A miracle is born!

One of the greatest miracles in life, to me, is giving birth to a baby. It just seems so amazing to know that we are capable of having a new life grow within us and months later, ta-dah, a tiny, beautiful, stunning and endearing human being arrives in this world. Simply magical. Of course, it's not as easy as I put it and we all know how pregnancies come with illnesses, swelling, hormonal changes, discomfort and even complications. That is precisely why every baby that comes into this world should be treasured and loved, don't you think so?

So, everyone has an unique birth story and personally, I am quite fascinated to read all about these stories because they evoke memories of intense pain, extraordinary willpower and unparalleled joy. Today, I'm sharing with you about Asher's story and how my little miracle came to this beautiful world.

Date: 20 Dec 2015
Venue: Singapore

It was a beautiful Sunday and we were out for lunch when I started to feel the contractions. However, they only came once every 20 minutes and were so mild that I decided to dismiss them, thinking that they were likely Braxton Hicks contractions. So we came home and I watched a movie on the TV, all the while looking at the clock to see if the contractions sped up. When they didn't, I reckoned it was still not time yet and so went to surf online and do my own things while everyone slept.

6:30pm When the contractions did not subside, I finally decided to make a call to the labour ward at Thomson Medical Centre just to seek their advice. They asked me for my EDD, how many children I've had and then suggested that I should just go over to the delivery department for an examination.

7:00pm With our hospital bags already packed and loaded in the car, the hubby and I bade farewell to the sleeping kids and left them in the care of the grandparents. The thing was, we eventually didn't bring up the bags yet as we were not even sure if I was going to go into labour. The moment we reached TMC and found the delivery level, I could tell that it was quite empty that night and we got a shock when we were told to go straight to the birthing room. Huh? I really assumed that they would check for the dilation and then decide if I should stay or go home, that was all. Anyway, I did as I was told, undressed, collected pee, changed into the birthing gown and awaited for more instructions in the birthing room.



7:30pm The nurses came in and asked me many questions like when did the contractions start, what level of pain I would rank it, how many pregnancies I've had, if I was doing cord blood collection, when was my EDD and so on. They were changing shifts and so it took quite a while before one of them came over to examine. She checked the cervix and announced that I was around 2-3cm dilated. However, we would have to wait till the gynae arrived before we could decide if we had to start labour.

7:45pm The hubby went to retrieve our hospital bags from the car as we both knew that this was likely going to be the night. I also sent my mum a text and then called the girls for a quick chat and let them know that Mummy missed them. Since we arrived quite late in the night, we were told that there was no food provided and so the hubby went to get me a sandwich from Delifrance. Well, I guess by hook or by crook, I needed to eat something and keep going, right?

8:00pm Shortly, the gynae arrived, did a check and said I was only 1.5cm dilated. Yeah, you got it wrong, nurse. However, she told me to bend my knees and soon I realised that she was going to burst my water bag. Yup, this was indeed going to be it, my baby was going to arrive more than a week early. I asked the gynae if she could give a rough estimate of when baby would pop because since it was night time already, the timing would determine the date. She predicted that the baby would come slightly after 12midnight.



8:15pm And so the waiting game began. and guess as you might, you never know for sure how long the wait was going to be. If there was one thing I could console myself, it was the fact that the waiting time should reduce as the number of times you've given birth increases. Yet, I jolly well knew that the level of pain was going to be the same and if I was going to do it again without epidural, I'd better get my act together, be determined and remained strong.

8:45pm For a while, I could still smile, albeit a little feebly, when the hubby was taking pictures all around the room. Pretty soon, the pain started to get a little more unbearable and I had to ask for the hubby to let me hold his hand for comfort and strength. As usual, I would give his fingers a squeeze whenever the contractions came because that seriously helped to make me feel better. He also sang a few songs for me, told me about the contraction levels he observed from the monitor, described the peak patterns on the chart and so on before I decided that I probably didn't want to hear so much about the pain level.



9:00pm I rejected the nurse's offer for laughing gas a couple of times because I thought maybe I could do without it this time round since I didn't think it helped me much previously. The nurse came to perform a check and said that I was 5-6cm dilated. Ok, halfway there, I told myself. BUT, how long more?

9:15pm Breathing started to become difficult as the pain got worse and I asked the hubby to help me by chanting "Breathe in, out 1, 2, 3, 4". I tried to conjure images of the girls dancing, think of my mum or focus my eyes on a spot on the ceiling whenever the contractions came. While my left hand held the hubby's, my right held tightly to the bed railing, hoping for extra support to tide me through the pain.

9:30pm I did feel some fluid flow out and while the hubby said it was nothing, the nurse took a look and said there was some spotting and so she checked the dilation again. This time round, it was around 8-9cm wide and when she asked if I wanted the laughing gas, I said yes because I was hoping for any form of psychological relief and I really didn't know how long more I could endure. The nurses decided that everything was happening fast and called for the gynae.



9:45pm Soon, the gynae arrived. I heard my hubby saying "Dr Tan is here" and I caught a glimpse of her back. The nurses started preparing and when they told me to lift up my butt, for probably the 3rd or 4th time, to change the protective sheet under me, I had to reluctantly admit that I was feeling weak.

9:50pm One more intense contraction came and I tried to frantically breathe into the laughing gas mask. Once again, I somehow managed to make the tube fall off from the mask so I really didn't know how it was helping me other than psychologically. At one point, the pain was so bad that I opened my eyes wide and just stared so blankly into space that the hubby had to tell me to "Close your eyes". With every contraction, I knew that I was pushing my baby into the birth canal and I would be able to meet him very soon.



9:53pm The nurses helped to get me into the right position and propped my legs up on the calf supports. The hubby got a little confused about where to place his hands as they didn't give the same instructions as the last birth and were not very clear in telling him what to do. However, they did ask me to place my hands behind my thighs to help with the pushing. I tried to feel for his hand but then decided I had better just concentrate on the pushing. What made me uncomfortable was the angle of how I was propped up, almost forming a 90 degree and it didn't seem like the most comfortable or optimal position to be in. In any case, there was no time to adjust and no time to think. I leaned my body forward and used my arm power to support myself and remain there. No matter what, I just wanted to get ready to push. Once my gynae was standing straight in front of me, I suddenly became from frantic to calm. Calm to the extent that I said to her "Doc, I'm so glad to see you" and even asked "So can I push at the next contraction?" I mean, no one told me I was fully dilated, right? She said with a laugh "Yes" and so with everyone surrounding me, we were all waiting for the next wave.

9:56pm The contraction came in full blast and I started shouting and pushing with all my might. One push, let it be just one good, big push, I urged myself. The nurses, however, started to say "No noise, no noise" and "Chin to chest, chin to chest" and I tried my best to comply for I knew they were trying to help conserve my energy. But hey, the yelling really does help, ya know? At one point, I felt the baby's head coming out and so I used as much strength as I had to push him out. I exerted force continuously for a good 15 seconds and was pretty sure that I was going to tear myself bad this time round. Still, I didn't want to have to wait for another round and so I pushed on. C'mon mummy, you can do it, I told myself. So I pushed. And I pushed. The next thing I knew, he was out, head, shoulders, body and all. And I felt everything else, like the placenta, coming out too and I have no words to describe what a big relief and how good that felt. Phew! I did it, I really did it! Again! Welcome to the world, my dear Asher!





So, there goes my little boy's birth story. I am so glad that the whole process didn't take more than three hours and he turned out to be the perfect, healthy, adorable, cuddly and lovely baby I could ever ask for. As usual, I requested for him to be handed to me as soon as possible so that we could bond and we also had him room in with us so that we could be the ones beside him in the first few days of his life. Even though he kept me awake for most of the nights, I still can't believe how blessed I am to be his mum every time I looked into his eyes.



You are my miracle, dearest Asher, and definitely my best Christmas present this year. Mummy loves you so much, my dear.

Here's wishing everyone a Merry Christmas 2015 too! Ho Ho Ho!

For Angel's birth story, go here. For Ariel's birth story, go here. For Ansel's birth story, go here.