Alhamdulillah, i'm already 22 weeks pregnant. Yeay!
These past few days i have so many paranoia and questions about being pregnant.
Firstly there's this week-versus-month issue.
You know how they count the weeks in pregnancy? i find that this week-counting is a bit confusing. Roughly, pregnancy lasts 40 weeks. Generally, a month equals to 4 weeks. By right pregnancy lasts 10 months, right? But no, the way people are counting it, pregnancy lasts 9 months. This is how they classify and label the weeks and months of pregnancy:
First Trimester
1st Month : Weeks 1, 2, 3, 4
2nd Month : Weeks 5, 6, 7, 8
3rd Month : Weeks 9, 10, 11, 12, 13
Second Trimester
4th Month : Weeks 14, 15, 16, 17
5th Month : Weeks 18, 19, 20, 21
6th Month : Weeks 22, 23, 24, 25, 26
Third Trimester
7th Month : Weeks 27, 28, 29, 30
8th Month : Weeks 31, 32, 33, 34, 35
9th Month : Weeks 36, 37, 38, 39, 40
So according to this chart, i'm already 6 months pregnant. Still, it's confusing because when people ask, "How far along are you?" and i'll answer "I'm 22 weeks so 6 months!". The person will give me this confused look and say "But 22 weeks should be, like, 5 months sumthing?" i'll go speechless.
i also have this paranoia : i look quite small for a 6-months preggers lady.
When i look at my bare belly, i feel HUGE. Ini lah perot paling besar aku ada sepanjang hidup aku. But when people see me and learn that i'm 6-months prego, they'll be like "Serious lah dah 6 bulan? Apsal kecik?". My grandma (Wan) says "Anak ko tu kecik kot.." and my colleague once exclaimed "Teefa, apsal seluar ko makin longgar ni?" coz i can still fit in my pants, jeans, dresses and tops. Kebaya tu memang tak boleh la hoi.
So far i've gained 3 kgs from my pre-pregnancy weight. Generally i think 3 kgs are good enough. Kalau over gain nanti, ada jugak masalah lain kan.. Tapi kalo dah ramai orang cakap baby kecik la, tak sihat lah, ape lah i couldn't help but worry. Bukannya haku tak makan hoi. Memanglah to be honest aku tak selera sangat makan but i eat 4 small portions a day. It's not like i'm restraining myself from eating (ko ingat senang mengandung nak tahan makan? Asyik lapar je walaupun tak selera makan). Sekarang ni selagi doc kata baby aku sihat, aku okay kan je la. Tapi stress la jugak kan kalo tetiap hari orang kata "Ko tak payah diet-diet la. Fikir baby dalam perut.." Dafuq?
My other paranoia is umbilical cord accidents.
After doing some research (here, here and here) , i know the fact that babies can't be strangled by the umbilical cord. Any form of strings can't strangle the baby in the womb because oxygen supply comes from the placenta, through the umbilical cord and into the baby. Babies does not breathe and get oxygen with its mouth and nose yet. But, umbilical cord accidents can happen if the umbilical cord is somehow twisted, compacting the cord and clogging the pathway for oxygen and nutrient supplies. In the mother's womb, babies do all sort of things - somersault, kicks, punches, cartwheels, and God-knows-what-else. What if while doing all these fun things, the baby wrapped him/herself in the umbilical cord, choking the cord and cutting off all the oxygen and nutrient supplies? What if???
Sigh.
Jadi mak-mak boyot ni susah jugak tau. All these hormones constantly make you worry about the child's well-being. Kami hanya mampu memberikan yang terbaik (cukup makan, do some exercise, prepare barang baby, etc) tapi manusia ni itu je la mampu. Selain tu, hanya boleh berdoa supaya baby kecik adalah membesar dengan sihat sempurna imannya, fizikalnya dan mentalnya. Amin.