wednesday 16 dec...
7am: woke up, water starts breaking slowly. 15 mins apart contractions (finally i know how contractions felt, like period pain/cramps). at home alone, still managed to clean up house, vacuuming, watch tv.
1.30pm: lucko arrived home from work (he was sent home early by boss). contractions starts every 5 mins, more painful. lucko massaged me, and used an internet software based for counting contractions.
4pm: went to midwife, dilated 2cm. journey in the car was not comfortable, especially the bumpy ones. my midwife gave an option to either stay at home or wait in hospital for 3mins contractions. decided to go home but pain got worse.
5pm: arrived at hospital, used hot shower to ease pain (it worked for a while, i think in total was about 45mins i wasted the water, pain got worse). oh the lady who drove my wheelchair was so kind. so glad to have a big clean room with nice view.
7pm: use laughing gas as pain relief as they can't give me epidural before a 4cm dilated. it was great, for the first time i know how it felt to be "high". my skin felt numb and the sound of people around me seemed so far away. each time i felt the contraction pain i just inhaled.
8pm: 4cm dilated, they gave me epidural (in my spine). top up is self service at the press of a button. next check up due at 12pm (internal examinations is allowed every 4 hours). hungry but not allowed to eat just in case i might need to be operated. only allowed water and juice.
12pm: only 6cm dilated (too slow for 2cm in 4 hours), so they gave me drips to make contractions stronger. next check up due at 4pm. lucko n mum tried to sleep.
thursday 17 dec...
3am: contractions were stronger n more frequent. stopped topping up epidural so i can feel when to push. the midwife could see the head of baby! good sign : )
3.45am: start practicing how to breathe/push properly.
4am: start pushing. push... push... just like doing a poo, but harder n bigger. hard work. LOL
4.29am: NAOMI IS BORN!!! her neck was tangled with umbilical cord, so the midwife quickly took care of it and cleaned her up, then she was put on my chest. it all happened so quickly the midwife forgot to check the gender of baby, so she pulled baby and opened the towel... it's a GIRL!!! (all these times people were wrong when they said it's gonna be a boy). wow the feeling was indescribable... amazing... finally after 41 weeks and 2 days of carrying her, she's out and in my arms. to hear her first cute cry was priceless. i wanted to cry but i couldn't, i was lost for words (and actions, hehe...). skin to skin time (bonding time), then naomi was cleaned, checked, etc. i was delivering placenta, was stitched, etc. get ready to leave hospital.
7am: arrived at birthcare (parnell), settled. lucko and mum went home to rest. i couldn't wait for breakfast to be served at 8am, starving. i stayed in birthcare until sunday 4pm. the service and food was great. the help n knowledge from various midwives was awesome, esp on breastfeeding. best thing is, help is at the press of a telephone button, no matter what time, a midwife will come, even in the mid of night. all the midwives n staff are so friendly :)