Labour Pains Part I

Hello hello! 

Before I grow old and forget what labour pain was like,….*pause*.. hmm, hold that thought. Actually, it all seems pretty vague now. HAHA

..But anyway! I'll squeeze my brain to gather whatever #throwback I can possibly recall as a future reference to you women out there and also, to remind myself why I never want to be pregnant ever again. (For now la, not never. I'm sure Jaden would love to have a younger sibling.. *crosses fingers for a baby girl*)

Okay. 

When I first gave birth to Jaden, the common questions that followed suit were, "Pain ah?"....."Natural, Epidural or Caesarean?" .…"How does it feel like?"

As my wound was in the process of healing, I often shudder when it was time for story-telling. 

Why? Because everything experienced was still RAW and FRESH IN MY MEMORY. As long as your wound hasn't completely healed, you would probably shudder every single time you try to recall what happened that night too.  

*Note: The story that you are about to read contains explicit details (draggy, at the very least). Also, every woman has her own tale so go ahead and bombard your mother, aunties, colleagues & friends. 

Honestly, I want to scream profanities when it comes to certain parts of the story but hold back, I will. #yoda

So anyway, Jaden's expected due date was 27th of September. 

He was born on the 26th of August @ SDMC Hospital, Subang. 

It was a Monday. 

Woke up in the morning, there was some bloody discharge from my Vajajay (*vagina), which could easily pass off as period blood. I'll have you know that a pregnant woman is not supposed to have her period until after she delivers. You can only imagine how I feel when I saw patches of blood on my stained knickers. Effin' Heart attack. 

Anyway, hubby brought me to the doctor for a check up. Doc measured my Vajajay after I told him about the incident.

Doc: Your cervix has been dilated by 3 - 4 cm. That's the first phase of dilation. You can deliver anytime. You can even deliver today if you want to. However, you're only 36 weeks. It would be best if you are able to deliver next week. Do you feel any contractions at the moment?

Me: *eyes wide opened* Wait, what? Deliver anytime? Meaning? Uh,.. how does contractions feel like? I had stomach ache and lau sai 3 times in the morning but I highly doubt that was contraction. HAHA. I don't feel any pain now.

Doc: That could be a sign of contraction. Usually, the hardest phase is the first phase whereby the cervix opens 3 - 4 cm. Some women struggle to even reach the first phase and need drips for dilation. In your case, you aren't even aware that it has been dilated and it is actually a good thing. I'll write you a medical leave. In the mean time, try not to move about so much and just rest at home. I'll see you again on Wednesday for another check up. 

Me: Am I still going to bleed?

Doc: I've cleaned the blood from your cervix so there shouldn't be anymore bleeding. Perhaps just a bit of spotting. 

After that, I wanted to go home and rest la, right? But noo, Collin wanted to eat dim sum at DJ.
So we went. I wasn't hungry but ate one egg tart anyways (YUMS). Halfway through my tart, I had stomach ache & lau sai AGAIN. Like, what was wrong with me? No idea.

When I reached home, it was probably noon-ish. Mum was super shocked when she heard that my cervix was already dilated 3 - 4 cm and she said I needed to go to the hospital. Pronto!
Was getting ready, packing all necessities when I had stomach ache AGAIN. Lau sai AGAIN.
All in all I lau sai 5 times la minimum. FML.

Still, I didn't feel any contraction.

Collin went to work after dim sum whereas my plan was to stay home and not move kind-of-thing.
But as I went to the toilet, I still had bloody discharge! DOC WAS WRONG. WHO CAN I TRUST NOW? So finally, I gave in and told my mum that I wanted to go to the hospital. Collin came home and we left for Subang at about 5 in the evening. No jam, thankfully.

Anyhoos, arrived at SDMC. Went to the receptionist and told her about my bloody condition and that I was 3 - 4 cm dilated. She asked if I was in pain, I said no. She continued to process the paperwork. I sat there blankly, totally clueless on what lies ahead of me.

Receptionist lady: You will be admitted to the delivery ward. Only your husband can go in with you.

Me: Uh huh, so does that mean I am delivering like.. now? Today? You mean I won't be placed in a normal hospital ward? I don't have any contraction wor.

Seems like that was the plan. Shortly after, a man walked over with a wheelchair and before I know it, I was wheeled into the lift and on to the delivery floor. It was weird, sitting on a wheelchair. I wasn't feeling any pain or contractions anyway. After that I walked into a delivery ward and changed into a patient-outfit. *those hospital gowns where your bare ass peaks and says hi to everyone behind you*

Nurse checked my cervix and OMG it was already 5 cm dilated (BY THE WAY, once the cervix dilates to approx 10 cm, the baby is ready to come out). I said I had my period and she said it wasn't period and that it was actually.. lochia. <--- Totally googled that up because I forgotten the actual word. HAHA

Still, no pain. No nothing. 

After that, I just lay there. On the hospital bed. She fixed some sort of fancy apparatus on my big round belly to monitor my contractions. She was looking at the contraction reading-thingy on the printed paper (similar looking to those fancy equipments that records earthquake reading) and told me that I was having my contractions and asked if I felt it. Nope, no pain. *For a brief moment I thought that my delivery process was going to be easy peasy as there weren't any signs of pain and that I would just sneeze and the baby would pop right out and land on the doctor's welcoming arms.
 BOY, WAS I WRONG ABOUT THAT.

My doctor came at about 9pm dressed in slacks and a casual polo shirt. He then proceeded to cut my water bag. *Collin missed the water bag cutting part cause he went down to pass a set of keys to my family. HAHA he's still holding a grudge about that. Guess he really wanted to see my water bag break. HAHAHA*
Anyway, the doc said the walls of my 'water bag' was really thick. I'm guessing that's why it didn't break in the first place. After he managed to cut it, WHOOOOOOOSHHHHHH, felt like pee but it wasn't la duh. HAHA. I was still on the bed when the doc cut it so wtf almost the entire lower part of the bed was wet. Can you say yuck?

He said that I was about 6 cm dilated and that he expected me to deliver after midnight (27th August).  Logic behind this is, women's cervix generally dilates 1 cm every hour so 9pm + 4 hours = past midnight. Simple theory. He then bid his goodbyes and sauntered off the delivery room. I've never seen a happier and a more relaxed-looking doctor.

SO I LAY THERE. AND NOW I CAN FEEL THE CONTRACTIONS COMING. FML.

Okay, continue next time.
HEHE. suspense.

Bye bye.
-Jaden's officially 3 months old today. HAPPY HAPPY JOY JOY.

Dayre is The New Black

Hehe. Hi. 

Just going to make this a really short one.

Ever thought of keeping a diary but you simply don't have the time to pen it down on a piece of paper? 

.."I'll jot it down later.."

.."Diaries are for girls.."

.."Who keeps a diary anyway?.."

Here's a gentle reminder: As the end of the week approaches, you'd probably think to yourself.. 

"Hmm..What did I eat on Tuesday?.."

"How did I blow my budget this week?.."

"What was the joke my friend told me about again?.."

Hey, what about that funny lil' blooper in your life that made you laugh so hysterically? Don't You want to cherish that moment forever? Don't You want to track your accomplishments on a day to day basis? Let's just assume you'd want to.

..what? Blog it out?

Everything these days are commonly associated with 'On-The-Go' concept and unfortunately, it's a little tiresome to sit infront of your laptop for hours recollecting your daily activities after a loooooong day at work. You just want to kick back and relax, y'know? Enjoy the company of your family & friends.

Well now, introducing a relatively new app- Dayre, is a solution to everyone's needs.

Dayre simply combines your updates, videos and pictures into a daily log in the span of 24 hours. 

It's mad easy to use and super convenient as you can update it whenever and wherever you are (AS LONG AS YOUR PHONE IS BY YOUR SIDE AND IT'S CONNECTED TO THE INTERNET.)

Did I mention it's free? Cause everyone is a sucker for free stuffs.

Here's a little snippet of my 'Day 324' in Dayre. 

BTW, they have stickers available for updates too, which is quite relatable to our daily lives. 

So,.. since I spend majority of my time with my phone (live, sleep & eat with it. literally). I'm going to be updating my Dayre much more than any other social media(s) presently available. 

If any of you kepoh (busy body) eager to know about my adulthood, you have my permission to follow me on Dayre.me/jessicaloh ...HAHA

Ok. Alright, Ciao.

Baby Talk

Aren't you glad that you're living in a modern world? 

*Spreads arms & twirls like how Julie Andrews would in the Sound of Music*

Some of you may wonder, "Why should we be glad when criminal cases have been escalating and our country's wealth is depleting as we speak?"

*sigh*

Okay, black hole.. Geez, thanks for sucking the fun out of everything. If you pay too much emphasis on all the negativity that's going on in the world, you're going to miss out the little things in life that might just tickle your funny bone, losing that chirpiness that we all possess (deep down somewhere, at least). Nobody deserves to be a glum and if you happen to find one, maybe you can hand a hundred bucks over to him just like how Vitaly & Jerome Jarre did to 'make someone feel better'. *Haha, I soooo wouldn't..*

"But aren't you being a little oblivious to what's going on around you? All the human trafficking and what not?", says the reader who-has-his-heart-set-on-being-a-black-hole.

HELLO. THE KEY WORD IS TO APPRECIATE WHAT YOU HAVE. May it be a little or a lot. 

*ahem*

Seems like I have digressed quite a bit from my intended post. 

Yes. Living in the modern world. One of the best inventions that technology can offer (in my sweet little opinion) is a camera phone. Although, admittedly, staring at my iPhone all day has had a negative impact on my vision. 

Still, I'm super thankful that it exists. 

Why? Simply because it has helped me to capture thousands and thousands of my baby's photos. Not to mention edit them into schuper-cute little comic strips. Love love love. 

This boy, the little thing that breathes. My little human. Words can't describe what a significant being he is in my life. (Hi mum, I know how you feel now. lol. love you.) 

Many may ask what it feels like being a mother. Honestly, I could write a thousand words on how I feel but when it comes to your turn to experience parenthood, a thousand words will never seem to suffice. It's different. It changes you into a new leaf, a better one I might add. I can't say that I deserve a 'Best Mummy Award' as I do explode from time to time..(anger management, ha-ha..less occurrences now, I swear.) Though, I do sincerely hope that in Jaden's eyes, I'm all he needs. *wouldn't hurt if he gets me a #1 Mummy In The World <3 mug tho'

*wipes soppy smile off your faces*

Anyway, Jaden's a little over 2 months now, growing more and more each day. Here's some pics!

His hair is naturally like that. Douchey Gangsta..HAHA

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*Short comic strips I made last night. The pictures totally fit the context, no? Totally get why Xiaxue does all these comic strips for Dash. SO ADDICTIVE. Plus, there's only so many things you can do when your baby is asleep for 2 hours tops. 

Comic strip #1: Get Me Out Of Here.

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Comic Strip #2: Passport Photo Day

BY THE WAY, i made his hair like that with a wet cloth.
HAHAHA. SUPER CUTE, RIGHT. Melt with me.
I think the passport hairstyle is way cuter than his douchey hair.

 .

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

*snap*

1..2..3.. 

*snap*

I'm SUPER in love with this photo. Baby smize.

CAN STARE AT IT ALL DAY *crazy mother*

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Okay! That's all for now. heh.

Jx

A Trip to the Dentist

When's Your last visit to the dentist?

...Mine was 2 years ago. 

I know, I know. Before you give me any disapproving looks, yes... we're supposed to get our teeth cleaned & checked every 6 months. Honestly, who does that? HAHA..Please tell me I'm not the only procrastinator around here O_O

How did I end up at the dental clinic anyway?

Just a couple of days ago, a portion of my lower gums felt uneasy. So I decided to wait it out and monitor my gums for a day or two before seeking le dentist. *Days passed* ..Sad to say that my condition didn't improve la right?! Or I wouldn't be sitting here writing this post in the first place.

Funny how I seem to always delay the process of curing whatever problems I have until the very last minute before it reaches an alarming stage. Seriously, what's my problem? Let's take for example, I almost! *note: almost had abscess milk duct due to the blocked ducts in my boobs last month. FYI, when a woman has abscess milk duct, she needs to undergo surgery, OK!? Not a laughing matter. Will totes blog about that horrible horrible experience next time. Shit, life isn't easy.

Where was I? Oh right, gum problem. 

I went to the dentist today. Costed me a mini bomb (RM225) on top of my other commitments that I already have. *blows dust out of empty wallet* T_T

OK. RIGHT. DENTIST. NOBODY LIKES GOING TO THE DENTIST. Unless you're there to remove your braces, heh. 

// My dental experience after 2 long years //

There I am, sitting on a dental throne with my mouth agape (not glam at all) while lady dentist checked my gums.

..Turns out I have 'serious gum problems'. Omo, what does that even mean? *heart sinked*

She said my gums aren't healthy and experienced inflammation due to the accumulated tartar. Probably a result of inadequate brushing & not visiting the dentist often. 

**HAHA on a side note,.. I just realized that tartar on gums and tartar sauce have the same spelling. How ironic. Ew. 

Since my gums aren't healthy and bla bla inflammation, it started receding. AND SOMEONE MY AGE ISN'T SUPPOSED TO HAVE RECEDING GUMS! Eff Efff Efffff!!! It's like saying to a 22 year old's face that he has receding hair line. Oh, the venom! *ouch

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So I got this off the internet to what causes receding gums:

Hormonal changes. Fluctuations in female hormone levels during a woman's lifetime, such as in puberty, pregnancy, and menopause, can make gums more sensitive and more vulnerable to gum recession.

Tobacco products. Tobacco users are more likely to have sticky plaque on their teeth that is difficult to remove, which can cause gum recession.

Grinding and clenching your teeth. Clenching or grinding your teeth can put too much force on the teeth, causing gums to recede.

Crooked teeth or a misaligned bite. When teeth do not come together evenly, too much force can be placed on the gums and bone, allowing gums to recede.

Body piercing of the lip or tongue. Jewelry can rub the gums and irritate them to the point that gum tissue is worn away.

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Okay, seems fair. I did experience a major hormonal change & still have a misaligned bite. Not sure if I grind or clench my teeth tho'.  

Anyhoo, what's done is done. Gums can't grow back to where it formally was and now I'm stuck with a receding one. Oh well. The only thing that can be done by the lady dentist was  major scaling on my less-than-perfect set of teeth. Was it painful? Nahhh, I tend to shift my attention onto something else (not the dental apparatus) in hopes that fairies will take me to their wonderland and away from the torture chamber. It works. However, I had to open my mouth so big to the extend that the sides of my lips were going to split. It was uncomfortable. Also, I didn't put any moisturiser on my face so imagine having your mouth wide open with super dry skin as an extra touch. Not the best combo. 

Now, my teeth is clean again. Will definitely not neglect my next visit to the dentist 6 months from today. I can already foresee that one or two of my lower teeth might go missing when I'm older if my gums continue receding. Guess I've got to start setting aside some money for fake tooth implantation in the future. *labels jar & tosses in some coins* 

Whoa, such a wordy blog. 

Sorry, I doubt you'd want me to post a picture of my teeth or gums, right? Don't so disgusting ah. 

bbye. 

Runaway Thoughts

Hello there.

As you may have noticed, my last blog entry was on the 14th of August.
So, this blog has been pretty much dead ever since.

*brushes off cobwebs from every corner of the blog*

Ahem, why the sudden revival you ask? Well, I prefer the term 'reconstruction'.

On 26th of August, I went into labour (a month early I might add) and gave birth to a beautiful baby boy named Jaden Liew K.J.. Following the Chinese tradition, I was quarantined at home for a little over a month (aka confinement). Will probably blog about confinement & my labour experience in the near future for new mothers-to-be. HAHA. You'd need as much information as possible, trust me. *serious tone*

So anyway, I haven't been out for 2 months since delivery as baby J has been quite a handful!
Hence, unable to eat any good food = no food posts to blog about.
NO FOOD POSTS means DON'T NEED TO BLOG LOR, RIGHT?

WRONG.

I want to blog because I like to type and typing games bore me(that's probably the lamest reason). Plus, I don't physically own a diary and my head almost always explodes with too much thoughts cramming up my brain. Women in nature I assume(unless it only applies to me), think too much and if we do not have a channel to vent out to, we'd probably go a little nuts. But hey, maybe that's what Twitters are for. I don't own one so I don't particularly know. HAHA. Ok.

This is in a nutshell the reason for my recent hiatus and a peek of what my blog posts will be like in the future..Be it foodie posts, girly rants, baby progresses or reminisce of the past, this blog will no longer be a food blog but my public diary.

Jx