Third Trimester Ultrasound

I availed In My Womb's Ruby Package for my 3D/4D third trimester ultrasound. The cost is a little bit pricey but since my OB-Gyne recommends it and my first baby had her 3D/4D ultrasound as well, I decided to go for it as my Baby's keepsake.

The package comes with a copy of the ultrasound report duly signed by the OB-Sonologist on duty at the time of scan, 5pcs B&W 3D shots in thermal photos (though I only got 4, I don't know why. I have to ask them when I'll go back to get the DVD), 5pcs colored 3D shots in photo paper, 1 personalized audio-video DVD of baby's 4D shots (an extra DVD copy is given away as part of their promo which is valid until today). The colored pictures and DVD can be claimed after 10 working days though.

The best time to get this, as advised by the OB-Sonologist at IMW, is around 28 weeks of gestation.

For practicality sake and if you are not in a high risk pregnancy, and your OB didn't ask you to get this, then you can skip this ultrasound.

In My Womb Service Price:

Ruby Package (3D/4D Ultrasound) ---- Php4,000.00

Munchkins!!!

Last night we made munchkins!!! I remember the last time I made this was Christmas time at home, during college, that was around 2002 (ooh, that's almost a decade now, that makes me so young when I last made this but well,at 27, I think I'm still young :-p ).

I planned to give our good neighbors some holiday treat so I decided munchkins would be a great idea.

The other night, Lady M helped me in crushing the biscuits. I took some pictures of her, for Hubby to see what a handy helper she is, but I can't get a decent one since she keeps on pounding the biscuits so fast and my phone's camera can't keep up with her.

By the time I opened the marshmallows though, she can't stop asking for one, and then another one, and then another one. For a while I thought she'll eat them all and I'll end up going back to the grocery (poor thing, I have to send her out to play with our house help *(T_T)* ). Anyway, when I was almost done I realized the marshmallows were more than enough so I gave her a couple more. \*(^_^)*/

In the end I realized making munchkins alone when every now and then you're having contractions (braxton hicks that is) is a bit challenging. I end up so tired that I have to sleep, and then woke up and its already December 31st. 

A blessed 2012 everyone! *(^_^)*

 

Munchkin Recipe

Ingredients:
15pcs grahams
15pcs chocolate grahams, or any favorite chocolate cookies of yours
168ml condensed milk
1 (60grms) medium bite size marshmallows

1 cup dessicated coconut

Procedure:

1. Crush the grahams, use a food processor if you have one.

2. Add condensed milk, then mix well. 

(it would be better to use your hands here, so make sure you washed your hands, and brushed your nails properly or just trim them off :-p )

3. Take a tablespoon of the mixture then roll it into a ball.

4. Flatten the ball, using the palm of your hands, then put a marshmallow in the middle of the flattened dough and roll it again into a ball.
5. Coat the ball with dessicated coconut.

(to keep its shape, you can place half of the dessicated coconut in a rounded-base plastic container. Let the ball roll around by wiggling the container)
6. Chill for at least 10 minutes before serving.

Simple Thank You Card

We spent our Christmas at my Aunt's house since Hubby wasn't able to come home for the holiday. So today, Lady M opened her gifts near our little Christmas tree. She got lots of gifts from her godparents and from our generous neighbors. So I decided to make a thank you card for her gift givers.

Doing it with Photoshop or The Print Shop or any desktop publishing software would make the project easy but since my resources are limited this time so I decided to use free photo editors available in the internet.

First I made a collage in Picasa and then I used Picnik to place the text.

Anyway here's the end result.

Happy holidays everyone! *(^_^)*

May Jesus's birthday brings you
the best of joy,
the best of cheer,
and the best of health
for Christmas and the coming year!

Orange Glucose Challenge Test

Dra. Karen, my OB, scheduled me for OGCT last November 11 along with CBC, HepB Surface Antigen, and RPR. I'm not in a high-risk pregnancy, as well as my first one, but my guess is that these tests are SOP nowadays.

Prior to my scheduled test I was advised by Dra. Karen to fast 1 hour before the appointment.

After paying the fees for the above mentioned tests I was given an orange flavored carbonated beverage (was it really carbonated? I'm not sure but that stuff tasted like RTO *(^_^)*). Once I've fully consumed the drink, I have to take note of the time or at least inform the nurses since the blood will be drawn exactly an hour after. Within this 1 hour period, I am not allowed to eat or drink anything, and that includes water.

I had to admit I was a little nervous when the nurse was about to draw my blood. The last time I had my OGCT, at TMC, the nurse who assisted me was having a hard time locating that nerve where the blood should be drawn, and she kept poking me with the needle in my right wrist then in my left wrist (ah, what a horrible experience! now can you blame me why I'm nervous?).

Well, thankfully, the nurse who assisted me this time was pretty good, I was just poked once and there goes my blood (yippee!!).

SLMC-GC Service Price:
Complete Blood Count ------------------------- Php420.00

Hepatitis B Surface Antigen ------------------ Php1,008.00

Rapid Plasma Reagin ---------------------------- Php504.00

Orange Glucose Challenge Test 1 Hour ---- Php924.00

Congenital Anomaly Scan

My second time experience with Congenital Anomaly Scan (CAS) was last 23rd of September at St. Lukes Medical Center-GC. I was around 21 weeks pregnant here. I received a copy of the ultrasound report duly signed by the OB-Sonologist, a thermal photo of my Baby, and a CD containing around 40 images of the ultrasound scan. At the time of this writing, CAS, in 2D, here in SLMC-GC will cost you Php2,772.00. As with my first Baby I had my CAS in 3D, at In My Womb, which cost me Php3,500.00, that was around 3rd quarter of 2009, although you can also get a CAS in 2D there which is worth Php2,500.00.

If you're going to ask me which is better to get, CAS in 2D or in 3D? I would say get the 2D since babies at around 21 weeks in gestation are still a little bony. You can get a better 3D/4D picture of your baby when you are around 28 weeks since by this time babies are starting to store fats already. But if you're really excited to see your bundle of joy and you don't mind spending a little more you can go for the CAS in 3D.

To know more about CAS or Fetal Anomaly Scan, click here.

First Trimester Ultrasound

I had my Transvaginal Ultrasound/Sonogram (TVS) last June 18 to confirm my pregnancy, I was then around 7 weeks preggy based on my LMP. Though at this time we're still looking for a new OB-Gyne since going to The Medical City, where I delivered my first baby, would be too far considering our current address.

As usual, just like my previous pregnancy, I had it done at In My Womb. At the time of this writing, TVS there will cost you around Php1,200.00.

These are what you'll get with In My Womb's TVS service: 2 printouts of the ultrasound report duly signed by the OB-Gyne Sonologist/Perinatologist on duty at the time of your scan, 6 black and white 2D thermal photos.

The ultrasound report says that my left ovary is with a corpus luteum which means my Baby came from an egg in my left ovary. It was also reported that I have a subchorionic hemorrhage, which worried me a lot since in our supposedly second baby I had a subchorionic hemorrhage that ends up as a blighted ovum.

After around two weeks, I had another TVS. This time, since my new OB-Gyne has a clinic at St. Luke's Medical Center-GC, I had my ultrasound there which cost around Php2,184.00. I received a single printout of the ultrasound report, which is a con, since most OB will ask for a copy of your TVS result although that can easily be mended by photocopying the printout (I'm just a lazy pregnant *^_^*). The good thing there is I received a CD containing the scanned images of my Baby which is good since I'll get a good copy of the image by simply clicking Print Screen in my keyboard.

Thankfully, the subchorionic hemorrhage was gone.

Transvaginal ultrasound is a type of pelvic ultrasound. It is used to look at a woman's reproductive organs, including the uterus, ovaries, cervix, and vagina. Transvaginal means across or through the vagina.

TVS is also used during pregnancy to monitor the growth of the embryo or fetus early in the pregnancy. 

Source: MedlinePlus

I'm Pregnant!

I peed on a test stick and it came out positive. I'm pregnant!

That was last May 30, 2011. A fine Monday afternoon, I finally decided to buy a pregnancy test kit, six days after I missed my period.

Somehow, there's a part of me that wants to think the possibility that I could be pregnant again is way too far. My little girl just turned one that January and I have plans of going to back to work since we already have a house help. But then Hubby texted me, reminding me to buy a test kit for us to settle the idea.

So I found myself looking for a pregnancy test kit at Watsons. I wanted to buy a better and cheaper test kit since the last time I bought one that is way too expensive. After a few minutes of search and decision making, I decided to buy this one: Blue Doctor Midstream Pregnancy Test, which cost Php150.00. The reason? Well, almost all test kit claims to be 99% accurate, easy to read, highly sensitive, and has rapid result, but this one is a pee-on-a-stick test kit. The two previous test kit I bought, from different brands, are cassette types. Both cassette and test strips requires a clean container to collect my urine---which I find too bothersome. So, I decided to give the pee-on-a-stick test kit a try.

While I was in the ladies room, after I got inside a cubicle, I suddenly feel so excited. I can't wait to arrive at home and know the result, I have to know at that moment! So there I was, with all the line outside my cubicle, I was peeing on a stick. After a few minutes. The result? You already know. I'm pregnant!