welcome home...

'Adilah as she is now...


'Adilah bt Ayoib-photo taken by a professional photographer, 2 hours after she was borned at the hospital.




Just got back from performing Umrah in Mecca and Medina. I've got a lot things to say here, share my stories with you all but today is my eldest daughter's birthday, Adilah. She was borned in the USA, twenty years ago at Heinemann Hospital, Philadelphia, ten minutes before the break of fast, 11 Ramadhan, 1988. I was a 2nd year student at that time, a very naive and young mother (only 22) who had no experience handling babies. My husband whose knowledge about this was also nil was the only helper I had. My 44 days handling adilah in the US was disasterous, unorganised and turbulent.I didn't really take care about myself because I was fully focused my time on her.

'Adilah was a'crying baby' She cried almost all the time except when she was sleeping. Fortunately, right after she was borned, my mum told me through a telephone conversation that she wanted to take care of my baby. I don't know what to say but I knew that it was difficult to raise her alone as my husband was really'numb' about this. I could rely on him. How am I going to class and pursuit my study? So, I had to accept the offer.

And, I flew to LA using United Airlines from Philadelphia on the 45th day of my confinement. Everyone told me that I was brave to travel alone with my little baby to Malaysia. Well, I had no choice. I had to do it. My husband and Ust Md Nur Manuty were the only people who sent me to the airport. I felt like crying because it's a very difficult task for me to do and I had to do it on my own.

It was a long transit in LA airport, about 6 hours. I had to board off the plane and took MAS in LA. I was quite scared that my baby would be stolen that even when I went to the toilet, I had to take adilah with me. And she crying loudly as usual. God only knew how helpless I felt at that time.

Once, we were on MAS, i felt a little secure but the man who sat next to me was a Jew. I was very fortunate because he was kind enough to order a glass of milk from the air stewardess for me because he knew that that i kept on breastfeeding my baby and because of that i became thirsty easily. He even changed seat after that because he did not want me to feel embarassed feeding my baby.

After 9 hours journey from LA to Kl, we reached Subang International Airport and my father was already waiting for me. How relieved I was. And later I discovered, my parents in laws were willing to take care of my baby too because my mother was still
working as a teacher at that time. so, after some negotiations, Adilah was put under the care of her paternal grandparents. And, I took her back after my husband and I completed our degree in 1989.

And that's the end of the story....Hmm....