Baby Number One. My First Love.

I realised I never had a pregnancy story for J. So here goes.

Deep in the winter of Kochi in 2010, we were almost set to stay. But just the night before the Better Half was to make our decision known to the administration, God set upon my heart to return home. We had traveled sufficiently, done quite enough, and if we were to want to start a family, it would be best to return to base camp where we are most familiar with. And so I made my thoughts known, and we agreed to balik kampung.

Before returning home, we almost thought we might be pregnant. The day before we did the trek up Mount Fuji, I was apprehensive. But an expensive stick turned out negative. Must have been His intervention.

Upon returning home, we conceived at strike one. I remember telling my girlfriends that I still felt good enough to be doing my usual runs, and before I  knew it, I was all crumbled on my bed nightly praying for sleep to overcome me to be relieved of the indescribable discomfort. No matter which way I turned, no matter what I did or ate or tried, nothing worked or worked for long or consistently. It was always trial and error at every nauseating point, and like what I remember the Spouse used to say, one step forward, two steps back. At one point, I remember just keeling over and praying incessantly for God to clasp and protect the little one in His hands, as if that protection will include taking my terrible discomfort away.

When I was sufficiently recovered from the unpleasantries, we hit the road to Sydney right after the first trimester. It was a beautiful trip. Weather was beautiful, the places were beautiful, the jacarandas were beautiful, I felt beautiful. It was exhilarating to be pregnant for the first time. After the terrible morning sickness had passed, I was enjoying every milestone of the pregnancy and looked forward to every visit to the obstetrician. We even managed a third trimester staycay to Redang before the sleepless nights came.

7 May was Polling Day, and I was very keen to be in the Priority Line to cast my vote. But on the night of 6 May, unfamiliar and unsure intermittent pains bugged me before I relented and checked ourselves into the hospital at around 2am. At only about 2cm dilated, we were told we could be expecting quite a wait but I knew my chance to vote was definitely busted. It would have been my first time ever at the polling booths. 

As a first timer at labouring, I attempted to give the epidural a skip and just ordeal through with the laughing gas. And...... I succeeded! Shortly before 9am on 7 May 2011, we met the daughter (whom I always thought would be a son as we did not know the gender) who would terrorise us since then. Juliette, 煊乐, may she spread joy like her namesake, with all glory to God.