As a first time mom, I did not know what to expect
in terms of the level of pain, or how being in labour
feels like. A little advantage of being a doctor, how- ever, having had delivered quite a few babies vaginally or via surgery I’ve seen labour and am familiar
with the process.
The day my son was born, my contraction started
around 3am. I squatted, walked up and down the
stairs, bounced on gym ball until the pain was un- bearable, (hoping I don’t have to spend too long in
labour room!), my bad, because by the time I woke
my husband up and he got ready. I was in so much
pain. I could barely sit still in the car on the way to
the hospital. I was cursing all the way. Luckily it was
early Sunday morning and the road was clear!
Reached around 7am and I was 5 cm dilated!
Wheel chaired to the labour room, and everything
was fuzzy after that. The pain of labour is indeed
one of a kind. Do you notice whenever you asked
any mother how does labour pain feels like, you
never really get a straight answers? Well, there is
no straight answer! LOL!
I was handed the Entonox (laughing) gas mask. It
was not really in my mental plan. I had pictured
myself going through natural labour without any
medication. But at that moment of excruciating pain I just
grabbed that mask and breathe it all in! It made
me feel high, it did not take the pain away but it
calmed me down during contraction free periods.
Also in my mental plan, I did not scream, just grimacing.
But guess what? It was probably the only
time in my adult life that I actually screamed my
heart out shamelessly. According to my husband I
even hit him with the gas mask and barked at him
whenever he tried to be helpful. Poor man.
It did not help that I was later given pitocin to augment my contraction as it was in short bursts only.
Of course, with Pitocin I was administered a shot
of pethidine (painkiller) as well, which did not
dampen the pain, just made me sleepy enough
to rest between contractions. I was fully dialated
around 9.45am, and my dear son was safely delivered at 10am sharp.
I must thank the nurses and my gynecologist for
being so encouraging and for the great services
rendered.
So that was it, once baby was out I already thought of having a second one. That’s labour pain for me, to hell and back to better earth
now my son is in my arms.
Story by Theodora Hemalata, mother of one and a General Physician.
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