Having a life inside of me changes a lot of things. Now I can’t just think for myself. There’s two of us I have to consider. It’s nothing like being in a relationship where sometimes you can just take things for granted with your partner. With a baby inside of you, you have to be extremely careful with what you do because another life depends on you. I mean, really, it’s no joke. 

It doesn’t just apply to what food you eat or drink you take, it even applies to the things you watch and the sounds you hear. Because of this, I have been listening to classical music again. Say what?

Yes, CLASSICAL music.

Last year, when a friend of mine was having a baby, she asked me if I had any Baby Einstein music and movies. And I was like, “What the…" She then explained to me what it was and what it does, etc.

You can read more about it at their official website: http://www.babyeinstein.com

Now that I am pregnant, I have also jumped on the bandwagon. Reading about Baby Einstein tells me about studies which have shown the positive long-term effects of exposure to classical music. How so? Well, babies will be soothed, parents might get a bit more rest, and somewhere in the sub-conscious, an appreciation of the great works will be born. What could be a better gift for an infant, right?

So I’m sharing you some of the songs I have to try and check them out for yourself. Have your baby or kids listen to it, too. It’s not just for the unborn child. Infants and toddlers also benefit from it. I’ve seen it work with my friends’ little tykes, and I see no reason why this won’t work for us.

Here you go. Download here:

BABY EINSTEIN PART 1

BABY EINSTEIN PART 2

(You need WINRAR to extract it.)

They say all good things must come to an end. How about the bad ones? Will they ever? Or is it going to be a vicious cycle all the time?

I’m actually talking about Amoebiasis. A couple of weeks ago, I was admitted to the hospital because I was getting dehydrated from LBM (sorry, TMI) and because I am pregnant, we’re not taking any chances. My ultimate cure for such a condition is usually just a bunch of loperamide (with or without Buscopan) + Gatorade. I’m usually okay after a few hours, but this time it didn’t do me any good.



It was only in the hospital that I was diagnosed with amoebiasis. [ You can read my story at my other blog or click here: http://www.bastaigatsikat.com/2011/06/amoebiasis-pregnancys-worst-nightmare.html ]

It was a nightmare alright… and this nightmare reoccurred after barely 2 weeks! I was told that once you get amoebiasis, you’ll never be able to get rid of it. It will stay there for life. WOE IS ME!

To combat the second amoebiasis attack, no more metronidazole (Flagyl) but instead I had to do doses of Flagentyl. (And mind you, it is expen$ive!!!) And I also had to drink isosuxprine HCl to keep the contractions at bay.

So you see, I really need to be careful with what I eat. I can’t drink just any water now for fear of another amoebiasis attack while I’m still pregnant. No more ice at restaurants (because you can never tell where they get the water from!) and absolutely no tap water. I’m sticking to mineral or distilled water. And you know what that means? Yes, additional expense$$$. PAK!

A warning to all pregnant women… amoebiasis is not good at all especially since it makes your bowels go crazy with horrible motility at that. Your baby won’t be happy and will get stressed because of moving so much. You can get very bad contractions and even go into premature labor if it will not be addressed. So moms out there, be careful. It took me two separate instances of amoebiasis attacks before I have come to realize how utterly important it is to really watch what you eat/drink.

I know that’s easy to say but truly hard to do since pregnancy makes you want to eat everything. I have a really hard time curbing my appetite which is a must because I have a baby that is large for dates. (No thanks to NoodleBoy’s genes! Tee hee!)

Now that I am back to watching what I eat/drink, I am happy to say I have maintained my weight… at 132lbs! Okay, I do plan to lose all the 30+ pounds I gained since March. Don’t worry I’ll let you in on my secret dieting weapon as soon as I am allowed to start losing weight after the baby is born.

In about 2 months, I shall be bringing into this world another life and I just hope and pray that there will be no complications when I do. I am very, very excited… however, a bit anxious.  

…and before I pop, since I am 31 weeks along now, I have created this blog for the sole purpose of sharing my adventures of being a first-time mom and all about motherhood (MyMaria style!) without the slightest hint of what it’s is going to be like. ^_^

It’s gonna be a HUGE step I bet and I am here for the challenge. I know a thing or two about raising a kid but taking care of one is a whole new world for me. Honestly, I never even thought I’d become one! (More on this soon!)

So sit back, relax, and elevate your feet like I do (coz they’ve started to become swollen like my fingers below).




























Oh, the surprises of motherhood!

Reposted from: http://www.bastaigatsikat.com/2011/06/amoebiasis-pregnancys-worst-nightmare.html Been searching all over the net since I was diagnosed with amoebiasis last night and I couldn't find much information about it especially when it happens during pregnancy. So I was wondering if this is really curable or not. I was fretting out already because I was pooping like mad beginning 8AM yesterday and it continued throughout the day until after dinner. So you can just imagine how utterly exhausted I was and my bones/joints/muscles were hurting like crazy. On top of that, I am already 28 weeks pregnant. My belly ain't getting any smaller and the baby was clearly stressed out because it was doing somersaults all over the place. I was even picturing the baby pulling and tugging my intestines because I can hear all kinds of bowel sounds.

Watch this short video of my belly when I woke up this morning... then look at the baby quiver(?); shake, rattle, and roll(?); or you can just stare at my protruding belly and watch the quakes. Try not to blink so you won't miss 'em!



I went to see my OBGYNE but she wasn't in yesterday so we decided to go to the emergency room at the OSPA-FMC hospital to seek advice if I could drink something for my LBM. As embarrassing as it sounds (and pretty funny nevertheless), I was amused at the thought of the saying which goes, "MAY ARAW KA RIN, MAKA IGIT KA UG GREEN!" LOL! At first, nobody suspected of me getting any kind of parasite (an amoeba most especially!) because I don't drink tap water, I'm not fond of street foods (save for the BBQ at the Food Park), and I'm pretty keen on washing my hands with antibacterial soap and using a hand sanitizer particularly when I found out I was with child! So I guess, you can never be too sure anymore.

My OBGYNE who came to see me at the ER when they called her said I should get a urinalysis and a stool exam to rule out any amoebiasis because there had been numerous cases of it lately. FYI: I really hate doing stool exams. It's gross. Yuck. But it had to be done. And I had to be put on I.V. dextrose and admitted last night just to get hydrated because I was beginning to look like a panda and my mouth was starting to get really dry. PLUS my belly was making these crazy contractions and you know, the worst thing that can happen to a pregnant woman is to get premature contractions because of amoebiasis! Pretty risky... and heck, I am so not ready to give birth yet!



It was unknown to any of us yet until the stool exam came back positive and then I started to freak out instead of feel better even though I was now lying at a hospital bed and getting the proper care and management for my condition. I couldn't find many very helpful information online regarding amoebiasis and pregnancy or any documentation of its treatment, cure, and medicines. I did read that children and pregnant women are more susceptible to this disease. Ayayay!

When the nurses gave me metronidazole, I wanted to make sure it won't harm my baby. Disregard nalang the fact that the medicine tastes so bitter. I think the reason why there's not a lot of information about amoebiasis online is because this mainly occurs in the tropics/subtropics and the medical field here isn't really that advanced compared to that of the northern hemisphere. Just my 2 cents. Anyway, what I understood from my doctor and reading online is that metronidazole (Flagyl) is under Class B and it's pretty safe to be taken by pregnant women who are on their 3rd trimester. Ain't I a lucky gal? So I have to take this medicine for a whole week, 3 x a day, coupled with isoxsuprine (Duvadilan) to keep the contractions at bay. Good luck to me!

Also I have to keep my diet tamed (no "queer" foods according to my doctor because she knows I have a very exotic palate) and since it was also found out that I am low on potassium and sodium, the best advice I was given today before I was discharged from the hospital was, "EAT YOUR JUNK FOODS." Tee hee! Best advice ever!!! Kaya lang, I don't eat salty foods! I hate Chippy and I don't even put salt on my sunny side-up (over easy) eggs during breakfast. I also need to eat bananas for potassium. Shucks. Do you realize how many calories there are in a single banana? Meh. ~_~



I guess there's more to being pregnant than meets the eye. I'm just glad I didn't have all those annoying pregnancy symptoms like vomiting, dizziness, sensitivity to smell, et cetera. Hoping and praying that everything will be alright in the coming months as I bring this precious little thing into this world.

Can you imagine me, a mom? ^_^ Whoa!

P.S. PART 2 of the AMOEBIASIS INCIDENT... click HERE!

xoxo,