Giving Birth at Asian Hospital

When I gave birth to our firstborn Lia, the choice of hospital was easy from the beginning. It was my first time then and we wanted D-day to happen at Asian Hospital so we wouldn’t have anything to worry about - the facilities were state-of-the-art and we knew the medical team would give me and the baby the best care possible. This time with our second baby, I entertained the idea of giving birth at another hospital for practical reasons. Hubby shot down the suggestion, however, and he won. Asian might cost us an arm and a leg again, but it’s worth the peace of mind, he said. 

photo borrowed from Google Images

Dumpling’s Congenital Anomaly Scan

Last Tuesday was my birthday, and it was also the day when we had Dumpling’s CAS (congenital anomaly scan) scheduled. My husband and I were supposed to go on a road trip to Tagaytay, but I changed my mind because I knew that on my birthday, the gift I wanted to receive is the knowledge that our baby is doing well in my tummy. Thank God there was still an available slot at Asian Hospital, so off we went. 

Glucose Test Round 2

Three and a half years ago, I wrote about my "glucose challenge" when I was pregnant with Lia.  And now that I'm preggers with Dumpling, I just went thru another glucose test!  It happened last Saturday, 16th of June.

The process this time wasn't exactly the same as my first, though I still had to fast for 8-10 hours prior to the blood extraction.  When I got to the lab at Asian Hospital, I was given this super cold glucose drink that I had to drink within 5 minutes while the nurse was watching. They say others can't stand how sweet this tastes, but to me, it was easy-peasy!👌 I think I finished it in less than a minute!  Hehe.  It just tasted like sweet samalamig without the gulaman, yuuum! 

Baby Immunizations and Costs

"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure," says a popular line from Benjamin Franklin.  This is very true especially when we're talking about preventing diseases in babies who are very fragile and delicate.  Thank God for vaccines, ailments that used to claim countless lives can now be prevented!  We can all have peace of mind knowing that our frail babies are not at risk of infectious illnesses once they've received immunization.

Of course, prevention has a price.  In my baby's immunization record, not a single vaccine was worth less than a thousand pesos.  It could be less (or more) with other pedias or clinics, but I don't think the price difference would be significant.  Listing down below the vaccines Lia has received so far, the cost of each, and the dates when she got them.  Her pedia is Dr. Trinidad 'Nik' Lombos and her clinic that we go to is the one at Asian Hospital.

BCG (Bacille Calmette-Guérin)

• What it does:  protects babies from serious forms of Tuberculosis (TB) such as TB Meningitis (an infection of the brain) and Miliary TB (wide spread infection)
• Cost:  PhP 1,400
• Given on:  March 28, 2015 (the day she was born)

Hep B

• What it does: protects against the hepatitis B virus 
• Cost:  PhP 1,400
• Given on:  March 28 (the day she was born), June 11 (at 2.5 mos), October 03, 2015 (at 6.5 mos), and July 10, 2020 (5 years and 3 months)

Rotavirus

• What it does:  protects against Rotavirus which causes severe acute gastroenteritis with diarrhea and vomiting
• Cost:  PhP 3,200
• Given on:  May 09 (at 1.5 mos) and July 11, 2015 (at 3.5 mos)

6 in 1

• What it does:  protects against Hep B, DPT (bacterial infection affecting the nose and throat, and sometimes the skin), OPV/IPV (polio), and H. Influenza (bacterial infections including meningitis, septicaemia, pneumonia, etc.)
• Cost:  PhP 3,500
• Given on:  June 11 (at 2.5 mos) and October 03, 2015 (at 6.5 mos)

DPT, OPV/IPV, H. Influenza

• What it does:  similiar to the 6-in-1 vaccine but doesn't include Hep B
• Cost:  PhP 3,000
• Given on:  June 11 (at 2.5 mos) and August 15 (at 5 mos) and October 3, 2015 (at 6.5 mos); October 15 (at 1.5 years old), December 10, 2016 (at 1 year & 8 mos), and June 04, 2020 (at 5 years & 2 mos)

Measles

• What it does:  protects against the virus that causes measles
• Cost:  PhP 1,300
• Given on:  November 21, 2015 (at 8 mos)

Varicella

• What it does:  protects against chickenpox 
• Cost:  PhP 3,600 in 2016; PhP 3,900 in 2019
• Given on:  April 02, 2016 (at 1 year old); April 13, 2019 (at 4 years old)

MMR

• What it does:  protects against measles, mumps, and rubella (similar to measles)
• Cost:  PhP 1,500, booster shot PhP 1,600
• Given on:  May 07, 2016 (at 1 year & 1 mo); booster shot on March 16, 2019 (3 years and 11mos)

Hep A

• What it does: protects against the hepatitis A virus 
• Cost:  PhP 2,200
• Given on:  June 11 (at 1 year & 2.5 mos) and December 10, 2016 (at 1 year & 8.5 mos)

Flu Shot

• What it does: protects kids from the flu and the problems that come along with it
• Cost: PhP 1,500
• Given on: July 16 (at 1 year & 4 mos) and August 20, 2016 (at 1 year & 5 mos) and September 9, 2017 (at 2 years & 5.5 mos) July 7, 2018 (at 3 years & 3 mos), and June 04, 2020 (at 5 years & 2 mos)

Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV)

• What it does: protects against diseases caused by the bacterium Streptococcus pneumoniae that can lead to infections in the lungs, blood, and brain
• Cost: PhP 5,000
• Given on: November 18, 2016 (at 1 year & 8 mos) and February 18, 2017 (at 1 year & 11 mos)

Imojev

• What it does:  protects against Japanese encephalitis, a disease spread through mosquito bites
• Cost: PhP 3,100
• Given on: May 6, 2017 (at 2 years & 1 mo)

Pneumo23

• What it does: prevents pneumonia caused by the 23 different types of pneumococci bacteria 
• Cost: PhP 2,600
• Given on: June 3, 2017 (at 2 years & 2 mos)

Menactra

• What it does:  prevents invasive meningococcal disease caused by Neisseria meningitidis serogroups A, C, Y, and W-135
• Cost: PhP 3,900
• Given on: July 8, 2017 (at 2 years & 3 mos)

For sure, the schedule and costs may not be the same for all pedias. but this is how it is for my Lia. :) As of this update (15 Sept 2017), Lia is done! We will just go back to the doctor next year, after she turns three, then again after she turns four.  I'll still keep on updating this post as we go along.

***********

UPDATE as of November 2018: I am now a mother of two! This section below will state the costs and dates of my second baby's shots so that our list is more recent. :)  Like what I did above, I will keep on updating this as my baby and I go along.

• Hep B (P1,400) - given on the day he was born, 13 October 2018. 
• BCG (P1,400) - typically given on the day the baby is born, but in my son's case, this was given 2 weeks after, 26 October 2018.
• Rotavirus (P3,300) - given at one month, 23 November 2018.
• 6-in-1 (P3,650) - given at 3 months, 19 January 2019 (but this can be given earlier, Rocco just had colds the previous month so this shot was delayed)
• Rotavirus (P3,300) -  the second dose was given at 3 months, 16 Feb 2019.
• 5-in-1 (P3,200) - given at 4 months, 16 March 2019
• 6-in-1 (P3,650) - second dose given at 6 months, 13 April 2019.
• MMR (P1,600) - given at almost 7 months, 04 May 2019 (this was only given due to the measles outbreak; this is usually given past one year)
• Flu (P1,600) - given at 8 months, 15 June 2019.
• Imojev (P3,500) - given at 9.5 months, 03 August 2019.
• Flu (P1,600) - second dose given at almost 11 months, 08 September 2019.
• Varicella (P3,900)- given at 15 months, 18 January 2020 (but this can be given as soon as the baby turns 12 months, Rocco just had colds last October, and everyone was busy the past two months)
• Hep A (2,200) - given at 16 months, 22 February 2020
• MMR (1,600) - given at 1 year and 7 months, 04 June 2020
• PCV (5,100) - given at 1 year and 8 months, 10 July 2020

To fellow moms asking about baby immunizations and costs in the Philippines, hope this helps! :)

The Birth Story of Riella Noelle

It was Saturday, 28th of March 2015, when the world welcomed God's answer to our prayers - our little Lia. It's been a week, and the details are still very vivid in my mind's eye. I thought I'd share her birth story here so I could preserve every single memory. smile emoticon

That day was my scheduled weekly checkup with my OB-GYN, Dr. Lany Gabilo, at Asian Hospital. I was exactly 37 weeks and 3 days along. Yup, I was already full term, but I never expected anything to happen that early as many people say delivery of firstborn babies usually happens on the 38th or 39th week. The doctor's assistant even told me she's hoping that Lia won't come out on Good Friday, and I said I was wishing that, too.

12nn

Dr. Gabilo arrived and when it was my turn, she did an internal exam. Much to my shock/surprise, she said, "Mommy, you're already in labor!"  Turned out my cervix was already 4cm dilated and I had no clue. I wasn't feeling any contractions or pain and my water bag hadn't ruptured. I thought I felt something weird around my pelvic area that morning, but I brushed it off for I knew that my baby should already be down there somewhere since I was already full term. Anyway, my OB instructed hubby to have me admitted right away. Waaah, bigla akong kinabahan!  We went straight to Genesis and I was admitted to the Triage where my cervix dilation and effacement would progress. Yep, things happened THAT fast.

1pm

I was hooked to different kinds of monitors so the staff could keep an eye on the fetal heart rate, my blood pressure, etc. At this point, I was left alone because Rolly had to go down to fix my admission papers. Then he dashed home to get our hospital bag plus other stuff and to fetch my mom too who, fortunately, was spending that weekend with us.

At the Triage. :) I was even able to take a selfie! Hahaha.

3:05pm

Second IE. My cervix was already 5cm dilated.

4:17pm

They administered a drug (Hyoscine something, I think) to soften my cervix and help things move a little bit faster.

4:30pm

I was given Oxytocin to make the contractions more regular.

5:25pm

6cm naaaa!

6:00pm

By this time, I could already feel that pain moms who have gone through labor often describe. It felt like menstrual cramps for me but these were much more intense and yes, too much to handle.  Like what I knew I would definitely do, I asked for epidural.

6:36pm

My cervix was already 7cm dilated.

8:00pm

I was 8cm dilated but my water bag still hadn't ruptured, the resident OB had to do it manually. I heard a funny popping sound, the same sound you'd hear if a balloon filled with water would blow up and burst.

9:10pm

The final point for my cervix was reached. I was already 10cm dilated and 100% effaced.

At this point, the resident OB seemed concerned. He (yes, he's a guy but he doesn't look like he's straight so it was all good, hehe) said the baby was still at the upper station of my pelvis, when she should already be at a lower station - ready to come out. Something must be hindering her from descending, and he suspected it to be the umbilical cord which could be wrapped around a part of baby's body. Whenever she tried to go down, her heartbeat would drop as well. :( He got on the phone with my OB who was on her way, and she presumed the same thing. Delivering normally would put our baby at risk if her heart rate would continue to be unstable. The CS route was already being considered and we immediately agreed, just to keep our little munchkin safe. Again, we prayed and prayed and prayed. And again after a few minutes, God answered us. Baby's heartbeat stabilized, and the team decided we could proceed with a normal delivery. 

From the Triage, I was transferred to the birthing room where I was prepped. I remember my throat being so dry, I repeatedly asked for water (pero dahil bawal, hindi ako binigyan). I had never been that thirsty in my life. Anyway, because of the epidural, I couldn't feel a thing except for the huge but painless waves of contractions on my belly. When it was time to push, I did. At one point, I heard my OB ask her assistant OB, "Kumusta diyan?" referring to baby's heartbeat monitor. I didn't hear a response. She asked again, and once more, he did not reply. I figured, something must be wrong because the assistant OB didn't want me to hear it. I got very worried, determined that in my next pushes, little munchkin would surely come out. And it happened. After about 8 epic pushes that zapped all the energy out of me, I heard her first cry. I realized that's my baby, and she's already out, she's safe. I cried and cried and cried. Maraming salamat po, Panginoon! smile emoticon

Our "Unang Yakap"

Our very first family photo! :)

Lia all cleaned up! :) Her eyes, nose, and lips still looking pretty puffy.

After my pep squad a.k.a. team of doctors and nurses evaluated our little munchkin and determined she's perfectly okay, that's the only time they told Rolly and I what happened during delivery.  As I was pushing and baby was descending, her heartbeat decelerated to 50 (the normal BPM ranges from 120 to 160) and that was definitely alarming. The reason for the drop was as they initially suspected, Lia's cord was coiled around her neck. :( Haaaay. God was indeed with us during that hour, as He always is.  He didn't allow any harm to  happen to our precious little one, and for that, we are extremely grateful.

So there you have it, the story behind the birth of our Riella Noelle.  The day that officially marked the end of her 37-week long stay inside my tummy. e emoticonon! smile emoticoarm to  happen to our precious little one, and for that, we are extremely grateful.

Cheers,