[ENG] It’s been ages since my last post, yes! Gladly to announce that my baby bug has arrived, yay! And boy this mama has been so busy and exhausted within these 3 months. But now i’m back with my labor and delivery story. Hopefuly it could be useful for other mamas or mamas to be 🙂

As you might know already from the title that i have a vaginal birth with epidural at the hospital.

January 12th, 2017 marked the day where i first met my boy, been so grateful that he is born healthy and cute. It was my monthly control day actually and i was around my 38 weeks — i have been feeling some braxton-hicks in the last couple of weeks but nothing serious that i have to call in. So, it was just a common control day to my obgyn with no sign of labor.

Once i went in, my obgyn wanted to check whether there is a dilation (it hurts so bad since it was my first time being checked but i am getting used to it after couple of times later) and yes i was dilated 2 cm with no labor sign but he told me to have a ctg scan to see the contractions. And there i was on my ctg scan — when i was on ctg, i felt some contractions but the nurse said that it’s not a labor contraction.

Suddenly the baby’s heartbeat dropped to only 60! I was panicked and called the nurse, she then phoned the obgyn and i was told to breath through the oxygen hose and was infused. When i was under infused, my contractions suddenly increased so bad, up until i was heavily breathing and it was only 0.5 to 1 minute apart, so it was pretty bad already.

I called the nurse and she then checked my dilation again and i was 4 cm dilated. I started my contraction at 04.30 PM — when i was 4 cm dilated, they moved me to the delivery room. At this point i was in pain so bad, i kept trying to keep my breath stable and when i was 5 cm dilated, i gave up and asked for an epidural. Unfortunately, when you asked for an epidural, you will not get that straight away. I remembered my husband had to finish the administration first downstairs, then they had to prepare the tools and called the anesthesia doctor. I think i have to wait like half an hour before i got my epidural. When i got them, i already 6 cm dilated. It’s quite fast for first labor thank God.

About epidural, it’s actually them putting a needle size of syringe inside your back and leave them there until all the delivery process is done then take it out. Does it hurt? It stings a little but way better than the contractions i was feeling. 1 dosage of my epidural is for 3 hours, and i was put under 1 dosage. You can add another dosage if you want to when you feel the pain again. The question is, is the pain really gone? well, i know that some people don’t feel anything when put under epidural, but in my case, i still felt the pain of the need to push down there. The epidural decreased the pain in my stomach (the contraction) but not the need to push — if that makes sense– (yes, it hurts when you need to push but you may not because you’re not yet full 10 cm dilated). My labor is from 04.30 – 10.28 PM . It’s a fast labor as i said.

My water finally broke when i was 8 cm dilated. So, when i’ve reached 9 cm dilated, my epidural is no longer working. I remember asking for another dosage because i felt the contractions were back and it was so bad (it was already 9 cm contraction) — but the nurse refused to add another dosage because she said, you just 1 cm apart and if you add the epidural now, it will be so hard for you to push — you will not feel the need to push. So, i kind of again feeling the maximum pain of the contractions until the end of my labor.

When i was 10 cm dilated, i finally been told to push. And man i don’t know how relieved it felt to push. After couple of pushes, my baby is arrived!!! You may be thinking of how wonderfully it will feel when the baby is out, but well it’s only on the drama — once the baby is out, the nurse will take him straight away to be cleaned, injected, weight him, etc. So, i was practically just lying there looking at the nurses cleaning him while feeling some stitches down there. Yes, i did feel the stitches, i even could remember how it feels right now while writing this. I felt the needle being sewed onto my skin. Oh and i haven’t mentioned that my husband was with me in all of the process, he’s busy taking videos and pictures of course 🙂

After everything was done, the baby then was put onto my breast for skin to skin moment. That was the first time i hold him. For about an hour later the nurse then take him to the baby room. I was then told to rest before they have to move me to my room the in the morning.

After labor, i felt hot! Yes, hot! I was sweating all night and can’t sleep because of the heat. And it was a cold room actually, i think my body had been working so much, it’s heated up and sweating. And i have to lay down for 6 hours before trying to stand up (because i had epidural — 4 hours if you don’t use epidural). And it was so hard to stand at first, because the stitches sting so bad. I had a really hard time to sit, to go down to pee and even to move my bottom at first, until they give me some pain killer which was being inserted through your “anus”. It sounds scary but It such a relieved to have the pain killer because then i am able to sit and move better.

i only had the pain killer for 2 days, and it’s been so much better. By 1 week, the stiches are so much much better. It’s a very fast recovery if you have a vaginal birth, trust me. It will take longer for the C-section wound than the vaginal birth. So, this is little about my labor & delivery story. So hard to put on words because it’s all about feeling and feeling.

My Tips :

1. If you are thinking to take an epidural, ask for it earlier because you have to get done the administration first to get it
2. Don’t forget to bring some snacks and milk or cereal ! You will get starving once everything is over, and it is so much easier to take on liquid or snacks instead of heavy meals (remember that you are still lying down for hours) — so i drank some cereal milk with a straw that is prepared by my husband
3. Prepare your diaper bag way before your due date, i have no idea that it’s gonna be my labor day that day. I have packed my diaper bag but didn’t happen to bring it to the hospital (since i was going to the hospital only for my monthly control). — my husband then brought it the next day — he only need to take the bag since i have prepared it all, it’s so much easier for him.
4. Bring your breast pump to the hospital. I started pumping on the second day.
5. Bring some socks, you’ll feel cold the next day
6. Take the pain killer! I refused at first since it sounds really scary but after taking it, it’s such a big help!

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[IND] Serasa sudah berabad-abad yah ga nulis! Puji syukur, bayi saya telah lahir dengan sehat dan lucu, dan namanya juga mama baru, sibuknya bukan main selama 3 bulan cuti ini. Tetapi, sekarang saya kembali dengan beberapa update mengenai eksim, book of faith dan kali ini mengenai cerita persalinan yang saya jalani.

Seperti yang terbaca pada judul post ini, saya menjalani proses persalinan normal di rumah sakit dengan bantuan epidural.

 

12 Januari 2017 adalah hari dimana saya pertama kali bertemu sang buah hati, begitu bersyukur dia lahir dengan sehat dan lucu. Hari itu sebenarnya adalah hari kontrol bulanan saya ke dokter — saya sedang hamil 38 minggu — dan telah merasakan beberapa kontraksi palsu selama beberapa minggu terakhir namun tidak ada yang terlalu serius.

Setelah nama saya dipanggil dan saya di usg, dokter pun memeriksa pembukaan untuk melihat apakah sudah ada pembukaan apa belum (rasanya? sakit banget, karena ini pertama kalinya saya di cek, namun lama-kelamaan mulai biasa saat kemudian di cek lagi berkali-kali oleh suster saat kontraksi makin hebat) — dan ya saya sudah di pembukaan 2, namun belum ada tanda-tanda melahirkan. Jadi, saya di minta untuk cek ctg untuk megecek kontraksi dan jantung baby. Jadilah saya di cek ctg, saat di ctg saya merasakan beberapa kontraksi namun kata suster bukan kontraksi lahiran.

Lalu tiba-tiba jantung baby drop hingga ke 60, disana saya panik dan langsung panggil suster, kemudian suster pun langsung menghubungi dokter saya dan akhirnya saya diinfus dan harus dipasang selang oksigen untuk membantu memberikan oksigen pada baby di dalam. Saat saya diinfus, kontraksi saya makin hebat dan berjarak hanya 0.5 – 1 menit, saya harus mengatur napas sedemikian rupa untuk menahan sakitnya.

Kemudian saya panggil kembali suster dan setelah di cek pembukaan ternyata sudah masuk pembukaan 4. Saya mulai merasakan kontraksi pada jam 16.30 WIB — kemudian ketika saya sudah masuk pembukaan 4 saya kemudian dipindahkan ke kamar bersalin. Pada titik ini, saya sudah sangat kesakitan namun saya tetap mencoba mengatur napas, lalu ketika saya masuk ke pembukaan 5, saya yang udah ga tahan akhirnya meminta epidural. Sayangnya, ketika kita meminta epidural, itu tak langsung bisa dipasang, karena suami saya harus urus administrasinya dulu, susnya harus siapin alatnya dulu dan nunggu dokternya untuk datang dahulu. Kira-kira setengah jam saya menunggu untuk dipasangkan epidural. Saat saya dipasang epidural, saya sudah masuk ke pembukaan 6. Proses pembukaan saya berjalan sangat cepat puji Tuhan.

Mengenai epidural, adalah jarum seukuran sehelai rambut yang dimasukkan dalam tulang belakang dan ditinggalkan didalam sampai seluruh proses persalinan selesai kemudian dilepaskan. Sakitkah? Menyengat sedikit tapi jauh lebih baik daripada rasa sakit kontraksi. Saya di masukkan 1 dosis epidural, 1 dosis epidural saya bertahan 3 jam yang dapat ditambah lagi dosisnya jika efeknya mulai menghilang. Apakah bener-bener menghilangkan sakitnya? Saya tahu ada beberapa orang yang sama sekali tak merasakan sakit saat dipasangkan epidural — tapi dalam kasus saya, epidural menghilangkan rasa sakit kontraksi yang terasa di perut (mulesnya) tapi saya tetap merasakan sakitnya menahan untuk ga ngeden (yes, nahan ngeden itu sakit). Proses persalinan saya di mulai dari jam 16.30 – 22.28 WIB. Terbilang cepat untuk persalinan pertama.

Pada pembukaan 8 air ketuban saya pecah, lalu memasuki pembukaan 9 efek epidural saya habis. Dan saya pun meminta untuk menambah dosisnya lagi namun di tolak oleh susternya, menurut ybs, udah tanggung karena tinggal 1 pembukaan lagi dan kalau saya tambah sekarang maka nanti saya jadinya ga bisa ngeden karena ga berasa. Jadilah saya kembali merasakan mulesnya kontraksi pada tingkat maksimum.

Ketika saya sudah pembukaan 10 akhirnya saya diminta untuk ngeden, dan rasanya sangat melegakan saat ngeden. Setelah beberapa dorongan, baby saya pun keluar! Mungkin kita sering membayangkan momen indah saat baby keluar ya, namun realitanya ga sebegitunya. Saat baby keluar, baby akan langsung dibawa sama susnya untuk dibersihkan, di suntik, ditimbang, dll — sementara saya masih berbaring melihat susnya bersihin baby saya sambil merasakan rasanya di jahit (yes, jahitannya berasa), saya bahkan masih ingat persis rasanya sampai hari ini. Saya bisa merasakan benang-benang ditarik dan dijahit ke kulit saya. Tapi tenang saja, sakitnya ga sampe ga bisa tahan kok. Setelah baby keluar semua mules dan sakit langsung hilang. Oh ya, suami saya tentu menemani dalam segala proses ini dan sibuk mengabadikan momen ini 🙂

Setelah semuanya selesai, baby pun ditaruk di dada saya untuk proses IMD. Inilah pertama kalinya saya memeluk anak saya. Sekitar satu jam kemudian baby kemudian diambil dan dipindahkan ke kamar bayi.

Yang saya rasakan setelah persalinan adalah panas! Ya, saya keringetan semalaman dan ga bisa tidur padahal kamarnya dingin. Mungkin badan saya habis “bekerja” berat sehingga akhirnya panas dan keringetan. Saya harus berbaring selama 6 jam sebelum mencoba berdiri dan berjalan (4 jam jika tanpa epidural). Dan terasa susah pertama kalinya harus berdiri, berjalan, duduk dan bahkan untuk geser maaf pantat. Sampai pada saat saya diberikan pain killer (pereda nyeri) yang dimasukkan lewat anus baru rasanya mendingan bisa jalan, duduk, dan bergerak.

Saya hanya menggunakan pain killer selama 2 hari dan setelah itu sudah jauh lebih baik, saat sudah 1 minggu, rasa jahitannya udah oke banget. Dan memang benar, proses pemulihan persalinan normal itu jauh lebih cepat daripada sesar. Inilah cerita persalinan saya, mungkin singkat dan susah sebenarnya menjabarkannya, karena semuanya tuh lebih ke feeling feeling feeling 🙂

Tips Saya :

1. Kalau mau pakai epidural, mintalah lebih awal karena butuh waktu untuk proses administrasinya, dll.
2. Jangan lupa untuk bawa beberapa snack dan susu !!! Saya langsung kelaperan banget sehabis bersalin dan karena cuma bisa baringan jadi susah banget kalau makan berat, paling gampang minum susu dari sedotan dan makan snack.
3. Siapkan diaper bag jauh-jauh hari, seperti saya juga ga nyangka akan lahiran di hari itu. Tapi untungnya diaper bag saya sudah siap semua jadi walaupun di hari itu ga kebawa (karena rencana cuma kontrol biasa), suami saya besokannya langsung angkut yang sudah saya siapkan.
4. Bawa pompa ! saya mulai pompa di hari kedua.
5. Bawa kaos kaki karena besokannya uda mulai berasa dinginnya
6. Pakai saja pain killernya. Pertamanya saya menolak pakai, karena kan serem ya bayanginnya masukin di anus sementara masih berasa nyeri jahitannya, tapi akhirnya setelah kesakitan mulu saya pakai juga (mau pipis di kloset aja susah banget, duduknya harus pelan2 sambil ucap doa). Dan setelah pakai lebih enak bisa gerak, lebih bisa jalan, duduk. (makan aja kan perlu duduk belum mau pipis n pup n jalan ke kamar bayi)