After exactly 39 weeks, Cimot decided it’s time to meet his parents.

It started on Friday, July 4 …

I woke up in the middle of the night with a dull backache. Few minutes later, the backache came again, then again. Not knowing what contraction feels like, I started to wonder if this was it or if it’s just false alarm. A while later, I went to the loo and found the mucus plug. Hmm .. should I tell Panda or should I wait until morning? Decided to tell Panda anyway and still half asleep, he wrote down the time. It was 5.50am.

Not wanting to get too excited, we tried to go back to sleep but it’s not easy to sleep while having backache. Finally at around 8am Panda went downstairs to buy breakfast and a kiddie digital watch from the stationery shop. Yep, only at that time we realized we didn’t have anything to time the contractions What surprised me was the contractions were already coming every 5 minutes apart and lasted for about 1 minute each. Both of us didn’t really know what to do as it could still be false labor. However, even at this stage I need Panda to put pressure on my lower back at each contraction. So kamehameha it was for him for few hours …

Later we called our doula, Ginny, who told us to watch for other signs such as the urge to pass motion or waterbag leaking but I felt none of that, just backache. Around lunch time, the contractions were around 3 minutes apart and getting more intense. So we asked Ginny to come over. She stayed with us and suggested different positions to get Cimot move down faster, and also suggested using hot shower for pain relief. I didn’t feel like going to the shower but I was glad I did because it helped and I stayed there for quite a long time (according to Panda. I already lost track of time).

Only when Ginny offered to buy us dinner that I realized it’s already evening. Didn’t feel like eating anything but forced myself to 4 spoonfuls of fish porridge while still sitting in the shower. Alas, that’s when I found out I couldn’t keep anything down and threw up everything I had since morning. Even plain water made me nauseous. That’s very frustrating because I was really really thirsty but couldn’t drink too much. Throwing up while having contraction is really no fun, trust me

As it’s been more than 12 hours, we decided to go to the hospital. At least we could find out how far along I was. So we called a cab, went downstairs, and hopped on to the cab only to find out we hopped into the wrong cab Dammit! I had to ask the driver “Uncle, wait ah. Wait until this one is over”. Then we got out and waited for our cab. The correct one. Then, just like in a comedy movie, the driver didn’t know the way to the hospital and drove like an F1 racer. Really feel like shoving my Birkis up his behind

Reached the hospital at around 8.30pm and went directly to the labor ward. Did the mandatory 20 minutes CTG and VE, and find out I was halfway aka 5cm dilated. Frankly I expected more than that but at least I’m in active labor already. I stayed on the bed for a while, then moved into the hot tub. Good thing that my waterbag was not yet broken as otherwise I couldn’t use the tub.

For the next few hours I moved between the tub, the toilet (to throw up), on and off the bed. I already felt the urge to push but felt that I wasn’t making any progress. And no sign of my waterbag breaking, not even leaking. At the next VE, I was already 8cm. I was getting quite tired at this time, and a bit frustrated because I really craved for cold water but could only take a small sip each time just enough to wet my mouth and throat. In the toilet, I told Ginny that I wanted to use gas but she managed to talk me out of it and we tried the tub again. After staying in the tub for a while, I asked for gas for the second time and Ginny suggested another VE. She said if I was almost fully dilated, perhaps we could try other options. Plus the gas might make me more nauseous. Well, that’s enough to make me back out. I don’t need more vomiting, thank you. Turned out that I was almost fully dilated but waterbag still stubbornly refused to break until assisted by the nurse. I didn’t know what she did but she didn’t even use the hook. Go nurse!

After that, however, I still didn’t feel much progress and desperately wanted Cimot to be out. Around 3.30am, I asked if I could use vacuum at this stage so the nurse called Dr. Paul to come and I had to move back to the bed. Dr. Paul came quickly at around 3.45am (bless you, doctor) and started to prepare the vacuum and whatnot. For a split second, when I saw the vacuum I almost backed out. It looks like one you use in the toilet But what the heck, anything to get Cimot out! Dr. Paul was kind enough to ask if I want to do a few tries without the vacuum as he knows I didn’t want assisted delivery in my birth plan. Agreed to that but after 2 failed attempts, he decided to use the vacuum while I still have the energy to push.

The things that happened after that were a blur to me. In went the vacuum, Ginny and a nurse on my left, Panda and another nurse on my right, Dr. Paul at .. where else, lots of cheerleading, and the next thing I knew, Cimot was finally out. Actually I didn’t know he was out if not for someone (I think the nurse) commented about something I now can’t remember. Then the wet, naked, chubby blob was placed on my tummy. He blinked few times, cried, stopped, blinked again, then cried again, perhaps disappointed that we were no Brad and Angelina After that, these things happened in a non-chronological order: Panda got the honor of cutting the cord, which he said felt like a plastic hose, placenta was out (meatloaf, anyone?), Dr. Paul quickly did repair works down there, the nurse injected something on my thigh to prevent bleeding, and we tried to get Cimot to latch. He didn’t want to, so I let the nurse weighed and measured him. He’s 3.865kg, 51cm long, and his head circumference was 36cm, which is larger that the average 34cm. No wonder it’s darn hard to get him out. The second attempt to get him to latch was successful so we stayed in the labor ward for another hour before they wheeled me to the maternity ward.

Looking back, the whole thing still feels surreal to me, even the 39 weeks of pregnancy. Frankly I don’t know how I could go through it all. Seems like only yesterday (okay, maybe not yesterday but recently) I found out I was pregnant and now life is no longer just about the two of us. Will I do it again? Not so soon but probably yes.

Probably yes.