爱。。。人生: Chronicle of the Delivery Process

22nd Dec 2011

We "check-in" Thomson ard 12pm.

Our bags-for holiday huh?

Warded into observation ward
until 6plus before shifting to delivery ward.
Thankfully ther's TV to mitigate our fear.

Room 3

Delivery Ward

For bb

Still got mood to cheeze

documents

Near to 11pm, a nurse came, told wifey to start practising pushing.

I was puzzled, thinking:
"Gynae not here...wait push liao come out how?"

When she started to lay out the equipment,
I checked with her and she told me most ppl take some time to give birth.
Gynae come liao also sit one side and wait.

At 1st, we've thought giving birth is similar to constipation-
use force push will come out.
But it was quite different.
At least seems tough to me.

First push frankly I was more in a playing mode.
Wifey has to use force to force bb out, bending forward,
with me placing my arm ard her shoulders
to give her an extra push forward to curl her towards her belly.
This will shorten thus aiding the passage of the baby.

Felt like I was pushing a truck. Haha.
Not becoz of the weight,
because as I pushed, I shouted "push push push!".

When the nurse gave the order for the push,
I echoed after her and used my strength to push forward.

After the failure, we started to laugh.

Second try same relax mode,
until the nurse shook her head, insinuating there's no improvement.
She told us baby cannot stay there too long.
That was when panick struck.

We gave another futile attempt.
Then another... and another.

While we'r taking brief breaks,
The nurse came to kw tat I'm afraid of blood.
She told me to push my sofa chair nearer to wifey.

"Ya, ther's fathers who's afraid of blood.
Some turns pale, feels giddy and needs to sit down the sofa.

Some fainted on the spot."

Scary!...
I quickly pushed my sofa nearer to prepare for a smooth landing.
Which one will I be?

sofa chair for father

waiting

before delivery

Because of hunger and long wait,
wifey lost her strength for more continuous push.
Plus the trickling of the clock
GOsh!

Fear amplified when the nurse shook her head with a grim look

The nurse patience was running thin.
She provided the option to ask for gynae's assistance.

We're more afraid of losing natural birth to cesarean.
We presumed gynae to have less patience.
If the gynae comes, he might call for cesarean.

After another more few tries,
we boh pian called for the gynae.

When our joker-gynae came
he gave alot of encouragement.

I've forgotten what our topics were,
midway into the episode,
he told me I'll have to cut the umbilical cord after the delivery.

I've heard before it's optional.
I rejected the offer but he told me:
"Cannot cannot, u MUST cut."

Tat words added to my ballooning fear.

Shortly, due to the slow progress,
he deemed tat wifey required the use of vacuum.

Vacuum is performed by having a suction
capped on the head of the baby to aid its passage.

We relented.
When he placed the vacuum cap on Charlene's head,
wifey was told to give a final strong push.

She stopped shortly after a brief attempt.

I was quite worried as wifey has already stop pushing
yet the gynae was still busy moving out the baby on his own.

Moments later he pulled out the baby.
With his experienced hands, he hold up the baby and placed her on wifey.

There was an air of inexplicable joy when we heard Charlene's cry.
She cried then stopped. Tried to open eyes and began looking at her surroundings.

Our gynae held up the umbilical cord with both hands
and passed me a scissors.
Phiangz, tot he've forgotten abt it.

With shaky hands I took over the scissors.
Surprisingly he wanted to play me further.

"Shout- I am a father! before u can cut."

Okie okie watever.
I echoed but he said too soft.

"Again!"

"I am a father!"

"Too soft, again!"

"I am a father!"

Sia, I felt like army training.

"Top of yr voice, come on!"

Sensing he was serious, I shouted out this time.
After I cut the cord,
he told me I got a B- and required a retest next yr.

"Come back next yr...U will need to sign another package with me.
I'll see u next yr"

Funny guy.
Finally on the last day of our package his joke no longer tat cold.

Cheekily I told him ok lor if u give me 50% discount.
He nodded spontaneously,
but realized his mistake.

He heart pain of the discount.
Told me no lor, I failed liao where got discount.

猫 lor!