My Labour Experience at Andorra Hospital

I delivered my baby girl via Caesarian operation in September, a few days before my birthday. 

We went to the Emergency Department close to midnight, paid RM500 deposit (with GL from the insurance company) and got admitted. We chose the single room so that N could stay with me the whole time. Upon admission, my blood pressure and baby's heartbeat were monitored. Fast forward a few hours later, a nurse hooked me up with an IV drip and I was wheeled into the OT, with N beside me 💓

The nurse, my doctor (Dr Rusina) and N all recited duá before going into the OT. The anaesthetist, Dr Azilah arrived and injected me with the epidural. She was very warm and motherly. Told her that I had a history of prolapsed disc so she administered the injection a little bit higher on my spine. Soon after, I was numb waist-down. The injection itself, not as bad as I had imagined it. The urinary catheter was hooked up after I was numb, so I didn't feel a thing. Good call!

The OT was cold but I had a warm blower under my gown so I was comfortable the whole time. With Caesarian, you'll not feel any pain but you can still feel the tugging and whatnot. Not long after, I heard the baby's cry. Alhamdulillah. The anaesthetist helped recorded the birth video and took pictures of us. N was given the opportunity to clamp the cord, helped clean the baby, recite azan and tahnik the baby. They sewed me up and I was wheeled back into the ward. It all happened so fast. I think I was in the OT for less than an hour. 

Immediately after the operation, I had to abstain from eating for 6 hours but I could drink plain water. The side effects from epidural - itchiness (my face and nose especially were itchy for 2 straight days; the doctor gave me some meds for that) and vomiting (I vomited 3 times in the first 6 hours after surgery). The nurses and doctor came every 2 hours to check on my bleeding and changed my maternity pad (I was in and out of sleep due to the painkillers) besides giving me more meds.

After 6 hours, I had my first meal and believe me, the food they served were very good! A server will come with the menu set for you to choose from and for the 3 days I were there, I love every single meal! 

Western breakfast

Japanese Meal Set (my favorite!!)

The nurses will care for the baby at the nursery. Should you want to breastfeed or meet your baby, you can always call them to bring the baby to your room. This way, the parents will get ample sleep and the mother will have the opportunity to focus on her recovery. 

I was more awake on my second day post-op. The pain? It only hurts a little bit when I try to sleep on my side. The nurse came to take away the urinary catheter as I had a session with the physiotherapist later. We walked a bit, around the maternity floor and I was taught the exercise to strengthen my muscle. The lactation counsellor also did frequent visits to my room. 

The third day, Dr Rusina gave me the green light to be discharged. I had a nurse that bathed me (she insisted) and a personal masseuse, too.

Frankly speaking, I had a wonderful labour experience. It was not painful or traumatic 😆 I could walk on my own, no issue. Alhamdulillah! Everyone was surprised by how well I was coping, as this is only my first baby. It may be due to the meds, or the Dr's skills in stitching me up. But I had always pray for my labour experience to be easy, with minimal pain 😁

So about the hospital itself; Quran recitation was played throughout the night, there's Netflix in the single room, the husband / a visitor can sleep on the makeshift bed beside you and the staffs were very courteous. There's also a restaurant just beside the hospital and many stalls selling food (for your husband / visitor). I just had a small issue with billing as they're trying to charge us an extra day of stay since we came to register at the Emergency Department at around 11.40pm. So for the 20 minutes we're registering, the system charged us an extra day. No way! Haha Plus I only got into the ward past midnight. Other than that little snafu, everything was great! I've also gotten a diaper bag full of freebies and a flower from the hospital. 

My final verdict: I will definitely want to deliver here again InsyaAllah, kalau ada rezeki.

The total hospital bill: Approximately RM13,300 (Mom's charges - RM11,500 & baby's charges - RM1,800) including baby's circumcision, phototherapy (for jaundice), meds and consultation.

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