Precious Baby B

My Dearest Baby B,

We are almost full term now and only now have I decided to stop procrastinating and start jotting down these little memoirs to preserve them and share them with you one day. 

Unlike my first pregnancy, this one has been rather uneventful. Perhaps because I am aware of what aches and pains to worry about compared to my first where I googled and scoured forums like a predator for every little small symptom. In fact, perhaps because of my previous experience, I was very certain I was pregnant way before I could take any test and way before I missed my period. 

We decided to try for a second baby just shortly after D turned 2. We reckoned it was a good age gap since Mel and his sister shared a similar age gap. D was also starting pre school and communicating well and we figured it will be nice for him to have a little playmate and to teach him the responsibilities of being a elder sibling. Just like how we conceived D, we tried for about 3-4 times and by the end of the second week I was already feeling lethargic, had painful and sensitive breasts and was getting bloated. True enough the day my period was supposed to come, I whipped out a ultra sensitive test kit and got a super clear positive the same day. And rightly so we calculated that he was conceived on the very first try, just like his brother! 

Scans at 10 weeks to 32 weeks

My dear baby B, you have been a breeze to carry. My only lament is that the morning sickness I had with you was a lot worse than with your brother! I was throwing up to 15 times a day all the way up to 20+ weeks! And once the morning sickness went away, I had a ravenous appetite. With very strange cravings like tomatoes and ketchup, cheese and tuna!

At 20 weeks came the turning point in this pregnancy. We discovered at our scheduled detailed development scan that you had some cysts in your right kidney. We were very scared when we were told that they could not disclose anymore details until we saw a specialist... after some referrals and more scanning it was confirmed that your right kidney was a "unilateral multi-cystic kidney". This simply meant that your right kidney was deformed and filled with many masses that although were not toxic to you, deprived your kidney from any function. 

Any parent will be sick with worry at the discovery that their unborn child had a medical condition and daddy and I were really quite depressed at the news. We were heartened to discover though that your left kidney was entirely healthy and that you were developing so well there was no cause for concern. In fact, you were in the 75th percentile and a lot bigger than your brother was at the same stage! We were told that we just need to continue monitoring the growth of your deformed kidney and ensure that the cysts don't grow too big and we will continue to have a healthy pregnancy and a healthy child upon delivery. 

I've been reading up on many articles about this disease and have discovered that we are so very blessed that your other kidney is functioning well as there are some less fortunate babies who have cysts in both kidneys and they don't survive for long. Apparently with the right diet and constant monitoring, you can lead a normal life and there is hope that your non-functioning kidney will eventually shrink and disappear along with the cysts before your 2nd birthday.

My Belly Pics

At 34 weeks now you are currently 2.8 kg which is the weight that your brother was born with! Although I had so many contractions with D to the extent where I was warded and on permanent medication until I delivered him at 36 weeks, my good little baby B is nowhere near the birth canal. And I hardly have any contractions. Perhaps my new working environment is a lot less gruelling physically and mentally and my flexible working hours mean that I get adequate rest. I am still fairly active and since I can drive now, I do drive around quite a bit rather that stand and squeeze on public transport which inevitably helps in me not overtaxing my body. 

Its getting very hard to walk now since my belly is really very big. But I am very happy that you are developing well and being a good boy. I know you are going to be a lot more mellow and sensitive that your brother just by telling from the way you behave inside me. You prefer little rolls and pokes rather than the crazy kung-fu your brother used to practice inside me. And you are very obedient! Everytime I worry that you are not moving much I just need to place my hand on you and speak to you and you will respond with a high-5 (yes I can feel those fingers!) or a little roll. Continue to grow well Baby B, we will sort out the health issues when you are out but mummy is very sure you will continue to be a warrior and will not let this little setback affect you. 

Love,

Mummy