19 weeks 1 day

 Meet Damien, the official name of our unborn son. I don't know if its pang-tang to announce his name so soon but Mel & I are more comfortable refering to baby by his name now that we know his gender. Yes, he is a boy! And a healthy and active one. This is the ultrasound at 18 weeks 5 days. His head is 15cm wide and his body 16cm long. All his limbs are perfectly formed and he has my ears which stick out really obviously. The 3D scan even revealed him smiling to us and waving his hands.

 This is me at 19 weeks. My belly has grown so much its feeling pretty stretched now with the area behind my belly button feeling like its going to burst everytime I eat. Its a amazing feeling, rubbing my belly and speaking to my child. I am very lucky to have felt movements as early as 16 weeks into the pregnancy and since then, I am very attuned with my baby boy and can feel Damien's kicks very easily.

I wouldn't really know how to explain the sensations because they vary. Initially they weren't as strong, only a little vibrating/fluttering feeling in my lower abdomen. But now the movements are moving around, sometimes at the center sometimes on the left, sometimes the right. Its much stronger now and I can differentiate between a kick, a punch or what feels like he is rolling. Usually he kicks/punches in multiples, like a *knock,knock,knock* sensation. If he is rolling, I can feel something like a ripple effect on a big packet of water slushing back and forth. Sometimes its just a very hard jab, mostly experienced when I bend down or sit for too long.

This is the photo that marked his gender. Its awfully obvious that he is a boy and we are very delighted to know what to expect. Looking at his ultrasound videos makes the discomfort all worth it. Discomforts like heartburn, indigestion, constipation and all the aches and pains.

Pregnancy changes you in many ways. You learn to consider things you never thought you'd discover. And you look at other people's children, even the students I teach, with new found perspective. You start to question what you'll do when its your child who is at risk or behaving in this manner. You start to wonder if there really ever is an accurate guidebook to pregnancy and parenthood. I subscribe to BabyCenter and I have been reading What to Expect When You're Expecting, bestseller books that are supposed to tell you everything you need to know. But they don't.

They will never tell you what to expect from your spouse or family. They will never tell you how work can affect your pregnancy. They don't offer you childcare solutions that have to be sorted when the child is born or the myths and routines associated only to Asian pregnancies. Alot of times its the other mothers/fathers that offer the most valuable advice.

And when it comes to my own mother, it makes it even more special. Because it is now, that you truly truly appreciate how far you have come along and all the sacrifices our parents made to make us who we are today.

As I am typing this, Damien is telling all of you how happy he is. Becaused he just did a roll, kick, punch combo all in one shot.

:D