Scene 1: Getting pregnant
Alhamdulillah after 5 years of TTC (trying to conceive) we are pregnant after series of fertility treatment. Most doctors will advice to go for a c-sect since most patients who went for fertility treatment had to wait years before getting pregnant, but I didn’t see any correlation between how I conceived to how I birth, hence I’ve decided (like 2 years before I even get anywhere to being pregnant), to birth as naturally and gently as possible without any intervention.
Scene 2: Finding the birth team
Alhamdulillah through a good sister, I have been in Gentle Birth Group for over 2 years when I became pregnant. During these two years, I’ve attended Amani CBE training, read a lot on birth; watch countless birth videos, read positive birth story from GBG and from the personal CBE web. So I have shortlisted the already short list of obgyn that are pro-gentle and decide to go with one particular doctor. But after presenting my birth plan, both me and hubby decided not to go with her since she disallowed different birthing position.
But lo and behold, during my hypnobirthing class, teacher Nadine told us there is a new pro-gentle hypno-birthing doctor in Pantai Cheras (you know who already ;P) and all the wonderful thing about this doctor. After a delightful first appointment with Dr Tan and her approving almost every single point on my birth plan, we are set to birth with her.yippee!!
Scene 3: Waterbirth option
I always wanted a waterbirth, but at this point of time (around 7 months of pregnant), we are set for a dry hospital birth since hospital waterbirth option is only available in Pantai Bangsar and we decided not to do it mainly because it is expensive.
And guess what! During a birth talk in PJ, Dr Tan announced that she will be doing waterbirth soon! SubhanAllah. I was ecstatic and utterly excited and Alhamdulillah now I have the option for waterbirth.
Yes, im getting to the birth..wait laa..
Scene 4: Weeks 40 (yes still pregnant ;P)
So we went for our appointment as usual, and doctor suggests few natural ways to tickle the baby to come out soon-natural induction. So we did just that, but we didn’t take it too hard on ourself to induce the baby even by natural means, the baby will come when the baby wants to come. I can’t stay pregnant forever yes? ;p
Scene 5: Birth Begin (mcm batman begin plak :p)
41 weeks and 1 day pregnant, at 3.00am in the morning, suddenly I felt water flowing down my thigh, and I quickly jump of the bed, and went straight to the bathroom and whoosh, my water broke and water gush out. First reaction, panic but quickly breathe in and out, then check the water and it is clear, odorless, so I’m ok.
Quickly clean up my bed and bedroom floor. Hubby still sleeping. Drank a lot of water, took some vitamin C, then texted Nadine and the late Maria Zain (May Allah place her in the highest rank of Jannah ameen) Alhamdulillah Maria replied (since it was 8pm in UK and she is online), she say no need to worry and go back to sleep, and I did just that. Wake up for fajr and told hubby my water broke, he was like, ok and decided to work from home.
Water broke Wednesday 3am
Wednesday…nothing happened..no surges..no sign of labour…baby active as usual
Thursday…still..nothing..huhuh…so we went jalan-jalan in ikea..baby moving fine
Friday..decide to go to a nearby clinic to do ultrasound and see baby’s position. Throughout my pregnancy baby have been in OP position (face up), I was worry since when baby is OP, birth will usually be long. So when we did the scan, wallah! Baby have turn and we can see his spine. yeaaay Alhamdulillah I was super happy and excited to birth now..still no surges..we go on as usual
Saturday, hibernating at home, went to lunch and buys more coconut water.
Hubby talk to baby and ask baby to come tomorrow (Sunday), and he is his father son, and duly obey 😉
Final Scene finally: The Birth Day
Surges started mildly throughout the night hence I was able to sleep between the surges. Didn’t make too much of it since I’ve been getting mild surges few days before. Usually the mild surges would stop once I wake up and walk around the house, but it didn’t this time around. So I just breathe through the surges and slowly is started to become more and more intense. SubhanAllah I just had to paused and say this, how merciful is Allah, that he pace out the surges and slowly intensify them. OK back to the story, now the surges is becoming more frequent and consistent I started to time them, and its now 4 minutes apart at 10.30am. Texted Nadine, asking her should I go to the hospital now, but no reply, and I know she have class on Sunday. So decided to have a hot shower while breathing through the surges. After shower, I just follow my gut instinct and decided to go to hospital since surges is consistently at 4 minutes apart for one hour. Put on my baju kelawar and abaya on top and off we go, and of course my birth ball is going with me.
In car kneeling and layan surges.
Kelana Jaya to Cheras- about 35-40 minutes, so we arrived around 12noon.
We park the car at the basement, and every time the surges came I bounced on the ball.
While waiting hubby in the registration area, I bounced and bounced and bounced during every surges…(haish lambat nya register!!!) its Sunday and literally the hospital is deserted still very slow. At this point I think I’m 3 minutes apart.
1.00pm Sunday
Finally done with registration, went up to the ward. The nurse took me straight to the labour room for CTG (hmmmm…I hate this machine). Hubby was with me during the ctg. Apparently the ctg machine is saying my contraction is not that intense yet. Yeah right.
So the kind nurse (she was kind MashaAllah, I love her), wanted to do VE. At first I refused but then she said they had too since if the opening is less than 2cm then I can go home. Ok fine, so she did the VE and I was 2-3cmm dilated so I can stay (time: 1.20pm)
So the nurses start to fill up the pool. Alhamdulillah I was able to move around, sway whilst hanging on to my hubby during every surges, eat, drink, put the Quran on my ipad, and the light was dimed, just the two of us in the labour room. Kudos to the nurses, Dr Tan really trained them well and their adhered to my birth plan.
Along came the nurses again, another round of ctg monitoring (grrrrr…) ok. This time it’s the wireless ctg, but still for some reason the nurses insisted for me to stay on the bed, hence no point of it being wireless then, hurm. But after failing to get reading, they gave up and take it off. Yehaaaa…so happy.shuh ctg.
Continue on with the surges, and I suddenly felt a huge pressure down under. Being this is my first time giving birth, I was all confused and slowly walk to the tiny toilet they have in the labour room. But the half-way filled pool looks more comfy and appealing to me to be in, so pool wins. So I told hubby to tell the nurses I want to go in the pool now. So they came and Alhamdulillah Dr Tan arrived and she said ok I can go in. (this is around 2.30 or 2.40pm. I totally lost track of time at this point).
It was nice and warm in the pool, wearing baju kelawar (hahah). The nurses and doctor need to get another ctg reading. So whilst I’m going through the surges, the nurses and the doc are trying to find the baby heart beat. But again they couldn’t find the baby heart position, hence the conclusion is that my baby is still high so it will take maybe another 30hours before I will birth this baby. As soon as the doctor said that, I felt a huge pressure and I reached under and felt the baby’s head. The baby is pushing himself out. I told the doctor that I can feel the baby’s head. So the doctor asked me to stand up and put one foot on the side of the pool to examine me, and then she said, “Yup, the baby is here”.
And I plunged into the pool (literally) and the next bearing down pressure came and splossh, baby came out in one gush. I told the doctor baby is out, and she grab the baby out from the water, I had to turn around since I was in all four position and then the doctor put the baby on my chest.
Time: 3.26pm
No intervention, no drugs, no tear, no stitch. Alhamdulillah, Allah is the Most Merciful, Most Kind.
During pregnancy I read Amani birth book again and again, go to hypnobirthing class with Nadine, eat healthy, took virgin coconut oil, lots of walking, sleep on my left almost 7 months, drink coconut water 5 months onwards, and plenty plenty of du’as.
Deleted scenes:
I was diagnosed with GBS at 37 weeks. I tried all natural remedies include garlic and essential oils. Alhamdulillah was not on any antibiotic before and during birth and baby is well.
Almost had a homebirth since was told by the nurses that doctor is going for outstation soon, but Alhamdulillah baby came before doctor left town..fuhh..at 41 weeks and 5 days.
Alhamdulillah, now baby Musa is 6 months old.
Jazakallah Khair for taking time to read this.
Praying for all mamas out there for positive birth experience.
