It's already been 44 days and it's about time for me to blog about my labour story before this mind forgets. Alhamdulillah on the 17th October 2021, i gave birth to my beautiful daughter. We were somehow kinda unprepared (well, almost not prepared at all) since we were expecting the baby to be here on the 28th October 2021 but obviously she wanted to meet us earlier than that haha.
The journey began when me and my husband went to my pregnancy check up at Andorra Hospital on Saturday (16th October). My appointment usually around 11 o'clock in the morning. I remember me and my husband were so hungry and can't wait for lunch and we also planned to go to Souq Shoppe (the new chocolate shop at Putrajaya) after the check up but yeah, didn't happen at all. Lol.
So before i met the doctor, i need to weight myself and check my blood pressure with the nurse first. And somehow, for idk what reason, ever since i was 9 month pregnant, my blood pressure always so high like a bird in the sky haha. Previously when i was having my check up at Klinik Kesihatan (KK), i remember when my blood pressure was so high that the nurse took my blood pressure reading several times because she told me that if the doctor sees the reading, the doctor might force me to give birth on the same day for the sake and safety of the baby.
And so on that day, my blood pressure was 167/110 (normal blood pressure is 120/90) lol. I didn't feel anything at first because the nurse didn't say anything to me at all. But when i met my gynaecologist, Dr. Haliza, she directly told me to give birth on that day because even if i was all okay, but when my blood pressure reading is too high, my baby might trying to give me a sign that she might not be okay inside my womb. Hence, we cannot take it lightly.
I can recall how me and my husband were so blank when the doctor said that and like, okay is this really happening? Are we really going to be parents today? What now? haha. And we instantly made phone calls to inform our family about the news. The funny thing was, i don't even bring my hospital bags in the car with me because i was so very sure that i will not give birth on that day haha. K lesson learnt. But thanks to my sister, she helped me with the hospital bags and even helped to prepare our house for the arrival of the baby.
I straightly got warded at room 306 (single bedded room) with my husband. And we had our late lunch there. Since i was 'forced' to give birth on that day, hence, i don't experience any pain or water break, etc. So, Dr. Haliza gave me my first induction of labour on that evening hoping that i will give birth naturally and normally either that night or perhaps tomorrow. Dr. Haliza also did a cervical exam on me to check my progress. Swear that was the most painful thing ever! The pain was even ongoing for like hours after that. I can't even tell if that was the contraction pain or whatnot.
At night, Dr. Haliza came again for the painful cervical exam on me but still, no progress and no sign of delivery. And the next morning (17th October) around 9am, she gave me my second induction of labour. She told me, the next check up will be around 3pm. If there is no progress at 3pm, we need to choose either i can still try for normal delivery by taking the third induction or might as well just go for c-section. Especially when my blood pressure reading was still high and not okay.
During the evening, sadly, i was only 1cm diluted and my contraction was also not that intense (at least to me) even after took 2 doses of labour induction. So, Dr. Haliza asked and waited on us once again for the delivery options. After discussing with my husband and family and after considering that i might just waste more time and money on the induction especially when there is a high probability that i might be already be like diluted like 8cm or more but still ended up with c-section because of my high blood pressure (God knows). So yeah, that's how i ended with c-section delivery even after following so may advices on how to give birth naturally haha. I guess, God always works in mysterious ways right? We plan, Allah plans and Allah is the best planner of all.
It was surreal. I remember thinking like, "okay this is either the last moment of me not being a mother yet or this might be my last day on earth" because anything can happen in the operating theater (OT). Thank God my husband can also be there inside the OT with me. Allah knows how nervous i felt when the nurses took me to the OT and set me up for my delivery with the sound of the surgical instruments, the lights, the doctors and nurses in PPE, the view inside the OT and everything. Truth to be told, all my life, i've never been inside an OT or even warded in the hospital myself. So this was legit the very first time ever for me.
When everybody and everything was ready, the anesthesiologist told me to sit down and hold the pillow for her to put drugs inside me through my back. My fear of needles was so exaggerating during this time because i cannot imagine how painful it's going to be and i was even overthinking like, what if the drugs doesn't work on me that i can feel all the pain when they do all the work on taking my baby out from me? Ugh you crazy mind!
But alhamdulillah the anesthesiologist handled it very well and was not as painful as i thought. She put the drugs only to numb my lower body parts. Which means that i was also all awake during the operation. Though my body was half numb, i can still feel the movements like when the doctors push the baby out and everything. Only it was not painful at all. Phew.
We went into the OT at 6pm and our bundle of joy, Nur Aqisya Emara binti Affiq Emara was born at 6.28pm (2.74 kg & 47.1cm). Alhamdulillah. We even had videos of me delivering the baby and some photos and videos inside the OT. Thank you Andorra Hospital for allowing us to take photos and videos and even helped us to capture the memory. This was really a moment of a lifetime.
After the baby was born, my husband directly went out with the baby, the paediatrician and the nurses. Andorra Hospital guided my husband on how to tahnik our baby right after birth and they even helped us to clean and wrap my placenta (uri) so that all we should do next was only to bury it (no need to clean it anymore at home). Alhamdulillah.
After giving birth, i was bedridden for almost 24 hours. I even can't feel my lower body at all. Even the baby needs to be fed with formula milk first and stayed at the nursery because of my situation. The next evening, a physiotherapist came into my ward and asked me to walk around the hospital with her. Tbh, i was all okay at that moment and i can even walk fast like normal like no baby just came out of me haha. I felt like, wow, was my pain tolerance really that high that i can't even feel any pain at all? Even the physiotherapist told me that most moms can only walk slowly while holding her hands and some can't even walk at all. But she told me to still be careful and never try to be like normal too soon yet.
And yes. I was all okay during the day, but after the evening walk with the physiotherapist, during the night, the real pain kicked in. I can't even stand up, sit or lay down without the help from my husband or the nurses because it was so painful. And worst, i even need to go to the toilet like many times. Sorry husband. Haha k k k.
We checked out from the hospital on the 19th October. My baby was diagnosed with jaundice like a day after and she was living her first 2 weeks of life with jaundice and even got warded at Hospital Putrajaya (i was so sad and crying by myself when she was at the hospital). We even met Tok Jim who is a paediatrician at Hospital Islam Az-Zahra several times and Tok Jim even suggested us to rent home phototherapy for 2 days for Aqisya. And me myself even got warded for 2 nights at An-Nur Specialist Hospital because i was caught with fever and got very sick haha. But alhamdulillah everything is okay now.
So, talking about the delivery package at Andorra Hospital, we decided to go with the single bedded room since it's more private and my husband can accompany and stay with me all day all night in the ward. Andorra Hospital was a very nice hospital with great hospitality. Dr. Haliza was a very good doctor. She's so confident and know exactly what she was doing with me which i was not even worried at all or have any doubt with her. The nurses were also so calm and friendly and they came to our room like few seconds after we pressed the call button even during the midnight. The foods were heavenly. And yeah, i almost cannot find any flaws or anything for me to dislike but the hospital bills hahaha. But still, i wish to give birth at Andorra Hospital again for our next baby hehe. InsyaAllah. And thanks to Nadia Natasya, i got most of Andorra info from her because she gave birth to Erfan there first before me. Thank you Tasya!
For postpartum confinement, i hired confinement ladies for about 3 weeks and a day with Mama Baby Confinement Care, The Ruumah Spa and Che Gayah Berpantang Service. All 3 were daily visits packages which they just came to my house minimum 3 hours and maximum 6 hours. They did everything including bathe the baby, postnatal massage, prepare me foods, tungku, sauna, tangas and etc. Alhamdulillah everything during my confinement days were also went well as i hoped it to be.
And today is the 44th day after i gave birth to this little munchkin and this marks the end of my confinement period. Yayy! Can you believe this is my baby today? Look at how she grows within 44 days haha. And i'm also already kinda doing well as a mom today compared to my first days. Hehe. It was quite a journey, my labour experience (at least to me). Even though the baby's birth didn't go the way i had hoped but we are still thankful to have a healthy, easy and happy baby. Alhamdulillah. Do i wish it to be different, going through normal delivery instead? Well, i am not very sure if i could handle the normal delivery pain although the c-section recovery was already a pain.
All praise to Allah for this experience and of course, for our little bundle of joy, the flower that forever in bloom, Nur Aqisya Emara. May Aqisya grow and develop normally, healthily and beautifully. And may Allah always protect Aqisya from any harm and danger. Amin YRA.
