On Thanksgiving day, every member of my family wrote down on a piece of paper what each of us were thankful for and then guessed whose paper was whose. I read them off: "I'm thankful for my family," "I'm thankful for my education..." But there was one paper that caught the entire family by surprise: "I'm thankful for the (new) baby." We all looked at one another a little confused. My aunt, finally, spoke up to announce that she was pregnant. We were all overwhelmed by happiness and were eager to welcome this bundle of joy into our lives.
Fast-forward a couple of months to when my aunt asked me if I wanted to be in the hospital room with her when she gave birth. At the time, I thought, "Sure, why not," but as time went on, I got more and more nervous. Finally, the day came that her water broke and it wasn't even a little chaotic, as the movies portray the moment to be. Nonetheless, I was ready to assume my role as her moral support.
In the hospital room, only five people including my aunt were allowed to stay and watch. We all anxiously sat around playing the waiting game. The nurse finally came in and told my aunt that she would have to start pushing soon. At that moment, I'm not sure who in the hospital room was most nervous, but I'm pretty confident that it wasn't my expecting aunt. Throughout this relatively short, two-hour childbirth experience, I learned quite a few things.
1.The beginning seems easy, breezy
To put it simply, nothing seems too serious in the beginning. The expecting mother lies on her hospital bed and is given the cue to begin pushing. The nurse counts it down, "one, two, three," and you think to yourself, "She doesn't really look like she's in any excruciating pain," but that all changes with time. Although the contractions keep on coming, no one seems to budge from their comfortable position on the couch. Everyone is anxious to meet the little nugget, but the only feeling worth mentioning at this point is pure awkwardness. Looking at someone's most private parts exposed is sure to make anyone feel a bit out of their element.
2.Funny faces are the norm
As time passes, the pushes get longer and noticeably more painful. Everyone has become somewhat comfortable with the situation, but cannot seem to hide their facial expressions. As guests, you look at one another and laugh a little, but the person who is laying on the hospital bed pushing a baby out from their insides doesn't find this even a little funny. She may or may not go off on you. So, try your best to hide your, "Oh my God this is brutal" expression.
3. There's swearing, screaming, and strange noises
The three S's (Swearing, Screaming, Strange noises) go hand in hand with childbirth. Time goes by fast (at least for those who aren't giving birth) in the hospital room. As the expecting mother gets closer to the end, her reaction to the undeniable pain becomes more intense. As guests, you will experience any of the following reactions: many F-bombs, screaming "ahhhhh," or those strange noises women make during birth to calm themselves down a little. My aunt just so happened to go through all three of these S's, which only made us, her guests, laugh a little.
4.The end seems as if it is almost near but creeps further and further away
The end is the longest yard for both the expecting mother and those motivating her to keep pushing as hard as she can. Once you start to see the baby's head peeking out, your excitement hits the roof and you become more anxious than ever before. You begin to wonder what the baby will look like and whether or not he or she will have long hair, big eyes, etc. If you're feeling this way, then how must the person who has to keep on pushing feel? She knows she is almost at the finish line, but it just seems an eternity away.
5.You get to welcome a new, beautiful life
No matter how long the expecting mother has to bear the unbearable pain, being able to finally hold her baby outweighs all the odds. Once my aunt's princess made her healthy arrival, tears streamed from her eyes and I couldn't help but let out a few, too.
After the nurses cleaned up the baby, my aunt could not let the new love of her life out of her arms. Not even for a second. I noticed her husband staring in admiration at both my aunt and his newborn princess. On this day, not one person could possibly deny the immense amount of love he held for both of these precious ladies because his eyes said it all.
To end the day, my aunt looked at me as she held my new baby cousin and asked, "So Jazmine, what do you think? Will you do vaginal birth or cesarian?" I replied, "Neither." I wouldn't say it was a scarring experience, but it sure left a mark.