1) My husband likes to watch Tanah Kubur on Astro Oasis. A recent episode was about a man who was derhaka to his mother. He kicked his mother out of his house. The mother said, "Mak tak halalkan susu yang mak beri kamu waktu kamu kecil dulu."

The man died and spoilt milk kept drooling from his mouth.

My niece watched it with us. She had many questions and I answered as simple as a 5-year old should and could understand.

Niece: Semalam Niece muntah.

Me: Ye? Kenapa?

Niece: Sebab Niece makan banyak sangat.

Me: Oh, okay.

Silence. Watching TV.

Niece: Auntie, Auntie, semalam kan, Niece tak kawan dengan Mama, dengan Papa, sebab Mama and Papa tak bagi Niece makan mi!

Me: Ye ke...

Niece: Tapi bila Niece muntah, tak keluar susu pun. Keluar makanan je...

Hahaha...So, she reckons, if you argue with your parents, you'd vomit spoilt milk! Terima kasih, Astro Oasis. Bagus!



2) Despite wearing kain batik since the day I got home from the hospital, I still cannot master the art of tying it! Terlondeh je...



3) During the labour pain, I keep reminding myself to berselawat and control my breathing whenever I could. Towards the end, I couldn't help but curse under my breathe. Of course, nobody could hear me. I remember muttering, "Oh, shit, oh, shit!" while inhaling the gas that's supposed to help me.

I didn't dare to curse using any other words because I don't want to influence my kid lah. I chose the word Shit because, well, it did feel like shitting, so in a way, I was not cursing, I was just describing what I was going to do.

Ayat sedapkan hati!



4) I gave birth in a government hospital and I had a pleasant experience. I don't understand why there is so much negative comments about the service.

I think, underneath it all, it depends on how well we are mentally prepared.

Like, it is really ridiculous if you have such a high expectation in a hospital that you are minimally paying.

And, usually, if you are nice to the staff, they will treat nicely too. Remember the rule of treating people like you expect to be treated! I also read about a husband who complaints about the staff in a government hospital who well, didn't tell him what exactly to do while his wife was in labour. Ini pun I rasa bodoh jugak. You have nine freaking months to read books and the Internet, even more than enough time to join as many antenatal classes as you wish, but you waited until the day of delivery and expect other people to tell you or you want people to demonstrate to you what you are supposed to do? Please! Ingat kau sorang dalam hospital tu?

Some of the complaints are petty, like, "Kena marah sebab teran tak betul," (Habis tu, kalau anak dah hampir lemas, takkan nak dipuji pula?) "Sakit sangat masa jahit," (Wah...Nama pun dijahit, mestilah sakit tu ada sikit...) "Doctor tak sambut, nurse je sambut," (Ingat ratio doctor pesakit tu sama banyak ke?) "Makanan tak sedap langsung," (How much are you paying? Sila beli sendiri if you think the food disgust you so much) "Doctor tu asyik nak seluk je," (I'm sure it's the same, standard procedure in most hospitals, private or not), "Tak ada privacy langsung," "Aku jerit dekat guard tu aku tetap nak jumpa isteri aku," (Please respect the visiting hours as it is a female ward, it is an obstetric ward, and then you complaint your wife was denied the right to get a female doctor and your wife was examined without discretion, padahal you pun main redah visiting hours, violating other women's rights to rest and to be examined without the presence of an unprofessional male) etc.

We always tend to think we are special and deserve more, don't you think? Macamlah nurse and doctor tu tak ada kerja lain nak melayan kerenah kau seorang. Ingat kuli ke?

Perhaps I was lucky. But I am really pleased with the service, I even asked my husband to buy a hamper for all the staff who took care of me and my baby.

(Disclaimer: I was warded in a first-class ward, not in the 2-bedded room that I'm qualified to get though, but I didn't mind. I was in the normal ward for a few hours before being transferred to the first-class ward, called once there was a vacancy. I was prepared with the possibility that the first-class ward might be full, I even brought a wire extension so I could share the port with my neighbours. Haha. Oh, and I was never hospitalized before nor I had experience at other hospitals, so I really have nothing to compare with. I am pleased nevertheless!)



5) I did not forget to ask for my husband's forgiveness before he went back. It's just that I shy shy cat lah nak berdrama macam tu dalam hospital...Kang dia kata I ni buang tebiat.

You know how they say giving birth is like berjihad kecil, all the small sins will be forgiven.

So, after the delivery, I tried to maintain a pure heart lah, so I can be suci for a longer time. Then I remembered, when my hus6band asked me to wear socks, I bluntly said No, sebab panas. So, tu dah kira dosa lah kan sebab tak ikut cakap suami. Hehe. Banyak lagi lah kan yang I degil/ annoyed dengan perangai orang. Hehe.

So, as I'm writing this, I sent a text message to ask for his forgiveness. His reply: Abang ampunkan dosa sayang, isteri tersayang.

Auwww...

And dia terus call and asked me, "You ni pantang ke tidak ni?" Laa...I baru bagi contoh tak pakai stokin je...

Haha. Susah ada confinement police ni!



6) I actually have a few posts in the form of drafts because my labour and confinement stories are so long, I cannot finish them without getting interrupted. Slowly but surely, bersabarlah ye...