My Parents are here!!

Sunday 28 Oct-07

Horrible grey day... London weather is the worst!!! i sometimes wonder why we are still staying here?

anyway, second day home since hospital... Boo2 is doing well, feeding well and sleeping well. Boo is her usual cheeky self and best of all, my parents are coming!! they will be landing in UK from Dubai at 1135 and smelly AM is going to take Boo to pick them up... excited!

oh and pinky is coming over to see her new god-son too... lots of visitors...

Emirates flight landed at 1107, waited for my mum to call me on phone... told them that smelly AM will only go pick them up when we get call from her... waited till 1140 and still no call, so started calling them... then finally my dad called our home phone... they have already cleared immigrations and now at luggage!!! so quickly chased smelly AM and Boo out of house to pick them up from Heathrow...

Pinky called at 12ish to say she's already left Marlow and on way to London... will be really good to see her...

Smelly AM and Boo came back with my parents at half one... Boo looking quite curious but won't go to my parents... my mum said she was staring at them with her BIG eyes whole time...

my parents were v excited to see Boo2 but i told them, they have to ask Boo for permission first before carrying Boo2... which Boo really liked... made her feel v impt! Boo also warmed up to my parents v soon... and before the day is over, she knows them as Gong-gong and Ma-ma...

but (no) thanks to the London Transport system, pinky couldnt manage to come to our place... she found herself stuck at Finsbury Park!!! all the way from Singapore and let down by London trains!!!! can't believe it!!! told her we will try to meet her in Reading during the week for lunch and will bring the kids... *sigh* really looking forward to seeing her!!!

Boo2's arrival (20 Oct-07 7.41pm)

7am: woke up in panic... late!! have to get Boo to childminder. She offered to look after Boo for whole weekend while we go into hospital to have no.2 (so sweet of her!!) Boo thought we going out... but is quite happy to go to her childminder as well... and even kissed me goodbye!



8am: Managed to get onto the train and tube on time!! Smelly AM was carrying 2 bags and the car seat and i'm waddling along... people looked at us wondering what these 2 people doing, so early in the morning??!! Very excited...



9am: At the Portland hospital... is assigned to midwife Joan Pryce who told us she got to make the first choice of room today and she chose the one with the balcony and best view so we are the lucky couple who got to enjoy it!! lovely room with lots of sunlight coming in... today is looking to be a nice sunny day! Now waiting impatiently for my Obs to come..



9.30am: Obs came in, looking as chic as ever... gave us both kisses and say "let's get the show on the way!" Did an internal exam, cervix is soft and abt 1cm dilated, but still long. So she gave me the tablet to dissolve under the tongue. She says the tablet should trigger off the labour contractions and water bag may/may not burst on its own... but best is to let it work for a while and go for a walk... Very happy 'coz can finally get to eat breaky... by then was STARVING!!!went out with smelly AM for breaky... went to Villalaundry down the road... posh deli/restaurant... and had FULL english breakfast! i deserve it! Then we walked all the way down Great Portland Street to Oxford Street. Slowly and having a great chat along the way which was really v nice. Smelly AM went into Urban Outfitters to shop around while i went to Miss Selfridges...By then, beginning to get quite strong tightenings... not really contractions yet but when they come, must stop walking to catch breathe. Happy that the tablet is working! but water bag still intact. On way back, stopped at ladbrokes to make a £10 bet on football match... Arsenal to win Bolten by 2-1... hoping that Boo no.2 will be the lucky pig and bring us winnings!!popped into a convenient shop to get magazines and crisps and i picked up a £10 note on the floor!!! Boo no.2 is lucky already!!



12.30pm: Back in hospital delivery suite. Joan put me on the monitor to measure the contractions and baby's heartbeat... baby doing well, my contractions are still more like tightenings... waiting for Obs to come back to check me out.1.30pm: Off the monitors and doing my yoga poses... to try to get baby to move into position and to encourage progress of labour. then got onto the birthing ball 'coz getting tired... Obs came in at close to 2pm. Did another internal and found that i'm still about 2cm dilated but cervix is now flat. She says, she's only to burst my waters now and then put me on the drip to progress the labour. Suggested to me that i take epidural now. I wanted to put off having epi this time but after listening to Obs and smelly AM, decided to have epi.



2.15pm: Waters is burst!! so much water, the bed was soaked!! Obs panicked a bit 'coz she thot she felt the cord coming out... but then she says the cord has slipped back in. So she told me to stay on bed to be monitored for an hr to make sure baby is ok... she says it means the cord is v close to baby's head and might be over it...So stayed in bed and contractions started proper... thank goodness baby's heartbeat strong throughout...



3.15pm: Had the epi jab in back and then Joan started me on the drip... had to have blood pressure taken every 5min 'coz of epi and be monitored again so still stuck on bed!!4pm: Finally taken off monitors and allowed to walk around... went to toilet and went on birthing ball and listened to meditation CD... contractions are stronger but not painful at all, only feel pressure, thanks to epi! Obs came back and check me out... ooohhh almost 8cm dilated... told to increase strength of drip... mobile epi not enough to take the pain away so asked for stronger dose... stronger epi made legs really weak... cannot stand anymore... was told to go to toilet again but cannot walk so Joan rolled me there on birth ball... v funny!



5pm: Obs checked and say i'm almost fully dilated. But baby is still quite high... so she told me to lie on my left side, flat, so encourage baby to move down... by then pressure to push is very strong!!6ishpm: Obs did another internal... baby is sort of downish... and need to push v strong so she say we can try pushing... she went out to change into the hospital gear... came back and had me holding my legs and trying to push...oohhh!!! pushing part is the WORST!! pressure is strong but quite tired already so not much strength to push...and everytime i push, and can see abit of baby's head, i lose breathe and strength and baby went back in...after 1/2hr or so, Obs says baby not liking the pushing and position so changed back into lying flat on left side with one leg inthe air!pushed and pushed again... but still head cannot come out 'coz perineum is too thick... Obs say, sorry, have to give me a cut... by then i was in the zone!! i will agree to anything to get the process over with... i was holding smelly AM's hand over my face and screaming tat i want boo!!obs gave me a cut and then when next contraction came, pushed again and this time... BABY CAME OUT!!! it was such an incredible feeling and then obs put Boo no.2 on my chest... he came out screaming and crying and looking pink... and sooo cute (but slimy ) i put him on my chest and he quickly found the nipple and started suckling!!Obs stitched me up and then gave us big hugs and kisses... Joan told baby to be checked out and then gave him back... he is sooo lovely!!



Our Boo2 has arrived!!

First day back from hospital

So good to be home!!

We had to rush back to hospital with Boo2 on Thurs afternoon 'coz the blood test results came back saying that Boo2 has jaundice!! We were hoping to give that a miss this time after what happened to Boo last time (she had to be kept in hospital for 1 week after birth 'coz of jaundice) but looks like we have no choice.

Midwife said, we can either go to Portland or go to the nearest NHS one. Smelly AM and i decided that going to the nearest NHS one will be better 'coz easier for him to come visit us... so we rushed in to hospital and left Boo with smelly AM's mum (thank goodness she's came down to see us).

in the hospital PAU, the doc took blood from Boo2's hand... i can't bear to watch!!! so stepped outside but started crying when heard Boo2 crying... blood test results came back saying Boo2's level is 286 and so need phototherapy for at least 1 day... so have to stay in the hospital.

lovely nurse came back with blue light and we took off Boo2 clothes and put him naked in the cot under the light and he HATED it!!! i think it's too cold and also he's not used to not being swaddled and didn't know what to do with his arms... anyway, he scratched himself silly and i couldn't take it anymore so took him in my arms and place the light over both of us! nurse came back and said, it is not good for me to be under the light as well but i could figure out, why is it ok for baby to be under it but not for me??!!?? anyway, noway am i putting Boo2 back in the cot and letting him cry so we stayed under the light together.

finally managed to get a bed in the ward at 8pm and was moved there... not much changed except much noisier. There were 5 beds and there were all occupied. We stayed under the light until i couldn't bear the tiredness anymore... there must be a better way of doing things so i made a little bed for Boo2 on the big bed and lie him down next to me with light over us... it was difficult to sleep with the bright light over us but i was too tired to care!

at 2am, doc came in to take blood for tests... results back, level has come down but still above the treatment line so more hours under light..

managed to sleep on-off until 6am... which was very good... Boo2 being a really good boy... he fed well and slept when not feeding... doc came in and did another heel prick blood test... yipee!!! Boo2 level is now slightly below the treatment line... Well done!!! but still need to stay under the light for another 6 hrs to be sure...

smelly AM came to visit us at 9am after sending Boo to childminder... thank goodness for LJC, she is a god-send!! smelly AM told me the bad news... our front door handle has decided to die on us so we cannot lock the door from outside!!! again, thank goodness for Mum being there... if not he couldn't leave the house at all! you see, it never rains, it pours!! but V will come round later to sort things out... again, thank goodness for V being just down the road... *note to self: important to find a builder as a neighbour!*

during the day it's easier to leave Boo2 in the cot under the light on his own... he seems to like being left on his own during the day but not at night... hmmm... baby with his own character!!

Hospital PD consultant came in to check on Boo2... he said that Boo2 is doing well and if the next reading is below the line then we can turn the lights off and see if his level still stays below the line... if so, HOME SWEET HOME!!!

doc took blood for test at 1.30pm... results... BELOW the line!! yipee!! my little boy is doing well! lights are off... Boo2 is feeding well and sleeping on his own in the cot so smelly AM left us and i took a nap...

when woke up from nap, realised that most of the other patients have gone home! hmm... i hope we get to go home too or else it will be only me and Boo2 left that night in the whole ward!!!

doc came in to take blood again at 7pm... really praying that Boo2 is still doing well... he's been sleeping alot this afternoon... results: YAY YAY YAY!!! level went down even with lights off... we can go home... immediately called smelly AM... and he came in 10min to pick us up...

really miss home and REALLY REALLY miss Boo... but she's already sleeping by the time we reached home... with her little butt in the air!! so cute!

me, just v v glad to be home...