Nappily ever after

The past few weeks of my new role as a mum have improved significantly. I am learning to decipher my son's cries and whimpers better and have purchased a calm about myself in approaching his fussy time. I no longer get panic-stricken and rush in to scoop him up without first trying to asses the situation. Breastfeeding has also been going swimmingly for Asher and myself; he's learned to latch on well and we both have found our rhythm. The nappy changing is not something I try to escape, after all as a single parent, it's not as if I have someone else to pass the buck to.

I've been trying on different brands of diapers not because I like to squander away my hard-earned money on randomly trying different brands as though I were merely sampling the different types of canapes on a tray. They were gifts from friends and some packs were from my parents who seem to be enjoying their new role as grandparents. The first brand I used when Asher was newly-born was Drypers. It seemed to have done a good job at absorbing what's wet and been expelled, but since newborns don't really void that much in volume, there was no imminent danger of leaks.

Then I switch over to Huggies. It did a decent job and I couldn't really speak about the cost since the pack was a gift. EQ diapers was the obvious economical choice seeing as it's quite cheap. But the design of the diaper in itself leaves a lot to be desired and it is horrendously prone to leakage. I found this out when a warm goo of mustard-like batter squished out from the sides of my son's leg and onto my hand. Not a happy discovery.

An aunt gifted me with a brand that's become such a household name, Pampers. It's ubiquitous in the advertising world of baby products. It's not cheap either. It didn't exactly spring a leak but it made it a little tricky determining upon ocular inspection whether it was time for a nappy change. Then I bought a bag of Mamy Poko. This has been my favourite brand as of late. It's got this Poo Poo Pocket feature that catches the poo and keeps it from spreading and leaking to the sides. Each nappy change has been easy and clean and even though it's not as cheap as EQ, it's still more affordable than Pampers or Huggies.

So as I sit in a room with bags of different brands of diapers, the Mamy Poko emerges as the winner. it seems that my little one is also most comfortable in it.

Labour for love.

So it's been weeks since I last blogged. That's because I finally popped! It seems my son took it to heart when I would rub my belly and whisper to him "Take your time son, no one will rush you or pressure you. Come out when you're ready." I think I both meant it and said it just to be nice. Truth is, the last few weeks--especially last few days, before you give birth, are the worst! They are the most difficult and frustrating days to wait out and live through. You're uncomfortable, cranky, tired and just plain getting sick of the waiting game. 

My due date was predicted to be June 18th. But seeing as I am a first-time mum, there was an off chance I'd deliver either two weeks earlier or later; my money was on delivering earlier. I was wrong though. It seems my son, self-assured already as he is, took his time and maximised his stay in utero and really did come out on the 18th. I started going into labour at 130am on a Saturday, June 18th. I was determined not to get an epidural because a friend of mine who had it told me it was an additional payment of an exorbitant amount. I can't believe I didn't actually ask an anesthesiologist! All this time I was staving off the epi because of financial restraint. 

Thankfully my dad was in town that weekend and so he and my mum drove me to St. Lukes, BGC. I had run this event through in my head over and over again and was determined to be calm. And I was. The staff at St. Lukes including the guards and receptionists are all amazing. They have been trained well in customer service. They've also got state-of-the-art equipment and their facilities are world-class. I would often get confused whether I was in hospital or in a hotel. 

Anyways, back to the labour pains. They hooked me up to this monitor that read out the baby's heartbeat as well as my contractions and for a long time I was doing alright seeing as my pain threshold is quite high. I was effacing very slowly though--having only reach 40% effacement after what has been 10 hours and dilating only 4cm then too. They shot me up with Oxytocin to induce labour and the contractions started getting really excruciating. I could barely contain seeing my mother's face as she watched me wail and writhe in pain. I know that any mother would wish the pain on themselves if only to alleviate their children's suffering. But this time, it was payback. I suppose I am paying off her own labour when I was born. 

After much coaxing and drunken argumentation (I was high from the sedative they gave me to help me breathe and relax in between contractions), I finally caved and agreed to an epidural. Thing is, they normally administer it when you're about 4cm dilated. I got it when I was already 8cm. Talk about tough stuff. It was hell trying to get me to calm down enough so that the anesthesiologist could properly insert the needle and catheter in my spine. Freaked my mum out. She was so scared that something would go wrong and I'd end up paralysed. 

It's hard to push when your legs are like wet noodles and you are dead from the waist down. But I summoned a sort of cerebral willing--a Jedi mind trick of some sort, the way I imagine Professor Xavier of the XMen would and managed to pop my baby out in only 4 pushes. Brilliant performance. I was proper knackered after and the next day felt like I had done 12 full rounds in the ring with Holyfield. Even then and in my sluggish, drugged and exhausted state, I managed to give high-fives (I seriously did) to the doctors and nurses who surrounded me. I kept saying "Good job guys!" Haha. I must have sounded mental! Anyways, it was a still, shining moment when they placed my beautiful son on my chest--his big, hazel-gray eyes already opened and looking right into mine. It's true when they say that you forget all the pain and suffering the moment you see and hold your child.

I commend St. Lukes BGC for having world-class facilities and wonderful, compassionate medical staff. They treated me and my child with such absolute care and compassion. It was like I was staying in a medical hotel the whole time! It made it that much more enjoyable for me to have delivered there.