Dear Baby P,
I am now at home with your Papa for the first time as I write to you three days after your birth. You are still in the nursery of Capitol Medical Center for the continuation of your antibiotics as your white blood cells count are under observation. Your Papa and I miss you so much and we feel incomplete at home. I keep myself busy by writing to you to help pass the time until we could finally take you home.
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| Baby P at 39 weeks |
I would like to share with you our birth story, wherein your Papa and I had a wonderful childbirth experience together. In this post, I have recalled the things that happened before I started being in labor.
It was April 21, a Saturday. It was your Ate Che's recognition day as a graduate of BS Metallurgical Engineering wherein the recognition rites were held in the University Theater of UP Diliman. But before your Papa and I arrived at UP, we had to go first to our doctor for my weekly prenatal appointment. I was exactly 39 weeks and 1 day pregnant.
During our consultation with Dr. Meneses, my second IE (internal exam) showed that I was still 2 cm dilated, which was the same as from the first time she did the IE on me the previous week (38th week). She already wanted me to deliver as early as possible, so as for you not to grow bigger as you stayed longer in my womb. This would thus enable me to deliver you with less difficulty, because my blood pressure had increased since my 36th week. But to make sure that you were not too big, she gave me a referral for an ultrasound for your latest biophysical profile. If ever the ultrasound results would show that you were beyond the expected normal size and weight at 39 weeks, I might have to be induced to go into labor. The ultrasound service in NeoMedica would yet be available in the afternoon on that day, so we would have to come back to the clinic later.
Along with the progress of our journey towards your due date, Doc also discussed with us our birth plan as she was aware that I wanted to deliver the Lamaze way. I learned that we had options in the hospital to not use IV fluids, to have the epidural anesthesiologist on standby, and many other things. Doc was kind enough to inquire about the private labor rooms that she would like me to be in, and we learned that they were only for high-risk birthing moms and so I would still have to be in the labor ward wherein there would be other birthing moms too. That was fine by us as long us your Papa would be allowed to be with me during labor and delivery. She reminded us not to forget to bring our Lamaze certificate so that your Papa could be in the ward with me. As soon as we got our admission order from Doc last week, I had already stapled our Lamaze certificate with it and brought them with me wherever I went since I could already give birth anytime.
After our consultation, your Papa and I went to UP Diliman to catch up on your Ate Che's recognition day. We were not allowed to enter the UP Theater though, and only Ate Che's Mama and Papa were the ones inside. As we waited outside along with the rest of the family, your Mama Myr and Tita Vicky shared with me their experiences and advice in giving birth. I even told them that I might give birth on that exact day of April 21 or even the day after so that they could see you before they would go back home to Legazpi City on April 23. But I said I would prefer giving birth starting April 22 so that I could enjoy celebrating your Ate Che's recognition day with them. I myself didn't want to deliver any later anymore if I would find in our ultrasound later that you might already be too big and could get bigger as the days would pass.
It was time for a huge family lunch after the recognition rites. We headed to SM North EDSA and had a feast at President Tea House. After I finished my meal, I felt my stomach and back hurt. I was not sure if it was a contraction, but I asked your Papa to accompany me to a comfort room for disabled persons so that I could have the toilet for myself. I tried to defecate to relieve the pain, and when I got back to the restaurant, your Ate Gela asked if I was about to be in labor! I told her no, I just needed to relieve myself in the comfort room. And as our lunch ended, your Papa and I had to part from the family for our ultrasound session at NeoMedica when I felt my stomach ache again. Your Tita Vicky, Mama Yin and Mama Myr were starting to suspect that I might be giving birth very soon. They all told me their last-minute advice in notifying them once I start to be in labor! But I insisted that I wasn't ready to give birth on that day itself and that I'd just let it happen tomorrow (April 22). But it was only half-meant because I didn't have a strong feeling about it yet.
We got back to NeoMedica for the ultrasound session and found out that you were not too big at all and that my amniotic fluid was still adequate. It was a relief for us that we wouldn't have to hasten my labor. As the sonologist probed my belly, she felt that I was already having very weak contractions. It was the first time I learned that I had been having false, painless (Braxton Hicks) contractions wherein my uterus would harden for a few seconds and this would repeat at irregular intervals. I thought it was just you moving. So I was finally aware that your arrival was coming near, and my maternity leave was scheduled perfectly because my last day in the office was last Friday, April 20. I was relieved from the ultrasound results too because your biophysical profile had a perfect score! Your fetal tone, fetal movement, fetal breathing and amniotic fluid scored 2 points each, garnering a perfect score of 8.
When your Papa and I finally got home, it was just an ordinary situation for us as the rest of the day passed until our bedtime.
It is normal for pregnant women like me to have to wake up and get up from deep sleep in the late hours of the night ,many times, just to urinate. During the last weeks of my third trimester, every time I would go back to bed from the toilet, I couldn't easily go back to sleep that sometimes I would start hearing roosters crow. But in the morning of April 22, I suddenly woke up from deep sleep and then a few seconds later, I felt something leak. It was about half a cup much so I gasped in reflex and quickly got up from bed to avoid it from being wet. Your Papa woke up upon hearing my gasp and asked me what happened. I went to the toilet first to urinate and check my underwear. But a few seconds after I released urine, there was some other fluid that followed. Your Papa heard that trickle too. I immediately checked the time and it was 5:09 AM. I tried to smell my underwear and it was odorless. Your Papa was suspecting that it was amniotic fluid already, but I told him it might not be if it wasn't continuously flowing. As soon as I said that, I felt another leak again. I decided then to send our Doc a text message to ask for her go signal to rush to the hospital (although your Papa and I already knew we should, as we have learned from our Lamaze class). As we waited for her response, your Papa and I started taking a shower and preparing our packed bags. I informed your Mommy and Daddy too so they started preparing breakfast before your Papa and I would leave for the hospital.
As I took a shower, there was more fluid leaking again but not continuously. I prayed that my water wouldn't run out fast so that you could still have enough fluid in my uterus before you would come out. In the next leaks that followed every five minutes or so, I became more convinced that I was indeed giving birth very soon. And because my first sign of labor was the rupture of the membrane, I prayed hard that I start contracting right away so that I wouldn't need to be induced.
Thankfully, everything we packed during the earlier weeks in my third trimester was ready. I was even able to add all the other things I needed to put in our hospital bags the day before my water leaked. All we had to do that morning was eat a lot for breakfast and drink a lot of fluids since I wouldn't be allowed to eat and drink anymore in the hospital once I get admitted. Your Papa and I left the house at 7:20 AM, loaded up on gasoline to take advantage of the PhP 0.50 oil price rollback, and arrived at Capitol Medical Center at around 8:00 AM.
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