From Delivery...to Going Home

It's been 2 months since the delivery...Time flies! The day our baby girl, Olivia, was born is the most memorable day in my life - even more memorable than the wedding day. Both Nils and I feel the same way.

Life with a newborn baby is busy yet fulfilling. I've become a much happier person comparing with the pre-pregnancy me. That's definitely something great for everyone, especially for Nils! Haha!

I'll save my observation and feelings towards Olivia and postpartum stuff in separate posts. For now I'd like to write down some notes about our "staycation" at Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital.

Delivery

We didn't have a birth plan. I'd read that most of the delivery don't go according to plan, and I'm a stubborn person who like to follow the plan 100%...In order to avoid any disappointment and panic attacks, I chose not to have a birth plan. That way I would be more flexible.

In general I wanted to have a natural vaginal birth. Didn't go so far as to decide whether I would want to have episiotomy or not...In a way I was just scared, no matter it's a surgical cut or natural tear...

I kept thinking...That's where the baby will go when she's born...Warm up, clean up, and weigh and measure her

Even when I was in the delivery suite I couldn't believe that it's happening...Excited but frightened (to the max, trust me). The pain kept me awake but I was so exhausted.

The contraction was getting stronger and more frequent

25 hours after we "checked in" at the hospital, the doctor recommended for the third time to have medical intervention...I asked what would be the best for the baby...and I gave in...Because the baby was showing signs of distress...

After signing the paper, everything moved quickly. That's probably the only time in my life that I didn't read what's on the paper before signing it.

Within minutes I was in the operation theater. I'd never really thought that I would have an emergency cesarean section...The way I brought up, c section is not considered as "giving birth"... I was so emotional that my whole body was shaking vigorously (actually that's also one of the side effects of the medication).

Before the baby was taken out, Nils was allowed to join me. It's comforting to know that he's there with me.

Then, someone asked me to take out my hands to "receive" the baby...! I was thinking that's odd...but I didn't have much time to think because...I was already holding our little princess!!!

I so wanted to cry but first I needed to take a good look at her. She looked ugly 😆 And it's like there's not enough space on her face that the eyes, nose and lips were kind of sticking together Haha! But I was relieved that she seemed okay. The most important thing is that she's well and healthy.

I was amused and so soaked in that moment until she started to cry. I then called her name and...She stopped! Like she's able to recognize my voice! I wasn't able to hold my tears anymore...Oh our baby girl! We've been waiting for you for 40 weeks!

Hospital

The Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital we stayed at is luxurious. It's not my first choice though. I wanted a place that I feel comfortable, not something fancy. But due to some technical issue we had to change the hospital when I was 37 weeks pregnant. It's not ideal but I know I'm lucky to be able to give birth in Singapore and in a private hospital.

Basically it's like a hotel room. I had a private ensuite and Nils could sleep in the room (sofabed). Even Olivia roomed in with us.

The majority of the staff was kind, patient and friendly. In fact, several occasions the nurses almost made me cry because of how considerate and understanding they were. I was vulnerable, embarrassed and in need. The things they said and did were so touching...I'd always thought that nurses working in hospitals were horrible. Now I've changed my mind.

We got a lot of food - 5 meals a day and we could select what we want to eat a day in advance.

I thought it would hurt a lot after the surgery. It was actually okay on the first day. But the pain became a bit unbearable on the second day...that I had to ask for more painkillers...

Getting out of bed was a challenge. Surely it was. I passed out after sitting in the chair...But I read that walking a little bit is good for recovery. So the day after the delivery, I walked in the hall outside of the room with Nils' help...Needless to say, it hurt. Quite bad. We walked for 15 minutes. I was quite proud of myself.

On the day I was discharged from the hospital, the walk from the ward to the car park seemed unbelievably long...But going home was an incentive!

Olivia was also ready and excited that we're going home! She looked so tiny in the car seat.

I'm so grateful for everything that Nils did during those few days in the hospital. It wasn't easy for both of us but he did the best he could. There's so much love. I couldn't imagine doing it alone. The whole experience has brought our relationship to another level. That gives me so much strength.

Father and daughter. Love to watch them looking at each other.

We're so glad that we didn't have any visitors at the hospital. With the pain, nurses came in to take temperature, blood pressure, various medication, doctors' visit, lactation consultant, meals, and feeding, we weren't sure if we could still handle visitors. I pitied those women next door who had a lot of visitors...

We could look at her whole day and all day...

Going Home

It was great that there were medical staff at the hospital to take care of some of our needs. But we felt so relieved that we were finally going home...Nobody was going to wake us up every hour or so.