Another Long Weekend

Last April 208, 2010, the Malacañang Palace declared May 3, 2010 as a non-working holiday. Some have plans of spending the long weekend on the beach, pool, but others will choose just to relax at the comfort of their homes. I've been alone in the house since the day I arrived from an unplanned vacation from my hometown.  My little girl is still there with my sister. Thanks to my niece who accompanies me at home, but she'll be going home this weekend...Therefore, I will be home alone again... Well, I'll just stay at home, do the usual household chores like laundry, cleaning, etc. 

I am also thinking of taking my maternity dresses out from the closet because I might start wearing them next week. I am no longer comfortable with my office uniforms. I'll probably buy new maternity wardrobes next weekend...

School Hunting

I went to two preschools this morning and made inquiry regarding the enrollment requirements and school fees. This first one is  a private learning center. The tuition and miscellaneous fees is more Php15,000, inclusive of one set of uniform. Parents have the option of paying it in full, semi-annual, quarterly or monthly. I think the tuition fee is quite high. It is known for being one of the oldest learning centers in our area. Average class size is 15-20. The registration staff told me that Thea might be accepted in the Kinder-Advance class, but she must take the evaluation test first to determine if she is qualified.  

The second one is a semi-private school run by an non-government-organization (NGO). The school does not collect tuition fees, only books and notebooks will be paid in the amount of Php2,600 only. Average class size is 25-30 kids and classes are held in an air-conditioned room.  

After comparing the two schools, I decided to enroll Thea in the latter. The name of the school by the way is Headstart School of Mandaluyong - Bagong Silang (HSM-Bagong Silang). To know more about the school, you can visit their website .

Nausea and Vomiting During Pregnancy (NVP)

I am currently experiencing nausea and vomiting at this stage of my second pregnancy. Though usually referred to a morning sickness, mine is slightly different because it happens mostly in the afternoon. According to my research, more than 50% of women suffer from it during their pregnancy. Since each woman is different and each pregnancy is different, the difficulty of nausea and vomiting of pregnancy or NVP will vary from woman to woman.

No one knows what causes NVP, but researchers say that it is caused by the combination of many physical changes taking place in woman's body. 

Here are some helpful tips to control nausea and vomiting during pregnancy I've found on the web: 

DIET – Food When you first wake up, eat a few crackers and then rest for 15 minutes before getting out of bed. Get up slowly and do not lie down right after eating. Eat small meals or snacks often so your stomach does not become empty (for example, every 2 hours). Try not to skip meals. Do not hesitate to eat whatever you feel like eating and eat whenever you want to. However, it is best to avoid cooking or eating spicy, fatty and fried foods. If cooking odours bother you, open the windows and turn on the stove fan. If possible, ask someone else to cook the meals. Try eating cold food instead of hot (cold food may not smell as strong as hot food). Sniffing lemons or ginger can sometimes relieve an upset stomach. Eating salty potato chips can help settle the stomach enough to eat a meal.

DIET – Drinks Drink small amounts of fluids frequently during the day. Avoid drinking fluids during meals and immediately before or after a meal.

Food Ideas to Help Relieve Nausea Salty: Chips, pretzels Tart/Sweet: Pickles, lemonade Earthy: Brown rice, mushroom soup, peanut butter Crunchy: Celery sticks, apple slices, nuts Bland: Mashed potatoes, gelatin, broth Soft: Bread, noodles Sweet: Cake, sugary cereals Fruity: Fruity popsicles, watermelon Liquid: Juice, seltzer, sparkling water, ginger ale Dry: Crackers

LIFESTYLE – Rest Get plenty of rest since nausea tends to worsen when a woman is tired. Try napping during the day. Typically, a pregnant woman needs more sleep in the first three months of pregnancy. You may need to take some time off work or make other arrangements for household chores and childcare. Enlist the support of friends and family.

LIFESTYLE – Other Get plenty of fresh air and avoid warm places as feeling hot can add to nausea. Acupressure wrist bands or acupuncture can be beneficial for some women. If you are considering acupuncture, consult your healthcare professional and look for an experienced and licensed acupuncturist. Try ginger, an alternative remedy thought to settle the stomach. Dosages of up to 250 mg four times a day appear to be safe. Try taking your prenatal vitamins (one with a lower amount of iron if that mineral makes your nausea worse) with food or just before bed. If multivitamins make your nausea worse, take folic acid alone on a daily basis.

Hope these tips will help other pregnancy women out there.

Source: http://www.sogc.org/health/pregnancy-nausea_e.asp

Hot Weather

We are currently experiencing the effects of El Niño in this side of the world. I think, the temperature during the day ranges from 24-37 degrees Celsius here in Metro Manila.Based on the current observations and forecasts of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), El Niño is expected to continue until June 2010.  

We can certainly feel climate change now and one of its effects is global warming. As a result of  global warming, El Niño phenomenon causes extreme heat in affected areas. We should be very careful to avoid heat stroke and other related diseases. Just make sure that you are well hydrated the whole day. Drinking lots of water is the best way of staying hydrated and healthy. Also, stay at home as much as you can to avoid the extreme hot weather outside or if you really need to go out, bring an umbrella and protect yourself with sunscreen. Eat plenty of chilled fruits that rich in water  content such as watermelon. 

If you have air-conditioning units at home, then good for you... but be prepared for higher electric bill. At home, we have an air cooler which is a cheaper alternative to air-con. Only that, it requires ice cubes, and most of the time I am so lazy to turn on the cooler hehe. 

Hope that this simple tips will help you beat the summer heat. :)

Back from Unannounced Leave...

I was offline for the last couple of weeks. We had an emergency last April 2, Friday. My (second to the) eldest brother passed away due to hearth attack. The news from my family in my hometown really caused a shock for me and my sisters here in Manila. He is too young to leave us and his own family behind. He's 48 years old, with seven kids - the eldest is 24 and the youngest 6 years old. It was such a painful loss but we have to accept the fact the our Almighty God has a purpose on taking back his borrowed life. With that incident, my sisters, nephew and nieces, Thea and I went home the following week. We stayed there for almost two weeks. 

Though I went back online last Monday, I was not in perfect mood to blog. I have to cope with pending jobs at the office. Aside from that, I was having a hard time due to morning sickness and uneasy feeling throughout the day. If you're not connected with me through Plurk or Facebook, I suppose you don't know yet that I am two months pregnant. :) I just hope that everything would be fine throughout this pregnancy. 

With that, I would like to apologize with my unannounced blogging leave. I am back and will try my best to give you more updates...