Wednesday, October 22, 2008
My bundle of Joy
I didn't have to wait 16 days for Ezra... he came 3 days from my last post - on 16 October 2008.
I was kinda unprepared for it, thinking I still have 2 weeks to go.
I got up in the morning with abdominal cramps. I have planned to meet Eunice for brunch and then get some errands done later in the day.
At 10am, I decided I should stay home, since the pain didn't go away. After Heng left for work, I tried to lie down and decided to time the intervals. I didn't think it was labour because it didn't feel like contractions (contracting sensation at the abdomen), it just felt like menstrual cramps.
At 11am, I called up Dr. Paul Tseng's clinic to ask if I should be concerned about the pain. The nurse told me perhaps I should drop by and let Dr. Paul take a look. I showered, got my stuff together and headed down to the clinic with my mother-in-law. I still wasn't sure if I was going to give birth that day.
When I got to the clinic at 12+pm, I was told the doc just left, but they put me on a machine to track the baby's heartbeat and my contractions. The contractions hurt bad when it came but they weren't regular. The nurse commented that I might not be ready and could probably go home and rest for the weekend. That thought was agonizing because I was in such pain already.
We waited till about 2.40pm to see Dr. Paul. Meanwhile, the contractions got stronger. When the doc finally saw me, he commented that I might already be about 4cm dilated. When he actually measured, I was already 7cm dilated and ready to deliver!!! They hurried me down to the labour ward in a wheelchair. By 3pm, I was very sure that I was delivering now and I sent an SMS to my family and Wivi.
A nurse mentioned my pain tolerance was quite high, so I decided to go without epidural as planned. I was given the laughing gas which was great at first, cos I got high after each puff, but later on, it just became a distraction, a good distraction actually.
I had to wait until about 4+pm before I was fully dilated and ready to push. The nurse who was trying to help me seemed rather annoyed that I could not push properly. I was trying very hard, it was not successful. My contractions were short and I could only squeeze in 2 pushes per contraction. Finally, I was so exhausted from pushing, another nurse suggested the doctor came to help.
Dr. Paul suggested using a vacuum. He lubricated the cup and stuffed that thing up my birth canal. According to Heng, I screamed like a mad woman. I could feel the pressure when the vacuum cup was in me while the doc waited for the next contraction. Then he started pulling and I started pushing. At one moment, there was an explosion of pain that made me screamed my lungs out. I must have screamed like crazy cos Heng said he was traumatized by it. After a couple of seconds, the pain suddenly disappeared, so I gathered all my strength to make some final pushes.
Ezra was born at 17:27hrs.
It was definitely a relieve that its all over. The doc sewed up my tear while the baby was being checked. I was cleaned up and allowed to hold the baby. I finally got out of the labour ward and into the normal room at about 6pm.
From then on, it was some pampering from my family (Dad was feeding me dinner) and the rest were anxious to see the baby, who has to be warmed up for the next 3 hours. Over the next 2 days at the hospital, I received visits, gifts and well-wishes from family, friends and colleagues. I am overwhelmed by the love and concern everyone has for us.
Finally, I was overwhelmed that I finally get to see Ezra after 9 months. I felt so much love for him, love that cannot be explained. I also felt very grateful to my parents, now that I have my own child, I know how much they love me.
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