Reminisce with me...18 of Safar 1424 (April 20, 2003)

Asalaam alaikum,
last night i looked up and realized that amirah's Islamic birthday had just past. where is MY head?..in the clouds right now..anywhoo...Amirah Imani was born the 18th of Safar 1424. the Islamic calendar is a lunar calendar and moves up the Gregorian calendar. and the year for the Islamic calendar started from the year when the prophet Muhammad (saws) moved from his home Mecca to a new city, Medina, and started the first Islamic community. that was 1427 years ago..!! wow.

anywhoo.....that weekend i was feeling extremely pregnant. i had walked around the block the day before, feeling slight back pain all day, but ignoring it. i was only 32 weeks pregnant, amirah was due on the 1st. (that was a joke..that date moved twice from when i was FIRST told my due date...basically doctor's know lil compared to ALLAH(swt) ) Saturday night as i layed in bed my back began to KILL me. i just KNEW i wasn't in labor, i couldn't be. my maternal grandmother has JUST passed and i WANTED to be at that funeral. i NEEDED to say goodbye. well i planned but allah(swt) is the best of planners and that day...we were totally on HIS schedule.

at fajr time on Sunday i was in complete denial. i woke up my DH for prayer but KNEW i could only focus on the pain i was experiencing. SO i called the doulah..she was like..how do you fee?time the contractions, eat a meal, call me back. around 10 am i got my DH up, dressed and out for a walk. i wanted to walk that baby down and out. i did NOT want to be sent home from the hospital cuz my labor stalled.

after our walk around the playground i came back inside and called the doctor while my DH took a shower. NOW this is not a small even. my DH, though i love him dearly has O.C.D when it comes to showers. his average shower is 30 minutes long PLUS it takes another 30 minutes to dry off, lotion up and get dressed. maybe i should say 'easily distracted'..cuz if sports are on..which they were that makes it about an hour and a half to get ready.
i digress...so i've called the doctor, she's like..come in NOW. i'm like..i'm not ready..but my body..and my child, both in allah(swt)'s hands..are ready to go. FIRST we had to stop off to get some things..so buy time we are ON our way to the hospital..i'm in REAL pain, or feeling lot's of pressure. it's unfortunate at this time that my DH can't find his way out of a BOX. this was not the greatest time for me to give directions but non the less we got there.

in triage i as 5 centimeters. i could do 5 cm..no prob. OH..if you don't know by now. i had a natural birth plan. NO drugs whatsoever, no fetal monitors, no I.V.'s, no intervention. well let's say i had no drugs. they did strap me to the bed and i had to have an I.V. due to 'group b strep'. but non the less it was a good birth. believe in the 'ring of fire'..it's real and it hurts. pushing through it was a problem BECAUSE OF the pain. but i pulled thru it..amirah was born at 6:32 the 18th of Safa 1424. my lil bean was a real screamer. alhumdulillah she almost caused my DH to pass OUT at the sight of her, dimples and all.

i thank Allah(swt) everyday for her and the blessings that came with her. I NOW ask allah(swt) for the strength to raise her as a pious muslimah. amirah..the NEXT American's TOP Muslimah.
insha~allah.... we'll see