At 10.30a.m. I felt cramps on my tummy. So I called the doctor, and he asked me to go to the hospital to meet him. I got my ready bag, and brought Nathan with me on a cab.
I had to go to the delivery suite immediately to be strapped to monitor the baby's heart beat and check my contractions. Everything looks just fine. Doctor suggested to induce me, so he inserted the tablet at 11.30a.m.
I felt nothing. Tried walking around, resting, watched TV to draw my mind away... but I was hungry. I literally had to beg for food. They gave me soft diet and fed me porridge. I gobbled it up.
At 4.30pm, still no sign of contraction. Doc came and ruptured my water bag. Contractions started, but very bearable.
Pain slowly seeped in around 8.30p.m. I was 3cm dilated. I was in active labour. I thought I wouldn't be able to bear with the wait for another 7cm more to go, I asked for epidural.
By the time the specialist came, I was so in pain, but he did it very quickly. Almost immediately after he was done with the procedure, the nurses checked on me, I was already 9cm dilated. They rang my doc, and he came instantly, another 15mins, they were getting me ready to push.
For half an hour, I was pushing with all my might, no sign of baby. Another half an hr with assist (vaccum), baby was out. Nurse placed the bloody creature in my arms, I was speechless. She felt so warm and tender, I didn't dare to move an inch. I was just starring at the blood stained baby I had birthed.
I thought I should have been more courageous to bear with labour pains without epidural, didn't know that my cervix was tender, and I could dilate so quickly... I 'suffered' the ill effects of the med, shivered for another hour before it lost its effect. During the entire process of sewing, I felt no pain at all. We could chat, and I saw my gynae hard at work.
It was an amazing experience, something I won't exchange for a c-section, Nothing compares to delivering your own child with your own eyes. And recovery was much quicker too, though the initial pain was more sensitive and tough. Within a week, I could sit on my bottoms, and I almost felt I was back to the same old energetic Caris.
We prayed and gave thanks.