It was 1.30am on 12 September 2015 (Saturday morning/Friday night). Wifey was glued to the TV watching the live telecast of the results of GE2015. Results of most GRC/SMC have been announced with clear winners, and perhaps every citizen still awake at this time was impatiently anticipating the results of Aljunied GRC. Sampling hinted that WP edged PAP by only a few % (52% vs 48%). After all the votes were accounted for, the difference between the 2 parties was so small and PAP requested for a recount. I was bored and thought I would turn in, as the results would be all over the press and social media first thing in the morning tomorrow when I wake up. So I said to wifey, "eh, go sleep liao leh, sleep more when we still can!"
Wifey declined as she wasn't sleepy yet (had a nap earlier). So I went to bed first.
----
Half awake in my slumber -
/hears wifey switching on the bedroom a/c and closing door
Some time later, wifey's groans woke me up. I glanced at my bedside clock. 5.38am. Wifey was lying on her side, curled up and clutching her tummy, complaining of great pain.
We weren't really shocked and at a loss - as wifey experienced similar pains for the first time, about 2 weeks ago, also in the wee hours. Reading up had helped - during that incident, we timed the duration of the dips in between the pains and felt it resembled Braxton Hicks aka 'false contractions'. So it turned out that the pains diminished after 15 mins and we confirmed it wasn't labour yet, and we returned to sleep.
So on this morning we did the same and timed the contractions. They came every 5 mins. After one cycle dwindled, I advised wifey to change and we'll head to the hospital, to be safe. We grabbed our ready-to-go pre-packed tote bag and made our way to TMC.
Baby was 39 weeks.
Heng ah, it was like 6am of Saturday morning and there were hardly any vehicles on PIE - we reached TMC in no time. I mentioned to the receptionist that wifey was in labour and they brought a wheelchair over.
Wifey was checked in into the observation room, The nurse examined and claimed wifey was 8cm dilated. 8cm? My first thought was - cannot be so fast leh, you don't want us to opt for epidural issit... nurse prepared wifey while I headed to the counter to do registration. It wasn't more than 10 minutes when I returned to the observation ward, and to my surprise the room was empty - wifey had been forwarded to the delivery ward!!!
Her contractions were now more frequent and intensity increased with time. Everytime the pain rose, wifey used the oxygen mask to relieve the pains -well, if it worked somewhat. I could tell the pain was highly unbearable - her body twitched in response to the tightening of muscles. Her hands grabbed the side of the bed so tightly her hands shivered. It may sound exaggerating but the look of desperation resembled a drug addict trying to wean off drug. I felt so helpless? I imagined the most intense pain I had ever in my life and it was when I had food poisoning at Phuket - it was already extremely, extremely painful for me. But I think wifey was going through much much worse, her friend Hannah who delivered recently described the intensity as menstrual pain x 1000 haha. In fact, it was so tormenting Hannah asked her gynae to forget about natural and just carry on with C-sec.
After n torturous contractions, fist clenching and teeth biting, a nurse finally entered. She checked and claimed the dilation was 8.5cm. She then said very calmly to us, "Okay I am going to call the gynae now," and in my mind I was like WHAT, YOU MEAN YOU HAVEN'T WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?!?!
The clock ticked so slowly whenever contractions came. The torment lasted for about a minute each, and there were only about 2 minutes in between during which I egged wifey on mentally and urged wifey to recharge.
It wasn't long before our gynae, Dr Wong HF, stepped in. I tell you, his presence was so welcomed... the feeling is like you are stuck in an stressful meeting with your demanding customers who seem to be holding you at gunpoint when suddenly the meeting room door opens and your boss enters the meeting LIKE A BOSS. You get me?! Haha.
He and the nurses propped up her legs and did further checks. Try pushing, he said. It was to no avail. Dr Wong said the baby has not 'come down' and that she's not ready, yet. The water bag has not burst also.
"Use the contractions pain and push," he advised. "Don't fight the pain and tense your muscles as it will only make you lose energy." Dr Wong proceeded to instruct the nurses to put wifey on 30ml drip. Wiping his hands dry and removing the gown, he continued in a most nonchalant tone, "I'll come back later."
....... ermm we newbies leh what do we do now?
The nurses did not linger in the room and left us to be, I assumed it was because there were two other deliveries happening beside our room at the same time. Just about this time, wifey said to me that she could feel the pushing feeling (is there a term for this?). Okay that's some progress... Alas, the contraction pains increased in intensity and wifey couldn't tahan anymore, said she wants epidural. I encouraged her to go au natural but after the next few contractions and seeing her in such excruciating pain and agony, I gave in.
I asked the nurse to administer epi.
"Sir, she's already 9cm, baby already coming out, epidural may not work," explained the nurse. "Besides, it may take more than 30 mins for the doctor (anaesthetist) to come. If by the time the baby has come out, you still need to pay for it (epi) anyway."
HIIIIIIIIEEEEKKKKKKK, the oxygen mask went along with wifey's deep breathing. Wifey was breathing into it like her life depended on it.
We will pay for it regardless, I iterated to the nurse firmly. The nurse succumbed to our pleas. Just as I thought she would start to prepare the dosage, she handed over a piece of pink paper, "Please read and sign this."
It was an indemnity form.
KNNOMGBBQWTF??!! How in the world do you expect a delivering mother to read logically and understand sensibly and actually HOLD A PEN AND SIGN on top of a line?!
I questioned, "MUST SHE READ THIS?!"
"You can read out to her."
..........
FINE. And so I did. The liabilities and indemnities filled up half an A4 paper. I mumbled through the sentences that can be summarised to "na I tell you first ah these are the possible consequences, if anything happen don't say I never say ah!" I was not sure wifey could even hear me amidst the heavy reverberating of the oxygen mask. I am more convinced she was in no state of mind to listen, let only comprehend.
(afternote: I understand you can sign the indemnity form sooner, like as soon as when you're expecting.)
Before I could finish verbalising the indemnities, suddenly the room door swung open. BOSS stepped in. Yayyyy, give us some good news!!
Hmm Boss not very friendly. He looked more serious than the first time he stepped in. Like THIS MEANS BUSINESS. Washed his hands, donned the surgical apron and gloves. Instructed the nurses.
Try to push, he said.
And so wifey did.
We remembered Wong Boh Boi's prenatal lessons on how to deliver a productive push. Chin to chest, lean slightly forward, husband to support mother's back - this will channel the most energy to the required muscles. No screaming or cursing your husband, she had forewarned. Wifey gave another couple of pushes.
Can see the hair already, one of the nurses gestured. So fast?
Now, the sight of blood does not usually freak me out but before today, I had already prepared myself that during delivery, I will stay beside wifey and will prefer not to view the awakening from Dr's POV. Have heard of a friend who watched in full blossom and another who even video-ed the process of the birth of his son. WHAT THE... So anyway, I imagined my baby's crowning and some hair but I'm fine with where I am, thank you very much haha.
Guiding wifey along with a few more pushes, I was preparing mentally for the Dr or nurses to shout "STOPPP!" During one of the prenatal class, Wong BB made sure to run through this drill a few times to make sure it was instilled in the dads and moms' memory. When you hear the instruction to stop, it will mean that 3/4 of the baby's head has emerged. Immediately, daddy has to remind mommy to change the breathing method from 'deep' to 'shallow' (pant pant pant). A very vital instruction to stop mommy from pushing - it may lead to severe tear of the opening of the orifice (can you tell I'm trying v hard to not sound gross) and the baby will 'fly' out! At this juncture, Dr will have very little time to check if the umbilical cord is in the way of the final push, and act quickly. If not done speedily, it could lead to suffocation.
And so I was waiting for the golden word (STOP) but it never came. Instead, they shouted "wait wait wait". Hmmm... What do I make of this.... But Dr and nurses seemed to suddenly focus on doing something down there so I tapped wifey, "okay, pant pant pant." Wifey followed - not sure it was because she heard me or because she was tired from the previous pushes, haha.
I think I was right - wait wait wait was the golden instruction. Dr said calmly (gosh how they manage to stay so calm) that baby must not stay in this position for too long, push again. Thus, I supported wifey's back and guided her to push again. Two pushes later, Dr stood up and placed a soiled, squealing being on wifey's stomach.
I WOULD NEVER EVER FORGET THIS SIGHT. Awww little baby! She was small. Had some hair on her head. Big eyes. Little one was wailing in cutesy gasps, finding herself foreign, unfamiliar and insecure. Her head was surprisingly tilted upwards, in the direction of mommy. Her big eyes were fixated intently on mommy, seeming to express "hello mommy, I'm out!" =)
I teared. Won't deny that this was a most touching sight - my feelings were a saturation of overjoy, ecstacy, gratification and relief! =)))) I hugged wifey, who looked super exhausted now. Look at baby, she's looking at you! Wifey mustered a smile and said she was so spent, she couldn't even move her neck. You've done so well! =)
Dr motioned for me to cut the umbilical cord. I took over the scissors and snipped it. It took just one second and I backed off nervously. Sorry, not interested to observe what will be done next and after, haha...
---
Still crying in cute short gasps, little one was picked up by the nurse and carried over to a preparation pad. It had a heating element hanging overhead and a real-time body temperature monitoring system.
The nurse cleaned baby up while I snapped many photos of this amazing creature lying in front of me, its eyes squinted and moving its limbs curiously. It was a peculiar feeling - she felt unfamiliar yet familiar at the same time. 9 months of talking to her through a round tummy and out of a sudden, 2D ultrasound printouts are transformed into a wailing, heart-beating, limbs-extending baby!
Amazing, amazed, amazement!!!
----
Wifey was admitted 6.30am and successfully delivered baby two hours later. Compared to most first timers (Joanne Peh had a 16 hour labour, for the record), wifey's ordeal is considered damn fast. What could have contributed to the quick delivery?
Wifey's pregnancy regime:
- Fortnightly swim
- Young coconut juice every 3 days during the last trimester
- 3 squats on the eve
Well, nothing extraordinary... perhaps we were blessed :)
----
By default, our next two nights were spent in TMC. We opted for a single bed room to enjoy the privacy and also because I could spend the night there too. The room was well furbished and comfortable; meals were delectable and variety of TV programmes were more than sufficient to keep us occupied. But I have to save the best praises for the team of nurses at TMC who were patient, polite and served us with genuine care and provided us newbies much needed advice on newborn care. To name a few who deserve a huge pat on their back:
- Elle (staff nurse at delivery ward)
- Yusia
- Carol
- Stella
Thank you so much!
=)
Here's baby at day 3, in her bedroom where she'll ive strong, grow healthy and share happy memories for a long time :)
Wifey declined as she wasn't sleepy yet (had a nap earlier). So I went to bed first.
----
Half awake in my slumber -
/hears wifey switching on the bedroom a/c and closing door
Some time later, wifey's groans woke me up. I glanced at my bedside clock. 5.38am. Wifey was lying on her side, curled up and clutching her tummy, complaining of great pain.
We weren't really shocked and at a loss - as wifey experienced similar pains for the first time, about 2 weeks ago, also in the wee hours. Reading up had helped - during that incident, we timed the duration of the dips in between the pains and felt it resembled Braxton Hicks aka 'false contractions'. So it turned out that the pains diminished after 15 mins and we confirmed it wasn't labour yet, and we returned to sleep.
So on this morning we did the same and timed the contractions. They came every 5 mins. After one cycle dwindled, I advised wifey to change and we'll head to the hospital, to be safe. We grabbed our ready-to-go pre-packed tote bag and made our way to TMC.
Baby was 39 weeks.
Heng ah, it was like 6am of Saturday morning and there were hardly any vehicles on PIE - we reached TMC in no time. I mentioned to the receptionist that wifey was in labour and they brought a wheelchair over.
Wifey was checked in into the observation room, The nurse examined and claimed wifey was 8cm dilated. 8cm? My first thought was - cannot be so fast leh, you don't want us to opt for epidural issit... nurse prepared wifey while I headed to the counter to do registration. It wasn't more than 10 minutes when I returned to the observation ward, and to my surprise the room was empty - wifey had been forwarded to the delivery ward!!!
Her contractions were now more frequent and intensity increased with time. Everytime the pain rose, wifey used the oxygen mask to relieve the pains -well, if it worked somewhat. I could tell the pain was highly unbearable - her body twitched in response to the tightening of muscles. Her hands grabbed the side of the bed so tightly her hands shivered. It may sound exaggerating but the look of desperation resembled a drug addict trying to wean off drug. I felt so helpless? I imagined the most intense pain I had ever in my life and it was when I had food poisoning at Phuket - it was already extremely, extremely painful for me. But I think wifey was going through much much worse, her friend Hannah who delivered recently described the intensity as menstrual pain x 1000 haha. In fact, it was so tormenting Hannah asked her gynae to forget about natural and just carry on with C-sec.
After n torturous contractions, fist clenching and teeth biting, a nurse finally entered. She checked and claimed the dilation was 8.5cm. She then said very calmly to us, "Okay I am going to call the gynae now," and in my mind I was like WHAT, YOU MEAN YOU HAVEN'T WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?!?!
The clock ticked so slowly whenever contractions came. The torment lasted for about a minute each, and there were only about 2 minutes in between during which I egged wifey on mentally and urged wifey to recharge.
It wasn't long before our gynae, Dr Wong HF, stepped in. I tell you, his presence was so welcomed... the feeling is like you are stuck in an stressful meeting with your demanding customers who seem to be holding you at gunpoint when suddenly the meeting room door opens and your boss enters the meeting LIKE A BOSS. You get me?! Haha.
He and the nurses propped up her legs and did further checks. Try pushing, he said. It was to no avail. Dr Wong said the baby has not 'come down' and that she's not ready, yet. The water bag has not burst also.
"Use the contractions pain and push," he advised. "Don't fight the pain and tense your muscles as it will only make you lose energy." Dr Wong proceeded to instruct the nurses to put wifey on 30ml drip. Wiping his hands dry and removing the gown, he continued in a most nonchalant tone, "I'll come back later."
....... ermm we newbies leh what do we do now?
The nurses did not linger in the room and left us to be, I assumed it was because there were two other deliveries happening beside our room at the same time. Just about this time, wifey said to me that she could feel the pushing feeling (is there a term for this?). Okay that's some progress... Alas, the contraction pains increased in intensity and wifey couldn't tahan anymore, said she wants epidural. I encouraged her to go au natural but after the next few contractions and seeing her in such excruciating pain and agony, I gave in.
I asked the nurse to administer epi.
"Sir, she's already 9cm, baby already coming out, epidural may not work," explained the nurse. "Besides, it may take more than 30 mins for the doctor (anaesthetist) to come. If by the time the baby has come out, you still need to pay for it (epi) anyway."
HIIIIIIIIEEEEKKKKKKK, the oxygen mask went along with wifey's deep breathing. Wifey was breathing into it like her life depended on it.
We will pay for it regardless, I iterated to the nurse firmly. The nurse succumbed to our pleas. Just as I thought she would start to prepare the dosage, she handed over a piece of pink paper, "Please read and sign this."
It was an indemnity form.
KNNOMGBBQWTF??!! How in the world do you expect a delivering mother to read logically and understand sensibly and actually HOLD A PEN AND SIGN on top of a line?!
I questioned, "MUST SHE READ THIS?!"
"You can read out to her."
..........
FINE. And so I did. The liabilities and indemnities filled up half an A4 paper. I mumbled through the sentences that can be summarised to "na I tell you first ah these are the possible consequences, if anything happen don't say I never say ah!" I was not sure wifey could even hear me amidst the heavy reverberating of the oxygen mask. I am more convinced she was in no state of mind to listen, let only comprehend.
(afternote: I understand you can sign the indemnity form sooner, like as soon as when you're expecting.)
Before I could finish verbalising the indemnities, suddenly the room door swung open. BOSS stepped in. Yayyyy, give us some good news!!
Hmm Boss not very friendly. He looked more serious than the first time he stepped in. Like THIS MEANS BUSINESS. Washed his hands, donned the surgical apron and gloves. Instructed the nurses.
Try to push, he said.
And so wifey did.
We remembered Wong Boh Boi's prenatal lessons on how to deliver a productive push. Chin to chest, lean slightly forward, husband to support mother's back - this will channel the most energy to the required muscles. No screaming or cursing your husband, she had forewarned. Wifey gave another couple of pushes.
Can see the hair already, one of the nurses gestured. So fast?
Now, the sight of blood does not usually freak me out but before today, I had already prepared myself that during delivery, I will stay beside wifey and will prefer not to view the awakening from Dr's POV. Have heard of a friend who watched in full blossom and another who even video-ed the process of the birth of his son. WHAT THE... So anyway, I imagined my baby's crowning and some hair but I'm fine with where I am, thank you very much haha.
Guiding wifey along with a few more pushes, I was preparing mentally for the Dr or nurses to shout "STOPPP!" During one of the prenatal class, Wong BB made sure to run through this drill a few times to make sure it was instilled in the dads and moms' memory. When you hear the instruction to stop, it will mean that 3/4 of the baby's head has emerged. Immediately, daddy has to remind mommy to change the breathing method from 'deep' to 'shallow' (pant pant pant). A very vital instruction to stop mommy from pushing - it may lead to severe tear of the opening of the orifice (can you tell I'm trying v hard to not sound gross) and the baby will 'fly' out! At this juncture, Dr will have very little time to check if the umbilical cord is in the way of the final push, and act quickly. If not done speedily, it could lead to suffocation.
And so I was waiting for the golden word (STOP) but it never came. Instead, they shouted "wait wait wait". Hmmm... What do I make of this.... But Dr and nurses seemed to suddenly focus on doing something down there so I tapped wifey, "okay, pant pant pant." Wifey followed - not sure it was because she heard me or because she was tired from the previous pushes, haha.
I think I was right - wait wait wait was the golden instruction. Dr said calmly (gosh how they manage to stay so calm) that baby must not stay in this position for too long, push again. Thus, I supported wifey's back and guided her to push again. Two pushes later, Dr stood up and placed a soiled, squealing being on wifey's stomach.
I WOULD NEVER EVER FORGET THIS SIGHT. Awww little baby! She was small. Had some hair on her head. Big eyes. Little one was wailing in cutesy gasps, finding herself foreign, unfamiliar and insecure. Her head was surprisingly tilted upwards, in the direction of mommy. Her big eyes were fixated intently on mommy, seeming to express "hello mommy, I'm out!" =)
I teared. Won't deny that this was a most touching sight - my feelings were a saturation of overjoy, ecstacy, gratification and relief! =)))) I hugged wifey, who looked super exhausted now. Look at baby, she's looking at you! Wifey mustered a smile and said she was so spent, she couldn't even move her neck. You've done so well! =)
Dr motioned for me to cut the umbilical cord. I took over the scissors and snipped it. It took just one second and I backed off nervously. Sorry, not interested to observe what will be done next and after, haha...
---
Still crying in cute short gasps, little one was picked up by the nurse and carried over to a preparation pad. It had a heating element hanging overhead and a real-time body temperature monitoring system.
The nurse cleaned baby up while I snapped many photos of this amazing creature lying in front of me, its eyes squinted and moving its limbs curiously. It was a peculiar feeling - she felt unfamiliar yet familiar at the same time. 9 months of talking to her through a round tummy and out of a sudden, 2D ultrasound printouts are transformed into a wailing, heart-beating, limbs-extending baby!
Amazing, amazed, amazement!!!
----
Wifey was admitted 6.30am and successfully delivered baby two hours later. Compared to most first timers (Joanne Peh had a 16 hour labour, for the record), wifey's ordeal is considered damn fast. What could have contributed to the quick delivery?
Wifey's pregnancy regime:
- Fortnightly swim
- Young coconut juice every 3 days during the last trimester
- 3 squats on the eve
Well, nothing extraordinary... perhaps we were blessed :)
----
By default, our next two nights were spent in TMC. We opted for a single bed room to enjoy the privacy and also because I could spend the night there too. The room was well furbished and comfortable; meals were delectable and variety of TV programmes were more than sufficient to keep us occupied. But I have to save the best praises for the team of nurses at TMC who were patient, polite and served us with genuine care and provided us newbies much needed advice on newborn care. To name a few who deserve a huge pat on their back:
- Elle (staff nurse at delivery ward)
- Yusia
- Carol
- Stella
Thank you so much!
=)
Here's baby at day 3, in her bedroom where she'll ive strong, grow healthy and share happy memories for a long time :)
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