On Sunday, my MIL showed me an article in the papers regarding a link between overweight men and their ability to have children. So she said that if I was having trouble getting pregnant, it’s clearly not my fault.  What a supportive MIL I have.

In short, the article stated that overweight men are more likely to have difficulties having children.  Although I didn’t really read the article thoroughly, I decided to read more about it and googled the subject online.  What I found wasn’t so conclusive.  Although overweight and obese men do tend to have lower sperm count and hormonal changes, this is merely suggestive that they are more likely to be infertile, but because the parameters of the studies did not cover all angles of fertility, an established link could not be concluded.

Oops!  I think my MIL was looking for a way to tell hubby it’s time to lose weight.

Read more about it on:

• Medical News Today
• Mayo Clinic

Popularity: 5% [?]

Okay, it’s no secret that hubby and I are unofficially working on number two.  Gavin is now 20 months and still nursing and my period returned when he was just past his one year old birthday.  After several, fairly regular menstrual cycles (keeping in mind that I was somewhat irregular even before I got pregnant with Gavin), I thought it a high likelihood that everything is back to normal. 

A good indication of returned fertility is when your cycle is similar to what it was before you were pregnant the first time.  Well, here’s my problem - I never did track my cycles before I got pregnant since I was somewhat irregular anyway.  We have two ovaries which take it in turns to ovulate every second month.  Having tracked my cycles when I was a teenager, I discovered that I have one regular ovary and one irregular ovary, thus, every alternate period is usually late.  My current cycles seem to follow that trend so I assume that means I’m fertile again.

A friend recently told me that when she told her doctor she was going to try to get pregnant again even though she was still nursing, her doctor said, “Good luck to you!”  Apparently, he was of the opinion that she wasn’t going to succeed unless she weaned her son.  I was a little surprised to hear that since I have heard of a mother getting pregnant with her second child while exclusively breastfeeding her first child and taking the mini pill.

Some online research revealed that you can conceive even before your first period because your body releases its first post-partum egg before the first period arrives.  If you read my previous post on this subject, I wrote that I had read somewhere (regretfully I don’t have the source) that the first period is usually anovular (meaning no egg).  Curious, so which source is correct?  Well, I guess it doesn’t really matter to me since my period is back, but if you’re still nursing and you don’t want to get pregnant, it’s worthwhile noting this and taking the extra precautions.

Based on what I’ve read, I can conclude that how fertile a woman is while breastfeeding varies from individual to individual.  While some women may be able to conceive quite easily while breastfeeding, others have to wean in order to get pregnant.  Although that doesn’t really shed much light on my individual case, one way to find out is to test out the late Dr Jeremy Chuah’s tips on getting pregnant.  If, after three months, I am still not pregnant, then we can safely conclude that I belong to the latter category.

Will I wean Gavin if I discover I’m in the latter category? 

Probably not.  Breastfeeding is your body’s natural form of contraception and I believe any delays in being able to get pregnant is your body’s way of telling you that it isn’t ready for another baby.  At my current age, I think I can afford to wait another year or two for my body to be ready.

Popularity: 7% [?]

I’ve been down and out the past couple of days with a stomach bug.  I guess that’s what happens when you try not to “waste” the food (and drinks) your toddler doesn’t finish and consume them yourself.  Note to self: please discard all unwanted food from now on and remember that if you don’t think it’s safe for your toddler to eat it, then it’s probably not safe for you to eat it either.

When I felt the first waves of nausea, I thought hopefully that I might be pregnant.  Any hope was crushed by the doctor who confirmed that it was definitely food poisoning because of an elevated pulse rate, mildly elevated temperature, and vomiting (which happened while I was in the clinic) that subsequently made me feel better.  Additionally, based on my cycle, it was probably too soon for me to be experiencing pregnancy symptoms anyway.

Not that I didn’t try testing with a home kit.  I bought myself a Clearblue home test stick after being convinced about its accuracy from my previous experience with Gavin.  I was a little surprised to discover that it had gone up in price.  I distinctly recall it only cost about RM20 the last time I bought it.  This time I paid RM30 for it.  Ah well, I figured it was just all the price hikes and inflation.  Little did I realise that this was a new and improved test stick.

What I bought was not the old Clearblue test stick that I had used previously.  Instead, it was a new Clearblue Digital test stick with an LCD monitor to tell you whether your urine test was positive or negative!

Goodness!  What will they think of next?

Popularity: 5% [?]

I’m spotting - does that mean my period is back?  Gavin’s ten months old.  I was sort of hoping my period wouldn’t come back until he was at least a year old.  Not having my period is another one of those additional benefits of breastfeeding - most women who do not breastfeed start menstruating again around two months post delivery, although this can vary between four weeks to six months.  I suppose ten months is still pretty good considering some women who breastfeed can still end up menstruating by six weeks post delivery.  The majority of women who breastfeed generally take longer, some even longer than a year and a half - I wish I were one of those women.  Well, it was nice while it lasted…

In terms of getting pregnant, pregnancy before menstruation has resumed is usually rare.  In most cases the first period is usually anovular (no egg is released), although the longer it takes for menstruation to resume, the more likely it is for ovulation to occur during the first period. 

When I first told the hubby I was spotting, he asked, “Are you pregnant?”  (In case you’re wondering, spotting can also be a sign of implantation, as in when the fertilised egg implants into the wall of the uterus - a sign I somehow missed when I first got pregnant thinking it was an irregular period)  Well, although I think it highly improbable, based on what I’ve just written, it looks like it could be possible.  Now that it’s dawning upon me just how much effort goes into raising a child, I don’t think I’m quite as gung ho about my original plan of having number two when Gavin turns one - try when Gavin turns two or three.

The plan for having two children in close succession was more for the benefit of the kids.  I’ve always thought it was nice growing up with an older brother who was relatively close in age to me.  And if you think number two is a great idea for keeping number one happy, I think the following cartoon that I received from my weekly Baby Center newsletter says it all…

Hope it brought a smile to your face like it did mine…

Popularity: 36% [?]

Recently I had a bit of a scare because I started getting nauseous to certain foods and smells.  A couple of home pregnancy test kits later and I was quite convinced I couldn’t be pregnant.  Well, it wasn’t like I could be since Gavin was only four months old at the time and I was fully breastfeeding him.

I did a quick check online and most of the sources confirmed that I was very unlikely to be pregnant.  It is well known that breastfeeding acts as a natural method of contraception and it can be as effective as up to 99%.  That’s as good as using the pill and even better than the condom (see effectiveness of various contraceptive methods).

So what breastfeeding practices provides an efficacy of 99% contraception?  If your baby is below six months of age, you are breastfeeding exclusively and your period has not returned.  Yup, that’s me.  So why am I still getting nauseous?

After a few weeks of monitoring, I have noticed that my nausea is specifically to Horlicks only.  A quick check online revealed nothing about Horlicks causing nausea.  In fact, Horlicks was a recommended beverage for people who felt nauseous after the consumption of certain medications.  How curious.

Popularity: 7% [?]

Anna came by the house on Sunday to take some pregnant shots of me with the hubby before Gavin popped out. After being rained out on Saturday, I’m glad to report that the weather held up quite nicely for us on Sunday.

I was half hoping the exertion from the shoot would encourage little Gavin to come out and play. Alas, he still decided he’s not ready to budge…

Here is one of the shots - I love Anna’s multiplicity shots:

Photo by Anna Rina.

Check out her website for more photos. There’s a really adorable one that I love on feet.

Popularity: 4% [?]

Ginseng is a herb commonly taken by Asian women during pregnancy and post delivery. During pregnancy, ginseng is taken to help enhance the mother’s stamina and her capacity to cope with fatigue and physical stress. She is encouraged to take it particularly during the days leading up to the delivery to help her endure the labour.

After delivery, ginseng is believed to improve cirulation, increase blood supply, revitalise and aid recovery from weakness after labour.

A lot of herbs are not recommended to be taken during pregnancy and post delivery (for mothers who are breastfeeding), so I decided to check up on where ginseng sat with all of this. A number of articles, including Medical News Today, have been published warning pregnant mothers in first trimester to avoid taking ginseng because ginsenosides in ginseng have been found to cause abnormalities in rat embryos.

Regarding the use of ginseng during lactation, Kelly Mom states that there is no data on the transfer of ginseng into human milk and while no pediatric concerns have been reported, caution is urged with the use of ginseng.

It’s also be interesting to note that Siberian ginseng does not contain ginsenosides but it contains something else called eleutherosides. There are differing schools of thought regarding the safety of eleutherosides taken by pregnant and nursing mothers. Some believe it should be avoided, while others believe it to be safe.

PCC Natural Markets state that there are no known reasons why pregnant or breastfeeding mothers should avoid eleutherosides, however they do caution against the use of ginseng containing ginsenosides such as Panax ginseng.

Dr Jay Gordon also urges extreme caution when using Panax ginseng, stating that mothers should watch their babies closely for symptoms of nervousness, shakiness, heightened anxiety, insomnia, skin rashes, and diarrhoea. Mothers should keep their pediatricians informed so that their babies heartbeat and blood pressure can be closely monitored. Additionally, Panax ginseng has been known to contribute to low milk supply. A preferred alternative for mothers looking to gain the benefits of Panax ginseng is for them to take Siberian ginseng which he considers to be safe for nursing mothers.

Popularity: 13% [?]

The hubby and I went to watch a movie one evening and after the movie ended, I needed to use the bathroom. Sometimes it seems as though I need the bathroom perpetually. Sometimes when I’m sitting, I don’t feel the urgency to pee until I get up. That night, I needed the bathroom quite bad so we rushed out to the nearest toilets we could find. Because a large crowd had just exited the cinema, there was a queue that extended out of the ladies.

I don’t normally make it a habit of using the disabled toilets, but I was quite desperate at this stage so I tried the door handle. Of course it was locked and there was a sign on the door with instructions to request the keys from the cleaner. The hubby hailed the cleaner and asked him to open the door for me. Can you believe the cleaner took one look at me, my 8th month bump and told me to queue up for the regular toilets? We pleaded with him but he was merciless! I would have cuffed him over the head if I wasn’t so worried about wetting my pants.

I looked at the queue line exiting the ladies that was growing longer by the second and it seemed obvious that no one was going to let me cut queue. We had no choice but to keep looking for another toilet where, thankfully, the cleaner obliged us by unlocking the disabled toilet for me.

Personally, I think pregnant women should be allowed to use the disabled toilets for the following reasons:

1. Due to the compression of the bladder by the baby, we can’t hold our pee and our bladder containment is limited.

2. When you have a bump that’s wider from front to back compared to side to side, getting into a narrow, confined cubicle and shutting the door is quite a task. I often brush my bump in the process of closing the door, especially with the smaller, space-constrained toilets.

3. When you have to use a squat toilet, getting back up onto your feet can be problematic when you’re in your third trimester. This is unfortunately more of a problem in the Asian countries that still sport these type of toilets.

Now that I’m almost due, there are times when I need the hubby’s assistance to help me get up if I’m stupid enough to squat for too long. The only other way I can get up on my own is to drop onto my behind and roll over onto my hands and knees - certainly not an option in a public toilet.

Popularity: 3% [?]

I’ve decided that all this talk about wanting to deliver soon is probably having a negative effect on Gavin. I guess it’s like watching a boiling pot - the more you watch it, the longer it seems to take to boil. So today I’m going to name five points that I will miss about being pregnant:

1. I love that my hair hardly ever falls out during pregnancy. I used to have to vacum my bathroom and bedroom floor daily because I would shed so much hair.
2. I love being able to go into the cinema early just because I’m pregnant instead of having to stand outside and wait until they open the lines.
3. I love getting leg rubs from the hubby who willingly obliges me because of my swollen legs.
4. I love being complimented on my complexion (which I assume is the result of the pregnancy hormones because I never used to be told that I’m glowing).
5. I love having an excuse to sleep-in and take naps at any time of the day because “I’m pregnant and I need my rest”.

Popularity: 4% [?]