I decided to share my experiences giving birth in KPj Tawakkal for references.
I am sure there are many mothers out there who were just like me, surveying which hospital to give birth.
I chose Dr Siti Zaleha from KPJ Tawakkal according to recommendation by my colleagues and friends since my first child. But I didn't get to give birth with her as I was inmy husband's hometown during the delivery.
So that morning on my labor day, I arrived at the hospital early morning, 7.30 ish.
The labour room was at 7th floor next to maternity ward.
Kpj Tawakkal is a big hospital, clean and elegant but way less crowded than the Gleneagles.
Which I like better.
Labour room was big and neat. It was like a normal room with television with less scary looking you know. Doesn't look so much like medical room. It was more like a hotel.
I guess non-medical mothers would find comfort in the decoration.
The nurses were very gentle.
As it turned out, one of the labor room nurse who was taking care of me from the beginning was my friend's younger sister. Hahahhaa.
She was pregnant as well at 7 months.
Sweet looking and very gentle.
Really like her. My favourite nurse.
She set my intravenous line nicely. Not painful and without bruise.
Excellent job.
Since I have not had breakfast yet, husband went to get some bread and drinks for me.
I was too nervous to eat but I need to keep my energy.
Labor is tiring.
Then, they started augmentation of pitocin, my contractions started to get stronger.
For 1 hour, I managed to embrace the pain.
The next hour, I was struggling already.
Too painful.
I requested the epidural.
Dr Siti came right away to check my dilation and to rupture the amniotic sac.
She said it was 4 cm but the color of liquo was yellowish already.
Not good.
They called aneast for epidural.
Aneasth came really quick.
He was and Indian, old doctor, very experienced, very efficient.
With 1 insertion of needle, he found the spot and like 1-2 minutes, it was a done procedure.
For someone who was in a real pain, I was very glad.
AlthoughI couldn't turn to thank him or praise him, I was really relieved.
Pain reduced tremendously.
I started chatting with husband.
He was giving suggestion on the baby's name.
After 30 minutes of epidural, I delivered my baby.
Dr Siti was really gentle and calm.
When she did vaginal examination, I didn't feel a thing.
She didn't do episiotomy as well.
She said to try as natural as possible.
She was telling me zikir as much as I could.
I did get a small tear which she sutured. Despite the epidural, she still give me a local so that I dun feel any pain.
And I didn't have any pain at all.
It was a short tear so I was talking to her the whole time.
Owh I missed to tell you that, right after the delivery, my placenta was not detaching.
It was supposed to detach naturally but it wasn't.
She waited and waited but no.
So I was worried.
Why????
Don't tell me there was something wrong with my placenta.
So many things running in my mind but I remained calm.
I trusted my doctor.
She then said,' I have to do manual removal of placenta'.
Thankfully she did it there in the room.
It was superfast.
She removed the placenta and checked.
Placenta was normal, no pieces missing.
This is very important to make sure that no pieces of placenta remained in the uterus.
It can cause infection and bleeding.
She inserted her hand inside my womb to examine each angle.
She was telling me left, right and centre, all clear.
I thought it was going to be painful, but no it wasn't at all.
Thank God.
Hand in your womb, tell me it was not gonna be painful??
Probably thanks to epidural as well.
I heard her saying,'okay tak banyak darah pun. Sikit saja pakai cotton. Bagusnya'.
She counted her gauze with the nurses and gave me few advices.
I thanked her again and again.
It was such a smooth, easy, short and sweet labor.
I will forever be in her debt. Grateful.
She is the best ever.
I started breastfeeding my newborn.
Husband later said azan and iqamah to the ears.
I asked for water and bread.
Nurse took the baby to the nursery.
After 1 hour and a half, we were transferred to the single room ward.
I chose this for privacy.
The package for single room was RM 2800
Double room RM 2500, 4 bedded RM 2100.
But only single room, you can have your husband waiting for you at all time. You can have visitors all the time. We thought, it would be better for Isabella and our relatives to come.
It was spacious and just like a hotel's room.
Because of epidural, I had to use urine bag until 6 p.m.
Which means no walking because I might fall.
Epidural makes your legs numb so you might not be able to stand.
Finally it was 6 p.m. and they removed the bag.
I bidded hubby and mother in law goodbye.
Kissed Isabella.
They went home.
I hopped into shower to wash and changed everything.
It felt good tp wear pretty colthes again.
The nurses dropped a few time, to check the baby, to change her diapers, to change her clothes so Basically, I did nothing.
Of course that is a special thing compared to giving birth in the gov facilities.
Dun blame the nurses because that was not part of their jobs. They have way more things to do.
Here, since we pay a lot, we get extra attention from small things to big.
Nice.
So this is how it feels to give birth in private facilities.
Getting special treatment from the specialist herself.
Having the specialist deliver your baby, sutured you and everything you get is just first class.
You are in a great hands.
I had to spend 1 night in the hospital eventhough I felt like going home.
But well a one night rest will be good for me.
Kamelia was so small and she kept on sleeping.
She pooped once but has not peed yet.
She also wasn't drinking that much.
I was worried simce my milk was not starting yet.
But first day right, that was normal.
Still, she need to wake up to suck for stimulation.
No stimulation, no milk.
I tried to wake her up several times but she kept on sleeping.
As if she was still in the womb.
Haishh baby ni.
I kept drinking Shaklee's mealshake for milk.
I continued my supplements to make me feel stronger.
And I did.
I felt so strong and healthy this time around.
I didn't feel like I just give birth at all.
No body pain, no exhaustion.
This is weird.
I just learned that having a healthy body, complete with nutrients during my pregnancy, gave me a superwoman effect after giving birth.
All the joints, muscles, back or anything in my body felt like pre-pregnancy.
If I didn't know better, I would have started running and dancing. I had to bear in mind that I have just given birth so need to sit with legs closed.
That night, Kamelia woke up and started crying for milk.
I nursed her from 1 a.m. to 6 a.m.
After 6 a.m. I got up to drink Mealshake and water, took my supplements.
Breakfast came and ate that up as well.
Cleaned myself and got ready to go home.
She was still wanting to be nursed.
I wonder if I have enough milk the way she was sucking the whole time.
Breastfeeding nurse came and I told her my worries.
She request to examine my breasts. I let her. She said, owh you have so much milk. This is the colostrum and the transition milk is ready as well.
So that was what Kamelia was doing the whole night. She was stimulating the milk production.
She was successful.
I was very thankful to the breastfeeding nurse. She was very nice and gentle. She was helpful.
I really liked her.
I remeber thanking her before being discharged home.
She made me feel relieved.
Now I know I have milk already.
Since then, Kamelia slept much longer.
DR Siti came up.
She asked how I felt.
I told her I feel great.
I told her no need to check my sutures because they are fine.
Hahahahahaa.
And I was already wearing 'bengkung' so no need to check my womb.
I can check myself I said.
She explained that she didn't charge me for consultation.
Hmmm, that was very nice of her.
Husband arrived.
He had settled the bill.
And guess what??
The bill was so darn cheap RM 2090.
Now I took a private room which was RM 2800 and I took epidural some more. Which should be atleast extra RM 600-700.
Did they count right??
Hubby went down to ask.
They said, it was because Dr Siti didn't take her charges that was why it was so cheap.
I budgetted for RM 3500-4000.
I wonder if she didn't get paid at all. She should!! Because I took her time and her expertise and her service.
More indebted now.
Gonna ask hubby to get her something nice from Jakarta.
She did say she has never been there because she was always busy.
Owh, she is going for a holiday from the 22nd.
Thank God, I delivered before she went away:)
So basically, I give 5 stars to my labor experience in KPJ Tawakkal.
For my next baby, I will see Dr Siti again and give birth at private care KPj Tawakal.
I am so glad that this time I decided to try private.
Of course I had no complaint with my first experience in Hospital Putrajaya.
But private is special because you paid a lot, so a lot more special attention.
Besides, there is Dr Siti.
I get a female doctor and nobody else entered my room.
Only few nurses from the beginning.
It gave me full privacy.
No male at all except the aneasth who was oncall.
I fully recommend this doctor and this hospital for maternity package okay.
Actually for Rm 2800, it is still way cheaper than many other hospitals that I have surveyed.
Meet baby Chenta Kamelia, born on the 18th of November 2015, 2.7 kg, normal delivery.