Okie, what a strange week this has been. On Tuesday morning, my doula Diane called me to ask if somebody from the Shin Min Daily News could call me for an interview. i was surprised. the reporter had heard about our "accidental" home birth story and wanted to write about it for the newspaper... (actually, my first reaction was, "it's going to be in Chinese?!?!" :-b
So, i got a call that evening. Pauline Lee, the reporter, was pleasant and nice. She asked me so many questions about Naomi's home birth, i felt like i was reliving the experience again! :-)
(Many people, btw, ask me if the interview was conducted in English or Chinese. Well, i told Pauline my chinese not that "powderful", so better answer her in English. She then wrote the article in Chinese lah...)
The next morning, i received an SMS from Pauline asking me for some photos of me and baby Naomi as the story would be coming out that day. Whoa, that was fast!! i quickly sent her some photos to choose from and told hubby to buy a copy of the Shin Min Newspaper after work that day. i was so shocked when he told me (by SMS) "You and baby Naomi made it to front page :)"
(Notice how Fann Wong + Chris Lee's wedding date is prominently displayed beneath our photo?? *Heh heh*)
Anyway, this is basically what the article says:
Young lady goes to toilet with abdominal pains. Shocked to feel baby's head emerge. Gave birth to baby at home in a few seconds.
Young lady goes to toilet with abdominal pains. Shocked to feelbaby's head emerge. Gave birth to baby at home in a few seconds. She rushed to the living room, squatted on her son's mattress and withina few seconds, the baby was born.
Picture of mum & baby: Mdm Teo could not get to the hospital in time this July and gave birth to daughter at home.
Picture of kids: Both of Mdm Teo's children are "naughty" and couldnot wait to see the world.
Mdm Teo: I wasn't worried at all.
A young lady living in a condo in central Singapore (31 years, housewife) laughingly recounted her experience and said that shewasn't worried at all. Mdm Teo said that on the morning of July 19, she was at her grandmother's house when her waterbag suddenly broke. She rushed home and called Diana, her doula, to come and be with her at home.
As Mdm Teo almost could not get to the hospital in time for her previous pregnancy, her doula suggested that they should leave for the hospital immediately.
At this time, Mdm Teo felt a stomachache and decided to use the toilet before her husband sent her to the hospital. But when she went to the toilet, she already felt her baby's head emerging.
The scene was a big mess and my husband was tired out cleaning up.
"It was very chaotic. My husband and the doula were tripping over themselves scuttering around using material and towels to line the mattress ih the living room. I squatted on top and in a while, mydaughter fell into my husband's arms."
According to Mdm Teo, the scene was messy with lots of cleaning up to do. Her husband was so tired that he fell asleep on the mattress."When my daughter was born, I breastfed her immediately and waitedfor 3.5 hours before my placenta was delivered. My doula helped me to cut the cord and we then went to the hospital for a check up."
According to Mdm Teo, her daughter wegithed 3.1kg and was healthy at birth.
"I was initially afraid of giving birth but both my deliveries were so easy. There is little incentive for housewives to have morechildren, so I'm not planning for a third child yet."
Elder son could not wait either. Almost born in car.
Mdm Teo's elder son was almost born in the car. "My first delivery was similar. My waterbag broke when I woke up in the morning."
According to Mdm Teo, who gave birth to her elder son in 2004, she felt a stomachache and the urge to use the toilet. Little did sheknow that those were contractions. A few hours laters, she felt that she couldn't stand properly and her legs were shivering. That waswhen she knew she was about to give birth.
"My husband drove us to the hospital. Thankfully my doula was with me all the way. I tried hard not to push in the car so the child willnot come out. He was born shortly after we arrived at the hospital."
Many many thanks to Monica from Asiaparents forum for the translation!! :-)
Author's note: Heh, i think they sensationalised a bit lah. My baby didn't really come out in just "a few seconds" - "few minutes" would have been more like it ;-) Also, the scene wasn't really that chaotic, since we had already prepared the plastic sheet and towels in advance before i went to the toilet - in fact, it was actually quite calm and orderly in my home!
And, even though i asserted to the reporter many times that it was my faith in God, reading about Supernatural Childbirth, etc that dispelled my fear of childbirth, she didn't mention that at all :-/
(Rumour has it that this article appeared in The New Paper too!! Did anyone see it?? :-)
