Brent and I had been planning this pregnancy even before we got married. Our plan was to have our first kid when we complete three years of marriage, and to try and have a spring or summer baby so that s/he would be one of the younger children in class and won’t have a birthday during summer break when everyone is on vacation. Sure enough, we got pregnant to be due in May 2017. We had also reserved the name “Kiaan Amir,” should we have a boy. Kiaan, because I loved that name but my brother wouldn’t name his son that, and Amir because Brent is crazy about Aamir Khan but we didn’t want both names to have a double 'A' 😄
My pregnancy was a wonderful journey, thanks for the most part, to my husband. He was on top of things, making me grilled cheese at 2am to satisfy cravings, registering for maternity classes, being super excited about the next OB appointment etc. He kept encouraging me to go do whatever workout I wanted to do while he took care of chores at home. Thanks to him, I could keep my Zumba routine going till the 7th month, and then switched to swimming. My parents came here in April, a month before my due date, so after that we both got some pampering and a much needed break. On the evening of May 14th, which was a Sunday, we all went to putt putt golf as a family. Lady behind us asked me when I’m due and when I told her I was due in 4 days, she said “whoa you are brave to be out playing this late!” And she was right, I WAS brave, but I’m also adamant and want to have my way regardless of what anyone else says. The next morning, which was a Monday, I lost my mucus plug so I decided to work from home. Around lunch time, I started getting mild contractions. My dad, who’s a doctor, showed me how to tell if it’s a true contraction or Braxton-Hicks by feeling the top of the belly for hardness. Yep, these were real contractions. That evening, we all went out on a walk with the dog. My dad and I made brownies to bring to the hospital for the nurses and doctors on call while my mom made some laddoos that are traditionally fed to a new mom. Brent started putting together thank you presents for the staff. My hospital bag was already packed, the car seat was installed, and I knew what I was going to wear to the hospital. We all went to bed like normal.
At 1am I woke up with painful contractions that I couldn’t sleep through. I sat in child’s pose and that brought relief. I wasn’t up alone, my dog kept me company. She knew what was up 🐶💓
At 3am, the contractions got stronger so I woke Brent up. He ran me a hot bath and brought the exercise ball upstairs. Every time there was a contraction I would bounce on the ball or get in the hot bath, depending on how I felt. Every time a contraction came, I would signal to Brent (because I couldn’t talk) and he would start noting down the time. At 4 am, when the contractions started getting a min long and 5 minutes apart, he woke my parents up. After that I labored in my bathroom with my husband, my dog and my parents there for support. At 5 am, the contractions had been coming 4-5min apart and lasting more or less a minute for a whole hour. We packed our bags, fed Yoshi and started loading the car. Right as I walked in the garage, my water broke so Brent ran back in to grab towels. We left and I told Brent to drive through any red lights if he has to. Thank god this happened early morning when there was almost no traffic. We also miraculously did not hit any red lights!
When we got to the hospital, my parents and I went to check in while Brent parked. Right before signing the paperwork I threw up. Brent swooped in like a savior and caught the vomit in a trash can before any of it got on the hospital floors. They checked me for dilation and I was only 4 cm. I begged the nurse to not send me home because I couldn’t handle the car ride again. She laughed and said they won’t because my water had broken. We gave them our birth plan and did the blood work for epidural. They admitted me at 5:30 and moved me to the LDRP room. The entire time I was swearing to Brent that I wasn’t having another child after this and that I just wanted to die. I was also super worried that they won’t have time to put in the epidural. Thankfully that didn’t happen. At 7am, the anesthesiologist came and placed the epidural. After that I was like a whole different person. I told Brent I was sorry for yelling at him if I did and that I would have as many children as he wanted.
Brent went and dropped my parents home to eat breakfast and walk Yoshi while I texted two of my best friends that I was in labor. The hospital room was super nice. It was almost like a hotel room and I had a great view. After the epidural, I was making knock-knock jokes and telling them to every new person coming in the room. (My best joke is at the end of the story so keep reading.) Fast forward to 3pm when they checked me for dilation and I was 9cm dilated. The nurse said I’d be pushing soon so we informed my parents and they drove over to the hospital. At 4:30 pm, I was set to start pushing. The nurse taught me how to push and told me she would evaluate me. I was supposed to do three pushes every contraction but I’m an over achiever so I did four pushes every time so the NP would give me an A+ on my imaginary report card. Brent was of course by my side, cheering me on. This went on for over an hour and at 5:40 pm on May 16, two days before my expected due date, my beautiful baby boy Kiaan Amir Gebhart popped out of me, 7 lbs 8 oz and 21 inches long. The nurse put him on my chest and he lifted his head to look at me! His Aji & Ajoba came over to meet him and he even said “hi” to them (video for more at the 0:17 mark)! His bilirubin levels were a little high so he had to be under the blue lights for two days but three days later we were discharged and ready to go home to meet his Yoshi dog!
And now for the joke I promised.
“Knock knock!”
“Who’s there?”
“Kiaan.”
“Kiaan who?”
“Kiaan I come out now?”
My pregnancy was a wonderful journey, thanks for the most part, to my husband. He was on top of things, making me grilled cheese at 2am to satisfy cravings, registering for maternity classes, being super excited about the next OB appointment etc. He kept encouraging me to go do whatever workout I wanted to do while he took care of chores at home. Thanks to him, I could keep my Zumba routine going till the 7th month, and then switched to swimming. My parents came here in April, a month before my due date, so after that we both got some pampering and a much needed break. On the evening of May 14th, which was a Sunday, we all went to putt putt golf as a family. Lady behind us asked me when I’m due and when I told her I was due in 4 days, she said “whoa you are brave to be out playing this late!” And she was right, I WAS brave, but I’m also adamant and want to have my way regardless of what anyone else says. The next morning, which was a Monday, I lost my mucus plug so I decided to work from home. Around lunch time, I started getting mild contractions. My dad, who’s a doctor, showed me how to tell if it’s a true contraction or Braxton-Hicks by feeling the top of the belly for hardness. Yep, these were real contractions. That evening, we all went out on a walk with the dog. My dad and I made brownies to bring to the hospital for the nurses and doctors on call while my mom made some laddoos that are traditionally fed to a new mom. Brent started putting together thank you presents for the staff. My hospital bag was already packed, the car seat was installed, and I knew what I was going to wear to the hospital. We all went to bed like normal.
At 1am I woke up with painful contractions that I couldn’t sleep through. I sat in child’s pose and that brought relief. I wasn’t up alone, my dog kept me company. She knew what was up 🐶💓
At 3am, the contractions got stronger so I woke Brent up. He ran me a hot bath and brought the exercise ball upstairs. Every time there was a contraction I would bounce on the ball or get in the hot bath, depending on how I felt. Every time a contraction came, I would signal to Brent (because I couldn’t talk) and he would start noting down the time. At 4 am, when the contractions started getting a min long and 5 minutes apart, he woke my parents up. After that I labored in my bathroom with my husband, my dog and my parents there for support. At 5 am, the contractions had been coming 4-5min apart and lasting more or less a minute for a whole hour. We packed our bags, fed Yoshi and started loading the car. Right as I walked in the garage, my water broke so Brent ran back in to grab towels. We left and I told Brent to drive through any red lights if he has to. Thank god this happened early morning when there was almost no traffic. We also miraculously did not hit any red lights!
When we got to the hospital, my parents and I went to check in while Brent parked. Right before signing the paperwork I threw up. Brent swooped in like a savior and caught the vomit in a trash can before any of it got on the hospital floors. They checked me for dilation and I was only 4 cm. I begged the nurse to not send me home because I couldn’t handle the car ride again. She laughed and said they won’t because my water had broken. We gave them our birth plan and did the blood work for epidural. They admitted me at 5:30 and moved me to the LDRP room. The entire time I was swearing to Brent that I wasn’t having another child after this and that I just wanted to die. I was also super worried that they won’t have time to put in the epidural. Thankfully that didn’t happen. At 7am, the anesthesiologist came and placed the epidural. After that I was like a whole different person. I told Brent I was sorry for yelling at him if I did and that I would have as many children as he wanted.
Brent went and dropped my parents home to eat breakfast and walk Yoshi while I texted two of my best friends that I was in labor. The hospital room was super nice. It was almost like a hotel room and I had a great view. After the epidural, I was making knock-knock jokes and telling them to every new person coming in the room. (My best joke is at the end of the story so keep reading.) Fast forward to 3pm when they checked me for dilation and I was 9cm dilated. The nurse said I’d be pushing soon so we informed my parents and they drove over to the hospital. At 4:30 pm, I was set to start pushing. The nurse taught me how to push and told me she would evaluate me. I was supposed to do three pushes every contraction but I’m an over achiever so I did four pushes every time so the NP would give me an A+ on my imaginary report card. Brent was of course by my side, cheering me on. This went on for over an hour and at 5:40 pm on May 16, two days before my expected due date, my beautiful baby boy Kiaan Amir Gebhart popped out of me, 7 lbs 8 oz and 21 inches long. The nurse put him on my chest and he lifted his head to look at me! His Aji & Ajoba came over to meet him and he even said “hi” to them (video for more at the 0:17 mark)! His bilirubin levels were a little high so he had to be under the blue lights for two days but three days later we were discharged and ready to go home to meet his Yoshi dog!
And now for the joke I promised.
“Knock knock!”
“Who’s there?”
“Kiaan.”
“Kiaan who?”
“Kiaan I come out now?”
