Wednesday (October 14th 2009) morning 3 o'clock Li Yan's water broke... so I asked if she was sure her water broke and yes I saw it did. So we got dressed, took our bags and walked downstairs. Since it was hard for Li Yan to walk, she went to sit with the guard and I ran to the main road to take a taxi. Five minutes later we were on the way to our new life. During the taxi ride I asked Li Yan what she thought it would be, be she kindly returned the question and so I said girl since everyone is saying boy.
We arrived pretty fast since there was no traffic. In the hospital we asked were we had to go to and he said to go and pay first. So we went to the cashier but there was nobody. I went to find someone and got the person to follow me to Li Yan. After asking where to pay the person knocked very loud on the cashier's window and a sleepy voice asked what was going on. We paid something around 2 euros and the sleepy man told us to go to the emergency room.
We arrived there but again nobody to see. So we started knocking on doors and finally one woman asked why she was been woken up. In a sleepy and annoyed voice she said she had nothing to do with this and we had to go to the second floor. So off we went.
Again we saw an empty hallway and started knocking on doors. The third sleepy voice asked what was going on. And after Li Yan told what happened she directed us to the first floor to wait there for her. So we had finally found the right person that could examen Li Yan. So her conclusion was... "your water broke you will have to go to the other side of the hospital to the sixth floor". But of course first we had to go and pay for the birth. You have to bring cash in China cause the ask you to pay 300 euros up front. What would they do if you don't pay... push the baby back into the womb?
So on a hospital bed we went to the famous sixth floor. The elevator door opened and Li Yan disappeared after two doors... forbidden for non pregnant people to enter. There I was surrounded by a nervous walking-up-and-down daddy-to-be, a snorry man and two older women. So there was nothing else to do than to go and sit on the bag with the baby clothes... nice and soft.
About an hour later and nurse came to ask for my cellphone and so my last contact with the outside world disappeared. I still didn't contact my director to say that we would not make it the coming days.
At around 7 o'clock, the sun was rising, I finally got my phone back and still didn't know what was going on! But relief came when ten minutes later the doctor told me to put on a doctor's coat and slippers. I could go and see my wife and maybe my baby?
So there she was, my wife, in a bed doing nothing. Her water broke 4 hours before but there were no contractions yet. We talked for about ten minutes and I had to leave again. In the meanwhile new nurses and doctors had arrived and told me not to sit so close to the exit. So there was an option to sit on terrible plastic benches or sitting on the stairs... so well I choose to sit on the stairs and wait. The communication between my wife and myself was going through writing notes and a nurse/postwoman delivering them. On one of the notes it said that her mom would arrive and she would call me when she was at the entrance. So two hours went by and finally Li Yan's mom arrived. I was not 'alone' anymore, but still there was noone to communicate with because my Chinese is limited and when she talks to me she talks so fast that I don't get a word. I felt lucky with my fellow teachers who kept on sending me text messages to ask how it was going and so they kept me busy. And with her mom being there I could at least have breakfast.
After a little bit the nurse came back and asked for a cell phone again, but this time I gave my wife's so at least there was communication possible between us! We called and she told me that I would be able to see here again soon. A little later I could put my jacket on again and go back in. Li Yan had been moved to a different waiting room but now she was all alone in there and so it felt a little less like a factory but still weird with all the empty beds around her. She told me that if after a few hours there were still no contractions the doctor would induce. And she also mentioned that her mom and I should go and have lunch. So off we went to a small restaurant. Mom told me I had to order and so I did ask for two of my favorite dishes. I wanted to eat but didn't at the same time. Anyway the food was terrible and it was way too expensive.
On the way back to the hospital we stopped for some dumplings that the mother-to-be had asked for (yes food you have to bring yourself in Chinese hospitals). We gave them to the nurse who passed them on. In the meanwhile they had induced the labour with a shot and an IV. And I had received the news that I would soon be able to see here... after only two hours. So time went by on the stairs... untill three o'clock. I was already pretty good at putting on the doctor's jacket! Now they had moved my wife to a private waiting room and they let me stay there the entire time. As time went by contractions were closer and more painful. The drip slowly dripped and we waited and waited untill the drip was done. The opening was way too small and contractions stopped coming. In the meanwhile it was about six in the evening and they had the good news that it was resting time.
So on a bed the was being transferred to the third floor into a room and what a room! The room was 30 degrees and no wind. No if you think this is bad... I forgot to mention that there were five more beds in this room and five baby beds and five chairs. Babies crying, moms talking loudly to grandmas! If you could describe hell, well this would be one way! So I went to the shop to buy some cold coke and water. Big surprise when I came back... my wife was having natural contractions and my mother in law was 'fanning' her with a piece of paper. So I took over and drank my two cold cokes at the same time. The contractions were more painful then before and I could tell cause she was holding my hand! Soon after the doctor came by, and I will have to mention this was a male doctor, to examine her. His diagnotic was that she would have to rest for the night and tomorrow it would be time for another induction. Sure just take a rest when you are having natural contractions that are about 3 minutes away from each other.
About 15 minutes later Li Yan told me she could not stand the pain anymore and as the doctor was not hopeful nor helpful she told me she wanted to have a operation. But as she always wanted to have a natural birth I told her to wait two hours because I had the feeling that the baby was not that far away. I never believed in the 'doctor' that never gave birth himself. So time went by and the contractions because more painful. And with those temperatures the cokes were empty soon. So luckily my in law bought me some more. After about two hours in hell another doctor decided that it was time for Li Yan to go back up to the sixth floor. We were happy, relieved and Li Yan was painful. These are the kind of situations where you learn new words in Chinese, the one I learned was pain!
So there we were on the sixth floor, soon enough Li Yan dissapeared behind the doors again. The nurse on door duty told us that we needed two diapers, a baby hat, a baby shirt and little blanket. Together with this we needed to give her a bar of chocolate and you won't believe it... a can of red bull! Soon enough we gave the nurse what she asked for and she left to see Li Yan. Not even two minutes after that I could put on my doctor's jacket again and followed the doctor in. There was my wife on a bed in a room with five other beds. It seamed like a very calm day. The contractions came sooner and harder. Regular checks told us that the opening was still to small but at around 9:40 the nurse checked and told me "you go". It was time for my baby to come and I could not see this. But I was already fortunated that I could hold Li Yan's hand in the waiting room since I was the only one allowed apart from pregnant women and staff!
So I walked out the doors and told my in-law that the baby was on the way but I did not know when. So it was my turn to walk up and down as I was nervous. But then only 20 minutes (at 10:08 pm) later the doctor came to tell me: "It's a girl"! But nothing to see. I started to send text messages to all the people that supported me that day and told them that Caroline Lambert was born. Soon enough the doctor came back with a beautiful newborn daughter. Six people came to look and all said that she looks like me. But where was my wife? Her mom told me something and I did not get it. 20 minutes later she told me again and I finally understood that I had to wait two hours see them again...
I had to share the news with my folks, but it was almost eleven and did not have an international phone card. So I went out on the street to find one but guess what... most of the shops were closed. Then I called a friend to ask for his Skype account so that I could spend his money to call home. There was this internet bar I went in and in my best Chinese I got them to understand that I needed skype so they tried to install it but no luck. They tried several time and again no luck. How could I tell my parents? So I was walking back and noticed a foreigner with a laptop in a hostel as I went in I explained him the situation and he told me he could help. With his iphone I could use skype. I dialed the number but the connection was so bad that my dad only understood daughter. But wasn't that the only thing he needed to hear?
