(backpost) Amni Hanaa - The Birth Story

Amni Hanaa - The Birth Story

she was born a month ago...so before i forget, this is the story of how she came into the world.

5 April 2010

1025hrs: 29 wks check-up with dr biswas. i told him i was feeling fine, no contractions nor show nor pain anywhere. my blood pressure was behaving. i simply complained that i was feeling really really tired all the time (hint! hint! read: put me on hospitalization leave until my EDD please) and so he did! a VE revealed that i have not dilated so he did some stretching or something and he said most probably he will see me again within the next 24hrs. i gleefully left the clinic announcing my hosp leave to colleagues and family. went home to rest and had a nice loooong nap.

6 April 2010

0530hrs: subh. abi asked how i was feeling and i said i was feeling perfectly fine. no contractions, no show, no water bag, nothing. just still very sleepy. so he went to work and i went back to sleep.

0630hrs: amir hamza kicked me out of bed. i got up and showered and got him ready to send him to cik tina's house.

0700hrs: came back from cik tina's place. started to feel funny.

0730hrs: ok now not so funny. i've never felt contactions during hamza's time, so i wasn't sure if this is it? sat down and tried to concentrate on the feelings. but cannot be! they're only 5 mins apart! should they get progressively faster? like 15mins...then 10 mins...then 5 mins? how come mine are already 5 mins apart?!

0747hrs: yup...these are contractions! confirm! steadily coming in 5 mins interval, lasting about 20 secs each time.

0803hrs: contractions are now about 40sec long. called NUH's delivery hotline where i told the nurse that i have GB6 and would need antibiotics at least 4hrs before delivery. she said to keep monitoring the contractions and my pain score. called and updated abi.

08421hrs: needed to pee. oh hello show! called the nurse again and she said to come in already. summoned abi home.

0930hrs: abi reached home and i called a cab. waiting at the lift lobby, i cursed the hdb scholar who approved the design of the estate to have such a stupid carpark and lift lobby layout. not the first time a taxi has problems reaching my lift lobby.

1000hrs: reached NUH Emergency. pushed to Ward 22 and registered. already 5cm dilated!

1100hrs: antibiotics? check! drip? check! say hello to the anesthesiologist who's here to give me my happydural. i told her the first guy who did it during hamza's time took FOUR tries to get it in. that's 8 jabs! she was shocked and promised to try to get it right the first time. i don't know about you, but getting the epidural very very very very painful. she got it in the 2nd attempt and apologized. apparently i have a small back and column there is kindda narrow.

1130hrs: rest time! told abi to have his lunch. i took the time to ngaji and zikr and relax.

1230hrs: abi came back from lunch (amboi! lunch hour ke pe?) bringing me a giant ice cold bottle of evian. since i'm not allowed any food, i gulped the water by the mouthful.

1245hrs: *sob* *sob* the happydural starts to wear off. feeling the contractions all over again...dr biswas came by and checked. i'm already at 8cm! strangely, despite all the water i was "sipping", i developed a dry throat which caused a coughing fit which led to me throwing up.

1315hr: my room was bustling with activity with various nurses coming and going. perhaps i was the only patient in active labour at that time. i heard a familar voice coming through the doors. it's nurse shefaly!!! she's a mid-career switch nurse whom i've worked with on many promotional activities. she's now a preceptor with the O&G dept and she has a bunch of students along with her today. she made arrangements for another preceptor to take her kids as she wanted to help me with my delivery. with my permission, she took two kids to stay with her and observe.

1330hrs: ok seriously...i can't tell when the contractions started and when it ended. it was just painful ALL THE TIME. abi had to look at the print-outs to tell me when one was coming. another coughing fit and i threw up again.

1345hrs: through all the pain and shivering i felt the need to buang air besar. the thought struck me as being hilarious. how can i be thinking of pooping at a time like this? and how can i want to poop when i haven't had anything since last night's dinner? ok then the ball drops and i realized what i was feeling was the need to push. haha!

1450hrs: dr biswas finally arrived. i was concentrating on the contractions and breathing and i was relatively calm. until i heard him say "scalpel." waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat??????????? started to push. this time round i could hold the pushes for longer, up to 15 counts. but oh the pain...ooooooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!

1412hrs: out comes amni hanaa... : )

1413hrs: dr biswas started to deliver the placenta. my coughing fits worsened and i threw up the remaining water in my stomach. as dr biswas was sewing, i kept coughing and he had to stop, lest he ended up giving crooked stitches.

1415hrs: ok all done! thanked everyone and had my baby girl in my arms for the first time.

and that's how amni hanaa came into the world.

end note: ok i just realized i don't have a birth story for amir hamza! how did that happen? hah! ok next entry!