I had seen it a million times. The very pregnant lady freezes for a second, drops whatever she is holding and yells 'my water just broke' and is soon huffing and puffing away while the rest of the family run around like there is no tomorrow!
I couldn't wait for my turn to be the drama queen!
17th Jan it is, said the doc. I was ready from the 17th of December!
I waited and waited as each hour soon seemed as long as a day.
Finally the morning of 17th dawned and i hadn't had even a little cramp, let alone labour pains.
Off i went for my regular check up, waited in the crowd till it was my turn and finally, the drama queen emerged. Only, it was not me, it was my doctor!!
What are you doing here? Go and get yourself admitted RIGHT NOW!
An hour later saw me happily walking into my hospital room, unarguably the healthiest person to have done so.
The next morning (Jan 18) preliminary methods of inducing labour had failed. Every body else looked tired and hassled. I was doing just great.
Now they hooked me up to lots of machines and put me on a drip. After about 3 hours, i felt a dull ache. It soon intensified. 4.30 - 5.30 - 6.30 and the doctor said i was doing good but taking too long. (As though i could control these things!) She said, i am giving you one more hour to get this baby out on your own. Don't disappoint me! By now, i couldn't care. i would have done anything to make the pain stop. One more hour seemed like eternity.
To make matters worse were the other ladies who i couldn't see but could surely hear. The sequence was the same. Screaming lady brought in and about an hour later, unbelievably beautiful sound of a baby crying. Our folks who were sitting outside for a good three fourths of the day apparently got fed up of being given so many sweets while they were waiting for my big move! In the time i was in the labour room, about 11 ladies came in, gave birth and had gone on with life. I felt i would be there forever.
As the hands of the clock moved closer to 7.30, i heard that beautiful word - PUSH!
7.36 - doc holds up baby and says, its a boy.
If you are regular here at this blog, you already know how i felt when i heard that.
What i had not bargained for was that i was starting a new love story. One that has brought out the best in me and more often, the worst as well. One that has made me want to be a better person like nothing before.
Like in all love stories, i also know i cannot hold on too tight. I have to let go. Because he is bigger than me. Than us.
Our thoughts, ideas, our strengths and weaknesses are ours alone. We cannot transfer them to him and cannot force him to see the world our way. Because he is bigger than us. We can only hope he will always share his world with us.
Happy Birthday for tomorrow Jun :) You cheated me out of a good old fashioned child birth - but u sure as hell are making up for it ;p
