Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Happy 14th Birthday, Kak Long Hanna :)

14 years ago today, we welcomed our firstborn - Hanna Suhaila binti Haizal, into this world...

I remember that day very clearly even until today. We had the first snow in Newcastle upon Tyne for that year in that early hours of 17th November 1995, and the grounds were already covered with snow by the time I had my first contractions at 4:15a.m in the morning that day.

Being extra-cautious and extra-anxious first-time parents-to-be, Ayah and I had prepared ourselves for that moment and had rehearsed the drill over and over again (in our heads, that is) on what to do and how to do them, especially should the contractions start during ungodly hours (as it was in fact fated to be!). But of course, nothing could have prepared us for the real thing. For one, we didn't expect it to snow (and quite heavily, too!) on the day I went into labour!

It must have been just before 4:00a.m when I had to go to the loo to ease myself when I noticed a show and I immediately woke Ayah up. The EDD was 19th November 1995, and we were hoping and praying that the baby would stick to the EDD (Hehehe...wishful thinking, right? But no - she decided to come out 2 days early!) Barely 15 minutes after that, the contractions started.

I immediately asked Ayah to get the hospital bag and call the hospital to expect us within the next 15 minutes. But as fate had it, the icy and snowy weather which started a few hours earlier had led to the windscreen of our car to be covered with ice, and the roads with snow that morning.

While anxiously monitoring the intervals between the contractions, I tried very hard not to panic while watching and waiting for Ayah who had to spend nearly 15 minutes scraping the hardened frost off the windshield of the car. Ayah being Ayah, he was pretty calm throughout the time, and I have to admit that THAT in a way had helped me to remain calm as well.

Once the ice came off, we started our drive to the Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI). The journey to the hospital from our place in Forest Hall which normally would have taken us only 10 minutes, had taken us about 40 minutes due to the snow-covered roads. Syukur alhamdulillah, the baby was quite comfortable and quite contented to stay put in my tummy throughout the journey which seemed to be like the longest journey of my life ever.

We reached the hospital just after 5:00a.m and I was immediately wheeled to the Labour Room where I was given a change of clothes in the form of a hospital robe, and the nurses started to take some readings and monitor my progress, and I was prepared for the actual delivery.

I remember so vividly when the waterbag broke while I was sitting on the sofa. I've read about it, and I've heard about it from others. But experiencing it myself was another thing. I was drenched from the waist down and my whole body suddenly felt very light. The nurses took this cue to give me a change of robe, and immediately after that sent me straight to the Delivery Room.

The contractions became more regular and more painful within the next hour, and as it was happening too fast, they were not able to give me the epidural fearing that it would take full effect at the wrong time and might cause complications during delivery. And throughout the whole time, I was only relying on Enthonox to relieve the pain.

As the intervals between the contractions became shorter and shorter, the labour room became more crowded with nurses and doctors as the medical team realized that the baby's heartbeat was going down to abnormal level everytime I was having the contractions. At one time, there were 5 doctors attending to me and the baby in my tummy, and in my enthonox-induced dazed situation I was praying hard in my heart for everything to be okay.

Concerned with the possibility of complications while delivering the baby, the doctors had asked our consent to extract some blood from the baby's crown for some tests to determine the actual cause of distress, and to eliminate other possible factors so as to prepare them for any unexpected labour room crisis. Ayah gave them the green-light and they did whatever needed to be done. I couldn't quite comprehend what really happened within the next 1 hour or so after that, but, what I remembered was when I was told that there was nothing really wrong with the baby. It was just that she was too lazy to work her way out of her mommy's tummy, it seems :)

Ayah was beside me throughout the whole time, and everytime the contractions became unbearable, I would squeeze his hands like there was no tomorrow... In retrospect, he probably was in more pain than I was then, I think. Poor thing...

And at 7:10a.m on 17th November 1995, I safely delivered Hanna Suhaila, weighing at 3.54kg. She came out with thick, black spiky hair, and lips like rubies. And the wail that she gave out when the world welcomed her was the sweetest music to my ears...

I remember holding her immediately after that, and putting her on my chest and she suddenly stopped crying, and I looked at Ayah. He was smiling at me and squeezing my hands. And while kissing my forehead, he whispered to me -

"Our baby..."

And my eyes just welled up and I started crying - out of the undescribable joy and love I felt at that moment.

And Hanna, no matter what happens, no matter how old you are, and no matter where you are, you will always be our baby, my dearest...

And please know it in your heart that Ayah and I love you so very much, and we will do anything for you.

Mommy do'akan your life be filled with love and happiness and people who truly care about you. You have brought so much joy not just to Mommy and Ayah, but also to so many people - friends and family, with your special ways, and your kind heart. Semoga Hanna menjadi anak yang solehah, berbudi pekerti dan mempunyai akhlak yang mulia, dan berjaya dalam kehidupan, insya Allah...

Again, please remember that you'll always be our baby, and if you ever need us, we'll be there...

Happy 14th Birthday, sayang...

15 comments:

Scarred Soul said...

Happy 14th birthday Hanna!

May Allah bless you, always.

(^_^)

ibu,mommy,mom... said...

Happy 14 th birthday to Hanna

Its a good read very early in the morning:)

dillazag said...

Happy birthday sweet Hanna.

Such a beautiful story kak Shana.. :)

Cik Puan Kamil said...

Awww.... Such a sweet entry from the proud Momma. Happy Birthday Hanna !

MHB said...

Happy Birthday, Hanna!! Your birthday is just a day after mine... :-) ain't it good to have a feisty Scorpio in the family, eh mommy?? :-)

kay_leeda said...

Happy Birthday to sweet Hanna!! Stay sweet always ok :)

1na said...

Happy Birthday Hanna Suhaila binti Haizal :D

Moga2 menjadi anak yang solehah dan berjasa kepada ibubapa :D

IBU said...

Happy Birthday to my favourite Auntie Shana's eldest daughter.. hehehe...

Baby was too lazy in the tummy? hahaha.... same with Alisya recently. Her hearbeat couldn't be detected clearly - rupanya dia tengah syiok tidor while ibunya undergoing contraction!

ummisara said...

happy birthday hanna... :)

kak shana... a beautiful story ..i love it.

Hanna :) said...

Thank you so much everyone!
Hehe, and yes Mommy thanks so much too ♥ :)
I know I may not act like how I should, you know, as a role model to the little siblings and stuff. But I do try my best hehe, well most of the time that is..
Anyway, thanks so much again Mommy! And to everyone else too :)

Madam Tai Tai Again said...

Happy Birthday, Hanna! May your 14th year be a wonderful one. Today may not be as cold as that winter morning in Newcastle 14 years ago, but moisture is definitely falling from the sky! Have a great celebration tonite, despite the rainy evening ok.

tireless mom said...

Happy birthday sweet 14 Hannah. Silap silap almost born in the snow ye!

kudo said...

happy bday!

i remember hanna as a toddler and we were going "so like haizal" - as a young woman she looks more like her mom. so, haizal - sorry, bro. hehe :D

Naz in Norway said...

Happy Birthday, Hanna!

wanshana said...

Dear All,

Thank you for the birthday wishes and do'a for Hanna. Amin...Insya Allah :)

I see that Hanna has thanked all the aunties, kakaks and uncle personally above :) Thank you, dear.

We had a small celebration on her birthday despite the never-ending rain, when her Aunty Adek cooked a special dinner of Roast Chicken (a la Jamie Oliver), jacket potatoes and Tagliatelle with Meatballs White Sauce. Insya Allah will upload the pics soon.

Writing this entry actually brought tears to my eyes... Yes, it was a beautiful moment indeed - as all child births are :)

Yes, she was nearly born in the snow 14 years ago, and nearly freaked us out, but syukur alhamdulillah she has not freaked us out with any of her antiques since :)

Hanna is a sanguine and feisty child indeed, but at the same time very sweet, and friendly. I think her friends could attest to that. She's one who gets along with EVERYBODY - be it with 2-year old toddlers OR 90-year old grannies! Kids simply love her to bits.

Even though she was lazy to get out of her Mommy's tummy 14 years ago, I'm glad to say that she's one hardworking girl now. And both her Ayah and Mommy are very, very proud of her indeed, and her siblings really look up to her, especially when it comes to her skills in studying AND chatting AND listening to the MP3 AND FB-ing AND Blogging AND texting SMSs - ALL at the same time...and still maintaining her above average results at school. Syukur alhamdulillah...

In her early years, YES - she looked EXACTLY like her Ayah. People say she was a carbon copy of him. But, now she's beginning to look more and more like her Mommy. A change for the better, I must say :) HAHAHAHAHA!!! (Jangan mare, Ayah... ;))

She is indeed a blessing to us, just as you all are as our friends who have made all the lovely wishes and do'as for her.

Thank you again! :)