You were saying...

What was that? "But we were relaxed. And happy. And ready for bambino to finally arrive."

How ironic that a few hours after writing this, I went for what was supposed to be a routine check-up at the hospital, and ended up having to spend the night there.

Turns out I wasn't as relaxed as I thought I was – my blood pressure was apparently higher than usual. Not much higher, but high enough for them to want to test me again 10 minutes later. Of course as soon as they started telling me why they needed to test me again, and with the nurses running around speaking worried Chinese ("guangdongwa guagdongwa high blood pressure guangdongwa high risk"), my blood pressure went up even more. In the space of half an hour, I had gone from 120/80 to 169/95... Not good.

And so I got carted off to the same hospital ward where I will end up having bambino, dressed in the pink pyjamas that would soon be my uniform for three days. But not before I had disobeyed the nurse and gone home - I was not wearing a bra at the time of the check-up and was getting quite flustered by the idea of going to hospital without one. I don't think that's what made me break down into tears when the doctor told me I'd be kept for observation all night, but you never know...

In any case, I was soon sitting on a bed lined up next to all of the new mothers, not daring to move because my plastified pillow crinkled every time I did. I guess it was good practice for the big day and I couldn't be in a better place to be under observation, this being the best hospital in Hong Kong, and one of the best in the world. And, more importantly, I was now wearing a bra.

I spent the few hours before Krusty could visit sending strong mental messages to my son to stay put and not make an early appearance (turns out I was not "ready for bambino to finally arrive" after all). Looking around, I soon noticed that the "shorts" that I had been given were actually full length trousers on every other woman there, and then I realised I was the only Westerner on the ward. That should reduce the chances of accidental baby swapping! It also means that communication was not so easy, especially since almost half of the ladies were from the mainland and therefore spoke absolutely no English whatsoever. Apparently almost 45% of deliveries in Hong Kong are for mainland Chinese ladies who cross the border specifically to give birth. Whether that is because the level of healthcare is better here or whether it is to get around the "one baby per household" rule, I am not sure...

In any case, I didn't need to talk to them – I had Krusty to communicate with. Not by phone (I had to give him mine since he still doesn't have one at his new job), and not in person (the visiting hours are ridiculously few), but by little envelopes he had left me, one to be opened each half hour, containing the sweetest, funniest little messages to keep me entertained. I cannot express how lucky I feel to have such a man to rely on. I complain about him a lot (but then don't I complain about everything a lot) but every time I need him, he's not only there, he completely surpasses all of my expectations.

And just as I was dreamily thinking of Krusty in my bubble of pastel rainbow curtains, a nurse came in saying "congee". As if, at 6am after no sleep because of the baby next to me screaming all night, the thing that was going to make me feel better was a bowl of Chinese porridge. Note to self - pack some nice snacks for delivery day.

By now, despite the lack of sleep and the frustration at having the bed next to the ward's TV (nothing like a little Chinese soap opera at 3am...), my blood pressure had gone down to 100/65, and so I was released with a clean bill of health. I had peed in a pot 5 times, I have a big bruise on my arm where the medical student couldn't find my vein, and I was hungry, tired and dirty.

But I was wearing a bra, and bambino was still in the oven. And I now know that I'm ready to wait at least another month until I learn to live with his crying, no matter how cute he will be...