When should I start feeling my baby kick and how does it feel?

Here’s what I got from the babycenter:

Women generally don’t begin to feel the baby move until sometime between 16 and 22 weeks or later, particularly if it’s the woman’s first pregnancy. The initial sensations you’ll notice aren’t real kicks, either. Instead, some women describe the feeling as being like popcorn popping or butterflies in the stomach.

If this is you first baby you may not feel any movement untill around 18-20 weeks. If you’ve had children before you may feel the baby kick on the early side of 16 weeks. If your very slim (am I considered very slim? *LOL*) you may also feel the baby kick earlier. All of these situations are normal.

I don’t know if it’s mere imagination, but I swear I did feel something since last Sunday. We were attending mass then and attentively listening to the homily (I don’t know about the husband, but at least I was attentive that time *LOL*). In the middle of stillness, I suddenly felt a bubble popping on the left side of my tummy, just beside the belly bone. I was startled and told Dex about it. I’m not sure if it’s just pulse or the baby kicking. I figured it’s too early to be felt considering it’s my first pregnancy.

Back to the mass last Sunday. I was actually saying silent prayers while listening to the homily… praying to get pass all things that has been bothering me these past few days. I realize I should stop worrying and have faith in God. There’s always solution to every hardship in life as long as we work on it and have faith that God will be there to guide us. The only thing we can not control is health. As much as I want the entire family to stay healthy, it’s simply out of my control. And again, all we can do is pray and have faith. Talking about wonders, I felt the “imaginary” baby kick right after I finished saying my prayers. ?!?

I’ve been feeling it on and off and usually on the same spot. It usually happens when I’m in still mode… when I lay down in bed at night… and just now while I’m typing this blog post! Could this be it? Or am I just too excited? Anybody care to shed some light?

On the side, the husband took a couple of tummy shots starting the 12th week but I haven’t had the chance to collate the images and post it yet.  I certainly don’t look 4 months pregnant, which again agonizes me as I’m not sure if it’s normal to have tummy this small?  At times, I get giddy when I feel my stomach is bloated.  But I later confirmed it’s mostly due to constipation. Once I pass them all out, the bulge subsides again.

Finally, finally… finally spilled the beans to the boss.  It was an instant relief when I saw the grin on his face as soon as I broke the news.  I’ve been waiting for the perfect time to tell him and luckily it wasn’t as difficult as I thought it would be. Whew!

I’m on my 14th week now and it’s officially our 2nd trimester!  The headache and sleepiness have slowly faded and I’m feeling actually more energetic these days.  Although my adrenaline doesn’t really stretch until late night. I’m usually tired by the time I get home.  The daddy-to-be has been very caring and made sure I’m stress free.  All I have to do when I get home is have dinner, lie down on the bed and watch tv.  He single-handedly took over all the chores and constantly reminds me to drink water and take vitamins.  I’m literally living like a queen!  He’s been worried coz it seems like I’ve been losing weight instead of gaining.  But I think we’ll be ok since my appetite is starting to pick up again.

~ draft saved Oct 21

I had scheduled an appointment for my first prenatal visit with the OB in the morning and an ultrasound and blood test appointment for first trimester screening in the afternoon.  Since this is a whole day deal, I opted to take the entire day off.

A brief background. I got to know about the OB through the internet, just like the way we found our family doctor.  In Canada, it’s extremely hard to look for doctors that accepts new patients.  We were fortunate to have found a website called “The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario” -  a search engine for users to find doctors and specialists according to search criteria.  I got hold of my OB’s name and my eyes immediately sparkled when I saw the list of hospitals she’s accredited to (4 large hospitals in downtown).  I googled her name and got to a website where patients put reviews on their physicians.  Her reviews were very good so far.  I thought of asking our family doctor about her.  And fortunately, the family doctor knew her (not personally though) and said she’s a very good and reputable OB.  I immediately asked for referral.

Come appointment day.  I arrived at downtown 30 minutes early.  Grabbed a croissant and coffee (BAD!) at Tim Horton’s to fill my empty stomach.  Then proceeded to St. Mike’s for my appointment.  When I reached the reception area, a Pinay receptionist attended my queries.  I spoke Filipino to her which got her by surprise. I guess that’s the charm so she’s very nice and very attentive to my concerns.  I was asked to check my glucose and protein level and thank God I’m normal.  A few minutes later, I was asked to enter the doctor’s office and was attended by Dr. Kives secretary.  Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to meet my OB that day due to her emergency schedule.  I was told I will be attended by another doctor in her team.  The nurse did some preliminary checking - weight, height, blood pressure etc.  I was surprised to know I’m a few pounds lighter than my pre-pregnancy weight.  Then she checked the baby’s heartbeat using a Doppler device. I was so worried when she went round and round my belly without saying a word.  Then she mentioned it could be too early and sometimes the heart beat’s too faint to be picked up by a doppler device at 11 weeks.  My minds was going - OMG! OMG!  After a few more minutes, she’s finally able to locate the baby’s heart beat!  Whew, that instantly relaxed my tensed muscles!  A few minutes later, the substitute OB came in and gave me some briefing about the things to be careful of during pregnancy. Pretty much the same as what the family doctor said.  I asked about my problem regarding constipation (which is really a big pain in the a**) and was given a list of medications/fiber supplements safe to be taken while pregnant.  Then I asked if there’s gonna be any problem to travel coz we’re planning a trip to Chicago by bus that same weekend. Fortunately, I got a go sign as long as I take some time to stretch my legs while on the trip. Yey!

After my OB appointment, I just wandered around the mall doing some window shopping.  Had lunch and wandered some more.  At around 2:30, I headed to the hospital to meet Dex.  He asked for half day leave for the ultrasound.  We met and got to the reception area 30 minutes earlier than the appointment time.  Fortunately, we were allowed to go ahead with the ultrasound earlier than scheduled.

The sonologist was a Chinese lady.  She’s a very nice person but somehow her English confused me a bit.  The moment she put the abdominal ultrasound device on my tummy, we immediately saw the baby moving!  The sonologist gasp with excitement and said “The baby’s bouncing!”  And indeed, BB’s bouncing up and down as though the placenta was a trampoline! Very active and hyper and we actually saw his legs kicking in motion!  Dex and I watched in awe!  He/she has also grown so much in size compared to the first ultrasound film.  Looks like he/she’s gonna fill up the placenta pretty fast!  We were able to get an ultrasound image from the sonologist (argh.. with a fee) for keeps. Too bad we didn’t bring our point and shoot camera with us otherwise we would have captured BB’s motion in video.

Snapshot at 11 weeks and 6 days… BB’s growing fast!

Happy Happy day for us!

~ draft saved Oct 8

Note: BB is not the baby’s initials… and it doesn’t stand for Baby Boy either (in fact we’re all hoping for a Baby princess).  Pinagkatuwaan lang naman namin ang anak namin bago pa man siya dumating sa mundo.  One night, we were discussing about how we should start being conscious of what we say coz the baby can already hear us. Sabi ni husband… dapat wag daw bisaya.  Sa kalokohan namin, BB ang naging tawag namin sa kanya instead of baby. And the nickname just stucked! *LOL*

I had my first ultrasound last week Sept 15.  I was really nervous and somehow I can’t shoo away the dreadful experience in the past.  I tried to stay positive though and kept reminding myself that pregnancy symptoms are always there so I should be fine.  The day came.  I took half a day off from work and proceeded to the clinic with my heart thumping up and down.  Oh and I remembered to gulp 3 glasses of water, as instructed, an hour prior to my appointment.  The feeling wasn’t so good especially at this stage of pregnancy since even the slightest thing would cause me to gag to tears.

When it was my turn, I was surprised to learn that the sonologist was a male.  Thank God the procedure wasn’t a Trans-V ultrasound otherwise I might faint on the spot. *LOL*

I was asked to change into a disposable robe. At that point, I almost can not hold my pee and asked permission if I can go for relief.  Apparently, the sonologist needed that a full bladder to perform the abdominal ultrasound, which is totally opposite from trans-v.  Another knowledge learned.

Lying down in that cold hospital bed, I was waiting patiently as though waiting for final revelation - the moment of truth, praying in mind and hoping God will make everything right this time.  The sonologist put a generous amount of cold gel on my stomach… (eew totally chilly).  With my heart beating twice as fast, the sonologist finally broke the silence and congratulated me by saying “Hey you’re pregnant!”  I badly need his sense of humor at that moment to uplift my mood.  I was so happy to hear that the baby’s doing well.  I almost burst into tears when I heard his/her heartbeat.  Too bad the husband wasn’t with me coz this is definitely a moment he doesn’t wanna miss.

Snapshot at 8 weeks… does look like a pea right? The hug dark sack up there was the full bladder *LOL*

It was a giddy happy for me knowing everything’s fine with the baby (and me).  I read from babycenter that once the heart beat is detected, there’s a 97% chance of successful pregnancy.  Hurray to that! And the sonologist told me that if I get pass 12 weeks, everything would be fine.  I certainly hope so.   2 more weeks to go and I’m on my 12th week!  I’m still a bit worried at times when the pregnancy symptoms seems to be acting differently… like when I feel energetic all of a sudden or if I don’t feel the acid in my stomach after skipping breakfast.  I’m actually hoping for the syptoms to stay to keep my mind at peace. (weird!)

~ draft saved Sep 22

I guess I worried a little too soon as I’m starting to feel nauseous starting last weekend. Not to the point of throwing up, but I get a lot of stomach gas and acid which feels really uncomfortable. All I want to do is sleep sleep sleep….

~ draft saved Sep. 2

I had to put my journal on a notepad file while waiting for the right time to post them here.  Please allow me to make up for the post I missed.

WARNING: serious spamming ahead… and pardon the mix up with past and present tense….

Thanks to all who left their well wishes here and there…. the comments are really overwhelming… 

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I thought big aunt was just a few days late as it always was. She sneaks in mostly 2-3 days later than the original schedule, so I wasn’t really thinking much that time. The daddy-wanna-be was already babbling since day 1. It got to a point I was really annoyed and told him to stop coz I don’t want to expect and be disappointed later. So the clock went ticking as each day goes by. Day 5… still no signs of big aunt’s arrival. That’s the time when we decided to get a home testing kit. I just have to rant for a second here on how these kits are priced here in Canada. It’s bloody expensive! The cheapest was like 9, 10 dollars each! I should have brought some from Manila! Albeit expensive, the kuripot(skimpy) husband didn’t have second thoughts and bought the pack with 2 kits in it. We were thinking, it’s cheaper to buy a pack since we’ll be using the leftover some other time anyways. Who would know the second kit will never be opened and used again?

The night of Aug 22, after we arrived home from Buskerfest with friends, I decided to go with the test (since the package says the test can be done any time of the day). I was chortling over the absurd instructions on the box… it says I have to pee directly on the test kit for 10 seconds. Am I breaking an Olympic record or what (sign of watching too much Olympic games on tv)? But seriously, I don’t think my average peeing time will be able to meet that requirement! What the heck, I need to do it anyways. So, I gulped a big cup of water just to make sure I make enough pee. Off I went to the washroom, peed, and then waited. I saw the liquid gradually crawling it’s way to the indicators (1 square and 1 circle). The first indicator turned entirely pink, then the red line showed (ok 1 down). Then the second indicator turned entirely pink (oh so it’s negative).. then after a while the second bloody red line waved hello at me! OMG! I can’t believe it. Why? Because it’s our first attempt to “make” a baby! I think my eyes stayed open for more than a minute there. Ok, I do want to say this is a surprise from the original plan.  Let’s put it this way, it was just really a “dry run” and we’re certainly not expecting to hit a home run! *LOL* I let out a big yell to the husband shouting “Ang galing mo talaga… jackpot agad!” The husband, without doubt, was literally jumping up and down after hearing the news. And from that day on, I regained the status of being the Queen of the House once again!

Two clear lines…

Paternity shot… haha…

Can you believe this big kid will have his own lil kid soon?

Thank God for the advance birthday gift

We were in search of a family doctor since we arrived and we found one that accepts new patients just a month ago. So we booked for an appointment which happened to be the day after we tested positive. Talking about right timing huh? So the following day, we went to the doctor as per appointment schedule. I was still advised to take a blood test although home pregnancy results are mostly likely accurate.

I had the blood test and called the doctor’s office to schedule another appointment the following week to know the result. As a resident of Ontario, we have a health card which entitles us to health care services paid for by OHIP (that’s where the taxes go). Because of this, I’m a bit confused with the procedures here. It’s surprising that most doctors do not disclose the test results by phone unless there are certain findings. You have to set an appointment in order to discuss the results personally with your physician. And getting an appointment is no easy task (depends on the doctor’s schedule). Unlike in Manila, I can go to my OB almost any time within her clinic hours. I guess that’s the difference of free and paid service. Oh anyayws, I was fortunate to be able to get an appointment just a week after my book date. That’s not too bad, coz mostly it takes 1 month wait time. I’m starting to list down the questions I’m asking the family doctor when we meet. And I’m starting to look for a good OB with hospital privileges within the vicinity. My family doctor told me I can tell her which specialist I prefer and she’ll make the referral. Alternatively, she can also refer me to specialist within the group of doctors she’s associated with. So it’s my choice. Will discuss that with her on the next meeting.

As far as morning sickness is concerned, I have none so far apart from being sleepy most of the times. Because of my previous experience, not feeling any pregnancy symptoms worries me a little.

~ draft saved Aug. 27

We’ve only disclosed this secret to our family members.  Only few of our friends knew about it coz we need their guidance to go about stuff here in Canada.  This is our secret… something I’m excited yet hesitant to announce.  I’m keeping this as a draft until the right time comes when we’re comfortable to announce to everybody.

~ draft saved

Now, we’re ready to reveal the secret

… to be continued

Just a quick note for today…

I’m so happy my layout for Patoots and Joni has made it to the Gallery Standouts! I used Hootenany kit, a new release by Libby and Chere (watch out for it this Saturday).  Boy, I love this kit to pieces. I spent less than 2 hours making this LO! It’s THAT fantastic! And I have to post a special shout-out to Libby for posting my layout in the sneak peak thread at SSD.  I received lots of nice comments and feedbacks!  woopee!

Here’s a full view of the layout… Photos by Metrophoto (kaway kay Rache!) and journal copied from oinkster… Patoots, I’m THAT resourceful! *LOL*

For the second toot,  actually I knew about this since early August.  My other Libby Lou layout will be published in Artisan Notebook digital magazine this September! YEY!!!!  Wow, this is the first time my layout will be in publication… woohoo… I sent Libby a PM and shared the good news the very moment I got the notice.  Yay! Toot for us Libby!

P.S. thanks to all who tagged me in their blogs.  I’m quite tied up lately with work and scrapping so I lost count of those who tagged me already :(  I’ll try to answer those I can dig from my list. But most of them are already lost somewhere down the road.  Woopsie… I’ll play catch up as much as I can.

Did I get your attention? *LOL*  Everybody loves freebies, don’t you think?

Look what I made!  Recipe card for your favorite kitchenomics!  It’s actually my first attempt to make one and I loved it! I made it using Faith’s Deliciously Delightful kit with sample recipe from my food blog.

I’m sharing the blank recipe card here. Please feel free to grab it if you like (of course would be happier if you leave a comment). Len and Flo from the True team also posted their recipe cards in their blog.  Remember to hop over, say hi, and then download!

Faith has more freebies in her blog! Check it out and do participate in the challenge so you don’t miss your chance to win $25 GC in her shop!

It’s exactly 6 months since we arrive here in Canada. Where did time go? This is by far our most adventurous journey… and we’re so glad God has continued to shower us with blessings in every step of the way. Everything just fall perfectly into place in His time. I especially made a layout to keep this special memory… something we could look back to after so many years.

Can you believe it’s been 6 months since we left home and move to a foreign land we now call our new home. that’s half a year!  Surely time flies in a blink of an eye.  It’s been 6 months of emotional challenge knowing that we both miss the family back home every minute of the day.  We know that despite the challenges, this is the way to enable us to grow as a family…  Beyond the shield of protection we were so used to… together we build a destiny of our own.  We know deep in our hearts that the trials we face each day are stepping stones for us to have a better future.  Wow, we’re both proud to say we made a big leap and we stood by our decision… For as long as we hold each other’s hand, God will make everything possible for us…

P.S. Napagod si hubby sa pagbasa ng journal… sarap sapakin noh? *LOL*