“Life is what happens to you when you’re busy making other plans,” so goes the lyrics of “Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy)” written by John Lennon. If you read my previous blog post, then you already know what surprise we had as 2023 ended. Yes, we got pregnant again!
Before we saw those two lines on a stick, we were worrying about my aching bones, which, months after my spinal x-ray, we found out to be hip spasms according to the rheumatologist.
Another personal goal of mine was to concentrate on my writing (poetry and fiction). But all those took a back seat when we found out we had another bun in the oven.
They say every pregnancy is different, and I am going to tell you the same thing. If my pregnancy with Ate A had been easy, this second one was hard. It was not as tough as other mothers had it I’m sure, but it was just harder than my previous one. I’m older now for starters, so there’s that.
I also had subchorionic hemmorhage early in my pregnancy. Although I did not need bed rest, I was asked to slow down and take it easy. I also was given medicine. For months I would have light bleeding but the hospital said not to worry about it. So I didn’t.
But when we hit the 25th week, we got a scare. We were doing the grocery when I had to go pee in the toilet. After wiping, I saw fresh blood on the toilet paper, and the amount of it took me by surprise. It also felt different.
I immediately messaged Jay and told him we needed to finish the grocery shopping and head to the ER. I was bleeding heavily.
At the hospital, the attending OB examined me and had me admitted for the night for observation. She also couldn’t find the source of the bleed. I had two ultrasounds and they found it normal. The baby was also doing good inside. That was all that mattered.
In the end I stayed in the hospital for two nights, with advice I take it easy and don’t stress too much. For the record, I didn’t. I hardly did anything during my pregnancy except cook, wash the dishes, and read (I’m now on to book 46!) because I was too lazy.
The bleeding stopped after that, yes, even the light one. But what came next was harder. I started getting a shooting pain on my left butt and found it hard to sit, stand, and move. My OB said it wasn’t sciatica, probably because the pain did not extend to my legs, but didn’t really give me an answer as to what it was.
I chalked it up to normal pregnancy body aches. I got prescribed paracetamol for it, and it also eventually went away. Oh but man did it hurt while I had it. I would silently scream in pain every time I had to stand up or sit down, and needed a pillow on my chair so it would not hurt so much.
So let’s recap. I had bleeding, butt pain, and back pain too. Up next on the list? Gestational Diabetes Mellitus or GDM.
GDM basically means having diabetes when you’re pregnant. It goes away after delivery. I didn’t have it with Ate A. The test involves you downing an orange-flavored drink then having your blood drawn three times, first after drinking, then twice at one hour intervals. When I read the lab results, I thought I passed the test again. I even rewarded myself with a sweet treat to celebrate it haha.
So I was caught off-guard when my OB said I had mild GDM. A second opinion from an OB in the Philippines said I did not have GDM and there was no such thing as “mild GDM.” Either you have it or you don’t.
For my peace of mind, I just followed doctor’s orders and monitored my blood sugar throughout my entire pregnancy. I always had good results, even though I did not follow the nutritionist’s advice haha. I still ate what I wanted, but in moderation. Plus the changes I made included substituting jasmine rice for basmati, eating brown bread instead of white, cutting off soda and my ultimate favorite Lipton peach iced tea, and french fries.
With diet modification and my good results, I did not have to take any medication or inject insulin.
The last stretch of my pregnancy was better, the check-ups always yielded good results. We were nearing my due date and my doctor more than once asked if I was decided on going the cesarean route or maybe I would consider a Vaginal Birth After Cesarean (VBAC). I repeatedly told him yes, I was doing CS. You see, I had a traumatic birth experience with Ate A. But that’s a story for another day.
So we scheduled a CS on my 37th week. Two days before schedule, we went to the hospital in the morning to sign some consent forms. My OB also ordered an ETG. I don’t know what the acronym means but basically it’s checking on the baby’s activity inside my belly.
My OB was gone for the day so the attending OB read my results. She said she needed to do an IE (internal exam). When she did, I was already four cm dilated! Just like what happened with Ate A, I did not feel any pain during contractions. I was already in active labor and was still walking around the hospital because of all the signing and examining haha.
Once again the OB encouraged me to consider VBAC. She said I was already in labor, and then if anything happens, we could always do the CS. I was still scared, I did not know if I could do it, especially when I remember the pain that shocked me the moment I started to feel it with Ate A. But that was different because I did not have the epidural to hide the pain. With Baby A, I would for sure request for it and they would have it.
I said a silent prayer and entrusted myself to God then said yes. After I did, I immediately Googled how to breathe properly during labor because that was my mistake with eldest A. I did not know the proper breathing when It was time to push.
I also asked advice from my Mommy group. I had my trusted people on chat, and they accompanied me from Sunday afternoon til Monday morning when I successfully delivered youngest A via VBAC!!!
Shoutout to Sudanese nurse Sarah who helped me a lot. I kept pushing the nurse call button because I needed to have additional doses of epidural. I knew if I reach eight cm dilation they wouldn’t give me more so at seven cm, I told Sarah if the anaesthesiologist doesn’t come sooner, I would request for CS already.
But Sarah said gently, “No you’re doing so good. You’re already seven cm.” I answered, “Yes I know but when I reach eight cm you won’t give me epidural and I cannot take the pain!”
I was trying to say it gently as well but my goodness, I wanted to throw everything at her. When the anaesthesiologist came in, she explained the reason I was still feeling pain despite getting epidural the night before was because the OB had me in sitting position to advance the baby’s descent. Because of that, the medicine came down too so I still had pain in my tummy. She adjusted my bed and gave me more meds.
After the second and third epi the pain became more tolerable but I could still feel it. It felt like I was about to poop.
Nurse Sarah monitored me and taught me to push. She was so good in encouraging me, the OB almost did nothing except catch the baby when it came out, deliver the placenta, and stitch my tear. Everything went by so fast. I was still chatting with Jay one minute, the next I was taking Baby A’s first picture with my phone as she shot out of my vagina. Hahaha!
With God's help and the people He sent to help us, my in-laws and friends who have become family, we were able to win against the fourth trimester challenges. Not without scars, but victory is ours.
I really am grateful for the lessons 2024 has taught me and my household.
Finally, I am thankful to God that He gave me good children, especially Baby A, who has never burdened us with sleepless nights but instead gives us joy with her smiles and hearty laughs.
So there you have it! As I publish this post, we are back again in the Philippines for a quick vacation and to fill up my socialising tank (since we're mostly home in Saudi). May God’s grace always be with us, and you dear reader!
