How this Mama prepare for her success on Vaginal Birth After 2 Cesareans

DISCLAIMER : Permission obtained from the rightful owner of this sharing tips. Kindly seek permission from site owner if you wish to share amongst your network.

Saya pun nak share my VBA2C prep.

Masa saya tengah pregnant dulu, saya lagi seronok baca prep mamas semua untuk VBAC dari the successful birth story itself. So I will share my preparations, mana tau ada orang yang boleh dapat manfaat juga.

In no particular order (cos semua pun penting):

1. Finding the right health care provider

Bukan saja perlu cari doktor yang sokong usaha kita, nurses pun kena yang pro gentle birth dan cari hospital policy yang mother and baby friendly pun sama penting. Saya tinggal di Shah Alam tapi sanggup je pergi monthly check up di Seri Kembangan seorang diri pasal majority hospital yang laga dekat dengan rumah memang saya blacklist (based dari pengalaman sendiri dan pengalaman ibu-ibu lain). Mak dan suami saya sendiri mula-mula memang pelik apsal la nak pergi check up jauh-jauh.

2. Scar massage

Saya start dari mula je dapat tahu saya pregnant. Tak la setiap hari tapi maybe seminggu 3-4 kali kot. Buat selagi perut tak besar dan cover scar. Video cemana nak buat ada dlm group ni.

3. Weekly prenatal yoga 

Setiap Jumaat malam selama 6 bulan berturut-turut saya pergi prenatal yoga. Bagi surirumah macam saya, dapat sejam untuk diri sendiri memang macam dapat pergi vacation punya seronok. Saya mula yoga dari masuk 2nd trimester hingga la ke week 38.

4. Writing a birth plan

Tulis birth plan dan bincang dengan doctor. Give and take mana-mana yang patut. Do it early. Saya memang upfront dengan doctor yang saya nak gentle vba2c masa first appointment lagi.

5. Attending Amani class with Hanz Jamaludin at 20w

Ni sebenarnya more to prepare my husband. Pasal saya nak dia on the same page as me. Like many mamas here, saya memag register dan bayar sendiri senyap-senyap, pastu baru beritahu dia. Sebulan in advance saya dah beritahu husband suruh ambil cuti, siap buat google event semua. Bagi tau mak siap-siap minta tolong babysit anak-anak for 3 days pasal kami nak pergi kelas. No choice, kena pergi pasal dah bayar.

6. Neverending research

Read the recommended books, baca segala kat GBG, ICAN, Spinningbabies. Saya baca Ina May, HypnoBirthing, dengan Amani book je sebenarnya. Tp baca banyak-banyak kali. Screenshot mana-mana yang penting dan WhatsApp pada husband. Tag husband di birth stories, share youtube links.

7. Osteopathy treatment at 33w

Doctor tu ajar pasal acupressure points, dan buat treatment dekat my spine, pelvis, dan belakang, dengan betulkan flow mana-mana yang sangkut.

8. Birth plan party with Hayati Muzaffar

Salah satu session utk release emotional baggage pasal my previous csects. Learn a lot from her.

9. GBG sharing session with Nadine Ghows

Session ni dibuat setiap bulan. Sila la join untuk belajar dari pengalaman ibu-ibu yang lain. Previous pregnancy saya ada join Gentle Birth workshop by her also.

10. VBAMC sharing session hosted by Liyana Anaqi and Mazneera Zainal

Ni pun must attend session kalau admins buat lagi. Pengalaman dari orang yang sudah berjaya VBAMC. Yang datang masa sharing ni pun akhirnya ramai dah berjaya capai VBAMC.

11. Diet

Jaga pemakanan. Self explanatory kan? Less carb, more protein, cut down on processed food, less sugar. Saya minum RRLT dari week 20 pasal from my reading, fungsi dia utk tone uterurine muscle, bukan induce labor. Tp buat cair-cair je la, satu sachet tu guna 2 kali. Total 3 kotak saya minum. Saya tak makan habbatussauda pasal pernah baca dia boleh menyebabkan contractions. Lain-lain termasuklah VCO, EVOO, madu, kurma, folic acid, Neurogain,Vit C 1000mg, and B complex and EPO towards the end of pregnancy. Tapi sebelum ambil apa-apa supplement, sila la discuss dengan doctor masing-masing and do your own research. Masa pregnant memang BP dan urine saya ok every month, tiada GDM, takde GBS.

12. Walk a lot

Basically kalau jalan-jalan lebih 3 jam tu dapatlah 10k langkah.

13. Gym ball exercise

Sangat berguna masa layan surges kat rumah atau hospital. Ada 2 size, 55cm dan 65cm diameter. Sebelum beli, make sure research dulu yg mana satu yg sesuai.

14. ECV at 33w

Baby saya masih dlm kedudukan tranverse sampai week 33. Masa check up, doctor nak buat ECV untuk pusingkan baby dan saya pun setuju. Memang masih awal lagi sebenarnya dan baby still ada masa untuk turn tapi ni pun salah satu usaha saya. ECV pun ada pros and cons, sila research juga option ni. Alhamdulillah, lepas procedure je tu, kepala baby pusing ke bawah dan stayed there.

15. Pregnancy and labor playlist

Cari breathing techniques dan birth video yg best2 kat youtube dan compile my own playlist.

16. Swimming

Sempat la jugak pi swimming a few times. Ingat nak buat weekly jugak tapi tak kesampaian.

17. Sleep on my left

Memang consciously akan baring mengiring ke kiri masa tidur dan rilek-rilek kat couch. Bolster memang kena ada.

18. Puasa penuh

Alhamdulillah, Ramadhan tahun ni saya dapat puasa penuh. Pertama kali sejak berpuluh tahun lamanya. So my baby ni saya namakan Ryan (Sempena Ar-Rayyan, pintu syurga utk orang yg selalu berpuasa).

Doktor memang particular soal weight gain pasal takmo baby besar sangat. So berpuasa dapat control jugak my weight gain.

19. Continue to breastfeed until beginning of third trimester

Masa pregnant saya ada toddler yang masih menyusu. Saya continue BF untuk genapkan 2 tahun. 5 bulan pertama pregnant+bf. Ambil masa sebulan juga nak wean-offkan dia. Dapat juga BF anak kedua 25 bulan. Masa third trimester memang saya nak restkan boobies pasal nanti nak renew contract lagi 2 tahun pula lepas ni. Ni pun salah satu cara saya control weight gain.

20. Solat like normal

Previous pregnancies, saya solat duduk masa dah hujung-hujung tu. But this time, solat berdiri all the way. Sujud kan ala forward leaning inversion jugak?

21. Lots of specific doa

I bayangkan my dream birth dan doa setiap hari.

Ada lagi sebenarnya yang saya tak sempat nak buat. Didn’t manage to try homeopathy and using essential oil. Dengan usaha dan ikhtiar serta doa yg tak putus-putus, akhirnya saya dapat juga water birth after 2 c-sect seperti yang diidam-idamkan.

Humble unplanned active birth at home | The birth of Nawraa Amana

DISCLAIMER : Permission obtained from the rightful owner of this birth story and minimal editing is done on spelling for better reading but the content is maintained its originality for education purpose. Kindly seek permission from site owner if you wish to share amongst your network.

NOTE BY BIRTH STORY OWNER :

It took me quite some time before I made the decision to share this story – OUR BIRTH STORY – to the world. Most probably due to the fear that people might take our childbirth as a “simple” and doable act, and wanting to do it blindly. Please, DON’T! So please understand the steps we have taken as a couple as you read our story to welcome our princess as gentlest as possible. All of this happen simply because, “Kun Fayakun”,  “Be and it is!”.

All praises to Allah, for He is the All-Knowing. May the sharing of this story will be an eye-opener to the vast knowledge of physiological birth to all readers out there, insyaAllah. And as the story-teller itself, let this tiny knowledge sharing be void of riaq, taqbur and ‘ujub. Again, He is The All-Knowing.  

First Pregnancy: 

Our first experience with pregnancy has been quite simple and was a typical hospital birth. Although I have been introduced to gentle birth and have been reading almost all the knowledge shared in the group. BUT, I was still not very well equipped with knowledge about; 1. Epidural and its possible risks and effects and oh c’mon.. Epidural, an equivalent to a pain-free birth, is naturally very enticing to a mother in painful, active labour. 2. I was not strong enough to say NO! to episiotomy that is against my knowledge and consent . And 3. I was also charged for a vacuum procedure (a friggin RM750!!) that was not even done to me. I felt like I was a failure. Like I was not a good enough mother for awhile there. You know, like why can’t I deliver like atuk nenek dulu? No pain-meds so powerful like that? Why am I so lembik? Yada yada yada. Oh well, I forgive myself now.

Fast forward, we were again blessed with our second pregnancy. This time, I didn’t want to repeat the same mistake of my ignorance and mousy-ness. I want to have a memorable birth, better breastfeeding start (baby free from the effect of any pain meds etc) and we will try as best we can to make it work! So we attended AMANI Birth class. Big shout out to my CBE teacher: Thank you so much Hanz! The class was worth it and we could not have done it without you! My husband was even more confident about birth that he himself said, “Kalau macam ni, Baba pun boleh sambut baby!” and I laughed it off with a nervous smile. Little did he know the effect of his words. Ehehe…

We also took care of our diet and fitness. I took a lot of natural food, sunnah food ie. Dates, raisins, honey and ate lesser junk/fast food. Kadang-kadang makan juga KFC. Hehe. But true enough, that gave me better reading of my hB than the pills. I was also fitter! I took brisk walking seriously towards the end of my trimester. Those who knew me will know how “un-fit” I was when it comes to anything related to sports. But for this pregnancy, Alhamdulillah… I managed to complete one month of Ramadhan fasting, all the while walking, and climbing up and down the third floor for all my three classes, which is located in different buildings, all over the school, DAILY! Round kampong sehari 3 kali setiap pagi ok kawan-kawan? I was not like this during my first so yeah, that is BIG! At least for me lah.. Give me a break ok fellas? ;P

36 Weeks : Went for usual monthly check ups with the doctors. Scan, scan, oh baby is oblique (diagonal)/breech. I was referred to a specialist the same day. So off I went (and got lost that took me almost 2 hours just to get to the hospital). Scan again, confirmed we have a breech. Unstable lie, which mean, kejap senget, kejap tegak, closer to heart, gitu. Hee..  

Summary:

1^st doctor: Puan kena admit. Kita nak scan hari-hari. Kalau continuous breech, by 38^th weeks kita perform LSCS (pucat lesi dah time ni! Cesarean was the last thing on my mind!).  By 38 weeks baby dah matang.

Me: Eh tapi saya ada history overdue. Tak boleh ke kita tunggu at least 40 weeks? Rugi perkembangan otak dan peparu baby. I know 38 weeks dah matang tapi sayanglah, masa tu perkembangan paling rapid.

The answer is still NO. So I was admitted. Takpelah. Then upstairs, I met a second doctor, I quickly minta discaj. She was confused a bit. Peliklah this mother.. Hehe.. But she was nice, really!

2^nd doctor: Hmm. Ok, macam ni, we will admit you then perform scan regularly for three(3!!) days. Once baby cephalic, we will induce by rupturing your membrane. Kalau still breech then I perform ECV, which is 50/50 percent of success.  Also, if baby persistently unstable lie, suka pusing-pusing, then only we perform a c-section. (Bless her, she was so nice to explain it this far to me. Maybe I look too nervous sampai nak cabut lari terus!)

But I was adamant. I said, baby is small kan doctor (she said it herself) maybe that’s why dia boleh pusing-pusing lagi. Plus three days is a little too short a chance for my baby. I’m at 36 weeks. We have 4 weeks versus 3 days. Don’t you think it’s a little unfair? With my past overdue history, my baby could be a premiee should we proceed with induced labour at 38 weeks. Second pregnancy also means my uterus dah “longgar” so cannot grip the baby (she also said it herself) kan? Hehe. I promise will continue to monitor the baby everyday. Pleaseeeee.. Gelak nervous. Finally the doctor laughed at my stubbornness and let me go. Phew.. Kalau tak, 3 hari sebelum raya dah pantang dah..erk!

Then, 2^nd day of raya, at my 38^th weeks, I met my 3^rd doctor;

She was quite senior and as she was scanning my tummy, she motherly said,

“Oh, second time mother memang biasalah tu baby tak masuk laluan lagi. Memang dia boleh pusing-pusing lagi sebab rahim dah meregang.. Jangan risau, selagi you are not in labour, selagi tu dia boleh berpusing. Pujuk-pujuklah dia supaya masuk laluan elok-elok. Even labour itself is a process to position the baby properly. Lainlah kalau dah takdir memang dia nak juga breech. Even kalau breech pun, still possible for a normal vaginal birth but it was no longer practiced in the hospital. It was a lost art. Anyway, see this round shape? It’s the head. Your baby IS head down. Everything is good. Alhamdulillah. Si kakak ni umur berapa tahun? Becoknyaa..bla bla bla..”

Again, syukur alhamdulillah. Lega sekali lagi. And baby remained cephalic, head down following check ups, up until birth. One of the best decisions made so far.

Oh what I did to encourage baby to be in this position? I went to seek advises from my AMANI CBE, Hanz told me to study spinningbabies.com website’s instruction like Forward Leaning Inversions (FLI) especially, 10 seconds leaning heads down, twice a day, squat more, walk even more, prolonged sujud (ambil peluang berdoa banyak-banyak masa ni),gently swaying my hips on my gymball whenever I felt the baby’s hiccups is down below (konon-konon supaya dapat grab kepala baby masuk laluan laa..haha!) I even met an osteopath to get checked up if my body is the one causing my baby to behave like that..hehe. I’ve got nothing to lose by trying all this methods.

I even met three different doctors (not including two I’ve met previously) that are willing to accept a normal (if possible) breech delivery. None found. But by then, I was no longer worried of my baby’s position. I wanted to keep calm and continue enjoying my last trimester happily. Risau tu ada juga but hey, I know I’ve studied my brain dry and I’ve tried every method possible for the sake of my baby to have a normal birth. Jika ditakdirkan breech and we need a cesarean, I know I have tried my best and I won’t regret it. Pentingnya faham dan terima qada’ dan qadar Allah selepas berusaha sedaya upaya.

But---- My baby have her own mind. Hehe.

By 40^th week, I was still driving to school, tummy almost touching the steering wheel. Annoying okay? At 41 weeks, I was still climbing the stairs up and down that sometimes, I purposely avoid stairs with incoming teachers to avoid the same repetitive questions and the same repetitive answer. Bubs is not gonna stay inside forever, yes?

Well-meaning friends and relatives were getting worried as I was past due but looked as if I was in my early third trimester. Maybe the walking-every-morning routine was the culprit? My klinik desa’s nurse/friend was getting nervous as well. But I just smiled and promised to monitor baby’s movement as close as possible and wait for the baby to come out when she wanted to. “WHO recognized 42 weeks as not overdue, just post-date. Hehe.” I remember saying this to my nurse-friend. Member geleng kepala je la. Degil sungguh cikgu sorang ni..

The Labour Story:

14 August 2015 – Very mild cramping. Not painful at all. Went for karaoke after dinner with our little family.  Nawwar tertidur lepas nyanyi lagu dia, Twinkle,Twinkle Little Star. Haah, memang ada lagu tu dalam playlist. The cramping stopped and I carried her down back to the parking lot. Heavy lifting on purpose konon nak start balik contraction tapi tak juga. Acah je la tu. Balik rumah prepared underpad on our bed, in case of any leaks but still, none.

15 August 2015 – Started having mild irregular surges! Yey! Finally! Sempat pergi midnight movie-date with darling hubs at Setia City Mall en route back to Kampung Kuala. Nawwar was transferred to her tokwans beforehand. Tengok Tom Cruise tembak-tembak orang sambil tekan start/pause button kat contraction timer app. Balik rumah, tidur jelah. I instinctively know it will be quite some time before it will get regular. Husband kepoh a bit but bearable, like the irregular surges. Hehe.

16^th August 2015 – Went hill-hiking at Bukit Malawati, Kuala Selangor. It has been awhile since we have our date without our bouncy bunny Nawwar so I think oxytocin may have played its part here. ;) By then, I’ve already texted my AMANI classmates about my progress. Surges came if I was mobile hence the more walking and hiking. Wow, tinggi jugalah Bukit Malawati tu. Stopped at certain points for squatting and stretching, and deep breathing. All husband-led coach. Untung isteri cikgu PJ. ;) Turun bukit, pekena roti canai Hamzah. Last time rasa teh ais. Balik rumah in-law pekena nasi dagang. Memang cucu tok Terengganu la ni. Kenapa ya? Read on..

Ironically sleepy gentle birth | The birth of Amir Ikram Aden

DISCLAIMER : Permission obtained from the rightful owner of this birth story and no editing is done to maintain its originality for education purpose. Kindly seek permission from site owner if you wish to share amongst your network.

20/1/2015 : i was only at 36w so when my parents asked me to follow them for a visit to my grandpa's in kuala pilah, i said yes. It was during the journey I felt many stronger braxton hicks as compared to before and i thought to myself "awal jugak ke adik nak keluar ni". my eldest was born at 37w, a day after a journey by car. almost the same scenario here.

21/1/2015 : had trouble sleeping and was killing time watching some k-dramas. braxton hicks were stronger but i was still relaxed and didn't even tell mr. hubby.

22/1/2015 : i was asleep when i was suddenly awaken by a period pain-like cramp. like a deja-vu , i knew that was it since it was the same feeling the day his sister was born. the time was 0915 and i told mr. hubby when he came to check on me. the look on his face was priceless. of course he was mentally prepared to welcome a new member of the family but i bet he didn't expect the arrival would be too soon. 

Alhamdulillah we attended the AMANI class so we knew that it was an early 1st stage labor and decided to do a last minute shopping to get our mind off things and to get me to walk around. so out we went buying this and that. couldn't really remember as i was busy controlling my breathing. at one point of time, after i felt very uncomfortable to walk around anymore, i told him i wanted to go home. Arrived home around noon. at this point onwords i couldn't recall all the details as the surges were getting intense. i remember being on the gym ball a lot and on all fours to ease myself. at the same time mr.hubby spreaded the canvas we bought since our plan A was homebirth. so from noon to around 1630, the bits n pieces i remember were mr.hubby giving me kurma and some 3 in 1 drink, more gymball, pacing around the living room and being on all fours. 

Satisfying empowered natural birth in hospital

Disclaimer : Permission obtained from rightful owner of this birth story for educational purposes. 

Lepas attend Amani Birth class dgn Hanz memang semangat sangat nak homebirth. Tapi ada rasa tak ready juga. Saya lambat decide nak bersalin kat mana sebab tak sure, tapi last2 decide nak backup juga kalau2 kena pergi hospital. Sebenarnya silap cara ni sebab dlm mindset dah kena fix nak bersalin kat mana.

Bila buat ujian air gula doc kategorikan GDM. Due date baby sepatutnya 29th September. Tapi doc dah beritahu kalau masa tarikh tu takde sakit nak bersalin, kena datang jugak untuk induce. Katanya ibu GDM ada risiko baby akan meninggal masa dilahirkan. Tapi saya decide untuk ignore invitation induce tu sebab rasa baby ok aje, insya'Allah. Tapi akan monitor pergerakan baby jugak. Sempat juga consult Hanz dan Hanz pun beri opinion yang sama.

Pagi 29th September dah rasa sakit yang semacam. Tapi tak kuat dan boleh buat aktiviti macam biasa lagi. Dah stand by sebab rasanya malam ni akan mula surges yang real punya. Memang betul start pukul 1 pagi dah start surges sebenar. En.Suami dah tanya nak pergi hospital ke? Tapi rasanya boleh tahan lagi, saya pergi main gym ball dan banyakkan jalan turun naik tangga. Pukul 3 pagi dah kuat dan kerap surges ni, saya contact Hanz, nak dapatkan advice sebab hati rasa nak homebirth, fikiran nak ke hospital. Hanz kata sekrg dah patut fix, satu je, hospital or homebirth (dlm kelas pun dah diberitahu sebenarnya, tapi saya ni yang susah nak decide..huhu) Hanz advice untuk mandi dulu kalau rasa lambat lagi. So, lepas tu saya pergi mandi dan berendam dalam pool. En.Suami la yang gigih mengisi air suam dalam pool, sebelum tu dah gigih carikan pool dan gym ball..hehe.Masa berendam memang start rasa sakit yang 'lain', kuat sakitnya. Terus ajak En.Suami pergi hospital, sebab rasanya dah sampai masa. Lepas hantar anak2 kat rumah parents, terus pergi ke KPJ. Alhamdulillah pagi tu kereta tak banyak. Sampai aje emergency entrance, air ketuban pecah. Bersalin sebelum ni air ketuban nurse yang pecahkan, bila pecah sendiri ni baru la tau, ooo macam ni rupanya pecah natural.

Vaginal birth after caesarean in hospital | Baby Amira birth story

Disclaimer : Permission obtained from rightful owner of this birth story for educational purposes. Copied from original owner's blog post : Amira's Gentle Birth Story


Ok tibalah entry yg ditunggu-tunggu. Tapi sebelum itu ribuan ampun dan maaf dipinta pada rakan-rakan yg menunggu cerita ini. Dah sebulan lebih beranak baru karangan siap.hehe…

Alhamdulillah. Kelahiran anak ke-2 kali ini dipermudahkan Allah. Sakit tetap rasa tapi tidak lama seperti waktu bersalinkan Aliya dulu, 14 jam dalam labour room + 6 jam tak boleh bangun selepas bius. So total is 20 hours before I can hold and breastfeed her. Itu cerita sakit masa nak beranak. Lepas beranak pula I sufferred back pain for almost 1 year. Bila cuaca sejuk je terasa sakit di tempat yg dibius tu. Rasanya ngilu dan mencengkam. Derita tahu. So, for this second birth I don’t want my belly to be cut open for the second time. Untuk mencapai impian itu, banyak usaha diperlukan. Bukan setakat hanya berharap. I do a lots of reading, baca birth story dan tanya pengalaman kawan-kawan yang berjaya VBAC/VBAMC di group GBG dan ICAN, jaga kesihatan dan pemakanan, do exercise, pergi birth preparation class dan akhir sekali tidak putus berdoa. Allah itu Maha Pengasih lagi Maha Penyayang. Dia melihat dan mendengar segala usaha dan doa kita.

So, here goes the birth story of my second daughter, Amira.

12 August 2014

EDD is on 16/8 but I hope that the baby will come out on 17/8 so that we can share the same birthday date and celebrate it together =P

Allah lebih mengetahui dan Dia adalah sebaik perancang. Bloody show datang pada subuh 12 August (sama macam Aliya dulu, bloody show pada waktu subuh). So dalam hati rasa baby mungkin akan keluar hari ini atau paling lewat esok pagi. Bagi tahu En.N supaya off from work hari ni.

9.00 a.m - dah terasa surges yang kerap. Pergi sarapan makan roti canai dulu. Masa sarapan tu berapa kali stop makan buat deep breathing sebab surges datang. Puas nak menghabiskan sekeping roti canai. En.N ajak pergi hospital terus lepas sarapan but I refused. Nak balik rumah dulu. 

10.30 a.m - Timing surges guna apps contraction timer. sudah 5 minutes apart. Kat rumah layan sakit dengan hot shower. Memang terasa sangat-sangat lega bila warm water mengalir di belakang badan. Lama duduk dalam bilik air sampai En.N ketuk pintu tanya saya ok ke tak. Lepas keluar dari bilik air minta En.N bukakan pool dan isikan air. Rasa macam nak berendam. Masa jadi badak berendam tu banyak kali En.N tanya sambil gelak2 “Nak beranak kat rumah ke?”. Saya pun juga sambil gelak jawab ”Ye la, nak beranak kat rumah la ni. Nak home water birth”. Senyap kejap dia. Lepastu  dia cakap “Hang, biar betui. Siapa nak jadi bidan ni nanti?”. Terus dia speaking utara. Haha…Saja menyakat. So saya jawab “Kita pergi hospital lepas solat zuhur” (*-*)

2.00 p.m – Sampai di GMC. Alhamdulillah orang tak berapa ramai. Bagi tahu nurse saya dah ada rasa surges lima minit sekali. Buat CTG dan terus kene admit.

4.00 p.m – Dr. Hamiza datang buat VE. Sudah 4cm dilated. Masa dalam bilik tu saya makan kurma nabi,minum air zamzam dan juga air red raspberry leaf tea yang di bawa dari rumah. Bila surges datang saya buat deep breathing dan juga mandi hot shower sambil hip sway. Doa Nabi Yunus memang tak putus baca. Dan juga “Yaa Fattaahu Yaa Rahman Ya Rahim” (Wahai Zat Pembuka Pintu Rahmat, Wahai Zat Yang Maha Pengasih, Wahai Zat Yang Maha Penyayang) dari bukaan satu sehingga baby lahir.

8.45 p.m – My parent datang bawa Aliya. Bila tengok dia bergenang air mata ni. Ambil dan peluk cium dia.

9.10 p.m – Dah tak boleh tahan rasa sakitnya. En.N bagi tahu nurse dan nurse call Dr.Hamiza yang masa tu berada di klinik di Damansara Damai. Dah rasa macam nak meneran tapi nurse cakap kalau boleh tunggulah doktor sampai dan saya disuruh mengiring ke kiri.

9.30 p.m - Dr. Hamiza sampai di GMC. Buat VE and I was 9 cm. Doctor pecahkan air ketuban dan terus rasa nak meneran. Teran kali yang pertama takde apa-apa. Kali ke-2 teran doktor dan En.N dah nampak rambut baby. Teran kali yang ke-3 baby terus meluncur keluar tepat jam 10.00 p.m. Sangat licin dan laju dia keluar. Nasib baik doktor Hamiza sempat 'tangkap'. Doktor ambil baby dan terus letak atas dada. Sangat sebak masa ni. Alhamdulillah banyak yang Allah telah permudahkan bersalin kali ini. Dapat jumpa doktor yang support VBAC, islamic birth centre practice, nice and helpful nurses dan all my wishes doktor hamiza tunaikan; immediately skin to skin with the baby, dapat delay cord clamping utk baby, no IV drip, no episiotomy and no gas or pain killer. Doktor hanya lap sikit-sikit je badan baby dan malam tu baby tido dengan masih ada baki vernix menyaluti badan, wangi. En.N also was honoured to cut the ribbon (baby cord) after it stop pulsating. He was with me in the labour room from the beginning seeing me in pain, baby come out and until I get stiches. Allahuakbar. Allah the Almighty. Thank you for giving us this opportunity and a sweet moment to be remember for the whole life. 

Trust in Almighty, trust in own body paid off | Baby Muhammad's active birth story

Disclaimer : Permission obtained from rightful owner of this birth story and originality maintain without any editing done for educational purposes.

Pernah suatu ketika, salah seorang rakan seperjuangan, Zu menyuarakan impiannya untuk homebirth, ditemani suami dan anak2.. saya terkejut .. biar betul dia ni.. (mase tu xtau pun saya preggy - Bahzi berumur 1y8m, Baheera plak 5m) sehinggalah kandungan saya masuk 4 bulan, baru tahu saya sedang preggy.. Alhamdulillah, Berkat amal pemakanan sunnah, saya langsung tidak mengalami alahan seperti masa preggy Bahzi dan Baheera dulu. Tetibe terdetik di hati, memasang angan2 seperti mana impian rakan tadi..hehe.. berangan je kot. Saya pun usha2 la page AMANI, dan kebetulan ada kelas preview yang akan dijalankan esoknya. Saya terus register, semangat! dalam kelas tu ada lagi 2 pasangan lain..dari yang saya perhatikan, mereka ni dah memang terdedah dan ada basic pasal AMANI, tp kami, zero! Dah la sampai kelas lambat (sesat, dan terpaksa minta tolong pak polisi yang hantarkan kami..hihi) at least preview ni meninggalkan kesan kepada kami.. kami bersemangat untuk ikuti kelas selanjutnya.

Alhamdulillah.. ilmu baru bagi kami..bermula dari situ, sy join grup2 support dan memahami apakah Natural birth, Gentle birth, Hypno birth dll.. just untuk gali ilmu dan tak decide pun kami akan homebirth! cume ade la gurau2 dengan hubby, "abg jadi bidan nti eh" dia ckp tak kisah je.. tapi dia ingatkan, jangan terlalu yakin, mohon daripada Allah supaya Dia permudahkan segala urusan, Allah jua la sebaik2 perancang Dia juga yang menentukan segalanya.. Semakin dekat due date, saya juga merasa ragu2, risau memikirkan andai berlaku sebarang complication, tapi saya semakin punyai keyakinan setelah melakukan solat istikharah, semoga Allah permudahkan urusan kami. Kami tawakal.

06 Mei 2014 (Selasa)

Tepat jam 5.30pagi, terjaga dari tidur dek bunyi alarm.. tetiba perut rasa memulas je.. baru teringat malam tadi banyak makan tembikai.. padan muke ambe.. huhu.. walaupun dah ulang alik toilet 2-3x, perut still rasa tak selesa gak.. masa tu rasa serik sangat makan tembikai..hihi..

Lebih kurang jam 6 lebih, lepas mandi dan solat subuh..sempat amik 3sudu Qaseh, minum jus delima al-Rumman, secawan teh Raspberry Leaf dan 3 biji kurma sebagai pembekal tenaga kot2 la saya akan bersalin, sebab masa tu fikir mungkin Braxton Hicks je ni.. Bagitahu suami perut memulas, dia dah mula risau. Tapi saya? still lagi was2.. so, macam biasa, saya bergelek dengan birth ball, peneman setiap kali saya rasa tak selesa.. sambil2 tu siapkan bubur untuk Baheera, kemas baju anak-anak untuk hantar ke rumah BS.. tak sempat sediakan breakfast sebab suami tak bagi buat, dia dah makin risau. Masa ni saya terus pm my CBE

Jam 7.30pagi, baru saya perasan surges yang datang setiap 10minit, so ni bukan braxton hicks la. ok, saya layankan aje.. bergelek atas birth ball dengan Baheera.. minta hubby siapkan pool. baru je suku air dalam pool, Bahzi & Baheera dah sibuk berendam dalam tu.. hubby tanya tak nak join dorang ke? eh, tak kanla dalam air sejuk gitu kot? Baru la hubby teringat nak masak air..hihi..kelam kabut hubbby ku pagi ni.

Dalam jam 8.30 pagi gitu,saya call my mom.. bagitahu pada dia yang saya dah mula sakit2,walaupun still tiada tanda yang keluar. tapi mak dah suruh kami pergi hospital. Tapi tak lame pastu tiba2 ade keluar darah sikit, ok..baru saya yakin yang saya akan bersalin hari ni.. saya fikir mungkin saya akan lama in labour sebabnye mase Bahzi & Baheera dulu, kalau keluar tanda darah pagi ni, kebiasaannya pagi esok baru saya akan bersalin.. tu yang sempat shopping dan pergi kenduri bagai..hihi..

Jam 8.40pagi, saya terus masuk pool berendam..Alhamdulillah..rase nyaman sangat..rasa lebih relax. Di saat ni saya dah tak merase surges. Sy berlunjur dan bersandar pada dinding. Surges makin kerap tapi tidak kuat.. asal datang surges je, saya bergelek2 lembut (tak ingat apa istilahnya), sambil pejam kan mata dan terbayang pulak kelopak bunga yang sedang mengembang..hihi.. sambil tu saya terlelap..hubby cepat2 panggil saya, dia risau tgk sy terlelap..hihi..

Jam 9.00 pagi, suami bagitahu yang dia nak pergi hantar anak-anak ke rumah BS, tapi saya tak benarkan sebab saya tak nak nanti saya bersalin sorang2..huhu..tapi tengah saya duk melayan surges, suami sempat juga pergi hantar diorang..katenye kot nanti tak leh nak concentrate..hihi.. Saya still melayan surges.yang datang setiap 5 minit. Yes, deep breathing sangat2 membantu mengurangkan sakit ketika surges dan secara tak langsung membekalkan oksigen pada baby. Dan yes, betul ckp CBE sy, kite sebenarnye boleh control sakit kita terutamanya masa nak bersalin, saya langsung tak panik dan sangat relax melayan surges. Sambil zikir doa Nabi Yunus dan setiap masa juga la saya mohon maaf dari suami. Saat ini suami disisi, hanya pegang dia dan dia plak kejap2 duk alirkan air suam pada badan saya, sangat2 lega dan tenang..

Jam 9.15 pagi, saya rasa macam nak teran tapi suami ingatkan saya jangan teran tapi still deep breathing, takut nanti akan koyak.. Suami suggest saya beralih tempat supaya saya dapat bersandar pada katil, mungkin lebih selesa katanya, saya setuju dan cuba untuk merangkak, tapi dalam keadaan posisi kneeling, saya hanya sempat capai hujung katil je tetibe terdengar bunyi 'pop'..serentak kami terucap 'Allahuakbar'.. ok, this is our 1st time ok, sebelum ni saya tak pernah dengar bunyi ketuban pecah, memang teruja. Beberapa saat pastu suami cakap da nampak kepala baby dan dgn lajunya baby meluncur dan berpusing, terus suami sambut..

Tepat jam 9.23pagi.. Saya tanya suami, "sayang dah bersalin ke?" eh, cepatnye.. dalam keadaan tak ready kot masa tu.. tak sempat pun beralih tempat.. Alhamdulillah.. Suami pun korek mulut baby untuk keluarkan semua lendir (baby pun dah terbersin) dan selepas suami azan dan iqamat di telinga baby, suami terus pass baby pada saya untuk bonding.. Alhamdulillah.. tak sampai 5 minit pas tu saya rasa macam surges datang sekali lagi, dan uri pun keluar, complete.. step sterusnye delay cord clamping..tak silap lebih kurang jam 6 petang, suami saya memotong tali pusat anak, sebenarnya memang tak plan nak buat Lotus Birth, tu yang kami decide untuk potong hari tu jugak. tak mahu menyusahkan suami untuk uruskan baby nanti..huhu..baby pun kami tak terus mandikan, biarkan je selaput vernix mengering..best sangat bau baby :) 

Alhamdulillah..syukur ke hadratNya kerana diberi peluang untuk menikmati kelahiran secara Natural Birth. Alhamdulillah, kali ni saya tak perlu melalui prosedur2 seperti VE, AROM, pitocin semua.. dan syukur sangat2 kerana proses kelahiran kedua-dua anak sebelum ni dan yang ketiga ni juga saya tidak mengalami sebarang koyakan dan luka.. tapi kelahiran anak yang ketiga ni saya rasakan proses kelahiran yang sangat indah..saya tidak merasa sakit surges seperti sebelum ni, tempoh yang sangat singkat dan sangat mudah..Alhamdulillah.. Trust Your Body, Trust Your Creator.. 

Sebelum, semasa dan selepas bersalin, Peranan dan support dari suami sangat-sangat penting.. terima qaseh abang.. abang lah epidural syg..hihihi

Berat baby masa lahir 3.5kg

Segala urusan pendaftaran anak pun berjalan lancar..Alhamdulillah

Accidental gentle homebirth of baby Aqil Iman

Disclaimer : Permission obtained from rightful owner of this birth story and originality maintain without any editing done for educational purposes.

EDD: 21 Sept

Birthing: 3 Sept

Baby Boy, Aqil Iman. 3.2 KG.

1st& 2nd sept: BH. Unconsistent, feel like period cramp.

3rd sept

4am:regular period cramp, very mild.every one hour.

Sms my husband, he' s working at pahang. Me at in laws place. keningau sabah( tukar angin nak bersalin kat sabah pula, b4 this, both of my kids were born at DEMC shah alam) . Just let him know about my current situation 

5am: mild cramping happen. So, tell my MIL to look after my kids sementara layan surge sambil tunggu husband balik. Solat subuh, then hot shower. Release skit.

Breakfast, drink rasberry tea, vco,extra virgin olive oil and papaya.

6am: sensation comes more frequent. When its come, i walk,walk and walk around the house. Zikir and practising deep breathing. Then, recite surah maryam,relaks and tertido pula.

8am: the waves came and frequent. I tak timed pun sebb malas. I just let it be  then FIL beli mee sup, i makan dlu. Tapi kurang selera, minum dan banyak kali gi tandas. Macam biasa klu dtg surge, i jalan je smpi dia brenti. Sambil i tgk scenery di luar rumah, nice view with clean environment. Non toxic and virgin air. 

Then anak2 i bangun, i join them dancing,watch hi5 and mickey mouse clubhouse:-) serius, i tak rasa sakit pun. Still bearable.

10am: the surge become intense and hard. I apply deep breathing, and zikir nabi yunus. Alhamdulillah, deep breathing i x kelaut, i manage to visualize and sampai tahap i xtakut utk next surge. 

MIL tanya nak gi hospital tak, i ckp ok mum, so dia pack barang2 i. FIL i reverse kereta untuk ke hospital.

Baby Wafa telling how she was borned through awesome vbac birth

Disclaimer : Permission obtained from rightful owner of this birth story and originality maintain without any editing done for educational purposes.

Assalamu'alaikum & hi aunties semua 

Nama saya Aliya Al Wafa, hari ni genap umur saya 55 hari setelah lahir di rumah. 

Wafa nak cerita macam mana mama lahirkan wafa. Sebelum tu, abang wafa lahir secara czer. Alasan doktor sebab keadaan masa tu dah fetal distress. Padahal sebab mama stress kena strap baring je tak boleh gerak. Terpaksa la abg lahir secara czer. Sepanjang berpantangkan abang, mama ashik nangis je sebab trauma kena czer. So, mama kata that's enough!! Adik lahir kat rumah, no more medical intervention, go for vbac!!

Bermulalah kisah wafa pulak. Sepanjang mama mengandungkan wafa, mama ambik semua supplement dari REAL FOOD, takde pun supplement dari klinik atau lain2. Hari hari mama ambik protein, calcium, asid folik yang cukup dari sumber kekacang, sayuran & buahan. Sesudu pati delima gulsan + sesudu madu campur setengah cawan air mesti wafa akan rasa hari hari.

Tak lupa jugak exercise. Mama tengok youtube buat exercise, kadang kadang buat belly dancing. Syok betul dancing dengan mama dalam perut. Hehe...

Sepanjang mama mengandungkan wafa jugak, mama buat research habis habisan untuk homebirth sampai bisnes mama agak ke laut, haha... Hari hari mama cari info baru melalui group GBG, ICAN, UC, Spinning babies, birth story, youtube dan google. Mama baca buku gentle birth & buat revision balik Amani notes yg Aunty Hanz bagi masa Amani kelas. Owh ye... Lupa bagitau, mama dah pergi kelas intensive Amani dgn Aunty Hanz sebelum mama conceive wafa.

Masa wafa dalam perut mama masuk 2nd trimester, mama dah buat scar massage. Lepas 30 minggu, mama jumpa Prof Zainal VR Clinic Homeopati untuk ambik ubat homeopati pulak. Bermula tu juga wafa rasa ubat homeopati plak.

Doktor bagi EDD untuk wafa keluar dari perut mama 4 julai. Tapi wafa keluar dari perut mama genap 41 minggu 2 hari pada 13 Julai.

Bermula 36 minggu, hari hari wafa bagi mama tanda braxton hicks sekali sehari supaya mama bersedia. Masuk 4 julai, wafa tak keluar lagi tapi mama cool je. Hari hari mama ajak ayah window shopping. Minum air kelapa pun hari hari. Sebelum tu, start 32 minggu mama dah minum RLT hari hari, beli kat kedai organik. Dan tak lupa jugak mama ambik vit c yang jenis soluble lepas dah masuk 36 minggu.

Masuk 41 minggu, baru mama teringat nak makan nenas. Esok paginya (12 julai) bloody show pun datang, masa tu pukul 2.30 pagi, mama nak pee, ternampak darah. Wow!! Mama excited sampai tak tidur dah lepas tu. Bloody show datang je mama dah rasa surge. Surge yang boleh tahan lagi tu tapi bila tiap kali datang, memang tak boleh tidur, mama buat deep breathing tiap kali surge datang.

Subuhnya, mama whatsapp aunty zura, since dia yang paling dekat dalam melaka ni untuk minta tolong apa apa. Sekali tu je whatsapp, lepas tu dah tak tengok phone. Mama fokus deep breathing je.

Macam macam posisi mama buat, kejap atas gym ball, kejap squatting, kejap all four. Kejap dalam bilik, kejap kat ruang tamu. Memang best & tak stress. 

The 'What If' Syndrome of Pregnant and Birthing Mother

The mind is capable of anything, because everything is in it, all the past, 

as well as all the future. - Joseph Conrad

"The body is the action component of the mind. What is experienced in the body is determined in the mind. Therefore, what the mind chooses to accept or perceive as being real, the robot body, accordingly, responds to. The mind does not have the ability to act. Therefore, it sends messages to the body demanding action. The body, in turn, plays out the thought" (Mongan Marie, "Hypnobirthing - The Mongan Method (3rd ed 2005) p 65)

Everything we perceive as physical matter is fundamental energy. Simply put, our thoughts, events, things, people, circumstances at it's fundamental level is simply frequencies of energy that we tune into through our mind and then decode through our 5 senses into physical experience. Our mind is simultaneously broadcasting and receiving frequencies into the world according to the thoughts and emotions that we hold in our mind. Like attracts like, that is the Law of Attraction in this Universe. It is up to us to tune into the frequency that which we chose to bring into the visible experience. It really is that simple.

Most women associate giving birth as tremendous painful event. The belief in pain surrounding childbirth is so strong that women approach birth with negative expectations. Our subconscious minds hold our belief systems and during pregnancy, women are often in an altered state and highly suggestible when they are with their healthcare providers, in the workplace, in childbirth classes and even when they are watching programs or reading anything about birth. Whether it is positive or negative, this influence pregnant woman and can affect her birth. Our subconcious mind is very powerful indeed. If pregnant women are focusing a lot about what they want to avoid, their subconscious mind is affirming that they actually do want that undesired outcome.

10 Breastfeeding Mistakes New Mothers Make

Why not 5 only? Or why not 20 so that the longer the list, the better prepared the new mothers?

It is not the matter as little or as many mistakes that could be found but what matters is to you ensuring that you don't ever get too close to these common mistakes new mothers (parents) tend to make. Based on my observations as well as the complaints that I received during breastfeeding consultation and counselling. Let's roll!

1) You think you don't need breastfeeding knowledge because you believe that breastfeeding is natural, next to maternal instinct.

Does that sound strange that breast feeding could be a daunting task for first time moms?  There may be a tendency to believe that being a mom is bred into women as an instinct. An instinct is an unlearned complex pattern of behavior. In human beings, there are no instincts. In other words, we need to learn how to do everything. Yes, we are aided by reflexes. Reflexes are simple and automatic behaviors. For example, sucking is a reflex. Breathing is a reflex. Blinking is a reflex. Behavior such as these are controlled by the brain stem and occur without thinking about it. Unlike reflexes, caring for a baby requires a great deal of human learning.

As a result of needing to go through a learning curve, many new moms face lots of anxiety. Their anxieties stem from such problems as getting the baby to suckle at the breast, getting the breast milk to flow, feeding pattern and many more.

Solution : Get prepared. Attend breastfeeding class, read breastfeeding books, join support groups and many other effort as long as you know that you will be well-equip.

2) You rely on the clock too much while nursing

When breastfeeding a new baby, women often try to schedule their feedings for every three to four hours or watch the clock when they feed their babies. 

The Joy of Newborn Babywearing

We love 'wearing' our youngest son. As parents, we discovered babywearing makes life much more convenient. Although we started babywearing since son no. 2 but with no. 3, we started since he was just a newborn.

It frees up both hands to help with all of that multi-tasking you're doing. We thought it is a great idea to babywear for situations that are'nt ideal for pushing a bulky stroller. Especially in heavily crowded places. It has provided us some sort of security assurance too having known our little ones safely tucked just like the next skin, followed us wherever we went.

The joy of inhaling that newborn smell with every step, arrgghhh... so blissful! Our little ones also loves the comfort of being worn as it made him feel safe. This close physical presence promotes bonding. Such a plus point that a simple piece of cloth comes with a sleepy dust and we said this because he usually just fell asleep everytime we tucked him in the 'cocoon'

Babywearing is a safe activity. But, like what you do with a newborn, always ensure safety standard are met.

Your baby should be held snugly and well supported, high enough to kiss, easily visible to you (without fabric covering baby’s face) and with chin off of chest.  You should be able to get two fingers under baby’s chin and hear baby breathing normally.  If you hear grunting or snoring sounds, that is a sign that baby is having trouble breathing.  If that happens, remove baby and re-wrap being sure to wrap very snug and tight.Below poster should serve as guidelines on safe babywearing.