On December 15^th 2012 I had what I would later know to be as contractions. I was six to seven weeks away from my due date (six according to me and seven according to my OB). I woke up with recurring pains in my lower back mainly, and lower abdomen as an afterthought. I Googled, like one does, and read a whole bunch of articles about Braxton hicks, allegedly these fake contractions you get that prepare you for birth. I texted my OB that I am having recurrent spasms, he replied with some medication to take, which I took and the spasms subsided. It is worthy of noting that I have no idea what Braxton hicks are to this day, but I doubt they are painful, so if you get painful spasms do take them seriously, because I didn’t.

 

I went about my day, which was very stressful at the time, and it happened again the next day, and the day after, where I was finally instructed by my doctor to go to the hospital at 8:00pm. By then I was having contractions every four to ten minutes, and they really hurt. Think someone kicking you up your spine and simultaneously punching you in the stomach, repeatedly, for a minute. Period cramps taken to the nth. Turns out I was 3cm dilated (once you are at four centimetres there is no going back from labour). It was too early for my baby to come out, so I was admitted for 48 hours, took meds to stop contractions, and then got discharged to total bed rest. One week later I woke up at 7am with pains that were way worse, texted OB, tried meds, drove to hospital, was still at 3cm, was admitted for another 48 hours, and then discharged. Both times I was given cortisone shots to speed along the development of my baby’s lungs, which were not yet working.

 

36 hours after I was discharged I was back again on my way to the hospital with contractions every four minutes. By this time around (the third unless you lost count), I was having very calm conversations with my husband on the long drive from Maadi to the hospital in Sheikh Zayed that were briefly interrupted by my excruciating contractions, a much improved ride than the first and second one where I was hitting the roof periodically in panic and he was frantically timing my contractions on the stereo timer while manoeuvring his way through impossible Cairo traffic.

 

As they say, third time is a charm. I was 6cm dilated when I got to the hospital and admitted to the OR just in time for my epidural (if you are reading this while pregnant, I really advise you to take an epidural, contractions really are not a pain meant to be tolerated, judging by the few really strong ones I had by the time the epidural kicked in). I had my baby boy in just under 45mins! Well technically in two weeks and 45mins… but it was the fastest delivery of a first mom ever, which was a blessing because I was not looking forward to those 36-hour deliveries we hear about with first babies.

 

By the time we were done it was just before midnight on the 30^th of December 2012, my baby boy’s birthday. I heard my baby’s first scream and was reassured by my doctor that all was fine, baby was brought to me to see, saw my husband accompany screaming gooey baby outside OR and then I must have dosed off for the half hour it took to do whatever it was they were doing down there, I don’t really want to think about it.

 

An hour or so later they brought me my tiny 2.4kg baby dressed in clothes I had picked out that were so big he was practically drowning in them and bundled up in a blanket. He was the cutest, sweetest, smallest, most beautiful and vulnerable thing I had ever seen in my life. A couple of male doctors came in, introducing themselves as the lactation team (huh?) and told me to try to breast feed as soon as I can. I can’t begin to explain how insufficient this was, I might attempt to in my breastfeeding post, but it just really was. I got to keep the baby in the room with me and my husband, who took turns holding him until I dosed off.

 

It is an indescribable feeling to wake up the next day and remember you have a baby. Such a sweet warm feeling, it is the closest to bliss I can imagine possible.  For some divine reason the baby needs surprisingly little the first 24 hours of its life, especially designed to give mommy a little break after delivery. Then the inevitable happens, you need to change, feed and soothe your baby, and this is when reading before giving birth would have really been helpful. I spent 72 hours in the hospital, everyone in the hospital kept trying to make me leave, and everyone that loved me told me to stay as long as I could. I was terrified of leaving before I knew how to feed him (yeah right), change and bathe him. I walked out only knowing how to change him… well at least that’s something. I am not sure what I was thinking, but on the ride back from the hospital I remember my husband and I ran errands!! It must have been the shock or something… before ending this post there are a few things I should leave you with if you have not yet had your baby:

 

–       Hardly any delivery is as traumatic as mine, many women don’t even get contractions

–       If you are giving birth naturally, disposable underwear is your best friend, found at Mother Care, you will need at least six

–       If you are planning on breastfeeding, nursing nightgowns are your other best friend, also from Mother Care, you will need at least two

–       Your bag should have a robe, slippers, your toiletries, maxi pads and a change of clothes plus the above

–       Your baby’s bag should have four outfits (double layers if it’s winter), eight onesies that open from the side, diapers, wipes, changing cream, shampoo and baby bath soap, three hats, three mittens, a snowsuit if it’s winter, several blankets and a swaddle blanket

–       The car seat should be installed in your car

–       Your medical insurance should be sorted out if you have one

 

Welcome to motherhood, your life has just changed forever.