Our birth story

I’m thinking of a word to best explain our birth and I think the best words to explain is our birth was “God’s perfect plan”.  From the beginning of our pregnancy, I’ve been interested with trying VBAC.  It was non-negotiable for me.  I wanted to have an informed, and gentle birth.  It was my prayer ever since.  The reasons behind a VBAC dream are 1) I want to recover faster to be able to take care of my baby which will lead to my number 2 reason that I want to breastfeed exclusively and longer.  I think my reasons are valid so I thought God will grant my VBAC wish.  He thought otherwise.

It was a long wait.  I was 40 weeks before I started having real contractions.  Two weeks prior to this, I was 1-2cm dilated already. I did all possible natural ways to induce my labor but it was all Braxton Hicks the whole two weeks. I’ll post a separate entry about the different natural ways we did to induce labor.

Jump to the birthing day, it was 1am when I woke Simon and told him that it’s time to go to the hospital and that it’s for real already.  I knew it was time when I tried to walk my contractions and they’re still there, when I’d twitch everytime there’s a contraction.  Since we did’nt have a helper then, we needed to drop off simone to my husband’s parents.  I contacted Velvet and we picked her up from her house at 2am.

We arrived at St., Luke’s QC around 2:30am.  I was brought to the  admitting room immediately.  When they did an IE, I was 3cm dilated. So I thought to myself, “just 3cm?! with all those pains?!” lol! A few moments after, my water bag broke. They asked me to cough and a lot of water came out.  I got a little excited and scared at the same time.  With my first daughter, it was this time when I had lost a lot of blood, just right after the breakage of my water bag.  I kept on asking Velvet if there was blood that went with my contractions.  Luckily, it was just minimal blood.

Labor pains

When I was wheeled to the High Risk Pregnancy Unit (all natural birth labors are brought here instead of their regular labor rooms), Simon and Velvet were with me the whole time.  I was so blessed to have these two with me. The support they gave were more than enough. 

3cm to 4cm – I remember stopping from anything I was doing while having a contraction but it was more manageable.  First thing that Velvet reminded me was to “drop my shoulders”.  I’d easily get tired if my shoulders are tense every contraction.  Velvet would always feed me.  After every contraction, she’d give me a piece of wheat bread and let me drink water.  I was not hungry but it was needed so I have some energy for the actual delivery. 

5cm to 6cm – 2cm to 5cm, I got it in less than 5 hours. When it reached 6cm, it was when I realized that “this one is for real. The pain is real.” Lol! I lost my sense of shyness and embarrassment.  When my husband would see my “laboring face”, and I can see his reaction, I know he wanted me to stop all these.  He wanted me to just give in to CS and get this over with.  I saw it in his eyes.  But he was just quiet, he was there hugging me, massaging my legs, my back. When I needed them both, they would instantly jump up even if they’re sleepy and would help me with my pains.  Having Velvet was like having a sister, a sister who knows what to do in times of labor pains and all.  Her facial expressions alone were very encouraging, her touch was so calming, her confidence dictated a lot of firmness in it and passing off that confidence to me really helped me a lot.  I would always ask her, “am I on the right track? Is this okay?” and her answer will always be a resounding “yes! You are doing great! We’re almost there”

6cm – I was 6cm for five hours.  It was the longest five hours of my life. Everytime the resident doctor would visit me and we’d request for IE, I’d get disappointed to know that I have’nt progressed. Seriously, those pains were still 6cm?! Thankfully, I was not losing blood but more of the water.  Dr. Menefrida Reyes  went inside the room when I was in the middle of my 6cm journey and she stayed there from then on.  She was very patient waiting for baby to come down.  She was supportive with my trial labor, and was very hands on with me.  On the 4^th hour of being 6cm, she informed us that she needs me to have some progress with my labor in a hour as my water bag broke already and 4 hours is a long wait already for zero progress.  This was when Velvet told me “now we have to do the squats. This will be really painful but you need to do this for baby sarah to come down”. So I expected it to be worse. Squat with every contraction?! What the heck?! I would always see it in pictures but I never realized that those pictures came along with labor pains. Lol. So with every contraction, I did some serious squats with Simon holding me and supporting my back.  It was really painful but I had to endure the pain.  The interval was more like 3-4 minutes apart.  The contractions are seriously painful but tolerable.  Tolerable thinking that it will only last for a minute or so, that’s why there’s something to look forward to.  This fact really helped me a lot during labor. That “this too shall pass” moment was also a step closer to seeing my baby.  In that one whole hour, we did a lot of squats.    

After one hour, when Dr. Reyes asked me to lie down already, I even requested for one more squat and she let me.  Before I lied down, Simon asked if we can pray.  So Velvet, I and simon held hands.  Then before we started praying, Dr. Reyes joined us in prayer.  I could’nt help it but tears just fell as we were praying.  I lifted everything to God.  He knows my desires, He knows how much I wanted this.  He knows my reasons.  Then my husband prayed “Let your will be done Lord and we offer to you this birth, that we will feel your presence and favor”

Then I lied down and doctor did the IE…the moment of truth.  This is it moment, make or break, go or no. When I looked at my doctor’s face, I can’t depict her reaction. I don’t know if it was good or not so good news.  Then she said, “yup,still 6cm”.  She then advised me that she needs to do a repeat CS.  As soon as I heard the repeat CS, tears just fell again.  I could’nt even look at my husband thinking that I failed.  All our efforts were nothing?! I looked at Velvet and asked her “diba ginawa ko naman lahat? Lahat naman nagawa ko na diba?” and I just kept on crying. Velvet’s words were so comforting. “oo, ginawa mo na lahat. Andito lang kami for you. And isipin mo makikita mo na si baby sarah mamaya lang. Good call na to ni doctor”  While velvet was saying these, my husband was on my left, whispering comforting words as well.  Everything that my husband told me was everything I needed to hear.  It was like God talking to me.  He was touched by God to tell me the right words I needed to hear.  “Ginawa na natin lahat beh, at least di mo iisipin na kulang yung efforts mo kasi yan na talaga yun e. hindi na natin controlled ito. May ibang plano si Lord…makikita na natin si baby, diba gusto mo na sya mayakap?” and I was crying the whole time.  I even asked Dr. Reyes if yun na ba talaga.  She held my hand and told me “we need to do this for baby’s safety pero you did everything you can and more” After that, I was pacified like a baby.  There was this instant sense of acceptance.  I may not be able to have what I wanted so much, I may not know yet what reasons God had to allow me another CS operation but I know it was for the best. 

So they prepped me up, on the way to the operating room, I requested that Velvet and Simon would still be there with me.  When we were inside the operating room, a lot of medical staff were there.  I was overwhelmed. I asked my doctor why there were so many people inside and she assured me that they would leave before the operation starts.

When they transferred me to the operating bed, it was so small, I did’nt know if I would fit. It was shaped more like a cross, im sure those who had an operation here would know what im talking about.  The anesthesiologist came.  I liked him because he was very considerate of our birth plan and our goal to breastfeed. He informed Velvet of the anesthesia he will administer and Velvet told him to talk to my husband but Velvet explained that we want to breastfeed so we prefer a drug that will have the minimum interference on our baby and our breastfeeding. 

 I heard my baby’s cry at 2:10 pm, they immediately wiped her but since it was stated in my birth plan to properly time the cord-cutting, they waited for five minutes before the clamped and cut Sarah’s cord.  Everyone was saying she’s so big. Haha. After a few minutes, they placed Sarah on my chest to abide with the Unang Yakap Protocol.  The nurse patiently waited so Sarah can latch. Took us about twenty minutes before she finally sucked and it felt sooo magical. J It was such a wonderful feeling that she was latching and trying to suck. Birthing and breastfeeding is such an amazing work of God.  I’m amazed at how our body and the baby communicate and interact with each other. 

So did I have the birth I wanted and prayed for? Maybe I would still hope I’d have a successful VBAC again should we be blessed with another baby but as for the goals and reasons why we wanted to have VBAC, I think God favored it and more.  It was the gentle birth we prayed for and now I have a faster and better recovery, successful first month of exclusive breastfeeding, all because we had a gentle birth, informed decisions and choices as parents and a mother. :)

PS. Why my emergency CS was a good call???
1.  Our baby pooped inside already and we only found out when they opened me up.

2.  I have a myoma that grew 4 times throughout my pregnancy so my doctor took it out when she saw it -- an instant myoma removal :)

3.  My baby is 8.6lbs.  My doctor said that even if i dilated to 10cm, with a baby that big, she might get stuck during the final phase which can cause more trouble.

so yeah, it was really a good call. Thank you Lor. 

39 weeks

And i started to develop these fears... fears that i might not dilate EVER; fears that baby may not be okay anymore inside my tummy and overstaying would mean CS operation without even having to go through trial labor.  What if safety of my daughter is at stake and i can't even do anything about it.  So should i still wait for it or give in to the CS operation? There were days when I found myself welling up in tears because I can't stand the waiting and the not knowing aspect of pregnancy.  I felt like a failure because i did everything humanely possible to ripen my cervix.  Some techniques would work, i'd feel contractions coming in stronger and at the end of the day, the contractions would be bearable and stop on progressing. I felt frustrated everytime. i would go to a nearby lying-in clinic, have myself checked if how many Cm have i dilated already and would soon find out that no progress took place.  It was really a test of patience and faith.  You could'nt work anymore because your mind is set to focus on the birthing already and preparations needed.  I couldn't get my hands to read more about birthing stuff as it only adds more pressure ot thinking of why i have'nt given birth yet when i should be But I know that as long as baby is doing fine inside, her environment is perfect then i should'nt be worried about anything.  During the waiting period, these are the things we did to help us induce labor naturally.  Although it took a little longer for us, I'm sure these techniques contributed a big factor as well

1. Walking - i had my fair share of walking routine specially on the last few weeks of my pregnancy.  i would stroll around the mall,  I would walk on my own pace, rest a little then walk again.  It's a little costly to walk inside the mall (you'd end up shopping haha) but it's found to be good to strengthen your legs.

2.  Sex - And the husband showed a big grin with this one.  we did'nt mind if it's uncomfortable because we were more desperate than ever.  It's said that sperm contains prostaglandins that will help in ripening the cervix.  Everyday sex can be ideal but we were'nt able to do this religiously.  With my eldest, after having sex, the next day i had some bloody show so we went to the hospital immediately (but it was still a premature call for labor then)

3.  Acupuncture - I blogged about this on my previous post.  I felt an immediate effect after my session with Sister Regina, giving me more regular and intense contractions but for some reasons, it just stopped and mellowed down the next day.  Sister Regina even asked me if our bags are packed already and if we're ready to go to the hospital after the session.  We got pretty excited anticipating that after the session, it might be "it", but we still went home after. Lol!

4. Spicy food - I wanted to eat "papaitan" but could'nt find any decent restaurant that served this.

5. Primrose oil - Dr. Reyes prescribed this for every 4 hours.  Sometimes it would have an effect but just like any other natural way to induce, it still mellowed down with me.  I dont know what's up with my body and this is said to be very effective with just a capsule.  My sister in law took one and we went to the hospital right after. I, however, took this for more than a week, orally and vaginally, and it did'nt lead me to the hospital. Lol

I would still suggest all these natural ways to induce labor even if i felt it did'nt have a direct effect on me.  I'm sure these have still contributed to my labor and nothing has been put to waste.

37-38 weeks

I was on hold from blogging because i pretty much got caught up with business and birthing preparations. So here's a rundown of what happened in the last two weeks

Hypnobirthing
- tried the CD a couple of times. there are a lot actually, 8CDs but it's like there's a CD for every week or phase of birth.  The hypnosis state kinda makes me uncomfortable or maybe i was doing it wrong, i don't know.  So after trying about two sessions (my husband transferred the files to my tablet), i decided to just go with my joyful affirmations mp3 file and stay with it until my birthing.  Maybe in the coming days, i'd try this again.

More Braxton Hicks
- the contractions are more often now, still irregular but you know that it's there.  It's somehow good that i'm busy so that i won't feel the tightening and focus on other things.

37 weeks
- felt more tightening of tummy that practiced my breathing more. Did more rebozos and squats, i make sure i meet my walking routine everyday (well, with shopping or not, works with me either way). Sometimes, i'd feel myself catching my breath but most of the time, it's just the usual preggy feel.  I feel so blessed that this pregnancy is such a smooth one. Thank you Lord.

There was a time my OB thought my tummy was small for baby's age so she requested for an ultrasound.  I was more confident that she has just tucking herself really good, the reason why my tummy does'nt show that much.  true enough, after the ultrasound, she's almost 3kilos at 37 weeks. So we'll probably have another 7-pounder baby this time. haha.

38 weeks
- visited our OB and our cervix has opened! yay! we're 1-2cm dilated and baby has come down more, halfway through the canal although still a little high.  It's on track according to the timeline but it will help more if i'd walk it out more and frequent contact with the husband (so, now he gives me the happy look haha).  CBC results and urinalysis results came out all good.  Although i have to admit, my baby suddenly got bigger this time. It's such a good time to eat now and i'm so bad, i've been having sweet cravings lately.  I know, i know, i really need to stick to the plan and be more disciplined.  The contractions are still irregular but more felt.  I can still sleep soundly with bathroom breaks in between but looking for the sleeping position has never been a problem. I think i'd also have to give credit to my Sung-a-Hug pillow. It works wonders with my sleeping position, or if i just want something at my back. It's really effective

I find myself having extra energy to go to places, buy last minute stuff, and still attend to my events. :) I think my baby bun is telling me to enjoy it while it lasts. hahaha.

Meeting our doula
- Met up with Velvet again, signed some documents with her, and just chatted with her for any birthing questions we might have.  But i somehow stopped asking too many questions and thought to myself, it's impossible for me to remember all these things so might as well go with the flow, trust God and the support system i have now (my wonderful OB, my husband, Velvet, family and friends)

I like to cherish the last few weeks i'd have my baby bun inside my tummy. I'm excited to meet her but at the same time, i'll miss this time that i can always feel her, be with her and literally connect with her :)

Pray with us!

Hypnobirthing

While researching on the birth method we are most comfortable with, we have found it beneficial to mix different methods to our pregnancy, to be able to find which one will suit best our needs.  I found hypnobirthing to be very relaxing and reassuring.  I started playing these joyful affirmations almost everyday. My friend, Pat Soliman, emaile me a mp3 file I just play it over and over to somehow help me condition to a positive pregnancy and birth.  I love how soothing the voice is and the affirmations are just right for mother and baby.  Somehow it gives me special remnders to eat more healthy, to give more informed decisions and take full ownership on our baby.  Next to these affirmations, if you are near to your due date, there's a separate hypnobirth CDs.  She lent me her copy last weekend and I intend to start on it this week.

you can check this site for more information and a sample of hypnobirth affirmations.

Here are sample affirmations:

Here are some samples:

• I know how to take care of myself in pregnancy.
• My body knows how to give birth.
• My baby knows the true birthday.
• Birth is safe for me and my baby.
• My baby will be born at the perfect time.
• My body knows when to give birth.
• I am a good mother.
• My baby will find the perfect position for birth.
• I love my baby.
• My baby loves me.
• I am a strong woman.
• Contractions help to bring my baby.
• I will make the right decisions for my baby.
• My pregnant body is beautiful.
• My baby senses the peace I feel.
• I accept the help of others.
• My baby's head fit snuggly into my pelvis.
• I accept my labor and birth.
• I am surrounded by those who love and respect me.
• I trust my body.
• I know how to take care of my baby.
• My baby feels my love.
• I will make plenty of breast milk for my baby.

Happy hypnobirthing! :)

Silent Knife book

This book is so enlightening.  It's very informative, objective and really focuses on all possible scenarios of having to go through VBAC.  I'm on my cramming mode and I need to finish all my books in two weeks. waah!!! so many things to finish, with so little time!

I personally love that it taught me to let go of my caesarean birth, to forgive myself for blaming myself, moving onward to another birth and celebrate life.  The assurance that I needed that caesarean made me feel that it was yes, a good call and i need to give myself a pat for having to endure the cesarean birth. Move on, let go and celebrate the life of my baby.

It's really a good read. I highly recommend this for those who seriously consider having VBAC.

Velvet's Birth Class

Velvet wanted to meet with me and Charmaine (another client of Velvet's with the same due date as mine haha) for a birth class to teach us about breathing exercises, prenatal exercises and breastfeeding advices.  It was so informative.  She does'nt really hold classes but for us she made an exemption.  To cut down on the expenses, she got three more moms to join us for the birth class and paid only 1k for the session.

~ I specifically love the Rebozo techniques.  We did'nt hear about this from the other class we attended.

~ I love that she emphasized to follow our mammalian instincts rather than our intellect on our journey to birth.  No one can tell us what to do except us moms and doctors and doulas are there to guide us and support us.

~ I love that she is into natural birth. I've been recommending her to a lot of friends already.  Whether we'll be successful with our VBAC or not, i would still recommend her.

~ She would always tell me... VBAC success is not defined as having to undergo VBAC and failure as to otherwise.  It is having more informed decisions about your birth and taking control each step of the way.

Love, love, love! Go VBAC!!!

36 weeks

And just like that, we're on our 36th week already.  We went to see Dr. Menefrida Reyes and now we'll be having weekly appointments with her.  She will email us a form about our birth plan then we'll do some last minute check ups to make sure everything is okay with the baby and me.  Everything seemed okay with her except when she checked my tummy, she found it a little small (fundal height) She advised me to drink my Obimin vitamins again, prescribed Moriamin (multivitamins with amino acids) and my Sangobion Plus.  I got worried with what she said and i cannot believe that i'm carrying a smaller baby bump.  She also requested for an ultrasound before we meet next week and told us that baby should be at least 2.3kg in estimated weight.  

I pray everything will be normal and that my baby just knows how to position herself well.  Velvet, my doula, called me right after  i texted.  She really knows the right words to say and to be fair, she just advised to have the ultrasound two days before i meet with Dr. Reyes again, so that at least i could have started with taking the additional vitamins needed and the five days would be a lot of help for the baby, and a repeat ultrasound won't be needed anymore.

Just a couple of weeks to go baby and we'll see you!

Birthing class

In my first pregnancy, we were set to attend a birthing class but i had a bedrest for a month at the time we were supposed to attend plus we thought 5k was a big money to spend for a birth class.  We definitely were wrong about this decision.  That's why with this pregnancy, we are really decided we will attend a birth class.  We attended a birthing class with Chiqui Brosas last Sunday (Batch 238).  Velvet, our doula, recommended that we attend one so we readily researched which class to go to. She highly recommended Lin Fernando but after several attempts to contact her, i was'nt able to get hold of her. So we contacted Chiqui Brosas.  She was very prompt in replying to our queries and asked us to pre-register immediately.  Fee is 4,900/couple for 4 consecutive sundays, from 2-5pm.  Every month, she holds birth classes and venue will depend on which venue would accommodate her participants.  For our batch, we had it in Makati.

When we went to their Makati venue, we had a hard time parking. We're new to Makati so we're not familiar with the parking rules and we're scared our car might be towed.  We parked near Makati Square, had lunch then walked to the venue.

Soliman Corporation Center 2182 Don Chino Roces Ave. (fromerly Pasong Tamo), Makati

Ask lobby receptionist which room and floor, (Usually 3rd F/ Room 1)

on the ground floor of the building is a BPI atm,

it is located between Herald Suites & Oriental Plaza buildings.

Near Makati Cinema Square and Japanese Town restaurants.

Park on the available slots along the road.

Things I love about Chiqui's class:
-  She loves to talk about her birthing experiences and for the five natural births she gave, she talks about it like it just happened recently.  You can feel the passion, sincerity and delight.  That's what i desire, to share my birthing with love, and joy and not in a traumatizing way.
-  She's an advocate of natural birthing.
-  She always incorporates faith, prayers and God in her sessions.  I love to be surrounded by people who love God and share the same love to birthing and faith.
-  Her technique (lamaze bradley) is easy to understand.
- She's very pleasing to look at because she's soo pretty haha.
- She's OC so the manual that comes along with the class even has a list of things you need to bring to the hospital.  She even checked the labor kit bags we're gonna use and see if it will be allowed in the hospital that we are giving birth at.
- She does placenta encapsulation which we are considering as well.

You can contact chiqui here for inquiries and pre-registration:

Text SMART: +63920-905-27-37 (for texting only) 

Call GLOBE: +63917-477-06-28 (you may call Dorz)

EMAIL: birthtimes@gmail.com
BLOG: http://chiquibrosas.blogspot.com/

Those Braxton Hicks

I started having these when I was about 33 weeks. They're irregular, feels like something is tightening your tummy and it should'nt really have a pattern, meaning it may come and go. In my first pregnancy, I don't recall monitoring these braxton hicks thus, when we first had some symptoms, it was just false labor.  To recognize a true contraction from a braxton hick, you can do the ff:

- walk it out. if after walking and it goes out, it's not a contraction
- rule out thirst
- rule out hunger
- rest and look for a pattern. note down the time and how long the hicks were.

It may be false labor but braxton hicks can be a good way to start practicing your breating patterns :)

Changing doctors

I’ve always felt I’m looking for someone who will comfort me when it comes to my pregnancy and our decision to do VBAC. And after every check up, I’d always feel something is lacking.  I yearn for that emotional support from a doctor, that kind of encouragement to say that yes I will support you in any way I can.  I envy those women who have a special relationship with their doctors.  My doctors are good, don't get me wrong, we just feel that finding your doctor is like looking for a friend, your personality should fit with your doctor. For disclosure purposes, i won't reveal their names.  

I'm on the 32nd week when we went to Dr. Menefrida Reyes of St. Luke's QC.  We are TMC patients since i was younger.  We never tried other hospitals except when we need to do some laboratory works but confinement and check ups are all under TMC so it's quite a new environment having to transfer hospitals...last minute.

I knew about Dr. Reyes thru my online friend, Pinky Dy.  She gave birth to all her three kids thru lamaze and she is just an inspiration to me.  When i was so desperate about finding the right OB, i asked about her doctor and gave it a try.  I told her this will be my last try. If we feel that we'd have to go back to the first two doctors, we'll just choose between them. We met with her last tuesday.  Her clinic hours are only from 5pm onwards. We were 6th in line. We were seen around 645pm. 

Meeting her is like meeting a new friend.  She talks very calmly.  She's like a mom, but not the old type. :)  When i told her about our situation, she simply told me, "This is your best time to try VBAC and i will support you" it's like i wanted to cry. Did i hear it right? Did she really say she will support me.  I've always wanted VBAC, we've always wanted to have a natural birth but to me, the process of this pregnancy and the birth is our ultimate goal...having to be in control of everything, making informed decisions and being involved in every step of the way.  We're tired of being like a dog obeying its master.  We want to learn, and then decide what's best for our baby and us.  She checked my history. She asked me a lot of questions which i so appreciated.  My sugar level is normal, my tummy size is okay, she does'nt have any concern about my accessory lobe placenta.  When she said that it does'nt pose a problem, it was like music to my ears.  Can't believe how easy it is to talk to her.  I know there will always be risks, specially in my condition but I also believe that support from my caregiver and people around us will be a great factor as well. At least I can say that I've done everything i could and if i still end up with CS, i would'nt regret the decision. 

Oh and she's a Christian too. Among the OBs i've seen, she's the first one who touched my tummy and talked to my baby "God bless you baby". wow! simple gesture, big impact! 

So yes, we've finally met the one. thank you Lord. here is Dr. Menefrida Reyes' digits (via Secretary Ms. Mildred):

St. Luke's Medical Arts Room 224

Contact number: (02) 725.6854

Prenatal exercises

And so i started with prenatal exercises. Walking is a part of my life. I love to walk...in the malls, around the village, while doing some grocery shopping so i'm confident i always reach the needed walking exercise everyday. Here are some exercises i considered. I'm not the type who sticks to a routine but better have some than nothing. :)

Kegel Exercises
I did'nt do this (well, none that i'm aware of) in my first pregnancy so i'm decided to try this as this will help me with my labor and birthing as well.  To explain furthere, here's a link to help you do Kegels the right way :)

Prenatal yoga
I bought a mommy yoga video because I can't seem to find the right time to do yoga in Urban Ashram since their prenatal yogas are during Saturdays only.  My husband downloaded a prenatal yoga.  Since i don't do yoga regularly, I chose the poses which are safer for me for the first few sessions then later on, maybe I can complete the whole session effortlessly. Tip: make sure to rest if you feel tired or stressed. do not force yourself to do the poses since every body is different.  Here's a picture to give you an idea of what the poses look like

Perineal massage
I have'nt started with this one since i read in the VBAC Companion book that this should be done on the last month of pregnancy.  Here's a part of the article i got for more info:

When can you start?

You can start perineal massage in the third trimester, or around week 34 or 35 of pregnancy. Try doing the massage for five to ten minutes daily, twice a day, washing your hands before and afterwards.

How do you do it?

Perineal massage can be done by you or your partner. If you've never tried it before, take a mirror and look at your perineum first, as this will make it easier when you begin massaging. Also make sure there are no rough edges on your fingernails.

Next, find a comfortable position. This might be lying on a sofa or bed, adopting a semi-sitting position or standing with one foot on the edge of the bath or a chair. You can also do perineal massage in the shower.

What's a good technique?

Lubricate your fingers with a special massage oil or KY jelly. You can also use vegetable oils, such as olive oil, but don't use mineral oil or petroleum jelly. Rub enough oil into the perineum so your fingers can move smoothly over the perineum and vaginal wall.

If you're doing the massage yourself, try using your thumb (although it might be easier for your partner to use his index fingers). Put the fingers or thumb well inside the vagina, moving them from side to side along the sides of the vagina in a U-shaped movement, to stretch the skin and muscles surrounding the vagina and the perineum.

Next, rub the skin of your vagina and perineum between the thumb and forefinger (putting your thumb on the inside, and your finger on the outside, or vice versa). After a few days of doing this, the muscles should relax and the tissue will start to stretch. Always remember to try and relax your muscles as you apply pressure.

As you become more comfortable massaging, increase the pressure just enough to make the perineum begin to sting from the stretching. This is the same stinging you will experience when your baby's head is about to crown during childbirth

Happy exercising! :)

VBAC Companion book

So my ever reliable doula, Velvet, gave me books to read.  VBAC companion and Silent Knife. I'm scheduled to finish four books all in all (five, if you'll include the one of Dr. Jack Newman's) by the end of September. I hope I can finish all of them. Anyway, the book is so nice. it's an easy read one, very easy to understand and the testimonies of those who gave VBAC birth are so encouraging.  One thing that struck me was when a birth doula, in one of her classes, mentioned to make circles of 10cm diameter and place them in places where you can always see them, your workplace, your bedroom, bathroom and remind yourself of your birth goal..to dilate 10cm :)

I also liked all the summary points and plan to retype them and compile so i can easily review them when i'm near my due date already.

I'll start with Birth partner this week and hopefully I get to finish it so i can start with Silent Knife. whew! bookworm in an instant :)

Nanay Rich and prenatal massage

Nanay Rich prenatal massage

So I got to reach Nanay Rich again for yet another massage session.  This is the only luxury i have for this pregnancy. It felt so relaxing. I was so relieved of my back pains. She has been taking care of me and massaging me once a month.  She’s really a lactation therapist (I don’t know how they really call it) but she also does prenatal massages. Here’s her number if you want to get in touch with her.

Nanay Rich – 0916.308.6434

Her rate is 1,200 per session.  This is home service so you don’t need to go and prepare. After taking a bath, you can just lie on your bed and then have a really good massage.

The dreaded OGTT

The OGTT test - first week of august

This is the dreaded OGTT test. I had an OGCT when I was five months pregnant. I passed the test but now, my OB advised me to take OGTT. I had two failed attempts for the OGTT. I overfasted and it was an awful experience having to fast and not be able to continue the test because I hungered myself far too long. Uggh! So I followed my friend’s advice (thanks Carl Biolena) to take the OGTT in the afternoon so my last meal would be in the morning then take it around 3 or 4pm. I went straight to Medical City Ortigas, filled out the form and went to the priority lane.  I vividly remember having a hard time drinking the orange juice so I conditioned myself now to drink it straight and not vomit at all.  It was a breeze having to drink the juice.  Then the guy extracted blood from me then asked me to come back exactly after an hour.  The first hour of waiting was okay.  I was able to check emails, surf the net and text clients while waiting.  No food, no drink and I cannot move around that much in that hour of waiting.  When I went back, the med tech extracted another batch from me.  This was the hardest part.  I forgot how the second hour felt like.  It felt like forever. I was literally seeing black dots all over the place. I can’t think anymore, can’t text much and I don’t want to check emails. So I just sat down and closed my eyes.  When it was finally over, I hurriedly went to the extraction room so I could be done with this.

I got the results a few days after and I passed! Wee!!!

Checking options

Checking options

First week of July – The public forum suggested to look for an OB who will be willing to help you with your natural birth.  I went to see Dr. Michelle Severino of Medical City as suggested by Velvet.  She was objective enough to inform me about the risks. Hearing the risks and what-might-happens can really be scary and can easily turn you down.  But when I asked her if the risks she mentioned happened to her already, she said “luckily, not yet. But I’ve seen one case”  So I’m ok with that. I appreciate her telling me the risks but if it’s still not my case, I’m not interested to find out yet.  What I liked about her was she asked me the preparations I needed to make as of now. I’m 22 weeks when I went to see her.  And here are her suggestions:

-          As much as possible, don’t make your baby too big. A 6lb baby is okay but if you can deliver a smaller baby, it will be better.  The bigger the baby, the bigger your tummy will get and the risk of thinning CS scar will be more prominent

-          Exercise

-          Attend birth classes

-          Don’t take anmum as it can only make your baby big.  Just stick to your vitamins

-          Do an ultrasound to check if the CS scar is thick enough as a starting base

Right after the first meeting, I went straight to the Women’s health department of Medical City to do my ultrasound.  My CS scar was thick enough and qualified for VBAC. Praise God. But they found out that I have both posterior and anterior placenta.  At first, the theory of twins came up. A group of sonologists surrounded me in the room and kept on moving around the ultrasound stick on my abdomen to further see my placenta.  They even had it in 3D and saved it for later discussion.  The following Monday, I met up with Dra. Severino for the results and she explained that I may have placenta acreta.  Although it’s not really an issue for now as the placenta may still move to a better position as the baby grows bigger.  After the consultation, I talked to my doula and she recommended me acupuncture to improve placenta position and prepare my tummy for VBAC. She also suggests for me to schedule a monthly prenatal massage with Nanay Rich to prepare my body as well. A separate post on that J

When it all started

Let me give a short history of how my preparations for this pregnancy went on from the time we knew we were pregnant and how our options were for VBAC.

So I went to see my OB with my first daughter.  She said she is open to option of VBAC.  We just have to monitor the thickness of the scar.  She did’nt give me more information or what preparations I need to make but knowing that some OBs do not encourage VBAC, I was comforted to know that she is okay with it.

The first preparation I made was to get a birth doula.  I’m a member of N@w, newlywedsatwork (an online community where moms and wives share different experiences and knowledge about marriage, family, parenting and everything under the sun.  Being a member of this group paved me a way to know more people who have social advocacies.  One of these is Velvet Roxas.  She teaches indigenous people on proper feeding, from birth to childhood, she helps moms and families as well and she supports a lot of things.  Oh and she is a certified doula too. So automatically, since we know each other way back, I know I had to get her, by hook or by crook.

She readily agreed when I opened to her my desire of delivering VBAC. We met up and she lent me books that I can start reading.  In childbirth, to be able to be successful in your desired birth method, three things to prepare for – spiritually, emotionally and mentally.  By mentally, I need to do research. As in research. Knowledge is power. When you know things, you are more prepared of what you’re up against.  You have more control of your body because you know how it works. 

So reading books is the first step.  I have Hypnobirthing The Mongan Method book 3^rd edition, The Ultimate Breastfeeding Book of Answers, and The Birth Partner. I’ll tell more stories or information about these books as we go along.

Six months

Turning six months made a lot of difference in my pregnancy journey.  This is the time where I seriously shopped for maternity clothes.  My bump became more obvious.  I don’t get the usual expression “you’re pregnant?!” (with a doubtful look) anymore.  I actually don’t know if I should be happy when I get reactions like those.  I gained weight and I know that. So it gives me a feeling that maybe they see me as obese even before then. Hahaha. But whatever it is, im happy and enjoying the bump.

I started to feel itchy specially on my waist area so I bought my Shea butter immediately from Body Shop.  The distinct smell of Shea brings me “pregnancy hormones” and makes me more emotional.  Whenever I rub my tummy with shea butter, I would always think of the days left of savoring these moments…these moments of growing a human inside me. Yea, you can blame it on the hormones but it can really well up your eyes. 

First Public Forum on Gentle birth

June 28, 2014

                So my birth doula, Velvet, advised me to join online groups who can support me and give me more information about natural birth.  I joined Gentle Birth in the Philippines in FB page.  They’re a group of people, mostly moms who have undergone natural births,  midwives, birth doulas and advocates.  I wanted to gather as much information as I can.  I was late because I had an event that day but luckily, I was able to get the information I needed from the talks I heard.  It was such an eye opener for me.  Here are my thoughts:

1.      1.  when Betty San Luis, a birth doula, mentioned in her talk that most doctors will say that they agree to do VBAC but do a research if the doctor actually has VBAC experiences and totally supports your decision.  Ask nurses around the hospital you plan to give birth, check the birthing rooms, interview your doctor and tell her/him about your plans.

2.       2.  A mother should have the right to give birth however she wants it.  Your doctor should respect what you want and help you how you want to give birth

3.      3.   You don’t have to say YES all the time.  This is I think the most common mistake moms do especially first time moms.  We are so trusting of our healthcare providers that we do not initiate to gather knowledge about giving birth, where you will be comfortable with, envision what you want for you and your baby.  Do NOT entrust your whole birth experience to your doctor.  Make sure it’s what you want.  If you don’t have an idea of what you want, research and read more about giving birth. If we can read gossip articles, magazines and novels, I’m sure we can spend time reading birthing books J

4.       4.  I was opened to a lot of natural birthing options and it’s a very big encouragement for me

5.      5.   Encircle yourself with a very strong support system. 

I   I'm looking forward to more talks like this...sooo encouraging :)

Second month

                For a couple of weeks, I felt headaches, nauseous feeling but could’nt actually vomit, and a feeling of being bloated all the time.  Those were the only morning sicknesses I was able to really feel.  Oh and I was lazy most of the time. Lol. Knowing that you're pregnant early can seem like forever to wait for a month to end.

Body changes: Lower back pain, bloated all the time, thus i don't eat that much.

My Journey to Gentle birth

I’am a mother of a 7year-old daughter, Simone.   She has been our budle of joy ever since and it’s only until she was four years old when my husband and I prayed for another baby to add to our family.  I could’nt say I was traumatized giving birth to her because my case was an emergency CS, wherein I was prepped for normal delivery and then suddenly scheduled an operation.  My pregnancy with her was smooth until my 30^th week where my cervix slightly opened  so I had to be on bedrest for at least a month.  I was induced during labor and when I was losing a lot of blood, my doctor had to open me up. 

Recovery was painful and doubly powerless as a mother. I felt more like a failure for not being able to delivery my baby NSD.  I had no control of the pains, the forced adjustments my body had to make simultaneously with adjustments of being a new mother.  And now that I’m pregnant again, I want to make a more informed decision, a decision created by myself and my husband.  I want to detail the journey of my pregnancy and hopefully, the preparations I will make will contribute to the success of my birth.

When we learned that we’re pregnant, I’ve researched and asked my online group of friends for options if VBAC is possible in my condition.  My last CS operation was seven years ago, I had a miscarriage a year ago and D&C procedure had to be done.  When this pregnancy was confirmed, I consulted my online friend who is a birth doula about the possibilities of having VBAC.  She welcomed my decision and suggested me to do some research first on what birth method I’ll be most comfortable with.  My choices were limited to Lamaze and water birth as these were the only methods I knew.  She told me about hypnobirthing as well and lent me a book about it.  This was when I was 12weeks pregnant.

I’ll post more stories of my monthly updates and hopefully you’ll get more information to help you with your pregnancy and birth J