--Baby Shine's birth story!

A little background, my expected date of delivery (EDD) is April 11, 2012. Just around before my 37th week my blood pressure (BP) went up to 140/90. Hence, I was diagnosed with the case of gestational hypertension in which the only treatment is to deliver the baby. I was then advised by my OB to rest and avoid stress so that the BP won’t go any higher than that, she also told me that if on my 39th week I don’t go into labor, I need to be induced so as not to risk my life and the baby’s because of my condition.

April 05, 2012, Maundy Thursday – I was 38 weeks and 1 day.

12:00am - I woke up and suddenly felt a gush of water which wet my shorts. I initially thought it was just an involuntary gush of pee since I was also taking UTI medicines that week. I went to the bathroom and changed my clothes. Then got back to sleep. At around 03:10am, I woke up again and noticed our bed was soaking wet. I was thinking on whether it was my water bag or just normal urine. But when I kept noticing gushes of water trickling from down under, I assumed it’s really my bag of waters kasi continues din and uncontrollable unlike pag  urine na pwede mong pigilin. I immediately woke up Gerry and told him my water bag was leaking. Bangon agad sya and went down stairs and told everyone in the house that I will be giving birth. In short, he panicked. Lol! Excited??

5:30am - we went to the hospital, came at the labor room by 6:00am. I then gave my birthplan to the nurse-on-duty which emphasized my desire to breastfeed, instructed to immediately let the baby latch on to my breast within minutes after delivery (DOH’s Unang Yakap/Essential Newborn CareProtocol). I also specifically instructed to keep me awake and conscious during and after delivery because I want to witness everything. With Redd kasi, my firstborn, I was so high and groggy with the meds they gave me and as soon as he came out, I was knocked out.

6:30am - after they interviewed me and checked my bp, the resident ob-gyne performed IE. She said I was only 1cm dilated. Malayo pa daw sa katotohanan. At this time, I’m not yet admitted, nandun lang ako sa labor room hinihintay ang ob ko at siya daw ang magdedecide kung i-aadmit ba ako o papauwiin since I was only 1cm. At dahil hospital policy na companions are not allowed at the lr and dr, Gerry had to wait at the waiting area until he will be called kung ano decision ng doctor ko, dun pa lang sya pwedeng kumuha ng kwarto.

8:20am - finally my ob came na, she was on her holy week vacation that time kaya mejo matagal sya. She IE’d me agad, 1cm pa rin but my cervix were soft na daw and pwede na daw ako manganak within that day. She instructed the medical team, nurses, midwives, resident doctors na after lunch na raw ako i-aadmit. So maghihintay ako ng apat na oras, hindi pwedeng tumayo, kahirap talaga. Tapos lumabas sila, hindi ko na alam kung anong pinag-uusapan nila. After mga 10 minutes bumalik si ob and told me she had to leave and she’ll get back to me once I’m about to give birth na, pero wag daw ako mag-alala kasi within the area lang naman daw sya. In the labor room, we were 6 in there, ang dalawa active, sobrang ingay, ang dalawa naka epidural kaya tulog while ang isa na katabi ko sadyang mataas ang pain tolerance kaya hindi masyadong maingay. Every 30 minutes ang pagcheck ng heartbeat ni baby via Doppler. That time, wala pa naman akong nararamdamang sakit kaya game pa makipagkwentuhan sa mga nurses. Then 12:30pm came, I was finally admitted, bored na bored na ako nun, nag-alala pa ako kay Gerry kung natawagan na ba kaya sya. They performed tests, changed to hospital gown, administered IV and then IE ulit. 2cm lang, malayo pa.

2:30pm – insertion of Cerviprime vaginally (the medicine in gel form that should make the ripening of my cervix faster). Very  grueling, awful, agonizing, excruciating, most painful experience – as in ang sakit talaga! Tapos  the resident doctor couldn’t place it on my cervix, sobrang layo pa daw, hindi nya maabot, even with the use of a speculum – ouch! It took us almost 15mins just trying to get that thing inside of me – I almost cried and I was sweating thick and cold because of the pain. From the time it was successfully put in my cervix, lalong I wasn’t allowed to sit or stand anymore. So the waiting time and boredom sobrang tindi na.

3:00pm – Contractions are starting na and becoming more frequent, I feel a little pain na din and naninigas na din tyan ko.

3:30pm – feeling the contractions, becoming more painful but still tolerable for me, I just did breathing exercises with every wave of contractions coming. I knew my mama was at the church that moment, kasi huwebes santo nga yun e so I imagined I was with her singing and praying as I sing and hum the songs to ease the labor pains.

4:00pm – IE:6cm, and the intervals between contractions were becoming shorter and shorter, hence more and more painful. The midwife was commending me for my very high pain threshold kasi she noticed na I was stretching my legs and twitching my toes from time to time – every time I feel contractions.

4:30pm – they started to administer thru IV the Oxytocin – I think that’s the ‘pampahilab’ to induce the labor. 

5:00pm – in spite of being bored, I found myself softly moaning  during every contraction, mina-masasge ko na yung balakang ko kasi umaabot na dun yung pain paikot sa puson ko. That time pala, I was also starting to leak something out of me, pinasilip ko sa midwife, blood daw nagsisimula na..normal daw yon. Dumating ulit ob ko at kinamusta nya ako, ginrab ko naman ang pagkakataon, naglalambing ako, I asked epidural kasi sakit na talaga, but she refused kasi maaari daw makapagpabagal ng progress yun, namilit pa ako talagang ayaw magbigay kaya tiis na lang ako ng bonggang bongga.

5:40pm – I was transferred to the delivery room, 7 cm na ako. Mangiyak ngiyak na ako sa sakit. Pinatagilid nila ko ng higa, yung medical team nasa likuran ko lang nagchichikahan abang naghihintay. Mga 5:50 habang nagdadasal naman ako may biglang boses lalaki na nagsalita, eh kahit groogy ako alam ko si Gerry yun, paglingon ko sya nga, hindi agad makalapit parang naging estatwa saglit at UMIIYAK dahil awang awa sa akin, akalain mo yun. Habag na habag ang mga nurses at mga doctors. Tuwang tuwa ako kala ko makakasama ko sya until I give birth pero hindi pala, pinagbigyan lang pala sya ng ob ko nakasalubong nya papunta chapel na makita ako kasi umaga pa raw nya ako huling nakita, nag-alala na sya sakin so kahit bawal talagang pumasok ang mga kasama, pinayagan sya, naawa sa kanya dahil iyak sya ng iyak, mahina din pala loob. At dahil hindi sya natitigil sa kakaiyak, imaginen nyo yung iyak na halos wala nang boses na lumalabas, ganun sya umiyak kaya sinabi ko lumabas na lang sya kasi lalo lang akong nahihirapan, ayoko rin kasing nakikita syang umiiyak. Weakness ko yun kahit sinong tao na mahal ko o malapit sakin nakikita kong umiyak, naiiyak din ako. So ayun lumabas sya kasi pareho din pala kami ng nararamdaman, ayaw din nya akong nakikitang nahihirapan. Yung mga nurses nahawa na, naiiyak din sila.

Paglabas ni Gerry, wala pang sampung minuto, when I felt a strong thud inside my belly, which I think was a kick from my baby, napadilat ako agad then biglang may lumabas na gush of fluid from me, different from the feeling of the blood leaking earlier, then biglang humilab ng malakas at masakit, napatawag na ko resident doctor kasi si ob nasa chapel pa sa taas “Doc.. sumipa yata sya ang lakas tapos may lumabas sakin” The doctor said “okay wait i-IE kita” so she went to get gloves pero paghakbang pa lang nya palayo from me, humilab na naman ng suuuperrrrrr sakit na parang mamatay na ko sa sakit – note, for those who know me they can attest that I’m a very soft spoken person, hindi ako basta basta napapasigaw – but that time, sigaw talaga ako “DOC!!!!” and as if on cue, pagkasigaw ko, bumulusok palabas yung amniotic fluid galing sakin, as in ang dami overflowing sa thighs ko, tapos humilab na naman, as in parang di na nawawala yung pamatay na sakit so I kept on shouting “Ahhhh!! Ahhhh!! Doc!!!” –Ayan talagang nakakadala.

Then the doctor IE’d me, di pa nga nya napapasok I heard her say “Oh, she’s here na.” (referring to my baby). Then proceeded in performing the IE as she counts it “1..2..3..4..5…6..7..8..8cm. Tawagin nyo na si Doktora (my OB).” The doctors, nurses and midwives there were all commenting “Grabe..ang bilis! Ang galling mo, mommy!” since they/ we were all thinking na aabutin pa ko ng gabing gabi na. Take note ha, hindi nawawala ang hilab at sumisigaw pa din ako “Ahhh, help tulong, mama tulungan mo ako!” as if naman nanjan lang sya sa tabi ko. Sila din nagkakagulo na. Habang ako sumisigaw kasi I feel na parang lalabas na si baby parang naka-crown na yung head nya “Doc!! Ayan na sya..ayan na lalabas na!” panic mode ako, so one doctor positioned herself down *there* and blocked it with her fingers, as she said “hindi mommy, hindi sya lalabas, hawak ko sya” that somehow gave me assurance na hindi basta magpopop out si baby.

I overheard one doctor said “on the way na si doktora, jan na sya.” Feeling ko yun ang pinakamahabang oras ko, “Ahhhhhhh!!! Antagal naman doktoraaa, lalabas na!!!” To illustrate the feeling, sorry medyo gross – imagine na may LBM ka at sobrang sakit na humihilab tyan mo, then yung butt mo nag-aalburoto na din at ramdam mo na lalabas na, sasabog na, pero nasa public place ka kaya kelangan mong pigilan yung paglabas, but hen yung tyan mo humihilab and telling you to let go and let it come out, pero hindi nga pwede kasi. Well x100 nun ang pakiramdam! Ganun kasakit ang manganak!

Nagsisisigaw pa din ako, sabi ko “AAhhhhhhhhh!! Napu-poo poo ako!!!” Hindi mo pala mapipigilan mapa-ebs, lol! Then nadinig ko ang boses ni Doktora “Charise, charise, andito na ko…relax lang, wag kang sisigaw. Ang galing naman buti pala pinapasok ko si hubby mo, nararamdaman na siguro ni baby na hinihintay natin sya” So ayun, medyo kumalma na ko. Then I overheard someone again telling her na “at nag-iiyakan kasi sila kanina doktora, naawa si baby kaya eto nakipag cooperate” nyeeeh, sa loob loob ko wag nyo akong utuin ang sakit pa din, kaya napapasigaw pa din ako na may kasamang iyak “Aahhhhh!!! Aray!!! tulong. Diyos ko po, yoko na talaga!!!” The resident doctors said “mommy relax lang, wag kang sisigaw inhale exhale lang”. Sabi ko “hindi ko mapipigilang hindi mapasigaw. sorry po, sorry!! AAhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!” Sagot na naman sila, “mommy, inhale, exhale” Pero sumigaw pa din ako pero eto comedy kasi nga nakukulitan na ko sa kanila na pinapatigil akong sumigaw eh di ko nga magawa, pinapa inhale exhale ako eh di na nga ako makaconcentrate so napasigaw ako instead ng:  Aaaaaaaaaaaaah!!! sabi ko Inhale!!!!!! Exhale!!!!” na sobrang lakas lol! Grabe, sobrang sakit kasi talaga na parang the only way to cope is to shout my lungs out, para na kong malalagutan ng hininga sa sakit.

Tapos kada hilab bawal akong gumalaw, nakapwesto na ako. So para mapigilan ang sarili ko to move, I grab the nurse shirt and I squeeze it – ayy grabe lukot na lukot ang damit nya pagkatapos.lol

After maturukan ako ng anesthesia, biglang nangalay at namanhid yung legs ko! To the point that it scared me kasi sobrang ngalay na ngalay yung hips and legs ko pero di ko maigalaw waist down.. tapos nawawalan ako ng ulirat yeah yun naman expected ko, pero sobrang bilis kasi nung effect nakakabigla at medyo nakakapanic pala. But anyway, yung hilab sa tyan di pa din nawawala so medyo sumisigaw pa din ako, and nafifeel ko pa din yung pag-crown ni baby dun sa baba pero hindi na masakit *duon*.

Then ayan na, ang bilis bilis na ng pangyayari, nawalan ako ng malay saglit, I heard na lang “BABY OUT, 6:02” tapos para akong inaantok pero nilalabanan ko yun. epekto ng anesthesia. at nararamdaman ko na lang nakapatong na si Baby Shine sa chest ko, nakadapa. gusto ko agad makita yung mukha e ng biglang may nafeel na naman akong lumabas “Awww!” sabi ni OB “nililinis lang Charise, nililinis lang” I think that was the placenta kasi parang ang laki din nung lumabas eh.

After cleaning my baby the pedia brought her to my breast ulit at pina-latch on agad. Sabi nung Pedia “Ayan…ayy, ang sweet naman ng mag-inang to!” and I also heard her say to her colleagues “Oo ganyan nga, yan yung Unang Yakap” 

          

I was soooo exhausted, yet so happy na nakikita ko at nafifeel ko skin-to-skin at nasa chest ko si Shine. Then they got her na…sabi ko “wait, wait lang” then inilapit sa cheek ko si Shine, then I kissed her cheek. Hayyyyyyy…heaven ang feeling. All worth it ang hirap. 

Pagkakuha kay baby, the remaining doctors there congratulated me, I said my sincere, heartfelt thank you to all of them, then my OB told me to rest at matulog na muna. Sa sobrang pagod ko, I really said, “yes doc, matutulog po talaga  ako.”

Pagkadala sa akin sa kwarto, andun na si Gerry, ang aliwalas na ng mukha unlike earlier na kawawa talaga tapos 15 minutes after dinala na din si Shine sa room para maglatch na naman. At that time, namiss ko rin ng sobra si Redd. We went home after 2 days pero naiwan si Shine at the nicu for 1 week for the series of antibiotics.

And now I'm busy fulfilling my duties as a mom of my two little cutees.

Ito si baby Shine: Mag-3 months na sya.