My Little Wonder Ravee: June 2011

June 20, 2011 4pm 40weeks GA

Decided I needed to do some more walking and thought Eastwood City would be the place that day... since we'd be going farther than Rob's MetroEast or Sta. Lucia Mall, my hospital bags and Ravee's baby bags and other stuff should be in the car as well just in case...

Around 6pm-ish we arrived at Eastwood City and parked in the FOR EXPECTANT MOMMIES / PWD parking slots in the new mall. I soo love Eastwood for taking extra care of the pregnant mommies by offering parking spaces near entrances of malls. Well, Erick always parks in PWD parking spaces anyway since March when we found out I was pregnant so... being parking at PWD slots during mall rush hours will be one thing I will miss while being pregnant.

So, walk walk walk we did at Eastwood City Mall, went up and down escalators, checked out baby stores, shoe stores (my weakness), 158 Designer's Blvd, Periwinkle, oh all the stores there you name it, we went inside and looked around...of course with no intention of buying anything because everything that Ravee or I needed for the first few weeks I had already bought. =)

Around 8pm-ish, we crossed over to the Eastwood City Walk and promoters of Fazolli's handed out a flyer... a steak special for only P289! =) Hurriedly, we went to Fazolli's and had a heavy dinner!!! When I mean heavy...heavy meal it is! I even ordered an extra garlic bread sticks so I didnt have to wait for the servers going around to give me free ones... lols.. =) I must have eaten close to a dozen of those garlic bread sticks... proud to say that since I was still PREGNANT nyak nyak nyak...
On an extra note, I was still dealing with GDM or gestational diabetes mellitus and I'm not supposed to be eating heavy carbo-loaded meals just light meals since I was already due and could pop any minute...but I went against my endocrinologists orders that night and decided to enjoy and savour those bread sticks like there was no tomorrow! We also shared a chicken and pasta salad. =) Anyway, so around 9pm-ish, with a stuffed tummy... we slowly walked in and out of the sports stores...there's this one sports shoe I want to buy at Adidas...(just thought of it now!)...ok, back to topic... we crossed the bridge and while walking, I started noticing my tummy would be feeling hard, ball up for a minute or more, then it'd be ok again and I could breathe. I ignored this feeling and thought maybe baby Ravee was just too full as well with all the food he had to chug down too from our dinner wahahah... =))

Walk walk walk... we went walking some more and still that balling up feeling didnt go away. Yes, this balling up thing I'd been feeling months before and are actually known as Braxton Hicks contractions but never really paid attention to them. But, that night, it was really noticeable and I sometimes had to hold my breath during the contractions. I was still dismissing this tightening contractions because I had NO bloody show, no gush or water bag breaking...which were some signs to watch out for to indicate true labor. =)) But, in front of the Nautica store in the mall, I really had to hold on to one chair and sit down because it was not as comfortable anymore.

While seated, I debated with Erick if what I was feeling was already true labor or not... yeah..what did he know lols... =)) So, I called my sister Soraya and told her on what I was feeling and she said to call my OB to affirm whether or not I should head on to the labor room of St. Luke's Medical Center. So, I texted Dr. Sally Rachel T. Macapagal (my OB) and she said, just to clear everything out, just go to the labor room of St. Luke's and the residents there would update her in case I was already having true labor pains! Believe me, the pain I was feeling at this point around 9pm-ish was still tolerable but since the hospital is a good 30-40minutes drive from my house, we opted to head on straight to the hospital...no one wants to give birth on the way to the hospital lols...

On the way to the hospital, we even stopped by the pharmacy to buy contact lens solution because I had forgotten to pack it in my bag. =)) It had already started to drizzle or rain on the way to the hospital. So, when we arrived at St. Luke's, Erick dropped me at the lobby and one of the guards and nurse-aides asked if I needed a wheelchair already. I said "NOPE" and gave them a smile and a thumbs up sign. The contractions had subsided so I was OK, it was Erick who became panicky and insisted I grab a wheelchair and find a seat while he parked at the building. Anyway, I opted not to sit at a wheelchair and instead paced left and right inside the main entrance while waiting for Erick to get to the lobby. When he got there, I even said, we'll take the stairs instead of the elevator (since LABOR AND DELIVERY ROOM of St. Luke's is at the 2nd floor), so we hiked up a flight of stairs and I casually walked inside the labor room at the OB-GYNE complex. The nurses smiled and promptly attended to me and told me to lie down in one of the rooms while I get IE'd and they attached a fetal monitor to check baby Ravee's heart beats in tune with my contractions. The first IE that night which was a clear 1030pm-ish, I was only 3cm dilated...wooo still a long way to go! =))

I gave the nurses my doctor's admission slip orders and told them since I was only 3cm dilated, if I could go walking down the corridors...because I was not comfortable lying down on my back (I'd been dealing with back pain or coccyx pain since my 6th month of pregnancy). They gave me the OK signal but told me not to stray far away from the OB-GYN complex. Like duh... like I would actually make a dash to leave the hospital lols... just kidding. Anyway, Erick accompanied me the whole time I went walking down the corridors of the 2nd floor which were also the maternity rooms. The hospital's chapel is also located near the OB-GYN complex so Erick and I paid a visit and said our heart's prayers. I remember praying for Him to give me enough strength and courage to get through labor and delivery. For Him to make baby Ravee strong during my contractions and to watch over us during the entire time. I also thanked Him for always being there when everything was dim and for always giving me strength to carry and move on. Thank you, God.

Around 11pm-ish, they did another IE and I was at 3-4cm so I was ordered a fleet enema and to change already into the hospital gowns because I'd be transferred to the insides of the labor room... they said around 4cm is the start of active labor and I should be lying down in bed just in case. Ok, so after the enema and preparations and into the hospital gown, I was wheeled off into the official labor room. Lols. They made me lie down in one of the beds (I think I got Bed #5). There was another mommy who was also in labor and when I looked in the white board, she was also in the same stage as I was that time... 3-4cm dilated/ 70% effaced / -2 station. But man, she was already crying and shouting in pain/ agony yelling at the nurses that she needed more medication... Like lady, we're in the same exact boat yah know... =)) I was still handling it really well..even chatting with the other nurses and resident OBs there. =) But damn, those IE started to become painful when I was already at 5-6cm. After the IE, I insisted the nurses that I wanted to go walking instead of lying down in bed to wait for further dilation... they agreed and unstrapped me from the fetal monitor. I still had no IV attached to me during this time. It was around 3-4am already I think. Erick couldnt go inside anymore in these labor rooms but he could enter till the second door. That's where we were taking photos while I was still OK with the contraction pains and we even posed a few times and joked around. I browsed in and out of the other labor rooms and asked the other nurses how come there were other preggy mommies sleeping while there was a fetal heart monitor attached to their bellies....they said those mommies were ordered over night or a few nights stay at the OB complex because of PRE-TERM LABOR CONTRACTIONS. Oh I see... I had PTLC before when I was 6months but was just ordered bed rest. =)

Around 6am, the nurses said I should lie down so they could attach an IV already and check baby Ravee's condition on how he was handling the contractions. On many occasions, the nurses had a hard time finding/hearing his heart beat because Ravee apparently kept on turning away from the fetal monitor apparatus! =)) It was also around this time Dr. Macapagal came in and greeted me and told me if I wanted an epidural or still push through with my choice of just using mild sedatives. I told her, just mild sedatives for now but keep my options open... =))

Around 9:30am, they gave me Buscopan thru IV...to speed up dilation of my cervix I think... =) They also did another IE and I was already at 6-7cm. It was already painful indeed during those contractions but I was breathing through them and imagining the pain away.

By 11am-ish, Dr. Macapagal said she will do amniotomy because it was already more than 12hours that I was in labor and she didnt want Ravee to be stressed already. I agreed and wow! That warm gush of water really started the REAL LABOR PAINS!!! I was having pains almost every minute or something and I remember holding on to the blanket and even bucking the end rails of the hospital bed. I even remember asking the nurses to give me more medication lols...

Anyway, by June 21, 2011 1pm-ish I was already fully dilated and ready to push! Tired and exhausted I listened to Dr. M and the team and pushed and curled into a ball when instructed to do so. They gave me a spinal block a few minutes before Ravee came out. =) Anyway, so push push breathe breath push whatever I did and at 1:51pm, baby Ravee came out and I heard him cry sooo loud! =) His weight at birth was at 7.5lbs. I had a 3rd degree episiotomy as well. Ravee's Apgar Score was 9, 9. =) He was born at 40weeks 1 day gestational age. =))

And I'm now a certified MOMMY. =)

That's my childbirth with my baby Ravee... my baby I am totally in love with and forever I will be in love with him. =) It's a wonderful feeling being a mommy indeed. =)

My hospital room number is 223. =)

PS. I am writing my story here so in case all those medications they drugged me with make me forget the feeling, I can always look back here and read on my childbirth experience. =)

Welcome to the world my baby Ravee Caleb Agarrado Cortes. =)

My Little Wonder Ravee

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

My Childbirth Experience June 21, 2011

June 21, 2011