My Labor and Delivery Experience

 DOB: 26th Feb 2021, boy, 3.41 kg, 57 cm.

On 19th Feb, a week before labor, I had an appointment with my ob-gyn. There was still no sign of labor, and my amniotic fluid was still sufficient, so he asked me to come back on 28th (my estimated due date was on 1st March) to check on me and the baby again and discuss the labor options.

On 24th, I had an appointment at KK. The nurse checked on me and said "anytime now, be prepared." 

On 25th morning, I noticed some light spotting when I went to the toilet but no pain whatsoever. I called my ob-gyn assistant to ask if the doctor was available today. We discussed and decided to pack up and go straight to the hospital. 

P/S: This was the decision both of us are still a little regret making even until now. Not in a bad way lah. After reading some posts on the mommies' group, we realized that we should have waited for a day or two or even go to KK or the government hospital first. Maybe my labor would be a little easy (and less expensive lol).

So, yeah, my ob-gyn checked on me and said that I've opened 2 cm. This was the first time I had the pelvic exam and gosh I despised it so much. He advised that it was better to admit right there and then since spotting without contraction can be dangerous and there was a sign that the amniotic fluid was decreasing. Another reason was that I needed to do the Covid test. He also said that if contraction didn't happen by that very day, I would be induced that very night.

(Due to the pandemic, mothers-to-be are required to do the Covid test before admission, and husbands are not allowed at all to accompany their wives during labor but can accompany wives if we stay in a single room.)

The room was available only after lunch, so we went to 7 Village for their kuew tiao th'ng and came back for the test and admission. After I settled down in the ward, Sing went back to his shop (yes, he opened his shop before we went to the hospital and asked his workers to manage while he was gone) and pack his stuff up. 

Contraction didn't happen throughout the day, so I was induced at 10.30pm. Before that, the nurse inserted the suppository and wow, I did not fancy the pangsai feeling haha. It felt as if my anus was an out-of-control faucet lol. Then, the doc came and inserted the inducing pill into my va-jay-jay after some pelvic exams (again).

The first contraction started at 11pm and they sent me back to my ward. The nurse told me that if the pain was too much for me to bear, I could ring them up and they would inject a painkiller for me to ease the pain. 

Oh gosh, the contraction was another thing that I despised. It was like the continuous pain when you laosai/had diarrhea and no matter how many times you sat on the toilet, the pain just wouldn't go away! It happened like once every 30 minutes. I couldn't sleep at all gah! I kept walking around the ward (thankfully I stayed in the single room), went in and out of the toilet, sat upright, lay down, turned here and there until 3 am when I couldn't take it anymore, and asked the nurse to administer whatever drug that could knock me out. I needed that rest for the push tomorrow! They came in and asked what painkiller do I need. I simply whined, "The nurse told me to just ring the bell, she didn't tell me what kind of drug, just do something." Then, they injected my butt and the pain eased so much. I could still feel the contraction happening but the pain disappeared, and I could finally sleep through the night. Well, not really also because I was interrupted so many times throughout the night as they came in to check my BP and all.

The next morning, after breakfast, I walked to the labor room hand in hand with Sing. He couldn't accompany me though so I had to face the battle on my own. Sobs!

I didn't wear glasses, take my phone with me etc, so all I did was lying on the bed, staring at the clock on the wall like a blind woman, and waiting. At 10.30am, after all-night of pain, it only opened 5cm, so the doc decided to induce me again, this time the IV drip type. And so there I was, lying on the bed, waking and passing out with nothing to do. The nurses came in and out to check on me (plus countless pelvic exams gah!), and asked me to call for them if I felt as if I wanted to pangsai.

I couldn't really say that I felt like it, but by 3pm, after another pelvic exam, the nurse said that it had opened 10 cm and that's when the push officially started. She even told me that the delivery would be over by 3.30pm so confidently. Oh, you were so wrong leh...

I thought that the ob-gyn would come during the 10 cm time. Then only I know that the nurse would be there with me until I push the baby's head out only would they call for the doctor to come for the rest of the labor. The nurse also encouraged me to push with all my might, given that the baby's heartbeat was going strong, because if I failed and the doctor came to take over, he would instantly choose to vacuum my baby out and the nurses didn't want that to happen. They preferred I gave birth all-natural lah actually since I had the strength and the baby was okay. I also thought that they would put up the leg supports like what I saw on TV but nope, I was lying on the bed, sometimes side lying, while doing all the pushing.

Anyhow, all those lotus pose and squat didn't really open my hip as I couldn't really push Eggy out. So many times when the nurse said she could feel Eggy's head, but I just couldn't push him all out. I asked for a second dose of painkiller (not epidural), thinking that it could help reduce the pain and I could still feel the contraction, but I regretted the decision because not only was the pain there, but I felt damn sleepy! I felt as if I passed out every time the contraction was over and woke up again when the contraction came ah! The nurses kept encouraging me on and on, telling me that Eggy was going strong as if he wanted to be delivered naturally. 

I pushed for 1 hour+ until Dr Tan came at 4.20pm and took over. (Later, the nurse told me that she also wanted to call for the doctor already but he came on his own lol). He checked on me, put on the leg supports, and decided to suck Eggy out. In between the pains, I was quite anxious as Dr. Tan was a nervous freak to which somehow affected the nurses' actions too yikes. 

Finally, at 4.47 pm, Eggy was sucked out via vacuum. My first thought as I watched him exiting my body was, "Damn, he (his body) is so long!" Yup, he was the longest and heaviest baby in the nursery that day lol. As the baby was taken away, Dr. Tan did the stitches on me and let me rest in the labor room. I literally passed out lah.

He came in a moment later, holding my hand and praising me for a job well done. He said that the nurses complimenting me, saying that I followed their instructions very well, pushing whenever needed, and not cursing and yelling. In short, I was good girl lah haha! Then, since I always asked him about skin-to-skin after delivery, breastfeeding and all during checkups, he kinda smirked and said, "See? Do you think you can breastfeed now? Do you still want to do skin-to-skin? I bet all you want to do now is to sleep, right? Now, sleep!" (Ok lah now that I think of it, I think he was kinda harsh lah because you can't deprive my request to hold my baby and all mah, but I was too exhausted to argue lol).

I was so tired that I slept for the whole hour in the labor room. When they pushed me back to my room, I held Sing's hands and my tears flowed out like rain. I even had the feeling that my mission there was completed and we could go home now, leaving the baby at the hospital lol! 

I had my dinner, replied to messages, uploaded pictures, and passed out, and woke up again in the middle of the night to reply to messages and all. It wasn't until the next day that I got to meet my little handsome prince.

After such tedious labor, you look like your father and take your father's surname. -_-

Eggy had to be admitted for another 2 days though because he had a rather high level of jaundice. I was discharged, went home to pack up, and went to the confinement center. He came and joined me two days later.

And that was my labor and delivery experience.