My birth story
My hubby and I decided to have another baby to give our first-born, Weixiang, a sibling. After a month of trying, we found out that we were expecting our second child! We were excited, but had no idea of the unexpected delivery to come.
My pregnancy went by without a problem
The pregnancy, like most, started off rough but was smooth-sailing from the 2nd trimester. Weixiang was a very loving brother-to-be; he would stroke my tummy and talk to the baby using the fetus microphone.
The expected delivery date was 9th September 2006. But as my husband had to travel a lot for work, we decided to schedule the c-section for the 1st, so as to be sure that he would be around for the D-day.
With the delivery date set, we started to plan the route to the hospital, pack our overnight bags and most importantly, celebrate Weixiang’s birthday in advance!
25/8/06
On the 25th, 3 days before Weiye’s birth, I started to experience pain around my pelvic area and felt very exhausted. I went to see the doctor and was told that the discomforts were pregnancy-related.
Ignoring the pain, we went ahead and celebrated Weixiang’s birthday. The party was great and we had lots of fun.
27/8/06
On the 27th, I started to spot. I was terrified and panicky, so I called my gynecologist, Dr Phyllis Liauw, and was advised to monitor the situation; if there was a lot of bleeding or pain, I should go to the hospital. Otherwise, I could see her first thing in the morning.
28/08/06
At 4.30 am, my tummy hurt so much that I couldn’t sleep. Although this was my second pregnancy, I wasn’t sure if what I was experiencing was contractions that would lead to an unexpected delivery.
I had never experienced contractions/labour pains as my first child was delivered through scheduled c-section.
I took out a few pregnancy guidebooks and read about the “signs of labour”. Then I tried to go back to sleep because the contractions weren’t as intense as described in the book.
Five minutes later, each contraction lasted for over 30 seconds. Reading another guidebook, I confirmed that my labour had actually started!
I was in labour, which was totally unexpected!
I woke my hubby at 5.10 am and told him that we had to go to the hospital immediately as I had started to bleed again. He jumped out of bed, grabbed our overnight bags and we rushed to the hospital.
Into labour: An Unexpected Delivery
On the way to the hospital, the pain stopped. We thought that it was a false alarm and my hubby suggested that we go for “roti prata” after the check-up.
We arrived at the hospital and the nurse brought me to the observation room. Once there, the nurse told me that my labour has started and my hubby needed to register for admission!
Another nurse told me that my cervix had dilated 2 cm.
The hospital called my gynaecologist and prepared me for an emergency c-section. As I had a c-section before, I knew exactly what to expect so I wasn’t nervous.
I had already had a c-section, so I knew what to expect this time around.
When my gynaecologist arrived, she mentioned that nowadays, kids have minds of their own and would decide when they want to come! My baby boy couldn’t wait for the planned c-section date. What an unexpected delivery!
The nurses said that baby had chosen the date 28 Aug because it means “yi fatt fatt” (prosperous).
I was pushed into the operating theatre and was hooked up to the machines to monitor my heart beat and blood pressure. However, there were some technical problems and I was moved to another operating theatre before my gynaecologist could perform the c-section.
Post-delivery
After the operation, I woke up in the recovery room. Though conscious, I was still drowsy. I felt better after the general anesthetic wore off. I was able to talk and look at my newborn’s photos and video clips.
My baby Weiye looks exactly like his elder brother. He has a head full of hair, big eyes, double eyelids, and a dimple. Our family is now complete with two lovable children! They bring so much joy and love into our lives.
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