MCWK on Blogspot.com: Little Baby Charmaine is Born

Today, 8th March 2008, is the date of Malaysia's 12th General Election. It’s also the date for International Woman’s Day, as well as the first day of the second month of the lunar calendar. However, for me, it's a date to remember as it's today that my very first child is born into this world.
At 4~5am this morning, my wife started getting some strong abdominal pain. That actually comes as quite a surprise, since our O&G, Dr. Liu, estimated that she wouldn't likely deliver before next week.
Anyway, we got prepared and quickly got my wife admitted to the nearby Pantai Hospital. That was around 7am. O&G department was at level 2. Well, the routine to checking in involved some paperwork and a short trip to the registration counter on ground floor. By the time I finished signing here and there, Dr. Liu had arrived, and, after a short examination, he declared that “it was time”….
Huh? So fast? I watched as the nurses and Doctor started getting ready to deliver the baby. This being a private hospital, the husband is allowed to accompany the wife through the procedure. I heard that in the government hospital, that can only be done after the husband has sat for some training course.
Anyway, it was over (relatively) quick. Not as fast as those that you see on TV (which you can pop out a baby faster that you can cook a cup of instant noodles). Typically, some mothers struggle for 5-6 hours on average. I understand that my own mother took roughly 12~13 hours to push me out. So, it’s quite a relief that my daughter is officially born at 9.38am today, naturally (I know that c-section is the rage these days, but we still believed in a natural delivery). Not bad – 2.89kg.
Well, the pediatrician was on standby and confirmed that everything checks out. These days, the mother can actually check out within 24 hours of delivery, so we expect my wife to be discharged tomorrow, if not today.
I’m back home for awhile, to get some food prepared by my mother (as well as some traditional herbal preparation – formula provided by my mother-in-law). I’ll be going back to the hospital in awhile to see my wife and daughter again.
Family was thrilled. My grandparents and parents have been “promoted” to great grandparents and grandparents, respectively. My two sisters too, are now bestowed the title of “Auntie” each! Not forgetting me and my wife, are now parents at last….
My dear little baby girl, we named Charmaine (Chinese name will be Yee Ning, spelling to be confirmed). Throughout the past 8.xx months, we've seen and sought the expert advice from 3 O&G's - Dr Khoo (Putra Hospital, formerly known as Southern Hospital), Dr Tey (who owns his own Maternity Clinic in Muar) and Dr Liu (who just opened his clinic outside Pantai Hospital). A very big thank to all of them, including the staff of Pantai Hospital Melaka, who helped bring our precious child out into the world today. We hope that her arrival is a sign of new hope and a good future for us all!