~ The Delivery ~

28th Feb 2012: Morning

My husband and I went to the hospital as instructed by my doctor yesterday. My contraction was getting more intense and closer apart especially yesterday morning. We saw the doctor and we were told that I will be admitted immediately so I needed to start fasting for the operation. My doctor advised use to go through the c-section since there might be some complications during labour and we both agreed.

We were brought to Admission and paid for our delivery package at the counter. Then we were sent to the labour ward for me to be processed. I was quite nervous since everything is going too fast for me. At the labour ward, my tummy was shaved, I was given some medicine and the anesthetician doctor came and told me his procedure in giving me a spinal injection. I would be awake from top half. Later at around 2.30 pm I was given a medicine and then we were sent to our ward room. We had some time to perform Zohor prayer before nurses came in and started to prep me with drip. I have started to feel very nervous and scared.

28th Feb 2012: 4.00 pm

Nurses came into our ward room wheeling in a bed. I was told to get on that bed and lie sideways. I was shivering non stop by then. My dear hubby was allowed to come along for the procedure. I was too scared and started panicking thinking of the operation and the spinal injection I was about to face and it made me shake like a leaf. I was crying and almost didn't want to go through with the operation. My husband was doing his best to calm me down all the way to the operating theater. The  anesthetician  doctor came and gave me an numbing injection in my back, then the spinal injection. Surprisingly it didn't hurt as much as I had anticipated. But the shaking still wouldn't stop. I was then wheeled into the operating theater and was transferred onto the operating bed. I was then was told to lie on my back. My legs have started to feel numb but to my horror I still can move my right leg and wiggle my toes. I panicked BIG TIME!

Doctor S came in and started to prep me. I was still in panic mode since I can feel what she's doing especially all the prodding and wiping. I told her that I have not lost all feelings on my lower part of the body and she asked me to raise my legs. I was able to raise my right leg but it felt very heavy. She told me it's okay and she's going to try and cut me. WHAT? Seriously, I panicked since I was afraid that I could feel the knife slicing me open. The anesthetician doctor told me to calm down and explained that I could feel all the prodding and poking but I would not feel pain when I am cut. Doctor S then carried on with the procedure. I could feel the tugging and pulling and probably every layer cut open but did not feel the pain. I did feel a little bit of pain from the baby's thumping before the sac holding her was cut open. When the doctor was pulling the baby out, it was quite painful since I felt heavy pressure as they pushed my tummy to help the baby out. It did hurt very much. Then suddenly I heard the baby cry out. It was a good loud cry too. ( ^_^ ) My hubby was told to go and check the baby ie fingers, toes, gender and then recited azan and iqamat into her ears. The baby was then sent to the nursery to be processed and my hubby was told to follow. All that while, the doctor was checking my old laparotomy scar to check whether my cyst and fibroid were present and to remove if there was any. Fortunately, there was no cyst and fibroid. She told me there were no adhesion as well. She did asked me whether I ate snakehead fish (haruan) after my last operation and I said no, she said good since that fish would cause adhesions.

I kind of felt it when the doc was sewing me up. I was not sure which layer the doc was finishing but I certainly felt a bit of a sting near the end of being processed. After all was done, I was cleaned and wheeled out of the operating theater and parked at the prepping/waiting area outside of the operating theater. A nurse came and put two layers of blankets on me and another layer of thermal blanket to help me with my shivering. My blood pressure was taken and I was left under the blanket for about half and hour until the shivering subsided. Then I was wheeled outside of the prepping area and was transferred onto the same bed I was wheeled in from my ward. Then, I was finally sent back to my ward.

Upon entering my ward room, my dear husband was already waiting for me. As I was wheeled in I felt relieved and secured once I saw his smiling face. The nurses transferred me onto my bed and made sure I was prepped for the evening. My hubby sat by my side after the nurses left and we talked about the whole operation and filled in the blanks when each of us was away for brief moments during the procedure. Whilst talking, a nurse came and told us that our baby is crying because she is hungry.She asked me whether I had energy to try and breastfeed the baby and I said I'd like to try. She went and brought back the baby to me and showed me how to breastfeed the baby whilst lying sideways. It was quite an experience feeding the baby for the first time. I felt very happy to be able to hold our baby in my arms after carrying her for 9 months. Only Allah SWT knows how I felt that time and I am very thankful and grateful that I am given the chance to become a mother in this short life. Alhamdulillah.. ( ^_^ )

Baby Ameera Damia was born on 28th of February 2012, 4.47 pm, weighing 2.93 kg.