The nurse checked up on my every half hour, no change
every one hour, no change
I got moved to a different room since it seems that labor was not going to happen anytime soon.
They continued to watch me for another day before moving me to postpartum so I could have a more comfortable rest and leave the LAB room for those in need.
I still had contraction every now and then. They got more frequent and painful around early in the morning, yet I hadn't dilated any more than 3cm. At least I got fed.
Finally, on the third day, the doctor decided to let me bed rest at home. The nurse gave us specific instruction of what to do and what not and what signs to look out for. When they took the IV off, I was so relieved.
I love the hospitality of all of my nurses. They were very nice and caring, kept telling me to let them know if I needed anything. I was disappointed for not being able to meet Emmy, but this is for the best. I hope she get to be full term when she decides to come out.
My hubby was my greatest support. He stayed with me the whole time, held my hand when I was in pain, helped me get out of bed to use the restroom, gave me massage. Poor him, he was so excited thinking he would be holding Emmy soon.
For me, starting my bed rest day, 6 weeks until my due date, I wonder how long I have to be bed rest.
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Thursday, December 15, 2011
days at hospital, part 1 - 3cm dilated
it was 4 in the morning and my tummy started to hurt badly. It's 5 weeks away from my due date, so I figured this must be the famous Braxton hick and tried to bare with it. The pain didn't get worse but didn't go away either, so I realized it's not BH, it's contractions. I started googleing, trying to confirm whether I was having contraction or not. "Feels like bad menstrual cramps; pain radiating from the back toward the abdominal...", yup, sounds like what I was having alright. So I started focusing on counting the contractions, but it was really hard for me since I was in constant pain with no break in between at all. Okay, to the hospital we went.
we got to the hospital around 11:30. The nurse checked me and I was 3cm dilated. She said "it' still early but seems like you're having the baby today."
my hubby was really excited and started to make phone calls. I felt calm, waited for whatever came. I thought about being able to hold my Emmy, thought about how well will she hold up being preterm, about labor pain, we didn't have car seat nor diaper nor crib yet, how will my princess look like, breastfeeding, I want to eat...
the nurse put 2 straps on my belly to monitor the baby's heartbeat and the contractions. They were very itchy and uncomfortable, so were the sheet and blanket of the hospital. I wasn't allowed to eat nor drink anything beside ice chips. This was for just in case I need to have c-section, my stomach would be empty and clean.
I waited patiently while listening to Emmy's strong heartbeat. Everything will be alright.
we got to the hospital around 11:30. The nurse checked me and I was 3cm dilated. She said "it' still early but seems like you're having the baby today."
my hubby was really excited and started to make phone calls. I felt calm, waited for whatever came. I thought about being able to hold my Emmy, thought about how well will she hold up being preterm, about labor pain, we didn't have car seat nor diaper nor crib yet, how will my princess look like, breastfeeding, I want to eat...
the nurse put 2 straps on my belly to monitor the baby's heartbeat and the contractions. They were very itchy and uncomfortable, so were the sheet and blanket of the hospital. I wasn't allowed to eat nor drink anything beside ice chips. This was for just in case I need to have c-section, my stomach would be empty and clean.
I waited patiently while listening to Emmy's strong heartbeat. Everything will be alright.
Sunday, December 4, 2011
no pain medication, please
I plan on having a normal vaginal birth at the hospital. I did some research, read lots of birth stories, went to childbirth class, and watched "The business of being born". All the information started to match up. The nurse at the hospital told me that 1 out of 4 women end up having a c-section, planned or not. It seems that the hospital plays a major part of leading you to having a c-section: it's easier for the nurses and doctors and it's more profitable for the hospital.
How is c-section easy? well, the nurse told me that they can get the baby out in less than 5 min (she just wanted to make me feel more secure about the baby safety in case complication does arise).
How do they lead you to c-section? Basically, they starts giving you pain-med (epidural), then more meds to facilitate labor, then complication starts arising and ale', on your way to c-section. Of course they can't do this without your consent, but it's not that hard to get your consent given that they're the experts and you're a first time mom, you're in pain and all the stages of labor seem to take forever and you start wondering "is everything alright?", so you would take about just any suggestions from the doctor, wouldn't you.
How does it being more profit to the hospital? Simply put, the longer you stay in the hospital, the more money they make. You know how insanely expensive hospital bills tend to be, right?
How does it effect you and your baby? You might experience side effect from all the med, postpartum headache is the most common. If you have c-section, you carry the risk of getting an infection. If you plan on breastfeeding, your baby would be less likely to latch on well.
My family like the idea of me getting epidural. They don't want me to be in pain. When I first heard of it, I said "no" right away. It just doesn't feel right. After doing research, the answer is still "no". I'll make sure to press that in my birth plan.
How is c-section easy? well, the nurse told me that they can get the baby out in less than 5 min (she just wanted to make me feel more secure about the baby safety in case complication does arise).
How do they lead you to c-section? Basically, they starts giving you pain-med (epidural), then more meds to facilitate labor, then complication starts arising and ale', on your way to c-section. Of course they can't do this without your consent, but it's not that hard to get your consent given that they're the experts and you're a first time mom, you're in pain and all the stages of labor seem to take forever and you start wondering "is everything alright?", so you would take about just any suggestions from the doctor, wouldn't you.
How does it being more profit to the hospital? Simply put, the longer you stay in the hospital, the more money they make. You know how insanely expensive hospital bills tend to be, right?
How does it effect you and your baby? You might experience side effect from all the med, postpartum headache is the most common. If you have c-section, you carry the risk of getting an infection. If you plan on breastfeeding, your baby would be less likely to latch on well.
My family like the idea of me getting epidural. They don't want me to be in pain. When I first heard of it, I said "no" right away. It just doesn't feel right. After doing research, the answer is still "no". I'll make sure to press that in my birth plan.
Monday, November 28, 2011
How to wrap the baby around you
Having decided that we're gonna try to let Emmy have the longest possible skin-to-skin contact time after doing research on how good it is for the baby's development, I thought "Okay. So how do we do it?" I have 2 baby carriers, 1 bought at a swap meet, 1 received from the clinic I go to. They all look secure and standard but a little too big for a newborn and they can't support the legs. So I'll go with the baby wrap. To put it simple, you wrap the baby on your front (or back) with a super long blanket (kinda like a big long scarf but longer). After a little research, I am in love with this technique. It provides good support and can cover the baby from head to toe, which is important to keep the baby warm during skin-to-skin contact since the baby won't be wearing anything but diaper. Here's a link to many clips that show you how to do it Wrap Your Baby. There are also many styles of doing it which gives you options to see what works for you and your baby.
There is one thing that puzzles me: will it work well with cloth diapering, considering you have to change the baby more often if you go with cloth diapering. It doesn't seem like much work to wrap the baby around you, but you never know until you actually try it. So I'm gonna practice with my teddy bear now. Hopefully my scarf is long enough ^^.
There is one thing that puzzles me: will it work well with cloth diapering, considering you have to change the baby more often if you go with cloth diapering. It doesn't seem like much work to wrap the baby around you, but you never know until you actually try it. So I'm gonna practice with my teddy bear now. Hopefully my scarf is long enough ^^.
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