at 30 weeks
Sunday, 28 February 2010
Tuesday, 23 February 2010
Twin Pregnancy in Hong Kong
So for a little while now I have been exchanging notes with my friends at home about how our pregnancies are progressing. Since this is taking up all my writing time, the blog has been slightly neglected, so I thought I'd put stuff on here too.
28 weeks - this week I have been mostly...
(Thanks to BabyCenter.com for the image)
…starting the third trimester…
Very pleased that I’ve made it this far - somehow I never quite believed it would happen. The babies are just under 15 inches long, from head to toe - hard to imagine that there are two of those in me! They’re about a kilo each now.
…feeling much less back pain…
I started sleeping with two pillows (under my head) instead of one for the first time ever, and somehow it seems to have done the trick! No longer in agony when I wake up, and much better for the rest of the day. However, sleeping in general is still not great, and I’m disturbing Ross quite a lot…whoops. I’m secretly glad we haven’t got round to buying another bed, so he has to stay with me, because it would be very sad-making to wake up in an empty bed. I will try to get one of those bean-filled pillow this weekend, because I’m taking up ¾ of the bed with all the pillows at the moment. Still getting leg cramps, but circling my feet lots, and standing on the little spiky ball before bedtime help to minimize them.
…trialing a helper…
Actually this will happen tomorrow. Luningning is coming over for a few hours, so I can check that we get on well together, We still have another couple of interviews set up over the weekend too. It’s Chinese New Year, so two days off next week, yippee!! Kung hei fat choi everyone!
UPDATE: since I wrote this, Luningning has been - she was ok, very cheery and thorough, but absolutely no concept of time passing, or of how to do tasks a, b and c by 5.00. In fact she left about 6.30…We also had Lorna over for the same thing - bit less cheery, but much more efficient. Watch this space.
…going to our first ante-natal class at the TsanYuk hospital…
The class was hilarious - funny mix of waaay too much (gynae) detail for all the boys (I know more than I ever thought I would about the difference between a Caucasian perineum and a Chinese perineum), and really dumb advice on how to be a good human being, like "when you visit your wife in hospital, be nice to her". Anyway, it was v funny, and the nurse didn't really get sarcasm, so she asked all the husbands if they had noticed that their wives had different moods now that they were pregnant. All the boys laughed nervously and said jokingly "No, can't imagine what you are talking about!" and shifted a bit further away from their wives. The nurse obviously thought they were all super-insensitive for not paying attention to their poor hormonal wives. So funny. She also advised against fashionable clothes, and showed us several hilarious vids from the early 80s (you can imagine the perms) which seemed to have very old nutrition advice, nothing about 5-a-day, plenty about 8-portions-of-bread-a-day! It turned out to be not a class so much as a talk, we all just sat there on v uncomfy seats for 2 hours while she talked at us.
Also found out that the visiting hours are 6pm-8pm - which seems quite rubbish to me. What's the standard in the UK? I’ll be in for 3-5 days, and Ross can only see me and the babies for 2 hours a day - I can go out of the ward to meet him at other times (once I’m up and about) but the babies cannot leave the ward. There’s a giant, scary alarm system attached to all babies (there was an “incident” a couple of years ago when a baby was abducted, so now they are very cautious)
…handing in my maternity leave proposal…
This was tricky. Things are very emotional here, no easy open discussion, lots of guessing how people will react / think / feel. It would be much more straightforward if I didn’t get on so well with my boss. I feel a bit like I am letting her down. I have asked for 6 months in total, so my standard 10 weeks, plus 16 weeks’ unpaid. I don’t think she was expecting to get any cover for me while I was off, so 6 months is probably a bit of a shock. She stayed v neutral when I gave her the proposal, but she hasn’t really spoken to me since, and we usually chat lots. Anyway, it’s ok, I owe it to the babies to make sure that they are happy and safe, and that the arrangement suits everybody. But that doesn’t stop me feeling guilty.
27 weeks - this week I have been mostly...
…feeling like a gigantic burden…
Not in any way because Ross is complaining, just because I am not blind, I see how much he is looking after me (and cooking for me) and it makes me feel guilty. I should probably get over it, but I can’t help thinking that life is not much fun for him right now (unless you call getting 4 stitches in your chin fun)
…finding out I need another Glucose Test…
Eugh. Not looking forward to that. I don’t know if everyone has these, I’m sure it’s no big deal, but me and needles don’t mix very well.
…having a scan without passing out…
Yay! This ultrasound lady was much more considerate and gentle, and she let me have a few breaks too. We got to see Lee’s face, which was good, because Bruce’s big ole head was in the way last time.
…having a doctor’s appointment…
Somehow I was feeling fragile anyway, and the bossiness and utter lack of care coupled with the complete absence of the English language, made me burst into tears and feel very home sick. Of course, as with so many things about living abroad, it’s easy to think that the grass is always greener back home, but I’m sure there are plenty of rude and miserable nurses / midwives working for the NHS, or any other healthcare system in the world for that matter. Anyway, once I had got over my issues, I had my appointment. The Queen Mary is a teaching hospital, so I had one dr plus one student, both male (which I wasn't expecting). They tried to chat and cheer me up a bit, which was appreciated, and I had to give in and smile by the end! However, they were not all that gentle, so I was very sore by the time I left, having been dopplered and fundal heighted. FH is 11 inches, (28 cm) so a bit big for a single pregnancy but OK for twins I think. This is based on my investigation today, which informs me that from 24 weeks on, your FH in cm should be similar to the number of weeks. All the poking and prodding somehow made the boys very active and I think they turned into an awkward position. For the rest of the day, it felt like both of them were back-to-front, instead of up-and-down. They settled overnight, and I feel fine now, but I was seriously uncomfortable all afternoon and evening.
...feeling the less desirable side-effects for the first time…
Until now, everything has felt relatively normal - other than being very tired, and a slightly strange shape, I was still me. But this last week or so, I have really noticed that my lungs are a bit squished, I am getting heavy, I have frequent leg cramps, I sleep very badly, I’m getting a bit of heartburn at night, and I cry lots! I think I have been very lucky until now, but it does make me feel different.
...feeling shapes push out of my belly…
Think I have someone’s bottom under my ribs right now. Fairly certain it’s not Ross ;-)
…going to a twins class…
It was great to find out lots about what’s different with twins. The midwife who did the class (she set up a private midwifery clinic here) has loads of experience, so she can tell you exactly what the procedure is for twin labour at any hospital in HK. The other two couples on the course seemed pretty nervous about the whole thing. I came out of the class feeling very confident - I learned lots, but didn’t feel completely overwhelmed, Ross asked loads of questions (so he was paying attention after all!) and the midwife said that if she was having another baby herself, she’d go to the Queen Mary without hesitation. Which is v reassuring. Essentially Ross’ job is to chase after the babies - as there are 2, it’s more likely that they’ll need attention, even for a short time, so they’ll probably be wheeled off somewhere. He also has to be very insistent that they are not formula-fed (80%+ of local mothers never try to breast feed) and that they come to me, or me to them for feeding. I’ll be in hospital about 3-5 days. One thing that worried me slightly Is that she said epidurals lower your blood pressure, and since mine is always low already, I wonder if this will effect whether I have one.
Actually I think the best thing about this class was the step by step descriptions - I realized I had no idea about how much I can move around in labour, then after the birth where I will be, where the babies will be, whether I will get to hold them straightaway, who’ll be in the room (2 paeds, 2 obs and a midwife-type person) etc.
Not in any way because Ross is complaining, just because I am not blind, I see how much he is looking after me (and cooking for me) and it makes me feel guilty. I should probably get over it, but I can’t help thinking that life is not much fun for him right now (unless you call getting 4 stitches in your chin fun)
…finding out I need another Glucose Test…
Eugh. Not looking forward to that. I don’t know if everyone has these, I’m sure it’s no big deal, but me and needles don’t mix very well.
…having a scan without passing out…
Yay! This ultrasound lady was much more considerate and gentle, and she let me have a few breaks too. We got to see Lee’s face, which was good, because Bruce’s big ole head was in the way last time.
…having a doctor’s appointment…
Somehow I was feeling fragile anyway, and the bossiness and utter lack of care coupled with the complete absence of the English language, made me burst into tears and feel very home sick. Of course, as with so many things about living abroad, it’s easy to think that the grass is always greener back home, but I’m sure there are plenty of rude and miserable nurses / midwives working for the NHS, or any other healthcare system in the world for that matter. Anyway, once I had got over my issues, I had my appointment. The Queen Mary is a teaching hospital, so I had one dr plus one student, both male (which I wasn't expecting). They tried to chat and cheer me up a bit, which was appreciated, and I had to give in and smile by the end! However, they were not all that gentle, so I was very sore by the time I left, having been dopplered and fundal heighted. FH is 11 inches, (28 cm) so a bit big for a single pregnancy but OK for twins I think. This is based on my investigation today, which informs me that from 24 weeks on, your FH in cm should be similar to the number of weeks. All the poking and prodding somehow made the boys very active and I think they turned into an awkward position. For the rest of the day, it felt like both of them were back-to-front, instead of up-and-down. They settled overnight, and I feel fine now, but I was seriously uncomfortable all afternoon and evening.
...feeling the less desirable side-effects for the first time…
Until now, everything has felt relatively normal - other than being very tired, and a slightly strange shape, I was still me. But this last week or so, I have really noticed that my lungs are a bit squished, I am getting heavy, I have frequent leg cramps, I sleep very badly, I’m getting a bit of heartburn at night, and I cry lots! I think I have been very lucky until now, but it does make me feel different.
...feeling shapes push out of my belly…
Think I have someone’s bottom under my ribs right now. Fairly certain it’s not Ross ;-)
…going to a twins class…
It was great to find out lots about what’s different with twins. The midwife who did the class (she set up a private midwifery clinic here) has loads of experience, so she can tell you exactly what the procedure is for twin labour at any hospital in HK. The other two couples on the course seemed pretty nervous about the whole thing. I came out of the class feeling very confident - I learned lots, but didn’t feel completely overwhelmed, Ross asked loads of questions (so he was paying attention after all!) and the midwife said that if she was having another baby herself, she’d go to the Queen Mary without hesitation. Which is v reassuring. Essentially Ross’ job is to chase after the babies - as there are 2, it’s more likely that they’ll need attention, even for a short time, so they’ll probably be wheeled off somewhere. He also has to be very insistent that they are not formula-fed (80%+ of local mothers never try to breast feed) and that they come to me, or me to them for feeding. I’ll be in hospital about 3-5 days. One thing that worried me slightly Is that she said epidurals lower your blood pressure, and since mine is always low already, I wonder if this will effect whether I have one.
Actually I think the best thing about this class was the step by step descriptions - I realized I had no idea about how much I can move around in labour, then after the birth where I will be, where the babies will be, whether I will get to hold them straightaway, who’ll be in the room (2 paeds, 2 obs and a midwife-type person) etc.
25 weeks - this week I have been mostly...
…feeling the wrigglers hiccup (I think)…
My mum says I hiccupped lots before I was born, so no surprises! Also I think Lee might have turned. I feel them very often now, and someone has a foot on my bladder.
…getting backache…
Oh my god, sooo bad this week. I have been doing lots of gentle stretching, which really helps, but only for an hour or so, then it starts again. I have a really good chair at work, and have even bought a new chair for home, but not much helps. I’ve also had cramps in my calves during the night, which wake me up and I have to use my hands to grab hold of my feet and move them to stop the cramp!
…watching the height of my bump rise and fall…
Some days, it feels well supported, some days it seems to be pulling me down and sapping all my energy. What I wear makes a bit of a difference, but it’s still a bit weird that sometimes the most sticky-out part is my belly button, but sometimes it’s below that.
…waiting for the results of my glucose tolerance test…
I had my oral glucose tolerance test a couple of weeks ago, it's pretty horrible. Essentially you don't eat for 12 hours, and you have your blood taken twice in 2 hours, from the SAME ARM! Outrageous.
…feeling a bit down in general…
But I am going to my first coffee morning! In the absence of the NCT, I think a lot of these things are done through the Geobaby forums. I’m pretty nervous, but at least I can be sure we won’t run out of things to talk about! I’m a bit worried that lots of the people on the forum meet regularly in the middle of the day, so I imagine they have a v different life from me. On the other hand, after my talk with HR this week, seems like I might be free in the middle of the day, any day soon enough.
UPDATE: OK, so I went (very bravely) to the coffee morning, which was at a bar in Central. It was great actually, lots of really friendly people, around 12 of us, mostly Asian (but not HK-born for the most part) Lots of them worked full-time too, so that was a relief. In true HK style, by chance there was someone there who I know quite well, and someone else who's good friends with two friends of mine from work. It's a small island.
I also went to yoga after the coffee thingy, which was really good, I enjoyed it lots. I think my problem before was that when someone treats you like you are very easily breakable, and have to do everything verrrrry slowly and gently (like my Pilates teacher) you begin to believe them. This was pre-natal yoga, most people in 2nd trimester, but it was a great feeling to push myself a bit (as much as I wanted anyway) and feel really good about it afterwards, not sore or exhausted, but feeling like I had done myself some good.
..interviewing a helper...
Liz knows that this topic has occupied my thoughts for a long time... So, the current thinking is that we will get 1 helper (not 2 as many people have insisted) and that she will help with the housework, laundry, shopping (which they call marketing :-) etc, leaving me to do the childcare. Obviously she would help out too by watching Bruce while I bathe Lee, for example, but she would not have sole care all day. Hiring a helper is very tricky – not least because it never occurred to us that we would get one. I am aware that it's a huge luxury in the grand scheme of things, and help is super-affordable here. However, the major downside, in my eyes, is that it's a legal requirement for your helper to live with you. There are (illegal) ways around this, like paying for your helper to live in a hostel / flat, but I haven't yet got a sense of how feasible this is.
I've got some tips and references from people at work. I think the most unsettling thing is the tone of communications with potential helpers, they are polite to the point of subservience. I just don't know if I can get used to someone calling me “Madam” all day. The helper we interviewed on Sunday (this is their statutory day off) complained non-stop about her current employer for 20 minutes, which kind of put us off...While I know that we are very lucky to be able to afford help like this, it's important to remember that the majority of helpers have no qualifications, so it's not like hiring a nanny. Hmm. To be continued...
My mum says I hiccupped lots before I was born, so no surprises! Also I think Lee might have turned. I feel them very often now, and someone has a foot on my bladder.
…getting backache…
Oh my god, sooo bad this week. I have been doing lots of gentle stretching, which really helps, but only for an hour or so, then it starts again. I have a really good chair at work, and have even bought a new chair for home, but not much helps. I’ve also had cramps in my calves during the night, which wake me up and I have to use my hands to grab hold of my feet and move them to stop the cramp!
…watching the height of my bump rise and fall…
Some days, it feels well supported, some days it seems to be pulling me down and sapping all my energy. What I wear makes a bit of a difference, but it’s still a bit weird that sometimes the most sticky-out part is my belly button, but sometimes it’s below that.
…waiting for the results of my glucose tolerance test…
I had my oral glucose tolerance test a couple of weeks ago, it's pretty horrible. Essentially you don't eat for 12 hours, and you have your blood taken twice in 2 hours, from the SAME ARM! Outrageous.
…feeling a bit down in general…
But I am going to my first coffee morning! In the absence of the NCT, I think a lot of these things are done through the Geobaby forums. I’m pretty nervous, but at least I can be sure we won’t run out of things to talk about! I’m a bit worried that lots of the people on the forum meet regularly in the middle of the day, so I imagine they have a v different life from me. On the other hand, after my talk with HR this week, seems like I might be free in the middle of the day, any day soon enough.
UPDATE: OK, so I went (very bravely) to the coffee morning, which was at a bar in Central. It was great actually, lots of really friendly people, around 12 of us, mostly Asian (but not HK-born for the most part) Lots of them worked full-time too, so that was a relief. In true HK style, by chance there was someone there who I know quite well, and someone else who's good friends with two friends of mine from work. It's a small island.
I also went to yoga after the coffee thingy, which was really good, I enjoyed it lots. I think my problem before was that when someone treats you like you are very easily breakable, and have to do everything verrrrry slowly and gently (like my Pilates teacher) you begin to believe them. This was pre-natal yoga, most people in 2nd trimester, but it was a great feeling to push myself a bit (as much as I wanted anyway) and feel really good about it afterwards, not sore or exhausted, but feeling like I had done myself some good.
..interviewing a helper...
Liz knows that this topic has occupied my thoughts for a long time... So, the current thinking is that we will get 1 helper (not 2 as many people have insisted) and that she will help with the housework, laundry, shopping (which they call marketing :-) etc, leaving me to do the childcare. Obviously she would help out too by watching Bruce while I bathe Lee, for example, but she would not have sole care all day. Hiring a helper is very tricky – not least because it never occurred to us that we would get one. I am aware that it's a huge luxury in the grand scheme of things, and help is super-affordable here. However, the major downside, in my eyes, is that it's a legal requirement for your helper to live with you. There are (illegal) ways around this, like paying for your helper to live in a hostel / flat, but I haven't yet got a sense of how feasible this is.
I've got some tips and references from people at work. I think the most unsettling thing is the tone of communications with potential helpers, they are polite to the point of subservience. I just don't know if I can get used to someone calling me “Madam” all day. The helper we interviewed on Sunday (this is their statutory day off) complained non-stop about her current employer for 20 minutes, which kind of put us off...While I know that we are very lucky to be able to afford help like this, it's important to remember that the majority of helpers have no qualifications, so it's not like hiring a nanny. Hmm. To be continued...
24 weeks - this week I have been mostly...
…putting on weight…
After not putting on any weight for the first 20 weeks or so, I’m making up for it now! I think this is a good thing, although it’s still quite weird to let go and acknowledge that you have no control. I actually had not weighed myself since I had to (to put on my blade after bumping in Torpids in 2000…) It’s a bit like when you first realise that your shape is changing. It may be good and healthy, but it's still a bit hard to get used to.
…getting a bit of a phobia about ultrasounds…
I passed out during a scan in November, then when the dr doppler’d me in the UK I went v faint, and again at my scan last week I had to stop early before I passed out. I think it’s a combo of the pressure of the babies on my vena cava (thanks for telling me about that Liz!) and my squeamishness. Apart from which, it’s pretty blooming painful. And since the last scan was for all sorts of measurements, and they need to measure 2 babies, it lasted quite a long time. Anyway, I am sad that something I looked forward to at the beginning has now become something a bit traumatic.
…thinking about hypno-birthing…
I am under no illusion that this labour business is going to be pain-free. However, I reason that it can’t hurt to have some official relaxation and visualization techniques to help cope. So Ross has “acquired” the Maggie Howell CDs from the Interweb, and I’ll be giving them a go soon. I’ll let you know. I chose this particular one because it’s English, and as you need to listen to it 30+ times, I didn’t really want an American one.
...getting annoyed with the disorganization of the Tsan Yuk hospital…
The Queen Mary (and associated clinic and Tsan Yuk) is the (public) hospital that is popular with Westerners, although that is not to say that most of the signs / announcements are in English. All medical appointments in HK go like this: Arrive. Hand over HKID card. Sit down. Get weighed. Sit down. Do pee test. Get told to sit somewhere else. Get called to room 1. Answer questions re: family history, general health and due dates for the 5th time. Sit down. Get called to room 2….you get the picture. After they mucked up my scan appt the other day (actually it turned out to be yet another appointment to answer those questions again) we insisted on having a scan then and there. It worked. They may be disorganized and unclear, but if you threaten to make a fuss the staff are usually pretty helpful. Feel a bit guilty about that though.
…not retching every time I brush my teeth…
Which is nice. About bloomin’ time.
…wondering about my back…
I have heard that when you are pregnant, you shouldn’t twist your torso – on the other hand, I have read that a good exercise to open up your back is to lie on your side, then sweep your top arm up and around your head (snow angel-stylee. What’s the deal? I am getting serious back pain, and massages help a bit, but still v sore in the mornings. Cat stretch and opposite-of-cat stretch seem to help.
After not putting on any weight for the first 20 weeks or so, I’m making up for it now! I think this is a good thing, although it’s still quite weird to let go and acknowledge that you have no control. I actually had not weighed myself since I had to (to put on my blade after bumping in Torpids in 2000…) It’s a bit like when you first realise that your shape is changing. It may be good and healthy, but it's still a bit hard to get used to.
…getting a bit of a phobia about ultrasounds…
I passed out during a scan in November, then when the dr doppler’d me in the UK I went v faint, and again at my scan last week I had to stop early before I passed out. I think it’s a combo of the pressure of the babies on my vena cava (thanks for telling me about that Liz!) and my squeamishness. Apart from which, it’s pretty blooming painful. And since the last scan was for all sorts of measurements, and they need to measure 2 babies, it lasted quite a long time. Anyway, I am sad that something I looked forward to at the beginning has now become something a bit traumatic.
…thinking about hypno-birthing…
I am under no illusion that this labour business is going to be pain-free. However, I reason that it can’t hurt to have some official relaxation and visualization techniques to help cope. So Ross has “acquired” the Maggie Howell CDs from the Interweb, and I’ll be giving them a go soon. I’ll let you know. I chose this particular one because it’s English, and as you need to listen to it 30+ times, I didn’t really want an American one.
...getting annoyed with the disorganization of the Tsan Yuk hospital…
The Queen Mary (and associated clinic and Tsan Yuk) is the (public) hospital that is popular with Westerners, although that is not to say that most of the signs / announcements are in English. All medical appointments in HK go like this: Arrive. Hand over HKID card. Sit down. Get weighed. Sit down. Do pee test. Get told to sit somewhere else. Get called to room 1. Answer questions re: family history, general health and due dates for the 5th time. Sit down. Get called to room 2….you get the picture. After they mucked up my scan appt the other day (actually it turned out to be yet another appointment to answer those questions again) we insisted on having a scan then and there. It worked. They may be disorganized and unclear, but if you threaten to make a fuss the staff are usually pretty helpful. Feel a bit guilty about that though.
…not retching every time I brush my teeth…
Which is nice. About bloomin’ time.
…wondering about my back…
I have heard that when you are pregnant, you shouldn’t twist your torso – on the other hand, I have read that a good exercise to open up your back is to lie on your side, then sweep your top arm up and around your head (snow angel-stylee. What’s the deal? I am getting serious back pain, and massages help a bit, but still v sore in the mornings. Cat stretch and opposite-of-cat stretch seem to help.
Week 22 - this week I have been mostly...
...outgrowing my body again
I have read that newborns have growth spurts about every 3 weeks - I wonder if this is what is happening to Bruce and Lee now? Before Christmas, I felt like my body had finally caught up with the rapid growth rate of the babies, but now I feel all stretched and achey again. I imagine the 13 hour flights to the UK didn't help much.
...finding out that the average gestation for twins is 37 weeks
which puts my due date of the 7th May back to 16th April. And means I have 15 weeks left.
...trying to work out a good way to work out
I have suspended my gym membership (actually I did that a couple of months ago, back in the days when it didn't really feel real yet) but I can feel my muscles turning to jelly. There must be something I can do...Walking is pretty exhausting, so I reckon that's keeping the cardio aspect more or less under control, but I'm going to need lots of upper body strength to carry around two tigers.
...(re)realising quite how quickly my 10 weeks' maternity leave will go
If recovery from a C-section is 6 weeks (and I need to / choose to have one), that would only leave me 4 weeks at home once I have got over the surgery.
...learning how to talk about babies!
Seeing so many pregnant friends and new mothers over Christmas made me practice a bit, despite my reluctance. It's hard when you have never been one of the people who coos over babies and used to babysit for pocket money, and has lots of little relatives to look after, but I think I am getting there!
...trying to be calm about my labour fears
I bought a magazine which helps a bit. Somehow it all feels a bit detached though, since the stories are generally bound up with NHS procedures, or the Australian equivalent. So only a certain portion relates to me. I'm pretty certain that I will spend a lot of time post-birth alone, as the Queen Mary is renowned for having crap visiting hours. That will be sad. But at least it'll be less lonely than the almost-exclusively-Cantonese Pamela Nethersole Eastern Hospital. And cheaper than the HK Sanatorium!
...trying not to get too freaked out about leaking
It's normal, I know, but it is still mighty strange for stuff to come out of your boobs halfway through pregnancy. And while we're on the subject, why are maternity bras so uncomfortable?
...eating plenty of fruit and veg
And of course, downing prune juice by the litre, yuck.
...keeping my fingers crossed that stretchmarks WON'T be appearing in the next couple of weeks
Not really going to happen huh? I already look like I'm about a million weeks pregnant, and I'm only halfway through incubating TWO babies. I should probably give up hope, and just embrace the battle scars. Authorities on such matters say that stretchmarks affect 60% of women, Bio Oil or no Bio Oil. Regardless, I am slathering it on, because it eases the itching a bit!
...finding it increasingly difficult to focus on work
The concept of prioritising tasks seems laughable now. As if I could possibly have any other priorities! I went through a long and worrying phase of wondering whether this was really what I wanted...but now I just want them here already. As all expectant mothers say in the magazines, I can't wait to meet the boys, and I want to focus all my energy and love on them. I feel guilty if an hour passes when I don't think about them, but to be honest that probably doesn't happen very often!
I have read that newborns have growth spurts about every 3 weeks - I wonder if this is what is happening to Bruce and Lee now? Before Christmas, I felt like my body had finally caught up with the rapid growth rate of the babies, but now I feel all stretched and achey again. I imagine the 13 hour flights to the UK didn't help much.
...finding out that the average gestation for twins is 37 weeks
which puts my due date of the 7th May back to 16th April. And means I have 15 weeks left.
...trying to work out a good way to work out
I have suspended my gym membership (actually I did that a couple of months ago, back in the days when it didn't really feel real yet) but I can feel my muscles turning to jelly. There must be something I can do...Walking is pretty exhausting, so I reckon that's keeping the cardio aspect more or less under control, but I'm going to need lots of upper body strength to carry around two tigers.
...(re)realising quite how quickly my 10 weeks' maternity leave will go
If recovery from a C-section is 6 weeks (and I need to / choose to have one), that would only leave me 4 weeks at home once I have got over the surgery.
...learning how to talk about babies!
Seeing so many pregnant friends and new mothers over Christmas made me practice a bit, despite my reluctance. It's hard when you have never been one of the people who coos over babies and used to babysit for pocket money, and has lots of little relatives to look after, but I think I am getting there!
...trying to be calm about my labour fears
I bought a magazine which helps a bit. Somehow it all feels a bit detached though, since the stories are generally bound up with NHS procedures, or the Australian equivalent. So only a certain portion relates to me. I'm pretty certain that I will spend a lot of time post-birth alone, as the Queen Mary is renowned for having crap visiting hours. That will be sad. But at least it'll be less lonely than the almost-exclusively-Cantonese Pamela Nethersole Eastern Hospital. And cheaper than the HK Sanatorium!
...trying not to get too freaked out about leaking
It's normal, I know, but it is still mighty strange for stuff to come out of your boobs halfway through pregnancy. And while we're on the subject, why are maternity bras so uncomfortable?
...eating plenty of fruit and veg
And of course, downing prune juice by the litre, yuck.
...keeping my fingers crossed that stretchmarks WON'T be appearing in the next couple of weeks
Not really going to happen huh? I already look like I'm about a million weeks pregnant, and I'm only halfway through incubating TWO babies. I should probably give up hope, and just embrace the battle scars. Authorities on such matters say that stretchmarks affect 60% of women, Bio Oil or no Bio Oil. Regardless, I am slathering it on, because it eases the itching a bit!
...finding it increasingly difficult to focus on work
The concept of prioritising tasks seems laughable now. As if I could possibly have any other priorities! I went through a long and worrying phase of wondering whether this was really what I wanted...but now I just want them here already. As all expectant mothers say in the magazines, I can't wait to meet the boys, and I want to focus all my energy and love on them. I feel guilty if an hour passes when I don't think about them, but to be honest that probably doesn't happen very often!
Friday, 16 October 2009
Tai Hang Fire Dragon Dance
The evening that we got back from Hanoi, after signing the lease for our new flat (YAY!) we went to see the Tai Hang Fire Dragon. It was super-crowded in Tai Hang, as you'd expect, so we didn't get great pictures, but Fili's World has such a good description and pics that i suggest you take a look there.
Syling explains :
Syling explains :
Over a century ago, Tai Hang was a village whose inhabitants lived off of farming and fishing. A few days before the Mid-Autumn Festival a typhoon and then a plague wreaked havoc on the village. While the villagers were repairing the damage, a python entered the village and ate their livestock. According to some villagers, the python was the son of the Dragon King. The only way to stop the havoc which had beset their village was to dance a fire dance for three days and nights during the upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival. The villagers made a big fire dragon of straw and stuck incense into the dragon. They lit firecrackers. They danced for three days and three nights and the plague disappeared.
Hanoi
So, Hanoi was great. It is a very noisy, busy, energetic place, and somehow the trillions of scooters make it all the more overwhelming.
We left HK late on Wednesday before National Day on 1st October (which marked the 60th anniversary of the founding of the PRC) We flew Hong Kong Express, which I thought had gone bankrupt, but still seems to be in operation. Met the guy from Hotel Elegance 3 (catchy name) at the airport, and after about a 40 min drive, arrived at the hotel, relieved to see a big comfy bed.
What did we do on Thursday? It was kind of drizzly, the tail end of Ketsana I think, but generally we were really lucky. We went for a wander around the Hoan Kiem Lake, whose name means "Lake of the Returned Sword". Legend has it that 15th century hero Le Loi was given a magic sword by a giant golden turtle in the lake (a bit far-fetched, but stay with me)He then became emperor, AND defeated the Chinese, then gave the sword back to the turtle. Not sure how he located the turtle. That detail is lost in the mists of time. In the middle of the lake is the Thap Rua tower, a monument to the turtle.
We went to the Ngoc Son Temple, which is on a little islet thingy in the lake. It was quite like temples we've seen in Indonesia, HK, Macau, Beijing....but none of them had a giant taxidermied turtle in them. He was found (boshed over the head?) in 1968, and is 2.1 metres long. Quite a sight to behold.
Also in the temple was the best Terrifying Horse I have seen since Yogyakarta:
In the afternoon, we had yummy Vietnamese coffee at the Hapro coffee kiosk next to the lake. The secret to Vietnamese coffee seems to be vast quantities of condensed milk - a staple of the HK diet. I think there's another secret, to do with the way it's brewed, I don't know.
A bit of wandering around the old quarter (aka traffic dodging) in the afternoon, appreciating the contrasts of life in HK and Hanoi. People eat on the pavements! can you believe it?! and, dearest Legco, they DO obstruct the pavement, but get this - nobody minds! Who would have guessed that people enjoy eating outside? You know that European lifestyle that everyone aspires to here (if property ads are to be believed) well an integral part of that lifestyle is eating outside. Get with the programme, as they say. (I am currently listening to the genius of white boy rap, Vanilla Ice, so I hope my temporary decade-slip can be forgiven).
OK, rant over.
We continued our game of Frogger visiting a few galleries =, which are all over the place. It became clear pretty quickly that 90% of them are essentially identical, and while they may not exhibit the same artists, you couldn't guess that. We did eventually find two that were more interesting, the Dong Phong Art Gallery, and the Life Photo Gallery.
By this time, decadence called - so we had Metropole Hanoi's Chocolate Buffet. YUM. It was pretty good, although I think Ross was a bit surprised that it wasn't more adventurous - just hot choc, lots of little chocolates, brownies, stuff like that. No chilli chocolates, or lavender and chocolate, or chocolate-dipped anchovies or anything. While we're on the subject of hugely-expensive hotels, it's interesting to note that there is actually a Hanoi Hilton - well, my point is that there are two. There's an actual hotel which is part of the international chain, and there is also the Hoa Lo prison, aka Hanoi Hilton which is where Senator John McCain among others involuntarily spent some time.
The next day we made a beeline for Lenin Park - yes, that's right, Lenin Park. It is super-strange, as you might expect. It's appropriate in many ways: soulless, enormous, criss-crossed by unexplained train tracks, not as advertised and essentially pointless. The promised placid Bay Mau Lake is no more. Nor are the paddle boats that resemble giant geese. I was looking forward to those. Here's what it looks liek now.
The Temple of Literature was founded in 1070, and it's a beautiful complex of traditional buildings and calm fishponds. Never mind Lenin Park, this was the real peaceful oasis (despite the tour groups sporting matching caps from, yes, you guessed it, mainland China)
Finally, we went to the water puppets - unmissable on a visit to Hanoi, so they say. It was great, charming I guess. Very low tech but sweet. There's a shallow pool of water at the front of the theatre, and the puppeteers operate the puppets from behind the curtain. They portray various little scenes from Vietnamese life (back in the day) like fishing for frogs, gathering the harvest, lions fighting, kids playing, stuff like that. Bits of it reminded me of Punch and Judy actually.
87 Pho Ma May is a tube house which has been restored to its former 19th century splendour. Being a tube house, it is long and narrow - this was a way of cheating an ancient system that calculated property taxes according to a property's width. When we went, the house was full of children, making lanterns and carving patterns into melons in preparation for Mid-Autumn festival. The idea is that the lanterns are lit up at night, and the light catches the moon's attention - he will then grant the wishes of the child holding the lantern.
I'm sure Ross will remind me of all the bits that I have forgotten to include, but how's that for a whirlwind tour?
Here's a video of what it's like trying to cross the road. Admittedly it was Mid-Autumn Festival Eve, but this is not an unusual quantity of traffic. And the pedestrian crossing light was green.
Monday, 28 September 2009
The good news and the bad news
The good news is that we're going to Hanoi this weekend - which should be really exciting. I'm looking forward to eating tonnes of vietnamese food (lots of steak pho please!) and checking out the chocolate buffet at the Sofitel. Not quite decided yet whether we'll go to the Ho Chi Minh mausoleum...Looking forward to a bit more open space and just being out of HK.
The bad news is that Typhoon Ketsana (the one that just demolished Manila) is also heading to Vietnam. Hopefully it will stay a bit further south than Hanoi, but if the weather here is anything to go by, it'll still be very rainy. The typhoon is about 800k from HK now, and the weather all day has been atrocious.
The other bit of bad news is that we'll be missing the National Day celebrations on Thursday 1st Oct. This is a bit gutting because it's the 60th anniversary of the founding of the PRC (as you'll know if you watch BBC World!) so the fireworks and general hoo haa are likely to be spectacular. Oh well, there's always YouTube...
Also in inimitable HK style, there's another public holiday on the Saturday for the mid-Autumn festival. Yes, it's mooncake time again! you'll e pleased to know that my ever-generous employer has kindly provided some Minnie and Mickey themed mooncakes - I'm planning to give them to our lovely doorman, in the hope that he likes mooncakes, or at least knows someone who does.
The bad news is that Typhoon Ketsana (the one that just demolished Manila) is also heading to Vietnam. Hopefully it will stay a bit further south than Hanoi, but if the weather here is anything to go by, it'll still be very rainy. The typhoon is about 800k from HK now, and the weather all day has been atrocious.
The other bit of bad news is that we'll be missing the National Day celebrations on Thursday 1st Oct. This is a bit gutting because it's the 60th anniversary of the founding of the PRC (as you'll know if you watch BBC World!) so the fireworks and general hoo haa are likely to be spectacular. Oh well, there's always YouTube...
Also in inimitable HK style, there's another public holiday on the Saturday for the mid-Autumn festival. Yes, it's mooncake time again! you'll e pleased to know that my ever-generous employer has kindly provided some Minnie and Mickey themed mooncakes - I'm planning to give them to our lovely doorman, in the hope that he likes mooncakes, or at least knows someone who does.
As if to Nothing
We went to see As If To Nothing at the Kwai Tsing Auditorium last Friday, with Sanae. We booked ages ago, and I was really looking forward to it, but I came away a bit disappointed. I felt a bit like I had been repeatedly bashed over the head wiuth a blunt instrument for an hour and a half. The sound was SUPER loud, too loud for old grannies like me, and it was all a bit directional. Well, I'm sure that those in the know would dispute that. I just didn't really get it. We have seen quite a lot of dance here, and it can be a bit hit and miss admittedly, although this is choreographed by such an acclaimed guy, Sang Jijia, that I thought it would be good. And I have enjoyed performances by the CCDC before too. I guess it didn't help that I had had one of the worse weeks I have had since starting work here - all a bit sad-making really.
Oh well, you can't win them all.
Ross update: Actually I quite enjoyed most of the dance. The music was loud, but full of energy and very urgent - quite industrial though (we're talking experimental Prodigy crossed with... something less pop-y). And the dancing and video effects were odd and I don't pretend to have understood 10% of it, but it kept me engaged for 60 of 90 minutes after a long day at work!
Oh well, you can't win them all.
Ross update: Actually I quite enjoyed most of the dance. The music was loud, but full of energy and very urgent - quite industrial though (we're talking experimental Prodigy crossed with... something less pop-y). And the dancing and video effects were odd and I don't pretend to have understood 10% of it, but it kept me engaged for 60 of 90 minutes after a long day at work!
Sunday, 13 September 2009
The cat's out of the bag. Well, the cats are out of...no they're not. Never mind. The secret's out.
Monday November 2nd 2009
So I think I have broken the news to everyone who ever reads this blog (all three of you!) so here are a couple of posts I wrote a while ago but didn't publish. I am 13 and a half weeks now, and very definitely showing! Looking forward to Christmas, and coming home to see everyone, and trying to buy some non-tent-like maternity wear. Not looking forward quite so much to spending £700 on a tandem buggy...
Monday September 28th 2009
Having spent the last few weeks alternately panicking, napping and muching crackers to stave off the nausea, I think I am getting the hang of this at last. My Amazon order is in the post, I have been finding out more about how to exercise safely (although that's not stopped me from gaining weight!) and I have not had to fend off too many enquiries about my sudden tee-totalism and new-found "aversion" to sushi.
Things are still very difficult because we are trying to make a decision about a new flat, and that's kind of hard when neither of us can really truly imagine what it'll be like to have a little squawking bundle around. How much space do we need? where will the buggy go? Would we get by ok without a bath? I'm just glad that we found out in time to veto all those lovely 4th floor walk-ups we saw! Also Oliver is coming to stay - by the time he comes, he will kow that sometime in May he'll be Uncle Ol, but part of me wants to tell him to wait until next year, since there'll be more to see then! But if he comes in Nov, it's cheaper as , and I'll still be able to leave the house (wherever that house may be). Heck I might even have a day off! I do have to bear in mind though that I only get 10 weeks' maternity leave (yes that's right, WEEKS not MONTHS) and Ross gets the princely sum of 2 days paternity leave, or something like that. Crapola.
Sunday September 13th 2009
So, I had my first scan on Friday. Which sounds crazy since I am only 4-6 weeks pregnant. The cynic in me would say that since scan cost $600, they offer them to anyone.
Looks like having a baby in this town is going to cost a lot of money – not least because I've been to the HK Sanatorium so far (mostly because it's so close to our flat) which is a private hospital. Hospital visits here always seem to involve at least 6 procedures before you see the doctor – which might be why we didn't get to see Dr Lam until an hour after my appointment time. First you fill in some forms and hand over your ID card. Sit in the waiting rom for a bit. Then you get your temperature taken (plus optional face mask if you look a bit hot). Sit in the waiting room for a bit. Get weighed. Sit in the waiting room for a bit. Answer a questionnaire about your recent travel history and contact with poultry (no questions about your contact with pigs ha ha) Sit in the waiting room for a bit. Take a pee test. Sit in the waiting room for a bit. Finally, see the doctor!
She correctly diagnosed me as very nervous, but I had Ross with me to stop me from passing out (again – I did a fainting special a couple of weeks ago at a very swanky rooftop bar in Wan Chai. Again, my hero was on duty and laid me – very gracefully apparently – on the expensive teak decking while someone got some iced water)She asked some questions, I asked some questions, then I had my scan. It was a pretty scary feeling getting up on that horrible bed thing with (shudder) stirrups. Eugh. Anyway, here's a little pic. The observant amongst you will notice that there are two blobs....at the moment it seems like only one of them is developing, but there is a chance that sometime around the middle of May 2010, the size of our family will double. Gulp. The blob is only 2mm long at the mo, so Dr Lam thinks it's 4 weeks old.
It feels like a rather lonely time at the moment – we can't tell anyone until our next appointment (9th October) at the earliest. So between now and then I have to come up with some excuses for fainting, not drinking any alcohol or eating sushi, and nearly falling asleep by 5pm. I'm a very bad liar, so there's going to be some unconvincing mumbling for the next month. I have spent a lot of time recently crying, yelling at Ross and taking naps at the moment, It's really not as romantic as it sounded. But that's just now, things will get better :-)
I need to equip myself with a couple of books I think. Amazon will be my saviour!
Wednesday, 19 August 2009
Fame at last
So I was on the telly the other day for a whole two seconds. We did a charity screening of the DisneyPixar movie Up, and there was a TV crew there from ATV news to cover the event.
The UA cinema is over at Whampoa Plaza in Hung Hom, right opposite the shopping centre shaped like a boat.
The movie was shown to 330 kids and their grandparents, I don't know which was cuter, the 2-year olds balancing the 3D glasses on the end of their noses, or the 92-year olds balancing the 3D glasses on the end of their noses.
Here are the sacrifices I made:
The UA cinema is over at Whampoa Plaza in Hung Hom, right opposite the shopping centre shaped like a boat.
The movie was shown to 330 kids and their grandparents, I don't know which was cuter, the 2-year olds balancing the 3D glasses on the end of their noses, or the 92-year olds balancing the 3D glasses on the end of their noses.
Here are the sacrifices I made:
- Getting up at 7.30 on a Saturday morning
- Missing Pilates
- Wearing a t shirt that says "VoluntEARS" (witty pun no?)
- Having breakfast at Maccy D's in order to gulp down my antibiotics (yes, dear readers, I've had flu, tonsillitis and an eye infection)
- Suffering many severe (but inexplicable) tiny cuts on my fingers as a result of playing an integral role in the "Blowing up 330 balloons team"
- Taking part in a marathon photo-taking session which became more creative and elaborate (not to mention obligatory) as time went on.
On the plus side, I learnt how to say "Would you like to have a photo taken?" in Cantonese - "Ying seung". I also met lots of lovely people from other departments at work, including Kactus, which I think you'll agree is an interesting name. Anyway, I assume the participants enjoyed the film (as well as the complimentary popcorn and water I served with my own fair hands) but the day's proceedings were very much in Canto, so I can't be sure.
The bonus of this video is that you get to see the opening credits of the news, which I love. They remind me so much of The Day Today. Or Drop the Dead Donkey. Or something like that.
After the screening I got the ferry back from Hung Hom to Wan Chai. A month or so ago, we noticed that the roofs of the ferries were all very white - I think they had their annual repaint - but the one I got on Saturday was liberally sprinkled with black dust. I don't know what the Star Ferry runs on, but it ain't unleaded. In fact, I can only assume that they have a big furnacey thing on board (like in old movies) into which they shovel some fossil fuels. Big chunks of coal, most likely. Anyway, the ferry pier at Hung Hom's nice, much more spacious than the others, and Hung Hom itself is cool too. Actually we considered living there, but that tiny (and ever-shrinking) harbour is just too much of a mental block.
Mr Moore has booked his tickets for Blighty in October, while yours truly will have to stay here, slaving away over a hot Lenovo Thinkpad X200. Boo for local annual leave!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)