Coincidence or is it really ol' wives' tales?

22nd June 2011, it's supposed to be the due date for baby no.2 but hey, they did say it's ESTIMATED due date (EDD). One could give birth earlier or later than their due date. As for now, I'm still heavily pregnant, Alhamdulillah. No doubt I do want baby to be out a.s.a.p not only because I'm eager to see him/her but also because I'm too heavy right now!!! I've put on about 13kgs throughout the pregnancy, I know it's not much but when you have a possessive toddler who demands Mommy to carry him after bath/upstairs/to the toilet, it gets rather tiring. Alhamdulillah I can still pray as normal. I'm so thankful for that.

Anyway, reason I'm writing this is because I felt like comparing my first pregnancy "ritual" to my second pregnancy "ritual". I've been getting a few advises on things I should do or consume to get myself into labour rather soon.

Walking - yes, this is the most famous advise anyone would give. When I was carrying Khairaldin, I walked A LOT! I would rather walk then take the car whenever I was given the chance to do so. However, with this 2nd pregnancy, the only time I have a long walk is during the weekend when we go into town. After my first pregnancy, I didn't get any type of massage to "restructure" my womb. So, this 2nd pregnancy has been rather painful because at 5 months I feel as if baby is down 'there' and ready to come out. I had what they call "low lying placenta" but Alhamdulillah it is not THAT bad. Baby is lower than when I was carrying Khairaldin. Hence the reason why I couldn't do that much walking.

Eat spicy food- I've never heard of this but a sister on FB advised me to do so. The thing is, when I was carrying Khairaldin, I really craved for spicy food. I had spicy food (or sambal belacan) almost every meal. I couldn't resist it. Unfortunately with baby no. 2, I just couldn't. I would suffer from heartburn whenever I consume spicy food. So I didn't dare to have that much spicy food this time around.

Raspberry leaf capsules or tea- This was also mentioned by a friend last night. I was thinking where could I get Raspberry leaf. I forgot that when I was carrying Khairaldin, I did drink Earth Mama Angel Baby Third Trimester tea. I just realised that in the ingredients there is Raspberry leaf and it is one of the best ingredients for pregnancy. Read: Raspberry Leaf has healing and preventative properties which are said to tone the uterus, and improve contractions to facilitate childbirth. Raspberry leaf is also an astringent herb rich in vitamins and minerals important for pregnant women, among them vitamins C, E, A and B complex, and the minerals calcium, phosphorous, manganese, potassium and iron. (Source: Earth Mama Angel Baby). And yeah, this time around I didn't bother to buy or even make the tea. (But today I started drinking it all over again in hopes that baby will make exit soon, Insha'Allah).

So I was just wondering, is it because of these 'rituals' that made Khairaldin's debut 5 days early and baby no.2 come out later? Hmmmm, sometimes you feel that there is no effect to what you're doing until it's showed otherwise. Iskandar on the other hand believes that "different baby is different". It could be mere coincidence that Khairaldin was early since after all he is a much active baby compared to baby no.2. It maybe because his activeness that pushed him out earlier? Hmmmmmmm. Well, let's see what happens in 3rd pregnancy. LOL! Look at me talking about next pregnancy when I'm no where near giving birth to baby no.2! :D

In the end of it all, I believe that Allah has planned everything with baby no 2 (and us all). It's his/her destiny with Allah swt. What they have promised each other before he/she comes out to see the world only 'they' would know. I can keep on guessing like maybeeeeeeeee, he/she is just giving us more time to bond with the big brother? Maybe Allah is giving me extra time to Worship him? or even, maybe I myself am not fully prepared to handle 2 kids at this stage? Only Allah knows. One thing for sure, I've enjoyed the surprise in this pregnancy. It's also taught me that we can plan as much as we want but the end result is from HIM and noone else could change it. :)

So, here's to me counting down for another 14 days in case I have to be induced. In the mean time, do keep us in your du'a, always. <3

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