YEE YEN'S HYPNOBIRTHING HOSPITAL BIRTH IN MALAYSIA - 2 hours to 10cm - Second time mum
Day -1 (40 Weeks, 4 Days)
My firstborn was delivered exactly around this gestational time. We went for a doctor's visit and were told that if Rye Kiev wasn't born in the next two days, we would need to use a balloon catheter to manually open my cervix. I told my husband, Wilson, that the baby was already very low—I could feel him between my legs. I followed Wilson to his physiotherapy session, and while waiting, I sat on a yoga ball doing figure-eights, duck walks, and anything else to get the baby moving. I wanted to go to a spa to relax, hoping a good oxytocin boost might finally kick-start the birth but it was too late to get an appointment. I continuously coaxed baby, telling him he needed to come out on his own before the doctor forced him out. I was getting anxious.
Birth Day
I woke up in the middle of the night (as usual) at 2:00 AM for a bathroom run and surprisingly had a bit of a stomachache. Even after going to the bathroom, the ache lingered. That was when I realized the baby's head must have descended since the way was cleared, triggering a circuit of surges. Excitedly, I woke Wilson up to tell him the baby was coming. We were both groggy from sleep but beaming with joy that he had finally decided to join us. Wilson timed the surges; they were already 2-3 minutes apart. It felt abnormally quick for a start. I was on my yoga ball all the time, breathing and talking in between. I hesitated about whether it was too early to head to the hospital. It felt too fast, and the thought of being cornered and strapped to a bed—like my experience with my firstborn—made me reluctant. Ultimately, we decided to leave at 4:00 AM anyway, worried about morning traffic. By then, I felt like I could barely walk as the surges intensified.
We reached Pantai Hospital Bangsar in 20 minutes. Wilson parked right in front of the doors and held me up as we walked to the delivery ward. Inside, the nurse strapped me to a bed monitor for a compulsory fetal heart rate reading. She promised it would only take 10 minutes, but it felt like forever as my stomach started to ache terribly. Wilson had to step out to check with the nurses before we finally got the green light to remove the straps. We quickly unpacked our things—which wasn't much. I put on my eye mask to blindfold myself, wanting a 100% internal moment between just me and the baby, and gripped a birthing comb in my palm for acupressure pain relief. We didn't have our yoga ball yet because I couldn't let Wilson leave my side for a single second as the surges grew stronger. He was worried about where he had parked the car, so between breaths, we discussed handing the keys to a nurse or jockey to move it. We ended up passing the keys to the nurse so they could retrieve the ball, because I was terrified that if Wilson left, God knows when he'd be back.
Immediately after the nurse removed the strap and checked my dilation, I found myself squatting on the floor, both hands locked onto Wilson. We had made a strict agreement with the nurses and my husband: no one was to tell me my dilation progress or anything at all. I didn't want to be emotionally distracted, and the nurses were very respectful of the fact that I was a hypnobirthing mama. The truth was, I was only 1 cm dilated at that point. I can’t imagine how defeated I would have felt if I had known that, given the immense ache and intensity I was already experiencing. I just kept reminding myself to breathe with the count. I was moaning, groaning, breathing noisily, and crying in between, constantly bearing down from the intense pressure as the surges came and went.
My stomach felt like a balloon that just kept expanding, until suddenly, something snapped. I had broken my own water. It felt like the balloon stopped inflating, offering a tiny bit of relief, but at the same time, I felt like giving up. I started tinkering with the thought that maybe the doctor would advise a C-section, because if the pressure continued, I didn't think I could go on. In hindsight, I’m glad I was out of breath and couldn't actually vocalize these thoughts. I was dead weight on the floor, soaked from top to bottom in sweat, amniotic fluid, and pee—God knows what else. By that time, Wilson had notified the nurses that my water broke. Apparently, seeing how much pain I was in, he had already hand-gestured to them to prepare pain relief. There were at least three nurses in the room now, but thankfully I couldn't see them because of my blindfold; otherwise, I would have been so pai seh (embarrassed) about the mess. The show had to go on.
As I tried to get up a bit, I felt like there was a bowling ball in my cervix. I spoke loudly and fiercely, demanding that no one touch me. I felt like the baby was already here and was terrified he might just drop out. The nurses and Wilson persuaded me to get on the bed so they could measure my dilation. I pleaded with them not to touch me or force me onto the bed, fearing they would try to strap me down again or make me do counter-productive birthing positions. They gently reassured me, and I finally gave in. Thank God they placed me in a semi-squatting position, leaning against the raised head of the bed. It felt reassuring as they measured my dilation. Suddenly, Wilson said, "Good news!" I instantly snapped back at him, "Don't tell me anything! I don'twant to know."
I was actually 7 cm dilated, and the nurses completely stopped setting up the pain relief, signaling to Wilson the baby's head was already visible and that they were calling the doctor. Well, of course I knew my progress—it was my body! And as for whether the doctor arrived in time or not, I knew I was going to deliver this baby no matter what. I was determined to keep breathing through it all. I kept reminding myself that if I didn't breathe, my baby would be in distress, and I absolutely did not want my firstborn's story to repeat. It felt like I was swimming, constantly surfacing to gasp for a big breath. It felt like passing a massive, hard stool. I pressed hard into the birthing comb. With every out-breath, I could feel the baby moving lower and lower, aided by gravity.
At this stage, the surges weren't quite as intensely painful (though still a 7/10), but the real challenge became having the stamina to sustain the progress. Wilson was so excited. He tried to say something to motivate me—I think he wanted to relay the nurses' message that the head was very much visible—but I snapped at him again, pleading with him not to tell me anything (haha). The nurses started telling me to wait for the doctor, but I couldn't hold it any longer. I had to push.
In a split second, I heard Dr. Paul's morning greeting. He signaled me to birth whenever I am ready, and in just half a breath, baby Rye Kiev was delivered. Apparently, the doctor told me to reach down and catch my baby, but I was completely tone-deaf to the world by then, desperately trying to catch my own breath. All I wanted to do was lie down. I took off my blindfold, and my baby was placed in my arms. He didn't cry ; he was just safe and comfortable. He was born at 6:58 AM.
Notes on the Birth:
2 hours to 10cm: The nurses, Wilson—and even I—couldn't believe how fast it went. Thanks to gravity!
I broke my own water: Again, thanks to gravity and movement.
Blindfolding was my best decision: I know I am someone who is easily affected by others' reactions. This time around, the blindfold allowed me to be 100% focused internally. Strictly no progress updates : I think because this is a gentle birthing hospital and they are aware of hynobirthing ways . They are respectful and knew reasons behind it.
The birthing comb was a lifesaver: It was a fantastic companion for acupressure pain relief. Without it, I would have injured Wilson's hands like I did the first time, when my nails ate into his skin. This time, he was freer to just hold onto me and support me. As to whether it was really a pain relief, I am just glad I had something to hold on to.
The missed catch: The doctor wanted to pass the baby to me from under my legs. I think I was catching my breath so hard I couldn't even hear him, despite him saying it loudly twice. He ended up passing Rye Kiev to my husband, who then waited for me to lie down before handing him to me. I had learned everything there was to know about birthing, but completely forgot the final step of catching the baby! ( ahhaha !)
My husband: Wilson—my absolute one-man cheerleading team. Throughout the pregnancy, I cherished our daily morning walks at the park, which were so wonderful for keeping both me and the baby active. When it came time for the birth, he was remarkably more composed this time around. Six years ago, he completely panicked when he saw the "bloody show." Even though I explained to him that it was just a normal early sign of labor, I still had to drag myself to the hospital to get checked just to ease his anxiety. This time, however, the hypnobirthing class made all the difference. He knew exactly what to expect from the different stages of labor and understood exactly how to support me. There were no lengthy explanations or convincing required when it came to making decisions; our mindsets were completely in sync.
Hospital Pantai Bangsar : Looking back, choosing Pantai Hospital Bangsar was absolutely the right decision—they completely lived up to their promise of being a gentle birthing hospital. I had been resolute about delivering there because of Dr. Paul's commitment to birth-friendly positions and his strict "no lying down" policy. Wilson and I had debated the choice, taking into account the distance from our home and the added cost, but I stood my ground. I knew I needed to be laser-focused on my job of delivering a healthy baby while keeping my body intact through all the heavy lifting, and it was his job to figure out the logistics for the rest.
Hypnobirthing class: None of this would have been possible without my sister introducing me to your HypnoBirthing class.
To my mentor Bee Ting :
Thank you for believing in me even when I couldn’t believe in myself. I came into this pregnancy with a defeated spirit regarding childbirth, but your knowledge gave me the courage to see beyond my worries and doubts. From my sixth month onward—after attending your HypnoBirthing class—I was able to navigate the rest of my pregnancy with a much more relaxed and positive mindset . I didn’t need the whole world to believe in me; just having one person in my corner made all the difference. It is funny to look back on now, especially since one relative even questioned my "odd" choice of a hospital when there were closer options, and scoffed at us attending a birthing class simply because it was unheard of in their time. Ultimately, trusting my instincts, setting firm boundaries, and finding the right support system made all the difference in bringing Rye Kiev into the world exactly the way I wanted.