DoroT: My First Pregnancy Journey & Hospital Bag Preparation

Just can't believe my baby will be popping out in a week's time (or anytime). Am I ready to take up this challenge as a mother? 



Read my previous post about my first pregnancy reveal. 
Here are 3 essential preparations for all mummies to be.

A. Emotional Preparation

I personally think this is the most important part throughout the pregnancy. Every mom-to-be must have this mixed feelings when you see the double lines on the pregnancy test. (same to me too!)

Once a girl knows the presence of a baby in the womb, she will automatically 'indulge' in the motherhood already. As for the husband, he will only become a father when the baby is in his hands. This indicates that every single mom will prepare herself mentally from the beginning of the pregnancy.

i. Being happy and stress-free is not easy especially for expecting moms due to hormonal changes. I feel disgusted when I have mood swings especially when I smell COFFEE. Everybody is different, just try to cope with it and your partner should be more considerate and understanding too. 😉

ii. Talking to your baby is helpful for baby bonding and development. I used to play classical music but my little one reacted more to Kpop songs apparently. Lol

B. Physical Preparation

Putting on the right weight is vital during gestation. If you are not underweight nor overweight, putting on weight should be moderate (perhaps 8-15kg) but it's all subjected to your own medical condition.

i. Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM)
If you are diagnosed to have gestational diabetes, you should take control of your weight. As I have DM and hypertension in my family history, I was asked to check the MGTT (Modified Glucose Tolerance Test) in which I had to drink the frantically sweet glucose and blood will be drawn before and 2 hours after test.

Fasting Blood Sugar: 3.9-6.4 mmol/L
Glucose 2 Hours later: 3.4-11 mmol/L


ii. Pregnancy Symptoms
Next you should expect some changes in your body like most people have nausea, vomiting & loss of appetite during the first trimester. I'm glad I did not have any of that (the nurse always said baby sayang mummy😘). When you reach second trimester, those symptoms would probably reduce.

My own experience was:
a. First Trimester:
☑️Food Cravings
☑️Swollen and tender breasts
☑️Increased urination
☑️Sweats

b. Second Trimester:
☑️Baby Kicks (started around 6th month)
☑️Increased appetite
☑️Sweats

c. Third Trimester:
☑️Baby Kicks/ Flutters +++
☑️Cramps of the calves
☑️Sweatssss
☑️Insomnia
☑️Increased urination
☑️Pubic bone pain (started at 36th week)

iii. Exercise/ Workout
Exercising should not be a burden for a preggy mom, I personally love swimming and some suggest prenatal yoga which can alleviate the pregnancy symptoms.

C. Financial Preparation 
Last but not least, YES you need money to have a baby. It depends on how you and your partner gonna manage the budget. Do the calculation wisely or else you're gonna punch a big hole in your pockets.

i. Insurance
I have my insurance which covers myself (up to one month after childbirth) and baby (up to 5 years old). There are different protection plans in the market and do consult your insurance provider for more info.

ii. Shopping for baby
This will take a super long list and I will separate it on another post. Spend wisely in the baby fair, you tend to buy everything on the display for the sake of your loved one.
By the way, we won a stroller in the last baby fair. ;)

iii. Delivery Rates
The range can be pretty drastic and the cheapest would always be government hospital. (Even for caesarean, it would be around RM200) As for private hospitals, the rate for normal delivery should be from RM3000 and C-section starts from RM10k).

iv. Hospital Bag
Mom's IC & Pink Book
🧥Long sleeves shirt & pants, sarung, socks, slippers
🧦Disposable panties, maternity bra and pads
🛍️Toiletries (Toothbrush, toothpaste, facial wash, towels)
🥠Thermos, Food (Milo, biscuit)
📱Charger, powerbank, phone

Baby's stuff
👶🏻Diapers
👚Baby clothes (long sleeves, booties, mittens, swaddle)
🎒Baby wipes, towel
🍼Milk bottle & powder (most hospitals are breastfeeding friendly, try to bf first)

v. Raising a baby
The amount is still unknown. xD


Something I would like to remind myself and all the mummies-to-be, this is just the chapter one of the story and the journey after childbirth will be even tougher but I strongly believe every mom can cope with it (just like how powerful our moms are).

Delivering a child is definitely painful, but we have to:

Expect the pain

Endure the pain

Encounter the pain

Enjoy the pain

Wish you all good luck (and myself too!)


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