I’ve started my leave from work this week so I have some time to tidy up the house, get the laundry and ironing done and do some nesting before Baby E’s arrival. But other than the chores front, I think we are pretty prepared for her arrival with the hospital bag in the car and towel on my seat just in case my waterbag breaks.

Laurent saw all the prep (and his present “from mei mei” in the boot) and asked if baby sis was coming last Friday evening. We told him not yet, so before he slept last Friday, he asked Baby E when is she going to come. “Sunday, mummy! Mei Mei says she’s coming on Sunday! Not this one but the next one.” Ok baby, we’ll see if you guys are right!

In the meantime, I thought I’ll drop in one more post about this pregnancy. This time, to share about some pregnancy symptoms I had been experiencing and products/ services that have been useful for me.

Dry Skin

My skin usually gets pretty dry and dull during pregnancy. This time, I found that the best way to keep my skin hydrated and my skin tone brighter is to use masks. I usually use sheet masks and leave-on overnight masks as opposed to wash-off ones because they are more convenient and not time-consuming.

Here are some of my favourite masks!

• Sheet Masks – Innisfree (Skin Clinic & Second Skin range), Ojesh Lifting Sheet Mask
• Overnight Masks – Laneige Water Sleeping Mask, Sulwahsoo Overnight Vitalizing Mask

Besides my face, I’ve been experiencing dry skin on my belly, legs and arms as well. For these areas, I turn to my favourite moisturiser that I’ve been using during all my pregnancies – BioOil. It gets absorbed by the skin really fast and helps to effectively moisturise it. Applying it on my tummy also helped to ease itchiness when the skin gets tight and dry.

I didn’t get any stretch marks from my first pregnancy, but had some from Ellie’s one probably because my belly suddenly grew very quickly due to my polyhydramnios condition then. I haven’t seen any worsening of the stretch marks this time round so I hope consistently using BioOil will continue to be helpful!

Backaches & Leg Cramps

I’ve been experiencing dull back aches and occasional leg cramps during my last trimester, especially when I’m sleeping at night. They are not unbearable, but they can get quite annoying. I’ve found the following to be useful in easing my backaches and leg cramps over the past few months.

• Pregnancy Pillow – Fossflakes Superior Comfort-U Body Pillow

I received this for my last pregnancy but only manged to use it for a night before I pop, so I didn’t get to enjoy it’s full benefit that time. Before I needed the body pillow this time, Wayne has been using it occasionally as well to help take pressure off his left shoulder when he sleeps (he has an old injury there). I reclaimed it from him when I reached my third trimester as I started experiencing some backaches and leg cramps. Using the body pillow helped me to remain comfortable even when I needed to sleep sideways through the night. It keeps my back supported and I didn’t need to have 3-5 pillows and bolsters around me like what I did previously.

I also use it for support when I need to sit on my bed for a long time, such as when I’m reading or using my iPad for lettering. The body pillow is really versatile and can be used as a nursing pillow as well when baby arrives!

• Pre-natal Massage – Madam Partum

I’ve never tried pre-natal massage before during my previous pregnancies, and I only realised what I’ve been missing out when I started my pre-natal massage with Madam Partum this time! Madam Partum arranged for Lu Jun, the therapist who helped me with my post-partum massage last year, to be my therapist again and she really helped me to release all the knots and aches especially on my shoulder and back. My leg cramps also occur less often right after my massage sessions.

I realise that I haven’t experienced any swelling (I could still wear my rings and shoes comfortably) and I believe my pre-natal massage sessions have been responsible for keeping pregnancy swelling at bay!

I know there are increasingly more places providing pre-natal massage services now, but I turn to Madam Partum again because my post-partum massage experience with them last year was amazing. I also believe that since their therapists are trained in TCM and pressure spots, I feel safer to have them providing my pre-natal massage as well.

Pelvic Pressure

This is one symptom that I have not experienced during my previous pregnancies. I started experiencing pelvic pain and pressure since 32 weeks and they are especially bad when I’m standing up, climbing stairs (which I do a lot since I need to climb 2 flights of stairs to reach the restroom from my office) and turning from side to side on the bed.

After reading about it, it seems to be pretty common among non-first time moms and it’s typically due to our hormones relaxin being produced to loosen our ligaments and joints to prepare for pregnancy.

My Dr says wearing a belly band may help to lift some pressure off the pelvic area and if it gets too bad, try to rest up more.

Heartburn

Heartburn is one symptom that has plagued me since my first pregnancy. I typically don’t get bad morning sickness (I’ll feel nauseas but I don’t throw up), but heartburn makes me feel horrible after a full meal.

Some people recommend over-the-counter medications like Gaviscon as remedy. I just try to take smaller meals throughout the day and taking more warm water.

Constipation

I’ve never had problem with constipation before, particularly during pregnancy. But this time, constipation was a big problem for me. There were a couple of times where I had to spend 45 mins in the toilet! I’ve tried taking more fibre (fruits and oats) and drinking prune juice. The one remedy that worked really well for me was Lactulose. It was prescribed by my Dr, but she told me I could easily get them at guardian or Watson’s (cheaper too). It’s safe even for little children and really effective for me in softening the stools.

Dizziness

From 2nd trimester onwards, I’ve been complaining to Wayne that I often feel dizzy, sometimes to a point where I felt like the room was spinning. Turns out that I am slightly anaemic, so Dr presided me iron tablets. Which I hated taking because it worsens the constipation and makes my heartburn issue worse 🙁 But I guess there’s no other way around it… I also try to take more red meat, red date tea and I find drinking chicken essence also helped with my dizziness and general energy level.

Every pregnancy is different, even for the same person. I hope this sharing will be helpful to some of you who may be experiencing similar symptoms during your pregnancy journey! If you have any questions about my experience with the above symptoms/ products/ services that I mentioned above, or if you have some useful recommendations, please feel free to leave a comment or email me directly 🙂