A Gentle Birthing Story

 My Birth Story by Grace Calvo-Prager

"Waterbirth is unfamiliar to me. My husband told me about it He encouraged  me that it was the best way to give birth since it will be more easy than the usual birth. He explained what water can do, which can make you calm. I know this  since we are both divers. And we love to be in the water. I always find it so relaxing to be under water. So  I agreed to do waterbirth.To prepare myself for this, I decided to attend a birthing class with Betty(BIRTHING IS A BLESSING CHILDBIRTH PREPARATION CLASS) .  It was really a big help,  especially the  physical, mental and breathing exercises.

 I chose the birthing suite of St. Luke's Global City to do my waterbirth with Dra. Rebecca Singson as my OB GYNE..The birth environment of the birthing suite helped me to feel so much at home. The good thing was my husband was there to support me, massage me and just be with me.

My Doula Betty was there to remind me to  breathe.. inhale.. exhale which  I did and to relax. Breathing and being relaxed helped ease the pain. It was 20 hours of labor and without sleep.I changed positions, stayed upright, moved my body the way I wanted to as she suggested.She  was there to support me all the way and to remind me to stay focus on my goal of having a gentle birth for my baby.   I entered the pool when I felt the contractions the strongest. The water was really soothing and comforting. It came even to a point that I was already sleeping in the tub! 

And now after a long wait, I was so excited to see my baby...bearing down...then  came the urge to push.  And so, I inhaled and exhaled,  I gave it my best...pushing and breathing out my baby.  At 8:34pm on June 3, finally, she naturally came out of me! How wonderful to hear her first cry!.I just can’t believe she's really there!. Now I can hold her in my arms. It was so amazing! My husband almost cried and he said that the sweetest cry he ever heard is the cry of our little, lovely daughter Isabella.

 It was wonderful when they put my baby in my chest....skin to skin. Isabella was crying and so I try to put her in my breast to suck and she did! I really felt at this moment the reality that I am now a mother..  

By that time, it crossed my mind  that we are now three and already a family...me, Felix and Isabella. And from this day on, we need to take care  of each other."