Ezra, 15 May, 2017 00:01 
 

The day Ezra arrived is one I will never forget, because it was Mothers Day. That morning, we went to an indoor market with his siblings. I walked a lot and climbed three flights of stairs, while joking that this exercise would trigger birth. We were lying on the sofa in the evening, when I felt the urge to pee. After returning from the toilet, I felt a strong downwards pressure, followed by a loud “explosion” and water flowing down my clothes. I knew immediately that it was about that time. I called our doula and described what happened; she said to get to the hospital right away. By that time, I started having contractions. At first they were tolerable and I could time the intervals myself, but as we had to rush to the hospital suddenly and with two siblings in tow, I let my husband count.

The hospital was a 45 minute drive from home, but I think our driver made it in 30, which still seems like an eternity when you are curled up on the back seat. At the hospital, the staff was waiting for our arrival and quickly helped me on to a stretcher and into the delivery room. By then I was already 7 CM dilated. My husband, the staff, and especially our doula were amazing in the delivery room, most of the time offering advice, support and encouragement, so much that I would almost forget the pain of contractions. Ezra was born in less than 2 hours from the time I had the very first sign of labor! Our stay in the hospital was pleasant all the way through. We are very grateful for the support received at Baijia Hospital and sincerely thank all the staff for their service.
Barbara Maite , Netherlands