My c-section experience
After four years of courtship, Kenneth and I agreed that it was about time that we took the plunge and tied the knot. After a short honeymoon period, we decided to start a family for we really felt ready to have a baby.
I guess the stars above agreed with us, for within a month, I had a bun in the oven!
First Trimester
My first trimester was an interesting experience. I had typical textbook symptoms such as, fatigue, dozing off to sleep while watching TV, motion sickness, heartburn, bloating, food cravings… you name it, I had it!
While my girl friends had warned me about pregnancy and I had also read extensively about it, seriously, nothing prepares you for the real thing.
It’s everything you imagined you would go through, multiplied by 10!
Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that I would start to dislike home-cooked meals! I constantly craved pizzas, and local hawker fare like fried bee hoon, char siew bao, char siew rice and char siew noodles.
I was perpetually hungry and that probably explains why I piled on 18 kg at the end of the 9 months!
With regards to emotions, my tear ducts were out of whack! I started to become very needy and I would get upset for the most trivial issues e.g., when I had to eat home-cooked meals, instead of getting some of my favourite hawker dishes!
I had the strangest cravings during my 2nd and 3rd trimesters!
Second and 3rd trimesters
Thankfully things got better from the 2nd trimester onwards. My cravings reduced and I wasn’t as weepy.
In the 3rd trimester, we discussed various birth options with my gynecologist. I wanted to have a c-section as I had heard too many “horror” stories about childbirth and most importantly, I wanted the date to be fixed so as to be sure that my hubby would be around when the baby was born.
My hubby’s job requires him to travel, so a scheduled c-section was definitely our best option. The gynecologist gave us a few dates and we picked 15 September as our baby’s birth date.
Read more about the actual c-section on the next page…
I was nervous about my c-section, but the medical team took good care of me
Labour day
On the scheduled c-section day, I had to fast before the operation. I was really nervous about the c-section. I wasn’t sure what to expect as none of my close friends or colleagues had done this procedure.
I was worried about many things, including the general anesthetic, the wound, the scar, and my baby.
At the hospital, we checked in at the counter and a customer service officer helped us with our luggage, informed us of the facilities and showed us to our ward. It was just like checking into a hotel!
We waited in the ward till it was time for the c-section. Then I was pushed into the operating theater. While waiting for my gynecologist, the anesthetist could tell that my nerves were in full force. She tried alleviate my fears by talking to me about the baby.
She asked if I knew the gender of the baby and if I had thought of any names. I told her that it’s a baby boy and we would be naming him Nicholas.
Soon enough my gynecologist joined us, and true to her words, my baby boy was delivered within just 10 minutes. After the operation, I was pushed into the observation room.
My baby was born in just 10 minutes!
Then I was woken up by the anesthetist, I remembered her words clearly. She said, “Angie, wake up. Nicholas is a beautiful baby.”
After I regained consciousness, I was pushed back to my ward. Kenneth and the rest of my family were waiting for me. My hubby was so eager to show me the first few photos of our firstborn, however I wasn’t feeling very well.
I felt tremendous pain and discomfort. I had double vision and I was shivering (side effect from the GA). I cried which made things worse. It took around an hour before I started to feel better.
This story is continued on the next page…
Love at first sight
The moment I laid my eyes on my newborn baby, I knew I was in love.
Nicholas was simply breath taking. He had the most beautiful eyes, the cutest dimples and such a sharp nose. Looking at him, I conceded that all the pain was insignificant.
Even if someone had told me that I would have to go through double the torture to have my Nicholas, I would gladly have said yes!
Daddy loved the fact that he got to hold his newborn son in just 10 minutes!
Daddy’s thoughts
Next to finally meeting our handsome son, the best part was the C-section, as that meant that I was not subject to any form of ‘abuse’ (be it verbal or physical) which I’ve heard sometimes occurs in natural birth!
Also it was great to have my baby in my arms in just 10 minutes!
However, that being said, in no way am I encouraging a c-section. In our situation, it seemed like the most logical option since I wanted to be around for my baby’s birth.
However, ultimately it was my wife’s decision, for she was the one who would be delivering our son.
Did you have a c-section? Share your experience of it with us by leaving a comment.