Monday, June 6, 2011

My First C-Sect Experience

Alright, I delivered via C-Sect under with a really heavy heart. It was really unexpected when the Gynae asked me if I would like to opt for C-Sect since tomorrow would be my due date and baby was more than ready to greet the world. If I did not go for C-Sect, I would have to go back to the hospital for an hour of monitoring every 2-3 days interval. I would have to lie down with all the weird sticky antennas sticked on my tummy. Those things sent some signals to the monitoring equipment everytime the baby moved, when there were contractions and of course, the baby heart beat as well.

I eventually considered C-Sect as my own mother, my mother in-law both told me that it was normal to have C-Sect nowadays despite the fact that both of them delivered naturally. Well, understood that both were really looking forward to meeting their grandson in person especially since the pregnancy dragged till the very day before the expected due date.

Eventually, I started searching for dates and what the chinese calendar said about delivering on 07 July 2011 and the best time and etc.. Set and I called the Gynae, made the appointment so simply like making an appointment to see the Dentist. Had a good Kim Gary dinenr with Hubby. IT FELT LIKE TOMORROW MIGHT BE THE END FOR ME.. since I would be lying on the operating table and cut apart to make way for my Little Jen.

The next morning, I told Hubby what I would want if anything happened to me. He looked nervous too.

I told the Nurses that I wanted my Hubby to be with me during the operation. They wheeled me to the 'waiting room' and gave me some shots. Then, they wheeled me into the operation theatre, made me sit up, hugged a pillow, poked a needle through my back and that was it. I started to feel numb from my waist downwards. They made me lie down again and draped a cloth in front of me, cutting my view from my legs.

They pulled both my hands to so that both were 90 degrees from my body and strapped on more equipments i.e. to monitor my blood pressure and heart beat. Then, I could feel something done down below, should be the urine tubes.

Finally, my Gynae came in and then he started to ask me if I could feel anything down below. I was half awake and asked for Hubby. Someone came in and touched my forehead. He was draped in green like the rest of the nurses and doctors. I thought he was my Anesthetist. Realising that his eyebrows were too bushy and too familiar, I looked again, and there, he was my Hubby.

The Gynae started asking -  Can you feel anything? No pain? No pain.. No pain okay..

The next thing, He asked Hubby to stand up and looked over the draped cloth. The water was slightly yellowish and the Gynae told him that Little Jen had passed motion in the womb. Ops, I heard that and I got worried. I waited to hear my Little Jen crying and his first cry was heard soon after.

A while later, I could see his chubby thighs as the Nurse carried him to the little cubicle. Warm tears flowed down my cheeks and I tried my best to control my feelings but it was just too indescribable. Hubby wiped my tears gently and whispered into my ears, "Now that I see Little Jen, it feels so weird, all of a sudden, we have a son."

After that precious moment, everything became blur and I was so drowsy, I could only hear the Doctor and Nurses talking but I just could not peel my eyes open. Looking forward to meet Little Jen in the recovery ward later.. (*smile*).

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Forgotten Girl Dies in Car

This is referring to another shocking news where little children were left in cars featured in The Star today - Forgotten Girl Dies in Car. I am sure the family feels absolute regret over the whole incident, a good-will to bring the little girl out for a visit turned out tragedic for the whole family. never shall I leave my Little Jen in the car even when it is not scorching hot.

TUMPAT: In a rush to attend a cousin's funeral, a man forgot about his three-year-old daughter who was sleeping in the car under the blazing sun about 500m away from the cemetery at Kampung Morak near here.
By the time he remembered about her more than an hour later, the girl had already suffered serious heatstroke.

In the 11.45am incident, Nor Izyan Natasya Ishak died of severe heatstroke while being rushed to a nearby clinic.

Her father Ishak Salleh said he was in such a hurry to attend the funeral yesterday that the moment he arrived at the cemetery, he just parked his car, turned off the engine and locked the vehicle.

“I totally forgot that my daughter was sleeping in the back seat.

“After some time, I remembered about her but it was too late,” he said when met here.

Ishak said the moment he remembered that Nor Izyan Natasya was in the car, he rushed to her aid together with several villagers.

He said at that time his daughter was crying and her baju kurung was soaked with sweat.

“We tried to revive her but she was too weak. She died while on the way to the clinic in Wakaf Baru.

“I never expected that immediately after attending a relative's funeral, I will be attending my own daughter's funeral,” the distraught father said.

Ishak, who is the chief of security at the Kota Baru UiTM, said he and his daughter left their house in Kampung Belukar, Machang at 9am to attend the funeral.

He said Nor Izyan Natasya, who was so excited to visit her aunt at Kampung Laut here, had worn her best baju kurung for the trip.

He said his wife did not follow him on the trip as she had to look after their five other children.
District OCPD Superintendent Khalid Munap confirmed the incident and said it had been classified as sudden death.

He said police have also ruled out foul play in the case.

Friday, May 20, 2011

Travelling to Penang - Day 5

IT IS THE LAST DAY OF MY BUSINESS TRIP! Today is the day that will determine whether all my efforts for the past few days will go wasted or not.

In the morning, I wrapped the chilled milk in newspapers and then kept them in the polystyrene chiller box together with the well-frozen ice packs. I had 3 small ones and I always managed to keep the milk chilled for at least 5 hours when I went out for daily business visits. Usually the milk and ice packs were kept in the cooler bag. For this time, since the milk would have to be kept chilled for about 12 hours out of the fridge, I kept them in a polystyrene chiller box.

The weather seemed to know what I was up to and all day the weather was not hot at all. It rained heavily in the morning and then the sky remained cloudy until about 4pm when the sun showed her sunny rays. The chiller box was kept in the front passenger seat with the air conditioner blowing directly at it. I was not sure if that would help lengthen the life of the ice packs that were keeping the previous milk chilled, but somehow, it would be better than not keeping the external environment cool. 

Finally, I reached home after visiting 3 customers and a long 5 hours drive. Guess what? My chilled milk were still chilled and the ice packs were only about 80% molten! I managed to bring the milk back for my Little Jen! (*smile widely*)

Travelling to Penang - Day 4

Last night, Day 3 in Penang, I was reluctant to pump at night when I was supposed to. I wanted to pump in the morning so that the milk would be fresher. This morning, Day 4, I am feeling horrible engorgement which costed me a good night of sleep and a lot of youth (*wink*). I pump as usual but not much milk is released from the ducts and I guess I shall have to bear with the engorgement until the end of the day, hopefully, by then, I shall be in the mood to have 'milk let down'.

To be on the safe side, I bring my pump out along with me for comfort, at least I know that I have my equipments handy whenever I need them. Hopefully, I can manage to stand the pain until end of the day!

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Travelling to Penang - Day 3

Counting down, 3 more days, exactly 72 hours or less, I shall be home. This means I can keep expressed breast milk (EBM) chilled and then store them in the freezer once I reach home. No more throwing away all the good nutrients my Little Jen has been missing. I sterilise the equipments with boiling hot water and then  after pumping, I keep the EBM in the pre-stesterilized bags in the minibar.

Unfortunately, the minibar is not cold enough to freeze my molten ice packs. Thankfully, I have friends in Penang and my friends are kind enough to help. The ice packs are left at my friend's place to freeze and I shall collect them when we meet tomorrow night. Thanks a lot, buddies!