Day 2 of 5D4N Stay

13 April 2011, Sunny, Wednesday

8:00 - Having accompanied me for the whole nite, Mr Book went out for breakfast.

8:30 - Cervix dilated 3 cm. My doctor, Dr Bacalar asked another doctor to rupture the water bag, in the hope that the action might increase uterine contraction. The doctor came, examined, found that the baby was still too "high" up, +3, and thus he decided not to rupture the water bag.

9:30 - Dr Bacalar came. Unlike his usual self, in which he used to tell me it's usual to have this pain and that swell, he told me that I'm having an unusual contraction here. The Pitocin level has been increased to level 16, yet, I didn't have the contraction I'm supposed to have. He took the bold action to rupture the water bag, just like rupturing a water balloon inside me, he repeated the action 5 to 6 times. Gush of warm water inundated the bed I was lying on. My socks were all wet too. Then, he sat down from across the room calmly and asked me whether I wanna wait for the contraction to take place, hopefully, or have a caesarean surgery instead. I told him, it took me 22 hours to dilate 3 cm. For a natural birth, needs 10 cm opening. Mathematically, it'd take me ages to reach 10 cm. Thus, without hesitation, I opted for a caesarean.

9:45 - Things happen as fast as lightning ever since I nodded on having a c-section. When I was signing paperwork to give consent on a surgery to be performed onto me, Mr Book came back from breakfast and a short walk for fresh air. He was shocked to find many people in the room preparing for a surgery. Dr Bacalar informed him that I agreed to have a c-section. The nurse gave him surgical clothes to put on. Meanwhile, 2 other nurses attached a catheter bag to my urinary tract before I realized what was happening. Then, I was instructed on what to do when given anaesthesia. I started to tremble uncontrollably.

9:55 - I was seated on a wheelchair and wheeled to the operation room. It was icy cold. My tremble turned into seismic shake, just like recent earthquake in Japan. I tried to stifle the tremble to no avail. The nurses wrapped my arms with hot towels. Then, the anaesthesia was injected into my spine. Very quickly, I was put on the operation table with my 2 arms spread apart, forming a “t” letter, just like Jesus was nailed to the cross. Then, Dr Bacalar came in, introduced me to another doctor. Both of them performed the surgery together. I could feel they drew something on my lower abdomen with a pen. In my mind, I recollected the TV comedy scene where the doctors played tic-tac-toe on the patient before cutting the flesh!

Hah...hah... dunno why, these 2 days, I still could joke with the nurses and while lying on the operation table, I still could think of a TV comedy scene!

10:13 – I heard “ong-wah-ong-wah”. One of the nurses announced the time “10:13 am”. Mr Book busied himself operating my Nikon D3000.

The doctors stopped chatting. Not a good sign. Dr Bacalar told me that they discovered a cyst on the right side of my uterus, near the ovary. He told me that they’re taking the cyst out. My mind was pitch-black during that time. I just mumbled, “ok”.

After Little Wayne was cleaned and screened, he was brought to the left side of my head. I’m very thankful and grateful that he came to this world safely.

I lost tract of the time-keeping.

Still numb, I was transported to the most expensive room I’ve ever stayed (USD 1,500 per nite).

13:18 – Mama Peh reached Chicago O’Hare airport.

14:20 – Mr Book went to the airport to fetch Mama Peh.

16:00 – I woke up upon hearing Mama Peh’s voice.