Morning Sickness in Pregnancy - Kate Middleton

Pregnancy of the Duchess of Cambridge was confirmed recently by the palace and this is not an ordinary pregnancy because the Duchess was diagnosed with hyperemesis gravidarum, a severe form of morning sickness that affects one in 50 women.

For some pregnant women, the symptoms are worst in the morning and ease up over the course of the day and the intensity of symptoms can vary from woman to woman, too. When I was pregnant with Enzo, I also suffered from this stage which lasted during my first trimester (first 3 months of pregnancy) which is also the most critical of all the stages of pregnancy.  

Bearing and the anticipation of the coming of the baby is both wonderful and exciting but if you are one of those who is suffering from morning sickness, you may feel that you are being robbed of the special moment this stage has. It can begin as early as 4 weeks. It tends to get worse over the next month or so and about half of the women who get nausea during pregnancy feel complete relief by about 14 weeks.

According to Baby Center You're more likely to have nausea or vomiting during your pregnancy if any of the following apply:

•         You're pregnant with twins or higher multiples. This may be from the higher levels of hCG, estrogen, or other hormones in your system. You're also more likely to have a more severe case than average. On the other hand, it's not a definite thing – some women carrying twins have little or no nausea.

•         You had nausea and vomiting in a previous pregnancy.

•         You have a history of nausea or vomiting as a side effect of taking birth control pills. This is probably related to your body's response to estrogen.

•         You have a history of motion sickness.

•         You have a genetic predisposition to nausea during pregnancy. If your mother or sisters had severe morning sickness, there's a higher chance you will, too.

•         You have a history of migraine headaches

You  are surely luckier than others if you did not have to go through this stage, but anyway, even with nausea, pregnancy is still the most wonderful journey every women will go through. =)

Christmas in the Philippines

A lot has been said about Christmas here in the Philippines. Some people start decorating their Christmas lanterns as early as September, and some during the month of November. Today is the 1st of December and if you will have the opportunity to take a trip around most streets of Manila and other nearby municipalities, you will see that everyone’s almost ready to celebrate the biggest Philippine Holiday every year. Ever since childhood, Christmas has been one of the biggest celebrations every year, of course next to my birthday… LOL! Here in my place, you’ll start to hear Christmas songs starting the 1st of September as well, so it’s like 4 months of Christmas celebration, the longest ever.

The bamboo parol (as we call it) or star lantern, which almost every household bears, is the symbol of Christmas in the Philippines, representing the guiding light, the star of Bethlehem during the birth of Christ.

Being in a place where majority of the people are Christians, Christmas is an extremely important holiday for most of us. It is a time for family, sharing, gift giving, delicious food and time to share for everyone. It has been a Filipino tradition for children to visit their godparents and elderly relatives during Christmas day. Officially, Christmas starts every 16th of December during the first “Simbang Gabi” (pre-dawn or early morning masses) and continues until the 1st Sunday of January which is the Feast of the Three Kings, which marks the end of the festive season. Simbang Gabi is a nine-day Christmas Novena which roots from the rich religious culture of our country. It is like a night worship also known by its popular Spanish name "Misa De Gallo" or "Mass of the Rooster". Catholic churches thorughout the country will be ringing their bells around 3:00 or 3:30 in the morning long before the rooster's crow.

The most famous among the abundant delicacy that is associated with Christmas are as follows:

Puto Bumbong

Bibinka

Lechon (Pan-Fried Roast Pork)

Kare-Kare (Oxtail Stew in Peanut Butter Sauce)

 

Arroz Caldo (Chicken Rice Soup)

Salabat (Ginger Tea)

Tsokolate (Hot Chocolate)

And by the way, "Maligayang Pasko" is how we say "Merry Christmas" in the native tongue!

Maligayang Pasko sa inyong lahat! (Merry Christmas to all!) =D