oh, what a joy!

Who would ever think I would end up in the C-section? I guess as a primigravida, everyone's (including myself) expecting it'd be a normal vaginal delivery. Well, surprise! surprise! I kept asking myself, "How did it happen?" You see, I've been very careful about my pregnancy. Aside from my usual pre-natal sessions, I kept reading and browsing the Internet just to keep me informed about anything pertaining to pregnancy and motherhood. I guess I still have a lot to learn.

A week before I gave birth to Pauline, I was requested to do another ultrasound. I was relieved to know that my baby is in cephalic position. I thought that should already be enough to keep me assured that it would be a normal delivery. It turned out that I was wrong. It was already three days past my expected delivery date, yet I still didn't feel any signs of impending labor. I don't know why but my doctor is beginning to worry. She did an internal examination on me and she said my cervix has already dilated to 2.5 cm and that it was time to go to the hospital. To make matters worse, I was beginning to have fever at that time. Doctor suspected I might already have an infection.

So there you go, I had to be on induced labor. I was supposed to give birth at a private maternity clinic. There, I was given utmost attention by their attending nurse, their expert midwives and my private doctor. As my labor has progressed from 5 cm, 6 cm, 8 cm and until 9 cm -- I was beginning to have a hard time. I was starting to get some chills. I was beginning to complain about the electric fan and the aircon. My fever wouldn't stop recurring. Prior to labor, I had a normal blood pressure but at that point, I got a 150/110 reading. I kept pushing and pushing but Pauline wouldn't come out. I was stuck at 9 cm with fever and high blood pressure. I was beginning to feel very tired. Doctor told me if the baby doesn't come out by 1 a.m., she would recommend a C-section because the baby is starting to show signs of fetal distress. Whattt? A C-section? At first, I started to think about how much it would cost. (Yeah, maternity benefit can only be claimed after giving birth. It would even take weeks. Philhealth benefit would also take 3 months. Health insurance benefit from our company wouldn't cover maternity because as the insurance company goes, getting pregnant is a choice and it's intentional.) But then the baby's and my life are at stake. So we decided to worry about the cost later.

Since the private maternity clinic is only for normal delivery, I had to be taken to a nearby district hospital. There, I was already gasping with so much pain but the staff is still trying to get us to sign some papers, ask so many questions that it got me irritated. I kept watching the movies about scenarios like this and I thought they were just exaggerated stories but, per experience, it is really true, you don't get immediate medical attention until you got yourself signed up. After agonizing for a few minutes (when you're already in pain, it's already prolonged agony), I was already wheeled into the operating room. I felt relieved after I was given a shot of spinal anesthesia. Then I started to feel an incision going on (minus the pain) but they covered my head with what seems like a curtain so I couldn't see what's going on underneath. Not long after that, I felt unconscious and when I woke up (still feeling groggy with anesthesia), I already saw baby Pauline being attended by nurses. Who does she look like? Is her hair curly? I felt this sudden leap of joy. Can you believe it? I’m seeing my princess for the first time!

Oh, what a journey! Oh, what a joy!