my baby was delivered at 37 weeks through an emergency c-section. thankfully he was fine and so am I.
1. A Thoughtful Doctor
during a routine morning check-up at 37 weeks, the lady doctor asked if I had any concerns, and I mentioned that the baby kicked less often (under the subsidy scheme, we see a different doctor every time we visit, so it was her first time seeing us). she immediately wanted to follow up on that although we didn't think much of it as I thought it was common for babies to move less when they have less space as they grow larger. i think she guesstimated something might be up due to my age because she was saying how placentas might not work well.
then she checked the baby's heartbeat by putting a microphone on my belly - it seemed fine. she asked if i wanted to have a ultrasound to see the baby - as i was on the subsidy scheme, ultrasounds were not included in the later term checkups - i decided to play safe and do it. it was another few hours of waiting and i texted my manager that i would be extending my morning leave to a full-day leave.
after the ultrasound, we waited for the scans to be reviewed by the doctor. it was already 12pm when she came out to tell us that the amniotic liquid was dangerously low, so we should take our lunch and then go to admissions ward.
2. You Ate Lunch?
we ate at the KKH foodcourt (i had vegetarian beehoon) and went to check in at the admissions ward around 1pm. i had already decided to go for the C class ward to avoid unnecessary fees so husband helped sorted that out when i was admitted - i.e. follow nurse instructions to change into gown, remove all jewelry, lie on bed, wait for further instructions.
husband arrived. nurse hooked my belly up to a heart-beat monitoring device - it was observed that baby's heart rate was erratic over 30 minutes. doctor A and B arrived (different doctors from the one in the morning). doctor A was a fresh-faced male doctor, and B was a no-nonsense lady doctor. they checked that i wasn't dilated via finger in vagina. then asked what i wanted for the delivery since it seemed best to either induce or have a c-section. doctor B said it might not be good go for natural birth which may take hours since baby wasn't doing so well, so i said okay i just follow your recommendation, let's just do the c-section. i wasn't ready for it but i didn't want to be in labour for hours, especially since my cervix was still shut and it was very likely it take very very long to open.
nurse shaved me. doctor A asked if i had any food. i said yes 1 hour ago. he was shocked! i didn't know then but usually anesthesia side-effects include puking so i may choke on puke. anyway he said he would try to arrange for a later slot so the food would settle. he ended doing my c-section at 4.30pm.
3. A Small Baby
c-section went well, baby was delivered at 5pm. the epidural was accurately administered - i did my best to hug my belly, curve my spine and keep still. i laid there looking at a blue sheet and only felt like a bedsheet being pulled vigorously in various directions. there wasn't much sound or speaking. my mind was blank - i was suppressing my anxious nervousness. but then they said excitedly that the baby was out, congratulations! and they checked him and he cried, then they put him on my body. i was stunned and didn't react much but thought i should act like how i think they wanted me to, so i stroked his head quietly. it was alien to me still, not registered that my baby was out in the world.
4. Complications
they took the baby away for cleaning and i was relieved i didn't have to awkwardly have a baby on my chest in the operating room. i was wheeled into the post-surgery recovery holding area, where they monitored by heart rate, blood pressure, etc. the kind senior nurse took care of me, changing my bloody pad as i was still numb from the epidural. it was supposed to be a "when you can wiggle your toes, you can go to your ward" but my blood pressure was very high and refused to go down and they kept asking if i was anxious or nervous, but i wasn't. so i remained there for the longest time, and observed the other mummies who just delivered there. one rated their pain level as very high, i guess their epidural didn't go very well.
i think it was about 8pm when i was wheeled to a B class ward - free upgrade! my husband finally got to see me. he said he missed the baby as he went to the toilet exactly when they took the baby out to him.
turned out i had postpartum preeclampsia - it causes high blood pressure and possible organ failure. but they couldn't confirm it until the next day after some blood and urine sample were taken.
i stayed in hospital for 6 days with only 1 minor incident because my preclampsia wasn't that bad. phew. baby had to be observed for his jaundice and didn't get enough food for the first day due to my miscommunication with nurse, but otherwise he was fine and healthy too.
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