I just realized a promise I made to blog about this topic when I produced "Her Name Is Kelly - K.E.L.L.Y" - http://debbiejdiaries.blogspot.com/2010/07/her-name-is-kelly-kelly.html I totally forgot about that till I came across that post again yesterday. So here it is, and the timing couldn't be more perfect because I'm also dedicating this to a special cousin of mine who is basking in the joys of her first pregnancy. Being 'preggo' is one of the most feminine and exciting moments a woman can ever experience.
I loved being pregnant. More so, because of my love for children. I remember how much I used to enjoy babysitting all my cousins when they were small. Since most of us lived together back then, and being very young myself, I felt so important whenever I was asked by my Aunts to help hold the infants, change a diaper or anything else related to taking care of babies. Yeah, I even changed diapers for my couzie who's carrying a baby herself now.
Recalling back to the VERY early days of my marriage. I was shopping with my bestie, Norida one day, when both of us came across rows of 'fortune-telling' booths at a shopping mall. I was tempted to go into one of those little booths to ask 'Madame Fortuna' how many kids would Sunny and I have, and how soon. Almost immediately I thought better of it and decided not to, for 2 reasons: Number 1, fortune telling was against my religious belief and Number 2, what if she told me that I was unable to bear children? Gosh, I couldn't imagine living then, so I decided to brush off the idea.
As luck would have it, I was pronounced 'pregnant' exactly a month after my wedding. I could've jumped for joy, but no denying I was shocked too...At least I know my Mum was! "So fast?" she asked and then followed by "You've got your Grandmother's genes alright!" (Grandma produced 13 children starting from the first month after her wedding) Unfortunately, that first pregnancy of mine ended in a miscarriage at 8 weeks. Sad I was, but took my Mum-In-Law's advice, who told me to rest the uterus for 6 months before giving it another shot. And that's what I did. And at the 7th month, I was a 'Mum-to-Be' once again.
It was a most interesting adventure right from the start. For both my children, I went through a strikingly similar pattern with the 1st trimester being a most tiresome time. Sunny was at the receiving end of all my 'impossibilities'. Simply put, I was annoying to deal with. I couldn't stand the look of this, couldn't stand the smell of that, looking at certain faces would send waves of nausea throughout my system and couldn't even watch certain television programmes.
For 12 whole weeks I was totally 'allergic' to the man whom I was married to. We both occupied the extreme ends of our bed at nights because I couldn't bear having him close to me. Even when he called from the office, I had to hold a small gayung while I spoke, just in case I threw up. Aha, even hearing his voice did that to me. Hilariously, Hubby dearest was also suffering from morning symptoms during the first 3 months. How amazing is that? Thankfully it didn't extend to food cravings as well.
Ay, Ay!! How could I forget? I couldn't even stand myself either - but not gonna elaborate on that.
Speaking of food cravings, I CRAVED! I wasn't only eating for 2 - I think I was having Sunny's, Sharon's and Melvin's share as well. Pssst...wanna know a secret? I actually used to cry silently when anyone asked me for some of whatever I was eating. Blame it on crazy hormones or whatever, but I wonder how my husband, parents and siblings put up with a pest like that. My Mum and Aunts were darlings during that time because whenever I had an urge to eat anything, one of them would always offer to cook it for me. I have the most wonderful Mother and a bunch of incredible Aunts who are all fantastic cooks. I was spoilt!
From the 13th week (the start of the 2nd trimester), things began to look brighter. My husband was allowed to move closer towards the middle of the bed and so did I. Hey, isn't it funny what hormonal changes do to us physically and mentally? But anyways, 2nd trimester was the best of all. As I started growing, so did my appetite. I ate and ate like there was no tomorrow, and felt on top of the world. I felt great and adored the glow I had on my face and the shine in my hair. I genuinely enjoyed being pregnant and loved every single minute from the 2nd trimester onwards. I even wondered why was I so grouchy earlier.
The 3rd tri saw me really blossoming. Ok, I mean LITERALLY blossoming. I became too heavy and couldn't walk a few meters without panting. I remember the time when I was laying down on the rug, watching TV alone at home. I was on the ground for what, an hour maybe? Ah, when I decided to get up, I couldn't even move. All the weight of pregnancy had somehow gathered on my back and I couldn't turn right or left. And what did I do then, people? Nothing. I had no choice but to continue to lie there and watch TV until Sunny got home and helped me up. During the final month when I was required to go for weekly instead of monthly checkups, I was hitting 2 kilos per week and I can still recall the look of confusion on my Doctor's face when she asked "Whatever are you eating, dear?". Just so you know, the culprits were chocolates and lemang.
Here, I'll share an embarrassing situation.
2 weeks prior to my delivery, I accompanied Sunny to the Revenue Department. You know those long benches they have at school canteens? They had one of those there and Sunny told me to have a sit while he went upstairs to settled some stuff. Thankful for not being asked to walk further, I smiled at those 2 Chinese uncles who occupied one end of the bench and were talking to each other. I walked to the other end and sat down. The minute I sat, there was a loud creaking noise and the legs of the bench broke in the middle. Those 2 elderly men jumped off in fear and I remember one of them patting his chest in an attempt to calm himself down. No Way!! How on Earth did I accomplish that? Thankfully, no one fell. 16 years later and I still remember the faces on those 2 men when they jumped up.
Anyhow, the over-eating didn't do justice to my blood pressure, so I was asked to have the baby induced at an earlier date. On both occasions, it was the same story. Kelly and Daniel were born exactly 2 weeks before my expected date of delivery. I wasn't really affected by that decision because on the brighter side, at least I'd know when the baby would be born and therefore allowed to prepare myself. The last thing I'd ever wish for, was to have my water-bag leaking unexpectedly, labour beginning in the middle of the night or while my Husband was away at work. Or worse yet, being caught in the KL jam on the way to the medical center. Or even while shopping. Hang on, did I say shopping? Woah, did I have the time of my life shopping for baby stuff. I had a passion for feeding bottles and bought just about every type of CHICO bottles. I had a colorful collection at home. My favourite bottle brand that was.
My First Delivery - they prepped me up, inserted the IV and I was hooked to a fetal monitor (where besides the heartbeat, I actually heard Kelly hiccuping too) and there was an oxygen mask beside me. The nurse explained carefully that using it would come in handy during contractions, to assist with breathing. But once the contractions actually set-in, I grabbed the mask off my face and God knows where it landed. I didn't wanna have anything to do with it.
Here's another hilarious one - not embarrassing like the earlier one though. I had a very lengthy (70+ hours) and difficult labour with Kelly where breathing became a problem because of my refusing to have anything to do with the oxy mask. Therefore, when I checked in the 2nd time for Daniel's delivery and after the oxytocin shot had been administered, I was again strapped to the fetal monitor and patiently waited for labour to begin. My darling husband pulled the chair beside me and tried to coax me into using the oxygen for this delivery. He took the mask, and demonstrated it to me saying that all I needed to do was "Breathe in and out slowly when you get the pain.." He put it on and inhaled, exhaled, inhaled, exhled and, and.......He fell asleep. He was totally knocked out! Right there sitting on the chair! And hey, when labour actually started,, I nudged, pinched and pushed him till he finally woke up, groggy and asked "Baby boy or girl?" Wow, it was like something out of a movie scene, I kid you not! He probably thought that this was gonna be another 3-day labour like Kelly's, but Daniel only took 6 hours to make his entry into this world. Today, we laugh about it, but at that time when I was desperately waking him up for support, I wanted to eat my husband so badly!
The pain of natural childbirth - something only those who've gone through it will understand. But rest assured, the minute you hold your child in your arms, you forget the labour pains, the morning sicknesses, swollen feet, mood swings and all the downsides of pregnancy. The day I became a Mother, my life was complete.
Back at the delivery suite at the peak of contractions, I screamed at 2 nurses telling them to "get the hell out of the room" for forcing down the oxy mask on me, begged the 3rd nurse for an epidural jab (which I had bravely rejected earlier, but now desperately needed one, which to my disappointment, learned that the baby was already half way through the birth canal, therefore too late for the jab) and unknowingly scratched the skin out of my doctor's arms to ease the pain. At one point, I remember saying to Sunny "Yang, I don't wanna go though this ever again..."
Funny, because hardly 8 months later while I was playing with baby Kelly, I had that all too familiar taste of metal in my mouth. And I could have sealed my confirmation that baby number 2 was on the way, the minute Sunny walked into the house - where I took one look at him and felt that wave of nausea hit me. Again!
