The Difference Between The 1st & The 2nd

Nope, I’m not talking about the difference between my 1st & 2nd daughter, but between my 1st & 2nd C-section experience.

Some of you already know that my 1st C-section experience was quite a traumatic one. It was an emergency C-section to begin with, and the entire time I was hospitalised, I had lots of pain and the first time I got down from bed to go to the toilet, the pain was so bad that I cried & cried and took one hour just to cover the few steps to and fro the toilet. One week after I was discharged, I even had to go back to my gynae to remove the stitches. Imagine how terrifying that was!

This time round was totally different. And thank God for that!

The C-section was a scheduled one. My anesthetists came to talk to me to explain about the general anesthesia procedure before the operation. During the operation, everything went smoothly. After the operation, I felt minimal pain! I could even move my hips, adjust my position in bed easily without much discomfort. My gynae’s nurse came to visit me every morning to check that I was doing okay. My gynae himself personally came to visit me and check my wound every morning as well.

Just before I was supposed to get down from bed for the first time, he ordered that I be given a strong painkiller, just in case the pain was too much for me to bear. Turned out that the getting-down-from-bed was a breeze! There was not much pain, and definitely not traumatic for me at all! Praise the Lord! (My gynae’s nurse told me that my gynae is very particular about causing pain to his patients. He hates it if his patients complain of pain, so he does all that he can to minimize it!)

The best thing got to be that I need not go back to remove my stitches as they were self dissolvable! Thank God for that! =D

So, you see, I am a much happier mummy on confinement this time round. :) If you are curious to read about what went through my emotions during the 1st delivery three years ago, you can click here.. :)

The Birth Story – Jayne

I was scheduled for C-section on Thursday, 21 May 2009, 2.30pm. Woke up at 6am to have my last meal before I had to fast for the operation. Reached the hospital at 930am.

My ward – Room 655

Waiting in the ward for the nurses to bring me my patient gown & to take my statistics.

Then I got a SURPRISE!

Dear Dear bought me a lovely bouquet of white lilies & roses! =D

I was soooooo happy! Dear was soooooo sweet! :)

Quite frankly, I was very nervous about the operation. The scary bits of my first birth experience was still fresh in my mind, so it made me pretty jittery. I was scared of the GA administration, the recovery, the getting-down-from-bed.. so many things!!!

At 215pm, the staff came to bring me to the operating theatre! The time has come!!!

The OR

    The whole C-section operation went very well. There were 2 anesthetists in the operation room with me (they were teacher & disciple team but both full-fledged doctors). The moment they placed the mask over my nose & mouth, I fell into a deep sleep within 2 seconds. This time round, I could feel myself spinning into a deep deep hole and gradually losing consciousness.

The waking up from the GA was a little terrifying though. They had this tube inserted through my mouth into my throat, feeding oxygen in. I heard many voices everywhere telling me, ‘Breathe!’, ‘Take a deep breath!’, ‘That’s right, don’t stop breathing.. take a deep deep breath!’ It was pretty chaotic, because I was in a semi-conscious state and hearing different voices and I felt like choking all the time, while trying my best to follow the instructions and breathe! How to breathe and not choke with that tube in my throat??!! Anyway, thank God they finally removed the tube after some time, and I could finally breathe properly. When I reached back at the ward, it was already 430pm. I was inside for so long!? Baby was out by 3pm!

Baby Jayne fresh from the tummy!

Papa Isaiah’s 1st pic with Jayne!

See the deep red marks on her cheeks? During the C-section, she was buried deep inside, so Dr Fong had to use forceps to take her out. By today, the red marks have almost all faded away. But it was really quite heart pain to see those marks at the beginning!

  

Everyone asked us whether she looked like Joey when she was a baby. I think she does resemble Joey MORE than she resembles either Isaiah or me. Haha!

Anyway, for the rest of the day, many friends came by to visit me, but I was in a daze, floating on a cloud. Haha… But don’t worry, I do know who came by. Just that I could not respond as much as I like because I was in a semi-conscious state. Thanks to all who came by to visit me. Really appreciate your love! =D

My Last Meal

The time now is 6.12am. I woke up at 6am this morning to have my last meal before I start my fast at 630am for the operation at 230pm. No food & drinks till after the ops! I think it’s gonna be torturous. The only motivation – JAYNE IS COMING TODAY!!!!

Didn’t sleep well at all last night. Woke up every hour. Really nervous, I don’t know why. I don’t even remember being this nervous when I was due to give birth to Joey! Maybe ignorance is really bliss. The first time round, I knew nothing about what’s going to happen. This time  round, I know exactly what’s going to happen, and thoughts go wild in my mind. =P

After I admit into the hospital later at 9 plus, I think I’ll have a chance to catch up on my sleep. Meanwhile, let me just finish up my last meal. Later!

P/S: Please pray for me yeh! =D

I Found A Wonderful Man

Beware: This is a potentially mushy post because it is written with my dearest hubby in mind. Wear a sweater if you feel cold. But I don't really care, cos this is my blog. : )

Having Joey drew Isaiah and I closer together. I told him the other day that after giving birth, I seem to love him three times more now than before. Haha.. Maybe it's a special bond that links us together because we are both parents of Joey and she is a testimony of our love for each other. Without Isaiah by my side all these while, I am sure I will not be able to go through the first few days after I gave birth.

Many people came to visit me while I was in the hospital. I chatted freely and cheerfully with all of them. When I was sitting or resting on the bed, it was still alright. But many did not see the part when I started to make a small move to try walking. The pain was excruciating. And I really mean it. It's much much worse than the contraction pains.

On my 2 attempts to go to the toilet (which was just 1 metre away from my bed), I took 2 hours to make it to and fro. Every movement I made would give me a sharp pain in the place of the wound where the stitch begun. It was demoralising and disheartening. I was very worried that I could not be discharged in 2 days' time because I could not even move. I was horrified each time I tried to make an attempt to move. But Isaiah was by my side all the time. He would patiently calm me down when I cry in despair or scream in pain. He would encourage me and spur me on just to take another step. I know it was emotionally draining on him having to see me cry and whine while being physically so exhausted himself from all the travelling to & fro the hospital. Yet, he had to put on a strong smile for me and keep encouraging me. He had to be the strong tower that I can hold on to. When I felt like a burden and such a failure, he reassured me time and time again that he will always be by my side and that I will overcome this ordeal.

Going through an emergency C-section and putting Joey in the NICU for one day kind of bursted our budget because we had initially planned for a smooth natural birth. So, on one hand, I was worried about not making any progress in my healing, on the other hand, I did not want to be hospitalised for additional days because of the cost. I told God that no matter what, I want to be discharged on the 3rd day, and that means I must get out of bed. It was no good even on the day before I was due for discharge. Even though I was put on a stronger dose of painkiller, the pain was really bad. Dr Chew said my wound is alright, just that one of the stitches had fallen on a main nerve, therefore causing the bad pain. But she said if I do not force myself to walk, it will never heal. It was worse seeing how my neighbour in the next ward started to walk by herself to the toilet the very next day from her C section. I wondered to myself countless times why I was so weak.

I sighed a heave of relief when Dr Chew gave me the clear to be discharged when she examined me on the morning of the third day. I did not tell her I could not really walk yet, because I told myself no matter what, I want to go home.

It was a miracle from this point on, because the moment I reached home, I could actually walk with Isaiah's assistance. Not much pain and still manageable. By the time I stepped into my house, I could walk by myself. I cannot think of any reason why except that God reduced the pain to the bare minimum so that I could walk around and exercise the nerve to recovery. I went completely off the painkillers two days ago, and this morning I just had my stitches removed. It was a very scary episode for me, I must admit. But for those of you who will be giving birth or planning to have children in future, please don't be scared off. Different women have it differently. Some tell me they had zero pain from their C section, some had experiences like mine. So, it's really hard to say.

But I am really glad to say that I have finally pulled through it. And I can blog it out now. Boy! The worst is finally over! Thank God for a super supportive husband who will still tell me he loves me everyday, and will give me a warm smile and hug just to make sure I remember he loves me. Without him, I wouldn't be able to go through this, I am sure. So yes, I am thankful to God for letting me find such a wonderful man.

The Final 15 Hours

Foreword: Beware, this is a very super duper long entry. Please speed read or skip it if you are feeling drowsy. I am just journaling down every minute detail of what I went through in the final 15 hours before I gave birth, for memory's sake. : )

Day 1: 7 April (Friday)

I was scheduled for induction today because Joey is getting big and Dr Chew advised that I should quickly give birth so that it won’t be too difficult for me to push her out. Isaiah & I reached Gleneagles at 8 plus in the morning and I had a light breakfast of Delifrance crossiant and coconut juice (so that Joey will come out clean), before checking into the labour ward at approximately 9.15am.

The labour ward was in a way considered luxurious. It’s a huge room with an attached bathroom, single bed and a single-seat sofa. The walls were plastered with lovely floral wallpaper, and a TV was inclined from the ceiling. There were machines of several kinds around the bed and on the side, there was a sink and cupboards labeled with words like ‘syringes’, ‘needles’, etc.

I was told to change into the patient gown and was asked a series of routine questions by the nurse. Then the nurse injected me with a super cooling liquid from the anus to clear my back passage. I had the urge to go to the toilet almost immediately. After everything was cleared, they put me on a drip. It was not exactly a pleasant experience because the nurse poked me in 3 veins unsuccessfully. She said my veins were too tiny. Finally Dr Chew came & the drip went in properly on the side of my wrist, which accordingly to Dr Chew, would be more uncomfortable because of the position but they had no choice because of my tiny veins. The induction process then started with the first bag pumped into my drip.

All these while, 2 nodes were stuck on my tummy to monitor Joey’s heartbeat and to monitor my contractions. At the beginning, my contractions were hitting around 30-50, which were just mild. I couldn’t really feel anything. After 10 minutes into the drip, my contractions started to escalate to hit between 90 and 120, with a close frequency of 5-10 minutes. We were happy to see that the medicine had taken effect so quickly. Also, I wasn’t really feeling any pain yet. The contractions can be felt clearly but no pain at all. The time now was about 11am.

By 12 noon, Dr Chew came & examined me. It was not a favorable result because inspite of strong contractions, my cervix were not dilating. It was only open 1.5cm, a far cry from the 10cm I need to hit to give birth. Dr Chew wanted to break my water bag to speed up the process, but because I was ultra sensitive when she tried to touch me, she couldn’t do it at all. And because of that, the labour process can take as long as till midnight. So she advised that I should opt for epidural so that my lower half of the body can be numbed and she can break the water bag & do a proper examination for me.

It was a difficult decision for us. I was not against using epidural, but I was not having any pain even up to this point and the nurse told me that the contractions were as high as it got already and even commented that my pain threshold was high (which greatly amused Isaiah and I)! But if I continue to clamp up when Dr Chew examined me, I would not get anywhere. So in the end, we agreed to go for epidural. The nurse and Dr Chew were very happy and reassured me that more than 80% of the patients opt for it because it would greatly reduce the pains.

The wait for the anesthetist was a nervous one. Isaiah was told that he must wait outside for me, which freaked me out, because I knew the only reason was because the needles were so long & scary that they did not want the look on isaiah’s face to frighten me. Dr Dicky arrived soon and started to tell me that the preparation process for the administering of epidural was a long one, but the actual injection would not take long. He explained that he would first give me a local anesthesia on my spine area and he will guide me through the breathing. I felt some sharp poking sensation on my back, but they were quickly over and Dr Chew announced that that was the most painful part of the whole procedure (phew). When everything was numb, Dr Chew started to administer the epidural. All I could feel was that he was using some strength to push it in and a very cool liquid went into my spine area.

Dr Dicky then explained to me how the epidural works. He said the epidural tube was inserted into the area between my spinal cords in a very precise position so that the numbness can occur. I saw the tiny tube and almost couldn’t believe it. Inserting a needle is imaginable, but a tube?? The time now was about 4pm.

Anyway, the rest of the time passed quickly with hopes high that my cervix has dilated fully. I can’t tell anything because I am totally numb from waist down. It felt like I was half paralysed! When the nurse came to check me around 8pm, she said that my dilation has not really improved, but it has defaced completely. Don’t know what it means, but she said it’s favorable. We were quite happy. Dr Chew said it’s likely to drag till midnight.

The last check came at around 11pm, when the nurse said that my cervix is not making any progress at all, still only 1.5cm. We felt quite disheartened by now, because 14 hours have passed but nothing has progressed. Dr Chew was very surprised because she was sure that I would dilate to 10cm, given that it has defaced completely, water bag burst by itself and my contractions were super high & frequent at 2 minutes or less apart. But in the end, she decided that since 10 hours have lapsed since my water bag burst, I better go for a C-section. Mainly, Joey’s breathing is getting weaker either because she’s sleeping or she’s slipping into a coma which can be possible if she's getting distressed by the wait. So I was placed on an oxygen mask and the decision was made to go for an emergency C-section.

I was quite disappointed because I wanted to have my baby naturally all along. And horror stories from some friends about C-section, like having hallucinations while in anesthesia and the feeling that they have ‘died and slipped into eternity’ during the operation, etc, all frightened me. I just prayed silently in my heart that all will be over soon. Dear Dear consoled me that the wait is finally over and in less than an hour, we will see our baby.

I reminded the doctor many many times to ensure that I have fallen asleep completely before she starts the operation. Haha.. I am so scared that I would be in a state where I can’t move or make a sound, but can still feel and they’re already cutting me up! Of course, it’s all paranoia. The moment the GA went into my bloodstream, I couldn’t keep my eyes open and I just felt so tired, so tired…..

The next thing I know, the nurse was asking me to turn to my side so that they can wrap me up properly. All the way from the operating theatre to my ward, I was in a semi-conscious state. It was the first time I experienced that state. It’s hard to keep my eyes open for long. I just slipped in and out of sleep. I felt so exhausted and weak. Then a comforting face came into view. It was Dear Dear. The first thing I asked Dear was whether Joey was ok. And he said that everything is good, baby is very healthy and heavy and long. Hahha… With that, I fell peacefully back to sleep….

It was a long journey as I think about it now. But definitely something I want to remember forever. That’s why I am journaling it down. : ) I would say it’s a worthwhile experience, and no matter what pains are involved, it’s totally worth it. Some women have it easy, some have it harder. I guess if it’s a bit tougher for me, I would begin to treasure many things more.

It’s still a mystery why my cervix didn’t dilate accordingly despite having all the favourable factors. But one thing I know for sure is that it’s all part of God’s plan. Joey is a huge baby by all standards. Even taking her out of my womb during the operation was a hard one cos she’s so big – according to Dr Chew. So I believe it would have been a very difficult labour if I had given birth naturally. Her shoulders or head might have been stuck for all we know. So, thank God He has chosen the best method for her to be out.

All glory to God.