We just had our routine check with the Gyne and realised that the baby now weighs 700gm.. a tad heavier than the average 600gm. It's an estimate nontheless. She's about 30cm now and could barely fit into the Ultrasound probe.
Fortunately mommy hasn't developed the much feared stretch marks as we moisturize the areas most prone to stretch marks with manukah honey moisturizers. They are very common at this stage of the pregnancy -- about 90 per cent of women get them. After you've given birth, the reddish or brown pigmentation in the stretch marks gradually fades, and the streaks become lighter than the surrounding skin.
We also heard the baby's heart beat from the doppler for the 2nd time... all is well and beating hard....
More updates in a month's time!

Names which we single out:

Charlotte \ch(ar)-lotte, charl(ot)-te\ is pronounced SHAR-let. It is of French origin, and its meaning is "little and womanly".

Caitlin \ca(it)-lin\ is pronounced KATE-lin. It is of Irish and Gaelic origin.

and its meaning is little darling or pure

Today we went for the DS (Detailed Scan) at Raffles Hospital and several measurements were made to detect structural anomalies. In the pic above the baby's Biparietal diameter was measured (Skull).

Everything was great and we found out that it was a baby GIRL.

As of current the EDD is 30 June 2008

What is examined at the 20 week scan?

The baby's internal organs are examined in cross-sectional views.

Bones appear white on the scan, fluid is black, and soft tissues look grey and speckled.

The head is usually examined first, to check its shape and internal structures.

Some severe brain problems are visible at this stage. The sonographer will look at the baby’s face to see if she can see any cleft of the lip, but clefts of the palate inside of the baby’s mouth are difficult to see and are not often picked up on scans.

The spine is checked in both the long view and in cross section, to make sure that all the vertebrae are in alignment and that the skin covers the spine at the back.

The baby's abdominal wall is also checked to make sure it covers all the internal organs at the front.

The heart is looked at for its size and shape. The top two chambers, or "atria", and the bottom two chambers, or "ventricles", should be equal in size, and the valves should open and close with each heartbeat.

Raffles offer a more detailed scan of the heart to look at the major blood vessels.

The stomach should be visible below the heart.

The baby swallows some of the amniotic fluid that it lies in, which is seen in the stomach as a black bubble.

The sonographer will check that the baby has two kidneys, and that urine flows freely into the bladder. If the bladder is empty it should fill up during the scan and be easy to see - the baby has been weeing every half an hour or so for some months now!

Hands and feet are examined and the fingers and toes are looked at, but not counted.

The placenta, umbilical cord and amniotic fluid are all checked The placenta may be on the front or the back wall of your womb, usually near the top (or fundus) so may be described as "fundal" on your scan report. Many are described as "low" because they reach down to or cover the neck of the womb (cervix).

If your placenta is low, another scan will be arranged in the third trimester, by which time most placenta will have moved away from the cervix.

It is possible to count the three blood vessels in the umbilical cord, but this may not be done routinely. There should be enough amniotic fluid surrounding the baby to allow it to move freely at this stage.

Next update Mid March 2008~

Today was the 16th week visit to the Gyne and as usual we had an ultra scan. We tried to determine the sex of the fetus but she refused to open her legs and kept doing the “ballet”, so we have to wait till the scheduled 20th week detailed scan at Raffles Hospital.
This detailed scan at about 20 weeks is to check that the baby is developing normally. This is usually called the anomaly scan or mid-pregnancy ultrasound scan.
This scan is carried out in order to look for any abnormalities in the baby’s structural development and growth, and to check the position of the placenta.

We’ve also signed up the Antenatal Package for normal delivery which includes:
-Monthly visits from 12th weeks,
-2 weekly from 32-36 weeks and
-weekly visits, from 36 weeks

We were also given the antenatal supplements and had to purchase fish oil (NeuroGain PB)

The package costs S$2,000.
The doctor gave the “all is good” after the scan and routine visit today.

Next update will be on the 13th of Feb 2008.

It was the 15th week and we were glad to have made it past the critical embryonic phase and now it's officially known as a fetus.
The blood test came back good and we were I believe in the 1:11,000 range for trisomy 21 risk.
We are now scheduled for 1 Ultrascan and Gyne visit on January 19th and the detailed scan at Raffles Hospital on Feb 13th.
We did try to listen for any movement of the fetus by placing my ear to the tummy and I was surprised to hear bubbles and swishing, and occasionally hear "grunts" and fluttering. We noticed that once we went off the Utrogestan the little girl gets very active. We didn't expect the quickening to happen so early as they are typically reported during the 16th to 20th week.
(Quickening is defined as the first time you feel your baby move) We were so excited when we managed to get a call back to Houston!

Now we have switched back to taking Enfa Mama from Anmum & Dumex Mamil Mama . Reason being Mead Johnson's Enfa Mama is the only milk poweder that contains 450 mg of Choline in 100g servings. The recommended intake daily is 450mg for pregnant women.

Taking a nutrient called choline during pregnancy could "super-charge" children's brains for life, suggests a study in rats.
Offspring born to pregnant rats given the supplement were known to be faster learners with better memories. But the new work, by Scott Swartzwelder and colleagues at Duke University Medical Center in North Carolina, US, shows this is due to having bigger brain cells in vital areas.
- New Scientist

"Choline was recently determined to be an essential nutrient by the Institute of Medicine. In adults, choline deficiency results in liver damage in humans....Pregnancy has been shown to deplete choline pools, and the demand for choline by a developing fetus could put the mother and the [unborn child] at risk for choline deficiency. Prenatal choline deficiency has been associated with altered [memory], increased [programmed cell death], reduced cell proliferation, and abnormal cell [development] in the fetal [brain.]"
- FASEB Journal, Vol. 16, No. 6, 2002


We will update: The swishing sound, Food we made and Ultrascan report by Jan 19th!

We couldn't believe it when we tested positive on the 4th week of October 2007. We waited for another week before doing another test to confirm. Indeed the second test came out positive for pregnancy as well.

We quickly booked an appointment and had a scan done. we could clearly see the yolk sac .

We were naturally anxious and tried to look for anything that indicated a heart beat but was assured by the gyne that at this stage all we could see was the amniotic sac. Due to the fact that we had a "Chemical pregnancy" earlier on about 1 and a half years back the scan was a relieve for us. Also the doctor gave us Florxine and Utrogestan.

Utrogestan is usually prescribed for postmenopausal women who are taking estrogen as hormone replacement therapy but it can be prescribed to pregnant women with bleeding problems. The precise mechanism of this drug effect is that it prevents a buildup of the lining of the uterus and abnormal bleeding. It also helps support the placenta. By the end of the first trimester, the placenta is able to support itself.
Florxine's just Folic Acid and Iron.

At the same time we decided to cut down on eating out but instead tried to cook meals at home.

I have managed to get some fish recipe and made a couple of pretty nice dishes.

Corn Salmon Miso Mackeral Miso Salmon

We also started taking milk powder for expecting mothers.

It provides important nutrients like DHA and Choline. Choline is an essential nutrient recognized by US Institute of Medicine(IOM). The US Institute of Medicine (IOM) recommends higher dietary requirements during pregnancy and breastfeeding.

INFO:
Pregnancy ultrasound
Pregnancy ultrasound is used to measure the growth and development of your baby. Pregnancy ultrasound may be scheduled several times during your pregnancy for any of these reasons:
• to diagnose an early pregnancy
• to learn the age of the baby
• to check for problems with your baby
• to keep track of your baby’s growth
• to find the cause of vaginal bleeding
• to learn the position of your baby
When you make your appointment, you may be told you will need a full bladder for your test. If so, you will have to drink a large glass (12 ounces) of water about 1 hour before the exam. Women who must do this:
• are less than 15 weeks pregnant
• have bled recently during the pregnancy
• are going to have a pelvic ultrasound
Having a full bladder during your test may be uncomfortable, but it is important to get the best results from the ultrasound.