10th August 1995…I came back from work as usual. Walking up the flight of stairs up my flat, picking up my eldest daughter from the babysitter. I reached home, cooked dinner, fed the eldest…with an uncomfortable stomach. I kept feeling like I wanna go to the toilet to pass motion.
After putting my eldest to bed in her cot, I started cleaning the house. My stomach was still uncomfortable. I decided to call my husband who was working overtime. To call him- I left my eldest home alone, walk down the stairs to the public phone…after that, I went back home, trying to think what could be the problem.
I went to have a shower (I read it can help with the uncomfortable-ness that I was feeling) I also tried to pass motion again…I never thought my baby which is coming to 8 mths in the womb decided to meet me that very day.
I came out from the bathroom, wore a kain batik and lied on the bed. My husband came back, saw me and said we better go to the doctor. As I want to get down from my bed…my water bag burst…I was panicked and my kain batik dropped to the floor while I lowered myself on the floor. My husband said “oh my, baby’s head!” and ran out…left me alone. Not long after that he came back with my eldest daughter’s babysitter.
My baby just slipped out and cried…I told my husband to get a clean shoelace to tie the cord (thanks to 911 show I love to watched) He called the ambulance, they just asked “the baby out? Crying? Mommy ok?” To which my husband answered yes…they said, then there is no point for them to come :-0 My husband called the doctor at a nearby 24hrs clinic.
When she came, first she checked on me…she said I’m ok just need to clean up. Then she went to look at my baby girl. Her first impression and the oh my sound make me worried. I asked her to tell me what happened.
She just smiled but I wasn’t satisfied. My baby girl was born with her intestine outside. Lucky enough my husband tied the shoelace at the cord and not at the intestine.
My baby was sent to the General Hospital that night itself by the doctor. By that time it was just passed midnight. I wasn’t allowed to follow. The next morning, I insisted on going to the hospital. The doctor said my baby’s tummy need to be cut opened and they will put back the intestine in. I was down…I tried to recall what have I ate wrong or done wrong that this thing happened. While I was walking around the ward, I saw many more similar cases. Some are not cut opened but was put in the incubator and the intestine was hanged to let it in naturally from the hole it came out. I do not know why my daughter need to be operated instead, nobody explained the option that we have.
So, at 1 day old she was operated…now she is going to be 16yrs old…she has no navel…the scar is quite bad…I feel pity for her and wish I had known more at that time…I wish she was not operated and she doesn’t have to live with the scar…I wish there was another way.