The Birth Story of Pietro Joaquin

I am a brand new mother of two!💖 Last week, 13th of October 2018, our baby boy, a.k.a. Dumpling, was born. We named him Pietro Joaquin, the nickname is Rocco. Pietro is the Italian form of Peter which means “rock,” while Joaquin is the Spanish form of Joachim which means “God gives strength.” A name combination that’s apt for a strong boy that God has given us. Both names are also names of two saints: St. Peter the Rock and St. Joachim, the father of Mama Mary.

Pietro Joaquin Del Pilar - Delos Reyes
Born on 13 October 2018 at 5:30am
5 lbs and 9 oz

The beginning of his birth story is very similar to Lia’s which I shared here. It was my weekly checkup, and when my OB did an internal exam, she said I was already 3cm dilated which meant I was at the early labor phase! She asked me not to go home anymore but to ask hubby to come over (his office is only a stone’s throw away from Asian Hospital) so we could walk, walk, and walk at the nearby mall, then I should come back by 5pm to be admitted (it was only 2pm then). Hubby and I talked, and instead of spending time walking at the mall, we both decided to go home so we could properly say goodbye to our first baby love, our Lia. We knew we’d be spending days at the hospital and we would be missing her badly. 

Oct 12

3:30 pm

We were home already when I passed what I thought was the mucous plug when I peed. 

5:00 pm

Hubby and I went back to the hospital. We headed to Genesis at the 3rd floor where I was immediately hooked to different monitors.

5:30 pm

I was 5cm dilated. 

6:23 pm

I was given oxytocin to make the contractions more regular. 

6:38 pm

Hyoscine was administered to soften the cervix and make labor go a little faster.

8:01 pm

I was given epidural because I couldn’t tolerate the cramps anymore. 

8:40 pm

I was already 7cm dilated. This was the point when things got super slow. 

Oct 13

2:15 am 

After hours and hours of waiting, I was finally 8cm dilated and they said the head was already descending. 

2:45 am

More epidural for me. The pain was too much to bear. :(

2:55 am

I was 9cm dilated. After a few minutes, I was wheeled from the Triage to the war zone, a.k.a. the birthing room, already.

It was at the birthing room where I experienced shocking pain, pain that is difficult to describe.😢 Hubby told me I was crying, and I repeatedly said “Ang sakit.” This was new to me, because when I gave birth to Lia, I was only very thirsty. I could feel the contractions then but there was no pain. This time with Rocco, I was writhing in agony despite the epidural. Huhuhu.

When it was time to push, I did with all the strength I could muster. I did so several times, but our baby wasn’t descending any further. He couldn’t because his umbilical cord was coiled around his neck, this caused his heart rate to drop every time he tried to go down. I could hear my OB and my husband discussing the likelihood of a C-section, and I wanted to say “Yes please!” because I was already too tired. 😔 Yes, I was that tired that I was willing to be cut up than to go on pushing. But still, my OB asked me to try two more sets, baka sakali. I did but to no avail. At this time, everyone was in agreement that a CS was in order. I was wheeled to the operating room. 

All my fear about my back touching the cold surface of the operating table was forgotten. I can only recall the pain of my contractions, and the cool sensation on my back when I was given another dose of epidural. After that, I passed out. 

5:30 am

I woke up and heard my baby’s cry. He’s out! “Thank You, Jesus” was all I could say in my head. They put him on my chest as I was being stitched. A few seconds later, I passed out again.

I woke up at the recovery room beside our little Rocco in his bassinet. I was told that he’s generally healthy with an APGAR score of 9, but his respiratory rate was higher than usual. Because of that, he had to stay at the Neonatal ICU for a few days and tests needed to be done. It was only on day 4 that he was cleared and roomed in with us. 

If I should end this birth story with just one word, I would use “difficult.” It was a tough full labor that ended in CS, a double whammy for  this mommy! But though my body had to endure that much, it's nothing compared to the joy that came with it. Now, we have a very cute and mabait baby boy who’s been blessed with a good latch (thank God!) and only wants to feed and sleep and feed and sleep. He’s not a crybaby unlike other newborns, and he lets daddy and mommy snooze as he snoozes. Ang bait bait bait talaga!  Thank You, Jesus! All honor and praises and glory to You!🙏