Travelling While Pregnant

I had some pre-arranged trips even before I tested positive. I thought about cancelling them but after discussing with my husband and OB and reading a lot of information - both myths and facts - I decided to travel with my little cheesecake inside my tummy.  

Take note: Mine is a non-complicated pregnancy.  And my OB allowed me to travel.  

Taipei, Taiwan

Dennis was with me during this trip which made it a little easier for me.    But we both didn't enjoy the trip specially him.  He had to take care of me the entire time.  He was always wary whether I was doing ok, if i was tired or stressed.   

I had just crossed the critical 1st trimester and I was on my 13th week. I made several changes to our original itinerary  to make sure that I won't be doing the baby any harm. 

Figuring out our route to the nearest MTR station. 

I had to forego some activities that we initially planned.   I wanted to do another hiking like what we did in Bali.  (I got my monthly period after climbing Mt. Batur that time. And I surely didn't want to see any blood at that point of my pregnancy.)  We also had to stay in the city and couldn't go too far.  I would have wanted to go to Jiufen which was the inspiration for the animated film "Spirited Away". 

I also couldn't pack too many activities in a day as I didn't have the energy to walk the whole day.  Although I was on my 2nd trimester and my energy was supposed to be back but I was still too lazy to wake up early. And walking to and from the MTR station to our hotel which was relatively near was tedious for me. We usually went out after lunch and came back early in the evening. And because of all of these, we only managed to visit some of the major attractions. 

..

We visited Taipei 101 on our 1st day.  I would have loved to see it from the top of Elephant Mountain.  But the 10-15 minute hike was something that I could not risk the baby for.  Our 2nd day was the most happening one.  I was feeling great and energetic so we decided to visit Beitou where they had the famous hot springs and public baths. But this tiring day led to a migraine episode the following day.  So our 3rd day was wasted just staying inside our room - Dennis spent the day browsing the internet while I buried myself under the sheets.  On our 4th day,  my migraine was still tormenting me so we only went out late afternoon. We visited the Huashan Creative Park and then headed to Ximending.

We could have rented this U-Bike using our EasyCard if I were not pregnant.  

Outside the Taipei Public Library in Beitou with my peeking baby bump :)

With old folks at one of Beitou's public baths. 
Would have soaked longer if hot temperature was good for preggos.

At the Beitou Thermal Valley.

Huashan 1941 Creative Park

At Ximending

Taipei is famous for its street food. It was something I looked forward to.  I did lots of research on what to eat at their night markets.  But we only managed to visit one - the Shilin Night Market and I hardly ate anything.  Aside from not having any appetite back, I also didn't like the smell of chinese food. Sigh... I didn't get to try the authentic Shilin Fried Chicken Fillet nor the stinky tofu and oyster mis hua.  

Some Japanese ramen.  
Hubby finished most of this, as has always been the case these days.   

My Comfort Food:  Yoshinoya's Beef Rice Bowl

I did get to enjoy a big cup of Pearl Milk Tea. 

This looked good but I just didn't like its smell.

Sydney, Australia

This was an all-expense-paid  trip from Singtel as a reward for my good performance for the past year.  At times, when I felt that my pregnancy was making me so unproductive, I looked back at this incentive trip and felt good about myself again.  Even if these past months, I may have always been sleepy during meetings, have forgotten what was discussed, not pro-active, called in sick a bit too often,  I was and will be a good employee again soon, haha!

Dennis did not travel with me since it was a company trip so I had to take care of myself and take extra precautions. 

We had a fixed itinerary which was packed and started early morning until 7 or 8 in the evening.  I was on my 17th week then and felt more energetic compared to the last trip. We visited the Sydney Harbour and Sydney Opera House on our 1st day.  Spent half of our 2nd day meeting our colleagues at Optus before going on a cruise in the afternoon.  On our 3rd day, we went to Port Stephen where my colleagues did some sand boarding.  After that we went for dolphin watching. I spent 2 nights meeting up with some old friends.

Although my hubby was not with me, I was so thankful to travel with caring colleagues.  They always checked if I was tired or hungry.  And they helped me carry some of my stuff.  It's great to be pregnant and get extra love and care from the people around you :) 

Huge serving of Fish & Chips at the Sydney Fish Market, perfect for the hungry preggo.

With Madison and Aakilah at one of Sydney's many parks.
Can you see my growing baby bump there?

Sand on my feet. Baby in my belly. 

At Port Stephen

With Daday - one of my spiritual babies-  at the Victoria Mall.

Wit Joy - another spiritual baby. 

Definitely enjoyed this treat from Joy and Paul.  Who wouldn't love ribs?!

After finding out that I am pregnant, I wondered how much it would change me - how much freedom it would take from me. It is common for expectant ladies to be bombarded with all the "Dont's" the moment they find out they are positive.  Whether these are pieces of advice from your OB, friends and families, your hubby, from some expert bloggers or authors or your own self-imposed rules, all of them can make you feel like your life is over and all you need to focus on is your little bun. But with these trips, I realized that it's possible to continue to do the things that I love even with certain adjustments. And along with certain restrictions, I also get to enjoy certain privileges. Who doesn't love boarding the aircraft first just because of your big belly?!

For more about travelling while pregnant, you can check out the tips from What To Expect When You Are Expecting.

Finding Out That I Am Pregnant

30th of August:

It was one of the most memorable Sundays of my life.  I don't usually wake up early on weekends. But I was up before 7am that day. And I was very excited to pee.  I didn't know that that natural activity of human beings could be extremely exciting for women at some point of their lives. (Clue: You use your pee to test if you are preggy or not.) 

Several Months Earlier: 

February of this year marked the end of the first year of our marriage.  It also marked the end of the period that we wanted to just solely enjoy each other's company.  It was time to get ready to welcome a new being into our family. 

One of the first things I did was to download a period tracker app in my phone.  It helped me track whether I was delayed or not. And know when my ovulation period was which was which was very useful in arranging staycations with the hubby. 

Spending some time, just the two of us.

Staycation @ Changi Cove. 

2 Months Before:

While serving during the Hope Conference I tried to draw something during the worship night.  Inspired by the painters I usually saw in Bethel worship videos, I've been trying to draw during my quiet time.   It was another way for me to express my worship. And at the same time, I let God to speak to me through my drawings.

That night, during the worship, I drew a red and yellow orchid. Red is Singapore's color. So I thought initially that God was just telling me that He would continue to bless me here in Singapore.When I got home, I googled the meaning of orchids, red varieties in particular. And I found out that it signified fertility. I asked God "Does this mean that I will conceive this year?" I smiled as God whispered "Yes." 

1 Month Earlier:

After that orchid drawing, I got even more excited about missing my period. When my July period was late for 1 day, I immediately bought a pregnancy kit. I got one while on my way to work, read the instructions while walking to my office and quickly tested the moment I got into the toilet.  It was negative. Later that day, I got those red stains on my undies. And I felt a little disappointed as I sent a photo of the negative test to my hubby. As he has always replied, he said "It's ok."  But I knew that he would always feel the same sadness. And pressure.

10 Days Earlier:  

The following month, when I didn't get my period on the predicted day, I felt tempted to buy the kit immediately. But I was told by my girl friends Anne and Rosh to wait for a few days so that it will be more accurate.  10 long days was not a few days! 

Each morning before I bathed,  I would check if there were any signs of blood on my undies. I would continue to check throughout the day.  At the end of each day and still no bloody sign, I would take a screenshot of my period tracker.  I started taking them on the 4th day.  And they would send me overjoyed replies every time.  It felt amazing sharing my anticipation with these ladies.  

The Day Before:

I was at the grocery store with my friend Rose,  buying some food for a BBQ Party.  She was delightfully surprised when I told her I needed to get a pregnancy test kit as well. She was one of the persons who's been waiting for me to get pregnant.  Too excited, she even asked me to go to the restroom immediately to test.  It was so tempting but I persevered. I wanted to test at home and let my hubby be the first one to know.  I brought the pregnancy kit back home. And I read the instructions again before going to bed that night. 

That Memorable Sunday:

When I woke up the following day, my hubby was still sleeping.  I quietly went to the toilet and happily sat on the toilet bowl hahaha! This is it! And a few seconds after my pee touched the stick, a cross formed.  I got a bit confused and read the instructions again. OMG, does it really say POSITIVE? Yes, the instructions confirmed that the diagonal line which looked like a cross meant POSITIVE.   I'm really expecting. 

I nudged my hubby to wake up as I whispered to him "Mahal ko, I'm Preggy na!"  Half-asleep, he smiled as I showed him the stick. "Are you sure," he asked.  "Yes, the instructions says that I'm preggy, hihi."  He hugged me tight as I sent a message to my mom and sister and some churchmates.  Then we both went back to sleep, smiling :) 

I share this blessing to those wives who are hoping to concieve as well. I pray that the Lord will cause life to grow in your womb soon 😊

Perks Of Staying In A Private Villa

My hubby gave me a puzzled look when I told him that I booked three separate accomodations during our Bali Trip.  He later understood when I explained that the spots we wanted to explore were in different locations.  But another reason behind my decision was because I also wanted to compare different accommodations and find out which one I would prefer should we ever go back to Bali. Yes, we're definitely going back! 

Of the three places we stayed at, my favorite was Suara Air, a private villa. 

Suara Air was 3-bedroom villa located outside of Ubud central.  It was set among a forested area where a river runs through thus giving its name Suara Air which meant "song of the river".  You could book just one bedroom or choose to block all three rooms if you were coming with your family or with a group of friends. Since it was just my hubby and I, we booked just one room.  

Let me share our experience and the perks of staying in a private Balinese villa.

You Experience Absolute Privacy

Compared to hotels, staying in a private villa gives you your own space, lots of it.  This is very important because Bali could get so touristy specially during holidays.   When renting a private villa, you don't just get your own room, you get your own house, your own home away from home!  You have your own garden.  You don't have to share the lounge area with people you don't know.  You have your own breakfast area. And you know that that reading nook will always be empty anytime you want to spend the afternoon reading. 

We transferred to Suara Air on a Friday. It was around Chinese New Year that time and we expected all the three rooms to be fully-occupied.  But when we got there, I was delightfully surprised to find out that the other two rooms were empty.  We were alone. We had the whole place to ourselves.  Thank God for the favor :)  

Hubby and I were going to celebrate our first anniversary as a married couple in a few days. We were so thankful that we got to really have some time-alone.    Without other guests around, we could truly focus on each other, have meaningful conversations.  We were able to evaluate our first year of being together and share how each of us has grown as an individual.  

 Its infinity pool is set among a backdrop of trees. The flowing river serves as the background music.

At night time, there's nothing but the sound of crickets and geckos :) 

You Get Your Very Own Pool

I enjoy swimming and I prefer Olympic-sized pools. Suara Air's pool was not Olympic-sized but it was the biggest I have seen during our trip.  It was huge compared to the others. 

Having our own private pool also allowed me to wear my swimsuit comfortably!  I have no confidence issues wearing a swimsuit in a sports complex when I need to exercise and do laps.  But I'm not confident enough to strut in a swimsuit in a public beach or hotel. So I enjoyed our own pool area where I could walk around and swim and sit and relax in my swimwear without worrying whether it was too revealing. Or whether I looked pregnant when I sat.  And I didn't have to worry if hubby was checking out some hot ladies.  You could say that I am a wise and strategic wife hahaha!

My ilovekoi swimwear was revealing too much skin... and too much fats.
So I could only do this pose. Hashtag post-marriage body.

You Wake Up to Serene, Peaceful Mornings

Unlike others who spend their vacation to catch-up on sleep, I love waking up early when on holiday.  I enjoy discovering the beauty of the place just before everyone else wakes up.  I also grab that opportunity to spend time with God. Yes, I still prefer having my own one-on-one dates with God, without the hubby. 

While we were there, I didn't listen to worship songs on my iphone. Instead, I just listened to the sounds around me. The soft rustling of the trees.  The bubbling water of the pool.  Someone sweeping the leaves on the grass.  Some birds chirping. The flowing river.  The hushing of the wind.  The crowing of the rooster.  The dancing leaves.  Some footsteps of the staff.  The flipping of pages of the book I was reading.  And I was reminded again that we could truly hear God if we remove the noise in our lives. 

 

You Set Your Own Rules

This is why private villas are perfect for families and couples specially those on honeymoon.  You have the entire place to do whatever you want.  You can hug and kiss your hubby for as long as you want. You can walk around in your PJs or night gown. You can let your kids can run around without worrying that you will disturb other guests.  

You can also go swimming even under heavy rains and no one would judge you, Haha!

  

You Receive Personalized Service

Three days in a villa of our own made us feel a little more special and relaxed.  We were less worried and more carefree knowing that the staff were focused on all our needs.  

Private villas have their own set of staff.  The more expensive and luxurious ones even provide you with a chef who will cook anything you fancy to eat.  Suara Air wasn't really a luxury villa I would say.  We didn't have our own chef.  But we still had the comfort of ordering food from our room or by the pool lounge and had it delivered to where we wanted to eat.  We knew that we were the only customers they were serving. We had the assurance that the waitress won't forget that we asked for more sugar and a refill of our Bali kopi.  

The hotel was located outside of Ubud central so the villa provided a free car service. We had our own driver, Wayan.  He would fetch us anytime we requested and would bring us anywhere in Ubud.  We didn't have to worry that he would be late because he still had to send another customer.  He was always punctual. At the end of the day, he would would wait for us at our agreed spot and would take us back to the villa.

 

  

Like many other tourists, you may always choose to stay in hotels and resorts because you think that renting private villas is expensive.  Or maybe because you are just a bit worried that the place is fake and you just don't want to deal with caretakers.  But based on my experience, you could find many affordable villas that would suit your budget. Whether you have a lots of money more to splurge or not,  Bali offers many options.   And if you want to make sure that you are dealing with a genuine caretaker, check out the online reviews before booking and making the payment. You may also ask me for tips through the comment section :)

Going to miss this place.