A woman’s body may have been designed to nurture, carry, and give birth to a child, but worrying about labor and delivery is perfectly natural. While you can create your birth plan and attend birthing classes to give you an idea of what to expect on D-day, you cannot truly know how it will go — it can be blissfully pain-free or a labor and delivery horror story — until the moment arrives.
Based on feedback we have received over the years, Filipina moms are generally happy with their childbirth experiences, and it begins with finding a doctor they can trust. But not all birthing stories are the same. Moms from our Facebook group Smart Parenting Village and our readers on our Facebook page shared with us their battle stories. These have been condensed and edited for clarity.
“Pinahiya ako ng doctor”
I am a social service patient for a hospital in Manila. As a social service patient, the residents will be your doctors, so you won’t need to pay the professional fee — they just charge you for the discounted labaratory tests and room.
I was alone on the day I was supposed to give birth. The hospital did not want to accept my reasons (for being alone), so one of the resident doctors (not the one who handled my actual birth) shouted at me for the whole labor and delivery room to hear. She was shouting and asking me to sign a waiver because of my situation.
I was severely depressed at the time, and I thought the waiver was for me to choose whose life to prioritize if ever my childbirth turned into a life and death situation. ‘Yun pala, the waiver was for me to appoint someone who can make decisions if I am unable to do so. The resident shouted at me over and over, but she was not able to explain properly what she meant by the waiver.
Here’s the thing: I never experienced actual labor contractions, so I was not in any pain until the time my baby suddenly wanted to get out of my womb. Pero mas masakit para sa akin ‘yung pahiya na ginawa niya. — Mia T.
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“Napagod ang doktor sa pagpapaanak sa’kin”
I wanted a normal delivery, but I don’t think my ob-gyn did everything to help me achieve that. My labor lasted for 20 hours. I was dead tired. My OB, on the other hand, was still in her clinic giving birth to another patient.
Around midnight, I felt my water broke. But the pediatrician who checked on me told me it was just pee. When my OB arrived at 4 a.m., my baby’s head was stuck in my cervix, and her heartbeat was slowing down because my water already broke. My OB then asked me if I felt my water break — I told her I did but was advised that I just peed. At 5 a.m., I was advised to undergo emergency C-section because of my baby’s condition, but we had to wait until 8 a.m. for the operation since that’s the time the anesthesiologist will arrive.
CONTINUE READING BELOWwatch nowI had told my OB that we didn’t have a lot of budget as I was on bedrest for almost my entire pregnancy and could not report to work. When we got our bill, guess what, almost half of it was her professional fee. Her reason? “Napagod ako sa pagpapaanak sa’yo.” She assisted on three other patients before me, so it felt as if she was charging us for the other three moms.
This was my first pregnancy and because of my experience, I do not think I want to get pregnant again. — Chloe E.
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“Pinapagalitan ng doktor ang mga nanay”
For my third child, I gave birth at a public hospital due to financial reasons. Na-shock ako sa mga na-witness ko sa loob ng delivery room. To think, accidentally lang din ako ipinasok doon (CS talaga ako).
Na-stress ako ng sobra sa mga iyak ng nag-la-labor na mommies at yung mga sigaw ng doctors at nurses. Madami ring interns na andun as assistants at nakakaiyak ‘yung pinagagalitan sila. Ayoko nang sabihin pa ‘yung ibang mga linya na naririnig ko na sinasabi sa mga mommies na umiiyak sa sakit at maya-maya i-ni-internal exam. Very exhausting at feeling ko ‘di ko kaya maglabor at manganak na sinisigawan ako na parang walang nag-co-comfort sa’yo. Feeling mo mag-isa ka sa laban. — Anonymous
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW“Pinagkukurot ako sa singit”
Pinagkukurot ako sa singit ng midwife sa delivery room. Naaasar siya sa akin kasi hindi raw ako marunong umire. Pagdating ng OB ko isang push lang lumabas agad si baby. Na-trauma talaga ako sa panganganak. After 10 years bago nasundan ang panganay ko. — Jenny M.
“Nagpakasarap ka tapos iiyak-iyak ka ngayon”
Nung first labor ko napagalitan ako ng nurse. Di naman ako sumisigaw pero siyempre, nag-le-labor ka ‘di mo maiwasan mapaiyak sa sakit. Sabi ng nurse sa akin, “nagpakasarap kayo tapos iiyak-iyak kayo ngayon.” Parang nakakabastos lang, ‘di ba? — Alie M.
“Dun ka sa asawa mo mag-reklamo!"
Meron akong katabing first-time mom. She was in labor pero nasa two cm pa lang siya. Ang ingay ingay niya. She was crying and screaming — anim kami sa labor room pero siya lang ang sigaw ng sigaw.
One nurse approached her and said, “Mommy, ‘wag ka masyado mag-ingay kasi need mo ‘yung energy mo ‘pag lalabas na si baby, and ‘yung ibang mommy dito na-s-stress na sa’yo.”
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOWPero hindi siya nagpaawat. After 30 minutes, may lumapit ulit na nurse. She said, “Sino ba gumawa niyan sa’yo? Dun ka sa asawa mo mag-reklamo! Siya ang sigawan mo kasi binuntis ka!” Umiyak na lang si ate. — Sara B.
Not all childbirths are labor and delivery horror stories in the making. One way to prepare yourself is to attend birthing classes — it can help you mentally prepare for the journey ahead and give you confidence to take control of your labor and delivery. It can also show you what to expect at childbirth, help you understand what happens to your bodies during and after birth, and teach you the basics of newborn care.
Have you created a birth plan for your D-day? Click here to know what a birth plan contains and how it can help you achieve a smoother childbirth.
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