My High Risk Pregnancy

Eight weeks before I gave birth, around the 31st week of my pregnancy, I felt an excruciating pain in my tummy. Still, I went to work that day. It didn’t go away even after I ate my breakfast. Like always, I tried to diagnose myself by googling and asking my friends who have been/is pregnant if this pain is Braxton Hicks. I had no idea then what contractions feel like. I sent a text to my doctor and at first, we thought it was Braxton Hicks, turns out it was contraction so she instructed me to proceed to the delivery room at once. I left the office at around 5:00 PM.

I met with my hubby at the hospital lobby then we proceeded to the delivery room, the nurse hooked me in for a non-stress test (NST) to check if I was having labor contractions. I was having mild, moderate to strong contractions. As a result, my doctor admitted and confined me at the High-Risk Pregnancy Unit Room for 8 days then 2 days in the recovery room of St. Lukes Medical Center Global City. I was ordered complete bed rest, hooked on NST 24/7, and IV, plus countless oral medicines and vitamins, blood extractions,  laboratory tests and ultrasound.

Despite all these, I was still having contractions, 24/7. They didn’t find out what was wrong with me then. My doctor’s main concern was my baby’s heartbeat too. There was a sign of fetal distress. There was a moment where my husband and I were so scared because I could deliver my baby at just 1.5 pounds. All the doctors advised me to eat a lot of food and encouraged me to eat ice cream so that the baby will gain weight. I was put on a high-protein diet. I ate a lot of Magnum and muffins. It was either I was waiting to be induced or waiting to dilate continuously. I was 2cm dilated and thankfully it did not progress. I asked my doctor if I could go home, gave her my word that I was going to behave, so grateful that she let me. Aside from being bored and sad (I thought I pushed myself too hard), I was already worried about our hospital bill. She let me borrow her doppler so I can monitor my baby’s heartbeat. When I was discharged, I was still having contractions and on complete bedrest until my 36th week. My doctor and the neo-natal doctor continually monitored my baby by ordering Non-Stress Test and Biophysical Profile Ultrasound every week, sometimes twice a week. The nurses at the lab sent me twice to the delivery room because they thought I was going to deliver. And the funny thing was whenever I come in for NST, the nurses would talk to each other behind the curtain after seeing the result and say “Si SALES yan” or “Si Sales pala yan”. Haha. I’ve been flagged as “the girl who contracts..” So they stopped sending me to the delivery room.

Even with continuous contractions, my cervix did not dilate (still at 2cm). I went back to the delivery room on my 39th week and was induced. I was in labor for 12 hours. I paid for a Normal Spontaneous Delivery package but it was forfeited. I went as far as 9.5cm ready to pop the baby out. I mean I was already pushing. I remember my doctor said I was good at it. I was going for a vaginal birth. However, baby’s heartbeat decelerated at a fast rate thrice before my doctor made a real quick decision to have an emergency cesarean delivery. Everything happened so fast while they move me in the operating room, I was in agony. Even if my eyes were barely open, I was awake and I could feel everything when they made the surgical cut, a vertical incision. I was relieved that the anesthesia kicked in and I fell asleep right after the cut. To be honest, I thought I or my baby was going to die because everyone moved real fast. I’m extremely overwhelmed with gratitude until now for my doctor and her team for taking good care of me and my baby. She’s super caring and genuinely nice. (We can’t thank you enough, Dr. May Anne Tabaquero. 🙂 )

My doctor explained the reason why my baby was at risk and why I was hospitalized (in my 31st week). Kai’s umbilical cord was too short. It was just 24cm. The average length is between 55cm – 60cm according to this post about Short Umbilical Cord. Her cord kept pulling her back in the uterus. That explains why I felt her head in my pelvic area but she couldn’t get through no matter how hard I push. I was only able to read the possible complications of having short umbilical cord just recently. I am so grateful and thank God every day.

Kai, if you’re reading this, remember what I had to go through, not to mention but I did not eat for almost 24 hours :p. This is so cliche but let me just say you’ll never understand or know how your parents love you until you become one.

Thank you, Tin for you know what and for preparing my photo backdrop hehe. Sorry I couldn’t have a photo with Kai here because she was in the NICU 🙁 Also, thank you to my Rockwell team for sending beautiful flowers. 🙂