Birth Story: Layla D. Williams
‘Operation: Evict Baby’ was in full effect July 31, 2017. It was, however, a little too successful. The plan was to walk one or two miles per day. But, a couple of hours after walking a mile around a pond, the contractions started to come while watching how to induce labor naturally videos on Youtube. For a couple of hours, we thought that it was false labor because they stopped after she laid down. The contractions were about 3–5 minutes apart. She had 17 in one hour and DIDN’T SAY A WORD TO ME
Not. One. Word.
She called her doctor and they told her to go to sleep and see if anything is still going on when she awakens.
The next morning, while I was out shopping for baby clothes in a far away land (don’t ask), I received a call that the soon to be mother was in pain and needed to either head to the doctor or the hospital. Good thing for her, she made the right decision to head to the hospital. I would show up 15 minutes after she arrived, but so much happened between that the time she called and the time I arrived.
Layla: on the phone I’m in pain, I need to go to the doctor.
Me: Is everything okay?
Layla: … I’m in pain.
Me: They have a lot more things on sale at this Target.
Layla: I’m trying to tell you I’m in pain and you’re telling me about clothes. Why are you shopping at Target this early in the morning?
Me: They’re on clearance and the other two Targets were cleaned out.
Layla: I’m going to have my mother or my brother take me to the hospital.
Oh my G-d! What is this stuff?!Her brother let us know that he was secretly panicking and was hoping their mother would be able to get her
Me: What size clothes do we need for the baby?
Layla: We need some more 3–6 month clothes.
Me: We needed more socks to, right?
Layla: Yes.
At this point in time, she doesn’t realize she’s being kept distracted intentionally even though she’s having contractions.
Layla: Lawd. My mother is here and I’m still in a t-shirt!
Me: Alright dear, go ahead and get dressed and head to the hospital. I’ll meet you there, In shaa Allaah (God willing), after I finish getting the clothes.
Her mother comes upstairs and takes one look at her and decides that she’s not going to the doctor’s office; she’s going to Labor & Delivery. Someone please tell me why my dear wife was still trying to get something to eat out of the kitchen? I understand she hadn’t eaten, but come on now.
Layla’s Mother: No, let’s go. She will probably be here in time for lunch.
Layla: blank look on her face This is probably nothing. They’re just going to send me back home.
Yay! Daddy!later in triage…
Layla: I need to go to the bathroom now or I’m going to go all over this bed.
Me: Okay, let me get your nurse.
Layla: I NEED TO GO NOW!
hears woman screaming at the top of her lungs down the hall
Me: She sounds like she’s about to murder someone.
Layla: TAJ! (it means His Royal Highness)
Me: Okay, okay…
looks at all of the connections to the different machines
Me: Yea … let me get the nurse.
Layla: death stare
Me: calls nurse … quickly!
Layla: This hurts. I have to hurry.
five minutes later from walking 10 feet to the bathroom
Layla: I didn’t have to go.
Me: …
I woke up like this.…after doing the Cupid Shuffle back to the bed in record time…
Layla: Something doesn’t feel right.
looks down and sees the sack hanging out
Me: Yea, you’re right.
watches water break in slow motion
Me: Oh, by the way, your water just broke.
Layla: OMG, is she coming now?!
Nurse: Yes. You are fully dilated.
Layla: Shit!
Me: dying laughing
She doesn’t remember saying this because she said it during a contraction, but it is still hilarious to me. Between her water breaking and the actual birth of our daughter, fifteen minutes may have gone by.
The infamous Harrison cranky face
Nurse: If you feel like you need to push, just push.
Layla: I don’t feel like it.
Nurse: Okay, I’m just letting you know that it’s okay. The resident doctor is here while your doctor is on the way.
Layla’s inner dialogue: “I ain’t at no 10 centimeters. I’m not having a baby yet. It doesn’t even hurt. It’s too early anyway.”
Doctor: sees the baby’s head
Doctor: Alright, push.
Layla: Are you serious?
After two series of pushes, the baby comes out crying with her eyes wide open. Between her water breaking and the baby being born was 15 minutes.
Layla Diya Williams was born on August 1, 2017 at 11:04 AM. 6 lbs 15 oz and 20.5 inches long.
In the voice of Golem: My precioussssss. I mean, my lovely daughter.
❤Note: Okay, I lied. Taj doesn’t mean His Royal Highness. It’s my Muslim name. She prefers to call me by that. It means ‘crown’ in Arabic
Bonus: *24 hrs later*
baby not feeding after binge feeding all night almost every other hour
Me: I’m pretty sure if you squirt her in the eye, she’ll wake up.
Layla: Bruh…