When love is born

“You’re doing so great! No..no! You can’t give up now! Just a little more! PUSHH!!!”

Dalam kekalutan & panik, antara takut & berani, antara sakit yg sudah jauh melampaui batas serta keinginan yg tinggi melangit utk melihat hasilnya, antara tangisan & jeritan, dengan sisa-sisa tenaga yg ada & semangat yg mengalahkan panglima perang, ibu-ibu itu berjuang juga melaksanakan amanah Allah padanya… melahirkan anak!

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A minute later, tiba-tiba tersembul kepala bayi. And the whole labour room akan menarik nafas lega (Alhamdulillah! All praises be to Allah!). The worst is over. Selepas kepala berjaya dikeluarkan, bahu, seluruh badan bayi & uri bukanlah masalah yg terlalu rumit. Easy peasy! Sebaik saja seluruh badan bayi dpt keluar dari rahim (Hey,its the Ramadhan babies!) & diletakkan terus di dada mereka, ibu itu akan tersenyum serta-merta …despite the pain, despite the pool of blood,the splashing,the dripping,& even despite the doctors+midwives who were busy trying to pull out the placenta (uri) from their tummy, or doing a taylor’s job down there! Mereka tidak peduli apa-apa lagi. Suddenly, the world doesn’t matter anymore.

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Ketika itulah saya tersedar bahawa rupanya saya sedang menyaksikan salah satu dari kejadian Allah yang paling luar biasa. Kelahiran manusia ke alam dunia. It was such an amazing, magical & miraculous sight.

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The big head

Bhgn atas tengkorak baby bukanlah seketul tulang keras yang bercantum macam kepala kita, tapi terdiri drpd 5 tulang yg kecil-kecil yg belum bercantum. Jadi during birth,tulang-tulang tengkorak baby tu dengan hebatnyer boleh rapat-rapat sampai bertindih-tindih supaya dpt muatkan jugak dlm saluran yg super sempit itu (head moulding). Tak cukup dgn itu, kepala baby juga lembut & flexible, boleh berubah jadi macam2 bentuk (so lpas ni jgn terkejut tengok kepala newborn baby bentuk lonjong/oval serupa macam kepala alien!), it will have no problem returning to the original shape of a normal human being skull within 24 hours! Maha bijaksana Allah menciptakan sedemikian rupa!

“Bukankah Kami menciptakanmu dari air yg hina? Kemudian Kami letakkan dia ke dlm tpt yg kukuh (rahim), sampai waktu yg ditentukan, lalu Kami tentukan (bentuknya), maka Kamilah sebaik-baik penentu.” (Surah Al-Mursalat : ayat 20-23)

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Need a break?
“Did u notice that the uterine contractions come every few minutes? It’s nature’s way to let the mother ‘relax’.” kata midwife itu pada saya. “It’s Allah’s way,” balas saya dlm hati. Masa bersalin, rasa sakit yg melampau itu akan hanya dtg setiap beberapa minit. Jadi selama gap 1-2 minit itu, ibu sempatlah nak tarik nafas panjang & ‘rehat’ sekejap, sebelum menderita semula sakit yg tidak tertanggung & mencabut kewarasan itu. Kalaulah Allah tak tentukan macam tu, sakitnya mungkin tambah lagi 1000 kali ganda, non-stop?! Indeed, Allah is most gracious & most merciful.

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(I can go on & on writing about the miracles at birth that Allah has created, coz everything is just so unbelievable & astonishing, but i’ll stop here =) )

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Bersalin – ‘labour’ kata omputih. Yes, it’s not called ‘labour’ for nothing. Bersalin mmg extremely hard work. Requiring every single bit of physical & mental strength that ever existed. But I have seen the strongest of mothers & the most supportive fathers of all time in the labour room. Ada ibu-ibu yang luar biasa semangatnya, have the highest pain tolerance, tak minta apa2pun ubat tahan sakit (no epidural, no spinal analgesia…nothin), cuma menahan dgn deraian airmata sambil terpaksa bersalin berjam-jam lamanya. These mothers deserve a medal!

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And another medal for the highly supportive fathers who stayed in the labour room with us, (the doctors+midwives) from the beginning to the end.. though it scared them to death to see the splashing+pooling of blood on the floor & their loved one in so much pain.

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After all the impossibles became possibles in the labour room, at the end of the day… it was a time of great syukur & joy!

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Berat mata memandang, berat lagi bahu memikul. Menjadi salah seorang ‘doktor’ bertugas 24 jam di wad bersalin mmg sangat memenatkan (I couldn’t wake up from bed the next day). Ah..tapi siapalah saya berbanding ibu-ibu yang bagaikan Superwoman ini? Selepas mengenali mereka, rasa Superman tu langsung tak layak dpt gelaran Superman! Superman boleh balik kampung.

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Once i heard an American speaker by the name Yusuf Estes bercerita tentang perbualan antara beliau & isterinya:

Yusuf: Tell me,what does it feels like to give birth?
Wife: I can’t explain.
Yusuf: Oo..c’mon. Wouldn’t you even try? Please, coz i wanna know.
Wife: (sigh) Take the tip of your tongue.. got it?
Yusuf: Yup..i’m holdin it.
Wife: Now pull that tongue to the back of your head! How would that feel?
Yusuf: Alright, alright. You win. I got your point. It’s unexplainable!

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Saya tak tahu nak buat kesimpulan. Suffice to say.. All praises be to Allah; Lord of the worlds & my highest salute to all mothers! Pengorbanan sehebat itu hanya layak diberi ganjarannya oleh Allah sendiri & moga bayi-bayi comel itu kelak akan dewasa menjadi pewaris-pewaris risalah Islam sehingga hari qiamat. Ameen.

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19 Ramadhan 1427H

Galway.