Thanksgiving

Thank God for His renewed strength and sustenance the past 5 weeks as I've figuring out how to be a mother.

Thank God for teaching me what patience and love truly is through mothering Caleb.

Thank God for a healthy and active baby who thankfully sleeps through most of the night.

Thank God for an understanding hubby who gave in to me so much during the confinement month and helped with attending to the baby on weekend nights.

Thank God for my own mother who gave of herself to help me during my confinement, and my father who cooked the yummy confinement food.

Thank God for bringing us a good helper.

Thank God that Baby Caleb seems happy and active despite the vomiting episodes!

Thank God for more exciting days ahead :)

Recounting 16th August...

After reading friends' blog entries of their birthing experience, and wondering how will my story turn out, finally I get to write about my own experience...

It all started on the morning of 15th August (Sat) when we went to the gynea. Was told I was already 2cm dilated and my amniotic fluid was running low...so if labour doesn't come naturally in the next 2 days, I will need to be admitted for induction by midnight on Sunday. After the appointment, Hubby and I went home and we prayed that I didn't need to be induced as I heard horror stories about how painful it will be as compared to the contractions coming on naturally...but right until the end of the day, still no news...

16th August (Sun)...we decided not to go to church that morning as we were expecting labour anytime, and didn't feel confident enough to know what to do if it started in church! I was still hoping and praying that labour will start on it's own, knowing that the "deadline" is midnight! Still no news the whole morning...didn't get the helper to cook lunch, so hubby and I decided to go down for lunch and unwind abit. THEN it happened...at first I thought I needed to relieve myself so I went to the toilet...but just a minute after I went, I felt like I leaked pee again...and then a couple of minutes later, I leaked again...told hubby that I think it might be my water breaking and told him to pack lunch up instead. In the next hour or so, I was leaking on and off and we decided it was time to go to the hospital!

3pm: We reached the hospital and I was ushered into the labour ward while hubby did the admission stuff. The nurse checked and confirmed that my water broke and called my gynae.

4pm: Was informed that my gynae instructed the nurses to start the induction process...ended up having to be induced anyway...

5pm: started to feel the contractions...which really came on strong quite quickly! Within half an hour after the contractions started, I was already feeling them every 5 minutes. Although each individual contraction was bearable on it's own, but to experience the same degree of pain continuously every 5 minutes was really torturous! somewhere in between I felt I needed to move my bowels again and went to the toilet...was the most painful trip to the toilet ever! Took a long time as I was cringing in pain most of the time...

7pm/8pm: Couldn't take the pain anymore and decided to succumb to pain relief...nurse gave the option of the gas or epidural...decided to go for the gas first and see how...it did provide temporary relief although there's a trick to it...I needed to inhale the gas before each contractions in order for it to be effective...a few times I didn't inhale in time and the contraction was still very painful

9pm/9:30pm: Was told I was still only about 3 or 4cm dilated and can only start to push early next morning...by then I was in so much pain that I decided to go for the epidural

10pm: Sweet relief came when the doc finally arrived to administer the epidural. Thought it will be a breeze from now till birth...but I was pretty wrong...

10pm - 5am: Was still experiencing pain throughout the night though I could catch moments of sleep...the epidural did relief me of my contraction pains, but there was this intense pain at my pubic bone which seems to intensify with time...they had to up my dosage of epidural 3 times and it only made the pain a little more bearable...

5am-6am: Midwife told me I could finally start pushing...at first 2 midwives helped me alongside with hubby...has abit of difficulty pushing as I wasn't pushing right and I was frankly pretty tired out by the pain by then...then in came the gynae, who was there for awhile and then left as the baby still wasn't really coming...

6am: Gynae came back in and asked if I wanted help...told him I'll try on my own first...under the midwives and hubby's encouragement and instruction, I finally got the hang of pushing correctly...all eyes were hooked on the machine to measure my contractions and telling me when to push, but actually I could feel it for myself as the pain at the bone would intensify just before each contraction. Baby's hair could be seen, but each time the contraction was over, he seems to slip back inside...

7am: Finally the head was out...then the shoulder and rest of the body slipped out of me at 7:09am...I didn't know at first until they placed him on me. I took a little while more for the placenta come out, and for the bleeding to stop...was bleeding quite badly and doc had to administer drugs to help me stop the bleeding as he was getting a little concerned.

But all's well that ends well...i was checked, baby was checked and we both were doing fine...and soon, we were pushed back to our comfy ward. All in all, it was really an experience of a lifetime! And it marked the beginning of a very new journey...

Last few days of couplehood

Thought it'll be good to pen down some thoughts before my little boy arrives...

Last 2 weeks have been really "happening"...

The H1N1 scare...2 thursdays ago, I fell pretty sick with cough and fever and went to the GP. Was told it was 50% H1N1 and was then asked by my Ob/Gyn to take the test to ascertain. Hence Hubby took time off from work for the day and drove me to KKH for the test. Didn't realised KKH was so huge!! When we arrived, we went to the 24 hr clinic at the basement and was asked to proceed to the 2nd floor diagnostic clinic as the 24 hr clinic only served women up to 5 months pregnant. Off we went to the diagnostic clinic and was then asked to go next door to the labour ward as I'm already almost full term! Was quite terrible to have to walk so much when I was feeling really woozy and sick!

Finally, at the labour ward, they did the test and I was put under observation for 1 hour...hooked me up to a baby monitoring machine and I could hear Caleb swooshing away inside me during the entire hour, seemingly unperturbed by what's happening to mummy...after an hour, I was finally "released" and given the green light to go home. the Doc told me I'll get my results in 24 hours and if by the next day I don't hear from them, I should be cleared.Came friday and there was no news...and I thank God for His covering and protection that I didn't get H1N1 after all! Still was absent from work for 5 days though as the ful virus was really bad and my cough hasn't really dissipated until today...but definitely getting better :)

Because I was unable to confirm if it was H1N1, I had to miss my final presentation for my course...but thank God my lecturer was really nice and postponed my presentation to a week later. I also had really nice team members who didn't blame me but showered their concern throughout the week. Finally, I did the presentation last week, and thus ended my semester.Work wise, I also managed to clear by Friday and began my maternity leave the day after the National Day PH.

So for now, my full time job is just to rest and wait for Baby Caleb to arrive...did a VE during my gynae appmt last saturday and was told my amniotic fluid was borderline and I'm already 1cm dilated, and his parting words were "I'll see you next saturday if nothing happens". Not sure if its psychological, but these last 2 days I've been feeling rather different...finding it very tiring to even walk for a short distance and starting to get bouts of headache and nausea again...read from some websites that this could be due to some final surge of hormones before labour.

Now I'm just spending my days anticipating the birth...really don't know what to expect as I didn't have any braxton hicks contractions during my pregnancy...and Caleb is still as active as ever inside. Well, I guess when the labour contraction kicks in, I'll probably recognize it...like what most women mentioned on forums...I do pray that it will be a quick labour though! Cos I'm trying to go without the epi if possible....and I certainly hope I can contract naturally without having to be induced! Think I'm getting rather impatient already...hoping he'll come soon as its getting really uncomfortable to move around!

On a happy note, my helper has arrived since 2 weeks ago and I'm SO glad that my home is clean, neat and tidy again! Yeah! She's a sweet gal and so far Hubby and I are very happy with her and getting used to living under the same roof. Praying that she'll continue to be a great help as a nanny to Caleb when he's born!

Oh I hope he comes soon!

"Virgin" Accident

Experienced my "virgin" accident yesterday evening....was driving to school along Farrer Road and it was heavy traffic at that time. I was about to move off when the traffic in front of me starting to move, and then I felt a knock from behind...a van had collided into the back of my car.

Didn't know what to do at first as I was all alone...but realised I had to at least get down the car and see the damage. Thousand things running through my mind then...how bad was it? Would the van driver be nasty about it try to push the blame? How do I handle it? Does my car needs to be towed? Need to call Police? My mind was really in a blur then!

Thank God the driver seems like a nice guy...first thing he did was to apologize and told to send the car for repair and let him know how much it cost...being stuck at Lane 2, was quite gan cheong to get the whole thing over and done with and move on...so we exchanged numbers and drive off. From what I see, nothing too serious...except that the bumper paint was chipped off. 

When I started the engine and started driving, I heard a strange sound coming from the back of my car and decided to pull over to the side of the road to have a closer look. Managed to manoeuvre the car through the heavy traffic to the side where I'm not obstructing traffic. After inspecting the rear, I found out that the bumper had actually dropped and was rubbing against my wheels, and therefore causing the sound. 

Decided that it was time to call hubby to come to the rescue...amazingly, somehow he was expecting my call...he later shared that when we parted just 15 mins before that after our dinner, he sensed that something was going to happen. So he arrived soon in a cab and took a look at the car. I told him we couldn't drive the car anymore cos the bumper was already touching the wheels...but he simply pushed the bumper up and we could drive home...haha...so simple only!

Before that, I msged my classmate and lecturer that I won't be going for class that night, as I didn't know what else needed to be settled. On our way home, the van driver sms-ed me again to apologize and we arranged to go to his workshop for the repairs...we didn't want to make things too difficult for him also lah...

This morning, I took leave and Hubby was already on leave anyway because he is having exams tonight. We went to the workshop in the morning and now our car is undergoing the bumper repair and spray-painting for the chipped off part. We topped up money to spray paint the front of the car as well since the paint also chipped off when hubby "kissed" another car's bumper some months back.

Once again, lots to thank God for!

1. For protection upon myself and baby Caleb...I believe God's hand of protection was upon me as somehow I didn't really feel much of the impact. I usually get startled quite easily, but I was unusually calm about the whole thing...I knew someone had collided into my car but I almost wasn't impacted at all.

2. Thank God that the van driver was a nice chap...I wouldn't have known how to handle the situation if he was one of those demanding people who try to fight their way out of it. Thank God he had a good attitude about it and was responsible for the whole thing.

3. Thank God for immaculate timing...that Hubby was on leave and agreed to take time off his revision to go down to the workshop with me! After we went there, I realised I wouldn't have managed to find the place as it was somewhere at the AMK Industrial Park...a foreign land to me.

4. Thank God for allowing this to happen so we can finally repair our bumper!! My bro actually got into an accident late last year and the bumper had already loosened...so whenever there were passengers in the rear seats, and we were turning a corner, the mud guard will rub against the right rear wheels. This second impact simply made it worse. We were contemplating if we wanted to do up the car or buy another 2nd hand car...but now, it seems like with the repair and the new coat of paint over where was chipped off, we can now drive the car till the COE expires in 2011! This is really a big savings for us as we can put off putting aside money to get another car for now, and don't have to worry about our car falling apart!

Really interesting how God provides us with what we need and all in His perfect timing :) He is indeed our Shepherd and Provider! 

Last lap...and challenges faced!

Did a calculation and realised that I'm already less than 100 days from my due date! Seems like just yesterday when I discovered I'm pregnant...now I'm into my final trimester! Went baby-stuff shopping with hubby and mom last saturday and it kicked of the excitement to want to start buying more things! Just an account of what things we have gotten so far:

1. 2nd hand Baby Cot (given by hubby's colleague) - to be used at my mom's place
2. 2nd hand Baby Cot with wheels for our own home, made of teak wood, complete with mattress, bumpers, bedsheets, pillow and bolster cases, new set of pillow and bolster and a mobile @ $80 - Cot is of good quality and ordered from Japan, saw it in SMH forum and arranged to buy it on the same day!
3. New "Classic Pooh" bumper + sheets set @ $109 (Given by mom!)
4. 2nd hand stroller @ $75 (UP $199) - the kind we like, those that can accomodate infant to kids up to 25kg. Reversible handle too!
5. New Baby clothings - all given by mom.

Now I'm starting to put a list of things to buy to prepare for the arrival of the little one.

We also need to prepare for a helper and the stuffs she'll need...wardrobe, bedframe and mattress, new sheets etc.

And...we need a new car...our dear little red suzuki decided to die on us this morning...couldn't get it's engine started....it has shown signs some weeks back, we almost couldn't start it 2 weeks ago as well, but finally it did after a while, and a prayer. But not this morning...was supposed to fetch Hubby to his camp and then take the car for the day, but it didn't start. Tried again at noon when I was coming to work but still couldn't get it started...later today hubby is going to get his dad to help and see if using a new battery works.

We've been praying for a new car and perhaps this is a last straw! A "series of unfortunate events" sparked our intention to start sourcing for a new car.....

First, my bro got into an accident and the bumper was dented, and when someone sits on the right rear passenger seat, the mudguard will contact the wheels....we're thinking to start getting a new car or to repair it...but repairing a 17 year old car doesn't seem very worthwhile...besides, the fuel consumption is pretty high for this car. But after rationalizing, we decided we can still live with this car...save money for now...

Next, hubby got into a minor accident and "kissed" the bumper of a Lexus...thankfully the owner was so nice and at that time was also in the midst of changing to another car that all he asked for was for hubby to treat him to breakfast as compensation (turns out they work in the same company! haha...). Again, after some discussion, we decided that the 2 accidents resulted only in cosmetic damages...car still can use mah....save money...stick to it till we have better means to pay for car loan.

Then, mysteriously our oil tank started leaking, not the drip-drip-drip at the bottom kind....but its like a fountain flowing out from the small opening where you insert the petrol pump! A couple of times we have seen petrol gush out through the little door that hides the oil tank opening..means it actually managed to flow-out through the cap and then out of the door! Again, we countered that by ensuring that we never pump till full tank...so can still use for now...

Now, the engine cannot be started...is this a sign or what?

This is a season where we are really living by faith! Just when we are starting to spend more in buying baby stuffs, we now face the pressing need of getting another car sooner than we had planned...it doesn't help that within the same month, income tax is due and we just spent quite a sum on our school fees for the new school term....

And it's really interesting how it is at this very moment that God has impressed upon hubby's heart to make a donation of a significant amount to a famous christian mission organization. Hubby gave in obediance and faith and we stand together to believe that God has His plans to direct us to give at this point in time, and we will receive even greater blessings because we acted in faith.

Through it all, all I can say is God is good and despite the circumstances and what our eyes can see, we'll continue to put our faith in Him as our Provider and Shepherd. I thank God that He has given me a heart of joy and gave me the ability to see my circumstances as "exciting" rather than "dire"...it's really exciting to live in God's providence.