HYPNOBIRTH STORY OF RAEF ARYAN

Not an easy move untuk tulis birth story semasa dalam pantang ni. Type sikit baby eekk. Type the next perenggan baby iiikkk.

Tapi Kak Erin memang simpan semua memori dan cerita pengalaman besalin. So here you go.

By the way, hypnobirthing is a fancy name. Salah satu cara untuk dapatkan gentle birthing. Takde benda pelik bin ajaib pun. Just guna 4 teknik – relaxation, breathing, visualisation dan deep relaxation.

>> Ahad - 1 October 2017 <<

Dari start masuk trimester ketiga, I always pray that baby will come out on the 2nd of October. Simply because ada banyak perancangan nak dijalankan start pertengahan bulan November.

Taknaklah tertinggal keretapi pulak kan. So hari Ahad tu dah cakap pada Encik Suami, InshaAllah mesti bersallin esok ni. Walhal EDD ialah on 11 October.

Hari Ahad tu jugak, Encik Suami dah janji dengan Kay nak datang Brew & Stone Café makan Musang King ice cream. Dia lah hantu durian, Kak Erin tak sangat.

But seriously yang tak hantu durian pun boleh meleleh pekena Musang King ice cream tu. Setepek Musang King atas ice cream hokey.

Lepas makan ice cream, balik lah rumah dengan hati gembira. Perut kenyang hati senang.

Malam lepas tidurkan Ninjas, I went to bed. Pukul 2 pagi terjaga sebab ada makhluk merangkak naik katil mommy. Ninja kecik, memang kerja dia selalu merayap masuk bilik mommy memalam. So Kak Erin bangun dan popok dia masuk bilik dia semula.

Masa tu rasa perut memulas. Not the toilet call because it was different. Tak terasa pun itu contractions. Every time it came, Kak Erin just control breathing and slowly visualise.

Sampai pukul 330 pagi, eh makin rancak pulak pulasan itu. Haha. So I knew it was time to time the contractions. Baru tehegeh download Apps untuk time the contractions.

For about 2 hours, surges datang every 30 mins, down to 20 mins and 15 mins.

Alhamdulillah. Kak Erin managed to feel painless, dengan breathing, visualisation and relaxation. Of course with a lot of zikr and doa.

>> Isnin – 2 October 2017 <<

Kejut En Suami untuk Subuh. Dan bagitahu dia dah masa pergi hospital ni. Lagi lah hari Isnin, nak beat the traffic from Nilai to Pantai Hospital KL is no joke!

Sampai PHKL dalam pukul 8 pagi dan terus check in labor room.

The best part was Dr Idora my Obgyn was on holiday. Ahhaa. Matilamak bisik hati kecil. Bergantung pada doctor yang on call untuk accommodate my birth preference.

To those yang nak bersalin gentle birth di PHKL, ada 2 doktor yang their practise can accommodate your request. Dr Idora and Dr Paul.

Masa Kak Erin dalam labor room tu, nurse bagitahu Doctor on call ialah Dr Suraya and Dr Paul. Based on my birth preference, nurse suggested amik Dr Paul.

Tapi Encik Suami requested for Dr Suraya. Dia kata kita doa Dr Suraya pun akan respect and follow our preference. And Alhamdulillah, bila nurse informed Dr Suraya and passed our birth preference, she was happy to accommodate.

Macam yang Kak Erin pernah share, when you opt for gentle birth, habiskan banyak masa terawal di tempat yang within our comfort and control. Which is kat rumah lah.

Sebab environment sangat memberi kesan kepada hormon kita. Bila dah kat labor room tu, banyak lah perkara yang akan distract kita.

Masa check in labor room, I was 5 cm dilated. Nurse buat 1 VE with my permission. During 1st stage labor Kak Erin bernafas ikut fasa dia. Masa surge datang never ever lawan surge tu.

Ride the wave, relax the muscle make sure the whole body totally lembik. Lembik ni meaning kita tak lawan badan sendiri. Muka pun no kerut-kerut. Shoulder pun lembikkan. Until kita boleh achieve deep relaxation state.

Do a lot visualisation – blue ribbon, rose buds haa semua ni kena gi belajar lah tau. And Kak Erin deep inhale Narinar FT most of the time to ease relaxation.

Encik Suami sangat berjaya menjadi birth companion yang ohsem. Thank you for the light massage. It helped a lot producing oxytocin.

Oh ye, dia jugak yang banyak tanya nurse nak dim the light, temperature bagi tinggi sikit and pasang ayat Quran.

Tengah layan surges, I felt a big rush came out. Oh ya there you go. Air ketuban pecah. I knew baby is coming and immediately turned to my birth position.

I chose kneeling because it was the most comfortable position. Nurse and doctor were fully aware on the position yang Kak Erin requested.

Tak sampai 2 minit lepas tu, automatically my body told me to take deep breath and breathe out the baby. Again visualise the J-path, the first breathe the head was out. The second breathe shoulder was out. Then baby slide out smoothly at 9 AM. Alhamdulillah.

Nurse terus letak baby on my chest for skin to skin. Let the vernix absorbed. Encik Suami cut the cord after 15 mins once it stopped pulsating.

Alhamdulillah Kak Erin rasa so segar bugar, baby was alert and we were left for 3.5 hours in the labor room for bonding.

Syukur Alhamdulillah for a smooth and safe delivery. 1 hour in labor room before delivery. No drugs, 1 VE and no medical interventions. Kak Erin was fully in control of my own body. A wonderful hypnobirth Alhamdulillah.

Okeh itu saja memori terindah yang Kak Erin nak share.  

Happy birth-ing!

MENGHITUNG HARI

Yuuuhuuu. Nasib baik tak terlupa password blog ni. Eh.

Ni baru dapat bernafas sikit because dah start maternity leave. It;s my 38th week of pregnancy already, but baby still shy shy cat to keluar. Compared to 2 Aryans previously, 1 was out at 36 week. Aryan kecik was out on 37 week.

Kali ini mungkin dia nak lepak lama sikit. Bagi mommy rasa how penguin can it be towards the end of 40 weeks. Gila lah nak angkat badan sendiri pusing time tido pun rasa macam bulldozer.

And my body request for a break dah ni. Dari awal pregnancy sampai minggu lepas, life has been so hectic. But Alhamdulillah badan boleh cope very well. Cuma ni dah mintak rehat kot. Nafas pun rasa semput ahha.

And gynae is currently out from Malaysia for vacation. Hadui lah kalau deliver this week, tak dapek lah dengan Dr Idora yg suwit itu. As usual dah submit birth preference, dah discuss and agree with her. Dia kata kalau katakan dengan doctor lain pun, InshaAllah they will support my request for gentle birthing.

Work in office dah mula busy kekononnya. Sebab appraisal period is coming soon. Tapi sebab I'll be on maternuty leave sampai January 2018, discuss dan submit ala-ala gitu saja.

Bisnes pulak sangat menyeronokkan. Narinar celebrated our first anniversary on 8th September. Alhamdulillah for the first year of survival. Seriously bukan senang buat semua benda ni. Kalau ikut keringat, memang dah lama stop. Tapi bila fikirkan semangat dan the big reason why I started, it keep me going. And bila most of the operations dah boleh auto-pilot, rasa lega yakmatt Tuhan saje yang tahu.

Okeh now tengah busy practising for my delivery - breathing, relaxation, visualization & deep relaxation. Doakan for a safe and smooth delivery. Yang penting baby & mommy sihat dan selamat. Aminn.

Birth Story of Khalif Aryan

This is going to be a super-long entry.

Sunday 16 Feb 2014.

We got a visit from my adik ipar & his in-laws. He just got married 2 weeks ago and weekend tu, the couple buat KL tour to their relatives' places together with his MIL and FIL. I managed to prepare soto Johor with begedil daging lagi kau. Gigih kemain. Everything seemd to be like normal. Not even mild contractions or period-pain like of feeling.

Went to bed quite early because Aryan nak pegi school the next morning. And I had a check-up with Dr Idora. Thinking about the traffic from Wangsa Maju to KL, aku rela bangun bagi terpacak kat spital at 8am rather than getting stucked in the bad traffic.

At 11pm, I felt like perut memulas. It must be the feeling nak poo poo- that was what in my mind. Went to the toilet tapi taknak pulak poo poo so I just ignored the feelings and went to sleep. At about 1230am, terjaga sebab rasa perut memulas lagi. Tapi sakit memulas tu macam manja-manja je.. It must not be the contractions I said sebab tak sakit mana pun. I did not have any braxton hicks masa pregnantkan Aryan. Not even this time. So I did not know how the braxton hicks feel like.

The memulas perut feeling came quite regular that night. I was in all-four position most of the time. Susun bantal tinggi-tinggi atas katil and melekap kat bantal tu. Memang tak rasa sakit lah I could sleep macam biasa. At about 3am I was quite curious knapa that feeling tak hilang-hilang eh. So I started to time the contractions. No harm pun nak time kan. Kau just download je apps dia. Senang bebeno. Eh eh eh... Bila tgk the pattern, it was 5-6 minutes apart and lasted for about 1 minute. But I was still in denial. No, that must not be the real contractions. Firstly the feeling was manageble and secondly I was only at 37 weeks along the pregnancy. Takkan nak deliver kot kan. What ever lah I said, sambung tido, esok pagi jumpa Dr Idora boleh tanya dia ape kemenda nya ini.

Monday 17 Feb 2014

MNI insisted to not sending Aryan to school. Takut kalau aku kena tahan ward masa check-up nanti leceh dia kena amik Aryan from school. Lagipun badan Aryan dedar-dedar so we sent him to his old babysitter's place. Oh you know the traffic in KL on Monday morning could drive you nuts! It took us almost 1.5 hours from Wangsa Maju to Pantai Hospital KL. Madness! Dalam kereta MNI and I berborak like takde apa-apa berlaku. Sebab entah, aku tak rasa sgt pun the surges. Tapi sempat jugak jeling-jeling jam kat keta- mannn memang the surges dtg every 4-5 mins and lasted for about 1 min.

Sampai PHKL, I was the second patient. But unfortuntely Dr Idora got an emergency at the labour ward and masuk clinic lambat. MNI asked me to go direct to the labour ward but I refused. Sebab kang macam-macam plak dia nak check. Better jumpa Dr Idora dulu and get her advice. We got to see Dr Idora at 11 am. Before tu, I felt like vomiting kat waiting area.  Tapi berjaya tahan.Cuak jugak because muntah pun tanda yg baby is coming, Masa Aryan pun aku muntah few hour before delivered.

Masa scan scan maybe she could feel the surges. She asked me ada rasa any contractions ke and I told her lah about the memulas-mulas thingy. She asked for my permission to do a VE. I was ok since aku pun nak tau whether I was in labour or not sebenarnya. Lepas VE, she told me that I was 5cm dilated already and baby was fully engaged. Ya Allah, I was still in denial. Sebab it was so different compared to masa delivered Aryan ; at 4cm I lost my mind already, tarik besi katil, marah MNI, menjerit and whatnots. Dr Idora asked us to masuk labour room or balik rumah pack baju ke macam mana. Bag mmg dah ada dalam kereta, so I chose to masuk labour room. Kalau balik rumah, mmg agaknya bersalin dalam keretalah kekdahnya.But I told her nak masuk labour room after lunch and zuhur. She was ok.

12.00pm

PHKL adalah tpt yang bosan utk jalan-jalan ye. Tak macam kat Prince Court boleh jalan dari hujung ke hujung, luas etc. PHKL jalan 10 minit dah habes tawaf spital dah. At this time, I could feel the surges were more intense. Bila surges dtg, I had to stop walking and lean on the wall. Few times jugaklah staffs kat situ tanya nak wheel chair ke? But I said no, I memang tgh jejalan nak cepatkan labour. 

Sempat pegi starbucks kejap beli Java Chip Frapp. Tgh beratur and bayar pun, I tried to control the surges. I applied lah all the techniques that I learned during the hypno class. It helped me a lot. Bila ada surges yg terlalu intense tu, what I need was just lean on the wall je. Itu position yang i felt so comfortable. After dah dapt frapp, jalan-jalan lagi around the hospital. Pastu dah bosan, MNI kata jomla check-in labour room. At least I could be free nak buat apa-apa position which I felt more comfortable. Sebab hospital tu boring, aku pun agreed.

1.00pm

In the labour room, as usual macam-macam plak benda-benda admin yang nurses tanya. I told them about my birth plan as they did not get a copy of it. My file was still at the clinic. Fortunately I had extra copy in my handbag, so I passed to them. The nurse requested to do a CTG. I refused at first, but dia mulalah kata procedure biasa bla..bla..bla.. Sekejap je pun takpe she said. So I malas nak layan and agreed.

Masa ni MNI mmg sgt memainkan pernannya sebagai birth companion. He asked the nurse to dim the light, controlled the room temperature, korek sana sini setting the room etc. The nurse gave me freedom to tukar baju spital or birth using my own cloth on. Aku malaslah nak kotorkan baju sendiri kan, so tukar lah baju spital tu. Then rasa nak shi-shi. Went for a loo and there you go, mucus plug dah keluar. Hermm.. lps tu cam saikologi sgt, tetiba plak rasa surges sgt kuat. (maybe that was my mindset sebab mucus plug dah keluar). MNI plak masa tu keluar kejap pegi beli roti and amik telekung dalam kereta. Lps mucus plug keluar, aku muntah lagi skali. I knew baby really really want to come out already. 

I tried to find the most comfortable position. Apparently kneeling was the best. Ada stool dalam labour room tu, so I letak bantal on it, and turunkan selimut to alas my lutut. Masa ni masih whatssapp with my buddies cerita lah aku tgh in labour ni. Probably 6-7cm dilated already, aku agak je lah kan.

I was in this position most of the time

1.30pm
MNI masuk labour room bawak roti apa bagai. Memasuk carik aku, rupanya I was terselit tepi katil resting on the stool. He wiped my sweat, bagi minum air, bagi makan kurma etc. He also gave me the light torch massage. Owh sgt selesa seriously. Then at one point, rasa lenguh lah plak dok gitu, so I stood up and swayed, squat etc. Masih tak selesa. MNI hugged me, we cuddled. Oh man sgt selesa. It must be the love hormon oxytocin. Ngeehehe.

Cuddling really helped me to control every surge :)

He asked me nak naik katil tak. I did not want to lay on the bed. He asked me to be at kneeling position but on the bed. Dia cuak kot kalau baby keluar on the floor. Wakaka. So I naik katil and set myself to this position.

Kneeling On the bed

Naik katil tak sampai seminit, tetiba I felt a big poo came out. Man that was the air ketuban. Masa tu I knew baby was about to come out already as I could feel it. MNI called the nurse, tapi nurse lain yg dtg. Not the one that I passed my birth plan to earlier. She requested to do a VE but MNI refused. He asked the nurse to panggil Dr Idora sebab MNI pun tahu based on experience masa deliver Aryan, bila pecah ketuban je tak sampai seminit baby keluar. The nurse insisted to do a VE sebab dia kata kalau tak tau brapa cm dilated macam mana dia nak panggil dr. Gosh aku malas nak layan lagipun aku tak nampak muka nurse tu. I tried my best to control my breathing and focus on the delivery. The visualisation techniques really really helped! The nurse asked me to baring utk VE. Ok lah fine, baring kejap she did VE and 9cm dilated already. Baru dia terkedek panggil Dr Idora. Masa tu aku dah kembali ke kneeling position semula. 

2.00 pm

I made the humming sound. Sgt membantu my breathing and visualisation. Suddenly I felt the 'ring of fire' thingy and I just breath out the baby. I know the head was out but masa ni nurse yg kelam kabut tu entah apa yg dia buat aku tak tau. But for sure she was not down there until I told her the head was out. The other nurse yg ada my birth plan entered the room and she was the one yg sambut the baby. I breath out for the second time and I knew the shoulder was out. Lepas tu the rest baby slide out sendiri at 2.09PM.

The nurses asked me to turn and placed the baby on my chest. But oh before tu diorang ada buat suction kat baby tu jugak, but MNI kata no, its enough. They did not touch the baby after that. Let the vernix absorbed to the skin and baby was so alert. That was the best moment I tell you ! After tu baru Dr Idora dtg. MNI cut the cord after about 15 mins when the cord dah stop pulsating and turned white. Aku pun rasa sgt segar bugar, fully concious and dapat appreciate that moment to the fullest. . The placenta dah keluar dari rahim, so Dr Idora just tarik sikit je bagi dia keluar habes. I had minor tear, kena jahit sikit. After that we were left alone for bonding time for about 2.5 hours before being transferred to the maternity ward.

Syukur Alhamdulillah semuanya berjalan dengan lancar dan selamat. No drugs, only 2 VEs, no medical intervention, I felt very comfortable during labour and delivery, I was in control of my own body, and it was a wonderful birth experience :) A very gentle birth. Alhamdulillah.

Walaupun ada nurses at PHKL yang tak brapa nak follow our birth plan, but all in all I berpuas hati sebab almost all we requested diorang respect and follow. For instance we requested to delay cleaning the baby, delay vaccine etc, semuanya mereka follow.

Few tips :
1. Practise makes perfect ! Kena rajin practise breathing technique so you know which one to apply and when. Ini aku pun kurang practise so ada jugak time yang ke laut breathing aku tuh.
2. Visualize the birth that you want. I always visualise that I will give birth at on all-four position. And turned out to be true. And also I always always always visualise the rose bud, the blue ribbon, thinning and thickening of the servics, the baby path, the laluan J etc. All these really really helped me a lot !
3. Get enough drinks and food. Energy kena ada ok.
4. Husband kena tau their role as birth companion. And both of you must understand your birth plan. So senang lah nak protect apa yang u nak.
5. Trust your body ! It is designed to give birth naturally.
6. Of course doa bnyk-bnyk and tawakal kepadaNya selepas usaha dan doa.

Ok. perasaan lepas bersalin kali ini? Saya tidak trauma lagi and tak serik utk bersalin lagi. Alhamdulillah.

Happy birthing !

4th & 5th Hypnobirth Classes - Overview of Childbirth:A Labor of Love & Birthing:Breathing Love, Bringing Life

UNIT #4: Overview of Childbirth--A Labor of Love

*Birth Stories Video 7 and 8

*Onset of Labor--Thinning and Opening Phase

*Arriving at the Hospital

*As Labor Moves along|

*Birth Companion's Role

*If Labor rests or slows

*Protecting the Natural Birthing Experience

*As Birthing advances--Nearing Completion

*Birth Rehearsal Imagery

UNIT# 5: Birthing--Breathing Love, Bringing Life

*Birthing Video

*Mother Nears Completion--thinning and opening phase ends

*Birth Explained Simply

*Breathing Baby Down

*Birth of the placenta

*Bonding with your baby

*Forest Fantasy Metaphor

Positive vibes needed ! Dah lama bebenor tak menulis, kelas plak dah lama tamat. I am kinda lose the confidence plak. Agagaga ;p Entah ingat entah tidak amenda aku blaja masa kat kelas hari tu. Btw, went for my 36 weeks check-up this morning. Alhamdulillah, baby is doing great, heartbeat is strong and stable, eyes movement sgt rapid, and dah practise jadi ahli sukan kot asyik kicking and moving around. Sometimes sampai senak dibuatnya ;) Alhamdulillah baby dah pusing ke bawah, but mengadap ke atas (Posterior). Berdoa bnyk-bnyk later baby akan mengadap ke bawah (Anterior). Amin..Sebab OP position akan menyebabkan effacement menjadi perlahan. So kalau aku give up nanti acanne. Huargh.  

Well kelas ke-4 and ke-5 n0, Nadine combined in one session. Sebab the 5th class tu more to wrap up everything that we learnt from the 1st -4th class. 4th class emphasized the role of the birth companion (read : husband lah yg paling relevant here, Unless you will bring your own doula into the labor room). Few take aways :

- Husband needs to know the hospital setting, The remeh-temeh thing like if you go to the E&A directly, mana kau nak park kereta? Ada ke temporary parking at that area, or macam manakah? Sounds so remeh, tapi bila fikir balik, dah few times pegi HPKL, aku pun tak sure E&A kat mana. Agagaga ;p

- Upon arrival to the hospital, apa yg husband kena buat ? Make sure to minimise all the admin stuffs. Sign itu ini segala bagai sepatutnya very very minimal. The first thing to tell the nurse, is the birth preference sheet. Dr might have put it in the file, but better to bring extra just in case file dr tu sampai lambat ke hape ke tgn nurse. Once masuk labour room, husband kena lah set the environment -dim light, pasang rainbow CD, ayar Quran, set the temperature ikut mana yg wife comfortable, hang up the signage kalau nak bebetul make sure dpt privacy, igtkan wife to snack, igtkan wife pegi toilet etc.. Bnyk ok kerja husband sebenarnya. Bukan setakat pegang tgn and bagi baju utk ditarik & dirabakkan ;p Especially during the transition phase, husband's support & love are very very important. Back rub, encouragements, ensure the wife stay positive, strong & relax.. etc etc.

- We also practised macam mana nak ease the labour in various position bersama-sama dgn husband. The best position is of course to work with the gravity. Squat, bersila, berpaut pd hubby, on all four etc etc etc. Semua segan segan oke nak practise,padehal ngan laki sendiri kan. Wahhaha. And also we practised the cakap-cakap masa hypnobirth (by husband), and dah agak dah, aku gelak all the way when MNI tried to hypnotised me. It did not work sebab aku dengar suara & intonasi dia macam tok pawang mana jah. Kahakhka. But Nadine said takpe, gelak ketawa jugak bagus to ease the labour. Well sepatutnya suara & intonasi MNI must be soothing enough to bring me to deep relaxation state, tapi nan ado ye. Kehkehke pasrah.

- To layan the surge macam waves gitu. Don't fight it, but ride on with it.

- To delay in going to the hospital. When contractions reach 5-1-1, then that's the best time to go. But of course it depends on your location from the hospital jugak. Kalau jauh bebenor, then make a wise decision when to go. (5-1-1 is contraction that lasts for 1 min, repeat/regular in every 5 mins, that have been lasting/in regular interval for 1 hour)

- To try various position in labour. Lying down is not the only option that you have. In fact it is the worst because path pada kedudukan itu adalah paling susah baby nak lalu. Feel free to try other positions and normally mommies will know which position is the most comfortable and the best to ease delivery.

- Options if labour slows down--> Normally sebab mommies sendiri yg stress, baby in OP position etc. Don't go for artificial induction straight away (my mistake masa delivered Aryan dulu). Discuss with Obgyn to rupture the membrane dulu. The intent is bila air ketuban dah keluar, it is easier for baby to engage sebab dah takde water support. Tapi bila dah pecah ketuban kena avoid VE supaya takde infection. 

- And bila near completion tu, mommies mesti tau punya baby dah nak keluar. Boleh rasa the ring of fire. And don't push baby out. Instead breath out. And this time sgtlah important to visualise macam mana path baby nak kuar. Masa thinning & opening tu, visualise lah the red petals, blue ribbon etc. Ni semua blajar dalam kelas, susah plak nak explain sini.

Itu je yg aku igt. Bnyk sgt benda nak share tapi taktau macam mana nak tulis. Uuuu.

We have shared and discussed our birth preferences with Dr Idora. She said takde benda pelik-pelik pun yg aku mintak, as semuanya standard je bagi dia. Alhamdulillah. But I forgot to include our preference kalau c-sect is absolutely necessary. Takpelah next check up boleh discuss. Memanglah kalau boleh by all means nak avoid keluar ikut tingkap, but kita hanya merancang kan. Dia yang Maha Berkuasa dan Mengatahui apa yg terbaik utk kita. 

Sharing our birth preferences : (Ni stok print screen, gila buruk quality. Ehhe. The original one Dr Idora dah cop & agreed and simpan dalam file)

Oklah. Please pray for my ease & safe delivery. Amiinn.

p/s : dah start kemas-kemas brg baby. Last week I brought my Freestyle nak pegi service sebab suction dah slow melow. Ye lah heavy duty masa time Aryan dulu. Sekali service centre reject sebab dah keluar black dust ! Stress sgt oke. Diorang taknak service and aku nampak macam jalan yg ada ialah to get a new Freestyle. Waddehh. Nanges mak.Later lah I post pasal Freestyle ni, the US version yg tak compatible with Msia (yg guna Sweden nya specs) etc. 

Currently reading ...

this.. !

 

 

Seriously I feel like a first time mom pulak.. Kehkehkhe. Dulu takde nya sibuk nak baca buku hape bagai. Takpelah, nobody is perfect to ever stop learning, yes? Kalau dulu kita main redah ikut suka, this time around kita bagi ada knowledge, sikit pun takpe if tak bnyk. At least kalau things did not turn like what I desire/plan, I have sedikit knowledge to tanya itu ini, knapa nak buat itu ini, why not this procedure instead of that, what if we do it this way or that way..yada yada yada. Sekurang-kurangnya kalau end up I have to be cut-open, aku tahu benda itu betul-betul medically needed and dah try benda-benda lain yang sepatutnya. Kan yang paling penting, mommy and baby selamat and in good health. Amin.

 

In addition to the take-aways from the previous class, I think I missed some important points.

 

Induction

What is the reason induction to speed up labour ni menyebabkan sakit yg much more painful compared to natural labour?

The hormon yang menyebabkan surges/waves/contractions is called oxytocin. If we wait until the natural surges strike in, meaning the brain yang bagi sign to produce the oxytoxin which means your body is ready to be in labour. At the same time, the brain will also tell the body to release endorphin - this is the natural painkiller that blocks the reception of pain in our body.This hormon levels up when we are warm, happy,feeling loved, supported and not frightened. The amount is just nice to make both hormons working together. So bila surges dtg, the endorphin akan adapt with it.

 

On the other hand, if we introduce pitocin or any artificial induction to speed up labour, obviously the body is not ready yet. The brain tak tahu pun surges dah ada and it will not tell the body to produce the endorphin. So maknanya surges dtg menggila ni, tapi our body does not release any painkiller. Hence the unbearable sakit-ness and of course we will end up asking for drugs.

 

And there are many ways to speed up labour naturally. Maybe boleh try cara-cara ini dulu, kalau tak jalan jugak and boleh affect baby and/or mommy, then baru go for artificial induction. Hugs, nipple stimulation, walk, squat, makan pedas, acupuncture etc. The most effective way is to stay calm and cuddle with husband (lain org lain cara effective ways dia) - hugs, kisses, stimulation ni semua akan menghasilkan oxytoxin. It's the same hormon when you make love. Maka surges boleh dtg naturally inshaAllah. But of cos la kau kena discuss dgn Obgyn - to have privacy, dim light, nurses to knock the door before entering, etc. Kang tak pasal nurse masuk bilik kau tgh beraksi plak. Kahkahkah ;p 

 



Episiotomy

3 years back episiotomy was a routine kat sini. Maknanya, kau perlu atau tak, tetap kena episiotomy. But now kadar nya dah menurun 30%. Means, kalau necessary, baru kena gunting. Which is good. I thought dulu-dulu lah, kalau kene episiotomy luka akan cepat baik sebab gunting cantik je straight kan. But actually bila gunting, dia akan across muscles and kemungkinan lambat sikit baik lah luka itu. Compared to natural tear, dia akan koyak mengikut aliran and urat2 muscle. So senang sikit nak baik. Paham ke dok eh ayat ni. Whatever lah. But the the best is of cos takyah gunting lah and takde tear.

 

Kalau tak episiotomy, muscle yg elastic kat situ akan squeeze baby naturally masa baby nak keluar tu. So lendir, liquid kat baby tu akan di-squeeze out naturally. Compared kalau dah kena gunting, baby keluar blooppp cenggitu. Takde nya elastic muscle to hold and squeeze out. Sebab tu kena rajin buat kegel dan jugak perineum massage. Herm self-reminder. Serious aku pemalas.

 

 

 

Ok dah. Di hari terakhir 2013 ni org semua cerita pasal highlights in 2013 dan azam tahun baru. Aku malas lah pulak. Every year azam pun sama je. Eheh.

 

Tapi additional to azam-azam yang tahun-tahun lepas tu, aku berazam utk lebih berjimat cermat in 2014. Eco(nomics) year katanya. Memacam cara harus buat - cook more at home, less makan luar, tutup suis the whole rumah while we are out, bawak keta Myvi gi kerja to save fuel, orked putih bawak gi jalan jauh je, gi pasar pepagi buta on Saturday to beli lauk seminggu instead beli kat Jusco every 3 days.. haa terasa enough the tekanan ekonomi? Kakhakha. Kesian lah kat middle class income kan. Ditelan mati emak, diluah mati bapak. Serious weh, season parking aku naik from RM210 per month kepada RM270 starting January 2014. Itu baru parking okkkeeeeee. Apehal parking pun nak naik harga aku pun tak paham. Padahal tahun lepas baru naik harga.Ergh.

 

Happy New Year all :)

3rd Hypnobirth Class - Getting Ready to Welcome your Baby :)

Class Outline :

 

UNIT #3: Getting Ready to Welcome your Baby
*Looking at your estimated due date
*Making hospital, home or birthing center plans
*Preparing the Body for Birthing
*Light touch birthing massage
*Birth Stories Videos 5 and 6
*Preparing your birth preferences sheets
*When Baby is Ready
*Avoiding Artificial Induction of Labor
*Your Body Working for You And with You
*Releasing Negative Emotions, Fears and Limiting Thoughts

 

 

Hermm tak habes-habes lagi issue unassisted homebirth kat FB. My advice to those condemning AMANI & gentle birthing group tu, please get your facts right. DO NOT rely on Mr Google & FB as your only source of information. Please read relevant books, talk to the experts , go to classes, ask different people with different experience (don't assume ala aku boleh je beranak senang, control pernafasan etc. so apsal mommies lain kepoh sgt nak gentle birth yada..yada..yada), if you can do it easily, it does not mean other people could do it too. Different people will experience it differently. Even setiap anak yang dilahirkan sebagai khalifah pun semuanya lain-lain dari segi perkembangan etc. kan ? Ini kan pulak setiap ibu yang bakal melahirkan. Maka, please respect other people who choose this option. At least, kau kaji selidik, do research, get FAIR & ACCURATE information from both perspectives. Then kau boleh lah kondem secara berilmu. 

 

Ini yang ramai masih keliru antara natural birth, gentle birth, hypnobirth, water birth, attended homebirth & unassisted homebirth ----- lepas tu kau punya lah hebat jadik keyboard warriors. Gitu kekdahnya. Typical Malaysian ;p Not saying aku dah cukup ilmu bagai, nope. I am still learning. Classes pun tak habes lagi. Ada few books pun still tak habis baca lagi.  Baru berbincang dengan Obgyn pun baru 2-3 orang Obgyn sahaja. So sama-sama lah belajar ok. Fair enough.

 

Few take-aways from our 3rd class:

 

- A lot of mothers sangat freak-out kalau dah sampai EDD, tapi still tak bersalin lagi. It's like 'abnormal' kalau kau terlepas EDD tu. Coming back to the definition itself = EDD ialah Estimated/Expected Delivery Date. So memang kekdahnya date tu estimate sahaja. It can be in the range of 38-42 weeks. Because the EDD is based on your menstrual cycle of 28 days and you conceive on the 14th day. But tak semua org mengalami cycle 28 hari and yakin kah anda, yang kau conceive pada hari ke-14? Tak kan... So kalau katakan dah 40 weeks takde tanda nak melahirkan, tak semestinya kau kena menyerah diri utk kena induce or scheduled C-sect. You can always discuss with the Obgyn utk tunggu up to 42 weeks. The key thing here is - you have the option to request to wait until 42 weeks. Kenalah discuss dgn Obgyn anda.

 

- Ini ada kena mengena with artificial induction of labor. As I mentioned in previous entry, induction of labor ni ada snow ball effects. Selalunya org akan go for induction because of few reasons - i) passing your EDD ii) air ketuban pecah iii) nak tarikh yang cantik. Ni sebab2 yang general lah. Yang sebab medically neeeded, conditions mommy & baby itu semua kena ada specific discussion with your Obgyn. Macam kes air ketuban pecah ni pun, actually you can still wait, not to induce labour. Tapi kena avoid VE sebab VE itu yang akan menyebabkan infection. Imagine putting fingers / rodok-rodok masa air ketuban dah leaking or pecah, memang akan ada risk of infection. But of course kena discuss dgn your Obgyn.

 

- And the VE itu pun not necessary to do it every freaking hour. Ini kejap-kejap nurse dtg nak merodok-rodok. Hahaa. Talking about my experience masa 1st delivery dulu lah. It does not matter if I am 2,4,6 cm dilated pun. As long as aku boleh control & manage the pain, breath properly, have freedom to move around, makan & minum for energy, I think dah ok dah. Ni baru nak bernafas and control breathing, dah nak kena VE. Haih lahh. The key thing here is - you have the option to request for minimal VE.

 

- Mothers' instinct is always right. Trust your body. You don't need a 'pushing team' to ask you to push the baby out. Macam masa deliver Aryan, I knew the baby was crowning & 'the ring of fire' thingy which baby dah nak keluar sgt-sgt. But the nurses semua tak bagi aku push because it was not the 'time' yet. But I knew it- knew it- knew it for sure baby was about to come out. There you go the 'terpancut' story. Haaha. Poor Aryan. So let your body working for & with you.

 

- Kena prepare your body for a gentle birth. Exercise for stamina, eat right yada..yada..yada.. Aaah I am pretty sure all mothers know it. Rajin buat kegel exercise to tone up muscles kat situ, and also perineal massage helps a lot to make your otot-otot elastic. And oh gym ball also helps a lot to make you sit upright & leaning forward position. And also selalu basuh toilet so that you squat a lot :) Teehehe. And oh ini juga bagus utk mengelakkan episiotomy.

 

- Birth plan is an option so that the doctor and nurses know what your preferences are. Be specific, keep it short & sweet :) It is not to tell the doctor & nurses of what you want or do not want, it is more of telling them your preferences. Contoh, jikalau perkara ini berlaku, I would prefer option A, then B followed by C. Tapi takyah lah kau letak option A sampai Z kan. Jenuh plak diorang nak baca birth plan kau. Most importantly is the discussion between you & your Obgyn on the birth plan. Kalau kau tulis on scented paper, printed and laminated pun, but no discussion behind that ; hermm tak guna juga khen..

 

Apa yang aku faham ialah option-option yang kita ada sebagai ibu yang bakal melahirkan. Bukan kita ni against the doctors or to say NO to all medical technology & procedures. Tidak sama sekali. Just to make ourselves understand yang bukan setiap medical routine itu necessary (sebab they are all routines, so kalau kita tak buat jadik bersalah atau abnormal plak ?) and we have the option to seek for minimal medical interventions. Of cos ibu-ibu kena lah buat homework jugak - practise a lot of breathing, avoiding fear & negative thoughts, jaga makan & stamina, yada..yada..yada and the list goes on. Baru lah win-win situation katanya.

 

Ok lah. Lapaa weh. Tata

 

 

Birthing positions

Hrmm. My personal opinion.

Takut sebenarnya nak comment.. Nanti tak pasal-pasal org print screen pastu jadikkan issue. Ouch.

 

Disclaimer : This is my very personal opinion. Takyah mengada nak jadikkan issue. Kalau kau setuju, aku ok. Atau tak setuju pun aku  ok jugak.

 

If you already read the news spread on laman sosial on the 2nd death of a homebirth mom. Innalillah.

 

And banyak nya comments and statements kat FB, from my personal friend list pun bnyk. Not to mention from professional doctors. I respect all of your opinions, and thank you for sharing all the information.

 

And there are few people jugak asking me on my decision to gentle birth my second baby. Or more like asking me to give it a second thought.

 

First of all, gentle birth and unassisted homebirth are 2 different things. Gentle birth can be done at the hospital setting. So far class yang aku pegi, and also group gentle birthing yang aku follow, NONE of the content supports UNASSSISTED HOMEBIRTH. And all decisions made by moms & dads must be an INFORMED decision. Bukan simply simply main redah & terjah sahaja. And we are well-informed that doulas/birth companions are not a medically certified people. I know it from the beginning of considering the gentle birth option.

 

Hoi aku pun tak brani nak buat unassisted homebirth. Unless kalau laki aku seorang Obgyn. Itu pun kena fikir 246 kali. Aku pun tahu knowledge aku tak seberapa utk take the unassisted homebirth risks. And I also tak brapa confident with Malaysia environment kalau emergency, boleh ke ambulance sampai in 5 mins? Hermm nope I dont think so. And boleh ke medical support sampai immediately. Another hermm..oh tak kot. So the informed decision that I have now is to gentle birth at the hospital with an Obgyn who supports the gentle birthing idea and also will provide me with the most accurate information so that I can make an informed decision, if medical intevention is necessary. I am not against the interventions, kalau it is really really necessary, and I will be informed (or MNI will be informed pada ketika itu), then that is fine with me.

 

- Sebab masa Aryan dulu, there was no strong/medical reason to induce labour. But aku kena induce. Bila tanya doctor knapa nak induce, dia kata dah cukup term (38 weeks at that time, not even passing my EDD pun), baby's heart rate was ok cuma aku rasa baby kurang aktif sikit but still ok. And she said the baby is healthy to start seeing the world. There you go , I got induced at 38 weeks which sepatutnya tak perlu pun. At that time, aku naive. I dont mind pun kena induce. Tak tahu pun sakit induce tu akan 5 kali lagi sakit dari tak induce. So memang macam orang gila meroyan nak roboh hospital aku jerit tahan sakit.

 

- And I did not know once labour is induced , it will have a snow ball effect to other interventions. Sebab sakit sangat, amik drugs itu dan ini, in the end i opted for epidural. But doctor tak sempat inject epidural sebab Aryan dah keluar ketika aku tgh mengepit. Scary enough bila fikir jarum epidural dah kat tulang belakang, and  aku tak boleh duduk diam sebab sakit nak mamp, and I already felt the urge to push the baby? Nasib baik Aryan tak terpancut keluar jatuh dari katil (mind you takde sape sambut Aryan sebab nobody was aware of what's happening down there, semua tgh focus nak cucuk aku epidural & I was 8cm dilated already at that time) & luckily aku tak terkepit dia kuat-kuat. And nasib baik jugak my dilation was progressing. Kalau tak progress, aku tak tau pun akan lead to 2nd dose induction and finally akan kena c-section.

- I was given gas jugak for pain killer. Apart from the injection apa entah I did not know at that time because I was not informed or even asked for permission. But at that time saya hanya menyerah diri, without knowing gas itu buat aku mamai, and of course affect the bonding & breastfeeding the newborn. (Memang tak dapat pun, read the last point).

 

- And masa in labour tu, nurse suka hati buat VE withour my consent. It was so uncomfortable and I hate it so much. At least please inform me, takdelah tgh aku sakit nak mati in labour tu kau main rodok-rodok je. Excuse my harsh words, but that was how I felt. And all this took place in a private hospital.

 

- Dan I felt like moving around masa sakit, nak berguling, menonggeng, berjalan etc. But I got strapped sebab kena buat CTG, And the pain sebab kena lay down tak boleh bergerak was gosh unbearable.

 

- And lagi, I got 1st degree tear. Masa jahit, boleh pulak salah jahit. And bukak balik jahitan, jahit semula... Aaaaa. I dont want to remember this. Gosh, trauma aku.

 

- And unfortunately , I did not get the chance to skin-to-skin & breastfeed Aryan immediately after birth. Depa dah amik Aryan pi bersihkan timbang apa segala, then baru let me hold Aryan. Sedih.

 

Cenggitulah. So for this second birth, aku nak lah experience yg tidak men-traumakan. Of course I go for routine check-ups, and discuss with the Obgyn boleh ke tak aku nak gentle birth. Sebab kalau baby or mommy (or both) not medically fit (btul ke term ni?) or at risks, Obgyn will not allow a gentle birth. So far my check-ups Alhamdulillah Dr Idora kata ok. Hope the 'ok' condition will continue until a safe delivery. Harap baby akan turun and position himself correctly & takde problems last minute. I just pray for an easy & safe delivery dan baby lahir sihat & sempurna. Amin.

 

 

2nd Hypnobirth Class - Falling in Love with Your Baby/Preparing Mind & Body

These are the class outline in the second class:

*HypnoBirthing® Stories - 3 and 4
*Prenatal Bonding Techniques
*Relaxation and Visualization for birthing
*Rapid and instant relaxation techniques
*Breathing techniques for birthing
*Progressive, Instant, and Deepening Techniques
*Hypnotic Relaxation and Visualizations

Few take-aways from this session :

1. Pre-natal bonding techniques can be in so many forms. Normally parents/parents-to-be just talk to their babies, massage-massage perut and thats it. Itu pun selalunya berlaku utk first baby only. (talking about diri sendiri ;p). Second baby selalunya dah tak buat dah pre-natal bonding ni. The most important thing which mothers need to take care of is her emotion! Why? Because the type of hormones (which depends on the emotion) itu akan directly pergi pada baby. So if the mothers always in depression, moody tak tentu pasal, then dont be surprise kalau baby pun akan macam itu juga.
2. Relaxation is a technique. Not everyone can achieve this stage. The KEY SECRET here is PRACTISE! Macam aku ni, memang lah sgt susah nak sampai stage mind yang btul-btul relax. Kejap fikir Aryan, kejap fikir kerja-kerja rumah, tu belum masuk kerja-kerja office lagi. So I have to practise with the Rainbow CD tu every single day (which I haven't started yet ;p ) Hopefully sempat lah master this technique before delivery.
3. 3 types of breathing : - calm breathing, surge breathing & birth breathing. All three are of different techniques. And again, the key thing is PRACTISE!
4. Ada some mothers achieve orgasm birthing. Instead of interpreting birth as something painfull and full of fear, they imagine birth as pleasure. And that answers the 'sound' they make during labour. Haha.
5. Light torch massage by husband/birth companion during labour is really helpful! The massage is not the kind yg picit-picit sakit tu. Nope. It is a very light one, using fingernails only. Ini just to trigger the hormone beneath the skin to release endorphin which is our natural pain killer. MasyaAllah.
6. To start positioning your baby earliest possible. Bukan maksudnya kau tolak baby tu supaya turun ke bawah, but what you do, at what position do you sleep etc. All this will affect the baby's position. the heaviest part of a baby is the head. So kalau kita selalu sit upright and leaning forward, selalu squatting, sleep on your side (preferably on the left side sebab akan bnyk oxygen sampai kepada baby), do the polar bear position, and for Muslims, do a lot of sujud (read: solat sunat bnyk-bnyk). Babies nowadays kebanyakan berada dalam position head down posterior instead of anterior. Sebab lifestyle kita ni yang asyik duduk menyandar.

http://www.nurseslearning.com/courses/nrp/NRP1609-30/Section11/p02.html

Perkara-perkara di atas ni sounds very basic like every mothers would know about it. But aku tak boleh nak practise pun dulu time Aryan. Maybe sebab malas, takde kesedaran, so ignorant, tak kisah pun kalau kena induce c-sect etc. Now I am very positive yang all of these things are techniques which we need to learn and practise. Bukan just baca-baca then tadaa nak beranak withour fear and pain. Haa you are right ;p

Oklah can 't wait for the 3rd class. Blajar buat birth plan and by next visit to see Dr Idora, I should have passed and discussed my birth plan itu, InsyaAllah.

First Hypnobirth Class - Building A Positive Expectancy

Alhamdulillah, I managed to drag MNI to the class and ensure that we commit our every Sunday in Deccember for this class. Sounds very tough isn't it. But I want to have a natural birth with informed choice. So there is no reason not to learn and gain as much knowledge as I can.

I already enrolled for this class as early as at ~20ish pregnant. But the only time we have to commit our weekends is only in December. Read : Malas period, appraisal is over, MNI takde pergi outstation etc. But yah.. which means no end of year vacation for us. But herm that's fine lah.

I chose Nadine Ghows as the hypnobirth instructor.Mainly because she is the only one who offers classes in December and she is the only Muslim practitioner in Malaysia for this Mongan Method hypnobirthing. I thought oh yes it must be better if the instructor can relate with the words in Quran for every kejadian and sebab-sebab yg berlaku during birth.

The class was held at Nadine's house. It was a very small group of 4 couples. So just nice lah the house and we felt cosy and relax because rasa macam tgh lepak lepak kat rumah sahaja. And oh, the classes are in series of 5 or 6 (depends on the duration of each class). And it costs us RM780 per couple (kacinggg!). Quite expensive lah kot kalau dengar. But that amount could not be traded with the knowledge that we wanna have. And with that fee, you will get a copy of The Hypnobirthing-The Mongan Method book, and the Rainbow CD (that is a relaxation CD which you will use to put yourselves in deep relaxation)

In that first class, the objective is more to dig in on what hypnobirth is, the history, why is the current birthing environment is so mechanical etc.

When MNI was asked what makes him to support me to have a gentle/natural birth. His answer was " when she delivered or first baby, I could see how she struggled so hard until my shirt almost terkoyak. So for this second one, I hope she can birth our baby calmly and hopefully painless for her and me'

Heeeheee...

The full class outline :

UNIT #1: Building A Positive Expectancy*Introduction
*HypnoBirthing®
*Rationale for comfortable birth
*How the Uterus Works
*What's Wrong with Labor?
*How Fear Affects Labor
*Origin of Pain Concept
*Hypnosis and Deep Relaxation/Creating Positive Birth Outcomes
*HypnoBirthing® videos of labor & birth

UNIT #2: Falling in Love with Your Baby/Preparing Mind & Body
*HypnoBirthing® Stories - 3 and 4
*Prenatal Bonding Techniques
*Relaxation and Visualization for birthing
*Rapid and instant relaxation techniques
*Breathing techniques for birthing
*Progressive, Instant, and Deepening Techniques
*Hypnotic Relaxation and Visualizations

UNIT #3: Getting Ready to Welcome your Baby
*Looking at your estimated due date
*Making hospital, home or birthing center plans
*Preparing the Body for Birthing
*Light touch birthing massage
*Birth Stories Videos 5 and 6
*Preparing your birth preferences sheets
*When Baby is Ready
*Avoiding Artificial Induction of Labor
*Your Body Working for You And with You
*Releasing Negative Emotions, Fears and Limiting Thoughts
UNIT #4: Overview of Childbirth--A Labor of Love*Birth Stories Video 7 and 8
*Onset of Labor--Thinning and Opening Phase
*Arriving at the Hospital
*As Labor Moves along|
*Birth Companion's Role
*If Labor rests or slows
*Protecting the Natural Birthing Experience
*As Birthing advances--Nearing Completion
*Birth Rehearsal Imagery

UNIT# 5: Birthing--Breathing Love, Bringing Life
*Birthing Video
*Mother Nears Completion--thinning and opening phase ends
*Birth Explained Simply
*Breathing Baby Down
*Birth of the placenta
*Bonding with your baby
*Forest Fantasy Metaphor

And these point below are some of the things which Nadine shared with us, which I still remember.

1) Hypnobirth is not necessary pain-less. It is how you avoid fear and automatically the pain will be gone.

2) If we bring fear to labour, it will translate to tense, and then the pain will definitely there. This cycle repeats and that's why people take drugs to kill the pain.

3) Our body produces our own pain-killer. Oxytocin it is ! It is the love hormone or the 'shy' hormone in which will be produced particularly when making love. So treat your labour & birth just the same as making love - privacy, dim light, at the most comfortable position, of course perut jgn terlalu lapa, full of energy, jotful and fun !

4) So in order for natural birth to work, it is our responsibility to create the environment so this hormone can be produced. Be it at home or at the hospital. And of course kalau kat hospital, kenalah mendapat doctor & nurse who really can cooperate with your wishes.

5) Everyday kena imagine and visualise the birth that you want - location, at what position, when etc. Believe in the power of your mind!

6) Hypnobirth is not about against the hospitals, doctors and whatnots. It is about mothers to have an informed choice, no unnecessary medical intervention, and let the mother and baby work together during birthing coz they know what is needed.

7) How our uterus muscles work perfectly in harmony. It was written in the Quran that the uterus has 3 difefrent layers (mentioned lapisan demi lapisan dan lapisan). And each layer has its own function. Mothers job is to relax and control themselves in order for these muscles to work perfectly. And baby will come out dengan sendirinya without even mothers need to push. Subhanallah ! (Nadine showed the example with blue ribbon. I hope I can visualise this during birth. InshaAllah Amin)

8) Go to the hospital as late as possible. kalau boleh, sampai hospital trus beranak je. Because the best place to equip ourselves with the love hormone, and other necessary hormones are at the comfort of our house. So make sure body is properly ready, dah produce natural pain-killer then baru pegi hospital. If we go menyerah diri terlalu awal, itu yang dtg cerita -induce, dilation is so slow, baby distress yada..yada..yada. And end up with c-sect (which may not be necessary). There is no rush to birth the baby. Baby knows when to come out that is when they are ready. So kalau tak perlu, jgn lah dipaksa-paksa kelahiran itu.

9) We had to practise the relaxation and visualization techniqes. But both MNI and I terpinga-pinga sebab tak dapat masuk into that phase pun. Hahah. Its ok. Still lot more to learn :)

I m pretty sure there are a lot more to share here. But ini je yang saya igt buat masa ini. Will tambah tambah if I ingat lagi ok !

P/S Alhamdulillah tomorrow is our 4th anniversary. Hoih how time flies kan?