Out to Subchorionic Hemorrhage, Still In to Placenta Previa

I underwent another transvaginal ultrasound today. And guess what, the result is better than the last one. According to the OB-Gyne, the subchorionic hemorrhage that I experienced two weeks ago was already gone. It was good news for me, 'though in some way I was expecting it because the vaginal bleeding already stopped. What concerned me more was the placenta previa. The TVS result showed that my placenta was still completely covering the cervix. But according to my OB, there is still a possibility for it to move, as my baby grows, as well as my uterus. We'll just have to wait and closely monitor my condition.

Whew, it's still a long way for me! Baby is just 15weeks and 1day. I just hope my pregnancy will turn out okay, so I won't have to go through Cesarean delivery.

Bleeding, Threatened Abortion, and Placenta Previa

After two weeks of being away from my office PC, I feel a little relieved to be back. Although I have tons of work to complete today, I really don't mind since the 14-day bedrest was enough for me to revitalize my energy.

Now, you might wonder why I was gone for so long? The reason: I had a threatened abortion. Yes, it's true! Thursday, April 9th, I experienced vaginal bleeding which almost scared me to death. I had a miscarriage during my first pregnancy so I very well knew that the bleeding could be a sign of a more serious pregnancy problem. I immediately seek for medical advice and when I underwent a trans-vaginal ultrasound, my OB-GYNE and I found out that indeed what I was experiencing was rather serious - it was placenta previa.

Placenta previa? I've heard of such condition before but I didn't really understand what it was. So, my OB-GYNE explained to me why it caused me to bleed and what I should do to at least make the placenta move away from my cervix, so as not to endanger me and my baby. Of course, I got scared and asked my doctor how come my placenta is totally covering my cervix. Was it from stress, from strenuous activities that I've been doing for the past three months, or from traveling long distance everyday to and from work? She said it was not actually caused by any of the three. So, what I did was make a thorough research about placenta previa and here is what I found out:

Definition

Placenta previa is a complication of pregnancy in which the placenta grows in the lowest part of the womb (uterus) and covers all or part of the opening to the cervix.

The placenta is the organ that nourishes the developing fetus.

Causes

During pregnancy, the placenta moves as the uterus stretches and grows. In early pregnancy, a low-lying placenta is very common. But as the pregnancy progresses, the growing uterus should "pull" the placenta toward the top of the womb. By the third trimester, the placenta should be near the top of the uterus, leaving the opening of the cervix clear for the delivery.

Sometimes, though, the placenta remains in the lower portion of the uterus, partly or completely covering this opening. This is called a previa.

There are different forms of placenta previa:

• Marginal: The placenta is against the cervix but does not cover the opening.
• Partial: The placenta covers part of the cervical opening.
• Complete: The placenta completely covers the cervical opening.

(sidenote: Mine is complete placenta previa. :(huhuhu!)

Risks

True placenta previa at term is very serious. Complications for the baby include:

• Problems for the baby, secondary to acute blood loss
• Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) due to poor placental perfusion
• Increased incidence of congenital anomalies

Risks for the mother include:

• Life-threatening hemorrhage (in short, death)
  
• Cesarean delivery
  
• Increased risk of postpartum hemorrhage
• Increased risk placenta accreta (Placenta accreta is where the placenta attaches directly to the uterine muscle.)

Sources: www.nlm.nih.gov
pregnancy.about.com

Here is an image of what a normal placenta and complete placenta previa look like:

Illustration from: health.yahoo.com

I got really scared upon learning about placenta previa, especially about the possible complications that it can bring to me and my baby. Now, I'm back to work, and after two weeks of bedrest, I still don't know if my condition got better or got worse. I'm off to a second trans-vaginal ultrasound in a next day or two. And oh by the way, baby is doing ok. I saw him during the ultrasound - he's so cute with those little hands and feet, and he's moving already. Though we couldn't see the gender yet, I'm still hopeful that he's a he this time.

Log Furniture Idea for the Masters’ Bedroom

Just this morning, I was thinking about the kind of furniture that I’d like to have for the masters’ bedroom. So, I browsed the net for some ideas. And here’s what I liked the most so far – log furniture for the bed and table. I’m sure Daddy will like the idea as well. But hmmm… I wonder where that man is now. Been waiting for him for hours to go online so I can tell him about this. Oh well, I might as well reserve it for tomorrow. It’s weekend for him, so maybe he is out with his friends.

Another Late Post: The Baby in Between's 1st Birthday Celebration

I know, this one is already very late, because it's been 4 months since The Baby in Between celebrated her first birthday. She turned 1 last November 4th. And luckily, her daddy was able to get a vacation in order to spend the special occasion with us.

The party was held in Legazpi City, our hometown. Daddy and I rented a place which can accommodate around 100-200 guests. We reserved for only a 100, but just like in her baptism, more guests showed up in spite the bad weather, 'twas around 200. Of course, we were so surprised, but we were able to entertain everyone.

The party turned out okay, although the little one seemed to be confused all through out why there were so many people around. As for Daddy and I, we ended up so exhausted after the party, but 'twas okay as long as we see the baby in between happy.

Here are some of the pictures during The Baby in Between's 1st Birthday:

Baby Gab and Mommy blowing her little cake's candle

Daddy, Mommy, and Baby Gab - about to blow her bigger cake's candle

The cute souvenirs

The birthday girl, Daddy, Tita Den-Den, and the clown

The clown and the little fairy princess

And of course, the proud Mommy and Daddy

Thanks for all those who celebrated with us!!! See you all on Baby Gab's 2nd birthday!

Off to a Long Weekend!

It's the last day of work for me this week. Tomorrow is already Maundy Thursday, so I'm off to a long weekend. Some of my friends have already gone home to spend the Holy Week in our hometown. But as for me and the kids, we're better off spending this in our new home.

I have so many things to do at home beginning tomorrow, aside from of course reflecting. But I'll make sure that the kids and I will have plenty of play time/bonding time together. I'm also quite happy that the President has already declared April 11, Black Saturday, to be a special non-working holiday. That means no more offsetting for me on Monday, so I'll have extra day to spend with the kids.

Long weekend, indeed! The kids will sure be glad to have me around the whole day beginning tomorrow. And perhaps, also the nanny! LOL.

Advance Happy Easter everyone!

Happy Kids and Exhausted Mom

The past two days had been very exhausting for me. Moving in without friends or relatives to help me out really drained my energy. But it was all worth it. Just seeing the kids so happy for having a bigger house and wider space to play in is enough for me to forget all the stress and exhaustion. Too bad I couldn't share to you any picture of our new house and new neighborhood since I'm still camera-less. But Daddy promised that he'll buy a new one in exchange of our lost/stolen digital camera.

Anyway, I tried to search the net for possible pictures of the unit that Daddy and I bought. Luckily, I got one; so here let me share it to you:

There you go. It's not as elegant as the other units for sale in other high-end subdivisions, but we're already contented with this one since it's the one that suits our budget as of this time. Anyway, Daddy and I are planning to invest in another property once we are done paying for this.

As you can see, our unit is really not that big. Lot area is only 57 sq. m., 2 floors with 3 bedrooms, 2 toilet and bath, and a provision for garage. As of now, we only occupy the 1st floor because I still need to buy more beds and other stuff for the master's bedroom and the kid's room at the 2nd floor.

So there. Done with moving in. Next in line - arrange our stuff over the holy week holidays. One down and certainly a lot more to do. At least, we're off to a really good start. Right Dad?

100 Truths Tag

This is a scheduled post. Since I'll be Internet-less for a couple of days, I made this post in advance so as to have something new to read for my regular readers.

Got this one from Mommy Tetcha of Pensive Thoughts. I like her really, she never forgets to tag me whenever she got something new. So, here it is:

001. Name → Phoebe.
002. Nickname(s)→ Bhem, Phoebz.
004. Zodiac sign → Pisces.
005. Male or female → Female.
006. Elementary → Albay Central School, Legazpi City, Philippines.
008. High School → Bicol University Col. Of Educ. Lab. High Sch., Legazpi City, Philippines.
009. College School → Bicol Univ. Col. of Arts & Sciences Daraga, Albay, Philippines.
010. Hair color → Black.
011. Long or short → Short.
012. Loud or Quiet → Loud.
013. Jumpers or Jeans → Jeans.
014. Phone or Camera → Phone.
015. Health freak → Not so much.
016. Drink or Smoke? → Drink.
017. Do you have a crush on someone? → Nope.
018. Eat or Drink → Eat.
019. Piercings → Iwww. Don't like. Just the usual - ears.
020. Tattoos → None.

FIRSTS:
023. First piercing → When I was a baby.
024. First best friend → Eliza Esico, Grade 2 .
025. First award → 1st Honor - Grade 1.
026. First crush → Hmm. Can't remember his name.
027. First pet → None.
028. First big vacation → In Pangasinan.
030. First big birthday → 25th Birthday.

CURRENTLY:
049. Eating → None. I just woke up.
050. Drinking → Milo. Said no-no to coffee since I got preggy.
052. I'm about to → Eat breakfast.
053. Listening to → The sound of the keyboard as I type.
054. Plans for today → Arrange things inside the new house.
055. Waiting for → The nanny and the kids to wake up.

YOUR FUTURE:
058. Want kids? → Already have and another one on the way.
059. Want to get married? → Next question pls.
060. Careers in mind → Hmmm. Management executive?..yeah right! hehe

WHICH IS BETTER IN THE BOY/GIRL YOU LIKE?
068. Lips or eyes → Eyes.
070. Shorter or taller - Taller.
072. Romantic or spontaneous → Romantic.
073. Nice stomach or nice arms → Nice arms.
074. Sensitive or loud→ Sensitive.
075. Hook-up or relationship → Relationship.
076. Trouble maker or hesitant → Neither of the two.

HAVE YOU EVER:
080. Lost glasses/contacts → No.
081. Ran away from home → Yes.
082. Held a gun/knife for self defense → Never.
083. Killed somebody → Never.
084. Broke someone's heart → Yes.
085. Been arrested → Never.
087. Cried when someone died → Yes.

DO YOU BELIEVE IN:
089. Yourself → Yes.
090. Miracles → Definitely.
091. Love at first sight → No.
092. Heaven → Yes.
093. Santa Claus → No.
094. Tooth Fairy → No.
095. Kiss on the first date → Hmm...Pwede...LOL...

ANSWER TRUTHFULLY:
097. Is there one person you want to be with right now → Yes. Daddy.
098. Are you seriously happy with where you are in life → Yes.
099. Do you believe in God → Yes.
100. Post as 100 truths and tag 20 people→

Now I am tagging:

Lyn, Maidz, Precy, Wends, Watz, Jirl, Jhelea, Melanie, Cardz, Twinx, Tala, Nice, Rais, Mayan, and if I forget to mention your name here, feel free to grab this tag. :D

Awake at 3 A.M.

And I don't know if what time I'll ever gonna fall sleep again, or if I'll ever get another at all. I'm thinking of so many things right now. Like how I'll go about the moving in process in a while with only me, the nanny, and the two kids around. No Daddy, no relatives, and not even a friend to help us along. I feel so sad that we were not able to meet our previous plan of moving in as a whole family - with Daddy around. After all, this house is supposedly the very start of making memories as a FAMILY.

But this is not the time to self-pity or to start blaming the pathetic life here in the Philippines why families need to separate so as to earn better abroad. I don't want to ruin my mood on our 1st day in our own house. Even without Daddy here, I'll let the kids feel that they already have a home which they can call their own.

So from this minute, I'd say: "Goodbye to renting. Goodbye to moving in and moving out from time to time. Goodbye to meeting new landlords and landladies. Goodbye to neighbors that we met along the way. And goodbye to free Internet." HUH? Yeah, I mentioned about the linksys thing in my other post, right? So, beginning tomorrow, I'll be out of the Internet world for a while. But I do promise that I'll keep you updated on our new house...and our new neighborhood.

Almost Ready

Yup, we're almost ready. Most of our bags are packed and only a few appliances left to be boxed. The kids are both very excited and the nanny is starting to look forward for an exhausting day tomorrow. I'm excited as well. But not too much, since I know tomorrow is going to be a long day. Imagine me and the nanny tagging along a toddler and a 5-year old kid while we move in. Whew, do you think we could even move around? And what I'm more worried about is that I'm 11 weeks pregnant at that. The past two weeks had been very stressful for me and honestly, I'm starting to feel pain at my lower abdomen from time to time. I just hope baby is still doing okay inside and that he will hang on until this whole moving in is over.

So yeah, everything is almost set for tomorrow. This is it! After months of waiting, we're off to the new house. Although we could have moved in a little earlier with Daddy to help us out, still I'm thankful that finally we're moving in, just a month behind schedule.

Out to Jakarta, In to Okinawa

After our canceled trip to Jakarta last March, Daddy and I have decided to choose other destinations where we can spend vacation. But that won't be happening in the next month or so since Daddy has just completed his 2-month exit from South Korea. Anyway, there's no problem in planning early, right? So as early as now, we are already looking for other possible destinations.

Now, while browsing the Internet, Daddy came across this comprehensive site about one of the most visited places in Japan, Okinawa. He said, “Why not give Okinawa a try?” I'm not really very familiar about this place, so I asked Daddy for the link. While reading, I was so amazed to learn that Okinawa has a lot to offer. From beaches to hotels, I’m sure this place will be a memorable vacation destination for me and Daddy.

Oh, how can I be so optimistic about having a vacation with Daddy in Okinawa while in fact it would still be a year and a half before he gets to have another vacation? I just can’t help it after looking at this Okinawa Travel Guide. It’s just so tempting and yeah it’s worth giving a try. Why not?

15 Rides and 1 Flight

I can't explain the exhaustion that I'm feeling right now. I just got back from Cavite to finish all the last transactions with Meralco so that when we move in on Sunday, we already have electricity. I thought I would not be able to complete everything before 5 p.m. Good thing, I did because I don't have time to go back there tomorrow.

Oh boy, I could hardly wait to get a good night sleep. Fifteen rides and a flight (yup, I just got back from Bicol as well) are too much for me in a day. So, have to go for now. See you all guys in the morning. Nightie nyt!

Top Entrecard Droppers for March

I'll be out most of the day today since it is my elder daughter's graduation in Kinder. Yes, I have another daughter. And you might be surprised to read about her in this blog for the first time.

But anyway, I'm not going to talk about her further in this post, since I'm leaving in a while. Promise, I'll tell more about her and introduce her to all readers of this blog in my next post.

Before I leave, let me first say thank you once again to my Top Entrecard Droppers. For the month of March, here are they:

ik.my
Mr Soleh’s Outburst
Programming Made Easy
Parental Instincts
For Your Protection
Sweet Nothings
Our Journey to Forever
My little life story
pensive thoughts
My Little Home