A Natural Birth

PRAISE AND THANKS BE TO GOD FOR A FAST, NATURAL AND SAFE DELIVERY. We labored for under 5 hours, with no epidural, and gave birth to a healthy baby girl.

I woke up to my husband getting ready to go to our friend's engagement party. Time check, approx 8am. I had been experiencing slight abdominal and back pains that night but that was nothing unusual. I attributed it to being exhausted from the baby shower the day before. Hubby went to take a shower and I lay back in bed to catch more Zzzs. Not long after, I heard a pop, similar to the sound of a bone being dislocated but coming from inside my belly. I got a bit worried thinking something had happened to Lima Bean. She let out a gentle kick as if to comfort me that she was ok. Then I felt the trickle... It was light at first, but as I stood from the bed it started to flow. I screamed to Vince... ITS TIME! MY BAG JUST BROKE! We started scrambling around in a calm panic, calling everyone that needed to be informed and getting our labor bag together. The contractions started to kick in but it felt very manageable. I was determined to feel fresh so I took a quick shower, put on light makeup (for the pictures! haha), then headed to the hospital.

By that time the contractions started to get stronger but still manageable. I had to stop what I was doing everytime a contraction would kick in just to keep my bearings. We got to the hospital and went through the whole standard hospital ops until I eventually found myself in the OB Gyn complex getting an IE. Time check, a bit passed 9am. True enough, my bag had broken. A quick IE showed that I was already 5-6cm dilated, 80% effaced. Baby was on +1 station though, still a bit high. I was in active labor. The pain was very tolerable at this point.  I was still able to talk cheerfully between each contraction. I stuck to my breathing and forgot about each contraction by the time it had passed. Then I was wheeled to the birthing room just as my mom arrived. There they strapped me to a monitor and put an IV of saline to keep me hydrated. Time check, probably around 10am. It was now all up to my body to do what God intended it to do. Eyebrows, Mom and I just waited for nature to take its course.

The contractions started to quickly get stronger to a point where I could no longer talk during a contraction but still smile and speak when the contraction was done. I remember thinking... this is EASY! The pain was there for sure, but nothing excruciating. Another IE showed I was a good 6cm dilated, but still +1 station.

Then things got a bit blurry from here. Time flew very fast.   I estimate it was around 11am when the OB and the pedia arrived. A quick IE showed I was 8cm but still +1 station. Baby had to start coming down now! The pain was worse, it was harder for me to smile for pictures (although I still did, hehe). In my mind I thought, this is not as bad as I imagined! I remembered everyone telling me the pain was going to be like none Ive ever felt... I thought, yeah its painful but its not THAT crazy!

Then like a train it hit me. Really quickly it went from manageable to crazy painful, then to I think Im losing it, to I think Im gonna die kind of pain!!!! YUP! It was like NO PAIN IVE EVER FELT. But I had gone so far! No way I was going to quit now! Plus I kept thinking, if I get an epidural the doc will ask me to hold still while he sticks a needle through my back? How am I supposed to hold still like this? So instead, I kept at it.  I visualized the pain with a purpose. I needed these crazy contractions to get our baby out. I kept a steady breathing pattern (or tried to at least) and whined like a cat with each breath. I listened to my mom's coaching telling me to get above the contraction, telling me that the contractions were good contractions, reminding me to relax and breathe.

I found comfort in the hand of my husband (that I gripped so tightly he thought it would break) and his voice telling me how many seconds I had left before the contraction would pass. Next thing I remember was my OB coming in to do another IE. I was 10cm, zero station (still high but better).

I remember feeling my baby's head grinding down below and knowing that it was time! Doc went to change to a sterile gown while the nurses set up the room to deliver that baby. I remember at that point the contractions started to get less crazy. When everything was ready, Doc said to try to push on the next contraction. With one push the baby's head started to become visible! A few pushes later though, our baby's heartbeat started to drop. That's when I sensed that the OB wanted to get that baby out. A resident doctor stood beside me, put 2 fists on my top belly, and with her whole weight started to push down on me! I felt like I was being massacred!!! Looking back, it was kind of crazy but during that time all I could think of was that we had to get that baby out fast!!! With each mash, I helped best I could by pushing as hard as I could - with or without a contraction. A few seconds later I felt the pressure let loose below and her head pop out. With that, our little Sophie greeted the world with a healthy cry. Time check, 12:48pm. Later on I found out that the drop in her heartbeat was caused by her cord wrapped around her neck... but just as expected, our Lima Bean was strong and healthy as can be. She was given a 9/10 apgar score! Welcome to the world Lima Bean!

Online Shopping for Cloth Nappies

We're planning to mix cloth with disposable diapers for our newborn, mostly to prevent diaper rash. "According to the Journal of Pediatrics, 54 % of one-month old babies using disposable diapers had rashes, 16 % having severe rashes.  A study done by a disposable diapers manufacturing company... shows that the incidence of diaper rash increased from 7.1% to 61% with the increased use of throwaway disposable diapers." (a)

So I went off on another online research and shopping spree in search of the perfect nappies. Its amazing where Google can take you, found 3 local websites that sell cloth diapers:

• Eco Baby Boutique
• Sunshine Babies Boutique
• Pinoy Baby

Took a look at a number of brands before finally choosing the GroVia All In Twos. It's basically composed of an outer waterproof shell and an inner absorbent and removable soaker pad. What made me go for this brand was the fact that the diaper system is adjustable and can be used from newborn all the way to the toddler stage. Most of the other brands came in multiple sizes depending on the child's age. Plus, almost all the online reviews were positive. Below is an online review of how this thing works.

One set of this diaper system comes with a shell and a soaker pad. Additional soaker pads can be sold separately. My next question was, how many of these will I need? After some researching, they say I'll probably need 3-4 shells and about 10 soaker pads for partial cloth diapering for a newborn. Considering one shell is over PhP 1k, and a 2 pc soaker pad set about the same price... hmmmm, am I really sure to use this?

Off to some other alternatives, another option is to use prefold diapers instead of soaker pads, at least until our newborn starts to need less changes. Although the GroVia was not made for this, I did read that it worked quite well for other mommies. Prefold diapers are much much more reasonable.

So those are my options for now... I almost went ahead and purchased them online, then figured I can probably hold off on it until I am 100% sure to go "mixed-nappy-ing".

Sources:
(a) http://www.thenewparentsguide.com/diapers.htm

This Stroller or That

The next baby necessity for us to buy after the crib was the stroller. Choosing the crib was tough (since we had to make sure it fit the theme and size of our nursery), but choosing the stroller has been much more taxing. There's just so many choices and considerations!

For me, the priority considerations were that it had to be safe, comfortably padded for the baby and able to attach a newborn car seat. It also had to be durable enough to last us years. For Eyebrows, it had to be easy to fold and compact enough to travel with and fit in the trunk. We've trimmed down our choices to 3:

The Bugaboo Bee Plus is just too adorable to ignore. I love the look - so modern. It's compact and easy to fold. It doesnt seem padded enough for a newborn though, but you can buy a separate infant car seat that sits snuggly on top. The big catch - in Amazon, it costs $649!!! In Hobbes and Landes, its even more! And that does not come with the car seat, any accessories or shipping! Hmmmmm... definitely not the practical buy. But... but....

The Peg Perego Pliko P3 Compact stroller with the Viaggio car seat was another top contender. It folds really easily (umbrella-type style). It seems stable and durable and the reviews are 99% positive. It can come with an infant car seat that clips easily to the stroller. In Rustans, the stroller costs approximately PhP 21k and the car seat PhP 17k. Still on the high side. When we checked in Amazon though, the entire travel system costs much less. Running price is at $580 for the set. Even with shipping, it still comes out cheaper.

Our third option (c/o Eyebrows' ingenious internet shopping skills) is the Britax B-Agile stroller and B-Safe car seat travel system. I've never seen or tested this stroller so I feel a bit iffy about it. But the online reviews are almost all positive! It's sturdy, has full leg support for the baby, comfortable padding, a large canopy and it folds easy and compact. Cons include it having a relatively small basket and it folds with the seat exposed and handle to the floor. And it only comes in red and black. All in all however, its good value for money. Amazon sells the entire travel system for $350. We'll probably have to add a little more for shipping, but not significantly.

So those are our top 3 stroller choices for now... The more I Google, the more confused I get! Ultimately, I think any reasonable, safe, sturdy and compact stroller + car seat should do the job. 

Getting Started on the Nursery

After being hospitalized for a week for premature labor, Im finally home although confined to strict bed rest. Thank God I've just finished decorating most areas of our home. Now it's down to the nursery. We have the crib, mattress, changing table, shelves and Mommy's lazy boy in place, but thats about it. On a side note, Mommy's lazy boy was the one "luho" item we got for the nursery. Its a bit on the pricey side but extremely comfortable! It's very well cushioned with soft leather, fully reclines, has full leg support, and best of all -- offers great lumbar support! I vouch it to be more comfortable than any other furniture in the house! My rationale: for those long and exhausting days and nights of breastfeeding. 

Anyway, back to the room... there are no accents or decorations whatsoever. It's quite disappointing I wont be able to step out of our home to shop for baby stuff (at least not anytime soon) and there's still so much to buy. I made a list of all the necessities and if worse comes to worst, then Ill probably delegate the shopping to Eyebrows and my Mom. But for now, Im learning all about internet shopping! My first buy.... removable wall stickers! 

Found these in Amazon on sale for only $3.23 each. With door to door shipping, it sums up to approx $30 for 2 sets. I closed my eyes and clicked the purchase button. I think it'll go perfectly with our nursery theme. Im going for light hues of white, cream, mocha and baby pink. Plus, its a really practical buy. It wont ruin our newly painted walls in case we decide to take it down. Cant wait for it to arrive!

Next nursery room buys: Stand Lamp, Beddings (sheets and crib guards), and a nice large picture to hang on the wall (probably will end up hanging a family pic instead).