29 January 2018

motherhood: the baby

It was rather cloudy on that Wednesday morning, 10th May 2017. A public holiday for Malaysians so I woke up with Lokman next to me talking on the phone with his mother. I was very pregnant and the very next day was supposed to be my due date. I went to the loo and found that my pee was greenish-yellow in colour. Out of concern, I summoned Lokman to check it out. His theory was I was just dehydrated so I shrugged it off and walked into the kitchen where Lokman was about to serve cereal for breakfast.

And then, my water broke. The colour was supposed to be clear but it was greenish yellow, more translucent than in the toilet bowl. Lokman said, "ok yup, go get ready, I'll get the bags. We're going to the hospital." 

Minutes later, we found ourselves at the hospital - uncertain of what to say because the colour of the water wasn't clear as it should have been. So it went,

Lokman: Uh, I think her water just broke?
Receptionist: Oh, is she in labour?
Lokman: *to me* Are you?
Me: I'm not sure. Am I?
Receptionist: *chuckles* Are you in pain?
Me: Uh, nope. But I'm uncomfortable, the water keeps running down here.
Receptionist: Oh okay. Just proceed to the labour room.

An usher brought me to the labour room and he talked to the nurse manning the reception counter. The nurse directed me to proceed to a room at the end of the hall and stay on the bed there. I sat on the bed and felt liquid oozing out down there as if I am peeing uncontrollably. Ugh. It took awhile for the nurses to tend to me because there were two deliveries happening at once that noon.

Lokman texted me saying he got an executive ward for me but I was more worried about myself than him or any wards he got. A nurse finally came to me and checked my dilation. She looked concern and fixed doppler on my tummy. She called for assistance and they checked together. They told me that the baby has excreted inside the womb yet I have only dilated for 1 cm. Basically, that's worrying.

So they prepared me for labour room and Lokman was waiting in there. I was induced, I was okay yet nervous. The rain started to pour. Our families were briefly notified. Lokman and I took selfies together (lol). I realized then I was hungry so Lokman told the nurse. The head nurse came into my room and asked when and what was the last time and thing I ate. I answered: nasi lemak around 10 pm last night. She replied, how about breakfast? Well, I didn't get to eat my cereal because my water broke and we immediately got to the hospital. The nurses discussed and they told us that I am at risk for operation so I shouldn't be eating. But they pitied me because I'd have hours of contractions ahead of me so they allowed me... a cup of hot chocolate and a piece of bread. So I stuffed those down anyway. When they took away my plate and cup, they asked if I wanted singgang or soup for dinner and I replied, singgang. Finally, we watched TV until I drifted to sleep.



The next time I woke up, I was in pain. If I have to describe it, the pain was like stomach ache from when you eat bad stuffs but it happens every now and then with varying levels. Yes, those are contractions. I woke up around 4pm and Lokman was there reciting Quran. When he realized I was awake, he told me that our families and friends came. He told me a bunch of things but I couldn't remember the conversations. I slept and woke up again few times.

Around 9 pm, my obgyn came in. She checked for dilation and she agreed with the nurses that it has been 3 hours that my dilation stayed at 6 cm. She decided that if there's no improvement by 10 pm, we had to go for Caeserian. I remember not giving a damn for as long as it was all over. But by 10 pm, I got to 7 cm and it quickly goes to 10 cm by 12 midnight. My obgyn had not arrived but the baby was crowning. The nurse asked Lokman if we wanted to wait for the doctor or she could deliver the baby. I cut Lokman and said just get the baby out.

So I pushed for a good 5 mins and the baby was out just in time for my obgyn to walk in. She was surprised but congratulated us anyway. The nurse placed the baby on my chest while my obgyn got ready to stitch me up. They took the baby away to clean him up for Lokman to perform azan while my obgyn kept talking to me to make sure I stayed awake during the stitches. The stitching part was so painful that I tried so hard to distract myself from the pain by watching TV. My obgyn said that there wasn't many tear which means I pushed the baby excellently.

They moved me onto a wheelchair, I thanked everyone and moved to my ward for my dinner, the much awaited singgang.

I didn't get to see my baby until the next day because I was really tired that night. I was told I looked pale but I was okay after I got my sleep. Lokman slept in the ward with me and I woke him at subuh because I was really thirsty. I took this picture because I didn't know how to wake him without shouting. Haha.


It was truly my first time being warded in a hospital so it felt hilarous though I was excited. Anyway, I got to see my baby around 8 am just before my obgyn and my son's paed came around to check up on us.



It's almost nine months after all these happened but I remember it quite vividly - the day my eldest child was born. I still enjoy talking about it and especially sharing my experience with mom-to-be. Three important advices from me: 1) choose a good team to deliver your baby if you can so you can push the baby well according to right directions, 2) eat something before you get to the hospital and 3) distract yourself from pain by thinking about what makes you happy. Well, those worked for me, at least.

Anyway, welcome Umayr Wasim! Safely delivered at 12.21 AM on his own due date 11th May 2017, you're the eldest son of Mommy and Abah :)



Footnote: If it isn't obvious, this post is realllllly overdue because it's hard to blog with an infant tugging your shirt and screaming for attentions, thus explains the hurried writings. K toodles.

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