Birthing Story - Alehra Xirene

I'm giving birth for the third time and it's scheduled CS. We ( Eric and I and our OB) agreed to have it on the 20th of October.

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Oct19

We went to Makati Med as early as 11am. We were thinking that we'll get rooms from those who will be discharged in the morning. Unfortunately, may wait list pa. We were third pa on the list. We went to my OB and she said to go home na lang muna kasi minsan daw may 4pm na umuuwi so mga late na kami magkaka room. When we checked with the admission office we were informed that they'll just text or call us once may available room na.

We received the call mga 9pm na. Grabe! to think pang 3rd kami dun sa list. We were actually given a small private room kasi wala pa daw available na semi-private room which is part of the package. It's actually better for us, kaso lang un nga ang late na.

Once settled na ako sa room, they got my blood for CBC. My biggest problem sa pregnancy ko is ANEMIC ako. My OB needs to know para daw maka reserve sya ng blood for me if ever....I was really scared just thinking about the blood transfusion.

Oct20

515am

Nurse came in for enema. Few seconds after she finished the whole thing, I was rushing to the CR. I unloaded for few minutes then went straight to take a bath.Good thing we're still in the private room so may sariling bathroom.

630am

I was wheeled in na sa OR. It's the new OR of Makati med...better than the old one. I was actually calm, until nilagay na yung IV. Super sakit talaga kasi di nila nakuha sa first try.  Super lamig sa OR so nag chi-chill ako even before the anesthesia.

828am

I heard the first cry of my baby and super lakas nyang umiyak.

I can't remember the time pero i think i was in my room before lunch.

11pm

I was informed that I need to have blood transfusion coz I lost 800cc of blood. Normal is 12 and mine is 10.4 before the operation, after that it was down to 8 that's why I had no choice but to sign the consent. Eric went home that night so I texted him that I was afraid. When they started doing it at around 12pm it was really painful. I asked my mom to call eric to come back at the hospital. It was really an experience I don't want to experience again. I felt that my whole body was numb and it was difficult to breathe. Mas hirap pa ako kesa dun sa operation mismo.

Oct21

615am

Naka fart na ako..which is one of the things na kailangang mangyari after the operation.

10am

They had to do CBC test again to check if my blood count went up. I prayed so hard that I would not have to undergo with the experience again.

After lunch we were informed that my blood count went up to 9 and my OB ordered not to have another blood transfusion, I was sooo relieved. Thank you Lord talaga.

Oct. 22

My OB asked if we want to be discharged earlier since no IVs connected to me anymore and I was able to poo and pee and fart already which are the requirements before I'm aloowed to be discharged.

We decided to go home na kahit na until 23 pa ang release ko which is part of the package. We were lucky na di na kami nilipat sa semi-private room. We stayed in the private room the whole time. We opted to be discharged earlier since we can rest better when at home rather than in the hospital.

830

They performed new born screening with baby ehra. After that we made her est for a while and then procedeed to the nursery station for the bath demo. It was my first time to see the nursery station ever.

5pm

We were able to process all required docs and paid bills so we were able to go out of the hospital.

Ehra seemed to nurse every hour. My breasts were swollen.

Tip of the day

Got this from our company portal:

Tip of the Day:   Impress with Antacid Tablets

Removing stains in the toilet requires elbow grease, but by dropping a couple antacid tablets into the toilet, you will have a sparkling bowl in about 20 minutes. These tablets also do wonders for removing stains. If you have a stain at the bottom of a glass or vase, add warm water and drop in a tablet.  

Note to self: Must try!

Picture taking

I just realized that we didn't have pictures with Basty on his bday. Ako kasi ang official photographer. So now, note to self: ask somebody else to take pictures :)

It's always the case na lagi akong di kasama or we don;t even have family pictures on occasions or whenever we go out.

4th birthday

blowing of candles

Time flies so fast...my baby boy is now 4 years old, soon i won't be able to call him baby anymore.

We never planned to have visitors because we didn't really prepare many food, but when I asked our neighbor (who called other neighbors), we had instant party. Most of our neighbors(same floor) came. Sabi nga nila, the more the merrier. Basty had fun naman. Sorry lang kasi no ice cream dahil may cough silang dalawa ni Alec (including daddy).

Ang aking Agustino

Agustino ako

Ito ang kauna unahang pagtatanghal ni Basty sa kanyang paaralan (Linggo ng wika). Hindi nya alam na darating kami ng daddy nya sa kanyang paaralan nung araw na iyon, kaya naman tuwang tuwa syang nung nakita nya kami. Tinuturo nya kami sa kanyang mga kamag-aral.

Ako ay tuwang tuwa sa kanya. Di ko akalain na alam nya ang mga galaw sa kanilang sayaw.

Ang hirap mag sulat ng tagalog lahat (naku po!) :)

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Dentist visit

Magic chair

Basty is now comfortable going to the dentist which he calls tito Jay. He likes sitting on the dentist chair which he calls magic chair. Yes, we're glad to have found a dentist who was able to introduce everything to Basty in a different level which Basty appreciates.

Last Sunday, we were there for another session of "sucking of worms" from his teeth. I think we'll be ready for the root canal by weekend.

Basty follows whatever tito Jay says. He's not eating chocolates, cookies and peanut butter because tito Jay told him not too. Yay!

28 months

Malapit na, ilang weeks na lang at makikita na namin si second princess. Would you believe, we still don't have a name for her! We really can't decide yet, as in wala kaming maisip. We want a unique name, yung di sya mahihirapan with legal docs just because may kapangalan sya. Both (hubby and I) our names are so common, we have issues getting NBI clearance dahil may kaso ang mga kapangalan namin...hassle!

Few days ago, I found out that i'm anemic. My OB changed my Iron vitamins from Hemarate FA to Hemobion and I have to take it 2 times a day. I hope my condition improves before the big day.

I haven't made a checklist yet on the things that I need to buy and the things I need to bring to the hospital. I think I need to sort the old baby clothes next week to find out the items that I still need to buy. 

Another yaya issue

I have 2 house helpers, 1 takes care of my babies, while the other one does most of the housework.

Ang problema kay yaya, masyado syang mabarkada, para syang president ng mga yayas sa condo namin if ever may samahan sila. Aside from that, meron syang boyfriend sa maintenance ng condo namin. Ayaw ko naman syang bawalang makipag relasyon dahil feeling ko naman e karapatan nya yun bilang isang indibidwal na tao. My problem lang is dahil sa dalawang nabanggit ko e, may times na napapabayaan nya mga anak ko, mostly yung bunso. Di na kasi masyadong alagain ang panganay ko so nakatutok talaga sya dun sa bunso (2 yrs old).

Yung isa naman who does the housework e masyadong makakalimutin and di ganun ka ok ang work nya. Ilang damit na namin ang namantsahan dahil sa paglalaba nya. and di rin sya marunong mag plansta. Pero in terms of ugali, mas madali itong pagsabihan.

Ngayon, what we did e dinala muna namin sa province si helper 2. Stay muna sya sa parents ko para mas matuto sa gawaing bahay. And then kumuha kami ng another one from the agency.

It's our first time to get househelp sa agency and we're really reluctant. It just to happen na ex-officemate ko ang may ari ng agency kay medyo lumakas loob namin to get one. Kahapon namin sya mineet. So it was her first night sa amin kagabi. I hope and pray na okay naman sya, in terms of taking care of our babies and housework. I want to see how she'll handle my babies. Since, I'm giving birth soon, I want someone na marunong talagang mag alaga ng new born. According to her, may inalagaan na sya na 1 month old baby hanggang 2 years old yung baby, kaso di daw sya na increasan ng salary kaya umalis.

I really hope na makakita kami ng someone na maayos and tatagal.

Stressful weekend

We had our department's strategic planning in Batangas last July15-16. It was really tiring, specially the travel home which took 4 hours because of SLEX traffic. I took a ride with my officemate and he dropped me off at SM since I'm meeting Eric there. Unfortunately, na flat tire si Eric so he had to change tire bago nya ako masundo which took more or less 1 hour bago nya ako nasundo. We had to go to the office since we need to get the items na kailangan naming ipadala sa friend namin who's going to Aus. It was really tiring.

The next day, while I was taking a nap, nakarinig ako ng malakas na tunog and biglang iyak si Alec. Kahit kakagising ko lang ang bilis kong nakalabas ng room. Nahulog daw si Alec from the sofa (actually sa sandalan ng sofa so mas mataas) and una ang ulo nya. I was not on panic mode until nagsuka sya. The moment na nagsuka sya I told Eric that we must go na sa hospital ( I heard terrible stories about kids throwing up after a head bump and it was really bad). So even without lunch, we went straight to Makati Med. They performed head x-ray. We had to wait for our turn (ang haba ng pila) and wait for another few minutes for the result. Fortunately, ok naman, no fracture daw. Pero while waiting for the result, nag throw up ulit si Alec, so the doctor recommended to admit Alec for observation (they can't see kasi sa x-ray if may blood clot and they don't reco to have the CT-scan agad kasi that's un necessary radiation daw if di naman talaga kailangan). I had to go to the admission office to get a room. Buti nalang may available na semi-private room, but it took a while bago kami pinapunta sa room dahil ni-re-ready pa daw nila.

We stayed overnight, the whole time naman super active si Alec and di na nag throw up (thank God). Bad trip lang kasi mga hapon naman bigla syang nag fever. So syempre di ko alam if the fever is related to the fall or ibang case na. We asked the nurse station to page the pedia and the pedia reco that we bring Alec to the ER...so off we go again to the ER of Makati Med. Sabi naman ng doctor, it's not related to the fall and it must be viral. Baka daw nahawa lang sya while she was confined in the hospital...hayz! I'm glad na rin to know that, kasi I was still nervous about the fall at that point dahil di pa nag 48 hours which is crucial daw.

I believe na viral nga yung fever ni Alec kasi ako may sore throat na rin and feeling lalagnatin. I guess dahil nga sa pag stay namin sa hospital and ang daming may sakit na bata (mostly fever).

I was on leave Monday to Tuesday cause I had to make sure that Alec is really okay na and I wasn't feeling good myself. I hope the rest of the week will be fine na.

6 months and counting

I went to my OB today for my regular check up. Good news is that I gained 8 lbs. in 1 month. I was really hoping to gain a lot. My OB is happy but is conscious too, thus if I gain more than 5 lbs. in another month, she will ask me to take glucose test to check my sugar level. I was borderline (gestational diabetes) with my last pregnancy. Sana wag lang OGTT. I don't like waiting too long in the hospital plus i don't like the 3x blood extraction, not to mention fasting :(

She was asking me if I want to have more babies after this...I said no and I'm planning to be ligated. She said she needs to talk to my husband about that because he needs to sign a letter that he's ok with the ligation. Actually, Eric and I agreed already that we're now happy and contented with 3 babies.

Side Kwento on Typhoon Basyang:
Last night the wind was howling and it was really eerie and the brownout made it impossible to sleep. Super kawawa ang mga kids kasi pinagpapawisan pero kawawa din kami kasi kailangan namin silang paypayan. Sayang din ang mga frozen meat ko sa freezer...I bought a lot pa naman nung weekend para maraming stock. Wish ko lang di masira. I might ask our help na lang siguro to cook Adobo and put it in the ref...at least matagal masira ang adobo and minsan mas masarap sya pag pinapainit na lang.

Since walang pasok si Basty, I told him to color books and cut patterns na lang. He can't watch TV cause wala pang power. He's okay naman when I left. Basta daw dapat may pasalubong akong dala later :)

Alec's 2nd bday

We had fun @ EK a day before her bday and then we had a simple celebration @ home on the day of her birthday. 

Typhoon Basyang

Signal #1 up over Metro Manila so Basty's class was suspended. He was already on his uniform and @ the clubhouse waiting for his service when I called and informed him that he will no longer go to school. He said he wanted to go to school....i'm happy that he's really looking forward to going to school.

Good thing hindi kami coding today. It's so hard to get a cab when it's raining...not to mention the traffic...kaya ang mahal ng bayad sa taxi pag umuulan. It's just drizzling now, sana huwag ng lumakas.

Our second princess

Yes, we're having another baby girl! :)

We had Ultra Sound yesterday and everything looks ok..yipee! Eric wanted another baby boy, pero ako, I was hoping for another baby girl kaya super happy ako. But Eric is also happy. He's already thinking of the "pagbabantay" that he and Basty will be doing when they're of age...hahaha.

Thanks to our friendly doctor neighbor, we had the ultra sound for FREE. We went all the way to Festival mall for the ultra sound and it was all worth it. Nakakahiya mang aminin, but it's our first time to go to Festival mall. Buti na lang di namin kasama ang mga kids, if not, baka di kami nakaalis agad. Ang daming mga pambatang activities dun. I'm sure di kami makakaalis dun until di sila sumakay sa train and carousel. Maybe next time we can bring them there.

2nd trimester

I can now feel my baby moving inside my tummy. It’s actually more of kicking - not soft movements, most of the time I get surprised. I feel I already gained some weight.  I am happy I’m done with the “nauseous days”. Now, I have to deal with the "always hungry" feeling which I actually prefer. It’s easier to just eat and not to expect to throw it out after.

On another note, we have a new househelp coming later. I hope she’s someone who will stay for a long time. It’s tiring to train new househelps from time to time. If only we're not having a new baby, I’m considering of just having a stay out help. The yaya can now handle both Basty and Alec. She just needs assistance with the laundry and cleaning the house. But with the incoming baby, we will really need extra hand.

3rd check up

I finally gained 1lb...hahaha...parang ang laki no. I'm just happy that I'm not throwing up anymore. I'm always hungry and I can eat na. My OB said my baby is small and I need to gain more weight. My target is to gain at least 5lbs for my next check up *fingers crossed*

Ube ice cream

Alec eating Halo2 from Chowking to beat the summer heat :)

Iron Man 2

We were able to watch Iron Man 2 last night. We were supposed to watch last Sunday, with free tickets courtesy of Mario, but Yaya did not come back as agreed. This is another story, but to cut the story short, I told her husband (the yaya is not texting me, i've been exchanging text with her husband) to tell yaya not to come back anymore. It's the last strand na kasi,.

Going back to Iron Man 2, i enjoyed it pero medyo nakulangan lang ako ng action. I was like "that's it?" - referring to the final encounter with Vanko. It's a bit of a let down. But, i can say that all the characters were well portrayed....love love Robert Downey, Jr. specially when he's showing his narcissistic side. I also like the funny lines like "I don't want to join your super secret boy band"

Both Eric and I are not comic fans so we were like "huh?" when they showed some preview (for the next movie). We didn't get it, but I told Eric that the comic geeks will certainly get it and will probably be excited for the 3rd installment.

Did I enjoy it enough to recommend it? I'd say YES :)

Getting better

Finally, a week passed without me throwing up. It's such a relief, to be able to eat more (more is still not my regular meal intake) and not worry of throwing up after.

I hope this continues and i'll be able to gain the 5lbs back and hopefully add some. There was a time I thought I felt my baby kick, but I think it's still too early for that. I can't remember when was the first time I felt my two other babies kick.

My next check up with my OB is after the election...I think everything's ok so far.

Dragon Dance (late post)

We went to Cardinal Santos for my mom's check up and since malapit na lang ang Greenhills mall, we went there na. Timing naman na may Dragon dance for the Chinese New Year celebration so the kids had fun watching. They were on break when we asked to pose with them :)

Third pregnancy

Until now, I'm still having a hard time (3rd month). Morning sickness that extends up to midnight. Throwing up almost every night. Don't know what food to eat. Hay! Iniisip ko na lang na lilipas din ito. Sana soon na....as in this week na.

Even going to the grocery is such a hard thing for me to do. It's actually a record time...to finish doing the groceries in less than 1 hour.

2 lines, 3rd time

I never imagined I'll see the two lines again after about 2 years.

Last March 9, I was inside our bathroom and I was nervous. I was waiting for the result. I was hoping for a 1 line only. I was not ready. But lo and behold, I was holding the preggy kit with 2 visible lines. Yes, we're expecting again. Our third baby. Another blessing in our family.

At first, I was in denial. I never told anybody(except for Abby, who happen to check on me after a day I found out) until I had my ultrasound. Last March 20, there's no denying it...we heard our baby's heartbeat (a strong 165/min). This is it.

As of now, I'm going thru the usual morning whole day sickness. I’m throwing up almost every day. The nausea is not just in the morning. I’m having trouble sleeping…and the list goes on. I need to be strong because I know that this will pass (I just hope soon).

Basty with tito Jay

Basty loves his "new white teeth" that's how he refers to his teeth now. Imagine, tito Jay (that's how we call his dentist...he said it's psychological that kids don't want to visit their doctors but would love to go to their titos....makes sense) was able to perform "Pasta" on Basty's (4) teeth without force.

Alec's first haircut

February 14, 2010, the date when daddy had the honor to cut Alec's hair.

Actually, Alec has a short hair except for the bangs na lampas eyes na, that's why daddy had to cut it na. I hope humaba na rin ang hair nya sa likod. She doesn't like putting hairclips. Kaya most of the time when we go out dapat naka dress sya para na questions na if she's girl or boy. Although lately, wala ng nagtatanong.

Story of us

As posted @ n@w:

How/Where/When did you guys meet?

>>>We were classmates in highschool(we later found out that we were classmates in prep). We were in first year HS then when i dreamt of him..as in hindi ko sya iniisip, bigla lang na napanaginipan ko sya and the dream was not even a romantic dream pero the next day bigla ko na lang syang na notice na may dating pala sya and matalino pala(he's the only guy in our top ten list). Ganun lang yun, pero di ako nagpa cute or something sa kanya, i mean the attraction i felt was not really strong so i moved to diff. crushes, had relationships. Sya naman, busy din sya pursuing other girls so di rin nya pansin ang beauty ko.

When did you first feel the attraction? When did your spouse first feel the attraction?

>>>year 2000, lagi kaming nagki-kitakita ng mga HS friends ko, then one time we saw my hubby sa starmart and asked him to join our gimik...after that madalas na namin syang kasama sa napapdalas na weekend gimiks. During that time, nagkasakit ang mom ko, sya yung nakakausap ko about my problems kaya naging instant close kami. nung kami na, I asked him kung kelan sya na-attract sakin, sabi nya nun daw nakita nya how strong i am, nakita daw nya na i can handle problems and may mga iba pa daw, small things ganun.

How/When did you guys become a couple?

>>>Hubby's bday, november 2000. Para tipid, anniv and bday na nya ang gift ko sa kanya...hehehe

How/When did you know that he/she was "the one"?

>>>I asked myself if I can see myself spending the rest of my life with him, and the answer is an absolute YES. I was brokenhearted with my previous relationship and i was so in love with that ex of mine and I always wished for him not to end up with the girl he cheated me on, it took years before i could say i am so over him.. and then one time i just realized that i don't care anymore, all the bitterness gone because i'm happy with my relationship with my hubby. I finally found "the one" who made my heart whole again (corny no..hahaha)

Any other 'kilig' details, I'd love to hear them! :)

>>>He proposed to me in a very romantic way. He decorated his room with roses and he bought ballooons and of course, there's chocolate. He asked me to close my eyes and he guided me inside his room. He knelt down with a diamond ring in his hand and asked me the question every ladies would love to hear. I was really surprised and I just cried. He did it Christmas eve.

now that we're married:

>>>We had the rose ceremony in our wedding. Every monthsary namin binibigyan nya ako ng single white rose.

Every morning as soon as he wakes up he kisses me and say he loves me..before he sleeps din pala.

He cooks for me on weekends

He surprised me with a harry potter 6 book. He ordered it in Canada pa. I actually cried when he gave me the book, i was touched by the gesture

5 years

It was so hard to celebrate because we lost a dear friend a day before our anniversary. We just decided to have a simple dinner at New Orleans at Boni Hi Street. It was that simple, no flowers, no frills.