Birth Story

Feeling a little lazy but I really ought to pen this down while I still remember the details. Hehe.

27 Jan 2016 - The Night Before

I honestly didn't have a particularly great night. +3 and I had a little squabble, which on hindsight was due to a combination of being tired (both of us), unpacked, and scared (me). 

It was quite the sobfest for me, but +3 managed to calm me down (inhale and breathe in positive thoughts and energy, exhale and breathe out negative thoughts and energy). Calmed down and went to sleep at about 2.30am-3am. 

28 Jan 2016 - Home

My surgery was scheduled for 2.30pm so the gynae said no food or drinks after 8am, and to be at the hospital for admission by 11am. 

Decided to wake up at 7am and make myself a bowl of oats. Figured the fibre would be helpful for future post-op bowel movements. Went through the hospital bag with +3 and napped for a little bit more after. 

+3 had his brekkie at 8ish - 9ish, and I took a nice long, hot shower. Not sure how closely I plan to follow these confinement rules about not bathing though. But maybe I'll stick to it for a couple of days or weeks. 

Tried calling a cab at about 10am but we weren't able to get one. Coincidentally ah-jo was heading to SK to pass stuff to my dad, and we all hadn't seen her in years so went down to say hi to her and also try to flag a cab from the roadside. She was so sweet, and offered to send us to the hospital, and it was nice cos we had the chance to catch up for a little while. 

28 Jan 2016 - Admission & Prepping

Arrived at TMC at about 11am, waited 20 min to get the paperwork done. The one-bedded rooms were not ready, so they temporarily upgraded us to the Thomson Suite- a fancy shmancy room with living room area and 2 bathrooms. 

The nurses prepped me for the surgery, which includes getting dry shaved down there and also have some medicene to help you poo pumped up the bunghole. Not a pleasant experience, but it did clear the bowels so I guess it did it's job. 

At about 1.45pm, I get wheeled to the OT floor. +3 can't come in with me till the baby is about to be delivered (I had expected that he could be there the entire time). Anaesthesia doctor did her thing- gave me an IV drip, injected a local numbing agent, wiped my back with super cold solution, and did a spinal to numb me from waist down. Experienced mostly pins and needles but no pain whatsoever. 

28 Jan 2016 - Surgery

Dr Adrian comes in at about 2pm (I reckon) and starts doing his thing. I didn't even realise the procedure had started and all I felt was random tuggin and pressure here and there. The anaesthesist was very kind and kept me updated on what was going on. 

Apparently after cutting me open, the nurse has to help literally push the baby out. Another nurse calls for +3, who is dressed up in those full body mesh suits and cap and covers for his shoes. The doc asks him to ready his camera and suddenly I hear the crying sounds of my now-delivered baby.

"Take more photos," says Dr Adrian, "Take take take some more." The doctor then clamps the cord, cuts it, and passes the baby to the nurse to have him cleaned up. 

Baby is crying but the sound of +3's voice calms him down immediately. After a quick check and cleaning, he is bundled up nice and tightly and placed on my chest. The anaesthesist helps to take our first family photo, while Dr Adrian continues working on stitching me up. 

The nurses then take baby to another room to do a more thorough check, and +3 follows them. I lie there waiting for everything to be done. Dr Adrian is efficient and quick and soon I'm whisked off to the recovery room. 

I'm briefed on what to expect post-op (shivering, nausea), but apparently my side effects weren't too bad. Back in the room, I started shivering but it wasn't too unmanageable. 

28 Jan 2016 - Baby! 

Mom comes by at about 3.30pm-4pm and hangs around while +3 shows her pictures that he has been taking. They bring the baby in and everyone just falls in love. Met with the paediatritian (can't spell) who was supportive of my decision to do a total breastfeeding, and told me that babies usually have reserves for a couple of days anyway so as long as they monitor his hydration levels I don't have to stress too much about whether my milk has come in, and just focus on getting baby to latch on properly. 

It's a learning journey but an exciting one. So far, baby's first fart is super stinky (the whole room wad smelly!), but he is generally not too excitable. He is alert when awake, and seems to stare at you rather than giving blank looks. He is a heavy sleeper as well, but I'm not sure if it is because this is the first day immediately after birth. 

I have a 60% success rate with latching him on, with 2 out the 3 feedings having a good latch (I think it's good anyways, will see the lactation consultant tomorrow morning). The success is probably due to the nurses helping me, the one unsuccessful time was when I went at it by myself. Heehee. 

Anyway, I think this post is long enough. Still haven't decided on a name for the baby, so that's on tomorrow's to-do list. Gonna try to get some rest now. 

Hello Baby

It's been 12 hours since my baby was delivered, and I'm smitten. Some stats to remember: 

Height 52cm 

Weight 2.895kg

Head circumference 34cm

Time of birth 14:20 

Date of birth 2016.01.28 :)

The Last Weekend

Wow it's hard to wrap my head around the idea that this is the last weekend I'll have, where I'll be able to sleep through the night. In a few days time (4 days!) I will have my baby. 

*lets that sink in* 

I'm excited, for sure, but also unsure about what to expect. Sleepless nights, everyone says. But it's not just that. Parenting is a HUGE responsibility, and I wonder if I'm up to it. I'm glad that I've got +3 as my partner though, and as a team I hope we will do alright. 

*breathes* 

This has been an extremely incredible journey so far. I'm glad we took the plunge and that I quit my job. While I miss my paycheck, I'm so glad that I've been able to rest when I needed to and not have unnecessary stress and work pressures. I'm pretty certain that allowed me to have the smooth pregnancy that I had. 

Looking back, my first trimester was exhausting. I was tired all the time and would need to stop a few times to rest and catch my breath while walking back home. However, other usual symptoms that accompany pregnancy were minimal. Had some bloating, which I managed by having small meals. Some constipation which was cleared with a couple of sips of coffee. Very, very mild morning sickness which happened only a handful of times. 

Most of the time, I just slept and rested. 

It was also around my first trimester that +3 lost his job, which meant both of us were not working. This turned out to be a blessing in disguise as we had to move out of our rented place, and temporarily back to my parents' while waiting for the keys to our own home. 

Having him with me really gave us time to bond and grow as a couple, and also much needed help when it came to physically challenging tasks like packing up. 

Eventually, he did manage to get a job and by the time my second trimester rolled by, I was physically feeling better (woohoo, hello energy!) and we had already settled in my parents' place. So we had peace of mind leaving for our planned Japan honeymoon+babymoon. 

The Japan holiday was another highlight of the pregnancy. I think we travel well together and enjoy the same kind of activities and have similar attitudes when it comes to travel (don't plan so much and just enjoy oneself). 

It's also during the second trimester that you really start to feel pregnant, with the belly getting bigger and you start to feel the first flutterings that are your baby's kicks and punches. 

And it's amazing to see how the baby grows from a ball of cells that barely appear on the first ultrasound to a fully formed baby that visibly twists and turns and causes your belly to undulate with each movement. 

Sure, a bigger belly comes with accompanying backache and breathlessness. But even so, a simple backrub and positioning yourself properly (with a million pillows) while sleeping helps so much. And I'm still so lucky, I've barely had much water retention and I have the luxury to sleep in if I've had a poor night's sleep. 

Having the baby a few weeks earlier than we thought kind of forced us to speed up our preparations for the baby. Within a week of deciding to deliver earlier, we actually managed to purchase all the necessary hardware (crib, changing table, rocking chair) and +3 had everything assembled within a few days. (I do love me a man who can handle his power tools.) 

And here we are now, the last weekend where we are able to sleep through the night and where it's just the two of us. In a few days, there will be a baby boy to love and fuss over, who will probably dominate our lives. And while I can't imagine how things will be like, I already know that we will love him so much and that we are blessed to have him in our lives.