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TIPS FOR PARENTS TO BE:
If you are first time parents, make sure you enroll in and attend pre-natal classes with your partner.
Familiarize your drive to the hospital where your child will be delivered and learn about the parking.
Have your overnight bag ready at least 1 month before the due date and leave it in your car. We had ours packed with our toothbrushes, a change of clothes and new born baby clothes.
Have a baby car seat installed in your car as the hospital will not let you take your baby without a car seat in place.
DURING PREGNANCY: My pregnancy was an easy one. I only experienced morning sickness if I I was near a foul smell (trash, seafood smell) and I surprisingly didn’t like Indian spices.
My baby in my tummy directed me to eat healthy food, and being a coffee addict, I was able to drop the habit in a blink. Amazing right!
When I got hungry however, it felt like I could eat the whole fridge. I felt I needed to eat right now when hunger struck and waiting was not an option! It was amazing how my sense of taste was heightened and every bite I took felt like heaven. I could close my eyes and savour every bite I ate, everything tasted delicious. I could even say that if you were watching me, you would find it entertainingly peaceful to watch because I was just zoned into my food. I surrounded myself with happy thoughts, and avoided anything that would give me stress. I listened to Mozart, and read the encyclopedia to my baby in my tummy. I talked to my baby a lot and even danced holding my bump. I wanted to be connected and make my baby hear and feel my happy thoughts.
There was one habit that I clearly recall. I felt the need to feel my babys presence. If not both my hands, at least one was always holding my bump. I could be watching the telly (tv), eating, standing in a line up to pay for anything, in my sleep... it was never a fail, I was always holding my bump.
I felt like I was the most beautiful person during my pregnancy, I had the glow of happiness around me and I couldn’t wait to be a mother.
LABOUR & DELIVERY:
I didn’t know what labour was going to be like and the only knowledge I had was from the pre-natal classes Vikas and I attended. I am very happy that Vikas went to these classes with me because when the contractions came, I lost everything I knew! It was Vikas that kept the count while timing my contractions, reassured me to stay calm and kept me brave through the process. One thing I remember fondly was that we danced through my contractions. We were at Chapters close to our home when my contractions started and I remember calling for Vikas from across the room. He ran towards me and we danced in the middle of the store without a care of who was watching. As we moved together he coached me to breathe as I held him tightly through the process. It was such a great idea because Vikas felt the stress my body was going through as we swayed left and right. It was an amazing feeling to know my husband was beside me during this time and his voice as well as his touch gave me a lot of comfort.
Before my labour, I was certainly afraid of how I would manage. When the day finally came, I was no longer afraid and I was more concerned to make sure the process went smoothly for my baby to be welcomed into the world without any complications. That thought process kept me calm and focused. And here’s the funny part, it was Oct 26 when my water broke and I was happy and determined that I was going to deliver on the 26th day... it is just my favourite number after all... HA HA
I would say the room was quiet, and I had my eyes closed the entire time concentrating on my breathing and connecting to my body. I was not a screamer and I was polite through the process except for one incident that makes me laugh each time I remember it. When I was crowning, one of the nurses blurted "Ohh, look at thick black hair referring to the baby’s head/hair” , I opened my eyes and I replied "What do you mean, it’s not blonde?” Then I closed my eyes again. The room was absolutely silent for a few minutes after that. What I really wanted to say was "Duh, can’t you see the parents are Asian, obviously!” But I was shorted with words and the morphine got the best of me so there you have it. LOL!
I was in labour for a total of 11 hours and I had natural delivery. I have to thank my husband because he stood beside me that whole time without taking a single break for even a glass of water for himself. He knew how much I needed him and he comforted me the whole time.
Thank you for reading my story.
(DASTAN means long STORY / SAGA in Urdu )
