33 Weeks: more itch

Really buay tahan. Somehow the skin condition spread to the eyes, and i'm having pigmentation and dryness at the corners of the eyes. Damn jialat and super depressed. The itch gets worse when i sleep, and i barely managed 3 hours of sleep every night.

32 Weeks 5 Days: Taboo

Somethings really cannot say. Yesterday i mentioned my itching is lesser and i'm happier, today it is BACK WITH A VENGENCE... sigh. Hey, but for anyone who encounters any form of itching (hope not till my extent), Aloe Vera Gel works the best!

32 Weeks 5 Days: Taka Baby Fair

Dear went to KL for a job tonight so i'm pretty much alone. And so I went to the Taka baby fair with my elder sis Jenny. It's good to have her around cos being a mother of 3, she knows what are the useful things to get and useless things not to get.

After work, i went home and picked up little Adelle before fetching her mommy. The little girl is so cute ...

Adelle: Ee ee, i like your car
Ee ee: Why do you like my car?
Adelle: Oh, because i love you.

Words from a 2-1/2 year old girl. So innocent and so pure. My heart simply just melted for her. Who wouldn't?

Taka fair was GOOD! It is all baby stuff and i feel like a member of the privilege group, thanks to the endorsement of my rounded belly. The other shoppers there are like guests. (hehe, the snobbish side of me, though there are like hundreds of pregnant women around). Anyway, things are slightly cheaper than Robinsons and you can pratically get everything there. One of my prize buys is this Winne-the-pooh cot light, that has this dim light and plays 4 lullaby. Haven't tried the actual thing yet cos i hadn't gotten the batteries, but it is $29.95 from $59.95. Just seeing the price difference makes me very enticed. hahaha. For cheap stuff, there is this brand call Benbeni. Got those loose misc stuff like towels, bibs etc.

After shopping, the 3 of us went to eat ramen... Yummy! My fav craving nowadays. Simply lurrrvvve that gooey egg. (oh, and i was slabbing aloe vera gel on myself throughout dinner. Feel like some diseased animal).

32 Weeks and 4 Days: 8th month check up

All is well, although i lost weight, baby is 2kg at 32+4 weeks. Detail scan done at the ADC for 32th week. Baby's measurements are all around the 50th percentile. Dr Chee is very pleased as babies with diabetic mums tend to be on the bigger side. Everyone who saw this scan says that baby has a sharp nose and nice pouty lips :)

Dietician also say i'm controlling my diet well and allowing me one more serving of fruit a day. Regarding rashes, gynae also boh bian, she sympathises with me cos she had this encounter too, but she said there is nothing much she can do due to the medication limitation for pregnant woman. Her only advice is to moisturise, moisturise and mositurise. A tear rolled down my face. I can only bear with it all the way until delivery. Oh, the wretched itch. Should i go find a dermatologist?

By the way, my waistline is 37.5 inches. I think baby is tucked nicely inside my body cavity.

Anyway, since all is well, and i'm happy that hubby accompanied me today (1st time in 3 months), i celebrated with a slice of butter cake...(very bad i know, kekeke) Surprisingly, my rashes also didn't feel so terrible today

We also signed up for the hospitalisation package. signed up for the 1 bedded premier class yesterday (cos hubby has company benefits). Classic and premier diff by a little only, so we just went premier. One thing hubby and i found amusing, delivery suite only available to us for 8 hours. After that it's chargeable $0.53 per minute. Kaoz .. like parking like that. Stress man.

32 Weeks 1 Day: The Itch continues...

My rashes has spread to the neck, chest, thighs, belly and arms. Thank God not the face (touch wood) and suffering from the immense scratching. I looked like i've been attacked from a hive of bugs, cos my skin is all bumpy now. Hadn't been sleeping well and last night, i just cry to my baby, telling him to be a good boy, don't bully mummy... super depressed and irritated

For the past few nights, i have been waking up at 2-3 am just to scratch. Caught all the old mediacorp serials on TV (五脚记) because i simply just can't sleep. I have actually taken ice cold showers at 2 am, and cry in my bath. For fleeting moments, i actually thought of driving down to KK and ask them to induce the baby.

Called KKH, they say if it is an emergency, go down to A&E. If it's not an emergency, i can wait till Thursday to see gynae. Kaoz, it's not a life/death situation now, but i am super suffering... And seems like there is nothing much i can do now I miss the days with my private gynae, where i can just ring up the nurse and they can connect me with the doctor within the next hour or so ... sob

Sigh, this is the worst sympton i have so far...and it is sheer torture

Here are some pictures of the areas of attack. I got worse photos, but since this is a public blog, it's not very appropriate to show here

self diagnose from the internet: PUPPP
Pruritic urticarial papules and plaques of pregnancy (PUPPP), also known as polymorphic eruption of pregnancy, is the most common rash in pregnant women. It normally occurs in first pregnancies during the third trimester with an average onset of 35 weeks. Thankfully, PUPPP does not usually affect subsequent pregnancies.

Appearance of PUPPPThe rash of PUPPP almost always begins in the stretch marks (striae) of the abdomen. It does not involve the belly button distinguishing it from other common rashes of pregnancy. The rash itself consists of small, red wheals in the stretch marks that grow together to form larger wheals on the abdomen. Sometimes the rash can include small vesicles. Over the next several days, the rash can spread over the thighs, buttocks, breasts, and arms.

The rash is very itchy, or pruritic, hence the name. This condition is harmless to mother and baby, but can be very annoying (annoying is an understatement for me). It lasts an average of 6 weeks and resolves spontaneously 1 to 2 weeks after delivery. The most severe itching normally lasts for no more than 1 week.

Cause of PUPPPThe cause of PUPPP is unknown. It is not associated with preeclampsia, autoimmune disorders, hormonal abnormalities, or fetal abnormalities. Some investigators suggest that the rapid abdominal wall distension damages connective tissue and causes an inflammatory response. One study has shown that male fetal DNA can be found in skin biopsies of the rash. Since 70% of women with PUPPP give birth to boys, a new hypothesis is that male fetal DNA acts as a skin irritant. (How true, i'm expecting a boy)

Diagnosis of PUPPPThe diagnosis of PUPPP is clinical, meaning it is based solely on the appearance of the rash. There are no laboratory tests that detect PUPPP. Skin biopsies are not generally performed unless there is a question about the diagnosis.

Treatment of PUPPPThe treatment of PUPPP is symptomatic. High strength

steroid creams or ointments, such as clobetasol (Temovate) or betamethasone (Diplrolene), used up to 5 to 6 times a day usually relieve the itching and prevent the spread of the rash. Once the rash is under control, changing to a lower strength steroid used less frequently is advisable. For severe cases, daily oral steroids may be necessary to control itching. Oral antihistamines such as atarax, benadryl, and zyrtec, are generally less effective for itching than steroids, but may be useful at night to help with sleep.

Info extracted from : http://dermatology.about.com/cs/pregnancy/a/puppp.htm

32 Weeks: Sis's birthday

Celebrated at Waruku at Marina Square. The restaurant was very nice to arrange a room for us in Japanese setting. The children were so thrilled that they kept running and thumping on the wooden flooring.. What a headache

Anyway, we celebrated with 40 candles on a swenson's ice-cream cake... fun!

31 Weeks 3 Days: THE START OF THE ITCH

Today, both my chest started to itch like hell... it's crazy...i just feel like throwing myself, chest up, against the wall.

Woke up at 3 am, and couldn't sleep at all cos i was itching all over. It spread to the belly and arms as well. Went to the GP this morning and was given some medicine, lotion and 2 days MC! Yippee! I'm going to stay at home for the next 2 days and hope the itch goes away. I look as if i got into a cat fight with my baby and boobs.

A little sweat will bring out the itch again. I think i pertually have to be in an air-con or direct fan environment for the next 2 months. Bought a bottle of cooling talc, it does help if i'm constantly peppering myself.

Since the GD diagnosis, i haven't put on any weight too. In fact, i lost a a bit. Really cut away all the chocs, and fried stuff. Sometimes feel a bit depress at my diet. Hope all and baby will turn out well.

31 Weeks 3 Days

I'm trying to clear up my pile of work. Tired and got beaten up during a meeting last night. Low morale now. Considering to take ML 2 weeks ahead of EDD now. Haven't bought anything for the baby yet nor clear out a space for baby's things. Stress man...

30 Weeks 6 Days: Yoga

Was thinking since Kevin and I are not going to any prenatal class, i'll use that money for pre-natal instead. In the end, i signed up with Colleen Simmons at Mother and Child at Tanglin Mall.

First time and I'm hooked. I found the stretching sessions really good for my aching back. The breathing techniques also helped me relax and tuned in to my baby inside. Very zen.

In the end, i signed up for 8 sessions. 4 at Mother and child and another 4 at Holland Village.

30 Weeks 3 Days

I'm hit by a bout of tiredness today. And my back never feel stiffer. Although i tried to sleep early, somehow i cannot fall into those deep sleep. My company's policy is to take ML at least 1 week before EDD. so counting down, 42 more working days for me. Sigh, such a long time.

Braxton hicks, i get them fairly often too, esp after meals. The stomach will harden to a rock and the whole shape is weird. These contractions are like practice sessions prior to delivery

29 Weeks 3 Days: Hiccups

Andre hiccups at least once a day. Sometimes very soft, got once it was quite strong, that daddy was convince it's the heartbeat not the hiccups. Guys... sigh

29 Weeks 2 days: Dietician Counselling at KKH

Spend a day at KKH for diet counselling. Comes with one day hospitalisation leave .. yay! (hehe). It was a full day event with 5 meals provided. I was taught how to use the glucose monitor and my sugar levels were taken before and 2 hours after every meal. The dietician also dropped by to teach us on our choice of food and quantity.

My case isn't that bad and does not require insulin injection.

Anyway, some tips i picked up regarding Gestational Diabetes.

1.The dietician gave me a 1800 calories/day formula. Try to go for low calories, but highly nutritious food. We still need to take carbo, cos it gives us energy. Stuff like brown rice, wholemeal bread is good. White rice is ok, but restrict to 1 medium bowl for lunch and dinner. 1 medium bowl is about 12 table spoons, or the spread of your palm size (not piled up like a mountain).

2. Can substitute the white rice for potatoes, yam, tampioca. About 3 egg-sized potatoes = 1 bowl of medium rice.

3. Try to have 3 main meals and 3 snacks everyday. The time difference between meals and snacks is about 2-4 hours apart. Reason for doing so is it will regulates your sugar. Say for instance, if you don't have a snack in between, and you gap 6 hours between meals, you will feel very hungry and eat more than what you should during your main meal. This causes a big sugar spike in your blood. So the purpose of the snack is to kinda control your body's craving for sugar. A snack is like 1 slice of wholemeal bread or 3 whole wheat crackers/0.5 of a small meat pau with a cup of low-fat milk. For the main meal, it's like the rice amt described above, with some meat and a large portion of vegetables.

4. In short, for GD diet, no sweet stuff and no fatty stuff. Apparently, fatty stuff will line our stomach preventing the body from absorbing the sugar, so the sugar will go into our blood stream. We can have unlimited portion of veges (not potato, yam that kind) and unlimited amt of soup w/o the meat (not those creamy kinds). But veges should not be soaking in oil that kind.

5. Fruits wise, Durian is a no-no Just one seed already hit our daily quota for fruit. Avoid dragon fruit too.

6. Milk is still strongly recommended as we need to have calcium for our babies to build healthy bones, but only go for the low-fat or skimmed ones. Can substitute with no-fat yogurt if you are not a milk person.

7. Avoid fruit juice cos to make that one glass, many fruits go into it. And fruits have natural sugar in it. It's better to take fresh fruits as we can take in the fibre at the same time which aids in the sugar absorption

8. Back to carbo, go for those kwey teow, bee hoon. Yellow mee, even mee sua have very high carbohydrates content. Spaghetti is fine. 1 medium bowl of these noodles = 1 medium bowl of rice.

9. And walk for at least 1/2 hour after meals. Exercise does help lower sugar levels. Walking also will improve contipation problem, cos as you move, you'll stimulate your intestines as well.

10. We are free to eat the confinement food after delivery. Dun have to control like these 6 meals regime as typically GD will subside within 6 weeks. However, as GD mums are more prone to developing diabetes later stage in our life, we still cannot go overboard with sugar. As confinement food tend to be sweet/oily, just gently remind our CL or mums to go easy on the oil and sugar

Sounds tough right, but just have to bear with it for 2 months and it's all for the good for ourselves and our baby. =) Jia you!

There is this little handbook given for referral.

I was talking about the cut with the nurse yesterday. She used to be a mid wife and from her experience of having 3 kids, she said apparently, the labor pains are worse than the cut, so most mums do not feel the cut at all. Typically, the gynae will choose to cut at the climax of the contractions. Seeing my terrified face, she quickly added that a local painkiller will be injected to numb the area.