Baby Mia - The Birth Story

Thank you so much everyone for you lovely comments and well wishes...I am back at home now..both Mia and I are doing well, alhamdulillah...I think I better write down my labour story first of all, before I start to forget it :) ok this story is probably going to be long-winded and gross so any male readers should probably stay away. But it might be helpful for those expecting to be a mother soon...i found a lot of inspiration reading other people's birth story shortly before my own labour...

Wed, 20 Jan 2010

As you know I went for the membrane sweep in the afternoon. When i came home, i started to feel a permanent cramp, like period pain, and then mild contractions. At this point they were not painful, but they were coming continuously throughout the day and night. Somehow both me and my husband started feeling like this is it! I was strangely calm, feeling happy and relaxed. I browsed the internet reading other people's birth stories..After putting Adam to bed, i continued sewing as usual, making my nursing pads (i can't believe i forgot to make them earlier, too busy making Mia's dresses..hehe). We went to bed late as usual, around 2-2.30am.

Thursday, 21 Jan 2010

6am - 10.30am

I started feeling real contraction pains at 6am, and coming regularly about every 15mins. I couldn't go back to sleep anymore so I got up, performed my subuh prayer, checked the internet while trying to finish my nursing pads some more. Every contraction was really intense and painful by this point, I was already bending over in pain, but in between contractions i felt just fine like normal. I put on my Tens machine and drank air selusuh made by my husband. My husband called our friend Feroz who lives nearby to come over to pick up Adam.

Adam was so funny though when he saw me in bending in pain...he tried to hug me..give me a kiss..then he said 'Baby, baby' i don't know how he knows the pain is related to the baby..then later he imitated me..dia pun bend over and whimpered...pastu gelak...hish..

When the contraction becomes around once every 5 mins, I called the labour ward. Coincidentally, the midwife who did my membrane sweep picked up the phone. When i told her my name, she said, 'hey it's you..so it worked!'. She told me to come when contractions are about 1 every 4 mins. Feroz came, and Adam went with him very willingly, happy to go play with Uncle..Alhamdulillah..Around 10.30am we took a cab to the hospital. The route was a bit jammed and i think the taxi driver was a bit nervous when he saw that i was in labour..hehe..

10.30am - 12pm

We arrived at the labour ward and the first thing they asked for were my maternity notes. My notes! We forgot to bring my notes! My husband had to go back home to pick it up...I waited in the waiting area by myself..i think they were busy at the time and didn't call to check on me..When my husband came back, I was still waiting there. Soon they called us in and a midwife, Lucy, checked me. She did a VE, and she said I was already 5cm. She said she'll transfer me immediately to a labour room. I was quite surprised when I heard I was already 5 cm, but I'm relieved that it's real labour, not false alarm. Lucy left for a while, and I was slightly screaming in pain when my contractions came. I heard one of the midwives called out 'Lucy!! where are you??transfer her quickly, i think she's quite far along now!'. Soon Lucy came, gave me a gown to change into and took us to Labour Room 3.

12pm - 4pm

As we enter the labour room, another midwife, Juliet took over my care. She put me on the CTG machine, asked me to take sips of water. She gave me the ethonox gas and showed me how to use it if I needed to. You're supposed to breathe in throughout the contractions. I tried to give it a go, but I found that it didn't really help, just made me feel high and dizzy after the contraction is over. During the contraction itself, no help whatsoever to ease the pain. Same thing with the Tens machine, it's really good in between contractions, it feels like getting a constant massage for my back, but during contractions, i cannot feel the pulse from the machine at all, because the pain is too overwhelming. After trying the gas a few times, I decided not to use it at all. Now I realised that the pain I had when I had Adam was nothing compared to this one. I was in labour a long time, but the opening was slow and at 3-4 cm I already had epidural. So this time around I get to experience real labour pains. On God it was horrible...I cannot even describe it..I guess you just have to experience it..Thank God my husband was supporting me through every contractions...that is the kind of effective pain relief you cannot get elsewhere..tq sayang..i really appreciate it..

They kept me on the CTG machine because the baby's heart rate seemed to be higher than it should be. Juliet called a doctor in to check, and he said maybe try hydrating me instead, cos dehydration might've caused the baby's heart rate to rise. If that doesn't work then maybe they will break my water. I was then put on IV to get hydrated. At 2 they were going to do another VE and maybe break my water.

After a while, Lucy went out for lunch and another midwife came in to replace her, Martina. Oh, Martina was an angel God must've sent for me. She was really kind and supportive..at every contraction, she came to my side (my husband on the other side) held me and massaged my lower back and spoke softly 'You're doing so well...just breathe slowly..in...out...relax your shoulders...' It really helped. When another lady in the labour room next door was screaming and crying she told me ' See? you're doing so great..that lady is only having contractions 1 in every 5 mins..you're having a lot more contractions than that and yet you're so quiet'.

Martina was going to do my VE at 2 but then she said another lady is in the operation room and if anything goes wrong after she broke my water then they won't be able to take me to the operation room. So they decided to wait. After a while it looks like the baby's heart rate is ok.

At around 4pm, Juliet came back and said she'll do a VE to check me and maybe break my water as well. It has now been 4 hours after my last VE at 5cm so they expected that I may have dilated a lot by now. So she did the VE and....I was only 6cm dilated! What???after all of that pain!!! only 6cm??? Martina had to leave at this point too, because Juliet is back...I was really depressed then....how much longer was this labour going to take I thought...Juliet broke my water..I didn't want them to, because I still remember how painful it was when my water was broken with Adam...but this time it didn't hurt at all...tibe2 je bush! kluar air...Juliet said it's because this time my opening is already big so it doesn't hurt...

4pm-6pm

Right after my water was broken, the pain intensified immediately to a level that...oh God..I didn't think I could bear it...and the contraction came one on top of another with barely any rests..even in between contractions it still felt painful..i can no longer feel the Tens machine...it was awful...I heard Juliet said during one of my contractions 'Give her the gas' and I said ' where's the gas, where's the gas' At this point I was desperately trying to find any relief available...so my husband held the gas out for me and I breathed in and out..I know it didn't really help with the pain but it gave me something to do...I bite down hard on the gas nozzle and breathed in the gas deep...and after the contraction goes down it made me feel high and sleepy and numbed the exhaustion...

I already felt like pushing...but i was confused..I was only 6cm dilated..how can i feel like pushing already...I told Juliet..she said good..maybe you're close now...First tried really hard not to push, because i remember reading other people's birth story that you're always told NEVER to push unless you're already 10 cm right? But it was really hard not to push while trying to bear the pain as well..I asked Juliet, 'I should try not to push right?' she said 'No, push a bit if you feel like it...just do what your body tells you' eh...what?do what my body tells me? biar betul....tak terkoyak ke nanti? apsal org lain were told not to push pulak..dahla aku baru 6 cm ni...

But i decided to follow Juliet's advice..just push a bit..plus I can't stand the urge to push anymore..around 4.30pm (it was only half hour after after my water was broken) Juliet was out of the room..I was desperate at this point..I told my husband where is she??? I really feel like pushing big time now..my husband push the button to call the midwives..another older midwife came in and had a look..she called out, 'Juliet, do you want me to steal your delivery?She's ready!' Juliet told me to open up so she could have a look..she said, yep..the baby's head is there, you can start pushing now' I was like..what? really?? 'Are you sure??don't you have to check if i'm already 10 cm before i push?just now i was only 6cm' She said 'yeah, i already checked just now, you're ready! Before it was just your water that was obstructing the opening'. Wow, i couldn't believe it...

So the pushing process began...my God, the horrible pain, plus the hardwork of trying to push...i wasn't allowed to scream..because Juliet said screaming will lose the energy..but it was hard not to scream..sakit gilaaaa...it felt like i was pushing forever...just when I was ready to give up....

Mia came out!

Juliet said the time was 4.43pm..what??punyalah lama rasenye push, rupanya 15 mins jer..Alhamdulillah....I saw her...she was so tiny...Juliet said, shall I wipe her..I said it's ok, you can put her on me...I held her...oh, she's beautiful..my husband said, wow alhamdulillah she's fair, not dark like him..hehe..she looked like Adam actually, except fairer..

Juliet clamped the cord and let my husband cut it..she then delivered the placenta..I needed a couple of stitches she said..because when Mia came out, she pushed one hand out quickly and that caused a small tear..She gave me an injection, local painkiller, before stitching me up. The needle itself i didn't feel..but while stitching she touched the sore area around it...itu yg sakit...but I had Mia in my arms already by this time..anything was surely worth it to have this precious baby in my arms..

After that my husband took Mia and read Azan to her...oh it was a beautiful moment...then Mia had her first breastfeeding session...alhamdulillah...

I fell in love again...This is the moment I have been waiting for...nothing compares to it...

Juliet took Mia, weighed her, she weighs 2.84 kg (Adam was 2.74kg). She cleaned her up..just wiped her with cotton and water..she asked my husband to take out Mia's clothes..she put them on and wrapped her in the swaddling blanket I made for her...then she handed her back to me...

So that's it...that's Mia's birth story...so different from Adam..I'm so glad I decided not to use epidural..so I get to experience what labour pain is like...alhamdulillah not every woman gets to have it..