The Birth Story

This is rather embarrassing that I have not told my birth story until 8.5 months post-partum. I guess I have forgotten all about this blog until now and there is a lot to be done as a stay-at-home Mum, much more than initially expected.

So let me begin by introducing our son named Rafael Oliver who was born on 26th November healthy and well. His birth went smoother and so much easier than expected. No fuss. Everyone said I got lucky with this birth being it my first one.

It was that fortunate weekend and actually we (husband, my Mum, a friend and myself) were planning to travel for a day trip to Belgium. After much detailed planning, we were all set that night to leave the next morning to pick our friend up from another city in Germany that's on the border to Holland. However, that night at past 4 am, I felt an uncomfortable feeling in my tummy; like a tummy ache and menstrual cramp, I was not too sure which was more likely. I went to the toilet to empty my bowels but the pain continued on. As I was pregnant into my 39 weeks, I knew that birth was impendable in the coming days ahead and being aware of Braxton Hicks I thought this could just be a false alarm. But the contraction-like ache started occurring every 15 minutes and so I woke my husband up. He said that first births don't happen quickly and I should chill. I agreed but then the pain kept occuring closer and closer apart (every 5 minutes). So he being an O&G doctor performed checks to see how close I am to birth and he got the shock of the day that I was opening at 2cm. As I remembered vividly now, he said that we should go to the hospital for a more comprehensive monitoring since the birth process had begun although passively still. We woke my mum up and she started preparing breakfast for me (while I showered), consisting of a plate of good old char kway teow and hard boiled egg. After that I felt so ready to conquer the day, thanks to my Mum. Also, I was not done packing the hospital bag and so I just brought with me very few items. Our house is only 20mins walk from the hospital and so apart from the cold it was relatively convenient to bring items back and forth the house. (We practically live in a university hospital neighbourhood. Lucky for us!)

Husband drove us to the hospital and he performed an ultrasound to see the state of the baby. To his alarm, he found the umbilical cord around the back of our baby's neck. Everything else was normal and the condition was still fit for a normal delivery. Then I was admitted in the delivery station and monitored in an examination room with CTG and the standard blood test and IV access. At this point, I was having stronger aches than before and it felt like my whole body is focused on it all and nothing else. When I was moved to the delivery room, the contractions were getting so horrible that all I could do was close my eyes and asked my Mum to massage my back because somehow that's what I could think about that could help me divert the pain from the contractions. Also I was shivering in pain during the contractions. I remembered it was an 8cm opening that things started to get unimaginable. One point in time I asked my husband if I could get epidural but he said things were progressing really quickly for me and I could do without it. Then at this time, my water finally broke and the pain started to get really bad (constipated x100) and I have this crazy urge to push. But at the same time, my husband and the midwife on duty said that I should resist the urge a while longer (I think is so to leave time for my body parts to adapt and stretch to reduce the possible tearing). Something in my mind and body told me to push but I did all I could to resist until finally I told them I couldn't wait any longer and I had to push. So my husband, being the only one in the room (no idea where the midwife left to), assisted me with the pushing and breathing. I think the last few pushes lasted around 3-5 minutes with very strong contractions, with very sharp pain when the head was crowning and such a relieving push when the baby's body slipped out into the world! (The pain didn't just stop right after, the contractions although much less forceful continued until the placenta was delivered.) But when I saw our baby for the first time, such joy came upon me and a sense of pride for achieving such arduous task of having completed a term pregnancy (despite some drama in the middle) and the birth too. My Mum was lucky she could be the third person to carry the baby in her arms and for a very long time too while I was dealing with the placenta stuff. I could see the joy in her face being Oma for the first time.

Thinking about the birth now... I couldn't ask for a better one. It almost seemed so perfect. No water-broke drama at home/somewhere I always imagined like in movies and it did not last the entire day for me. Thank God our baby was not too big so I did not tear that much. I know it is all the grace of God and I am forever grateful I am now a mother. Childbirth was not at all traumatising for me and fair to say it was pretty straight-forward and the pain felt was all worth it for the newest member in the family.

Rafael Oliver

10:08, 26.11.2016

2.89kg, 50cm

Isn't he lovely and adorable?

All he does is sleep, drink and pee/poo as a newborn. (So different compared to 8.5 month old him!)

I did not get sleep on my first night(s); figuring out his drinking pattern and really struggling with breastfeeding and pumping. We had many visitors coming over so I did not get enough sleep during the day to compensate for the lack of sleep at night. (So glad it's all over now!)

So that was the birth story, which after came the breastfeeding and sleeping routines which I will talk about in my next blog post. But I think this is enough sharing for now and the rest for next time. Good night world! :)