A very long night..

Hooray! There goes the heaviness of my tummy...yeah right! That is a myth. My tummy still remains but just looks more unappealing-flabby and loose skin. Sigh...so much for wanting to look nice right after I give birth.

Anyway, I must say, it was one hell of an experience. Something which I just takes as it comes. Was admitted to hospital at about 8pm on 16 July 07 because my water bag kept leaking and my gynae advised that since my baby is small, better admit to hospital that very night, instead of waiting for the next morning.

So, CT and I drove off to East Shore Hospital that night after our dinner. We shared about our fears and excitement of the arrival of baby Caleb. I have to say, I was more scared than excited. Haha..But, deep down in me, I know whatever fears I have will be all wiped out once I see the baby. So, that kind of calmed me down and kept me saint.

When I got out of the car to the hospital, my water bag kept leaking that I was so embarrased cos my shorts were all wet. I quickly rushed to the toilet to change my shorts. We checked in and they brought us to the delivery room.

Ok, thats me catching some TV and just waiting for more obvious reaction to tell me that Caleb is on the way. But didnt feel anything at all...so just laid in bed and watched TV till it was bedtime.

Just before bed, the hospital served tuna sandwich and milo..yumyum. Better eat to get more energy I thought.

CT slept on a recliner chair at one corner while I slept on this small bed which I am not used to it. Sigh. Felt so uncomfortable because of the bed. But anyway, whole night, didn't feel any contractions but maybe just some regular menstration cramps. I was actually already 3 cm dilated before sleep.

Whole night was really long as I woke up numerous times because of my back ache from the bed and probably more strong contractions the next morning.. it gets more regular and more pain. In addition, the nurses kept coming in and out to check my blood pressure and do some other checks that just kept me awake every 2-3 hours in the night and early morning.

When it was about 5-6 am plus, the nurse checked my dilation and it was still about 3-4 cm dilated only. I was disappointed as I thought the more painful contractions I felt could be the reaching of the goal of 10 cm dilation. But there was still about 6-7 cm more and I was already feeling quite uncomfortable every 5-7 mins. And to make it worse, I heard 2-3 women in different delivery rooms screaming their heads out as if someone was murdering them and some even cried and wailed. With all these noises, I felt I would not be able to take the pain already since there was still a long way to go before I deliver and I wouldnt want to keep feeling more and more pain, every 3-5 mins..

So, I decided for epidural and I have to say that it is the worst kind of jab I have ever taken. First and foremost, it jabs through your spinal cord! Secondly, you are supposed to stay very still when they jab while you are curled up like a ball for them to see your spinal cord clearly. Thirdly, once they jab, you just feel a tingling liquid sensation through your nerves to your legs and feet. It felt so uncomfortable as the sensation made both your legs so numb almost immediately. Fourthly, just one jab of epidural costs an extra $500 to our increasing hospital bill.

Anyway, with all that pain, this was how I looked an hour or two later...I was even served chicken porridge before my delivery. Many nurses came and told me that most gynaes do not allow their patients to eat before they deliver, but my doctor is different. She believes in giving the patient energy.

I was feeling good. Whenever there were contractions as indicated by this machine, I felt NOTHING! Initially, I felt the tightness. But after telling the nurse about the tightness, she increased my dosage by just turning up the drip and voila, no feeling or whatsoever. I felt so relived and normal.

So, about 4 hours, I just waited and waited for my cervix to open up and dilate to about 10 cm. At around 11 pm plus, the nurse said that I was already 8-9 cm dilated. I felt so happy because I was so dilated without any feeling...and moreover, I just could eagerly await for baby Caleb to arrive and feeling normal-painless.

To add to my ease of delivery, I was even concentrating on my TV while pushing. Haha..I left my TV on and it was showing HBO- the making of the latest Harry Potter movie. My eyes were glued on the TV as the gynae and nurses asked me to push. That was the most relaxed atmosphere I could never have thought of!!!

As I thought of how those 3 women screamed their heads off while giving birth in the wee hours, I felt that I was just so glad not having to go through that but to just joyfully push in a relaxed environment without any stress or perspiration. Ha.

Anyway, thank God my gynae was so experienced and fast that I took maybe only 10-20 mins to push Caleb out. She even helped me by having a vacuum placed on Caleb's head such that the head does not go back in when I stop pushing. My friend once told me that her baby also was vacuumed and it was a very loud machine. So I expected that but my gynae used a machine that has no noise at all and she didnt use any force but to just keep the head in position.

Finally, Caleb is born ...