A Special Day
Every year when this day comes along, I relive the events that made this day the most important on my calendar. On March 22nd, 2003 Saturday, I was pregnant and the due date was fast approaching on April 2nd. I was scared and my conversations with Veena inevitably ended with her telling me, “See, the baby has to come out, and you have to do it, pain or no pain. So don’t worry, there is going to be pain but the baby will come out.”
That wasn’t very comforting but well the truth so I had to just bite my lips and bear it.
That morning I had my weekly checkup, compulsory in the last month and as usual I went to the hospital, amma had come from India for the delivery and she came alone. As usual thee was a big crowd. I waited my turn and watched the others there. A girl who was two weeks overdue was there; she had been there last week and the week before but this time she looked uncomfortable and worried. She was ushered in and then they called my name. The doctor had put me on a strict diet as I was putting on too much weight and she seemed satisfied with the result. Then she checked my blood pressure and said, “ Have we done an internal exam yet?” I shook my head and said, “No”.
“Then come, let me have a look”
I hated internal exams and each time ended with the doctor shouted angrily at me.
“You need to be very slow, because I find it very hard to relax during the internal examinations.”
The doctor smiled, “ Don’t worry, and think about something else.”
I closed my eyes and thought about yellow flowers, sunflowers, and chrysanthemums.
“There, it’s over, but you are 4cms dilated. How are you feeling? Any pain, discomfort, anything different at all?”
I shook my head, scared, “No, nothing.”
A nurse came up and said, “You are lucky, 4cms and no pain, that is great, now you have just 6cms to go.”
The doctor said, “Come lets do a ultrasound, just to make sure everything is fine”
As I lay waiting for the doctor to do ultrasound, I could hear her talking to someone else, “My God, You are nearly 8cms dilated, How come you are feeling nothing?”
The girl she was speaking to was very young, slim and tall and she looked surprised at what the doctor said.
“You need to get admitted to the labour room now. I will forward the paper work.”
“So Can we go to the maternity wing now?” she asked the doctor and the doctor looked at her and said, “My dear how do you plan to go there, you are in no state to walk or move. The ambulance will take you there.”
The maternity wing was on the other side of the sprawling Kuwaiti hospital and medical college. Then the doctor came to me and asked, “Why are you all dilated and getting ready to have babies today without any contractions? Is it because of the rain.”
Then she did the ultrasound and told me, “The baby is big but the delivery is going to be easy, you have very soft tissues.”
Then She told me to wait as I needed to get admitted and she wanted to put at the fetal heartbeat. I went out into the waiting area and told amma and asked her to call J.
Back inside I saw overdue girl and her mother worried, the fetal heart beat was irregular and they needed to have a C section done and she was also referred to the maternity hospital.
They then made me lie on a bed and gave me rubber bulb to hold and told to press it each time the baby moves, so I lay there and did it.
Soon it was over and the doctor came over and gave me some papers and told me, “Go home now. Come and get admitted at 2.00PM or earlier if you had any contractions. Right now there are no beds in the maternity ward.”
Great, I came and saw J there, looking worried and scared. I told what the doctor had said and we came back home.
At home I called appan and told him that the contractions have started.
Amma made me take a bath, then at 2.00PM Byju came with a SUV and took us to the hospital. There we had a little difficulty getting to labour suite as I was instructed as the guard outside kept insisting that I needed to get admitted to the maternity ward first. Then someone came out and looked at the papers and let me in. Inside, everyone looked relaxed, “ Any pain, discomfort, anything at all?”
“No”
“I don’t why the duty doctor is sending everyone over today without them getting any contractions?”
“I don’t think you need to get admitted now, go home and come back when you feel some change.”
I did not know what to do, “ But the doctor said I was dilated 4cms.”
“Well, that is okay as long as you feel no pain.”
I went out and told J, he started to look even more worried. Then he came in, “ SO should we be back?”
“Wait,” Another nurse said, “Let the doctor check you before you leave, just to make sure.”
After checking she said, “she is already 6cms and dilating fast, get her admitted immediately.”
Then I lay there and the pain was induced and as contractions started, I started screaming and flailing my hands around, they sedated me and I kept on screaming and at 10.27PM, he came out. He did not scream or cry just whimpered. My angel, small, beautiful and lovely
That wasn’t very comforting but well the truth so I had to just bite my lips and bear it.
That morning I had my weekly checkup, compulsory in the last month and as usual I went to the hospital, amma had come from India for the delivery and she came alone. As usual thee was a big crowd. I waited my turn and watched the others there. A girl who was two weeks overdue was there; she had been there last week and the week before but this time she looked uncomfortable and worried. She was ushered in and then they called my name. The doctor had put me on a strict diet as I was putting on too much weight and she seemed satisfied with the result. Then she checked my blood pressure and said, “ Have we done an internal exam yet?” I shook my head and said, “No”.
“Then come, let me have a look”
I hated internal exams and each time ended with the doctor shouted angrily at me.
“You need to be very slow, because I find it very hard to relax during the internal examinations.”
The doctor smiled, “ Don’t worry, and think about something else.”
I closed my eyes and thought about yellow flowers, sunflowers, and chrysanthemums.
“There, it’s over, but you are 4cms dilated. How are you feeling? Any pain, discomfort, anything different at all?”
I shook my head, scared, “No, nothing.”
A nurse came up and said, “You are lucky, 4cms and no pain, that is great, now you have just 6cms to go.”
The doctor said, “Come lets do a ultrasound, just to make sure everything is fine”
As I lay waiting for the doctor to do ultrasound, I could hear her talking to someone else, “My God, You are nearly 8cms dilated, How come you are feeling nothing?”
The girl she was speaking to was very young, slim and tall and she looked surprised at what the doctor said.
“You need to get admitted to the labour room now. I will forward the paper work.”
“So Can we go to the maternity wing now?” she asked the doctor and the doctor looked at her and said, “My dear how do you plan to go there, you are in no state to walk or move. The ambulance will take you there.”
The maternity wing was on the other side of the sprawling Kuwaiti hospital and medical college. Then the doctor came to me and asked, “Why are you all dilated and getting ready to have babies today without any contractions? Is it because of the rain.”
Then she did the ultrasound and told me, “The baby is big but the delivery is going to be easy, you have very soft tissues.”
Then She told me to wait as I needed to get admitted and she wanted to put at the fetal heartbeat. I went out into the waiting area and told amma and asked her to call J.
Back inside I saw overdue girl and her mother worried, the fetal heart beat was irregular and they needed to have a C section done and she was also referred to the maternity hospital.
They then made me lie on a bed and gave me rubber bulb to hold and told to press it each time the baby moves, so I lay there and did it.
Soon it was over and the doctor came over and gave me some papers and told me, “Go home now. Come and get admitted at 2.00PM or earlier if you had any contractions. Right now there are no beds in the maternity ward.”
Great, I came and saw J there, looking worried and scared. I told what the doctor had said and we came back home.
At home I called appan and told him that the contractions have started.
Amma made me take a bath, then at 2.00PM Byju came with a SUV and took us to the hospital. There we had a little difficulty getting to labour suite as I was instructed as the guard outside kept insisting that I needed to get admitted to the maternity ward first. Then someone came out and looked at the papers and let me in. Inside, everyone looked relaxed, “ Any pain, discomfort, anything at all?”
“No”
“I don’t why the duty doctor is sending everyone over today without them getting any contractions?”
“I don’t think you need to get admitted now, go home and come back when you feel some change.”
I did not know what to do, “ But the doctor said I was dilated 4cms.”
“Well, that is okay as long as you feel no pain.”
I went out and told J, he started to look even more worried. Then he came in, “ SO should we be back?”
“Wait,” Another nurse said, “Let the doctor check you before you leave, just to make sure.”
After checking she said, “she is already 6cms and dilating fast, get her admitted immediately.”
Then I lay there and the pain was induced and as contractions started, I started screaming and flailing my hands around, they sedated me and I kept on screaming and at 10.27PM, he came out. He did not scream or cry just whimpered. My angel, small, beautiful and lovely
posted by Choomma at 8:19 AM
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