Went to see Dr Soong today for the second to last time before the delivery. Baby has put on weight since the last visit which is great. Dr Soong actually suggested durians the last time we went to see her and we have been obediently stuffing our faces with said fruit. It seems to be working so we bought more today! She thinks that baby will be at least 2.5kg by the time she’s born which, although low, is actually considered normal birth weight. So baby will probably not need to be under intensive care and all that. Yay!

We went to Joan’s office to pick up the DVD of the pregnancy photos and also the canvas print of a selected shot for the nursery. I wanted to get some of the photos printed out so we dropped by Raffles City and bumped into Cousin Selena there! She was with Baby Asher who’s filled out and looks really cute and, when Adrian left to do a presentation at some seminar, I hung out with her for a bit. Raffles City has good baby nursing and changing facilities!

It’s a bit surreal knowing that the baby will be here in 10 days’ time! While it’s good knowing exactly when baby is coming so that we can prepare everything we need and ensure that Adrian won’t be out working or playing golf when the time comes, the fact that the element of surprise is missing is a wee bit of a bummer too. But seriously, the most important thing is that baby comes out with as little stress as possible.

A couple of weeks ago, Joan came over to take some pregnancy photos for us. Even though we’re already spending so much money on the baby, I felt that this pregnancy shoot was worth spending on since it’s our first pregnancy. Also, I have a feeling that by the time the baby is old enough to be really aware of her surroundings, we would have moved somewhere else so it’s nice to have some photos to show her what her first home was like. :)

Here are some shots that I really like:

Adrian and I don’t celebrate Valentine’s Day but we had an unusual one this year. We were in Thomson Medical Centre by 8.30am and spent a few hours there. Two days before that, we had gone to see Dr Soong our obstetrician and during the check-up, she noted that the baby’s weight was low. She said that it could be a case of intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) which could be due to premature ageing of the placenta, which in turn could be caused by stress, and she scheduled us for a detailed scan. We were supposed to go for the scan the following Tuesday before seeing Dr Soong again on Friday but we decided to go on V-Day and try our luck in the queue. Managed to get the scan done without too much waiting and it confirmed her diagnosis. There is a notch in the right uterine artery meaning that blood flow to the baby is restricted and the baby is not getting as much nutrition as she needs. I’m supposed to eat more (and put on more weight) since the baby is getting a smaller proportion of nutrition from what I eat. I also have to get a rather painful injection every week to allow the baby’s lungs to expand and mature.

This is a very unflattering picture of me hooked up to the CTG monitor which monitors the fetal heartbeat. I wasn’t really feeling that miserable but Adrian wanted me to put on what he calls my pathetic ‘hush puppy’ expression. This watching over every beat of the baby’s heart experience felt really appropriate since it was Valentine’s Day:

On our unusual V-Day, Adrian bought me a hilarious pair of Domokun bedroom slippers to wear in the hospital when I deliver. They are really comfy! I have a thing for funny-looking bedroom slippers. :)

We went to see Dr Soong again today and the baby has put on a bit of weight so that’s good. I’m trying my best to eat and drink as much as possible without exploding. I’m still getting an injection weekly. We could see the baby practising the use of her lungs today. Will be going for 2 more appointments the next 2 Fridays and also an additional CTG on Tuesdays to monitor the baby’s heartbeat. Since the baby is not getting enough nutrition inside, we need to deliver her earlier. We’re doing it by caesarean because inducing and going through the process of labour and natural delivery may cause fetal distress when IUGR is involved. We are scheduled for Monday, 09/03/09 which is three weeks before my actual EDD.

I’ll be resting at home till then so I won’t be going to school anymore. Still need to clear marking and set CA papers though! Also have one more MA assignment to finish before that. I plan to spend the next two weeks clearing my work and also washing up all the baby things. Would also like to get some pictures printed up to finish updating my pregnancy journal. Juan bought me a really lovely baby journal that I want to start writing in as well! Adrian and I are anxious and worried, of course, but we know our friends are praying for us and with us!