Nursing Iris, The Trying Stage

It doesn’t really matter how many times you have given birth to. It is not relevant of how much or how long you have tried to breastfeed your child before you gave birth to the next one. It doesn’t count how much knowledge you have gained throughout your nursing experience with your other child before.

Generally most women will face the same nursing problem. This I gather when talking and exchanging notes with other nursing mothers, irrelevant whether they are new mommies or experienced mommies.

The first days when I held Iris for feeding I doubted myself that I ever had anything to feed her. I didn’t feel anything flow out from my breast and when pinched the nipple, I could see nothing comes out from it, so I was very sure that I did not have milk on my first day. Nevertheless, I still insisted on breastfeeding. Everytime, I prayed hard that my precious milk will flow eventually. Sadly, Iris couldn’t latch on. Either she didn’t know how to latch on properly or I didn’t know how to make her latch on. Either or… I failed. Everytime she tried to get some milk, she cried and screamed her lungs out coz nothing came out from the nipple. I bet she must have been very hungry. .

I was at a very trying stage. I wanted to give her the best; I believe all mothers do want to give their best to their child. I wanted Iris to have the first taste of my milk.

Going back to the night I gave birth to Iris, where I held her close to my chest, I almost hear her heartbeat. Although I tried to feed her, I knew that there wasn’t any milk yet. I murmured under my breath “Minum ye, ntah ada tidak susu mama ni”. The gynae must have heard me and she said “That’s ok. You got very good nipples there. Just let her keep sucking. Babies can live without milk for 5 days. InsyaAllah by the third day you’ll have your milk. But you must not stop her from sucking”. I held on to those words so tight. Although mom, MIL and aunties kept on pushing me to buy formula milk, I was so very stubborn, masuk telinga kanan keluar telinga kiri. Painfully, I let her cry and cry and cry for milk. A LOT OF WOMEN GO THROUGH THIS PHASE.

Alhamdulillah true enough, milk has started to fill up my breast by the third day. But due to latching on problem, Iris couldn’t be fed directly for long. My nipples were sore and sometimes bleeding. A LOT OF WOMEN GO THROUGH THIS PHASE. So I had to express my milk and let Iris drink from the bottle. But when I pump, I hardly get 2 oz both breasts. Still, I was so upset that I could not feed till full. She was only drinking 1oz per feeding from the bottle. So she was still crying hungrily. I cried together with her because I was helpless. The third night was the ultimate night, she cried non-stop. When we fed her from the bottle, the milk went inside her tummy and there was a sound like filling up an empty tong. I felt so sorry for my baby. That night, my mom, hubby and I cried together looking at Iris crying hungrily. For the 100^th time, mom told hubby to buy formula milk. And for the 1^st time, I agreed with that. I wasn’t giving up. I just wanted to feed my baby whatever ways.

That night I called up everyone I know in case they have breastshield so I dont feel so much pain when direct nursing. Unfortunately, nobody had. Iris didn't want to be fed through the sore nipple, she probably didnt like the taste. I didnt have formula milk to give her and expressing milk wasnt yielding great amount of milk. God, that was the longest night of my life. 

So the next day when we went for Iris’ jaundice checkup, hubby immediately bought S26 milk, the same kind I took when I was a baby. I took the opportunity to ask the doctor if I could be prescribed with the pill that can boost up my milk production. However, doctor was kind of against it as she said looking at my tender breasts, she knew I should be producing enough milk. And she told me that I shouldn’t judge my ability to produce milk based on what I could express. Babies can suck better than any other breastpump. So since my breasts were engorged, she advised me to continue expressing milk, wash and massage my breasts with warm water, and apply minyak gamat or nipple cream. However, I must make sure that I direct feed Iris at least twice in a day to give better stimulation.

I did exactly as how I was advised. I mixed the feeding with at most 3oz of S26 milk in a day. The rest I made sure she had my breastmilk. Sometimes, the days when I wasn’t very tired, and when I could express more, I didn’t have to feed her with formula milk. Alhamdulillah, this only went on for about three weeks or so, without realizing it, my nipples had recovered very well, I almost forgot how it supposed to look like. By the time of recovery, Iris was already fully fed on breasts and I could even start to express for extra stocks for the future.

Believe me when I say almost all mothers (majority) will go through the engorged breasts, the pain, the latching on problem, milk production problem, and that sort of things whether or not it is their first time. The only difference that experienced mom will enjoy is their calmness when going through these trying period. Because of their experiences, they know that they are not alone; these are common problems and need not to be worried.

No matter how much experience you have, every baby is first timer. Not all babies know how to latch on properly. And as how you always hear every pregnancy is different, be assured that every nursing period are different for different babies. For example I have a friend that had moderate milk when nursing first child, very little milk during her second child but had so much excessive milk for her third child. 

I may not have that much experience to advice, but I have so many friends around me with different level of experience, so I gathered my thoughts during our sharing sessions.

So do not worry like how I was. It is normal not to have milk in the beginning, if you are strong enough to hear her cry, you can wait till the fourth or fifth day but watch out for any signs of dehydration. If you are not strong enough, it is ok to supplement your babies with formula milk until you can produce enough. There is nothing wrong with giving formula milk, but try to give the good ones, you can check with your paed which ones are recommended. I would also advise not to give babies water, my paed was strongly against it. But if you are at any point where there is no formula milk and no breast milk, I guess it is ok to give a little bit of water. Don’t be too rigid. Like my MIL once said “korang dulu tu pon, omma bagi minum air, hidup je”. Oh Well..

Confinement Lady

I must admit that finding confinement lady to care for me during confinement period was the last thing on my list and I wasnt doing it very well. I wasn't prepared for this. And I regret this the most.

Two months before my due date, baru sibuk nak cari confinement lady. Mallas btol nak buat research semuanya macam sama aje. Tak tahu nak pilih yang mana. I was honestly hoping someone would just decide for me and say "ok, Izrin. use this lady's service for your confinement." haha punya malas.

Finally my mom's friend introduced me to a lady, Kak Shila who apparently has a post-natal service. She said she will give me good price, RM100 for massage, tungku and bengkung, adds RM50 to care for my baby and she would send me two therapist for that. I didn't think it was cheap, it was rather a standard price, tapi sebab dah last minute, I just agreed.

Agreed on few things:
1) Daily massage from the third day after delivery for 14 days, then selang tiga hari until the 44th day
2) She will bring in 2 therapist, 1 to take care of me, the other to settle my baby (bathe, tuam perut, jemur etc)
3) She will help me help me order jamu, the best that she knows
4) She will help me buy the big and long bengkung
5) She will help me buy cream untuk sapu kat perut before bengkung
6) She will bring something for me to apply at my vagina

She did not do ANY of the above!

1) She came the third day (Saturday) after i insisted, initially she said she could not come. She did not inform me that she is off on Sundays and public holidays (what kind of service is that?) Urut pantang wajib 3 hari berturut-turut the first time! She told me she couldnt come the next day until 3rd Jan (I gave birth 26th dec, btw)

2) She only brought 1 therapist with her to urut me, and she said she will take care of the baby herself. She only took my baby for jemur. RM50 for that MY ASS!

She did not bring anything that she promised to bring for me. So I was left with no jamu and no cream, no bengkung, and nothing for my vagina. Nasib baik, hubby ada beli bengkung from farmasi.

And so she didn't come the next day which was on Sunday. So we called another lady that used to massage my aunty, I call her Aunty Kama. Luckily she was available. She massages, tungku and bengkung and she charges RM80 for that.

Of course I didnt have a proper person to look after my meal, so sometimes, I eat according to pantang, sometimes, I just eat whatever people in my house eat. Nobody really knows how to prepare pantang food. Nobody also really takes care of my recovery, what ubat to eat, what ubat to apply to my vagina (I only know the khasiat of manjakani at the last week of my confinement period, how sad is that?) I feel sad that I am missing all these. They say that confinement period is the time that you regain everything. Get back your body shape, ensure that your body recovers, ensure tightening of your vagina...

I believe this is the most important thing to prepare. Based on my observation, those who really able to get someone to stay in, to look after you (body inside out) and your baby, is the best. So overall, I did not really enjoy my confinement. I shall do it better for my next baby. InsyaAllah...

Review 2012

Last year I didn't bother to review what I have achieved and what I have not achieved. Sebab tu banyak tak ter-achieve. So let's do it again. Yang achieve, syukur alhamdulillah..yang tidak tu..cuba lagi tahun 2013 (berapa banyak tahun dah carried forward niiii)

What I have achieved :)

1. First baby.
Alhamdulillah...paling bersyukur. After 8 months of marriage, Tuhan makbulkan. Syukur..thank you for choosing my womb, Imaan Iris..

2. Babymoon.
First year anniversary with hubby, I was already 2 months pregnant. So that was my babymoon, at Cherating.

3. Langkawi
I cannot even remember the last time I went to Langkawi, maybe I was 12 at that time. So 2012, brought me to Langkawi with hubby and my parents.

4. Start 10% salary in ASB
Alhamdulillah, tiap bulan tutup mata je, seolah-olah I never get that amount of money.. then kita akan redha dengan pemergian duit itu dari bank simpanan. It's for the future.

5. Korea
Went to Korea with hubby and MIL. Activity kali ni hanya pergi visiting hubby's relatives in Korea. It was really nice, cuma weather je tak best, was supposed to be autumn, but when we went there, it was still summer.

6. Involve in charity work
Kemas my wardrobe to give some space to my new baby girl. So most of my baju, we collected and donated to some kampung that my father and his friends have adopted and pledged to help every year.

7. Buy a house
Alhamdulillah, another big thing happened in my life. Hubby bought a house at Denai Alam, a super-linked house. That is our first new home that will be completed in 2014. Rezeki baby :)


Semoga 2013 dapat achieve yang lebih banyak tahun 2012. Ameen.

Check out my To-do list for 2013. Hope it's not too late to wish everyone HAPPY NEW 2013!!!

The birth of my first child

A quick summary of the whole labour thingy.

4 Dec 2012, I went to see Dr Siti, she did the vaginal examination and told me that I was already 3cm dilating. But I was then at my 36 weeks plus, which was at the borderline of being a term baby. She advised me to rest at home and continue with my weekly checkup, but straight away come to the labour room if I am feeling the contraction or if there is any blood show or if the waterbag burst. Read the story here.

12 Dec 2012, I went to see Dr Delaila, because Dr Siti was on vacation for 2 weeks plus. My baby was still not engaged then. I was still only 3 cm dilated. Read the story here.

20 Dec 2012, my 39th week checkup with Dr Delaila, she then confirmed that my baby has engaged. But still, I feel very normal. No signs of labour at all. Read the story here.

 26 Dec 2012, Dr Siti's back to the clinic, and it was my 40th week checkup appointment. Dr Siti was so surprised to see me still around. She checked I was still 3cm dialted, percaya tak?? It has been 3 weeks of only 3 cm opening? But only this time, I was fully effaced. 3 weeks ago, the dinding was still tebal. So she said since sudah fully effaced and already dilated, and I am already 1 day overdue (already term), she said she wouldn't want to wait long. Takut baby berak dalam perut. So she suggested to induce the baby out.

I was admitted to the labour room straight, that time it was 11am. I was asked if I wanted to eat anything first, I refused because I just had my breakfast at 8am earlier, little did I know that I was not gonna allowed to take any food once I enter the labour room.

Ini adalah labour room di SDMC.

At 12pm we started with CTG scan, dengar baby's heartbeat and monitor the contraction. After about half an hour the midwife came in and told me that the reading doesn't look fantastic. My baby's heartbeat was at sleeping pattern. It could be two things, either she was really sleeping, or it could be some kind of a complication (I really can't remember what was the scenario, I was too panic to focus on what she was saying) that requires me to do a c-sec. Doctor Siti advised me to take a walk for about 45 minutes and re-do the CTG scan, and thank god, the reading was back to normal. Meanwhile...still no contraction.

The midwife gave me ubat untuk berak. Sesuatu cecair yang di pancutkan ke dalam bontot. OK, tak perlu la  nak describe it, tapi effect dia... huh, within 2 minutes. Terasa kosong perut lepas tu. Dr Siti came by and checked my opening. It was already 4cm. Ntah kenapa kali ni, dia seluk terasa amat sakit. She then pecahkan air ketuban. Terasa air yang keluar tu sangat warm. Terasa macam tahan kencing selama seminggu and finally terkencing dalam seluar. Camtu la rasanya. Then, it was time to induce, masuk macam drip air slowly, killing me hour by hour.

Well, memula tu ada rasa contraction tapi tak la sakit sangat, tapi lama-lama...... I think start sakit sangat masa pukul 4pm onwards. Camne rasa sakit contraction? Macam period pain, tapi the intensity is 200 times more than normal period pain, indescribable. And it gets more and more intensed by the hour.

I remembered the midwife gave me a few options on pain management. And if I want to take those, I have to request before the cervix dilated to 6cm. At first, I was contemplating, I know some people who went through labour without taking any pain killer. My sister in law is one of them. So to me, probably the pain is bearable, so I planned to go without anything. TETAPI, at 5cm dilation, memang tak tahan, sakit dia tuhan je tahu. I was lack of oxygen, they had to give me some breathing assistance. My baby's heartbeat was going low and low everytime the contraction comes. Hubby got to remind me to breathe in so that my baby could also breathe. But I was lack of oxygen, I couldnt breathe in, I felt so warm in the labour room, I was sweating, I thought I was gonna die.

Every contraction hubby had to remind me "Breathe in sayang, baby's heartbeat is dropping", and when I hear that, I gathered my strength to breathe, ntah dari mana semangat tu datang, just for my baby. At 5cm dilation, I asked the midwife to cucuk my bontot with Pethidine (which only relief 20% of the pain). Oh, tak rasa macam amik pain killer langsung. Masih sakit kay. Dia cuma bagi khayal and tido jer kot. Tapi bila contraction datang.... huh! Betul-betul rasa macam nyawa kat hujung tanduk, seriously, I am not exaggerating. Rasa nak mati tu bukan sebab sakit contraction tu, by the way, jangan salah sangka, rasa nak mati tu datangnya daripada tak cukup oxygen, bila takleh nak tarik nafas, tu yang rasa nak mati tu.

Berkali-kali jugak la, midwife datang untuk seluk vagina nak tengok berapa cm dah bukak. Lepas 6cm onwards, sakit contraction makin menjadi-jadi. Somewhere along the way, the midwife gave me the laughing gas, I didn't ask for it though. Dia bagi, amik je la. Sedut gas ni memang best. I would say relief jugak la sakit contraction yang semakin teruk tu.

Midwife kept asking me "Ada rasa nak terberak tak? Kalau ada rasa nak terberak panggil ok?" And everytime contraction comes, hubby kept on asking "Ada rasa nak terberak tak?" Sebenarnya memang ada rasa nak terberak dah 2-3 jam yang lalu dah, I dont understand apekah maksud nak terberak tu. So when they kept asking while I was in pain, seriously rasa nak penampar je sapa yang tanya tu.

Finally at 10pm, I heard the midwife said "9.5cm bukak, panggil doctor jap eh.." OMG, it's time! AND, surprisingly at that very moment, hilang terus rasa sakit contraction. Although the contraction reading tu semakin tinggi, tapi memang tak sakit, yang rasa hanya rasa nak terberak! Oh, ini maksudnya nak terberak, macam ada sesuatu nak terkeluar dari bawah ni yang sangat keras.

Dr Siti came in, together with 3 other midwives and my husband, semua suruh I push push push. Everytime ada contraction, I have to teran sekuat hati. To be honest, I wasn't doing very well in the beginning. Each contraction boleh tarik nafas and teran sebanyak 3 long ones. Tapi I could only do two times. Hey, dont blame me. I had lack of oxygen, and my last meal was 14 hours ago. Mana ada tenaga beb! They kept on saying "Teran macam nak berak keras" and hubby said I actually shouted (I dont remember though) "Mana ada berak keras sangat macam niiiiiii!!!!???"

Dr Siti told me that if I don't do it right baby will be suffocated sebab kepala baby asyik keluar bila teran then masuk balik when I inhale, What they want is kepala baby to keluar and tak masuk-masuk dah, so I had to do it fast and take every chance I have on every contraction. Mendengar kan baby akan suffocate, sekali lagi, semangat yang datang ntah dari mana kuat balik. Maka teran la aku like there's no tomorrow. Doctor also performed episiotomy, untuk besarkan lubang nak keluarkan kepala baby, and dia potong tu tak rasa pon, walaupun dengar bunyi gunting tu.

Teran punya teran, tetiba at 10.48pm terasa perut kempis dari selalu and ada rasa sesuatu yang sangat panas placed on my tummy. It was the baby, and she was purple. Ya Allah... did I almost lose her because I had no energy to push her out. Oh God, Alhamdulillah.. dia selamat dikeluarkan jugak. Syukur, ya Allah....

Doctor asked my hubby if he wanted to cut the tali pusat, and he said yes. Dia potong tali pusat tu while she was on me, although I don't remember that scene. Then they took her away untuk cuci segala.

Introducing little Imaan Iris Binti Muhamad Shazali, weighed 3.4kg. Lepas cuci, she was no more purple. She was as white as snow, lips as red as blood, I swear she was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen in my life.

Then doctor keluarkan uri pulak dari perut together with apa-apa saja benda yang telah bersarang dalam perut ni selama 9 bulan. I dont know about other people but to me, keluarkan uri ni agak sakit la, sebab doktor tu seluk masuk dalam vagina untuk tarik keluar. After that, doctor jahit potongan tadi. but before that dia inject local anesthetic kat peha, so tak rasa la sakit menjahit tu. Terasa sangat lega lepas tu.

Then they put Iris on my chest tapi she did not latch on straight away. I had the privilege to hold her for a while, before they took her to the nursery to warm her up.

I was changed to a single bedded room at about 1am. That was the longest night in my life.

Syukur...ya Allah. May you be everything that your name spells out. Be faithful and be the iris of my eyes forever...

39th week Checkup

YES, I am still around with this big belly. It gets me so restless and anxious at the same time, the fact that I was 3cm dilated 2 weeks ago, and nothing really changed until this week's checkup.

The past 2 weeks, I have not been feeling or seeing any changes to my body. In fact, I get less Braxton Hicks although stronger than I usually feel, but very less frequent.

Last few days before I went for my 39th week checkup, I was experiencing a real pain on my right abdomen. Sakit dia macam ada a very heavy batu in my right stomach, very hard, campur dengan angin. Urgghh... hard to explain. Tapi perut memang mengeras ke sebelah kanan and I could not move AT ALL. I was crying in pain. I couldnt even call out for my husband, not that he could do anything, but I wished I could at least reach him and get him to hold me tight. It lasted about 40 minutes. Then perut lembut balik.

The next day, the same thing happened again. I looked at the time, it was about the same time as the day before, same feeling, same spot. This time, I could reach out my husband's hand, gerak dia told him I was in pain. But maybe because I was too gentle (I really could not move, nak gerak kuat-kuat pon tak mampu), my husband tak jaga langsung. I cried again alone that night for 40 minutes.

The next day, I was contemplating whether or not to go to hospital to check my baby's condition. Benda yang paling menakutkan adalah kalau baby terlilit dengan tali pusat. Friends suggest to go straight to hospital, but when I consulted my mom, she said, she had experienced that before. She said the baby actually moved, kepala from bawah pusing 180 deg naik ke atas, within that small space and considering the size of the baby, of course la rasa sakit. And the baby memang suka stay at one side and mengeras, so it's normal. When I thought about it again, i think it's possible because rasa sakit tu memang seolah-olah baby berpusing. Moreover, I never fail to monitor baby's movement, and they seem fine and consistent. So InsyaAllah, nothing to be worried about. I patiently waited for the next checkup.

When I get to see Dr D, syukur sangat ya Allah, the moment she saw me, she said "Baby dah turun ye. Banyak dia turun" then she smiled. She checked the using the doppler, and we heard the baby's heartbeat, and she said "very good". The she started to scan the baby, again showing me every part of the baby's body. Baby was growing by 200g in a week. She was 3.2kg. And the doctor confirmed baby has already engaged. Alhamdulillah..... syukur. At least something new this week. The position of the baby was good, tali pusat ok, air ketuban ok, everything else was functioning, alhamdulillah...balik rumah, happy again.

Now I just have to wait for my contraction or waterbag burst. Can't imagine which will come first. Lama betul from 3cm dilation nak bukak lebih besar, 2 weeks dah ni. Takpe lah, sabar je laa... Keep telling myself, she will come out, when she is ready! :)

 

38th week Checkup

I was scheduled to see Dr Delaila for my checkup this week due to Dr Siti being on holiday till Christmas (my due date).

I went to do research about Dr D, mana tau ada comment yang tak best ke, buruk-buruk ke about this doctor dalam any momTobe blogs. I have to get ready, man! because this woman might be the one yang menyambut anakku nanti. Well, I have also asked around including my bestfriends who had Dr D as their gynae. Percaya lah, susah nak buat decision, I have heard good and bad.

After meeting Dr D yesterday, what I can sum up from the whole thing is, sesiapa yang straight chose Dr D as the gynae, swear to god, you'll love her. She is good, she gives detailed explanation about your condition, and sometimes, she makes jokes too. Cuma PR dia tak berapa bagus, she has that look that says "you dont mess with me, I am a bloody good gynae"). And she distinguishes patients by referring Dr Siti as "your doctor" seolah-olah I am not her patient. The fact that I am seeing her now, makes me her patient la, no? But i don't doubt her skills at all laaa. She is good.

Tetapi sesiapa yang pernah jumpa Dr Siti dulu then jumpa Dr D, they'll definitely have problems with Dr D. Dr Siti sangat la penyayang, lembut and very pleasant. Ada pros and cons la antara dua famous doctor di SMDC ni.

But what I can say is, kalau la kene beranak dgn Dr D pon, I'm happy. After being consulted by her, rest assured that she is a good gynae.

Ok, let's talk about my condition. She held my perut, pegang jer, she can tell where are the kaki, the bontot and the muka. Of cos if she was lying pon, I wouldnt know, haha. Then she said "oh, my at 38 weeks, your baby is still floating" means, she was not yet engaged. But not to worry, ada je orang yang dah into labor, baby still not engaged. So that is not the determination.

Then dia mula scan perut, she showed me every part of baby's body. The baby is already downwards, but not engaged. She said the baby is not too big, just nice, 3.0kg, but has a very chubby face. Dr D said my baby cute.. hahah sbb montel. :p Air ketuban sangat cukup, everything else was functioning well, alhamdulillah...cuma baby je tak engage lagi.

I was kinda disappointed that doc refused to do V.E (seluk vagina) to see the opening sebab takut bleeding. She wanted me to watch out for the actual blood discharge that gives signal for labour, not blood due to V.E.

I soo wanted to know if the cervix has opened more than 3cm. It has been 1 week plus. So curious to know sama ada tebal sangat dinding rahim nak bukak more than 3cm, atau pun sudah bukak lebih besar, saya yang tak rasa sakit-sakit contraction. I don't know.

So, back to square one. She sent me home with another week of MC and wait until I have active contraction (selang 5 minit) or waterbag burst. But at least I am happy to know that my waterbag still banyak (for one week, sangat risau kalau waterbag pecah tapi tak sedar, then takut baby lemas), also happy to know that baby is doing well inside the womb (for one week everytime rasa sakit perut, I was worried if baby tersimpul dengan tali pusat), ahhh macam-macam kerisauan. Also, orang kata nak beranak ni rasa cam nak terberak. Huh, everytime nak berak jer, risau sangat takut kepala baby terkeluar, rupanya blom engage pon. heheh..

So another thing that Dr D told me to do for the next one week is to monitor my baby's movement. I have to time the movement, tak kisah la kicking ke, berpusing ke, gerak ke, menggeliat ke, any type of movement. From 9 am and count until the 10th movement. The 10th movement of the day must not be later than 5pm. If dah pukul 5pm tapi blom sampai 10th movement, something is wrong with your baby inside, cepat-cepat pegi hospital.

Today, first day monitored the movement. Dalam satu jam je dah dapat 10 movement, hehe..baby ku masih lagi active, seronok sangat tak mau keluar.

OK la sayang..duduk la dalam tu sampai ready to come out k? Jangan tumbuk pelvic bone and bladder mama banyak-banyak kali, sudah....sakit..sayang :) P/S: jangan keluar malam ni...mama nak tengok bola MalaysiaVsThai (AffSuzuki2012) haha :p

Pre-labour Stage

It has been exactly one week since Dr Siti last performed VE (seluk vagina) and found that I was 3 cm dilating. Still, there are no active signs of labour. That's because I have been very inactive at home for the past one week. Dr Siti would have let me continue working if my office is near to my house. But driving 80km daily back and fro is really not advisable at this stage. So she let me rest at home.

Signs of labour:

• Persistent lower back pain or abdominal pain, with a pre-menstrual feeling and cramps. - I have the lower back and abdominal pain, pre-menstrual feeling but no cramps.
• Painful contractions that occur at regular and increasingly shorter intervals, and become longer and stronger in intensity. - My contractions is very normal and irregular and still within long intervals. However, my tummy always get hardened and sometimes causes some pain when it gets hard. Sometimes, I am confused if this is also called contraction. I wouldn't know.
• Broken waters. Your membranes may rupture with a gush or a trickle of amniotic fluid. Either way, call your maternity unit to let them know. - No yet at this point. But I have read some blogs where moms didnt even realise that the water has burst until doctor told them during the weekly checkup. Ini menakutkan sedikit.
• A brownish or blood-tinged mucus discharge (bloody show). If you pass the mucus plug that blocks the cervix, labour could be imminent, or it could be several days away. It's a sign that things are moving along. - Early of the week, I have got some blood discharge but the midwife said it could be because of VE done by doctor. It stopped after two days. However, lately, I noticed that there are some mucus plug around the vagina slowly leaking. It is very clear but sticky and no smell.
• An upset tummy or loose bowels. - I get this everyday for the last one week.
• A period of feeling very emotional or moody - Easily get angry, yes!
• Disrupted sleep - Oh, EVERY NIGHT i cry because of this!

Read more: http://www.babycentre.co.uk/a181/how-will-i-know-when-i-am-in-labour#ixzz2Eiu5OuZb

However, selagi takde active contraction and air ketuban tak pecah, nothing to be alarmed about. But there is one thing I just found out today that I should be doing while resting at home....monitor baby's movement. I guess a bit too late for me now, as tomorrow will be my next appointment with the doctor, I'll just wait then.

Monitor baby's movement:
Draw a chart of the timing when the baby moves.
Start at the same time everyday and the 10th movement of the baby must be about the same time everyday (plus minus 1 hour).
If it's not... you must immediately go to the hospital.

For the past one week I have tried a few natural ways to induce labour. Although not diligently, but I have tried them anyway.

Natural induced labour:
1. Walking - The simple act of walking during pregnancy may help draw the baby down into your pelvis (thanks to gravity and the swaying of your hips). The pressure of the baby on your pelvis may then prime your cervix for labor — or may help labor progress if you've already felt some contractions. But if you have not been exercising the last 9 months of your life, this is VERY difficult, I tell you. Mengah dia tak terlawan. For the past one week, I have only done 1 day of evening walk, and about 10 times of naik turun the stairs daily. Thta's all I can afford to do. 

2. Sex - Sperm contains prostaglandins — hormones that can help thin and dilate the cervix, ripening it for delivery. What's more, an orgasm releases the hormone oxytocin, which can trigger contractions. In past one week, I have only done this once! Sebab serious, tak larat! But if you can do this everyday, nescaya cepat je nak beranak. Buat sekali pon dah nampak lubang vagina yang sedikit membesar.

3. Evening primrose oil - this herb can help the cervix thin and dilate and prep it for labor. You can take evening primrose oil capsules, or rub the oil onto your cervix during the last weeks of pregnancy. You can even insert the capsules into your vagina. Tapi saya tak buat ni. Nak insert atau nak makan pil-pil ni tak caya sikit.

4. Spicy Food -  Some people believe that spicy food, like castor oil, irritates your intestines (but more gently) and that can cause your uterus to contract. Spicy food is my favourite. Tapi kadang-kadang tu jadi sakit perut plak lebih-lebih, so be careful.

5. Acupuncture - Acupuncture, the art of inserting thin needles into specific pressure points on the body, can stimulate uterine activity and nudge the baby into action. Ishhh tak payah laaa sampai nak cucuk-cucuk, tak? 

6. Nipple stimulation - That's right, nipple stimulation (massaging and twisting) for a few hours a day can cause your body to release the hormone oxytocin, which brings on contractions. I don't do this myself of course. Rasa bodoh je nak stimulate diri sendiri. Please...get help from hubby :)

source: http://www.whattoexpect.com/pregnancy/photo-gallery/natural-ways-to-induce-labor.aspx#/slide-2


So basically i have done nothing much to induce labour. Not that i am at risk of overdue or anything like that. Baru nak masuk full term. So i believe that i should just wait whenever she is ready to meet me. No need to force her to come out. Maybe she needs more time to play inside my womb.

Baby I, just let me know whenever time you are ready, ok?