i was watching an episode of House on AXN the other day (which had the All American Rejects doing cameo in the opening!), about a rock & roll photographer who was five months pregnant and had a sudden stroke.
she had what was called the Maternal Mirror Syndrome, where the mother’s health mimics the distress level of the unborn baby. she suffered almost immediately from liver failure, kidney failure, jaundice, and basically, both their lives were threatened if the baby was not terminated.
House, being his practical, cynical self, tried to convince the mother to terminate her pregnancy and save herself, all the while insisting on referring to it as a “fetus” instead of “baby”, but the mother steadfastly refused and gave him two days to “fix it”.
so he performed a surgery on the baby in utero, cutting open the mother’s womb in the process, and here’s where time stopped, for Dr House and probably all the viewers of this episode (well, for me at least) – the baby’s tiny hand reached out of the womb, touched his finger, and squeezed it.
pretty much like this.
the difference is, this picture here was NOT staged or televised, but a real-life case where doctors performed a spina bifida corrective surgery in 1999 on a baby who was still in the womb, and from which this particular episode of House was based on.
the baby seems to be shaking the surgeon’s finger in gratitude, thanking him for saving his life, and testifying to his determination and strength to survive. wow.
so would you *still* call this being a “fetus”, then?
ahh, the birth of a new life. full of joy and promises – something i wish to all of you in 2008!
“why, hello Tahui Brudder #2! mimmy, why are you making him cry??”
and to us too.
“ahh, that’s better.”
anyone seeing the fireworks today?? not sure if we should stay up outside with the little one for that eight-and-a-half minutes of spectacular sky action, or stay snuggled up indoors catching up on those shows we’ve recorded on Smart TV.
ahh, we can do both, right? tomorrow holiday you know!
this is a week overdue, but congrats to farah for the much-anticipated arrival of mirza shiraz.
wow, only one of you left then, eh? *winks at lyd* lol!
circa jan 06!
anyway, the bub above here has shown signs of displeasure at not wanting to share mummy’s arms with any other little human beings other than him. his lower lip would quiver at the sight, tsk. so tak abang-abang ok?!
just how do they learn this – ‘jealousy’ – anyway?
nevermind. we shall keep ‘brainwashing’ him till he warms up to the idea. must prepare in advance mah. (way, WAY in advance, in this case.) :p
mum came over around noon, still worried. showed her the blood, which she’s never seen before in pregnancies. her own pregnancies went by uneventfully, she said.
meanwhile, the contractions HAVE begun. i think. from early this morning, even before izad has woken up for work.
what do they feel like?
exactly like menstrual cramps, or segugut, just like the doc, mum, and everybody else has described it. how amazing that this biological phenomenon is so… universal.
it comes like an intense, sharp cramp at the lower part of the abdomen and around the back of the waist… then passes by, fading away.
i’m just waiting it out. it’s pretty bearable for now. don’t want to be staying at the hospital too early.
meanwhile, he bought me something to drink. “they” say it’s for the baby to come out cleaner, or with lesser vernix, the waxy white substance that covers a baby’s skin at birth.
i’m gonna backtrack a bit these few days leading up to The Big One and dig up some old posts from our archives exactly a year ago (THANK GAWD we still have them!).
am feeling… nostalgic.
December 09, 2005
labour drill
been having slight brownish tinges on the panty liner since yesterday, and this evening, i noticed blood mixed with mucus when i wiped myself with toilet paper after bathing.
“izad…” i called, so very calmly that he hardly bothered to respond. finally he showed up, and i showed it to him.
so *that’s* the bloody show. how bloody exciting!
we were getting ready to have my birthday meal out, so we stuffed the rest of my “important” bits in the hospital bag and brought it along with us.
it was like a fire drill, but with less drama. you can call it a labour drill.
we were scarily calm coz i knew the real action wasn’t going to take place just yet. i was still having only braxton-hicks, not the cry-out-loud-in-pain contractions. in any case, we called the doc for advice. he said it could still take some time for labour to begin since i wasn’t having contractions yet, and if still in doubt, i could drop by the clinic tomorrow. as long as the baby is still moving, i’ve nothing to be worried about.
the birthday meal went by, with my mum looking very worried that i wasn’t looking worried.
when we got home (with our hospital bag in tow haha), i checked again.
looked kinda familiar. you know, like light menses on the first day?
sms-ed a reliable source of info who assured me that hers *was* like menses, and true contractions may happen only 36 hours later, or even a week.
a quick google check confirmed it:
Bloody show: Loss of mucus plug
During pregnancy, a thick plug of mucus blocks the cervical opening to prevent bacteria from entering the uterus. When your cervix begins to thin and open, this plug may be discharged. You may notice stringy mucus or a thick discharge. It’s typically brown and sometimes tinged with blood.
Losing the mucus plug is a sign that labor may begin soon, but it’s not a guarantee. Labor may still be a week or more away.
MORE waiting! hah.
the plug itself hasn’t come out, this was just a preview. i think.
meanwhile, the space between my boobies and abdomen is now TWO handspan wide. googling is very useful, coz i now know this is called ‘lightening’. and i can literally feel peanut wiggling his way further down.
let’s make 10th or 12th our target dates, ok boy-boy?
hmm, it does seem kinda weird, this ten months gap in entries.
for those who’ve been stuck in a time warp like this blogspot, it’s been quite a while since that tummy exploded. the little wrinkly thing that popped out is now this toddling, babbling, sometimes infuriating but nevertheless adorable being.
seeing that our other blogs are kaput, let me spruce up this blogspot a wee bit to make it more… homely. let’s go on a little trip down memory lane, shall we?
right. there’s the time he was born, on 10th dec. 3.08kg, 51.5cm. NVD, epi-less.
gah! i never thought i’d say this then, but i actually want this wrinkly version back!
ouh, flabby tummy galore, carrying the wrinkly bundle on the first day at the hospital. and yes, i actually want to go through the whole labour thing again, just to be pampered by the nurses at the hospital. seriously. no, i’m not mad.
within a week, he’s all circumsized and my stitch (and half of said tummy flab) miraculously vanished.
a month later, he’s already a master at the art of escaping from the dreaded swaddle.
but we found that putting him on his tummy works like a charm…
by the second month, he was our living doll. we played with him, and dressed him up.
and by the end of the second month, he was doing push ups. getting ready for NS!
oh, i should also mention i had a lovely maternity leave that lasted all of five months. half of which was spent, er, mallratting. hehee.
he spent a lot of time snuggling up to me and… my boobs, lol!
the third month was an exciting time coz he started flipping over.
and they call him… Thunder Thighs.
he rolled right through the fourth month.
of course, a lot of his experimenting was done in the mornings in bed with me.
the fifth month, hmm, back to the grinding mill, unfortunately. he had a bout of bottle battle which resolved just in time, and my freezer was full to the brim with packs of white stuff. till now, i’m always armed with my trusted borrowed avent pumps. yes, plural. can’t live without ‘em.
as for him, well, he just kept growing… and growing…
i think we’re lucky that we got such a happy baby. i hope he will always be a happy person.
ouhh, that hair! he had a somewhat major haircut in his fifth month. it was heartache for me, but thank gawd no one insisted on shaving his entire head. i’d have died, i think.
by the end of the fifth month, he could sit somewhat.
which brings us to the sixth month. *gasp* so fast, right??
he started his infamous leopard crawls.
he moved about so much, we stopped short of keeping him in a cage. hehe.
by now, the only time i get to wake up with him is on weekends. that’s when his eyes are the LARGEST and ROUNDEST, lol!
now where are we? ouh, seventh month!
he did things like swim…
met with other babies…
ate more food…
drank more milk…
oh, and practised standing up!
on to month number eight. his daddy kept trying to dress up like him. hee.
very fun ok.
then it was our anniversary! ok, so we tried spending it alone without the little one, but it didn’t last very long. we ended up going home after a quick lunch and a movie, and brought him out. bah.
who’d have thought we’d end up with two strollers within a year? eh, wait, we have two more months before a year, let’s hope we don’t fall for another stroller till then… help!
i think he finally grew a tooth or three the ninth month. hurhur.
i have to mention about dadam and naniq – they’re always fighting! haha! they’re like complete opposites in personality, just like my brother and i, actually.
omg, are you tired yet?? coz i am! ok ok, just a bit more before we reach the present time.
right, ninth month. he pakpakbingbings and claps on demand.
he tumbletotted and gymboreed.
and it was after one of those sessions when he discovered the joys of pushcarts!
so we got him one, albeit a cheaper version, from ikea. it’s one of his favourite playthings.
and now, PHEW, we’ve reached the tenth month, like finally!
from day one, we still can’t figure out who he looks like.
of course, i’m inclined to say he looks more like me, hurhur.
his cheekiness? maybe his daddy, though i doubt that too, hurhurhur.
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