A point is reached when a labouring woman (in the absence of pain relief interventions), no longer cares about what she says and how she behaves. It takes the grace of The Almighty and very nice and supportive delivery team for some to remain calm and quiet. This reminds me of the reaction of Maryam, the mother of Prophet ‘Eesa(as), when the pangs of labour struck her:
“And the pains of childbirth drove her to the trunk of a date-palm. She said: “Would that I had died before this, and had been forgotten and out of sight!”” (Quran chapter 19 verse 23)
It doesn’t matter how strong a woman looks; we have seen women who had opted out of analgesics or anaesthesia ab initio but later started begging for “anything” that can make the pain stop! That’s not my topic for today, but doing pelvic exercises and eating dates some days before the EDD can help to ease the pain, in shaa Allaah.
Now, one lesson I’ve learnt the hard way, is never to offer my hands to any patient for her to grab, no matter how well she seems to be coping. She can as well hold on to the iron railings of the bed. My niceness doesn’t get to that level anymore, biko! That was how one patient almost fractured my brittle bones as she clenched my hands while “pushing”. Days after, I was still applying balm and wearing crepe bandage upandan…!
On a more serious note, I think husbands should be allowed to stay close enough to the scene to hear the wailing and screaming. Perhaps, they will learn how not to complain about simple pains like that of a fishbone prick in the mouth! Lol!
Dear women, whatever level the pain reaches, please don’t curse anyone, and don’t say you will never move near your husband again. You never can tell when an angel would say Aameen. I wish you all safe delivery! Ire o.
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