Baby #3: From Conception to Morning Sickness

The recent months have passed in a blur. Already, April is just round the corner. There is now an increasing pressure to accomplish more in these remaining months before I get even busier. 

Since the day I found out that I am expecting, I have felt a sense of urgency. Though we had discussed and decided to try for another baby, we were really surprised to conceive so quickly. In fact, if my EDD by ultrasound scan is anything to be trusted, the baby was conceived within a week after our decision to begin the baby-making process. There was hardly time to mentally prepare myself for the change, though I had toyed with the idea of mothering another child for a long while. 

When I shared the good news with E, his first reaction was 'Are you sure? So fast?' To which I replied 'yup, your super sperm!'. :> We had a quick laugh before he pretended to hold a little one in his arms, stroking and kissing the little nut (head), just like this. I just know that he is going to be such a wonderful daddy to this baby, in the same way he already is to the boys.

When we broke the news to the boys, they looked a little confused at first. Perhaps they weren't sure if we were pulling their legs. While we had occasionally chatted about the possibility of another sibling in the household, it was always in a very light-hearted manner and we had never really pursued the idea with them.

For a few years, the boys had even unanimously voted NO when asked if they would welcome another brother or sister. However, for some unknown reasons, they both had a change of mind late last year and decided they don't mind another boy in the house. 

In the days following the news, the boys warmed up to the idea and began discussing their thoughts with me, though they maintained their preference for a brother. :> 

Sometimes, they would touch my growing bump and ask me what Baby is doing. They were intrigued and tickled to read my pregnancy books with me about the development of Baby by the weeks. It is really meaningful and sweet to have the boys accompany me so closely through this pregnancy and to be around me on a daily basis to witness the change that I am undergoing. 

Luckily, just like my previous pregnancies, I have none of the horrible episodes of morning sickness that plagued so many women I know. Besides the period of about 10 days during Week 6/7 when I felt incredibly tired and another 2 weeks or so during Week 10/11 when I was hyper sensitive to smells of many food and had to avoid all food courts, I hardly felt any discomfort. There was also no special cravings, though like my second pregnancy, I felt a preference for fruits over meat, particularly oranges. But this preference didn't last two weeks either.

Now that I'm in the second trimester, and sporting a growing and definitely visible bump, I am rather full of energy. I do try to put my legs up as often as possible and have small breaks whenever I can. But my mind can't stop racing. There is so much I want to do, so much that I feel I need to do with the kids before Baby arrives.

And last weekend, for the first time, I felt a slight numbing sensation and also part of my uterus hardening. Mostly just around the rib cage area. At least 15 times, or maybe more each day with each lasting just a few seconds. I have felt this before in the previous pregnancies but I thought they only started in the last trimester. 

At my last scan recently, Baby was super active and when I saw him/her on the screen, tears welled up in my eyes as I whispered a quiet 'hello Baby'. There's my teeny tiny one and soon he/she will be in my arms. Very, very soon.