Thank You

I must thank all friends/family who have come bearing gifts for Hana Arissa- all the lovely little girly clothes, ballerina shoes, mobiles, toys, baby carrier, and various other knick-knacks... we love them all!!

(in pic)
Little Hana on her HUGE rocker... given by Deon, John & little Isaac

Clothes compliments of Auntie Pim from Bangkok

Woollen blankie (and a dozen other things) given by Frank from Bangkok

Pictures!

The last thing I went to before popping- Angela's wedding on 1 Nov.














Mama & Papa, calm & smiley before the drama began.













2 minutes old












with Godma Dara who flew in from Bangkok to cuddle her














5 days old, snoozing after a feed












12 days old, snoozing after a visit to the Polyclinic for a jaundice check

What labour felt like

This one is for my (curious) girlfriends...

8 Nov 06
1830h
Went to gynae with Hafidz & gynae did an internal check. Told me I'm 2cm dilated and that he'd have to admit me that night. I was flustered thinking "Wait a sec.. is this guy for real? I don't feel anything!"

2230h
Checked into Thomson Medical and sent to normal ward. Still feel nothing. Godparents Sapna & Anil kept me company til almost midnight when I started to feel a little mild period cramping.
Important! Have a hearty meal at home before you go. You won't eat anything anytime soon and you really really really need the energy.

2315h
Godparents & Hafidz left. Gynae did another internal check and said I'm still 2cm dilated. If no action tonight, he would induce me at 0830h the following morning. I went to bed.

2330h
The mild cramping got progressively stronger. It feels like a horrible period cramp and comes and goes in waves. I tried to snooze but the pain was getting unbearable.

9 Nov 06
0130h
I timed my contractions on my hp (Hafidz had taken my watch home) and it was coming at regular 3 minute intervals. I remember reading that at one should leave for hospital when one's contractions are 4-6minutes apart. I rang for the nurse and asked if I should call my gynae. She said "We will monitor you and call your gynae if there's anything" and left me alone. I'm like WTF!!!! What the hell does that mean, I was in so much pain already!!

0215h
I felt something ooze out of me. I though "Ahh... waterbag! No need to be induced!" then reached down and saw blood. Immediately I had a sense of foreboding, many people tell me that if your first leak is blood, it would be a long and painful labour. I made up my mind to go down the epidural route and skip the whole 'matyr' act. I rang for nurse again and they wheeled me down to delivery ward.

0245h
A really rough, unfriendly Filipino nurse (if only I had the energy to punch her face!) put me on foetal monitor and injected something to make me go poop. It irritated my bowel like shit (no pun intended) but between the contractions and the bowel pain, I was almost delirious.

0300h
Hafidz arrives but was told to wait outside whilst they wheel me to from delivery ward to a sterile delivery room. At this point, moving an inch was a nightmare and I couldn't speak from the pain. I ask for gas as my first pain relief option (ok, being brave by going down that matyr route).
Important! Put the mask FIRMLY over your face and breathe as DEEPLY as you can when the contractions start. Stop breathing when contraction is at its peak. It feels like being high on pot- you feel the pain but you're distanced from it. Just imagine yourself somewhere else- I transported myself to the wonderful days in Perth throughout the pain.

0300h - 0717h
1st stage
Already dazed. All I remember is pure bright pain, praying and praying to Almighty God to let me get over this quick and asking my hubby for water (gas makes your throat scratchy). I also remember asking for epidural but getting pethidine instead but anything was better than gas alone. I was already hugging the bed railing praying "Dear God, please let me get through this. Please let my baby be healthy" but was too absorbed in the pain to make a decibel noise. But with the pethidine and gas combination, I managed to cope with the pain well enough to forget about my request for epidural. I even managed to doze between contractions (or maybe I was just high enough to think I dozed off). The 1st stage pain felt like a huge squeezing pressure on your belly, similar to period cramp but a million times worse. I was steadily bleeding throughout this stage, my hubby says the nurse filled out 2 trash bins with my soaked waterproof sheeting.

Transition stage
The moment I started groaning, I knew I was in the transition phase (see what information can do for you mentally?). Now, many books say this is when a lot of women lose control and now I know exactly WHY. At this stage, the pain is so immense that you automatically start pushing. The nurse pressed HARD on my belly and through the fog, I remember her saying "Push!". Then I heard myself whimpering "Where is my gynae!?!?!?" and she replied "Just push, he's on his way". Every fibre in my body says stop pushing because my cousin Lin pushed before her gynae arrived and the baby stayed in the cervix long enough to come out looking like Conehead. But the pressure inside my belly had its own mind and I find myself pushing a little bit and felt her head crowning. In my drugged state, I thought "I'm NEVER taking this f***ing gynae again, where the f*** is he! I'm going to deliver my baby without a f***ing gynae!!" but minutes later he came in looking like he stumbled out of bed. Every conceivable swear word was in my head directed at him. Hafidz says my waterbag burst at this stage and he finally can see water. I had to call out to him cos he was busy looking south instead of offering support.

2nd stage
The pain was everywhere that I only saw bright light (I think my gynae had on a mining hat with a torchlight mounted on it but hell, maybe I imagined it). It was just pure exquisite pain that nothing else is painful in comparison, I didnt feel anything even though I heard his scissors snipping me up. They put my legs in the stirrups but I got my stupid foot cramp at this point which was kind of funny. I remember going "ah... foot cramp! foot cramp!" and the nurse massaging my legs. Hafidz was holding my hand and I squeezed so tight I left nail marks on it for 2 days. Then everyone did the cheerleader routine "Push! Push! Puuuussshhh!" and I took a deep breath and pushed with all my might and accidentally yelped at the same time (to which the nurse said "Don't shout, conserve energy!") but nothing happened, only I felt MORE pain. Now this is cos her head is at the entrance of my cervix. Then my hubby's voice going "Na, you can do it sayang, push sayang" and the gynae said "Take a deep breath Shafrina and push one more time" and I did as told. It felt like my intestines dropped out of my body as Arissa slipped out and I remember crying out loudly in relief/surprise.

3rd stage
For someone who has not felt labour pain, this stage may be most icky as the gynae stiches me up with a fishing line and hook. But let me assure you, this stage is the best. No more contractions, and you get 2 jabs in 'there' and on the thigh and you just lie back and relax... just remember not to look down. I was also busily asking my hubby who was flitting around the room, cutting the cord and doing all the daddy things he has to do "Is she healthy? Is she ok dear?"

That wraps this drama episode up. What follows is a week of perineal pain- you need to relearn to piss, relearn to poop, learn to breastfeed, deal with engorgement as your body settles into Mum-hood. I must add after all that, the gain was worth every ounce of pain.

Happy shagging!

And out it comes...

The one I've been waiting for 9 months to kiss and cuddle...

Her name is Hana Arissa Abdul Hafidz and she was delivered at Thomson Medical Hospital under the care of Dr Lawrence Ang on 9 Nov @ 0718h.

After an 8 hour long labour; with just gas and pethidine to get by whilst I bleed profusely enough to scare the crap of out my hubby; 2 pushes and a forcep assisted delivery; out she comes crying lustily, weighing all of 2.7kg.

I'm now at home and will be arranging a baby shower after the conventional 40 day confinement period.

Is it coming yet?

37.5 weeks and waiting and waiting and waiting....

Had a gynae checkup on Monday- bub weighs 2.5kg (not bad!), mummy weights a mere 60.7kg. I was worried that I'm not putting on enough weigh (only 11kg so far) but nurse assures me that as long as baby is a healthy weight, I should not be too worried.

Arissa's position is head-down but she isn't engaged yet, in fact she is lying on her right. I told Dr Ang that I was having mild period-like cramps the whole night before and he offered to do an internal exam to check me out. Man, it hurt!!! I squeezed the nurse's hand so hard I think I saw her wince! He then appeared rather puzzled and told me that I'm already a little dilated (anxious me forgot to ask how many cm!!!) and that I should come back in 2 days time to see him.

The next day, I had some brown mucous discharge and went straight to my cousin Lin for clarification. Apparently its normal after a vaginal examination and that I should only inform my gynae if there is blood in the discharge.

So after 2 days of waiting, waiting, waiting... we're back to square one. Everyone has been so sweet, calling and asking if I'm ok but the fact is this waiting is driving me insane. Its like waiting for Mt Merapi to erupt.... a lot of smoke but naaaaaathing.... urgh!

Am going to gynae today again, will keep everyone informed.

xoxo

The Impending Arrival of Little Bub! Hurrah!!

I'm approaching 37 weeks this Saturday, which means Arissa will be deemed a full-term baby by next Saturday.

NB: For those who are clueless, babies are considered 'full-term' at 38 weeks although most pregnancies can go up to 40 weeks. From Week 38, baby's internal and external organs are already fully formed and can be born without any complications. Those 2 weeks between Week 38 and 40 are only a time when they start storing mass and plumping up.

Everyone in the office is starting to notice how heavy and tired I look, and my 'big bird walk' is becoming more pronounced. Whereas I felt very energetic and lively in my 2nd trimester, the end bit of the 3rd trimester has me alternating between feeling tired and lazy and the sudden urge to clean and re-organise baby things. It feels like the 1st trimester, I wake up feeling tired and go through the day in a daze.

The symptoms I've read so much about that points to the impending arrival of little bub are:

SWOLLEN FEET started the day before Hari Raya when we were all busy spring cleaning. I didn't realise it at first but it got harder and harder to walk about and when I looked down, I thought to myself "Hang on.... those aren't my feet" but they were!!! My ankles had disappeared to Lala Land and the whole feet looked like a water balloon with skinny toes. I went to sleep with my feet propped on a pillow but there was still a bit of swelling the next day and it got progressively worse as the festive day went on and there was no time to get off my feet. To this day, my feet starts to swell after a little standing and walking.

An old wives tale says that when the water retention recedes suddenly after long periods of bad swelling, Mum will immediately go into labour.

BRAXTON HICKS Contractions started on my leave day Monday, 30 Oct. I woke up feeling something once familiar- a dull period cramp. My whole belly was hard and the period cramp was persistent even though I laid still for a good 5 minutes. Eventually it went away, leaving me slightly sore, and I got up to shower and have breakfast. In the middle of brekkie, the pain came back coupled with another feeling- the need to do Number 2. Argh! Even after Number 2, I didn't feel any better and went to sit quietly at my laptop, responding to emails and trying to forget the ache. After about 10 minutes, it went away for good. Have been getting contractions about once or twice a day... usually in the mornings. What I do is just lie still with my feet propped up and try to relax.

NESTING mood means the need to make a cosy little nest for the bub. This includes all manner of cleaning and re-organising baby things in preparation her arrival. Even though I was feeling heavy and rather lazy, I felt well enough to pack my hospital bag, wash all baby clothes, put all bath things in one basket (baby toiletries smell heavenly!!), free up some space in my wardrobe to accommodate Arissa's stuff. Of course at the end of the day, all the ligaments in my body was stretched and sore.

Hari Raya visiting didnt go to waste despite the waddling and the swollen feet and the various other discomforts. I had many relatives dishing out a piece of advise or two on birthing but they all agree on this one thing: It will be painful as hell. Of course, we now have the magic potion called epidural but therein lies a whole host of other complications which I won't go into today. Anyway, magazines and books advise to KEEP AN OPEN MIND. I may go in there rejecting epidural but after 20hours labour, epidural may become veeerrryyy tempting. The point, so I've been told, is not to get too worn out before the pushing actually starts that bub gets stuck in cervix *nightmare*.