27 weeks

Tour Down Under was such an event for Burnside community. I had no idea. I thought they'd send out flyers, have a band playing music to entertain and clap clap clap. Turned out the whole parking lot was closed, there's fashion show, balloons everywhere, bright red mascot, few stalls selling burgers, pizzas, pies, cotton candy and stuff you see at the Royal Adelaide Show. Pretty impressive.




Preggie lady fashionably late to a party and munching away!



The party was the night before. Yesterday morning they start off at 6am and another at 11am. The hub (with blood shot eyes without a blink of sleep writing his thesis the whole night through) wants to take pictures and watch them cyclists shoot off at 11am. This he only mentions to me 15 mins prior. We left the house at 11. And because major roads are closed, we've to walk that 5 mins walk to Burnside Village. I take double the time even if I'm not preggie.

So we missed it. And I feel bad. I do. By the time we reach there, people with balloons and flags passed us by and the sounds of helicopters are fading away. So we head for IMVS to draw my blood and test for gestational diabetes. Drank 300ml of this green yummy sweet liquid that tastes like soda and sat around doing nothing for an hour. Luckily I've your tired eyes Daddy to keep me company. Said they want to measure the effect of those sugary stuff at a relaxed state, meaning no activities to burn it up. Not even to pop into the pharmacy next door. I sincerely hope it's not positive. Anyway if it is, I've still a week to stuff myself with yummy food before knowing the results. Heee!

I am getting bored. Extremely bored. I've all this energy pent up inside and no where to release it. And when I'm bored, I eat. And then I'd feel so bad, I'll lash it out on poor hubby. So how?

Make bread.

I was intrigued of the way they make this garlic bread. Decided to try it myself. And because this poor lady doesn't have a bread maker not even a processor with bread kneading hook, I knead those 450g flour by hand for a good 10 mins or so. The result - very soft, yummy, buttery, garlic bread, tired body and good night's sleep (with arms cramps this morning - ouch!).





Ah well at least now I know where to transfer these extra energy whenever it arises =)

On a different note, today I'm entering my third trimester. Alhamdulillah. To know that baby has more than 80% chance of survival outside the womb is reassuring. Now I can confidently say, we are having a baby. As for other physical and emotional symptoms to look forward to this trimester, don't mention it.

Week 27: I'm a survivor, I'm gonna make it!

Fetal development in pregnancy week 27: Fetus in seventh month Your not-so-tiny-anymore brilliant baby(about 2 pounds and 14.5 inches long!) is slowly rotating in preparation to “head out.” Obviously, this doesn’t happen overnight, but when you start to feel an unfamiliar pressure on your cervix, you’ll know you’ve got a fully flipped baby locked and loaded for the countdown to their birthday! Even now, at the beginning of the third trimester, their little lungs are already capable of breathing air while the pulmonary vascular system can provide sufficient gas exchange and the central nervous system can generally regulate rhythmic breathing as well as their basal body temperature. For what it’s worth, at this point in a healthy pregnancy a premature child (with intensive care) could easily win on the show: “Survivor: The Early Years.”

And how's mom doing? You’ve worked hard, done your research, endured a plethora of joyless symptoms and would like nothing more than to have wonder-baby on the outside. Well, dig in for the final endurance round and say hello again to the familiar but not-so-lovable faces of fatigue and nausea. You guessed it, the dratted hormone factory is once again running at full-tilt (and causing rapid hair growth), sigh…. Your (“yaaaawn”) fatigue stems from several factors, including the proverbial weight gain, shortness of breath and of course, sleep deprivation. (See week 29 for tips on how to alleviate fatigue!).

Yes, ladies, you’ve finally reached the infamous “live-on-the-toilet” stage. Your feet are bigger, your breasts are bigger, your belly is bigger, even your baby is bigger—and something’s gotta give. Annoyingly, nature didn’t choose your butt and instead opted to compress your bladder, which is now being completely squashed by your-super-sized-baby... all day long. So your best shot is to just accept the fact you’re going to need to urinate every 10 minutes (and if you manage to go longer, thank the good lord).

Of course breast tenderness is also very common at this phase as milk production is kicking in. Other thrilling third-trimester symptoms include more swelling (known as edema) and feeling like you live in a sweat factory as a result of increased basal body temperature. Thank your baby: this temperature increase stems from their body heat coupling with your own, which of course all adds up to one hot mama!

Just in case you don’t have enough things to stress out about: we’d like to remind you the third trimester is really a time to kick your baby-on-the-outside preparations into high gear: baby-proof the home or apartment, buy a car-seat, get a stroller, dress up the nursery and plan a space for diapering, keep mulling over possible names, and try to enjoy this time… when you’re not nauseous, constipated, running to the toilet, or just plain wiped out. (And don’t forget to get your sleep, be active, and eat well! Phewee! we're tired just thinking about what you're going through!)