Baby Backstory and Update

Two sleeping beauties.

It's noon Tuesday as I begin this and I'm at Mt. Elizabeth Novena Hospital with mama Hapny, who is trying to catch some zzzzzzz.... Sofie is eating beef stew while Barney plays softly on TV. Blossom Clover is sleeping peacefully all blanket swaddled in her bassinet next to Mama's bed. A peaceful scene that belies the sound and fury of Monday, which started out calmly enough. Like Monday a week ago, Hapny was scheduled to be seen by Dr. Chan at 11:45, another CTG test in the offing. You might recall that's the fetal monitoring that was done last week that caused concern enough that Dr. Chan admitted Hapny to the hospital overnight for additional monitoring, the end result of which showed normal heart function.

Our "D Day" list and countdown calendar.

We were unprepared then, but this time we had our act together: packed overnight bag and list of last minute instructions taped to the wall above our handmade calendar we used to mark off the days. So we trooped off to the doctor's office with cautious optimism that the CTG would be normal this day. Hapny was on edge as the nurse hooked her up to the monitor. She held the belief that the bad reading of last week was the result of her great discomfort from having to lie on her back. In the hospital she had been allowed to lie on her side: no bad results. So she made her case to the clinic nurse who seemed unconvinced. Still, Hapny got her way. I brought along a few color marker pens and book to occupy Sofie, but the prudent move was for us to exit the test room to help relieve Hapny's anxiety. After 20 minutes or so Hapny emerged and rejoined us in the waiting room.

Hapny's pre-packed hospital bag.

After a while we were ushered into Dr. Chan's exam room. The CTG looked good, she reported. We breathed a collective sigh of relief. Next, Hapny went behind the privacy drape and soon the ultrasound images appeared on the monitor screen. So far so good. Then the gloved exam. Uh oh....The tone of Dr. Chan's voice changed. The fluid is reduced, she said, referring to the amniotic sac in which the fetus develops, adding, "That's not good." I couldn't see Hapny's reaction, but I cringed and held my breath waiting to hear Dr. Chan's next words. "I'm going to have you admitted to hospital...." Damn, I thought. Then the words deja vu and the movie Ground Hog Day played in my head. About that time Hapny appeared from behind the partition and we looked at each other with that here we go again look. It was clear Dr. Chan wanted the baby OUT soon. Once again, we did not see it coming, but at least this time we had our Plan in place. Dr. Chan's plan was to give Hapny some sort of suppository in the hospital intended to "ripen" her cervix and then wait for contractions or induce labor early Tuesday, if necessary. We left the clinic and walked to the hospital side of the building.

A special moment at the hospital before...

Hapny wanted to eat lunch before starting the admitting process so we dined at the Chinese restaurant off the lobby. Hapny was surprisingly calm and resigned to spending the night in the hospital if it meant leaving with a baby. After Hapny was put in a private room in the labor and delivery unit, Sofie and I left to buy groceries and take the MRT home to relax and await word from Hapny. Regardless, we would head back to the hospital after dinner with Hapny's pre-packed duffel of things she wanted. When Sofie and I returned to the hospital around 7, Hapny had been moved to a private room on the 9th floor maternity unit for the night. She was clearly agitated. She seemed like a caged tiger complaining about having to stay the night when nothing was happening...no pains or anything. The fact that nurses kept coming into her room to ask if she was feeling anything was adding to her irritation.

Mama, Sofie and her baby sister June 10.

She also had gotten a call from the insurance people wanting to know why she was in the hospital if she wasn't in labor and not to be induced until tomorrow. Logical question. I did my best to calm Hapny and told her to trust her doctor and not worry about things beyond her control. The insurance call had undoubtedly raised concern that this overnight in the hospital might not be a covered expense. I told her it would be Dr. Chan's responsibility to show the medical necessity of it all. Since the plan was to induce labor in the morning, Hapny agreed it was better to have Sofie come home with me for the night rather than to roust her out of bed early in the morning when her mother would be transferred to the 3rd floor labor and delivery unit. That raised another item of concern for Hapny. She had called Aron immediately after Dr. Chan told her the next step was to the hospital for eventual delivery. The fastest Aron would be able to arrive from Papua would be Tuesday evening.

Dr. Chan checks on Hapny post delivery.

Since Hapny was not then in labor, it was their hope that Dr. Chan would hold off inducing contractions until the evening when Aron could be there. It was a tense situation. Sofie and I stayed until after 8:30pm, which is about the time Hapny started feeling...pressure in the lower abdomen.

Dr.Chan and our baby.

Could it be what she had for dinner? Or perhaps stress from being in circumstances beyond her control? I said, "I think this is the start of labor." As much as I hated to leave Hapny to deal with the pains of labor on her own, it was the logical and right decision to take Sofie home with me to spend what would be her first night ever away from her mom. Hiring a sitter for Sofie was never an option. Sofie seemed fine with the idea of sleeping with Mumu for which I say a prayer of thanks. I shudder to think how that might have played out. Hapny was still somewhat in denial about the labor when we left, but I told her I would be expecting her to call in the wee hours of the morning to tell me the baby was born. Of course, that's exactly how things went. Sofie and I took a taxi home and got ready for bed. She went to sleep almost immediately and stayed soundly asleep until around 8 Tuesday morning. Aron texted me around 10pm to report that Hapny had called him in tears that she was in a lot of pain and he wished I could have stayed with her. True that, I wrote, but that having Sofie with me was the only sensible option. Shortly after 4 am, Hapny called me. "Mumu," she said sweetly. "Blossom Clover is here." I knew it before she said it as I picked up the phone. Her voice was so calm compared to when I last saw her.

Sofie took her half of the bed in the middle.

Sofie is not a morning person and so I waited for her to wake naturally. When she opened her eyes, I immediately showed her the photo of Blossom Clover that Hapny had sent me, which I had already posted on the blog. "Do you know who that is?" I asked her. Sofie shook her head. "That's your baby sister!" A look of confusion crossed her face. When it finally sunk in, her face brightened and she was eager to go see her baby sister. "She's so cute!" Sofie said. True that...

Daddy Aron's first look at his newborn daughter.

Update: So now it's Wednesday evening here. Aron arrived on schedule after a long day of travel from Papua. He will be able to stay here until Sunday afternoon when he must return for one more week of work before the 6 week summer break begins. Sofie was so excited to see him. She missed her daddy very much.

First time to hold his baby girl.

He took a taxi to our residence to drop off luggage and then packed a light overnight bag to stay with Hapny in the hospital. Together we went to the hospital and I took photos of his first encounter with the wee one. Sofie and I came home after nine for her second night in Mumu's bed. Aron joined us for the communal breakfast here this morning and we spent the rest of the day visiting our baby and shopping for baby toys and flowers for Mama Hapny. Aron and I took Sofie to Toys R Us and I did my best to prevent purchase of toys for Sofie with small pieces of potential harm to Baby Blossom. That was no easy feat!

Family guessing game at the hospital.

Aron overrode my veto of a sword shaped container of bubbles and wand. I was happy to purchase the $7 plastic broom and dustpan she fancied. She likes to sweep! Vocational training for a future career, I suggested with a wry smile. Her dad also wanted to get her a game where the players have to guess what animal or object is pictured on the card they wear on their head. Sofie also got to see a free live stage show with singing and dancing adult friends of Thomas the Train.

Sofie and Mumu at the Thomas the Train show.

Sitting on the floor cross-legged with Sofie on my lap for a half hour is surely worth a few karma points. Then we brought our gifts and treasures back to Hapny's hospital room and the four of us played a round or two of the cards on the head guessing game while our baby slept peacefully. I've been telling Hapny that this child will be different from Sofie, and I hope that's true for Hapny's sake. A calmer, less active child would be a blessing. Having two Sofies is almost unimaginable! So far, Blossom Clover is proving to be a peaceful little angel. Oh, and about the name...I'm still waiting for the parents to decide what they want to name her. It's gonna take some getting used to calling her something other than Blossom Clover. Stay tuned for that announcement....

What's your name, little girl? You are still my
Blossom Clover!