We were in no hurries to rush to the hospital as our gynae decided to end our pregnancy with an induced labor. She asked us to come to the hospital and get admitted on 10th Feb, 2016. All things were moving smoothly and we all were full of joy and positive hopes. Clicking pictures, making videos and taking selfies as we went along the procedures of the hospital. Everything was good.
After prepping me with dress and cleaning and stuff they had put me on “the drips” and my dinner was skipped of course and we were all waiting for the labor to commence in. A nice and slow pains I could feel the entire night but nothing serious. I thought the pains will come next day now. Then started the next day. But still no major pains. My condition and baby’s pulse rate everything was fine too. But as the day proceeded and my OBG who kept on checking my condition inside, saw no signs of induced labor creeping in even after increasing the medicine dosage. She checked and checked and checked for any opening any sign of the baby-coming-out but none. (It was quite torturous there itself). By evening my pains started increasing and at around 8 o’clock it was beyond my limits. But still no indications of the baby-coming-out were seen by my gynae though the baby’s heartbeat inside the womb were stress free and no complications were seen, she decided that it might be the case where babies inside the womb get the umbilical cord wound around themselves and hence unable to travel down the vaginal tract, so without further ado she called for a C-Section (Caesarean Section delivery). She told me, “you have given your baby a good cushion inside and your baby is loving it so much inside that he is not in mood to come out”. And within 5 minutes I was injected with something, then vomited then was being rushed to the operation theatre.
Now here in OT, somehow my anesthesia person was unble to give me a local anesthesia even after piercing needles some 4 or 5 times in my spine and I was just looking hard on the wallclock on the wall in fornt of me which said 9 o’clock of night (of 11th February 2016) while I was thinking ‘this is it’. Finally she failed there thoroughly and gave me a general – full anesthesia instead after getting some signatures of my husband and some necessary paperwork. And after then what happened I have no clue, as I drifted off to the deepest of my sleeps I guess.
Now there is a rare disease called Pseudocholinesterase deficiency in a very few people, and I happened to be in one of them as I belong to the Arya Vysya Community, esp. in southern states of India. I was not able to recover from anesthesia even after 2 and a half hours. All around me doctors were shouting my name, asking me to wake up, and I could hear them and wanted to respond and open my eyes but none of these things I was able to do. Then I heard a male doctor asking me to get my tongue out if I can hear him and to my surprise I did. Apparently this was the only thing I could do in that state. Then I realised that I was unable to breathe as the oxygen mask was removed. I didn’t know how to communicate this to the doctors present there now that I am not being able to breathe. But then this same male doctor asked are you unable to breathe, I guess I responded by taking my tongue out and understood it as a “Yes”. And then we were on our way to ICU where I was put on a ventilator till next morning.
So then luckily this male doctor, who happened to be the senior anesthesiologist, suspected this abnormality in my blood plasma enzymes in which the body’s production of butyrylcholinesterase (BCHE; pseudocholinesterase) is impaired and took my blood sample for testing.
[Apparently my very dear friend of mine, who got her C-Section in Hyderabad wanted to warn me about this enzyme deficiency which her doctor told her at her time but somehow it slipped her mind and none from our family knew about this.]
So anyways, even with my closed eyes, I was so greatful to this person and thanked him in mind so much that day for taking right decisions at the right second otherwise I would not have bben alive today to write this post or see my toddler running around.
Slowly at around 2 or 3 am my limbs started moving and I was coming out of the paralysed state. I remember giving a “Hi Five” to my husband when he came in to see me. In the morning at around 5 or 6 my all other doctors came to visit me in ICU one by one. Then I was told that I had a boy. I smiled. And by morning 9 or 10 I was moved back to my ward. And after meeting my family, said “hi”s to everyone, then I finally saw my newborn baby for the first time. There he was, all cuddled up in his new blankets a small little face was visible. He was sleeping when I saw him and had his eyes nicely shut. He still looks the same to me although I miss his new born smell now.
And all this while the nurses there were giving him Nan Pro till I came out of ICU. I was in the hospital for 3 or 4 more days.
My Little one had a tough time feeding on me, in the hospital and after coming home too. Consulted many pediatricians, nurses and almost everyone I knew of but no position, no feeding pillow, no nurses or doctors could help me with him. Although he liked the taste of my milk but hated to latch on to my nipple probably. I had tried silicon nipples, feeding pillows etc etc and what not. So all I could do was use a breast pump and produce as much as I could with the help of few home remedies.
So even though we didnt want to but me and my husband had to depend on Nan Pro and breast pumps.
We wanted to strictly keep him on milk for 6 months as instructed so we did. But then after he took quite some time to get used to even apple or cerelac. His poop routine was not very bad at this time but not very good too. He somehow never liked the gooey pulpy mashed vegies or cereals. Even with no teeth he loved to bite and chew the food. And after 6 months of his age, he developed a good constipation.
Whatever be the reason now, he didnt like outside food much,and even till 1 year and 2 years he was dependent on milk esp Nan Pro. And his constipation reached its heights and he used to cry like anything daily whenever he sat for shitting. No pediatricians were helpful with this problem of ours. And as he was still not liking any outside food much, we had no option but to give his Nan Pro. Even if we lessen the milk in the morning he used to ask it in the night, every 2 hours. We had no solution to this, and it ws being torturous to see our kid suffer and howl at the time of doing potty.
It was only after 2 years I slowly started giving him our diary milk with horlicks sometimes, in sippers too. And in night when he sleeps, we started giving him vegetable broths. So ultimately after my son reached 2 and half years I completely let go of Nan Pro and to our surprise, my son completely got rid of his constipation.
Now he is gonna be 3 year old in a few days, and I can proudly say, he does his poop everyday with ease and since the moment we stopped Nan Pro, constipation vanished.
So, my piece of advise for all mothers out there, try not to give your babies outside milk, as it can never match a mother’s milk. And its a very beautiful opportunity a mother gets to attach and connect to the baby after birth, lets not miss this beautiful bonding of a mother and a child.
Go for it, go ahead and feed your baby. The inexplainable feeling is priceless and the most wonderful satisfaction a mother can get. Absolutely no words.
To motherhood…
