ryan's birth story!!

now...the much awaited birth story!! RYAN’s OUT!!!! Hahahahha….he cleared customs on the 18th March 2006 (Saturday) @ 1018hrs at TMC, birth room 2!

Some key facts first:
1. weight – 3.34kg
2. length – 51cm
3. head circumference – 33cm
4. gynae: Dr LC Cheng
5. PD: Dr Tan Siew Pin
6. hospital: TMC

here’s an account of wat happened on the fateful day!!We were supposed to see LC Cheng for the weekly consultation since it was 38 weeks! (By the way, marcus is out too!! On 13 march! 5 days earlier than ryan! Hahahha…) in the morning of 17th mar (Friday), veron spotted a show and we were terribly excited about it. LC Cheng said at the previous visit that a show could mean delivery could happen with the day itself or easily the next 2 or 3 days! So we could just wait and see if contractions started or the bursting of the waterbag!!

As it was the March hols, I dropped veron at her mum’s place and proceeded to work. At about 4pm, I left office to pick her up. Over the phone she told me she suspects that contractions have started, some tightening and I told her to monitor over the next few mins and chart the frequency and duration! I decided to drive home to pick up the hospital bag as well as the videocam and digicam (just in case!). I picked her at about 5pm and we stopped to have a short recording on the videocam.

On the way there, I kept on asking her if she felt anything and how long each “tightening” lasted! When we got there, it was about 5.30pm thereabouts and I alighted her while I proceeded to the carpark where it was full and the valet parked my car for me while I rushed to join veron at LC Cheng’s clinic!! We were supposed to see him at 4.30pm but was informed earlier to come about 5pm cos he was involved in a delivery before. We found out that there were about 12 people in front of us!!! We kept monitoring her contractions and each one became pretty intense! I got worried and decided to inform the nurse that we suspect that she is having contractions!

Of course while waiting, I called my mum, melvin, yang, Derek and informed them that it could be anytime soon! Hahahhaha…I was terribly excited!! The nurse brought a wheelchair and wheeled veron upstairs to the labour ward to latch her onto the CTG machine to chart her contractions. In the process, I was told to wait in the waiting lounge and the wait was purely agonizing! Looked at the multitude of baby photos pasted on both sides of the corridor. Soon I got impatient and requested if it was ok to see my wife and after checking, they said ok. My poor wife was feeling the intense contractions as she lay on the bed. I could see the “peaks” on the CTG machine and she would cringe as each contraction started! After 30mins of monitoring, the nurse checked her cervix but it was only 1cm dilated!!!! Kinda early for labour to start!!!! We were given options to wait for the cervix to dilate or go home and rest. We decided to stay and then they said to wait for LC Cheng to check on her and advice thereafter. I was told to do the admissions and I was overwhelmed!

I called Melvin and told him the great news!! Hahahahha… I was beaming with joy while I patiently waited to sign the admission papers and paid the 1000 bucks deposit! We waited for LC Cheng to come up and he came at about 845pm and told us to go up to the room to have a rest, a warm shower and eat dinner. He said to relax as much as possible and it will aid in dilating the cervix! We went upstairs and dinner was served. We booked the 1-bedder room and it was a great experience! I chose to have the western menu and I had steak with soup, salad, fruits, bread! Well balanced diet! Veron had sandwiches only as she was pretty uncomfortable with the contractions happening like every 2 to 3 mins!! Told her to have a warm bath and then she laid on the bed and watched TV.

At about 1030pm, she could take it no more and she was tearing as the contractions peaked! We decided to go back to the labour ward and the nurses were like “huh, so fast, but u just came up, u sure u want to go down again?” hahahha…..they wheeled her to the labour ward again and she requested for epidural to be administered asap!!!! I was told to wait outside again. They inserted something to help her clear her bowels and then they monitored her in birth room 2! I was like “this is it!” she cringed every other minute when the contractions happened and I felt her pain. They contacted dr phua, the anesthetist and he came down about 11plus. I was told to wait outside again!! It took a grueling 45mins for the administering of the epidural and when I was finally allowed to go in, I saw my wife with the drip and I instantly felt her pain! Dr phua was still ard to monitor if the epidural was working well and apparently it wasn’t!!!!! She could still feel the pain and he said he took such a long time cos veron’s spine was calcified due to lack of exercise and the “couch potato syndrome”. Soon after, Dr phua decided to redo the epidural and veron freaked out!!! Some more injections!!! I was told to wait outside again, but this time it wasn’t that long, about 30mins thereabouts!

Smses were coming in from Melvin, veron’s mum, her frens hikmah and Vivian. When I went in again, veron was smiling and I knew the epidural had taken effect!!! PRAISE THE LORD! Dr phua waited awhile more before leaving the room. He’s truly pleasant and shared his experiences with us and being a close fren to LC Cheng, having attended classes together and all that. I stayed with veron throughout the night and as the epidural took effect, she felt numbness in both legs and terribly drowsy. She rested while I tried to get some rest and had to constantly check her.

The nurses came in every 30mins to check on her and that kinda disrupted my rest as well. Hahahha…..i went upstairs to the room to grab my charger as well as hers and charged both phones in the birth room, for fear of batteries emptying in the morning with the multitude of smses!! Hahahha…..i had several hot beverages at the “fathers’ corner”. I had milo, 3in1 coffee (which was disgusting!), lipton tea throughout the night which kept me awake!!! At about 3am, I decided to go home to feed bubblez and tubby. I tried to grab whatever necc stuff as well and went back to TMC. Veron did not even know I was gone for an hr. I tried to take a short nap as I was terribly exhausted by then! As usual, the nurses came in every 30mins to check on her.

Throughout the night, there were other mothers already there before us waiting to deliver and almost all delivered in the wee hours of the morning, and I was there to witness the happy faces of the new dads talking to their newborns! By 4am, I was the only one still waiting to see my lil precious one! Hahahahha….at about 7.30am, the nurse checked her again and reported that she was already 8cm dilated!!!! All the rest paid off!! I was excited until the nurse said it will be another hour or two before she is completely dilated at 10cm!! Sigh…the end is in sight!!! Outside, there were other dads waiting already.

My mum called at about 5 plus and again at 7 plus, she could not sleep at all! Hahahha….Yang msged me at about 7 plus enquiring about the status. Vivian msged at about 8 plus. LC Cheng came about 8 plus and checked her cervix again and said it was about 9cm already, just by inserting his fist into her, amazing!! He was puzzled why the waterbag had not broke by then and proceeded to burst her waterbag and lots of amniotic fluid flowed out! He estimated to be another hour or so for the actual delivery! I was on my toes and all ready for the moment!!!

At about 9 plus, the nurse told her to start practicing to “push” on her side!! By monitoring the CTG machine on her left, each time the number starts to increase beyond the 20 mark, start by taking a deep breath and push with all your might as in passing motion! Do 3 times for each cycle! Fortunately, the epidural was in effect as she could not feel the contractions!!

Soon enough, I could see strands of ryan’s hair!!! The nurse came in and continued to encourage her to push even harder and longer!!! Then other nurses came in to start getting ready for delivery! After several repeated pushes, it was time for LC Cheng to come in!! the nurses helped him wear his surgical gown and boots and they rested her legs on supports to lift her legs in preparation for delivery while she continued to push!! By then, I could see some of the top part of ryan’s head!! hahahahhaha LC Cheng said “are u ready? Let’s start!” my heart was pounding away like crazy!!! There were 2 other nurses on each side to cheer her on as well as assist in the delivery. We waited for the contraction to begin again and then it was time!! LC Cheng said to give 3 cycles of hard pushes and ryan will be out!!! So all eyes were on the numbers on the CTG machine and the first push went on! “good good, very good” said LC Cheng. I could see more of ryan’s head now! Veron was pushing with all her might at each push and it really pains me to see her suffer like that! Sigh….then LC cheng said, “alrite, 2 more pushes and he’s out!” true enough, by the 2nd long hard push, ryan’s entire head emerged and then LC Cheng said “wait awhile” while he turned ryan’s head to the right and then “alrite now with a not so hard push!” with wat seemed to be not much effort of a push as compared to the previous pushes, ryan’s shoulders emerged and he was pulled out with his cord!!

He didn’t look very bloody, looked abit bluish and gradually as he cried, he turned pinkish!! and a warm feeling overwhelmed me!! That’s my son!! Ryan continued wailing and next, LC Cheng said “u ready to cut the cord?” I said “anytime! Where do I cut?” he clamped 2 sections of the cord and passed me the scissors and I did the honours! It was truly rubbery to snip off!! Just like the pig’s intestines of kway chap! Hahahahha….then he filled 2 test tubes with the blood from the cord for some tests and then one of the nurses wrapped him up in the standard chrome yellow towel to keep him warm!

The nurse showed ryan to veron and also his ding ding to confirm he’s a boy! Hahahah…veron held him for a while while I took pics and then they brought him to the warmer where he was being cleaned up while kept warm. I took a hard look at home and scrutinized him! This is my SON!!! Hahahhaha….truly amazing! PRAISE THE LORD!!

Next, LC Cheng was clearing all the bad blood and stuff still inside the womb and then he proceeded to pull out the placenta and showed it to us!! “this is the placenta!” he revealed! Kinda gruesome, like some pig’s brain or something to that effect! Hahahah…then he proceeded to stitch veron up since he had to cut her abit as he feared ryan’s exit will tear her skin in the process. He spent about 5mins stitching her up while I went out with one of the nurse and ryan!

She asked me to inspect his fingers, toes, ears and back with her at the same time and subsequently placed him naked on the weighing scale and weighed him and he was 3340g, 51cm long, 33cm head circumference. I was armed with the videocam in my left hand and the digicam in the right hand and recording/snapping away! Thereafter, she wrapped him in the towel again and pushed him back into the birth room for veron to breastfeed him asap! The nurses taught us how to latch him on and he latched on for 20mins on each side. I proceeded to send the announcement sms to everyone!! I had conjured the sms at about 2plus am while trying to get some rest.