not a lot of women have gone through what i went through and lived to tell the story. that's why i think its just right for me to immortalize this experience, even if its just for my blog. it's a bit TMI, so its really up to you if you want to read on. i just want to make sure i have this written somewhere before the details become blurry...
so where do we begin?
oct 15, 2009
i was feeling wierd the day before, and being the paranoid that i am, i decided to move my saturday OB checkup to an earlier day, just to be sure. i was rooting for an Oct17 delivery since 17 was my favorite number. So i went in, my doctor said its still too early (im just 1cm dilated) but she gave me some signs to watch out for and told me that if they happen, we should go directly to the hospital and they will be the one to contact her in case i get admitted. so we went home, me, being more observant of my body and being extra kulit on everyone. hehe!
oct 19, 2009, 12midnight
was having contractions since around 9 the night before (oct 18th) and the contractions progressed to 5min intervals by midnight. as advised by my OB, me, my husband and my parents drove to the hospital for the first time. when we got there, i was already contracting every 4mins so they decided to admit me.
a few hours in, they checked my vitals, put me on IV, took my blood, and my contractions progressed to every 2-3mins interval, although i thought it wasn't that painful, at least not as painful as i expected it to be from all the horror stories that i heard about giving birth. but yeah,, they had that thing monitoring me and it showed i was having contraction so who am i to complain at least i can handle the pain, right?
before long it started to got really uncomfortable. my nurse kept asking me if i wanted an epidural already, since my contractions were close to each other, i tried to push back the event but i eventually gave in at 6am, trembling.
a bee sting, yeah, that was how they described how it would be. but after going through it, i just had to make fun of it, to make it seem bearable. let me tell you, it was hell. at least for me. f*ckin bee! the anesthesiologist had to put a lot more numbing meds for me, which, thankfully NEVER worked. but in it went. so i had the works, even a catheter, for crying out loud.
what we didn't expect was the moment i was under the epi, my contractions slowed down and decreased in intensity. now that's odd. and the thing was, my cervix never really dilated more than 1.5 that day, that sonafab*tch.
i was so ready! (well after the epi, i was pretty sure i can do it, that was what i was most afraid of.)
so yeah, we got sent home that evening too. much to my dismay. i can't believe i'll need to go through all that again when its time for real labor! waaaaaaaah!!
Oct 21, 2009 530am
woke up for my 2nd wiwi session. was feeling some cramps though so it was hard for me to go back to sleep. i decided to time my cramps. 5-7mins apart. hmmmmm...
a few mins before 6, i felt some liquid leaking, woke up paulo, but we both decided it might be nothing. although kinutuban na ko coz my bladder is supposed to be empty.
a little after 6, still can't go back to sleep. my cramps were getting stronger. i went back to the bathroom to get some tissue,, shempre ang morning sickness ko, hanggang dito dinala ko. was about to blow my nose when, JEJENG...BUMAHA???
i heard my bro in law, jacob, waking up so i called him to wake his manong, i think my water just broke. paulo rushed to the bathroom to find me all wet and not moving an inch. being his first time on this too, we wanted to be sure so i told him to wake my mom, and she confirmed it. we all then got up and got ready to go to the hospital, my mom, more tense than i was, looked like she was the one to give birth, while me and paulo we're still joking in between my now more intense contractions. we we're expecting the morning rush hour traffic since we got to the freeway a little after 7 already. pano nga ba kung sa freeway ako manganak, ang pangalan ba dapat nila ay H1 at H2? hehehe!
we got to the hospital just fine though, got admitted right away. my cramps were getting closer and stronger. this was not how it was the last time... so i guess this was really it. i tried to stay calm though, breathing through every contraction. was relieved to find out too that my twins were still both head down and it was baby A's water bag that broke. right on schedule.
what i didn't know was that was the last time that my "planned" birthing will go, well, as "planned".
when i got to my room, my cramps were really really bad, so i asked to get an epidural right away. the hell with jollibee, i need him! it started out ok. i had the same guy that gave me the epi 2 days ago so he knows already how i am. he did warn me about headaches due to having epi's 2x and at close instances. i said i'd take the headache, anytime.
when he was through, i felt the heavenly numbing from my feet up to my waist. yey, finally, im free from pain. but for some reason, this epi seemed stronger than the last. i found myself almost hanging on to the nurse just so i can stay upright and it felt like my whole lower body was suddenly inflated with air and that i was floating. i had no control whatsoever! although they say epi's sometimes have different effect on people's legs, i found it a little bit more extreme. but due to the painless contractions, i decided to ignore it.
wrong move.
the moment i laid back in my bed, i felt the effect of the epi rush up my body, and slowly, it was getting harder and harder to breathe. i was gasping for air. it felt like i was drowning and i can't stop getting swallowed by the water. i had no control whatsoever of my entire body. the doctor said it might be because the epi was relaxing all my muscles and he also said he gave me a bit more coz when he was putting it in i was still feeling pain when i wasnt supposed to. but to be sure, he called 2 other nurses (i forgot what kind they were) at first it just looked like i was just having a hard time breathing so they gave me oxygen. (i first thought maybe this is me in panic. the last time i was shaking so hard the bed moved with me)
but moments later, i literally can't take any air in. i was getting weaker and weaker, i can't even speak anymore. i was desperately trying to suck in air, but nothing seems to come in. that was when they called all those nurses. during these moments, my "bantays" were outside coz they weren't allowed inside the room while they were giving me the epidural. i can't remember much of what happened next coz i felt my mind getting all woozy from the lack of oxygen. i can only see and hear someone if he/she was right in front of me. i remember my anesthesiologist saying, "keep breathing for us ok? stay with us..." and i honestly thought, Lord, kukunin nyo na ba ko?? parusa ko ba to for making fun of jollibee??
im not really sure whether i passed out, i probably did. i just remember being really weak and hearing people talking but they all seem to be so far away...it was like going in and out of a ream sequence, i had no sense of time.
when i came to, paulo had to tell me what happened, but his story was still missing some parts since he wasn't in the room with me the whole time.
he said, while waiting outside, they heard an alarm go off and suddenly all the nurses were running around. he then heard room305 but wasn't sure if he heard it correctly. then another nurse asked for the room again, and yes, it was my room. he said there was probably 10 or so nurses running around. i don't think they were allowed inside until i was pretty stable, stable being breathing again, although still pretty heavy. he was only able to talk to me when the room was cleared and i slowly gained feeling of my fingers, well it was more of him doing the talking, me squeezing his hand to respond. i think i dozed again after that. or at least i tried, i felt drugged.
took a few hours before the epi was totally out of my system. apparently they opted not to put me under epi bec. of what happened. since it was my second time to take it, the meds leaked out the other punctures, or something like that. that's why instead of just staying waist down, it moved up. so yes, i was going natural with help of some pain meds which last for only 45mins to 1hr.
was i scared? hell yeah. but i can't back out now!
when the epi wore off, i asked for the IV pain meds. uhmmm.. not much help there. so it means im pretty much going to feel everything full on. WAAAAAH! my cervix was still a little stubborn, it was mid afternoon already, i have been through hours of labor, but it only opened to i think 4cm. so they put me on oxytocin to speed up the process. this means, more contractions, and stronger at that.
what i did notice was, the moment they put the oxytocin, i felt it right away, whereas the pain meds, i can barely feel it. it would've been fine if the pain meds at least canceled out the effect of the oxytocin, eh parang unfair naman ata,, more ang pain. by late afternoon i was hysterical with pain. i was literally begging my doctor to put me to sleep and go CS, but she said she can't just do it. i tried focusing on my breathing, the contractions were really very near each other by this time, i was trying my best not to scream but i just can't. at least i was able to limit the profanity hehehe
i think it was after 6pm when my doctor arrived, i thought she was going to pull them out right there, but apparently she just emptied my bladder coz its causing me more pain (actually kala ko iba yun lumabas nahiya ako kasi parang TV lang na andun silang lahat pinapanood ako hahaha! pero wiwi lang pala)
a couple of mins after that they transferred me to the OR. as a precaution, even with normal delivery, twins are delivered in the OR incase the 2nd baby needs to be delivered CS.
so how can i describe the delivery itself? well, i still think that labor contractions were more painful. i can barely feel my contractions while delivering. well, that might also be because i was so busy concentrating on pushing. let me just say that i've never EVER in my life worked as hard as i did in that room.
it took probably about 5-7 contractions before the first baby, sean, came out. it drained the hell out of me that i was very skeptic that i'll have enough power to push the second one. (i dont know if they got it in video but i really said "di na ata kaya ng powers ko" or something like that. hehe) but i had no time to even think because the moment he came out, here comes sharlene, so i gave it all the i can, 8 mins later, she was out. hers was shorter i think.
i was with my mom the whole time, she wanted to be the one in the OR with me, stage mom na stage mom. the nurses even remembers her afterwards. hahahaha! i think i was holding on to her too tight that she had nail marks afterwards. owell, you wanted it. i didn't say it didnt come with certain consequences.
right after sharlene was delieved, paulo came in. the funny thing was, i felt more relieved than sore after. it was like nothing happened. well except that my body felt lighter and heavier at the same time. but the pain? not that much really. i was actually surprised that the most that i did while they were stitching me was twitch. i thought id kick my doctor dead, but no. even when they transfered me back to the room. wala lang, andaldal ko na ren e. hahaha!
the babies were transfered straight to the nursery where paulo followed to make sure everything's fine. he came back and told us that sharlene was ok but sean's chest was moving up and down too hard when he breathe that the nurses wanted to keep an eye on him for a while longer.
sharlene came to the room first maybe an hour or so after. but it wasn't that long till sean joined us. he got better so we were all so relieved. he was smaller than his sister, which was surprising coz during my U/S he looked bigger.
he had his own share of ordeals too. while sharlene passed with flying colors on her tests, he had, as i mentioned, the breathing problem, then when they checked his hearing, they found out that he might still have fluid in his ear (which cleared up the next day, thank GOD), and of course, his first "operation"... having his putoytoy snipped. but he was a fighter. so good job son, you made mama proud :)
all in all, it was a good experience, something i can talk to my kids about when they are older. would i go through it again, im scared to even think about that now. but im just happy that everything went well. and i hope it continues to get better. im sooo in love with my family and i can only thank God for all the blessings that He has given us. although i had to say
talagang kailangan nyo ko pagdaanin sa lahat ng yun no? don't get me wrong, PPG, im not complaining. im actually glad you did. makes everything more wonderful. siguro nga parang wala sa personalidad ko if everything went well. kailangan bumobonnga ang experience. salamat lord. :D
Note: alam ko napansin nyong walang picture, sadya yan. bawal magpicture during labor, sabi ko. may ilang video footage, pero pagiisipan ko pa kung ipopost ko. harhar! kailangan ko lang talaga isulat ang aking karanasan... waw, parang xerex lang, ang laswa. hahahaha!
So, continuing my 10 lists tradition, here’s a recap of my 2008. I believe it was around the same time that i wrote that list that i promised myself that i was going to make 2008 MY YEAR, well, i think i got what i wanted and more. 2008 was a big year of firsts and new things for me, so i can only wish that things will just keep getting better for me this 2009. i know its premature to assume, but i have a feeling 2009 will be even bigger than 2008, if that’s even possible. so anyway, for now, here’s 2008 as i lived it, and Happy New Year Guys! bottoms up for 2009!!! :D
Top 10 highlights of 2008 (in no particular order)
1. My new baby, Apollo! The moment i first laid eyes on an apple laptop while watching Sex and the City (eto pa yung multi-colored pa ang apple) i told myself i wanted one. Then i found out about the things that it can do, my desire grew. so much so that i put this at my things to do before i die list, own a mac, that was a dream that i once thought would remain a dream. then i got macoy for work, my craving for my very own mac burned (sosyal, buuurn). kaya naman nung nagka-hance akong bumili e pucha para kong maihi-ihi sa excitement. FINALLYYYY!! hehehe! kaya here you are guys, my Apollo topping the list, hehehehe!
2. Coron baby! Months in the making ang trip na to. naka-excel pa ang pag compute ko ng budget, which of course, hindi naman natuloy. hahahaha! but visiting coron was also part of my to do list before i die and im even happier that i got to share the experience with Elaine and ate sunit. 3 lang kami pero parang sang batalyon ang hakot naming tawa for this trip. and Coron never disappointed me, it was even more breathtaking than i could ever imagine. makes me think, sana ganto paren sya pag dinalaw ng mga apo ko...A must visit for everyone, ibang klaseng experience. at ang maganda jan, kung marunong ka, di mo kailangan ibenta kaluluwa mo para makarating at maenjoy ang coron
3. cha and gia graduates. Aba Aba Aba, shempre andito to divine?? twas a reunion of sorts den for wap friends kaya masaya. ewan ko pero feeling ko talaga ambassador ako ng education eh, importante talaga kasi sakin to eh, kaya kailangan mailagay sa highlights to. yahooooooo!
4. Panagbenga and Aliwan 08. the trigger happy in me was in heaven during these trips. shempre kesihodang ulanin kami e GO paren divine Ms Ros? :D Got a lot of good pix, wish ko lang eh napicture-an ko muna lahat ng festivals sa pinas before i left. there’s nowhere in the world like it, that’s why i wanted to capture all of it. de, gagawan ko ng paraan yan, one at a time :D magiging reyna den ako ng piyesta. hahahahaha
5. Hot Air Balloon fiesta. i put this on a separate item because this adventure of ours was one of a kind. dito nabuo ang mga kaladkarin. hahahaha! it was a trip of misadventures, and yet it was one of the best trips i had this year. Anjan na yun taxi to Clark (oo nagtaxi kami, as in pinara lang namin yung taxi, manong, clark nga?) ang Hot air balloon fiesta na wala namang lumipad na hot air balloon (oo eh!) ang sisig-hopping namin (lahat ng kinainan kailangan umoorder ng sisig) ang pagkakadiscover namin ng Valentine hotel (after another misadventure that night hehe) and of course, who could ever forget the most happening and hippest place to be, 7-11. sa mga kaladkarin girls (and guys), kailangan maulit to, i dont know how, but we just have to. :D
6. DespedidassSSSS...i have never felt more loved than when i had that numerous despedidas with all my friends. i wanted to thank everyone who went, salamat talaga. it made things easier coz then i had so much fond memories to take with me. salamat talaga sa lahat guys, aylabyu aaaall!!
7. Aloha! I believe it said it a song that, saying goodbye is never an easy thing. well, it wasn't, but i was glad that i took the choice i made to go here at land of macadamia and pineapples. there were a lot of things that i've experienced here, a lot of things i've realized, mostly about myself. and altho my heart belongs to pinas, its nice to have another place i can call home for now.
8. Endless Around-the-island. i can't believe that on all those times that we went around the island of O'ahu, i've never been to Ko'Olina. We were supposed to go once before, but then when we got there, the beach was "Full". then me and Paulo always planned to got here but it never ever pushed thru. sana naman ngayong andito nanay ko eh matuloy na yang ko'olina na yan diba?? But all the Around the island trip was memorable, beach hopping has always been a fun activity for me. i mean hello? diba? yun lang masaya sa isla e, san ka man pumunta, ang tutumbukin mo beach. hehehehe! so guys, this weekend ulit??? :D
9. Inuman, BBQ, Pepito/Tongits, Karaoke. At least twice a week ata meron eh, yung inuman, well, everyday ata. hahaha! it was always fun whether we're celebrating something or talagang nagkatinginan lang kami isang gabing wala kaming magawa at napagdisisyunan namin mag bbq nanaman. ambigat na ren ng coin purse ko at parang galing lang akong strip club sa dami ng dollar bills ko from all the tongits and Pepito (pusoy wey sya actually, tawag lang dito pepito) parnag eeryday party lang. hahahaha! more of these in 2009 please?? hehe!
10. Getting Married. i think this deserves like 5 spaces, i know alot of you are saying, you never thought i was the marrying kind, well apparently, i am. caught me off guard too, so yeah, you're not alone. It was a very Big decision, but i have no regrets. im in love with someone loves me just as much, im happy so much so that i find it silly sometimes, so what more can i ask for. this was the best way to end the year, being happily married, and i know there will be more new years that we'll spend together...im looking forward to it babe. :D
9 worst not so good memories
1. heath ledger's death... sorry, apektado talaga ako hehehe!
2. the shrek files. i mean come on, seriously?? i will forever remember her
3. farewells...this one is actually bittersweet. i hated saying farewell, but i had to. the last 2 weeks were torture..
4. another shrek in paradise. im sorry, but it seems to me like orcs like them keep following me. everywhere i go there always has to be one person, an antagonist, someone made of pure evil, there to test my patience...
5. the breakup. yes, it was hard, altho not many people know just how much, but it was hard, it was harder before i did it than when i actually did. im still sorry for the people i hurt, but i still think that what happened was for the better
6. breakdowns. i think this is a staple here, i've had a lot, but not as much as the previous year i think. may it be because of work or whatever, it still deserves a spot here
7. the in between. you know...soul searching is good but the epiphany at the end do have its price.
8. the alone days at work tapos sasabay sabay na topakin mga alaga mo. ayos talagaaaaa.
9.november 2008. this month was torture. except the last week, that is.
8 new crushes
1. Cristiano Ronaldo is LAAAAB ehehehehe!
2. Edward of Twilight (yeah, im one of them)
3. yung barista sa Kelly O’niels. hahahahahahahahah!
4. Raylen, mama tita’s son :D
5. the kiddo from superferry..super kyooooot!
6. the guy fishing at ... i forgot the place hehehe!
7. men in military uniform (thus the birth of papi-land and papi-kingdom hehehehe)
8. o sige na nga, sexy paulo daw.
7 most sung songs
1. bleeding love
2. no one
3. Im yours
4. Better in time
5. Eternal flame (hubby's most requested sa karaoke, napaka-old school talaga)
6. Whose bed have your boots been under (hahahaha!)
7. Stupid Love (another karaoke favorite)
6 places I've been to outside manila (i know i should change this to honolulu but, i still consider manila my home, so im keeping base)
1. Honolulu (hahaha)
2. Maui, hawaii
3. Baguio
4. Pampanga
5. Zambales
6. Coron, PALAWAAAAAN
5 memorable movies
1. Batman: the Dark Knight (come on, heath was amazing here)
2. Tropic thunder (not because of the movie itself but because of what happened...takte talaga!)
3. A Very Special love (ok, i never knew sarah geronimo can be that bearable, but really, i had fun watching this film)
4. Sex and the City (hello, antagal ko hinintay. haha! i didnt like how they did the ending, pero maganda paren sorry...da best)
5. P.S. i love you. unreal...that guy is UNREAL.
4 "exotic" or "pers time ko" food
1. hotdog at waikiki (ok, di ko first time kumain ng hotdog in a bun, pero putang*na, ibang level to, garlic sauce and cheese sauce plus bacon on top,, WIIIINNNNEEERRR!!!)
2. Lau Lau, Kalua pork with Lomi Salmon, Spam Misubi...local favorites :D
3. Igado (thanks to autie ling, the best cook EVER! besides my mom)
4. stuffed jalapeno (dahil walang Jack in the box sa pinas,,masarap pala to)
3 addictions
1. coffee
2. RH
3. taking photos
2 missed friends
can’t be just 2, lahat sila miss ko naaaaa...
1 man in my life
my husband. (sosyaaaal)
So on that note, let me again greet you guys a HAPPY NEW YEAAAAR!!! cheers to 2009 guys, i know i’m gonna be friggin wasted tonight ;)
