and show some support by buying her CDs!

Going shopping for the baby has been a pretty daunting experience. What to do if you stand in front of a selection of 30 strollers? It’s like going into a supermarket and finding yourself in front of a long aisle with different types of cereals to buy without knowing what you really want.

After cross examining the sales person about the differences of each stroller, we decided that it was probably best to return home and ask my cousins for help. This was actually a pretty good idea - and thanks to them, I got a better idea what to look for. We have now bought a stroller, car seat, bath tub, swing and a baby crib. But the list is actually so much longer. Even just for the basics. I am overwhelmed. As for me I have bought for myself only two dresses that I switch back and forth and that fit my slowly growing belly. All of my other clothes don’t fit me anymore. I have so far gained about 18 pounds at the most and have still about 3 months ahead of me.

Yee-haw! I can’t wait for the baby to arrive. She kicks my belly like a little kung-fu master. And as for the name…we are still undecided….