The birth of Dhiya Kaffyl Putra Hadidi Faizal

Hey there! It's been more than a week since I delivered Baby D safely at KK Womens & Childrens Hospital on 02/04/2016 during my 38th week & 5 days.

    This is the last photo of myself & the baby bump before Baby D popped out the next day :)

Basically, Dhiya Kaffyl was born 10 days earlier than expected cos his due date's supposed to be on 12/04/2016.

So here's a timeline of what went down on D day ;)

02/04/2016

12am: I realized that I'd lost my mucus plug when I visited the toilet that night.

4.45am: While I was asleep, I felt a gush of water coming out and apparently my bottoms were soaked. I quickly got up & put my sense of smell to the test -- It definitely wasn't urine :P

I was actually online with Didi on 'Tango' the whole time that night, even up till we fell asleep. I called out his name, woke him up & told him that my waterbag broke. Both of us were in a state of 'kanchiong' after that. I woke my mama up and told her about it while I got my hospital bag ready and Didi on the other hand was liaising with his colleagues and superiors as they had to get him his flight ticket for the next flight out of Brunei to SG which was at 9.30am that morning.

6am: My father-in-law drove my mama, my brother and I to KKH and we headed straight to the Delivery Suite Admissions. During the trip to the hospital, I was already experiencing contractions every 20-30mins. Pain level 4/10 -- Which lasted for about 1 minute 20 seconds each time.

Upon arrival, I was admitted and then put into one of the delivery suites while I waited for a while for the doctors on duty to attend to me. I have been subsidised under the Civil Servants Card the whole time so I didn't have a gynae of my own. Hence, I was really hoping that I would get a good and experienced team of doctors/midwives during the delivery cos I was told before about some negative experiences from subsidised patients at KKH.

7.30am: The first two doctors came by to check on me. I had only dilated about 1cm and my waterbag did not fully break as what I'd expected. It was only leaking according to them.

9am: The doctors and their head doctor came back and checked on my dilation.

My cervix had not opened any bigger, it was still 1cm -.-

Contractions were going at 15-20mins apart by then, but still bearable. Pain level 5/10.

The head doctor then encouraged me to induce labour since baby was already considered full-term any way.

By 9.20am, I had already been induced with Oxytocin and then the contractions felt a bit more painful after that.

12.30pm: Didi finally arrived. Thank God he managed to get that flight back so that he'd be able to witness the delivery and give me moral support throughout labour.

1.15pm: The doctors sent me up to the ward cos my cervix was only 4cm dilated and contractions were still 15-20mins apart. 

I was admitted to Ward 32 which was a Class B2+ ward. An air-conditioned 5-bedded room. By then, both sides of our families had arrived and were accompanying us while I was squirming in pain during every contraction :P

4pm: The contractions worsened and they lasted about 2 minutes plus. I'd give a pain level of 7/10 for that. I couldn't take it anymore so I asked for pain relief and so they sent me back down again to the delivery suite.

Nitrous Oxide, otherwise known as Laughing Gas, was given to me for usage so as to help reduce the pain by around 30%-40%.

Well it did help for a while but as the contractions got harder, it honestly wasn't of much help at all.

The doctors came in to check on me once again and I had only dilated up to 5cm. The thought of having to go through God-knows-how-many-hours of excruciating pain just to get to 10cm was killing me. I asked Didi whether I could opt for an epidural but he did not agree with me because of the negative side effects that many friends have shared with him before. So he kept on encouraging me and supported me to go through the pain without the epidural.

Well I cried eventually..Haha! 

6pm: I really couldn't take the pain anymore. This time the pain level got up to 9/10, I swear. Every contraction lasted for 2 minutes at least and were less than 1 minute apart. It was one of the worst kind of pain I'd ever experienced in my life.

6.30pm: By this time, I was begging & crying for an epidural already. Didi finally succumbed to my cries and called for the anaesthetist to come and explain to us about the procedure before going ahead with the epidural.

7pm: As I was squirming in pain while the anaesthetist was explaining, the doctors suddenly rushed in to inform that they had to do a C-sect right away as they'd read that my baby's heartbeat was slowing down with every contraction. So there was no epidural for me then.

While they were getting ready to do the C-sect procedure, the female doctor went in to check on my cervix and apparently it had dilated up to 8cm & I started having the urge to push.

From that moment on, everything felt like a blur. 

All of a sudden, the C-sect procedure was called off cos I was about to deliver. 

So there was no epidural, no C-sect, but it was gonna be a normal delivery in the end.

The doctors and midwife instructed me to breathe into the gas and push at every contraction.

With Didi by my side as what I've been hoping for and encouraging me through every push, I was praying deep inside that Baby D would come out safely so that we could finally unite as a family.

7.31pm: Dhiya Kaffyl was born at 2.858kgs. It's like I was happy, relieved, emotional and nervous at the same time. I couldn't believe that the baby I've been carrying for the past 9 months was finally out and that I was officially a mother. Alhamdulillah ^.^

Overall, staying at the B2+ ward for 3days2nights was not bad at all.

My whole experience at KKH was actually good ;)

With that, I'd like to thank each and everyone of you who has been following me throughout my pregnancy journey.

Thank you for taking the time to read my posts. I truly appreciate it.

I don't think I'll be posting here anymore so ya'll can just follow Dhiya & I on my social media platforms.

Well, maybe I'll start posting again when I'm expecting number 2 hehehe ^.^

Till then, take care people! xoxo

Yours truly,

Kalysa. <3

 

Didi bought me flight tickets to visit him

Ok so I'm currently in my 38th week right now and I haven't been updating my blog recently because I was being lazy hehe :P

So Didi actually surprised me with a flight ticket to Miri Sarawak during our monthsary. Haha yeah, it was a 'monthsary' gift..I know that sounds annoying but he did it because he claimed that he wanted me to stop crying and whining about us being far apart and that I missed him too much hehehe :P

Alhamdulillah everything went smoothly though. 

I flew to Miri on my 34th week and came back on my 35th, which was the latest that AirAsia would allow for preggers to fly with them.

As usual, he fetched me from Miri airport together with a few of his colleagues who had tagged along because they needed to get groceries there. Most Bruneians would basically drive up to shop for groceries and other necessities in Miri, just like how Singaporeans would drive to Johor Bahru ;)

We didn't stay in Miri for long cos we had to drive back to Brunei, in hopes that we'd be able to avoid the massive jam. Not! -.- 

There was no way we could avoid it no matter how early we tried to get to the checkpoint cos it was a Sunday haha!

Back in Aman Camp Brunei, Didi gave me another surprise - The keys to our apartment.

Well it's only a 3-bedroom apartment but it was what we've been waiting for all this while.

It is so-called fully furnished from what's been left by the previous tenants but we'll be requesting for new furnitures and electrical appliances, whichever's needed.

Plus not forgetting our stuff from our place in Punggol which have already been packed and ready to be moved in at anytime.

I can't wait to turn this place into our home.

So I'll most likely be moving there this coming August and Didi will be extending his contract there, maybe for another year or two, depending on the situation.

Here's some pictures of how the apartment looks like for now~

And ofcourse whenever I'm in Brunei, there's so many awesome foods to savour. I didn't manage to take a pic of every single meal that I had there but these are just a few that I have in my camera roll hehe~

Unfortunately on the 3rd night that I was there, I received bad news from Singapore. Perry, our very first cat, had died. I was so devastated that I cried non-stop throughout the night and couldn't sleep until the wee hours of the morning cos I was in disbelief and the thought of not being able to hug and kiss him for the last time was just unbearable.

My family had no idea what was the cause of his death but my mama said he'd looked sick and weak since the day before. 

We all really miss him so much.

RIP Perry boy  :'(

Also, one of the highlights of this trip was definitely watching an Sleague match - 

Home United VS Brunei DPMM.

I've got a couple of friends who're playing for Home United and one of them was Abdil, who had gotten us a few tickets to support them.

Sadly, they lost 2-1 to Brunei DPMM but I believe they played well. 

Just didn't have enough luck lah... :/

And our future neighbours, Katt & Alif, have given birth to a daughter! ^.^

Her name is Kayla Az Zahra and she is such a cutiepie..

She was delivered on her 37th week according to Katt and via C-sect cos she was in a breeched position. 

Can't wait to see them again when I'm back there in a few month's time with Baby D as well, Inshaallah.

5 days in Brunei and then we were off to Miri on the 6th day cos my flight back to Singapore would be on the following day. 

1 week with Didi wasn't enough but it was definitely better than nothing ;)

This time, we spent a night at a new boutique hotel called 'Hongkong Suites' and the room was really nice and affordable too.

It was of an industrial concept and the bed was suuuppeerrr comfy plus it was a king-sized bed hehe :D

Sadly, my visit there had to come to an end. I'm grateful that Didi planned this surprise out for me, it really made me feel so much better. 

With that, Didi also managed to see Baby D's antics especially at night when the little one would kick around and push and shove my tummy out hehe.

At this point, I miss Didi already but it won't be long before he's back in Singapore again. 

We're just counting down the days now~

34th week checkup & scan

2nd March 2016

Ola! It's been 2 weeks since our last checkup and so it's Baby D's 34th week & 1 day today.

He's been kicking up a storm in my tummy recently - Day & night!

It does hurt once in a while when he kicks me on my ribs or stretches out using his elbows.

Thing is, I keep going to the toilet because his head is constantly pressing on my bladder! Haha :P

Yes, the good news is that his head is finally at the bottom in a Cephalic position as compared to the previous scan that we had where he was in the Breech position.

A Cephalic position or head-first position as seen on this picture, is a situation at childbirth where the fetus is in a longitudinal lie and the head enters the pelvis first. Fingers-crossed, I hope that I can have a normal delivery when the time comes. ^.^

During the scan, Baby D wasn't facing up so I couldn't see his face this time.

He was fidgeting around as usual and I managed to confirm once again that Baby D is a boy hahaha :P

He weighs 2.48kgs currently so I'm guessing that he'd be at least 3kgs if not more, by the time he comes out.

Plus I've gained around 15kgs thus far. 

I started off at 59kgs & now I'm at 73.8kgs hehehe :D

Well, I've got a few more weeks left to enjoy this pregnancy with awesome food before the month-long 'Pantang' starts..

And I've not packed my hospital bag, although most of the baby stuff has been bought and organized in my room.

I really need to do the packing before it's too late cos I guess at this point, labour can happen at any time..

Also, I finally bought the 'Perineal Gel' from Mothercare cos I've been watching Youtube videos of experienced mommies who swore that massaging your perineal area with it would prevent from much tearing to happen during delivery.

At a glance, the Mothercare Perineal Gel has been specially formulated with olive oil and calendula to soften and moisturize the perineal area, helping to prepare for stretching during childbirth.

Last but not least, I do feel really empty & lonely without my husband around. 

Wish he was here to share this wonderful experience with me, especially during this last stretch.

I've been an emotional wreck recently, guess it's just the hormones lah..

And I'm grateful that my family has been totally supportive & caring & giving..not forgetting my in-laws as well. Alhamdulillah.

Till next time, xoxo.

Baby D's 32nd Week Checkup

i17th February 2016

Ola! It was Baby D's check up earlier today and this time my mama & in-laws were there to accompany me :)

It's his 32nd week and 2 days but this time there was no scanning done, only checking of his heartbeat and current position by the gynae.

During the previous check up on his 29th week, Baby D was in a 'Breech Position', which means that his bottom/legs were positioned on my uterus.

The gynae had told me not to worry about it but to do some exercises instead, so as to encourage my baby to change into a 'Head Down Position.'

According to the gynae, baby D is currently head down when she pressed my tummy as she tried to locate him. Alhamdulillah.

I also complained to the gynae about having difficulty standing up and walking recently. My pubic bone area hurts so bad that I'm walking much slower now and it's so hard to wear my bottoms! :(

So ofcourse I had googled about this before and it turned out that what I'm going through is either called 'Pelvic Girdle Pain' or 'Symphisis Pubis Dysfunction'.

Also according to the gynae, this is common during pregnancy cos this may be caused by the pressure of the baby's weight or because of relaxed pelvic joints so I'd have to consume painkillers if the pain gets out of hand.

Just for sharing purposes, this is where it hurts - My pubic joint: 

Then I also enquired at the Admissions about the prices for the different types of wards in KKH.

I'm currently a subsidised patient so I should be taking the B2+ ward by default which means it's an airconditioned ward shared by 5 patients.

Didi & I were planning to get either an A1 or B1 ward instead, which also means I'd have to switch into becoming a private patient. First step, choose the gynae I want and then confirm which ward I would like to stay in & these are the current prices at KKH:

We'll see how things goes..I have a few more weeks to decide so not to worry ^.^

Last but not least, the 4 of us headed to Kamalas Restaurant to makan and we had so much to talk about that we didn't realize we were there for almost 3 hours! Hehe good times with the family. Alhamdulillah <3

 

Baby D's Glucose test + 29th week check up

27th January 2016

Alrighty so we had our first check up of the year and Baby D was 29 weeks & 1 day on that date. 

Which means he's probably somewhere in his 7th month & that also means that it won't be long before we're gonna welcome him into the family, Inshaallah.

Really appreciate that my mama managed to accompany me despite her feeling rather unwell; Guess she was just as excited as I was to meet Baby D :)

I was instructed to fast from midnight until the time that I had to report for the 'Glucose Test' at 9am where they took a sample of my blood and then I had to finish up this super duper sweet drink which made me wanna vomit a few times during the attempt. Lols! :P

Basically, a glucose test is a routine test during pregnancy that checks on a pregnant woman's blood glucose (sugar) level. 

This test is used to diagnose gestational diabetes. *Touch wood*

After which, I still had to fast for the next 2 hours or so before they took another sample of my blood. I swear I was feeling kinda cranky at the thought of that but because I recalled that I'll be seeing Baby D in a while during the scan, it was all good ^.^

During the scan, Baby D was very active as usual - Kicking and punching the whole time. My mama was smiling from ear to ear ofcourse :)

Everything about Baby D seemed normal according to the sonographer & we also confirmed that Baby D is a boy for the 2nd time hehehe ;)

Another good news is that my ovarian cyst has shrunken into 4cm instead of the previous 6cm. I really hope it will go away, or else I'll definitely remove it after giving birth.

About an hour later, I headed to the clinic for them to get a sample of my blood once again. I really hope that they won't be calling me back with any bad news.

*fingers crossed*

Then I met the gynae and had asked for a photocopy of all my documents, as well as a travel memo in case I needed to prove any airline that I was fit to fly in these months to come.

As you know if you'd read my previous posts, I'm planning to give birth in Brunei where my husband is based at.

Thing is, there's no confirmation that I'm gonna get the green light from the SAF anytime soon for me to make my move there, eventhough they said that it's supposed to be in mid-February.

Honestly, I don't mind giving birth here in Singapore cos our families will be around to take care of me and Didi will also be able to come back when he's needed.

The only sad thing to me is that Didi won't be around for the next few months until I give birth and with that, he also only has 2 weeks to accompany me here before he has to go back to Brunei again.

Whatever it is, Allah knows what's best for us. I truly believe that everything happens for a reason and eventhough we've planned so much, it is Him who will determine what is to happen next.

I just pray that He'll keep our family safe wherever we are and may Baby D grow strong & healthy day by day. Ameen. xoxo

Didi is back again ~

Oh well, Didi surprised me & everyone else once again. Haha!

He was back here for 6 days and 5 nights this time.

I wasn't expecting him to be back but thank God he did come back cos I needed lots of help to pack up all of our belongings from our place that we wanna bring to Brunei.

Didi told me much earlier that one of his close friends was gonna help me out with the moving and packing on that particular date. So I did everything I could to get the stuffs organized before he arrived but eventually it wasn't his friend -- It was him! Lols :P

Besides that, it was his cousin's wedding that weekend so ofcourse his family was overjoyed that he could join us for both days of the wedding. #rckblyaffair

And then it turned out that Baby D has turned 28 weeks!

At the 28th week of this pregnancy, I realized that the water retention is finally getting to me. 

My nose & toes have begun to swell up a little but the most prominent ones are definitely my fingers. I still have my wedding ring on but it's getting a bit too tight already.

Also, the Braxton Hicks contractions have starteddd...

After 6 days with Didi, he finally has to go back to Brunei. It's gonna be less than a month before I move there as well.

Our house will be ready by mid of February Inshaallah :)