Kobe’s Grand Entrance

Several friends are pregnant and a couple are just a few months away from delivering their first babies. One of them asked me to share the birth stories of my kids. Unfortunately, I only have Kobe’s birth story. I wasn’t able to write one for Issen.

Anyway, here’s my birth story as I posted it on the N@W Yahoogroups. I wrote this a couple of days after I gave birth to Kobe.

Please note that I am sharing this NOT to scare my friends, but to help them prepare psychologically. Mind over matter, my friends!

April 4, Friday
He was due on this day. Since I haven’t shown any sign of labor yet, I went to my OB for a check up. Based on the ultrasound performed on me the day before, my placenta wasn’t ready yet, so the OB said we wait for another week before she considers labor induction. I was advised to continue taking my meds.

April 10, Thursday
11AM
I was already experiencing strong but irregular contractions. The husband and I went to the doctor in the morning for a check up, and an IE showed that I was already 4cm dilated.

I was sent home to get my stuff because I will be admitted to the hospital already and labor will be induced. YEY! No more preggy tummy for me soon!

So we went home and took my hospital bags. On the way back, we had get some cash from the bank and I took this opportunity to ask for a little comfort drink from the husband. “Something to make me feel real good before my labor starts,” I told him. So he bought me my Starbucks Chocolate Cream Chip drink. I was in heaven.

2PM
The staff prepared my admission papers. My OB did another IE on me and no change in my dilation yet, still 4cm. We brought our stuff inside the room and an intern took my medical history.

3PM

Here I was during labor. No significant labor pains yet, so I managed to smile for my husband.

I was brought to the labor room and they inserted the IV on me. I don’t know what went wrong, but it took the nurse 4 tries before the IV was properly inserted on me. I had nerve bulges on both hands when they were done.

Then they infused Buscopan to my IV. The drug was supposed to hasten the effacement of my cervix.

Then we waited again. I sent an SMS message to my friends telling them that induction of my labor has started. I received a lot of humorous replies, and the husband and I had fun exchanging messages with our friends while we waited.

4:30PM
I started having regular contractions with two minutes apart. Regular, but not painful yet. I stood up and started walking around the room.

5PM
Another dose of Buscopan was infused in my IV. My contractions, about a minute and a half apart now, started to become painful.

6PM
I was mounted in the delivery room for another IE. I was 6cm dilated. Then my OB ruptured my water bag. I heard the nurse saying something about the transparency of the fluid that came out of me. My OB agreed with her and told me, “We need to get your baby out soon. He has pooped inside your tummy already.”

When she said “soon”, I thought she’d open me up and perform a C-section on me already. I was relieved when she told the nurse to put the last dose of Buscopan in my IV and let me stay in the delivery room for the rest of my labor.

And then the longest two hours and a half of my life started.

The contractions started getting really painful. My OB advised that I push every time I feel the contraction so I’ll feel less pain and at the same time, the baby will start descending.

I was doing fine. The pushing helped me a lot.

8PM
By this time, no amount of pushing and deep breathing can make the pain less, uhm, painful. The contractions were very strong already and I have started moaning in pain.

My OB did another IE on me and said I was already 8cm dilated. “A few more minutes, Meng,” she said.

I kept looking at the clock on the wall and talked to my baby silently, “Please, Kobe sweetheart, come out already. Mommy is in so much pain and we’ve waited long enough for you to join the family.”

8:15PM
The staff gathered around me and told me to keep on pushing with every strong contraction. One of them told me not to move too much because the baby might be hurt. I was practically writhing in pain on the bed with every contraction. They have to move me back in place because I felt so weak to move on my own.

I was so wanted to get over the delivery as soon as possible. The interns kept on encouraging me to push and telling me that my baby is almost out already when I realized that my OB wasn’t around.

I asked them where my OB is. They said she’s on her way. I said, rather crossly, “Why isn’t she here yet? I can already feel my baby’s head! I need her here!” They just told me she’s on her way.

I wasn’t satisfied with their answer, so when I felt the next contraction, I didn’t push. I just screamed at the top of my lungs, moaning in pain. I think I even grunted. The staff all told me to just keep on pushing. I simply asked for my OB again.

I started feeling mad at my OB. Why isn’t she here? I can really feel the baby’s head almost coming out. I didn’t know that my OB was attending a rather worse (matter-of-life-and-death type) situation in the emergency room. When I found out about that later on, I loved my OB again.

Anyway, my OB did come five minutes later, and only then did I start pushing again.

After several strong pushes, I felt, and I mean REALLY FELT, my baby’s head come out. Then I felt his shoulder. When I felt that he’s completely out, I sighed in relief, for everyone to hear, “Whooooo! Sa wakas, lumabas ka rin!” (“Finally, you’re out!”)

2-minute-old Kobe, being cleaned up.

The staff clapped and laughed, and I laughed with them, as hard as I could laugh with all my strength drained from pushing.

I didn’t hear the bay cry, though, so I asked them if he’s okay. The OB told me he’s fine, there’s just too much mucous on him that’s why his cry wasn’t loud enough for me to hear. They had to clean him up right away so he was brought to the other room.
I noticed one of the staff was still fidgeting between my legs, so I asked if he was stitching me up already. He said no, he’s just taking the placenta out. I asked if I still need to push. They said not anymore, and told me that I can rest now. So I closed my eyes.

But I had to open my eyes again when my OB exclaimed, “Hay nako, Meng, ang laki ng baby mo!” (Oh my, Meng, your baby is really big!). Indeed, for a body frame like mine, a seven-pound baby IS big, I probably had some magic powers to have delivered him naturally.

My OB and I talked some more while she was stitching me up, then I fell asleep. When I opened my eyes, I was already in the recovery room and the husband and my mom was there with me. That’s when they told me that Kobe has to stay at the hospital for a week for observation. I wasn’t surprised because I kinda expected that when my water bag was ruptured and the OB told me he pooped inside my tummy already. But that didn’t make it less sad for me.

April 11, Friday
I was able to see Kobe again only the next day, when I went to the nursery to try and breastfeed him. My milk hasn’t come in yet, but I wanted him to latch already.

Our first meeting after the delivery. Just a day old and he's already a charmer. Look at that smile!

My OB did an assessment of my wounds and told me that I can go home already if I want, although she advises complete bed rest for at least two days because my wounds are rather deep.

That meant I can’t see Kobe again until Monday. I actually considered staying at the hospital but the husband told me to look on the bright side if I go home. I could rest better and recover faster. Besides, he asked if I could bear not seeing Issen for that long. So I went home.