An out-and-out cloud nine

We are all familiar with the expression “cloud nine”. Perhaps not self-evident for everyone, but it is so wonderful when you do experience it. I was fortunate enough to land on this cloud nine and greatly enjoy sharing my experience. 

My desire to have children

Ever since childhood, I knew that I wanted to be a mother, no matter what. I was even resolved to adopt a child if I could not conceive in a natural way. At the time, of course, I couldn’t fully appreciate what that would mean. Fortunately, that wasn’t necessary at all, and I became pregnant immediately at my first attempt. I knew that it had been the same for my mother, so I hoped that it would turn out like that for me too. Last year, during our wedding, my husband and I told everyone that we were expecting, and in the meantime, our beautiful son Sem was born on 12 January.

Pregnancy

I literally sailed through my pregnancy. It was only the pregnancy test and the ultrasounds, which showed that I was pregnant, because otherwise I hardly noticed anything in the early stages. Later on in the pregnancy, I experienced some minor ailments, such as fatigue and heartburn, but it was no real hardship. Actually, I was already on that cloud nine before I gave birth – I so enjoyed the kicking and pushing in my belly, and I couldn’t wait to meet our son. Sem also responded quite vigorously whenever my husband or I pressed my belly. These were such precious and fun moments to share. 

Giving birth

Unfortunately, Sem did not want to arrive in week 40, and so labor was induced in week 41. This meant that I had to go to the hospital to deliver my baby, but the staff there was very kind and made me feel very much at ease. After being stuck at a dilation of 4 cm for a really long time, I got an epidural and then suddenly things moved very quickly.

That evening, Sem was born, and I immediately fell in love. It felt so good and wonderful to finally see the face and body of the little man, I had carried in my womb for such a long time. I didn’t want to let go of him and at the same time, I wanted to show him to the whole world. So, we did video calls right away with the whole family to show them our beautiful son. When my husband held Sem, I melted right away! Our most cherished wish had come true, and he was so beautiful! I just couldn’t stop smiling – despite the fact that I was being stitched up at the same time and was really hurting. 

Postpartum

After staying at the hospital for one night, we were allowed to go home on Saturday morning. That same afternoon, my uncles, aunts and cousins came to see our baby. I felt so proud and good that I was ready for the world to bring it on. Every time we had visitors, I felt proud, and people often told me that I was positively radiant.

My recovery also went well, and soon I wanted to undertake all kinds of activities with Sem, to show him the world. I breastfed Sem and I always had to get out of bed at night, but I didn’t mind at all. I actually liked being able to hold Sem, feed him and then cuddle with him for a while. This was such a lovely and intimate period; I really enjoyed it tremendously. 

And what about that cloud?

It is now three months on, and I still enjoy our son immensely. He is such a cheerful, sweet baby and loves smiling all the time. I enjoy every development he goes through and am happy every time he wakes up beaming after his nap. We still cuddle a lot every day and we sing and dance our way through the day. So, as for this cloud nine: we are still sitting on it, and I hope we will remain there for a long time to come!

As a rule, I don’t like clouds in the sky, but this cloud can stay for a while.