#BumpDay
Exactly
182 days ago, I gave birth to my little Queen B. As they wheeled me into the
operating room, I remembered praying hard for a safe Caesarean delivery and a
healthy baby. I kept doing this until I passed out due to the anaesthesia
injected to me. A baby crying was the first thing I heard when I regained my
consciousness. I know then that she is out and breathing on her own. A few minutes later, I was staring at
her beautiful eyes as she latches on me for the first time. Finally, after
exactly 39 weeks I can now hold and kiss the wonderful being I carried in my
womb.
Today,
July 22, we are celebrating the first ever World
Bump Day. It is also my Georgina’s 6th month birthday. What a
great coincidence!
According to whattoexpect.com, Bump Day is a day to
celebrate beautiful bumps and healthy pregnancies, while also calling
much-needed attention to the overwhelming challenges that make pregnancy and
childbirth perilous for too many moms and babies around the world. I just found
out that around 800 women die every day around the world because of preventable
complications due to pregnancy and childbirth. Meanwhile, 1 million babies die
within the first day of their life each year. That is a large number
considering the advances humankind have discovered and done regarding pregnancy
and childbirth.
I
was blessed with a relatively easy pregnancy. No morning sickness. No vomiting.
No gestational diabetes. No preeclampsia. I remembering tiring easily during my
first trimester but this was due to my body working hard to prepare my body to accommodate
and nourish my baby. It was quite difficult to sleep since sleeping on one’s
back is one no-no while pregnant so the baby will get enough oxygen. I
remembered missing my morning and afternoon cups of coffee. I did have an inconvenient
experience with haemorrhoids but it happened on the latter part of my pregnancy
and it was only for a brief duration. Overall, my baby did not really give me a
hard time while she was still inside of me.
 |
| I'm one blissful mommy-to-be! |
I attribute
my relatively unproblematic pregnancy to the following steps I have taken:
Regular prenatal checkups
Less
than two weeks after seeing the 2 red lines on the test kit, I had my first
ever prenatal checkup to confirm my pregnancy. These checkups continued once a month
until on my 8th month when we had it every two weeks then on my 9th
month it became a weekly visit to my OB-Gyne. Each time, my doctor will use the
ultrasound in her clinic to determine my baby’s development and our little
Queen B always passes her examinations.
Eating healthy
I
avoided all the not recommended foods for pregnant women like sashimi, cheese,
and alcoholic drinks. I allowed myself coffee every two weeks. I did my best to
eat nutritious meals every day. It helps that I love veggies and prefer white
meat over red meat. Of course, once in a while I let myself caved in to my
cravings.
Religiously taking my prenatal
vitamins
Since
sometimes my diet can’t provide all the nutrients I need, I made sure that I
compensate with making sure I had my daily dose of prenatal vitamins.
Staying physically active
It
helps that to go to my work place I had to walk for 20-30 minutes. I also had
to take the stairs since all my classes were in higher floors. I also can’t
lecture properly while sitting down so I’m always pacing around my classroom
during my discussions. J and I also love walking around the mall so I guess
that counts too. I tried to practice the prenatal exercises we learned from the
childbirth class every day. Being physically active helped me a lot to stay fit
and not gain weight excessively while carrying our little Queen B.
Handling stressful situations properly
I
did encounter some stressful situations while pregnant but I did not let it greatly
affect my mood and disposition. I was just too happy with the miracle growing
in my womb that these situations were not just worth stressing over for me.
Learning all I can about pregnancy
I
read books and magazines about pregnancy. I joined forums dedicated to
pregnancy topics. I want to be knowledgeable about my condition. It may have
resulted in some unnecessary worries but I’d rather be informed of any
possibilities and act on it than having regrets later on.
I do
hope that all future moms-to-be will follow my simple recipe to a healthy
pregnancy. I sure will again for baby #2 (We
are planning and hoping to have it after 2 years.).
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| My little Queen B, you are made with love. |
Having
a baby in my womb for nine months was a wonderful experience for me. Feeling
her movements and hiccups are moments I will treasure for the rest of my life.
So I am one with the world in celebrating baby bumps! As its advocacy says, there
is nothing more beautiful than a baby bump except for a baby bump filled with a
healthy baby.
As I
have said, I was not able to have a normal delivery. My amniotic fluid is
already leaking but my uterus is not contracting hard enough to dilate my
cervix. Since my baby and I are prone to infections due to my leaking amniotic
fluid, J and I decided not to wait anymore for active labour to kick in. There was
no indication whatsoever before that I will have a CS delivery but it is the
one God had planned for me. Despite of it not being my first choice of giving
birth, I am still happy that at the end I had my healthy baby to take care of.
 |
| 6 months and counting with our healthy little Queen B! |
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