4am
Woke up at about 4am in the morning to use the bathroom and felt some fluid coming out. Woke Les up and told him that his baby is coming today. Went into the bathroom and saw blood-stained mucus. Realised that the mucus plug really came out. Tried to go back to sleep, but was a little too excited already. Felt some cramps (i.e. PMS type). Did some rough timing and the pains came every 10- 20mins or so. Tried to get some sleep. So half-sat, half-laid in bed for another hour. Pains were coming in at regular intervals.
5am
Pains came regularly. Couldn’t sleep anymore. Woke up to pack last minute things. Mainly Kieran’s stuff. Went to lie down for awhile till about 6am.
6am
Decided to give a call to Dr Lim. Described symptoms to him. He said to admit to hospital as it sounds like I’m in labour.
7ish am
Finally left the house to send Kieran down to in-laws. He was still sleeping. It was like a regular school day where we leave the house in the morning while he is sleeping.
Dropped Kieran off. Kissed him and said bye to him. Went by the car wash to give our dirty car a good wash. Ate a few bites of subway (should have eaten more, was hungry throughout the labour).
8am
Reached hospital. Dr Lim was already waiting. Did a check and said I was about 2cm. Told him that I didn’t want to go onto the Syntocin drip. He said ok, he’ll break the water bag and let the contractions develop for a couple of hours and see how.
9am
Dr Lim came back in to break the water bag and about 9ish 10am. He didn’t use the instrument this time. He used his fingers. It was the most uncomfortable/ painful (not quite the word either) thing. The contractions slowly built up. As I didn’t want the Syntocin to speed things up, contractions built slowly.
9 – 130pm
Dilated to 3-4cm. Contractions started becoming stronger after noon. Dr Lim called in to ask if I wanted to go on the drip at about noon. Refused it again. He came in at about 130pm to check. Asked if I wanted the pethidine. I said no. But about 1/2h after he left, I asked for it. He said we should have about 2-4h from this point onwards (exactly what he said with Kieran!!)
130-3pm
The contractions built up really quickly from here. I was on entonox. Realised that I couldn’t remember how to use it. So there were a couple of times that I breathed through it too late and it didn’t help in the contractions. As baby really moved low towards the cervix, I felt the need to push quite early. I kind of panicked and the bearing down feeling was worse. I frantically told Les to get the nurses to check. When she came in, she said I was only 3-4cm. That was when I really panicked and started to cry uncontrollably. Luckily Les was there to quickly calm me down. If I were still crying by the time the next contraction came, I wouldn’t be able to control it. And if I started pushing, I may end up with an emergency caesarean!! Thanks Darling again!
At between 5-7cm he started to speed things up by using his fingers to actually stretch the cervix. That part was quite scary too. Each time he stretched it, the pushing sensation came!! But he was really confident that baby could come out naturally. After he did that, the cervix dilated to the 7-9cm quite quickly. I remember him coming in and commenting that he knew it was going to be fast and he didn’t dare to walk away, he was just waiting outside the door!
The contractions started coming in hard and strong. Every time I used the entonox too late or lost my control or couldn’t relax, I felt the bearing down sensation. Dr Lim came in and said I was 7cm then. I was feeling frantic again, because I had 2 more centimetres to go. Had to talk to Kiefer to tell him not to move against the cervix (I think I talked to him earlier when I had the bearing down feeling at 3-4cm, this part is fuzzy to me. I don’t think I could talk much at 7cm already!).
The last 2cm were really quick. Cos the bearing down sensations were coming with each contraction. I had to ask if I could start pushing. When I was allowed to push, it was almost a relief actually, to go with the flow of the contractions.
Kiefer was born with a few pushes. No epidural, no drip, no vacuum. Les got to cut the umbilical cord. I got to see my own placenta!
First thought when I saw Kiefer:
Gosh, he looks EXACTLY like Kieran!
He was alert, looking around and smiling. I fell in love again. I fell in love with this little boy that Les & I created! He is so much a part of us.
It’s the 4 of us now, a new family, again.
What’s different?
I was more alert throughout the entire labour. I could talk cohesively between contractions. I could feel Dr Lim tugging as he stitched me up.
I can walk around quite a bit (maybe cos no drip) and my tummy didn’t feel as painful. Maybe tomorrow it’ll start to hurt.
What’s the same?
I yelled that it stings and hurts when Dr put the anaethestic for the episiotomy. I yelled that it stings and hurts when Kiefer crowned.
The timing cycle seems to be similar. Kieran was born about 1h+ after I asked for pethidine. Looks like my pain threshold is consistent!
Still, when I see his little face, EVERYTHING WAS WORTH IT!!! And when I saw the happy look on Kieran’s face when Les brought him into the delivery suite to see his little brother, I knew that I would love Kieran even more!! Kieran has to be a big brother at 2 years old. That is quite something for him to accomplish and I think I admire him for that!
As for the Daddy of our babies, he’s been my support throughout the labour. I think he was more tired than I am. Having to stand there throughout my pains, telling me to relax and hold my entonox and hold my hand. He also had to follow my “orders” in between contraction as I kept telling him to do this and that in the next contraction. I think we make a good team. Because I could tell him exactly what I needed him to do and that he could understand and help me by doing all the things I told him in those short intervals, we make it through the labour together. I told him to tell me not to squeeze his hands (at first he said, nevermind just squeeze) because it would mean that I am not relaxing, he remembered and told me so. I told him to listen for my breathing through the entonox and remind me to breathe because I realised after a few contractions that when I tensed up, I stop breathing. He did that. I told him to check that my whole body is relaxed, not just my fingers. He did that. He did all these with each and every contraction after which I told him so. Also, I can now rest on the hospital bed, he has to be at home looking after Kieran on his own.
Thank you baby, I love you.
And thank you babies, I love all of you.
The Mummy.
1 May 2008
2218h
Mt Alvernia Hospital
Woke up at about 4am in the morning to use the bathroom and felt some fluid coming out. Woke Les up and told him that his baby is coming today. Went into the bathroom and saw blood-stained mucus. Realised that the mucus plug really came out. Tried to go back to sleep, but was a little too excited already. Felt some cramps (i.e. PMS type). Did some rough timing and the pains came every 10- 20mins or so. Tried to get some sleep. So half-sat, half-laid in bed for another hour. Pains were coming in at regular intervals.
5am
Pains came regularly. Couldn’t sleep anymore. Woke up to pack last minute things. Mainly Kieran’s stuff. Went to lie down for awhile till about 6am.
6am
Decided to give a call to Dr Lim. Described symptoms to him. He said to admit to hospital as it sounds like I’m in labour.
7ish am
Finally left the house to send Kieran down to in-laws. He was still sleeping. It was like a regular school day where we leave the house in the morning while he is sleeping.
Dropped Kieran off. Kissed him and said bye to him. Went by the car wash to give our dirty car a good wash. Ate a few bites of subway (should have eaten more, was hungry throughout the labour).
8am
Reached hospital. Dr Lim was already waiting. Did a check and said I was about 2cm. Told him that I didn’t want to go onto the Syntocin drip. He said ok, he’ll break the water bag and let the contractions develop for a couple of hours and see how.
9am
Dr Lim came back in to break the water bag and about 9ish 10am. He didn’t use the instrument this time. He used his fingers. It was the most uncomfortable/ painful (not quite the word either) thing. The contractions slowly built up. As I didn’t want the Syntocin to speed things up, contractions built slowly.
9 – 130pm
Dilated to 3-4cm. Contractions started becoming stronger after noon. Dr Lim called in to ask if I wanted to go on the drip at about noon. Refused it again. He came in at about 130pm to check. Asked if I wanted the pethidine. I said no. But about 1/2h after he left, I asked for it. He said we should have about 2-4h from this point onwards (exactly what he said with Kieran!!)
130-3pm
The contractions built up really quickly from here. I was on entonox. Realised that I couldn’t remember how to use it. So there were a couple of times that I breathed through it too late and it didn’t help in the contractions. As baby really moved low towards the cervix, I felt the need to push quite early. I kind of panicked and the bearing down feeling was worse. I frantically told Les to get the nurses to check. When she came in, she said I was only 3-4cm. That was when I really panicked and started to cry uncontrollably. Luckily Les was there to quickly calm me down. If I were still crying by the time the next contraction came, I wouldn’t be able to control it. And if I started pushing, I may end up with an emergency caesarean!! Thanks Darling again!
At between 5-7cm he started to speed things up by using his fingers to actually stretch the cervix. That part was quite scary too. Each time he stretched it, the pushing sensation came!! But he was really confident that baby could come out naturally. After he did that, the cervix dilated to the 7-9cm quite quickly. I remember him coming in and commenting that he knew it was going to be fast and he didn’t dare to walk away, he was just waiting outside the door!
The contractions started coming in hard and strong. Every time I used the entonox too late or lost my control or couldn’t relax, I felt the bearing down sensation. Dr Lim came in and said I was 7cm then. I was feeling frantic again, because I had 2 more centimetres to go. Had to talk to Kiefer to tell him not to move against the cervix (I think I talked to him earlier when I had the bearing down feeling at 3-4cm, this part is fuzzy to me. I don’t think I could talk much at 7cm already!).
The last 2cm were really quick. Cos the bearing down sensations were coming with each contraction. I had to ask if I could start pushing. When I was allowed to push, it was almost a relief actually, to go with the flow of the contractions.
Kiefer was born with a few pushes. No epidural, no drip, no vacuum. Les got to cut the umbilical cord. I got to see my own placenta!
First thought when I saw Kiefer:
Gosh, he looks EXACTLY like Kieran!
He was alert, looking around and smiling. I fell in love again. I fell in love with this little boy that Les & I created! He is so much a part of us.
It’s the 4 of us now, a new family, again.
What’s different?
I was more alert throughout the entire labour. I could talk cohesively between contractions. I could feel Dr Lim tugging as he stitched me up.
I can walk around quite a bit (maybe cos no drip) and my tummy didn’t feel as painful. Maybe tomorrow it’ll start to hurt.
What’s the same?
I yelled that it stings and hurts when Dr put the anaethestic for the episiotomy. I yelled that it stings and hurts when Kiefer crowned.
The timing cycle seems to be similar. Kieran was born about 1h+ after I asked for pethidine. Looks like my pain threshold is consistent!
Still, when I see his little face, EVERYTHING WAS WORTH IT!!! And when I saw the happy look on Kieran’s face when Les brought him into the delivery suite to see his little brother, I knew that I would love Kieran even more!! Kieran has to be a big brother at 2 years old. That is quite something for him to accomplish and I think I admire him for that!
As for the Daddy of our babies, he’s been my support throughout the labour. I think he was more tired than I am. Having to stand there throughout my pains, telling me to relax and hold my entonox and hold my hand. He also had to follow my “orders” in between contraction as I kept telling him to do this and that in the next contraction. I think we make a good team. Because I could tell him exactly what I needed him to do and that he could understand and help me by doing all the things I told him in those short intervals, we make it through the labour together. I told him to tell me not to squeeze his hands (at first he said, nevermind just squeeze) because it would mean that I am not relaxing, he remembered and told me so. I told him to listen for my breathing through the entonox and remind me to breathe because I realised after a few contractions that when I tensed up, I stop breathing. He did that. I told him to check that my whole body is relaxed, not just my fingers. He did that. He did all these with each and every contraction after which I told him so. Also, I can now rest on the hospital bed, he has to be at home looking after Kieran on his own.
Thank you baby, I love you.
And thank you babies, I love all of you.
The Mummy.
1 May 2008
2218h
Mt Alvernia Hospital
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