12 Dec 2008
6am i woke up feeling panty is wet, went to toilet & check & smell. doesn't smell like urine, doesn't look like my yellowish pregnancy time urine too. shout for husband, he thot i urine so bo chap.

6.10am after 10mins later, i saw pink stain on toilet paper, shout for husband to come, he said he doens't see any pink stain.

6.20am feel gush of discharge, went toilet again, shout for husband again coz really v obvious pink stain. i did have gynae appt at 10+am that day, but decided to go to delivery suite straight. Trying to get myself ready to hospital. in meantime waterbag keep leaking… change a few pads & panty. husband left for work, he said he will come down once i call… i told him to try settle his work by noon n be down.

7am on cab alone, reach KKH, went to McD to have breaklfast 1st. u never know if u really cannot eat then how.

8am register at delivery suite. check by nurse, confirm it's waterbag n symptoms of going into labour. strap to ctg machine at triage.

9.30am start having something like menses cramps (didn't know that contractions feel like cramps) & backache starts.

10.30am finally have a room at delivery suite, went toilet, change into the gown, strap to ctg again.

11.00am Drip inserted & had a shot of antibiotics coz Strep B carrier.

12.50pm VE done. dilation only of finger tip. Insert tablet to get cervix dilated faster.

2.05pm Husband reaches delivery suite.

2.30pm ask for permission to eat, had filet o fish.

3.30pm Contractions every 2 mins, 3cm dilate, ask for epidural.

5.00pm Anaesthetist came (finally after like 1.5hr, coz he was caught up in an emergency case)

6.19pm Urine cathether inserted.

7.00pm 4cm dilate, confirm waterbag fully ruptured, contraction not strong, 3 drips altogether – think it's glucose, antibiotics & oxytoxin (to encourage contraction)

8.00pm Night shift staff took over. The midwife is Salamah. Cho went home.

9.00pm change another tube of epidural…

10.11pm 5cm dilate

3.49am 7cm dilate, ask for higher dose of epidural, coz whole nite can't zzz due to contraction. they give me another 2hrs to see if still progress, if not have to emergency c-section. anyway, the higher dose of epidural doesn't help, contraction pain.

6.00am fully dilate. phew, don't need c-section. lower down epidural.

7.00am Salamah going home. Midwife Joyce Heng took over. when she needs to run to another room, a sister came to help. took some time to learn now to push, i was too tired to push too – after so many hrs of pain & vomit & sleepless night. Throughout whole process only 1 midwife n husband in room (ya, think subsidised pt doesn't have any Dr, even MO, during delivery). Confirm epistomy is unavoidable.

9.28am Ambrose is born.

9.31am Husband cut cord. The midwife put baby on my tummy. he opened one eye to look at me. so strange, he doesn't seem to look like me or husband. throughout his time at warmer, he is rather alert. Baby is 2.995kg, 50cm in Ht, 33.7cm for head circ.

27.5hrs of Labour, from the start of two symptoms. Throughout the whole process, i keep vomitting non-stop & of coz contraction pain. After stitching up (by HO) & still vomit, i had ovaltine & lunch (no appetite for lunch). I'm so pro – natural birth that if u let me choose again whether i want a 27.5hrs of labour & end up w natural birth; or elective c-section. i will choose the 1st.

The midwife spilt some of the cord blood which is for donation, in the end the SCBB staff came to me later in ward to tell me that they can't bank in coz just fall slightly short of new blood cell.

finally got a bed at Ward 32, B2+ ward. only chinese in ward, seems that their muslim food is nicer than mine. the food is indeed pathetic, coz subsidised ward can't choose menu, portion also small, and doesn't have anything of confinement food at all.

lavendery (Claral & husband came to visit before she is discharged), Chee Peng & family, Jimmy, Mavis & family, Hiu Kwan, Shufang & Valerie came n visit on the day Ambrose is born.

discharged after 1 night of stay, on Sun. they say me & baby both ok…

Ambrose Lee