We welcomed our second Christmas baby - yes second! - on Christmas Eve. Only Jesus could orchestrate this, what are the chances of having not one, but two Christmas babies is beyond our comprehension. K and I both see it as very special, so yes these are very special babies in our eyes.
Presenting.... Gabriel Isaac Ong
This time round it was an elective c-section, and so everything happened in a calm and orderly fashion. With Isabelle, I had an emergency c-section and everything was a blur. For Gabriel, we had to go to the hospital the Friday before for a pre-op assessment where they took my blood, took some swabs to test for certain bacteria on my skin and went through the reporting time on the day itself. Initially I was offered the c-sect on either 24th or 27th December. After some discussion with K, we decided to go for 24th so the siblings have consecutive birthdays. 24th just seems more special than 27th!
The midwife asked us to report to the hospital at 730am on the 24th. There was meant to be 4 elective c-sections that day, and the consultants would decide the order on the day itself. Any emergency c-sects would go before us, and we were told there were two theatres in the maternity ward. It was nerve wrecking, I won't lie. I was asked to fast from 2am and so I set my alarm to wake at 130am to have my last snack. I think I probably slept 3h that night so come 6am when it was time to wake up, I felt like a zombie. It was barely bright when we left for the hospital and kissed Isabelle goodbye, putting her in the care of our nanny.
At the hospital, we were greeted by a friendly midwife who told me she's been assigned to me. We were ushered to the waiting bay and she explained the entire procedure to us, and we were to be seen by the consultant and anaesthetist shortly. The entire team were friendly and made us feel comfortable. Everyone was cheery as it was Christmas Eve. The view of the Houses of Parliament in the distance was beautiful. The ward was calm and there was only me and another mum. Apparently the other 2 mums gave birth naturally over the weekend!
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| The view from the waiting room |
From then on, it was just about waiting for my turn. We waited and waited, and I got really thirsty. I was told I was second in line so I'd better not drink any water. Finally at 11ish the ward received a call saying they were ready for me.. eek!
I shall spare you the details but close to 1pm, we heard the wail of a baby. Our baby boy has arrived! That was one whoosh overwhelming moment when everyone shouted Congratulations and I could see him being lifted up - our Christmas present. What an emotional moment that was.
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It's been coming to two weeks now having baby Gabriel in the house. He's quite an angel, sleeping peacefully most of the time, and waking up to feed or when he has a soiled nappy. A similar trait to his sister would include having not much patience in waiting for his milk. If I could translate his wail, it would be "Gimme, gimme gimme. I want my milk now!".
Isabelle has been a doting elder sister so far, giving baby brother kisses and caressing his forehead gently. Just yesterday we allowed her to carry him on her lap and she was so happy. After that all she wanted to do is to "carry baby brother". I don't think she still understands the who concept of a baby brother, or that baby brother is here to stay. It will probably take a few weeks for her little reality to sink in.
We are still trying to figure out the rhythm as a family of 4. It is not easy, as Isabelle is still only a toddler plus tantrums in tow, it can be very testing on our patience. We just have to take each day as it comes. Very thankful we have a temporary nanny now to help out, so once she leaves, I think it's gonna get doubly hard.
Being a mum all over again has been pretty emotional and there are so many times I wish I have a mum I can look up to, for tips and just for nuggets of wisdom to share. But until I see her on the other side of heaven in eternity, I am glad for mummy friends who encourage and are a call away. These are my friends who can raise multiple kids without any help, and I really look up to them. How do they do it? They are to me, real gungho mums, and I can only pray that God would grace me to be one too.
I shall spare you the details but close to 1pm, we heard the wail of a baby. Our baby boy has arrived! That was one whoosh overwhelming moment when everyone shouted Congratulations and I could see him being lifted up - our Christmas present. What an emotional moment that was.
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| Meeting for the first time in the hospital |
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| My First Christmas - onesie which once belonged to Isabelle |
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It's been coming to two weeks now having baby Gabriel in the house. He's quite an angel, sleeping peacefully most of the time, and waking up to feed or when he has a soiled nappy. A similar trait to his sister would include having not much patience in waiting for his milk. If I could translate his wail, it would be "Gimme, gimme gimme. I want my milk now!".
Isabelle has been a doting elder sister so far, giving baby brother kisses and caressing his forehead gently. Just yesterday we allowed her to carry him on her lap and she was so happy. After that all she wanted to do is to "carry baby brother". I don't think she still understands the who concept of a baby brother, or that baby brother is here to stay. It will probably take a few weeks for her little reality to sink in.
Being a mum all over again has been pretty emotional and there are so many times I wish I have a mum I can look up to, for tips and just for nuggets of wisdom to share. But until I see her on the other side of heaven in eternity, I am glad for mummy friends who encourage and are a call away. These are my friends who can raise multiple kids without any help, and I really look up to them. How do they do it? They are to me, real gungho mums, and I can only pray that God would grace me to be one too.
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