Baby Gifts Idea - Toddle.sg

Having troubles finding gifts for baby showers, full month celebration or birthdays?

I always do. Even till date, I am still having trouble finding the right toys or necessities for Tyler or his little friends as they simply grow up way too fast and I'm probably not catching up with their speed of growth. And you wouldn't be exactly sure what is suitable for them unless you have a little one at home.

Try shopping at Toddle.sg. For one thing, they bring in many products to cater to the different needs ranging from baby carriers, educational toys, bathing products and other branded gift items. Suitable for mummies whom only have time to do some online shopping. I also find it a great place to get some baby gifts for your friends and family. They categorized their products so well that it's easy to look for specific items. 

Here's a lovely package from Toddle to Tyler.

Anyway, I would like to share my personal top 3 picks from Toddle.sg:

1) For the mummies - Milestone Pregnancy Cards

Woah, if I knew this exist I would have bought it. I believe every mummies would love to remember every detail of their pregnancy. The bumps. His/Her first kick. The 'weird' pregnancy cravings, and the list goes on. When I knew I was pregnant a year back, I wanted to capture every moment of my pregnancy. #TotallyFail I tried looking back at the photos on my iPhone, I could barely remember which month those bumps were taken (of course unless I traced back to the dates).

This can also be a nice prop for maternity photoshoot. It comes in two design for now and I think both are equally cute. If it's a girl, go for the Miffy Edition!

2) For the baby - Book and Bath Toys

Many babies and toddlers love their bathing time. Same goes with Tyler. And it's really fun. I chose the Three Little Duckies Book and Bath Toys as it's my husband's favourite. Don't ask me why. So we tried it with Tyler and he loves it. As parents, we had a lot of fun too!

3) For the baby - Neckerchew commonly knows as bibs

You know how many parents are saying that their little one has too much clothes? Because of the hand-me-downs and new ones that were bought by grandparents, godparents and even parents ourselves (yes I just realise it's all the 'parents' in the world). So bibs are one of those items that I don't complain having more. Tyler is probably in his teething stage now and he changes almost 6 bibs in a day. Too much drooling going on. So not only do babies look cute in it, it is a essential to have it.

Neckerchew is what I called an upgraded version of a normal bib. It is the world's first chewy dribble bib and reversible! Toddle.sg has so many beautiful designs and I have the 'buy-them-all' look after I sees it.

 Here's a snapshot from their website of the designs they carry:

Receive 10% discount on your first purchase, when you sign up for their newsletter!
Happy shopping!

Online Store: http://www.toddle.sg/
Instagram: @toddle.sg
Facebook: Toddle
Blog: http://www.toddle.sg/blog

Infant Care or Nanny/Babysitters?

Tyler has been in infant care for about 4 months now and I think he's pretty happy going to 'school'.

Here's a picture of him at the playing area of the center. This reminds me I have to get a playmat really soon!

We had experience some hiccups with the center but so far all has been resolved. Many people had asked me why aren't my parents or in-laws taking care of the little one since I had to return to work. Reason is simple. These days are different. Times have changed. Our parents are unlike our grandparents generation where it was probably a norm in the past for woman to stay at home and take care of grandchildren.

And yes, both mothers are working and I think it is important for them to stay in the workforce. Both are still pretty young anyway :)

So working mothers like myself will have a different set of woes when we need to make decisions between sending our little one to infant care or finding babysitter/nanny whom could take care of them either at our own place or theirs. The truth is you would only feel 100% safe if the little one is taken care by yourself.

After much research from reading through forums and conversing with experience parents from my office, we started scouting for possibilities when I was only about 4 months pregnant, consider that we had well embraced Singapore's Kiasuism. You will see why. I was completely stressed out on top of the mild-shock I'm getting from the pregnancy. 

Called 3-5 babysitter/nanny - Their rates were comparable to infant care or slightly lower and some were taking care of about 2 babies. Their location were also not within walking distance from my place. It was difficult to find nannies within the perimeter.

Called all 13 infant cares which are located within my estate - 12 were full and had long waiting list. Waiting list between 20-40 babies. Each infant care could accept approx. 12 - 18 babies. So doing the math, placing ourselves in the waiting list wasn't exactly a feasible (secured) option. 

Here's an overview of what we'd gathered:

There's no right or wrong making decisions for either. There's no answer to what's the best option for parents. Decisions had to made from what you deem best for the little one. So in my case, I selected infant care because I feel slightly safer sending him there. In the event if something crops up, I know I have the rights to request to see the surveillance cameras if that is really necessary. I do not really like the idea of scrambling for unplanned leaves if caregivers are unwell. I like that baby has many opportunities to mingle and play with other kids. I also like that they will do activities to help in his development. 

Every parents perspective is different and it's important to choose what makes it more comfortable for you. I hope this helps and good luck!

Confession from a new mom

Before I gave birth to Tyler, I would imagine what it would be like to be a new mom. I beautifully painted my journey of motherhood and how I wanted everything to be perfect and well-planned. 

Having been a Mom for five+ months now, I discover some rather funny facts about myself and perhaps this applies to many others too. It was nothing close to the perfect image in my head and sometimes I feel like a different person.

1. I often wonder if baby was drinking enough. Sometimes I think he drinks too much. Sometimes I think he drinks too little. Later then I realise, as long as he is drinking well, I shouldn't be contemplating too much. #confusedmother
2. I will lose the little mittens and socks while doing laundry. They are just too tiny!
3. I find myself addicted to my baby's smell. I will sniff at him before I go to bed.
4. I get easily excited knowing he had gained weight or grow taller even if it's just 0.1.
5. I am amazingly fantastic at multi-tasking and beyond. I can feed, watch TV, reply to phone messages and probably take a few minutes of nap all at the same time. This list goes on.
6. I realise motherhood does come naturally when it suddenly dawn on me that I could actually change diapers, bath for the little one and knowing how much to feed just so he does not get hungry. When my friends ask me how I know what I know, I would simply reply 'You will just know it.'
7. I find myself worry when he doesn't poo. Their poo is strong-smelling but you just look forward to seeing one.
8. When he does, we all 'celebrated'. It became a happy occasion. 
9. Shopping for baby is more indulging than buying stuffs for myself. Everything in miniature size is just too cute.
10. I get upset if I missed his first - his milestones. Just like his first flip.
11. All the photos on my phone are flooded with his photos. That is why 32gd of iPhone storage space will never be sufficient.
12. I realise Children's Day still exist.
13. I have a new job. The stock taker. I track the inventory for his formula milk, diapers, nappy rash and wet wipes.
14. I miss him ALL the time and I don't know why.
15. I am obsessed with my baby. I simply fell in love again. Fell in love with my little one.
16. Before I had him, I said I will never have another one again. But things could just change. I am already missing him being so small as they grow up too fast.
17. Motherhood. The biggest and most unfamiliar word for a new mom but I realize no matter how hard it is, we'll find a way to do it. 
18. Not all advice works. So I trust my guts, mashed up the advices and somehow it'll just work.
19. I used my baby to get out of certain events I don't wish to go. For a matter of fact, I am really tired all the time and I miss my baby all the time. Don't judge! I truly believe many mummy's are like that too.
20. I'm scared. I fear that I might not be doing things right for Tyler. I always have many questions and sometimes I do get confused with the information that I get from google. So yes, there it is. A fearless person by nature but a fearful mom.
21. I don't get angry with my son. I always feel like I'm not doing enough to calm him down. Then again, it is difficult to be angry with him when is just so cute. :p
22. If given a choice I would love to be a stay-at-home-mom to see through his baby days. I am a workaholic and this fact surprised me too. 
23. Nothing else is more important than my baby. He became my life and I am enjoying it so far.
24. I'm always saying Sorry to the little one. Yes, we apologize for the most nonsensical things like when he was crying for nothing. I don't think he understood but I guess it makes parents feel better by saying it.
25. Last but not least, this whole motherhood parenting thing gave me a whole new circle of friends. Friends whom we'd last said hi and bye like ten years ago. We kept in touch again because we genuinely wanna help one another. We know how hard it was to be one. We want to provide advise that could ease the trouble of googling it and in truth it's always easier when you have friends to go to.

I think parents (both moms and dads) in general made many sacrifices for their kids. These sacrifices are willingly made. They fill up the gaps of all the loses we thought we have. So far, I've been enjoying it. 

It's fulfilling and filled with love. 
I can't wait to see how much more we are going to experience next.

[Review] Baby Photoshoot

Before Baby Tyler was born, I had done a maternity photoshoot with AT Photography. 

You may click here to view. Pictures turned out better than I had expected and I was anxious when it's Baby Tyler's turn to do his. So typically, newborn photography are conducted when they are about two weeks old. Why? They sleep more and it's easier to move them to the poses without waking them up. 

And so we thought it was easy. 

Either because he was my first child and I was an over-whelming protective mother or it is truly a difficult task to do it as there's so many things we need to consider during a photoshoot. Anyway, I go for both. 

Temperature of the room had to be set right. We had to decide if the photoshoot was going to be with or without the diapers and the list goes on.

Most of the time I feel we don't give enough credits for people behind the scene. So here it is. Thanks Alphone! I was extremely glad to engage Alphone not only because he was a fantastic photographer but a very experience father whom is familiar with such situation. He is incredibly patient and understanding.

I'll let the pictures do the rest of the talking. 

These are taken at the comfort of our own home.

For photography enquiries:-

Photographer: Alphone Tea

Visit his Facebook: AT Photography / Memories Photography

Visit his instagram: @alphonetea

This is based on my personal review.

A Dedicated Post to My Husband

There are so many things I wanted to say but I thought perhaps the best time to say it is before the birth of our baby boy Tyler, especially when it will no longer just be the two of us. 
I am probably at Mt. Alvernia right now (when i published this post) trying very hard in labour to meet an extremely important person in my life. A brand new chapter will begin and I can't wait to embark on this journey and see how and where it leads me to.

But before I do that, there's something I wanna say to my hubs whom had gone through pretty stressful times with me and still remain as my main pillar of support throughout this entire pregnancy and marriage.

To my husband,

This journey hasn't been necessarily easy and in fact truly challenging. Though you might have always mentioned that you would love a challenge but I know in this very context, these challenges which we had encounter in the past 9 months had pushed our limits way too high. We broke down, quarrelled and tried patching things up. Though pregnancy emotional roller coaster may have contributed a portion of it but for a matter of fact, being with someone isn't that straightforward. We had to deal with differentiation in living habits, egos, the principles, priorities, etc etc and the f*-ing list goes on and on.

In a really short period of time, our relationship evolved to 'it's really not just you and I' but 'us and we and him(baby Tyler)'. We had issues accommodating and accepting and letting go. But I am thankful that every fight that we had, we learn to forgive and forget.

So may I say, I think thus far we had done a great job making this marriage works and I am truly fortunate to have you as my best friend, lifetime partner and most importantly the father of our child. We make a great team :p

Coming ahead of us is another brand new chapter and I am pretty sure life's not going to get any easier and most likely is going to be tougher than one can imagine but I have trust and faith that we'll pull this through as well.

我们一起加油吧! Fighting!

I am thankful it's you who is doing this with me and I love you. 

Thank you for loving me back and let's build a better home together.

From your Preggy Wife

Confinement Rules Dos and Don'ts & Compromises

Confinement is one thing I definitely do not look forward to and the word 'Confinement' says it all.

Either because I'm not one who enjoys following rules (probably a generation thing) or there's simply too many old wives' tales that didn't make sense to me. But not all choices are for me to make especially when you have the older ones around to be nagging at you in complying to those rules.

1. No showering or washing hair

This rule was set to prevent 'wind' from entering the body and I know of some mothers who go around with this by using dry shampoos. BUT delivery in June is no joke. Have you seen the weather lately? How is it possible for anyone to do confinement in the hottest part of the year without showering or washing hair?!

Following/Breaking rules

For the love of all hygiene purposes, I bought my herbs from Lao Ban Niang - Confinement Herbal Bath. Apparently it is always out of stock but the staffs offer great follow-ups on when the stocks will arrive.It's also cool to have a MIL that supports bathing during confinement and she had also bought other brands of herbal bath for me to try. Now, I have almost 40 days or even longer worth of herbal baths to use during the confinement period.

My Compromises

Shower only in warm water and to dry myself thoroughly before moving around the house. Husband also insisted on closing the windows before I head to shower just to prevent 'wind' from entering the body.

2. No aircon and fan

I consider this as another joke part 2 on top of no showering and washing hair.

I strongly believe in making one feel comfortable during confinement especially if I'll be breastfeeding and all and to be emotionally saint after birth.

Following/Breaking rules

After reading the reviews and research I'd done so far, I will go with using the aircon in this case as fan seems more of a major culprit for 'wind' to enter the body. But I seriously cannot imagine the electricity bills. Oh my god.

My Compromises

Not having them blowing directly at me and keeping temperature cool instead of cold.

3. Cannot drink plain water

As it may cause water retention. But I always thought that water retention is caused by insufficient water intake. 

Following/Breaking rules

So I'm not exactly stubborn as it seems. There must be some form of give and take when I have certain rules that I refuse to follow. So for this, I'm giving in. Although not a fan of flavoured drinks but how bad can it go to drink logan and red date tea for 30 days. Actually it is bad but I will give it a try. I have a strong feeling I might cheat a little on this. 

Hmmm, perhaps warm water?

4. No visitors in the house

Simply because if such rules were to be lifted, probably the entire family tree will be paying a visit.

Following/Breaking rules

I believe most days I wouldn't want to worry about changing out of my PJs, entertaining people whom i'm not closed with, managing sleep timings or feeding time so yes will only limit to close family and friends for this. Will meet up with the rest on his one month birthday (man yue). Guess who's the organiser for this? Hahaha, of course it's my dearest sister. She's too good of an event planner to leave her out of it. :)

5. Chinese Confinement Diet

The nutritional values in the confinement diet is to help regain strength and health after 9 months of pregnancy plus a long and tiring labour. They are usually heavy in ginger, sesame oil, other applicable chinese herbs and alcohol which are deemed 'heaty' so that it can help to purge out 'wind' from the body.

Following/Breaking rules

Okay confession, I'm a picky eater. 

I don't enjoy drinking chinese soup (more of a mushroom soup kind of person) and not a big fan of pork or its parts which is basically what I have to eat during confinement. So thank god for the caring husband to get a confinement lady whom is able to cater to my picky needs. I believe I'll be having lots and lots of fish during the 30 days of confinement. Actually I'm still wondering, other than cod fish/salmon fish, is there any other type of food I can eat? Or it depends how creative the confinement lady can be?

6. Not leaving the house

The word 'confinement' explains it. Probably that's the whole point to this name. Setting this rule is to make sure that mothers had been provided sufficient rest after birth which I simply cannot imagine myself doing this. 

Following/Breaking rules

Actually I really don't know about this. I will try to follow it but if I really 'buay tahan' I know i will find all sorts of reasons to break it. I secretly hope my husband doesn't chance upon this, if not he would probably start nagging at me.

Not sure if I am ready but dreading it to start and can't wait for it to be over.

8 Things I Will Miss About Pregnancy

Currently pregnant in my third trimester - 38 weeks and I'm having mixed feelings. 

First of all, Dr. Loke had announced that Baby Tyler's head had engaged which translate in simple terms, it means 'anytime'. Seriously, this word is scary! Hundreds and thousands of questions swept through my mind. 

Are we ready for this? Ready to be parents?

Have we bought all the stuffs we had to buy?

What happens if it's tomorrow? - which in this case is highly possible

How do I know when I am going into labour?

How does it feel to have contractions? 

And would I be able to tell if it's just braxton hicks or I am indeed contracting?

And the list goes on... ...

I find it harder to keep myself calm as some of the labour symptoms gets stronger each day, such as nausea, diarrhea, cramps and feeling lesser of his movements in my belly. As this journey is about to come to an end while I proceed to a next presumably more difficult (challenging) phase, I would like to take a moment to recognize the things I would miss about this whole pregnancy.

1. His Movements
Getting the punched and kicks. A truly amazing experience anyone could have.
I will miss his frequent movements that cause waves to my belly after I had my meals and his tornado kicks during the night that contributed largely to my dark circles. Oh, and the hiccups!

2.His Heartbeat
My joy and excitement in every single visits to Dr Loke's clinic just to see through his growth condition and most importantly hearing his healthy heartbeats through the scans,

3. The Attention
Being taken care of by the people around you. 
Fortunate and unfortunate, husband had to give the most. Entertaining to my food cravings (luckily for him I didn't have much of this), massaging for me when i'm having my aches which happens throughout the entire pregnancy and dealing with my ever-changing hormones.

4. The Convenience of Having Him in the Belly
I always tell my husband that secretly I hope he stays longer inside. It's easier to feed him and bring him around. I do not have to worry about changing diapers or deciphering the deafening cries (hopefully he is not going to treat me like that).

5. The Anticipation
With my family and friends. 
From knowing his gender to deciding on his name, and finding out how he had grown in the process. Everyone is excited for the same reason together.

6. Pregnancy Excuses
'I think it's because of the pregnancy!'
I find this the best and most useful reason I give to people when I forgot stuff or feeling lazy.
Nothing works better than this :p

7. The 'Oh! Really?!' Moments
Almost everyday it is something new for me. Despite our new age and time where everything can be easily googled, I still find it surprising at some interesting findings I'd gathered during this pregnancy. One of which was knowing that he could actually have hiccups but he can't fart in my belly.

8. The Miracles of a Life
I will never forget.



To my dear Baby Tyler, we will be waiting nervously for your arrival.

Baby Tyler at Week 20

[Review] Pregnancy - Maternity Photoshoot

I highly encouraged mummies to do a pregnancy or maternity photoshoot once in a lifetime. 

I thoroughly enjoyed mine and was glad we went ahead to do it.

Like some of the mothers-to-be, I don't exactly feel the best during pregnancy period. Sore breasts, flabby arms due to the lack of exercises, puffy-looking legs, thigh growing more than half the size gave me great deterrence to go for one till my husband and sister managed to convince me otherwise. I vaguely recalled them telling me to do it as it was a 'YOLO' kind of thing - these slangs are getting into me. I only knew about what it stands for a couple of months back. Age is definitely catching up. 

Enjoy the pictures taken during Week 34 of my pregnancy.

These photos are taken by Alphone from AT Photography. 

He is such a delight to work with and we are engaging him for Baby Tyler's shoot too!

If not for the fact that I am afraid of waters, I would have loved to try out the underwater photography that he had done for other mummies.

The hair and make-up artiste which he had introduced was also fantastic. Her skills were so good that I felt a little upset why we haven't known her sooner to engage her for our wedding previously.

For photography enquiries:-

Photographer: Alphone Tea

Visit his Facebook: AT Photography / Memories Photography

Visit his instagram: @alphonetea

This is based on my personal review and I highly recommend my friends and readers to him for photography service. 

Check it out!

My Weight Loss Success Story - How I lost over 20kg?

There are many inspiring weight loss stories in Singapore and everyone has a different story to tell on how it had driven them and how they had achieved it. So here's mine.

Since young, I was never the girl with acceptable weight and am a permanent member of Trim and Fit (TAF) Club in schools. My god, the word TAF Club rings so much memories. The irony of being overweight or even severely overweight is that I am extremely active in school. I was a netball girl for many years and had always achieve Gold awards for fitness tests. But I guess, I love eating/snacking too much and I was a confident person so it didn't bother me. The one thing that troubled me the most is getting to fit into the nice clothes every time I visit a shopping mall or my favourite Forever21 outlets. 

I went ahead to try various weight loss methods from consuming slimming pills (of many brands), diet supplements/food to even signing up packages with slimming centres. Did it work? Yes and no. Yes, it was temporary. No, my weight return fast the moment I cease any of the above methods. I mean seriously these are short term solutions and I don't think it was possible to sustain with these methods for long. You might have health complications and it is expensive $$$.
Sustainability = 0/10

Finally, I got my 'wake-up call' but in the most demeaning manner.

About 2.5 years ago, I met someone and he commented that I was 'fat and ugly'. He simply felt ashamed being with me in public. It is definitely humiliating but highly effective in my context. I was overwhelmed by a wave of emotions. Sad. Insulted. Doubtful of myself. Lose of confidence. Disapproved. Angry and most importantly Determined.

So here's my Before and After pictures from 2012 to 2014 which I've never shared before:

Initial weight (2012): 84kg

Weight before pregnancy (2014): 61kg

Believe me when I say this losing weight journey hasn't been easy and I truly understand the struggles of many people whom had tried and still trying but it was most definitely fulfilling.

Number 1: Exercise, Exercise, Exercise

I couldn't emphasize this even more and I have to admit, I was quite obsessed with it. Here's the truth. Exercising boost your metabolism, speeds up burning fat processes which you will be able to burn existing and excess calories and lose weight effectively. Sustainability: 10/10

Here's my regime for a week:
3-4 days of 1.5 hours of jogging
1 day of Zumba class
1 day of Yoga lesson (provided I can make it for class)

Benefits:
Maintenance of Metabolism
There were months I had to stop exercising due to the major haze that happened in Singapore or when I fell really ill but I did not gain any weight from there.
Good for the Soul
It clears the mind and help with anxiety you get from work/relationship, depression and fights insomnia.
A Healthier and Happier YOU!
Exercising actually release happy chemicals into your brain. It sparks Endorphins and Dopamine production that hacks into your brain and make you a happy person. How great is that!

Number 2: Your Food Intake

A healthy diet is definitely one of the key methods to losing weight. 
But I don't really go about counting my calories and carbs intake as I still love my food and wasn't willing to give in on that until I fell in love with this.

Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to introduce you to 'Overnight Oats'. Must-Try!
A fuss-free healthy breakfast. Unleash the creativity in you and prepare your very own overnight oats meshed up with fruits and flavors of your liking.
It all started with my BFF posting her overnight oats on instagram and I couldn't help but text her for the recipes. Then I became a google overnight oats chef and finding all sorts of recipes online.

Benefits:
It Taste Really Good and Feel Full Longer
High in fibre, low in calories and still taste delicious. I was addicted to this for breakfast.
Saves Time - No Cooking Required!
It takes less than 5 minutes to prepare. 

Instagram-Worthy
Okay, this is not necessary a direct benefit to losing weight. But you feel happier after posting it.
#overnightoats #healthyliving #healthyfood #fooddiy 

Weight loss methods differs for every individual. Find one that will best fit your schedule and body.

The key takeaway from this experience is that I have a much healthier body and I've gained a lot more confidence with myself than ever before. And no matter what weight you have or how you look like, always remember 'Confidence is beauty'.

Confession: My husband did not know me when I was at my whopping 80+kg and when he saw the pictures from my past in facebook, he was in disbelief. The only comments he often give is he is a lucky man to have met and got married with me when I was at my best and I'm glad I went through this journey.

Disclaimer: I've gained more than 10 over kg since after I knew I was pregnant. In time to come, I hope I will be able to blog about my post-partum weight loss journey :)

8 Pregnancy Essentials - Things You Need During Pregnancy

I didn't have many friends with the experience to share on the pregnancy essentials I must-have. Majority of the things I discover is through online means like forums and parenting/pregnancy articles written by mummies all over the world. So i've decided to write on a piece on the things you need during pregnancy (if they happen to chance on this) and hopefully it will help them in great lengths.

1) Stretch Mark Cream

Though your stomach doesn't stretch that much during your first trimester but it is highly recommended to start using it as soon as you know. Bring out the Singapore 'kiasuism' in you and head down to the pharmacies and grab one. 

There are a few popular ones in the market and to name a few:

Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula, Clarins, Elancyl and Bio Oil

I started using Palmer's cocoa butter and am not a big fan. It's greasy and with the increased sense of smell during my first trimester, the butter was repugnant for me. 

My favourite is the Bio Oil which you can easily get it at Watsons. I saw lots of review online and is highly recommended by mums. I've used almost 9 bottles of the 120ml Bio Oil as I enter my 8th month of pregnancy and almost no stretch mark! Okay, I use the word 'almost' as I kinda deserved some of the marks on my left and right side of the belly. It was simply too itchy and I just had to get to it.

Recommendation: Try to buy during their pack-of-3 sale in Watsons.

2) Maternity fashion - Do it in style

Work your fashion with Maxi Dresses.

I had different colours and design of maxi dresses which had last me throughout my pregnancy. Buy those with stretchy material. You will enjoy huge savings plus you can continue to wear it after birth.

Inspirations (click on the links)
Beach Wear: Lin Pei Fen & Elizabeth Olsen (not pregnant but I love the boho style)
The Glamour: Jessica Alba

Casual: Rachel Bilson

3) Sanitary Pads/Panty Liners

Don't be surprise. Even when our periods take a break, this is one feminine care you wouldn't want to miss. Vaginal discharge is common during pregnancy (so far all my mummy friends have it). There are different types of discharge; some may last throughout the pregnancy, some are signs that you had to see your gynae soon. With sanitary pad, you could avoid staining your underwear and could easily distinguish the colour of the discharge to determine your situation.

Must-have!

4) Pregnancy Multivitamins
Your doctor would have recommended you to take it upon your first consultation. Supplements like
- folic acid and iron (found in prenatal vitamins); for antenatal care to reduce risk of low weight birth, anemia and iron deficiency
- calcium; for your developing baby
- vitamin D; for baby's bone growth
- fish oils; high DHA supplement for baby
As much as I've hated taking pills especially on a daily basis, I diligently took mine just to make sure he can be a healthy baby when he's born.

5) Shampoo and Body Wash
Did you experience serious hair fall issue or felt nausea to scents that were pleasant to you in the past and no longer smell the same way?
I did for both and my sense of smell heightened to an extend where I felt nausea every time I come close to my body wash (was using J&J Body Wash and Dettol). I was also feeling depressed by the amount of hair fall I had during my first trimester. Went to ask around and did a whole lot of research and bought two amazing products that hopefully still remain useful during postpartum.

Shampoo: Rene Furterer - Forticea
Highly recommended by my BFF and it works!

Body Wash: Dove
Recommended by my doctor to prevent dry skin.

6) Comfortable Footwear
I love my heels but good comfortable shoes for pregnancy is another must-have. Actually for some woman, it is okay to wear heels as it doesn't hurt the development of your baby and that is also if they are not as clumsy as me. I have a high tendency of spraining my ankle when I wear heels and  prone to falling easily. So I had to shelf away more than 15 pairs of heels (I don't think my husband is aware how many pairs I actually have) and wear mainly slippers and flats. I kinda enjoy it since the belly is growing bigger and having a bit of swollen feet doesn't help further. On a brighter side, it's only about 10 months and I'll be able to wear anything I want again without having to fear too much about this and that.

7) Maternity/Nursing Bras
I was up by almost 2 cup size by my second trimester. Breasts changes throughout the pregnancy and I was feeling uncomfortable wearing wired bras. I started looking out for pregnancy bras and managed to find the really pretty ones from Spring Maternity at Baby Fair held in Expo this year. They were comfortable and I was satisfied with my loots.

Recommendation: 
I also managed to get a few bra extensions from Qoo10 just in case it continues to grow (which it did) and it really came in handy.

8) Pillows/Cushions
Somehow we require all kinds of support during pregnancy. Support from your bosses to understand that you're having a tough time coping with pregnancy symptoms which can be overwhelming. Support from your partner, family and friends to cope with the mood swings and preparation for baby's arrival. As our body undergoes a godzillion changes, we also require extremely good support for our body: Back support cushions required in office. Maternity support pillows that aids sleeping.

Funny story: I even brought my back support cushion to catch the Avengers as it's just too uncomfortable to be in those movie seats for 2.5hours.


There. Finally managed to complete this list. I hope you find it helpful.
Enjoy your pregnancy!