My Birth Story

'If you want to make God laugh, tell him about your plans'.

It was 2am on the 16th of December and I woke up to what felt like I was wetting the bed. Shocked and in disbelief of what was happening, I whisked myself to the washroom and quickly came to grips with the reality that my water had broken. As I stood on the tile floor, what had been a trickle only a few minutes earlier was suddenly a gush of water and then the 'tap' was 'open'. I called my husband who was sleeping and in doing so delivered the biggest news of our life.... we were about to become parents!

My deflating stomach around 9am on the 16th of December 2025

We then proceeded to behave like they do in the movies; I started running around the house, preparing the cats' breakfast, checking their water bowls and litter boxes, finalising the hospital bag, and doing a quick bit of make-up. Within the hour we were on the way to the hospital but once we arrived, all of the urgency stopped as the receptionist told us to take a seat. We waited and waited and about twenty-minutes later a mid-wife led us into the birthing suite. After a quick check, I was told that I was yet to dilate and that I should go home. Our moods subdued, we drove back home and I took a nap hoping that within a few hours the contractions would start. When I woke up nothing had changed except that my belly now looked a little deflated and a bit lumpy. I walked up and down the stairs and then did a few laps around our compound, but the contractions did not start. Around 11am we decided that it was best to head back to the hospital for monitoring.

When we arrived the mid-wife gave us a bed in a communal ward to 'wait it out', and we did just that. Throughout the rest of the afternoon and evening, the waiting carried on but the contractions needed never came. We arrived at a turning point around 4am, twenty-six hours after my water had broken. Acknowledging that I had lost a lot of amniotic fluid we were faced with three options, continue to wait, start the induction hormonal drip, or undergo a C-section. Stressed and worried that time could work against us and infection may set in, we decided to move forward with a C-section. Ironically a 'section' was something I was strongly against pre-birth, so much so, that during the antenatal classes when the discussions around c-section came up, I all but switched off. I was sure that I 'didn't need to listen' as I was going to have my baby 'naturally'. I should have known better as whenever I completely disavow something, it is exactly what God grants me. In hindsight, the decision to have a C-section was the best decision we could have made given the circumstance, although I do wish I paid more attention in the antenatal class!

Once the decision was made, my stress lifted and the hospital staff readied the theatre. Around 5:30am on the 17th of December I was on the operating room table receiving the various injections so that I could be conscious, but numb from the chest down. My husband was in scrubs and by my side, and before we knew it the operation was underway. Even though I understood the C-sections process, it never came up in class or in my reading that you will feel tugging at your stomach! It makes sense as the surgeon is removing a baby from your uterus, but still, the feeling was unexpected and although 'painless', it is not something I would ever like to experience again.

Throughout the 'tugging' my husband tried his best to keep my mind occupied from what was happening, talking about our past holidays and where we wanted to travel to next. I just kept breathing, hoping our son was okay and that the process would be over soon. Then suddenly, no more than fifteen minutes into the operation the tugging stopped and I felt a little 'weight' placed onto my legs. Quickly that weight lifted and it was suddenly transferred to my chest. I looked down and it was my son, covered in vernix and scrunched up in a little ball, surely startled to be outside in this new world. Again, like in the movies, we cried with joy to meet our son, and I entered The Momma Era.