Getting Past the Hump

It's almost 3 AM now. 4 hours ago, the new nurse Erin measured Wafa to be 4 cm dilated, so we thought the "hard part" was done. Not the case. The contractions have been frequent and steady, but lower, meaning that instead of the usual high-80s to lower 100s range, it's dropped down to the 60s and 70s levels. Also, once Wafa reached 4 cm, she was supposed to continue to dilate 1 cm per hour. Erin just did another check, and there has been no progress on the dilation at all for the last 4 hours. InshaAllah khayr... and at the same time, ya Saatir...

We listened to Al-Husary recite Soorat Ya-Seen and I recited along. That was soothing for Wafa, me and 3amty. SubhaanAllah, we knew what we were in for in this process, but when things don't go right, our human side shows and that's the test: patience.

Wafa is taking long breaths to get through the pain of contractions. SubhaanAllah she can handle the "harder pains" easier than the lighter pains for whatever reason.

3amty is nervous, I can tell. She's doing her best not to show it, but when you're in the same room with someone for almost a full day, you can tell when their guard is down and true emotions are showing. But she still has a smile on her face and acting normal, all to keep her baby Wafa calm. SubhaanAllah how Allah (swt) designed the circle of life. 3amty is watching her baby have a baby.

I put a cloth on Wafa's forehead with some small ice chips on her forehead. "You're awesome!" she said quietly, almost sounding weak. But I know she's saving her strength for the contractions.

Today is a blessed day for my family, but it's also blessed for the Ummah of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) for the day of 3ashuraa. Also, it's raining outside. No lightning, just good old-fashion rain, constant. So our dua has been constant.

We had read that the dua of a woman in labor is accepted, so Wafa compiled a list of duas from her friends that they asked of her. SubhaanAllah, in a painful time when most women would be thinking only about themselvesr and the baby - though these days, it seems that most women are only thinking about themselves - the woman Allah (swt) has chosen to be my wife is thinking about others during this, literally the hardest moment in her life. Alhamduillah, I'm so grateful! It really is a glorious sight seeing the woman you love with all your heart, mind, and soul humbling herself to the Accepter of Prayers and The Listener. She's been at it for the last half hour, and I'm just watching in admiration.

All I can do is hold her hand during the contractions, outside the contractions, rub her back, and make her as comfortable as possible. She likes to know the level of contraction when it happens so I keep my eye on the monitor for her to tell her. I've never seen so much strength in a human being with my own eyes. You hear such stories, but it's something entirely new when you see it for yourself. Such courage, such elegance, and she did it all with a smile.

"That was the most comfortable I've been," she just said. She just finished making dua. And she wasn't done. She asked me and 3amty for any dua requests. The only one i have right now is for a good job in my field. 3amty asked for her continuous guidance on As-Siraat Al-Mustaqeem, the best ending (7usn al-khaatim), and I concurred. Wafa continues to make dua.