Updated! My birth story :)

Note: Also on the HypnoBirthing.com.my website - http://hypnobirthing.com.my/content/joyce-lees-torpedo-fast-diy-hospital-birth-story

The Predict

13 August 2013, Tuesday - I went to see my obgyn Dr. Noor Fidak at Tropicana Medical Center. I was 38 weeks 3 days pregnant. Dr. Fidak confirmed that baby's head was already deeply engaged and I would give birth very soon. After giving me a letter to allow me to work from home from 14-20 August, she commented that the next time we meet, it'd be in the labor room. I was quite surprised to hear that but I was ready too.

14 August 2013, Wednesday morning - I spotted some brownish discharge but there were no labor surges yet apart from more frequent Braxton-Hicks. I was working from home the whole day.

A 'Show' at Dinner

14 August 2013 evening - Hubby dear fetched me for dinner before we visited a friend. Little did I know that would be my final dinner as a pregnant lady.

After dinner, I sensed that my surges pattern changed. They were more regular and repeated every 10-12 minutes. Each surge lasted between 20-45 seconds. Then at 9:35pm, I had the birth show. At that point, when I saw that reddish blob in the toilet bowl, I knew I would be holding a baby in my arms very soon.

Hubby and I left our friend's house and quickly went home. Hubby served my favorite coconut water to me and helped wash my hair before we went to bed. I was having regular surges every 8-10 minutes.

Midnight Surging

I couldn't sleep from 11pm till 3am, trying to breathe with every surge. I walked around, breathing and grimacing.

15 August 2013, Thursday - I called Wai Han around 3:30am. We were on the phone for half an hour as she helped me to focus on my breathing again. I was obviously in major discomfort and wasn't breathing right. About 4:30am, I woke my hubby up and asked him to send me to the hospital (almost 26km away from our house). The journey seemed to take forever.

I was officially admitted to Tropicana Medical Center at 5:12am. The midwife did the first vaginal examination (VE) with my consent and I was 3cm dilated. At 9:15am, another VE was done with my consent and I was 6cm dilated. Those 4 hours went by quite fast when I breathed following what I have learned during HypnoBirthing classes. My hubby read the birth affirmation to me while rubbing my lower back as I sat on the bed. I was too lazy and in much discomfort to want to walk around.

At one point, maybe around 9:30am, I told my hubby I couldn't take this any longer. Now thinking back, I believe that was the hallmark of labor.

Whooshing Water

At 9:35am, my water bag broke. Whoosh! It felt like someone splashing a water hose at my private part. Then, the "pushing" instincts kicked in. I tried to control the surges but it wasn't easy. I forgot about birth breathing. :P

I was sitting on my bed with my back straight after the water bag broke. Then, around 9:50am, following my body's cue, I changed position to kneeling on the bed with my hands on the bed's headrest.

At 10:00am, I could feel baby's head crowning.

Torpedo Baby

I couldn't remember how many times I need to breath down - I didn't think I had the chance to do proper breathing down because baby shot out like a torpedo at 10:16am - only my hubby was in the room. The nurses, midwives, and even my obgyn didn't arrive in time to guide me to "push" in time. I was saved from episiotomy but wasn't spared from second degree tear. I should have remembered to visualize the rosebud. :P

Baby's chord was clamped after it stopped pulsating. Baby was passed to his father for immediate skin-to-skin because I was still in the kneeling position with the cord dangling between my legs. Then, my placenta was delivered within 10 minutes without intervention. Dr. Fidak stitched up my tearing.

Then, it was skin-to-skin time with baby, I breastfed him and let him stayed on my chest for the next 1.5 hours in the labor ward before I was transferred to my own room.