Welcome to the world Zachary Wong!

After hubby's terrible chicken pox episode during week 36 and 37 of my pregnancy, things at home pretty much went back to normal. Having rested at home for almost a month, I was beginning to feel very impatient about meeting Zachy boy. I want to hold my boy in my arms so much!

Every now and then, there were some Braxton Hicks contractions which would get me feeling excited and thinking if I'm popping. I would realise soon I'm not when there wasn't a next contraction. Until on the morning of 4th of March at around 3.15am, I got woken up from my sleep by a sudden tightness in my abdomen. This felt like none of the false contractions I had before but still, I wasn't sure if it's the real thing and decided to hold alarming the hubby. I tried going back to sleep but was woken up at around 3.30am by another contraction. Now this gave me an adrenaline rush and I was very awake all of a sudden. For the next hour or so, the contractions kept coming back at pretty regular intervals. When my contractions were 5 to 10 minutes apart at around 5am, I thought it was time to share my excitement with hubby and woke him up. I think our boy is coming out today!

I had my shower and ate some breakfast. At 6.30am, we decided to go to the hospital to avoid the morning peak hour traffic jam. We reached KKH at 7am and I was immediately ushered to the delivery ward. Soon I was on the bed with the drip in me and sensors strapped over my bump. My contractions were getting more intense and more regular now, at 3 - 5 minutes apart. I'm really in labour!

All the while, I was pretty curious about how much my cervix has dilated. Please let it be 10cm dilated already! At 7.30am, the nurse came in to do a cervix check. "It's 5cm dilated! Well, your boy should be out before noon." she said. Though it wasn't fully dilated like what I wished for, I was still glad that I was 'halfway there'. At 8.00am, my gynaecologist came to check on me. She gave instructions to induce contractions and also broke my water bag. Warm water started gushing out from below. So this was how my boy felt like in the womb, surrounded by such warm water!

The nurses told me to call for them when I felt a strong urge to push and left the room. From then on, things moved even more quickly. My contractions soon became 2 minutes apart and were getting stronger. I was squirming around on the bed trying to find a comfortable position to ease the intense ache that was building up around my lower back but nothing helped. Throughout labour, dear hubby was encouraging me and helping me to focus on getting through each contraction.

Putting the pain aside, it was amazing that I could somehow feel (or maybe I was imagining) the baby moving downwards with every contraction and this (with lots of prayers) kind of helped me get through each contraction. I knew with every contraction, my boy is one step closer to being in my arms! At around 9.00am, I thought I could really feel his head pushing down at the cervix and I felt this (extremely) strong urge to push! I didn't know if I should though and I called for the nurse immediately. Cervix is 8cm dilated (only!?!?). The contraction pain at this point where I wanted so much to push but I couldn't do so yet was the most unbearable. I was just praying and praying to God because really, only divine intervention could let me survive this crazily painful transition phase.

Thank God, the transition phase didn't last too long. But of course when one was in labour, even one minute felt like forever. At 9.20am, the nurse came in to do another check and my cervix was 9cm dilated. "You can start pushing! I'll help you get your cervix to open to 10cm." OH YES! I can finally push now! What followed was probably the most tiring one hour of my life. At every contraction, I was pushing with all of my strength, yes, every single bit. It came a point where my legs were all trembling and I couldn't hold them open and up myself. Hubby and the nurse were on each side of me holding each of my leg for me. I just kept mumbling to hubby "I'm really tired" or I was silently praying to God for more strength. At around 10.00am, my cervix is finally fully dilated and the nurse quickly called for my gynaecologist. And then there was more pushing. I was so drained I wasn't even sure when my gynaecologist performed episiotomy for me. Just do whatever you want to get the boy out NOW.

All of a sudden, the urge to push and all the contractions miraculously disappeared. I briefly remembered hubby telling me "He's out!"but I didn't really get what he was talking about. Until I saw my slimy little baby at the bottom of the bed. My baby boy is out! Finally, after a 38 weeks and 6 days stay in me and a blessed smooth delivery, my precious baby boy Zachary Wong was born on the 4th of March 2013 at 10.23am, weighing 3.446kg.