Pregnant "man"

This is Thomas Beatie, a pregnant transgender male. It took me a couple of readings to make sense of it. He said,

Sterilization is not a requirement for sex reassignment, so I decided to have chest reconstruction and testosterone therapy but kept my reproductive rights. Wanting to have a biological child is neither a male nor female desire, but a human desire.

This article shocked the whole being in me. Something tells me that this is somewhat an unusual event, the opposite of what I regard as "normal." But as a woman who has been yearning also to become a mother, I somehow feel for Thomas and Nancy. I hope it all goes well. My only concern is the baby he is carrying. I think the baby might grow up with emotional issues. But then again, I can’t judge their ability to raise a child, can I?

This is very brave of them. But I can’t help thinking… why go all the hassles to go on public? I hope this is not just another hoax, but you’ll never know.

It’s amazing how science can turn things up and down. Anything seems possible these days.

A break from the heat

  Last Sunday, Papa A and I went out for someting else to do other than watch DVDs. The weather was so hot and humid, with the temperature hovering just high enough to make my throat dry like a dessert and my underarms roast… even my deodorant can’t do anything to stop the sweat. Why on earth I wasn’t spared? That’s why I was so desperate to get out from the house and just have a cool break.

Old Wives Tales

Determining the baby’s sex via an ultrasound is NOT accurate. There are, according to them, factors to be considered: the age of the baby, the equipment used, the technician, and the cooperation of the baby. This is what I found out after reading some stuff on the internet. Still, I’m curious. After spending a few hours surfing the net, I came across some less-than-accurate methods of gender prediction. I had fun answering this one.

After taking the test, I got this result.

Congratulations!

Wow! A girl. This is interesting. But like I’ve said, it’s less accurate. So I’m not counting on this one.

But if it’s really a girl… why not! Blooming naman daw ako eh…. sabi ng iba hehe.

April 5 — mark that date!

It’s a big day for me because it’s the day that Papa A (my partner) and I are supposed to find out the sex of our baby. I can feel the excitement this early. I can’t wait to finally know if my baby is going to be a cute baby boy or a pretty baby girl =)

A friend of mine was once asked if she would want to know the sex of her baby beforehand. She told me that she won’t. She prefers to be surprised. And I also asked other couples I know. Same thing. Well, to each his own. I definitely want to know as soon as possible. If not, I will, without a doubt, think of it every single night! Call me crazy! But I got some reasons for this.

1.       I can start narrowing down my list of baby names. And finally pick the right one. Yep, up to now, we can’t still agree on one name for each gender. It’s hard you know…

2.       We can now call him/her with his/her name, instead of just "My Baby."

3.       We can start buying those cute gender-specific clothes. And finally decide on the color of the crib!

4.       Last but not the least, my obsession of knowing my baby’s sex will be over. You see, Papa A and I have the same preference. But we would be equally thrilled either way.

I hope I’m not making myself look small-minded. And I do hope that there are lots of couples out there who prefer the same way. It’s more practical, right? Come on.

OB update: 18 weeks and 5 days

I visited my OB this weekend. It was a delight to see her again after a month, Although she seemed lethargic to see me: "Oh you? Yes you…come in." I thought that she should be ecstatic to see a patient at that time coz I was the only one there in her clinic. Plus the fact that it’s almost past her clinic hours already, and there’s no line! Oh, but I love her, inspite of that.

The checkup went good. I had my urine tested again, as well as  my blood pressure and heart rate. The secretary took my weight. I’ve gained 2 pounds since my last visit, which is just fine. I heard my baby’s hear beat again! Tsug! Tsug" Tsug! This time, the sound is much louder and faster. It’s a good sign according to my OB. Wonderful! Everything’s normal, normal, normal.

Except that I need to take calcium supplements daily because I was having leg cramps more often. My bad. I’m not really into milk hehe. I’m only taking 2 glasses of Anmun a day (which is high in folate). I promise myself though that I will replace my fruit juices with milk. Hmm.. sounds good, noh?

After the question and answer portion (I usually asked a lot of things), I said goodbye to my OB, who among the many OBs Ive been to is the best so far!

First kick?

I just have to let this out. Few nights ago, when my partner and I were just lying down and having some "hu-homm" talk, I suddenly felt something on my tummy. I thought someone/something touched the inside of my belly! Oh my God? Was it my baby’s first kick?

So I surfed the net (who knows it could be just gas hehe) and came across this one passage about fetal movement  (www.babycenter.com):

Women have described the sensation as being like popcorn popping, a goldfish swimming around, or butterflies fluttering. You’ll probably chalk up those first gentle taps or swishes in your belly to gas or hunger pains, but once you start feeling them more regularly, you’ll recognize the difference. You’re more likely to feel these early movements when you’re sitting or lying quietly.

Way to go baby!

After that amazing experience, I become aware of any slight movement inside my tummy. And true enough, the baby is kicking tremendously! The kicks (or maybe punches!)  become more frequent and vary from a faint one to a much stronger one. Woohooh! I have a great feeling my baby is gonna be one hell of an athlete. I wish!

Hear ye! Hear ye!

I’d like to start my blog with an announcement (which, by the way, isn’t a surprise anymore to some people)… I’m 18 weeks months pregnant!!! The exclamation points are not needed by the way, well, it’s more of a reminder to me… kaka get giddy! Don’t get me wrong. I am excited. Truly excited! I’ll share you a secret: It was my goal to get pregnant before I turn 30. Take note: with or without a boyfriend! How am I supposed to do that? Well, God didn’t want me to be the Pinay version of Mother Mary, I guess. So, here comes my partner. Very able and very willing. He wasn’t aware of my devilish plan, though. Not too smart, eh? Haha!

December of last year, I found out I was pregnant. I took a pregnancy test, the cheapest one you can buy from Mercury Drug, and the result was positive! Not that I wasn’t expecting it. I already knew that I am pregnant. I somehow felt "it" and the symptoms were already manifesting. Few days before I had my pregnancy test. I told my partner a few times, "Jontis ako noh!" But somehow he didn’t believe that. Maybe, too confident of himself (but not smart enough hehe).

I remember so clearly waking up early and deciding to take the test. A few minutes later, two lines appeared. The feeling was unexplainable. Now here I am, 4 months later, with my tummy now obviously getting bigger, my face getting plumpier, and my hair getting curlier! So far, soooooooo good!!!

I can’t wait for the arrival of my baby. I’m so excited, yet scared. But more of "Yes! Magkaka-baby na ako!" For my fears, I just lift them up to God. I’m taking one day at a time. I thank God that I feel better and better as my due date approaches. Prayers indeed are powerful. Just few more months, and my waiting will be over! Yebah!!!

Boy or girl? Who wants to bet?