This week has been a real emotional rollercoaster ride for me. I had a week of usual brown discharge which really worried me. Previously my spotting episodes were one-off and resolved within a day or so, but this persistent discharge didn't seem to want to go away. On top of that, I also experienced dull aches and a feeling of tightness in my womb.
I phoned my obstetrician in Singapore who suggested that perhaps I might have over-exerted myself. That could be true to some extent since I think I have over-done things a little during my short stay in Singapore and Malaysia. My days were packed with activities and yet I got little rest as I slept poorly in the night due to jet-lag. To make matters worse, I had to make an overnight trip to Kuala Lumpur to sort out my spousal visa, which involved even more travelling and exertion.
The moment I got into the hotel room, I phoned R and broke down. I was convinced something bad had happened to Bean because I didn't understand why I was experiencing the brown spotting and abdominal pain. While I was sobbing uncontrollably, R tried his best to calm me down by saying getting brown discharge was very common among pregnant women, and chances are high that Bean would be fine. "I created Bean and h/she will be strong. I am confident he is well. Don't worry." he said. When I finally finished crying, I phoned my midwife in the UK who advised me to monitor the situation and said she could arrange an ultrasound scan for me when I get back to the country.
But I was too worried to wait for so long. The moment I got off the plane from Kuala Lumpur, I was in a taxi to my obstetrician in Gleneagles Hospital. He checked that Bean was okay, and broadcast his heartbeat to put my mind at ease. He also did a vaginal examination and did a culture swab to determine if the discharge was caused by an infection.
That night I flew back to the UK.
The spotting and aches continued so I went to see my British GP on Christmas eve. I wondered if he could start me on some antibiotics as some vaginal infections could lead to pre-term babies and/or miscarriages. However, he advised on taking a culture swab and getting it analysed before starting me on anything, just to be sure on what was causing the discharge. With the holidays and weekend coming up, I would have to wait for five days before I could get the results back from the lab.
Thankfully, the results from the swab I did in Singapore came back on Saturday. I phoned them and the nurse told me there was no infection and the discharge was probably due to over-exertion or because the placenta is "still young". Because the uterus is stretching to accommodate the growing foetus, there will be pain on both sides of the lower abdomen. She told me to make sure I rested.
Glad that the results did not suggest anything sinister, I stayed home over the festive period, did nothing much and caught up on sleep. Today, I am relieved to see that the spotting and abdominal pain had more or less subsided.
It's incredible to see how maternal I have become since getting pregnant. It's nature's way of programming the mother to instinctively protect her young and doing everything to make sure it is OK.
And if that means spreading my legs for some strange male doctor to peer at my bits, I don't think twice about doing it, whereas I would be squeamish before. If that means spending a few hundred dollars at the clinic just to hear my baby's heartbeat, I don't even feel the pinch.
As long as Bean is well, I don't really care about anything else. Welcome to motherhood.
2 comments:
I hope that you are reassured by the scans and the advice from your midwife. You are sleeping pretty well, so I feel that your fears have been allayed. The new 'maternal' woman I now live with has surprised me somewhat, but it is consistent with your loving nature, and is indicative of the wonderful mother you will become.
Sweet and assuring! I guess I am willing to try motherhood if a man tells me what R told you lol - before I am knocked up of course! hehe
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