Can I Bring A Camera to the Hospital Delivery Room?

She is a strong lady and will always love her

Is digital camera allowed in the labor room? 

Can I document the delivery procedure? 

Is the doctor alright with me recording the operation? 

Can I take a video during delivery? 

Any specific restrictions for cameras during delivery? 

Can I take the picture with my camera phone when my baby arrives?

I believe these are some of the questions asked by first-time parents and those who have digital toys at their disposal. 

This was the main reason why we chose a hospital which allowed cameras to be brought into the labor room.

For the record, both Ampang Puteri Hospital and Prince Court Medical Centre allows the husband to record the entire delivery procedure on the digital camera of your choice; DSLR / video camera / mobile phone. 

However, I did not ask if a professional photographer or other family members were allowed to be in the labor room.

They didn't even allow my in-laws to enter the delivery room (PCMC).

Even if you were allowed to bring in a camera, will you be able to handle the recording yourself? 

Would you be able to remain calm and composed whilst your other half is fighting for her life delivering your baby? 

Can you concentrate? 

Is your wife OK to be left in the care of the doctor and nurses? (she's not screaming for you to be next to her)

If all the above is a YES, good for you, buddy! 

Congratulations and good luck in taking your baby's arrival pictures! 

As for me, I have all the above ticked but my conscious told me that I need to be next to my beloved and offer support and encouragement. 

The best part was when the doctor had a huge spotlight switched on during the procedure while he was seated between 2 nurses. 

It felt so surreal as the lighting and the scenario is just so picturesque, I felt like grabbing my camera to shoot. 

Only for my conscious to get the best of me to stay put and not go anywhere.

She is just a few minutes old when this picture was taken

Once the baby is out, that's when you have to be quick and smart. 

Kiss the wifey and azan the baby (for Muslims) while shooting a video at the same time. 

I had the opportunity to record the historic moment and definitely going to treasure this for years to come. 

So, to all fathers out there, make full use of your digital equipment to freeze time and capture your own timeless event. 

Good luck and break a leg!

What I am missing ...

9pm: I was still at work when I called home. 

My lil' angel repeatedly said "Ummi" upon hearing my voice. 

My heart sank. 

All I wanted was to be next to her, hug her & kiss her ... Alas, I was quite a distance from home & it was raining heavily. 

It would take me an hour to reach home with the massive traffic :( 

Today was a crazy Monday and everyday, I vow to go home early around 5pm or 6pm but always end up leaving around this time ... 

By the time I reach home, she was fast asleep on the sofa with her daddy ... 

 I could only cradle her & hug her while listening to stories from hubby on the activities they did earlier in the evening.

A Day in the life of a Working Mom ... First-Time Mom

I'm a first-time mom struggling to juggle between work and taking care of my newborn baby. 

Learning the ropes of managing time, energy and of course, having enough sleep ... which doesn't come by easy nowadays. 

But I try ... only God knows how hard I try ...

5am: 

Alarm goes off, "Snooze", '5-more-minute-sleep' debate in my head. 

Lil' Rainbow was in and out of sleep the previous night, wanting to feed. 

Solution: breastfeed, Position: Lying down.

5.30am: 

Alarm goes off ... AGAIN! ... 

Wake up and make sure baby is still asleep. 

Hubby's side of the bed is empty as he has gone off to work earlier and arranged his pillows accordingly so that she doesn't roll off the bed ...

Quick dash to the bathroom, pack baby's bag to bring to the nanny and my bag (breastpump essentials). 

Stand for 2 minutes or so in front of the cupboard to pick out my attire (men really have it easy, don't have to think twice on choosing what to wear)

6.15am: 

Scoop baby off the bed and into the car, drive over to nanny's to drop her off. 

Quick chat with nanny and baby (she always wakes up when she hears the car door open) which often lasts 15 minutes. 

I nervously glance at my watch, conscious of the time ... yes, worrying about the bad KL traffic. 

6.30am: 

Kiss baby goodbye and off to work I go ... drive along MRR2 past the DUKE exit (whichever smart guy invented the DUKE exit converging into MRR2 which always causes bad traffic during rush hour, I have no idea ... but he's definitely not helping ease the congestion in my area at all! ), drive onto AKLEH exit into Jln Tun Razak and drive onto the KL-Putrajaya highway heading to Cyberjaya.

7.30am: 

Arrive safely at the office. 

Open up emails etc (which often is never less than 100 ... do people LOVE sending out emails nowadays, even for one-liners?)

8.00am - late: 

Meetings, discussions, conferences, emails, etc all in a day's work. 

Squeeze 2 breastpump sessions which lasts 10 minutes minimum and a quick lunch.

Heading home ... depends ... if there no more meetings late in the evenings, I'm able to leave the office ... else, I'll be stuck until late at night ... bummer!

The drive home takes another hour or possibly more if I happen to drive during rush hour. 

Once I reach home, I often find hubby sitting in front of his PC and lil' princess crawling on the floor or dancing to "The Wheels on the Bus" or watching a local cartoon series, "Boboi Boy" ...

I spend the rest of the evening on the sofa breastfeeding lil' princess whilst talking to hubby or watching my TV series. 

My sleep at night is often 2 hours max without any disruption until lil' princess wants to feed. 

Most of the time, my sleeping position is either on my left or right side, since I am breastfeeding her. 

Cycle continues, I often wake up the next morning with a sore back ...

Salute to all mothers out there ... 

I know that it draws out a lot of energy from you, particularly if you also have high work demands.

Hang in there, mommies!