My Birth Story

Nova Luna Bun – Welcome to the world with love!

Nova was born on October 19, 2019 (40 weeks 5 days, a fully baked bun). I was hoping that she would come earlier, but she obviously had other plans. Fertility has been a long journey for us and I’m simply grateful that we are finally here holding our baby girl in our arms. Childbirth is a deeply personal experience, there’s nothing more beautiful than the birth of a child and no one will ever have the same birth story!

THIS is How It All Begins!

Leading up till delivery, all has been going great and hubby & I were anxiously waiting for her arrival. However, my cervix hasn’t ripen yet, baby’s head has turned but she was still very high up, hasn’t engaged even past 40 weeks. After meeting up with my OB on 40 weeks 4 days, we decided to go for an induction on the same day. Hubby and I went back home and grabbed our hospital suitcase (yup, we packed a large suitcase full of stuff with things we didn’t end up using), I also had my birth plan printed out for the nurses – I was even asked by one of the nurses if I work at a childbirth center since this is the most perfect, easy to read birth plan she has encountered – yes, I was that prepared and I would prefer natural birth if all possible. We admitted to the hospital on 40 weeks 4 days in peace. Walking in I knew it’s going to be a long laboring process given my condition – cervix hasn’t ripen and baby hasn’t engaged – yet I was ecstatic knowing I will soon meet my mini-me!

When Your Birth Plan Doesn’t Go According to Plan

After 14 hrs of misoprostol to induce labor, I was only dilated for 0.5cm, now that’s going to be a really long induction process. Not a good sign!! ? Little that I know, at around 5am in the morning, about 6 nurses urgently rushed into my room and asked me to change position immediately since baby’s heart rate was dropped significantly from 130 to ~50mps. I was still groggy at the time from my sleep but my heart immediately sank hearing her heart rate has dropped and eagerly wanted to know what was really happening with her inside my womb. Thankfully I had a group of incredibly experienced nurses to assess baby’s health condition and help us through this. This is what they called fetal distress and oxygen deprivation, the problem is it’s difficult to diagnose what exactly is happening to the baby other than making assumptions at this stage.

A Life-Changing Phone Call!

30mins later I got a call from my OB and she walked me through what could possibly be happening here – the fact that my cervix hasn’t ripen at 40 weeks could trace back to my IVF procedure and the fact that baby was still so high up indicated that baby is having difficulty getting through my pelvis, let alone the birth canal. OB also warned me that I WILL see at least a couple more scary episodes of heart rate drop through my long labor induction process in the next couple days. At the end, the decision was all on me and my husband if we should move forward with an emergency c-section, and it literally took me a split second to look into my husband’s eyes and told him “let’s do it!”.

Knowing I will be walking into the operating room in 30mins, with all the emotions, hormones and adrenaline kicked in, I was shaking uncontrollably after that phone call and just like that, I was scheduled for an emergency c-section an hour later to get the baby out. Anesthesiologist came in and thoroughly walked me through the spinal anesthetic procedure – which numbs only the lower part of my body — allowing me to remain awake during the procedure. I might say, I was extremely lucky to have probably the best childbirth anesthesiologist, painless and précised!

It’s Showtime…with a Little Twist!

Once the numbness kicked in, I was completely numb from right under my boobs all the way down but I could still feel the pressure & jiggling when they pressed on my stomach. It’s honestly the weirdest feeling ever! They also did a few tests with cold spray to see if I can feel the sensation waist down. Since this is an emergency c-section, hubby was by my side holding my hands while at the same time, eagerly trying to take a peek at all the actions behind the surgical curtain. Me, on the other hand, carefully listening to my OB’s conversation with others, watching my stomach got cut open through the reflection on the surgical lights (bad idea) while humming Ed Sheeran’s “Perfect” to comfort myself!

The procedure was quick, perhaps 15 mins or less, they got the baby out. You know how people said it can be very emotional when you hear your child cry with their first breath after being born, that’s so true. I started bursting into tears and asking my husband if she is all okay. Turned out, she had the cord wrapped around her neck twice and body once! Had we not already checked in to the hospital, and had we decided not to go for a c-section, I simply cannot imagine what might happen to our baby. And honestly, I am incredibly glad we had the most supported labor and delivery experience thanks to my wonderful doctor and nurses.

I was able to do a skin-to-skin with my baby right in the operating room while the doctor was stitching me back up, and I honestly didn’t even care what they were doing to me at that point since I had the whole world sitting on my chest. Soon after they wheeled us to the recovery room and we were just hanging out in the room for the next couple hours. That’s when we had my parents and sister came in to meet baby Nova for the very first time!

My heart is so full right now that I could literally burst, filled with love, joy, and thankfulness!