The last days were especially though for wifey. She would wake up with back pains as the weight of our baby was piling on her. As such, she would not have good restful nights anymore. Sleep at night would be coupled with lots of tossing and turning as Wifey tried to get comfortable. I remember feeling bad and sorry for her, wishing she could get good sleep. There would be nights were I would give her back rubs, just to ease the pain and provide some respite to her overburdened body. But I have to say, I was truly impressed with wifey and I even admired her determination to still go to work, to still live a normal life and stay cheerful. Perhaps she was happy that it would be over soon and she was determined to pull through it.
The last couple of visits to the gynae’s office become weekly. We were now monitoring our baby more closely and were told that there is a high chance that wifey would need to be induced as her amniotic fluid is slowly decreasing and her placenta is no longer functioning properly. These are all normal signs that its time for the baby to come up. Our original due date was 11th October, which was to coincide with the Marian week (13th Oct marks the 100 year anniversary of our Lady of Fatima’s apparition). We were eagerly hoping the child would be born on Friday the 13th.
But God would have it otherwise. Turned out that it would be a week earlier – which would mean my baby, our child, would come during the same week as my birthday! To be honest I didn’t really entertain so much on the thought of having the baby on the same day as me. That was also because I had my PR application to be submitted on that day (my birthday) and so if the baby was going to come on the same day, it may just be too busy for us all. Apart from that, my mind was not really on my birthday. I think this would be the first time that something so eventful was happening on my birthday that did not revolve around me specifically. We were monitoring wifey’s contractions all throughout the 3rd and 4th October and we even tried to go to the hospital on the 4th to see if she can deliver our baby. Alas we were sent home as her dilation was only 1-2 cm.
On October 5th at about midnight, we finally took the cab back to the hospital. Wifey was in the delivery suite while I accompanied her that whole night. Towards the middle of the night, the contractions started to hurt more and all my wife’s valiant idea of forgoing epidural was laid to rest as she relented to have epidural due to the pain becoming more and more intense and unbearable. At about 7.30 am the doctor came to see her and were informed that based on the dyane’s assessment, the child should be coming at around noon. That’s when the anticipation started to build up for us both.
I ended up attending the 7.45 am mass at the hospital , praying and hoping for a safe delivery for our baby and also for wifey. That morning, my heart was filled with adrenaline as we both eagerly prepared for our baby. And finally at 12 pm, the midwife came to help the wifey start pushing. I have to say it’s definitely not an easy push. Its nothing like taking your most heaviest shit. Seeing my wife trying hard to push was at times difficult for me to watch as I knew she was trying her earnest best to cooperate with the midwife but it was just too difficult. Wifey and I started to get worried whether she would be able to push naturally or we would have to resort to c-section delivery. I remember during those moments interceding to St. Gerard and begging him to help us get through this period. We had come so smoothly throughout this journey and I was praying hard nothing should happen to wifey.
Eventually the gynaecologist came and she immediately encouraged wifey to just keep pushing while she resorted to using a vacuum suction to assist the baby out. And finally, in the midst of all the bloody gory, I saw our newborn, eyes all tightly closed. Her next pushed forced the baby’s entire body to come out easily thanks to the slick coating of the vernix and blood.
We know had a boy. Actually it was the doctor who said it was a boy! For me, more than my child I was looking to make sure wifey was okay before I was whisked away to the side to check on our baby boy. I have to admit I really didn’t know what to do or expect. Here was this boy, who looked bit blue (he was cold) and he was my son. At that moment I didn’t know what to make of it. He didn’t “look” like my boy but then again what should my boy look like I wondered? He had all proper limbs and toes and as his father, I was instructed by the midwife to count and verify the toes. Thoughts were just racing through my head. We immediately check the circumference of his head, his weight and his height. He was one tall baby standing at 53 cm!
Within the next half an hour, the show was over while Noah (our baby) laid in the bed warming himself in the light. We had done it, we had delivery our baby. My wife looked exhausted and drained, but in cheerful spirits that she had delivered. We would now start our life with our newborn in the hospital over the next 2 days.
