The First Born tag

I was tagged by the Indian Home Maker. I so enjoyed re-living those days.... Thank you IHM!

1. Was your first pregnancy planned?

Kinda. We'd been married almost four years and as usual, people (read relatives including both sets of parents) were starting to wonder if we were having fertility issues!!! Anyway, one long vacation we were brainwashed by my gran'ma who told us why we should have a child. On really bad days (when the kids have been too demanding) I recall her words and feel like the most patriotic citizen of our land. 

2. Were you married at the time?

I didn't wanna have a child even after marriage..so before marriage it was quite unthinkable!!!

3. What were your reactions?

I felt like I was the first woman EVER to have the nausea, the cravings and the bloating (water retention). Matter of fact, I drove the hubby crazy with midnight demands for vanilla icecream with honey or some such absurd thing. I was also paranoid about the stretch marks from day 1 and despite all my precautions, I still got 'em :-(

4. Was abortion an option for you?

No. It was a well thought out, planned decision.

5. How old were you?

:-) Old enough to make maa remark that by that age she'd had me and my brother! And yet, in my mind I wasn't THAT old coz a lot of my friends were only just getting married.

6. How did you find out you were pregnant?

The usual. Morning sickness, a missed period....

7. Who did you tell first?

Hubby picked the report so technically he knew it first. The person I first called was Mom. Coz she'd been dying to have a grandchild.

8. Due date?

Was supposed to be 23 September.

9. Did you have morning sickness?

I don't throw up easily. So I was mostly nauseous, had a lot of acidity and just felt terrible in the first trimester. I was doing my Masters then and couldn't get myself to go to college each morning. 

10. What did you crave?

Icecreams. Throughout my pregnancy it was bloody hot in Visakhapatnam where we were posted then. I would crave for cold things: juices, iced tea and loads of icecreams.

11. Who/what irritated you the most?

The fact that here I was just getting used to having my body look and feel like it belonged on someone else, I'd had to contend with doing the normal, everyday things too...such as go to college, do my assignments, study for my exams, submit my dissertation etc, cook (even though H was undemanding, I had to eat too!!!), entertain once in a way and keep a good home. The pressure of all this got to me most days.

12. What was your first child's sex?
She is my darling baby doll.

13. Did you wish you had the opposite sex of what you were getting?

Gosh, never!!! For some reason, we always knew it'd be a girl. We didn't think of any boy names at all.

14. How much weight did you gain throughout the pregnancy?
12 kgs.

15. Did you have a baby shower?
No.

16. Was it a surprise or did you know?
No baby shower.

17. Did you have any complication during the pregnancy?

She turned breech in the 37th week and the doc simply asked us to get prepared for a c-section after 2-3 weeks. I had done yoga throughout my pregnancy and placed an urgent call to my teacher (a darling elderly woman) who asked me to do a particular asana (sarvangasana or shoulder stand) for two weeks. Two weeks later, my doc was shocked to see in the ultrasound that the baby had turned! She called it a miracle :-) I call it faith.

18. Where did you give birth?
Cochin, Kerala.

19. How many hours were you in labour?
Three-four hours.

20. Who drove you to the hospital?
Was at the hospital for a routine check (we still had two weeks to go) when the water bag burst. Was wheeled in, labour was induced and in six hours (from the moment I entered the hospital), we had our bundle of joy in our arms.

21. Who watched you give birth?
The doc, nurses and the hubby.

22. Was it natural or c-section?

Natural.

23. Did you take medicine to ease the pain?

Yes. I recall the doc administering me something that also made me sleep in between contractions.

24. How much did your child weigh?
2.6 kgs.

25. When was your child actually born?
330 pm IST.  H noted the time.

26. What was your reaction when the doctor announced the sex of the baby?
It was H who whispered in my ear "Its Oorja" (the name we'd long before decided.) I just smiled I remember...and as he squeezed my hand, I also felt the tears finding their way out; tears of relief...

27. What was your first reaction on seeing the baby?
As the nurse placed the bundle in the crook of my arm, I was totally zapped...emotional...happy and overjoyed...felt a medley of emotions simultaneously... 

28. Did you cry?
Yes. When mom came into the delivery room, with tears streaming down her face, and yet with a beaming smile, I cried. According to my brothers who were waiting outside the room, she cried through the hours I was inside as she heard my intermittent screams. After the baby was taken outside, the first thing she told the doc is "I want to see my daughter." My mom! Love you.

29. What did you name him/her?
Oorja.

30. How old is your first born today?

Old enough to fight with me and lay claim on my silver jewellery, clothes (especially skirts) and even footwear! She is nine!