For my first:

I was 37 weeks gone and woke up on the Saturday morning eagerly looking forward to eating my choicest food.My mom had come around to help me with my house chores so I quickly rushed to the hospital (a private one)for my antenatal and return to savour my fufu and then beans with plantain which was on fire.

Prior to this antenatal visit,that was a week before my Doctor realised through a scan that the fluid around baby was low(a condition called oligohydr…something something) so he encouraged me to drink more water and rest well if possible..I did that drinking almost three litres per day.So on this fine day I went and unfortunately the fluid was virtually finished around the baby.He requested for an Immediate emergency section.

My reaction:
Growing up I heard women who did CS was a sort of curse..thus hearing this from the Doctor I literally begged him if he could wait to see improvement(But thank God for his patience…together with his wife who was also a doctor,they sat me down and counselled me on the benefits of having the CS ,which will go a long way to save my life and that of baby).After the session I cried …i mean really cried still wondering why it had to be me.

Hubby was not around as at that time(he had been transferred to another region)so I called to inform him amidst tears. However before leaving the hospital I prayed a quiet heartfelt prayer that God should take control. You wont believe it…I felt peaceful within me. My side sorted I went home to pack my things still praying.

Immediately I opened the gate to enter my home..I heard my mother scream ”Jesus I will not allow that .My daughter will not undergo any knife-me twem w) Yessu Din mu”(apparently Hubby had just called her to inform her).Upon seeing me she enquired why and that I shouldnt allow the Dr to do any surgery.

To cut my story short I went back to the hospital before five ,got prepped up by the abled nurses and the Drs wife who were so nice and encouraging me trying to make jokes to cheer me up. At six pm ,was wheeled to the theatre(I had never entered one before) and everything happening looked like a movie to me. The anesthetist was so kind and also spoke kind words as he administered the injection.. when the Doctor came in to do the surgery he said a word of prayer which made me more calmer as he began.

Sometimes God works in mysterious ways we never understand. As baby was brought out the umbilical cord was apparently tied twice around his neck who had not been seen during my scans. The Doctor and everyone was surprised. As he removed the cord lo and behold i heard the cry of my first baby.. very loud and all I heard after was congratulations

I was glad I listened to my Doctor and also Gods intervention through the prayers cos I could have easily lost my life and that of baby if I had allowed the myth surrounding surgery and the fact that I wanted to push myself to override the needful thing to do.Imagine pushing in this situation…hmmmm..so grateful to God.

Anonymous mum 

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My expected date of delivery (Edd) was 26th April 2024. Per the ANC policy at my hospital, a pregnant woman is supposed to have her membranes swept by the doctor when she gets to 38 weeks. They did the sweeping for me at 38 weeks which I was 2cm dilated by then that was on 19th April and when I came home I started having this on and off contractions hopefully thinking baby would come the next day but that wasn’t the case.

Throughout the weekend I started loosing the mucus plug and seeing the bloody show. So when I went on with my usual daily walks, squats and sex to help kick start labor. On 22nd April I went to see doctor again and he repeated the sweeping and I was 3cm dilated. I came home and started having the contractions again but it tapered off the next morning that was on 23rd April.

I went on with my house chores and in the afternoon at 2:45 pm I wanted to take a nap. While sleeping I felt this long and painful contractions and it stopped, and then another one came again but with this one, my water broke at 3:30pm so I quickly called my husband to pick me up to the hospital. Upon arrival at 4pm I was 4cm dilated and the contractions kept coming without rest in between. By 6:15 pm I was 10cm dilated and was taken to the delivery room, I pushed 4 times and my rainbow baby was born at 6:30pm weighing 3.2kg.

I thank all the midwives and everyone one here on this great platform. Your teachings and questions made me learn a lot from this group. God bless us all.

Definition for a membrane sweep: A membrane sweep is a common procedure performed after 39 weeks of pregnancy to induce labor naturally. It’s performed by a healthcare provider and involves them inserting gloved fingers into your cervix to loosen your amniotic sac from your uterus.

Contributed by Mum- Sally’s Pregnancy class

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So I saw my bloody show Tuesday morning though I had started having little inconsistent contractions form Sunday. I monitored to see if contractions will pick up so I go to the hospital. The whole of Tuesday, nothing happened, just on and off contractions. Then Wednesday dawn, I started having contractions that were coming every thirty minutes then it went off.

Later in the morning it started again and I saw another show. Around 12pm, I realized my bump had become very hard, the contractions were not coming and baby’s activities had gone down. I called hubby and we rushed to the hospital. When we got there I told the midwife my story and they sent me to the labor ward for examination.

In my mind I had dilated about 4 going to five bi anaa six mpo aa, they said 2. And I was like I have had contractions since dawn ooo.. So the nurse started a ctg to examine baby and my contractions. The contractions were getting intense and painful but dilation was not taking place. As for vaginal examination, I did it like Nov Dec , doctor will check, midwife will check, after two hours, I was checked and was at 4. Sister, I just cried.

I remember telling my hubby so God didn’t listen to all our prayers to make this birth easy and without complications. After another hour, midwife said I had to be prepared to theater for cs… Be like after all this pain? After another hour they checked and I had reached 6 but the pain was too much. Hubby couldn’t stand the pain and we realized baby’s heartbeat was going down.

I was given pain medication and made ready for theater. The midwife checked me again and I had reached 9cm but doctor wasn’t happy because baby was in distress. When we got to the theater I had a very strong urge to puupuu, I told them and they asked me to go ahead. While lying I head the doctor say give me episiotomy something something then I felt a sharp pain down there.

Then he again asked them for a #Vaccum machine. I was asked to follow my urge to puupuu and I did heavily then I felt something leave my vagina… Oooh my baby was out but he wasn’t responding. I started crying and asked the theater attendants if he is okay. They assured me and just like that, I didn’t even care about the suturing they were doing under there but to hear my boy cry.

After few minutes of resuscitation, I heard him cry and I dropped some tears of joy too. They showed him to me, cleaned me up and sent us to the ward. God is good, and yesterday, he really proved himself so to me.

Thanks to everyone for the love and to Midwife Sally , God bless you for your wonderful education. It helped a lot.

What’s a vacuum Delivery : During a vacuum-assisted vaginal delivery, a health care provider applies the vacuum — a soft or rigid cup with a handle and a vacuum pump — to the baby’s head to help guide the baby out of the birth canal. This is typically done during a contraction while the mother pushes. – – Source : Mayo Clinic

Story by mum. Sally’s Pregnancy class

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• Baby will cry right after birth. The cry will not be weak
• The skin color will be pink. Blue or pale skin is an indication of reduced oxygen. Report yellowish skin color as well
• Weight will be between an average of 2.5 to 3.5kg. Babies who are underweight or over weight may need extra care.
• Baby will breath with ease between 40 to 60 cpm
• The heart rate/pulse will be also checked and it should read between 110 to 160 bpm
• Baby will be active.
• Baby will also be able to breastfeed. Report if baby cannot latch on the breast
• Also examine your new born from head to toe. Report any abnormality you see. Check the back as well and report any abnormality.
• If baby does not pass meconium or urine in the first few days. Report as soon as possible.
• A new born vomiting, having high temperature or convulsing is not normal as well.
• Baby may need some resuscitation and some extra care if the above indications are not present. Alert your health care professional right away.
• Don’t be afraid to ask your midwife how your child is doing. It’s your right to be informed.

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