Twenty ninth week: Change of plans

At the beginning of the pregnancy, we always thought I will return to Singapore by mid February and stay until the arrival of Baby Capodieci in mid April.

Thus, I had plans for a baby shower in Singapore, some time in early March, and created a gift registry for Baby Capodieci, specially for the occasion.

Now that we plan on delivering the baby in Bali, the registry is useless as we have to purchase most of the items before baby's arrival.

Things like the changing mat and baby toiletries are easily available at the local supermarkets. That is what I love about Bali - even the neighbourhood supermarket has at least one entire shelf dedicated to baby clothing, and another entire shelf dedicated to baby products such as bath essentials, towels, bottles and more.

The only item that is proving difficult to find are cloth diapers and waterproof pants. If anyone has any idea where they can be purchased, other than through online shops, please let me know as soon as possible!

Looking at the list of items on the registry again, there are also some items that are really not essential at this point of time, such as the pair of infant shoes, and the grooming set. I guess I was being a kiasu (scared to lose) Singaporean at the time of creating the registry.

At least this change in situation has prevented financial excesses on items that baby will outgrow quickly!

Twenty eighth week: A resting place for Baby

Baby received his second 'gift' from us this afternoon - a rattan crib with cushion pad.

We spotted it standing outside a shop by the road while travelling back to the office in Seminyak after a meeting with a client in Ubud.

We loved how a natural material could be moulded in to a simple yet timeless design. We did not hesitate to buy it! Cost us only Rp325,000, approximately S$49.45.

It is now standing in the nursery, awaiting further additions such as a bolster, mosquito net, and of course, Baby Capodieci!

Twenty eighth week: Turning left

Since the beginning of the pregnancy, I have come across numerous pregnancy guides that recommend sleeping on the left side.

However, even though the reasons for not sleeping on your back were obvious, there were no explanations as to why sleeping on the left was better than sleeping on the right.

In the most recent weekly update that I receive from Babycenter.com, the explanation for this recommendation was finally given:

"There's no harm in sleeping on your right side, but lying on your left side or tilted to the left is the best way to ensure proper circulation. It takes all the pressure off of the vena cava — the vein that returns blood from your lower body to your heart. This vein runs along the right side of your spine and may be compressed by your growing uterus when you sleep on your back. Compression of the vena cava can cause decreased blood flow to the placenta and baby. If you end up flat on your back in the night, don't panic: Women who do suffer from a compressed vena cava will likely unconsciously shift positions in their sleep to take the pressure off the vein, says Dr. Mark Taslimi, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Lucille Packard Children's Hospital in Palo Alto, California."

Now, such information would have been useful right from the moment they told you to sleep on the left side!

Twenty seventh week: Baby gifts 4

After dinner at an eatery in Mal Bali Galeria, we decided to take a short walk around the mall so that the tightness in my expanding belly would ease a little.

Roberto was drawn toward a toy shop, so in we went to look at the Hot Wheels, Play Doh, and Thomas the Engine accessories, among other things like inflatable garden pools, an inflatable Superman vest, and a min home ATM.

Just as we were about to exit the shop, some baby clothing caught my eye. In particular, a one-piece 100 per-cent cotton deep blue outfit from Disney. It has a gold pattern on the front, which had a profile of Mickey Mouse and the Chinese characters for Mouse Year.

We loved it so much, we bought it for our little one, the very first gift from us. The original price was Rp76,500 (approx. S$11.65) but there was a discount, so the final price was only Rp53,550 (approx. S$8.20).

Twenty sixth week: Baby movement

I am beginning to feel the little one moving more often recently.

Previously, I could only feel him stretching, punching or kicking from between 10pm to midnight, just before I fall asleep.

Now, I can feel his movements many times throughout the day and night:
- before I return to sleep, after I have woken in the middle of the night to use the toilet;
- when I am turning in my sleep during the night, especially when I am lying on my sides;
- between 6am and 8am in the morning, when I am half awake and half asleep;
- various times during the day when I am working at the computer or walking around the house.

The movements are not unpleasent, but sometimes an especially hard 'knock' comes unexpectedly. Roberto gets a kick out of being able to feel the baby moving, and he always breaks out in to surprised laughter.

I can also now distinguish between a soft and hard 'knock', and pinpoint exactly where the baby has 'hit'.

Very interesting feeling. I wish there was a way to record this so that we can remember this for a long time to come...

Twenty sixth week: Baby gifts 3

Our friends Fabio and Inga returned from a working holiday in Thailand, and bought this sweet one-piece outfit for Baby Capodieci.

We had a laugh about the 'baby gangster' phrase as Fabio is from Sicily, a place where the mafia is a part of life. For sure our little one will be wearing this to have a picture taken with Fabio!

Twenty sixth week: Coming out

It could have been a gradual progression, but I only noticed today that I am having trouble with cleaning out my belly button.

This is because, most of the empty space has started to 'come out', a result of my abdomen expanding to accommodate the growing baby within.

This is something that is common among pregnant ladies, and begins happening from around the twenty second week of pregnancy.

This also means that I can also easily see both puncture marks that were made for my naval piercing. In the past, I had to rely on feeling with my fingers to find the hole on the interior of the belly button when changing the piercing jewellery.

While it is not visually repulsive in any way, it is a little strange to view your belly button in a different way, especially when you have been used to one view for the past 30 years.

Of course this means that the belly has expanded considerably since the last measurement about five to six weeks ago. Current measurement is 105 cm all around.

Still a bit more growing to do before baby pops out in another three months' time!

Twenty fifth week: On fire?

As the pregnancy progresses, I become more aware of my body radiating heat at random times.

As there is an electrical fan blowing as I work during the day, the heat is quickly dissipated from my body so there is minimal discomfort.

The time when the heat becomes unbearable is during the night. Within 15 minutes of lying on my back or sides, the areas where the mattress and pillow are in contact with my body become too warm for my comfort. I will then have to change positions or shift to another part of the mattress that is cooler.

Air conditioning or air blown from an electrical fan does little to reduce the discomfort.

Further, living on the bukit (hill) means that we experience a steady drop in temperatures from midnight until 5am, which should result in a cooler environment.

In the past week, strong winds have also been blowing in to our bedroom during the night, leading the S.O. to pull a blanket around him, something that he seldom does as he enjoys sleeping with the air conditioning adjusted to 23 or 24 degrees Celsius.

Yet, I still feel warm and have no need for my blanket and I experience a disturbed sleep. Attempts to sleep on my belly have been unsuccessful as I end up with a numb or sore arm after a short while, or my breasts hurt from the pressure being applied on them.

The S.O. also attributes part of the problem to the mattress that we have - it is made of a material that does not dissipate heat easily. Thus, we are on the lookout for another thin mattress made of heat-dissipating material to place over the current one.

At times like these, I wish it was possible to sleep comfortably in a sleeping position...