Adelyn Is Here!!

My ultimate favourite birth photo of Adelyn Yasmin.

Wow.

I’ve beaten my own personal record with this one. With the boys, it took me over a month to pen down their birth stories. But with my FIRST GIRL, it has taken me ELEVEN months to coax my writing mojo to make an appearance. Frankly, in this day and age, I’m not even sure if blogging is still relevant as a social media platform. I’ve shared so many photos and stories of Adelyn on Instagram that it feels quite odd to be still writing about her on my blog. But of course, there is a limit on how much exactly I can type in Instagram so here I am back on my blog, typing this blog post, so she can one day read this and enjoy her own birth story.

Why did it take so long? I'm not sure. For starters, I was enjoying my 5 months maternity leave a bitttt too much. Adel (that's her nickname!) was not an easy baby to begin with, so whatever free time I had away from her was spent binging on TV shows and online shopping. Barely 30 days into confinement, Hubby went for an operation to put in a pacemaker so I was commuting between home and IJN then assisting him in his recovery. Then when things eased up on the homefront, I got busy with planning her aqiqah (which deserves another post altogether), then after the aqiqah I had like nearly two months left of leave when suddenly my helper's mother passed away so I was left maid-less for 10 days. The most horrifying days of my life; juggling a screaming baby, pumping milk, caring for the two boys, laundry yada yada. I remember standing to have some leftovers for lunch while cradling Adel with the other hand. As soon as my helper came back, I had mastitis due to all the stress and was admitted into the hospital. My first experience with mastitis - no joke, I tell you! After being discharged we scrambled to prepare for our trip to Gold Coast (can watch my highlights on Instagram)... and then suddenly it was time to report for duty at work! *cries* Once at work, it was work work work non-stop, and literally no time to do anything else.

I digress. This is supposed to be a post about Adelyn's birth story. 

So Adel's due date was at the end of September, and Hubby was secretly hoping that I would carry her into October (his birthday month). I initially thought it was do-able, until I realized that my mid-thirties body won't be able to cope! So if we were to have the baby in Sept, it was either wait until she decides to meet the world, or opt for induced birth and choose a nice birth date. Naturally, we inclined towards 18.9.18 due to the number kapit. Furthermore, Aiden was induced while Ian wasn't, and I remember how calm it was with Aiden and how chaotic it was with Ian. Imagine hounding your husband to drive faster while having contractions from Shah Alam to KL. No thank you.

So the night of 17th September, Hubby and I checked into the hospital at about 10pm. It was a very calm check-in; we didn't inform any family members of our intent to induce. We wanted to check in into the junior suite but it was full for the night, so I requested to book the suite once the baby arrives. Unpacked and reminded the nurse to wake me up early morning so I can have my last shower before being induced. (Hard lesson learnt from the last induction with Aiden; by the time he arrived at ~3pm plus recoveries, visitors started arriving and I was all stinky with a urine bag hanging off me and strict instructions to remain in bed.)

445am: Nurse woke me up for my shower. I had managed to have one last wash and blow before we went to the hospital, so I bunched up my curls into a nice tight ponytail to last me through labour.

515am: The nurse inserted half Prostin. It was painful but I had no contractions whatsoever. VE showed 2cm. Was hooked up on CTG till 6am. Still no contractions. Managed to sleep between 7am - 8am.

830am: Dr Seri arrived. I was still at 2cm so she inserted the second half of the Prostin and did an S&S (stretch and sweep). The S&S was super painful! I actually googled S&S after she left, and found out that it can only be done by experienced doctors and is done to sweep the membrane to induce labour. Showed her my bloated hand due to the IV line, so she asked the nurses to take the IV out.

840am: Started feeling slight contractions, which gradually got stronger and stronger.

930am: Strong contraction started, so I was asked to clear my bowels. By 945am, CTG started marking 'mild' contractions which were very close together. Nurse suggested to take the epidural at 11am which I agreed to immediately. (With Ian I prolonged the request and the anesthetist was not available by the time I needed it!)

1045am: Contractions were going very strong so I called the nurse. I was in so much pain that a whole team of nurses came to check in; one checked my CTG, the other kelam kabut pasang balik the IV line that was removed earlier, and another assisted me to move beds so they could wheel me to the labour room.

Still very much pregnant.

1120am: The anesthetist arrived as promised, and she was so reassuring. The epidural process was as agonizing as I remember it to be. *shudders* Once the epidural was in, they did a VE and found out that I was still at 2cm! I was so disappointed. Despite the strong contractions, I was not progressing well. The nurses pun were disappointed because I was in so much pain, they were so sure that I was going to deliver soon. Hubby darkened the room and we managed to get some sleep in the labour room untill 1pm.

1pm: Nurse woke me up and we started on a low dose of Pitocin via drip. (Tak cukup dengan Prostin, I had to have Pitocin too! This Adelyn is one stubborn girl!)

Oh hello Pitocin!

130pm: Requested for Hubby to give me a foot massage because I was feeling really down.

145pm: Dr Seri popped in to check on my progress. While she was doing the VE, suddenly my water broke! So apparently the foot massage that Hubby gave me actually helped in progressing the labour. Water was clear, with no signs of poop; which is a sign that baby is still doing ok. However, VE showed that I was still at 2cm!!! Dr Seri gave me another S&S and increased the pitocin to full dose. After she left, I confided in Hubby that I felt really really down. I knew that if my labour didn't progress soon, baby was going to be in distress and then I would have to resort to a Cesarean. I started regretting the decision to induce. I mean, why force her out when she is not ready to meet the world?

215pm: Nurse came to do a VE. I declined because it was too close to the S&S. So the nurse said she would return at 3pm. Meanwhile, Hubby continued his (precious!) sleep beside me, while I was worrying about my labour.

245pm: Felt a strong pressure at my vagina. Woke Hubby up and he reluctantly got up. He suddenly realized that he hadn't done his prayers so he went to the toilet to take his wuduk. As he was doing so, the pain got stronger and I knew I couldn't wait for the nurse to come at 3pm. Insisted for Hubby to get the nurse immediately. Solat pun dah entah ke mana. VE was done... and I was at 9cm!

250pm: I felt a really strong urge to push. Pressure was very intense down there. Nurses started flooding my room to put my legs into the stirrup and to setup while another called the doctor. Dr Seri arrived just 5 minutes after that. During the peak of the moment, I realized that I completely forgot how to push. The nurses graciously taught me how to do so. "Jangan angkat buntut! Chin down! Pegang handle ni, dan pushhhhhh!!!" *chuckles*

302pm: And with just three pushes, Adelyn was out! The first thing Dr Seri said when she cradled the baby out was, "Eh, dia ada mark lah!" Yes, a very prominent mole above her left eyelid. She weighed a healthy 3.7 kg, beating his Babang Ian! I had to have 2 stitches because she was so bam-bam.

After she was cleaned up and weighed, they passed her back to me. She was wrapped tight in a white towel, and as I sat up in the labour bed, crading her in my arms, I felt a wave of gratitude and happiness flood throughout my body. It was such a different feeling from Aiden and Ian. Memang betul, ini lah yang ditunggu-tunggu. After so many years of longing for a girl, Alhamdulillah my prayers were granted. And the feeling - indescribable. Surprisingly, she was already coo-ing and blowing bubbles to us in the labour room, and I could feel both Hubby and I melted into a puddle, watching our beautiful and precious bundle of joy.

Freshly out of my womb. She doesn't look too happy, does she?

Cleaned and weighed.

Alhamdulillah, she's here!

All cleaned and wrapped in a towel. Check out her angry face. Someone wasn't happy to be forced out into the world! 

Started blowing bubbles in the labour room.

Opened her eyes for the first time! See, the world ain't so bad, baby girl!

Check out her very prominent mole. Ikut Daddy nie... he has a prominent mole just below his lower lip.

First smile!

Still sleepy from the epidural effect.

All clean! Finally checked in into our junior suite.

N.B: Adelyn Yasmin was safely born at 302pm on Tuesday, 18th September 2018 at Prince Court Medical Centre. She weighed a healthy 3.7kg. Mummy and baby were detained at the hospital for only 2 days as the post delivery recovery was fabulous and baby only had a slight jaundice. The damage incurred during those 2 measly days amounted to a whopping RM10,000 despite staying in the Junior Suite.... thank god for medical coverage from the Dutch Oil Company!

False Alarm

So yesterday, we had a false alarm labour.

It started just after lunch, around 2pm-ish. I started having contractions (though not painful). I tried to move around, drink water, lay on my right, hot shower... but the cramping still persisted. BUT it wasn't painful at all. Just an uncomfortable feeling of tightening around the tummy area, then release. My stomach was also hard to the touch. It was sort of like my earlier Braxton Hicks moments (they started about two weeks ago on and off), but what worried me was the frequency of the cramping and the fact that it wouldn't go away.

I remember when I was carrying Ian, I foolishly brushed off my actual contractions as Braxton Hicks. And look at how that turned out!!! By the time I acknowledged them as contractions, it was already very painful. By the time we got to the hospital, got my contractions monitored, changed, cleared bowels bla bla bla... there wasn't enough time for epidural.

This time around, I didn't want to take the risk. Dah la they say that labour progress will be quicker with the third child. Hence dengan kelam kabut I told Hubby to complete our hospital bag packing (yesssss banyak lagi rupanya last minute things yang belum masuk). Baru nak isi air zam zam, carik kurma, pack toiletries, yada yada yada. It turned out that we needed a bigger bag, so we had to change bags as well before we left. Kissed the kids goodbye and left home.

By the time we got to the hospital, it was just before Maghrib. They hooked me up to a contraction monitor, and as expected, it was registered as a mild contraction, and frustratingly irregular. The nurse did a VE and decided that the baby was still high up, so we were told to go home. *sigh* As I was walking out the emergency room, I still felt the contractions. We then went for a quiet dinner for two at Huckleberry Damansara Heights, and even then I was still having (painless) contractions every 7 -15 minutes apart. Baby AY was really pulling a fast one on me!

Arrived home and found that my helper had packed the boys' bags in preparation to head to the hospital. *giggles* The boys pulak wanted to 'see' the baby! Amboiiiii everyone is super excited to welcome the princess.

Nevertheless, this false alarm definitely showed us how unprepared we were for the actual thing. And I guess this reaffirms our decision - we will induce Baby AY tomorrow, and InsyaAllah she will be in our arms on the 18th. *18.9.18*

I hope you can spare a moment of your time to doakan for both this mummy and baby; that the delivery will be a smooth, quick and painless one. *kisses*

Just realized that I was so busy buying party frocks and tutus, that I did not buy any 'practical' butang depan clothes for newborns. Hence this was my last purchase for Baby AY - her going home outfit!

38 Weeks

Drafting this as I’m waiting for my (now weekly) gynae checkup. Yesterday was my last day at work, so I am officially on leave starting today. Honestly, memang menyesal tak accept the doctor’s offer for MC at from 36 weeks; I foolishly thought that I could cope with work until the end. What I failed to realize was that my body is aging. I’m not as young as I was when I carried Ian - back then I was baking and busy with decorating my SIL’s wedding dessert table at 38weeks!

If I can give anyone a piece of advise, it would be to have kids before their 30s. At 35 years old, badan memang dah tak larat nak lug around additional weight. And surprisingly, I gained a whopping 25kg this time around, meeting my maximum weight gain as when I carried Aiden. My legs and the heel of my feet simply cannot take it. Back pain tak payah cakap la. Just to shift sides on the bed pun I would be wincing in pain. Thankfully, Hubby has never slacked on his responsibility of giving me my nightly back and foot massage. It doesn’t cure the pain, but it’s at least 15 mins worth of pure bliss.

But looking on the bright side, Alhamdulillah I can confidently say that I did not slack off at work. This has been a relatively easy and drama free pregnancy... and to be able to work up until my 38th week, is something that I am extremely grateful for.

Ok, doctor’s calling! BRB.

Ok I’m back. So baby is now 3/5 down in the birth canal. Cervix is soft, 1cm dilated but the doctor still cannot feel the head of the baby (yup I went through a VE)! And she is 3.7kg! Omg that’s even bigger than Ian. I hope she’s not trying to beat Aiden’s weight. I’m banking on the machine’s 10% tolerance accuracy so hopefully in reality she’s below 3.5kg???

Options on the table? Induce myself on the 18th *18.9.18* or wait for her to come naturally. I’m oh so tempted to get her induced (sebab badan dah tak larat). I’ll have the long weekend to think about it - doctor recommends a staycation close to the hospital, just in case! *chuckles*

Wish me luck, peeps! For all you know, the next time you hear from me, l’ll be proudly showing off Baby AY to the world. InsyaAllah!

Ian's First Concert

So so so proud of my baby boy. He has definitely come a longggggg way; from daily begs of “I don’t wanna go (to) school”, to dancing in his first ever concert!

In his recent parent teacher report card session, his teacher reported that she was very impressed with his development, progress, focus and social skills. Especially since this is his first year in school. Pegang pencil (motor skills) pun macam someone who has been to school for a few years. I have personally witnessed the focus bit a few times as well; sometimes I ask Aiden to do something tapi Aiden masih in lala land so Ian jumped in to immediately do it. *chuckles*

Hence it came as no surprise to me, that he focused and dutifully followed his teacher’s instruction to not tell his parents about his upcoming concert nor show off his steps by practicing at home. (It was meant to be a surprise.) I only found out about it when a fellow mum shared a photo of Ian in concert practice at school. That same afternoon, I asked him about his ‘concert practice’ and his gave me a surprised face; “How did you know! It’s supposed to be a surprise!” *giggles* We tried to coax him into showing off his dance moves, but as expected, he declined!

Of course after his Babang pujuk berkali-kali, he showed off snippets of it. He eventually showed off from start to finish to my helper, who recorded it for us. But up until the actual concert, I never figured out what song he was supposed to dance to. And when I received his outfit a few days before the actual concert day, I became even more flabbergasted. It was a printed sheer top paired with leather pants. Macam gigolo outfit pulak! Ok, definitely not wearing this ever again, baby! *chuckles*

His sheer top outfit, and leather pants. I think the leather pants is probably better suited for Baby AY!

The morning of the concert, we drove to Sri KDU bright and early. It was a new location for Real Kids’ concerts because the old location was closed for renovation. I was quite disappointed though; not only was the hall poorly lighted with flat elevation seats (not tiered), but also because they didn’t allow early birds to enter the hall. By 9am, the entrance of the hall was completely packed with kiasu parents just waiting for the doors to open. No way was this very pregnant lady in any shape and form to battle for good seats! Really frustrating.

Thankfully my helper tagged along (cos Hubby was away in Palestine - save that story for another day), so she managed to get us pretty decent seats a few rows from the front. 

The Greatest Showkids!

It turned out to be a remake of the Greatest Showman. Honestly, I did not watch the movie because Hubby hates musicals, hence memang tak tau head or tail of the story line. (I have since made an effort to watch it, love love love it!) All the songs the kids danced to originated from the movie. The first show was the title song; it was so beautifully done by the six years old, I felt tears spring into my eyes. Such a vibrant and energetic performance!

The opening song. Well done kiddos!

Ian’s show was the third from the end, so I had a lot of time to fiddle with my camera and such. Because of the poor lighting, my camera was producing really horrible photos. In the end I had to depend fully on my iPhone. This heavily preggy mummy actually kneeled on the floor in front of the stage to film the whole thing, and even had troubles standing up afterwards. *chuckles* And without Hubby around, I had to prioritize on taking a video instead of photos, so apologies for the shaky photos below.

Ian performed so well! He did not forget even a single step. Instead he actually prodded a fellow friend to remind him of the next move... twice! Bossy much *chuckles* Since his show was a combination of boys from two classes, I was not happy that his class was chucked at the back. Dah la Ian pendek, but he was constantly at the back of the formation. Nevertheless, he gave it his best and I am a super proud mummy. And, I was pleasantly surprised when he took center stage right at the end! Oh how I wish Hubby was there to witness how Ian has blossomed so much!

Check out that curly hair!

Best shot I could get.

Ian took center stage at the end of the show! #proudmum

They ended the concert by singing the Real Kids song. Ian was in the front line, but crappy pictures, as usual. I miss the old concert grounds! 

Can you spot Ian? Hint - front left.

After the concert, they released the kids and when I found Ian, I gave him a huge hug and kiss. Was so impressed with how the teachers handled his hair do; bed hair messy and even sprayed slightly in pink! *giggles* Actually, I think most of the costumes this year are really beautiful; the girls in his class wore a beautiful purple gown complete with gloves and a sheer stole. 

Posing with Dafiya and Maryam.

Happy faces after the concert.

Well done Ian! We are all so proud of you. Can’t wait to see you blossom even further next year!