(2013/11) November 2013

Fuzzybear, its with a lot of 'encouragement' from hub coz he's hoping to save money from fm. He's cheapo like that. Of course I'm quite a strict mummy. According to by dog groomer, we dog owner train our kid like the way we train our dogs. Lol... Don't know if I should agree with her.

Initially I did comfort nurse because of convenience. But ard 6mth. I stop that, let my gal cry for a few days then she also give up. By then I'm super tired but it got better since. tough being our kid lah. They got tough love. Lol...

I'm in chromatography sales. Totally different from my studies. But my working hrs very flexible. So good for me to juggle family.

Breast pump, I will strongly recommend freestyle. It's light and powerful. And for me I got to pump everywhere so I need those with batt pack. U just have to bf for 4months, u will get the cost of the pump back. Assuming that u spend 200 per month on fm.
 


xuan: my mum was helping with my confinement last time, and i agree the BFing part really did cause quite a bit of conflict. Like you said, they are not very pro BF. Luckily i have a cousin who had 3 kids and she helped to talk to my mum about the benefits of BFing, only slowly my mum became more supportive and cooked tonics/herbs for me to increase supply. I think the best way is to find chances to educate them about BFing, like leaving the books/brochures around where they will see. Hahaha.
 
kayliz: my mum won't read the materials 1, even if i give it directly to her. plus she's now like in a menopausal mood. everything she says is right n we are always wrong. -.- unfortunately my niece also din really get bf, she switched to fm quite early. so i got no backup to help psycho my mum or prove my point. that's y my only plan now is to be firm, the rest will handle as it comes. n i only plan to ask my mum to help me 2wks for confinement, so that if there's any conflict, i just need to tahan for 2wks instead of 1mth. lol...

my hub says can fly my mil over to help me with confinement if necessary, i rejected that idea immediately. hub was inititally a little offended y i din want his mum to help me with the baby, but i explained that i dun want to risk being frustrated n spoil the r/s with her. haha..
 
Fuzzybear,

Thanks for the advice!
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But still a little blur.. Hehe.. Not sure after pump how long then must put in fridge or freezer.. Will look forward to my parentcraft lesson on bf-ing
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That day went for the 1st lesson at nuh which is a tour of the facilities.. The nurse pre-empted us that nuh is very pro-bf.. So they'll be there to encourage us on lotsa skin to skin contact with bb and they'll have bb room in with us.. She said please don't think that they are being very pushy, just that they believe this is best for bb.. So i'm hoping for help and encouragement from the nurses at the hospital..
 
Febie, i m sure u will cope well.
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u find urself not needing as much slp (perhaps cos u have been surviving on broken slp for the past few yrs!), able to multitask better. i think 2nd/ 3rd moms are more relaxed too cos they know what to expect. we know babies are not as fragile as we thought they were! :p

Kitkat, if u don't drive then please get a Freestyle. make sure u don't fry the battery. if u drive, then may be can consider PISA. FS is a pretty gd pump, very portable hence the higher price tag than the PISA.

Xuan, totally understand ur feelings.. in ur case, u will definitely have it tougher man. will u be getting ur own flat? i think though u stand firm with ur hb, u also gotta consider ur mom's feeling.. esp since u will be seeing her 24/7!! she can really make ur life hell with the constant comments.. u just gotta stay strong lor.. if ur mom drives u up the wall u gotta learn how to ignore and let it out to ur frens..

U can also bring ur mom to the PD and ask PD questions in front of ur mom. let the PD explain to ur mom so that she learns.
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my MIL wasn't supportive of me bf-ing. always saying my milk too diluted, bb not full straight in my face. even now my #2 is 1 yr plus, if he fusses, she will ask me to give him milk! stupid.. then she likes to feed him stuff not appropriate for his age. i always tell her PD say cannot feed. shuts her up..

Mummychua, haha in my case i m the stingy one. One can of FM is abt $80.. last u a wk.. one mth u need say 3 cans.. means $240.. u need to bf for 2.5 mths to re-coop ur investment.

Agree with u abt training our kids like dogs.. give them respect, lotsa rest and a lot of outdoor activities.. train them to listen to u, nv to give in when they are in the wrong.. all these things will help u build a solid foundation as they grow up. like my kids have no access to ipad or iphone. they sit through dinner with us on the table. no tv unless they complete their work for the day. haha.. i have frens who say my kids have no life.

Ooh chromatography sales! very rare to hear that.

Min, freshly squeezed BM (haha) can last 48hrs in normal 4 deg fridge. after which please freeze it in the freezer. once in the freezer, it can last 3 mths. once defrost, FBM has to be consumed within 24hrs.
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don't worry abt this now. i don't foresee that u will freeze in ur initial 2-3 mths..
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Yes NUH is very pro bf-ing.. their LCs are pretty gd too.. so got prob pls go back to them. do enquire if they do house visits cos very lay chey to bring bb to hospital. when u are in hospital, ask them to come and check on ur latching daily. when nurse hand bb over to u to latch, make them check ur latch.
 
I hope i will have bf from my little one.. how did you gals stimulate enough bm? is it true that if you mothers don't have bm neither will you? coz i see my sister was also not able to 100% feed bm.
 
fuzzybear, dun think will be getting our flat anytime soon. i hope my baby will charm my mum so that she nags lesser. hahaha..

actually i do agree that sometimes the way parents teach kids is like how we train dogs. i used to have a dog n i treat her like my baby. haha.. i will talk to her, tell her no when she do things that are not allowed, discipline her when she misbehaves. of cos if u say that to some parents they may feel offended. but i feel that it's all an act of love~~
 
Fuzzybear: Thanks for letting me know Ameda has high breakdown rates! Since I have already bought it, I am going to just park my Ameda in the office and hope that if I don't carry it around too much it won't break down.

I have already told my MIL and mum that EBM is the way to go. They were taken aback initially, but they trust me when I say my info's from professional evidence-backed sources. I guess the years of commercial advertisements on TV promoting FM has brainwashed their generation.

Anyway, I have decided to not go ahead with a confinement lady, since I don't believe in consuming pig liver, special chinese herbs or abstaining from baths/water. I am hiring a part time help for weekly housework, and daily tingkat service. My husband is taking 2 weeks off, and my MIL and mom will drop by occasionally. Hope I am not making a mistake. My pregnancy has been uneventful so far (except for pretty bad nausea) and I hope the same for post-natal.
 
Kris,

I have a method share by my other thread mummies to stimulate the flow. Will share nearer to our delivery date so that everyone can see.
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Fuzzybear, you are really strict with your kids but I muz say you are good. Kids are well discipline lor. yes you are right, I haven really slp since my first pregnancy. I comfort myself that next time when they grow up and dun need me as much then I will look for slp as my best friend...
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WRX i'm also not getting CL, my confinement plans are a little similar as u. hehe.. let's jiayou together!!
 
For those mummies/mil not supportive of bfg, maybe can try go grocery shopping together and see the price tag of the milk powder. I think they will pro bfg lor. you really can save a lot with bfg. when I ask my hubby to buy cartons and cartons of FM after our boy turns 20mths, he then realized that I managed to help him save a lot by bfg. Asking why I didn't continue longer.
 
Febie: Okie! shall keep a lookout for it then.. Really crossed fingers that i can bf the little one.. Ya man, fm is really exp!

WRX: I'm also not getting a CL. My mum will be cooking for me and helping out in the day. At night, I will take over with the help of hub. Hopefully we can work it out though my sis is against this arrangement coz she say it's far more tiring then I can imagine.
 
Kris, no i have frens whose moms and sisters didn't bf-ed yet they can bf for more than a yr. rem supply = demand. if u keep emptying ur boobs ur boobs get the hint to produce more milk. if i didn't guess wrongly, ur sis latched her baby but baby still wanted milk so she gave FM, and didn't pump. by and by the baby prefers bottle and ur sis stopped latching.. then again nv pump so confirm no milk.. cos ur boobs think nobody needs milk, make for what? the trick is even if u supplement with FM, u still gotta pump! at least 8x a day or as many times as ur baby feeds on the bottle. My own mom didn't bf-ed me and i m the first in my whole extended family that fed the bf-ed the baby longer than 2 mths! so no i dun think it is true.

WRX, hope urs won't break down. i do have 1 fren who has used Ameda for 4 yrs.. no problem at all. so may be it is heng suay? i can't tell u if u are gonna cope fine or not.. only u would know.. if u know u are the easily flustered type then may be to have a bit more help.. also depends on ur baby. if u have an easy baby, im sure u can cope. if u have a fussy one, u might get demoralised. nonetheless don't bottle up inside u.. just talk it out with hb or frens.. helps a lot i feel. which tinkat are u ordering from? I m thinking of trying Chillipadi this time around.

Febie, ya i m strict.. i seriously cannot stand kids who climb all over their parents. i once scolded somebody else's kids cos they were running around during dinner time.. dropping food all over the floor.. think their mom was a bit paiseh cos i told their kids to sit and eat. if they dun finish what's on their plate they cannot stand up..
 
Kris, my mom got 3 pregnancies 4 kids but she breastfed none of us. Before I give birth my relatives predict that I will be as dry as my mom. Obviously I proved them wrong.

Dye hair, for mummy who plan to dye hair, there s a organic hair salon in Kovan center. They claim that the solution they use is organic, don't know if it's true. But their hair dye is quite gentle, no smell. Just that be prepare to spend at least 2hrs for the dye to get absorbed. I got premature white, so I dye very frequent. And I kiasi so only do organic dye now.
 
i got alot of white hair also leh.. dunno shld colour anot. but i dun like to do hair colouring. last time will pluck out the white hair but i scared i will turn bald.. hahaha...
 
Wow.. mummies so active today! !

Im busy working, sneezing n coughing. Didn't have e time to keep track of e thread. Finally off work! ! Im so tired w e sick body. I stop all medi. Jus take Vit C n honey lemon n lotsa of fluid. Hope I can faster recover.

Fuzzybear/ mummy Chua/ SN & WRX

Thanks for e comfort! I feel better.. *hugsss*

I took clarinese total 4 to 6 times? Actually, clarinese was prescribed to me by GP cos tt time I dunno tt I was aldy preg. So I took it. Is till I realised I preg, I quickly consult my gyne by bringing all e medi I took previously. He confirmed all r safe to take. Hence, I took again when I fall ill again without seeing GP.

My gyne is not conservative. When I ask him qns like can exercise? His reply will b like see u grad from Chinese or ang mo sch. Chinese said cannot move. Ang mo ok to exercise. And maybe becos of tt, he would feel clarinese is safe to him. Haiz. I hope im in good hands w him. Is my 1st time pregnancy w zero knowledge beside google n asking u all n frens.

He was recommended by my sis fren..I tink alot ppl find him nice. I noted some mummies oso use him n rave abt him. Maybe I more kia so type n hav diff expectation from him.

Re breast pump

Talking abt breast pump.. im looking for one. Heard avent no good. Was thinkin medela dual electric swing selling at 599 or ameda electric dual pump. Understand from promoter tt medela freestyle act e same suction n power w medela swing. E only diff is freestyle has e LCD n memory function n rechargeable battery. Freestyle cost 799.

Ameda I didn't research abt it. But my fren said is cheap n goos. She got it from OG sales at $300. Is cheaper den 2nd hand!

Now my qns is shld I get ameda or medela dual swing? Free style is too ex though my sis recommended. If I invest a good one, I scare later spolit when I having my 2nd child which probably 3 yrs later. I on budget, what do u tink, mummies?
 
Hi mummies... wah so many postings today! I can barely catch up reading with the pockets of time between work.

Thanks to all mummies for the sharing on bf! Even though I'm not a first time mum, I think I didn't do a very good job the last time, especially the night pumps. For first 2 weeks, baby wasn't with me and it was hard getting up during the night every 3 hrs when my wound was hurting like hell... so sometimes I just slept through... remember feeling very angry at myself in the mornings for not being hardworking enough. Wish I had known fuzzybear earlier... haha...

My family wasn't very supportive too... my mum said that she didn't have milk for my eldest sis, so naturally the rest of us were on fm straightaway so she didn't understand why I insisted on bf. Luckily she didn't interfere with my decision though... My mil actually bf my hb, but she kept telling me my milk not enough, super depressing but I just kept quiet when she made that kind of comments as I didn't want to spoil the relationship. My sis's #1 was bf for only 2 wks, but her #2 (older than my girl by 1mth) was on ebm at that time, and the irony was she kept telling me to give my girl fm as she assume I will have not enough milk for #1
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Think I was stubborn enough that hb had faith in my decision, and managed to tbf my girl for few months before I went back to work and started giving my girl partial fm. This round, hb is fully supportive of tbf after he sees how much we save on fm so hopefully can do a better job :p
 
Oops! Sorry fuzzy bear.. I didnt read ur long post on breast pump. Well written!!! Thanks fuzzy bear!!!!! Hope I can pull thru e bf period!!

Ignore my qns on breast pump!
 
On pump, I was using the ameda dual pump loaned from a friend initially, but it made my nipples very swollen (I have big nipples) and I found the suction not so good. I also had blocked ducts frequently. I switched fully to my avent manual after a few months, and I really loved the petal cushion! Breasts also felt empty after pumping. However, it was super tiring and can only do one side at a time. This time, thinking of investing in a good pump but saw all bad reviews about the avent dual pump. Now thinking if I should get a medela instead... is it suitable for big nipples?
 
Fuzzybear & Mummychua: tks for the encouragement! shall look up to u all and consult if i face probs bf-ing!

Xuan: i also a lot of white hair & my hub enjoy plucking them lo! i also worry i become bald soon!
 
btw, just want to check if any of u get supplements from iherb? My friend who is a mum recommend me to get my supplements n vitamins from iherb. She say is cheaper than getting from gynae. But i can't find the same brand as my gynae from iherb. What's ur views & opinions?
 
Pinky, who is ur gynae? Some gynaes are forward thinking until u do everything he say u can do and suffer unexpected consequences. Cheer up ok? I think ur baby will be completely fine.
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Yes u read my pump review. Hehe. Medela swing is a crap pump. Pls don't buy it!! Ur sis is right, freestyle is a better pump. I think there might be some mommies organizing overseas sprees so u guys can check. Else just buy from Amazon and ship it over.

Don't underestimate ur pump. If u don't succeed in pumping because pump doesn't drain ur boobs or stimulate letdowns properly, I guarantee u will be spending a lot more on formula.

Sei, medela's personal fit funnels goes up to 36 mm for ur nipple size. I use a bigger size too. Normally they bundle 27mm tog with the pump but I use 30mm. So u can always upsize ur funnels. I do agree that Avent petal cups are more comfy.
 
Fuzzybear, why weren't u in my thread when I had my #1 hahahhaha! Very good bf-ing tips, and I had no idea FM costs so much during the initial year.

Mummychua, kowtow, kowtow. 34 months, *faint!*

Mummies, about breastfeeding, think about it this way. For thousands of years there was no such thing as formula milk. How did we survive? Cannot be everybody had a nai ma. My paternal grandma for sure couldnt have afforded one since my dad's family were dirt poor then. She managed to give birth to 6 live kids, so somehow they got their milk as babies right? Must be BM lor. Ask the older generation to ponder on that. We will have enough milk for our babies, provided no other medical conditions complicate matters.

Another thing to note of our parents' generation. Some, like my mum and her sibs, were fed on condensed milk. When they grew up, they were probably told FM was superior. Very true if compared to condensed milk! Or they easily switched to FM due to insufficient support of them bf-ing, like my mum with my younger bro. can't blame them too much that in their minds FM reigns supreme. So no choice except to educate them on the benefits of BM. And yes, be prepared for disparaging remarks. Anyway, off hand are some pros to BM:
1) easily digestible, so less irritating to bb's digestive system. Bb also absorbs more nutrients per ml compared to FM. There is a theory that because FM is harder to digest, it weakens the bb's immune system, which leads on to that (un)holy trinity of allergies of sinus, asthma and eczema flaring up
2) Related to pt. 1. Lessens severity of hereditary allergies ie sinus, asthma, eczema (but I think asthma got thrown out a few years back)
3) wow, way cheaper than FM
4) eh, supposed to raise bb's IQ by a few points. Good to know for kiasu grandparents kekeke.
5) Got antibodies! FM will never have.
 
Fuzzy bear, u r really such a lovely fren to hab.

Im sure e mummies will agree tt we r so lucky to hav u in this thread to share w us all e knowledge!

Val,
Maybe my gyne overlook? Dunno. I wil ask him again next Thursday n if he is really overlook or he has his reason.

Fuzzybear- hmm.... not sure is this okay to disclose his name. I PM u k..

Ya now I hav second tot of buying medela swing. But freestyle can last 3 yrs later for 2nd usage? My sis tell me dun buy breast pump 1st cos later I no milk den waste money buying. Really will hav no milk mummies?
 
Xuan, when I'm preg with #1, I didn't dye throughout. By the end of it. I look like shit. Somemore I do sales, my customer see me also sian. So this time round I plan to dye sometime now and a date close to edd. I don't think I will have time to do anything to my hair during the 1st few months after birth.

Pump, my freestyle is still working now. But I plan to bring it to the local distributor for a check.

As for buying overseas, I'm not sure if it is a wise thing to do. I think US now do apply sales tax even for online purchase, shipment for freestyle can cost a fair bit cause the whole box is quite big and heavy. Plus u have to pay sg tax too, shipment more than 400 will be charged 7% gst. On top of it u got no warranty.

By the way, most pump in the market is meant for personal use. The manufacturer do not recommend to share pump. Just like u won't sell 2nd hand bra, I think the same apply to pump. Hygiene issue.
 
3xMum, Yeah. Avent manual used to be so helpful during my time. But with the new technology, I think i've to scout around for better ones around :D

Infact I had went through the Zombie stage of life as mentioned by Fuzzybear after my #1 due to total latching at night. I was the only one that woke up at night while others are sleeping soundly
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I think this time round pumping will be the way to go. I totally agree with Fuzzybear that early communication with hb should cut down on argument. I, too, heard of some mummies suffer post-natal blue due to bfg & CL problems. So ladies, planning planning planning...

Have a sweet dream, ladies
 
Today all mummies are active!

Just reach home from dinner... And my friends comment that I look very tired with my swollen panda eyes.. But I dun feel mentally tired.. Any mummies with the same problem? My photos really look very tired..
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RE: bf
Thanks for all mummies on the sharing on bf.. Me n hubby have been checking out the prices of milk powder.. Really ex.. Think I will try to bf as long as I can.. But the night feeding part is really the challenging part..

RE: pump machine
I will most prob get the medela freestyle.. Though I should be latching directly but just get one set just incase.. Hopefully it will come into good use..

RE: dye hair
I should be you to dye my hair soon.. Haha I really can't stand it.. And I will be checking out the salon silver recommended.. Crossing my fingers it will be all right.. But I need to find the right timing to dye.. If not later in law might nag.. -.-""
 
good morning mummies and welcome DPW.
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IF you are buying 2nd hand pumps, please buy all the accessories that comes with the set. you actually rely on the pump more.
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silver, go ahead. I love crabs.
and I ever saw a report says crab is good for baby's brain. hahahaa...
During my pregnancy with no 1, I have crab at least 5 times.

For no 2, I already took it twice.
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Fuzzybear - I realised I cant send u PM. U disabled e function ?

Hi DPW! Welcome here! !

Silver- me too!!!!! I oso craving for crabs mee hoon n butter crab from melben!!!!!! Yummy!! Buy hubby banned me from eating. I tot is okay to eat on a moderate basis. If crab cant eat den sotong oso cant eat right. Dunno wat my hubby thinking. I wannnnn crab!

Anhk - my bump havent reach tt stage yet. Haha... still a small little bump.

My cough n flu getting worse after e fever. Went back to see GP again. This time he given me antibotic for 3 days. amoxycillin. Checked online tt it belong to cat B. Dont feel like eating antibotic. Decided to rest at hm today. I have taken 2 days MC this week. Oops.

Think I juz continue take e flu n cough n vit c n sleep more today.... let me recover fast n resume my appetite again.
 
Hi all.

I've been a very happy silent reader since the beginning of this thread. And although this is my first post here, I want to thank all of you for the support so far. It might sound silly but it's so comforting knowing that there are people just as blur as me learning about the dos abd don'ts of the first trimester and other people just as nervous as me going into the Oscar screening...

My EDD is 20 Nov.
But because I have twins they may come out earlier.
This is my first pregnancy and I'm also quite young. Was planning for one(who plans for more?), tried for two months then end up like that. So this changes all our plans.. Our initial plan was to have one kid and take him/her along with us overseas to do some further studies but not sure we can anymore. Will probably also have to stop working soon to look after them, infant care X2 is no joke!

I'm quite forum/Facebook shy so I won't post much, but will keep reading and reading as we journey together.
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Silver, i just had crabs n tons of seafood during a feasting night at Owen seafood restaurant a month ago, its definatey ok to eat in moderation.. but I am avoiding shrimps n fishes.

Welcome sbmummy, wao twins!!
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thats great. after this pregnancy you can close shop... haha if you only plan for 2 kids in your life.
 
*Sipping my once a week friday coffee and munching my french toasts*

TGIF Mummies!
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Ankh, i started noticing my belly button getting swallower...will all mummies eventually have button outie?
 
sbmummy: congrats on ur twins! it's a blessing n i'm sure everything will fall into place eventually.. =)
 
wbmummy>welcome & congrats!I always believe things happened for a reason, it may seem undesired changes to us at this point, but may turn out to be a blessing in disguise.

Pinky>take care of yourself, drink more plain water, water works wonder, for flu, you really need to rest to get better.

few weeks ago, I was also having flu & cough, I did not go to the doctor or take any medicine, simply more water, and vitamin C, and recovered in about a week or 2. Actually I don't really believe in medicines, even when my kids are not well, I did not bring them to doctors immediately, I will usually observe for few days, that was what PD told us, it usually will take 3 days to know what is the "thing" that causes the fever etc. unless its high fever which did not subside after more than 3 days. Most of the time, I will make them drink a lot of water, and sponge and tried to cool their body.
 
congrats SBmummy.
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Nice to hear twins. like what thridtimemum mentioned, it could be a blessing in disguise. Dun worry, take it as it come.

Take care Pinky. Rest more over the weekend and drink more water.
 
Hi sbmummy! Congrates! ! I always wanted a twin but no fate. Dun worry, things will jus settle in place some how..

Arissa- y r u avoiding shrimp n fishes? I love shrimp n fishes! I ate alot!

Third3timemummy- Thanks! I gonna spend e rest of my Friday sleeping! Going bck to sleep le...

To all working mummies - Is FRIDAY! !!!!!! Weekend r calling for us!! Keke
 
TGIF ladies!!! finally weekend is here... ths week is really a drag. glad that its almost over. going for my 16wks appt on sat. hope to be able to bb gender.
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Pinky, im craving for melben bee hoon crab too. maybe get hub to buy it for me this weekend. yummy.

since you are having cough and cold perhaps you should delay your crab feasting. drink some honey to smooth ur cough.

sbmummy, the 3rd pair of twins on this thread. amazing.
 
Morning mummies...

Ankh: not for me.. But I think my belly button kinda look more round and looks deep... Hahaha

DPW: welcome!

Silver: yeah! Go n eat! I also trying to get my hubby to bring me to eat! Hahaha trying hard...

Pinky: please get more rest ya.. And maybe drink vitamin c tablet? Would it be better?
 
SBmummy: congrates!! hahaa i guess the excitement to have 2 in one go is going to be higher...

arissa: ya.. actually you need to eat fish cos they are good for the bb.. but wat kind of fish must be careful.. like stingray cannot eat too much cos high level of mercury.. not good for bb...
 
@pinky..i am avoiding that because of the mercury contents..partly also because my body don't crave for them..cannot really accept the taste now..
my dad's colleague had a child with brain abnormalities.. they drew conclusion that maybe due to the wife eating alot of fishes during her pregnancy.. the fishes she ate may be tuna or fishes with higher mercury content..
i still believe you can eat fishes but eat in moderation.. but try to avoid those korean grill fishes eg. saba and mackerel fish..i think those are higher in mercury content. ..now i take more lean beef n protein for iron and improve oxygen supply for my baby..
 


Arissa, for my #1 pregnancy my belly button also remained an innie, so I'm finding my belly button starting to now become an outie very strange.

Mummychua, is Melben seafood that good? My friends went there and were super unhappy with the service, so just wondering if food there really that fantastic to justify the bad service.
 

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