This pregnancy is really going weird. I didn't get any of the usual symptoms every other pregnant lady seems to complain about - the nausea, the headaches, the backaches, the joint pains - but I have this instead --> Pregnancy Gingivitis!!! Of all the things and of all the times!!!! *sigh* Well I guess you've got to be tested one way or the other huh?

Starting about the second month of and continuing for the rest of the pregnancy, hormone changes affect the gums or gingiva. The gingiva is much more susceptible to irritation from plaque (soft) or calculus (hard) deposits on the teeth. An exaggerated inflammatory response can result in mild redness or gingivitis, to swelling of the gingiva between the teeth. These swellings are painless, but do bleed easily. Most pregnant women experience some form of inflamed gums even with good dental hygiene. Additionally, looseness of the teeth may be noticed, especially in the third trimester. These gingival changes usually reverse after the baby is born. - Source American Pregnancy Association

The gums on my upper left wisdom tooth seem to be bleeding and swollen and everytime I try to chew food on that side I feel pain. The gums have transcended downwards over my teeth and it hurts!! But I guess the pain is nothing compared to some of the other pregnancy ailments. So I guess I'll grin and bear it and maybe visit a dentist this weekend. No X-rays and no drugs for me so I guess there is very little a dentist could do anyway.


Oh on another note, there is a fruit fair of sorts just in front of my office. There are 2 huge stalls selling all kinds of fruits from durians to those gigantic mangoes to huge dragon fruits. But somehow the mangosteens they sell are puny and look half rotten. I keep passing by the stalls hoping fresh new stock will come but I haven had such luck. Then last night as we were watching that shameless girl Ina bare her soul on RTM1, my parents in law came with my absolute absolute favourite fruit - Mangosteens!!! They must have read my mind!!!!!

Needless to say I gorge on them till my throat is sore. Hehe. There are about 10 more left but I better keep them away before I fall sick.

The Unveiling

Since the beginning of my pregnancy, everyone has been taking potshots at whether its gonna be a girl or a boy. My sister guessed it was a girl simply because she wanted her daughter to have a friend. My Umi, my mother-in-law as well as as The Don's sister said I looked cheerful and "berseri-seri' (although I certainly felt like a dishrag in the early days) so they said it's gonna be a girl. My father-in-law, whom I never expected to participate in such guessing games, confidently announced it was gonna be a grandson for him. The Don and I reserved our opinions to ourselves although way before I knew I was pregnant, The Don had a dream he was carrying our baby boy. (needless to say his dream freaked me out BAD!!) I was ok with either gender actually although when I went shopping I couldn't help wishing it was a girl when I saw all the beautiful dresses and accessories I could buy if I had a daughter. hehe.

Mathematically speaking (cheh wah! like real aje aku ni!) the probability of our child being a boy was pretty high considering that the Don came from a family of three brothers and one sister and most of his uncles and aunts all had similiar family models. (out of 5 children 4 would be boys!) I am an only child of my mom so no stats there although my dad's side tended to produce quite an even number of girls and boys (I have 8 nieces and 9 nephews!) (confused? never mind!)

Our doc tried to see the gender as early as in our 4th month of pregnancy but our baby was sitting cross legged (sungguh sopan anak aku!) so we left none the wiser. At the next checkup when we did the 3D scan (oh if u are pregnant (or your spouse) do go for the 3D scan!! Its expensive but oh so worth every single cent! The wonders of technology!!!!!) The doctor picked up upon a tiny weeny bit of flesh between his legs and she immediately announced it was a boy. You should have seen the smug on The Don's face!! As we walked out of the Doc's room, he gloated about how his paternal instincts were already up and running. Yada..yada..yada...hehe. Oh and gloat too was what our child's grandfather did, telling my MIL and SIL that they were so so so wrong!! (let's just hope the gloating gene is NOT hereditary!)

Umi however chose not to believe the doc until after the detailed scan we just did last week. Up till then, she still harboured hopes that it was gonna be a girl because she had set her sights on some pretty dresses at Mothercare and so wanted to buy them. Well it was doubly confirmed that it's gonna be a boy so Umi said "never mind..Next one!" (eerrmm...I'm still not sure how I'll get through this one so let's leave talk about 2nd granddchildren til perhaps many many years down the road!)

The unveiling of the sex was marked by great euphoria by everyone around us. Especially ME!!! As soon as we knew the gender (the first time) I went on a shopping spree. At last after many many weeks of going round and round the baby dept not knowing what & which to buy (pink or blue?) Finally I had a whole new purpose to my shopping life. Ok when you think about it, it doesn't quite make sense to buy all things blue since these things are gonna be used by our subsequent children who might be girls but whatever! .. let's worry about subsequent children later. hehe. (Besides, who says boys have to wear blue right? Metrosexual pink anyone? The Don will scream bloody murder if I dress his son in pink and lets him play with Barbie dolls, that I'm 100%sure!)

I have great wonder about people who chose not to know the sex of their child. I mean I respect their personal decision but why not make use of technology when you can? Well.. to each their own I guess. Perhaps The Don and I are just not the kind who likes suprises.

PS: The doctor better not be wrong or else I'll ask her for a refund of all the blue stuff I have bought! hehee

Dusting the cobwebs.....

*Ahhh Choo!!* Ok ok I know dust have been collecting here of late. My sincere apologies.

Much has happened lately although I didn't have either drive nor energy to update my blog. My pregnancy has been smooth so far, Alhamdulillah. I haven't had any morning sickness, no nausea (although I can't seem to tolerate milk), no cravings, no aversions (although I don't fancy the smell of mutton now) and apart from a general sense of tiredness I feel just GREAT!!! I'm in a constant cheerful mood and I look foward to every day in a way I have never felt before.

Our baby's growing fine too. Everything is up to schedule, on the schedule and hopefully will remain this way throughout the remaining weeks till I reach full term. I have past my halfway mark in my pregnancy and have roughly 17 weeks to go before I go POP! hehe. Oh and in case you're wondering it's gonna be a BOY! Which isn't much of a surprise, really, looking at the very obvious gender imbalance on Don's side of the family.

Despite not being down with anything, I have been forbidden to do any housewok and all household chores (with the xception of cooking) is now the Don's forte. Even then, when my mom's not in town and I'm supposed to cook, The Don usually takes me out for dinner. I wonder if I would still know how to do housework after my pregnancy. hehe.

My tummy ain't showing much. I guess I take after my mom. She said she didn't look pregnant till she was well into her 7th mth of pregnancy. I haven't had too much weight gain too. Thank God! Most of my colleagues didn't guess I was pregnant till I was well into my 5th month. Even then it was because I had to start wearing loose fitting clothes coz none of my current clothes fit no more!!

My only complain, if at all, is that I can't seem to sit very long in one position. Just last weekend, we went to see the movie "CLICK" and despite it being an enjoyable show, I couldn't wait for it to end so that I could get out of my seat and that was a love seat !! (with me taking up 70% of the seat and leaving the Don squashed) The baby is starting to really move! He must be practicing to join in the Cirque du Soleil !! hehe but better the baby moving then not so no complains there.

Besides, I really do not have much to complain about. All in all, pregnancy has been blissful for me so far, Alhamdulillah. I pray to Allah S.W.T that I have a delivery as smooth as my pregnancy has been so far. Amin.