Childbirth in a Nutshell

The scariest thing about being pregnant is the uncertainty ahead, especially childbirth. It is well-known to be painful thanks to the actresses of our TV dramas acting in pain and screaming away during labour.

It would be very comforting to know exactly what is going on when you are in labour. Therefore, I have decided to post this note about childbirth. This is a short and sweet explanation about the labouring progress from the start till end. Hang in there, all moms-to-be!

Note: This is extracted from an earlier post

...If you are wondering what on earth is going on during childbirth, here's a quick summary. Basically, the water breaking marks the start of your labour (read about how water breaking feels like. Very hilarious, but true!).

Next, you shall feel the contractions of your womb which will get more and more intense, frequent, and last longer. These contractions actually help push your baby down to open/dilate your cervix, a 'plug' at the upper part of your vagina. When this 'plug' opens fully, at around 10 cm in diameter, your baby's head could be seen clearly, 'crowning' outside your vagina. [It takes about 1 hour to open every 1 cm, so, for first-time moms, it takes about 10 hours before you can start pushing your baby out.]

By now, if you still do not have the urge to push like you would when you poo poo, or you used epidural and is totally numb from waist down, then the doctor will guide you in pushing until your bundle of joy comes out. :)

Memory Helpers

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Do you tend to be forgetful sometimes? Have you come across situations where you forgot to bring something, why you walked into a room, or what you need to buy at the supermarket?

Unlike our long-term memory (e.g. procedural memory which we rarely forget: swim, cycle, walk, drive a car, tie shoelace, etc) our short-term memory often fails us especially if we lead very busy lives.

So, what can you do to remember more things? Here are some memory helpers which worked for me. Hope it helps!

1. This trick is widely known: If you forgot why you walked into a room (e.g. to get something), walk back to where you begin to think about that thought and you should be able to recall your intentions. If that fails, walk back to where you begin AND walk INTO the room again.

2. Remember only one thing, instead of two. E.g. my son is supposed to wear T-shirts on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays (1.3.5), and uniform on Tuesdays and Thursdays (2.4). Instead of remembering all the days, just keep in mind the easier part: Uniforms on 2 and 4.

3. Link spatial properties to the things in your groceries list. E.g. walk to the XX section of the market first to get 2 things - tissue and window cleaner, then walk to the produce section to get 3 things - carrots, peppers and some apples. It'll be even better if you can mentally rehearse yourself walking in the market picking up your buys before you head there.

4. Recall your grocery list by thinking about what you wanted to do. E.g. you need to wash the toilets and cook pineapple fried rice today, so you need to buy toilet bowl cleaner, floor scrub, half a pineapple, meat floss and some eggs.

5. Remember to do things by making use of other reliable cues so that you don't really have to remember them. For me, everytime my block's cleaner comes to wash the corridor on the 23rd of every month, I will automatically wipe my main door, wash down my son's bicycle, and wash everyone's slippers.

6. If all else fails, carry a small pocketbook with you at all times and pen down whatever you need to keep in mind. Think of it like your external portable hard disk!