It's been almost a month since I gave birth. Yes, the Taglet is here! After nine long months, our bundle of joy is finally here! Let me tell you the story of how I met him.

It was September 23, my 39th week of pregnancy, and I went to Dr. Chie for my regular check up. She did the routine dilation check. During my 38th week, I was already 2cm dilated. I was 3cm dilated at 39 weeks. She told my husband to pack our hospital bags, go to Medical Center Manila and have me admitted while I was on the toilet.

I kind of panicked. I wasn't ready to give birth. I don't know if any first time mom was ever ready to give birth. The painful stories of contractions and labor scares me. I've pierced my ear cartilage back in college and had my tattoo last year, but this is different. I will have a human being pass through my vagina. My vagina, ladies and gentlemen.

Jeff and I had lunch and dessert in Greenbelt. Maybe we're both stalling. Maybe we're both scared.

We drove to Manila Med around 2PM. Manila Med is along UN Avenue in Manila. Dr. Chie highly recommended this hospital because of the quality of service and affordability. (We were billed Php 84k++ which were all covered by our health card). We arrived before 4PM. I was immediately taken to the IE room. Two doctors, one resident, one intern, and one nurse attended me. I was IE-ed again, still at 3cm. I was asked for my medical records -- ultrasounds and tests. Apparently, you need all your medical records, especially your first ultrasound, when you go to the hospital to give birth. The intern came up to me and started interviewing me -- from the simplest like when was the first day of my last menstruation, to the most private like when was the first time I had sexual contact. Uh, hello? Haha! The nurse shaved me. Down there. Shet. I was already thinking how am I suppose to handle all the itch when it starts growing. I planned to go Brazilian last week, but they advised me not to when we went there last week (when I had a false alarm hehe).

I was wheeled into the labor room after Jeff got a room. Dr. Chie told me that Jeff can accompany me inside the labor room, but the nurses told me otherwise. Imagine my disappointment. I am really supposed to go through this alone?!? I was given meds after a while. I believe they gave me oxytocin to jump start my labor. My contractions as well as Taglet's heartbeat were monitored for almost five hours before Dr. Chie came. Another thing I was scared the most was getting hungry. Most of my friends told me that I can't eat nor drink when I'm in the labor room. Good thing my OB allowed me to eat. Like what she said, mas takot pa daw ako magutom kesa manganak. Hehe. Jeff brought me macaroni soup and mashed potatoes from Jollibee. I was also allowed to drink a small bottle of water.

Another patient came in around 7PM. She's also Dr. Chie's patient. She's on her 40th week. Her bag ruptured a little after she came in. At 10PM, she was wheeled into the delivery room because her baby's heartbeat was dropping. First C-section of the night.

Dr. Chie came around 9PM and she popped my water bag 30 minutes later. Intense contractions followed. I didn't know it would hurt that much. I mean, it was tolerable but it was painful. I was going 150-170 on the contraction scale. (They said 100 are strong contractions). My back started aching. I had to grab the cold bed railing to get me distracted. The pain got stronger by the hour, but my dilation stayed at 4cm. I hypothetically asked Dr. Chie what might happen if my dilation stayed that way for the next three hours. She said we might go CS.

I didn't want to go CS. We were really gunning for a normal delivery because the recovery is easier, and it is obviously cheaper. But at that rate, I'm pretty sure we're really gonna go CS. Dr. Chie called Jeff in the labor room. I almost cried when I saw him. Or I did. I can't even remember. I was in so much pain, might go CS, and alone in the labor room. It was a relief to see my husband. He held my hand during my contractions.

I was given sedation meds. Propofol I guess. Lakas maka-Michael Jackson. It was white, and it was very painful. After that, it felt like I drank one case of beers. I felt sleepy, but the pain of contractions was still there. I still held the bed railing tightly.

My dilation never progressed. At 11PM, I was prepped for CS. The anesthesiologist came to give me epidural. Still groggy from the sedation meds, I told her that I have something painful on my lower back that started in high school.

You see, I am never the sporty type, that's why I only joined Palaro ng Lahi during Intramurals. I was miraculously part of the Tug of War team and found myself at the end of the rope when I was a sophomore high school. And it happened, we pulled the rope better than the other team, and all my teammates piled above me. My back was never the same again.

Dr. Chie called Jeff back to the labor room. She told him they cannot give me the epidural because of my back situation. We are going for general anesthesia. I didn't know what general anesthesia is. I was too groggy to ask. Dr. Chie said she can't do bikini cut on me because they had to do it quick, so I will have a vertical cut on my tummy. I was too weak to contest. Goodbye, bikinis. It was nice knowing you! She said I will be asleep during the operation, so I won't see my baby when he comes out. Jeff looked at me and I saw him nod. It was the final nod. I was wheeled to the operating room at 2:30AM. It was already September 24.

They strapped both my hands to the bed. It was like a cross. Are they going to nail me? No. They put a cover to my tummy. I can't what they're doing. The anesthesiologist was holding my head, whispering words that I don't understand. She showed me a syringe full of white fluid. Propofol. Again. Ugh. I heard the nurse say catheter. And in it went. I screamed. What the f*cking hell was that?!?! It was so painful! Before the second dose of Propofol was given to me, I said in a loud voice, 'Doc, yung Unang Yakap ha? Yung Unang Yakap.' I was given the Propofol, that very painful medicine. I saw the anesthesiologist put the oxygen on my nose, and I was out. (Apparently, it was not oxygen. It was the anesthesia.)

I woke up with so much pain in my stomach. My bed was moving. Jeff was beside me. My first question was, 'Nasan ang anak ko?' He told me to listen to the screaming child in the background. That was our son crying his lungs out. The next thing I did was complain about the pain in my stomach. Jeff said I was shouting 'Ang sakit sakit!' I grabbed his arm, as if I have the strength to do so, and said, 'Dito ka lang.' And then I was out again.

I raised my hand when I woke up. I saw a pulse monitor on my finger and a BP monitor on my left arm. The nurse came up to me. I asked her what time it was. It was 6AM. I asked her where my son is. She said he's in the nursery. She also said that I will be taken to my room first because they are still prepping my son. After a few minutes, the OB on duty came. She asked me if I can move my feet. I got worried. A few weeks before I gave birth, someone I knew from college gave birth and she went in coma. I stared at my feet. I slowly lifted them. The OB laughed at me. She instructed that I should be taken to my room.

It was 7AM when I was brought to my room. Jeff was waiting for me there. The first thing I asked him was a picture of my son.

Hello world. #babytaglet aka #babyisaac

A photo posted by Jeff Tagle (@jefftagle) on Sep 9, 2014 at 3:56pm PDT

I was surprised. Was it just me or is he really very big? Jeff laughed. He was indeed very big. Taglet was born 8.1lbs and 50cms. The next thing I said, 'Parang kamukha sya ng tatay ko.' Jeff agreed, my son looks like my father. He will be very proud.

Taglet was brought to our room after thirty minutes. Wow, he really is a big kid! He was handed to me by the nurse, and boy was he heavy! I had tears in my eyes.

Our son is finally here.

My hero, @misistagle.

A photo posted by Jeff Tagle (@jefftagle) on Sep 9, 2014 at 7:14pm PDT