Dear Peanut

Dear Peanut,

If you ask your father for a list of things (and people) that I dislike / hate / abhor, he would probably email you an Excel sheet—all nicely labeled, color-coded, and with very detailed information.

And that Excel sheet would probably have many versions (v1, v2, v3, etc.) because the list keeps on getting updated.

Before we gave birth to you, your Lola Mommy advised me to let go of some of the things (and people) that weigh me down. Apart from the fact that keeping a mental hate list is not really conducive to pregnancy, I should start with a “clean slate” and clear my plate of all negative things (and people).

And that’s what I did. And you know what, even if I didn’t destroy that list in my head, becoming a mother—especially a first-time mom—does a lot of good. I get so busy that I don’t have time to get irritated by small things (and small people) anymore.

But there’s one thing that recently got my ire and it’s this—how the strong focus on exclusive breastfeeding has become a new venue to bully mothers who don’t. Let me tell you how my incessant irritability started and a little backstory.

Hang in there, this one’s a bit long and bloody dramatic.

Pre-Peanut Days

Both your grandmothers did not breastfeed but we all know the many benefits of mother’s milk for babies. Who wouldn’t? I mean, you’d see the list EVERYWHERE.

There are so many groups nowadays that offer support for exclusively breastfeeding mothers and they’re all doing great jobs. I salute them, seriously.

What a time to be alive because back then (like in the 1980s or earlier), if you breastfeed your baby, it means you don’t have money to buy formula milk. Back then, people have this [wrong] notion that parents who breastfeed are poor that’s why they do it (because, well, breasts are just there and they’re free).

That all changed when later studies proved (and continuously) prove the physical, emotional, mental, and financial benefits of exclusive breastfeeding.

And we honestly believe in exclusive breastfeeding and direct latching. That’s why we didn’t buy a breast pump or bottles because we wanted (and we still want to) take advantage of my work-from-anywhere setup. Since I can work anywhere as long as I have my laptop and Wi-Fi connection, when you cry, I can simply pop a boob and you can feed anytime.

We attended as many prenatal seminars that we can. Hoarded as many freebies as we can (free diapers are the shiznit!). And basically psyched ourselves that we’ll exclusively breastfeed you for as long as we can and save big money in the long run.

But just like how our birth plan went the opposite direction, our feeding plan didn’t go as planned.

To be continued…

XOXO,

Update (as of March 29, 2018): Changed my codename from Queen Bitch (QB) to Tiger Mom (TM).

Dear Peanut,

Today, you are officially #3WeeksOld. Earlier today, we stayed at your Lola Mommy and Lolo Daddy’s home because of the 12-hour full electrical shutdown at the condo. Today, [part of] your umbilical cord finally fell off. YASS! Puwede ka na namin i-bidet kapag naliligo.

We also went to SM Marikina because of the 1-day Thanksgiving Sale and the SMAC member’s sale at Ace Hardware. Your grandparents shopped like crazy (mostly for raffle prizes this coming holiday) and we also bought some items for the condo. It was your first time at an SM Mall. Yes, for a Filipino kid, that’s a first worth mentioning, haha.

Anyway, the past 3 weeks flew by in a blur of diaper changes, breastfeeding emotional breakdowns (that’s for another entry), your bath time wails, and per-3-hour feeding schedules.

In a span of 21 days, your father and I have turned from bat-shit scared, walang-mga-alam, first-time parents to chill, kaya-natin-ito, 21-days-in parents. We’ve seen and gone through a lot of changes in the past 21 days, both physical and emotional and we have a lot of stories to tell you, anak. But for this post, I want to share with you how our supposedly 3-day stay at the hospital became a 5-day staycation.

The Simpson Kid

On Day 3, we noticed that your skin has become yellowish. The nurses who check on us noticed it too and already gave a heads up to the head nurse so she can inform your pediatrician #2.

Backstory: Your original (pediatrician #1) Dra.CTP was out of the country when you were born on Nov. 2. So Dra.CTP asked her reliever Dra.CL (pediatrician #2) to step in on her behalf.

Dra.CL checked your condition and explained to us all about physiological (normal) jaundice. I won’t explain the entire thing on this post, so for those following #DearPeanut blog, you can read about physiological (normal) jaundice here.

Anyway, the point here was that it’s normal for newborns to experience this. In an ideal scenario, kailangan lang paarawan yung mga sanggol. But given the November Rain (pun intended and a tribute to Guns N' Roses’ iconic song, it was a rainy first week of November), Dra.CL was reluctant to give the discharge order.

We had two options. First, we can send you to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) so you can get the treatment for physiological jaundice, which was phototherapy. The better option was to have the phototherapy machine placed inside our private room so we don’t have to be away from you and we can breastfeed. If we took option 1, we can do the breastfeeding every 2 hours at NICU. We took option 2.

So through the night, we tried to breastfeed (but we were already having issues, more on this later) and place you under the phototherapy machine. You had to be naked (except for the diaper, booties, and mittens) so you can maximize the light exposure. You also had to wear this piece of carbon paper inside your diaper to protect Buckbeak Jr. Why we named your penis after a Harry Potter character is an inside joke I can’t share here, hehe.

They also provided us this shabby, makeshift, carbon paper eye cover to protect your eyes. We both hated this eye cover with our entire being. You kept on crying and tugging at it and it frustrated us both.

Makeshift tanning salon inside our private room.

And since you won’t stay or sleep in your hospital trolley/carrier unless we swaddle you, we had to wait until you’re asleep to put on the stupid eye cover (I hated it because it made you uncomfortable, but I knew you needed it -- all I’m saying is that perhaps the hospital could provide a better one) and turn on the phototherapy machine.



You were so fidgety and would only calm down if you’re sleeping on top of a pillow that was placed on top of my thighs. Your father and I took rounds that night because we can’t sleep at the same time. You would wake for feedings and we had to make sure you were getting as much light exposure as possible so your bilirubin levels would go down.

It didn’t help.

The following morning, we were advised to send you to NICU so you can get phototherapy treatment and close observation. Your skin was more yellowish than before. They had a grade/level system for that and you were already at level 3.

While we didn’t want you away from us, we also knew that staying at NICU would mean you’d get the treatment you need in a more efficient manner, faster treatment too, so we could all go home.

The doctors explained to us that I can visit NICU anytime to breastfeed you but during that time, we already had some issues. Unfortunately, the hospital didn’t have enough stock breastmilk (BM) that time because “umulan ng premature babies” (one of the midwives said) during the last week of October.

They told us we could ask for BM donations from friends and Breastfeeding Groups but we didn’t know any. So we agreed to give you formula milk (FM) while you stayed at NICU. We are well aware of the benefits and advantages of breastfeeding but if you're already hungry and getting irritable, we don't have any qualms about giving you what you need at a specific time. I’ll explain the drama I that took place in the breastfeeding room in another entry.

Of course, we didn’t want to stay longer at the hospital. In fact, when the resident OB-GYN Dra.IG checked in with us and informed Dra.JMF that we were still at the hospital, Dra.JMF was surprised because she already gave the discharge order to us on Day 3.

Mothers can visit NICU anytime so I made sure to check in on you before sleeping. The resident pediatrician there Dra.SEE told me that at first, you were quite irritable—crying all the time and hard to calm down. But after a few feedings of FM, you calmed down, therefore, the nurses there were able to feed you better.

I felt really, really guilty because I thought that our breastfeeding issues almost led to you becoming dehydrated. The doctors and nurses at NICU reassured me over and over that you didn’t become dehydrated but you were quite hungry when you first came in.

It was only your father and me who stayed in our private room on the 4th night. We were so exhausted due to lack of sleep for 4 days in a row. So that night, we grabbed the rare chance to sleep for a full 8 hours despite the regular checkups from the nurses and resident doctors during their rounds.

I still felt guilty and told your father all about my worries (waterworks included) and he told me that sending you to NICU was the best option because you’re getting round-the-clock observation so your bilirubin would go down fast and we can all go home.

He also told me what all the doctors already said—that physiological jaundice is normal and that phototherapy is a fancy way of saying you’re getting a tan at a fancy tanning salon inside the hospital. That’s one of the best things about your father—he knows how to make me laugh. But I told him to refrain from making jokes for now because whenever I sneeze, cough, or laugh, I would feel a sharp pain in my C-section wound.

On Day 4, Dra.CTP visited us and she reassured me that physiological (normal) jaundice in newborns is well, normal, and very common. She also checked you and told us that your complexion already looked good and we might not need another test to check your bilirubin levels. We slept soundly that night and were thankful for a full 8 hours of sleep before we face the happy chaos (because everyone is so excited for us to get home) again.

The next morning, Day 5, we received a call from NICU that Dra.CL already gave a discharge order and we can all go home. YEY! True enough, kulay tocino ka na. Hindi ka na kulay turmeric chicken!

Kulay turmeric chicken.

Kulay tocino! Ready to go home! Bad lighting, nasa waiting area kami ng basement parking.

After settling the bill and packing up our things, your father and I went to the hospital chapel to pray and thank God for all the wonderful things that have happened in the past 5 days at the hospital. And of course, for the wonderful new addition to our family.

Before we left the hospital, we also made an official announcement about you. :) Here's what we wrote:

Heeeeeere's Johnny!

Thank you so much to everyone who helped us navigate the past few days. It was a rollercoaster ride of milestones!

Longer post on http://dearpeanut2017.blogspot.com/ soon! 😎😒😍

Finally, we can take you home, anak.

XOXO,


Update (as of March 29, 2018): Changed my codename from Queen Bitch (QB) to Tiger Mom (TM).

Dear Peanut,

For someone who had never been admitted to a hospital before (thank God!), being told that you’re about to undergo an operation should have been scary.

But all I felt that time was excitement because it meant I would get to see you very, very soon!

The epidural probably helped as well. Dr.VRO explained to me that I would be given an epidural for the C-section and I wouldn’t feel anything. She assured me that it would be painless and it was.

I remember clearly that some sort of FM radio station (or maybe it was a Spotify playlist) was playing in the background when they wheeled me into the delivery room. I recognized Dr.ANC immediately when I arrived. And then there’s Dr.JMF in her orange suit who asked me if I know Dr.ANC and I said yes, I met him at her clinic a few weeks ago and introduced myself.

I felt another welcoming shiver down my spine (the epidural) before the operation started. I remember clearly that Dr.VRO was holding my head the entire time. I was strapped down on the operating bed but I could feel my arms shivering, not from the cold. The shivers were involuntary movements as a result of the anesthesia. They gave me a warming blanket, even though I wasn’t really cold, it sort of helped.

I didn’t watch any C-section YouTube videos prior to giving birth. Okay, so I watched only one birthing video—a normal, vaginal delivery, but nothing about C-section.

I like to research but not researching about C-section was probably the best thing I did. I had no nightmarish visuals to scare me. It happened so fast.

I remember Dr.JMF and Dr.ANC chatting with the medical team throughout the operation. Every now and then, they would talk to me and I would respond as if my stomach wasn’t open.

If I wasn’t the one being operated on, it was almost as if everyone was just having coffee and scones at a coffee shop. The mood was just so light that Dr.ANC even brought up the Advil thing (that’s for another entry) and I even laughed at my #pregnancybrain moment. I don’t think the Advil joke would die down, hahaha.

I also remember that Dr.ANC commented on how strong my muscles were contracting and Dr.JMF said that your father and I were weightlifters. Hurray for fitness, but my muscle tone was one of the reasons why you wouldn’t go down in the first time and why the Evening Primrose Oil didn’t work on me.

Soon, Dr.JMF gave the go signal for your father to enter the delivery room and then we heard you cry for the first time. “May baby na kayo,” I remember Dr.JMF said.


After what felt like half a minute, they brought you to my face and I saw you for the first time. The first thing I noticed was your full head of hair! Anak ka nga ng tatay mo, hehe.



My arms were shaking heavily from the anesthesia. SC thought the table was shaking and not me. After a few more minutes of listening in to the chika in the delivery room, they told me it was over.

They wheeled me into the delivery room where I spent 2-3 hooked up on machines. Every now and then, a lactation nurse would visit and help you try to latch on me (the first one was in the delivery room).

Unang Yakap. :) They're teaching us the proper way to latch.

After 3 hours, they wheeled me to our room where your #LolaMommy, #LolaMama, #LoloDaddy, and SC were waiting. Soon, your AuntieAnne and AuntieDing would arrive with flowers, and UncleP would call from his internship.



It would be a few hours before you would be roomed-in with me. But wow, a mother, a father, and a son were born on November 2, 2017 at exactly 4:55pm.

[QB] My Birthing Story Part 1
[QB] My Birthing Story Part 2

XOXO,

Update (as of March 29, 2018): Changed my codename from Queen Bitch (QB) to Tiger Mom (TM).

Dear Peanut,

In the labor room, they quickly hooked me up on the machines. One machine monitored your heart rate and my contractions.

I remember clearly that I kept looking at it and whenever my contractions would begin, I would count from 1 to 20 to distract me from the pain. One intern from the Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health (ASMPH) was assigned to me. His name was F. Mendoza.

Even though I was ¾ through labor, I chatted with him. He reminded me of your UncleP. They are both in their last year in med school. I told him that my brother is a 4th-year med student in University of the Philippines College of Medicine. I also wished him well in the upcoming medical board exams in September 2018.

Every now and then, someone would ask me about my pain level. From time to time, I would say 7 and 8 (with 10 being the highest). I mean, for someone who dealt with dysmenorrhea for the past 32 years pre-pregnancy, the labor contractions felt very much like the ones I was used to. I was being honest.

But the contractions started getting stronger and closer together so when I reached 9, I asked for the epidural. I reached 10 before Dr.VRO arrived and gave me the anesthesia. She explained to me that I would still feel the contractions at level 2 (instead of 10) but after 10 minutes or so, I felt great. I mean, sure, I was lying there, hooked up on machines, but I felt that I could sleep through labor.

I asked the nurses if I can talk to your father or your #LolaMommy so I can update them on what’s happening. One of the nurses told me that your father cannot be located at the moment. I even joked that he was probably drinking outside the labor room (an inside joke explained here).

Your #LolaMommy saw me in the labor room instead and I updated her. She told me that your father went back home to get our hospital bag #QuickSilver .Weird but effective habit, we like to name some of the inanimate objects we have at home so it’s easier to give instructions. Like, I can just tell your father to take #QuickSilver instead of #BigBlack (another luggage) or don’t forget to turn off the Tiny’s (our small Christmas tree at home) lights before going to bed.

Anyway, Dr.JMF arrived just before your #LolaMommy was about to leave and she updated us on what’s happening. I think I spent 2.5 hours in the labor room and reached 7cm before they ruptured my amniotic sac and found that it is already heavily stained.

This meant that you already pooped inside and there was a big chance that you already ate some of it (so yeah, your father and I would troll you through life that you ate your own poop!). The NST also showed that your heart rate was getting unstable, which means you were already under stress inside my tummy. This called for a stat C-section.

After Dr.JMF explained to your father and #LolaMama (and later #LolaMommy who’s already waiting in our room), they quickly prepped me for the operation.

And everything happened so fast.

To be continued...

Read [QB] My Birthing Story Part 1

XOXO,

Update (as of March 29, 2018): Changed my codename from Queen Bitch (QB) to Tiger Mom (TM).

Dear Peanut,

Today, you are officially 1 week and 1 day old.

A few hours ago, I was checking some of the files we took to the hospital and I chanced upon the 1-page Birth Certificate cheat sheet we prepared for you. It’s basically a document that contains the necessary information we need for your birth certificate. I saw your name and I told your father, "Wow, imagine, just last week, this whole new person didn’t exist yet. And we made this person!"

So while you’re sleeping behind me in your porta-bed, let me go back in time and tell you about how you came out into the world. This is my birthing story from my point of view. I want to write it now while everything—the excitement, they mayhem, the relief—is still fresh in my mind. SC will write a separate one.

November 2, 2017

I woke up around 5am with strong, persistent contractions. Actually, I’ve been feeling those contractions for several days but usually only in the wee hours of the morning.

They feel like dysmenorrhea from hell, which isn’t new to me. I have very high tolerance for pain, so I usually just let them pass. But since we were already past your due date (October 31, 2017), SC and I started to time these contractions using an app.

Your father was supposed to go to work that morning since your LolaMommy will be staying with me at home. During our last prenatal checkup, Dr.JMF said my cervix was still closed. The results of your Fetal Non-Stress Test (NST) and Biophysical Profile Score (BPS) came out great. So, the only thing we really had to do was wait for labor contractions to start. That was why in the last few days of October 2017, we’ve been to several SM malls and walked around BGC to help induce labor.

But I felt something different that day. I felt like this might be The Day.

The strong contractions were 5 minutes apart, usually lasting 30 to 40 seconds. When your #LolaMommy arrived, I insisted that we go to TMC's pre-labor room (pre-LR) and have me checked. Chalk it up to the training and the mindset that we both developed from this multinational company we used to work for, your father and I already have plans A, B, and C laid out -- what to do, where to go, who to contact, etc... when labor finally starts. We kicked off with Plan A.

I had no idea how labor pain should feel. I mean, the “waves” I was having felt like heavy dysmenorrhea bouts that I asked Dr.JMF if I can take Advil (that’s for another entry, I swear, #pregnancybrain is real). We didn’t want to go to TMC and be told to go home first because we’re not in labor yet. But I figured, only a medical team can tell me if I was already halfway through it. And oh boy, were we surprised!

The internal exam showed that I was already at 5cm and nearly everyone told me (residents, nurses) that I must have a high tolerance for pain because some women, at this point, would be on epidural already. You need to be at 10cm to start “pushing” so that meant we were halfway through labor already. After getting prepped at the pre-LR, they wheeled me to the labor room where they hooked me up on the machines and then the waiting started.

But nearly everything we have prepared in our “birth plan” went the opposite way.

PEANUT WON’T COME OUT OF MY PEANUT!

To be continued…

XOXO,


Update (as of March 29, 2018): Changed my codename from Queen Bitch (QB) to Tiger Mom (TM).

Update (as of March 29, 2018): Changed my codename from Queen Bitch (QB) to Tiger Mom (TM).

Dear Peanut,

We’ve been quite busy these past few days and yesterday was quite tiring but we managed to do a lot.

First off, your father and I had a double booking with family (Cartagena and Eustaquio-Castillo sides). One of your aunties from the Cartagena side went home from New Zealand and they met in BGC for lunch and coffee.

As for you and me, we were all over boundaries of Pasig, Mandaluyong, and San Juan yesterday.

We met our immediate family (Eustaquio-Castillo side) for a boodle fight lunch in Eastwood City. It was supposed to be a Derla-Eustaquio family meeting to explain some of the plans we agreed on for your arrival. but since we double booked, we had to discuss plans separately.

Two months ago, I told your LolaMommy that I wanted to eat seaweeds, the type you eat along with grilled liempo and pusit on the beach when you go to Palawan. I don’t know what it’s called but it’s the slimy one with popping mini balls attached to it. Doesn’t sound appetizing, yeah, but they’re good.

Your grandmothers wanted to get me 1 kilo of that and I bolted. I just wanted to eat small portions. So they ordered the boodle set with seaweeds yesterday.

I was so happy because both your UncleP and AuntieA were with us for lunch. It’s quite hard to bring us all together now for a meal because of different schedules (business and medicine school).

Your UncleP tried to listen to your heartbeat yesterday using his stethoscope. He told me they rarely use an Ultrascope Doppler stethoscope in UP-PGH (he’s currently a 4th-year med student) because of lack of funds, so hardcore. It’s a bit faint (unlike when Dr.JMF listens to your heartbeat during our weekly checkups) and he mostly heard all the barbecue, seaweeds, and laing that I ate. Nonetheless, it’s quite cool.

After a hearty lunch at Eastwood, we went to Greenhills because your LolaMommy wanted to shop. Normally, I won’t expose myself to the Greenhills Madness at this point in my pregnancy but I needed the exercise. We ate at Auntie Pairings (Tita Paring, actually, but when I took your Castillo balikbayans here, they called it Auntie Pairings, so it sort of stuck) and I was able to eat very good suman sa latik with bad coffee, haha.

After Greenhills, we went to Estancia Mall and did an ocular at this restaurant for our family Christmas dinner. As you’ll soon know, we’re not the type who stays up late for Noche Buena. As far as I can remember, we always sleep through Noche Buena and wake up early Christmas morning to unwrap presents then we wait for relatives to visit. It has always been like this.

But about 3 or 4 years ago, I’ve insisted on just having Christmas dinner (usually on the 24th) at a nice restaurant so we don’t have to slave over the kitchen stove cooking. We want to enjoy good food with good ambiance.

I’m usually the one in charge of finding fancy restaurants. This year, I’ve decided to start early. After all, when I pop, I won’t have time to project-manage the nitty-gritty details. Better prepare ahead. And it’s so damn hard to fight for reservations come December.

I took your grandparents to the restaurant yesterday at Estancia Mall and I think they liked it so much that they insisted on booking the 10-seater private dining area on the spot. So now, I’m finalizing the customized menu with the manager. Good thing I’m a VIP member so we can get some freebies.

That’s it for now. We’re also bidding for a new client so I have a lot on my plate today. Please come out soon, otherwise, your father and I will ride a roller coaster at Star City para “bumaba ka na.” Dr.JMF said mataas ka pa daw. So I need to walk and walk and walk and allow gravity to take its course.

P.S. I was able to do an ocular and a quick meeting at one of the proposed venues for your baptismal. We’re trying to lay the groundwork for these events as early as we can so we won’t “plannick.”

Dear Peanut,
In an earlier post, I told you about winning the lack of usual pregnancy symptoms/effects. Well, karma is a bitch. Lumabas ngayon lahat starting at 35 weeks.

Lower Back Pain From Hell

The past week had been crazy. I’ve had shoulders and back pain before but the pregnancy-related lower back pain is the epitome of all that things shitty related to back pain.

Sometimes, I couldn’t get up from our bed without asking your father for help. He would laugh first, thinking that I look like an overturned turtle with my big pregnant belly trying to get up but fighting a losing battle. Then he’d help me.

Sometimes, in the morning, I would call him and he would help me get up from the bed by hugging me and pulling me upwards. It’s not sexy.


Phantom Pee in the Middle of the Night

Sometimes, I need to nudge your father awake in the middle of the night so I can get up and pee. You’re pushing my bladder and whenever you move, the sensation is like my bladder would burst.

But when I get to the bathroom, only a fucking trickle. I’m not mad at you. As you may know by now, your father and I like profanity. (P.S. You will only be allowed to curse like this out in the open when you turn 18).


Octoberfest Feet

My feet are like sausages now. And they hurt. In fact, whenever I take a bath, I can’t reach my lower body anymore that I’d ask your father to help me bathe. No, shower sex is officially off the menu (at least for the meantime). It’s not sexy at all.

I can’t reach my feet anymore. So your father needs to bathe my legs and feet for me. You know how, sometimes, when you cook Lucban longganisa and the thin casing would sizzle and burst open? That’s how it feels every time your father would wash my feet. They hurt, even at the slightest touch.

One time, he was squatting at our shower and when he got up, nataaman nya yung faucet. He got a huge gash from that incident and for weeks, he had to wear 3 to 4 Band-Aids (because we didn’t have a big one).

As of writing, he has a huge scar on his lower right back. Not sure if it will fade away in time, but if it’s still there years from now, this blog entry is a testament to your father’s dedication to cleaning my sausage-like feet when I was still carrying you.

Super Itchy !@#@($)@$*@($ Skin

When we were still in Malaysia, I often had a hard time sleeping mostly because of itchy skin. I remember a phase when I would steal whisky from your father’s stash and take 2 shots so I can sleep. For some time, alcohol helped me sleep. I was writing 2 books back then so I needed something to numb me down.

But when we found out about, alcohol was the first to go. The pregnancy-related exhaustion helped me sleep and for that, I was really, really thankful. I would be knocked out as early as 9pm. Miracles do happen. No itchy skin.

That continued when we went back to the Philippines. As soon as we have successfully set up our new home, I was able to enjoy deep sleep and long naps, despite suffering from lower back pain.

But these past few days, the itchy sensation return. I really don’t know where it’s coming from. The doctor said it’s pregnancy-related. And probably stress-related.

My stomach feels itchy. My boobs feel itchy. And it only happens at night when I’m trying to sleep. We’ve tried putting coconut oil, pregnancy-safe creams and lotions, and even talcum powder and sometimes, they help. Sometimes, they don’t.

One time, I was only able to sleep at 4 am and had to play games on my mobile phone to “let it pass.” Honestly, I have started to detest nighttime because I know I would have to go through it before I can get some sleep.

Sitting and walking for long periods of time hurt too. We are currently #38weeks and 3 days now and I can pop anytime. But that’s for another entry.

XOXO,


Update (as of March 29, 2018): Changed my codename from Queen Bitch (QB) to Tiger Mom (TM).

Dear Peanut,

Yeah, so we're down to the last stretch.  Your time to go out into the world starts next week. Next. Fucking. Week.  I’m not sure how it will go down but I’m looking forward that it goes well.

We have attended the final pregnancy seminar in our hospital today and got the last batch of free baby-related shit that we can get. It has been quite a journey and it’s kind of fun to think back to the last few months leading to this.

During the 1st trimester, there wasn’t a lot of changes in your mother’s body. Aside from the monthly check-ups, there wasn’t really any changes in our routine. This was the time that we would go swimming every week to get some exercise.

 This is also true for the 2nd trimester since her belly is just starting to swell up, as you were starting to grow and take a more human form because initially, you looked like the face hugger hatchlings from Aliens based on the ultrasound photos. The upside is your mother’s jugs increased in cup size. The downside is that her nipples are the size of China.

Now, this third trimester is a different story. So based on what the doctor told us during the seminar and the shit we have read, this is the time that most of the things are set up. You are just growing until you are right for the picking. That means you get bigger and heavier and so is your mother’s belly. Now her movement is really compromised.

She really can’t bend down so when she drops things on the floor, especially when I’m not around, it’s going to stay there for a while. Sometimes she gets creative and uses a broom to pick up small things and ends up sweeping the entire house, so now our floors are dust-free.

Getting up from lying down position is also a Herculean task for her. She is like an overturned turtle trying to get up, it’s kind of funny. You should see it yourself.  Don’t get me started about her feet. They look like they are about to be served in Octoberfest alongside with sauerkraut and beer.

Yeah, anyway, here we are just waiting for the day that your mother will go into labor. We are hoping you’d do it around Oct 30th, just in time for the long weekend. I can be off for two weeks! Woohoo!

So until then, we’ll be playing the waiting game.

Regards,

Dear Peanut,

As your father already told you in a previous post, I am a major control freak and a germaphobe that I put isopropyl alcohol on everything.

That’s probably the fault of your LolaMommy, who brought us up with the same fear of germs, actually more on the fear of the effect of germs on contact. I remember she would scold us if we don’t wipe restaurant utensils with tissue or douse them with hot water first before using them. And she still does this! That’s how paranoid we are.

I’ve read several articles online about how to prepare for a newborn’s arrival. Apart from the breathing techniques, packing the hospital bag, and prenatal classes, it’s also important to prepare one’s home for the arrival of a new baby. And just like what our very cool and very practical OB, Dr.JMF, told us, it’s best to invest in cleaning services for our home. And that’s what we did last weekend.

Following the air conditioner cleaning last Saturday, the team from ThermoDry EcoSteam Sanitizing Services (TDES) did a great job sanitizing and germ-proofing our home the following day.

The scheduled time was 8 o’clock in the morning. Quite early yes. The original schedule was actually on October 15 but we wanted the house cleaned and sanitized before the 10th for peace of mind. So I asked the owner, Judy, if we can have it on October 8 instead and the only slot available is at 8 o'clock in the morning. We grabbed it.

The TDES team arrived ahead of schedule last Sunday. When I asked them what time they arrived at the condo, they said they were already at the parking lot at 7:09 am. I was surprised and deeply humbled. I mean, they could have gone straight to the lobby and ask the receptionist to call us up so they could start but they let us sleep a little longer before going up. It’s the little things that make for excellent customer service, really.

They started cleaning before 8:00 am, after explaining to us the tasks on the job order. It took them less than 4 hours to thoroughly clean, sanitize, and germ-proof a 60-sqm condo unit with balcony.

We had all the curtains and mattresses eco-steam cleaned, including your crib, portabed (portable bed), and stroller. As a first-time, expecting mother, I am even more paranoid about chemicals in cleaning products. What’s good about TDES is that they use organic, food grade cleaning solutions so it’s safe for babies, even pets. I actually asked if they can spritz some on SC’s face, hahaha.

Eco-steaming your crib.

I haven’t really tried many cleaning services because SC and I do the cleaning ourselves, but we were impressed by the top-of-line cleaning equipment they use. But the best part is that they were able to clean, sanitize, and germ-proof the hard-to-reach places such as that part with the door hinges (the dust gets trapped and the dried dust gets musty sometimes) and the corner grout in the bathroom, all of which I can’t reach anymore because of my big belly. They inform you every time they use a new cleaning solution and a new equipment. They also offered a lot of tips for better cleaning.

Refreshing our bed for your arrival. <3

Sanitizing and getting our home in order is no easy task. We’ve been at it for a month now. In the past few years, SC and I have become some sort of semi-minimalist. We don’t like to hoard things. Heck, we don’t even have TV at home because we both think it kills productivity.

We don’t even have too much food in our fridge (that's why your grandparents also worry if we're eating homecooked meals at all, hahaha), just enough food for the week (and also because the grandparents give us a lot of free food). We also have this first-in, first-out protocol. Unlike your LolaMommy's fridge in our Pasig Home, you can see everything in our small fridge because we try to finish what we have before buying new stock. I don't know if that's minimalist living but that's one of the best practices we've adopted when we got married.

And I’ve always been a control freak but, and I don’t know how and when it started, SC is even more of a control freak now. He’s in charge of the floors and he would get all stressed out if the floors are not clean before we call it a day. PRAISE THE LORD! Finally! Hindi sya nagsimula na ganyan!

A clean, nice-smelling home is always a treat after a long day. Getting the TDES team to work on our new home is one of the best investments we’ve made so far in preparation for your arrival.

Anytime now, Peanut. We are ready for you. <3

P.S. So it really takes a village to raise (and prepare for the arrival of) a child.

Love,

Update (as of March 29, 2018): Changed my codename from Queen Bitch (QB) to Tiger Mom (TM).

Dear Peanut,

Tomorrow, October 10, 2017, we are officially at 37 weeks. Based on our previous checkups with Dr.JMF, I can go into labor anytime starting tomorrow. So you can only imagine how these past few weeks went by.

SC and I went on shopping sprees and #Peanut errands and attended numerous seminars at our chosen hospital to prepare ourselves and our home for your arrival. We call it “plannicking” (planning + panicking). We’ve also packed the hospital bag, hoarded freebies from seminars (Pampers!!!!), bought futons for the second bedroom, and hand washed all your itsy-bitsy newborn clothes. I ripped one of the bigkis, they’re so fragile!

Handwashing all those tiny clothes is more difficult than handwashing all my thongs and sexy underwear, I swear! And I never thought that ironing all your newborn clothes can be so stressful at first.

I destroyed our iron’s thermostat that we had to borrow one from your LolaMommy while it’s being fixed. I also learned a few tricks when handwashing newborn clothes: untie before washing, otherwise, you’d end up with curly ribbons that are just a pain in the ass to iron.

Slowly learning and keeping myself from panicking. I’m sure we’ll learn more hacks along the way.

We are so excited to see you! <3

Love,
Update (as of March 29, 2018): Changed my codename from Queen Bitch (QB) to Tiger Mom (TM).