mom life

Third trimester – second pregnancy

Pregnancy, Uncategorized

After enjoying the second trimester, it was time to enter the final trimester! I definitely remember feeling much heavier and slower during the third trimester with my first pregnancy and it was no different for my second pregnancy. Similar to other semesters, I did not have as much time to rest since I had to take care of Lex. Overall I still felt pretty good and I was still taking Lex to his playgroup and lifting him and all that, but there were definitely days where it was tougher.

At times my stomach would feel so stretched and distended, but it would usually feel more comfortable once the baby moves further back and is not pushing against my skin. As I got bigger and heavier I also started to walk a bit differently – it was definitely a waddle! The back pain that started around late second trimester was still there and it often happened when I was laying down and would go away when I shifted positions. I felt like my lower back and hip pain was more intense during this pregnancy. It was very uncomfortable constantly and I had to shift around and stretch a little to relieve it.

I also had way less energy and motivation to do any structured workouts. I seriously felt like just existing was already a workout! Walking around was getting tough and the back pain was very uncomfortable. I was still out and about quite a bit so that was good enough for me. I would also go to the pool with Lex and Jerry and floating around in those final weeks was very comfortable.

Apart from the discomfort, we still filled our days with lots of activities including ocean park, alpaca farms, and sport activities for lex. However, it was getting to the peak of summer and the hot weather was becoming quite unbearable for me. I felt quite light headed a few times during the outings so I knew I had to be more careful.

One special thing we had to organize was Lex’s second birthday! We invited some good friends

I had a small scare during 32 weeks as I felt a small amount of liquid come out. Since I did have premature rupture of membranes during my first pregnancy and it started my entire 36 hour ordeal before giving birth to Lex, I wanted to be extra cautious. I was pretty sure it was either pee or discharge but told my doctor anyway. He told me to put in a light pad and to monitor how wet it got after an hour. If it was very wet and odorless, I would have to go to Queen Mary (a public hospital) because I was only at 32 weeks and the baby would be too premature for a private hospital to deal with. I was pretty worried but luckily after an hour the pad was only slightly moist and it smelled like urine. I never thought I would be so happy about leaky urine! Both my doctor and the midwife feel like it is likely urine and that I should not have to worry about it, but to continue monitoring it anyways. Leaking urine during pregnancy (especially during the third trimester) is very common due to extra pressure on the bladder and also changing hormones, but given my past experience I think it is ALWAYS better to be safe that sorry. Premature rupture of membranes or leaking amniotic fluid can have very detrimental affects for your unborn baby and it is always better to be sure.

Another issue I had to deal with during my third trimester was a possible listeria scare. I had watery diarrhea on a Thursday and then slightly looser stool until Monday. I didn’t have to go multiple times a day and overall felt ok but was worried since it was going on for a few days. Listeria is also very scary because the symptoms can be extremely mild and some people don’t even know they have it! Untreated listeria can have terrible effects on your baby such as neurological disorders and even stillborn. I called up my doctor and he referred me to a family doctor. Apparently a blood PCR or stool test to properly diagnose whether I had listeria would take 1-2 weeks, which was ridiculous! I decided to just be extra safe and started the course of antibiotics without doing the tests. It’s not ideal that I have to take medications during my pregnancy but I rather be extra cautious, and the antibiotics prescribed are also totally safe for my pregnancy. It was frustrating as I have been mostly eating at home in the days leading up to my upset tummy, but I tried to be even more careful in the final few weeks before delivery.

The final weeks are truly so uncomfortable and I am so ready to not be pregnant!

Our first family staycation!

Family, Motherhood, Uncategorized

Jerry and I used to travel A LOT – like a crazy amount. We used to go to Holland every 2 months and then 3-4 trips a year for triathlon races and on top of that regular leisure trips. Things all froze once the pandemic hit and we also welcomed our dear baby Lex soon after. We obviously would not travel as much now that we have a baby but we were still very excited to take Lex on holidays. Unfortunately the pandemic lasted much longer than anyone expected and we still haven’t had a chance to travel anywhere with Lex (this staycation happened back in the summer and since then we HAVE traveled with Lex, but that will be for another post).

I have been wanting to do a staycation for some time but I always wasn’t sure if it would actually be a good idea. We had everything we needed at home and living in the south side often felt like a vacation anyways. We were also unsure of how Lex’s sleep schedule would be like in a hotel and worried that we would end up being more tired than usual if his schedule blew up. After toying with the idea for some time, Jerry surprised me by booking a staycation at the Grand Hyatt for the weekend! In the days leading up to it, I was SO excited. It really felt like we were going away on a trip.

Hotels in Hong Kong have been busting out deals to try and survive during the pandemic. We noticed that the lobby was very busy and there was a line to check in. It was nice to see that people were responding to the deals and hopefully the hotels are making some money. The room had an amazing view of the city and the harbourfront and Lex instantly climbed onto the window to check it out. He was so excited the whole time and kept running around the room to explore his new surroundings. Lex recently started walking so it was perfect timing to do a staycation because he could walk around on his own and we didn’t want him crawling on the floors.

The hotel was very thoughtful and prepared a lot of kid friendly items such as a welcome bag with a mask, a coupon for a snack, and also baby bathtub, shampoo, and slippers!

After relaxing in the room for a little, it was time for our afternoon tea. The sandwiches and sweets were so yummy! The afternoon tea also came with a buffet of waffles, crepes, ice cream, fruit, macarons, and chocolates. Lex had some insane amount of energy and I liked how there was space for him to walk around. There were also some beautiful live music playing and Lex was completely captivated. It was so sweet!

After the afternoon tea we filled the bathtub for Lex to take a bubble bath. We don’t have a bath tub in our home so Lex was loving it. After the bath it was time to start Lex’s bedtime routine around 7:30 pm. The building lights were flashing and he was getting so distracted so we ended up closing all the blinds. We bedshare so it was quite convenient for me to just nurse him to sleep on the bed and there was no need to set up a portable crib etc. It was a bit tricky though after he fell asleep because Jerry and I had to talk quietly and hang out in the dark. We decided to order some room service and enjoyed some alone time in the dark together. Lex did wake up randomly around 9:30 pm and didn’t want to go back to sleep until past 11 pm!

Overall the night was ok, the bed is a bit smaller than the bed we have at home so we were all a bit cramped but we made it! As always, Lex woke around 5:30-6 am and we decided to go to the Central Harbourfront for a walk. Jerry and I used to always run this path and it was exciting to see how much it has expanded. It was really well organized and there were lots of cute artwork and playful areas for children. It was nice to explore something new in our own city.

After our walk it was time for the breakfast buffet! Hotel breakfasts are my favorite and something I look forward to during our travels. The Grand Hyatt one did not disappoint with a large array of yummy foods. We definitely stuffed ourselves this trip! Lex went down for his first nap at 10 am nicely and it was time for me to get pampered! My lovely husband booked me a massage and it was a really great way to unwind and relax.

Jerry and I both realized how nice to was to just do something new and get away for a day. Even though we are unable to travel with Lex yet, it was so nice to have this new experience and he handled it like a champ! There are definitely more staycations in store for us!