THE JOURNEY OF ELIJAH

The arrival of my first baby signals the end of my pregnancy and the beginning of my motherhood. Here’s how the journey of Elijah begins.



It started with an ordinary “boy meet girl, both fell in love and get married” kind of love story.


 
I thought my wedding day was the happiest day in my life but life prove otherwise. The happiest day in my life is actually the day when our first baby is born.



The journey of my pregnancy started when my period was late for a week in January this year. To my pleasant surprise, my pregnancy test kit showed positive result. I even tested twice just to be sure.

So I quickly went for a check up at a gynaecologist clinic, Klinik Pakar Wanita Yan. I was overjoyed after being confirmed by Dr Wong Choon Meng that I’m 6 weeks pregnant. 2 weeks later, I went for another check up again. This time I could even hear the baby’s heartbeat.



That’s my baby”s ultrasound image at 12 weeks. It was a sight of relief as it marked the end of the 1st Trimester. It signifies the end of the most critical point of my baby’s growth and development thus the risks of miscarriage and birth defects occurring drops drastically. The baby can now be seen moving his tiny hands and legs.

My baby is finally being promoted from embryo to foetus.



It’s a boy! The doctor managed to spot something bulging between his legs at week 16. I was told that during the 2nd trimester, the morning sickness should subside. Well, I was still feeling nausea, not in the morning but at night.



At week 20, the doctor advised me to have a thorough check on the health status of the baby which includes inspecting the conditions of the baby’s heart, brain, kidney, limbs, backbone and etc. The whole process took about half an hour to finish.



The result showed that everything was normal. That’s great news! I’m also beginning to feel the baby’s movement and kicks. My baby bump also began to show and my morning sickness disappeared.



Baby Elijah at week 24. Yep, me and my hubby have chosen a name for our baby. I’m half way there! Elijah’s back can be seen here. Hmm…I guess the baby was shy and does not want his picture to be taken.



Wohoo..the baby is 28 weeks old which marks the end of 2nd trimester. Hmm, can you make something out of this picture? It’s Elijah’s side view of his face. My hubby couldn’t make anything out of this picture until I pointed out to him.



From hereon we changed our doctor from Dr Wong to Dr Paul Ng of Pantai Hospital Kuala Lumpur. It wasn’t because Dr Wong is not good. In fact he’s an experienced and patient doctor. Dr Wong’s delivery hospital is Sunway Hospital and my hubby prefers Pantai Hospital due to the close proximity to his parent’s house.



So how did I celebrate Elijah's successful entry into the third trimester? I went for a “babymoon” at Cameron Highlands. 



I’ve been to Cameron Highlands many times before but this is the first time I’m spending it with my hubby and Elijah.



Cameron Highland was my first holiday in year 2013.



 I was beginning to feel hotter as the foetus radiated heat and my time spent at the cool weather of Cameron Highlands was definitely rejuvenating.



 I spent two nights at Natasya Resort. I booked through their website at www.natasyaresort.com and had a very good deal at RM 95 (USD 30) per night.



The resort was offering a very special rate most probably because of the off peak Puasa month.



The resort was practically empty. Just for info, Natasya Resort shares the same compound as Hotel Equatorial. If I’m not mistaken, the lower units belongs to Natasya while Equatorial occupies the upper units.



What I especially like about the unit is the spacious balcony.



Enjoying a homemade steamboat. I bought the meat from Kuala Lumpur while the fresh vegetables are from Cameron Highlands. The previous night, I enjoyed a barbeque dinner.



It was a relaxing holiday as I didn’t really go anywhere in Cameron Highlands except enjoying the view from the balcony with the company of my hubby.



Well, I did go to the Ee Fung Gu Apiary. The Bee Farm is just a walk away from the resort.



Not to be missed is also the Friday and Saturday night market. Bought some strawberries, vegetables and some snacks here. Usually the night market is packed but during the off peak month, the market was quiet. Good for me! No crowd and the items are sold at a very cheap price.



Elijah at 32 weeks old. The nose and mouth were clearly visible while the eyes were being blocked by the umbilical cord in this snapshot. Dr Paul Ng says he has a masks on like Zorro.



The doctor then managed to get a better picture of the baby’s face. He then continued to take the measurements of the baby. Hmm…all in accordance to a healthy growth.



I’m already 35 weeks pregnant, better take some maternity pictures as a memorabilia. Yup…I cut my hair. It’s just so hot!



Elijah, this’s your papa and mommy with you in mommy’s womb.



Mommy is really excited and looking forward to your birth.



We can’t wait to see you soon.



From 36 weeks thereon, I had to go for weekly check-ups to monitor the baby’s progress.



At the end of 39th week pregnancy, I began to have regular contractions during midnight one night. And I knew it was time to check in to the hospital.



My contraction reading hit 90, which was excruciating pain.



“Congratulations! You have a baby boy.”

After all the pushing and hard work, baby Elijah finally announced his arrival to this world by crying out loud.



Dr. Paul Ng with the help of the nurses gently placed my baby boy on my stomach so that I can meet him for the vey first time. His umbilical cord was still attached to his belly then. The nurse then quickly sucked out the fluid in my baby’s throat as he continued kicking and crying.



My dear Elijah, now that the 9 months of waiting is finally over, your papa and I can hardly express the awe, pride and disbelief that we felt when we first saw you.
 
 

He weighed a healthy weight of 2.82kg which is approximately 6.2 pounds.
 
 

Elijah trying to adjust to his life outside my womb.
 
 

Elijah’s first peek.
 
 

After weighing and measuring Elijah, he is brought over to my side.
 
 

Awww…he sure looks adorable. Is it just me or does every parent feel the same when they see their baby? Because I thought he is the most beautiful baby that I’ve ever seen in my life.
 
 

Yawn! Sleepy, sleepy.
 
 

Everything feels so right when he is sleeping soundly in my arms.
 
 

Sometimes Elijah will stick out his tongue cheekily during his sleep. “Mummy…I’m hungry.”
 
 

Trying to coax him to stop crying when he wakes up.
 
 

My dear Elijah,

Welcome to this world and this family. We love you so much.