The birth stories of my children
I love to embrace the stories I have been through in real life, but also stories what I read I think is important to remember as a life lesson. Writing down the stories from my life brings back memories or I continue living my life.
The birth stories
The oldest daughter: the oldest was born on a beautiful early September evening. It was dark, but when I started the contraction pain, it was still 5 pm.
The funny part: there came a handyman to fix the little window around midnight. This handyman said to me — before going home — that I’m having a big pregnancy belly and that I’m on my highest point before delivering the baby. I said I will deliver the baby within two weeks, my due date was 16th September, but I give birth on 3rd September. The handyman closed the door and the contraction pain began. This was a timing!
The pause between the next one was not the same time as supposed. It was supposed to be two minutes within each contraction. Because that didn’t happen, we didn’t call the nurse. And suddenly — around 18h my water broke. I called my mother what to do because it was too early to call the maternity nurse and my mom came about two hours later. My husband was at work. I called him too (at that time weren’t married yet). But it wasn’t that heavy yet to call the maternity nurse. Then I asked my mom to make some cucumbers and tomatoes, but I couldn’t eat anything at all. So weird feeling. I knew I had to eat something to deliver the baby.
There is such a rule when to call the maternity nurse. When there are two minutes between each contraction pain within 30 minutes, then we may call the maternity nurse. So I called the nurse, she came to my home. I had to wait for an hour before she came, but she came. Then she looks how much centimetres the opening is to deliver the baby. When it was 10 centimetres, I may push. But when the maternity nurse arrived at 8 pm, she told me I had 10 cm and everything was getting ready for me to push. And from that moment everything went by very fast.
It was difficult to push all the time, especially the first time when you get children. After pushing for times for the first time, the maternity nurse told me I have push after five seconds counts from her. Otherwise, I had to go to the hospital and I didn’t want to. I was afraid to push. I was afraid to hurt the baby while I was pushing. I told myself just do it. Otherwise, I would deliver the baby in the hospital. And I didn’t want that at all. I thought I didn’t feel very comfortable. When the baby — my oldest (she is 12 now) — come out of me, she started crying immediately.
The other surprise was: she had lots of dark hair! I was sold the first moment I saw her! The touch of her skin with mine felt incredible. But finally, I did it. I was tired, but I was glad I could hold the baby in my arms. I lost 800 ccs of blood. So, if the blood didn’t stop, I still had to go to the hospital after all. Finally, the maternity nurse could stop the bleeding and I could rest. The baby drank from my breast the first time she came out of me. Laying next to me on my bed. That tiny little creature with black hair.
The time she was born: 22.40h.
The middle daughter: my second daughter was born on a Saturday morning. The sun was rising a little bit, clear air, no rain and no dark clouds. I woke up and made my breakfast. I sat on my chair in the kitchen, the oldest was still sleeping, I had one bite of my breakfast and suddenly I didn’t want my breakfast anymore. I thought I didn’t feel well and I wanted to go to bed, again. I went to the bathroom to pee. Here my water broke. So we called the maternity nurse. In the first place, we had to wait a little bit, because the contraction pain waited to come. We didn’t look at the time of 2 minutes between each contraction pain as we had experienced from the first baby, that it didn’t happen. This time I delivered the baby much faster (in due time) than my oldest daughter — within one hour). And it seemed easier. At least I knew how to push now.
It was early April, not too cold and not too warm as well. Two days later than my birthday. Also, my mother came to support me, but before she arrived, I already delivered the baby. My husband was with me in the kitchen when I started not feeling well.
My husband brought the oldest to the neighbours and they just got back from the grocery store. “Another great timing!”, I thought. Beautiful spring day, though.
My second daughter was born around 10 a.m.
The youngest daughter: the third one is a big story. One day before I delivered the baby, I a very high fever (39°C). I stayed in bed all day long, because I had too much pain in my chest (I didn’t know yet it were my lungs). In the middle of the night, I got so much pain in my belly. In the first place, I thought the baby was kicking heavingly into my lungs. And that was my pain. I took some aspirin to try to sleep again. I was really tired. After no sleep- for two hours, I think — I got the contraction pain.
This time — between each contraction pain — it was around two or three minutes as supposed. Then I was surprised the contraction pain happened. But still, I had too much pain in my chest and I cought a lot for three months before. I just thought it was because the baby was kicking my lungs a lot. Then around 2 o’clock in the middle of the night, my water broke. The whole bed was wet. And I slept on the bed where I did not plan to deliver the baby. So, I walked into the bed where I shall deliver my baby. Still, I had too much pain that I just walked through the room over again and then lay down again (I repeated it for a few hours).
My partner couldn’t do anything, I think (I think he wanted to). It’s difficult with a pregnant woman to help during the contraction pain. The only thing he could do was getting me some water to drink or hold my hands.
I also remembered that the other girls were still sleeping when I delivered the baby. That moment (delivery of the youngest) was around 5.30h in the middle of the night. When my partner showed the other children the newborn an hour later, the first thing the oldest asked my partner was the name of the baby. The rest I didn’t hear. I think they were very excited. I’m curious how their face looked like when my husband showed the baby (unfortunately, I will never know).
When the baby was born, I still had pain in my chest. Too much pain, to be honest. I thought it’ll be fine and I’ll be better after I delivered the baby. I still cought the whole day. I complain again and again to my husband and the obstetrician.
The obstetrician came again to check on me in the evening and my mother-in-law came over from the north of The Netherlands in the evening. But the obstetrician told me I might have pregnancy poisoning and I had to go to the hospital immediately. The obstetrician brought me, my husband and the newborn to the hospital and my mother-in-law took care of the other two girls. My mother-in-law called her husband and my parents to get help by taking care of the other two girls.
When I arrived at the hospital I had to go to the children’s department as soon as I arrived with my newborn and my husband. The first aid station checked on me and they checked the baby. In the first place, they didn’t find anything suspicious in my body that caused the cough and I had a huge fever. Within these days at the hospital, I was complaining a lot to the doctors that I still had pain in my chest and was coughing a lot. It hurt too much at that time. I told them it wasn’t normal and that I wanted someone to look at it. They only listened to my chest once but said I was fine. Even, they didn’t get any lung specialist looking at me.
I could go home when I didn’t have that huge fever anymore. So they pumped me with too many medicines, but in the end, I knew I’ll be better and go home with the baby. At the hospital, they didn’t take care of my youngest very well. She was a little bit yellow in the beginning and she was a little bit underfed by the nurses. I couldn’t give breastfeeding because of the medicines I got. She drank from bottles during the time at the hospital at that time. After three days in the hospital, I was free from fever. The hospital nurses told me I may go home. My husband and the baby were still with me. My husband got a fever as well in the meantime when he stayed with me in the hospital for three days.
I went home and was there for one day. I still was coughing all the time and I still had pain in my chest. I was complaining all the time to my parents-in-law. In the meantime, my oldest two daughters both got inflammation of the ear. They got some medicines from our family doctor. The only thing was, my pharmacist was closed at the time we had to pick up the medicines for my daughters. I was too ill to cycle, my husband went to the family doctor with the children and was still ill too to go. Finally, my mother-in-law went on the bike — in the late dark hours — to a place near us to get these medicine as this — luckily — pharmacy was open in the late hours of the day. Otherwise, we had to wait after the weekend and then the children could be iller then. After that, she was on time (one minute before closing time).
Then the next morning the obstetrician came again. She said she called my family doctor to check on me again because she was too concerned about me and the baby. The family doctor I got was stepping in for the other family doctors. He was very accurate and he knew immediately I had a lung concussion.
So, again to the hospital. In the meantime, we got another maternity nurse. She was so sweet. She brought me and the baby to the hospital after we heard we had to go again. But for the other two girls, we didn’t get any maternity nurse, so my parents and parents-in-law were taking care of them. After I went to the hospital (I had to stay there for 1,5 week). My sister came too with the baby, so she could go home with her if I couldn’t breastfeed when taking medicines. The next morning my maternity nurse came again to take care of the baby and the other family members as well. She did a good job! I had to express the breast milk when I was in the hospital. I had to breastfeed at a later phase and when I come back home I could continue. But unfortunately, I couldn’t do it while I was in the hospital. I was not happy in the hospital. I couldn’t sleep there, I wanted my baby with me and be with my family. I was so tired there and I had no energy at all. I missed my family so much. After 1,5 week I might go home. Everything was fine. I still had to recover for about three weeks. All three girls I breastfed. I loved these six months, cuddling with the newborns. Giving my full attention. I love being a parent.
I remember the day each of my children was born. I think everyone does, but there are people in the world who doesn’t remember that much.