31 weeks!

Here's my belly :p

Update! We have a date!

So, we consulted fengshui for the best times to bail Griffin out of my uterus and we were given three dates:

June 12

June 16

June 19

Then we asked Buddha (SSK) for the best option among the three. June 9 is also actually a good date but it was "counter" (or kontra) to my sign so that made it a non-contender. 

He chose.... Are you ready....

June 12! Hooray!

For some reason, even back in October when I found out I was pregnant and that my due date was June 30, I had a feeling already about June 12. As early as then, I started thinking (and even told Dennis once) what if I give birth on June 12 instead. Isn't this so cool?

So there you have it. We have about 6-ish weeks left to go. 

Makes me want to go shopping for baby stuff now. Haha!

Yay! See you soon, baby boy! :)

Update!

Got an interval ultrasound yesterday as ordered by Dr Manahan and was pleasantly surprised (or shocked may have been the better word) to hear that my darling little fighter has breached the 3 pound mark in just 2 weeks! He is now on the 65th percentile for his gestational age. I'm so proud! And grateful for Magnum (the ice cream) and this oppressive heat! Hooray!

So Dr M checked all his other measurements and was very happy with them. He also looked over my bloodwork and reiterated I need to eat more sodium-laden food. Omg. I dunno how much more salt I need to add to my diet! 

Oh and he broached the topic of a CS delivery yesterday. He said that while he think it's not impossible for me to do this the normal way, I do have the three criteria that he uses to recommend CS:

- Precious baby (usually referring to a much-awaited baby often resulting from invasive fertility treatments)

- Immune condition of the mother 

- Special uterine shape of the mother

So medyo check na check ako for all three. He also explained that while normal is easier on the mother, it is harder on the baby physically-speaking. The burden of being birthed falls on him. Since my baby is a "precious baby" as defined above, he said doctors usually take extra precaution and go for CS. This way, baby enters the world in the most peaceful way (peaceful from his perspective because he just goes from warm, dark womb to lighted, cold OR in a span of 1 second, VS being squeezed for hours in every contraction, finding his way to the cervix, and then finagling his head through the small opening). He also said that my specially shaped uterus may pose pathway challenges to Griffin if I try to push him out. The surface may not be smooth and he may run into structural impediments that "trap" him no matter how I push. Some of his patients with a specially shaped uterus who insist on a vaginal birth end up CS anyway when the labor results in fetal distress. So why risk it?

At first, I was saddened because in my head, giving birth meant doing the whole water bursting, contractions coming, pushing in the DR, etc. I even asked Dennis if I should feel "robbed" of the experience. He waved me off and reminded me the priority is Griffin and we have long surrendered the "ideal" when we accepted we needed science's help to have a baby. So keep on embracing science and just focus on the upside. 

Well, I suppose there are upsides. We get to choose his birthday - Dr M said as early as June 9, I can hold my baby in my arms already! And being Chinese, we can look up the best day and time. I can take my last shower (last in a whole month) leisurely without any pain of contractions, I can plan my hospital stay, etc. Having known variables is a big advantage. 

Dr M also said a CS is less tiring, so I can devote my energy to the latching and breastfeeding right after, if the baby is given the go-signal. Which I so want. One thing I was dreading about the possibility of a long drawn-out labor and delivery was being too zapped to apply the breastfeeding principles I've read up on. And while I didn't have this baby the conventional way, I do want to feed him the way nature intended. At least I do want to give it the best try I can. 

So next question was where to give birth. MMC was my original choice assuming a normal delivery. I felt much more confident in the staff there. And I heard the anesthesiologists in SLMC are not very good. 

Dr M allayed my concerns by telling me that he only has to use the anes on duty in SLMC only for epidurals in normal deliveries. For CS, it is patient's choice. So I will use his partner anesthesiologist who is a champ! And SLMC's facilities are better and newer. So it is really my choice. No special advantage now for MMC, which is actually more expensive pa than SLMC. 

So now I'm torn - even leaning towards the newer hospital. Might as well, right? 

Which brings me to a pedia conundrum. The pedias I talked to were both MMC-based. So now I have to expand my search to those that practice in SLMC because I want a pedia to catch my baby. Again, precious baby and all. 

No dull moment with this pregnancy, huh? 

So how does a June 12 birthday sound, Griffin? Assuming it's fengshui-approved, having a holiday for a birthday means daddy and mommy will always be available the whole day + traffic in the metro will always be light. Haha!

Dear Griffin,

You're officially 30 weeks and 1 day in Mommy's tummy, my love. I've felt you become stronger and bigger just through feeling your kicks and tumbles - once as soft as a feather and now powerful enough to make my clothes move and to make me catch my breath. I love every single minute of knowing I'm the only one in the world right now who knows your every move. 

We've started getting ready for your arrival. AhMa got you your bedside crib already and Guama got you a white noise machine that will hopefully help you go to sleep. Ahchiak will give you the stroller and car seat that Achi Fuji used. And your baby showers are being planned already too - you'll realize when you're bigger just how much fun it is to receive and open gifts. For now, your only job is to grow healthily and steadily and to please reach fullterm. 

That's it. That's really all Mommy wants for you- to be as healthy as possible. I know your environment may not be the most optimum, Griffin, because Mommy's uterus space is smaller than others and my blood may clot faster than other moms'. But hopefully you won't feel the difference much and the interventions that our doctors have done and will do end up being enough. These daily injections and all these tests are nothing- I can get through them all and more, for you. So please be healthy. 

Mommy can't wait to meet you, my love. Hopefully not before the next 7 weeks and even more hopefully in 10 weeks' time. This means you would've gotten as big as possible and have had enough time to mature your lungs. 

In the meantime, just keep growing. And keep moving. Kick, tumble, elbow... Whatever you like. Mommy doesn't mind. In fact, I love it. I often stop what I'm doing when you make those big jabs, because I want to savor your every single move. Even at just under 3 lbs., you're already the biggest force in Mommy's life and you already occupy the biggest space in my heart. Can I tell you a secret? Sometimes I get scared I just might love you so much more than I love your Daddy. Not because I don't love him enough. But because I love you at depths I never knew existed, even for your Dad who already really is the original love of my life. I literally think of you every minute of every day, and I haven't even met you yet! Isn't that amazing?

I think you're sleeping now as I haven't felt movement for a while. Sleep tight, my little big love. And grow some more. Mommy loves you. 

My baby's beautiful face.... Who looks like....

Mommy!!

And Daddy agrees! Hehehe.

We got a 3D scan right before the Easter break at In My Womb. My OB referred us there, vs the one done at the hospital, because they take their time to get the best possible shot, compared to hospitals who really focus on the medically necessary aspects instead. I'm glad we followed his advice because this place got us this beautiful full-frontal shot of my Griffin --

Love love love. 

Don't you agree he looks like me?