Worship Times: Matteo Manuel

It's been over a month since the last post and so much has happened.

The wife has given birth to Matteo Manuel Ludovice Nobleza. What an experience for first time parents! And we had God all throughout to guide, lead, support, provide, comfort, deliver, save, help, enlighten, encourage, cheer us.

Feb 1 4am, Peachy already complained of having spotting. At 6am the contractions began. We knew the time was near. At 8am, the contractions was becoming more frequent at almost 5 minutes. We knew we had to go to the hospital. So off we went to St.Luke's Hospital in E. Rodriguez.

The nurses welcomed us into the Admitting Section. Check the heartbeat and blood pressure of the mother, the heartbeat of the baby. They were put on a monitor and the Tracer machine showed good contractions with 5min intervals. Finally the resident did an IE. 1cm. Whew! We were advised to go for a long long walk and come back at 6pm.

And so I had time to bring my sister Reena to the airport on her way back to Dubai. She was sorry that she was not able to see Matteo before leaving.

When we got back to the Admitting Section in the evening, same procedure. Guess what? 1-2 cm. Almost no change. So we were advised to go home. We were to watch out for the breaking of the 'bag of water' and 2-3 minute contractions. So home we went. It was a false alarm.

At 1am, Wednesday, Peach's contractions were getting stronger and timing was almost 4 minutes. I was trying to convince her to wait for 3-minute intervals before going but her cries at the highs of the contractions was more than enough to convince me we needed to go.

So at 130am, we were back at the hospital. Same procedures. 3cm. Why o why? The doctor's advice? Go for a walk. Again? So off we walked around the hospital, kneeled at the chapel in prayer. We prayed to all the saints in attendance at the chapel, Padre Pio (to whom Peachy's friends at Woodrose prayed for the baby's conception), St. Josemaria Escriva (Opus Dei founder, they run Woodrose School where Peach was a dentist), Mother of Perpetual Help, St. Raymund Nunnatus (patron saint of pregnant women and the unborn). We walked back to the parking lot.

We were able to catch some sleep at the car. Little did we know that those short minutes of rest will be God's way of giving us strength to sustain us through labor, delivery and first day with the baby. At 4:30am. Peach was crying out loud at the intensity of the contractions. So alarming it was, I drove in haste to the hospital front lobby. "Lord," we prayed, "this is it. We are no longer going anywhere after this except the delivery room."

The procedures was done. But one thing was alarming to me looking at the Tracer's printout. The baby's heartbeat runs amok at the height of the contractions. The resident doctor thought the monitor is being pushed out of position. But I knew something was wrong because she had to stimulate the baby via a vibrating machine and almost no response. The IE gave the answer. 8cm. She called our OBGYNE and rushed Peachy to the Labor Room. The only thing I was able to hand to her was the scapular rosary. I could not find the Lord of Pardon booklet she planned to bring to the Labor room.

The only thing that I could do now was wait. I went to the chapel again to praise and thank God for listening to our prayers and for guidance and wisdom for the doctors. Before I left the chapel, I lit the candle that come with the St.Raymund Nonnatus chaplet. I prayed that Jesus, the Light, the Bright Morning Star will pave the way for normal delivery, wisdom for Dr. Elsie Pascua and her team.

So wait I did.

At 630 am, somebody called for companion of Patient Nobleza and asked if I had a camera. And asked me to go into the lobby of the delivery room. There I waited and listed to cries of mothers in delivery. I thought that would be Peachy already and the sound of the baby's cries thereafter would be Matteo's, only to see the fashionista Dr. Pascua coming in, still not dressed for the procedures. She said, the baby is almost there. A sigh of relief. When she got out of the doctors' station dressed for the procedures and took the camera, that was when I started praying. The Lord led me to Psalm 91... verses 15-16

Whoever clings to me I will deliver; whoever knows my name I will set on high.
All who call upon me I will answer; I will be with them in distress; I will deliver them and give them honor.
With length of days I will satisfy them and show them my saving power.

I repeated these verses until I almost memorized them and a calm flowed through me.

The agony of waiting ended when at 7:30, Dr. Pascua came out of the delivery room with Baby Matteo, nurse and camera in tow. She handed me our baby, so cute, so beautiful.

She explained that they had to do emergency procedure of vacuum extraction. The cord was around Matteo's neck and his heartbeat was going down. She had to save the baby. and Peachy? she's doing fine. Praise be to God for wisdom!