OK – writing out the timings so I don’t forget it later:
0910 – Ling at home said she “got show”.
1000 – Took showers, packed (we weren’t expecting an early by a week delivery), left home.
1045 – Waited 10 minutes for a free cab to arrive. Traffic was moderate, so took a while to get to TMC too. Ling said it felt like a mild menstrual cramp.
1050 – Had to do the temperature checking and declaration at the entrance for H1N1. Then brought Ling up to the Labor Ward at Level 2 for a check-up.
1100 – Check-up at Observation Room 2 confirmed an impending delivery, at which point daddy could do the paperwork for hospital admission.
1110 – Contraction pains start. Ling didn’t have breakfast so was starting to feel hungry. She had the option of going up to her room for lunch first, but the labor pains was getting intense at about 1130.
1200 – Ling decided for epidural at about noon, signed the consent forms while daddy wrote the first blog entry.
1240 – Ling gets wheeled into the Birth Room, skipping the entire lunch thing altogether.
1300 – The anesthetist arrives, and administers the epidural. Initially daddy was chased out of the room (I was chased out several times throughout), but was called back in quickly. The nurses said that Ling was fidgeting too much, and daddy was needed to “keep her still” LOL.
1330 – Epidural was done, at which point the nurse said daddy can go for lunch. Yep; in the labor ward, the men get ordered around by women!
1350 – Lunch for me was a quick Fish n’ Chips at the cafeteria downstairs. Went back up and was advised that Dr. Woodworth was on his way.
1415 – The good doctor arrives, does a quick check on Ling. Daddy gets chased out again by the nurses while they do another prep procedure. Blogged at the corridor LOL.
1440 – Allowed back in again. It’s in-out-in-out of the Birth Room for daddies. Daddy helps Ling with the oxygen mask as Hannah’s heart beat was slowing down.
1500 – The doctor comes back with two nurses and get Ling ready for delivery.
1515 – After a quick tutorial on how to push, nurses get Ling to start pushing in regular intervals. Daddy cradles Ling’s head with one hand and doesn’t know where to hold her with his free hand as Ling’s holding onto her thighs. Daddy feels like a third wheel LOL.
1529 – Hannah pops! Ling did just about 7 to 8 long pushes. Assisted delivery using forceps.
1530 – Hannah’s first photo taken. The nursing team all super-experienced; nurses tell daddy exactly when to take photos LOL.
1532 – Hannah gets checked for five fingers and no extra on both hands each, five toes on both feet, ears, and mouth. Then gets brought back to mummy for a first huggie and photo-op.
1535 – Hannah gets brought out by the nurse (with daddy in tow with HD CAM and another compact camera) to get measured and weighed. The senior Nurse looks on in amusement as daddy somehow shows how it’s done: video-tape and take pictures with two cameras at the same time! Called parents at Lentor to inform them of the birth, then SMSed sis-in-law.
1545 – Hannah’s birth dimensions all grabbed and written onto a little card, she gets brought back into the birth room while the nurses and Doctor are cleaning Ling up a bit.
1610 – Hannah has her first feed in the birth room. Not much milk; nurse says with a chuckle “It’s all colostrum at the moment.”
1635 – Ling has rested a bit more and is ready to be brought up to our room 509 at Level 5. She gets a bed transfer, then daddy and nurse wheel her up.
1640 – Room check-in and quick room introduction and orientation for daddy by the nurse.
1700 – Nurse briefs daddy about room details, and gets meal selections for both for the next day or so. When all done and settled in, daddy writes the third blog entry.
1745 – Dinner comes up. Ling’s ravenous, gulps down her food and part of daddy’s too!
1815 – Parents are the first to arrive. Ling was craving for Jollibean’s hot soya bean milk, so daddy had to go fetch LOL.
1925 – Time for a second feed. Ling was still unsure what to do, so we had the nurse come by to help her out proper.
2000 – In-laws come next for a visit.
2030 – Alone time again. Do photo editing, uploading and a last blog entry for the night.:)
2245 – Daddy zonks out on the sofa bed but can barely sleep. Gets up at 0330 to continue blogging LOL.
=)) so cute!!! you are really hardcore (blogger) LOL
awww….i wish i’d journaled down my birth experiences, it would be so nice to refer to every now and then. :)
i didn’t have a good time with the epidural and had to have the forceps to pull baby out too! head was a little misshaped tho…:D
luckily never have full meal before birthing..the epidural can make the patient nauseous wor..
happy breastfeeding, Ling. I hope Yang had read up on how to help mummy succeed in breastfeeding..?