My wonderful Pregnancy Memory Lane

Women, in all her sensibilities, would always be faced with adverse situations, one way or the other. Be it the mother-in-law, an ambitious collegue, selfish boyfriend or husband,overpowering relations...and the list goes on.

Let me warn you this, that pregnancy would not change a thing. If you are expecting something to change or even a kind word from your usual situations, it is time to stop.

Focus on your baby as your best gift and make a decision to live happy and live right, no matter how others make you feel.

When I was expecting Baby#1, I became a threat to a cousin of whom my family cared for her child. Jealousy forced her to overpower me with angry propositions when I was alone with her. My heart sank when I encountered it for the first time. But, my heart tells me that forgive is the way to go without affecting my baby.

I was praying for strength and protection over my baby from such unreasonable and manipulative moves,even from within the family. One thing I find effective is, that my husband and I also prayed for God to open their eyes and remove any jealousy from their hearts. We prayed for peace. We were also praying for protection forever from them, in case they refuse the choice to choose peace and love.

As time passed, I am very grateful that by staying positive, I believe it has spared this new life wihtin me from being burdened unnecessarily by any unpleasant affairs of the hearts too early.

Bearing our children for so many months within our womb is not a coincidence. We have been given the choice of a responsibility for the child and we will be able to make this life a good one, no matter how poor,how rich,how educated,how illiterate. So ,mothers, I urge you to stay positive and seek help, when you need. Be it prayer,making a phone call,surrendering your will to make things right,giving up your favorite vice or even abusive partner, just do it. Do it for yourself and give yourself a slow but a real chance as a mother.

My mother was a healthy and capable woman.She bore me but I guessed she missed out on her biggest and most profitable blessing in life, when she decided I was a burden.

I am slow, according to my parents and brother's standards, but my grandma and aunt were kind. They never gave up on me, but nurtured me since I was merely a month old. When I was becoming a mother, my aunt told me to be prepared if my son wants 101% of me or my life. This is the beginning of my lesson as a mother.

I asked the Lord to give me that 101% if necessary and I will love him slowly, in my own way, and to suit his speed of growing. As long as his heart grows correctly and his mind and body is healthy, I will be most grateful and am the richest mom in the world.

My youngest is approaching his second years of age and I marvel at his attachment towards me even now.
This is absolutely in contrast with my first kid who is six years his senior and totally independant.

Sometimes I wonder if it is due to age or the amount of time I spend talking to them while they're in my womb (just a mother's instinct)

Life was more organised and stable during my first pregnancy and I was more consistent and persistent in reading the bible as a daily commitment to him.

During my second pregnancy however, my grandpa passed away, followed by many tensions at home due to his Will. I spent many hours praying about the problems and many hours teaching virtues to my growing belly, reminding him not to be greedy but to trust the Lord.

I was lonely as I refused to take my parents' stand ,yet I cannot remain silent about the bully they are exerting on my aunt.

That made me their target of insult and I was very sad deep down.However, always remember that parents do make mistakes and I told myself and my baby in my belly, that there are people going through worse scenarios and our God will watch over us.

I read about Daniel in the Bible and prayed for my little growing child within me, that he will never bow down to any other except the Lord Jesus, not even to his mother, me.

The same strength I prayed for my kids, I am holding on to today, for not bowing down to anyone's threats or bully,(including one's parents) if it is against the conscience and conviction which God has placed within our hearts.

For God has not given us the spirit of fear but of sound mind, power and love...

What is the best gift to your husband or partner this Father's Day? It's undoubtedly this new little life growing within you!

Having my first baby was such a thrill to my husband and stressful too. So, I wore a thank you message to him, on behalf of myself and 'our little Boss'.That touched him so much and made the best first father's day for him ever.

Wearing cool father's day designs are a great way to surprise the dads to be. I've picked a few examples which could set the adrenalin effects rolling, even for men. If you have other kids besides the new baby, wear the same designs and surprise Daddy with a "family Father's Day event".


Remember that we are only pregnant for close to nine months each time, so treasure it with your loved ones and strengthen your family bonding.

Natural is the way to go! Giving birth naturally is something I have missed twice and am not sure if I'd ever have a chance of experiencing.A much as I envy other mothers sharing about 'that' amazing moment,about holding your baby in your arms after pushing him or her through your birth canal,deep down I am ever so grateful for my two ceasarian birth experiences.

By nature of my health, I had to choose ceasarian to ensure that both my baby and myself would be safe and healthy. For that reason, I think safety defeats any need to 'feel' the child birthing experience. I therefore carry no regrets for my choice for a scheduled ceasarian.

The amazing thing about ceasarian is, my babies seem to be prepared when they enter into our atmosphere. I made it a point to speak to them before my surgery.I told them about the doctors and nurses they will see before me(as I went through general anesthsia), and told my husband to speak to them so that they can recognize his voice when he carries them before I awake from the effects of the anesthesia.

And the great thing was, both my babies could adapt pretty well. They stopped crying when they heard my husband's voice. My second baby responded to my voice much more instantly than the first. The cutest moment on those first days was when you see them struggling to open their tightly closed lids to steal a look at you, especially when they hear their mommies' familiar voice again.

Like the experts used to say, you need to tell each other the three magic words "I love You" to remind and nuture a relationship which has gone further than the initial stages of courtship. I took this advice not only for my husband, but also for my pregnancies.

I started these declarations of love to my belly, even from the moment I felt I was pregnant. If there is anything I can offer my baby (foetus at that time), it would be my love, and how else but to say it to them everyday.I said it religiously, as if by faith they are blessed and enriched in their little hearts, as they are growing in a marvelous and wonderful way, knowing that their mommy & daddy loves them.

I'd like to add, given that I have a Christian faith, my priority at all times is to have my children know that Jesus Loves them. And this, I do so every morning too, before I start off my day.

Most mothers only want the best for their children and for me, my best is having the knowledge of Jesus Christ, so I share it with both my babies even as they are growing within my belly.

How about you? You could share your deepest sentiments, your love for music,art,football, even gossips! and etc etc,all these while your baby is still in your belly. Grab this opportunity and treasure this personal and informal'get-to-know' session with your child when you don't need to fight for his or her attention just yet:)

Who says you need to be holding your baby to celebrate Mother's Day, celebrate your motherhood as long as you Know you have become a mother of the little pea you are carrying within your secret place!

I knew for myself that this little life within me is more precious than my own life on the first day I suspected I was pregnant. I have begun preparing myself for a healthy motherhood since, by reading up, by asking and by praying.

So, when Mother's Day came during my 3rd month of pregnancy, I felt a deep sense of pride and joy was beaming from my face from every angle. I am grateful from within, for I know my God is knitting my little baby together in that secret place within me.

2001 was when I first conceived Joy#1. I was newly married and so not experienced. Thankfully, it seems that our genes are programmed with a minimum supply of maternity instincts such that I could carry the pregnancy safely through all the trimesters.

Among all the trimesters, the final trimester was most fun for me as I began to communicate with my little one while I was checking on his movements everyday.( We were advised to place our hands on our bumps to count the relative movements of the baby to ensure that everything's going fine)

One afternoon, while at work, a plastic rule(30cm) happened to land on my then "humongous" bump while I was doing some manual graphing. Unexpectedly, I felt a sudden strong kick! at the part where the ruler was in contact with my bump! I began shifting the position of this ruler and he began kicking in the direction where the ruler was placed. It was so fun and amazing. We began this wonderful routine of play and interaction since. Trust me, your babies could be playing a game with you even while they're still inside of you!

During my 2nd pregnancy,(well, it should officially be the 3rd,since the 2nd wasn't quite there). Anyways, this Joy#2 is one quiet little gem, growing patiently within me for the 3 full trimesters as well.

The nature of my work has gone up 2 folds by now as I have begun working from home at this time, and taking a break is less than likely(given my workaholic nature). I constantly neglected to check on the movements of my little Joy#2 during the day, especially during the final trimester.

However, he somehow found a way to let his tired mama know he's fine, especially in the wee hours of the quiet and still nights.It happens each time when I asked in my heart ,"baby, are you alright? Mama's really tired today..", and guess what?? This little gem actually responded immediately with his very significant fingers moving at the corner of my belly! It was like some little hand slowing scratching my belly from within.

His little fingers will nibble for about afew minutes until I say in my heart again," okay,time to sleep darling".

This wonderful interaction with my Joy#2 went on everyday without fail since that first encounter.

These beautiful memories continue to warm my heart way after I have met each one of these babies after birth, and truly, a mother's priviledge comes from her deepest connection with the new and amazing lives they carry for almost 40 weeks each time. It is every mother's best moment, if you remember to talk to your little gems even while they are still quietly residing within you.

So, to all moms to be, treasure your every moment of pregnancy and stay positive! For those moms who might be having a tough time, I just want to encourage you to see this baby as someone who is willing to listen and who needs your love.Never think you're a 'lesser' mom and give up, take small steps to care for your body and little positive perks will sprinkle on you and, your little baby inside can feel and know his or her mommy is okay.
God bless all moms to be and mommies with His strength,care and prayers in Jesus.

One thing about being pregnant for me was the super eccentric behaviours whenever I felt any presence of threat to the little seed growing within me.

I felt my 'animal instinct' breaking free and went about my days like a careful tigress, ready to pounce on any likely threat to my baby.I'd scan through every construction sites,renovation sites I was passing through for any signs of danger.I had even avoided smells of turpentine by holding short breaths in fear of any poisonous vapour affecting my foetus.

And, you thought it would be different for your 2nd pregnancy. I was just as intense and sensitive.I would be waiting anxiously for every 'ultra sound' appointment to actually see my little darling.

However, things did get better with experience. I have learnt to distract myself through pregnancy forums and cool pregnancy related sites to pass time as I await each trimester to be over.

During my second pregnancy, I had to deal with more uncertainties than my first.One of which was when my elder son had a chicken pox outbreak during my 4th month of pregnancy. I had to hide my fears while caring for my first kid and truly commit every moment of my foetus's safety to God. Both my son and myself were vaccinated against chicken pox, so it was abit of a shock when he had it then.

Another near fatal event was when my 18 months old nephew came to stay the night with me when he got really ill. I was caring for him during his high temperatures and later found that he had hand foot mouth disease, a very contagious virus.Getting mad with his irresonisble parents was one thing, but worrying for my little baby in my belly was another.
As no one could help me or confirm my baby's safety, I turned to God once again and prayed for my little one to be healthy and not be affected by this virus.

It was an eventful 2nd pregnancy but one that got me stronger and more confident as a mother as I have learnt to control my own fears and put aside my own weaknesses while I did my best to care for this baby, growing inside of me.

So, for those who are acting weird during your pregnancy, my advise to you is to have fun,to pray if you're getting too stressed out and to hold on, it'll all be worth it when your baby is born. God bless you.