Labour of love

Yes, I'm finally blogging about my birthing experience. I finally popped on 23rd July 2010 at 11.11 am. The thing is, I didn't know I had popped because I was under GA. So there was none of that dramatic see-baby-being-lifted-out-of-my-stomach-covered-in-blood-and-goo experience. Hubby didn't get to cut the umbilical cord either because the caesarean operation lasted a grand total of 15 mins. There was a whole lot of drama leading up to this that lasted a LOT longer though.

Actually, my EDD was 28 July. In my 39th week of pregnancy, I started having crazy Braxton Hicks contractions that sometimes lasted 12-hour stretches. Two days before I was admitted to hospital, I even called the doctor on the emergency hotline in a panic because I was having contractions that seemed like the real thing, only they subsided by the night. As I had already been on medication for pregnancy-induced hypertension since 32 weeks, I was checking my blood pressure every day and noticed that it was consistently going up again in the 39th week. So, instead of going to the clinic on 24th July as scheduled, I decided to visit the doctor on 22nd July because of my high blood pressure readings.

After examining me, the gynae diagnosed me with preclampsia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pre-eclampsia), a condition marked by elevated blood pressure and sudden swelling. If left untreated, it might induce fits and be dangerous to both mum and baby. It dawned on me that not only were my feet and ankles swollen, but I had swelling in my legs, arms and everywhere (it was only after birth when I shrunk that I realised that my swelling had been rather serious). The swelling was most obvious in my legs, which had turned pink from the pressure. Since I was so close to my EDD, my gynae said the best treatment was to deliver Baby. She added that if I chose to go home, I have to sign a letter saying that I rejected medical advice (I really shouldn't have asked about going home).

Then there was that decision about natural or c-section delivery. I really wanted to try for natural delivery, but wanted to discuss with my hubby, who was at work and didn't accompany me to the clinic (I was accompanied by my mother-in-law). So I asked the doctor to let me admit into hospital first and then decide later.

So on 22 July 2010, I was admitted to hospital at 11.30 am. Hubby came to the delivery suite at 1.30 pm and we decided to go for induction of labour at 1.30 pm. The pessary to induce contractions was inserted at 2.30 pm and I started having contractions at 4.30 pm. The contractions got stronger progressively. I started asking for an epidural at 9 or 10 plus, when the pain got seriously crazy. When I was about 2 cm dilated, they allowed me the epidural, which was done at 10.30 pm. (I tried the gas, but hated the feeling of nausea each time I breathed it in.) However, the epidural didn't work, or rather it worked on the left side but not the right. The nurses turned me on my right side to let the anesthetic flow there.

Gradually, the pains seem to ease at around 4 am on 23 July. However, as time went on, the pain got worse again. At around 6 am, I felt really bad pains again. These got progressively worse. At 9 am the gynae checked on me and felt that the dilation was progressing too slowly. I was only 5-6 cm dilated and definitely in established labour, but yah, baby's head was still rather high. She broke my amniotic sac using a hook and oxytocin to speed up contractions was put into the drip I was on. From then on, it was like PAINNNNNNFUL. Despite giving me an injection and doing all sorts of stuff, the anesthetist couldn't ease the pain of the contractions on the right side of my body. Every time the contractions came, I could feel baby's head ramming against my birth canal and her legs kicking. I felt like I was going to go into fits each time the contractions came.

The gynae was going to check on me again at 1 pm. But I guess I wouldn't have lasted till then. So I gave up. I asked Hubby to ask for an emergency c-section at 10.00 am. By 10.30 am, I was prepped for the op. At 10.45 am, I was transferred from the delivery suite to the operating theatre. Along the way, as the pain was so bad, everything seemed to be in a blurr. I was in such pain, I didn't even feel afraid of going for the op--my first operation ever.

By the time I came to, the op was over. The first three questions I asked in the following order were:

1) Is it over?

2) Where's my baby?

3) How's her cl***?

And, I felt like I couldn't control any part of my body, probably cos of the GA. I spewed out lots of saliva, vomitted and cried, as if on reflex. I cried so much that a Sister in the hospital came to pray for me, for which I am most grateful. Afterward, I learnt that baby's head was too big for a natural delivery to be possible anyway.

So that's my birthing experience. Honestly, it's an experience of a lifetime. However, I think I will want to wait for a bit before having number two. =b