Placental Grading and its Purpose

I can't hardly wait to see and touch my baby. It should've been today (December 8) if not for the result of my most recent ultrasound last Tuesday. Turned out that my baby is not ready to born yet.

According to both my OB-Gyn and my Sonologist, I have a Grade III placenta already but my baby's features seem to be around borderline term only which means that there is still risk that her lungs are not fully-developed yet. Of course, I wouldn't want to take the risk for any reason at all. I want my baby to be safe. So here I am, waiting for a few weeks more. I just couldn't contain my excitement here.

Placental Grading and its Purpose

Placental Grading by ultrasound is a method used to grade a placenta based on its structural changes. It is done to determine the age or maturity of the placenta, assess the fetus' gestational age and to predict fetal lung maturity.

Placental Grading System

Grade 0 - The earliest of the placental grades, usually within the late first trimester to early second trimester. No calcium or fibrinoid depositions were seen and the placental surface was smooth.

Grade I - Mid-second trimester to early third trimester. Some diffuse calcium and fibrinoid deposition.

Grade II - Late third trimester till delivery or around 30 weeks until delivery. Beginning formation of septa, at the maternal side clear calcium deposition.

Grade III - The highest grade. Late third trimester till delivery or around 39 weeks. Cotyledons are present, a great number of calcium and fibrinoid deposition at the maternal and fetal sides, with infarcts and 'holes' by sectioning.

Final Impressions:

Pregnancy uterine 37 weeks AOG by fetal biometry.
Cephalic presentation, singleton, live female fetus.
Estimated fetal weight = 2,898 GMS. +/- 423 GMS.
Good heart activity - 129 BPM
Active fetal movements.
Adequate amniotic fluid volume AFI = 11.6 CM.
Placenta posterior, Grade III, no previa.
EDD: January 01, 2013.

My OB-Gyn has made it clear to me that a C-Section at the wrong time have a risk of fetal prematurity so accurate timing is of dire importance. With that said, we have re-scheduled my C-Section on December 18th tentatively (I'm around 39 weeks pregnant by then).

So until then. We're all very excited to meet you, Baby Amara!

Miss Fox: Perfumes Made with Kisses in France!

Though I've always been a loyal Clinique fan, I find it so much fun to try different fragrances just to satisfy my insatiable sense of smell. I'm a fan of perfumes and colognes that have that ability to capture my senses and evoke nostalgia.

Last week, I ordered Miss Fox's Classique 50 ml Parfum from Miss Fox Store. And after 5 days of waiting, it finally arrived. Yay! The staff of Miss Fox are very sweet that they included samples of other variants so I can try them as well. So aside from Miss Fox Classique which I ordered, I also received stocking stuffers of Summer Fling, Midnight Mischief and Mister Fox Classique which was only released last Monday.

Who is Miss Fox?

Miss Fox is a perfume boutique founded in 2012. Their perfumes are made with kisses in France and lovingly packaged in Manila. Miss Fox's mission is to add some feist and flirting spirit in every girl's life.

Miss Fox Line

Classique - A brew of currant, vanilla and raspberry. A sweet smelling perfume perfect for both day and night. 

Midnight Mischief - Spicy, woody with a hint of fruit - a teasing concoction of black currant, raspberry and cedar. Use sparingly, it's a very potent love potion!

Summer Fling - Instant mouth-to-mouth resuscitation from Mr. Lifeguard! Minus the drowning in the deep salty sea, Of course! Fruity, fresh with the flirty combination of green apple, cucumber and rose to make him come hither!

Hey, Sugar! - Don't blame us if the hot quarterback is all over you. You smell like caramel, French bon-bons and vanilla for crying out loud!

Mister Fox Line

Classique - A very happy brew of citrus, marine and other sea notes, MR FOX captures the just-got-out-of-the-shower fresh and sexy scent.

Astaire - Dedicated for the quintessential gentleman. It is an elegant brew of White Musk, Vanilla and some spicy and woody notes like blood mandarin and cedar. Just like Fred Astaire, its namesake, it is effortlessly classy and sexy.

Things to Note:

Scent: The scent is good, wholesome and sweet. Something that my teenage sister would find appealing. I actually bought this for her and I know that she'll be as happy and satisfied as I am.

Packaging: The bottle is super cute as well as the label. The box's design is pretty and the inner part is lined with bubble wraps. But for some reason, might be due to courier's mishandling, the top and the bottom parts are already creased and wrinkled when I received it.

Price: Php 400.00 per bottle, plus shipping fee.

Payment Options: G-Cash, BDO, Paypal, Credit Card

Delivery: They ship orders via Xend. Orders may take 2-3 days within Metro Manila and 3-5 days for provincial addresses. No shipping on holidays.

My Verdict:

Miss Fox perfumes would make perfect gifts for perfume lovers in your shopping list this Christmas. There are enough variants to choose from so you can match the scent according to the recipient's personality. Needless to say, there's a Miss and Mister Fox for every body.

To have an idea on how Miss fox perfumes smell like, please check out the Miss Fox website for the fragrance notes of each variant.

Miss Fox Store Contact Details:

Miss Rossanne Pendoza
missfox@missfoxstore.com
Miss Fox Store
Miss Fox on Facebook

5 Things I Will Miss About Being Pregnant

Me, 27 weeks pregnant

I can feel it. My pregnancy is drawing to a close and I am starting to feel emotional again. After 9 months, 3 of which were spent in bed with morning sickness, back pains and everything that goes with it, I'm now ready to pop in several days.

According to the ultrasound, and to the pregnancy app I installed in my android phone, my due date is still a few weeks away, December 26th. But my baby is now full term - in her 37th week, and since I will be delivering via C-Section anyways, I am thinking of having the operation on December 8th. Yes, yes, yes... While celebrating the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. It's my Mom's idea, actually. Seconded by my Mother-in-Law. But We'll see after my checkup, as I'll be finalizing my birth plan with my OB-Gyn this afternoon.

There are lots of things I cannot do and not allowed to do, while I'm pregnant. Long travels, rigorous exercise, and the list goes on. My physical activity is a bit limited, because I'm having a more difficult pregnancy this time. But once my baby is out of my womb and in our arms at last, I know I'll miss many things and feelings associated with being pregnant. 

On my 32nd week!

5 Things I Will Miss About Being Pregnant

Unlimited sleeping hours. Short naps in the morning, longer naps in the afternoon, and a good night's sleep. I think I'm getting 12-15 hours of sleep every day which is just too much! But who cares? I'm enjoying it and I know that after my maternity leave I couldn't afford the same luxury anymore.

Cravings and Unlimited Calories. I'm stuffing my stomach with all the food I want these days, unlike my first pregnancy where I kept myself on a diet so I can have a normal delivery. My Mom keeps on telling me to go ahead and eat everything I like, I'll be CS'ed anyway.

The Royal Treatment. Believe it or not, my husband meant everything he said the day my pregnancy was confirmed - that he'll treat me like a Queen. I'm not allowed to do any housework except sweeping the floor and some minor cleaning. Never touched the laundry and the dishes in 9 months. He does almost every thing in the house including bathing our son. I just came to realize that men can keep promises afterall.

First Bonding Moments with Baby. From the flutters and kicks that are very subtle at first, to the UFC-caliber kicks and elbows I'm getting right now, and the hickups, I'm all gonna miss them. The feeling that something beautiful and alive is inside me is just priceless. Most of the times, I just lie in bed with my husband and my son on both sides - giggling, laughing and having a great time feeling all the actions inside my belly.

The Anticipation. We've been really looking forward to welcome the newest member of our family. Whenever I see my husband and our son, I can feel their excitement - knowing that this coming Christmas, our little princess will be celebrating with us, too. Our extended families feel the same excitement as well. In fact, they already included our little princess to our gift exchange this Christmas Eve!

I can think of many others, but these are the things I'll miss most. For now, I'm trying to savor everything about being wonderfully pregnant while I can knowing that this might be my last.

How about you? Mommies, what are things you miss most about being pregnant?

Polymer Clay Charms DIY Kit WINNER

From the bottom of my heart, I would like to thank everyone who joined the Polymer Clay Charms DIY Kit Giveaway sponsored by Provenance 1800 Designs and Crafts. I've only started blogging around mid-October and I'm overwhelmed by your support. We've gathered 1,603 entries. Yay!

So, without further ado and on behalf of Provenance 1800, let's congratulate our winner:

Congratulations, Nerissa Maquera! You won the Polymer Clay Charms DIY Kit from Provenance!

Please check your Inbox for my email. Thank you very much to all who participated. Until our next giveaway!