When I was 37 weeks pregnant, my gynae did a test for this bacteria called Group B Strep (GBS). This is a normal bacteria that can be found in our intestinal tract and the birth canal. It is generally harmless to the adult but in the case of newborn babies, it has been found to be the leading cause of meningitis, blood infection and pneumonia at birth. In recent years, the docs have seen an increasing percentage of pregnant women carrying this bacteria and infecting their babies during the delivery process and as such more doctors are including this as part of their routine tests.
I wasn't tested for GBS when I had Caleb. With Sarah, I was tested but the results came back negative so I was slightly taken aback when I got tested positive this time round. Doc explained that this bacteria comes and goes and nobody knows how we really get it in our bodies. But once tested +ve, they would give the mummy who is in labour about 2 doses of antibiotic IV drip. The antibiotics help to clear out the bacteria during the birth process and provide some protection for the baby. However, it doesn't guarantee that the baby wouldn't catch any infection but the risks of infection are significantly lowered.
Doc showed me the list of antibiotics that can be administered to me and I realised that out of 8 of them, I was allergic to 5. As for the remaining 3 antibiotics, I've never tried them before. We then explored the options that we had available to ensure a safe and smooth delivery and I realised that there were lots of uncertainties that I had to deal with. Firstly, I wasn't sure whether I would be allergic to the antibiotics that we were going to use. Secondly, based on my track record of fast delivery with Sarah (I delivered 30min after reaching hospital), we weren't sure whether I could rush to hospital in time to get the antibiotic drip. And if I did, would I be able to wait it out for the drip to take effect before delivering Sophia. On top of the time constraints that I have, I also had to deal with wondering whether I had time to arrange for the kids to be taken care of if ND was not at home etc.
I went home feeling rather unsettled because many of the factors were beyond my control so my best option was to pray and ask God for wisdom. 4 days before my due date, I was talking to a friend who was also almost due, about my condition. She suggested that perhaps I can go get myself induced. (Apparently she had just seen her gynae and he had asked her whether she wanted to be induced so the idea was fresh in her head.) If I arrange to be induced, that could help eliminate some of the uncertainties. I can try out the antibiotics first to test for allergy reactions, I would be able to settle the kids before hand, and I can be sure that the antibiotics have taken effect before I start the labour process.
After going through Caleb and Sarah's birth, (I got induced and had epidural with Caleb and an all natural birth with Sarah), I enjoyed the natural delivery experience a lot more and hoped that I could go all natural again. So, from the start of this pregnancy, I made it clear to my doc that I wanted the delivery to be as natural as possible and that meant no inducing, no painkillers etc. But now, in view of Sophia's safety, I felt that this was an option that I should consider. So, I prayed about it, discussed with ND, called my doc to discuss about it and we decided that this would be the "safest" option to take.
So on Saturday night, we arranged for Grandpa and Grandma to stay over at our house with Caleb and Sarah. At the touch of midnight on 4 Oct, I checked myself in to the hospital. I was immediately started on the antibiotic IV drip. I was given 2 doses of the drip at 6hr intervals and monitored for allergy reaction. The drip was fairly uncomfortable. It hurt when it went through my veins and it had the side effects of making my stomach churn as it was being administered. Thankfully, I had no allergy towards the antibiotics. At 1pm, I got transferred to the delivery ward.
Once in the delivery ward, I was informed that I had to be given a 3rd bag of antibiotic drip coz the drip lasts for 6hours and the last time I was on the drip was at 7am! (It was really not fun
) Doc finally came at 2pm. He did a check on me and told me that I was 3cm dilated. Based on my labour rate with Sarah, we estimated that once he broke my waterbag, I'll probably be able to give birth in the next 2hours. So he broke my waterbag at 2.30pm and I started having contractions. I was allowed to wander around the labour ward so I did a tour of the labour ward for 2 hours with ND to help me manage the pain. The contractions came and went. Some small ones and some slightly more painful ones but it was all very bearable for me.At 5.30pm, doc came again to check on me. I was now 5cm dilated. My labour was progressing much slower than we had expected. He then got me strapped to the machine to monitor baby's heartbeat and check my contractions and we realised that my contractions were about 8 to 10min apart and not regular. In order for the delivery to start, I need to be 10cm dilated and have regular contractions of 1-2min apart, so based on what we were seeing, I was nowhere near delivering Sophia. Doc then asked me whether I wanted to consider accelerating the labour. That meant getting a dose of oxytocin drip. I was reluctant to as I had that with Caleb and the contractions came so fast and intense, it didn't allow my body to adjust to the pain and I knew that I would end up with some form of painkiller if I took the drip. We opted to wait it out to see how the labour progressed.
At 8.30pm, I was told that I had to take a 4th packet of antibiotic drip coz the 6hr time limit was up again! Again, I was asked whether I wanted to wait it out or accelerate the labour. Doc and nurses tried to persuade me to take the oxytocin drip coz they said that sometimes for some people, all they need is that little help and the labour would definitely progress. As I appeared to be fairly reluctant, doc left me and ND to wait it out and to think about it. Well, me and ND talked about it for a while and really the only thing that was stopping me was the thought that after I had endured all the discomfort and pain for almost 20hours, I was going to end up with epidural. It was a very demoralising period for me coz I felt that if I ended up with epidural, all my efforts and perseverance would go to waste. Ok, some of you may be wondering what's wrong with having epidural. There's really nothing wrong with it. It's just a personal preference for me. I felt my recovery from childbirth was amazingly fast with a natural birth. I could walk around normally the day after delivery, I had less bleeding, I didn't suffer any side effects like nausea and vomitting which I did when I had epidural with Caleb. So I really wanted that as well for Sophia's birth. Ok, and I admit, part of it also boils down to stubborness on my part. I really didn't want to give up at the 11th hour.
It was at this point in time that God sent me this nurse clinician called Grace to be on duty in the delivery room. I would say she's really God sent coz I was feeling very demoralised and tired. (I actually told ND I had enough of all this and I wanted to go home!) Grace was very understanding. She gave me a listening ear, helped me to evaluate the pain killers that I could take and then encouraged me to persevere on. She also recommended that I try out laughing gas which she said can be useful if my pain threshhold is high. Many people do not know how to use laughing gas properly so we all think it doesn't provide much pain relief. She even went to the extent of getting me to practice using the gas. After I got the hang of it, we decided we were ready to start the oxytocin drip.
So at about 10 plus, we started the drip. My contractions started to intensify very very quickly and before I know it, I felt the urge to push. I started to talk very loudly and telling the nurses I needed to push. The nurses scrambled around me and did a check and told me I'm not allowed to push yet coz I was only 7cm dilated. But things were getting beyond my control. The contractions were just too strong and Sophia was literally forcing her way out. So I started
So, my dear Sophia was born at 10.49pm. Technically the labour lasted 7 and a half hours but in reality, I was preparing for the birth since midnight so you can say I was almost up for 23hours. I didn't get much food for most part of the day and after the delivery, I was so, so exhausted. Really drained of all my energy. I was so exhausted that I didn't even have the energy to carry Sophia. The nurses did put her beside me though. I think the poor girl was slightly traumatized by the birth coz she was yelling her lungs out for a good one hour after that. Doc and nurses all commented that she's the loudest baby they've seen for the week.
Regardless, I was glad that I had finally birthed her after such a long wait.
As for her getting infected with the GBS bacteria, she went through a series of tests and the pd has declared her free of infection at this point in time. However, we'll still need to monitor her for the next 6 weeks coz there are cases where there is late onset of the symptoms of the infection. But for now, we're trusting God that she will remain healthy and strong.
Here she is looking rather serious and sedated at 1 day old.
