HengBoi2 was very cooperative when I requested him to stay inside a bit longer, as I was admitted to KKH for COVID at 39 weeks pregnant. At 40+5 weeks, he still showed no signs of wanting to come out, probably because he heard my pleas. I was scheduled for induction at 40+3 when I saw my gynecologist on my due date. However, the induction had to be postponed because HengBoi had to be hospitalized. I was worried about going into labor at Gleneagles A&E while waiting for HengBoi’s bed. Thankfully, it was nothing serious, and he was discharged after a two-day staycation with Papa Heng.
On induction day (week 40+5), I told Hengboi2 it was time to meet us, but there were still no signs of labor. We had lunch and then headed to the KKH Admission Office. My husband had to show his self-administered ART result, valid for 24 hours, to gain entry. At the Admission Office, we did our financial counseling and paid our deposit for the A1 ward. We were told to have dinner before reporting to the induction ward at 6 PM.
The induction ward was a 6-bedded air-conditioned room. The nurse checked my progress and mentioned I was 0 cm dilated, so there was a long way to go. She inserted a prostin pill around 7 PM to get things started. My husband had to leave as visiting hours ended at 8 PM. An hour later, the nurse checked me again, and since there was no progress, I was sent to the A1 ward to wait. My husband joined me with supper, and we had a mini party. The nurses advised me to do squats to speed things up.
Around midnight, I decided to take a nap but was woken by contractions at 2 AM. The pain was still bearable, but by 2:30 AM, my contractions were a few minutes apart, so I called the nurse. I was surprised when she said I was still only 0.5 cm dilated, as the contractions were much more painful than when I was 4 cm dilated with HengBoi. I asked to be sent to the delivery suite, but there were no available rooms. Insisting, I was sent to the triage area in the delivery suite at around 4 AM. The nurse there was more experienced and told me I was already 4 cm dilated and my water bag had broken, which was initially planned to be done by my gynecologist at 5 AM. Relieved it burst on its own, I immediately asked for an epidural because the pain was unbearable. The nurse said I needed a blood test first, which would take an hour for results. My jaw dropped, and I asked for laughing gas. The gas made me high but didn’t relieve the pain much. I wondered why the blood couldn’t be taken while I was waiting in the ward. The on-duty doctor was unsympathetic, despite seeing my pain, and commented that lab results usually take three hours.
At 5 AM, I had a strong urge to push. Fortunately, the nurse checked and realized I was fully dilated. She quickly called my gynecologist, Prof. John Tee. The pain was on another level compared to my first delivery with an epidural. My husband later told me I momentarily blacked out. Soon, he saw the baby’s head. Prof. Tee arrived quickly, even at 5 AM, and delivered the baby in three minutes. Just like during my first delivery, I thought he had a halo on his head when he entered the room. The delivery was so fast I kept seeking assurance that the baby was out. My body felt relaxed but soon started shivering all over, which the nurse said was normal after extreme pain.
The A1 ward was fully occupied, so I had to wait almost nine hours in the delivery suite before being wheeled up to the ward. I was still charged the full A1 rate even though I only had dinner and breakfast the next day at the ward. As second-time parents, we were more experienced with handling our newborn. Visitor restrictions due to COVID allowed me to rest without needing to entertain relatives. My colostrum came in earlier this time, but it didn’t seem to satisfy HengBoi2, so I requested a formula top-up. No mom guilt this time around.
I’m glad that HengBoi2 was so cooperative that I didn’t even have time for an epidural, and he took his first cry quickly. From the first contraction to delivery took less than three hours. I’m grateful to my gynecologist for arriving so quickly to deliver HengBoi2 in the early hours.
