Childbirth stories

CHILDBIRTH is a blissful reminder of the wonders of the human body. But the tales of what actually happens to some mothers while bringing new life into the world aren’t exactly delightful, and are often marred by horror stories of hours in labour, excruciating pain, and sometimes near-death experiences.

Below, first-time mothers share their unique battlefield stories.

Rush:

As a first-time mom, my biggest fear was giving birth, but all I had left to do was pray and ask the Lord to carry me through it all. I would describe it as a good and bad situation.

It all started with a little tingling pain, but after my water broke the real pain kicked in. Being in labour for nine long hours wasn’t easy. Having contractions every 10 minutes was frightening and difficult to bear. It felt like menstrual cramps multiplied by a million.

But I knew what I was to gain after all the pain, and this thought made the pain a little less intense. I don’t know how I managed to keep hold of that thought when my abdomen felt like it was tightening and trying to squeeze all its contents out.

But after the pushing and I finally met him, I didn’t mind the intolerable pain that came with it. All that seemed to matter at that point was the health of my bouncing baby boy.

Tashana:

About 12:15 a.m. on Thursday, December 5, 2013, I was awakened by a sharp pain in my lower abdomen. Knowing that I was close to my due date I got up and headed to the bathroom and realised that my water broke.

About two hours after arriving at the hospital, I had filled out all the related paperwork and was being attended to by the obstetrician on call who, on examination realised that I was in early labour.

By this time the sharp, angry pains had returned, this time more severe and sequential. Unfortunately for me, I was left unattended for almost 12 hours before a request for them to check my cervix was granted.

This observation saw me being admitted to the antenatal ward. Several hours later, my cervix had dilated eight to nine centimetres.

I was observed by a savage female doctor who sent me to the delivery room accompanied by a midwife and a list of instructions, one of which was to push when I felt the pain/contractions.

I did I was told, but always looking to the midwife to make sure I had it right. But then she kept reminding me that each time I stopped, my little girl’s head would slip back.

At this point not only was I concerned with getting it over with, but I wanted to see my daughter’s face. Her head finally expelled, and knowing the danger of delaying, the midwife encouraged me to continue pushing.

At 11:55 am Saturday, December 7, my beautiful 10-lb baby girl was born.

Diana:

I had a normal pregnancy with the expected morning sickness for a couple of months. By week 33, however, during my bi-monthly checkup, the nurse realised that my blood pressure level was too high.

I was admitted immediately, even though I felt fine. This sudden decision by my doctor drove a fear into me that I had not felt before. The doctor scheduled a C-section for three weeks before my natural due date.

But troubled by hypertension, even though I had no symptoms except for a painful gas-like feeling in my rib-cage, they had to schedule an immediate C- section. The only scary part of the experience was the injections that I was given prior to the surgery.

The procedure itself was pain-free. I didn’t have the drama and the trauma that so many women talk about.

Tishauna:

A kaleidoscope of emotions are better felt than told.

Simply put though, I was induced, and other mothers who have had a similar experience would know that at this time the pain could be felt in every single cell of my body.

My body felt like it was being attacked, and the pain never stopped until I saw my baby girl’s face. That felt like heaven. It is a feeling that I never imagined.

I would say that the labour process was painful, and I wish I didn’t have to go through it all, but bringing life, seeing her face and imagining her growing, gave me a feeling I can’t explain.

Lakaisha:

Childbirth for me was the worst feeling ever. It felt as if death was a better option; almost as if all my bones were being crushed. I didn’t like a minute of it, but the moment you hold your child it’s worth it all.

Shamone:

Many people are often scared of delivering their baby naturally because of the pain that other mothers tell them about, but trust me, I would have much preferred it that way.

My baby was oblique, which means that his head was pointing down, but towards my hips rather than squarely on my cervix, and in that position he was not pushing down. I was also past my due date with still no signs of labour.

I was admitted to the hospital for two whole weeks, but with no changes the doctor had to reschedule the C-section. I was definitely fearful.

In preparation for the procedure I ended up getting several injections, one which caused temporary paralysis in the lower half of my body, so of course the fear of never regaining the feeling in my legs concerned me and this fear only grew as I watched them cut through my belly, remove my abdominal faculties, and tugged and pulled until my son was out.

Of course, the joy of his entrance into the world took my mind from the spine-chilling sight of blood and the worry that they wouldn’t put my abdominal contents back in correctly. The pain post C-section was too much, and I worried that my gut would just burst.