2020-06-01_Mother_&_Baby

Bump&Birth

motherandbaby.co.uk| June 2020 | 31

soontheystoppedmeinmy tracks. I wason
all fours on the floorhelpingHannahwith a
puzzlewhenI tooka sharp intakeofbreath.
Thetighteninggraduallyintensified,and
I wonderedwhethertocallthehospital
especiallysincemy first labourhadprogressed
quickly.I wastorn: shouldI go intoan
environmentwherethere wasriskof
coronavirusinfection,or shouldI staysafeat
home,eventhoughthingscouldrampup fast?
I decidedto stay putfor a little longer.
Mushfiqurwasworkingfromhome, Hannah
washappy, andI wascopingwell withthe
contractions. Betweeneach oneI pottered,
playingwith Hannahandexperimentingwith
different positions.Lyingdowneverynow and
thenseemedto help, as didthe slow breathing
I’d learnedthroughhypnobirthing.
By teatimeeach contractionwaslastinga
minute, eightminutesapart.It wastimeto go.
Mushfiqurwasgreat,grabbingmy bagand
makingarrangementswith my parentsto
dr op Hannahoff en routeto hospital.With
coronavirusspreading,we knew it wasn’t idealto
hav e themall in contact, but we hadno choice.
Passingthedeserted shopsandrestaurants
on ourwayto hospital,I realisedwhata
surrealtimeit was. I’d neverhave guessed
in a millionyears I’d go into labourduring
a pandemic.Butthecontractionswerethe
distractionI needednotto dwellon the risks,
andwhen I saw how quietthe hospital was,
I feltrelieved.It waslike a ghosttown.The
chairs, whichweremostly empty, hadsigns
on themremindingpatientsaboutsocial
distancing.‘Everyone’sstayingawayunless
th eyhaveto comein,’themidwifeexplained
whenit wasmy turnto be examined.When
I learned that I was3-4cmdilatedandthat
I could stay put, I was relieved. I felt safe in
hospital, despite everything. The midwives’
‘business as usual’ approach put me at ease.
We were shown to a ward and, by now,
it was almost bedtime. The policy was for
partners to leave by 10pm, so reluctantly
Mushfiqur kissed me goodbye but said he’d
wait in the car, rather than go home. I tried
to settle in bed, but couldn’t get comfortable.
Every five minutes an intense contraction
swept over my bump, forcing me to breathe
deeply. Between midnight and 2am they got
progressively stronger. My teeth began to
chatter, and my hands shook.

Three things

I’d tell my

friends

Don’tpanicif you

needNHScare during

thepandemic.Staff

aredoingallthey

canto minimise

thespreadof

infectionandto

keepeveryonesafe.

Haakaamanual

breastpumps are a

cost-effectiveway

ofsavingany milk

that leaksfromthe

ot herbreastwhile

youfeed.Leakageis

common,andit’s a

shameto wasteit in

a breastpad!

I’vejust discovered

BondsAustralia,

whichsellsbabygrows

withoutthefeet.

Mydaughterhated

havingherfeet

coveredandI reckon

numbertwo willbe

thesame, soI’m

st ockingup!

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‘It’s much stronger now,’ I gasped, asking

the midwife for codeine. After getting the

pain relief, she suggested a bath. The idea of

possible virus contamination put me off slightly!

Then, seeing how strong the contractions were,

the midwife offered me an examination. To my

relief, I learned I’d progressed quite a bit and

would be moved to my own room.

I called Mushfiqur, who was dozing in the

car. As soon I put my phone down, a primal

urge to push overcame me. I was literally

crawling on the floor as the sensations ramped

up to an incredible level. Alarmed, the poor

lady in the bed next to mine buzzed for help,

and the midwife came, followed by Mushfiqur.

It took everything I had to get myself into the

wheelchair they’d fetched for me. As I focused

on breathing through each incredibly strong

contraction, I was wheeled to the labour room,

where I was helped onto all fours on the bed.

I took puffs of gas and air during each

overwhelming urge to bear down. In one

powerful contraction excruciating pain rushed

through me. ‘I can see the head,’ I heard

someone say. Thankfully, that agonising

sensation didn’t last long. In the next

surprisingly gentle push the baby’s shoulders

and body slid out. Baby Ishaaq was placed

gently in my arms, and I beamed with pride.

I was so, so grateful that Mushfiqur stayed. Had

he driven home, he’d have missed the birth!

As Mushfiqur and I enjoyed cuddles with Ishaaq,

staff checks confirmed everything was fine,

and I was discharged just 12 hours or so later.

My birth couldn’t have gone any better,

despite the fact it was in the middle of a

national emergency. I had the best care,

and I was blessed not to have needed lots of

intervention. When Ishaaq’s old enough to

understand, I’ll have lots to tell him about the

strange circumstances surrounding his birth!

Halima with

Hannah and Ishaaq

Safe and sound

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