My birth story - Moo Moo

On Monday, May 25th, I woke up at 6am with contractions and bloody show, and I was so sure that I would be giving birth that day. Contractions were coming three minutes apart while I took a shower. I had already felt something the night before and asked Nora whether she could stay overnight in case we suddenly had to dash to the hospital. Instead, we opted to just call her in the morning.

As I was getting the last of my bags packed, MIL and Nora came over to watch Ethan. Out of nowhere, contractions slowed to one to two an hour and became completely irregular. It's like my facebook status jinxed me. Nora took Ethan to school while Herb and I contemplated going to a movie to pass the time. The day turned out to be a wash - finally went out for sushi dinner that night and walked around at a mall close to the hospital, only to come back home in time to watch Ugly Betty.

It was a good thing that Nora stayed overnight because I woke up at 4am with more bloody show and contractions at 10 minutes apart. The contractions woke me up periodically during the night, but I wasn't sure if I was dreaming or if they were real. Everyone was up by 5am - I even got a chance to say hi to my parents on skype before leaving for the hospital.

It took a few minutes for us to grab a taxi, and when we got to the hospital, the taxi driver was very patient in waiting for my contraction to finish before I could get out of the car. We headed up to the labor ward when a sign on the door read, "Husband accompanying labor is now ceased due to H1N1 outbreak". It never occurred to me that hubby wouldn't be there. A feeling of dread set in - how will I be able to do this alone?

I went into the ward to confirm that I would be checked into the hospital. After hooking me up to the fetal/contraction monitor for about 30 minutes, I was free to move about. I went outside to chat with hubby and sent him home at 7:15am. There was no point in waiting given that visiting hours wasn't until 6pm that night, and who knew how long I'd be in labor for.

I was surprised that the nursing staff didn't do a cervical exam until contractions were closer and more intense. And oh did they hurt. There was a woman on a gurney crying out SOS as the nurses yelled at her to shush and save her energy. I made it a point to labor quietly with heavy breathing, all while hoping for an epidural.

My first cervical exam was at about 9am, and by 9:20am, they had transferred me up to the delivery room where I immediately asked for an epidural. They handed me a sheet with all the risks of pain management. I read it and said bring it on. Apparently, the anesthesiologist wouldn't be able to make it until after 11am, and the nurses prepared me for the possibility that he might not make it in time. I thought about the morphine injection, but ended up using the laughing gas. It did help a little bit, but it mostly made me feel woozy.

The assisting nurse in the delivery room said that if I felt the urge to push, I could start. All of the sudden, another nurse took over, checked my cervix, "massaged" it (aka took fist and pounded me from the inside), and said that Moo Moo was still a ways to go and to resist the urge the push. That was the hardest thing that I've ever had to do. I used the gas during the contractions to help me resist from pushing, but when the urge came and I tried to fight it, my lower body just convulsed. The second nurse stayed with me and coached me through each contraction.

At one point, I was laboring alone. The first nurse went out to prep for delivery, and the second went out to check on something. Even the two med school students who were observing disappeared. I just looked up between my legs and realized I was alone.

The anesthesiologist and his assistant finally came in at 11:15, but the nurse promptly shooed him away and said that I was already dilated 8 - 9cm. The assistant glanced at me with a look that said, "Sorry kiddo" and left.

I was so tired by that point and felt hopeless with no pain relief and no husband to support me (although Herb would probably would've been weak in the knees to see me laboring like that). I kept watching the clock and wondered when the baby would come.

Finally, at around 11:50ish, I was able to really push. This was definitely harder than delivering Ethan, who was vacuumed. Moo Moo arrived at 12:06pm on Tuesday, May 26th, weighing 3.41kg and measuring 20.5 inches. I managed to deliver her in about 10 pushes and with a very minor episiotomy. The feeling of euphoria that washed over me immediately after she came out was amazing, and to finally see my daughter was so rewarding. The nurses wiped her down, and I was able to hold her. They took her away to get her shots while I delivered the placenta and got stitched up. It was also surreal to get the play-by-play as the nurses were explaining everything they were doing to the two med students. The nurse brought back Moo Moo, and I was able to breastfeed and bond with her for a good hour and a half while the staff prepared my space in the ward.

My first thought when I saw her was that she didn't look like me or Herb. With Ethan, it was very evident that he took after Herb, but not so much with Moo Moo. I also thought about whether the name Sophia or Natalie would fit Moo Moo, but it was still too early to tell.

Next entry - hospital stay...