Aidan, Bun in oven

Aidan: A birth story, part 5

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4

Sunday, March 5 (continued)
Thankfully, there was another emergency C-sect happening at the same time so we didn’t have to waste time waiting for an anesthesiologist to go down to the hospital. I was stripped off, shaved (Urghs) and prepped for the surgery with no sense of dignity at all. Everything was about speed and faster, faster, faster.

When I was wheeled into the operating theatre, Mr Thick was led away to be prepped since he was to be in the theatre with me. In that cold, cold room, Dr L, the anesthesiologist told me gently but urgently to bend my knees towards my belly and tuck my chin down as low as possible. I then felt three sharp stings down my spine – “ant bites”, as Dr L assured me. Oddly enough, I wasn’t fearful or anxious. In fact, I remember feeling calm and at ease.

And then the curtain was drawn above my chest, Mr Thick appeared by my side and the surgery began.

To say that it’s bizarre to have people tugging – none too gently, I might add – at my insides while I was conscious is an understatement. At one point in time, Dr Y asked Dr L to help push down at my stomach as she stood from my shoulders.

“Since you are not pushing, we are doing the work for you,” she explained.

And then shortly after 4am, our son was born.

“No wonder! His cord is around his neck!” Dr L exclaimed.

Ah.

The nurses and doctors started congratulating us and I felt like weeping. Finally, after those two dreadful years of infertility and despair, after that nightmarish labour, he was here. But the urge to cry was subdued by a sense of surreality: I have a baby? I finally have MY baby?

He didn’t cry, like most newborns do, but was quiet. The nurse asked Mr Thick to have a look at his son and he went off to the checking station with a camera in tow. According to him, our little man was alert and his eyes were checking out his new environment. Only when the paediatrician started to examine him then did he let out an indignant wail. But once his daddy was by his side, he quietened down. The good news was that he was perfectly fine and had an APGAR score of 9.

Meanwhile, Dr Y was removing the placenta from me and stitching me up. It was also at this time that the side effects of the epidural kicked in, and I started shivering uncontrollably. It felt really, really dreadful to be shaking every minute and have my teeth chattering. Dr L asked me kindly if I wanted to be sedated for the next few minutes while the doctors did their work and I said yes. She injected the medicine into my IV and I was out almost immediately.

The following period was a haze to me. I remember waking up and Dr Y congratulating me again. And then my little burrito bean was placed on my chest and somebody took photos of the three of us.

Hello Aidan, I said. This is mummy. Can you recognize me? Your name is Aidan and I love you very much.

And then I fell into darkness again.

To be continued…

16 thoughts on “Aidan: A birth story, part 5”

  1. Oh, babe. What a delivery, what a journey!

    Just so so so happy for you and your lovely little family. Thanks for sharing these precious memories! 🙂

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  2. Lovely family photo! I’m so happy for you yann. Congratulations and thanks for being such an inspiration! Hello baby Aiden! And yay for daddy too!

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  3. Kind of guessed that Aidan was born via c-sect when I saw his perfectly round head in your earlier posts! But the most important thing is that he arrived safely. Congrats again! The epidural made me shake too (the first time round), and throw up. But I’d still take it again if I have a 3rd 😛

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  4. Reading your birth story kind of re-living mine! So so similiar! I can so relate! Hope you are recovering well from C Hun.. Don’t overwork yourself like I did and ruptured my wound! lol xxx

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  5. Hi Yann – glad to know that both mother and baby are safe and sound! Sometimes things are not as smooth as we want them to be but that’s life.

    I delivered 44 hours AFTER my water bag burst. So I can understand the feelings of helplessness, worry, not to mention the hunger and thirst! By then, baby was distressed and vomitted and was not breathing when he came out. Suddenly the ER team appeared in the ward to revive him. He responded after a while, and was whisked off straight away to be x-rayed and his intestines FLUSHED. Aargh..

    Anyway, I read your other story about the tiredness. You’re doing a great job Yann, and things will get better!

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