Day 21

They aren't kidding when they say motherhood changes you.

And you can't say you won't let it.

Like it or not, it does.

For me, the biggest change was how my life became so out of my control. Weeks before Glory was born, i drew up a timetable for her - when to wake, pray, feed, sing, talk, read the bible, play with toys to help develop her sense of sight etc. I also drew up a list of things i wanted to accomplish - learn to play the guitar, read up on a completely new field, learn Bahasa Malayu and brush up on spoken mandarin, set the End-of-Year exam papers etc etc etc - since babies were supposed to nap like 16 hours a day, i should have all the time in the world for personal development right?

na-ah.

Well the timetable has been put up on the fridge, but it seems like Glory hasn't seen it yet, coz her daily routine is nothing like what i planned.

(at scheduled playtime)

Me: Look at the red ladybird! See, its wings make a crinkly sound! Grab it Glory!

Glory: ZZZzzzzzZZzz

Me: Hey! It's time for hand-eye coordination training! It's not nap time!

Glory: ZZzzzZZzzzz

Or,

(at bedtime)

Me: ZZZzzzzZZzz

Glory: slurp slurp slurp (baby language for I wanna eat)

Me: ZzzzZzzz

Glory: SLURP SLURRP SLLLUUURPPP (ie I WANNA EAT)! Thump! Thump! Thump!(tapping her crib) (baby language for "NOW")

Me: But... it's sleeping time! And you just had milk an hour ago!

Glory: THUMP THUMP THUMP!!! Ehhh!!!!!!

Me: (Surrenders and proceeds to feed her)

So what if i had a timetable drawn up, printed, and displayed on the fridge rite? She can always say she can't read.

Win already lor.

Anyway, i think the blues have passed... there were a couple of weepy and evenings and nights at the beginning. I was frustrated about intrusions of private space and time. I felt miserable that my life has changed so drastically, that i've lost all freedom, that it's gonna be this way for the next decade or more. The stitches were painful, the hemorrhoids were painful, couldn't sit properly, and couldn't poo for a week. Engorgement was painful, and i was so irritated and guilt-striken and miserable whenever anyone said Baby was hungry. And because we weren't allowed to turn the fan on, sleep, when it did come, was uncomfortable and i was drenched in perspiration the whole night.

It's all better now =)

Feeding is easier, though still too long and frequent for my liking, but i've learnt to multitask while feeding. So praying, reading, even eating etc can be done simultaneously with her feeds. Saves time, kills boredom.

Life's less miserable - munch kindly conspired to let me have non-confinement food, bathe normally and go out once in a while. We also sleep with the fan and aircon on =)

Yeah, i know... it's bad for the body, next time will kena rheumatism etc. But better an arthritic knee than an unsound mind right?

Anyway, just pray for good health lor. ;)

Pics!

Glory with Cousin Natalie, who was born exactly 2 weeks after Glory.

Glory trying on the very pretty dress that Aunty Evelyn gave her.

Glory also got to meet Cousin Kate for the very first time! But the pics were all taken using Aunty Evelyn & Small-Grand-Aunty's camera...

Other pressies from Aunty Evelyn, all the way from OZ.

The yummy food that Huiping cooked & bought. And all in disposable containers so we don't have to wash up afterwards! Isn't she a smart and thoughtful darling? =) she even brought DVD and iris along, so i actually had a semblance of a social life that night =)

Introducing ... Baby Glory!

She's finally here!
My sweetie darling Glory Faith Wong Si Syun ( 黄 思 王宣)
And yes, that's her name. final answer. It's on the birth cert.

After 40 weeks in my belly, 35 hours of contractions, 11 hours in labour, 35 min of pushing, my baby arrived!

Was an amazing moment, holding her in my arms for the first time. The feeling of her body underneath the towel is surprisingly familiar - the same bumps i prodded when she was still in me. (Hey! We guessed right! this bump IS your butt!)
She lay on me quietly (a non-cryer! Yay! ), just looking at me... as if she recognized me. I looked at her bright eyes, cute mouth, flat nose (hehe) and knew that only God can create this miraculous lil bundle.

=)
More vids! She makes funny faces just like Papa! =)

And some pics... she's asleep most of the day though...

Contractions?

Been feeling many different sensations the past 2 days, in increasing frequency.

1. The tightening-relaxing type, which sometimes makes my belly look really tensed and odd-shaped. This is sometimes painless, sometimes painful.
2. The wave of period cramps in the lower abdomen and lower back.
3. Short waves of “stabbish, numb-ish” pains down my lower back, to the tail bone, or down the pelvic bone to the upper thigh.
4. Gastric pain /period cramp types, higher up the belly.

Checked it out and it seems like people experience contractions differently – and all 4 descriptions were similar to various women’s descriptions of contractions…
*Jitters*
Does this mean it’s gonna be soon?

On one sleepless night, I thought I’d prepare myself by finding out more about the labor process. I foolishly went on youtube to watch labor vids.
Bad move.
The crowning part looks really scary. How can something the size of a baby’s head actually emerge from there? And the episiotomy….. ERKS!!!
Now this wasn’t the first time I watched delivery videos. I remember watching them when I wasn’t pregnant. But somehow this was different. It’s so different watching and knowing that it’s gonna happen to me, probably within the next 7 days!!

Gruesome as it looks, must admit that it is also miraculous.
When you think about it.
At first, it’s just gruesome.

I decided to be evil and make Munch watch it the next morning.
“It’s training,” I insisted, “Since you’re gonna be there with me, you better make sure you can take it.”

After watching, Munch decided that I should go on epidural.
He said that even if I could take the pain, he couldn't bear to see me go thru it. (awwwwww...)

And after watching the vids, I tend to agree with going on epidural.
Forget about trying to save that couple of hundreds.

Even for a scrooge like me, that money ain't worth saving.