The Chronicles Of A Daddy Blogger Issue No. 1

Most of the people I know were not aware that I am now a father except for a few people I know closely. I made a surprising update when I posted online that I am now in a relationship and my partner gave birth.

When we started having check-ups for my partner at a lying-in clinic near Pasong Tirad in Makati, the doctor was not clear about the part when she ask about our decision where she should give birth. It was nearing the end of her 8^th month that she told us that we should look for a hospital with complete facilities that a lying-in clinic cannot offer.

On that same week, we went to Fabella Maternity Hospital which is also insufficient in facilities unlike a General Hospital. We went to PGH during in earlier months but they are having some renovations in the Obi-Gyne ward.

Quirino Memorial Medical Center is not our last option. We only went there to check up. But it turns out, my partner’s cervix is already open and anytime, the baby can go out unexpectedly. We were not prepared for this because her 9^th month hasn’t started yet and they say that 8^th month is very delicate to give birth.

But because we are already there, we were given in to no choice but to have her deliver the baby in the charity ward since we are not prepared for it and it will be dangerous to go to another hospital we really didn’t like. According to the doctor there, our only choice is the Obi-Ward Extension because it is the less costly than private.

Since we agreed, we are given no choice but to agree that she will share it with other patients with the baby. During that time, my partner is sharing it with other two mothers. Because there is no newborn section, the baby is sharing the bed with them. Imagine three mothers and a baby sharing the same bed. We were even fortunate there was not one more.

If it weren’t because of heart condition, we were very comfortable with the lying-in than there at QMMC because my two nieces were born there. Also, there is the factor my mom or my sister was not with us to help us with the quick decisions we need to take.

The reason why people choose to give birth there because it is also a government hospital and since most of the masses don’t practice family planning as prescribed by our hospitals, instant population explosion. The hospital is not sufficient to accommodate all mothers in labor daily and there are more being admitted every day. This is a wake-up call to all couples, if you are really responsible, either try abstinence which is almost impossible or use contraceptives and condoms.

As the father of the baby, I had no choice but to stay within hospital premises like a bum or an inmate. The only area we can sleep on is the waiting area just below the driveway of the ob-gyne ward. It’s hot and there are no beddings but benches. There are no bathrooms for companions but we can use the restrooms which is better than nothing.

I can understand why the nurses are temperamental because there are a few of them and a lot of patients. Because of the limitation of the place, visitation hours are limited to 4 hours a day. 2 hours in the morning and two in the evening. Because the ward is cramp, they need to limit the time so they can work without hassle. So I maximize my time every visiting hour. Just before Labor Day, now that we have the baby was examined, I can’t wait to get my partner and my baby daughter out and it will give the nurses much relief when they are one patient down. When my brother in law saw me, it was as if I was released from prison. I felt I lose weight but with lots of stress and fatigue. My partner is more stressed and fatigued than I am which is why she wanted me to take her home than having dinner at a nearby establishment.

My thanks to the QMMC for their job well done. Even though one of the nurses cut the umbilical cord of my baby badly according to the nearby health center nurse when we had my baby checked up months later.

I have two regrets was the decision of choosing which hospital. If I decided to go to Ospital ng Maynila, it would be nearer to my place and it will be accessible to go to whenever we needed something. My second regret was I didn’t prepare enough.

This is the first of my Daddy Chronicles.