Today, Herb and I went for our antenatal class held at the hospital, and I went away feeling really happy and sad at the same time. Happy because this birth is going a real bonding experience with Moo Moo, and sad because I didn't get this opportunity with Ethan.
The session started with couples picking from a pile of flashcards adjectives that describe how they're feeling about this pregnancy. We went around the room and shared our picks. Not surprisingly, I was the only one in the room who was in her second pregnancy.
What I aimed to get out of the session were the hospital procedures and the tour of the delivery room and ward. It turns out that this hospital (QE) is very open to what the mothers want - so much that they even encouraged us to submit a birth plan, which was completely unheard of at Ethan's hospital (UN). At QE, laboring mothers aren't strapped to a bed and are free to use different ways to be comfortable. At UN, I was tied to the bed and could only toss and turn.
When delivering at QE, I can choose what position to give birth, whether it be on the floor, on the bed, or squatting. Immediately after delivery, I'm able to hold Moo Moo for an extended period of time to enable bonding, breastfeeding and colonization of my 'good' germs. Post delivery, lactation nurses will be on call to help out, and Moo Moo will be sleeping next to me, which is the most important element of all.
The other great thing is limited visiting hours (6pm to 8pm), which also gives me a lot of time to devote to Moo Moo. Sure, I'll be in a ward with up to six mothers and babies at a time, but I don't mind. When we took the ward tour today, there were at most three mothers and three babies at a time, and it was still pretty quiet.
An interesting thing to note was the nurse's viewpoint on episiotomies. Apparently, if I push slowly and gradually, I have a lesser risk of tearing or needing an episiotomy. My doctor said that Asians usually get it because they can't stretch enough, and it's better as a precautionary measure than getting a second degree tear. She never mentioned that if you allow the perinium to stretch gradually, it probably won't tear. I guess it's not that big of a deal with me since I had one with Ethan, and I healed fine. The added convenience of not having a wound the second time around would be nice though.
Today's experience really makes me wonder what the fuss is all about with private hospitals. It also makes me sad to think how much I missed out on Ethan's birth. While it was still an amazing experience, I definitely didn't bond with him at the hospital as much as I could have had I delivered him at QE. Still, we made up for that in other ways =)
Now the question is whether I will formulate a birth plan. Maybe just something simple as a guide. More pressing is putting together the list of questions that I'll be asking at my first doctor's appointment at QE (all of my previous ones were with my private doctor).
Time to hit the sack, well, sofa. Looking forward to vegging tomorrow and spending time as a family before hubby's off again to Italy.
2 comments:
i'm so glad you like the public hospital set-up. it sounds just like what i get here in the UK.
as to tearing, i tore bad with micah, not so bad with noah and a wee bit with jonah, but didn't have to get any stitches (with the last one).
and with all the boys i was able to hold, cuddle and feed for a good while before being taken to be weighed and measured. its a wonderful bonding experience and you will love every minute of it!
we are in rooms of 4 as well.(except when i had noah in the midwife run birthing center i had my own.) usually not all the beds are taken at one time as everyone leaves at different times so it was ok.
The HK system is very similar to NHS since HK used to be a British colony. I am thinking I'll probably get the episiotomy since it didn't bother me too much the last time, and I'm afraid that I'll tear.
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