POSTPARTUM

Giving birth here is a breeze. Once a mother-to-be is ready for labor, she just has to come to the hospital, ask for the maternity department, register at the desk and presto a room is given to you, no question ask. (Pre-registering months before giving birth is much cooler).

If you are the support person, it is easier. Once the mother-to-be is settled on bed, given an IV, monitors are attached all you have to do is sit, turn on the TV and wait for the intense contraction to come paving the way for the breaking of the bag of water and the coming of the baby.

But it is more than meets the eye.

I saw Jaz to be comfortable lying on bed (with oxygen mask on). From time to time, I checked her situation and he would reply that she is okay and doing fine. I knew, because the first time she was in the same situation more than a year ago, that was a breeze too.

Twenty-five past 12 a.m on September 2003, Dr. Patibandla and two nurses came to ready Jaz for giving birth. Fifty minutes past 12, with two push and prayers, Jaz gave birth to a 6.10 lbs baby we named Xandrei. After 2 days in the hospital we went home without any glitch.

But last night, over dinner of sinigang na manok with malungay (there is another story about this) and lumpiang shanghai, she told me a story that has a chilling effect on me even until this time.

Jaz told me that when I was asking her if she was doing fine while she was on labor, she in fact, was experiencing trouble breathing. She experienced shortness of breath and was thinking how much she had in her life insurance. She told me that if something happens, she is quite comfortable that she have enough amount for the education of the two.

I have never felt that at all. All I saw was a very courageous Jaz easily pushing before the baby came.

But it is indeed more than meets that eye.

So my (our) plan that we have XYZ children is now forever gone. (Why XYZ, well, Zach is the Z, Xandrei is the X and Yasmine, is supposed to be the Y).

From a mere statistical reading about maternal or infant mortality to a real experience, I came to realize how dangerous it is give birth. It looks easy but it sure is not. It is more than meets the eye.

I maybe am uragon, but SVP is right, live a life in moderation.