Hi everyone! Here’s my birthing story as promised. Thanks so much for all your greetings = ) So sorry it took so long as I’ve been busy with this little one.

I’ve always dreamed of becoming a mother. With God’s grace, I am now blessed with two kids I can lovingly call my own. Zoe was already 3.5 years old when we discovered we were pregnant again. Of course, hubby and I were ecstatic. We were doubly thrilled when we found out we’ll be having a boy this time. Quota na!

To say that no two pregnancies are the same is an understatement. From the first trimester to the time I gave birth, my two pregnancies were quite different. With Zoe, the whole 9 months was a bliss, except for one bad case of migraine. I also hated seeing, smelling, and eating spaghetti for the whole 9 months. My second pregnancy wasn’t that smooth sailing. I had frequent dizzy spells and experienced fainting in public for the first time. Turns out my iron was quite low and my OB even told me to get ready for some blood donors in case I lose too much blood while giving birth. I prayed hard that there won’t be any need for that come delivery time.

I was estimated to give birth by January 19, but before Christmas my OB said the baby had dropped already. We kept our fingers crossed that our little guy could wait to come out after New Year when the Christmas rush has settled down and the house would be more ready for his arrival (read: there were still so many last-minute things to take care of like cleaning, getting the hospital bag ready, etc.).

On January 5, I think I felt and saw my mucous plug come out. It wasn’t a bloody show though but my OB says it’s still possible that it was the mucous plug already. I thought I would be giving birth anytime soon. During my OB checkup of January 7, I was 1 cm dilated. Finally, we were making progress.

That Saturday, hubby and I decided to go on a movie date. Something we haven’t done in a long time. During the movie, I could feel my tummy getting hard in shorter intervals. I thought, this might be it. When we got home, we prepared everything we needed for the hospital and fell asleep. I woke up at noon the next day. Apparently, the little guy changed his mind still.

At this point I was already getting impatient. I couldn’t wait for the contractions to kick in and I couldn’t wait to see our baby. My prayer is hubby would be around when the time comes for me to go to the hospital. His work is quite far from our place (2 to 3 hours away) and the thought of having to go through labor without him beside me is something I dread.

January 14, Wednesday, was my next check-up with my OB. Hubby left work early to join me for check-up. Dra Cornelio, however, texted that there was an emergency and she couldn’t meet me that afternoon. Hubby decided to still go home despite the change in schedule. I was feeling a few contractions but they were still spaced so far apart that there was no cause for alarm at all. In fact, I was able to visit the nail shop and meet the staff plus do some grocery at Shopwise. When we got home at around 11 pm, the contractions started getting regular. I got in bed but I couldn’t sleep anymore. I had a feeling we’d be going to the hospital anytime soon so I decided to count my contractions instead. I gauged I might be in early labor still coz my contractions, although regular, were quite tolerable. I was even able to take a shower and go to the kitchen to have a snack (matakaw ako up to the last minute!) and walk around while eating and timing my contractions.

When I was certain that my contractions were 5 minutes apart, I woke hubby up. This was around 2:30 AM of January 15. Because hubby and I talk a lot, we just stayed in bed a wee bit longer reminiscing how, just 4 years ago, we gave birth to our firstborn Zoe. Hubby had his hand on my tummy when suddenly, I felt and heard a pop. It was a pop like no other and hubby heard it, too. He also felt the baby kick. Liquid gushed out and I knew it was my water bag. I called my OB and she calmly instructed me to go to the hospital. The worrier out of me surfaced as I thought of the many wrong things that could happen when the water bag breaks. I was scared I’d end up getting a CS or the baby might get into fetal distress. Thank God hubby’s not the type of person who panics as he assured me it’s nature’s course for the water bag to break.

The drive to Asian Hospital was quite fast. In 10 minutes we were there (3:00 AM). My contractions were getting more intense but I still got to laugh and talk to hubby in between contractions. A nurse from the ER brought me to the Genesis Center. Hubby had to park the car. I was still leaking a lot of fluid. They brought me to a labor room (their triage room must have been full) and strapped me to a fetal monitor in between contractions. After a few minutes, hubby was beside me and I felt safer. When the in-house OB did an IE, she said “Malapit na to! Dalhin na sa birthing room”. I wasn’t sure I heard her right. Nurses wheeled me to the birthing room and started preparing the things they needed in frenzy. One nurse calls hubby to go down to admitting. I panicked. I wanted hubby to stay right beside me but I had no choice. My OB hasn’t arrived yet. Double yikes!!!

The room was too quiet when I suddenly felt the urge to push. There was only one nurse in the room and, gathering enough strength, I called out to her and just said, “Nurse, urge to push na”. The nurse runs, leaves me alone, and calls outside to tell them that I have the urge na. More nurses enter and the in-house OB appears. They ask among themselves who my pedia is. Again, I tell them the pedia’s name faintly. I wondered what happened to my OB’s admitting orders and my birthing plan. The name of my pedia was clearly written there. Hubby still wasn’t there and I felt so alone.
The in-house OBs (another one comes in) tell me to push now. The urge was there so I really had to start pushing. Hubby was finally back and I heave a sigh of relief. Still no sign of my OB though. Hubby tells me to relax as I strain to push. He says, “Hun, relax, you’re not relaxing.” I wonder why of all times would he expect me to relax. And so I mutter under my breath, “They’re already telling me to push.” Apparently, like me, it took awhile for hubby to realize that we practically skipped the labor phase and that I was already in the final pushing stage, and so he goes, “ah, ok, push…” Had I not been in so much pain, I would have laughed at that comic moment. At this point I just wanted to get it over and done with. The pain was becoming constant already and I had no choice but to face the pain. After a few pushes, my
OB arrives. She thought she wouldn’t make it on time anymore. After just a few more pushes, I felt my little boy ease out. Then after a few seconds, I hear a loud cry. A few minutes more, the nurses bring him to me. I felt so wonderful. I felt high, despite not having taken any drugs, hehe. Like my first pregnancy, I prayed for a natural, anesthesia-free delivery. I felt every pain but seeing my baby healthy and alert makes labor so worth it.

Phoenix Sebastian was born at 4:05 AM of January 15, just an hour after we arrived at the hospital. I’m so thankful that he chose to come out when his dad was home. If not, I might have given birth at home considering I miscalculated my labor pains.

It’s been more than a month already and we’re enjoying having our new bundle of joy. Zoe is taking her big sister role seriously by helping out whenever she can. There’s no tinge of jealousy at all. Sometimes it pains me when she would patiently wait for me to put Phoenix down in his crib so I can hug her to sleep (yes, she needs my hug) and how she tries to fall asleep without me always beside her. She’s such a trooper.

As for Phoenix, he spends his days sleeping, eating (mommy’s milk!), pooing. I think he hates it when his Ate harasses him with kisses but he’s got no choice. Zoe can’t wait for Phoenix to grow older so that they can be “double trouble” daw.

I dread the day I’ll have to get back to work. Although my days (and nights) are hectic caring for my 4-year-old Zoe and my 1-month-old Phoenix, being with them just makes life so complete.

Here are a few of Phoenix’s latest pics. All photos courtesy of Cuteprints

PHX

Ate Zoe

Katkong

Dalawa ang puyo!

Lola's boy