Aqil Rafiq - Birth Story

I've been posting a lot of posts on Aqil lately. I haven't had the chance to blog since Aqil came along. I just hope that I remembered each moment correctly. Pregnancy, giving birth and motherhood is one of the biggest life-changing experience that one can endure. Once you turn MAK, you'll never turn back..hehe.

Okay..so where did I left off. Hurm..okay. I was scheduled to be induced on Friday morning 14th May 2010 because my baby at that time was not moving as frequently as the doctor would have liked. Throughout the 9months, I was having some sort of trouble determining if my baby just kicked or moved ke apa. I never could do the self-check thingy in the pregnancy record book where you jot down how many times the baby moved in 1 day. Either I memang oblivious and tak perasaan if the baby moves or either my perut tebal sangat (aka I have lemak perut soo thick yang sampai tak rase baby gerak-gerak) or the amniotic fluid in my tummy ni macam banyak sangat. I don't know la why but because of that I rarely feel my baby moving. Of coursela sometimes I would feel him kicking or moving, usually at night when I'm in bed getting ready to sleep but during the day..amatla jarang. I think Aqil was a night owl, only awake and active at night..nocturnal habis la :p Voiced my concerns to the doctor but alhamdulillah after doing the ultrasound and checking and stuff the baby looks healthy.

So anyway, I think nearing 9 months, the baby should have been more active kot..but to avoid any complications, Dr Ariza decided to have me induced 2 weeks early.

So we told the family that I will be warded early Friday morning. Did last minute preparing stuff, repacked the hospital bag, last minute reading and birth exercises, last minute eating and such before kena berpantang. Hohoh. So at around 3 am Friday morning tu, with Hilmi in tow, I checked in to Ampang Puteri. Checked in ke? Admitted myself? Anyway..I registered at the Emergency Unit with the doctor's letter for admission yang die dah bagi since week 36 if not mistaken in case things happened sooner than expected.

Was put in an 8 person room because the single rooms were fully occupied. I thought since I was scheduled to be warded that morning, I expected that they had a room ready or the single rooms would be available since I stated that I wanted a single room earlier that Monday. I don't know la..maybe I should have confirmed before coming ke apa or memang the room arrangements macam tu based on a first come first serve basis..I didn't know. It was my first time being admitted into hospital. After deliver baru dapat yang single room punye. I wasn't happy because yang for the 8-bed room ni, you can't have your husband to teman you. I mean can you imagine? Sorang-sorang not knowing what to expect. Huhuuu T_T

Anyway, after I was shown to my room (Hilmi was still with me, but couldn't stay for long), the nurses did their thing..check up and stuff and induced me. The inducing part was not pretty. I assumed they would give me a shot or I would have to have to telan a pill or something but boy was I wrong. So after I was induced, the contractions started. And my-oh-my was I in for a treat!! Between a c-section and a contraction, contractions are the most painful. T_T

How to describe the feeling of a contraction eh? Hurmm. The feeling..it was intense, painful. It feels like your insides are trying to scrunch up into this teeny weeny ball. Its like your perut  tu..dalam dia is like a sponge and someone is squeezing with all their might with their fist, letting it go, then squeezing again. At the same time, your insides macam mencucuk-cucuk. It was sakit..I guess macam menstrual cramps but times that by a thousand gazillion kot. All I wanted to do was bring up my knees and baring in a curl up position. 

Because all this time I was connected to a CTG machine to check the baby's heartbeat, I moved and wriggled quite a lot in bed to tahan the sakit (at this time I was alone, Hilmi went back home to rest and after Subuh he'll come back). And because of that, i think the CTG readings wasn't as 'pretty' as the nurses would liked it to be. I think me wriggling and struggling in bed made the readings lari-lari because the thingy connected to the CTG pon kinda lari-lari from my tummy. Had to redo taking the baby's readings a few times la jugak. My bad I wriggled and moved so much. Huhu.

In the morning, around 9am macam tu, Dr Ariza came and did her rounds. I was only about 2-3cm's dilated. She said the baby's heartbeat was staggered and not so strong so she suggested to do an emergency c-sect in fear of the baby's safety. Dalam hati, I was a bit disappointed because I wanted to deliver normally. I was also disappointed at myself for moving and wriggling so much during the CTG. If only I hadn't move as much maybe the readings would be better and I wouldn't have to go for a c-sect. But at the same time, the doctor had a point. I guess she knows waaaayyy better than I do and I wouldn't want anything bad happen to my baby. So c-sect it is~

A while later around 9.45am macam tu, the nurses came and  to take me to the OT.  I was asked to lie down on the bed while they wheeled me. Eeeekkk..takuuutt~ At this time I started to recite doa's and anything to keep my jitters down. Hilmi also get to tag along to the OT and watch and take pictures. (Hilmi isn't the snapping-pictures kinda guy so I didn't get any pictures pon in the OT. Huhu. Next time, I should just ask him to take a video of the whole process instead. I wanted to watch and see how it goes.)

So when we reached the OT, Hilmi was off somewhere getting scrubbed in. The OT was brightly lit and all I can remember was WOW putihnya~ If you watch Greys Anatomy kan the OT macam gelap and dark and they have like a spotlight on the patient. But here, the room was brightly lit and had 'Hellllooooo Good Morning~' chirpy kinda feel to it. Maybe because they had the radio on to what station entah..hot.fm kot..I wasn't paying that much attention.

After a while, I was aksed to sit up on the operating table and then the anaesthetist came and cucuk my tulang belakang. I had spinal anaesthetic. After that I lied down, and then the nurses kot strapped down both my hands. Dr Ariza and Hilmi then came in. It all happened so quickly. I didn't feel a thing pon. With a Bismillah, Dr Ariza did an incision (I of course didn't feel a thing...I wouldn't have known that she already started if  not for the Bismillah :p). Seconds after that, another person came and tekan-tekan my perut to get the baby out (yang ni orang ni buat macam ganas sikit..rase macam tumbuk perut je...that one I feel) and seconds later..I heard the baby crying. Alhamdulillah. Dr Ariza said Assalamualaikum to the baby and welcomed him into the world.. No words could describe how I felt at that time laying there motionless. Hilmi said he had to go somewhere with the baby. I heard the baby being taken away and crying in the distance. Dr Ariza said that she wanted to sew the cut. While she did her stuff, I lay there, still not believing everything in spite what happened. Everything happened sooo fast. This was all surreal.  Alhamdulillah, on that day, Friday the 14th, May 2010 at exactly 10.13am, my baby was born and I've finally became a mom :)

Aqil Rafiq - The Pregnancy Part II

Continued from last post...

2-3 months

I was feeling quite normal. Have to eat at the right time and not skip meals. I was eating in between meals quite a lot too. My appetite was back to normal or maybe slightly higher. I would go down to the cafe for tea and buy kuihs or/and ice cream or/and fruits. Heheh. Nasib baik cafe kat bawah and kerja kilang so ade banyak shift breaks..I think I turun for all shift breaks kot :p Didn't really spread the news except to close friends and family. I was still in the early stages of pregnancy and didn't want to jinx it.

Morning sickness started to kick in. But for me it wasn't in the mornings. It was in the evenings after I came back from work. Tak sempat nak sampai rumah from work, I was a regular visitor of JJ AU2's toilet since that was the only clean and respectable toilet that I would allow myself to throw up in. Since dulu I have this 'perut masuk angin' complications. Sometimes I didn't know I threw up because of perut masuk angin or because of my pregnancy.

4 months

Went for my first Ante-natal Checkup. Surveyed a few hospitals for my delivery nanti. Considered An-Nur or Az-Zahrah Bangi because I like the Islamic environment...they pasang zikir or bacaan al-Quran while at the labour room. Last time I checked, it costs around RM2200 - 2400. But since I live in Wangsa Maju and work in Ulu Kelang, I decided to go for hospitals nearby takut apa-apa. Looked up Ampang Puteri Specialist Hospital and their delivery packages aren't bad la..around RM2700 for normal delivery. Masa ni we just harap-harap tak kene c-sect, tak tau berape..lari budget nanti :p Supposedly every pregnant mothers need to register their pregnancy at Klinik Kesihatan kerajaan and do at least 1 checkup there but I didn't and did the first ante natal with Dr Ariza of Ampang Puteri. She reminded me of my mom, was quite comfortable with her being my O&G doctor. Was given iron, folic acid and calcium supplements for the mom and baby.

5 months

Got to know the baby's gender after doing the ultra sound. Alhamdulillah it's a BOY~ I've always wanted my first born to be a boy..yeayyy :)

Picture of his legs and in-betweens..from angle bawah.

His head sama besar with his body :p

Cravings: Laksa kedah. The best would be Laksa Kedah at Sekyen 4 Tambahan Bangi. Sanggup tu pegi cari. Yums~ Weird craving lain takde..thank God :p Walking long distances..even to the carpark from my office was becoming a hassle and very tiring..but was needed as a daily form of exercise.

My feet started swelling and bloating due to water retention. I was getting restless at night as finding the right position to sleep was a hassle. Sakit belakang also started to kick in. Weight wise, masa ni dah start to be directly proportional to the months. Haiih. Masa first 2 months tu je kot macam ada turun sikit because tak lalu sangat nak makan.

6 months

This is where the 'fun' starts. Heheh. Because I was carrying a boy, and because it was my first pregnancy, the male fetal DNA could act as a skin irritant to the mom. Kiranya DNA baby boy is somewhat incompatible with DNA perempuan mak die. This usually affects the mom if its a first pregnancy and the baby is a boy. I guess I'm the lucky 1% yang gets affected with this. Huhu. So what I got was skin irritations..and rashes...plus the weather was really hot at that time. Had to pasang air-cond kat rumah just because of that. Some say it was 'pembawaan budak'. Anyway..because of that I asked the doctor if I could work from home as going out and getting ready for work was becoming quite uncomfortable for me. Duduk rumah senang..I can wear the most comfiest PJ's and tshirt. Fortunately, my bosses were very understanding and allowed me to work from home till I deliver. Luckily, doing programming doesn't need you to come to the office to get the work done :p

Did a 3D scan around this time.

The pictures were a bit 'alien-ish'. Tapi Subhanallah..even dalam perut, kita dah boleh tengok baby..how he looks like. Can't wait to see the baby.

7 months

My 'evening sickness' gradually stopped. I would only throw up if I didn't watch what I was eating and biar my perut masuk angin.

Started buying and getting things ready for the baby. Shopping for baby stuff was what I like most :) Re-read the baby books to make sure that I will be well prepared. Agak takutla to go into labour. Huhu.

8 months

Counting the days bila la nak keluar baby ni. Tak sabar rasenye. Tak sabar to see my little bundle of joy. Tak sabar nak keluarkan baby yg besar and berat ini from my tummy. My perut started to keras and expand rase macam boleh meletup anytime. Started to feel the braxton hicks contraction at about this time.

Went out for the last time for Mother's Day dinner on 9th May 2010. Had dinner at Sg. Buloh with Hilmi's family and then later to Tarbush with mine's. It was a busy weekend. That Monday, had ante-natal checkup ..doctor did a CTG to check the baby's heartbeat. It was normal but when the doctor asked if the baby moved a lot..i said no. From what I noticed, my baby kurang sikit gerak-gerak dalam perut. People say die banyak tido je like mom die. But the doctor didn't want to take any chances, so she decided to have me induced that Friday and go into labour to avoid any complications. I will be in my 38 weeks..time to get that baby out~ Eeeek~

I will continue on the next post for the birth story...sekian :p

Aqil Rafiq - The Pregnancy Part I

It's been about approximately 1 year and 2 weeks since I became a mom. It has been an overwhelming experience..full of ups and downs. Thankfully I have my hubby, family and friends by my side each step of the way. Thank u all~ I couldn't have done it without everyone:) After about 1 year baru I can breath sikit and seem to get hold of things...or so I thought la :p

Since I have been 'preoccupied' before this, I haven't shared the birth story of Aqil Rafiq yet. Maybe I need to write some intro on my pregnancy first before going into the birth story. I might as well jot it down here for future references..for myself or for anyone of you readers who are reading :p Plus..people have been asking the million dollar question.."Bile Aqil nak dapat adik?"

So here goes..right from the start...(its going to be a long one..layankan aje my mood nak tulis ok :p)..

I had a fairly ok..somewhat regular pregnancy experience...Alhamdulillah. Mom and baby was healthy and I was just counting down the months till my expected due date (EDD) 28th of May 2010.

1st month

I expected something was up as I was easily tired. I get back from work..did Maghrib prayer and while waiting for dinner I was already fast asleep. My work schedule remained the same and yet I was too tired to even have dinner and would be sound asleep by 7.30pm. I thought I was not feeling well and would just bertahan for a while. This happened for about a week. The idea that I might be pregnant did came popping up in my head. Uh-oh. We talked about this a few times but there was never a conclusion about how we would take things. Questions would always be left hanging as we thought we would still have time to think this through.Well..I guess not. Anyway..I decided to buy a self pregnancy test while we were at Midvalley waiting to watch a movie. Bought it at Guardian and I felt all grown up while browsing through the pregnancy kits to find out which one is the most reliable while reading the instruction on the back of the box on how to use etc. First time experience katakan. Haha.

I chose this one...the Dip 'N' Tell Midstream Pregnancy Test. Didn't know that pregnancy tests ada banyak jenis and cost this much...ingatkan murah je :p Chose the not-so-cheap and not-so-expensive one costs around RM20 kot..ada yang lagi mahal..even yang digital pon ada. But I will just pee on it anyway..buat apa mahal-mahal..if it turns out negative lagi la membazir.

All throughout the movie tu I coudn't wait to get home and do the test. Unfortunately, we got home late at night and only the next morning before work was I able to do the test...aaaaannndddd...it turns out.....

Double line....all at once a mixed of feelings came rushing in...unprepared...scared...excited...happy...tak percaye..but all in all...Alhamdulillah~ I'm going to be a mom..yeayyy~ :)

Went to the clinic later to confirm it and I was about 3-4 weeks pregnant. Still early. From what I remembered during the 1st month tu..my appetite was low (tak penah-penahnyee :p).

I guess I'll continue later. I have up to 9 months to keep on rambling about :p

Aqil Rafiq turns 1 :)

A year ago...Aqil Rafiq Ahmad Zulhilmi was born. Happy Birthday Aqil~ :)

Time flies ever sooo fast. I rarely have the time to blog but for this special occasion, this entry is for you Aqil~

Mama loves you~
x0x0

Guess who's back?

It's been so long since my last post. December 2008. Hohoh. Eclipse will even be coming out soon this summer.

I'm having a lazy Saturday afternoon (which I'm lovin' it by the way) so I thought of updating this blog. I've made some changes to the layouts. I love playing with layouts and interfaces...any job opportunities out there anywhere? Heheh :p

Well...since its been so0o0o lo0o0oonggg...soooo0o0 much have happened. So here's a recap:

• First thing's first...I'm no longer a misses...I'm a MRS now. Been married for 8 months 1 week 3 days according to this anniversary ticker down here :)

Married life so far has been great. Of course there are the ups and downs...we still argue sometimes and then there's the occasional merajuking here and there..life is not always peachy..but at the end of the day..I'm grateful that I've found my other half.

It wasn't planned and we didn't know each other for that long but by a year of getting to know each other we got married. Many people often ask how we met and all since me having met someone came out of the blue. What more deciding to get married and all :p Well, to those who didn't know. I met Hilmi for the very first time on August 31st, 2008. I was driving my sister to her friend's house for a kenduri. It turned out that my sister's friend had a brother and that brother was Hilmi. We got to know each other there and things just started to fall into place. We had some sort of chemistry going on and I was very comfortable around him. One thing led to another and on July 24th, 2009 we got married. Alhamdulillah for all the blessings~ I'd better stop before I get too mushy. Hilmi's not here and I miss him :p

• Anyway, soon after came graduation. After 4 long years of studying, I graduated. Alhamdulillah. Oh how I miss the good old studying days. Now I know that it is so0o0o true when people say that student life is the best phase of your life. Nothing to worry about but just studying. But I guess all of us have to grow up. We can't be stuck in that phase forever right?

• I'm also currently working now. Last month was my 1 year anniversary with from the company. 1 year has been ever so short come to think of it. I currently live nearby my office. It's only a 5-10 minutes drive which I love compared to the 1 jammed-packed-hour going through MRR2 from Bangi :p Having our own place is also an experience and I love playing house :)

• Oh..and last but not least..I'm currently pregnant. About 7 months. 2 more months to go InshaAllah. The Doc says its a boy :) Hopefully things will go well for the pregnancy and birth. Ameen~

Here's my baby bump. Doesn't quite look like a baby bump does it? Looks like I had too much to eat more like it :p Will try to get better pictures next time.

Well, thats that. Looks like I rambled quite a lot here. Hurm. I'm going through soo0o much with the pregnancy and all. It is indeed a life experience. I feel like I need to record things down. Heheh. Hopefully, I'll write more in my next entry. Looks like my blog will turn into a mommy baby blog. I'm growing up~ Aaaaaaaaahhh~ Yikes~ Heheh :p

"to be happy means learning to let go of expectations from yourself or from other people"