Insomnia

Insomnia. Thank you! For you’ve given me another reason to write again. I have at times tried to compose another post but I keep pushing it off to later. I have alot of self-imposed restrictions on doing/posting a new blog entry, one is, to read all my bloggy friends posts, all posts! and two, to comment and three, to reply to each and every comment made on my site.

So of course, it is a doable thing but being a working mom? It’s a difficult thing to manage. So, thank you, insomnia, for giving me clarity and resolution. I will not force it but I will take time and make time when I can.

During this period of “blog slump”, I realized that I miss my cyber friends from all over the world. Thank God for RSS feeds I still get to read some of their posts but I really wanted to give time to each of them and to each of their posts. Savor and soak on their thoughts and experiences, the funny and the profound, the hilarious, the touching and most importantly the real, the genuine, the honest, authentic and unique reflections that they have, that they are.

On my end friends, life caught up with me. 

Giving Birth

Another link up party! Check out these cool moms, Bridget of Twinisms, Tricia of Critters and Crayons and Chrissy of Outlaw Mom are hosting a Mothers Day Blog Hop Party.

Mothers Day Blog Hop

Here are my stories:

Mikaela

Two days earlier (July 27, 2007) the moment we have been waiting for commenced. At the wee hours of the morning I noticed pink discharges when I peed. Not long after that, I experienced mild dysmenorrhea like cramps. Very tolerable. The day came and went with not much action.  The contractions are regular yet tolerable. The next day, July 28, we did our routine hike/walk around the subdivision, for the most part I have to stop and lean on dear husband when the contractions would hit. Pain? Still tolerable but getting stronger and closer. Night came and after dinner we still walked around the subdivision again. By 9pm, I started to really feel real uncomfortable. After the hike, Michael worked on the new Ford program schematics, working overtime and waiting for the big “birth” day! I went to bed ahead of him and prayed and said the novena to St. Raymund Nonato, and prayed again.  But I just kept on going downstairs and walk around because the pain would not permit me to blissful sleep.

July 29, 2007

            Midnight came, I really tried hard to sleep but I just can’t! The contractions are uniformly and regularly 6 minutes apart and definitely stronger! It lasts from 45 seconds to 90 seconds. It is painful. I counted the minutes and waited for morning to come. Michael came to bed around 2am and I wanted him to get some sleep before going to the hospital. So I waited patiently and just kept quiet and endured, for what seemed to be the longest 3 hours of my life.

            6 am, I texted Danna (my younger sister), to have the snake’s oil, yes, this is a culture thing, it is believed that rubbing it on your tummy will help ease a quick and easy delivery, and if you ask me if snakes produce oil, I don’t really know. Unfortunately, she has a school activity, so dear husband proceeded to text Joseph and Lot-Lot Estremera (dear friends/officemates/neighbors) if they have some. Joseph brought it to our house and they advised us to be at the hospital already.

            7 am, I already decided to go to the hospital. The contractions are getting shorter apart. This time, the pain is enough to render me speechless.  I haven’t slept a wink and I was so annoyed with Michael when he asked me if I still want to walk around the subdivision! Hello! I haven’t slept and that alone would make any person cranky, try adding extreme pain to it. I just prayed and thought that this pain is helping me see and hold my baby soon.

            10 am, I was at the labor room already. After the preparatory clean-up, I am strapped to the bed with the fetal and the contraction monitors.  I was thankful because I had a respite.  The contractions though stronger and more painful came irregularly.  The resident OB-GYNE said I am 6 cm dilated.  While waiting for my OB, I was able to relax and sleep a while.

Dr. Chuchi arrived around 11:30 am and when she checked, I am 7 cm dilated and she decided it was time to rupture my bag of water artificially.  I felt a warm gush of water and my OB said the contractions will then come closer and stronger and advised me, If ever I felt the urge to evacuate my bowels, I need to tell them because that would be the time to push the baby.

            11:45 to 12:30, I still haven’t felt the need to push but I am in extreme pain when contractions hit. Doc Chuchi kept checking and kneading (which I don’t really like) my tummy.  The contractions have stalled a bit.

            12:30 to 1 pm, I am in extreme, excruciating, piercing awful dysmenorrhea like pain!  For a moment there, I thought of caesarean section.  I went hot and cold, Doc Chuchi checked and I have dilated to 9 cm and then and there I was wheeled to the delivery room.  The staff was very efficient and I am relieved that finally the end of all this pain is coming.  It is time to push.

            1 pm, I started pushing.  The staff cheered me on.  Then after a moment they left me and came back a little later.  I really liked it when there were so many people urging  me to push and cheering me and coaching me.  When they saw the baby crown, they were very quick in draping me with sterile cloth.  And at exactly 1:24 pm, probably after 7 or so pushes and with a lot of help from the staff, I heard my baby cry.  The happiest sound I have heard in my entire life. I was smiling because the cry was so strong. The nurse showed my baby to me and the very distinct feature is her nose. It was quite long, exactly the as I have imagined it to be during the ultrasound.  I did not feel tired, I felt energized!  I am so awake while my OB was sewing me up. I know. Gross.  We were talking the whole time.   At the recovery room, I could not wait to be at my private room so that I could talk about the whole amazing experience  I’ve had.

            Our baby was 5 lbs and 13 oz and at 48 cm long.

Mikaela

Ayana Rhys

With Mikaela, it was a pretty breezy experience. There were a lot of nurses who helped and cheered and there was even one guy who climbed up the stirrup and did the fundal push. I wasn’t really sure if my pushing was very effective because I wasn’t even aware the moment Mikaela came out. With Ayana Rhys, suffice it to say, I won’t be giving birth anytime soon.

At 7 weeks, my OB-GYNE have to make sure if I’m carrying a singleton and ordered for a TVS (like the first time too!). Yep! So far only single pregnancies.

Born on October 17, 2009 at exactly 4:11pm, at 6 lbs and 6 oz and at 50 cm. She’s big. For me. I’m small at only 4 feet and 11 inches, pre-pregnancy weight of 86 lbs.

The labor stages were basically the same the first time, it started at dawn, only this time, it wasn’t two days earlier. I waited for the intense pain before going to the same hospital 1-2 mins away from us (without traffic). At 2pm I was admitted. My problem was, my OB went to the US for vacation the day before, I have no choice but to make do with whoever is on duty. The big difference is the personalized assistance. With Mikaela, my OB, which incidentally is the mom of one of my good friends from college, was there with me every step of the way. Again they have to pricked my bag of water. This time, when I was wheeled in to the delivery room at quarter to 4pm, no cheering squad, only the OB and one nurse. I was advised to push when I feel the urge. I focused on my mantra, “this too shall pass”. This time I felt the head crowning, I felt Ayana made her entry to the world. Every. Micro-second. Bit of it. In case I wasn’t clear enough, this experience I would not like to repeat soon or ever (?).

As for the snake’s oil I couldn’t exactly remember if I did it this time, but knowing my adamant husband, I think we did, rub some on my tummy before admission. Some medical practitioners frown upon it but some just let it go.

Normal births pain-reliever free twice. Check.

Ayana Rhys

What were your birth stories?

Link up or just share about it on the comments!

Tagged!

I’ve been tagged!!

This is way cooler than chain emails though. My friend Nami over at The Fire Horse, have come up with these very socially, politically, psychologically relevant questions. Hahaha! To show off some of her genius bloggy friends. :)  I’m participating because this is one of the coolest way of getting to know others too! But do brace yourselves for some lousy boring answers. You’re warned! ;p

1. Tattoos: Will they remain fashionable forever? How will you handle your kid getting one? And if you’re kid-less, how would you handle your dog getting one? I think they will remain fashionable forever and about Mikaela and or Ayana Rhys, getting one? I’m cool, theoretically speaking, provided they are over 21 or preferably not living with us anymore. Imagining the needle(s) piercing the skin is giving me goosebumps right now, I’m really super ninny, although, you might think giving birth au naturel twice would mean I can endure any kind of pain, nah.. And if I would have a dog who likes to have one (I’m still trying out some probable scenarios how a dog can/will tell her/his master that she/he likes to have one), I will not allow her/him to have one, I cannot bear to see her/him in pain. Or is there some equivalent epidural for the procedure? If yes, I may re-consider.

2. The worst boss or teacher you ever knew. She was not the worst teacher but with her I associate my most painful embarrassment. I was absent when they discussed the circulatory system, she asked me to stand up and explain it to the whole class the next day, when I did not deliver as expected, I was subjected to the most humiliating experience in my life at age 12. She proceeded to belittle my abilities and intelligence, I could not remember her words but I distinctly remember the feeling. It was bad. I got over it eventually.

3. Who will play you in a movie about your life and how will it end? Kate Beckinsale. It will end with her having toured the world, resting comfortably on the front porch looking at her beautiful children and grandchildren, healthy, happy and oh, a billionaire by all rights.

4. What’s going to be your retired look when you’re as old as Betty White or Dick Clark? Comfortable jeans, cool cotton shirts, chic printed dresses and probably an orthopedic shoes/sandals.

5. You’re allowed to loot for a day – any city, any store and you don’t have to fight zombies or rabid dogs. Uniqlo, no, Guess, or United Colors of Benetton, one thing for sure, I’ll be heading to their pre-teens/kids rack.

6. The world is at peace – what comes next, boredom or mayhem? Boredom.

7. What drink goes best with a luscious sunset? Coconut milk. Heh!

8. If you could take credit for writing one book, composing one song and accomplishing one life achievement what would they be? The Harry Potter series, Love Moves In Mysterious Ways, finding a cure to breast cancer/cancer.

9. What famous people share your birthday and what traits do you like or dislike that you have in common? Pete Sampras and I are both born on August 12. The thing we have in common is we have sisters who are teachers, this I like. (Lame, I know. Sorry.)

10. A mistake or regret you hope your kids will never repeat.  Not reading books as soon as I can read.

11. You are commissioned to write the story line for “Where The Wild Things Are,” for the screen. Let’s pretend the Spike Jonze version never happened – we never made it to the end, anyway. It would be a lot more like the Underworld and the Resident Evil. (Yes! finally done answering.)

Since this genius can’t really think of some really cool questions, I just leave them to these awesome girls:

Nami, Kim and Bridget.

Drop by their cool blog sites and answer their bloggy homeworks. Your chances of winning the national lotto draw will be higher!

Go on, don’t be shy!