Keeping a Healthy Diet During Pregnancy

To achieve the ideal weight when you're pregnant, one should really take the responsibility of choosing the right foods to eat. Because additional calories is needed during pregnancy, pregnant women must make wise food choices.

I've collected a few information on the net and through my OB, on the food group servings that one should have while pregnant. Hope it helps.

Grains
This food groups provide complex carbohydrates, the primary energy supply for your body. This should be taken in high fiber (avoid white bread, white rice) and low in fat. This is a good source of Vitamin B that is needed for energy metabolism and tissue development. This should serve as the foundation of your meals during pregnant.
As for me, I am not a rice person, I eat wheat bread instead of rice. 1 slice of bread is good for one meal, a cup of cereal is also recommended, occasionally you can have pasta, graham crackers for snacks, cooked cereal or oatmeals and a small tortilla will also do.

Fruits and Veggies
They provide numerous vital nutrients. I love fruits!! And I am forcing myself to eat veggies (except for salads, I just love them). Fruits and veggies are the perfect source of nutrients because they contain many vitamins and minerals with super duper less calories and little fats.
Samples are fruit juices (pure), raw or cooked veggies (best if raw), leafy green vegetables like brocolli(my favorite!), lettuce, spinach (I like too!) and dried fruits.

Milk and Milk Products
Milk and Dairy Products such as cheese and yogurt, supply you and your developing baby with calcium, phosphorous, vitamin D, magnesium and protein.
Be sure to drink milk everyday, recommended is twice a day.

Meat and Meat Alternatives
Includes eggs, seafoods, nuts (salt-free), peanut butter, tofu, dried beans and legumes. Protein is highly needed during pregnancy to support tissue growth and development of the unborn baby.

Fats and Sweets
Fats and Sweets provide additional calories but do not contain significant amount of vitamins and minerals. Therefore, these foods should be eaten in moderation because they often lead to excessive weight gain during pregnancy. Luckily, I don't have a sweet tooth, so I did not really craved for sweet stuff.
Includes candy, cakes, potato chips, salad dressings, mayonnaise and soda pop.

Choosing nutritious foods will help lower the risk of chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes, heart diseases, hypertensions and osteoporosis that many women may face after pregnancy and later in life. Expectant mothers have the responsibility of eating to maintain the health of the developing baby while maintaining their own health and well being.

And PLEEEASSSE, do not FORGET to drink PLENTY... as in PLENTY of water or fluids everyday.

I'm Half Way There!

Whoooaaa! I've made it to the halfway mark! This is me at 21-22 weeks of pregnancy. My baby is fast growing inside my tummy, and my belly button is already sticking out!

I felt like celebrating for a lot of reasons.
1. Obviously, reaching 20 weeks is such a milestone for me and baby.
2. My kidney and bladder turned out to be healthy! Yahoo! I was so nervous with the result. What if I do have stones in my kidney or a cyst?? Thank God of second chance. I promise myself to continue living a healthy life after pregnancy. But of course, I will still be on a strict diet.
3. After two blood blood chemistry tests, my creatinine result came out so low, meaning my kidney is in perfect shape and very much doing it's job of filtering out toxins.

Wow! All those years of abusing myself, I still turn out to be healthy, God works in mysterious ways indeed hehehe.

I have one problem though, I gained 5 lbs instead of 3 or 4 lbs. I don't really eat that much but it's hard to keep my weight ideally. So currently, I'm limiting my intake of carbohydrates and sweets, and that includes rice, white bread, pastas.. and many more hehehe. Carbohydrates and sweets makes the baby grow bigger than they usually do.

I basically eat high protein foods, for cell development, and continually take prenatal vitamins, iron and anmum. When your at this stage, wherein the baby is fast growing and developing, and pumping more blood, make sure that you're getting enough iron. This is to support the needs of your body for your developing baby and placenta, and to keep up with your expanding blood volume.

Oh and those skin eruptions! Duh!!! I felt like I'm back in my puberty stage, pimples are growing everywhere: at the back of my neck, on my forehead, lower cheeks, you name it! Plus rashes, dryness of skin and some discolorations.

But despite of these unpleasant side effects of pregnancy, I am still loving and enjoying single moment of my journey towards motherhood.

Got this for free...

Baby Einstien Collection, a 14 CD collection that contains classical music like Mozart, Bach, Vivlalde, Beethoven etc that can be played during playtime, sleeping time, learning time and more.

Aside from music, it also contains musical art, coloring book, and poetry for early learning for infant and children.

I still don't find this stuff useful though, but I guess my niece, Baby Yannah, would love to have something like this.

PS.
I don't recommend the videos, as this would introduce toddlers and children to watch screen media.

Busy Mama

Pardon me if I won't be posting for a while, I'm up to something.

Meanwhile, I got my results of my kidney and bladder ultrasound. Thank God both of those organs of mine are healthy and normal. So I don't have a cyst or a kidney stone. That's good to know, God is giving me the chance the renew my lifestyle.

I still have to go back to the hospital this weekend for a series of laboratory test.. again, since I still have blood occult in my last urinalysis result. I still wonder what's causing it.

Oh and by the way, I'm still keeping up with my 2 liters of water a day. Cheers!

Feeling Hot Hot Hot

Too bad for me, I'm carrying a baby for the hottest summer on the record. With my metabolism working overtime, it's easy for a pregnant woman like me to overheat. So to keep me cool and avoid those excruciating pain of migraine here are some things that I do to stay safe and comfortable:

• I dress lightly in breathable fabrics whenever I'm home. My advice, you wear something cotton.
• I only exercise in the afternoon or at night, when the air is cool.
  
• Avoid staying out in the sun especially on hot days (or long exposure).
• I take a bad two or three times a day during weekends, twice during weekdays when I'm at the office. Frequent tepid baths would do. You can even use your ice cold water from the fridge for the baths hehehe.
  
• When the temperature is going to the extremes, I just stayed in my room and turn on my air conditioner the whole day. Yes, and my electric bills is soaring high too. If you don't have air-conditioning system at home, stay at the malls, bookstores or cafes. Note that fans usually doesn't help you keep cool.
  
• I drink at least 2 liters of water a day to keep me hydrated. It also helps if you put lots of ice on the water or have it chilled. Carry a water bottle with you wherever you go. Avoid caffeine and alcohol or sodas, as well as sugary drinks like full-strength fruit juices. These stuff can dehydrate you.

So there it goes, some stuff I've learned to practice on this super hot summer while I'm pregnant.

Boy, Oh Boy!!!!

It's official!! Last Monday, I had my first ultrasound and I found out that we're are having a baby boy!! Yahooo!! I give my husband the news and he's very much ecstatic about it!!! We are both so excited and sooo happy!

See the picture below?? See his legs, and "the bulge" in between?? Hahahaha, my little baby looks so funny, he's practically showing it to us... quite proud of what he's got hahaha.

Here's the second snapshot. This is my little baby on Mama's tummy.


I always had a gut feeling, even before I was pregnant that I would have a baby boy as the eldest. Forgot the source though, but I've read somewhere that a mother's extinct about the sex of her unborn child is correct about 70% of time. This is quite amazing as far as I am concerned.

Now the naming game begins. We had a girl name picked out, but we have always struggled with boy names.

My Little One's First Picture.. at 18 Weeks ♥

I had my first ultrasound at Medical City. I'm supposed to have my first ultrasound on April 5, but however, I learned that the attending physician on that day is not my OB, so I decided to have it in advance.

Arriving at the Women's Health Clinic (this is where they conduct ultrasound), I felt a little sad for the absence of my dear husband. He would have love to accompany me on our first ultrasound and see the condition of our baby. I know that it really really breaks his heart not be around on my pregnancy.

When the sonographer put some oils on my tummy and started pushing her wand around my belly. My baby is so much higher than I thought. How could it be that high up already and how could it be that big when I had barely looked pregnant two weeks ago? My belly is growing so fast now and its finally feeling more real now. Really real! The entire area from my pubic bone to my rib cage is sticking out and things already feel really tight! Soon the rest of my stomach and organs will pushed towards my back to give space for the baby.

I've feeling those kicks now, especially now since I feel them so much and so frequently. So anyway, here's the active little one. My baby still looks like a Darth Vader on this picture. Weird thing though, as if the little one knew that a picture is about to be taken. On this photo, you can see the head, the eyes and nose, and the little one's upper limb. The small dark dot is the little one's heart which was beating so strong and fast. ♥


The sonographer and my OB says that my little baby is so "malikot". And I saw it with my own eyes, yes, he's playing around inside my belly. Jumping and playing around my small uterus as if the little one is in a trampoline.

And of course, the most await part. As if my little one knows that we are watching, without any hesitation.... my baby showed to us those thing we called.... genitalia.