Sometime around midnight on the 23rd of December 2007, my stomach started hurting terribly. At the time, I had no idea what I was experiencing would become fast labour.
As it was a Saturday, my husband was out entertaining clients. It was past midnight, So I decided to call him to find out where he was. Not thinking my condition was anything serious, I didn’t ask him to come home immediately, and instead decided to go back to sleep. About an hour later, my stomach started hurting again. I was very scared as my due date was only on the 30th.
I didn’t know it at the time, but the pain was sign of labour.
When my husband came back around 2.30 am, I told him that my stomach was hurting. In his drunk state, he told me to just go back to sleep, and that sleeping would remove the pain! I did as he said, however the pain didn’t allow me to sleep, or sit or even stand! I couldn’t tolerate it any more so I quickly went to shower and called my husband to wake up and ask his mother what to do.
My mother in law asked me if I felt like I wanted to pass motion. I said yes, she then told us that it was probably labour. So my husband immediately changed and sent me to the hospital.
To the Hospital
While waiting for the Doctor, the nurse came and checked in on me. She was quite surprised with the amount of pain I was feeling as it turned out that I wasn’t even dilated yet!After 10 minutes we reached the hospital. The nurse helped us with the registration, while I rested and waited for my Doctor to arrive.
About half an hour later, the Doctor came. He checked my cervix, and to our surprise and elation I had opened 7 cm! He said I should be done in about two hours – a very fast labour process!
I was in terrible and excruciating pain, so the nurse gave me some drugs. My husband was also trying to be comforting by calling me jia you. I don’t remember much, as the pain had made me blur. I do remember that the Malay nurse was very sweet. She kept calling me jia you as well and kept chastising my hubby for tearing. I remember hearing her tell him that he cannot cry in front of me, and must instead support me! She also was the one to hold my hand till I finished labour.
A Very Fast Labour and Delivery
After about twenty minutes of pushing, my baby Foo came to this world. His father really cried at that time. After that my husband went to wash his hands and then cut the babies cord. He was really scared, and when he cut the cord, the blood spurted in his face. But thinking back on it now, he says he is very happy that he could do that for me and the baby.
After my labour, the doctor gave me my son to hold. He said holding him will make him feel like how he did in the womb.
Overall the experience was good. My baby boy weighed 2.85kg and measured 53cm at birth.
