I wasn't fussy about the kid being a boy or a girl. I just want a healthy baby. Of course, administratively speaking, it's easier to have kids of the same gender. But, really, ultimately, a healthy child is more important than a child of a particular gender.
The two big sisters soon got round to the idea of a baby brother. They were rooting for a girl at first and together with their father, decided to name the girl Husna.
When the possibility of the baby being a boy became stronger at Week 16, we finally decided on the name Ihsan. Confirmed by the sonographer, Ihsan, it is - the one in the womb now, having a good time growing and growing in time for his appearance on 7 September, insya Allah. Or just a wee bit earlier but not too early, okay, Ihsan boy?
Alhamdulillah. There's a great many things to be thankful for. One of which (one of my greatest fears post-Huda) is that he's growing normally. The sonographer confirmed that there's no problem with the blood flow to the womb. Which was a big problem when I had Huda. He has all his limbs intact, and the body parts and essential organs look like they are in good shape. Every pregnancy is such a miracle and shows how great Allah is. Thank you, Allah.
The morning sickness has left me for good. I can almost eat normally now. I still cannot stand the smell of certain foods (like Nasi Ayam) and other smells like perfumes and colognes but the fact that I can drink plain water without gagging is a major achievement. I'm still 3 kg short of my pre-pregnancy weight but the stomach has ballooned considerably, especially considering my frame. Unfortunately, I still cannot get seats when I'm in the train. Boohoohoooo. My clothes camouflage my tummy well and had it not been for my Vice-Principal who practically announced it to all my colleagues, most of them would be completely unaware of my pregnancy. (Must state on the record that she has always been nothing but nice and supportive to me and once she got to know that I am pregnant, she has been even more concerned and extremely supportive.)
The one not-so-good thing about this pregnancy is that I have a very low placenta which apparently covers the openings of the cervix. So, the gynae told me to avoid all strenuous activities (which I have not done since the pregnancy - things like laundry has been completely taken over by TheHusband) and not to carry any weight above 10kg (not an issue either since TheHusband has been doing virtually everything and at school, my colleagues in my level will get into a tizzy if they see me carrying my piles of books).
Still, I do get mild stomach pains and each time I feel those pains, I will just sit or lie down and wait for the pain to pass. Thankfully, there has been no bleeding and whenever I go to the toilet, I find myself holding my breath and feeling relieved at the absence of blood. I read up more on placenta praevia and apparently, my risk factor for it is high.
Risk factors for the development of placenta previa include the following:
- baby in an unusual position
- previous surgeries that involve the uterus: C-section, surgery to remove uterine fibroids, dilation & curettage CHECK. CHECK. CHECK.
- pregnant with twins or other multiples
- prior miscarriage CHECK. CHECK.
- large placenta
- abnormally shaped uterus
- have already had one child CHECK. CHECK.
- prior diagnosis of placenta previa CHECK. CHECK.
- older than 35 CHECK.
- Asian CHECK.
- smoker
And there goes my dream of delivering naturally. I actually thought of scheduling my C-section really late, like in Week 39, day 5. And if I start feeling the contractions before that, I will take my own sweet time getting to the hospital. Then, I shall wait til the contractions are really close, like 2 minutes apart, before I start getting ready. Hopefully, while getting ready, I'll accidentally pop at home (I already thought of a spot at home where I could do it. I would place a sterile string (to tie the umbilical cord), towels etc within reach of that spot.) This desire to give birth naturally arises mostly from a fear of a long recovery time with a third C-section. But, this is not likely going to happen unless the uterus continues expanding and pushes the placenta up in its expansion.
So, there you have it. The story of my pregnancy now. Week 21 already. Still going strong. Alhamdulillah.
