Welcome to the world baby Lucy!

Hubby and I welcomed the newest (and last!) addition to the family, our daughter Lucia Solenn – a.k.a. Lucy – last May 13. Although I was scheduled to have my C-section on May 17 yet, she chose to arrive on the 13th which was the Feast Day of Our Lady of Fatima. As I was telling my friends, it’s a nice coincidence that Lucia, the name I thought of before I gave birth, was known as one of the three shepherd children who saw the Virgin Mary’s apparitions in Fatima in 1917. Perhaps it is God’s way of telling me to start my devotion to the Holy Rosary again 😉

I didn’t really expect to give birth a few days early. But early dawn of the 13th (about 3:30 a.m.), I felt an immense gush of “water” that stained even our bed. I consulted my pregnancy book and my doctor who told me that my amniotic fluid just broke and labor would begin soon. We immediately rushed to my chosen hospital (the Makati Medical Center). I was a bit afraid, yes, because I didn’t really relish the thought of being poked and pricked by instruments again.

Thank God everything turned out to be smooth and my fears were unfounded. My OB-gynecologist, Dr. Martin Manahan, started the C-Section at 7 a.m. and delivered our baby at 7:06 a.m. Wow! That was fast! It was quite an experience seeing our baby and hearing her cry right there in the operating room. Hello Lucy ~_~!

Funny how I wasn’t able to “sleep” during and even after the operation. My line of vision was protected by a screen and I heard what was going on around me but of course didn’t feel any pain. Hubby was beside me throughout the birth but chose not to see the unsavory parts and didn’t even take any picture 😀 I remember kidding him about how my life tummy is Farmville as the doctors worked on me. At the recovery room a few minutes later, I was thrilled that my baby girl was all swaddled up and lying beside me for some precious bonding time.

So glad that our baby was given a clean bill of health. Her Apgar score at one minute/5 minutes after birth was a high 9 and 9. Apgar stands for Activity, Pulse, Grimace, Appearance and Respiration. Lucy likewise passed her hearing test, and we’re just awaiting the results of the newborn screening test. For this exam, the medical technologist got a blood sample from her feet and dropped it on four circles on a sheet of paper.

I believed my doctor when he said that Makati Med has the best facilities and expertise for maternal care and delivery in the country today. I had the good fortune of having a topnotch anesthesiologist and OB-gynecologist. Everyone’s service was exceptional, and as a patient, I enjoyed being pampered by the nurses and service staff during my stay. Although we’ve always been partial to the in-house Floating Island Restaurant, even the hospital food catered by Makati Skyline was something to look forward to. I will not hesitate to recommend the hospital to my infanticipating friends.

Now that we’re back at home, I thank everyone for all your best wishes. I thank God for an uncomplicated pregnancy and smooth delivery. Having a baby, we feel again His wondrous miracle of creation at work in our lives!