Bringing Baby Home - Eight Days After Birth

Yay!!! I received green light from my Ob/Gyn for my discharge today. So did baby Keira Eliza ~ her paed gave the go ahead to take her home today since her jaundice level has subsided (<100). 

This is definitely great news, especially since we've been cooped up in the hospital for about a week already, and all baby has "seen" during the first eight days of her life were what lied within the hospital walls.

"We're taking you home today, baby!", was what we whispered in her ear as we checked her out of the nursery this afternoon. 

All babies have their own Health Record Book and this one's baby Keira Eliza's, given to me during check out.

I must say that I'm very, very impressed with the book as it is so detailed and enables tracking of all baby's injections, developments etc. Apparently, this book needs to be brought to every checkup and also presented to the government nurses for when they do their routine baby checks/visits to the house for them to fill out at every visit.

It took us a while to get her checked out as all the nurses on the 1st floor wanted to say bid their farewell to her. They have all grown fond and attached to her during the past week ... A real princess I tell you, and that's what they all call her "Princess Keira".

According to the nurses, she is the only one (of the nine babies in total at the nursery) that is so well behaved - made no fuss (except when she's hungry) and is always smiling at the nursery. Hence, she was the iconic baby to be placed at the labor room window during the baby display time as people will just crowd around and look at her adoringly. Oh, my daughter's good! She's been well trained by mommy from inside the womb - definitely princess material! :) If only we had known of this, we would have charged them for displaying our baby by the hour *lol*

As if farewells at the nursery weren't enough, we were stopped by many other hospital staff along the way to the carpark too. Once we got to the car, the coast was clear and we headed straight home... our temporary home (my mom's place/our family home), that is - at least until I'm done with my 44 day confinement...

Sound asleep like a little angel in her bassinet on her 1st night back (at Grandma's during mommy's confinement).

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Two little hands,
Two little feet.
We're happy to announce
Now our family of three is complete!

  

 JUST THE THREE OF US!
Our first family of three photo taken today, just as we checked baby Keira Eliza out of the hospital's nursery to take her home! :)
[Pardon my greasy hair look as I was told to not wash my hair until after I got home from hospital... Ish, of course I bathed (everyday too) - it was only my hair that I could not wash for the week.]

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Got Milk?!?

Nope! Unfortunately for me, my boobies a.k.a. "the twins" did not get the memo to start producing milk, and lots of it immediately after delivery, pronto. 

Colostrum, high in fat and densely packed with nutrients/antibodies, which is suppose to be sufficient for a newborn's first few meals, was already hard enough for my baby to suckle directly or for me to express manually into a cup or syringe.

Baby Keira and I spent the past week, post delivery, at the hospital as I had high blood pressure (due to the aftershock of having to undergo natural birth) and she had jaundice (280+) and had to be under phototherapy at the nursery. During this entire time, the nursery took care of her most of the time and only pushed her up to my Executive Suite (which is one floor above the labor ward and nursery) only for feeding and bonding time.

I am actually suppose to be placed in the labor ward like other moms, but because the hospital has strict ruling that no male overnight companions at the labor ward as it's room sharing... then where is my hubby suppose to stay? Hence we took the single Executive Suite. Slightly further for the nurses on duty to transport her to mommy during feeding time, but it works as I have the room all to myself (and of course Kevin can bunk in overnight as well). Yay!

Anyhoo, my first breastfeeding session (more of a breast stimulating session actually) begun 2 hours after her birth on May 28, 2013 as I wanted them to clean her up first. She did not really know how to suckle though; she just wanted to be held in mommy's arms at that point in time I guess.

My second breastfeeding session commenced about 5 hours later (once my blood pressure stabilized and after they had thoroughly "processed" her in the nursery).

At that point, she was royally wheeled to my Executive Suite at the hospital for feeding, after they had checked and cleaned her. She was super hungry when she arrived and was crying hysterically... 

I tried again... I calmly cradled her close to my chest and let her stimulate and suckle on the twins (starting with the left one first, then the right), winching from the pain of raw nipples for what seemed like forever. 

For a first time mother and one who has not had real life practice when it comes to breastfeeding, of course I did not get the hang of it, and it felt weird... really, really weird and hurt oh so much... Even then, I don't think anything came out yet again... Sigh!... But the nurse said not to worry as the suckling will help with the milk production. Must not give up ~ think positive, Julie!

I still consider myself lucky as the nurse, Neesha (who was on duty that night) stayed with us throughout the feeding time to provide assistance. I am so thankful as she was so helpful and supportive, guiding me patiently on how to properly breastfeed my crying child... on the breastfeeding positions, proper way to massage my breasts for feeding, manual expressing of colostrum/milk etc.

But even with guidance, I still could not master the art of "self expressing" - I just could not do it. It came to the point where Kevin had to step in to help me "hand express" the twins and collect whatever milk that could come out into a little cup so that we can feed our daughter. With his help, at least we got something...

2ml colostrum yield per session is simply miserable, but it is better than nothing, right? My breasts and nipples swelled and hurt like crazy after every session, but I had to stay strong and endure the pain because our baby had to eat.

It was Neesha who later suggested to try pumping as it may help speed up stimulation since I was really struggling. Thankfully we had already bought the Philips Avent Electric Breast Pump much earlier, so all I had to do was ask my hubby to go home to get it. Pumping was worth a shot! 

With the pump, I managed to get 2.0oz the first time (it took me two hours okay, but it was a huge breakthrough!) and the twins were sore and dried out by the time I was done. As if that was not enough, my blood pressure also shot up to 200+ and I bled heavily immediately after. These "side effects" stayed true after every one of my pumping sessions, yet 2.0oz remains as the best milk yield benchmark yet. Double sigh!!

At least I still have until tomorrow (I should be discharged then since my blood pressure level is currently stable due to less pumping activity; just need confirmation on baby Keira's jaundice level and clearance for release from her paed) to get the nurses to continue to guide me with direct breastfeeding and proper latching techniques to ensure I progress with my "milk factory production". 

Less pumping, more direct feeding attempts ya! In the meantime, I need to up my milk boosters and work on increasing milk supply...

Dear god, why is it so difficult for me to master breastfeeding? It should be a natural and beautiful thing - so why is it stressing me out??? Triple sigh!!!

Exclusive: Meet our new born Princess!

A star fell down from heaven, and landed right into our arms.
With a pinch of mommy's sweetness and a touch of daddy's charms.
We are starstruck by the birth of our little newborn bundle of joy,

Keira Eliza Lee on May 28, 2013.

  

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Baby's Name: Keira Eliza Lee binti Aziz Kevin Lee
Date of Birth: May 28, 2013

Time of Birth: 11.25pm

Birth Weight: 3.1kg

Birth Length: 52cm

Head Circumference: 32cm 
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I didn't get to see Week 39 of pregnancy after all as the little munchkin arrived late this evening at 38 weeks, 4 days gestation.

Stay tuned to read about my recollection of the natural birth (yeah, baby! natural all the way) of our little "charmed" princess Keira Eliza Lee in the coming weeks!

For now, I shall get my much needed rest and relaxation at the hospital as I catch my breath and gather and pen my thoughts on the "drama" leading towards her arrival into this world...

 

38 Weeks Pregnant

Well, here I am at 38 weeks, 1 day gestation and still heavily pregnant! 

The little pre labor incident from last week turned out to be just Braxton Hicks/false contractions after all (as much as they hurt), and over the last couple of days, I've not had any consistently strong contractions - only what feels like abdomen tightening and increasing back aches. Still anxiously awaiting the official signs of super strong, consistent and close contractions, the show and water bag break before the actual panic starts...

Anyhoo, since I'm still pregnant, this means that we can still continue with our weekly ultrasound appointment and we went this morning like always.

As of today, (Week 38 - Day 1), the little munchkin's fetal stats are:
- Heartbeat: 128bpm
- CRL: 34cm+ (with her head fully engaged, it's hard to get even an estimated measure)
- Head Circumference: 34.7cm
- Weight: 3.4kg

Although the placenta is covering most of her face, you can still see that she's just slept so peacefully...

No rush, no stress. Just enjoying the moments before she enters the world.
At this angle, her nose does look like daddy's more than mommy's. Daddy must be thrilled! :)

I have seriously been keeping to my Ob/Gyn's orders for plenty of bed rest the past week and remained as stationary and rested as I can. Maybe that's one of the reasons why the little one may also be taking her own sweet time. She's much more relaxed these days and enjoying it! :)

As much as the prediction from my Ob/Gyn that it can be anyday, anytime now that the little munchkin's head is strongly engaged, I asked to be discharged from hospital on our anniversary so that Kevin and I can enjoy my last moments of pre-parenthood and pregnancy in the comfort of our home. She allowed this of course, since we like 5 minutes away from the hospital and as long as I remain fully rested with minimal stress. 

Yay! This also gives me the opportunity to do some last minute preparations for baby and top-ups to my hospital bag, as well as some further reading on breastfeeding and childcare from home.

4 Years of Marriage

Today marks the 4th year Kevin and I have been married, from the date of our Akad Nikah (solemnization) on May 23, 2009, and counting...

It's also exactly 11 years to the date we first started "officially" dating May 23, 2002! How time flies... and you know what I've come to realize...? I don't know how he does it, but he makes me love him more and more every day... We make such a great team and we really are true soul mates. At times, I feel like our life adventures together are only just beginning...

This year's anniversary seem much more special than any other as we're expecting our 1st baby any day/any time now and will be entering our life's journey as a "family of three" very, very soon. 

Yes, it would be super special if the little munchkin popped into the world today, but from the irregular timings of my contractions (and that there's less than one more hour to go before the clock strikes midnight), it does not seem likely to be her birth day... unless of course I interfere with her grand plan and give the green light to pull her out.  But why would I want to force that on her? It is fine if she wants to stay in there a little longer and when she's ready (as she still seems to be enjoying her time in there - must be some real awesome party that she's hosting in there!) cos I know she will give me the signs for when she's ready to come out.

Kevin had to work today (of course!) and since I was under strict orders for full bed rest (and no stress) from my Ob/Gyn, I just remained rested after being discharged, at least during the morning part of the day. Come afternoon, I decided I needed some pampering, at least after being cooped up in the hospital for days. At 37 weeks pregnant, foot reflexology or massage does not seem like the brightest ideas, although I really, really think I need a good back massage at the rate my back pain has escalated. 

I opted for the next best thing - mani/pedi pampering!!! So off I went (cautiously) to the mall, pregnant belly and all, for some "baby and me" time and pampering. After all, it is my anniversary day today and I needed to feel pampered and pwetty, don't I deserve at least that break from all the resting?

Amazingly, the little munchkin remained quiet in my belly throughout the 1.5 hour session, listening attentively to the stories exchanged (about her of course) between mommy and the nice lady at Nail World who worked on mommy's hands and feet. She was also probably preserving energy for our movie date with daddy later in the evening for Fast & Furious 6 where there's going to be fast action!

With the recent pre labor signs, Kevin and I were a little wary on whether we should go for the premier of Fast & Furious 6 this week in the event she may decide to debut on our special day (and in the cinema of all places). But after some thought and seeing that the contractions are still quite far apart, we decided "Why not?". Let's go for it and enjoy our anniversary and what could be our last movie date nite at the cinema until a while (especially once the baby comes). So we went ahead and booked the tickets after we talked to the little munchkin about it of course. She seemed fine with the idea of fast cars and action... There seem to be no act of objections from her end with our intended plan! :)

Throughout the entire movie (which she is under the age limit to watch, or in her case listen in to), she also "participated":

• She tapped my belly so hard when references to "baby oil" were made in the movie (at least twice), as if it the reference was especially meant for her and she knew it!

• I could feel her foot (just one) pressing hard on the left side of my belly, as if she too were also hitting the pedal to the metal. This motion was only specific to the race scenes and they were aplenty throughout the movie. It was either pressing the brakes or accelerator, depending on which foot it was based on the position she is engaged. If it was her left foot pressing, it would mean she was pressing on the brakes - trying to slow down the speed. But we think it's probably her right foot, which means the little one's got a thing for fast cars [hmmm, must be taking after her god-mom's need for speed].

She's such a cutie, right? So expressive and entertaining even from inside the womb. Even daddy could not resist missing out on a single moment of her action in there and had his hands on my belly throughout the entire movie to feel the interactivity and reactions of the little one! :)

To top off the evening, Kevin had an anniversary surprise awaiting me in our bedroom. I saw a golden box laid so prettily awaiting my attention on my side of the bed *bling, bling, bling*.

"Oh my, what did I do to deserve this?", I thought to myself as I opened the gift, kissed my husband and looked down at my bulging belly with a big smile on my face... I felt like the luckiest gal in the world *blessed* :)

My 1st Pre Labor Pain & Contraction Experience

Two nights ago (Sunday - May 19, 2013) at around 9.30pm, I felt it - shooting pain and tightening sensation in my abdomen and some strain in my pelvis. I actually thought this was going to be it, the contraction that will lead me into my labor chapter.

I had felt something similar the day before that (though not as strong) when we were at the mall doing our last minute baby shopping. That pulling of a pain made me just have the sudden urge to press my hands against the wall and straighten my body and back until it went away. Of course my husband spotted this sudden movement from the other corner of the store and came rushing. But by the time he got to me, I will fine and didn't think much of it, until it happened last night just after dinner at my mom's.

To be safe, we rushed straight to the Emergency Room, to get me and the baby in me checked. As soon as I got in, they pushed me to the labor room and latched onto Continuous Cardiotocographic (CTG) machine to check the baby's heart rate and monitor fetal movement while the staff nurse contacted my Ob/Gyn.

I had just felt another contraction at this point while lying in one of the labor rooms strapped to the CTG machine,
hence the stunned look on my face.
My husband has impeccable timing when it comes to capturing the moment, don't you think?

My Ob/Gyn arrived within half an hour and, by that time, I was almost done with the CTG and during that time, I managed to also write a letter to my honeybun [it was just something I felt I needed to do at that moment in time]. 

All I could see were squiggly lines coming out from the CTG print machine that meant squat to me, but when my Ob/Gyn looked at them, she assured me that I was showing signs of pre labor contractions. Pre labor contractions? You mean, that was not it? It was just a prelude of what's to come? How much longer till the real pain kicks in? They were already painful enough... and as if that was not enough, I also had serious back pain and no control of my bladder and the discharge or the stinging sensation when I pass urine.

Apparently, this added information of other symptoms caused a little concern from my Ob/Gyn who immediately suggested I get "checked in" to the hospital so that I can be under observation and close monitoring, especially for more contraction signs. I guess she could also see that I was struggling to walk properly as well. I could not say no as she had that concerned look on her face and she knows best... and nothing is more important at the moment than the safety of the little munchkin inside of me, so if being hospitalized is something that is in our best interest, I will get hospitalized. Work and everything else can wait. I have my priorities at this point and nothing is more important that seeing this through.

So here I am... Lying in bed at the hospital for two days now (yes, still admitted and under observation) while being monitored every few hours. I have had a couple of tightening-like contractions (and they hurt!), but they are not at regular or close intervals. Most importantly, I am getting that long overdue rest that I kept putting off and so need. Not sure how much longer I will be staying at the hospital though or if the baby is planning to come out or make me wait a little longer...

I have to admit that since I've been hospitalized, and banned from working or stressful activities (by both my Ob/Gyn and my husband), I feel so much more relaxed and calm and the baby's kicks not so much that aggressive. She seems happier and relaxed somehow (I can tell from the ultrasound, especially the one from this morning)... she's back to becoming my smiley little munchkin! :) 

Okay, okay... My bad. Maybe I have stressed her too much in my efforts to not let my pregnancy affect my work since the pregnancy news came, but how much longer can I keep doing that right? I've already settled what needs to be done and delegate what needs to be looked into etc etc etc. It is time to let work take care of work as it's apparent that the work load will never end... Even as I clear what needs to be cleared, new projects keep popping up... that's the nature of the business.

In my condition at the moment, my priority is definitely my little queen - family first! After all, we are sooooo close to the finish line. It is not a difficult choice and anyone would clearly make the same one. And any boss would be able to understand that... the rest, I will leave it in God's hands...

A letter to my soon-to-be-born daughter

Hi my sweet little honeybun! I'm your mommy, and you are my precious little "charming" miracle. You have been brewing in my belly for the past 37 weeks and I'm so very blessed that I was chosen to be your mommy! 

You are still a little munchkin, even though you have blossomed so much in my belly over the last couple of months, and I can still feel you kicking every day. Some days you kick more than others; some days you punch and tap more. On days you go quiet (which is not so often) I do get a little worried that something's wrong and just hope that you are just sleeping soundly... which is usually the case.

Wanting to be a mother, your mother, has been on my mind for the past two years. You are my greatest dream realized and I still can't believe it'll become a reality very, very soon. 

I have to admit that I feel very anxious about the prospect of being a mother, and good mother, and having responsibility for another life. There are moments that I worry that I may fail you in some ways, but when I think back, I should not worry so much as I have a wonderful role model of a mother (your grandmother, my mother) who has taught me the meaning of unconditional love, even till today... and I promise to do the same for you.

You're not even born yet, but you have somehow made daddy's and my life so complete and wholesome, do you know that? You've filled us with so much joy, excitement and magical moments from inside the womb over the past 9 months. I'm sure you already know this by now, having been inside me and hearing all the buzz of everyone awaiting your arrival, you're so loved my darling (and you're not even out yet!).

From the moment I saw the two pink lines on the home pregnancy test (as faint as the 2nd line was that first time, it was definitely enough to make my heart skip a beat), I knew I loved you and will always love you more than life itself. I felt on top of the world! Finding out that you were growing inside of me, that was the BEST NEWS daddy and I received last year, and your timing is simply impeccable!

We can't wait to welcome you into the world very soon, my darling. You have an eager family all over the world awaiting your arrival too... and believe me, you will be treasured, celebrated, admired and loved dearly (just like mommy!). We will do anything and everything to protect you. We are already head over heels in love with you, sweet baby girl! :) After all, you are the first grandchild for both mommy and daddy's immediate family.

I know your EDD is June 7, 2013, but mommy would love it if you make it into the world on May 23, 2013 (which marks mommy and daddy's 4th wedding anniversary)... Ummm, that's only a couple of days away. Do you think you can make it then? It would make the date extra special for sure, but that's just mommy's secret wish...

We will let you decide which date your birth day will be and we will anxiously be here to welcome your arrival. In the meantime, we will wait patiently for you, and keep enjoying those precious moments and chats with you while you are still on the inside...

I hope and pray every single day that you are healthy and will not come into this world with any difficulties - after all, the world is already a hard enough place to live in these days. Even if you do, daddy and I promise we will step up and face the challenges for your sake, to give you the best life that you so deserve.

Come to us as you are, my sweetheart, and come to us when you are ready.

Thank you for the joy, blessings and love you have given both daddy and me while in the womb, our little queen! We are so in love with you and you have not even taken your first breath yet; and with every breath you take after that, I pray that you will always feel our love.

Just don't keep us waiting too long and please remember our deal? During labor, all mommy has to do is make that one big sneeze of a push and you will come crowning out... *winks*

I hope you're as ready to join our little family as we are for you precious darling! I can't wait to meet you and hold you in my arms. See you soon, sweetheart! :)

With all my love, now and forever,
Mommy