My Boys

cayden was exactly 21 months old when kian was born. it's been 5 days since then. cayden is still testing the water. he knows kian is a "baby" but still doesnt really know what to make out of him (toy or not?). cayden is still a bit rough. but what do you expect from someone as young as him? nevertheless, he tries to be a sweet kuya by always calling kian, "baby", kissing him every chance he gets and patting him, albeit a bit hard at times, on the head *oopss*

i noticed that sometimes, cayden tries to be the centre of attention. he will do naughty things and do his naughty laugh. and it's really difficult to be patient when he's really pushing you to the limits. i feel guilty whenever i scold him. whenever we scold him. i hope he doesnt feel less loved just because there's someone new in the family. especially someone who needs a lot more attention than him.

but i also noticed that cayden became more malambing. he would readily give you a kiss or a hug. and when my hormones act up (crying for no reason at all!) - he would say "wawa (kawawa)" then will wipe my tears and give me a hug, with matching patting of my back!

kian, on the other hand, just sleeps and feeds when he's awake. he sleeps for most of the day and night. he doesnt cry much, only when hungry. not even when he soiled his nappy =D. he's purely breastfed. nothing much to say about him. he's a newborn anyway!

hopefully, once we get on a proper routine, i'll have more patience. i'll be able to equally divide my time between the 2 kids. and as cayden matures, he'll understand that daddy and mommy love him and kian just the same =D

He Came Too Quickly

im talking about kian here =D

my due date is tomorrow (12 feb). even though my midwife kept telling me 2nd babies tend to come sooner and quicker, especially with cases like mine, who has given birth not that long ago, i really thought he wouldnt come on time (cayden was 6 days overdue).

so when i felt painful contractions last wednesday (9 feb), i couldnt believe that kian's on his way. was really happy that i wouldnt have to go through another week of difficulties, selfish as it might sound. the contractions started at around 10:30 in the morning. i have downloaded a contraction app on my phone that monitors how far in between the contractions are and how long they last, which was really helpful!

from 10:30am till about 6pm, the contractions were about 10-15minutes apart, lasting about a minute each. very painful but manageable. i was still able to play with cayden, watch tv with him and wash the dishes. i twitted, sometime that afternoon: is feb 10 "the day", believing it will take that long before my contractions become 4-5mins apart, which would be the time to go to the hospital (as advised by my midwife).

around 6:07pm, i texted my midwife, just to let her know that i was in labour already but no water breakage yet (with cayden, my water broke first before having painful contractions). she said to contact her (not even go to the birthing centre/hospital yet) if the contractions become 4-5 mins apart or if my water breaks.

tantan came home around 7pm that night. i was in bed because pain has become more excruciating (but not as painful as i can remember with cayden's so i wasnt really panicking yet). he brought me dinner in bed and in between contractions, we were still managing a conversation. and even though the contraction app was telling me that my contractions were coming too close to each other (like 3-4mins apart, lasting 1.5mins each), i still didnt give it much notice only because i can still feel kian moving in my tummy. but i didnt think for once that that "move" is actually him going further down and trying to get out! and i thought that bec kian's moving, he's making the contractions come too quickly and that if he stops, contraction will ease up again.

anyways, around 8:20, i felt like pushing with every contraction. and pain has become very very torturous. i told tantan to contact my midwife but he couldnt get through. he then tried phoning the hospital and the ward where my midwife was supposed to be didnt really know what tantan was on about (midwife told me that if we couldnt get through to her, to contact the ward instead). all they were saying was to contact the birthing centre as that's where we originally planned to give birth.

at that point, i was already screaming with every contraction. i told tantan to try calling the midwife again and fortunately, he was able to get through. but the one who answered wasnt my midwife as she's already off work. the reliever told us to phone for an ambulance bec i told them i wouldnt be able to walk anymore. the paramedic will decide whether to bring me to the hospital or to the birthing centre and the midwife will just meet us where ever.

tantan phoned 999 and while he was being asked lots of questions, i can feel kian crowning already. i was lying on my left side and they were trying to tell me to lie on my back. i couldnt!!! they asked if my water has broken yet - i wasnt sure. i honestly believed it hasnt although at that point, i felt like i peed! the phone operator asked tantan to take my bottoms down and that's when they (tantan, mom and cayden - yes, he was there watching!) saw blood and kian's hair!

the medics arrived 5 mins after placing the call. there were 2 guys and 1 girl. the first guy paramedic at the scene was the one who delivered the baby. he arrived just in time to catch kian's head (after only pushing 3 times!). and then a few minutes after, his whole body followed. he was out at 8:40pm. tantan cut the cord. i saw and held kian only very briefly because i was having another contraction. the placenta was on its way out as well (medics thought it will take at least an hour, in time for when im in the hosp already). after that's over and done with, they brought me and kian to the hospital. tantan followed in our car. my mom was left with cayden and to tidy up my mess (she said it's difficult to commit a crime - it's hard covering up the evidences lol)

we were probably at the hospital around 9:30pm. kian was weighed (3.77kg/8.2lbs) and cleaned a little bit. i was checked but i had to wait hours before i was stitched up. i suffered from 2deg tear again. the annoying bit was, i was checked by the midwife, then she called a junior doctor (male!!) who then called a senior doctor.  all three poked all my holes down there and it was more painful than the birthing experience i just had!

after that, i had a scare. i was about to take a bath. i peed and big clots came out. i got really dizzy to the point of fainting. pulse rate was 68, bp was 80/60. midwife stayed and monitored me for about 30mins. fortunately, it was nothing and everything went well after that.

finally, i was taken to the ward at around 3am. had a shower and tantan was asked to go home. he came back as soon as he was allowed to later that day. i only managed 30mins of sleep bec kian was being fussy. we were discharged around lunchtime that same day, after seeing the pediatrician and having had the hearing screening test.

i hoped and prayed that kian wouldnt wait that long to come out. i was happy for him to pop out on his due date. we were told over and over by different people that 2nd babies will pop out quicker. but we didnt really expect it to be that quick!!! nonetheless, we're happy that everything turned out well, for both me and kian. it was an experience nonetheless. we were hoping for another water birth, but heck, a home birth??? never in our wildest dreams!!

39W, 2D

pic taken 7 feb '11

you'd think he'll want to come out soon since he doesnt fit in my tummy that well anymore! but he's got other plans, i tell you!

i am feeling some mild contractions, painful at times. but still not regular. and im having this feeling that he'll go over his due date, like his big brother.

o well, as long as the delivery will be as straight forward as his kuya's, sige na nga. stay as long as you like (but not to the point that mommy will have to be induced, ok?)

Birth Centre

yesterday, tantan and i went to the new forest birthing centre, where im planning to give birth, for a tour. it's just 4 miles away from us, really easy to get to since we live near the motorway. that being said, the hospital, where i gave birth to cayden, is closer to us than the birth centre.

the birth centre is purely midwife-led. no doctors. so they only accept straight-forward deliveries. they only offer gas and air (which will work with water birth) and pethidine (not recommended for water birth as there's risk of drowning since it makes you drowsy). NO EPIDURAL.

since my experience with cayden was relatively easy, my midwife suggested having a look at the birth centre because the facilities are better. she suggested it the first time, but since it was my first, i opted to give birth in a hospital just in case. but this time around, we're quite happy to have a look and if we like what we see, we'll definitely give it a go. especially since we're planning to have another water birth.

and the birth centre didnt disappoint. aside from the fact that it's right at the edge of the forest (still with easy access to the hospital via ambulance, 3-5mins) - where it's quiet and peaceful, we were pretty impressed with the birthing rooms, especially the pools. the pools (tubs) are deeper, which the midwife said is more effective for pain relief. since the water is deeper, you can try different positions, making you more buoyant. unlike with my previous experience, the tub was just like a home tub (ours is even deeper) and i cant really say whether it helped or not. then again, i didnt have anything to compare it to so maybe it did help?

the birthing pool - 1st half of the birthing room

2nd half of the birthing room

in the ward - more spacious than in the hospital

the shallow birthing pool at the hospital

only 6 days to go till my EDD. im fervently praying that kian pops out soon, or at least on time. im having difficulty walking and getting up, something i dont remember ever experiencing with cayden. add  to that, i havent been feeling well the past few days - the damn cough is back (my left side is still hurting from my previous episode of chest infection - havent recovered yet!).

my platelets went up when i had the chest infection. normal range is 150-400. mine was 510, from 300 tested previously. that means, there's high risk of clotting ( the other side of the spectrum: low platelets = bleeding). think DVT, pulmonary embolism - scary scary shit!

had a repeat blood test last week and fortunately, it went down to 427. still over the upper limit but since it went down, it must be good right? but since im coughing again im afraid that my platelets might shoot up again. i have an appointment with my midwife tom and hopefully, we can sort this out. if platelets are high, i might not be able to give birth at the birthing centre.

we'll see....