I gave birth via C-Section. I was ready for a normal delivery but my body had other plans. I had a very good first and second trimester. No morning sickness, no cravings, no dizziness, no temper tantrums - everything was smooth...until the third trimester.
I had preeclampsia and gestational diabetes. My blood pressure would always be high and my Doctor would be concerned as even if my BP was reading high, I am not feeling anything. No dizziness, no headaches - na-da! During my prenatal check up on my 38th week of pregnancy, my BP was at 170/100 and I was still standing up and was feeling OK. My Doctor had me admitted right there and then, my poor boyfriend was left outside the labor room, given instructions to get a room and was handed my clothes, bag, shoes and last, my underwear (I was laughing so hard when he told me!)
Inside the labor room, I was being given magnesium shots. The Doctors said it is a precaution so that I will not have any convulsions. My BP was being monitored and I was hooked up to a machine that monitors the baby's heartbeat and mine as well. I was having induced labor as I needed to deliver right there and then. Initially, I thought I was being admitted so that my BP would be normalized and then I would be discharged. Imagine my surprise when they said I am set to deliver. I mean, hello? I just went there for a prenatal check up!
I was hooked up to an IV that has medicine to induce labor. What really bugs me is that I cannot go to the restroom. Instead I was given a catheter - argh! I started having contractions, I did not even know they were contractions as they were very mild. It feels as if my tummy was soooooo hard - apparently, they were contractions. The Doctor said I was only dilated 2cm and its still going to be a long time before I deliver. On this note, my Doctor went home with instructions that she be contacted if there's anything urgent. I went to sleep after that.
I woke up with the Nurses and Doctors around the monitor, apparently, my Baby's heartbeat went down and they had to stop the IV giving me medicine to induce labor. My OB was also in the labor room wearing her scrubs, and that part of my brain went "Uh-oh" again. My OB told me that they have to do a C Section as they cannot continue with induce labor and put the Baby at risk. I signed a few forms, was given a muscle relaxant and was wheeled to the Operating Room.
The clock inside the OR read 12:15 AM, the nurses started to prep me for the C Section and that was when I fell asleep. After a few hours in the labor room, four shots of magnesium in my butt cheeks (two on each cheek), IV drip, magnesium in the IV (it felt really hot and heavy - and not in a good way), internal examination, catheter, BP readings, blood sugar test - I was asleep. I woke up at 7:00AM felt my belly and tried to talk. The only sounds that came out of my mouth was - uuungghh (yeah, it does not make any sense). Basically, I was trying to ask if my Baby was OK. I was wheeled to my room where my sister and my boyfriend were waiting and I was informed that Caled is doing fine. He's only about 4.7lbs. but he's healthy and he had good APGAR scores :)
I was still groggy from the anesthezia and my IV had a bit of morphine in it (I think, 'coz I was not feeling any pain). I started texting everyone I know to announce the arrival of Caled. My friends would later on ask me how I was able to do it when it was only hours after I had an operation, I really don't know. Maybe it's the excitement that I am a Mother.
It may not be normaly delivery, I may not have gone through the pains of labor. What I went through would be different. After the delivery, while I was still in the hospital, I had to be woken up almost every hour to have my BP monitored. I had a total of eight shots of magnesium on top of the six initial shots since my BP would still read high at certain times. I had to be pricked and have blood sugar test three times a day to check if the sugar level in my blood is still high and I was placed on a diabetic diet (you call this food?!).
I bore down on the pain of the operation and forced myself to be up and walking the very next day. I saw my Baby the night of May 19 and everything that happened for the past few hours - forgotten. It was all worth it. The next day, when I went to the nursery to breastfeed Caled, I know that given a choice, I will go through all of it again.
Bottomline, for every Mom out there. Whether its normal delivery, C Section, fast labor, slow labor, painful labor that can lasts 24 hours or easy labor lasting only a few hours - it's all the same. It will all be worth it the minute you hold that miracle in your arms. The minute that little hand would grip your finger and the time your Baby looks as you and you know that somehow, this little one knows he is being held by Mommy :)
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