Labor Stories

Since I have nothing to do at work…then I think I better write down my giving birth experience before I forget.

17th March 2006-

Friday Very uncomfortable with backache and difficulty in breathing. So the very next morning, I went to see my gynea (Dr.Cat) with my hubby (HL). Upon checking (damn painful….I have to jalan kangkang after that), Dr.Cat said that I’m already 1cm dilated and it seems like my placenta has matured faster than usual due to my fever viral a few months ago. The baby is at high risk if he’s still inside and the placenta dies. So, the best time to induce is on the 38th week, which is another 2 more days.

18th – 19th March 2006.-Weekend

Okay…since I’m giving birth on Monday..So these 2 days will be my last day before the painful confinement. So I bantai everything that I can’t eat for 100days. Ice cream, cold drinks, cincau, prawns,crab, everything and anything la! I nearly ate the whole Medan Selera in SS2. hahaha But at the same time…of cos alot of comments from aunty this aunty that. Asking us not to take out. We’re both in dilemma..

20th March 2006 – Monday.

Went to see Dr.Cat at her clinic again. We’re still undecided whether to induce or let it be since there’s many questions and advice to keep the baby in the tummy till its time. However, after the check up again..(ouch!…painful), I’m already 1 ½ cm dilated and my vaginal wall is much thinner and softer. A good sign that its time to deliver. Ding Dong Ding Dong.. then we both decided..what the hell, lets do it! So we drove to Assunta and check in (wah..like hotel)..changed clothes and waited in a small room.

11.30 am
They insert a BIG pill into my body (ouch!) and ½ hour after that, I started to feel the tingling feeling. I can still joke with HL and play solitaire in my handfone. THEN…the pain started to be more intense. HL started to console me by massaging and gave me encouragement by saying many things… I remember that he said sorry that I have to go through it, I’m so brave, thank you..and many more. Then HL left and went home for a while. I started to walk around in my room..Hoping to dilate faster. Few hours and I’m only 2 cm dilated..i couldn’t stand it anymore, I walked out of the room and asked for my painkiller. They gave me 2 shots, 1 for painkiller and another to stop me from vomiting. Then I fell asleep.

2.00pm
Then i woke up cos i heard something…so noisy..aparently my aunt was outside, arguing with the nurse because the nurse refused to let her in. Only husband, mom and MIL are allowed. So to stop them from arguing..i said “Enuff. please let her in. Only for 5 mins” . So aunt came in and blablabla…”you know yr grandma this…eat chee cheong fan la..the breakfast cost me 15bucks.”…and i was like walking around the room, bending on the bed, squating and all…and feeling the pain at the same time. How can someone come and and complaint to me when i’m about to give birth..i have no idea…

8.00 pm
Then a few hours later ..another commotion. It was my mom and my 2 sis and BILs. They only allowed my mom to come in. At the moment i was lying on the bed, speechless cos i it was too painful to do anything with the contraction. Mom came in and she sat next to me, looking at me hopelessly. I can see from her face that she’s so worried but she didn’t say anything except ” you give birth for this time enough already la”. To make her feel more relieve, I told her about what aunt complaint earlier..But when the contraction started again she was asked to leave.

During the entire “waiting process” there’re so many time that I was angry with HL. Cos he was reading magazines…in and out from the toilet with his newspaper while I’m screaming my lungs out. I remember that I scold him “stupid” and all.. But he just sat there and looked at me, puzzled.

21st March 2006.-Tuesday

Middle of the night..
Suddenly I woke up and started screaming in pain. The painkillers don’t work anymore. And encouragements don’t work anymore too. HL stopped talking to me but I can see that he felt hopeless and sad coz he can’t do much but to sit next to me and share the pain. I started to cry and it got louder and louder…and I think I passed out after every contraction. But I remember it was every 5 mins apart. HL started to get worried and rushed off to call for the nurse. At this time I was crying like mad…then the happy gas came. Not so happy after all..cos I’m still crying!!!… Soon my tears filled the gas mask. The nurse consoled and another one asked me to save my energy to push. But i don’t know why, at that time i just felt like crying. I remembered screaming ” WHERE’S MY EPIDURAL????? F**K!!!!!!” And they told me that there’s an emergency downstairs..someone was admitted into the ER and his stomach exploded because of accident and all. Both ,my gynea and aesthetician was there to help him. And i was like “Sh*****tttttttttttttttttttt what about me??????”

Then the aesthetician came and gave me my epidural…I remember she scolded me because i was still shaking like “ek ek ek ek ” u know the effect of crying for too long. She said ” You see you cried until like this…now u ek ek ek how am i gonna give you? Later i poke wrongly how???
So i shut up and she injected the epidural….the reaction was fast and soon..my lower body became numb. But not totally cos I can still feel a slight contraction on my right side of my tummy. However, my left leg was totally numb and I couldn’t lift it myself.

I remember asking the midwife nurse.. “nurse..how many cm?” I heard her replying.. “ermm 6cm…” as she was cheking..(yes,the whole hand can go into my vagina) “ooh, we can start the delivery now! You’re 10 cm dilated!”. Wow. At this time, everything was so chaotic but in everything seems so well coordinated and well planned.

They transformed my room into the delivery room..HL and I looked so confused at this time.. “huh? Deliver here? not in operation room meh??? And the nurse said ” this IS the delivery room”. So, nevermind…not that we can do anything about it So just follor whatever the lady said la…she’s the boss here right?

While concentrating on pushing… They don’t allow HL to hold my hands..his hands were replace by a metal steel next to the bed. At this point, being numb and scared.. I don’t know what is the feeling of “pushing”. I just bantai and apparently the midwife said its correct way. As I wanted to give up after every push, suprisingly my hubby was wearing this T-shirt that wrote “NEVER SURRENDER”. Wow..what an encouragement! At the same time…fearing that i might poo poo cos they never ask me to poo poo before inserting the pill.

While pushing half way, my left leg fell and i have to say “Ah?? my left leg fell…someone please pick it up for me!” It was a funny and painful experience at the same time. HL duty is to hold my leg in place..so it was a very near sight for him to see the baby coming out.

As I was running out of breath, finally Dr.Cat came. HL told me he can see my baby’s head and his hair….”AH BEE, i can see baby’s head! Alot of hair ah!!” Actually I can see from the reflection of the bed steel. As I was planning to give up, Dr.Cat finally did the episiotomy..”PAP” when she did the episiotomy…after dat she said…”Mei Wan…another push please” and i gave another push and the baby’s head slide out. I was passing out and my hubby shouted. “Baby’s head is out. Another push baby!” I have no choice..the baby head is half way out so I woke up and decided to pass out after that.(pengsan also gotto plan..) So another push and I can feel that the whole baby slid out. I was thinking.. good.. I can faint now.

Suddenly Dr.Cat threw baby jayden to my chest. So the plan to faint disappeared. I remember he didn’t cry when he came out. The doctor laughed and said “ you see, your son is staring at me!”

Everything seems so calm after that, they cleaned me and sent me to my room. They have this process where they have to read out loud and announce that I’ve given birth…scared the sh*t out of me.. the nurse actually said “ Miss Tan Mei Wan, You have given birth on 21st March 2006, at 5.48am to a baby..girl.” Half asleep, I jumped up.. and they laughed… “opss! A boy! Weighing 2.55kg”… Man ..what a wake up call..then for the next 24 hours I didn’t sleep. That’s how long I didn’t see my son. They have to place him in the oxygen chamber for observation. And for 12 hours I’m not allowed to get down from the bed. I asked for my son every half an hour…and then he came when HL went home to feed the dogs…My first moment alone with my baby..my Jayden boy.. i hugged and kissed him and breastfed him immediately although i don’t know how..but it was just magical!