Love, Laughter and a Big Baby

 

In the first week of February, Dr. Robert told us that the baby looked big and I might need a C-section. But as first-time parents, we really hoped for a normal birth.

We kept waiting, but the baby didn’t show any signs of wanting to come out. No contractions at all. When the doctor checked, the baby was still far from the birth canal. So we went for a second opinion with Dr. Hidayat near our house. He said the baby might still move down, but it could take another week. We had to be patient. Maybe OB was just happy inside Mommy’s tummy, being rocked around all the time!

On February 12, we went for another check-up. Still the same—baby was not ready. The doctor said we could keep waiting, but OB was getting bigger. He already weighed 4.4 kg—crazy, right? I actually felt a bit embarrassed because we had postponed the surgery that was supposed to happen that day.

Alex still wanted to wait a few more days, hoping for a normal birth. But I felt it was impossible—the baby was just too big. Finally, Alex agreed. I was admitted to the hospital on February 15 and scheduled for surgery the next morning at 7 AM. What a relief—finally, it was happening!

That afternoon we ate Italian food in Kemang—what was the name of the place again? I forgot! Since we still hoped for a natural birth, we even looked for aromatherapy oils that a friend said might help start contractions. Just in case something happened before Tuesday.

February 15, 2005

• 7:00 PM: We had dinner and got ready to leave. I washed my hair so I’d be clean for the delivery. I wore white pants and a pink sweater.
• 8:00 PM: Arrived at Medistra and checked in.
• 8:15 PM: Taken to the 5th floor. I overheard a nurse telling someone the curtain hadn’t been changed yet—what was that about? But the night view of Jakarta was beautiful.
• 10:30 PM: My mom, dad, Andre, Imong, and Uncle Ais came.
• 11:30 PM: They all left.
• 11:35 PM: Alex went to sleep at Cris’s house. I was alone. A nurse came to help shave and remove my nail polish.
• 12:00 AM: No more food or drink allowed.
• 1:00 AM: I still couldn’t sleep. Nurses came in and out to check on me.

February 16, 2005

• 5:00 AM: I woke up, went to the bathroom, and took a shower.

• 5:30 AM: A nurse asked, “Are you ready?” Alex came back. I was wheeled to the operating room while he was still busy looking for hot water for tea.

• 5:45 AM: I was alone. Dr. Robert hadn’t arrived yet. Mas Tomo peeked in, holding a bottle of tea. I looked for Alex, but I was taken inside. The lights were so bright. Where was Alex? The anesthesiologist came to inject my back. It was freezing. They placed a green cloth over my stomach. I felt weird and half-awake.

• 6:11 AM: OB was born—4.9 kg! Dr. Robert said, “There’s no way this baby could’ve come out normally!”

• 6:15 AM: I kissed OB after he was cleaned up. I was so groggy I could barely feel anything.

• 8:30 AM: I woke up in the recovery room. My nose was itchy—I asked the nurse to scratch it, but he didn’t help.

• 10:30 AM: I was wheeled into the room. I told the nurse I didn’t want anyone in the room because I was tired. Only Mom and Alex stayed.

• 11:00 AM: OB was brought in. My baby was so cute! His toes were perfect, and he had three little fat dots on his nose. Thank you, Jesus, for a healthy baby.

We tried breastfeeding, but no milk came out. Magda and Elin came. Alex went home but returned in the evening. Mona, Nova, and Arta also visited—OB’s first guests! The orange curtain in the room was too bright, so Mona suggested we change it.

Mom and Arta went downstairs to arrange the curtain replacement or maybe even a room change. OB cried loudly—Mona held him. We moved to a different room, still on the same floor but on the other wing. It was more comfortable with soft green curtains.

Alex came back. More guests arrived later: Bude, Peni, Magda, Elin, Tante Onci, and many others.
At night: Andri and his beautiful girlfriend, the Sopacua family from Cijantung, the Likumahuwa family from Cibubur, Kak Ida, Om Agus, and Tante Ida.

Robert Renjana Korns was born weighing 4.9 kg (!!) and 53 cm long. “No way he could’ve been born naturally,” said the doctor. It was a local anesthesia, but I still felt so dizzy and weak. I woke up around 9:30 and was still being monitored.

The first 2 hours after birth are very critical, according to what I read, so I had to stay under doctor’s care. When I got back to the room, I was still half-asleep. At 10:30 (I could see the wall clock in front of the bed), OB was brought in to try breastfeeding. I also wanted to see what a 4.9 kg baby looked like!

My baby was soooo cute! Chubby like a steamed bun! Maybe it was because I always ate buns in the afternoon. It was funny—the man selling buns used to wait at our gate every day, calling out, but ever since OB was born, he never came back.

We wanted OB to stay in the same room with me so we could learn breastfeeding together, but it wasn’t always easy. The crying was loud—it sounded just like his dad’s voice!

It was hard to find a name. Robert was from Alex’s uncle (not Dr. Robert!). "Renjana" is a Sanskrit word that means love.

There’s an interesting story behind his middle name. Two days after the birth, we were still in the hospital trying to decide. It was me, Alex, Mom, Tante Onci, Andre, Andri, and his girlfriend Reta (so pretty!).

We had agreed on "Andrea" before, but then Alex texted me saying no—because in America, Andrea is a girl’s name. But in Europe, it’s for boys! Still, we dropped it.

Alex kept trying ideas. “How about Andre without the A?” But Robert Andre Korns sounded weird. Rejected.
Then he tried “Andreas”—but I said it sounded too harsh.
“How about Robert Sopacua Korns?” I said no—that’s a family name, not a middle name.
We almost gave up—what were we gonna name him, Robert OB Korns?!

Tante Onci said “Frederek,” but no one responded. Then suddenly, Mom said, “How about a Sanskrit name? Renjana—it means love.”
Surprisingly, Alex agreed right away. And that’s how OB got his name: Robert Renjana Korns.

Let’s hope he doesn’t grow up to be a playboy—hahaha!