Category: Our Kids

Just so i dont forget the wonderful experience we been through on the day of her birth, i figured i should pen this down before it all gets blurry.

7 March was the scheduled day of appointment for us to see Dr Siow. In this appointment, we would already been 39 Weeks 5 Days into the pregnancy and Dr Siow would check if the cervix is open and we will be doing the usual CTG to check for contractions.

By this time, Hubs and i have already been waiting for baby to make her appearance over the last week and truth be told, we were getting abit impatient. Hubs was excited and anxious to meet his princess, and i was getting heavy and tired from all the pregnancy weight and not knowing when the labour would start, i was getting restless and unable to sleep well anyway.

8.30am : Arrived at Dr Siow’s clinic

8.45am : Strapped up to CTG – monitored a few regular contractions which i didnt feel a thing, but it was showing on the scan.

9.00am : Dr Siow checked my cervix and declared that the “door is not opened”  and that baby is quite high up, perhaps because she is a biggish baby. He figured that maybe because of her size, she was not able to come down thru the birth canal. My blood pressure has been increasing over the last few gynae checks so he also suggested that we should try to get her out soon. Proposed to either induce labour or c sec on 9 March, Mon. At this point, Hubs and i were getting anxious. Although we had discussed this a few times, but it seems that the decision was hard to make when we had to. We discussed that if we were to go through induce labour, i would have to go through the pain of natural delivery and in the event that it does not work out, i would be going through emergency c sec which then hubs will not be able to be in the op theatre with me. But we also discussed to go through an elective c sec, hubs will be able to witness the birth of our baby BUT the recovery and pain of the operation will take longer, and moreover, our initial birth plan was to do natural delivery WITHOUT epidural. So this was all going way out of our plan!

We discussed with Dr Siow on the possibility of then doing the elective c sec earlier, since we were already getting impatient and no point waiting any further if we have decided on the c sec route.

Dr Siow suggested Monday, but we asked if possible to do on the next day (Sunday). And then i just asked if we could do it on Saturday itself. So this impromptu decision was made and honestly i felt a sense of relief that hey finally this is happening, we are going to see our babygirl soon. The clinic staff made arrangements with the operating theatre, anesthetist, pediatrician and unfortunately the op theatre at our chosen hosp – Mount Alvernia was fully booked till Tuesday!! As Dr Siow’s clinic is at Gleneagles, he suggested for us to be admitted to Gleneagles instead. (Way out of our plan and budget!!).

After all the arrangements were confirmed, we were told to admit to Gleneagles by 12pm. As it would be a elective C sec, i had to fast. No more food and drinks till after the operation. Elective C Sec was scheduled to be at 4.00pm.

OMG this is really happening. I was feeling rather excited but flustered. Honestly i have not stayed in the hospital before and i have not gone through any surgery in my entire life. i was very nervous because i have read up alot on natural birth and not much on c sec hence i was really thrown off my comfort zone.

10am : We drove home to drop off the car, and pack our stuff and grab the hospital bag.

11.00am : Took my last shower, packed the last bits, called a cab.

12.00pm : Cab arrived and we made our way to Gleneagles.

12.30pm : Admitted into Gleneagles, Bed 524. We requested for single bed ward as i was hoping hubs could bunk in with me (i secretly didnt want to be alone!). There wasnt any available single bed at the point of admission but they said probably after my operation, they would transfer me. My mom was with us and my in laws came shortly after. I was glad to have this family support as i was really quite nervous inside. Things were happening so fast that i didnt have the time to feel really scared, we were running on adrenalin at this point of time.

2.00pm : A Nurse came in to help change me to the hospital gown and get me prepared for the operation. Temperature taken, blood pressure monitored, Baby heartbeat was recorded.

I felt abit emotional at this point of time, this baby which i have been carrying inside me for the past 9 months was going to be delivered. What would she look like? How would she be? Will she have alot of hair? Will the delivery be smooth and good?

I felt her kicking inside me, and i know i was going to miss that.

3.00pm : The operating theatre staff came and transferred me to the bed to be wheeled to the operating theatre. They also wheeled a baby bed for Hubs to push alongside with me. I felt so emotional as they wheeled me away and i waved bye and see you later to my mom and in laws. I was sooooo scared but excited to see my baby girl. I AM GOING TO BE A MOTHER!!!

330pm : Waiting in the waiting area at the operating theatre, Hubs was given scrubs to wear, and i remember the nurses coming to verify my information many times. The anesthetist came and briefed me on the spinal jab which will numb my lower half of body so that the operation can take place.

3.45pm : Hubs was told to wait at the waiting room while they pushed me in to get ready for the operation. I was transferred to the operating table, the half screen set up, was then given the drip on the hand, blood pressure and ECG was put on to monitor my heart rate, and finally was given the spinal jab. It is different from epidural but it is also a jab which goes into the spinal to numb the lower half of the body. Dr Siow came in shortly and started pinching my belly asking if i could feel it. He also inserted the cathether to clear the urine. Soon i cant feel my toes and soon i cant feel his pinching. This feeling was rather scary actually, not being able to feel my body parts.

4.00pm : The operation started and Hubs came in to sit beside me. I was so relived to see him. Before this i was all alone in the cold cold room, not being able to feel my legs and having many people attending to me and treating me like a piece of meat. I asked if the operation has started and in fact Dr Siow has already made the cut in my belly. I couldnt feel it! Amazing. There was alot of gushing of water and suction sound. The next thing i knew, Dr Siow said there was going to be abit of tugging and err actually it was a hell load of tugging, i felt like i was being pulled apart just that i had no feeling.

4.10pm : The Anesthetist, at Dr Siow’s instruction, walked behind my head and started to push my belly from my chest down. It was a hard push and i felt a gush and a sense of relief and the next thing i heard my baby cry. My tears flowed down and i was trying hard to control because Dr Siow was cleaning up and sewing me up. Hubs gave me a kiss and went over to see babygirl getting cleaned up. The nurse then wrapped baby up and brought over to me. She looked so beautiful i couldnt believe she is mine and that she came out of my belly. She was a whooping 3.71kg! Hubs then left with the baby and nurse to get her measured and cleaned up while Dr Siow started sewing me back up. At this point, i was starting to get drowsy and sleepy. I think the multiple medicine was making me woozy.

5.00pm : I think the sewing completed at this time, i was already so drowsy that i couldnt keep my eyes open. I was pushed to the recovery area to monitor for an hour, and i dont remember anything except thinking where my baby was and how is she.

6.00pm : The nurses wheeled me back to my ward and hubs was actually waiting for me outside the operating theatre but i was so woozy that i didnt even realise that he was there. Once we returned the ward (lucky there was a one bed ward available!), hubs went to get baby from the nursery. I still couldnt feel my legs and it was really uncomfortable. The moment i saw my baby, i felt like crying again. How did we manage to create such a amazing human being. Just that morning, we went for our gynae check, and now she is in our arms.

The next few hours that followed was trying to get my legs back, that took about 6 hrs, and then because of the drip and cathether, i was not mobile at all and i couldnt cuddle my baby. The wound was also started to hurt and i had to take quite abit of medication. I was told to try to stand up the next day to walk.

Day 2 : They came to remove the cathether and i was supposed to try to walk and try to let the first pee out.

Day 3 : They removed the drip.

Day 4 : Discharged!

It was overall a very overwhelming experience that im glad all of us came out of it safe, healthy and happy.

I will write again on how i feel about being a mother now in the next post!

 

So i thought that it would be the Birth Story post after my last post which was at Week 34. Looks like babygirl is too comfy in there!

Our visits to Dr Siow is now weekly. And i was still worried that she would make her star appearance during CNY. Dr Siow told us he would be away and if anything, his partner would take over. I was not planning on that, i mean Dr Siow has been the primary gynae all this while, i do hope he is also the one to deliver our baby (especially after paying so much!) haha.

The GBS swab test which involved swabbing a sample in the vagina to test for Strep B came back negative, yay. It means i do not need antibiotics during natural delivery. We also started on the CTG scans on our weekly visits to monitor the baby heartbeat and contractions. So far nothing special, she is still comfy in there, heartbeats good.. no contractions… Also started to discuss on birthing plans. After reading up on epidural and speaking with a few friends, i almost decided on going for natural without epidural (not so much about saving the $500, but its more of the side effects of epidural). I think my pain threshold is quite ok, so if i hang in there, i should be able to tahan, but i wouldnt know until of course i experience it. Dr Siow also said that for first time moms, its better to take because we cant anticipate the pain and no point tolerating it and end up having no energy to push or even worst end up hyperventilating.

But……………….. alas……………….. our dear baby girl decided to keep growing and not making her grand appearance. of course this means that her weight is going up…. and this means that the chance for natural birth is going down. The last measured weight was 3.5kg last Saturday. Yes this measurement is only an estimate and that it could be 10% to 20% off. I also know of people who are small sized and can deliver a 3.8kg baby naturally. But Dr Siow said we have to see the progress of the labour, if my pelvic is not large enough, baby may not come through the birth canal and we have to go with a c sec. of course whatever it takes to have both mom and baby safe and sound. We shall see…

So far the belly has been growing, the belly button has popped out, the stretchmarks are crazy shit, its harder and harder to sleep, i tend to get anxious and pee trips have increased, getting out of bed is tiring. Even my clothes are so limited now. I hardly go out of the house for fear of waterbag bursting. And yes i feel like a heater, even with the aircon and a fan blowing at me, i feel like its SO BLOODY HOT! i need snow! i need ice! i need cold cold cold cold wind! yes i sound like OLAF. haha.

Daddy Toh and i are very excited and everyday we are just hoping ” this is it!”  but so far, there is no bloody show (pun intended)! i intended for anytime from March, but i didnt know she will really take her time. We have prepared most of the things, set up her cot, set up the stroller, diaper bag and car seat.. all we need is the baby!

Hopefully my next entry will be her birth story.

Baby girl, dont take too long! Papa and Mama cant wait to hold you in our arms.

Week 34.

Its 3 weeks to full term at 37 weeks! Omg I am really getting the jitters. How will baby look like? How will her personality be? Will she look like mummy or daddy? Dr siow has predicted that she will be about 2.8-3kg at birth, and although I was hoping for a 3.2-3.5kg but that’s okay, as long as she comes out healthy and I have a smooth delivery.

No one will ever understand how im feeling and what im going through now. The aches and pain, the pushing pressure on the pelvic area, the sleepless nights, the anxiety, and most of all, the one that is getting on my nerves the most, incontinence!!! I feel like I cant control my pee and poop. Sometimes the pelvic pressure is so strong I feel like im going to pee on my pants. And when I do run to the toilet, it is just a dribble. Sigh!

But I know I will miss the kicks and pushes I get in my tummy now, the only special feeling that only I can experience and the only bond I have with my baby. No one comes close to having this 40 weeks of personal bonding time. Hee. Okay, daddy sometimes get the kicks and punches, but it feels so special for me to be able to feel and protect the baby 24/7.

As we prepare to welcome her arrival, we have started to wash her clothes (we realised we got too much clothes!!!), and her towels and swaddles and bed sheets. We also packed our hospital bags in case of any emergency. I just need to throw in my toiletries and clothes. Over the next few weeks we will also install the car seat and check out if our stroller can fit into our hatch back boot.

Im starting to feel heavy and clumsy that I had a small fall last Friday. I was sort of rushing to the toilet and I didn’t see a little kerb. So it seem that it all happened slow motion style, I remember that I was trying to protect my belly and from falling flat so the impact from the fall was on my left knee and left palm. And then the next thing I knew, hubs ran over but by the time he ran over I was standing already and I just said I needed to go pee. And then in the washroom, there was a throbbing pain on my knee. Oh yes and I remember when I fell, I heard a lot of people muttering “she fell she fell”, sorry to say but no one came to help me up. ;( I googled abit about falling down in the 3^rd tri and it seems that it should be ok as long as no direct impact on the belly. But my mom and in laws were concerned so hubs and I emailed Dr Siow just to inform him and to ask if there is anything to look out for. But so far, I guess it was just like a roller coaster to baby, she is well protected by the amniotic fluid and shouldn’t have any impact. Phew. First and hopefully last scare in this pregnancy.

I realised that as the pregnancy progresses, the more anxious I get about baby’s safety. Not so much about what I been through but its more of the love that been growing for this baby. I want to see her and I want to hold her, I want her to be healthy and safe. That’s why I guess they say a mother’s love is always the strongest.

Am starting to keep my colleagues in the loop for my work matters, just 3 more weeks to full term and anything can happen from there. Although baby may choose to stay in until 40 weeks since its so comfy in there, but lets see. Perhaps the next time I update will be her birth story. Heh.

Till then, time to relax and get more sleep!

Today, we hit the big 3! Has 30 weeks just past like that?

I was telling the husband the other day that I really loved trimester 2 and that it seemed the fastest. But truth is, tri 1 and tri 3 is the fastest. Because by the time you find out you are pregnant, it would likely be half way thru tri 1. And then in tri 3, depending on when you deliver, tri 3 may not be the full trimester anyway.

The last visit to Dr Siow was also good. I passed the GTT (Glucose Tolerance Test), they smsed to say my results are normal. So next up is the GBS swab test at Week 35, this is just to make sure there is no bacteria, this is to prepare for natural delivery where baby will pass through the birth canal and out. If there is bacteria detected around the private regions, then have to administer antibiotics prior to the delivery. So praying that I don’t have such complications.

It has been quite good that my pregnancy has been uneventful in a good way. Im just praying for it to continue being a smooth and safe for me and baby.

We are almost prepared with the essentials. Now all we need is to get ready our documents, prepare the hospital bag and to wash baby clothes and items. Waiting for our helper to join us on 1 Jan and we can go full steam into washing and sterilising. My colleague ask what happens if my water bag burst at work? Told me to prepare a towel in office and in the car. Im freaking out. What if it really happens? Can I still drive to the hospital? Or will I be in too much pain? Should I ask hubs to come to fetch me there? Or should I dump my car and take a cab? Will I be able to have a proper shower before I deliver? Argh!

These days it has also been quite tiring for me physically, walking around or even sitting too long causes a lot of pain everywhere. The back especially. Some days my legs hurt and feel swollen. And the skin on my belly feels like its stretched to the max and is going to tear apart. Some days I ask hubs if the baby is going to come out from my belly button because it is so sore and painful. I know the belly will be stretching more in the next few weeks and im just going to relish in the last 10 weeks of baby in me and cherish these moments (and pain) before I get to see my baby princess.

I cant wait to see her, honestly I am a mix of feelings. Excited and nervous. Excited over seeing this human being that I been growing and protecting and how she would look like. But nervous over the whole delivery process and if it would be smooth. Pain is one thing, I just hope both of us will be safe.

10 more weeks, baby girl. See you soon!