My Steemit Handle - Alimamasstory

Thanks for organising this #mynameiswhat contest @steemitachievers, thoroughly enjoyed sharing my story.

This weekend is known as the Easter weekend, whereby we celebrate life and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. A great opportunity for me to share how my Steemit handle- Alimamasstory came about.

The username Alimamasstory is derived from the words Ali-Mama's-Story. Ali is the short form for Aliza, my firstborn's name. When she made me a Mama, I knew my life wouldn't be the same. Life was pretty much focused on myself primarily before she appeared, but I knew when I have babies in the future, my life would have a new calling. And with every new season in life, there will be new surprises and challenges. I personally love to read and write, and I often appreciate others sharing their stories and experiences because many times I find useful and practical tips to maneuver in life. So when I became a Mama, I took it upon myself to share my stories and experiences with hopes that they will benefit and help others.

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But why Alimamasstory?

Yea, why not use my own name instead? I can still use it to share my stories, right? Right. But let me share why Alimamasstory means so much to me.

I remember the moment I broke the news to my husband, Ben. He just came back from work, and I sat him down on our bed with my heart trembling with excitement. I suppose the excitement and nervousness got the best of me because when I was about to tell him the good news, I started laughing. I tried to calm myself down, but just as I tried to speak I laughed again. And because it had gotten so funny Ben started laughing too, not knowing what was coming at him! We spent a good 10 minutes just laughing our guts out before I was able to pull myself together and gave him the good news! Guess the baby's joy had started leaking out, because the name Aliza in Hebrew means 'joyful'.

Captured when I was about four months pregnant.

Pregnancy is a beautiful thing, but it is also a well known mystery. Your body changes, all of a sudden you don't feel like yourself anymore. Every pregnancy is different, so there's no way of really getting a reference, much less comparing your pregnancy with others.

After what seemed like a happy start turned into a tunnel of roller coaster. I started bleeding. Some days lesser, some days more. I remember the first day I bled we rushed to almost every other clinic we knew nearby but the doctors were either away or they were closed. I was so weak from the bleeding I almost fainted. In the end we went to a medical center and the doctor bluntly said that there was no way of telling where the bleeding was and that no doctor will be able to assure and be sure whether my baby would survive. My bleeding lasted over a month. The gynae that I visited was worried because there seemed to be no improvement week after week, and finally he said that if there's no heartbeat by next week and the fetus shrinks, it means the baby didn't make it. He explained that one of the possible reasons for the bleeding was that there might be unknown issues with the pregnancy so the body was trying to do its own termination. I cried a lot and felt so alone. Couldn't even bring myself to tell my family back then. But God had a better plan.

The fateful day came for our next gynae visit, and I could honestly tell that the doctor was anxious and hesitant to do the scan, fearing the worst. He assured me the week before that I was still young and that with proper rest I could still have babies in the future should this baby not make it. But you see, I don't want to lose this baby. "Okay, here's the sac. Let's find your baby... Wow, what do we have here? There's a heartbeat. There's heartbeat! This is a miracle, congratulations! Let's hear the heartbeat, wow that's a strong one!" The doctor was so surprised that his voice almost cracked from his heightened pitch, I kid you not. I teared as I listened to her heartbeat for the first time. Yes, she's our miracle. Since then, we enjoyed the pleasures and happiness of expecting our first child.

This scan was captured when I was about 7 months pregnant. It was the first time seeing her face and she gave the most beautiful smile.

Fast forward to the final weeks of my pregnancy, I started having an uneasy feeling and some occasional bleeding. It wasn't just because Ali's movements started becoming lesser. People around kept assuring me that the baby was growing hence the increasingly lack of frequent fetal movement. No matter how hard I tried to assure myself, I couldn't shake the nagging feeling that something wasn't feeling quite right. I remember praying and asking God if there was something that I should be aware of regarding the pregnancy. He assured me saying, "Don't worry, I'll take care of you and baby. Trust Me."

Trust Me.

The day finally came when it was time for Ali to come out. When we reached the hospital I was already 4cm dilated. It was estimated to be a fast delivery, but for whatever reason the dilation stopped at about 8cm even after the doctor burst the amniotic sac. I was so high from the laughing gas I got a little worried that I couldn't push, but during the final hour when the contractions were intense I ended up pushing for almost half an hour. Nothing. The medical team could already see the crown of Ali's head, and everybody knew I pushed with all my might. But for some unknown reason it felt like she was stuck. I remember the look on my gynae's face the moment he checked the screen. I asked him what was happening and he told me that I started bleeding a lot and Ali's heart rate was dropping. Trying to put on a brave face, he said "Don't worry, I'll help you." He then instructed the nurse to reel in the vacuum, and after a few contractions and pushes, Ali came out with a loud cry. Hallelujah, praise the LORD!

After they took Ali away to be cleaned and weighed, out of curiosity I asked my doctor to show me my placenta. I had never seen an actual one before. It was then that the doctor found out there was an apparent tear to the placenta, hence the bleeding and rapid drop of baby's heartbeat. Apparently, the placenta started detaching itself before Ali made her way out. It is also known as Placental Abruption. Premature separation of the placenta from the uterine lining can cause excessive bleeding and abnormalities on baby heart rate, both of which can cause death to both mother and baby. Thank God the doctor was quick to act. And thank God for keeping His promise to protect us.

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Sometimes I'd look back and reminisce the moment of our brush with death, and I give thanks for God's goodness and faithfulness towards our lives. Truly, He keeps His Words and always comes through, even at times it may seem like the most undesirable situations.

This may sound like too heavy of a reason for a supposedly light hearted topic such as this, but it's the reason I'm happy to use this username. I get to be reminded of how good it is for my joy to be full because my good, good Father has preserved us. It is because of Him that we get to enjoy our little girl and watch her grow. It is also a good reason to share this story today since it's Easter Sunday as we celebrate the risen King, the One who is the Way, the Truth and the Life.

art and flair courtesy of @PegasusPhysics