Birth-day

Tuesday, 23 June 2009

My c-section is scheduled for 7:30am. I wake up at 3:30am as I need to be at the hospital by 5:00am. I am scared and excited. I am about to meet two very special people but at the same time have major abdominal surgery. I wish I could have my early morning cup of coffee but that is not possible. I shower and get dressed. My days of waddling are nearly over. At least I will be a few kilos lighter by the end of the day.

All too soon its time to leave. I have packed my bags a few weeks before already. My best friend and I leave for the hospital. Its still dark as we are in the middle of Winter. The roads are empty and before I know it we are at the hospital. The day is shadowed with sadness as although I dont have a partner, the one person who I would have liked to share the day and the arrival of two special people with, is my mom. If only she could have seen her grandchildren but that was not to be.

Before I know we arrive at the hospital with a few minutes to spare before 5:00am. I check in at the admissions desk and am told to go to the Labour ward. They are expecting me. I am told to undress and put on the prescribed blue pj's and to supply a urine sample for testing.

I climb onto the bed and start answering a few sms's. The Sister comes to check the babies heart rates and all is fine. My gynae comes to check on me and says he will see me in a bit. I am told to drink some horrible antiacid which I swallow in one gulp. My bed is wheeled in and I climb onto the bed that will take me to theatre. My friend is taking "before" pictures, the last of my swollen belly. Then its time to go.

We arrive at the threatre and wait in a little room. I start to cry. Partly from nerves also because my mom is not here. The anethesist arrives and he is yummy!!! I check for the tell tale sign and yes he is married. I know I am about to give birth but you never know your luck in the big city. He is reassuring and answers all my questions. He takes a photo of my friend and I.

Her and I both laugh as we can only imagine what everyone is thinking - that she is my partner. In the hopes of dispelling these type of thoughts she has dressed in pink, with lots of make up and her wedding rings. Alas, this does not prevent the nursing staff from assuming that she is my partner.

My bed is wheeled into theatre and my gynae instructs my friend "not to touch anything or else I will chop off your fingers". She is positioned next door to me and the paed takes her camera in order to take the photos.

I am told to sit up (assisted at least) and my back is cleaned with poor alcohol. Its freezing! The Sister holds my left hand and talks me through the procedure. I dont feel a thing. Dr Make-me-feel-good has done a brillant job. Almost immediately I feel the sensation disappearing in my legs as they turn to jelly. My legs are forced open to insert the catheter. I lie down and immediately the room starts to spin. I want to get sick ill. The anethesist tells me my blood pressure has dropped suddenly and administers a drug into the drip to ease this feeling. My gynae starts to work and starts to cut my stomach. I feel nothing but nauseas.

Its minutes and then I hear my son wail. I start to cry. His first breath and sound is like music to my ears. Sorry for the cliche but it is so true. He is not happy that he has been removed from the comforts of my womb, a place he has called home for nine months. My daughter is even less impressed that someone has invaded her space and forced her to make an appearence into the real world.

Its amazing but at the moment that I first saw my babies, the overwhelming love I felt for them was instantly there. How is it that we can fall in love at first sight? My daughter is tiny in comparision to my son and she screams non-stop.

They are wheeled in an incubator to the nursery whilst I am stitched up. I go to recovery where I am checked on frequently to ensure that my uterus is contracting.

By 9:00am I am in the ward and the pain kicks in. I "order" my first pethadine injection and I start to feel wonderful. Smses start streaming in as news breaks of the birth of my son Wade Cooper weighing 2.5kg and my daughter, Erin Frances, a mere 1.880kg.