Happy Birthday Lucas (to remind me what that day was like)...

Four years ago today (or rather yesterday)… I still remember vividly, it was a Tuesday. Yesmin had gone to preschool, came home, we had lunch, and then just hang around at home. I was about 38 weeks pregnant with him.

By this time, Yesmin, then almost 4 years old, was out growing her nap time. But because of my pregnancy, I insisted that she takes a nap with me. I’d bring her to my room, with some toys and/or books, and her Mr. Monkey. She would play or read while I took some cat naps, waking up every now and then to check on her. Sometimes, I don’t even know who long I have napped before she fell asleep beside me. I LOVED those moments…THAT is one of the sweetest qualities she has…she understands that I am tired, and she would not disturb me, and just entertain herself until she’s tired, she’d sniff Mr. Monkey’s face, and play with his ears and falls asleep.

That day, I was exceptionally tired. By 3 something, I had already felt some contractions, and he was very active in there. I still remembered lying down on our old sofa with Yesmin, watching Oprah, trying to forget about the pain. While watching Oprah, I also checked the interval the contraction was happening. By the end of the program, I knew I had to call the hospital…the contraction was strong and was happening every 5-10 minutes. I paged (we didn’t have cell phone then, and yes, Nd(Lee) has a PAGER!!) Nd (Lee), saying “It’s time!” We have prepared Yesmin weeks ago, and have made arrangement with our neighbor, Diane, that when it was time to deliver her brother, she’d have to go over to their house and have a “sleep over” with her kids. So, I told her, IT IS time for mommy to go to the hospital. She packed her favorite pillow, stuffed her favorite blanket and Mr. Monkey into her pillow, I packed mine and Nd’s stuff for the hospital, and Yesmin’s for the sleep over.

I think it was 6 something in the evening, when the contractions were getting even stronger! I paged Nd to ask him to come home at once. None of us have had dinner at that time, and he was on his way picking up some KFC. He came home without dinner, changed and off we go to the hospital ~ Good Samaritan Hospital. By the way, the rooms there are like hotel, and you deliver and recover IN the same room…dun need to move here and there!

After getting examined by the doctor on duty (Dr. Foster) that night, Nd went out to grab some dinner for the 2 of us. I was dilated, but wasn’t ready to deliver. So, after dinner, we were encouraged to walk around the delivery ward, sit on the exercise ball…etc. I was tired, and in a lot of pain…tried sleeping it off…but by midnight or so, I told the nurse “GIMME THE EPIDURAL NOW!!!” Some time in between, I was also induced, cos’ the dilation wasn’t keeping up. The anesthesiologist was horrible ~ probably because I woke him up from his sleep ={ I was asked to lie on my side, which is different from the usual position of sitting up and arch your back, so I thought maybe different doctor prefers different position. Man, it hurt SO MUCH when the needle went in that I screamed SO LOUD that gave the nurses and ND a shocked, and asked if I was screaming because of the contraction or the needle?! Anyway, that was the MOST PAINFUL part of this whole delivery! After the anesthesiologist got it right (I now wonder if THAT did contribute partly to my constant backache??), we finally got to sleep.

By 7 in the morning of Oct 20, I was awakened up by the urge to push!! And of course it was also the time for the Ob to switch their shifts! And of course, the Ob that I have been going to all these 38 weeks was off on that day, so her associates on duty will be delivering my child. Dr. Foster had an appointment, and Dr. Ono was stuck in traffic (there were other Ob doctors around, just that they are not “associates” of my Ob’s ~ so, if there is an emergency between Dr. Foster leaving, and Dr. Ono getting there, the other doctors are there to help). My urge to push was so strong…he was really READY to get out! But because Dr. Ono hasn’t arrived, the nurses encouraged me hang on ~ and being the cheeky one in the family, I screamed “O- NO!!!” =P
Anyway, Lucas was delivered by 8:58am. I don’t know if maybe the nurses didn’t clean him up as much as when Yesmin was born… he was STINKY AND UGLY!!! =P But it felt so good to have delivered him and get to see him ~ 10 fingers, and 10 toes, and he was screaming! ;) He, unlike Yesmin, went right into feeding! I nursed him so often, in the short time that we were in the hospital.

Few hours after the delivery, the nurse took me to the bathroom. You are encouraged to urinate shortly after delivery (I never care to find out why, so I can’t explain the reason to you). As I sat on the toilet, a big blob of stuff came out…gave me a shocked, I stared down into the toilet, and see a big blob of clot blood, somewhere between the diameter of a dessert plate and a salad plate. As I was staring, I was also telling the nurse that something isn’t right. And just as I saw the blob, I almost passed out! Thank God the nurse quickly held on to me and paged for another nurse. They helped me back to the bed immediately. Seriously, later on, I don’t think I even find out why that happened or maybe I did, but forgot why?! ;P

Later that day, Nd went home, got some rest and brought Yesmin to visit us. Poor girl didn’t even get to do her sibling tour of the hospital that was supposed to be on the coming weekend! So, the nurses sort of gave her a welcome sibling thingy when she came to visit. She was really excited. And I was so proud of her to do so well without us around.

Obviously we were more prepared for Lucas’ birth, except for not having a name for him until 2 weeks later…Yesmin kept on asking what her brother’s name is… she suggested Toby, which I liked very much too! But we ended up with Lucas instead. Anyway, even though, as I had said that we were more prepared for his birth, the one thing that I REALLY REGRET, probably will regret FOREVER is that I DID NOT take a photo with HIM in the hospital and I did not take a photo of him with me and Dr. Ono and the nurses!!! I don’t know why…maybe because I was so tired and “soft like a jelly” from losing all those blood. Whatever the reason and excuse is, still I SHOULD HAVE AT LEAST taken ONE photo with him!!! So, from now on, I will take a (or more) photo with him on every Oct 20!

Happy 4^th Birthday Lucas!