... Saturday, 29 August 2009!
Yeah, so my big, grand, what-are-the-odds dream of DN and his sister sharing the same birthday didn't materialise, but heck, who cares? It was a quick (ISH) labour and DS is finally here. *proud mother beam*
So here's my birth story. Prepare yourselves. It's quite a long post for a short labour! Unless you're also serving imprisonment (ooops, did I say "imprisonment"? I meant "confinement") like me and are
- slowly going bonkers
- sweating like a pig
- feeling and smelling like crap
- producing enough oil on your head to fill a vat
- constantly entertaining thoughts of killing your confinement lady
Friday, B-Day minus 1
When I woke up on Friday morning, I had the "show". That caught me totally off guard because honestly, I was all set up for 2 Sept. PF and I even planned our fancy dinner for Tuesday, 1 Sept. Yes, I know... the audacity! So when I saw the "show", I was like, "My steak dinnerrrrr!" -___-
I started getting panicky because I wasn't ready. AT ALL. And I really wanted that steak dinner. But the day passed without event, no tightening, no surges (or contractions), no nothing, just the "show" throughout the day, so I started to relax. I googled "show" and "mucous plug" and read that 35+% of women give birth within 2 days of arrival of the "show". That night, or early Saturday morning, I started getting more intense surges and I was 90% sure IT was going to happen so I woke PF up too. (For better or for worse buddy.) But they turned out to be Braxton Hicks because they disappeared after 2 hours. Ho hum, twiddle thumbs.
Saturday, B-Day
Of course I had no idea this was going to be Birth-Day. So at 2pm, when PF said, "Come, let's go out!", I said, "AWRIGHT MAN!" DN was napping so we snuck out for a quick romp in town, hee hee. In the car, I started getting surges, just like the ones the night before but a little more intense. Still very manageable though and I practiced my hypnobirthing relaxation exercises. All was good.
We got into town and I bought a custard choux puff from the Food Fair at Isetan Scotts (which I hear is already over, so am I glad I got to try one or what!). Phwoargh. The puff was crispy crunchy and the custard was perfect - creamy and sweet and dense. Not like some so-so custard you get in some alibaba puffs. Bleah.
We then popped over to Wheelock Place and even ventured over to Ion (maybe the shock of seeing the crowd there triggered labour, hot damn!). I bought PF's birthday present and was tempted by a Dunkin Donut. Unfortunately, I had to pass that by unless I wanted to give birth in Ion itself because the queue was just insane. We left town just before 4.30pm and until then, I was having surges every 20 minutes or so. All very manageable and the shopping definitely helped. I mean, with so many things to buy (and eat!) who would be able to concentrate on those surges anyway? They really should add "shopping" to the hypnobirthing plan of things.
When we got back, DN was bouncing off the walls. It was a good nap.
I tried to play with DN, but was finding it difficult because the surges were coming more regularly and were getting more intense. I started timing myself and they were lasting between 1-3 minutes each. I decided to lie down, listen to the relaxation CD and concentrate on relaxing. I managed to fall asleep and that helped to blur the surges. As I was "in the zone", PF was running around like a headless chicken, feeding DN dinner, packing last minute things into the hospital bag (like snacks!) and checking on me every now and then. Poor thing was sweating buckets, BUT! A small price to pay compared to what we have to go through, I say.
My PIL brought DN over to his great-grandma's and PF and I left at 6.30pm. The traffic on the PIE was absolute crap. As I closed my eyes and relaxed, I imagined PF barrelling down the expressway with police cars hot on his tail, and a baby hot on mine. Not a very relaxing image, but so Hollywood!
We reached the hospital at 7pm. On the way to the labour ward, I had 3 surges. One of which was spent in the car park, leaning against a red Honda Jazz with the bemused driver standing patiently to one side as I had my moment. If that happened to my husband, he'd probably have sped off to Singapore Pools after that. Pregnant women are supposed to be bursting with luck right?
In the labour room, I changed into my own clothes while PF set up the music, essential oils and dimmed the lights. (Yes, I was going to have a baby, not make another one!) I got annoyed with the registration essentials - CTG monitoring, blood pressure and temperature check, signing of forms, blah blah blah... HELLO! My uterus is contracting (and not exactly painlessly) and my body is getting ready to push a 3 kilo baby out, do I look like I want to sign some forms now!??!
At 7.10pm, the CTG monitoring started and it was reassuring to see DS's heartbeat on the monitor, and interesting to see my surges on a graph chart, although I didn't like having that strap around my belly. But I still managed to "zone out" and relax with every surge until about 7.50pm or so I think. Then, sadly, I lost the plot. And my nerve. And my resolve. And my sanity.
It'd gotten to the really intense stage and I couldn't relax anymore. When I first went in, the nurse said I was about 5-6 cm dilated. When it got really intense and I started tensing up, she did another check and she said 4cm! So it really is true! If you tense up, it doesn't help with dilation at all! Then the next surge came and despite PF trying to keep me on track, I caved in and asked for epidural. :p
BIG SIGH!
I was so disappointed with myself because I managed to give DN a drug-free birth (just barely!) and wanted to do the same for DS. Oh well. *guilt trip*
Back to the labour room. It was close to 8pm and I was wondering where on earth my epidural was. PF on the other hand, was stalling for time and kept asking me if I was sure about the epidural. This is the part in labour where I hear of many mothers asking to be shot. So yes, I was sure. When the nurse finally came with the form, I scribbled my signature onto it and asked her to hurry up! Suddenly, think it was about 8pm, I felt this HUGE urge to poo! A midwife came and said I was 9cm dilated, no more epidural for you missy! 9cm?! But I was only 4cm about 10 minutes ago! I was relieved (I can give Bessie a drug-free birth, albeit reluctantly!) and disappointed (ouch!) at the same time. Then she said my gynae wouldn't be able to make it on time, so she would deliver the baby. I was relieved to hear that because I've heard of some gynaes who won't let anyone else deliver the baby. Thank you Dr Chang, but are you still going to charge me delivery fees???
The midwife and nurse attending the birth were really good. They knew we were a hypnobirthing couple, so they kept telling me to "breathe (the baby) down" instead of "push". But I just couldn't. I pushed. And pushed for my country at that. At 8.29pm, out popped little Der Shyen!
Immediately, the nurse and midwife starting going "skin to skin, skin to skin, skin to skin" and they plonked the baby on my chest. Honestly, at that moment the ward could have collapsed around me and I wouldn't have bothered. But holding DS for the first time was amazing. I think I cried.
It was a busy day at the hospital so by the time PF sorted out the registration bits (he didn't get to do ANY of that before I gave birth because there was just no time!), we got into our room just after 11pm. It was so nice to settle in, just the 3 of us, in that quiet little room. My spirit was far from quiet though. I was so pumped with adrenaline, mentally I could have hopped up Kota Kinabalu. Physically of course is another story altogether! It took me forever to fall asleep. And even after I finally did, I kept waking up just to look at DS.
And that's THE END!
But really, it's just the beginning.
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