Though majority doesn’t believe in buying stuff for the baby too early (like before 8th month), but there’s no harm in planning: what to buy, when to buy and from where to buy. One must plan for the baby as well as for the mother since both require equal attention post-delivery! Personally, I planned during 9th month and kept a bag ready in the car for the hospital purpose.

There’s a list of what all I had planned/done during my last one month.

For the baby: though most of these things are to be taken to the hospital, yet some are both for hospital and home

• sets (at least 3) of soft-cotton clothes (washed with antiseptic and dried properly)
• baby products (oil, soap, powder, comb)
• blankets (2)
• sweater, leggings, mittens, socks, cap (for winters, specially)
• sterilized bowl and spoon to feed the baby if needed (since in first time pregnancies you normally don’t produce milk in first day or two, and to avoid nipple confusion, spoon can be used to feed the baby)
• manual pump for pumping milk (very useful for first timers and also when you get tired and need rest, u can pump milk out for the baby, which anyone can feed him)
• cotton roll
• towels (small, medium, large) 2 each or depending on the need
• baby bath tub (for home)
• cotton nappies, nappy-pads or diapers (personally i used nappy pads for sam till 3 months and later switched to diaper due to increased mobility)
• baby wipes
• baby scissors or nail cutter
• special pillows
• a small cabinet to keep all the stuff
• mosquito-net cover (just in case)
• baby bed/rocker/bassinet

For the mother: to be taken to the hospital

• a book to read (to distract your mind during mild contractions)
• bathroom slippers
• sanitary napkins
• towel
• toiletries (tooth brush, tooth paste, oil, comb)
• change for yourself, post-delivery (since u wont fit into your previous clothes)

I guess, I have inluded almost everything that I used during my days…. please ask your gynae also if she would like to add something to the list. All the very best for the last few hours… God bless you with strength, courage and a beautiful & healthy baby!

Well this so called ’sickness’ leaves you puking when you really dont want it (to me it happened during the meetings… while taking classes in school… while traveling… at midnight….. during festivals…. huhh !!!) I suffered with this sickness for first 6 months!! (don’t get scared… it’s an exception!) It’s accompanied with nausea, giddiness, mood swings and vomiting..

Everyone told me that you wont remember anything after seeing the baby.. ABSOLUTELY TRUE!!!  it’s like those 9 months and whatever sufferings I had, is completely erased from my memory… all I remember is bringing this ‘bundle of joy’ home!

SO dont get bugged by this temporary phase in your life because as they say, “everything comes with a price tag!!” Eat well and nurture that tiny life in you

After 2 hrs, at 12.30 pm the Dr arrived and checked the status of contractions and dilation. To my surprise, she “wasn’t happy” with the pains at all… she said, “this way she will not be able to deliver till midnight. Increase the dose! Put 2 more injections into the drip.” Dilation was just 4 cm till now…

At 1 pm, the water broke!!!! Since the baby had already descended into the birth canal and was positioned quite well, Dr immediately shifted me to the Labour room from the pre-labour room… she called the pediatrician also and checked for the dilation once again … it was still 4 cm!!!! And you need 10 cm to deliver!

Dr wasn’t pleased … all her previous enthusiasm, after touching the head of the baby while doing the internal check-up, immediately turned into disappointment… On the other hand, I was screaming with that gripping pain and wanted the dr to take the baby out ASAP !!!! But without dilation, nothing can be done….Then the midwife took it upon herself to help me out … She asked me to push during the contraction, and  breath in when the pains subsides for 1 min.

I simply followed her and after 1.5 hrs of trying, the dilation was 8 cm !!!! She called the dr who further asked me to repeat what I had been doing for the past 1.5 hrs…. Believe me, when you push at the time of contractions you feel very little pain, otherwise if you lie down still and cry, it breaks you down!

Another 30 minutes of trying and I saw the Dr pulling out the baby from the head… he was crying… I was so relieved that he’s out without any complications (he had cord around his neck!) … My gaze followed him till he was sent out to the nursery…

A great feat for a woman … a new life, newer me and a new status … I am a Mother now!!!!!

Our only fear was that the baby is full term or not, and the radiologist, much to our relief, told us that baby is hale and hearty and is all set to come out… though his birth weight was just 2.7 kg (we expected anything above 3 kg!)

All I prayed was that it should stay in the womb for another 10 days so that it would put on another 300-400 gms. But who has to come, has to come!

2 days later, on 1st of july, I had mild contractions (rather discomfort) at night. As the Dr had guided me about the pain, that it’s not continuous, but intermittent, I knew that “I was in labour” !!!! Another sleepless night (though the pain wasn’t bothering me that much, yet the thought of getting into labour kept me awake whole night…)

Next morning, 2nd of  July, we straight went to the doctor at 8.30 in the morning… She once again checked me for dilation; which was just 2 cm (required is 10 cm for delivering the baby!) She still asked me to get admitted and instructed the midwife to start the drip with oxytocin to facilitate further dilation…

Now the pains started to bother me and it would come in every 5 minutes and last for 1 min…. the intensity and frequency both started increasing….

Amidst all these apprehensions, I went for my prenatal check-up at 36 weeks. My gynae did a routine checking to ensure that the baby is doing well. Then she told me that its time for an internal check-up also since its the onset of 9th month. ‘Internal check-up’ is normally done to check the status of cervix (is it flexible enough to facilitate child-birth), uterine opening, OS (whether it is open or not) and position of the baby (how much has it travelled down the birth canal so far).

The moment Dr started to do the check-up, half-way through, she screamed with excitement, “The head is here! baby has dropped perfectly into the canal! it’s so low ! It’s been ages to have seen such a perfect position of the baby! its gonna be a normal delivery for sure and that too with minimum pain!!!!! ”

Ahhh!!!

My husband joined the excitement and declared that today we’re gonna have a party! but somewhere I was still nervous, though not as scared as I was earlier… Dr asked me to get the final ultrasound done as soon as possible because the baby had already travelled the distance and is “Almost ready to be born” !!!!

We came back home a little relieved and more anxious about the time which was still 1 month away, but now seems knocking at the door….