[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 3

How I feel (Overall): 90% is where I'm at this week. Whilst I'm beginning to feel more and more like how I felt pre - pregnancy, it's not there yet.

For one my little belly is still there because my uterus is still in the process of shrinking. And I think my hormones have not completely subsided - I still feel bouts of extreme sadness and/or happiness and/or anger.

In terms of mobility, I can do all housework now :-)

Pain areas: The area around my incision is still numb - I understand that this can continue on for YEARS to come. But it doesn't bother me. My incision is almost fully healed (scabbing!) and is no longer tender to the touch.

I still can't get out of bed frontwards as my internal abdominal muscles are not yet fully associated and it'll take time. So right now I'm still rolling out of bed on my side.

How I coped: The major breakthrough for me this week is AJ latching on correctly 50% of the time.
I've discovered the cradle and cross- cradle position and boy, all those tears I shed in the first few days of breastfeeding could've been solved if it weren't for that wretched football position due to my incision! I always feel mothers who delivery naturally (not by c section) have it easier with recovery.

It's funny how life works - always a give and take in life right? C section mothers suffer post-delivery while natural mothers suffer during labour and delivery.

AJ's Progress: We went to see Dr. Altaf on Sunday and guess what? AJ weighed in at 3.4kg! Which means he gained the ideal 300g in a span of a week. Phew! I can finally pat myself on my back *pat pat*

With this, I'm more motivated to continue bf-ing and pumping for my little guy. I want him to grow big and strong!

Also we got some medication for his minor oral thrush, milia and probiotics (which cost us RM120 for a tiny bottle!) for his gassiness.

Overall a good week! It's getting better and we are reading him better - knowing what his cries mean, what to check when he cries (diapers? last feed time? temperature of room?) and how to rock him to sleep. He loves music. And I'm not referring to the infamous "White Noise" that is recommended for newborns as it mimics the sounds he's used to inside the womb, neither am I referring to baby lullabies. What he really falls asleep to is pop songs, billboard chart toppers and generally the type of music that the current generation listens to.

Heroes by Alesso, anyone??

[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.

[Tuesday Tips] Dealing with a Bicornuate Uterus

As I was trudging through a pile of old documents, I came across a doctor's MRI report from 2013 stating that I have a "Bicornuate Uterus" with 2 uterine horns.

For those who have no knowledge about what this means, a bicornuate uterus is basically a uterine abnormality that affects only a small portion of the female population whereby your uterus doesn't develop as it should when you're a foetus in your mother's womb. Instead of the normal inverted per-shaped uterus that most females carry, mine is heart-shaped with 2 horns and a septum dividing both horns.

One thing I am unsure of though is how deep the septum is & something I would love to find out once I deliver AJ. I'll keep in mind to ask Kamaljit this in the next appointment. Anyway, this explains several things as below.

1. Higher occurrence of a breeched position

Because your little one literally only occupies half the space in the womb, there is a higher chance that he/she will be and will stay in a breeched position. This is especially true if he/she is still breeched after 30 weeks because there is little chance that they will turn given the reduced amount of space and amniotic fluid as he/she grows bigger by the week.

Hence, because of this, and because I am already 2 days away from my 36th week of pregnancy, I will be going to UMSC to schedule my C-section date next week. Kamaljit recommends a C-section at UMSC as it is half the price (8-10k) of having a C-section at Pantai Hospital (15-20k). In addition to that, the doctors at UMSC are more specialised for this type of delivery/surgical procedure.

2. A lopsided belly

Again, your baby is most likely going to occupy only one of the horns, hence your belly will be lopsided for most of your pregnancy. For me, this only got more obvious with time as he grew bigger you could see a more distinct difference between the two sides of my belly.

My more "dominant" horn is the left one, where AJ constantly resides in.

I know he's been trying to turn the past week or so (because his heads sinks downwards) but he never gets past the transverse position and this is most likely because of limited space. My poor lil sweetie - at least he tried.

There are several ways to attempt to turn a breeched baby which I will go into detail in my next post and I will attempt to use one of the more well-known, natural methods (i.e going on all fours every night for 15-20 minutes) in these last few weeks and cling on to the very little hope that he will finally turn before the 37th week.