On Greece bailout plan

A labour of love

Those books and articles on the labour and delivery process are so enlightening that instead of allaying my fears, the jitters now have their tight grip firmly on my shoulders. You see, cases of a fast and smooth delivery seem far and few these days. Many hours of painful labour appears to rule the day now. And if the Greater Being up there were to decide that the pangs of childbirth weren't enough, he might along the way prescribe some complications to warrant a caesarean or a full operation.

Isn't that great news for a first-time pregger?

But not all hope is lost. By staying active does help in a smooth birth apparently. It appears that walking, yoga, swimming are beneficial for us preggers. Walking however acts up my backache and the one and only maternity yoga class in this ulu place is fully booked, whatelse! Thus, I am left with my favourite sport, swimming!

In spite of the constant fight with the sloth monster and with the fear of endless labour pain lurking at the back of my head, I finally succeeded in dragging my big ass literally off the couch to pack for the swim. Well, it's not like staying with the bestie where I can simply put on the bikini (yes, I can still manage to squeeeeze myself into the two-piece) and throw on a tee and shorts and I am ready to go.

So. Bag packed. Destination reached.

Once in the pool, I took to the water like a fish. It was a good swim albeit having to scurry to the loo every so often. The best part is I felt weightless in the water and my back didn't hurt at all. Overheating and shortness of breath evaporated into thin air.

However, being cautious to not overexert myself, I limited the workout to 45mins and called it a day thereafter.

When stepping out of the water (trying at the same time to do a Ursula Andress but failed miserably of course) to retrieve my towel, I noticed 2 young boys next to me giggling. I turned towards them just in time to hear them whispered, 'Look at her tummy!!!' Well, kids can never master the art of whispering, can they?

That's also when I realised they had no idea about my pregnant state and thought I was just fat!! How cute!

Frankly, seeing other pregger ladies hanging out at the pool in their bikini and some with kids in tow, I admit I am now less conscious about baring my pregger self in public pool. Hence, in order to avoid an arduous labour, I better take pains now to remain active and not succumb to the temptation of The Sloth.

Footnote: 27 weeks and 12kg heavier. Most clothes are too snug now. No more power-puffy ankles though itchy skin is not letting up.

No waist, no ankle and no neck soon?

The slender ankles were vanishing quickly after touching down in sizzling Singapore and the local food laden with sodium, MSG and whatnots certainly sped up the rate of disappearing act.

The bestie and the Lion stared fixedly at my power-puffy ankles and broke into laughter. I chuckled along. The feet were all inflated like a puffer fish and trust me, it's not a pretty sight but totally hilarious. Fitting into that pair of ballerina I brought along was out of question now.

And then the Lion observed: 'Each time I see you, you are always eating!!!'
Me: I can't help it. I am always hungry!!!'

She and the bestie were quite astounded by my bottomless stomach capacity.

Most articles I read advise against pregger ladies to eat for two. Instead they should only add about 300 calories more to their diet each day.

I am not sure about other pregger ladies but the hunger pangs are like my sidekick these days. They are always hovering around and no matter how much I stuff my face to chase them away, they would come back haunting me again in less than a couple of hours. Regardless if it's in the middle of the night.

And of course being back in Singapore means all hell just broke loose. There's no stopping me from launching an offensive on those resplendent food I've been craving since months.

Hence, the Lion's comment that I have now no waist, no ankle and soon no neck too? LOL!!

The weight I have piled on escaped no one of course. Some expressed silent shock on their face while others (usually those who were once pregnant) commented on how great I look.

After the uneasy first trimester where I was struggling to cope with the awful morning sickness, constant throwing up, curious cravings and aversions of food plus changes to the body, now in my 6th month, I've learned to embrace and live with these changes and the demands made on my body.

The friends' harmless teasings I take them in stride. Because being pregger means I have the privileges and the perfect excuse to incessant eating, to weight gain, to walk slower (due to backache and shortness of breath), to rest more often, to special requests like asking for a whole row of 3 seats to myself on the plane etc., all without having to feel apologetic or guilty about it.

I felt loved and blessed basking in the friends' and family's indulgence and attention and now in the man's pampering such as cutting fruits for me every evening, doing most housechores, rubbing my tummy and being more patient towards my needs.

Now all I need to do is sit back and relax and enjoy the kickings and the somersaults in my belly.

The hunger pangs return. Nasi lemak and ayam goreng await.