It was just about 6am on Saturday the 29th of December
2007 when I was in the bathroom and I noticed the ‘show’. You know that ‘thing’
they told us during several ante natal visit that we are likely to see at the
start of labor? Yea that one sha. As soon as I saw it I totally panicked and
ran to inform the husband. That was my first pregnancy. We picked the
essentials and headed straight for the hospital. I wasn’t even in any sort of
pains as such then.
We got there..general hospital Isolo..before 8am and I was
taken to the labour ward but the sight I met scared me. Lol. Plenty women many
of whom were moaning in pains…some shouting. Ah! I slowly made my way out of
the ward or will I say sneaked out so that the nurses will not notice. I mean, I
was not in that much pain yet but these women were just messing with my head
already.
Fast forward hours later, I was already in pains but my
aunty who I call my ‘second mummy’ told me a long time ago that if you shout
while in labour, you will keep shouting..whatever that meant…I made up my mind
not to ‘make noise’. I was just groaning quietly. At around 1pm, my water broke
just as I was standing by my bedside (I no gree lie down or sidown). My honest
thought was..’finally baby will come now!’ if only I knew I still got hours to
wait. i was examined and told I was about 4cm dilated…this was almost 3pm. The contractions
got intense gradually. Getting harder not to ‘make noise’ but I was determined
not to join the ‘shouting committee’. My younger sister was with me even though
the nurses kept sending her out she somehow kept sneaking back inside. Lol. I don’t
know how she did it but I was glad because that moral support was needed. I had
not eaten at all as I had no appetite. I was sipping on glucose water though. Hubby
was not allowed in…rules of General hospitals I guess.
Fast forward to past midnight and I was just still on same
4cm. na wa! Now I was frustrated and tired of it all. The doctor on duty…an
amazing lady too…came to me and informed me she would have to induce me with an
injection. She said, ‘the contractions will come and with serious pains. But you
have to stay strong.’ She told my husband not to bother going home (he was initially
headed home to come back the next morning) as she plans to take me in for caesarean
section (surgery) if by 7.30 am the baby was not out. Mind you, I have been
awake all through since I got to the hospital the morning before. There is
something weird and funny I haven’t mentioned. Many of the women in labour in
the same ward were naked…yes o…very naked. I had my bubu on and my panties. Hahaaha.
I remember when the doctor came over at that past midnight time she was like: ‘this
woman is still clothed o. even wearing pant sef. She is not serious’. In my
mind I was like : so I should naked before you people know I am in pains? I was
in excruciating pains but kai, the plenty naked women were not appealing to me.
Heheeeehhe.
When it was like 7.15am or there about (the 30th
of December), I felt like I wanted to go to the toilet. I immediately
remembered this was the feeling my friend (who already had a child) told me I was
going to experience when baby is about to come. So I called…no I screamed out
to the nurses, ‘please come oooh. The baby is about to come’. They looked at me
and ignored. I repeated myself, and one said, ‘we just examined you, the baby
cant be about to come’. I immediately
said , ‘ please just come and check. After all I haven’t been shouting since ,
now I am shouting!’ she came over and examined me. I was lying on my back, legs
apart for her to examine me. Just as she was saying, ‘let me call the doctor,
the baby’s head is engaged already!, me was trying to close my legs because I saw
a man passing in front…I was like ‘wait wait see, a man is passing!’ I cannot
forget the nurse’s expression like, is this one alright? You still have time to
notice man passing. They were supporting me to the delivery room but my legs
were so heavy. We finally got in and I laid on the bed. My amazing doctor came
and was so excited and happy that she will be taking the delivery normally.
Yipeee! Just few minutes after…long before 8am…lol.. my baby
came! Nadia Oreagba was born. My younger sister was by the window watching all
through. I was happy it was over. Then, my dear doctor said…many minutes later…atleast
that was how it felt to me…’my dear, the placenta has refused to come out. Even
after an injection which is supposed to disengage it, it is still not out.’ I was too tired to even ask questions. I looked
at her blankly. She went on, ‘I will have to remove it manually. It is a
painful procedure but I need you to stay calm so I can do it properly. I will
put my hand into your womb and gradually disengage the placenta from the walls
and bring it out. ‘ no, baby coming out was not that bad because I actually
pushed and even though they had to cut me twice for baby to come out, it still wasn’t
so bad. As for the procedure of bringing out the placenta manually, that is one
pain I remember vividly. Even as I pen this down, the memory is making my lower
tummy cringe. The ‘ordeal’ was finally over. Nadia Itunu (her dad named her
Itunu) Oluwanifesimi (I named her this one) was born. I put her to suckle less
than 30minutes after her birth.
Today, 10years after, I am grateful to God for her life. I pray
she will be a source of joy to me and all around her. All I ask is to join me
in saying Alhamdulilah today.
This is my birth story….the first.
