[Weekly Digest] Postpartum: Week 4

How I feel (Overall): Can't. Wait. For. Week. 8. I dreamt that I started doing BBG workouts again and man, I woke up feeling good for 5 seconds before realising it was just a dream. 

Pain areas: Still some soreness at times but minimal. Im hoping the pain will subside even more and by week 6 I'll be pain-free! 

How I coped: I feel like things are starting to fall into a schedule that works for me, John and mum. Mum has been of tremendous help - so has John and I feel extremely lucky again this week as I ponder and look upon the blessings in my life. 

AJ's Progress: AJ is starting to become more alert - mum reports incidences where he actually responds to what she says (either by coo-ing or making some cutesy baby noises). He sleeps less these days, is increasingly fussy and still regurgitates milk. One thing I've learnt about him this week is that halfway through feeding, if he has to burp and feels uncomfortable he will squirm around and pull away. That is when I know, if I don't straighten him up within he next 30 seconds he will puke out all the milk. And so far I've been 99% right. 

[Weekly Digest] Postpartum: Week 2

How I feel (Overall): This week is proving to be an improvement from the last. Not just in terms of recovery, but in terms of AJ's progress. I see a schedule slowly taking shape - John managed to extend his paternity leave for another week because I broke down last week and told him I needed him for another week. Fights with Mum, mainly due to parenting differences, is getting worse. Sigh.

Breastfeeding is still taking a toll on me - painful nipples, blisters and even a little bleeding situation once - so tempted to give up. But I shall now. If I have the supply, I will strive to make this work, for the sake of AJ. I want nothing but the best for him.

TOOK MY FIRST SHOWER IN 8 DAYS.

Pain areas: My bandage came off after the end of Week 1. Paid a visit to Kamaljit for a Week 1 checkup and she said I've healed wonderfully! Yay. All the effort I put in to prevent myself from sweating and infecting the incision paid off. All of John's and Mum's pro-activeness in making sure I don't sweat up a storm, definitely paid off.

To be honest, it feels weird without the bandage now, as thought my fresh wound is exposed to the harshness of the world, vulnerable and ready to be attacked... Okay maybe I'm over-dramatising it a little but it does feel strange. I need to get used to this! I'm so afraid to touch it.

How I coped: I took my first shower (in 8 days!) and it felt.so.good. I feel like a new woman again. To give you an idea, pre-baby I used to bath twice a day, no less, and sometimes more. So going 8 consecutive days without a shower has been nothing short of a miracle for me. It doesn't help that I've got 'sweaty' genes, meaning I sweat up a storm almost everywhere I go in Malaysia (I don't know anyone in my circle of friends who sweats more than I do).

Granted, John wiped me down daily in those 8 days, but a damp cloth doesn't compare to the feeling of having warm water running down your skin plus the smell and feel of soap & shampoo.

I still have difficulty getting out of bed, takes me about 20 seconds to roll to my side and use my arm to lift my torso and upper body off the bed. And each time I do this, my lower abdomen where my incision is, hurts a ton. You know what else hurts? SNEEZING. After my shower, as I was putting on my clothes I let out an involuntarily (and huge) sneeze, immediately causing me to double over clutching my torso. It felt like someone literally stabbed me with 100 knives at once.. I seriously thought my stitches had split open - a visit to Kamaljit proved otherwise (phew!).

AJ's Progress: He's crying less this week. Last week (week 1) we had a fever scare. The no-touch forehead thermometer that Mum bought us kept showing that he was having a fever (hovered between 37.5-38.5 degrees celsius). We immediately packed our bags and made our way to Pantai Hospital. Because it was past 12am, we went straight to emergency ward. He kept crying and crying and the whole ordeal was terrible for us. Coupled with sleep deprivation, we were absolutely shaken.
Luckily, the paediatrician on duty at the time took one look at AJ and said "He's hungry".
I breastfed him on the spot (with curtains closed of course), and true enough he settled down immediately after.
Supposedly, having a fluctuating temperature like that is extremely common for newborns, particularly because their immunity and bodily functions/systems are not yet fully developed and they cannot regulate their body temperatures as well as we adults can.

Other than the fever scare, he's settled down a little bit. A scheduled visit earlier this week to Dr. Yong (Pantai Hospital Paediatrician) shows that he's lost 11% of his birth weight! From 3.28kg down to 2.92kg - which means he's not getting enough food, which absolutely explains his frantic screams and cries the last 1.5 weeks! We were so desperate because my milk supply hadn't come in yet, John drove out to Tesco (on just an hour of sleep - poor guy!) to get Similac (formula milk) for him and we fed him through a syringe to avoid nipple confusion as we planned to still breastfeed him once my milk supply comes in.

By the way, we didn't have a good impression of Dr. Yong - didn't appear dedicated & resourceful, and I had to ask a billion questions only to get either a "Yes" or "No" or a coy smile from him.
We asked Kamaljit for a PD recommendation and we were referred to Dr. Altaf in TTDI.
Paid a visit to his clinic at the end of the week and he's just amazing. His clinic is always packed - and what I really like about it (and I found this to be true of Kamaljit's clinic as well) is that it is a first-come-first-serve basis.
Essentially, you walk in from 9am to 12pm and write your name down on a numbered list which gets cancelled off one-by-one. If you come early at 9am, you'd be sure to get first dibs. If you come too late like past 11:30pm you'd be sure to be wait a long time because by that time there would've been at least 10 people ahead of you waiting to see Dr. Altaf.

Anyway he got weighed and put on 200g in less than 4 days!! Went up to 3.1kgs. We were so happy.

Things to be Grateful for: AJ has gotten back some of his birth weight and is overall a healthy bubs.  Mum is becoming more helpful - she took a one day hiatus and coached it down to Singapore where she caught up with Aunt BL. It was a good break for John and I too - sometimes you need that couple-alone time to get your heads back straight on again. Also grateful for all the well wishes from friends and relatives - we feel so loved and we can't wait for everyone to meet AJ. He's been such a blessing! Grateful also for a smooth recovery. My belly is slowly deflating... I give myself up to week 6 to get back my flat tumtums!

[Tuesday Tips] Top C-Section Recovery Tips

It's been 11 days since I had an elective C section and in these almost 2 weeks, I think I am qualified to offer you some tips on how to ease your post C section recovery and feel better much faster, so you can look after your little one.

1. Get Movin'

At the hospital, the very next day after my surgery, a nurse came into my ward room and asked if I felt like peeing. I said no. I closed my eyes again, expecting her to take my answer and leave it and perhaps come back again in 2 hours' time to ask the same question until I willingly say yes. 

Not a chance. Right after I said no to her, she said "Get up now. Let's go to the bathroom." Shocked and reluctant but because she was a head nurse a knew what she was doing, I agreed and slowly moved my way off the bed with her much-needed help. 

I will admit, it was excruciating. Those first few steps to the bathroom, I've never felt more incapable in my life - it felt like I had aged in just days to an old lady with broken, brittle bones that she couldn't even walk herself anymore. I was hunched over and made the 50m walk to the bathroom in a record 10 minutes. Peeing was not a pain but I had to sit on the toilet bowl at an incline in order not to put pressure on the incision.

After that excruciating first walk, I felt so much better. So, first advice is to get moving even if you don't feel like it. Not only will it improve the circulation in your legs and prevent blood clots from forming, it also aids in your bowel movements so you don't suffer constipation which is common post c-section phenomenon. Get up and about!

2. Take Your Pain Meds

I know you're a strong lady, but when it comes to healing from a C section, don't be a hero. Take them regularly (mine was every 4 hours) even if you don't feel much pain & when the hospital offers you some, take them all. 

If you wait till longer than 4-6 hours to take your next round of pain meds, you'll regret it when the pain starts kicking in and you have to slowly wait for your meds to take effect. Not a pretty thought to behold. You just underwent a major abdominal surgery and your body is adjusting to it, so naturally it will be painful. Listen to your body and don't let it suffer from unnecessary pain!

3. Stay Hydrated

That first pee is very important after your C-section, to determine that your bladder is functioning well & good. You're going to be inserted with a urine catheter which will only be taken off the next day after surgery, but once it's out, make it a point/your goal to visit the bathroom within the next 12 hours. Of course, do this with the help of the nurses or you might fall!.

It's important to stay hydrated after a surgery to aid in the healing process and to keep your bladder movements in sync. Aim to drink the standard 8-10 glasses of water each day.

4. Seek Help (Physically & Moral Support) & Rest

Your incision and general health will take at least 6 weeks to be restored, and in this time, don't strain yourself otherwise you risk injuring your fresh wound and splitting your incision/getting an incision infection. You might look healed on the outside, but bear in mind that a lot of healing is still going on in this inside, which you cannot see. And it is important to keep in mind that you just underwent a major surgery. 

Don't carry anything heavier than your baby and organise a feeding schedule with your partner so you can have a longer stretch of rest (4-5 hours at least) as new tissue regenerates for healing only when you're getting enough proper rest. Yes you just had a baby and life will never be the same again, BUT take all the help you get offered from close friends, family and especially your partner (boyfriend/fiance/husband) because their help & support is going to come a long long way in helping your heal faster. 

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These are my 4 main tips on how to recovery faster from a C section - as much as I wanted a natural delivery, sometimes God has other plans for you (that's what I believe anyway), and despite this all I ever ask for is a healthy baby, which I got :-)

Motherhood is not an easy journey, all the late night feeds & diaper changes, sleepless days and nights & breastfeeding problems come along with it, but when you get the green light from your paediatrician telling you that your little one is doing well and is healthy, all these "issues" suddenly don't seem to matter anymore. 

AJ  has been an amazing baby - he hardly cries and when he does, it's for good reason (either hungry or need a nappy change). John and I are very blessed parents and we hope to raise him well. 

We'll take it one step at a time.

17th Dec 2015 - D day hath arrived!

D (Delivery!) Day has arrived.

As instructed by Dr. Kamaljit, we checked in the night before at 8pm and managed to snag a private single - bedded room. Lucky we checked in the night before because we spent 2 whole hours sorting out payment - the eftpos machines at Pantai Hospital kept rejecting John's NAB card - something that has never happened before.

And through this we've also learnt that CIMB customer service (and the bank is general) is hopeless. John is seriously contemplating moving to Maybank now (better customer service in my own personal experience!).

Anyway at 6am I was given a suppository up my butthole and told to keep it in for 15 mins before going to the bathroom to flush everything out of my system. However, within minutes of putting it in I ran to the bathroom and expelled half of my "stores". The other half was still hard poop and couldn't be expelled but they couldn't give me a second dose so told me to leave it anyway. 

At 730am, anaesthetist Dr. Sabter came in and instructed the nurses to wheel me to the second floor so I could get my spinal block. John was given a set of scrubs to change into and I was afraid he'd miss out on the spinal block session but he came just in time.
People say the insertion of the IV drip is even more painful than the spinal anaesthesia. I say, bullsh*t!

The spinal anaesthesia started with a needle through the back and I felt a flow of liquid, first to my left lumbar side then another dose to the right side. It was more sore than painful.. like a very dull & sore ache - it's there and it's annoying and I can't get rid of it.

Anyway after that they inserted the catheter for the block/epidural and within minutes I felt numb in my legs. It didn't take long before I lost all muscle movement and pain sensation in my lower abdomen and legs. I did very quickly fall nauseous right after the spinal block was administered but I was told there and then that it was a common phenomenon.

Nausea stayed all through the surgery. What I like about Dr. Kamaljit and Dr. Premitha is that they both know how to lighten the mood during surgery, by chatting and laughing heartily whilst not distracting from their jobs. Kamaljit told me once at her clinic during one of our regular appointments "we like to chat and laugh while doing a c section,  BUT it's not because we are not focused or that we are slacking, remember that!"

It certainly made the atmosphere less tense and I remember my spinning head was thanking them for that. When AJ came out I caught a glimpse of him before he was brought to the weighing machine and cleaning tub to get cleaned and weighed.  After which he was wrapped up tightly in a white towel and put next to my head for 2 minutes. Then, john and him went upstairs to the nursery where AJ was properly measured. 

I was in the emergency room for ages (1 hour) before being wheeled back to my ward room (C329), during which I was asked if I wanted to keep my placenta and made to feel the extreme pain of getting my uterus "massaged" back down. The Indian nurse used a lot of pressure to push it down and at one point I had to tell her to STOP because it was really hurting (imagine just having an incision in your uterus and a nurse comes in a continually presses upon the incision site, with all her bloody strength as well).

After that I got wheeled back to my room and managed to have skin to skin time with my newborn baby. How lovely it felt, his soft skin against mine - it felt unreal.

I was in hospital for almost 3 days before I got discharged on Saturday the 19th December. One of the most painful moments was getting up to walk the first time after a C sect. It hurt so much I took 10 mins to walk to the bathroom from my bed (with the aid of a nurse of course).

The nurses at Pantai Maternity ward were mostly nice - I was given painkillers and antibiotics to recover. They took the two catheters out from my back (where they'd added morphine into) and down below (urine catheter) the very next day. 
AJ was with us for most of the time, except at night when we'd put him in the nursery to be looked after so we could get some much - needed rest.

Overall a challenging get wonderful experience of childbirth. I'd do it again in a heartbeat for AJ.  He's been wonderful! And... He has my nose!! 😂😊

[Pregnancy] Week 37 : So close yet so far

Today I am week 37 + 7.

I've been feeling great except for a nightmare I had last night where I went into labour at home and I woke up to a back ache because a pillow was sitting right under me right back!

Went for a CTG at Pantai Hospital just yesterday (Saturday - cost us RM167 all up) on Kamaljit's instruction and everything was okay with lil sweetie. He's been such a good boy this whole pregnancy I swear, I have a strong feeling he's going to be a good boy when he's out too. :-)

Right after the CTG procedure (they strap 2 transducer things on your tummy; one is to monitor baby's heartbeat the other is to monitor uterine contractions), a chirpy nurse came in and told me that because I have a breeched baby, any time I feel any sort of pain or if my water breaks all of a sudden, I'll need to drop everything I'm going and rush to the hospital to undergo an emergency c section, because the labour risks involved with a breeched baby is much higher than a baby who is already head-down.

I've already conveyed this piece of vital information to John and he's given me 5 of his colleagues contacts just in case I can't reach him on time. He was so worried and told me that even if I can't on first try, keep ringing and ringing him. My poor hubs has been working afternoon shifts the past few weeks since the new store opened.. he's definitely lost weight and I can see how tired he looks these days (not to mention the anxiety of an impending birth of our baby).

Now that mums here hopefully we can take some weight of our shoulders!

4 more days till our scheduled C section - I went to see the anaesthetist at Pantai last week and she took one look at my X rays and said a spinal block shouldn't be an issue. I can't wait to hold lil sweetie in my arms and I'm even more eager to watch John as he holds him for the first time. Can't wait!!

[Pregnancy] Week 35 : Hips don't lie! + Insurance

Today (just today) I woke up with hips that were less painful! After 1.5 whole weeks the pain has subsided a little bit. Not sure if it's for the longer term or if it's just for today though. Sure hope it's the former!

Anyway have to apply for maternity leave real soon - visiting Kamaljit for an appointment in 2 days' time (Wednesday) and will have to get her to write up a maternity leave report for me to hand in with my application. Now I'm not sure if it's 90 working days, or 90 days including weekends? It should really be 90 working days I feel, because after all we are already entitled to weekends off during a regular week, no?

Anywho I've asked HR to look into this and confirm with me again via email before I submit my application.

Also just managed to lock down insurance for little sweetie. We decided to go with Prumychild with the Infant care plan 2, for now. Might add on the PruValue Med premium once he's out but shall see how it goes with his health etc. Although I'm sure he will be a healthy, happy & bouncy baby!

[Pregnancy] Week 30

We are one digit up and have hit the big 30s now. Not long to go until we see little AJ!

Went to see Kamaljit over the weekend and she's happy with how everything is - baby is growing at a good size, is very active and seems healthy!

He loves car rides and adventure - I already know that he will be a cheeky little one when he's born. He'll be great at sports - just like daddy. :-)

I got another round of 1 day Canesten to treat a possible yeast infection. My swab test results will come back in a few days. I love Mondays these days - when I get the chance to work from the comfort of my own home. It is also a time where I can reflect and have the space to be able to rest as well as stroke my belly and talk to AJ. I already love him so much - and more often than not I find my thoughts drifting to when he's here - the amount of kisses I will plant on his face and body, his newborn smell, his first smile etc - and most of the time I shed a tear or two of happiness, excitement and nervousness combined.

John and I still cannot believe we are going to be parents - I think it hasn't really sunk in yet. But with time quickly ticking by, I'm sure it won't be long till we fully realize just where we're headed!