Our last valentine's date

I know that it sounded like I was writing the previous post when my water broke. Well, I kinda was. It was still in draft mode and I intended to post it just before the due date but the baby decided that she couldn't wait another 10 days.

Anyway, I'm sorry if I misled you but it wasn't so dramatic. This was what actually happened.

13 February 2016, around dinner time

Me: *Stalking a friend on FB whose wife was still in labour after 17 hours*

Me: (talking to Zichun and Annabel) Guess what? We finally installed the car seat base in the car!

13 February 2016, after dinner

Mark and I: *Played our wining game of ARAM and bridge*

14 February 2016, around 1:00am

Me: *Scrolling through Facebook while in bed after lights out*

Mark: Why are you still looking at your phone? Don't you know the blue light that the screen emits makes it hard for you to fall asleep blah blah blah... (Lecture fades into the background)

Me: I'm stalking my friend on Facebook. They are about to have baby on Valentine's Day and I just wanted to check on their progress. Wonder how often people get a Valentine's Day baby. Me: (Thinking: why this guy so naggy)

14 February 2016, 3:41am

Me: *Woke up from a funny feeling in tummy*

Me: (Thinking: That felt weird, something is shifting. Is it gas?)

*pop*

*water gushes*

Me: (Thinking: Oh crap. There goes my sleep for the night.) At that point, I never thought it was more like "there goes my sleep" forever, or at least for the next 15 years.

Me: Erm, Mark? Wake up, my water broke. Time to proceed with plan "water break".

Mark: Eh (sleepily), where's the cheat sheet the doctor gave ah? What do we do now?

Me: T.T

And that was how our last Valentine's date begun.

We did not really expect this, especially when the doctor said that isababy will most arrive later than her due date of 24th February. And only about 15% of women start labour this way.

No, not the stalking friends on Facebook a couple of hours before heading to the hospital (15% is a tad bit low for that, I'd put my bet on 80%) but the water bag breaking part.

For all those of you who already have the whole Hollywood frenzy of running red lights and rushing to the hospital scenes playing out in your head, I can assure you that it was nothing close to it nor was it necessary.

Maybelline's water bag broke too when she had Brian. She said the best thing she did was to take a shower and eat breakfast before going to the hospital. So I did as she recommended.

The shower was great but breakfast at 4am was just too much to stomach. We walked the dog, packed the hospital bag, charged the camera and then loaded ourselves into the car, all ready for our exclusive, by invitation only (my doctor extended the invite when we called her about the water bag. She even made a reservation for us), 2D1N Valentine's Day stay-cation at the Overlake Hospital.

Oh by the way, many first time preggers like me worry that they won't be able to tell if their water has broken so I'm telling you now that what they say is true. You'll know when it happens because it is like water gushing out a broken dam.

14 February 2016, 5:00am

We arrived at the hospital at with me leaking like crazy. I felt like I was Gretel (from Hansel and Gretel) leaving a trail behind even though I took all measures to avoid the embarrassment.

Imagine my horror when nurse held me in a waiting area instead of checking me into a private labour and delivery room because she needed prove that my water broke.

Like, really? I'm a broken dam and you're telling me you're not sure about admitting me into hospital.

BUT IT WAS STILL A-OK. I was still in a good mood because there wasn't any pain yet. So she did some test and yes, it was indeed broken. You don't have to be a nuclear scientist to know that.

At that point, the doctor said I was 1cm dilated and 50% effaced (opening and softening of the cervix respectively). Those are very lousy statistics since you have to be 10cm dilated and fully effaced before you (more like the baby) can see the light at the end of the tunnel. And I remember reading somewhere that if the baby is not out within 24 hours of the water breaking, there is a higher risk of infection which translates to a greater call for the dreaded caesarean section. I was not excited to be cut up on Valentine's day, the day after or any other day for that matter.

Time was ticking and I was anxious to be in the labour and delivery room, chop chop curry pok, and get the baby out.

14 February 2016, 7:00am

I finally got checked into the room and they gave me my welcome drink immediately - the IV. That freaked me out a little cause I was like "What?!?! You going to IV me now cause you think vaginal birth is not possible cause of my lousy dilation?", but the nurse was kind enough to explain that its protocol and blah blah, JUST IN CASE. (Medical staff there are really good at assuring you that things are fine, whether or not they really are.)

They told me they'll get me a pill to soften my cervix and help with contraction but that didn't come in even at 9am so I decided ordered my breakfast-in-bed to celebrate Valentine's Day instead of panicking around like a headless chicken.

Yeah, it was a lonely breakfast in bed on Valentine's day. It was my first breakfast in bed ever and it wasn't prepared by Mark. He had his own celebration somewhere else...

...in dreamland.

I wished I could sleep too but the contractions already started. As mild as they were, they only allowed me to barely drift in and out of a light snooze. So i ate my breakfast and just lazed around.

14 February 2016, 3:00pm

The experts then came around 12 noon with the pill (finally, talk about efficiency) but by 3pm, the baby was still nowhere in sight. So they gave me the stronger contraction medications (Pitocin I think) via iv and soon, wow, the pain was real.

I had all sorts of wires attached to me for monitoring the baby and contractions, plus the IV, so i was moving around with this vertical trolley of beeping things. I should have taken more pictures but by then, it should have been Mark's job rather than mine since I felt like Frankenstein in the making. The contractions got stronger and it hurt. Some say that the pain resembles very bad menstrual cramps but for me, I thought it felt more like very very very bad diarrhea that you can't poop out. You know, how your stomach churns when you ate something bad but it goes away when its out of your system? This one didn't come out (at least not then) and each churn was worse than the one before. It came in waves though so you get a breather in between the contractions where you can actually talk or laugh before going "uh-oh, sian, it's coming again". The whole thing is definitely less dramatic than what the ladies went through in "The Other Boleyn Girl".

14 February 2015, 3:00pm -5:00pm

I was haunting the hallways of the birthing department like a tormented soul and halted to hug the wall and breathe through every contraction. Mark was with me every step (oh yes, he woke up already) and helped me concentrate on breathing whenever the pain hit me. He was such a great support (literally too). In case you were wondering, I was walking around not because I wanted to prove that labour is a walk in the park. I was walking despite the pain because they say that it helps speed up labour and orientates the baby in the right position (anterior), with the head down and the body facing toward the mother's back. Using epidural at this point wasn't really an option I'd take as that meant that I couldn't walk around since it numbs my lower body. Furthermore, it is only recommended when dilation is between 5-7cm (best chance for natural delivery). I was only at 1 cm when I checked in so I wasn't confident that I would be anywhere in that range and checking it to find out that I'm not would be stressful so I just decided to walk, walk and walk.

I know some mummies-to-be go into hospital with a birth plan and knows exactly how they would want the birth to proceed and especially if they would want medication to cope with the pain. As much as I love planning, I am not into unnecessary self torture (yah, I super scared pain) and I don't know how painful labour can get since I haven't had one until then so I decided leave it open ended. In other words, if the pain is too much for me to bear, I'd just be a chicken a take the epidural.

14 February 2016, 5:05pm

I declined their offer to check my cervix and administer epidural at 5pm but changed my mind 5 minutes later after a contraction haha. I should have taken into consideration the efficiency of getting things done there again and said yes an hour ago. I was 6-7cm dilated.

To proceed with epidural, they had to get me sign some forms, wait for the doctor to be available, administer the medication and then wait for it to take effect. It probably took at least half an hour before I was numb. Thankfully we had a great nurse, Kim, was exceptionally experience and helpful throughout the labour. It was her who suggested the walking, taught mark how to "coach" me with the breathing and relaxation and recommended appropriate activities/medication during the different stages of labour. She also held me when I was in so much pain just before and during the administration of the anesthetic.

I don't remember what Mark was doing then. Probably panicking a little haha.

Well, Kim wasn't even supposed to be working that day but many babies decided they wanted to be born on Valentine's day so she was called up. Guess we lucked out!

Nurse Irina took over the shift soon after the epidural and I was feeling all normal and happy by then - no pain at all. Apparently that isn't always the case, some patients feel numb on one side only and some not at all. Yay for me! By then, Mark and I were getting serious about picking a name for isababy. We also thought that perhaps she would be born on 15th February instead, given how slow my cervix was opening. And if she was going to arrive around midnight, we would persuade the doctor to write it as 15th because having your birthday on Valentine's day may not be the most exciting since eating out would cost twice as much. Things would be worse if your friends are all attached and you're single (forever alone omg), it would kind of suck cause no one is going celebrate with you except your not so happening parents. But I guess isababy decided for herself. It was slightly past 8pm when they checked my progress and my cervix was fully dilated and the baby was at position zero. I could be pushing right then already but my OBGYN was still on the way. Guess nobody expected the progress to be this quick!

14th February 2016, 8:20pm

The doctor arrived and the pushing began around at 8.26pm and after 17 minutes of pushing...

14th February 2016, 8:43pm

Viola!

Welcome into this world, Miss Lexie Woo Xing En (胡幸恩) !

You're the most expensive present I've ever given Daddy. And he is so delighted that you will be helping him save the money he would have otherwise had to spend on me for all the Valentines' days for the rest of our lives.

So yeah, that concludes our last Valentine's date - in both sense of the word.

At least for a loooooooooooooooong while, because it's gonna be...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LEXIE(!!!), instead =D

Love,

Belle

(In case you wanted to know, the pushing didn't hurt at all. I didn't feel anything at. The nurse would tell me when I was contracting based on the machine they hooked me up to and all I had to do was to push with everyone cheering me on. Sigh, what would I do without you, epidural.)