A For Alfee

So, we had the perfect plan to finally see Alfee in person. We picked the best possible date, day and time for Dr WK Tan at TMC to perform my c-section. Actually, she only operates on Wednesdays and Weekends so it was either 18th, 21st or 22th August. Alfee was 38 weeks by then and we did not want any "surprises" that could complicate the delivery. After all, any later than that would increase the chance of my uterus rupturing during an actual contraction or anything that required an emergency c-section. We also wanted to be the first patient for that day so that everyone was fresh and eager to get things going well for the rest of the day. Partly also for Sophie, we wanted her to nap in time. Thus, we reached TMC at 5.30 am to for admission and preparation.

By 7.45 pm, they wheeled me into the operating theatre and there I waited for the inevitable. I have always been afraid of operations - if it was LA, I worry that I would still feel the pain; if it was GA, I worry of waking up in the middle of the operation. Well, I think I might have been a psychic or something in my previous life. I was first injected with the maximum dosage of epidural. It did not work. I felt pain when I was pricked (many, many times). My doctors did not believe I could feel the pain. After a long wait, Dr Tan "tried" to operate on me. She cut and I almost screamed. Fear, embarrassment and pain hit me senseless. I kept repeating "pain... I feel the pain..." Dr Tan quickly pressed on my "cut" and asked me if I would like to go under GA instead. In my heart, I thought "What do you mean by that? Of course I want GA! I don't want to feel you cutting me up!" So, that was how I went under GA and woke up complaining, "... pain... why so painful?" And the nurses "scolded" me "... don't force yourself to wake up... " or at least I thought they said that before I lost consciousness again.

The rest was predictable. I woke up and requested to breastfeed Alfee as soon as possible. To my surprise, he was only 2.88 kg. Another small fellow to worry about... I probably forgot how painful it was to have my lower abdomen cut open. By hey, there was a new pain... I was on drip too! Oh it was pain over pain and nothing but pain. I gained some new understanding on myself... I am pain intolerant.

Other than that, Alfee is a cute little fellow. He is not quite the same as Sophie when she was born, but he has his own charms. A little wrinkled and yellow, impatient and demanding when hunger strikes, but still very endearing. And he has elf-ish ears! Or ist it valcon ears?

Poor Sophie though. She could not fully comprehend childbirth although she knew her little brother is coming out of her mama's tummy on that day. Curiosity overwhelmed her as she tried to make some sense out of the whole episode. It helped little that Alfee stuck his tongue out at her, just to tease her... So there you go, my two beautiful children - Sophie and Alfee.