If the weeks on my calendar were marked according to their significance, this one shall be in bright red. In bold. Circled a couple more times. And then in another brighter shade of red.
This was the week that had me succumbing to the most intense pain my body had ever went through in its entire lifetime. And this was the week that welcomed a new member into our little family.
At exactly 4am on a breezy 10th of March, I was awoken by a slight contraction and some usual late pregnancy discomfort I had already gotten myself used to. I would usually spend a couple of minutes twisting and turning before falling back into a light slumber. Only this time, I twisted and turned only to find myself awoken further to a trickle of water along my legs that didn't seem to stop. My water broke.
After spending a couple more minutes shrugging in disbelief while waking my husband up, we then made our way to the hospital. And so began my fourteen-hour-long labour journey.
I don't think I am able to describe my labour experience as well as my husband did. His piece is, of course, from his perspective. And from mine? Let's just say it was painful. There were all those books I read on hypnobirthing, and all those relaxation techniques and deep breathing I applied. But at the end of the day, labour is just that - hard work. Immense pain. An insurmountable amount of intensity. The hours were too intense to ever be brought to life through mere written words. I remember a part of it when I was giving up to the pain, that I was clenching my fists yet could barely open my eyes - it felt like I was reaching a point of unconsciousness.
And then there was also a part - the earlier part - when I was still speaking in between laughter, laughing nervously in between contractions, diligently applying the breathing techniques I read about, walking around to speed up the entire process, and then just laughing nervously again. All that, while lugging my camera around.
The above are some photos I managed to capture during my labour process (that is, before the pain reached to the point of me wanting to yell at the midwives). And a couple more photos I captured throughout the week. A painfully beautiful week.
Our little Orked arrived on a lovely evening of the 10th of March, 2014. And the very millisecond in that 6.12pm shall forever remain magical to us.
SubhanAllah. Alhamdulillah. Allahu Akbar.
Click here to view the complete Weekly Stills photo series.
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