Look at my baby boy from the scan in week 16 vs week 24! He has definitely grown so much hehe!
I looked at my Instagram timeline and oh boy has my body changed drastically! I am surely not looking my best but it's okay as long as I'm having a healthy and smooth pregnancy! In fact, i can choose to hide all my fat ugly pictures and not expose the bump or weight gain but I know this is the "biggest" period of my life. I want to look back at my pictures of my first pregnancy and see how I looked while pregnant. :) My entire body expanded. Most of the weight went to my butt and thighs! My thighs are touching like never before. I think I've a double chin too...haha. Well, love it or hate it, this is my pregnancy body. I may not love it but I still want to remember what I looked like pregnant with my baby boy. Haha. Well that is if I do lose all the extra pounds gained during this 9 months....which I should be able to since I'm young and love to run so yay! :)
Weight Gained: 11kg
Baby's Weight: 830g
I know I shouldn't be eating for 2 but my appetite is just too good?! Sometimes I secretly wished I suffered a little bit of morning sickness so I won't eat so much leh. Hahaha. :X Have decided to start exercising 5 times a week instead of 3 so I can keep this weight gain in control. Doctor said it's ok as long as I am comfortable and don't over exert myself. Also, read that it is good to exercise more because I'll give birth easier since I'm gonna opt for Vaginal Birth.
Vaginal Birth VS Cesarean-Section
Initially, I wanted a C-Section but my doctor highly recommended I go for V Birth as the recovery time is shorter. I wanted a C-Section to escape the pain... because I watched soooo many videos and was so freaked out! :( C-Section does look like the easy way out because you don't feel anything at all during the process. Sleep, wake up, baby in your arms - YAY? However the doctor said the pain I'll feel after the C-Section ain't that wonderful either and the downtime is pretty long. There ain't no "easy way out" in Child Birth. Whatever method a woman chooses, she has to go through some pain.
Plus the wound from a C-Section would feel raw for pretty long so I can't move around much and I won't be able to bind my belly immediately after giving birth (which is highly recommended so my belly will shrink faster). And I was kinda worried about the part where my V will expand if I had a Vaginal Birth and sex with my partner will no longer feel the same...will it be super loose down there since a baby came out of it? It is a lie if they said it will go back to normal because no, it won't be the same, ever. However, my doctor said it doesn't really affect most couples and sex still feels good but if it really does affect my sex life, I can always go for Vaginoplasty? It's a surgery to fix my down there and make it as good as new! Haha.
Here are some Pros and Cons of Vaginal Birth and Cesarean-Section
Vaginal Delivery Pros
This is the more natural way to give birth. Your body is naturally equipped to give birth vaginally without medical intervention. Labor starts with your cervix dilating, and it ends with a newborn baby.
Women have a sense of empowerment and accomplishment after a vaginal birth. They are active participants in the childbirth experience. They must push to help move their baby through the birth canal and into the world.
Shorter hospital stay after a vaginal birth. (You are in the hospital for 24 to 48 hours after delivery).
You have a quicker recovery time with a vaginal birth, and you will have less postpartum pain.
Vaginal deliveries reduce the likelihood of TTN, because the pressure of going through the birth canal helps squeeze this extra fluid from your baby's lungs.
Infants born vaginally are less likely to develop asthma, food allergies, and lactose intolerance later in life. This may be due to being exposed to beneficial bacteria in the birth canal.
In future pregnancies, labor may be shorter and move along quicker.
Mothers who deliver vaginally are able to breastfeed immediately and more effectively, than women with c-sections.
After a vaginal birth, it may be easier to bond with your infant because you can have immediate contact with him or her.
You are at a decreased risk of maternal hemorrhage, blood clots, and damage to your internal organs.
Vaginal Delivery Cons
Fear of childbirth may cause anxiety and emotional turmoil for some women.
Though most vaginal births are uncomplicated, unforeseen complications can occur during labor and delivery, including maternal hemorrhaging (bleeding).
You are at risk for perineum tearing from a vaginal delivery. This can range from mild tears to fourth-degree lacerations that tear into your rectum. This can add to your healing time.
Your baby faces the risk of oxygen deprivation, if there are cord compression or other problems during labor and delivery.
Your baby may experience physical trauma while passing through the birth canal, including bruising, swelling, and in rare cases broken bones. The risk of physical trauma increases in an assisted vaginal delivery (forceps or vacuum extraction).
Planned Cesarean Section Pros
Planned cesarean sections (c-section) may be more convenient for women. Because the baby's delivery date is usually scheduled ahead of time, mom may have less stress and anxiety about labor.
Women may feel more in control, because they know when their baby will be born and they can better plan for work leave, their baby's nursery, etc.
You can avoid post term pregnancies with a planned c-section. Most c-sections are typically scheduled between 39 or 40 weeks of gestation.
When compared to a vaginal delivery and an unplanned c-section, scheduled cesareans have a reduced risk of postpartum hemorrhage. Uterine atony (the uterus does not contract normally after the baby and placenta are delivered), which is the most common cause of postpartum hemorrhage, is minimized in a planned c-section.
Compared to emergency c-sections, a planned cesarean has slightly lower risks of complications, including infection, accidental injury to abdominal organs, lacerations to the baby, and anesthesia-related problems.
You are at lower risk of birth trauma that occurs in a vaginal birth, such as swelling or bruising.
You may be at decreased risk for pelvic floor injury. Women with planned cesareans have fewer cases of urinary incontinence (inability to hold urine) in the weeks following birth.
Planned Cesarean Section Cons
A c-section is a major abdominal surgery that comes with surgical risks and complications from anesthesia. Anesthesia side effects may include severe headache, nausea, and vomiting. Anesthesia may also affect the baby, causing him or her to be sluggish or inactive when born.
Women with planned cesarean sections have longer hospital stays and a longer postpartum recovery period than women with vaginal deliveries.
You are at an increased risk for serious health complications after a cesarean delivery. When compared to women with vaginal deliveries, women with planned cesarean deliveries are at a higher risk for:
Heart attacks
Wound hematoma - mass of clotted blood underneath the site of the c-section incision
Puerperal endometritis infection - inflammation of the tissue lining your uterus that is caused by a bacteria infection
Blood clots in the veins
Hemorrhage (bleeding) that requires a hysterectomy (surgical removal of the uterus)
Opening of the wound
Numbness or pain in the area around the scar
Postpartum infection
In a planned cesarean delivery, you face possible pre-term delivery if your estimated due date was not correct.
In a complicated c-section, you face a risk of the surgeon accidentally cutting your bowels or bladder.
You lose more blood in a cesarean section than a vaginal delivery. Two to three percent of women who undergo c-sections require a blood transfusion. You lose approximately 1,000 mL (or 1 liter) of blood with a c-section.
You may have decreased bowel function after a cesarean.
Respiratory problems are more common in babies delivered via c-section. Problems include transient tachypnea of the neonate (TTN) and respiratory distress syndrome.
If you plan on having a larger family, you may want to think twice about a planned cesarean section. After one or more c-sections, in future pregnancies, you are at increased risk for developing placenta previa (your placenta grows low in your uterus and covers either partially or fully the opening of the cervix) and placenta accreta (the placenta embeds itself too deeply into the wall of your uterus).
Having a previous cesarean increases your risk of uterine rupture (a tear in the wall of uterus, which commonly occurs at the site of the c-section incision).
Breastfeeding is more difficult after a cesarean delivery. Women are uncomfortable after surgery, and they do not have immediate contact with their baby.
C-section babies are at higher risk for persistent pulmonary hypertension.
An elective cesarean is more expensive than a vaginal birth. Not all insurance carriers cover planned c-sections.
Oh yeah, one thing, I hate it when some people think there's a Right and Wrong choice. Like some people think all women should go through a Vaginal Birth because that will make her a better Mother as she has gone through the excruciating pain knows the real pain of child birth. Oh bullshit...some mothers who gave birth naturally still end up abandoning their child and all. The choice of your child birth does not determine what kind of mother you will be. Whatever method you opt for, you will
Still go through a lot of pain. It's just which pain you'd rather go through. A pain which will only last a day or 2? Or a pain which will last a week or so.
I'm still really really scared of the day but well, this is something most women have to go through so yup, I CAN DO THIS!!! And I'm sure all the pain would be worth it once baby is in my arms. :)
I'm still really really scared of the day but well, this is something most women have to go through so yup, I CAN DO THIS!!! And I'm sure all the pain would be worth it once baby is in my arms. :)