You see, it’s been ten months since I gave birth, and our little baby is turning one year old in two months but I have not made any entry here about his birth story. Though it already has been posted in Birth Times website, this blog would somehow defeat the purpose of leaving imprints of my son’s amazing arrival into the world if I do not post anything here. So how exactly did this beautiful boy arrive?

Our son was expected to come out on April 12th last year, according to my calculated due date. Came my 40th week and I’m past the expected due date, but the baby has not yet engaged and my cervix was still closed. I have a high tolerance for pain so I’m not sure if I was already having contractions or not. Though there would be times I’d feel some pain, it wasn’t regular. So I had to go through some tests to check on my condition and the baby’s. Our OB wanted to make sure the baby is not stressed and placenta did not have any complications. The results returned with good report so we did not consent to induced labor. However, we were requested to return after two days to repeat the non-stress test to monitor the baby and if it showed any irregularities then my labor have to be induced and may have a 50-50 chance of having a C-section.

When I was pregnant, I have since set myself to have a natural and unmedicated childbirth which is why we enrolled in a childbirth class under Chiqui Brosas-Hahn in my 27th week. So we prayed and believed God that all will go as He designed childbirth to be and will not worry about going through C-section.

And God did answer our prayers! Nature has taken its course. Exactly two days after our last check-up,  I got up extra early to prepare for the procedure (non-stress test) since we were scheduled in the morning. But then, mild contractions arrived at 7:22AM so I began timing it. It came regularly with 2-3 minutes in duration and at 10 minutes interval. My husband and I knew that this was it! I wasn’t sure yet if I had bloody show while I was in the shower, but I saw blood so I took note of it too, in case the doctor would ask. While in the car on the way to the hospital, and just as we exited at Filinvest, I had bloody show. Now most pregnant women in movies get hysterical upon seeing blood, but my husband and I were literally laughing out loud and kept thanking God and shouting “This is it!” We were excited because we knew that this was the day God planned for our baby to be born.

We headed to the Genesis section of Asian Hospital as we have been instructed. Our OB already left orders to the staff on duty about my condition. So when we arrived, I was immediately strapped with an apparatus for the Non-stress test to check the baby’s heart rate. As the results showed, everything was well, except for one or two dips in his heart rate which was not so alarming. But the good thing is, the BPS (Biophysical Profile Score) doesn’t have to be repeated. After an IE, the doctor on duty said I was almost fully effaced and was 2-3cm dilated, though the baby has not engaged yet. They began preparing me for the birthing room. My husband and I were actually ecstatic that in a matter of hours, we will be seeing our baby. We were in faith that baby will engage naturally on his own and we won’t have to resort to a C-section.

It wasn’t all natural as we planned because my contractions were not strong enough to coax the baby to engage. They had to hook me to an IV and give me medications to cause stronger contractions. Except for the IV, we still were able to practice Lamaze. Since I wasn’t able to eat breakfast that morning, I was allowed to eat soup to nourish me. I even had one lollipop that was prepared in our labor bag weeks before. At 12PM, my OB arrived and after IE, she said the baby was still very high so she advised me to walk around. I most willingly obliged. My husband was such a great coach, even w/ an IV, we were able to do the Lamaze breathing and labor exercises.

My husband had this laminated and plastered it by the wall where I can see it to encourage me during my labor.

After a while, I had to be strapped back on a fetal monitor. By this time, the contractions were coming strongly. When the doctor on duty did another IE, she said I was already fully effaced and was 7cm dilated. The urge to push was so strong but I had to control it because the baby’s head was still above Station -4. I had a hard time fighting off the urge to push so eventually I caved in and was given Epidural, because my dilation was progressing but the baby still won’t engage. It was difficult while they were administering it because the contractions were already so strong and I had to be in a certain position for the Epidural.

After the Epidural, I was able to rest for a while. But this actually backfired. My OB returned and said that my contractions lessened so it won’t help the baby to come down. So we had to wait for the Epidural to wear off and then they had to give me stronger contractions by increasing the medication in my IV (Had I known this, I could have endured it a bit more, even if I had to break the bed handles and saved us the expense of the anesthesia and the anesthesiologist). By then, I was fully effaced and dilated and with a few pushes the baby head rotated and began coming down. I rested for 2 more contractions and finally the baby is at Station +4. The birthing staff got ready and baby is finally on his way. My waterbag finally ruptured but it was stained. I was more determined than ever because I didn’t want to stress my baby even more. With the encouragement of my husband by my side and the cheers of the birthing staff, I was motivated to give it my all. I had a great team working with us, they are a blessing from the Lord.

The wonder boy is out!

Finally, after 9 hours of labor and 5 strong pushes, our baby boy came out with a loud and healthy scream at 4:39PM. He weighed at 7 lbs and 11 oz and measured at 52.5cm in length. My OB and all the other doctors were so amazed at how I was able to handle it and how well I pushed that baby out. Well, had it not been for the classes we took, it would have been difficult and it may have turned out differently. I am truly grateful to my husband who was there with me all through out the labor and delivery—he was an amazing coach! Entirely, I thank God for the amazing journey I had carrying Ziki for nine months and our childbirth experience. We really felt His presence with us in every step of the way.

Personally, giving birth is truly an eye-opener of many sorts. For one, you can never know what your body is capable of doing until you naturally deliver a baby. Another thing is the amazing gush of different emotions all at the same time in a nano-second once you hear your baby’s first cry. And also how humbling it is to be part of bringing another human being into the world with all my imperfections. That I am in my most beautiful state here even when I look haggard and disheveled in the hospital bed. How you appreciate immediately your own mother for giving birth to you. These, and many more.

Our first family picture. Wee! I could careless about how unflattering this photo of me is, I am at my happiest!

So there goes our birth story. A very fun and meaningful first for us. I still can’t believe that in a few weeks, that newborn will turn one year old soon. And from preparing newborn stuff to planning a first birthday party, we’ve come a long way. Yet I still have a lot to learn about being a mommy. I praise the Lord for the wonderful support team He blessed me with to help me through it—especially to my amazing husband who has been with me since Ziki’s day one in utero. :)