Part I - The Rush to Labor

On my 9th month, I got a little impatient and tired with pregnancy. From excitement, the feeling transformed to impatience and anxiety. One source of anxiety is that I'm already nearing my due date schedule but my cervix has been totally closed yet. I've been so worried because I really don't want to have a C-Section due to many reasons. So on January 28, I decided to take periods of long (very very long) brisk walk in the morning with my husband. During the afternoon, we went to the park to exercise. This exercise composed of brisk-walk-till-you-drop around the park and 20 rounds of going up and down the staircase. This technique is advised by my friend when I told her I'm worried about not giving birth any time soon.

Part II - The Rush to the Hospital

After the exercise at around 5pm, I felt mild cramps on my abdomen and lower back. It feels exactly like menstruation cramps. At first I ignored it, we went home, ate dinner and tried to sleep. As hours passed by, the cramps grew stronger with irregular intervals so I thought it was just a false labor. But at around 10 in the evening, the interval was constantly around one minute and the pain lasts for around 4 minutes. I checked my underwear because it felt wet and to my surprise, I saw blood on it. I panicked, told my husband about it and we both panicked, in a good way :P. We immediately decided to to go to the hospital. Oh, before we went, I drank milk and took a sponge bath.

Tip: When you're on labor, do not eat anymore as you might just vomit it during delivery.

Part III - The Labor Begins

At 12midnight, we were able to check-in but not in a private room because there was no available room for us. *sobs*. We we're given a bed in the ward for male that underwent surgical procedures. Could you imagine how difficult it was, being the only girl, in labor, in a ward full of men? It wasn't easy especially if it's time for your IE.

I just accepted the ward because I really need to be in the hospital. The pain interval was constant and progressing that time and went on the whole day. It felt like forever. The pain I felt was like a severe menstruation cramp where you can't stand, walk or go to the office, something like that.

At 8am, my OB-Gyne checked my cervix. Nope, still closed at that time. She told me that if I did not progress, I should have a C-Section already at the afternoon, around 3pm. I agreed with her due to the increasing pain and I was thinking, well, maybe my cervix won't open at all. But I really didn't like to have a CS because:
(1) It's very expensive
(2) There are lots of negative feedback I heard about babies delivered via CS
(3) I'm scared in operation. I can't imagine being sliced like a meat!

After that, I did some walking exercise around the hospital lobby and stairs. I also did some squats as advised by my husband's aunt. I was tired already and I just wanted the baby to come out. Why should it be so difficult?

At 3pm my doctor came back and I told her I just want to wait for another day before the operation, to which she agreed. At 4pm we we're able to get a private room (Thank God!) and I continued my exercise there. At around 6pm, a midwife came and did an IE. My cervix opened around 1 cm, according to her. Because of this progress I've been determined to exercise some more even if the pain was increasing that night.

How will I describe the pain? Well, it's something I've never felt before. It was like my whole body was aching but I can't point which part, where exactly was the pain coming from, it's not even from my abdomen. It was terrible, horrible and extremely painful. As In. I thought I could die.

At around 11 in the evening, the pain was superior and I felt like there was some alien in my belly, moving, trying to get out. My husband's mother called the nurse. The midwife came and checked my cervix. She then said that the cervix was already opened and I will already give birth so they rushed me to the delivery room. It came so fast. They called my doctor, she came, she instructed me on what to do, then the baby came. During the delivery she told me to pull the bar of the bed and push/force my abdomen for the baby to come out. After three pushes, my baby came into the world and I got blacked-out. I woke up after some time and the nurse asked me, "Did you know you already gave birth?". I did not answer but deep inside I was like "Thank God! After 400 years!". I attempted to stand and the nurse asked me "Where are you going?!". I said, "I'm going back to my room!" (Haha!). She then laughed and said that they will bring me to the room. That's when I realized my body was aching and I cannot walk.

So I just rested the whole day and waited for our discharge the next day... with our baby, of course.

I kept on praying while on labor

list of things about newborns that other sites won't tell you


Almost all sites I've researched for managing my expectations about newborns discussed how a baby could be perfect. They also listed baby's development regarding motor skills, weight, milestones etc. Yes, those are important but those things don't give moms the survival tips they need. Here's my list from personal experience that I can share to you:

1. Your newborn will sleep but you will not have an idea on when or how long.

As they say, they may sleep up to 17 hours per day but you can't panic like "omg, my baby slept for just 16 hours, there could be something wrong!". I tell you, that's normal. Babies will sleep whenever they want to, as long as they want to, even if it doesn't meet the standards the internet is telling you. Unless your pedia told you to record his/her sleeping pattern, you don't have to do it.

Newborns can take a nap for 30 minutes, which is ideal, but they can also take a nap for, say, a minute. That means before you could even put back yourself together and decide to make a cup of tea, your baby will wake up and cry.

2. Your newborn's sleeping schedule, feeding schedule and attitude will change every week. But one thing will not change, your baby will wake up during midnight to dawn. That means you will never be able to enjoy a good night's sleep again until they learn to sleep through the night. My baby's one year old and she still wakes up at midnight, crying, for some unkown reasons

3. Your newborn's skin is very sensitive. He/she is prone to rashes, pimples and other skin problems. Take care of it to avoid irritants. If milk drips on his/her neck, clean it with moist cotton then pat dry. Use rash cream to prevent diaper rashes. There will be times that the baby will cry just because he/she is irritated with the rashes. Then you get irritated because you've done everything but the baby still cries. If this happens, put soothing cream on the area. I'm using Drapolene and it's effective.

4. Your baby will cry but don't take it too seriously. I mean, you should take it seriously but not too serious. If your baby cries, check if the diaper is wet, if he/she pooped or maybe hungry. If not, try to "entertain" him/her. Your baby may cry for hours BUT one thing's for sure, the crying will eventually stop. If you can't soothe him/her, the baby will soothe on his/her own. As our Pedia said, if the baby can't breathe anymore because of crying, a signal to the brain will be sent out to stop the crying. Remember also that your baby cannot talk so whenever he/she needs something, or if something hurts, it will be communicated through crying. Now, use all the intuition that God gave you to figure out what he/she needs. It will be frustrating but just find comfort in knowing you are not alone. Every hands-on moms experience frustration, anxiety and anger (towards life) so don't think you're alone. Find support group and source of strength.

5. Leave your baby. Yes! Leave the baby to a trusted person (usually, the husband) when you need to take a break.

Your babies will not be babies forever. Soon, they will grow, become independent and leave the house. Cherish all the anguish now, don't worry it's not permanent. And oh, take care of your self. A well-taken-care-of mom can take care of the babies properly.

Here's the greatest tip: Keep your sanity. Don't get mad with the baby, with your self nor with your husband. This, too, shall pass.

Knetina's first picture at home

Expecting a baby? It's not just all fun, there will be more frustration than happiness.

The pain doesn't stop after delivery
I had a normal delivery/ natural birth with my 6-lb baby after 24 hours of painful labor. The delivery was painful too but not as intense as a day-long suffering. I thought all the pain in the world I experienced from conception will disappear in a flash after that.  What other moms don't tell you is that the pain will continue for some time after giving birth. You will feel the laceration on your vagina, your stomach will ache every now and then, your back will hurt, you will feel dizzy and you just want to sleep the whole day. It will be difficult to poop, wee, eat and you will always cry. It will be intensely painful.

The longest weeks of my life
The day after going home from the hospital is the start of the longest weeks of my life. I counted each day, each second, and pray that it will go by fast. My day consisted of waking up after a nap (it's not even sleep), attending to the baby's needs, soothing her cries, changing her diaper, entertaining her and massaging her. I could barely escape from her to take care of my self. Brushing my teeth and taking a bath would be a marathon.

I was thinking that it would rather be easier if I just went to work so I can escape taking care of this baby. But that will not happen because deep inside I'd rather experience these difficulties than entrust my own child to a complete stranger. I'm on my second week with the baby now. They said that you and your newborn will eventually discover your rhythm. Well, I think we just did. It was a catastrophic rhythm, an unordered chaos.

The strength is from within
I don't know where I'd find all the strength to last the day. I just find comfort in the thought that my child will not be a baby forever. I just have to wait patiently, for how long I do not know, for her to grow up. I know this will forbid me to enjoy this moment but that thought keeps me hopeful. I never felt this incompetent. For years that I've been in corporate life, I've been very tough and proud. But this time I felt like I am out of control and I do not know what I'm doing. I realize clients are easier to please than babies. I also get strength from my ever supportive husband who've been through with me all the way.

Discovered that you're pregnant? Congratulations! They say pregnancy is a beautiful thing - - - well, they're lying!


Just kidding! Actually, half-kidding. I've got some tips for you new mom, just carry on.


When I discovered I'm pregnant, I'm already halfway through my second month. I was in denial at first, thinking all those symptoms were normal. I wasn't ready to be a mom that time. I always thought that it's selfish to bring a baby in this world, a world full of war, famine and all. Lol.

I had these symptoms and corresponding excuses:

1. Excessive sleepiness - I've said to myself, "I am always sleepy! What's new?"
2. Cravings - I've always craved for something! Chocolates, Siopao, etc!
3. Vomitting - I've always vomit especially when I eat too much. I thought I was just over-eating!
4. Swollen/Tender Breasts - This always happen before my menstruation.
5. Fatigue/Stress/Headache - This is so me, everyday.

Helpful notes: Pregnancy symptoms are different in every woman.

For days, I waited for my menstruation that never came. A few days before I took the pregnancy test, I got extremely aching abdomen that felt like menstruation cramp. I immediately went home from work that time and slept. That should do the trick. I checked, but there were no signs of menstruation until I remembered I was already one month delayed. Next day, my husband and I bought a pregnancy test kit. We felt silly that time. I was like, "I don't think I could be pregnant, right?".

Here's the result:

Yes, that's positive right there.

I bought around 3 test kits and used them all. I thought the results would change.. but they did not. It was really a positive. That time, I didn't know what to feel. The thought of me, being pregnant, did not sink in immediately. But I was anxious afterward. What if I did something that hurt the baby? I drank too much soda, ate too much junk food and had too much stress! I had multiple client meetings, went up and down the stairs and rode the motorcycle on a bumpy road.

I immediately scheduled a visit to an OB-Gyne. It turned out that my menstrual cramp-like pain is due to fatigue. My doctor prescribed a medicine to avoid miscarriage.

Here are my tips for women:

1. If you have been sexually active, don't think you will not get pregnant.

If you do not want to get pregnant, then don't do the deed. I've always thought that it's selfish to bring a baby in this world full of war and hunger but it's even more selfish to enjoy an act which will impact a human being. It's even worst if  you use contraception, there are lots of side effects. Don't play with fire if you're not prepared to get burn. So, if you don't want to get pregnant, abstinence.

2. If you have been sexually active, be careful with your diet.

If you did the "deed" then you got the chance to be pregnant. Avoid soda, avoid any medicine, do not smoke and avoid alcoholic drinks. Just so you know, those are dangerous for the baby.

3. If you felt you were pregnant, yes you could be.

It's called 'intuition' and women are very good at it. Take the pregnancy test immediately since it's 99.99% accurate. If the result is positive, go to the doctor immediately. Your life and your baby's life are at risk. Yes, your life is at risk too. If the baby dies inside you without knowing it, you'll be poisoned and you will die.

If you are pregnant and confused, don't worry, you are not alone. You have to find strength from other people - your husband, mother or anyone you could trust. If you're not ready to be a mom, just don't do it. Remember that even women who thinks they are prepared were not really that prepared at all. Don't let your selfishness cause other human being's misery. Plan your conception and try to conceive when you think you're ready.