Princess is 7

7 years ago, I gave birth to my Princess. She was a gift from Allah, no doubt. My pregnancy then was different from the first one I had. During my first pregnancy, I couldn't stand the smell of lipstick, couldn't care less about looking good, and was a big fat monster. With Princess in me, I paid more attention to my clothes, my appearance. From the beginning, we insisted that our gynae didn't reveal the baby's gender prior to the birth. I made a point to remind the doc and nurse this everytime I went for a check-up. Yet, during the earlier moments in the labour room, our anticipation was put to rest - in the corner was the baby basinette and there, on the card, was the gender of the baby! So much for surprises!!!

When I was delivering the twins, I thought I had gone through a turmoil. At exactly 40 weeks, I had a show but there wasn't any pain. I called up my doctor and she asked me to come in. Since I was expecting twins, I was admitted as the babies could come any time. So much for any time, they actually decided that it was comfortable in mommy that they'd spare another night in. I hated how the nurses fussed over me. Not when I was awkwardly huge and uncomfortable! Still, the next day I was induced and the pain started only after 2pm. I was sent to the labour room but that didn't fasten the process. The contractions were 3-5 minutes apart yet I wasn't dilating yet. Oh, the agony... I had refused any form of assistance. However, after the nurse persuaded me to take the (laughing) gas, Ha!Ha!, I just couldn't resist. After hours on the gas, I was dozing off in between contractions. HaHaHa. Well, to cut the story short, after no developments whatsoever, I was literally cut to let my babies out - had the C-section.

That was the episode with the twins. With Princess, it was a different matter. Being the second pregnancy, I sort of forgot to prepare myself for the delivery. I had forgotten what I read about child labour during my first pregnancy. I forgot what my sister said about pushing. Basically, it was like my first delivery! I didn't know what to do!!! So, after torture and more torture, my Princess finally came into the world with the aid of a vacuum. She entered the world facing up - which was what made the process so difficult.

The following day, the doctor came by and told me that Princess had jaundice but her blood level was rather high, so they were going to put her on some tests to see that everything was okay. It turned out that Princess' blood was not compatible to mine. She's a B+, like Mr.D, where as I am O+ and so are my twins. It is not often the case but for some, the mother's blood is incompatible to the baby's. Hence, some of the mother's blood that is transfered through labour infects the baby, resulting in jaundice. This is also known as pathological jaundice, where the level of bilirubin in the baby is very high. The baby has to go through blood transfusion. We were nervous, worried, anxious and scared. All the while, Princess was put under the blue lights for phototherapy. Visitors who came knew which one was Princess because of her distinctive patch of black hair. The doctor advised that the blood be taken from the bank because if it were taken from a relative, the chances of further infection would be high. If taken from a friend, it would take awhile because it had to be screened and all. The procedure had to be done immediately. I couldn't watch the doc do it. Mr.D did. The doc pumped some blood out through the navel, and pumped some blood in. It was all done manually. Princess wailed all the time. After 5 days she was delivered, Princess finally came home.

Today, my Princess is a bright young girl who loves reading. She is a very competitive little girl who likes to outwit her other siblings and impress people. Despite all this, she can be extremely shy and quiet, especially towards people she's not used to and even amongst some of her teachers.

My dear Princess, may your days ahead be filled with joy and wonder, and promises of the glittering glitters in the day after. You're special in your very way and we love you to bits. Happy 7th Birthday!!!