In celebration of Jeslyn's first month

Cakes and "red" eggs were given to relatives and close friends to mark the baby's first full month since birth

A little modern touch - we have swiss rolls and mochi. :)

The innocence of a newborn

Just arrived: My dear girl... sleeping soundly after been cleaned up.











Doesn't she look like an angel?













This is when I first hold her. Her smile melts my heart. It just tells the mother that all is worth going through just for us to meet. This is the wonder of life!

Would she know that she has a life that lies ahead for her to explore? My only wish is for everything to be well for her... I guess this is every mother's simple wish... may my Jeslyn be blessed by all.

How I Ended Up with an Emergency Cesarean

As I stepped into the final weeks of my pregnancy, my gynae advised me to go for an elective cesarean delivery of the baby because of the breech presentation of the baby. By week 38, we have scheduled for baby Jeslyn to be delivered on 15 Sep 2008, Monday, with the thought in mind that I would like to enjoy the Mid-Autumn festival on 14 Sep before going into motherhood. I had prepared mooncakes and good tea for a romantic evening with my hubby. However, on 14 Sep, 6 a.m., when I was tossing in bed, trying to get up for a quick bathroom trip, I thought I pee'd in my bed. There was so much water coming out of me. All I could do was to quickly shout my hubby out of his sleep. Then we rushed for towels and more towels to control the gush of the water. My waterbag had burst! After that was a rush to the hospital.

At Thomson Medical Centre, I was rather disappointed with the service at the labour ward. I informed the nurse that my waterbag had burst and that I was supposed to have a C-sect delivery because of breech presentation. And urged them to quickly call for my doctor because this was unplanned and the doctor needed to be recalled back to the hospital. The nurses did some routine checks and poked needles into me. After 30 mins, when I asked one nurse who came to me whether they have called the doctor, she said not yet and they do not intend to do so until they certify that I am really going into labour, e.g. more than 2 cm dilated, etc. I was really anxious and urged them again to call my doctor. Once again, a few nurses came and went, doing a few checks here and there. Then one of them told me I am 3 cm dilated and having contractions every 2 mins, and that they will call the doc in. "What?!" I screamed in my mind. It was almost 45mins to an hour since I was admitted. With my limited medical knowledge, I thought that when the waterbag burst, it was almost certain that you need immediate medical attention to prepare for labour. And since my case was to be a cesarean ops, then definitely my doctors are needed. I felt the nurses should have notified my doctor, while in parallel, they can carry out their routine checks. If this was the case, I would not have ended up delivering my baby 2 hours after the time I entered the labour ward. This is something which I am really disappointed with such a well-established, top-of-the-chart hospital in Singapore.

The Joys of Being Pregnant

In my first trimester, nausea sets in. I was feeling "seasick" for the whole day, everyday! There was no running to the washroom to puke, but there was the in-the-background nausea constantly throughout the day, even when I was asleep at night. My taste buds changed too... I went all out for spicy food, like laksa, curry, mee siam and tom yam!! (I seldom take spicy food.)

In my second trimester, the nausea subsided. It is like a revelation! I felt energetic, sociable and active. In this period of time, I went all out shopping for the baby stuff, joining the crowds at all the mid-year sales events. And there is a growing pride in my growing tummy. :D As for my appetite, it took a U-turn, changing from spicy food to the mildest food, like yong tau hoo, fish soup and anything that is healthy and veggy.

In my third trimester, my tummy is quite showing and ballooning day-by-day. I continued my shopping sprees and leisure walks till around 8 months into my pregnancy. By then, my tummy was unmistakenly big... or huge... it looks like a balloon that is going to burst anytime. Physically, I still feel active, but I tried not to be, in fear that I will trigger a premature labour. As for food-wise, the menu changed to meaty and western dishes, like chicken steak, fish cutlet, and fast food (yes!).

Gearing up...

The next thing I did was to find out as much as I can about pregnancy and what to expect out of it. Visits to bookstores and chats with friends helped a lot. But I admit I was not conscientious enough to keep up with all the reading.



To balance between the demand of my work and the time for pregnancy education, I ended up with a simple theory for myself... just take it as it comes and to stay happy always, so that my little one will be happy too. So I went to a bookstore and came home with a BABY POSTER! I put this up in my bedroom and looked at it every night before I sleep and every morning before I go to work. This helps to remind me that I have a little one to look forward to.

A peek into the world inside

I have intended to update this blog before I go into labour. However, not all things go as planned. I went into labour before I can finish writing about my pregnancy experience. So, here I am, back again, two and a half months after the arrival of my little princess, Jeslyn. I will continue from when I left off...

I was delighted to know that I am expecting. At the same time, I was also afraid of the unknown down the path of pregnancy. Nevertheless, with the support of my hubby, I embraced the adventures to come.

The first step we took was to book an appointment with a gynae. Following the referral from my GP and some good comments from friends, I engaged Dr Phyllis Liauw from Thomson Medical Centre as my gynae. Dr Liawu is very experienced and I feel safe under her care. What I find most rewarding from all my visits to the gynae is the small printouts of the ultrasound scan showing me the little one - a peek into the world inside. :)

The Special Gift... much to our surprise!

25 Jan 2008 (Friday):

It has been an unusually busy period for me at work. And my body is starting to feel the strain too. I have been feeling tired, weak and dizzy for a week or so. Finally, I decided to visit the company doc.

The company doc did little to help. Guarded as usual, with the mentality that employees are out to claim medical leave at the slightest stress they face at work, she brushed me off without giving me any medication or medical leave.

Feeling very uncertain of the unusual signs from my body, I decided to see another doctor after work that day. Together with my hubby, we went to my family clinic. After some simple diagnosis, I was asked to go for a urine test... and certified to be pregnant!! Wow, we were surprised, happy, and at the same time, dazzled by the fact.

This is how I begin the first step into motherhood... and I still keep the pink stick. :)