20 Questions–In memory of the three births

Let’s play 20 questions today! One of the mummies who blogs at Mummy Moo initiated this and here we are… 20 questions of mummyhood. I’ve broken it down for my own memory too into 3 experiences—Nicole (N1), Nathan (N2), Nadine (N3)

1. Was your pregnancy planned, and how old were you?

N1: Kind of. We have been married for 4 years and we figured let’s just stop the pill and try. I was 29.

N2: Yes. We wanted another kid. So we just let nature take its course. I was 31.

N3: Yes. We wanted a 3rd kid. But she came a little sooner than expected. I was 32.

2. What were your reaction?

N1: Yeah! Erm… what do we do now?

N2: Yeah! Oh no, the vomiting is back!

N3: Yeah! But so fast?

3. How did you find out you were pregnant?

N1: I was feeling nauseous. It was quite a naggy yucky feeling. So I took the test kit. It was a faint line… we figured better go see the gynae to confirm. And he did!

N2: The familiar nausea. urgh…

N3: urgh….. there’s a inner test kit inside every mummy’s body I think.

4. Who did you tell first?

N1/N2/N3: My mum, his mum, my boss, his boss (in that order!)

5. Did you find out the sex?

N1/N2/N3: Yes. I can’t recall when though.

6. Did you have morning sickness?

N1/N2/N3: Yes. Morning, night and all day. I couldn’t go near food places cos the smell would trigger the vomiting. I remember especially Ju Kueh. I couldn’t stand the smell at all! Pregnancy wasn’t fun for me at all.

7.What did you crave?

N1: Anything cold. Icy cold coke, Ice Cream, Ice cubes, Cold water, Cold desserts. I had to numb the taste buds because of the vomiting.

N2/N3: Anything that would stop the vomiting. After that, everything sweet!

8. Who / What irritated you the most?

N1: Nothing much. I was quite happy, although I was stuck at the toilet bowl puking away during the first trimester.

N2/N3: The heat!!!

9. Did you wish you had a different gender from what you obtained?

N1: No. We were open to either girl or boy!

N2: No. We were happy to have a boy.

N3: No. We were open to either girl or boy!

10. How many kilos did you gain during the entire pregnancy?

N1: ahem… 25kg. I was a balloon. After 1st trimester, I lost 3kg cos of the vomiting. In the 2nd, I started ballooning. But the baby was only 2.8kg. sigh… it all went to me!

N2/N3: I’m not sure how to calculate this now. I never went back to pre-pregnancy weight.

11. Where did you think the baby was conceived?

N1: At home. It wasn’t holiday season then!

N2/N3: At home. With all the kids, definitely no holiday season!

12. Did you have any complications during the pregnancy?

N1/N2/N3: No. Thank God. All that vomiting and later leg cramps were nothing compared to testimonies I heard.

13. Where did you give birth?

N1/N2/N3: Gleneagles.

14. How many hours were you in labour?

N1: I went in at 730 a.m., Epidural given at 830 a.m. cos my threshold was pathetic. Baby came at 1 p.m. I guess labour would be 5.5hours?

N2: I went in at 10 p.m. I was afraid of the potential pain. Epidural given at 11 p.m. Baby came only at 8 a.m. Labour was 10 hours.

N3: I learnt my lesson about going in too early. So I tried to endure the waves of contractions. I went in a minute past midnight. Epidural given immediately. Baby came at 1 a.m. Labour was an hour.

15. Who watched you give birth?

N1/N2/N3: The husband, one midwife, two nurses, and one very cool gynaecologist.

16. Was it natural, or C-Sect?

N1/N2/N3: Natural with Epidural

17. Did you take medication to ease the pain?

N1/N2/N3: Epidural. World’s best invention, in my opinion.

18. When was your child born?

N1: 19 June 2005. Father’s Day, and Daddy’s birthday!

N2: 6 Feb 2007. One week before Chinese New Year.

N3: 15 April 2008. Taxman’s day.

19. What is his / her name?

N1: Nicole Tay

N2: Nathan Tay

N3: Nadine Tay

20. How old is he today?

N1: She is 7.5 yr old, Primary 2 and absolutely chatty!

N2: He is 6 yr old. K2 and very very sweet!

N3: She is 5 yr old. K1 and the princess in our home!

 Join us in these 20 questions! Lest you forget the details!

 This picture taken about a month after N3 was born.