My New Daughter!

Here's the big announcement!

We have a new daughter, R! All of us are very happy, the hubby, the new kuya, and of course, the mommy. She arrived the day before my birthday, a squalling, female look alike of her kuya, but with more hair :D. She weighed in at 6 pounds and 13 ounces, more than a pound lighter than her brother when HE was born.

I got admitted the day before my scheduled CS, had the non-stress test. Initially, I wanted to go home to check on my little boy, but it turned out that going out-on-pass is more trouble than it's worth.

Since I was scheduled at 9am the next day, I started on NPO (nothing by mouth) starting midnight. I took a bath at 5am and waited for the nursing aide to shave me. I was wheeled into the labor room (even if I was not in labor) and waited for my doctors (the OB, anesthesiologist and the pedia). They brought me to the operating room, where I was put on spinal anesthesia. I was adamant that I wanted to be awake throughout the entire procedure. I do not want to be knocked out the whole time that my baby was coming out. I wanted to witness her coming out! Especially since they didn't allow my husband to be present with me (hospital policies!).

My daughter came out at exactly 10:03 am, with a large wail and APGARs of 9 and 9. She had a full head of hair, unlike her kuya. Otherwise, they both looked similar when fresh out of the oven :P. My pedia and I wanted the breast crawl, but since space was limited (the drape was up to the top of my breasts and the operating table was narrow), we settled for latching on at the recovery room.

My daughter was then brought out to be shown to her daddy and lola, then brought into the nursery to be cleaned thoroughly. They brought her to me for latching when I was at the recovery room.

As for me, I actually shed tears (of joy) when looking at my daughter. I feel so blessed. :)

It was not easy, what with the pain after the operation, but it was definitely all worth it!

-o-o-o-o-o-

R's birth is pretty straightforward. It was a repeat elective Cesarean section. I was able to choose my daughter's date of birth, so my mom and I chose a date and time that's considered auspicious (in the Chinese calendar). Well, we chose a date within the date range set by my OB, and we thought that, hey, there's nothing to lose if we choose a good date, right? Now it would have been different had it been a normal delivery, or even an emergency Cesarean! I would have just let my daughter choose the date and time when she wants to be born!

The advantage of having a scheduled Cesarean is that you can pretty much schedule everything -- when you go on leave, when you get admitted, when you get operated on, the type of anesthesia (either spinal or epidural) and even when you can go home. Everything's planned and deliberate.

Why did we have a scheduled Cesarean? I already had a previous (emergency) Cesarean with my firstborn (due to early rupture of membranes and failed induction of labor). My OB's also thought that my birth canal was too narrow, hence my babies never engaged and never descended, and I never dilated past 1 cm. So, CS seemed like a better option. Another 2 things we considered: my age (I'm 39, hence I was classified somewhat as high risk since I'm quite an old mama) and the fact that I had an H. mole prior to this pregnancy. So since, we've decided on Cesarean, there was really no point in getting me to labor. Hence, a scheduled CS.

Pictures to follow. Sorry haven't uploaded them yet....

2 Weeks To Go!

Only 2 more weeks to go, and our little girl is finally going to make her much awaited appearance! I'm now gradually letting go of my clinics -- what I call a "partial leave". On the week of my scheduled CS, I won't be holding clinic at all.

We're cramming though. Am trying to organize our room, throwing away stuff and making room for another member of the family. We even bought a caha de oro (a plastic cabinet brand) so that we can have more space for the children's clothes. Our bags are not packed yet! Well, we still have time, so I'll do it a bit at a time.

The good thing about a second baby and an scheduled Cesarean is that we're not as pressured as our first. I've dugged up my firstborn's old clothes and we're gradually laundering them. Since it's been raining the past few days, we can't dry them under the sun, though. Oh well.

It's a pretty exciting time for us. I hope E will not have too much sibling rivalry and will cherish his baby sister.

The Birth of My Son

The first time I remembered being hospitalized was actually a very positive experience. Because the very first time I was admitted as a patient in the hospital was the time I went to give birth to my son. Here is the story of his birth.

I went to the hospital at around 11PM because amniotic fluid was already leaking. Since it was my first pregnancy, I was hoping for a normal vaginal delivery. But I already knew how I wanted to be anesthetized, and my choice was an epidural. I wanted the pain muted, but I wanted to be aware of the whole process of birth. I want to remember the experience. I want to see my baby when he finally got out.

The OB residents did an IE (internal examination) on me and determined that I was not even 1 cm dilated and that there was already some fluid pooling. Oh boy. I knew that I was due for a long wait. I also knew that I could not be given the epidural unless I was at least 4 cms. But I was prepared to endure pain. My baby is worth it.

By 8AM the next day, my obstetrician did an IE, and I was still less than 1 cm. I was already having contractions but they were not very regular yet. She decided to start induction.

With the start of induction, my contractions became more regular and more painful. I didn't cry out at all, however. I was a visiting physician in the same hospital and the any of the staff -- nurse, nursing aide, intern, residents -- they all addressed me as "Doktora" whenever they check on me. It would be so embarrassing! Also, I knew that I should save my strength for the actual pushing when the baby finally decides to come out.

However, after 8 hours of induction (and 20 hours since my amniotic fluid started to leak), my cervix only admits my OB’s fingertip! I knew then that my OB was going to do a CS. I can’t be leaking for more than 24 hours. My labor is inefficient. I do not think the another 4 hours of induction would make my cervix suddenly dilate to 10 cms. I said "yes" to to CS, not knowing that my OB had already previously asked my husband and he had already given his consent. He, nevertheless, told my OB that she had to tell me about the situation since he knew how much I wanted to go through this the natural route. Of course, I had to decide on what was best for my baby, and the best choice at that time is a CS.

I underwent the Cesarean section. I curled up like a shrimp for the epidural and I was very still because I did not want my anesthesiologist to have problems with me.

I was awake when I was cut open and I heard my baby’s first cry. I looked around for him. They cleaned him up and brought him to me.

He was so beautiful! I said, “I love you baby” and kissed him on the top of his head. He stopped crying.

My husband was with me in the operating room. We had our first family picture together. :)

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Originally posted in Joey M.D. by the same author and reprinted with some revisions.

This is my entry to the first edition of the Pinoy Parenting Blog Carnival.

Coffee Break Version 1.7

This weeks challenge by Jan:

Share with everyone the fondest memory you have of you and your family.

There are simply so many! There's the good, the bad and the ugly. I think I'll just stick with the good for now :D.

• Vacations with the family! My favorite would be the Summer of 1991. Because I truly felt that our family bonded through that memorable road trip. This was a trip taken by my Dad, my Mom, my brothers and I. I hope that I'll be able to have another trip like that with my children.
• My wedding day -- Finally getting married to the man I love. And he's proving that he's worth all the trouble that came before the wedding itself. Everytime I see him I thank the Lord for bringing us together. Not everybody is that fortunate. And, of course --
• Our honeymoon trip! -- This is brief 3 day 2 night Hong Kong trip. We stayed in a pension house instead of a hotel because it was peak season then. But we were able to cover most of the places we want to go to.
  
• The birth of my son -- I've always wanted to be a mother. I am so fortunate that I got pregnant not long after I got married.
• Family dinners, especially when my mom did the cooking. Also, we used to have dinners outside every Sunday at a restaurant which we always looked forward to.
• Conversations with grandparents. Their stories always inspire.
  
• All my son's milestones!
• House hunting! Back in the early nineties, we decided to look for a house. The house hunting is a fun adventure with the whole family! I loved looking at houses for sale, and discussing with the family the pros and cons of each house.
• Weddings in the family. Birthdays in the family.
• Cooking with grandma! My grandmother is a traditional Chinese housewife. Certain special dishes are events at our house. The making of lumpia (spring rolls), ma tsang, zhong gwan i (potato flour balls with peanut filling) etc. is often an endeavor with all the female members :). We didn't have that for many years already :(
  

There are so many more! This is all I can think of for the time being.

There are also the "bad" ones. Truth is, I believe that everything -- good memories, bad memories, bonding, quarelling, fighting, celebrations -- every little thing brings my family closer together.

Chinese Superstitions Regarding Pregnancy and Childbirth

I came to know some Chinese superstitions about pregnancy and childbirth during the course of my own pregnancy and after giving birth. Some of them sounded weird to me, but since my mother insisted and I was watched over closely, I have to follow those that I believed did no harm anyway.

These are a few of them:

• A pregnant woman should not attend wakes or funerals.
• A pregnant woman should avoid going to weddings so as not to rob the newlyweds of their good luck.
• A pregnant woman should drink special herbal soups to ensure the safety of her baby.
• After giving birth, the new mother should not take a bath, or shower, or shampoo for at least a month. As much as possible, she should not leave the house, or be exposed to wind, because these would make her body weak and she will be prone to arthritis in the future.
  
• The new mother should eat "hot" foods to balance the energies. It is believed that childbirth with its blood loss makes the body "cold".
• People should avoid praising babies, because these would attract demons and ghosts who would bring harm upon the baby. Hence, unfavorable terms should be used.

I know Tsinoy mothers would find it hard not to follow these, since their mothers and mothers-in-law (if they were Chinese) would watch them like a hawk to ensure that tradition is followed. I just consoled myself with the fact that these are temporary and my mother was only thinking of my welfare and that of my baby. :)