After nine long months, no wait, after ten long months we finally get to hold our baby boy in our arms and announce his arrival to our family and friends.
It was Tuesday, 2nd January 2018 I was at 40+1 weeks pregnant. I had a stressful week prior. A lot was going on with family, getting ready for A's primary school, trying to get ready for the baby and also nesting like a crazy woman! I was in a complete organising, cleaning frenzy, with my victim being the kitchen.
A few weeks before I went into labour I had been experiencing what I thought were Braxton Hicks contractions (with Aulia' I was induced which is very intense from the start so I assumed these contraction couldn't be pre-labour as it wasn't too painful). The Braxton Hicks continued over a couple of weeks and then nearly to new year I was very nervous the baby did not show any signs to come out. I can't really explain exactly how I felt, but I was ridiculously emotional. Most of the days I was crying my eyes out about how Aulia' will have to share my attention and time (your usual mum guilt). It's like subconsciously I knew that something was going to happen in a few days: a weird inkling that baby may decide to come.
My doctor said there wasn't enough opening (only 1.5 cm) and the placenta had clacified so we needed to do an elective c-section. By this point I felt a sense of relief-they were finally going to get my baby out. Within 15 minutes I was wheeled up to the theater and I had a mix of emotions; relief that H was going to be out soon, terror that I may not make it, and of course I was scared of everything that was to come.
They lifted me onto the operating table and put the sheet up just underneath my chest so we wouldn't see anything. Husband was whispering in my ear the whole time how incredibly strong I am and thanking me for making him two beautiful children. I just focused on what he was saying while they prepared my stomach ready for c-section. I found my whole body shaking uncontrollably. They assured me it was because of the drugs I was given (maybe morphine?). Those moments felt like a lifetime waiting to hear my baby to cry.
Then we heard him...
Nothing else in that moment mattered. Our baby is here. Husband looked at me and we both breathed with a huge sigh of relief.
He was just perfection.
