Mommy talks

Let's talk mommy stuffs:

1. What food did you crave when you were pregnant?

Hamburgers! Every day, I had hamburgers delivered for merienda.

2. Did you gain a lot of weight when you were pregnant?

A lot! I weighed a whooping 172lbs before I gave birth.

3. Did you drink milk when you were pregnant?

Oh, I hate milk! I had to pinch my nose to be able to drink a glass of milk, unless it's chocolate, strawberry or melon milk which I love. So, my OB just advised me to take calcium tablets twice a day.

4. How long did you stay in the labor room before your delivery?

Hay. Let's just say I was admitted on Thursday and I gave birth by Saturday. I was induced because I was then suffering from highblood. My bp was around 195/160. I went to the labor room Thursday afternoon, returned to my room around Friday morning, went back to the labor room Friday afternoon and gave birth around 4:35am Saturday morning.

5. Did you have epidural during labor?

Oh, yes! When my cervix opened around 2-3cm, I asked for epidural already. The first epidural worked, but when the contractions started hurting again, the next shot of epidural didn't work anymore and it was so painful that I was too anxious to give birth already. And I had several epidural shots before my actual c-section because the epidural anesthesia didn't seem to be working because only half of my body got numb. So, aside from the countless shots of epidural anesthesia, the anesthesiologist decided to give me a spinal anesthesia. Hello, memory gap!!!

6. How did you give birth?

Via cesarian. I wanted to have a normal delivery and my OB was working on it, but my cervix got stuck at 5cm for 4 hours and Dwyn already pooped inside my tummy, so my OB had to perform a c-section already. And when I was informed that I'd be operated on, I just said yes coz I wanted to get the delivery over and done with because the contractions were very, very painful and it was unbearable already.

7. What was your first reaction when you heard your baby's cry and saw him/her for the first time?

I was happy, of course. At a loss for words. And I got anti-climactic coz I wanted to follow whoever was carrying my baby to make sure s/he didn't switch my baby with anyone else. So, when they brought my baby to me after he was cleaned, I looked for a mark on his face to be sure that the next time I saw him, he's the same baby. Paranoid no? Well, months before that, I saw some news about baby switching in some public hospitals and even though I was in a private hospital, the concern was still there. But actually, my initial reaction when Dwyn was brought to me after he was cleaned was he looked like his cousin John and the lips looked exactly like my sister's! After the operation, my OB told me I should be happy coz the baby's ok. Well, I was happy but I was having chills because of all the anesthesia they gave me, so even if I wanted to smile, all I could do was shiver.

8. Prior to that moment when you first held your baby, did you know how to carry a newborn?

Oh, no! I always refuse to carry babies who are so young. I used to be scared coz babies are so fragile. I used to be scared that I might just crush them. I can carry a six month old baby, but not younger than that. So, when I carried Dwyn for the first time, that was also the first time I was able to carry a newborn. And I think it just came naturally to me. More of, when it's your baby, you'll know what to do. I didn't get scared when the nurse handed Dwyn to me.

9. Did you take a bath after your delivery?

There's this old wives' tale that you shouldn't take a bath after you gave birth because air would get inside you or something like that. I asked my OB if I could take a bath after the delivery and she said yes. So, a day after my dextrose, catheter and epidural were removed, I headed straight to the bathroom and took a bath. Prior to that, I had the nurses shampoo my hair and wipe my body with wet towel. I just felt unclean and I didn't want that coz I had to be with Dwyn and I was just so concerned that if I didn't take a bath then, it was like contaminating my newborn with dirt. So, I took a bath because my primary concern was to be clean for Dwyn.

10. How was your first night with your baby like?

Hay. I didn't get to sleep coz Dwyn was constantly crying! We didn't know how to stop him from crying. We tried everything. I was like a zombie then. It was a nightmare! It felt like the whole hospital could hear Dwyn crying so loud. And I was so concerned because Dwyn was just a newborn. I wanted to cry coz I couldn't take it, that Dwyn was crying. Nakakaawa sobra!

11. Did you breastfeed your baby?

Yes. But I got really frustrated coz Dwyn seemed to be not getting any milk from me. I couldn't feel any milk gush. I could feel Dwyn was suckling but that's all. I wasn't sure if he's getting anything. If it were not for my OB, I would have stopped with the breastfeeding when we got home. My OB advised me that even if I got frustrated, I should never give my baby any formula milk and that I should just let my baby latch and as long as there's continuous suckling, I'll be producing milk And it's true. And I think it also helped that even before I gave birth, I was really deadset on breastfeeding Dwyn.

12. If you were to pick just one moment from the time you gave birth until the moment you were discharged from the hospital, which do you think is the most special moment for you?

The most special moment was the first time I held and carried Dwyn in my arms, when he was roomed in with me. The feeling was just indescribable.

Now, I'm tagging these fellow mommies to try this: Aggie, Andrea, Litzie, Peachy, Kathy, Kristine, Liz, Nice, Alpha and Rachel.