C
ctrbabe1
Guest
Our second daughter, Zoe Kar-Yi Wan, was born on Tuesday April 3rd, 2007 at 1:29pm. She was 3.535 kg (7lbs 13 oz) and 52 cm (20.5 in). Same size as my first daughter! We delivered at Queen Mary Hospital.
So, for those of you who are planning to go to QMH, here are a few things I learned...
1) BE VOCAL! If you want or need something, ask, because they don't really ask you how you are doing. I had to ask for water several times during labor.
2) I had an epidural. This was my first time having one, and they gave it to me full power. By the time I was ready to push, I couldn't because I didn't have any power down there. I had to wait TWO HOURS (!!!) until the stuff wore off enough for me to push effectively. The mid-wives were not very helpful. I asked them if they could watch the monitor and tell me when to push, but they said it was too hard to do. Whatever. So my advice is if you get an epi, ask for them to only turn it on 50% or 75% or something like that so that you can still feel the sensation of when to push.
3) I had a birth plan all typed out, but there wasn't really any good time to give it to anybody. Everything pretty much worked out. The only thing I really had to insist on was the no med students (because they all know my husband and I didn't want them to see me that way). So unless there are very specific things that you will be adamant on, I found the birth plan to be useless. As long as you know what you want and aren't afraid to be vocal about it...
4) I only took 1 package of the matrnity pads. I needed about 3! They use them during the labor, and you will need them afterwards as well. I had to send my hubby out to get more.
5) Don't wear toe nail polish. They will make you take it off. This made me sad because I just got a pedicure the week before and really loved the color I had! I couldn't take it off myself because I was in too much pain with the contractions, so they made hubby do it.
6) The food was ok. Definitely not the best I've ever had, but not exactly the worst either. For breakfast the first day they brought the congee, but I just asked if they had anything else and they brought me the "sweet porridge." The oatmeal was already sweetened, but I had brought some craisins to add. It was pretty good. The second day they automatically brought me the oatmeal. For lunch and dinner they bring pretty much the same thing: a big bowl of rice, some kind of meat (chicken or pork) in a sauce, and some kind of steamed vegetable. For lunch they also give you an orange. I found that the first several hours after birth I wasn't that hungry, but the next two days I was starving. I had taken some snacks with me, and it's a good thing because they don't bring you anything else besides at meal times. It might be nice, if you have people come visit you, to have them bring something else. Oh, the meal times coincide w/ the visiting hours.
7) TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE TIME YOU HAVE TO SLEEP! The best two hours of sleep I got every day were from 5-7 am when they took her for bathing and to sleep under the warmer and whatever else they did with her. Besides a nurse coming to take my temp sometime during those two hours, I was left pretty much in peace. Pretty much all day and night you have people coming to check on you and the baby and doing different exams and all sorts of stuff. So when you have an hour or two here and there that nobody is bothering you and your baby is sleeping, take advantage of it. You will need it!
8) They don't let you use the electrical outlets. I had taken a hair dryer, but didn't get to use it. There are no outlets in the bathroom. I did have to charge my cell phone once, but did it in the middle of the night when no nurses were coming in and out.
That's all I can think of at the moment.... If any of you have any questions, I'd be happy to answer them!
So, for those of you who are planning to go to QMH, here are a few things I learned...
1) BE VOCAL! If you want or need something, ask, because they don't really ask you how you are doing. I had to ask for water several times during labor.
2) I had an epidural. This was my first time having one, and they gave it to me full power. By the time I was ready to push, I couldn't because I didn't have any power down there. I had to wait TWO HOURS (!!!) until the stuff wore off enough for me to push effectively. The mid-wives were not very helpful. I asked them if they could watch the monitor and tell me when to push, but they said it was too hard to do. Whatever. So my advice is if you get an epi, ask for them to only turn it on 50% or 75% or something like that so that you can still feel the sensation of when to push.
3) I had a birth plan all typed out, but there wasn't really any good time to give it to anybody. Everything pretty much worked out. The only thing I really had to insist on was the no med students (because they all know my husband and I didn't want them to see me that way). So unless there are very specific things that you will be adamant on, I found the birth plan to be useless. As long as you know what you want and aren't afraid to be vocal about it...
4) I only took 1 package of the matrnity pads. I needed about 3! They use them during the labor, and you will need them afterwards as well. I had to send my hubby out to get more.
5) Don't wear toe nail polish. They will make you take it off. This made me sad because I just got a pedicure the week before and really loved the color I had! I couldn't take it off myself because I was in too much pain with the contractions, so they made hubby do it.
6) The food was ok. Definitely not the best I've ever had, but not exactly the worst either. For breakfast the first day they brought the congee, but I just asked if they had anything else and they brought me the "sweet porridge." The oatmeal was already sweetened, but I had brought some craisins to add. It was pretty good. The second day they automatically brought me the oatmeal. For lunch and dinner they bring pretty much the same thing: a big bowl of rice, some kind of meat (chicken or pork) in a sauce, and some kind of steamed vegetable. For lunch they also give you an orange. I found that the first several hours after birth I wasn't that hungry, but the next two days I was starving. I had taken some snacks with me, and it's a good thing because they don't bring you anything else besides at meal times. It might be nice, if you have people come visit you, to have them bring something else. Oh, the meal times coincide w/ the visiting hours.
7) TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE TIME YOU HAVE TO SLEEP! The best two hours of sleep I got every day were from 5-7 am when they took her for bathing and to sleep under the warmer and whatever else they did with her. Besides a nurse coming to take my temp sometime during those two hours, I was left pretty much in peace. Pretty much all day and night you have people coming to check on you and the baby and doing different exams and all sorts of stuff. So when you have an hour or two here and there that nobody is bothering you and your baby is sleeping, take advantage of it. You will need it!
8) They don't let you use the electrical outlets. I had taken a hair dryer, but didn't get to use it. There are no outlets in the bathroom. I did have to charge my cell phone once, but did it in the middle of the night when no nurses were coming in and out.
That's all I can think of at the moment.... If any of you have any questions, I'd be happy to answer them!
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