My Birthing Kwento

Hello guys! I’m back with a bouncing and cute chubby baby girl! She was born August 1, 2006, via normal delivery (and proud to say, no EPIDURAL or any anesthesia whatsoever! talagang pure mmmmmppppphhhhhh!!!!) at Binan Doctors Hospital. She weighs 6.8lbs and is about 19 inches long. Hay ang sarap at ang saya pala maging mommy! at ang hirap! can you imagine wala pa kong matinong tulog since she was born? but no regrets, nothing at all. i love it that she demands milk from me (as i am purely breastfeeding) atleast every hour but it just gets frustrating when i know i don’t have that much milk yet (i’ll write a separate post about my breastfeeding kwento hehehe….)… so without further ado, here’s my hourly account of what happened on that special day when Gabby was born….

6:30am – as per my OB’s advise during my last pre-natal visit the day before my delivery, i need to go back to the hospital at 8am the next day and have myself admitted since i am already 1 cm dilated. so at around 630am, Richard and I got up, took a bath, had breakfast (my last meal for the day) and waited for our sundo. I don’t feel painful contractions yet at this time (although there are occassional contractions already). Just that my big tummy is getting heavier by the minute and the pressure is getting heavier on my perrineal area.

830am – arrived at the hospital and went straight to the ER as per my OB’s advise. nurses were probably wondering what i’m doing there since i don’t look like i’m about to give birth soon. so para mawala ang pagtataka nila, i gave them my admitting order and have them call my OB. so they did, and got my blood pressure and have me lie on the hospital bed. one of the doctors there did an IE on me and said that i’m still 1 cm dilated (well i thought i was about 3 cm that time since as per my OB, the cervix dilates 1 cm every 5 hrs, apparently, the latent phase can take a week long so i’m probably 1 cm dilated since last week! LOL). so after the IE, they hook me to an IV and let me take Buscopan (to probably induce me).

930am – i was wheeled to the labor room. Richard wasn’t allowed to come with me so he has to stay in our room. the nurses asked me to change to a lab gown and had me lie in the bed. my OB is there already and did an IE on me (again!). I’m already 1-2cm dilated. no bloody show yet. i was hooked to a fetal monitor to monitor my contractions and the baby’s heartbeat. contractions are strong, yet still painless.

1130am – the nurses are continually monitoring my contractions. after another IE (i am 3-4cm dilated at this time), i got the bloody show. they have this flat napkin naman in my bed that i have to lie to para di matagusan yung bed e. there are times na i need to pee, sinasamahan naman ako ng nurse dun. i can still walk my way to the CR and refuse to use the bed pan. they don’t really encourage walking there (as opposed to what the pregnancy books are recommending that you do during labor).

1pm – by this time, i am already 4-5cm dilated. My OB ruptured my water bag artificially by inserting a long thin wooden stick (looks like a barbeque stick to me LOL) into my perinneal area (aka the vagina – LOL). hindi naman sya talaga masakit, uncomfortable lang (syempre, ikaw na ang pasukan ng stick sa toottoot mo hehehe). di naman ako nagkalat sa bed kasi nilagyan nila ako ng bedpan para tagasalo nung tubig. as in madaming tubig pala sya hehehe…. after that, nilinisan naman ako nung nurse tapos shi-nave yung lower part ng toottoot ko. sabi ng OB ko, it’s almost time. malapit na kasi nabreak na ang water bag e. mas mabilis ng bababa si baby. this was the hardest part of the labor though. dito ko na nafeel yung strong contractions. as in PAINFUL contractions. alam mo ba yung feeling na na-e-LBM ka na may dismenorrhea ka? tipong ganun na para kang nauutot – LOL. as in habang patagal ng patagal e pasakit ng pasakit ang contractions.

3pm – because of the VERY VERY PAINFUL contractions, i begged the nurses fo a pain reliever. pero i feel na parang they don’t want to give me any ksi every time magrereklamo ako sasabihin nila “inhale lang tapos exhale tuwing may contractions”. nakakatulong naman yun pero habang iniisip ko yung contractions, talagang sumasakit sya. sabi ng OB ko epidural is too late na daw (duh!!! ehehehe). so she just gave me a sedative. which is actually USELESS since i can still the pain after they injected me with it. i was asking the nurse how long it will take effect. talagang pang-sedate lang sya. pampatulog lang. i was sleeping in between the painful contractions.

4pm – since medyo sleepy ako, and in so much pain, all i could remember at this time was my OB instructing me to practice pushing. sabi nya, push daw sa pwet (which is really hard!). tapos, they wheeled me na to the delivery room, got me into the pushing position, tapos practice ulit yung pag-ire. this time, naririnig ko yung OB ko instructing the nurses to get my husband na kasi malapit na ako magdeliver. they were actually waiting for him bago umpisahan ang actual pushing. tapos ayun, nakakatulog ulit ako dahil sedated nga ako, pero masakit pa din ang pakiramdam ng contractions, tapos biglang naramdaman ko na lang na may dumagan sakin na lalaki — he was so HEAVY!!! sya pala yung tutulong na ipush ang baby papalabas ng tyan ko. tinitingnan ko yung mga tao sa paligid ko and then i heard Richard’s voice telling me na “kaya mo yan….. malapit na lumabas si baby” then i heard my OB saying PUSH tapos hold it for about 1-10 seconds … sobrang mahirap mag-push believe me….. kasi kailangan mong ihold yung breath mo habang nagpupush e… nalalaman nila kapag nagrerelease ako ng hininga…. kasi syempre nava-vaccuum in ang head ni baby hehehe…. kaya, sabi ni Richard, yung OB ko imbes daw na ako ang sabihan ng PUSH e yung taong dumadagan na lang sakin kasi nga mukhang nahihirapan ako kasi humahaba na daw ang ulo ni baby hehehe….. i heard a “swoosh” sound and i figured that’s when my OB did an episiotomy (hiwa) so yun, after a few more attempts, nailabas ko na din si baby (around 5pm) tapos narinig ko “baby girl!”. Richard was able to video my delivery pero nung pagka-labas na pagkalabas na lang ni baby. Tapos sinundan na lang nya yung nurse na kumuha kay baby dun sa may area kung saan lilinisan si baby. Before ako tuluyan makatulog, i think inistitch ako pero di ko talaga maramdaman. di sya masyado masakit (compared to the pushing — the episiotomy and stitches are nothing)

9pm – i woke up, still in the delivery room, alone. hindi na nila ako nilipat sa recovery room hehehe… dun na nila ako pinatulog. yung mga nurses na pumapasok to check on me e palagi kong tinatanong “nakita mo na baby ko? ano itsura? mahaba ba talaga ang ulo? (LOL)”. medyo nagwoworry ksi ako when i heard na humaba ang ulo because of the pushing e. pero sabi naman nila na it will return to normal in 2 days or even 1 day nga daw. i can feel na naiihi na ko sa higaan ko (may adult diaper pala na sinuot sakin) tapos i can feel pain down there. inubos lang nila yung suwero ko tapos they wheeled me na to our room. Richard & Inday were there waiting for me na. I am very very exhausted. Para akong nakipag-boxing! as in pagod na pagod ang feeling. i don’t feel like moving yet. it hurts down there.

10pm – i feel the need to pee. this is one of the ordeals that new moms who had a vaginal delivery had to endure (aside from moving bowels). i know it hurts but i just need to do it. when i entered the CR, i found out one of the other worse thing that mostly newly delivered moms had to experience — HEMORRHOIDS!!! so that’s what’s been hurting all this time! it’s actually not the stitches but this damn almuranas! grabe! hindi ako makaupo ng mabuti dahil talagang mahapdi. the nurses told me to sit in just enough hot water 2 or 3 times daily.

1030pm – Gabby was roomed in with me! First time to actually hold her. Normally they don’t room in the baby kaagad with the mommy unless you indicate it in your birthplan. I immediately breastfed her with my oh-so-little milk coz it’s very important that she feeds my colostrum.

Here is our new bundle of joy! Alexandra Gabrielle “Gabby” Obordo………

Parenting kwentos up next!