I am four days old today! I was opening my eyes pretty alert yesterday so daddy quickly grabbed a camera and snapped some photos of me....
Most of the times when mummy was trying hard to breastfeed me, i am always closing my eyes and sleeping....mummy loves to call me sleepyhead, she thinks i resembles her (like to sleep)....just like what i'm doing now...
17-Mar-2009
7.30am - Reported to ESH for admission.
8.10am - Was being led to labour ward. Changed into hospital gown and was given the medication to go and poo. Wah, i tried to poo out everything i could but seems like still cannot. I had to try for it the second time. The nurse asked me not to force myself :P i scared i poo during labour la! She then put the CTG device on me to monitor the contractions and bb's heartbeat. After that, i had breakfast but didn't finish everything yet before Dr Heng burst into my labour room and said she couldn't wait for me to finish eating and had to administer something on me first.
9.15am - Was put on drip. Dr Heng burst my waterbag....wah hot water just gushed out of me like a hot fountain. Surprisingly, it was still not so painful (i thought bursting of waterbag will trigger contractions but ok la). Dr Heng did VE on me. Still 3cm dilation so no improvement since the day before. 3 tubes of blood were drawn out from me. The nurse also inserted a pad for me.
9.35am - Hmm i continued to have breakfast :P while waiting for the contractions.
10am+ - The nurse gave me gas and taught me how to breathe using that. Contractions were still minimal and bearable at this point. Pain threshold : 2 out of a 10. Like menses cramps but still can bear.
10.15am - Contractions getting more intense now. Tried to use the gas to breathe but it was quite hard. Ok maybe can help only a bit. Watched tv and see if i can distract myself from the contractions. I tried to distract myself from the pain. At the same time, kun was asking me some nonsensical stuffs i just told him off...Not much mood to joke with him . Tried taking the mask to breathe but then it doesn't seem to help much liao....
10.35am - Contractions come every 2 to 3mins interval. I asked the nurse when do i need to ask for epi...she said if i cannot tahan better ask for it now, what for wait and suffer so much pain later. In addition, she said i had to remain still for 20mins while the epidural is administered so i also cannot wait till i cannot tahan the pain. Wait fidget here and there how? Finally i raised the white flag...EPIDURAL please!
11.25am - Had to wait for the epidural-ist to come in. Wah cannot tahan v pain liao. Epi faster come! In the end, the doctor came in and while waiting for him to get ready, i grabbed hold of the bed railings....and then cried to the nurse....v pain...v pain cannot tahan....(with tears) so i guess this is the point of my pain threshold...the nurse consoled me and said it'll be all over soon. The doctor inserted the epidural into me and i felt quite pain... i can feel the cold liquid through my spinal cord immediately but still can feel the contractions as the epidural took some time to take effect....
12.15am - Hmm finally the pains got abit lesser. Managed to take a few pics. I asked the nurse..."how many cm dilation already?" she checked and said....now its 8 to 9cm dilation. Hmm...i was happy to hear that....so fast? Good! It'll be all over soon.
12.30am - Dr Heng came in. Asked me to deliver first before she popped into the other labour ward (since i was dilating faster). Gave me the go-ahead to start pushing. Asked me to PUSH PUSH PUSH don't let bb's head sink back!!! Ok PUSH!! I tried my very best and might to push while having to take deep breaths between the pushes. Dr Heng even "threatened" and say..."bb's heartbeat dropped le! Must be quick!" Wah....scared me man....i pushed hard and two nurses pushed my tum tum on the right and left while Dr Heng was in front. Kun also kept telling me to jia you. And with like 6 pushes, baby is out. He weighs 2.435kg and measured 47cm. Wah FINALLY!!! Hello my dear boy!!!
My "xiao ke ai" when he's out...
Sneaking a peak into this BIG BIG world...Hello Mummy and Daddy!!
My first time carrying my boy
My days in the hospital
16-Mar-2009
3.30pm - Gynae appointment at Dr Heng's clinic. Dr Heng did the usual scan and commented that bb's weight still remains at 2.4kg+ at 38weeks+ and that bb's head is very low that she cannot see it now, and gave me the option of deliver or wait. I gave the go-ahead for the first option, since i felt that it will be safer and better to deliver him out to feed him rather than staying in my womb. Dr Heng performed VE on me. 3cm dilation already. She told me to admit to hospital the next day at 7.30am.
4+pm to 5.45pm - Felt pain and cramps. Went to the toilet to check and realise there is blood!! Now i know why Dr Heng didn't want to perform VE on me earlier, cos it will really trigger bleeding for my case. Called the clinic up and asked if i needed to be admitted to the hospital immediately. The nurse told me if not so painful still can wait, if the cramps get more intense then admit to the hospital earlier.
6+pm - Travelled home by bus with my MIL. Pains are bearable and seem to be getting better than earlier. So i decided to stay home and monitor the condition.
Throughout midnight, i couldn't sleep well, due to a mixture of feelings of having to go through labour the next day. Hmm....no labour symptoms in the middle of the night, jus continued to spot but it was not painful. I guess it was just the choice that i have to be induced the next day.
Did the CTG scan yesterday. Little one was sleeping for about 20mins before the nurse came in and told me she had to shake my tummy (the result slip showed a constant line and i felt no movements from ah boy)...and she shook it hard which woke ah boy up. He started to move and kick and the lines went up and down after that...lol....i guess he mus have been thinking..."oei! wake me up from sleep for what?!"
Dr Heng told me the CTG result is normal, and that bb's heartbeat was ok. I also presume that my contractions were normal, otherwise none. I guess the CTG doesn't deduce whether i have dilations anot, and this has to be done via a vaginal examination, or what is termed as short...a VE. Dr Heng said she will do a VE for me during the next appointment, which is this coming monday (16-Mar). As of now, she doesn't want to do it for fear of triggling contractions or labour i guess. Little one is now 2.4kg+ at 37weeks+, which i read from babycenter that he is on the smaller side...i am a bit worried as i read that babies may come out smaller than they usually read on the scan...i hope he is ok though. If there is not much improvement in his growth or weight gain, i may have to be induced next week. Upon hearing that, kun displayed a shocking expression on his face (...eh....induce?! labour next week....so fast?!) oh well he said he isn't sure if Dr Heng noticed his shocked expression. Though he has been telling everyone "anytime" when ppl asked when i'm delivering, i guess he still hasn't gotten himself that prepared it may be just next week...and he has to accept the fact now that the words came from the gynae's mouth.
Dr Heng was pretty preoccupied as her handphone died on her and she told us she was having four patients in the labour wards as at that moment, so she might have to rush down to ESH anytime. I guess this caused her to overlook giving us the scan of little one. I didn't ask her for it though.
My EDD is now 25-Mar as stated rather than 27-Mar. I always thought it was 27-Mar, anyway just a matter of 2 days so shouldn't be a cause for concern. I realised that as Dr Heng indicated 25-Mar on the edd slip i requested from her to be submitted to my company for the application of my maternity leave.
Ok boy, mamee and u shall both jiayou and look towards the day when we shall finally see each other....
"Congrats to my little darling for reaching 37weeks!! My dear boy, u are now considered full term and ready to meet the world anytime....
With just a mere three days ahead, i will hit 37weeks. Fast?
I am trying to tell myself to enjoy the last moments of this pregnancy. This pregnancy has given me alot of ups and downs. Looking back i'm glad i've made this far.
Ah boy's movements and kicks have become my little reminder that he's doing well inside. He's grown into a stronger boy day by day, and i'm glad that this is so. 
Last monday (23/2), i had a check with Dr Heng, who told me to stop my ventolin once i reach 37weeks, as it is safe to deliver anytime from then on. Little one is 2.212kg at 35weeks+. Dr Heng assured me things are going on fine as there will still be a couple of weeks left for ah boy to reach at least 2.5kg upon delivery. 300g within the next four weeks? no problem la =) Little one is still head down and engaged. No problem for natural delivery...Dr Heng says. Gained another 2 to 3kg+ since the last visit. I even asked her what number should i call if i believe i'm giving birth soon. She said no need to call, jus go to the hospital immediately (haha). Next appointment is this coming mon (9/3) where i will do my CTG as well. Will cost me $50.
Finally managed to settle the SCBB issue. Met up with the representative called Sabariah last wed at Raffles Hospital foodcourt and signed all the documentation. It was a rush lunch hour for me though. I didn't manage to settle my lunch within that hour. Had to rush to Delifrance to grab the tuna sandwich.
Got my cadi 4-in-a thermometer from the expo bb fair and the comfort pillow from the kidzloft warehouse sale(thanks jo). The comfort pillow is pretty useful as it helps me sleep better, cos really have a hard time falling asleep these days as tum tum grows bigger.
My water retention is really bad now. Bad swelling of the feet. Worse than ever. I find i could hardly walk sometimes too. My feet looks exactly like pig throttles.
So sian....just counting down to my ML only. 8 more working days and i'm off to a 3months straight ML. Wonder when is the day ah boy will pop?
I dread coming to work these days, cos i just find it so difficult to drag myself out of bed every morning.
TGIF. Each week seems to pass by relatively fast.
I've been counting down to my delivery everyday liao. I just hit w35 today. 3 more weeks and i may give birth!
Was pissed off with the SCBB agent i spoke few days ago. She initially offered to send someone down to Dr Heng's clinic on the 23rd (which is my next appointment) to meet for the consenting process and for the biological questionnaire but told me later she wouldn't be able to do so as official hours are over and they cannot do consenting. She requested kun and me to go down to KKH itself instead on a Saturday morning instead. So i told her i need to ask my husband and we agreed to get in touch again the following Monday.
I checked with kun and he said he would not go to KKH as since we are the ones donating the cordblood, the representative should be accomodating us and not the other way round, which i find it logical too. Can't they meet somewhere else more convenient and suited to our schedule better? He felt the representative is selfish and inconsiderate to make a preggie travel to the hospital itself. Well i find it logical again.
I called the agent up and expected her to accomodate to our request...but NO. She told me that she has difficulty sending someone to meet me at the clinic as its so late. WTH, initially i don't even want to meet her at the clinic lor! (since my gynae appointment is at 7.05pm and she wanted to meet at 6.15pm, so we decided to "sacrifice " our dinner time to meet up with her...) she won't want to budge to accomodate us this time round, and told me there are other preggies travelling down to the hospital itself too when i asked her whether there are such cases. I told her my hubby sometimes has to do shift work on a Saturday hoping she understands and i told her i am being put in a difficult position (in my mind cos kun don't want us to travel to KKH and this stupid lady won't even budge) and u know what she said? "if its so troublesome, then its ok". WTH. So customer-oriented ah?! *note the sarcaism* Just because i'm donating and not paying to store the cordblood doesn't warrant her to give me that sort of crappy attitude right?!
So i decided to email again to the lady whom i voiced my interest in donation, saying i want to change the nurse-co-ordinator aka the agent. This is what i wrote.
Dear Sherrie
I've spoken to one of your nurse coordinators, Isabel but we have issues with regards to arranging the time and place to meet.
I wonder if its possible to send a nurse coordinator who might be able to meet outside official hours and a place which is more convenient (like my gynae's clinic) rather than having us to travel to KKH on a Saturday morning which we were asked to do so, since it can be rather inconvenient and troublesome especially now with my pregnancy related issues. I also do heard of other agents being able to travel to meet their clients.
Isabel said if its too troublesome its all right (which i'm interpreting her message that we can drop the idea of donating if we are not able to accede to her request of making our way to KKH itself).
I hope you can assist and accomodate to our requests. If it is not possible, I do thank you for your fast responses and assistance towards my queries.
Would look forward to your response. Many thanks.
And so the reply came in:
Hi Fianna
Thank you for your feedback.
We would like to assure you that every cord blood donor is important to the SCBB. We sincerely appreciate your feedback and would look into the issues highlighted.
The Collections Manager is currently not available and I would discuss this issue with her. We hope to be able to revert with a favourable reply by the end of the week.
If there are any other queries or need for clarification, please do not hesitate to contact us.
I'm still waiting for their reply. No news yet. Heng i still can afford to wait lor. Imagine i'm now in w36 already. By the time they get back to me, i might have already deliver.
Ok off the SCBB issue. I've been facing frequent BH contractions and "menstrual cramps" these days. Just hope they are false labour symptoms! Aiyo getting v nervous liao...I've decided to take my maternity leave from w38 onwards, which is the week starting 16-Mar. Little one is growing bigger and stronger each day, with his stretch and kicks whcih sometimes cause a lump in my tum tum. Even can feel that my right tummy weight seems to be heavier than the left and like a bit lopsided, probably cos of his butt (felt something rounded...hehe!) Can't wait to see him!
