Photo Session - 2 Days Before I Am Born

Last night, mom and dad held a private maternity photo shoot session in our house. It was a long overdue request of my mom, finally it was granted.

Dad didn't have accessories like lights and fast lens for this kind of set-up (dad note's- I hope to have one in the future) to make the photographs look artistic and have a professional touch. In fact, He wanted it to be done by a professional but it's a little bit expensive. To make the silhouette effect possible, dad improvised for a back lighting by using a small bulb and using only a kit lens on his camera, voila the session begun.

The photo on the left is one of the few photos that looks good. Though dad was not really satisfied with the output (those technical details he would have wanted) he is still happy and delighted with this little bonding they had before I am born. They both enjoyed it and I love hearing their laughter.

Aside from the silhouette, dad took a few more photos including a photograph with a ribbon on mom's belly (that's cool because it's pink).

The last on the set before they called the night off is the photo on the left, dad kissing mom's belly. Mom laugh at dad because of the way dad kissed her belly (LOL).

I'll be sharing with you more photos in the next few days.

Friends, see you in 2 days!!!.

"Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me." -Mark 9:37

© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Unauthorized use, edit, copy, reproduction, publication, duplication, download and distribution of any image may result in severe legal and criminal penalties under the law. The above photos were taken by Ricky Pascual and remain the properties of the photographer. Please do not use elsewhere without the owner’s permission.

3rd Trimester Milestone

Here's the summary of the 3rd trimester of my development:

Week 28: My eyes opens
Week 29: My movement is more forceful
Week 30: I packs on pound
Week 31: My reproductive development continues
Week 32: Downy har falls off
Week 33: I can detect lights
Week 34: Protective coating get thicker
Week 35: Rapid growth continues
Week 36: I can suck
Week 37: I am in full term
Week 38: My organ function continues to improve
Week 39: Placenta provides antibodies/My birth arrives
Week 40: I guess I have to skip this week since I will be born via C-Section (Week 39)

Friends see you in 3 days!!!,

38th Week of My Development

At this point I have really plumped up. I now weighs about 6.8 pounds and over 19 1/2 inches long. I have a firm grasp, which you'll soon be able to test when you hold my hand for the first time! My organs have matured and are ready for life outside the womb.

Wondering what color my eyes will be? You may not be able to tell right away. If I'm born with brown eyes, they'll likely stay brown. If I'm born with steel gray or dark blue eyes, they may stay gray or blue or turn green, hazel, or brown by the time I'm 9 months old. That's because a child's irises (the colored part of the eye) may gain more pigment in the months after birth, but they usually won't get "lighter" or more blue (dad's note- most likely it woud be brown, LOL). Green, Hazel and brown eyes have more pigment than gray or blue eyes.

My lung are now producing large amounts of the hormone cortisol, which helps to produce surfactant, the substance that stops the lungs from sticking together. This will help ensure my transition from breathing amniotic fluid to breathing air once I am born is as seamless as possible, but it may take a few hours until my breathing pattern is completely normal. My fat stores are continuing to build up, enabling me to regulate my body temperature and while I may still have some vernix on the surface of my skin when I'm born, it will mainly be in creases and crevices of the skin.

Did you know that if a light is shown at mom's bump then I will turn towards it. This is known as the 'orienting response' – the reflex that causes an organism to respond immediately to a change in its environment. Wow!!!

Friends see you in 4 days!!!

Image from: http://www.babycenter.com/fetal-development-images-38-weeks

And The Countdown Begins

The time is ticking, and my birth is getting near. Mom and Dad are so excited about it. See you on Friday. Yahoooo!!!!!

Friends see you in 5 days!!!

I Can't Wait To See You

Here's a poem composed by my dad "I Can't Wait To See You" and a video from Mom's Baby Shower, it was made in gratitude to all those who gave their time for this occasion.

My heart is filled with pride
The joy In me never subsides
I am excited to hold you in my arms
As gentle and as careful as I can.

Your tiny hands and tiny feet
Your little eyes and little lips
I want to see and I want to kiss
But for now I am here gazing and waiting.

I can say this without any doubt
That I will always be there beside you
Catch you if you fall
Comfort you when you cry.

This is the moment my little dear
The moment we've been waiting
The day of your birth is already near.
Six more days, we will finally meet.

Friends see you in 6 days!!!

© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Unauthorized use, edit, copy, reproduction, publication, duplication, download and distribution of this video may result in severe legal and criminal penalties under the law. The above video were taken/edited by Ricky Pascual and remain the properties of the videographer. Please do not use elsewhere without the owner’s permission.

A Letter From My Daddy

Hi everyone,

I'm sure most of you already knew the day of my birth, it's on October 23, 2009. I am so excited for this day. In the meantime, I am sharing with you a letter for me from my Daddy. It's less than 7 days before D-Day.

Friends, see you in 7 days!!!

Hi Gabby,

Time really flies, I can't believe that I will finally see and hug you. I few months back, I was monitoring and writing about your development and what you are doing inside your mom's womb. The moment your mommy showed me the two (2) stripes, I begun writing about it. I am so amazed the first time I saw your movement in the monitor through ultrasound. "Wow!, that's my daughter", I said. I'm sure when you watch it, you will also be amazed with your little movements inside your mom's womb.

Your mom really did a great job in protecting you. One time, your mom slipped and she fell with her knees and elbows just to protect you. Aside from the little bruises, you and your mom are fine. I thank God that He protect both of you specially when I am not with your mom.

What joy you've given me everytime you do your kicks and somersaults while mom is laughing at me because I was making faces as if we were playing . The way I feel now is the same way when your mom and I got married three years ago. It's like a glimpse of heaven.

Everyone is so excited with your coming, your grandpa and grandmas, your cousins, your uncles and aunties together with our friends; they are all awaiting for the D-day. I can't wait to see you grow, to make your first step and to hear you say "Daddy & Mommy".

You had a sibling, her name is Gab (though we never knew her gender). She already joined our dear Lord when she was still four months inside your mom's womb. She's our little angel watching over us. It would have been better if she's here with us sharing our joy. Anyway, I know she's happy for us.

Nine months had past but my excitement never ceases. In fact, I am getting more and more excited as your birth is getting nearer. A week is just 168 hours or 10,800 minutes, but it seems so endless...it seems so long.

When you grow up you can read here in this blog site (your blog site) every single details of your development and every single moment of our life together. It may not be perfect but we'll make it sure that it will be filled with joy and laughter.

We will cherish and watch you grow. We will watch you through life as our heart fills with pride and help you with decisions, the best that we can. I know that someday you'll be a fine young women, loving God and loving others.

We love you Gabby. See you soon!!!

Love,

Daddy

A Conversation With God

Here's a tale I want to share with you..."A Conversation With God"


Once upon a time there was a child ready to be born:

One day the child asked God, "They tell me you are going o send me to earth on tomorrow, but how am I going to live there being so small and helpless?”

God relied, “Among the many angels, I have chosen two for you, they will be waiting for you and will take care of you.”

But said the child, “Tell me here in Heaven, I don't do anything else but sing and smile. That's what I need to be happy!”

God said, “Your angels will sing for you every day and you will feel your angels' love and be happy.”

And said the child, “How am I going to be able to understand when people talk to me, If I don't know the language that men talk?”

“That's easy”, God said, “Your angels will tell you the most beautiful and and sweet words you will ever hear, and with much patience and care, your angels will teach you how to speak.”

The child looked up at God saying, “And what am I going to do when I want to talk to you?”
God smiled at the child saying, “Your angels will place your hands together and will teach you how to pray.”

The child said, “I've heard on earth there are bad men, who will protect me?"
God put his arm around the child, saying, “Your angels will defend you even if it means risking life!”

The child looked sad, saying, “But I will always be sad because I will not see you anymore.”

God hugged the child, “Your angels will always talk to you about me and will teach you the way you come back to me, even though I will always be next to you.”

At that moment there was much peace in heaven, but voices from earth could already be heard.
The child in a hurry, asked softly, “Oh God, If I am about to leave now, please tell me my angels' name!”

God replied, “Your angels' name are of no importance...you will simply call them MOMMY & DADDY!”

Friends see you in 8 days!!!

P.S. 1: Only eight days to go, I'll be seeing my two angels, my mom who carried me for nine months and my daddy who always pray for us. I know they are both excited for my coming. Ah!, eight days seems too long.

P.S. 2: Please pray for us always specially on the 23rd day of October.

"Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it."- Proverbs 22:6 ESV

Why Caesarian Operation?

Caesarean section, also known as C-section or Caesar, is a surgical procedure in which incisions are made through a mother's abdomen and uterus to deliver one or more babies. It is usually performed when a vaginal delivery would put the baby's or mother's life or health at risk.

Conditions that may require a planned c-section include:

• You've had a previous cesarean with a "classical" vertical uterine incision or more than one previous c-section.
  
• You've had some other kind of invasive uterine surgery, such as a myomectomy (the surgical removal of fibroids).
• You're carrying more than one baby. (Some twins can be delivered vaginally, but all higher-order multiples require a c-section.)
• Your baby is expected to be very large (a condition known as macrosomia). This is particularly true if you're diabetic or you had a previous baby of the same size or smaller who suffered serious trauma during a vaginal birth.
• Your baby is in a breech (bottom first) or transverse (sideways) position. (In some cases, such as a twin pregnancy in which the first baby is head down but the second baby is breech, the breech baby may be delivered vaginally.)
• You have placenta previa (when the placenta is so low in the uterus that it covers the cervix).

The last condition is the reason why I will be delivered via C-Section (see above image). This condition is usually prone to bleeding but thank God, mom did not experience any.

Friends see you in 9 days!!!

"And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them." - Mark 10:16

D-day is Coming...

As per Wikipedia.org, D-Day is a term often used in military parlance to denote the day on which a combat attack or operation is to be initiated. "D-Day" often represents a variable, designating the day upon which some significant event will occur or has occurred. What I am going to tell may not be a military attack or operation but an equally significant event at least for me and my parents.

This October 23rd, D-day (Delivery Day) will happen. The much awaited event of the year will be at 11 in the morning at St. Vincent Hospital, Marikina. I will finally meet and see my parents for the first time. I am sure it would be a monumental event. Watch Out!!!

Friends see you in 10 days!!!

Children too are a gift from the Lord, the fruit of the womb, a reward - Psalm 127:3

37th Week of My Development

Whew!!, at last I am now in full term! This means that if I arrives now, my lungs should be fully mature and ready to adjust to life outside the womb, even though mom's due date is still three weeks away. I weighs 6 1/3 pounds and measures a bit over 19 inches, head to heel. Many babies have a full head of hair at birth, with locks from 1/2 inch to 1 1/2 inches long. But don't be surprised if my hair isn't the same color as mom's. Dark-haired couples are sometimes thrown for a loop when their children come out as blonds or redheads, and fair-haired couples have been surprised by Elvis look-alikes. And then, of course, some babies sport only peach fuzz.

By now I may have moved well down inside mom's pelvic cavity. As well as ensuring I'm in the right position for birth (oops!!, per last ultrasound, I will be born via C-section because of mom's conditon called placenta previa totalis), it gives me some space for my legs to continue to grow. I may have hair on my head (although I'm likely to lose most of it after the birth). Any lanugo, the fine downy hair that covered my body and kept me warm earlier on, has all but gone. Although you may see traces of it on my shoulders and the back of my neck when I'm born. Some of the vernix, the white, waxy substance that coats my skin in the womb will still be present, but this also lessens with time. (Babies who are born after their due date often have very little still on them.)

Not only will my lungs be able to function without any assistance were I to be born today, but I'm likely to have enough fat stores to be able to keep my body temperature stable outside the womb.

Did you know that as well as everything else mom are carrying around, her placenta weighs a whopping 1.5lb.

Friends see you soon!!!

Image from: http://www.babycenter.com/fetal-development-images-37-weeks

Breastfeeding Seminar

Last July 11, 2009, my parents attended the Breastfeeding Seminar held at the Medical City in Pasig City. It is co-sponsored by Latch Inc., a group of counsellors offering mother to mother support and services to take the guestwork out of breastfeeding and the Center for Patient Partnership.

The seminar was a half-day affair. It was highlighted by hands-on training for mothers who want to breastfeed their babies (see related video below). The seminar is free with merienda and a bunch of freebies from their sponsor.

Here are some benefits for the baby if they are breastfed, according to the Center for Patient Partnership: (Source: http://www.maialancholy.com)

• Fewer ear infections
• Lower risk of asthma, eczema, and food allergies
• Protection against meningitis, diarrhea, UTI, and pneumonia
• Decreases risk of Diabetes
• Enhances brain development and increases IQ
• Reduces risks of SIDS
• Promotes psychological and emotional reassurance leading to happier and less fussy babies

More practical benefits include:

• Lose weight faster
• More savings on formula milk
• Increased convenience
• Travel easier

With these loads of benefits why choose formula milk?.

Call the Center for Patient Education and look for Gino or Shirley at Ext 6444. The Medical City’s trunk lines are 6356789 and 6349493.

Friends see you soon!!!

© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Unauthorized use, edit, copy, reproduction, publication, duplication, download and distribution of this video may result in severe legal and criminal penalties under the law. The above video were taken/edited by Ricky Pascual and remain the properties of the videographer. Please do not use elsewhere without the owner’s permission.

36th Week of My Development

Laying down fat is still the name of the game at the moment, and I am still gaining about 25g (an ounce) a day. This may start to slow down slightly, though. I now weighs almost 6 pounds and is more than 18 1/2 inches long. I am shedding most of the downy covering of hair that covered my body as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that covered and protected my skin during my nine-month amniotic bath. I swallows both of these substances, along with other secretions, resulting in a blackish mixture, called meconium, will form the contents of my first bowel movement.

Most of my bones are still soft, to allow for an easier journey through the birth canal. They will harden up over the first few years of life. My circulation is fully developed and my immune system is mature enough to protect me from infections outside the womb.

At the end of this week, I will be considered full-term. (Full-term is 37 to 42 weeks; babies born before 37 weeks are pre-term and those born after 42 are post-term.) Most likely I'm in a head-down position.

Did you know that In addition to laying down fat everywhere else, my little cheeks are getting chubbier now. Bet you can't wait to see them!

Friends see you soon!!!

Image from: http://www.babycenter.com/fetal-development-images-36-weeks