After all the nausea, puking, backache (and getting worse), I’m finally at my 23 weeks of pregnancy! Oh, how time flies! I know, I say that a lot. But hey, it’s sooo true.

Even so, I still have 17 weeks to go. Before this, I had 30 weeks to go, and it felt like it was gonna be forever! Now, it doesn’t sound like forever, and I kinda wished I still had a few more weeks more go to than that.

I have to admit, although I do feel terrible admitting this. There are times where I wished I wasn’t pregnant, only because there are sooo many things I miss about not being pregnant.

1. SUSHI

Yeap, probably one of the big thing I miss the most. Unable to eat sashimi means that I can only look at pictures of sushi and crave. Yet nothing I can do about it, because I wouldn’t want to risk my unborn child to listeria, salmonella and whatnots.

2. Ability to drink water without getting nauseous. 

This one kinda suck. Because I am a big fan of drinking plain water. Now, I either have to drink really cold water or flavoured drink. Otherwise I’d probably throw up my dinner.

3. Stamina

Seriously, this extra weight infront of my tummy is making me use extra energy everytime I move. I wasn’t able to run up the stairs. I could, but I’d be panting like I just did a 5km marathon. Oh well, it’s probably my fitness decline because I do a lot less exercise now. I should try prenatal yoga.

4. Walking pace

I walk pretty fast for a Malaysian. If you know what I mean. Now, I walk slower than the elderly because my lower tummy and back hurts if I walk too fast. On some bad days, I have to sit and rest every 10 mins before walking/standing.

5. Choice of clothes

Well, enough said. It’s just too depressing to talk about it.

The second day was the island hopping day! We bought the tour for 700baht each. It’s called Hong Island longtail boat tour. There’re several speed boat tours, but longtail boat is the only pregnant-friendly option (other than ferries). Although, I wouldn’t recommend if you are close to 6 months or over.

If you are 4-5 months pregnant like me, I suppose it’s fine. But do not let the tour company knows, otherwise they won’t take you in although it’s perfectly safe. They just don’t want to get sued in case of an emergency. For us, we had to ask a few agents that would allow a pregnant lady to join.

Anyway, we had to wait for the pick up at 8.30 in the morning at our hotel lobby and this is our ride! It was like a modified pickup or something, but man, was I thrilled. hahaha.

That morning, the weather was so clear, it was so nice!  Look at the longtail boats behind me. We took the smallest one, which seats about 20-25 pax.

Climbing the boat needs an extra care and effort. Now, this is the reason why I wouldn’t recommend if you’re too pregnant. I was able to climb in and out of the boat with no problem. With a lil’ help of course, but only to avoid falling. Having a dry bag would help too. We didn’t, so we had to be extra careful not dip our bags in the water.

The boat ride was very smooth. It’s not bumpy like speed boat. Granted, it is slow. but it is pregnant friendly and it doesn’t cause me any motion sickness. and I do get motion sickness in the car (because of the pregnancy thing, otherwise I won’t).

I have been neglecting this blog again. I meant to update it, I swear. But I’ve been slumped with work, which I will tell you about later. However, in the midst of setting up business, my husband and I managed to find a time to take a time out and flew to Krabi, Thailand.

Oh dear, this will be a long post with lotsa pictures. And food porn. Bear with me here.

Day 1

It was an early flight and we arrived at our hotel, Aree Tara in Ao Nang, Krabi approx 9 am. We weren’t able to check in yet so we rented a motorbike for 200baht (RM20) for 24hours.

We took a bus to the hotel. It was just 300baht for both of us, and they dropped us right in front of our hotel. Getting a taxi would cost 600baht, but whats the point if you have a lot of time at hand, hey?

That’s me. On the scooter. No, I didn’t drive. Just posing. But I did learn riding a bike on the third day. :p

With the motorbike, we went to the Ao Nang center, got some massage (200baht), lunch and bought data plan for just 109 baht (see Noktahhitam’s post for more info on this).

Finally, it was time to check in to our hotel. The room was exactly as advertised.

I stole this picture from my Noktahhitam’s blog. haha. On our way back to hotel, we bought sticky mango rice on the street. 

I saw a friend’s post on facebook today complaining that he was annoyed with the typical “dah ada isi ke belum?” or “bila nak ada anak?” which striked me to do this post. This is a typical scenario experienced by all newlyweds.

I got married about a month after I turned 21 (in 2011). Such a young age in today’s world. I too was  bombarded with those typical questions usually by makcik-makcik.  However, after I told them that I was gonna pursue my final year degree first, most of them asked me “when are you gonna have kids, then? Jangan tangguh lama-lama”. I usually just fake a smile and try not to show that I was annoyed.

Here’s the thing.

I don’t believe that having kids is the first thing you should do after getting married. No one should be pressured to do it if that’s not what they want. Some people (like my husband and I) prefer to enjoy our time alone and get to know each other first, adapt to each other before having an addition to the family. Of course this is purely subjective to everyone.

Some people believe that having a baby will be ‘pengikat kasih’. 

Personally, I beg to differ. I feel like if you were to love your spouse, love him/her for who they are, and not because he/she is the father/mother of your child. What I’m saying is, that should not be the basis of your love. If you are the lucky ones, over time you will come to love each other because of each other. Some, will be quite the opposite, God forbid. Of course, best if you can love your spouse for Allah. But let’s face it, not everyone know how to do that.

Seriously, go have fun with your partner. Get to know each other first. Fall in love. Then have kids.

Now, let’s move on to our main point, family & peer pressure. 

This can be tricky to deal with, especially if you are sensitive by nature. The pressure from people around you to have kids can be overwhelming.  The worst people who can give you the pressure are your in-laws and perhaps your own parents. There is no avoiding this. The difference is how great the pressure is. Mine wasn’t bad at all. The only one who pressured was my own mum and it was annoying enough, no thank you. Hahaha. The best way to deal with this is (not quite simply) to ignore it.

It can be hard to ignore, and having an understanding husband is crucial. Even if you both want children, you should not feel the pressure to do so. Here’s why: if you are stressed, you are less likely to ovulate. If you don’t believe me, google it, or ask a doctor. Not to mention, it can rip the joys of being newly married or trying to get pregnant out of you.

If you are not ready for kids, try to dodge the question or try to be patient and say “InsyaAllah bila ada rezeki“. Usually that will shut them up.