Raja Aizah Layina's long awaited debut

Truthfully, I am not one of those people who has the courage to read about other's labour/birth experience. I'm scared that their experience will haunt me when I'm in labour. So, I try to be in a positive mindset throughout my pregnancy and labour. If you're pregnant and want to know about my experience then carry on reading. Insha'Allah you can still have a positive mindset after reading this entry. I'm not saying that my labour was bad nor am I saying it was "great". After giving birth to Khairaldin, I expected my labour to be rather...easy? But hey who am I kidding! There's a reason why Allah expiates our sins whenever we are in pain.
 
A few people msged me saying that they've got a feeling I'll be giving birth on the weekend (25th or 26th June 2011). My eldest brother even had a dream that I was going in labour that precise weekend! But I kept thinking, nah, it won't be anytime soon coz I don't feel anything different. I was also chatting with my youngest brother who was flying off from Malaysia - UK. He said something about I will give birth today/night (26th June 2011) then I said to him, don't say that, I'm tired! I need my sleep! So we ended our chat and I went to sleep around 1am +.

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Then around 3am, Sunday 26th June 2011, it all started.... without me realising it. I had cramp-like tummyache. I didn't expect it to be contractions as it was rather bearable and really it's just like cramps. Then I went to the toilet prepared for Subuh (morning prayer) since it was nearly Subuh. After Subuh I tried to sleep. Managed to sleep for a while then the pain came back. I told Iskandar to monitor just in case it was contractions as it's constant and consistent. Iskandar timed the "stomach cramp" and it was going for every 10mins for 1/2 an hour. Since I was confident it was contractions, I decided to have a warm bath to see if it would ease the pain (coz I know that is what the Midwife will ask me to do if I call them up). I was alright in the bath tub for 1/2 an hour but as soon as I got out it started all over again. Until today I'm not sure how water can soothe contractions! By 6am, I decided to call the hospital. Told the Midwife that my contraction was 10mins apart and I've tried relaxing in the bath but it's still constant. Midwife told me to take paracetamol and again try to just have a warm bath and call back if the contractions were 5mins apart. So I did. This time with Iskandar around just to make sure he was there to monitor. Whilst I was in the bath, my contractions were 5 mins apart. Even then we waited for about 1/2 an hour to make sure it was 5 mins apart.

Since we were very confident it was 5 mins apart contractions, we called the hospital again. This time the Midwife advised to come in for thorough check up. We were at the hospital by 7:00am. Midwife came to do thorough check at about 7:15am. I was expecting to be about 2 cm dilated as the pain was "too" bearable. I told Iskandar, if it's only 2cm I'm going home to sleep! I was so sleepy throughout the checks! The midwife was asking me questions like, how do you know you're in labour? I just said I don't know whether I am in labour or not and I wasn't even expecting it to be today. She chuckled and continued saying, well you know you are pregnant and already overdue right? I said, yeah, but I was expecting it last week and kinda forgotten about it now. She was surprise how I can be so calm and still had sense of humour because little did I know, I was already 5 cm dilated!! I thought, O Allah, how did I have the strength to bear the pain?? I was seriously surprised. Of course I had to be admitted straight away.

I was already in labour ward at 7:45am. They warded me into one of those very mobile room where I could move around and do lots of walking, squatting, rocking etc in there. However....... after further checks on my maternity notes, they noticed that I had rather high risk pregnancy (something I wasn't really being told during my pregnancy!!!!). I had what they call Polyhyrdramnios (too much amniotic fluid in the womb). When I went for a second scan around 32 weeks pregnant, they noticed that my amniotic fluid was more than normal. My midwife kept saying, it' okay and nothing to worry about. I was quite disappointed when on the day itself they classed me into "high risk pregnancy" because sadly, with all the 'mobile' gadgets they gave me in the room, I had to be strapped onto those electronic gadgets. No fun! They had to check baby's heart rate and my contraction constantly. So there I was lying on the bed, unactive!

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I felt so helpless and like time was dragging me down slowly! I kept asking the midwife what will happen next again and again. But I loveeeeeeeeeee how the midwives are so helpful and treat me as though I am the baby. LOL! They pampered me so much by just entertaining my annoying questions. It's amazing and you can really see that they love their job! Anyway, the next check was at 11:45am and apparently I should be about 9cm dilated by then. If I wasn't then they'll break my waterbag, so they said. Since I had too much amniotic fluid, they didn't dare to break my water because it could lead to complications. When they checked at 11:45am, I was only 7cm dilated. I've only just started on entonox gas at this time. I thought, Alhamdulillah I managed to go natural for 7cm!! They insisted on letting my waterbag break naturally. The next examination was in 4 hours (3:45pm). We waited and waited for the waterbag to break. I even fell asleep a few times while waiting. I was super duper tired! I have never imagined falling asleep during labour but I did! Around 3pm, I kept saying I couldn't take it anymore. I wanted Epidural sooooooo desperately. To be honest, I don't even know how effective epidural is but I just wanted it! :| Iskandar kept reminding me not to because I would not like the after effect of it. I thought he was being cruel. Heheh but yeah he was right. I won't like the backpain and other pains that will come with it. Even the midwife kept saying... you don't need it, you're doing just fine without it. At that time I just concentrated on breathing and used the gas.

Tick tock tick tock.... It was 3:45pm. I was just praying that I could give birth anytime now because I was absolutely shattered! They checked and I was only 8cm dilated!!!!! The agony! I'm sure it was because I didn't move that's why I couldn't dilate anymore.

Raja Aizah Layina, 1 hour old

So.... they say good things come to those who wait. Hehe So it did, good news came! They decided to break my waterbag. Willingly I said YES!!! Straight after they broke my waterbag, I said I felt like pushing. The midwife then said, do whatever your body tells you to. So I did. I pushed! Around 3:51 pm her head was OUT!!!!! I could slowly feel the relief by now. However, as I was pushing, I suddenly lost the feeling/contractions to push anymore!! Layina's shoulder was stuck! They had to call for experts and somehow they managed to pull her out safely. Alhamdulillah she was healthy and fine. They put her straight onto my chest for a skin-to-skin contact. She was crying, very red and adorable! :'( They confirmed that baby was a she. Iskandar Athan and Iqamaah at her ears whilst she was still on my chest. She was on me for a good hour whilst they sorted everything out.

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The only thing that went wrong during the whole labour was the way my bed was positioned. You see, during Khairaldin's labour, the midwives had to break my waterbag too. Before they broke my waterbag, they positioned my bed like in the picture and also took the entonox gas away from me. However, with Layina's birth, the midwife didn't convert my bed properly and also I was still inhaling the gas. So when I was trying to push Layina out, I was inhaling enotox gas which made me not realise I was having contractions. Also, since the bed was in lying position all along, I wasn't in a 'perfect' position to push the baby out. I was literally lying sideways when her head was out of me. So yeah, that is when the complications begin. However, I don't blame anyone for it as it is Allah's plan all along. I am so thankful, Alhamdulillah, that everything went well.

I lost a lot of blood during labour so they had to put me on IV drips straight after that. I had a few stitches and Layina had to be checked by a Peaditrician because of Polyhydramnios and also her stucked shoulder. Alhamdulillah, both of us were healthy and nothing more were needed. Well, my sleepy self wasn't sleepy at all after she was born. My intention on wanting to just sleep after the whole labour definitely wasn't fulfilled. We were too engrossed with her arrival that we had forgotten when was the last time we ate and slept. :) This is one amazing labour experience for myself and Iskandar. We had planned on a birthplan and yet everything didn't go as plan. SubhanAllah! Giving birth is one of the many things that would truly open my eyes to the words in the Quran and Hadiths. It is such an amazing experience.

My advises to all you pregnant Mommies are:

1) To make sure you have something to eat before labour. The energy will definitely help with contractions and pushing. Alhamdulillah in the amidst of preparing to go to the hospital, Iskandar managed to grab lots of kurma (dates) and zamzam water. That kept me going throughout labour since my last proper meal was at 7pm the day before.

2) Be mobile!! Walk, walk, walk and walk if you can. That will help to push the baby out. Comparing Khairaldin's 4 hours labour and Layina's 8 hours labour really shows that being mobile is the best way to help with contractions and will take your mind off clock watching. :)

Even though that day the UK was hit by the heatwave, I still didn't get the chance to do waterbirth. Since I was classified under "high risk pregnancy", I had to be strapped onto those electronic gadgets the whole time hence could not go into the water. Allah definitely had better plans for us. Alhamdulillah, I couldn't stop thinking what if I went for waterbirth and her shoulder was stuck etc etc. I am really thankful to Allah for all the plans that he had for us from Day 1 of pregnancy.

Would I do it again? Well, I told Iskandar 2 was enough but knowing the amazing deeds one could get from pregnancy, giving birth, breastfeeding, raising children and etc, my answer would be Insha'Allah. :)

May Allah make it easy for all of you too. May your pregnancy and labour go smoothly, Amin!!