Being in our 30s, both my hubby and I were concerned about conceiving, but after 6 months of trying, my gynaecologist confirmed that I was pregnant after taking the test kit. It showed a faint positive line and we were mildly excited and didn't want to keep our hopes up high. We were regular with keeping up with the scheduled ultrasound appointments, and as weeks and months went by, the scans showed that the foetus was growing well and everything was normal.
Hearing his heartbeat that sounded like galloping horses, we could not wait for the end of the line, 40 weeks felt like an endless wait! Throughout the entire journey, I didn’t have any Braxton Hicks contractions or at least didn’t feel it, and as the 11th April EDD approached, I hardly felt any signs of labour. Nor did my water bag break prematurely like many of the stories I heard.
One day before the delivery, I had stomach aches throughout the night, not knowing that they were contractions, and did not manage to sleep during the entire night. I decided to call the labour ward and they advised that I come in the next day to check it out. We made our way to Raffles Hospital and I was admitted to the labour ward in the morning. I was examined and the nurses said my cervix was 1cm dilated, the same status as my last ultrasound appointment one week before EDD.
So they called my gynaecologist and he recommended that I be on oxytocin drip to speed up the dilation process. He also suggested that I have an epidural to relieve pain. I took it up though it wasn't my original plan and it was the best decision I ever made as I got some much-needed sleep and wasn’t able to feel the contractions.
Though the thoughts of delivery seemed scary, I approached it with a positive attitude and after my gynaecologist broke my water bag, the dilations sped up and around 8 pm, I was ready to push. The epidural dosage administered was reduced and after several attempts of pushing with assisted vacuum delivery as the baby pooped in the womb, the first thing he commented was that the baby had hair and we were in disbelief as we both had sparse hair as babies.
Finally, the baby was ready to meet us and boy, so were we eager to meet him at 10.53 am. Despite being tired and not sleeping the night before, seeing my munchkin with those chubby cheeks being safe and sound made me more energetic even though it was close to midnight that we settled down. Thankful to have my hubby around for support, and the helpful nurses who made the process a smooth one. We couldn't wait to bring our little one home and a new adventure awaits!
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