A Whole Lot of Difference

I thought giving birth via c-section was horrific, but I was wrong. Giving birth normally was a package I call : excruciatingly painful, long and crazy. Hehe… it was a process all mothers go through ever since human existed. And yet it never gets old. It is what I think a life-changing experience and again, one of those things in life that is the very essence of being a woman.

The vast difference between the two types of birth processes? Here are some that I find very interesting:

1. The healing process for normal delivery is VERY MUCH faster. I am now only in my second week of confinement and I am quite healthy and fresh. The first time around, it took me two weeks just to be up and about, still need help bathing coz I was still shaking and couldn’t hold anythg steadily.

2. You get thinner fasterr!! haha…yup…especially the tummy where it expanded to the point of no return, it took me about 1 week just to see it shrinking back… A LOT. With the c-sect, I was still having extra baggage when i was starting to get pregnant again… and I lost weight back to my original weight only after 9 months! Imagine how long that took…

3. Breastfeeding helps too I guess…it burns the calories you put on during pregnancy…With Asyraaf I didn’t breastfeed… :-(

4. It does not leave you with any scars… I still have kelloids from my previous c-section, the extra flesh on top of the scar of the operation. And it doesn’t look nice…at all…* sigh

5. It is painful to urinate and pass motion during the first week let alone to sit…especially when you have haemorrhoid added to it… * grimace

5. And it’s cheaper giving birth normally… I am glad we went for normal delivery albeit having concerns of any complications arising from VBAC…alhamdulillah everything went well…

But it is a choice I guess…some people go for the c-sect for the sake of the date, or to avoid the giving birth pain but some, for the sake of medical emergencies…Whatever the reason, it’s your body, you decide what’s best for yourself… But for me, I think I’ll still go for normal delivery if Allah permits… :-)

A Wonderful Gynae…and More… :-)

This post is dedicated solely for Dr Seri Suniza of PCMC. We promised her we would give the url of this blog for her to read and I take this opportunity to thank her for being THE best gynae any woman can ask for.

I never thought it was possible to develop a bond with my Dr during the 9 months of pregnancy but it happened. Alhamdulillah, we got the gynae that we can ask opinion from, questions and raise concerns without feeling the least bit intimidated by her. She was always friendly, chirpy and informative at the same time alert to my health. Two thumbs up for Dr Seri and her medical team during my labor and delivery, I couldn’t ask for a better experience than the one I had in PCMC.

We were actually not planning to deliver in PCMC but since we fell in love with her efficiency, friendliness and a feeling of confidence to be handled by her, we decided to go for it though it was a little off the budget for us. But it was well-spent and I felt well-taken cared for which helps to faster recovery especially when I get to eat the tiramisu…! Kehkehkeh…believe it or not, me and Munir will wait for the mealtimes to come and go clawing for the tiramisu first!… LOL

Thanks again Dr Seri for a great and comforting delivery experience for us. We will see you during our next appointment ya!  ;-)

We Made It Out…ALIVE!!!

Phew! The mystery is solved finally… After months of waiting in anticipation, wondering and thinking how it’s going to turn out for me this second time around… it has finally passed and alhamdulillah, I couldn’t ask for a better delivery experience with the best medical team…

But on a more serious note, I was terrified before going for the labor and delivery. All my thoughts were concentrated on whether I can make it through the normal delivery after an emergency c-section with Asyraaf. Though the risks are higher than for a woman who has a normal delivery before, we were prepared to take the risk…plus the costs will be lower too… hehe.

Having opted for an induced labor due to the size of Hazel which was already 3.3kg at 38 weeks, and the high possibility of her reaching 3.9kg by EDD, we headed to Prince Court on Tuesday morning, Asyraaf sent to the nursery, his bag packed with him, and my things too for the stay at the hospital.

I was induced at about 11.30 am 070409, only started to feel contraction in the evening, and started to beg for ‘heppidural’ at 11.30 at night. And the journey has only just begun… And it was a battle only I can go through. God, the time seemed to be moving oh so slowly! After epidural kicked in, the smile muscle in my cheeks started to work again under the uephoria which was “heppidural”…LOL… (lagi kena usik dgn anaesthetist “ Haa….baru nampak dia senyum…, tadi kelat je…) Citt…:-P

Had a good sleep albeit the skyrocketing contractions, had a very small breakfast lest I throw up during delivery and at about 10 am started to feel the urge to push so bad, I was cursing Munir under my breath… Being him, he will sometimes make jokes, untimely ones I might say, and get a piercing stare so hard he stopped making them. God…I can only pray to Allah at that time…But having my husband by my side…eases my pain in a way. He will recite Kursi for me and I will listen and feel the contraction subsiding a little…

And at about 10.45 am, my beloved Dr Seri came in like Buzz Lightyear ( and she did do the “Okayy!!! I’m here…” Ultraman like…LOL. If I wasn’t in so much pain… I would have surely laughed. But no can do…Somebody’s still not out yet.

And there on began the pushing. I was so lousy at it I wanted to give up. Never been through a normal delivery before, I didn’t really know what was ‘pushing’ …It took me almost 45 mins just to push with Munir giving me water (it was so thirsty giving birth!!) every few seconds. I felt like I was in the marathon where the runners usually pour water on the faces at the pit stops. And having a doctor you are most comfortable with that was heping you and assisting me all the way finally gave way to…tadaa….

whats up bro...!?

… Baby Hazel Aleesya bt Ahmad Munir…weighing 3.3kg, healthy and well. After Hazel was whisked away to be tended to, Dr Seri put her attention to me and started ‘ sewing’. GOD IT WAS PAINFUL….! I thought I was in labor all over again…and then the problem started, I started haemorrhaging… which lost me a lot of blood and things became a little chaotic at that time…

And the only thought that came to mind…” At least my daughter’s already safe…if it was time to go…then it was God’s will…” But i guess my time has not come, they managed to contain the situation, and Dr Seri sewed me up nicely and I was sent to the normal room in the evening after being monitored for a while. The next day I was called Dracula by Dr Seri since I had to be given two pints of blood to replace the ones lost during delivery…:-)

It was a great experience for me, suspense, fright, happiness, pain, all wrapped into one. On the fourth day after getting sufficient rest and treatment, I was discharged. But as I turned to look at my baby, I thought to myself “How in hell did someone as BIG as THAT come out of me??”

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An Unforgettable Experience...

I just want to share with you experience giving birth which led to caesarean section. For your info, I had normal checkups monthly up to the latest checkup at the hospital a week prior to the birth due date. I was scheduled for a normal delivery on the 29th May 2007. 27th May, I had a bleeding in the morning and prepared to go to the Hospital with my husband. But we made a stop at the kedai mamak for lunch (ahhakks... in case i get admitted, i didn't want to be hungry!). Actually, before this, I have been to the Hospital twice due to bleedings but was sent home and was told that it still wasn't the time for delivery yet.

On the 27th, I was admitted because the contractions had begun. After spending the evening there, I had massive bleeding at 3 am that nite. Still, I was told to wait till the next morning.9 am the next morning, I was wheeled to the delivery room for normal delivery. Munir was called to receive the baby. However, after the MO burst the amniotic sac, the fluid didn't come, instead blood poured out of me. The MO had a specialist come to take a look and ONLY THEN, they knew I had placenta previa. At this point, I was bleeding heavily and profusely. Hence, I was prepared for OR and went into surgery soon after. 11.24 am, Ahmad Zamir Asyraaf was born. I could hear his screams since I was on half anaesthetic. The worst has passed... alhamdulillah...

However, I was a little bit saddened by the fact they could not detect the situation early since I had three bleedings prior to giving birth and went to the emergency ward at the Hospital. It should have given them a warning to at least do an ultrasound to check whether the placenta has blocked the cervix or not. Thus, this information below is just to share with you out there who is pregnant or in the process of getting pregnant and maybe prep you for situations we went thru...I always thought it's gud to know sumthing beforehand so u can prepare urself...but at the end of the day, qada' dan qadar Tuhan will decide. Well, at least we can try our best and the rest, let Allah decide what's best. I for one know that from experience...:-)

Placenta previa is when the placenta is in the lower segment of the uterus and covers part or all of the cervix. Between three and six of every 1000 pregnant women have this problem. As the lower part of the uterus stretches in the second half of pregnancy, the placenta may become detached, causing severe bleeding. The baby cannot be born vaginally if the placenta is totally obstructing the opening from the womb. Uncontrolled bleeding (haemorrhage) is life-threatening for both mother and baby, although this is rare. If the bleeding doesn't stop, or if the mother goes into premature labour, the baby will need to be delivered by caesarean section even if the date on which he was due isn't for quite a few weeks. Placenta praevia can be divided into four types, of which the first two are the most common:I the placenta is positioned low in the womb, but the baby can still be born vaginally.II the lower edge of the placenta touches the opening of your cervix, but does not cover it, so the baby can be born vaginally.III the placenta partially covers the opening of your cervix. The baby will need to be born by caesarean section.IV the placenta completely covers the opening of your cervix. The baby will need to be born by caesarean section.

* For the record, it hurt like hell after the anaesthetic wore off...!!! Munir said I walked like I had parkinsons when I tried to go to the bathroom...my dear, dear husband...(we'll 'talk' later huh...)Oh yeah, this was the time 'we' wives can get to see if our husbands really love us...I for one fell in love again with him seeing him running around taking care of me and the baby and other things, almost all the time out of breath...hihi, thank you abang for everything...:-)

Posted by eddina at 19:07 4 comments 10.6.07