Can I just say, hopefully for the last time, that I am hoping to see two babies for my gender detection ultrasound? I am still not letting go of the other one, it may not seem like it but my heart is still broken.

The ultrasound was not what I hopeD it to be but of course I am happy to see my baby on my tummy.. playing and being the little one I pictured it to be.

So it is a boy or a girl?

Part of me was hoping for a baby girl.. para may kalaro na si Sati at para may gagamit pa ulit ng mga clothes nya na tinago ko. Part of me, uhhm actually I always pictured it to be a baby boy. I just don’t think I can love another baby girl the same way I love Sati. I don’t think I can be fair with them.. si Sati pa rin talaga ang mas magiging matimbang for sure. Even the Mister shares the same sentiments. Sati is our only girl and she is more than enough for us na.

God really knows what we desire and what is right for us.. He gave us Marius!

YES! We’re having another baby boy!!!!

The name Marius does not come from Les Miserables though it is the best musical play ever. if I have to get a name from that musical, I’d go with Ramin.. or maybe Enjolras haha

He’s first name is in honor of Mama Mary. You know how difficult this pregnancy was.. the vanishing twin syndrome, dealing with sadness, dealing with bladder is full but I can’t pee pregnancy problems.. and dealing with sadness again.. and again and again (which I no longer publish because.. uhmm most of it are for private consumption na lang). All those dealings, I call her name to help me get through. There are times that I’d cry quietly and just call her name or recite the rosary. During my bladder ordeal, I felt some contractions. I pray like I have never did before and called on to her… and I promised myself that I will honor Mama Mary by naming my child after her.

Mario is too common di ba.. so Marius it is! I can’t wait to welcome baby Marius on February!

Meanwhile, I’ll be busy shopping for baby clothes and baby stuff (kung kailang ako magkakaroon ng new baby tsaka pa nawala partnership ko with Baby Company and Pampers haha).. I am still contemplating if I should buy a new crib or look for a second hand na lang. Wooden crib at SM, nasa 10k na pala!!! Jusmeeee! Wala pa ang crib bedding dyan ha. Peroooo this is going to be exciting.. it’s been a while since I shopped for baby boy clothes 🙂

P.S. The baby shoes was from Enfant Facebook Page.. ang cute di ba?? I wanna buy it for Marius!

Pregnancy is definitely that time in woman’s life then there are a lot of questions. And there might be not so many answers! Trust me, you won’t be able to find everything on books or by asking your fellow friends or family members! So that is why bellow you will find some basic do’s and don’ts of pregnancy. Some of it are pretty known, some of it are not so, but everything is very important and shouldn’t be forgotten. But just relax and enjoy the most beautiful time of your life and you will be a great mother!

not my recent pregnant photo.. this was taken when I was pregnant with Sati

First, let’s start from the most common don’ts! And the first one that comes to my mind that can be pretty soon forgotten is to don’t shop for maternity clothing too soon or too late! I mean, if your belly is pretty small and you can fit into your non-maternity clothing – then don’t shop for it at all! Shop only then you can’t really fit into your clothing or you see that you won’t fit in there soon.
Also – don’t wait too long. If you walk around in your ordinary clothing for too long, you will be and look uncomfortable. And don’t plan purchasing clothing into the future – you might grow out of it pretty soon and all those investments are not going to pay off.

Another don’t is not to sacrifice fashion! I mean, don’t you forget that you can be utterly stylish and fashion-forward for those nine months! Forget about your husband’s old clothing and embrace yourself in real and amazing maternity clothing. Especially if they are worldly known and really high-quality. For instance – Nordstrom is one of these stores. And right now you can shop for all excellent quality maternity clothing much cheaper since Nordstrom coupons from ChameleonJohn.com exists! So in fact you can even save some money and be stylish while pregnant! That is what all fashionistas wish for!

Now if you want some real forgotten do’s here they are! First – do make a great health care plan for pregnancy. That should consist of many vitamins and minerals you need to take during this period. Of course, your doctor is going to recommend doing it for you, but it is recommended and not mandatory. So – absolutely do it!

Also, do talk about pre-existing conditions and family history too.  I mean, talk with your doctor about stuff like diabetes, herpes (and other STDs), heart problems, epilepsy and high blood pressure. That might change your diet and vitamins routines. And you should not forget to mention all that if your doctor doesn’t ask you first.

Finally, since there are, and still going to be, a lot of pregnancy high and lows, you should always try to stay positive! It will actually help you deal with all the pain and make your whole pregnancy much better too! It is all psychological, and it always works! So just surround yourself in a positive environment. It can help you relax and enjoy your pregnancy better and it can also flood your baby with pleasant emotions. That makes him or her happy too!

Just a few days after learning that one of our baby vanished (related story: Vanishing Twin Syndrome is Real), I was rushed to Cardinal Santos because I can’t pee. Actually, I have been experiencing it for the past few days prior to our ER trip. The difference is, I was only experiencing it in the morning. First pee is really hard but after that first one, I’m good all day. That day is different.. I can feel my bladder is full but nothing comes out when I try to pee! It was very frustrating, not painful but frustrating. I endured that feeling for hours because I am not comfortable going to The Medical City Emergency Room. Our last trip there was not really good.. they were not able to make me feel better, in fact they made me feel worse. With my urgency to pee but nothing is coming out, I know I couldn’t deal with the TMC people. When I can’t take it anymore, we decided to take our chance at TMC er but then realized we can try Cardinal Santos since it’s also near our place.

At first I thought there’s a stone blocking my urethra or that I’m passing a kidney stone… but after draining me of 750 m of urine (by catheter), the urinalysis is clear.

So what happened to me?

As it turns out, this is a normal thing during the 13th weeks of pregnancy. The uterus is blocking my urethra or bladder. As the baby grows, the uterus will move away from the bladder and I won’t experience it anymore (HOPEFULLY!)

After a few hours at Cardinal Santos, we were discharged as a very happy and contented client. This is going to be our hospital for now! The look, specially the ER is far from TMC..pero naman, the service is far far far better than TMC!

And after that trip, my bladder is OK! I can now pee at ease.. uhmm not after the first few hours without catheters.. ang sakit pala after ahuhuhu

If you’re pregnant (specially week 12- 15) and afraid of experiencing this, here’s some advice from the web and from my own experience:

• always lie on your left side ( I remember that the day it happened, I slept on my right side the whole night)
• don’t hold your pee, specially at night… if you need to go, get up and pee (I usually hold my pee because I’m sleepy!)
• don’t drink too much water before sleeping so you don’t have to pee and get up that often (I usually drink 2-3 glasses of water before going to bed thinking it will do me good)
• Eat and eat so the baby will grow faster!

It was the most frustrating experience I had during this pregnancy and I don’t want anyone to experience it too! Spread the word if you know someone who’s also on their 1st trimester to prevent it from happening to them.