The delivery

My last appointment with my OB/GYN was on September 21st, and with my due date on the 28th, we decided to schedule induction on the 29th at 2PM. It was a little unsettling for me because childbirth should just happen rather than be scheduled, and I was afraid that given the anticipation of the 29th, I would actually inhibit the natural process. She did a cervical exam and helped to strip some of the membranes to try to trigger labor. While my cervix was soft, it wasn't dilated yet.

By the time we left the doctor's office, it was 9PM and we still hadn't eaten dinner yet. I was craving Korean stone pot rice, so we headed to Sorabol for a nice meal. When we left, I started to feel slight cramping and wondered if the doctor's tactic actually worked. The contractions weren't regular, and by the time I got home and took a shower, they seemed to go away.

The next morning, I woke up at 5:40 and headed to the bathroom. Low and behold, slight bloody show. I'm thinking, it's probably because of the cervical exam. I couldn't go back to sleep and decided to surf the Internet for a while. By the time Herb woke up (about 6:30), I started to have regular contractions and decided to time them. They seemed regular, but we both tried to head back to sleep in case it was a false alarm. Out of curiosity, I consulted my "What to Expect" book to see what phase of labor I was supposedly in. After realizing the contractions were coming every five to seven minutes at a minute each, it was time to jump into the shower and call the doctor. I managed to pack the rest of my bag, send out an email and update my facebook status before heading out the door. Meanwhile, Herb's documenting every step with the camera and video camera.

The morning of the 22nd was bright and sunny, and the ride to the hospital was quick. We parked and headed straight up to the OB/GYN ward, and of course, the elevator stopped on every floor. There was a man who look at me in horror while I was having a contraction in the elevator. What do you expect? It's a hospital!

Official check-in time was 8:38am, and the nurse who admitted me was quite rough around the edges. She checked my cervix (so unpleasant!), which was dilated at 1cm, and sent Herb down to the lobby to formally admit me and handle all the paperwork. After taking a blood sample and rushing me through some more paperwork, the nurse escorted me to the labor room to get changed. From then on, I was strapped onto to the bed with the fetal heart monitor and the contraction monitor. I was also given an IV drip and antibiotics for the Group B strep. Herb came up after checking me in and basically hung out, taking pictures, going to have a quick meal. The contractions were bearable, even though the nurse kept asking me if I needed a shot or some laughing gas. The nurse checked my cervix again at around 10:30/11:00, and I was still only dilated 1cm. I'm thinking, oh dear, this is going to take a while.

Contractions are getting worse, and I finally ask for some laughing gas. It actually made me more uncomfortable than provide any pain relief, and after a while, I just relied on deep heavy breathing and clutching Herb's hand to get through each contraction. After checking my cervix at around 12:30, I was already dilated 6-7cm. By the time I asked for the option of the epidural, the nurse said that they already called my doctor, who should arrive at around 2:30, and that my cervix was up to 9. When my doctor showed up, I asked her what the level of pain was going to be in delivery, but she said that the worst of it was over. At 2:45 after the catheter, I'm wheeled into the delivery room.

When I get to the delivery room, the nurses wheel my bed next to the delivery bed and expect me to climb over like a crab. Sure, that'll work...a bit of a struggle, and I'm in position and ready to push. The first few pushes didn't really count because I wasn't sure how to correctly push. They basically said you just have to poop him out! I pushed a couple more times, and the doctor decided vacuum delivery was needed because the fetal heart rate started to decrease. While I felt her decision was a little hasty, I went with it. I was in a lot of pain when she inserted the vacuum, and Herb was so good about coaching me and encouraging me. When the next contraction came, I pushed and felt his head in the birth canal. After that contraction ended, my doctor said one more push and you're done. Sure...I believe you. Herb was cradling my head to the left of me, and I had one nurse on each side with the doctor on the receiving end. When the contraction came, I gave it my all, let out a cry, and after the doctor instructed me to push a little more, out came baby! It was the most amazing thing to see him on my belly. The doctor was right though - when you're using your whole body to push, you really don't feel any pain. My tolerance of pain is quite high though, according to my doctor.

The nurses quickly moved him to his station to help him breathe and wipe him down, and we managed to snap a few pictures before they wheeled him into the nursery. Meanwhile, I delivered the placenta and the doctor mended the episiotomy. I was complaining about the pain to my doctor, and she found it amusing that I didn't need an epidural, yet couldn't handle simple sutures.

The fatigue and hunger didn't hit me until they moved me to my room. The doctor said I should stay in bed for the next six to eight hours, which meant I would miss the first visiting hours that night. As tired as I was, I had a lot of trouble sleeping that night. I ended up sharing a room with another new mother who delivered via c-section. She seemed to be in a lot of pain - every time she moved, I could hear her whimper.

The next day, I battled a lot of dizziness and fatigue, but at the same time, I was so excited to hold Piglet. I first got a glimpse of him in the viewing window, and when feeding time finally came around, I was able to hold him. He was so tiny and fragile - already such a change from now.

Overall, my experience at the hospital was fair. There were a lot of women from the mainland who came down to have their babies in HK. The nurses in my ward were very nice and helpful, but some at the nursery who showed us how to breastfeed were really intimidating and impatient - not a very good combination for new mothers.