This is the my version of the birth of Lucas Giullano Lontoc Diaz...
May 28 was Caroline's original due date. Weeks before, we already had all our hospital gear in the car in case her water broke while we were out of the house. However, May 28 came and went. When we visited her ob-gyn (Dr Houston of Womens Health Associates), we were given the choice of waiting it out a few more days or having an induced labour. We did not want to add complications so we opted to wait a few more days, especially the ultrasound showed that the baby was very comfortable in mommy's tummy!
A week passed and it was time to go to Dr Houston again. This time, she said that we would have to induce labour, as it wouldn't be healthy anymore to have baby stay inside the womb. We agreed; it was time for him to come out!
So, after the ob-gyne, we went straight to the Women's Center in Northside Hospital. It's also known as the 'Baby Factory' because of the large number of deliveries they perform every year. We 'checked in' to the hospital... It really is like checking into a hotel. Caroline got her own private room complete with cable tv, and a bench that doubles as a bed during the night. It did not look like a hospital at all. If it weren't for the hospital bed and various monitors beside it, it could definitely pass for a hotel room.
The time was around 6pm when the nurses admistered Cervidil... a drug that helps the cervix get into position (so I am told). This was not the actual drug for inducing labour. At this point, Caroline was about 3 cm dilated. We prepared ourselves for an uneventful night, since the Cervidil is normally administered for 12 hours. Actual induction would begin in the morning.
However, about 3 hours after taking Cervidil, Caroline started complaining because her contractions were becoming more painful. Some painkillers were given, but they were not enough to counter the pain. Her contractions were getting stronger, and she was becoming more dilated. The Cervidil triggered Caroline into labour! Our nurse and ob-gyne said that this was normal, considering that Caroline was already dilated in the first place. All she needed was a little 'push' from the Cervidil to put her into full labour!
At around 2am, the pain was just too great to bear. Caroline was not getting much sleep, and neither was I nor her parents (who were with us in the room too). She requested for an epidural. It could not have come at a better time. She was scared at first, since the epidural needle was huge, but the anesthesiologist worked quickly and professionally. Soon, she could not feel any pain from the waist down. She could finally get some rest!
7am... Dr Sun and Dr Soufi (both associates of Dr Houston) came in to check on Caroline's progress. To our surprise, they told Caroline that it was time to start pushing. She was fully dilated! Everyone got into position. My role was to help comfort Caroline and let her concentrate on pushing. The nurse monitored her contractions and told her when to push, as she could not feel them anymore due to the epidural. During each push, Caroline held her breath and pushed as hard as she could (I held my breath too). These were tense moments.
After around 2 contractions, I started to see the baby's head start to come out! I thought things were doing well. However, the baby's heart rate started going down. He was stressed. Dr Soufi immediately requested for several different emergency teams to be prepared, in case she would have to perform a caesarian, or help the baby out using a forceps or vacuum. I was getting worried about our baby!
After another set of contractions and pushes, Dr Soufi finally saw what was wrong... the umbilical cord had wrapped itself around the baby's neck! She immediately cut the umbilical cord as soon as she safely could. At this point, the nurses told me to step back as this was a crucial time for mother and baby. I could only watch as Caroline did the final push... fortunately, since the cord was already cut, the baby came out very quickly!
He was still a little blue due to lack of oxygen... the medical team quickly took him to make sure he was ok. I stayed with Caroline, telling her that the baby came out and calming her down. When we finally first heard Lucas cry, we both had tears running down our eyes... he was ok! The nurses and doctors reassured us that Lucas was indeed, healthy.
So, on June 5, 2007, at 8:17am, Lucas Giullano Lontoc Diaz came into this world...
La Vita e Bella!
