Next to my wedding day, February 20, 2014 is now one of my favorite and memorable day. It's my favorite because it's the day that I finally gave birth to our baby girl. My husband and I have been waiting for THE day that we'll be able to see, hold and kiss our first born. It's also a memorable day because technically, it wasn't my due date. Our daughter wasn't suppose to come out, not until March 4, 2014. I was simply scheduled to have my regular check up/follow up with my obstetrician. It just so happened that when my OB-gyne requested for a fetal testing scan she was able to notice some irregularities with my baby's heart rate. Further study/check up shows that the baby's umbilical cord had already twisted around her neck and that every time she moves, her heart rate slows down. With this, my doctor decided to deliver the baby as soon as possible.
I was hoping to maybe deliver at midnight so that my baby and my husband will have the same birthday (my husband's birthday is on the 21st) but my daughter's already getting stressed out, with the umbilical cord getting tighter with her every move. I wasn't able to go home that day but it was alright because I've already had my maternity and baby bags prepared and stashed in the car for emergency cases such as that day.
Going to the hospital and having myself checked-in at the emergency room, I never felt any nervousness. It was actually quite the opposite. In my mind, I'm already trying to picture what will happen and I was already thinking of what status message I'll be posting on Facebook! Haha! That's how excited I was to deliver my baby girl. Getting a C-section hasn't even sank in my mind nor was I feeling sad because I'll be having my first operation. My dad was there and he was even surprised that I seem to be taking the situation pretty well. I was pretty talkative that night.
At around 11pm, after further monitoring, my doctor finally told me that it was time. Oh, the excitement that I felt as they wheeled me inside the operating room couldn't be contained. For a brief moment, I felt fear when the anaesthesiologist approached me to explain the epidural procedure (FYI: I hate needles). I was asked to lie on my side in a curled position and someone helped me maintain that position as the procedure started. I was so nervous about the pain the injection might cause that I farted! That was one embarrassing moment! Ha-ha! After a few minutes, I was already numb from my waist down. During the operation, I even managed to chat with my doctor and jokingly told her to perform liposuction while she's at it. I was even chatting with the nurses who were monitoring my heart rate and blood pressure. It was a good thing that my doctor was really good, she wasn't even distracted by me babbling about. The only time I was rendered speechless was when they finally asked me to push to help them pull my daughter and when she let out a loud cry. My heart was beating with excitement and I waited for the moment when they will put my daughter next to me. When they finally did, I wasn't able to stop myself from showering her with kisses. She smelled so good!!!
Prior to delivery, I requested my doctor that she let my daughter lie on my chest and let her breastfeed. Imagine my disappointment when they didn't do it. Instead, they simply put her next to me for the purpose of getting our photograph together . Most hospitals nowadays let the babies make skin to skin contact with the mother. This it the time where they place the baby on the mother's chest immediately after birth. Sometimes, they even let the baby breastfeed. In my case, I think they weren't able to do that because I have anaesthesia coursing through my blood stream. After whisking my daughter away, I totally blacked out and when I woke up, I was already in my hospital suite (Oh, yes! I chose the executive suite!).
I was in the hospital for 4 days and during my stay there, I was able to breastfeed my baby on the 2nd day and the day before I was discharged did the nursery finally decided to room-in my daughter. I was really annoyed.
Annoyance aside, I never felt so wonderful and in-love as I held my daughter for the first time. She was awake and was staring at me (I'd like to think that she can already see me at that time) as she tried to wait for what will happen next. Ah, such innocence in those big eyes.
So, there goes my birthing story. I was looking forward to having a normal delivery, with labor pains, pushing and all that, but in the end, I am still grateful that my daughter, Tala Mari Yzabelle, was born healthy and normal despite being cord-coiled. Even though my husband wasn't there during my delivery, I am still thankful and blessed that he was able to spend his whole vacation with Tala.
1st family photo
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