Vvy and Stephen's Olympic Style Natural Birth
My Birth Story
Love and sweet joy befall our family on 20th August 2016 - the day which coincides with the merry season of Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro - the day that united Malaysians to cheer for the Gold Medal.
This is how my story goes:
17th August 2016 (Wednesday): A little bit of blood show without any strong and frequent surge while enjoying the badminton men single game quarter final (MYS VS TW) and mixed double final (MYS VS INA). Slept happily and soundly after the match.
18th August 2016 (Thursday): A little bit of blood show. Another calm and steady day goes by.
19th August 2016 (Friday): Went for the routine weekly check-up since the estimate due date is imminent which is 21st August.
Doctor:” How do you feel?”
Me:” I’m still feeling comfortable, the surge come and go but didn’t feel any pain or unbearable surge.”
Doctor:” Well, congratulations! You are in labor now. It’s already open to 4cm. You can admit to the hospital. “
My husband and I were looking at each other and was silent for a second. Then we went back to the doctor and ask “is it real labor or false labor?” The doctor gave us a warm and gentle smile “Yes, it is real labor.” We still have a bit doubt because we can’t sense the urgency like the movie (May be because we attended the HypnoBirthing ( Mongan Method) class thus we attracted the ‘gentle start’?).
Our next question “The room has TV?”
Badminton fans like us can’t miss the men’s single semi-final (Lee Chong Wei Vs Lin Dan)
How can we miss this match of the century !!! and men’s double final (MYS VS CHN).
I settled down in the private cozy room with TV and hubby went back home to pick up the hospital bag (we should put in the car when we went for check-up - sigh - inexperienced parents) and get the house or room or himself ready.
Next thing to do is just wait………………………………..and monitoring the baby heartbeat.
We were so excited about the badminton match. I kept eating, drinking, shouting, clapping (almost forgot we were in hospital but not hotel) for every win or lose point. My stomach sometime will be more tense when I get excited and I just need to breathe through or change to a more comfortable position.
Yes! Lee Chong Wei won! The next day will be the final match! (Pondering when will baby come out)
Night time it’s dilated to 6cm and I continue my sweet dream with comfortable bed. The surge came and go but I was still able to fall asleep because I was still at a comfortable level. The doctor was expecting a midnight or early morning baby.
Love and sweet joy befall our family on 20th August 2016 - the day which coincides with the merry season of Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro - the day that united Malaysians to cheer for the Gold Medal.
This is how my story goes:
17th August 2016 (Wednesday): A little bit of blood show without any strong and frequent surge while enjoying the badminton men single game quarter final (MYS VS TW) and mixed double final (MYS VS INA). Slept happily and soundly after the match.
18th August 2016 (Thursday): A little bit of blood show. Another calm and steady day goes by.
19th August 2016 (Friday): Went for the routine weekly check-up since the estimate due date is imminent which is 21st August.
Doctor:” How do you feel?”
Me:” I’m still feeling comfortable, the surge come and go but didn’t feel any pain or unbearable surge.”
Doctor:” Well, congratulations! You are in labor now. It’s already open to 4cm. You can admit to the hospital. “
My husband and I were looking at each other and was silent for a second. Then we went back to the doctor and ask “is it real labor or false labor?” The doctor gave us a warm and gentle smile “Yes, it is real labor.” We still have a bit doubt because we can’t sense the urgency like the movie (May be because we attended the HypnoBirthing ( Mongan Method) class thus we attracted the ‘gentle start’?).
Our next question “The room has TV?”
Badminton fans like us can’t miss the men’s single semi-final (Lee Chong Wei Vs Lin Dan)
How can we miss this match of the century !!! and men’s double final (MYS VS CHN).
I settled down in the private cozy room with TV and hubby went back home to pick up the hospital bag (we should put in the car when we went for check-up - sigh - inexperienced parents) and get the house or room or himself ready.
Next thing to do is just wait………………………………..and monitoring the baby heartbeat.
We were so excited about the badminton match. I kept eating, drinking, shouting, clapping (almost forgot we were in hospital but not hotel) for every win or lose point. My stomach sometime will be more tense when I get excited and I just need to breathe through or change to a more comfortable position.
Yes! Lee Chong Wei won! The next day will be the final match! (Pondering when will baby come out)
Night time it’s dilated to 6cm and I continue my sweet dream with comfortable bed. The surge came and go but I was still able to fall asleep because I was still at a comfortable level. The doctor was expecting a midnight or early morning baby.
20th August 2016 (Saturday): 6am in the morning, doctor and midwives came and check the dilation progress, it’s only 7cm.
Doctor: “I will give you another two hours, if still not fully dilate, I have to drip you.”
Me (shock face):” No, doctor, I don’t want induce, we agreed on the birth plan. “
Doctor: “It is not induced, induce is when you are not yet in labor but now you are in labor, it’s different.”
Doctor went away and gave us some private time to discuss and for me to have breakfast. I told my husband that I don’t want to be dripped. I kept walking in the room in a hope to wake my baby and asking help from my husband to stimulate my oxytocin (18sx – playing with my nipples).
Around 7+am, very very very strong pressure felt at the bottom and I hardly can stand up. My both hands were basically circling my husband's neck and whole body gravity was leaning on him. I said “this is it! I think it’s time!”. My experienced disaster recovery coordinator husband (that is his occupation) quickly pressed the bell button. Midwives came in but doctor was at home to freshen up. We asked to transfer us to the labor room. Before that, they reminded me to go for the toilet to pee first. (I was lucky that I had soft stool every day during my pregnancy – even D day) With my super uncomfortable face, they quickly set up the labor room and got ready the wheelchair and moved me up to the ‘labor table’. I tried my very best to relax - dimming the light, playing the HypnoBirthing CD while waiting for the doctor.
Around 8am, doctor came and confirmed that it’s 9cm but my water not yet break. I needed to use the breathing technique to break the water and the doctor helped me to change to a more comfortable position to achieve that (side lying with one hand holding the thigh). The intense surge come and go, my husband as the HypnoBirthing partner help me to massage my back and keep remind me to ‘relax, relax, relax’. With the relaxing music and lighting, both of us on and off nap during the interval of the surge. Not sure how many tick tock tick tock tick tock…. Until I felt tired and said to my husband:” I think I want to give up, can we just ask the doctor to break the water….” My husband tried to calm and remind me that we want to do it all natural. Finally, with our determination and persistence, the water break. I just felt a gush of water or blood just come out from the bottom.
Doctor came and advised me to change the position to lie on my back with my hubby support my neck and both of my hands holding the leg ankles. The feeling of the urge to poop is getting more and more intense.
Doctor reassure me that this is the feeling that the baby is coming out and what I need to do is apply what I have been practicing. Of course, during practice I never expected this kind of strong feeling that almost tear me apart or make me want to punch people badly. Thus, in the real situation my J breathing has gone haywire. Luckily, I have a very professional patient doctor and the labor team. The doctor tried to help me re-focus and remind me how the breathing should be. I got back the pace and continue to do the J breathing and make my best effort to poop out the baby. During the process, I heard the midwife mentioned ‘50 cent already!’, ‘You doing good, baby is coming, continue…’After hours of effort, 11am my little angel slip out at last, just felt another gush of blood coming out with the baby. They put the baby straight to my chest and let her suck and familiarise herself with my nipple. I still clearly remember her gently opening her left eye and looking at me.
We are very happy that we manage to deliver our little angel naturally without drugs though we compromise for the episiotomy. The delivery process doesn’t meet 100% as per the birth plan but we are very glad and satisfy what we had achieved. Just like how our Dato Lee Chong Wei won the Silver but not the Gold, deep down we know how much effort he had made to provide us the best match he could be and so do we.
Specially thanks to HypnoBirthing trainer – Bee Ting, Doctor Elizaberth from Metro Wanita Klang and her delivery team, and last but not least my HypnoBirthing partner – life long lover hubby.
Doctor: “I will give you another two hours, if still not fully dilate, I have to drip you.”
Me (shock face):” No, doctor, I don’t want induce, we agreed on the birth plan. “
Doctor: “It is not induced, induce is when you are not yet in labor but now you are in labor, it’s different.”
Doctor went away and gave us some private time to discuss and for me to have breakfast. I told my husband that I don’t want to be dripped. I kept walking in the room in a hope to wake my baby and asking help from my husband to stimulate my oxytocin (18sx – playing with my nipples).
Around 7+am, very very very strong pressure felt at the bottom and I hardly can stand up. My both hands were basically circling my husband's neck and whole body gravity was leaning on him. I said “this is it! I think it’s time!”. My experienced disaster recovery coordinator husband (that is his occupation) quickly pressed the bell button. Midwives came in but doctor was at home to freshen up. We asked to transfer us to the labor room. Before that, they reminded me to go for the toilet to pee first. (I was lucky that I had soft stool every day during my pregnancy – even D day) With my super uncomfortable face, they quickly set up the labor room and got ready the wheelchair and moved me up to the ‘labor table’. I tried my very best to relax - dimming the light, playing the HypnoBirthing CD while waiting for the doctor.
Around 8am, doctor came and confirmed that it’s 9cm but my water not yet break. I needed to use the breathing technique to break the water and the doctor helped me to change to a more comfortable position to achieve that (side lying with one hand holding the thigh). The intense surge come and go, my husband as the HypnoBirthing partner help me to massage my back and keep remind me to ‘relax, relax, relax’. With the relaxing music and lighting, both of us on and off nap during the interval of the surge. Not sure how many tick tock tick tock tick tock…. Until I felt tired and said to my husband:” I think I want to give up, can we just ask the doctor to break the water….” My husband tried to calm and remind me that we want to do it all natural. Finally, with our determination and persistence, the water break. I just felt a gush of water or blood just come out from the bottom.
Doctor came and advised me to change the position to lie on my back with my hubby support my neck and both of my hands holding the leg ankles. The feeling of the urge to poop is getting more and more intense.
Doctor reassure me that this is the feeling that the baby is coming out and what I need to do is apply what I have been practicing. Of course, during practice I never expected this kind of strong feeling that almost tear me apart or make me want to punch people badly. Thus, in the real situation my J breathing has gone haywire. Luckily, I have a very professional patient doctor and the labor team. The doctor tried to help me re-focus and remind me how the breathing should be. I got back the pace and continue to do the J breathing and make my best effort to poop out the baby. During the process, I heard the midwife mentioned ‘50 cent already!’, ‘You doing good, baby is coming, continue…’After hours of effort, 11am my little angel slip out at last, just felt another gush of blood coming out with the baby. They put the baby straight to my chest and let her suck and familiarise herself with my nipple. I still clearly remember her gently opening her left eye and looking at me.
We are very happy that we manage to deliver our little angel naturally without drugs though we compromise for the episiotomy. The delivery process doesn’t meet 100% as per the birth plan but we are very glad and satisfy what we had achieved. Just like how our Dato Lee Chong Wei won the Silver but not the Gold, deep down we know how much effort he had made to provide us the best match he could be and so do we.
Specially thanks to HypnoBirthing trainer – Bee Ting, Doctor Elizaberth from Metro Wanita Klang and her delivery team, and last but not least my HypnoBirthing partner – life long lover hubby.