Delivery at NUH

This is how the delivery suite looks like for National university hospital(NUH). I delivered all my 4 children in Nuh as I had pleasant experiences for all. The nurses were patient and the doctors were also experienced( u can refer to my birth frenzy). I simply love how they try to make me feel comfortable even though I am in pain. They also try to lighten up the mood. With regards to the bill, it is estimated to be between $2k-$3k for a two day stay.

After delivery, as I have chosen B1, I was transferred to this ward. For B1, it's 4 bedded and fully air conditioned. I chose B1 as the hubster can't stay overnight due to the need to care for the other children esp. Nadya. It was good to have some company rather than being alone. That's how paranoid I am. It was a great experience. Nurses were friendly even the food servers were super nice. They put everything nicely for you to have your meals.

As a new mom, when you are discharged, you will receive a new mom delivery bag.

It contains two packages- one for mummy and one for baby.

For mommy, it contains

For nappy rash

Starter kit from the brand Kodomo- I love the smell of Kodomo.

Diaper sample from Mamypoko

For baby 

It contains

Starter kit from Johnson baby

Diaper sample from Drypers

Sample from dettol- great for traveling purposes 

Sample from kool fever

Introduction to the brand Avent - breast pad, 20% voucher, nipple cream and also breast pump pamphlet plus a bio degradable bag (which can be used for grocery shopping)

Books that can help guide u through with the first month and also if you are planning baby's first month.

I managed to look through the items after one week of bed rest. I will share with you guys what happened after the delivery. There were  few things that I experienced which i had not experienced when I had my other three. Even my mum noticed the difference so did the hubster. The diaper samples are great for mummies who have yet to decide which diapers to use. Usually for other samples, I will use it for travelling(this is a great idea only if your baby doesn't have sensitive skin). I like to look through the books as even though I am a mum to 3 other children. A lot have changed so as a mum we must keep up with the new things in the "mum world". I saw how great other hospitals offer for delivery but I chose NUH because of 3 factors

1. convenience as my house is very near to NUH
2. familiarity - even though there were some changes to the building structure and also the prices, I am fully aware of the whole process
3. The gynae that I am familiar with is there.

I am sharing my experience so that new mums can see and compare the different hospitals. I strongly recommend Prof Biswas from NUH as he was patient and caring. 

My birth story - Arrian Deris

This is the much awaited baby boy. I am sure you would want to know how "hilarious" my birth story is. 

As you have known I have been on bed rest for nearly a month due to the contractions. I was already having the pregnancy blah where being pregnant was just painful and I just need to get the baby out( maybe you can already see that I am a bit "blue"). I was so tired of the "when is he coming out" question. Sometimes people forget that I am the ones enduring the pain and wanted some peace and quiet. So it started on Sunday nite when hubster came back from work and I started having contractions every 10-15 minutes for an hour. I had endured the contractions since 5pm coz I didn't want to come back again. So when it gets more frequent, I decided to go in. Hubster was so excited as I had never requested to go till I am sure. We went in at around 10pm. We were ready and prepared. I was breathing in and out heavily as the contractions came. I waited an hour for the doctor to come and check me. The doctor checked and told me I was 3cm

dilated. He asked me whether I lived near and I told him I stayed in Jurong. He said I might not make it back in time. So he asked my gynae Prof Biswas. Prof Biswas knowing my history of fast delivery advised that I stayed for the night just in case I dilate even more. It was painful but my contractions were actually far apart. 

Well morning came and I wasn't experiencing anything at all. Prof came and checked. I was still only 3cm so I decided to go home. I saw hubster so disappointed. I think he was so frustrated with the waiting game that it was beginning to show. I was so upset but in order to avoid any unwanted fights, we just kept quiet and not talk about it.

We reached home and rest. At around 4pm, the contractions became more intense and longer, I was quite sure I was going to give birth that day. I woke the hubster up and told him this is it. We took a cab down. We went to the delivery suite and doctor came and checked at around 7pm.I was 5cm dilated. Hubster grew excited. Doctor gave me a dose of pethidine as I wanted that as the painkiller. My contractions were too far apart. By 9pm, I was drifting in and out of sleep in between the contractions. I was so tired of the whole process that I turned to the hubster who was holding my hand and asked for c sect. He was shocked as we have discussed the birth plan and c sect wasn't part of it. He was distressed and told the doctors. Nurse Chandran tried to console me and try to help me. A midwife came and checked that I was 7cm dilated and persuaded me to stay on since I had 3 normal births. The doctors came and asked me why I wanted a c sect because baby is not in distress and everything is alright. So they persuaded me to just take an epidural so that I will be comfortable. As they were preparing for the epidural, I had the strongest urge to push. I just took a deep breath and push. I told the nurse that baby is coming. She kept telling me not to push but I knew that if I don't push I will not have the strength later in. So I told her I need to push because baby is coming. Everyone went into frenzy and I have two push and baby was out. I heard him cry and everything seems okie. The doctors and nurses were surprised at how fast things went on. So at 933pm baby Arrian was born at 3145kg. When Prof came to detach the placenta, it was quite a process. He saw that I don't require any stitching and I am good to go. He asked me what I was thinking when I wanted a c sect. I said it must be the painkiller. I was delirious. So that's the birth story. It was funny how I wanted a calm and peaceful birth turned out to be a birth frenzy for the nurses and doctors. Up till now I couldn't figure out how I manage those two push without even batting an eyelid even hubster was surprised at how much strength I had. All I can say is all praise to Allah as I had silently prayed to him to give me the strength to go through all this.

As I am resting at home now, I am thankful that I am able to still go through normal vaginal birth despite everything. I looked at Arrian and felt relieved that everything is over. I thanked HIM for allowing me to feel all this and "lend" me this small being. I know people are skeptical about me and hubster capabilities as parents but I believe HE determines everything and we as his UMAT just execute the best that we can.Alhamdulilah.

To this man- thank you for holding my hand throughout the journey. Thank you for your encouragement throughout the birth process, you don't know how much that means to me. Thank you for the forehead kisses. It was definitely the most intimate moment that we have as a couple. Thank you for all the assurance that you gave me. And lastly thank you for giving me the best of things in life. We had our frustrations but I know you always wants the best for me. 

Let's welcome Arrian Deris

The much awaited baby boy is here. He was born at 2133hrs, weighing 3145g. He was born on 9th June 2014. I will take a rest before indulging u guys on his birth story. Let me tell u .... It was hilarious and hubster and me were laughing our asses off as we recalled it. Let me get my much needed rest before we share the funny story.

The other half - how my hubster helped during pregnancy, during birth and after

This man here is my other half - The hubster. Yes we were both civil servant. But we both quit as it wasn't a good match for what we want for our children and our marriage. Our marriage is not perfect. I never say that marriage is a bed of roses and how we struggled to stay together is really beyond us. We both played a part in the success and also the failure of our marriage. But what I love most about this man is how hands on he is as a father. I agree that we don't really see eye to eye about certain things especially about disciplining the children( we are still working on that and being consistent about it). We had our struggles as a couple. He's not perfect so am I (let's save that sob story for later on). I just want to share how my hubster helped out during pregnancy, during birth and after it especially for someone like me who suffered post natal depression twice. Noone knew how much I struggle with the society expectations on how your maternal instincts will kick in once you see your bundle of joy (which didn't happen for me). How these expectations actually make me have the blues and how I have to go back to work after two months and how that affected me even more especially when you are staying with your mom. This man stood by me, saw how crazy I can get and having to deal with a crying wife and a crying child with noone understanding the situation.

• During pregnancy

The most important thing that I will like to emphasise is communication and also emotional connection. Sometimes I have to admit that we women expect our other half to be able to read our thoughts and our feelings.During pregnancy, emotions run very high. You  might even find it irritating how he can walk fast, sleep through the night and eat what he wants. You feel like why are you the only one enduring all this pain while he gets away easily. Therefore it is important for the other half to give the assurance that we still look pretty and that you appreciate how we are having your baby. As for me and hubster, we do get into late night fights due to the pain that I have to go through ( I am not going to paint a beautiful picture). However, we usually will talk things out and ironed things out on how we can move one from there. I am usually very vocal with what I want. We try to compromise on things. However, my hubster loves to pamper me and also his unborn child. I turn into an angry little monster when I am pregnant (syukur alhamdulilah that my hubster is quite a patient man even though at times i think I have pushed him to the edge). He never fails to satisfy my cravings and give in to every whim that I want ( He is not hen pecked, he just love his wife). I think all we want is for you to be there to listen to our whims and whines even though sometime we can be quite overbearing. And for those pregnant ladies, talk to your partner, don't expect them to know what u want if u don't say. I do agree some men are more sensitive than others but not all. Some men need to be pushed. So basically my hubster has been great during the pregnancy except for maybe during the hunger pangs moment, he is usually flustered when I went on a "rampage".

• During birth

I think the worse thing that he ever said was during our firstborn when I was having contractions and was unable to walk, "sakit eh or are u in pain". Let me tell u those two words are like taboo, I felt like throwing things at him at that point of time. And the worse thing he did was when i was hit by post natal depression after the birth of our second child, he actually slept through while I was sobbing like a mad woman.Well during birth, what you need to do is give assurance and to endure painful hand grabbing experience. For our firstborn, I remembered him kissing my forehead and saying that "I am a good girl". We laughed about it when I asked him what makes him say all that. He said he ran out of words to describe the feelings that he felt for me. For our 2nd experience, it was a traumatising experience for me as I went absolutely natural with no laughing gas and also no painkillers as it was too late. It was the worse 20 minutes of my life as I feel the pain of childbirth. I remembered him shouting at the nurses to give me the painkiller as he saw how much I was in pain. My 3rd birth was quite easy Alhamdulilah. He just held my hand and we went through it together. He was supportive and was quite hands on.

Afterbirth 

I am thankful at how my hubster is a very hands on dad. As I have given birth to baby Arrian, he has been nothing but a great help. He did the "night shift" which means he wakes up at nite and tend to baby Arrian while I get my sleep. He gave assurance that he will help me while he is on off now as he knows and I know that once he is working he will be so busy that he will not be able to help me much. I am thankful for all that he has done for me and the family. I am glad that we decided to give each other another chance. To all dads and future dads, please note that taking care of the children is not just the mom's role, you have to take an active role. We really appreciate if instead of just sitting and watching the tv. You could help us take the child and watch tv with them while we finish up all the house chores so that we all can sleep at the same time.

To my dear hubster, 

Happy Father's Day! I appreciate all the things you have done for the children and me. I have faith in u and u will always give your best to all of us. We love you.

P.S: I like your motto "a happy wife = a happy life". 

My terrific three

These three are my pure happiness. I know that even when I am at my ugliest or my saddest they are always there. They readily forgive and forget. They mean the world to me and I will do anything just to make them happy. I come from a traditional family where they believe spare the rod and spoil the child but I don't use the rod that often in fact it's just a form of threat. Before anyone says anything about child abuse and whatsoever, I am aware of the child's charter as I am a childcare teacher. I do use my words and also whatever child strategy shared. I am fully aware of things that will affect a child emotionally. The thing is I mix both traditional and modern techniques. I usually will talk to them and tell them why I am upset and angry with them. I feel it is important for the children to know why you were angry. I believe if we don't tell them what actions that they do make us angry, they wouldn't know. I am going to tell you about each of them.

This little sweetie is my firstborn. She was born on the 6th March. She's 8 this year. Let me tell you about her. She has good vocabulary at the age of 2 years old. She is independent at a very young age. However, the hubster and me feels that she lacks in EQ as she tends to be "bossy" and demanding. I know rite, very harsh words but we believe that every child has a weakness and these are hers. She shares a great bond with her brother. She is academically strong. However, she sets very high standard for herself not us. She doesn't go to any enrichment programme. However, I do let her explore singing at leisure, bring her to places for her to explore and engage her in art and crafts. She wants to be a doctor when she grows up. I will continue helping her to achieve that dream but if along the way she decides otherwise. I will always be there to help them make their decision. Yes, hubster and me don't believe in forcing our ideas to them. We help them make decisions not make the decision for them.

This handsome boy is Adrian Irham. He was born on 27th July. He is 7 this year. This little boy kept his parents on their toes since the day he was born. He went through meningitis and also Kawasaki disease. He spend the first year of his life in the hospital. He survived and doctors called him a "war survivor". However, like any survivor they have scar as their medal. My boy has learning difficulty which we have yet to get diagnosed as his teachers believe he can achieve more as he is a very determined and hardworking boy. I was so relieved at the feedbacks that I get from his teachers during PTC this mid year. We knew he is trying hard but to get that type of assurance from a third party makes me say "alhamdulilah", lots of Syukur to the great One. One of his weakness is he loves to protect his sisters even if they are in the wrong. He have yet to know what's appropriate and what's not. But he enjoys school to the max, which is great.

This cutie pie is my youngest daughter. She was born on the 10th June. She is definitely the apple of the father's eye. The hubster and her shared a bond that none can question. The adoring look that she always give him is sickening at times... Hahaha. They are very close but she's a major sweetheart despite the constant tantrum that she always throw. But like my principal said children are smart enough to know which buttons to push. She is smart in that area. This girl of mine apart from her tantrums. She loves singing and anything girlish esp. Make up. She's exactly like my younger sister. She loves dolling up and her dad also love to indulge her. But I always emphasize that little girls should always be little girls. I allowed the make up just for play, not when we are going out. I just want my girls to be confident enough in their own skins to know that they don't need all those things to feel beautiful( even though a little help will be great)

Well, basically that's my children. I don't push them much academically. I only do it when I feel that they are being complacent or careless other than that I allow them to explore the world. I want them to enjoy their childhood like I did instead of being bogged down with assessments and also enrichment programme. I will give them what they need not what the society deem as a need. They don't need violin or piano lessons just to be cultured. There are other inexpensive alternatives which involve parent and child. It is the bonding that helps the child not the expensive enrichments or music lessons.

Packing the hospital bag

As you can tell from the title, I will be talking about what to pack in your hospital bag. Usually I don't pack my bag prior to my delivery except for my 2nd child. I was enthusiastic back then. However, I realise that my husband is not the best at packing and sometimes he doesn't understand fully what I need and usually I end up looking very tardy upon going home. Since this will be the last delivery I will experience, I want everything to be ready from A to Z( despite the constant naggings from my mom about "disappointment"). I looked at a couple of mommy youtubers that I love and also went through the checklist given by the hospital. I decided what I really need and what is good to have.

Most importantly is this folder. It contains all my pre registration information so that registering will be a breeze. I have also included all the important documents on there like marriage cert and all. The hospital also did financial counseling so that I am aware of the amount that I have to pay. So yes it will be great for you to have this folder ready in your labor bag.

I am using this Agnes b bag as my labor bag even though some of them actually advised me to get a good diaper bag but then again, I am trying to be cost effective and I have a lot of bag. I might invest on a good diaper bag soon. So let's check out what will be in this bag for my dear hubbie to just grab and go

I have three small bags. One contains the toiletries. You may choose to bring your own shampoo and body wash or you can use the one in the hospital. However, I know some of you don't wash your hair due to confinement practices but I do wash my hair. The small bag will contain my make up which consist of eye liner, eyebrow kit and also face powder. Yes minimal make up for me. You may also want to include your spectacles. I don't want to deal with the fuss of contact lens. The big bag will contain disposable undies, maternity pads(for those who don't want to use the ones in the hospital) and also breast pads. It also contain my facial wash and also deodorant. I have also placed a comb and hair tie to keep those hair away.

I decided to use the mothercare maternity towels for post maternity. I usually use the brand Alchemy but I trust Mothercare brand.

I prefer to use disposable briefs for the stay in the hospital or the first few days at home because of the heavy flow that you may experience after birth. It is definitely helpful than having to deal with bloody undies. It actually all boils down to convenience. You may find cheaper ones at 7-11 or any departmental store but since I was at mothercare, I bought these also.

I am using tommee tippee disposable breast pad. However, I came across some washable and reusable breast pad which I think I will get at Mothercare. Like I say I am trying to be cost effective and environmentally friendly. Since I am spending quite a bit on the undies, I should save on the breast pad( at the very least I am trying)

And finally you need to include baby's going home outfit. I have chosen the onesie for convenience and also the chevron swaddle blanket and matching hat. Again I chose these for convenience.

And also don't forget to include comfortable clothes for your going home clothes. Please choose roomy clothes as you will still look like you are 5 months pregnant. If you want you also can bring slippers for your usage at the hospital. And don't forget your phone charger and fully charged hand phone to capture the moment especially for daddies(Note to the hubster). Lastly you may want to also grab a box of chocolate to give to the ward nurses once you are discharged.

My very first haul for baby A

As promised, I am sharing what I have bought for Baby A so far. Currently I am considered full term, just awaiting for baby's arrival even though my due date is on 25 June 2014. As it is my fourth pregnancy, Prof Biswas predicted that baby might come out earlier. The very first thing that I bought after I found out the gender of the baby. I went to Mothercare to take a look at baby items. My hubbie and me were really looking through all the items. We look at the cost and whether it is feasible for the baby and how long it can lasts. We don't want to make the mistake of excessive buying (which we actually end up doing). We did the same for Nadya ( I will talk about my other children in my upcoming post ). We went around testing the different type of prams and strollers. However, the hubbie was interested in the 4moms "the origami". We tried it and damn it was heavy. From our previous experience with tandem stroller, we thought it will be alright. But then the hubbie brought up the point about me travelling alone with the four children or even travelling with the mom. The stroller is considered the BMW of all strollers but the weight is definitely not mom friendly. We love the futuristic self folding aspect of the stroller but then nope. We walked quite abit and looked around and we came across the mamaRoo. I have actually googled most of the baby items that I bought. I weigh the pros and cons.

This is how the mamaroo looks like. I realise I didn't have any unboxing pictures. The mamaroo is actually part bouncer and part swing. It is not foldable like the bouncer but has a smaller base compared to the baby swing. The mamaroo costs around $500 which entitled you to home delivery from Mothercare. As it was OOS, we have to order and wait for two weeks for the item to arrive. I was so excited to see the item and kept counting down. Maklum la dulu mana ada nie benda smua. The mamaroo comes in 6 colours. Even though Baby A is a boy, we decided to be more gender neutral in the things we buy. So we chose this colour which I fell in love with as soon as the hubbie set it up. Let's go through the features of the MamaRoo.

• The mamaroo has 5 motion patterns; kangaroo, car ride, tree swing, rock a bye and ocean wave. So it depends on your baby. There is also different level of speed for each motion. However, mommies you don't have to worry about it being too fast. I find that the motion is quite gentle.
• There are also 5 nature sounds from running water, crickets, ocean waves or two different white noise settings. However you can also plug in your MP3 player to the mamaroo. There is a small groove for you to park your player. So your baby can listen to whatever lullabies that you want them to hear to.
• The mamaroo reclines to any position along the curve. so baby is also able to sit upright.
• The mamaroo is also powered by a power plug.

I find that the mamaroo is a modern take on the "buai". Instead of having a bulky sarong and spring in the middle of the living room or in your room, you can have this beautiful futuristic swing/bouncer flat on the ground. I have yet to use it. However, since my nephew Irfan came earlier than baby A, we actually allowed him to "test drive" the machine. As Irfan is breastfed, there was one day where his mom had to attend to something really important, he was left in our care. He was crying non stop most probably from being hungry and also missing his mum. We were at our wits end. I remembered seeing at Ellen's show that showed a baby screaming her heads and when Ellen placed the baby on the mamaroo, she stopped.So i decided to test this theory out. I asked the hubbie to set up the mamaroo and placed Irfan in it. He really stopped crying and fell asleep. However, we had to try the different motions through.

My take on the mamaroo:It's good to have if u have extra cash to spend or u just want something different. I really love it and how it works for my nephew. So i am crossing my finger for baby A. So once he's out, I will give a proper review.

I love you since the day that I knew u

37 weeks and still counting to giving birth

It has been a month of bed rest and also countless number of contractions. There were many false alarms and a trip to the hospital. Yesterday checkup also showed that I have low blood count and currently have to take medication to increase that blood count. Good news was Prof Biswas has told us that he will see us in the delivery suite either this week or next week. I am crossing my fingers that it will be pretty soon. I enjoyed the pregnancy journey but I am at the point where the tummy has become too heavy and also too tiring. Even tho, it is my fourth pregnancy but seriously it s totally different. Like they say each pregnancy is different and unique. Let's talk about what I enjoyed during this pregnancy and what was not really my cup of tea.

• First trimester - "morning sickness" throughout the day

          I had the worst bout of morning sickness. This fourth pregnancy was definitely unplanned. We were planning for a fourth one but we were thinking maybe it will be great for me to graduate first. I was late for a month and we didn't think that it was me being pregnant as it had happened before due to stress.Therefore when the news came, it was bittersweet but we love the baby since the day we knew of his existence no matter how unplanned and unsure we were. I lost weight due to the persistent morning sickness. However, I actually asked my gynae for something to actually stop the morning sickness. Yes, mommies there is a medicine that ease the morning sickness. U knew how some women actually endured the morning sickness thinking it is actually part and parcel of pregnancy. That was me 3 pregnancy ago. But I actually opened my mouth to ask for something. One thing that I love about this lady doctor that I see from my 1st month to 5th month, she is such a lovely lady. She was not patronising at all. She was concern about me, I mean genuinely concern even tho it's my fourth. 

• Food deviations - Adore FISH and hate chicken which is something that is a staple at home

            I am not a BIG fan of FISH. I love Salmon but my mom practically cook asam pedas almost once a week and I used to despise fish esp canned sardine. I am a food snob and usually believe I should enjoy good food no matter what. I also believe that canned sardines are not REAL food. But baby has his own mind and LOVES sardine. I eat that for weeks till i reach my 2nd trimester where I am able to actually eat other things other than FISH. Chicken which I love became my worst enemy. I practically vomited out whenever I eat a fried chicken. It was pure torture as my mum cooked chicken almost every day. On top of the constant morning sickness, I am also vomiting food out. So I stick to canned sardine. However, I am thankful that all my cravings were satisfied.

• I enjoyed surfing the net for baby items.

           I have bought a lot of things for the baby, things that I didn't know exist during my 3 pregnancy. There was a time where hubby and me went to a baby store and we actually had a massive headache due to the fact that there were so many new baby items in the market that were so cool. I will share all my hauls in the next few days. Some are found locally whereas some need to be fly in. We are also exploring on being cost effective for this last one. We are also aiming for being eco-friendly. I may not be all that but I am trying.

Well, that pretty sums up my pregnancy journey so far. There were no intense cravings but just late night hunger pangs. One month of bed rest but I get my much needed rest from work. I love getting the baby's nursery ready. However, I am also learning to be more financially savvy. At the end of it, I am still waiting for the little one's arrival.