Having a Son in Edmonton
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By Lili Qin
Would you like to pursue a dream in new surroundings? Is it exciting, hard or scary? When I became an immigrant, first thing that I did was to have a baby in Edmonton.
The smell of a sandwich from Subway was floating in the air while my husband had his lunch. But I had had nothing to eat for 19 hours. I could not eat and drink, in preparation for my operation. Lying on the hospital bed, I felt that the baby in my body moving was less. I was so weak from hunger that I had no strength to think.
The only thing that we could do was wait. The next doctor was planning to do the surgery for me at 12 PM. But at noon, I didn’t get any information from him. When waiting for time passing, I had the beautiful longing of having a new baby, struggling with my empty stomach.
When I was sleepy again, my husband sat on my bed, fingering my hair, “How about reviewing the English words that would be used in the operating room?” he said, “There is no interpreter available for us.” Oh, my bad English! It was a big deal! We picked up the list of the words and practiced them.
It was 6 PM. My doctor, followed by another doctor, appeared in front of me. He told us that he was off duty that day, so I was transferred to this doctor who was from China and spoke the same language as me. We talked to her in Mandarin fluently and excitedly. She said that the operating room was very busy that day, because there were some emergencies. But my turn was coming at 7 PM.
In the operating room, I found an experienced nurse who could speak Mandarin too. The doctor, anaesthetists, and nurses were busy, preparing for my surgery. Sitting on the operating table, I was nervous. However, I tried to relax. There were many warm faces around me. Their voices were tired, but still gentle. They all were interested in the gender of my baby. When I came to Canada, I had been pregnant for 7 months. The ultrasound failed to tell the gender. We expected a boy, but it was still a riddle.
When the anaesthetic was injected in my body, I lost all feeling and consciousness. During the operation, I heard the nurse’s voice: “A boy.” At the same time, I knew that all of the people in this room were working for me, and my husband was sitting behind me. I felt sleep again. Our happiness showed through the smiles on our faces.
As I play with my little son that Edmonton brought to me, a bright May morning shine covering our faces, I feel that I can touch happiness after bearing a lot.
