We’re going to be parents!

This personal blog chronicles my first pregnancy. It is the third of series, which will be updated every week. – Rio

 

Having waited three long years, the fresh news of my pregnancy still feels surreal. What if the test kit that I used was busted, contaminated for being kept too long? What if I’m just having false pregnancy again? I mean, nothing says official until a doctor says so, right?

So, my husband and I agreed to see one that next weekend. And while waiting for that day, I started taking folic acid to be sure. Salman also went online looking for recommendations of reputable obstetrician-gynecologist, following my one and only requirement: The specialist must be a woman.

Thompson Hospital Kota Damansara, formerly known as Tropicana Medical Centre, is located at 11, Jalan Teknologi, PJU 5 Kota Damansara, 47810 Petaling Jaya in Selangor. Contact them at 03-6287 1111.

His search yielded a lot of results with good reviews and testimonials to boot. But planning a visit to see each on different dates already seems complicated, impractical, and redundant. I only needed to see one, anyway – right away, considering the crazy changes happening in my body. Coincidentally, my good friend Len was already 6 months pregnant. She’s based in Bacolod, often visiting Kuala Lumpur to see her French husband, Jean. And I remembered her telling me about her good experience while getting checked up at the Tropicana Medical Centre (which has just been renamed Thompson Hospital Kota Damansara in July). It was perfect since the private hospital was just a 25-minute drive from our place.

Previous Blog: So, when are you gonna have a baby?

There were lots of expectant couples already waiting at the lobby of  TMC Fertility and Women’s Specialist Centre when we arrived on the hospital’s third level. But I was immediately impressed with the systematic way the staff receive and accommodate both registered and unregistered patients. After getting a number, we waited for around 10 minutes before we’re called us to proceed to the counter, where the receptionist took my name, passport number, and other personal details for registration and medical record-keeping purposes.

Find TMC Fertility and Women’s Specialist Centre on the third level of Thompson Hospital Kota Damansara.

When we asked to see a female specialist, we’re told that their two female consultants aren’t around on Saturdays and that there’s only one obstetrician-gynecologist, who is assigned to receive new patients the day we dropped by. I was initially disappointed and seriously thought of coming back some other day. But since the nausea that I had been having is getting out of hand, I was in desperate need to see anyone. Starting to feel anxious, we eventually agreed to meet Dr. Navdeep Singh Pannu.

We, then, waited for another 15 minutes before a nurse could see us. Upon learning my last menstrual period, Nurse Syahirah informed me that I was already six weeks into the pregnancy. But before I could even believe it, we had to endure another round of waiting – this time, for almost an hour – before we got inside Dr. Navdeep’s office.

A tall, handsome man greeted us with a warm smile and sincere congratulations. Finally, the formality I was looking for! Just hearing him say it drowned the disbelief I’ve been feeling the past week. He then asked to do an ultrasound on me to see how the baby is doing.

This photo taken during our first consultation appointment with Dr. Navdeep Singh Pannu.

Six weeks, apparently, is too early detect a pregnancy. The embryo is still too small to be picked up by transabdominal ultrasound, which prompted Dr. Navdeep to use a transvaginal one. It took moments of silence before I heard him say: “And there’s your baby! You guys are now officially parents.”

I swear I felt tears formed behind my eyes as the doctor showed us the life Salman and I created from different angles. I was trying to pull myself together, and deciding whether I should let myself cry with joy or not when my dear husband ruined the emotional moment and turn into an on-the-spot biology class.

Previous Blog: Finally, two lines in a stick!

“So, that’s her uterus and right ovary… But where is her cervix?” he keenly asked Dr. Navdeep, who was obvious taken aback. “Can you show me her fallopian tube?”

I burst into laughter like, “SERIOUSLY, NOT NOW SALMAN!!!”

Last April, we had a first glimpse of the life we created.

Everything went blur. We were laughing about Salman’s blooper on the way out of the hospital. I remember trying to feel my cheeks that had been numb from smiling too much by the time we reached the hospital’s parking when Salman suddenly realised something:

“Hey, something’s missing,” he said.

“What?” I asked.

“We forgot to pay!” he figured out. Still elated with what just happened, we happily went back up to the third floor after convincing Salman to pay the hospital because I wanted Dr. Navdeep to be my consultant. There was something reassuring about his way of giving us advice during this particular visit.

Ladies and gentlemen, our six-week-old miracle.

“I bet you like Dr. Navdeep to NAVigateyour down there DEEPly. That’s where he got his name!” he just had to crack that joke, laughing.

And thus began the happiest days of our lives.

Next Blog: The calm before the storm