Monday, January 04, 2010

The exhausting delivery process

During the childbirth preparation class, we learnt about signs of labor in which we have to go to the hospital immediately. My gynecologist reiterated the signs as well during the last check up. As the day drew closer, we had been impatiently waiting for the sign: constant contractions or spot of blood or water break.

One Saturday evening hubby spotted the constant 5 minutes contractions (I was not feeling anything) and he got himself all excited. Turned out it was a false alarm as once I went to sleep the contractions went away.

Finally, on Wednesday morning, I had some blood spots but it was very light. I waited a while, more blood coming, I decided to wake up hubby and we rushed to the hospital. Big mistake to not have a full meal before going. I only managed to drink a cup of milk.

Arrived at the hospital, went into the delivery room while waiting for a midwife to check on me. The midwife came one hour later as the hospital was full and they were shorthanded. She concluded that I have diluted for 2cm so she will keep me.

While waiting in the delivery room, a machine was monitoring the baby's heart beat and my contractions. The contractions didn't come with pain though. Hubby brought me some books, I sat on a balloon and was feeling quite comfortable. The midwife checked on me from time to time and informed me that I can take the epidural anytime I want. Since there was no pain despite the contractions, I wanted to see how far I can wait, or if I could give birth without the epidural. I also read that epidural actually slows down the labor but the midwife told me the contrary. She said for some people, epidural helps relax them thus making the delivery advances faster. After 8 hours there and I was only 4cm diluted, I decided to take on the epidural. Unfortunately, the anesthesiologist was busy with other patients so I had to wait.


I got the epidural at the right time as I started having strong menstrual like cramp. It took only 5 minutes, a painless and easy process. The contraction chart showed that I was having regular and strong contractions but I didn't feel a thing. The midwife came and she predicted that our daughter will arrive around 3am, 15 hours after I admitted to the hospital.

We waited patiently, it was a blessing that hubby was with me during the whole process. His present reassured me. When I was 8cm dilated, a sharp pain hit me on my left butt, the epidural was not preventing it. I had to bear with the pain as even though I was pressing for more dose of epidural and the midwife changed the product in the epidural, nothing worked. I had no choice but to proceed with the pushing stage as I was 10cm dilated.

The pushing started. The midwife told me that it would only take 10 minutes since the baby's head was already at the birth canal. I had the midwife, a nurse and a doctor monitoring the process while hubby stayed on my right hand side. The nurse showed me how to push, but several pushes, the baby heart beat deteriorating so the doctor decided to perform a forceps.

At 2.53am, our daughter is born. When the nurse posted the baby on me, I had no feeling for her as I was in deep pain while the doctor was sewing my perinea area. I kept asking when were they going to finish. It took the doctor some time, and the pain won't ease away. I had to live with the soreness for about 2 weeks, I'm glad it is getting better now.

4 comments:

  1. Yes it takes a long time for them to finish sewing me up as well but I had epidural so I feel nothing. LOL! After one week, it healed and I had the doctor to take out the stitches because it was tugging my skin so badly that I can't sit nor lie down.

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  2. HI Bee Ean, just stumbled upon you r blog, googling how far is Msia to France by air. How many hours ah??

    Wow gave birth already ??? Congrats!!!! Baby is perfect!

    pingmouse (frm mybuddies)

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  3. Hi pingmouse,

    Yes I remember you from mybuddies.
    The flight from Malaysia to France is around 12 hours (direct). Enjoy your trip.

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  4. Bee Ean, I think because of the epidural and make you feel pain when doc did the sewing...
    for me, i didn't feel pain when doc sewing because the contraction pain is more painful than sewing... and I did not take epidural.... :)....

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