T minus 10

Today is the 16th of April 2010. The day that I was supposed to be due to deliver. Instead, I gave birth 10 days ago on the 6th of April at 2.50am, to a happy and healthy boy of 2.96 kilograms. It was intense and still oh-so-fresh in my mind. Before I forget (if it is even possible), I shall record here every single detail with as much accuracy as possible. Warning: TMI ahead!

5th April 2010, Monday

3.45am:
I got up to pee groggily, as usual. Making it a habit to check the paper after every wipe, I was shocked to see a little light blood. I quickly stood up to check the toilet bowl and saw more light blood and a brownish clump. I whispered "Oh my god!" to myself and hurriedly walked to The Husband and told him that I might be in labour soon. Not knowing what to do, he suggested that we wait it out and go straight to Dr Chua's clinic first thing when they open. As he continued to snore, I laid awake, anticipating contractions. I started to feel slight cramps, much like those of menstruation. I made a call to the clinic, just so I can listen to their recording that informs of their opening hours - 8.30am. Long time from now, I thought. I couldn't sleep, even though I kept telling myself to. I was nervous and frantically monitoring the contractions. The cramps were irregular, sometimes 20 to 25 minutes apart, sometimes 15.

7.00am:
I jumped out of bed to shower and packed whatever that was not packed into my hospital bag (to be specific, it's my Minnie Mouse trolley bag, which I think is really meant for kids).

8.40am:
I called the clinic just to inform them of my arrival. Shirley, the nurse, told me to go in at 1.30pm because Dr Chua would only be in then. Besides, my contractions were irregular and totally manageable. I felt disappointed, for some reason, that she didn't share my excitement and nervousness. I laid in bed momentarily feeling lost. I called my sister and she advised that I go straight to the hospital to get admitted.

9.00am:
I sent a text msg to my mum. She also agrees that I go straight to the hospital but not before taking a bottle of chicken essence. I suggested to The Husband that we have breakfast at Starbucks (Paragon) before going to the hospital.

9.50am
My sister picked us up and we drove to Paragon.

10.15am
I had a cranberry walnut toast and spearmint tea. The Husband had a sandwich and green tea latte. My sister had a spinach egg fritata and a double short soy latte. We chatted and enjoyed breakfast like I wasn't in labour!

10.45am
The Husband and I make our way to the hospital. Not knowing where to go, we walked straight into the Delivery Suite.

11.00am
We were settled down in Delivery Suite 5. I changed into a pink hospital gown and got acquainted with the nurse and midwife on duty. I had to give a sample of my pee and was strapped onto the machine to monitor the baby's heartbeat and my contractions. Midwife/Nurse No. 1 came in shortly after to explain certain procedures and also checked how far dilated I was. Only a centimetre. She wasn't very good at checking. Ouch!

TV channels in the suite rocked! There was Star World, Discovery Channel and HBO. I was watching Glee!

11.55am
I called Kim who was in holidaying in Japan.

12.25pm
I am admitted. No promises for a single room yet.

12.45pm
I call Karen whose first words were, "Oh My God!". Lunch was served in the delivery suite.

1.05pm
Pain is still manageable, almost negligible. We walk around to aid in the progress of my dilation.

1.45pm
Dr Selina Chua pops in to check on me. I am only 1-2cm so far. She gave me a choice to wait it out or break my water bag. I chose to wait because I didn't want to be in pain suddenly. She will check in at 6.00pm. We were told that we could be moved up to the ward to wait it out.

2.40pm
We adjourn to Ward 4B Room 4437 (single room) to rest. The Husband takes a nap while I watch more tv.

3.30pm
Tea is served. The chicken sandwich I ordered turned out to be tuna sandwich instead. I only pinched the corners of the bread.

4.30pm
Pain is not getting anymore intense. We walk around somemore.

5.30pm
The nurse gave me an enema. Awful!

6.00pm
We make our way back to the delivery suite. We meet Midwife/Nurse No. 2.

6.30pm
Dr Chua checks that I am merely 3 cm dilated. She suggested breaking my water bag but I was worried of the sudden onset of pain. If I wanted to wait it out further, I could become very tired. She chided me saying that I will be in labour anyway. :(
I plucked up my courage and got my bag burst. I had no idea it contained so much amniotic fluid!

7.30pm
We return to the ward. My mum, sis (+2 kids) and auntie were there.

8.15pm
The pain got more intense. 5 minutes apart and were like extreme menstrual cramps. At one point when Aeryn was talking to me, I could not reply her properly.

8.45pm
We return to the delivery suite. We meet Midwife/Nurse No. 3 and 4. Dr Chua orders for me to be induced to really speed things up. The nurse applied the needle and hooked me up to a glucose and oxytocin drip. No more food, only water. The oxytoxin would be administered after every cm that I dilated, about half an hour apart.

9.00pm
Pain escalated relatively quickly. I had to grip on the bed handle to manage the pain. Breathing slowly helped.

10.00pm
Very quickly, the pain climbed to beyond bearable. I was trying not to cry and asking The Husband "to make it stop". Haha. I needed epidural NOW. The nurse called for Dr Jung, the anaesthetician, who would take about 20 minutes to arrive.

10.20pm
Yes! Dr Jung arrived! Boy was I relieved to see him! Little did I know what I was getting into. The application of the epidural was the most awful experience EVER. The lower half of my body felt alien; it was a mixture of weakness, numbness and pain. I was fighting with a contraction and the horrible sensation of the epidural. I attempted to verbalise the pain I felt but the doc couldn't hear me because my face was burrowed in the pillow. What a baby I was. The nurse inserts a urinary catheter as I could not walk or pee with the anaesthetic.

10.30pm
Aah. Relief.

11.00pm
The nurse asked me to get some sleep to help the cervix relax. I am completely wasted by this point as I was awake since 3.45am on Monday morning.

6th April 2010, Tuesday

12.00am
I felt extreme rectal and vaginal pressure with each contraction. It was pretty bad. I inform the nurses and they maxed out the dosage for the epidural.

12.40am
I was now already 9 cm dilated and the nurse said I can start pushing at 1.00am.

1.15am
Nurses prepped me for delivery. My leg were completely numbed by now and could not even maintain its position of the leg rest. I attempted to push but was inconsistent with the way I pushed. The baby's head kept coming out and going back in. I tried not to fall asleep from sheer exhaustion.

1.45am
The baby's head can be felt by the nurses. I started to show blood in my urine. The nurses call for Dr Chua. I continue to watch Glee.

2.15am
Dr Chua arrives (wearing a NUS polo tee, berms and some kind of uncool footwear. She's a MAN.)! She put on her scrubs and asked me to push. As there was blood in my urine, Dr Chua informs that she would need to use a vacuum to assist in the delivery of the baby. The vacuum looked like a tiny plunger, attached to a pressure machine, and was inserted into you-know-where. There was a lot of squishy sounds.

2.50am
Baby Luke (yes, we changed our minds) arrives! The Husband cut the umbilical cord and Luke was taken by the nurses to clean up. Dr Chua collected the cord blood. My placenta was delivered soon after ( I saw the doc pulling it out by the umbillical cord) and it looked like liver. Yuck.

3.20am
Dr Chua stitched me up. I didn't even know I had an episiotomy. Luke got weighed, tagged and dressed simultaneously. His right foot print was taken. The Husband went trigger happy.

3.30am
Dr Chua leaves. I got more glucose drip to flush out the blood in my urine. I breastfed Luke for the first time.

4.00am
The Husband went trigger happy again. We wait further for the blood to flush out. The nurses were frantically cleaning up the delivery suite at this point and I make small talk.

5.00am
We leave for the ward, which was changed to a double room but we got the whole thing. Ward 4A Room 4417/18.

5.30am
The urinary catheter was removed without discomfort. Lucky me! I feel pain from my uterus contracting. I was slightly nauseated from the journey from the delivery suite.

7.00am
I finally got some sleep.

So there it is. Probably the most memorable day in my life. Well, other than our wedding day. Even though the pain was excrutiating, it all went by just like that. I must be crazy to keep wanting to relive those moments again and again in my mind. Would I do it again? Honestly, I don't... know yet.

Got change?

I am now 36 weeks (officially full term at the end of 37 weeks) and the baby's head is in a downward position. The doctor said that at this point in time, the baby usually will not move back up so there is no risk of him in breech position. However, it looks like it will be unlikely that I will be popping in the next 2 weeks. Great! More time for me to gain more weight! It really isn't funny anymore. I am now at the heaviest I have ever been. I keep telling myself to cut down on the snacks like chocolates and sweet drinks but I end up thinking about them more. Of course I have people like my sister who says that I should just eat whatever I want now, and my mum who thinks I don't eat enough and also The Husband who believes that I don't look like I have all that extra weight at all. I just think he is being really nice. I feel swollen everywhere; my face, my hands and feet. My arms are humongous and I have never had so much cellulite on my thighs. I look at old photos and think, "Really? I looked like that before? I... I had collar bones?" I do miss them.

My body has gone through so much change, some good some bad, and sometimes I forget how it was like before. I guess the worst change would be the weight gain because the others creep in quietly and it's not immediately noticeable until I spot it. Then I'd go, "Hey! where did that come from!" An example would be the pigmentation of my skin. My boobs are kind of splotchy all around (like a really bad uneven tan) and the areolas are really really dark now (Sorry! Too much information). No way the baby will miss it! I also have tiny little mole-like spots sprinkled around my tummy and neck. They don't bother me much actually, just interesting to notice them over time. Even my face seemed a little more freckled than before. Did I mention that my underarms have gone darker too? That's hot. My mum and sister assures me that all this should go away after giving birth.

I am lucky to not have any new stretch marks because I have been very zealous with the application of oils and body creams. I guess it helps that I was not skinny and skin-tight to begin with. Plus my dry skin has forced me for years now, to go through tubs and tubs of creams so the stress of the skin stretching is reduced. Oh and I love my hair now! I began losing lesser and lesser hair as I progressed in my pregnancy. I was losing only 2-3 strands of hair in my second trimester and now, none! My hair now feels luscious with each thickened strand. It even grows faster and my scalp is less greasy than before. So I am most not looking forward to the post-natal hair loss. Definitely does not help that I have to adhere to the old wives' confinement rules of infrequent washing. For best results, don't wash at all!

P.S. See you soon!

Last week I suggested to my mother and sister that we lunch at P.S Cafe (formerly known as Project Shop Cafe) before embarking on some baby shopping. Although they have changed their name to the same as the one at Dempsey and Palais Renaissance, I was pleased to find out that the menu remained the more casual one. Although we don't go very often, The Husband and I always have a good time trying their interesting specials. But this time, we ordered from the menu the familiar Laksa Pesto Pasta and tried the P.S Burger Club. I was smittened. It could probably be the best burger (aside from the Wild Rocket Burger at Relish) I have ever tasted! It was served on a kind of turkish flat bread sliced and presented with a large wooden skewer poked through. It was really tasty and it came with a side of the most yummy mayonnaise dip that had a citrus note (I believe its kaffir lime) to it. The fact that a flat bread was used made it great to handle with hands which, isn't that what a burger is all about?


Not being able to forget the taste, I asked The Husband to take me there again on Saturday and we both ordered the burger and House Salad to share. I was doubly smittened this time! The salad was a delicious combination of roasted mushrooms, baby spinach and tomatoes tossed in a balsamic dressing with fresh dill and basil (score!), topped with sweet golden raisins. My taste buds were joyfully tickled by the sweetness of the raisins and the tangy balsamic vinegar.


Oh now I cannot wait to go back for more! Perhaps I will cajole my mother and sister into lunching there again this Thursday before my check up. Who cares about the scales now!

Packed, man.

As I guessed, I have gained another jaw-dropping 4.8 kilograms, of which only the ".8" of it went to the baby! Should've put down that jar of tarts and "bak kwa" before it was too late. So far I have gained a total of 16 kilograms and I hope it doesn't go up anymore! We shall see at my next appointment in a couple of weeks' time.

Time really flies and I am 2 weeks to being full term (i.e 36 weeks) after which I will technically be ready to go anytime from then. We have done my pre-admission to the hospital and I've packed my hospital bag as well. It was then that it really, really sunk in. Well, not that waking up with a huge belly everyday didn't drive the message home enough. But I've been taking it really easy, not feeling the rush to purchasing any baby related items yet (doing so next Tuesday!) So when I do something that is in preparation for the arrival of the baby, I get pushed hard (pun intended) back to reality and I go "Whoa! This is it. This is really happening". I'm excited to be a mother but I am completely freaking out about labour. I really don't know what to expect even after hearing many stories and watching many videos or programs. It makes me wince just by thinking about it. I couldn't even take a really bad leg cramp I had recently!

Actually, I feel like I can give birth anytime now. I have been feeling very heavy lately. My belly is huge and putting quite a bit of strain on my back when I walk or stand too much. Its worse after I eat a big meal. Its horrible because I feel so unfit and unhealthy. I feel clumsy and restricted. I experience great difficulty bending down to pick up things; I have to do so slowly with my legs and knees opened in the most unglamorous manner while reaching out for the item so far away on the ground. Its tough even drying my legs after a shower! I get really breathless climbing up a flight of steps (this is at the speed of a snail). I cannot move around in bed freely, worried that I might pull something or overstrain my belly. I now also hate chairs or seats that have straight (like 90 degrees) backrests and are not couches. It kills my back when I sit on them for too long, which is about the length of a meal time.

Ok I better stop! I sound like a terrible frumpy pregnant woman now.

The Last Lap

Since my last entry, I am now fully in my third trimester. Yes, the last lap. It feels almost too long now. We have 9 more weeks to go (assuming I give birth at textbook 40 weeks) and I just cannot wait to hold our baby in my arms. I also cannot wait to get some good sleep, if that is even possible with the baby around. The frequent pee trips in the middle of the night is just not fun especially when I take a while to fall back to sleep. I end up waking up late in the day and feeling generally like an "unfun" person.

But having said that, I would give up all sleep to feel the kicks and turns in my belly. I think most expectant mothers will agree that it really nice when the baby kicks. Sometimes I laugh because the way he kicks makes my belly wobble in a way like he is doing the "running man" or the "kway teow" (a dance move coined by my friends, that involves body waves usually done by "ah lians"). And sometimes I squirm because he kicks my sides which is a strange sensation, almost like tickling me from the insides. I guess he is putting his big feet into good use!

The last check up showed that the baby is 1.5 kilograms and I am curious to know how much he has grown since. I am pretty sure I have grown too, much thanks to the festive Chinese New Year coming up and all those pineapple tarts lying around. Talking about it just makes me want to grab some right now!

The Skinny on This

The Husband and I finally tried Skinny Pizza at their newly opened branch about a month ago. We had gone to Wheelock Place a few times in hope to try it but was always disappointed to see the hoarding still up. We are definitely impressed by the quality of the ingredients used and although the crust was really thin and crispy, it was surprisingly filling! My favourite part about the pizzas was that they are all generously topped with rocket leaves! I ordered a mushroom one that was smeared with a truffle paste, which of course contributed to the feeling of satiation. The Husband had a very, very tasty seafood one with a squid ink crust. I will definitely order that the next time we go.

Kick Me

I have been getting kicked a lot these days, and sometimes pretty hard might I add. It isn't painful at all, as most people are curious to know. I am not really sure how I would describe it, but I guess it can be said that each kick feels like a giant gas bubble popping inside your tummy. I suppose you can equate it to the feeling of jabbing the inside of your mouth quickly and hardly with your tongue. The best part is that the kicks can be seen from the outside of my belly and I have managed to capture them on my camera a couple of times. I feel the movements sometimes in the day, after I eat or when I'm swimming. The most is felt at night when I am lying in bed watching television. It is really fun to watch my belly go up and down when it happens!

Recently I have also been experiencing quite a bit of "false contractions" called Braxton Hicks. It's the body's way of practicing and preparing for labour, minus the pain. It's a really weird sensation because sometimes I can feel my uterus shrinking and my abdomen will harden into a lump. I have read in books and websites that it is common to experience Braxton Hicks after 20 weeks but I'm really not sure how much is normal. I wish I had a ob/gyn friend that I can just call and ask these questions. It is really hard to request to speak to the doctor direct and I usually have to wait till the next visit which is at least 4 weeks away. So what I do is I note down all the questions, however silly they may be, and patiently wait for the appointment day. For now I just consult my sister and the books I have by the bed!