My story Part 2: The birth of our son

I wrote this series of articles to share the story of my pregnancy, the birth of my son and the time after he was born. I experienced many ups and downs in this time, and I know I’m not the only one. I believe that my experience has purpose, and I hope to inspire other moms to share their stories as well.

I woke up from surgery and the first thing my mind races to is the cut below my stomach. It was the only thing I could focus on while I was awake. It was extremely painful. My husband said that the only thing I said was: “It burns, it burns.” It felt like I was scrunching up and moving a lot because of the pain, but apparently, I was lying still. I went in and out of sleep the whole morning. I really wanted to hold my son for the first time, but I was too groggy and couldn’t stay awake very long.

On the morning of our baby’s birth, we reported very early at the hospital. It was a very nerve wrecking but exciting day. We completed a lot of forms, and we were taken to our room. I was prepped for surgery. I had to put on a hospital gown, and they needed to shave some hair close to where the incision would be. Thankfully the hospital wasn’t very busy, and we were the only ones in the room. About a half an hour before his birth, I was wheeled to the waiting room. At that point the nerves kicked in fully and I was shivering also because it was quite cold. My husband was by my side, every step of the way. He was even allowed in the operating room during the operation. I appreciated his presence and support. We were taken to the operating room, and I couldn’t stop shivering. The OBGYN had to put the catheter in before I was given the anaesthetic to ensure the baby gets the least amount of time under anaesthesia. It was a very uncomfortable feeling. As soon as everyone was ready, I was put under.

I felt the most intense pain I had ever experienced. I was very groggy and couldn’t get many words out. I don’t remember much else after the surgery. Apparently, my son laid next to me on the bed while they wheeled us back to our room. I was too preoccupied with the pain as I went in and out of sleep. My husband also told me that he held our son while they sutured my wound in the operating room and that our baby boy was crying on and off.

I was told that there was no way that I would’ve been able to have a vaginal birth. He was sitting so high up, that they had to use forceps and give a big push to get him out.

I was groggy the whole morning. I was longing to hold him so bad. I noticed visitors coming and going but was too sleepy to hold a conversation. I started to feel better by the afternoon. I ate something and I was able to hold my son for the first time. I also talked to the visitors that came. My husband told the story of the birth from his perspective. He painted quite a vivid picture. Doctors and nurses came in often to check on us.

Later that evening, I still had the catheter in. The nurses took it out and wanted me to stand up. When they saw how much I was shaking, they told me to rather lay back down and stand up when I’m ready. I was very scared to stand up, I was worried that it would be very painful. I had to use the bathroom later and thankfully it was less painful than when I first woke up.

Giving birth was a very traumatic experience for me and little did I know that months later I would still think back and try to process it. I believe that God carried me through this experience, and that there's a deeper purpose behind it all. Things didn’t go according to my plan, but it turned out well in the end. My son was born on 31 August 2023, and we were both healthy.

I will be sharing my experience with my newborn in the next article: My story Part 3: The newborn phase.