(no subject)
so Levi's fast asleep... and i probably should be sleeping beside him too... but i haven't chronicled about his birth yet, and i'm dying to. i cannot abide the thought of one day wanting to look back and not having something tangible to look back on. i cannot abide the thought of losing memories, of forgetting. so, sacrifice sleep it is! :)
so dear, precious, little Levi popped at 37weeks4days on the 30th of Sept, the day after my birthday, much to everyone's surprise <3 i didn't have any gut feel that he was gonna pop; in fact, all that week when i was out and about, people kept pointing to my bump and commenting that i looked like i was about to pop anytime and i kept brushing them off and saying, Nah, my first one was induced at 39weeks5days, i don't think this boy would be early either :|
and then on the night of my birthday, we had a family dinner with my parents and champy and chuannie and clare. and en route to the restaurant, i was having these crazy cramps. they were kinda like menstrual cramps but not contractions. and they just didn't ease up no matter what. and i had trouble peeing too. i'd been having trouble peeing for some time by then because my bump was far larger this time round, and it was quite low too -- Levi was pressing down low on my bladder and groin. anyway, so i tried to eat as best as i could, but the cramps were just perpetually there, and perhaps out of a sense of presentiment or something, i began to preempt everyone about a possible imminent labour :) reminded my parents that we'd really need help with JohnJohn and preempted JohnJohn himself to expect to be with my parents for the day, when Levi pops.
all thru my birthday night i kept on having cramps and i barely slept that night. when we were all up and about the next morning, Hubbs looked at me and said we wouldn't go out for brekkie after all; he'd go grab brekkie home, because i looked like i was still in pain. i remember recoiling on a mattress, trying to figure out if i was having just cramps, or contractions, and i remember my mind being in a whirl of activity. i didn't quite know whether to call Dr Wong yet, because i hate to 小题大做 and i finally called mummy, and she said to concentrate, and to try counting the pangs, and i did, and realised, gosh, they were already 10mins apart :| so in pain as i was, i scrambled around packing up a hospital bag for hubbs and me, and some going-home clothes for Levi, and a bag of stuff for JohnJohn because i didn't know how long he'd be staying at my parents' for.
and that's when i realised i was having the bloody show too, so i knew this was really it. i was in labour. i had quite a bit of stuff to settle. i had to call champy and delegate some of my duties to him, because i was actually supposed to play at Holy Communion the following day, and i was supposed to tell the Bible Story at Children's Fellowship too, and hubbs was supposed to do up stuff for Teens that afternoon too, plus he was gonna be chairing at Worship Service the next day. Thank God, we'd prepared all these things in advance and i could just send everything to champy. had to also text Esther who was in charge of the pianists to tell her i was in labour too because i couldn't play after all. it was really funny, because last i spoke to her, i was still telling her i didn't think Levi would be early and i was pretty certain i'd be able to make Holy Communion that first Sunday of October, but then just the day before i actually had to play, i go into labour :| Thank God, though, that Champy could replace me for most of these things, and at such short notice too! <3
hubbs and Jireh finally came home when i was at the point of not being able to take it anymore -- they'd been stuck at ikea waiting for the new mattress we bought. papa came over to pick JohnJohn to bring him to their place, and hubbs and i were off to the hospital. checked in round about 1pm, and suffered contractions for about 3 hours this time :( dr Wong finished her Saturday clinic round about then, and came over to see me. she asked if she should go home first or wait for me to dilate. i was only about 4cm at that time. i asked her to please go home and lunch first. with Jireh, she came back within 15minutes, so i absolutely trust her to rush back in time. but then i couldn't pee at all this time round, and it was affecting my dilation though i didn't know it, and this very sweet nurse finally suggested sucking the pee out of me. after i let her, i could finally dilate and quickly went up to 7cm after that. with jireh i peed and peed and peed in the bed pan multiple times, but couldn't dilate fast, probably because it was my first delivery. this time round, Dr Wong had specifically promised me i'd dilate much more quickly so i'm really thankful for that nurse who suggested sucking the pee outta me, because if she hadn't, who knows how much longer i'd have been enduring those pains for?!
anyway, so i dilated to about 7cm and dr wong was called back and everything happened quickly after that. i remember pushing and pushing and telling hubbs once, that i felt like dying, and he was holding on to my hands and comforting me, and i really thank God so very much for this darling of a man that i've married. i used the laughing gas this time round. with Jireh, i didn't know how to work it and gave up but this time, the nurse said, no epidural and no other painkillers already, better use it to distract yourself from the pain, so i did. and hey, it didn't relieve the pain but it did distract me a little, which helped a lot already!
finally delivered LeviElishaTanYang at 359pm <3<3<3<3 i remember desperately clinging on to God's Word for dear life, clung on to the same Verse that i clung on to for Jireh's birth: fear thou not for I am with thee, be not dismayed for I am thy God; I will strengthen thee, yea will I help thee, yea will I uphold thee with My righteous right hand, to see myself thru the ordeal. oh thank God for God, and thank God for His Word. at such times and in such pain, its truly only the knowledge that God is right there with me, holding onto my right hand, it says later on in that Chapter in Isaiah, in Verse 13, that He holds onto my right hand, its truly this knowledge that helped me survive the ordeal. and thank God for hubbs too. if Hubbs had been overseas, or not there with me, i don't know how i'd have survived. his presence and his love and his care and concern were so comforting. just knowing he's right there helped so much. and Dr Wong, of course. the amount of trust i have for her and her abilities was multiplied exponentially after i gave birth to Jireh. when she and hubbs told me how Jireh's shoulders were stuck my admiration of her skills and efficiency just sky rocketed.
so both hubbs and dr wong say the delivery was much faster this time round and they both told me they felt it was less painful for me, but, i don't know... its fresh in my mind atm so i somehow remember John's birth as being faster and easier? i remember, for the two nights after that, when Hubbs and i talked about having number three, i said i can't at that moment, fathom going thru the same thing again one more time :| when the pain is fresh in your memory, you just cannot conceive of going thru it again. but today, two weeks after, i am completely open to number three again, and to having number three fast! i don't wanna wait another almost 4 years!!!!
so dear, precious, little Levi popped at 37weeks4days on the 30th of Sept, the day after my birthday, much to everyone's surprise <3 i didn't have any gut feel that he was gonna pop; in fact, all that week when i was out and about, people kept pointing to my bump and commenting that i looked like i was about to pop anytime and i kept brushing them off and saying, Nah, my first one was induced at 39weeks5days, i don't think this boy would be early either :|
and then on the night of my birthday, we had a family dinner with my parents and champy and chuannie and clare. and en route to the restaurant, i was having these crazy cramps. they were kinda like menstrual cramps but not contractions. and they just didn't ease up no matter what. and i had trouble peeing too. i'd been having trouble peeing for some time by then because my bump was far larger this time round, and it was quite low too -- Levi was pressing down low on my bladder and groin. anyway, so i tried to eat as best as i could, but the cramps were just perpetually there, and perhaps out of a sense of presentiment or something, i began to preempt everyone about a possible imminent labour :) reminded my parents that we'd really need help with JohnJohn and preempted JohnJohn himself to expect to be with my parents for the day, when Levi pops.
all thru my birthday night i kept on having cramps and i barely slept that night. when we were all up and about the next morning, Hubbs looked at me and said we wouldn't go out for brekkie after all; he'd go grab brekkie home, because i looked like i was still in pain. i remember recoiling on a mattress, trying to figure out if i was having just cramps, or contractions, and i remember my mind being in a whirl of activity. i didn't quite know whether to call Dr Wong yet, because i hate to 小题大做 and i finally called mummy, and she said to concentrate, and to try counting the pangs, and i did, and realised, gosh, they were already 10mins apart :| so in pain as i was, i scrambled around packing up a hospital bag for hubbs and me, and some going-home clothes for Levi, and a bag of stuff for JohnJohn because i didn't know how long he'd be staying at my parents' for.
and that's when i realised i was having the bloody show too, so i knew this was really it. i was in labour. i had quite a bit of stuff to settle. i had to call champy and delegate some of my duties to him, because i was actually supposed to play at Holy Communion the following day, and i was supposed to tell the Bible Story at Children's Fellowship too, and hubbs was supposed to do up stuff for Teens that afternoon too, plus he was gonna be chairing at Worship Service the next day. Thank God, we'd prepared all these things in advance and i could just send everything to champy. had to also text Esther who was in charge of the pianists to tell her i was in labour too because i couldn't play after all. it was really funny, because last i spoke to her, i was still telling her i didn't think Levi would be early and i was pretty certain i'd be able to make Holy Communion that first Sunday of October, but then just the day before i actually had to play, i go into labour :| Thank God, though, that Champy could replace me for most of these things, and at such short notice too! <3
hubbs and Jireh finally came home when i was at the point of not being able to take it anymore -- they'd been stuck at ikea waiting for the new mattress we bought. papa came over to pick JohnJohn to bring him to their place, and hubbs and i were off to the hospital. checked in round about 1pm, and suffered contractions for about 3 hours this time :( dr Wong finished her Saturday clinic round about then, and came over to see me. she asked if she should go home first or wait for me to dilate. i was only about 4cm at that time. i asked her to please go home and lunch first. with Jireh, she came back within 15minutes, so i absolutely trust her to rush back in time. but then i couldn't pee at all this time round, and it was affecting my dilation though i didn't know it, and this very sweet nurse finally suggested sucking the pee out of me. after i let her, i could finally dilate and quickly went up to 7cm after that. with jireh i peed and peed and peed in the bed pan multiple times, but couldn't dilate fast, probably because it was my first delivery. this time round, Dr Wong had specifically promised me i'd dilate much more quickly so i'm really thankful for that nurse who suggested sucking the pee outta me, because if she hadn't, who knows how much longer i'd have been enduring those pains for?!
anyway, so i dilated to about 7cm and dr wong was called back and everything happened quickly after that. i remember pushing and pushing and telling hubbs once, that i felt like dying, and he was holding on to my hands and comforting me, and i really thank God so very much for this darling of a man that i've married. i used the laughing gas this time round. with Jireh, i didn't know how to work it and gave up but this time, the nurse said, no epidural and no other painkillers already, better use it to distract yourself from the pain, so i did. and hey, it didn't relieve the pain but it did distract me a little, which helped a lot already!
finally delivered LeviElishaTanYang at 359pm <3<3<3<3 i remember desperately clinging on to God's Word for dear life, clung on to the same Verse that i clung on to for Jireh's birth: fear thou not for I am with thee, be not dismayed for I am thy God; I will strengthen thee, yea will I help thee, yea will I uphold thee with My righteous right hand, to see myself thru the ordeal. oh thank God for God, and thank God for His Word. at such times and in such pain, its truly only the knowledge that God is right there with me, holding onto my right hand, it says later on in that Chapter in Isaiah, in Verse 13, that He holds onto my right hand, its truly this knowledge that helped me survive the ordeal. and thank God for hubbs too. if Hubbs had been overseas, or not there with me, i don't know how i'd have survived. his presence and his love and his care and concern were so comforting. just knowing he's right there helped so much. and Dr Wong, of course. the amount of trust i have for her and her abilities was multiplied exponentially after i gave birth to Jireh. when she and hubbs told me how Jireh's shoulders were stuck my admiration of her skills and efficiency just sky rocketed.
so both hubbs and dr wong say the delivery was much faster this time round and they both told me they felt it was less painful for me, but, i don't know... its fresh in my mind atm so i somehow remember John's birth as being faster and easier? i remember, for the two nights after that, when Hubbs and i talked about having number three, i said i can't at that moment, fathom going thru the same thing again one more time :| when the pain is fresh in your memory, you just cannot conceive of going thru it again. but today, two weeks after, i am completely open to number three again, and to having number three fast! i don't wanna wait another almost 4 years!!!!