Dreaming of having a 'Water birth' for the next child

Salam semua...

Yesterday I read story of Dr.Halina's (wife to Dr. Sheikh Muzaffar Shukor) experience in having water birth for their 1st child...so, interesting.... baca sini pengalaman beliau... inspiring!

This is birth pool 

I do google about water birth in Malaysia, setakat ni ada 2 hospital je yg bg servis ni. Island Hospital in Penang and Pantai Medical Centre in Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur - both are private facilities. For more info about that, please refer here.


And just now, I read the experience of Malaysian Young Mother having water birth in US...I copy paste cerita dia ye kat sini yer....

Saya bersalin di Mountain Midwifery Centre, Colorado. Saya yg pilih birth centre ni before we fly to US. Saya ckp dgn hubby..if this time I'm going to deliver our baby out of the country, I want it to be the most memorable labor i ever had - I want it to be water birth. Saya dah lame ricky info2 pasal natural birth, water birth ni..so envy with those women who had the chance to experience it. Jd...dah ade peluang ni I will not let it go because I know I'm healty pregnant women, I don't have diabetic or high blood pressure that restrain me to try this method. Alhamdulillah atas kesihatan yang Allah SWT. kurniakan.

Org tanya saya...natural birth ni apa? water birth tu apa? Natural birth ni..drug free labor..dengan kata lain ibu yang nak bersalin tu tade amik apa2 ubat tahan sakit ker..induce ker (cth: epidural, pitocin) dan tade intervention tools (forceps, clamps, episiotomy etc). Semuanya berlaku secara natural. Ibarat kalau bersalin dalam gua ..itulah keadaan nya  . Water birth plak..bersalin dalam tub air suam. Maknanya...masa labor ibu dah dok lam tub..push - dan tada..baby keluar while the mother still in the tub dan midwife akan sambut baby masa dalam air. Kalau rasa nk tau details boleh tonton movie - Orgasmic Birth atau google lah yeah. The movie was covered during 4 classes childbirth yang kami attended in order to get the right knowledge and knowing what to expect, what are the risks, how it works, what to do in the worst case scenario etc..lah.

Saya dan suami bukanlah dengan tangan kosong untuk berdepan dengan hari perjanjian Irfan. We attended  class. Mimin ikut kitaorg pergi class and she watched those videos and she well aware that her mother will go through those process soon in order for her to meet her baby brother. Since we planned to have her with us during the labor itself so it's good to have her join the class. Alhamdulillah midwives very supportive about us having Mimin during my labor. We read books too..I bought few books recommended by the midwives kat MMC, actually those book boleh je pinjam kat MMC tapi saje gatal beli utk simpanan sendiri dan utk rujukan masa akan dtg..manelah tahu ada no 3...4 ker esok kan hhehe! List buku ade kat website MMC. Boleh lah tgk kalo terasa rajin nk bace .

Other than that, we hire a doula to help us look after Mimin mase waktu labor nanti. Doula ni bukan bidan, tugas die untuk kasi moral support and assistant to expectant mom termasuklah jagakan other siblings who will be attending during the birthing process. Alternately can take turn ngn suami to take care mom mase dlm labor. More info on doula services boleh bace kat website Cocoon Enterprise company yg kitaorg amik. Rate diorg vary according to doula. Some doula offer free service ecsp. yg baru nak amik certified cert as doula they have to attend few birth baru leh jd certified doula. Some offer min flat rate. So tak kiralah berapa jam die ngn kita kat labor room tu..die charge min jer..so our doula is Melissa. She's great and very supportive. Even tho we met her sekali je before bersalin tak rasa die mcm stranger. sgt friendly and easy to work with, even Mimin pon ok je ngn die.

Me and Melissa (Our doula). 1 hour after deliver.

So the story on the day itself - I have some pinky show in the morning and I knew this is it! My contraction was 40min apart. So tade lah panic sgt. Lagipun all the measures has been tought mase class so now is the time to practice and apply all things that we have learned during the 4 classes. Iszad called midwife and doula to inform my condition so that they can stand by. I talk to midwife over the phone and she guide on what to do, asking how far apart the contraction. She said I might be having the baby tonight or perhaps tomorrow evening. She advise on go for a walk, take a warm shower. Take a nap in between contraction so that I can save my energy for the labor itself. Jgn lupa makan, drink lots of water.

Meanwhile, Iszad had been tremendously great,  helping me to go through each contraction. Rubbing my back, massaging,  pressing my pelvic while i’m kneeling on the glider. We learned all these during the class too. Owh i wish i could do these thing back then while we’re having Mimin, but i’m stuck on the bed instead with IV needle on my right hand, straps on my belly. No other option. I believe that is the main cause most mother exhausted in labor. Yerlah, dok mengerang sakit atas katil tale bergerak. Tade distraction, asik pk bile sakit ni nk berhenti. Sgt memenatkan. While Iszad helping me with the contraction, Mimin plak mcm biasalah buat2 prihatin, asking am i ready to go to “kedai” doctor, "Baby nak keluar yer mama?", "Mama..mama jgn buat muka mcm tu..buat mcm ni..." she;s showing me the correct way to breath by releasing all the jaw muscle instead of tighten it up..hem bagus betul anak mama. Esok besar jd Ob/Gyn ok. Did you know our jaw muscle connected to those muscle in ur cervix and all down there? The more you loosen up ur jaw muscle, the more easier for cervix to open up. Ha.. so kalo sakit contraction or sembelit lepas ni semua org jgn keraskan otot muka but loosen up it up and breath bukak mulut mcm tiup angin tu..insyaAllah tak rasa sgt sakit sembelit tu dan lebih mudah utk apa yg patut keluar tu keluar heheheh. Betul..hubby dah try die ckp berkesan.

Dari pagi ke petang sempat lah berendam dalam bath tub dengan air panas2 suam 2 kali. Nasib baiklah apartment yg kitaorg duduk ni mmg ade bath tub and access to air panas straight from the tap. Berendam ni one of the reason why I didn't realize my waterbed dah broke ke belom. Sementara tunggu Iszad pergi kelas around 1pm, sempat lah main masak2 dgn Mimin to distract myself from the pain. Balik je dari kelas, Iszad dok sebok tanye dah 6-1-1 ke belom. Not yet. So kitaorg mkn dulu. Lepak2 tgk tv, tgk movie. Around 8pm he had another class - ada final group presentation. Actually he already get one of the group member to cover his part in case he didn't make it to the class, however I told him that he can go. I was 20 min apart at that time. I just inform him to come back home right after he finish the presentation.

Ok..around 9pm i knew the contraction is almost 15-10min apart. 9.30pm Iszad dah sampai rumah. All his groupmate terkejut die dtg class for presentation. Even his prof. aware that we're having the baby anytime within that week and he is very supportive too. Elok je Iszad bukak pintu..I said it's time. Call the midwife and doula, tell them we're going to the centre now. Since bag semua da ready dlm kete. we only pack some extra pillow and blanket in case anything happen dlm kereta. Riding while having a contraction is not a fun thing to do. I would rather duduk kat rumah jer ahaha! It took 10 min to MMC and I had 2 contractions! It was like hell. I was crying while having it and right after the contraction went away, elok je boleh sing along lagu Westlife - Soledad tgh berkumandang lam kete hahaha. Iszad tanye..mama ok? Hahah! Yerlah kejap nangis kejap nyanyi..mane satu nih?

10.50pm - Once we arrived at MMC, the midwives dah tunggu. It was Cassie and Shanti who was on call that night. Our doula - Melissa pon dah ade kat MMC. Shanti tanya nak pilih bilik mane. You can see the room here. I choose the one yg. I tak sempat amik gambar mase tour visit last time sbb ade mom in labor kat dlm. It was all white room with black metal king bed. Ala2 putih suci bersih gitu hehe!. Shanti need to check my dilation, I went to the toilet to empty my bladder. Kalo kat hospital, sah sah doctor sumbat tiub. Kuwar dari toilet another contraction comes..uis..mmg sedappp! Bergayut kat pintu toilet sat..elok je habis..cepat2 bukak seluar. Elok je nak naik atas katil...another contraction come! Mase tu I cry... sbb sgt sakit, lebih sakit dari contraction sepanjang hari tadi. Everyone was very supportive, telling me that it's ok to cry, telling me that I'm doing great, telling me that I'm strong.... I lean my elbow kat ujung katil mase tu. Once the contraction hilang i naik atas katil utk check dilation. Shanti is the one who checked - elok je die keluarkan jari and said "You already 9cm Melor! Great job, you're so strong sister!" and there you go, I replied to her "I had the urge to push!...is this happening?!" Mase tu I baru bgn nak turun dari katil, Iszad was standing right next beside the bed, so tengkuk die lah jd mangsa utk I grab! After the feeling to push went away, Cassie directed me to take off my cloth dan turun pelan and masuk dalam tub so that we can have the baby in the tub. FYI, that's is the only time within my 40w of pregnancy they check my dilation. Yup only once. Kalo kat hospital 4cm dah kene warded...to get to 8-9cm berapa kali agak2 nurse or doc dtg check? Hemm tak selesakan?

Cassie, one of the midwife on call that night. Me on the 7th day after deliver.

11.30pm - I tak sedar bila masa Iszad tukar baju. He's right next to me inside the tub. Shanti asked me to follow my body. Push only when I feel like pushing. Air suam2 panas dalam tub tu sangat lah melegakan. It helps soothing the pain i had. Selawat dan ayat2 quran tak lekang dari bibir. I can feel the baby head moving and pushing to come out. The first 2 push was hard because I'm scared and the midwives knew that I'm scare becos I told them ahahah! Cassie said...you just have to let it go and give all you had and let's meet the baby tonight! So the 3rd time, I push with all the energy I had and they said..."You're doing great sister, would you like to touch your baby's head?" Then apa lagi...I put one of my hand down there and I can feel kepala baby almost to come out. It was so amazing!! Then comes the 4th pushing - plobb! kepala baby and his shoulder come out, I can see tangan Shanti sambut baby kat dalam air and she brought up the baby straight to my chest. The first thing I said to the baby was "Assalamualaikum sayang..mama is here" and i peek at the baby's genital..and there you go...i shout "Alhamdulillah it's a boy!". I didn't mention that the baby's gender is surprise right? Yup we didn't know what we're expecting! We prepare 2 names, if girl we will name her as Iris and Irfan for boy. Now we have Irfan Iszad Jeffri.


 Our new addition - Irfan IJ


Iszad and Shanti, me on the right.


Mimin tgk baby masih purple!

The doula brought in Yasmin to meet her baby brother while we were still inside the tub. She said "The baby is so cuteeee", pastu lari keluar sambil cakap "Mimin nak pergi tgk movie ok..nanti Mimin dtg lagi". Owh she's so great! Sepanjang hari bersama Mimin dan contraction, I terlepas tinggikan suara kat die sekali, masa tu tunggu Iszad balik kelas malam, she was so cranky and I was having a contraction at that time. Sian dia, but I did apologize to her mase dalam kereta ont the way to MMC and she's good. She understand that mama is having a baby and we need to hurry. Itu lah amalan I kalau termarah dia, I akan apologize and explain why I marah. Alhamdulillah dia pun ikut sama, kalau die buat salah or mengamuk tak tentu pasal, nanti lepas 1/2 jam die mesti dtg and minta maaf sbb nakal.


 Mimin sibuk main while I'm in labor.

After 10min Cassie said that I boleh keluar dari tub. I hold the baby, and tali pusat baby cukup panjang untuk I hold him kat dada. Diorg dah prepare stool so that I can climb out of the tub safely and naik atas katil. Remember, placenta still inside me and umbilical cord baby belom potong. Naik je atas katil baby dah start rooting! We are skin to skin and I nurse him right on the dot! Meanwhile the midwives get ready for the placenta. While I'm nursing Irfan, I can feel there's  another light contraction and then the placenta keluar. Tade jeb2 pon untuk keluarkan placenta. Shanti asked me to continue bf Irfan because it will help to shrink the uterus and pushing out the remaining placenta/blood inside. Yup..she's correct, I can feel each gush of blood coming out once a while when Irfan suck on the breast. Shanti tunjuk uri baby, explain baby duduk kat mana, makanan masuk utk baby ikut tali mane..so mcm amik kelas bio kejap tgk anatomy placenta. She said my placenta is small but yet the baby is quit big.

Lepas sejam baru diorg ckp nak potong tali pusat baby. Honour is given to the baby's father to cut hehehe! Shanti said I have minor tear and it looks like being cut, she said it was a straight line cut, perhaps it was the tissue from my previous episiotomy and I need some repair. They have all the equipment just like hospital to do the repair and I got 2 stitches. I was hoping for zero tear but 2 stitches is minor to me. I'm fine with that. While Cassie and Shanti working on the repair, Irfan is with Iszad and Kate (nurse). Kate weight and measure him, he is 8 pounds and 2 oz. After I'm done with the repair, Kate said that my herb bath is ready! Yeay.. dapat mandi herba. Owh it feels so good and tak rasa mcm baru lepas bersalin..rasa cm ala2 pergi spa plak. Ade org sediakan light meal, dpt mandi air herba, ade org tolong lapkan badan. I love being pampered hahah! Yup all women who just give birth really deserve that right?

Lepas selesai berendam dengan air herba yg suam2 panas, rasa fresh badan. Kaki tade lenguh2 or ketar2 mcm mase bersalin Mimin.  Elok je berjalan dari bathroom ke bilik. Iszad sempat lah cuddle dgn Irfan sementara I rest and makan. Lepas tu I sambung nurse Irfan and Iszad lak sempat tido. Mcm die plak yg labor hahah! Takpe I kasi chance because tomorrow will be a long day for him. Some more he will sit for final exam on 10th and 11 Aug. Kesian jugak kat die..everything come is one shot. I tak tido sbb tak puas telek baby. Around 3.30am Kate ckp boleh discharge. So that's it.. I'm ok baby ok..boleh balik. Around 4am kitaorg sampai rumah, and I still tak caya 4 hours ago I was in labor and yet I can walked like nothing happened. Perhaps not drugs involved and not being stuck on the bed for hours help quick recovery after delivery.

Selepas 14 hari - I can go out for a jog or go to gym for light exercise if I want to...tp malas hehehe. Luka repair pon dah baik.. Alhamdulillah syukur kepada Allah SWT atas kesihatan yang dikurniakanNya, rezeki dapat melahirkan anak yg sempurna sifat dan sihat tubuh badannya, berpeluang merasa bersalin secara natural dalam air dengan selamat dan telah dipermudahkan segala urusan perjanjian anakku untuk lahir melihat dunia. Aminn..

Sumber disini.

I aware jugak about the cost, refer to Dr.Halina it cost us RM500 for that service only excluding room charges n etc. Unbelievable, right? 

P/S 1 : I really dream about this...moga2 bila time I nak bersalin for 2nd child nnt this such service will be able to have in much more hospital in Malaysia...

P/S 2 : My sister in law pon experience waterbirth her last son last year. She had waterbirth at home, assist by her husband.