January 2, 2017

The moment we've been waiting for -- meeting our princess!

Back story: Up until the last minute, I wanted to have a normal delivery..that was the birth plan. I wanted to experience it all..the labor pains, the excruciating pain that all mothers have to go through to bring a human being to this earth.  My actual due date was January 11, so a month before the due date I have to go to my OB consult weekly for an ultrasound to see if the baby is in the right position to make the grand entrance. I remember a week before Christmas during my prenatal checkup my gynecologist told me that she would be on a 2-week Christmas vacation. My stress level went sky high because she knows I can give birth any time after Christmas. I was then told that if things did not go as planned, meaning if I have to give birth before she's back, that I will be in good hands with her colleague who also did one of my ultrasounds when she was not around. So that last week before Christmas she told me that the baby's position is oblique, which means that there's a high probability that she can not turn anymore on a head-first position because there is not much space in my uterus to move around with..which also means that it would likely be a C-section. Really??!! So first you're telling me you might not be there if I deliver before my due date, and second, that it would probably be a C-section. She might have seen my panic face that she consoled me with "things might still change the last minute, you'll never know." She scheduled me for Jan 2 early in the morning ultrasound to see if the baby moved to a head-first position, and if not, I just have to accept the fact that some things cannot always go as planned..

The night of January 1, we were early in bed because of our early appointment the next day, plus I was so tired from the new year's eve party with friends and we also went to my mother-in-law's on new year's day that I was just so ready to hit the sack as soon as we got home..I remember that night I was already feeling uncomfortable and here and there some contractions. I actually thought it was just Kassandra doing some somersault in my tummy trying to move and position herself head first so we can still go with the birth plan of normal delivery..yeah I was still hoping it would be like that..and the contractions were not on regular intervals yet so I did not think it was already the beginning of labor..Around 3 am when I woke up with this massive contraction. I remember my tummy feeling so hard and tight and it was so painful I can't breath. Almost the same time I was doing my breathing exercises to relax myself, my water broke! I shouted to Patrick "Sweetie it's time! my water just broke!" I remember him bolting out of the bed, went down to get himself ready while I was still in the room taking off the bed sheets and cleaning the floor!  We were able to get to the hospital a little after 4 a.m. We went straight to the emergency room. My contractions then was getting more and more intense and in closer intervals. I was then wheeled to the maternity department where they put me on monitors. Since I have appointment that day, I was already expected to be there, but now it's not just for a prenatal check. The ultrasound revealed that Kassandra is lying transverse, and because my water already broke, the only option to safely deliver the baby is through C-section.. and so it was...on 9:18 a.m. of that lovely Monday morning of January 2, 2017 to be exact, we saw our most precious baby girl. It was a day of love and celebration. A day of worship and thanksgiving to our Lord who blessed us with this most amazing gift!

Part 2: My journey to motherhood: The pregnancy

First trimester: 

They say the first trimester of pregnancy is the most delicate phase..because during this period, the baby grows faster than any other time..bones, muscles and vital organs form and develop..and also in this period that there's a big chance of miscarriage..so we did not announce yet that we are pregnant until the second trimester. The only ones who knew we're pregnant at this time were my family (even Patrick's family does not know yet) and colleagues from work who knew we were doing the IVF.
Cravings - I was craving for ice cream all the time.. and not just any ice cream.. it has to be mango flavor.. I remember Patrick would come home with Haägen Dazs mango and strawberry and I would be so happy indulging! From the 8th week mark it began the dizziness and vomiting that at some point I have to call in sick at work..I would be very sleepy and just tired..I experienced it all during my first trimester..it was all so new to me..the body changes, the hormonal changes, the crying fits..it was an emotional roller coaster..Kassandra at this time is growing and developing as she should..I even downloaded a pregnancy app in my iPad to know how big the baby is at a particular week and what to expect during that period.. 

@8 weeks 

Second trimester:

As first time parents, we are very excited to prepare for her grand entrance, so at this time we already started shopping for her..those little cutie dresses, rompers, socks, gloves and bonnets.. Her room has started to fill up with stuffed toys, musical toys, and all things in between..I would be reading blogs about what to buy and what is needed for the first three months of the baby..I have books like "What to Expect When You're Expecting" and I would be reading and browsing a lot in Pinterest for posts about child-friendly baby rooms, what to bring in the hospital and so much about baby stuff...during this time my dizziness has subsided a little bit, but I would still have cravings..mostly craving for Filipino food, which makes it difficult for me because I am on strict diet at this time. I was diagnosed on my second semester with gestational diabetes (maybe from all the ice cream I ate 😁).. and I have to monitor my blood sugar three times a day..so apart from my appointments with my gynecologist, I also have to be closely monitored by an endocrinologist and dietitian. Lucky enough I don't have to inject insulin, but a strict diet is a must..my baby bump is getting more obvious at this time..it's actually big for a second trimester..a lot of people actually thought I'm having twins..so at the end of this term, it was really time to have my maternity leave..

@21 weeks

Kassandra @22 weeks

Kassandra @22 weeks

Kassandra @22 weeks

@29 weeks

Third trimester:

The final stretch of my pregnancy..this phase feels like the longest...don't get me wrong I love being pregnant..I love the feeling of Kassandra moving inside me..I love how she is so active..the feeling that you are growing a tiny human being inside of you is indescribable..the down side is, she is doing all that somersault and double spins in my tummy at the wee hours of the night..and finding your most comfortable position in bed is always a challenge..everything about me has doubled in size by this time, my boobs, my arms, my thighs and legs, my face, and of course my baby bump..I would feel my hands and feet swollen and it's sometimes difficult to breath..I would be walking a lot, I even do some yoga but I would find myself short of breath most of the time..and that is mostly because Kassandra would give me a hardcore kick on my lungs or so that's how it feels..
Nesting.. by 30 weeks I began to be obsessive compulsive with cleaning..I would wash all her tiny clothes, hanged and ironed them then put them so organized in the cabinets..only to re-organize again after a week because I bought new stuff that needs to be put up in the cabinet as well. I would arrange and re-arrange her room..I would prepare our hospital bags (for me and Kassandra) only to put things away again because I would change my mind ever so often on what to bring..I would be designing our birth cards and I would make our do-it-yourself souvenirs.. it's exhausting! But at the same time it is my way of making my mind busy on other things than thinking of the actual giving birth and the anxiety that goes with it..I have to admit there were times when I would think what if something goes wrong during the delivery..I don't want to entertain the thought so I would rather make myself busy with organizing and cleaning...
so why I say this period feels like the longest? Because of anticipation..We are already at a point when we are so ready to meet her and by the 38th week we feel it can happen any time soon..we know it can already happen any time soon..and the wait for that moment feels ages! My tummy is so big you think it would just pop out..I feel so heavy that any attempt to move is so big of an effort..I move so slow and it seems like everything is in slow motion..every second, minute, hour, day that past feels like an eternity..and then it is time..the moment that we've been waiting for!

@36 weeks

@36 weeks