Birth Story: Rabab Fatima

If you’ve already read my first born’s birth story, you know that I had sort of an eventful, unexpected and early delivery. The second time around, my husband and I were prepared with a plan of action, weeks before my due date because we were anticipating a similar scenario. Well, Rabab Fatima did not come so quickly into this world.

When I say my husband and I were ready for this baby weeks before, I mean we were prepped and ready with a hospital bag at 34 weeks. Yes, lesson learned from my first delivery- pack your hospital bag at least 4 weeks prior to delivery.

In the days preceding her birth, I was growing extremely impatient, uncomfortable, and just about had it with this long and tiring pregnancy. What made this pregnancy more challenging [apart from the length of time that Rabab stayed in my belly] was that on top of her weight, I was also carrying my 17-month old firstborn in my arms.

The Day Before

We had established a plan to naturally induce the next morning at 7:00am because I just couldn’t handle the pressure and weight of this baby anymore. We had arranged for my mom to come and pick up my daughter Ridha and take her home so that she could stay the night. Easier said than done…for us. We have never been apart from our daughter, and it was probably the hardest thing we had to do. I remember my mom pulling out of our street with Ridha in the backseat in tears as she realized that she was being separated from her parents. The house felt empty and sad, as were our hearts.

Day of Delivery

I woke up early the next morning, feeling ready and pumped as we drove to the hospital. When we arrived, we were taken into an Examination room due to full capacity. (Keep in mind that it was Saturday of July 4th weekend) This tiny, cramped room had to have been a storage room converted into an exam room. After being checked and asked a million questions by the nurse, I was quickly moved into a Labor and Delivery room…because the baby was coming on her own! The on-call OB said to me, “You don’t need an induction, because your labor has begun, you just didn’t know it.”

Because of a condition called GBS, I needed an IV antibiotic which took four hours. Those hours did not pass by quick enough. It was Ramadan remember, so my husband was fasting aka. lifeless and pretty quiet. We spent a good chunk of time browsing our phones. My contractions began to get stronger, but very bearable. It was a very easy going labor, very mellow and uneventful, even a little boring.

Labor

After the four hours were up, My doctor said to me, “let’s go ahead and get that baby out hmm?” Sure, might as well. I remember it was 2:00 pm when we decided to break the water. I did not ask for any epidural or medication this time. And the reason was because my first delivery went absolutely fine without it, so I did not think it was necessary.

My eyes were closed tight and when I was finished, I opened to see my husband leaning over and nurses at his side asking him to take a seat. The poor man had nearly fainted.

Once my water broke, that was it. No more mellowness, no more calm. I would give anything for boring now. The contractions came on incredibly strong, there was no medium. It was as if a car went from being parked, to full blown highway speed of 85 mph. The intensity was insane and excrutiating. My entire body shook and I lost all control. The pushing began with full force and I began giving one, two, three strong pushes. My eyes were closed tight and when I was finished, I opened to see my husband leaning over and nurses at his side asking him to take a seat. The poor man had nearly fainted.

Fasting and delivery don’t really go together. They immediately had him sit down on the side, away from all the mess. Nurses tended to him, brought him juice and made sure that he wasn’t passing out. Meanwhile, I was still contracting and ready to keep pushing. It felt like a hollywood movie scene and you’re waiting for the punch line. Of course it’s comical now and when we remember it, we laugh.

At 39 weeks, this was definitely a larger baby, and much, much harder to push out than my first. So that last and final push, took everything out of me. I remember it feeling like it was the longest I have ever held my breath. My husband says I turned blue, and I remember him yelling at me to “Stop, Sumra Stop! Breathe!” But I didn’t listen, because I wasn’t done. Just a couple seconds more and sure enough, she came with full force. It was such an emotional moment, not like my first time where I didn’t know anything. This moment I knew, I remembered it, and I was overjoyed and so thankful.

Rabab Fatima
Born July 2nd, 2016 at 2:30pm weighing 7.14 lb and 18″ long.