Speckie's Birth Story
12:00 PMI suppose I'd never forget how Speckie arrived even if I didn't document it...and just in case I do, here's it...a good 22 months later.
The last gynae visit
The 37th week gynae visit came and went with the first CTG scan and I thought I got myself acquainted with the beeping device since first time moms hardly had births early anyway. SO many comments were passed on what if he was overbaked and arrived super late.
Anyhoo, 30 minutes of monitoring and zilch contractions I was packed off for the week with a breezy "He won't arrive this week at least!" Plans were made for a happy weekend packed with lunch and dinner dates, I was keeping my fingers crossed he would not arrive for another week and a half at least - there was Les Miserables to catch still! Each day that inched past got me happy that my nagging at Speckie helped.
30 June
Nothing unusual with the daily roundup of work, lunch, post work and dinner except that dinner of Por Kee was exceptionally unsatisfying that night and I resorted to chomping Mission's Corn Chips at home later.
9ish pm
I had the first spotting in months - pinkish and somewhat brownish and we made the first call to the delivery suite and was told to monitor for contractions. Hrm. A long warm shower later, I lay in bed with my nightly game of Tsums and tried to wait out for contractions - how did they even feel like? Menstrual cramps? I had a slight tingling feeling at the bottom of the belly but that was it and baby was still flipping around like a dolphin on steroids.
The Hubba mentioned much later he thought my belly looked alot lower that night than before but...he didn't want to trigger off the alarm. And the hours went by...
1 July
12-2am
Slightly stronger twitches at the belly, I gave up and downloaded the contractions app. HAH. Without knowing what exactly is a contraction still.
I felt liquid gush and panicked, thinking it was my waterbag but it turned out to be more bloody discharge. It could have been mummy's instinct but part of me still pondered over the difference of labour pains and braxton hicks.
All these were thrown out of the window once the nurse declared I was in active labour and 2cm dilated. Right, so they were positively not braxton hicks!
2-5am
This felt like forever. I waited for the enema that I did not have to take (hoot hoot hooray!), got the most painful cervix check of my life by (not one, but two!) medical officers. Felt like a guinea pig being checked out by so many people.
I took on labour pains like a warrior - at some point naively thinking I could go drugfree.
The original birth plan was for me to be able to walk around, try to walk off the pains and only be strapped down when I was ready to birth. Wishful thinking because I was strapped on to monitor the contractions and remained so all the way.
If anyone said contractions are like menstrual cramps? I say close, except they keep coming and coming in waves that left me curling my toes and eyes and wishing my dilation would quicken like NAO. I got through a couple of those peaks and thought hey, I can do this...before it got too much to bear and the Hubba's tactic of confirming with me thrice if I needed pain relief got on my nerves.
"So, I will ask you three times if you really want."
*first wave of contractions*
*Breathe breathe breathe* Ouchhh, ok I want epidural.
"Are you sure? Look at me and answer?"
"Uh....maybe *ouchhh* nooo...it's five hundred dollars."
"Okay, that was once."
I cannot believe we got through these conversations almost three times before I caved into laughing gas and subsequently epidural - I swear I was almost screaming at the Hubba for the anesthetist to appear like a genie.
At 4cm dilation, I received a dose of heaven. None of the curling like a shrimp, infact I sat up slumped onto the husband and tried my darndest not to flinch amidst the distracting step by step explanation by the very kind anesthetist (though I rather he shut up and did the job) - and hallelujah, it barely hurt. An ant bite, which did not hurt compared to the plug that caused some bloodshed on the sheets.
5am - 2pm
Thereafter, it was a state of happiness. All hail happydural - why did I even resist? The best $500 spent I mused. I even had the heart and energy to whatsapp, play tsum tsum games and resist sleep (what a huge mistake!) until the gynae came along cheerily at 9am.
She declared that I would be birthing around noon if the dilation continued well. My waterbag was also broken and still no pain...hooray!
The nurses came in every now and then to check and we started pushing at 10 plus, since some women take hours at this stage. I was feeling the contractions and my dose of epidural maxed until it was time to really push.
Granted I was numb waist down and turning down the epidural did help with the pain but pushing like I'm shitting through the veejayjay is weird. Pushing through the waves of contraction was honestly, very tiring and when he finally crowned, I even had the chance to touch his hair. LOL.
My gynae took quite awhile to arrive and when she did, an episiotemy was done without me even knowing and ta-dah, speckie arrived.
"Yay, I am done being pregnant!" I exclaimed after he was plonked onto my chest. Skin to skin ensued and I was served lunch which ended up back into the vomit bowl - the aftermath of epidural.
None of the emotional moments I expected, no tears shed just an immense sigh of relief. Welcome to the world, little boy.
And oh yes, puking after epidural is so real. Everything was regurgitated till end of day until I had to be administered some anti-vomit meds. Hurhur.
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