Being pregnant is tough (or so I thought before experiencing the sleepless nights after delivery). As I approached the last trimester, I was eager for the baby to arrive, believing that all the discomfort would end once he was born. However, my son had different plans and decided to stay put well past the 40-week mark. I was scheduled for induction at 40+2 weeks, but he surprised us by arriving on 40+1 weeks.
At 39 weeks, I had a false alarm when I lost my mucus plug and noticed some blood. In a panic, I called my husband, took a shower, and we headed to the KKH delivery suite, thinking it was time. After being strapped to the machine and monitored for an hour (while my husband went off to hunt for Pokémon), we were sent home as there were no signs of contractions. And so, the waiting game continued.
One week later, in the middle of the night, I began experiencing cramps. I used an app to monitor their frequency, but it was difficult to sleep through them. Since the cramps were still about 20 minutes apart, I knew it was early labor. In the morning, for peace of mind, we decided to head to KKH again. I took my time showering and having lunch, and we arrived at KKH around 1 PM. Half expecting to be sent home again, I was looking forward to a good meal.
Around 3 PM, the doctor examined me and informed me that I was 3 cm dilated and my water had broken. I hadn’t even realized it, likely because I had been wearing a pad since losing my mucus plug.
What I wasn’t mentally prepared for was the nearly 14-hour wait to dilate to 10 cm. The epidural helped me drift in and out of sleep, but the shivering side effect was intense. When they lowered the dose to prepare for pushing, the contractions hit me hard, and the pain was overwhelming. I spent two hours trying to push the baby out, and the midwife’s skill made a significant difference. The incoming shift nurse was much more experienced, guiding me efficiently and conserving my energy. Since it was taking too long, my gynecologist decided to use forceps, and the baby was out in about 10 minutes. I’m so glad I chose Prof. John Tee. Though he’s a man of few words, his years of experience were very reassuring.
Next came the delivery of the placenta, which felt like my gynecologist was tugging a rope inside me, but it was nothing compared to childbirth. He then stitched me up while the nurse cleaned and handled the baby. I had heard about Prof. Tee’s excellent stitching skills, and it’s true—painless, and I recovered quickly. I was able to walk to the polyclinic on day three for Baby Heng’s jaundice check.
The nurse then handed Baby Heng to me for skin-to-skin contact and to attempt breastfeeding (a whole other topic). The Epikool Pad they provided was great for soothing the swollen area. I even asked my husband to buy a few more from the pharmacy for home use. My advice is to skip maternity pads—they are wingless and bulky. Instead, use overnight pads; I used Kotex 43 cm overnight pads for the lochia. The first few days had heavy flow, but it eventually tapered off to a normal menstrual flow for the next three weeks. I was also glad I had gone for Brazilian waxing before delivery; it was much cleaner.
KKH has a rooming-in policy, which is good for mother-baby bonding, but as a first-time mom, I felt the support was lacking. After 16 hours of labor, I thought I could rest, but it got worse. The baby constantly cried, and I struggled to feed him since my milk hadn’t come in yet. When I asked the nurse if I should give formula, she asked me how much I wanted to give. I was bewildered—how was I supposed to know? Although KKH promotes breastfeeding, I didn’t feel adequately supported aside from the two visits from the lactation consultant, especially since my milk hadn’t come in yet.
Overall I spent one night in the delivery suite and one night in the ward. I’m really glad that I’m only staying for 2 nights and that my confinement nanny will be helping me when I’m back home.