With much anticipation, our baby girl is born. She came out at around 8:51 pm after more than 12 hours of labor.
2am: Woke up to eat some bread and drank juice.
4am: Woke up again to this "pop" sound and with the gushing of some fluid off me.
415am: Phoned my parents to say that we're heading to the hospital.
6am: Admitted at Makati Medical Center. To nourish me, an IV was attached into my left hand. To monitor the baby's heart rate and my contractions, they also wrapped something around my tummy (which will become very uncomfortable later on).
830am: Was given something for the labor pain. For the longest time, I have heard girl friends who are already Moms complain about how painful labor is. It is the worst type of dysmenorrhea, they said. Boy, they were spot on! The pain is akin to dysmenorrhea and then you magnify that 100 times. No kidding!
11am: One of the sweetest and unexpected things happen while I was in active labor - my husband wrote me a love letter (which I later lost!). The nurses and resident doctors inside the labor room were feeling "kilig" over this sweet gesture. Heck, who wouldn't?! *wink*
2pm: Another dose of epidural was given to me. The pain was ridiculously unmanageable! At around this time, I have been told by my OB, Dra. Patricia Alvia that I was still around 4cm down there. It has to reach 10 cm for the baby to come out naturally.
430pm: At around this time, I was feeling nauseous already - for lack of food and liquid intake (if you've been reading, my last food intake was around 2am). I asked the nurses and resident doctors who were monitoring my "progress" if I can take something and to my dismay, I was only given something to moisturize my lips.
530pm: My OB conducted an IE procedure again and declared that I was measuring 7cm already. She said that while my progress was rather slow, she could not discount the fact that it is still a progress.
7pm: My OB checked on me again and I was still measuring 7cm. This is when she talked to me about delivering the baby via C-section. I agreed. At this point, I was already very exhausted. They asked for my husband's consent. And soon, my OB and her team started to prep me for the operation.
Exhausted, I let go of everything already. In silence, I uttered a prayer - for a safe delivery.
8:51pm: I heard the baby cry. She's finally out! Her cries were music to my ears. I looked around and I saw my husband inside the delivery room. He witnessed how my OB "pulled out" our baby girl and according to him he felt like he was in an episode of House. Thankfully, he did not faint. :)
To experience bringing out another life into this world, I could not help but feel proud and humbled to be entrusted with such an opportunity. It is an honor and a privilege to tackle the greatest and most challenging job ever - to be a Mom. To be a parent.
Elianna Kanae L. Fantillo (Yanna)
She was 2 days old at the time this pic was taken.
She was 2 days old at the time this pic was taken.
