My Unexpected Home Birth (20 January 2009)

9 January 2009

435am - I woke up. It must be something bad with the food that I've ate the night before. (i had a nonya rice dumpling before DH packed food home from my in laws' place) My tummy felt really uncomfortable and I experienced cramp-liked surges. I cant make out if I am just in for a tummy ache or if these are Braxton Hicks.

500am - Took the first shit.

505am - I made myself a cup of hot cereal drink (as i'm already hungry). I continue to feel the very irregular surges. I thought I'd better pack ready the baby clothes which I've washed and dried last night. As I was getting the clothes out from the dryer, I could not help but had to make a run to the "great white throne" again.

515am - Took another shit. This is getting interesting..

530am - Tried to wake DH up

535am - Took a 3rd shit.

545am - DH finally got up and I got him to time my surges. It was every 3mins apart with each surge lasting 1 min. We were still doubting if these are the regular surges that should get us heading for the hospital as there were absolutely no other signs. The baby was not even engaged when I went for my last gynae check on the 6th!

600am - Still doubting, I suggested to DH that we should give a call to my in laws so that they can come over and be with Rachel if we really had to go to the hospital.

Between 600am to 630am - The surges were practically unbearable. I remembered the breathing techniques that I've learned during my Hypnobirthing class and used them to cope with the intense surges. I could only speak in between surges. During this time, DH got the hospital bag ready, passed me a pillow so that I can place it anywhere just to make myself comfortable, and become more sober.
DH probably got hold of the phone around 6plus am to call my in laws. Each time the surge kicks in , I will be on my knees and lending support from the sofa.
At the point, I remembered Jesus. I prayed to Him for the strength and endurance to last me through this labor. And most of all, I prayed for His protection to ensure a safe and smooth delivery. I sang to Him in the midst of my labor pain that I will experience a supernatural pain-free birth. I felt assured that I can place my trust in Him for this birth.

Between 630am to 700am - I felt that I needed to take another shit. So I went to the toilet again. That was when I discovered that my mucus plug has dislodged. I decided to take a shower to get ready for the hospital. While washing up, the surges came. It was so intense that I had to be on my fours in order not to fall. The wet floor didnt help and I kept slipping on my knees. I quickly got DH to place a towel on the floor and to support me with all his might.

Between 700am to 735am - I was already pushing. My in laws were not here yet. I told DH that we might not make it to the hospital. I think I was screaming at this point when I felt the surge. DH was trying to make calls to Dr Lai and to my father in law to arrange for the necessary logistics and at the same time, to be my support and endure my screams.

735am to 739am - My in laws finally arrived. I let out the final scream and told my hubby the baby's head is coming out. "Catch the baby, catch the baby!" I said.

740am - Baby Ariel was born.

Everything happened so quickly that DH had no time to react. I think the baby must have slided out. DH picked the baby up from the floor and we noticed that his umbilical cord had snapped. I quickly instructed DH to get the IKEA clamps so that we can clamp his cord.

My mother in law was probably in the state of shock. It was too much for anyone to take in. She probably arrived when I let out the last scream and the next thing she knew, the baby was born. We decided to call for the ambulance. My MIL did the calling but we were told that we had to wait for 30mins before the private ambulance can arrive. In the end, DH decided that we should drive down to Mt Alvernia on our own.

Between 741am to 815am - With the placenta still inside my uterus, I wrapped Ariel up in a thick towel and made our way to the car. I had to walk really slowly as my wound was still fresh. I must have lost quite an amount of blood in the process. Before we left, I saw that my shower area was quite a bloody mess. DH drove like a "mad man". He cut the road shoulders and entered bus lanes, breaking the traffic rules (quite happily) liberally. That 20mins drive was one of the longest in my life. I kept a close watch over Ariel, making sure that he was breathing. He was quite pale and silent the whole time. Quietly in my heart, I prayed to the Lord to keep him alive.

815am to 820am - We arrived at Mt A. I was wheel-chaired to the delivery suite and the nurses took over. Ariel weighed in at 2.835kg, 49cm long. Not too bad for a 36wk old premie.

My placenta was delivered by the nurse as Dr Lai was still attending to a c-sect. He eventually arrived and stitched me up.

What an eventful morning!
Praise the Lord for this miraculous birth!

Emmanuel.

my little lamb (5 December 2006)

GIVE THANKS!

so much has happened in the past one week that i dun even know where to start...
it has been a roller coaster ride for both my dh and me.
i didnt know that labor can actually take so long.. and i least expectedly it to happen to me.
26nov midnite onwards - i was having frequent surges and they are about 5minutes apart. we thought that this would be IT. so we decided to take a shower, pack the hospital bag and head down to MAH. we called our doula to inform her and to meet her in the hospital.
330am - arrived at MAH. was put on 20mins CTG monitoring. a VE was done and i was told that I am only 1.5cm dilated. This piece of info could not have been worse.. bcos earlier the day (sat) i was told by my gynae that i'm already 3cm dilated. anyhow, i waited till about 8am for another VE chk as well as to wait for my gynae's arrival.
830am - My gynae arrived and i told him i wanted to be discharged. He was agreeable as he felt that my labor was still early.
930am - Checked out and we headed for breakfast. We ate the infamous Kway Chap from the sembawang food centre along thomson road.
1030am - Reached home and I decided to catch some rest in between the surges.
Whole of 26nov - surges still regular but not progressive.

27 nov - it's my dh's birthday!! We were still wondering when baby wanna come out! Could it be TODAY? would she wanna present herself as a bday present for her daddy?
230pm - i decided to call Ginny (my doula) as i feel like giving up (the long wait for natural delivery..)
4pm - she arrived at my place and she asked if i would like to head down to dr lai's clinic for a checkup. She suspected that baby's in a posterior position (as i told her that i could feel her kicks on both left and right sides of my tummy). But I think this was highly unlikely cos my scan on sat still showed that bb's in a LOA (left anterior) position.
515pm - Arrived at Camden and true enough, Ginny's guess was right. My baby has changed position at the very last minute. A VE check showed I'm 3cm dilated and gynae commented that my cervix is very "stretchy". So that means it can be anytime now!
Ginny agreed to come by after dinner and try alternative means to help switch baby into an anterior position. (baby's head can come out easier if baby's in an anterior position. Posterior positioned babies usually require assisted delivery)
830pm - Ginny arrived and we started on the various methods such as massage, acupressure, lean on all fours.. All these while I was having intense surges. I told Ginny that I'll take 2hr timeline as a gauge to see if I can still cope with the surges. If I cannot, we will then discuss next steps at that point.
10pm - I felt better after Ginny's acupressure and massage of my feet so I decided to wait.
12midnite - I think I can still cope by focusing on the deep and slow breathing techniques learnt in the Hypnobirthing Classes. I also took a warm shower. It really helped!
28nov 230am - I decided that I had enough! I am gonna admit myself and augment the labor. Cos I'm just totally exhausted.
3am - Arrived at MAH (dejavu)
330am - Dr Lai came to rupture the membranes. Waters' clear so that a good sign. No fetal distress. Shortly after, the surges became tremendously intense that i was groaning and moaning.. Another VE was done.. I'm only 5cm dilated! I held on to dh's hands in search for some comfort.
4am - I gave in to epidural. The wait for the anaesthetist seemed forever..I was in so much PAIN!!
430am - Epidural was administered. And I could immediately feel relief from the surges despite them coming on strong. I am now able to empathise with the many women who gave in to epidural during labor despite the cons of this analgesia.
8am - Another VE chk done. 6cm dilated. Gynae commented that this is too slow and he suggested to put me on synthetic oxytocin drip. I thought "what the heck" since I'm already on epidural. I agreed!
12nn - Still not much progress. I asked dh to go grab a bite before the action begins. I was still able to pose for some shots in the delivery suite.
2pm - I requested for the epidural dosage to be reduced as I wanted to be able to feel the sensation to push. Ginny came back after lunch and continued to give me support.
3pm - Felt the urge to bear down. Also felt something down under like a rocket size "bowel" that was about to be launched but kanna stuck!! A VE was done and I'm like 9cm dilated. Almost there.
330pm to 428pm - somewhere along this time zone.. I was experiencing the fullness of the intensity. I told Ginny that I wanted to be off the bed as i think gravity will add me in the delivery. The nurses were all panicky and said "no" as I was on epidural. They only relented when Dr Lai gave the go-ahead. But the transition to a birthing stool required some help as I was still on drip and all of them (ginny, my dh, nurses) had to chip in to move me. I alternated between sitting on a birthing stool and squatting to bear down. I really gave it all my might. And it does help that I'm off the bed. Cos Ginny could make out the head of the baby and she and my dh encouraged me as I bear down. They even "breathed out" with me. What a great birth team!! Dr Lai arrived just in the nick of time. 429pm - Within two pushes, the baby is out!! And my goodness, I was so so so so relieved.. My dh caught the baby and he's all smiles!
430pm onwards - time is of no essence... we just simply enjoyed this new bundle of joy. I breastfed Rachel right away while she's still covered with blood and vernix. Her head was cone shaped due to the long wait in the birth path.. But that will go off.. I can pen down how it felt.. We both just savored this moment of sweetness as we watched this tiny little being in our arms. After we're satisfied with cradling Rachel, we handed her over the nurses for all the checks and Apgar score test. Gynae took a while to stitch me up as i had 2nd degree tears.. but he reassured that they'll heal in a week's time.. natural tears are easy to heal. :)
7pm - i was finally cleaned up and sent to the post natal ward. Dinner is served and I'm just overjoyed! DH went home to pick our parents.
That's my birth story...

Praise the Lord for He is good! (21 November 2006)

i was almost getting impatient from the waiting and frequent questioning from friends and families about when my baby's arriving...
it got to a point where i'm thinking if i should ask for induction.. could this be a better way out? so that i could appease everyone.
then it daunted upon me "who am i serving?" Man or Christ?

i recalled reading Ecclesiastes about Everything Has Its Time. I picked up the Holy Bible and read it once again.
To my amazement, aftering reading just the first line, the scales fell off my eyes.. I decide to submit the entire pregnancy to the Lord (once again). I know that He has it all planned and baby will arrive at a right time.

After going for my 41st wk gynae chkup today, I caught a glimpse of the goodness of Him.
There used to be a loose ring of cord round Rachel's neck and today when the doc did the ultrasound scan. It seemed to have disappeared. To me, this has gotta be the work of the Lord. Although it was not really much of an issue (as the doc assured me that 15% of the babies experienced this loose ring of cord round their necks) but I believe that Christ always put out fear in our hearts, no matter how tiny it may seemed. I really thank the Lord for what He has done for me and I look to Him once again.

Be still and know that I am Lord.

Ecclesiastes 3
To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven:
A time to be born, and a time to die;
A time to plant, and a time to pluck what is planted;
A time to kill, and a time to heal;
A time to break down, and a time to build up;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh;
A time to mourn, and a time to dance;
A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones;
A time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to gain, and a time to lose;
A time to keep, and a time to throw away;
A time to tear, and a time to sew;
A time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
A time to love, and a time to hate;
A time of war, and a time of peace.

... (19 November 2006)

went for my gynae chkup yesterday...
my doc smiled and said " u're still around.."
i'm overdue by 4days now..

doc did a VE and i'm 1.5cm dilated. my cervix has also thinned out and he proceeded to strip my membranes off the cervix which is supposed to help produce prostangladin to ripen the cervix further and bring on labor.
it wasnt as bad as i thought.. the VE and stuff..
i was commended to have a good threshold of pain hah!

bb's in an anterior position, head engaged, sufficient amniotic fluid.. all looking good for labor anyitme..

did a CTG scan after the review.
first scan showed little or no fetal activity which "scared" the hell of my doc..
he told me that he will need to do a second scan and if the results are similar, he'll need to admit me straightaway.
that serious??
anyway, i think my bb's just sleeping.. nothing to be worried about.
Regina (one of the assistants) handed me some nice dark chocolates and apple juice which i readily ate.
and i also talked to bb, telling her to "let's give them some real action!"

at the start of the second scan, i could literally see my tummy preparing for a "rock concert".
my dh saw it and was pretty amused. hha..
didnt know that she could move so much..

it really turned out that she's was only taking a nap earlier.. (when the first scan was done)
that's my darling gal!

yummie! (17 November 2006)

just had a delicious chicken nasi bryani lunch! hm.. sure feels satisfied.
i wonder if baby can taste the food that i consume. :)

one year on...
spent my first year wedding anni last nite with my dh.
went to jerry's grill for a meal.. didnt wanna go too far away from home in case rachel decides to say "hello daddie n mummie"..
took a drive to one of our fav haunts during our courtship days when we were both young and hopelessly in love with each other.. hah!
cheers to many happy anniversaries darling!

false alarm (15 November 2006)

i thot i was gonna "pop" last nite... but it turned out to be a false alarm.

was having several BH and they were more intense.. it got to a point where i could not stand straight as i made my way to the loo..

but it turned out to be just me wanting to "shit"! CHEY.........

well, let's see when bb wanna come out..

more n more sms are streaming in asking if i've delivered.. i think my friends are getting anxious.. haha..

i tell my bb that she can come out anytime now..

oh well, let's just wait and see if i pop tonight!

my previous blogs

these are my previous entries on other blogsites.. although very few but very significant to me.. i aim to organise them here so that it will be an easier read for my children or grandchildren.. :P

my first entry

it has taken me almost 4 years to post my first entry since i had the thought of blogging.. talking about being a procrastinator, i'm sure i fit the bill.

i wanted to blog about my life encounters since i was away from my family for a while.. then i wanted to blog about my first child's growing up details, but somehow i didnt get to it.. then along came my second baby which makes blogging even more challenging.. however the thought of writing a journal is still ringing in my mind. i hope that one day my children or even grandchildren will get to read my blog. :)

i find writing to be therapeutic, it allows me to express my thoughts and my feelings in words, "recollectively" (i wonder if there's such a word) rather than in speech. i find writing to be pretty liberating too. there's no specific audience that i am writing to, no expectations of any response from anyone, it's like talking to God.

well, so here's my first entry.. it's late but better than never getting to it...