Retracing our steps

Now that we're home, it's time to retrace our steps and recall everything that happened on D-day...delivery day that is.

At 3:38 am on 5/17/10, I woke up to some pains in my side. Since I was last hospitalized, I was quite used to pains in my side so I paid no attention to it and quickly fell back asleep. At 4:44 am, I woke up to the feeling of...peeing myself. To make sure, I walked to the restroom, sat down on the toilet, and to my surprise, a gush of fluids came rushing out. I was half awake so it took me quite a while to realize what was happening. "Hm, did my water just break?" I waited for the fluids to stop flowing in order to walk back to the bedroom. "Eugene, I think my water just broke." (Sleepy Eugene: Huh?) My mom had sent up some hospital bed pads for me for the exact purpose to not wetting the bed when my water broke, so I grabbed one, placed it on the bed, sat down, and proceeded to call Kaiser. While waiting for the nurse to pick up, GUSH! The water was coming out so quickly that I seriously thought I was going to wet the whole bed! Eugene helped walk me to the restroom, but I couldn't even make it all the way. So much water was coming out so fast that I just fell plop right down onto the floor outside the restroom.

Eugene and I sat on the floor and just began to laugh. "I guess we're having a baby today!" I was delirious and excited when the nurse finally answered the phone. Everytime I answered a question, more water would come gushing out. "Oh, more water!" I think the nurse laughed at me too. We were instructed to take our time; take a shower, eat, go to the hospital once we're ready. Since my contractions weren't painful yet (I was used to contractions every 10 minutes or so), we took our dear time. Eugene showered while I texted all our family and friends. Then I showered while Eugene put all our food in the freezer and cleaned up the kitchen. We REALLY took our sweet time. Painful contractions started around 6-6:30 am so I asked Eugene to start hurrying up, but I was honestly NOT in a big hurry. I think we may have finally headed out around 8 am.

By the time we got to the hospital (8:30 am), my contractions had gotten pretty painful. I could barely talk during a contraction, which now felt like the worst period cramp ever, but worse. I was wheeled up to the Triage Room in Labor and Delivery, but since I was "huffing and puffing" way too much, the nurse took me straight to a delivery room. "How much pain are you in right now?" "I'd say about an 8." "And what pain level are you comfortable with?" "A 5!!!" "Would you want an epidu..." "YES!!!"

The doctor came to our room at around 9 am to check: 4 cm dilated and fully effaced. (Remember, I was 3 cm dilated since my last hospitalization at 34 weeks) Two hours later before getting the epidural: 6 cm dilated. "Wow, you're moving at a very quick pace. Let's get you the epidural while we still can." Meanwhile, I was in so much pain, all I could think about was "why did I do this to myself?" and "why did Eugene do this to me?" and "I want my mommy!!!"

I finally got the epidural around 11 am - 12 noon and let me tell you this...it was ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL! All of a sudden, I thought my contractions stopped! I felt no pain and was on cloud 9. I even asked Eugene if I was still having contractions because I couldn't feel them at all! Things quickly changed around 1:30 pm...I suddenly had the urge to bear down. In other words, I had the strange feeling that I needed to have a bowel movement. Really bad! I told the nurse beside me who quickly called the doctor: 9 cm dilated. Wow! It's time to start pushing!

I officially started pushing at 2:00 pm and was determined to set a record...pushing only for 1 hour since I got dilated so much so quickly. At first, I didn't really know how to push though. I couldn't feel the pain of the contractions, but I could feel when contraction was coming so I knew when to start pushing (3 consecutive pushes for 10 seconds each with each contraction). However, I just didn't know how to push. It wasn't until an hour later that I finally figured it out. It really was like pushing for a bowel movement, but not really. To encourage my pushing, the nurse even wheeled in a mirror to show me the baby's head coming out of me. They asked me if I wanted to touch the head of the baby... Uh...no. I just wanted the baby out. I could feel the pain of the ring of fire and even playing Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire" in my head didn't help take the pain away.

Finally, after 2 hours of pushing, Gideon Elijah Wong came out to greet us at 4:01 pm. The doctors quickly placed him on me and I couldn't stop crying. This is our little baby! This is our little Gideon! This is the life that we created whom I couldn't wait to meet for almost 9 months! I could hardly contain myself, yet the whole time I thought...hm...he looks kinda hairy and dark.

Now I know for next time...I will most likely deliver early again and I know how to push more effectively. One thing I would change for next time...get the baby's room and all of baby's stuff ready way more in advance. Maybe by 30 weeks. :)

Gideon Elijah Wong

After ~12 hours of labor, which included 2 hours of active pushing, Gideon Elijah Wong was welcomed into our lives. I never thought I would love someone SO much and would want to do SO much for someone (other than Eugene of course). Pushing Gideon out was no picnic. (For those who have never had a child, I warn you now...you may want to skip to the next paragraph) I've heard about this "ring of fire" when you push your baby out, but I never thought it would actually feel like a RING OF FIRE. The whole time I was pushing, I heard Johnny Cash's song "Ring of Fire" in my head because I just could not bear the PAIN! But it was seriously all worth it. I used to wonder how people can have more than one child...I mean, don't they remember the pain they went through with labor, etc? And now here I sit, still recovering, still in pain, still with a uterus that makes me look like I'm still pregnant, thinking...hm...when would be a good time to start having our second baby? :P

Eugene and I can't tell who Gideon looks like more, but Eugene thinks he has my mouth and chin. Regardless of who he looks like, we love him to pieces and are enjoying every single minute with me (despite the lack of sleep).

**At the hospital, waiting for my epidural**
**After the epidural...I felt much better!**
**Hello Gideon!**

It's time!

My water broke this morning at 4:44am (or it could have also been 4:43am). :)

I've been getting up every 2 hours to use the restroom every night and last night was no exception. Except, I got this weird pain that woke me up around 3:38am. So, when a trickle of fluid came out, I woke up right away. "Did I just wet myself?" I went to the restroom and the minute I sat down, GUSH! They say that when your water breaks, it could be a fluid leak or a gush of fluid and boy were they right! Talk about gush! Now I'll always know what it feels like to have my water break. I woke up Eugene right away and both of us just started laughing. We've been laughing since and have stayed relatively calm despite the now painful contractions. The nurse told us to take our time getting to the hospital, so that's what we've been doing. I took a shower to wash all the yuckiness away and Eugene took a shower too since we'll be in the hospital for who knows how long.

Oh my goodness!!! We're going to come home with our baby boy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What a difference a year makes!

I can't believe a whole year has gone by since I walked across the stage, accepted my diploma, and became Helen Wang, Pharm.D. May 2, 2009...it feels like a lifetime ago. Was it really 1 year ago that the UCSF Class of 2009 celebrated our four year trek through the treacherous world of pharmacy school? Was it really 1 year ago that our whole class sat together one last time as we stared out into the unknown? Was it really 1 year ago that I said goodbye to sweet friends whom I haven't seen since?

This past year has been quite an interesting and exciting one. Eugene graduated from SF State in May of 2009 as well, we explored the streets and cobblestones of Rome, I passed boards and became a RPh, Eugene started the graduate program at SF State, I started residency, and we're about to become a family of three! Wow...what a difference a year makes! I wonder what we will be looking back on when May of 2011 comes around. Baby's first words? Baby's first steps? Baby's first trip? Only God knows what lies ahead of us. All we can do is trust in Him and have faith that everything will be just fine.

* At the Academy of Sciences*
* Wearing Eugene's T-shirt *
* Waiting to be discharged from the hospital *