3 months old pregnant with Lionel
At the music centre - 17th May, 3:30pm
Lionel's estimated due date was 30th May and he is 2 weeks earlier than that date. Before Lionel was born, my water broke the day before at around 3:30pm while I was teaching at the music centre. It feels strange at first...the feeling of having the water flow down and I wasn't sure what it was until I went to the toilet to check. My whole panty was wet and I was wearing my maternity tights, so it helped me to absorb the initial flow of water.
I kept myself calm and called Keat to tell him about it....
Keat: Hello...
Me: Hi Nie....my water broke....
Keat: What water broke?
Me: Er...my water....just broke...
Keat: Oh...I call you back later.
Me: Oh.... *Confused for a while*
Well, after he called me back...he told me that I have to get to the hospital straight away from the music centre. There goes my ideal labor that I always imagine myself to be in...the labor where I can just stay at home and probably sleep, take my time to shower and eat something before my labor reaches the active stage before going to the hospital...it's all GONE!
While waiting for Keat to fetch me from the music centre..I had to stay in the toilet as my water kept leaking out by itself. It wasn't pain but it does freak me out as to whether it was okay that I'm losing THAT much water!
During my pregnancy, we had debates going on (I chose this word rather than 'quarrel') to decide on whether I will be delivering in a private hospital or government hospital. Well, I really thank God that I chose to obey Keat to deliver at the government hospital. You will know why soon.
At the hospital - 17th May, 5:30pm
At the hospital, I had to change to the hospital clothing (Sorry I didn't take any photo with it. I didn't look good in it anyway in a big sarong and big top) and given a checkup on baby's condition. The nightmare comes when the nurse uses her finger to poke me at the bottom to check how dilated I was...and I was only 1cm dilated...far beyond 10cm!!!!
Keat was waiting for me at the waiting hall...so I went out and told him the current situation and asked him to go home first as I don't think I will be delivering anytime soon.
I was given a temporary bed to rest and sleep after having a simple dinner at the pantry...there were some other expecting mothers there as well...but I couldn't sleep (who can sleep at this point of time??). I was given 3 antibiotic shots (2 hours once) because I was continuing to lose water and the baby might get infection because there's not enough fluid to protect him from bacteria.
At the hospital - 18th May, 3:00am
By 3am...I was called into another room. My nightmare continues when another nurse poke me to check how dilated I was again...I was still 1cm. There were a few nurses there and then I saw another nurse with a pill in her hand and she inserted into my vagina. That is the pill used to induce labor. I was sent back to my bed to rest. From that time onwards, I started having mild contractions until around 6am, the contractions grew stronger and unbearable.
At the hospital - 18th May, 6:00am
I was then sent to the delivery room and that was the start of experiencing great pain. I read before that induced labor pain is much greater than normal labor. However, this is my first delivery...so I couldn't compare the pain. The nurse poked me again in the delivery room and said...2cm. I was so disappointed...and kept praying to God to give me the strength. Then...a Chinese male doctor came into the delivery room. He wanted to poke me again to confirm my dilation....
At the hospital - 18th May, 7:30am
The doctor came back and told me that he's going to be very straightforward to me and say I only have two choices to choose from...and it's up to me to make. First, is to follow all his instructions and deliver the baby naturally...and second, to have a Caesarian. And if I chose to deliver naturally but I couldn't push the baby out in time, I will need to be sent for emergency Caesarian operation.
My heart sank when I hear his words, but I know that I really want to deliver naturally and do not want any operation. So...there goes the process of poking me again. The doctor forced-massage my dilation from 2cm to cm....4cm to 6cm...and by 8cm he asked me to start pushing. I'm still impressed on how he dilates me. Because as I heard from Joann's sister, she was also induced because her baby was overdue...but she was left to suffer the pain for hours and she said she even gripped her own hand into a fist until her palm was injured.
At the hospital - 18th May, 7:50am
At the hospital - 18th May, 8:12am
And after 20 minutes of pushing...Lionel comes into this world and he was placed on my chest right away for the first time bonding. I couldn't see his face...only the top of his head, because he was placed horizontally against my body. So I just hold and touch him for the first time...I can feel him moving but he wasn't crying.
The stitches on my vagina was around 40 minutes...I didn't dare imagine how many stitches I had from that amount of time they take to stitch. I tried to focus on Lionel instead of the stitching process. And after the stitches were completed, Lionel was taken away from me to be cleaned and wrapped.
Oh...actually husbands were allowed in the delivery room in this hospital but only when the wife is 10cm dilated. Keat was waiting in the car at the hospital but the hospital didn't call him in until Lionel was out. I didn't mind as I think I could focus on the delivery process much better that way and I didn't want Keat to see how much in pain I was.
To the extend when I was discharged from the hospital that day, he even dare to ask me in the car, "When is our next baby?".
Back to when Lionel was just born, Keat got to see him "fresh" from being cleaned and wrapped. His eyes was wide open and he was looking at his papa for the first time....
....before closing his eyes.
Discharged from the hospital - 25th May
Lionel and me was in the hospital for a week before being discharged. This is because Lionel had to stay on to be monitored for jaundice as he was diagnosed with Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency (G6PD), which he doesn't have enough of this enzyme to protect his red blood cells. This deficiency is inherited and I didn't know I am the carrier until I have Lionel.
During my stay, Lionel had to be put under the phototreatment for 5 days to help reduce his jaundice level.
Hospital cost
For having to safely deliver Lionel in this hospital and having to stay for 1 week there with the phototreatment for Lionel, having the nurse to take bath for him every morning, the hospital bill came to RM34.00.
You can imagine how much we saved from the hospital cost!!! If it's for the private hospital...believe me if I say that it would easily reach RM10k.
Welcome to our world
Lionel is a gift from God and I am so happy and blessed to have him. I can see how Keat 'sayang' him so much...even kiss him more than his kiss me now.
It's fine with me because I 'sayang' Lionel too....
OF COURSE I DO!
