The Nights Are Long, But The Years Are Short: The Birth Story of Alula (2)
I was in so much pain. But I remembered what my doula said in her class, remember to lower down your scale of pain. For early labor, even though it is painful, you must set in your mind that it is a 3 out of 10. Three out of ten? Are you kidding me??!!!! I have never experienced this pain before. My mind directly goes to my mom and all mums out there. Hat off for surviving the labor pain!!
17 January 2018
07.00 A.M.
My doula finally came. She quickly assessed the labor stage I was in, brought me to the hot shower to ease the pain. But, that didn't last long. After three or four contractions, my doula told my husband to go to the hospital. Huh? Already? I thought I was still in early labor. I always kept telling myself that this pain is level 3 out of 10. My doula called her co-doula to come to my place. She came with a taxi. As soon as the taxi arrived, we quickly got in and went to the hospital.
07.30 A.M.
The hospital is 30 minutes away from my house. Aaannd it was peak hour. I was in the back seat of the taxi in a (very) weird position with my doula and co-doula. In active labor, I can sit no more. So, I was in "all-four-position," kneeling and leaning forward or on my hands and knees. My doula was in even weirder position; she was kneeling on her knees facing me from behind, getting ready to squeeze my hip whenever my contraction came. Now, imagine that this scene was at the back seat of a taxi. What a scene! My husband? He was in the front seat beside the taxi driver. He was so quiet. I wonder what was on his mind.
It seemed to me that we were caught in a traffic jam. But I couldn't really think as the pain of my contractions was getting intense (read: suuuuper painful). In between my contractions, I could feel that my doula was busy taking something out from her backpack. Then she said, "Indri, I can see your baby's hair. Whatever happens, this is gonna be the position." Hmm.. okay. Wait! Whatever the what?? Am I going to deliver in a taxi?!
Then I start to imagine what will be written on my daughter's birth certificate. Birth place: ayer rajah express way. Oh no! Dear baby, please be patient. At least let us reach the hospital first. I keep talking to my baby silently.
08.00 A.M.
We were approaching the hospital. My doula told my husband, "Jon, we can't stop at the lobby. It will have to be through the ER." Then my husband told the taxi driver to head to the ER.
Reaching the ER lobby, we were welcomed by a bunch of medical staffs. I remember one guy who was trying to be friendly greeted me "Hi, don't push, my friend.." I didn't recall the day I made friends with him.
They put me on a stretcher and pushed me into a triage room. My doula quickly told the nurses about my conditions. She's an ex-paramedic, so she knows the drill. In the triage room, everything was chaotic. I screamed whenever the contraction came. I know I shouldn't do that to reserve my energy, but I couldn't help it!
I think my screams made the nurses more nervous. One of them tried to assess my opening down there, and she shouted to her friends, "No no, bring her quickly to the delivery suite, she'll be delivering soon." The other nurses rushed to push me to the delivery suite.
08.15 A.M.
I planned to have a water birth. Luckily when I got it the delivery suite the room with a huge bathtub was vacant. The nurses from the delivery suite took over to prep my labor. The situation was more or less the same as the one in the triage room. Chaotic.
In the delivery room, the nurse changed my clothing into a delivery gown, put a wireless fetal monitoring device and injected an IV tube on one of my hand. I really hate this part! The idea of having an unnecessary needle on my hand just for a precaution.
I remembered being asked by one nurse, "Do you want to push on the bed or in the water?". "Water," I responded while grumbling don't they read my birth plan?! That nurse then shouted to her friend, "She wants to deliver in the water!!". And I could hear the other nurse was rushing to fill the bathtub with warm water with the right temperature. "Can you still walk?", asked the nurse. I rolled my eyes.
to be continued...