Story about the birth of my son...
It's been a few days since our precious Kutty Thangam arrived, and I've been eagerly waiting to share my birth story on my blog.
So Here it goes..
That Butterfly Moment:🦋
On Jan 3rd 2019, I confirmed my pregnancy through HCG.
Happy Motherhood:😀🤰During the middle of March, I was searching for a pregnancy class in Bangalore when I stumbled upon the Happy Motherhood website. Even though the classes were in Chennai, I registered my number and forgot about it.
Later on, I discovered Anandhi Mam's Sugamana Payanangal series, which was part of Putham Puthu Kaalai. Her positive and motivating talks made me an instant fan of hers. Little did I know that Anandhi Mam was also the founder of Happy Motherhood.
One day, I received a call from the HM admin who explained their Skype program to me. I was initially skeptical because I thought everything was covered in Sugamana Payanangal. However, the admin clarified how the classes were different, and I eventually enrolled for the Skype Elite session since it was more convenient for me.
🎉🎂 That Wow Moment:🎉🎂 I had been eagerly anticipating my due date of September 9th, 2019, and felt mentally prepared to handle the pain of a normal delivery. I made sure to walk 15,000 steps and exercise every day, maintain adequate amniotic fluid levels, and had no complaints or gestational diabetes. When the baby's head was also fixed during my 37th week, I was hopeful for a smooth delivery.
10:30 AM:
On August 28th, during a routine checkup, the doctor gave me some unexpected news. Due to medical reasons, the doctor suggested a C-section would be the better option for me and the baby. I was taken aback and felt a wave of emotions rush over me - disappointment, fear, and uncertainty.
My husband, who had been by my side throughout the pregnancy, listened patiently to my venting and concerns. He knew that my safety and the baby's health came first, and he reminded me of that. With his unwavering support, I found the strength to accept the C-section and put my trust in the medical professionals. Although it wasn't what I had planned, I knew that the most important thing was to bring my little one into the world safely. And with my husband's love and support, I felt confident that everything would be okay.
As I was preparing myself mentally for a C-section, another shock came my way. The main reason I chose my hospital was because they allowed husbands to be present in the delivery room. However, the doctor informed me that they couldn't allow my husband inside the operation theater as people often panic and faint at the sight of the procedure. This meant that I had to go through the surgery all alone.
For my C-section, the procedure was scheduled for 7:45 PM and a hospital room was allocated to us. I called our parents to let them know, and they started making their way to the hospital. With some time to spare, I suggested to my husband that he should go get some lunch and come back later.
However, I didn't anticipate the pre-procedure preparations, and as soon as he left, the nurse started prepping me for the operation. I have a phobia of needles, and the thought of being alone without my husband made me feel incredibly weak. When the nurse inserted the needle into my vein for the first time, my hands swelled and blood flowed heavily. They had to insert the needle a second time. I felt so alone and helpless, and tears streamed down my face.
I didn't anticipate that this would be how my labor and delivery would go. It wasn't the ideal situation for me. However, I gathered my courage and made a conscious decision to stay positive, cheerful, and strong throughout the entire process.
7:00 PM:
As they wheeled in a wheelchair for me to be shifted to the operation theatre, I decided to walk instead, determined to show my strength. My parents arrived just then, and I greeted them with a cheerful smile and bid them goodbye.
The thought of the spinal injection was daunting and I was scared when I saw the anesthesiologist, but he was so friendly and reassuring. The first injection wasn't successful, but he patiently injected it a second time, and to my surprise, it didn't hurt at all. I felt numb from my tummy down to my feet, and as my eyes were blindfolded, everything felt like it was happening in a flash.
During the surgery, the doctors kept me engaged with friendly conversation, and I felt comfortable talking to them. We discussed about Neeya Naana participation(a reality show), as well as other various topicsSuddenly, at 7.47 PM, I heard the most beautiful sound of a baby's chirp. My first reaction was, "WOW!" and the doctor exclaimed, "It's a B...O...Y... Boy!"
Visualization:👀- I had a strong vision that I would handle pregnancy gracefully and enjoy labor with a smile on my face. Despite some initial hiccups, I managed everything with grace.
- My wish was for my baby to be healthy and always smiling, and that wish has come true.
- Although I initially hoped for my baby to be born on my husband's birthday, which coincides with the due date, deep down, I visualized my baby being born on an extremely auspicious date and time. It was a wonderful surprise when he was born on a great date, which happened to be Shivaratri as well.
- One of my biggest wishes was for my husband to be with me during labor, and he had originally planned to leave Bangalore on Monday night. But miraculously, he extended his leave until Wednesday, and he even took me to the hospital himself, despite the initial plan for my parents to take me.
During my pregnancy, I had a strong desire to maintain a positive and energetic outlook. However, there were days when I felt low and in need of a boost. This is where Ananthi mam's videos came to my rescue, always lifting my spirits and re-energizing me.
By improving my diet, ensuring proper sleep, and engaging in regular walking and exercise, I was able to maintain my energy levels throughout my pregnancy. In fact, I thoroughly enjoyed all the activities, particularly the July month activities, which included reading, walking, creative corner, and colorful plate challenges. Initially, I was concerned that taking on these activities in addition to the regular Elite challenges might be too much for me, but I decided to give it a try. To my surprise, I was able to successfully complete all of them for 30 days and even emerged as the winner.
Participating in the Elite daily challenges kept me motivated and engaged, and I can't express enough how much I enjoyed it. It gave me the opportunity to explore my hidden interests and talents. When people of all ages around me ask me if I feel tired, I am happy to say that I don't. I attribute this to following all four pillars of a healthy lifestyle.
My suggestions for Expecting Mothers:
❤ I highly recommend new expecting mothers to start the pregnency course as early as possible so that they can begin incorporating the activities into their routine. It took me two months to get on schedule and by the end of three months, I was able to effortlessly do all of the Elite activities.
❤Be Strong
The following day, I witnessed another delivery experience at the hospital where the mother was determined to have a normal delivery, but it became critical. This made me realize the importance of understanding the situation and severity, and trusting the doctors to make the right decision. It's important to be strong and accept the situation, knowing that everything happens for our good, and the most important thing is having a healthy baby. 👶
A Big Thank you
🙏Thank you is not enough. But a sincere gratitude to my hubby Karthik who was always there and took care like my mother and father. Without him, I might have not handled my pregnancy period so gracefully
🙏Thank you Anandhi mam and Anitha mam. Doing something that kept me busy always and doing what I love with the HM positive members surrounded is a memorable experience.
🙏My Special thanks to Anju, Annapurna, Anshita, Deepa, Deepthi, Jayamani, Jeevitha, Karthika, Lakshmi, Lilly, Nirmala, Poornima, Ramya, Saran, Thaya, Yogambal. You angel’s always appreciated other’s work and indeed it was a super boost.
🙏Special Thanks to all Elite members, you have constantly appreciated each other’s work.
Activities followed:
Proper diet and protein intake everyday- 3 to 5 different colors of food, eating more veggies and spinach, dry fruits, nuts and fruits consumption everyday, Mind games, Word games, Sudoku and Math puzzles, Left hand writing, Reading books - Spiritual and fictional, Listening to music - Chant music and favorites, Breathing exercises, Everyday visualization, baby journal and audio, frequent communication with babies, maintaining a happy and positive state of mind, being physically active - Walking, Kegels and exercises (Followed throughout except during 6th and 7th month wherein I was advised rest), Life with Nature - Walk in moonlight, Bird watching, Sunset watching, listening to bird sounds, Keen observation of surroundings, Creativity - Drawing, Black and White artefacts prepared and decorated in room
