~Princess Tiara Colby~

Birth in Davao, Philippines. The most memorable birth ever!

The clock hit 2pm and I was officially on swing shift. Her name was Lyzel. She was a beautiful Filipina pregnant woman. Her and her bana (husband) were endorsed to me when I walked into the birth room and onto swing shift. I had noticed her during endorsements, walking around. She wore a purple dress, matching earings and a perfectly clean, pulled back ponytail. She looked radiant. Her bana was walking beside her. He was wearing a black wife beater tank top, had a few tattoos (which is a little rare to see in a poor city), and stripped bleach blonde hair. It was obvious that they both took pride in their appearances, even in the stress and excitement of expecting a baby VERY soon!

She was 4cm dilated when she was handed over into my care. After doing an IE on her, she was now 6-7cm dilated, 70% effaced, +1-+2 station, IBOW and enjoyed walking around a lot. I walked the stairs with her because the baby was asynclytic to the right. (head was not placed evenly on the cervix). She also had a cervical lip that was cause from uneven pressure on the cervix. After about an hour, I was severely winded and had to lean up against the wall and while gasping for air, tell the fully-pregnant woman in active labor, to go on without me. (Don’t worry, after this I bought a gym membership to the local gym in the city.)
Lyzel would go up and down the stairs, from the birthing floor to the prenatal floor on the second level, over and over and over again. The entire time with a sweet smile on her face and only stopped briefly to breath through a huge contraction. Unbelievable.
After a few hours, Lyzel and her bana came back into their room and she sat on the bed and labored there for a while. Us three sat and talked, laughed and joked all the while I was tracking the progression of her labor next to her on the bed. They spoke very good English and asked me all about my family back home, how long I would be staying in Davao, and how much I missed my boyfriend who was all the way across the world. I was surprised at how much information I told them, considering most women in labor are usually not up for a family history/personal love story detailed conversation.
I told them Colby’s name and they kept looking at eachother and saying, “Colby! Hahaha Colby, I like!”

I asked how they met and she smiled, looked at him, then at me and said…
…”Mam, we met a dance club here in Davao and he is a professional dancer for clubs. Then we became friends. Then one night, was had too much to drink, and now we are having a baby. But we are still just friends.”

I almost fell off the bed in shock.

…. “So you are not married?”
They bursted out with a laugh, “HA! No! No mam!”

She flirted with her “bana” or “dancer” or “baby’s daddy” (not sure what to call him) the whole time even when getting closer and closer to transition! She would push him lovingly when he would tease her and they would both laugh and laugh. She would flip her ponytail around and smile at him and every once in a while, check to make sure both earings were still on. Hilarious to watch this happening, it was. I was just dying to see how this interaction would change once she would begin to push! I could just picture her flirty shoves, turn into rage and pain-filled, shoves throwing him across the room once this baby started crowning.

Transition came and went, with a few deep breaths, curling of the toes and long quiet moments, and she still looked lovely with her bana friend at her side. Now the baby’s head was visible at the birth canal with pushing! The cervical lip was still present and as the baby’s head was emerging, the lip was causing the uterus to drag down with the head down through the pelvis, so Ate Eliah had to hold back the lip while the baby’s head emerged out of her Yoni. Baby was now crowing. I took over and did perineal pressure because she was so tight being that this was her first time giving birth. The baby’s head emerged with a nuchal hand (hand was up pressed against baby’s face) and the baby restituted to the left. I maneuvered all of this 5lb 10oz beautiful body and this little girl was born! It was now 9:14pm. She was stunningly gorgeous! Just like her mother! She was pink and perfectly chubby even for being such a petite baby. She had puckered pink lips and light skin and BIG brown eyes. She didn’t look much like a Filipina!

They stared at her with wide eyes and then back at us just to make sure everything was still normal, (they could tell by the looks on our faces). And yes, everything was perfect. The baby girl latched on right away to her mother’s breast and her daddy watched in amazement. Perfect.

After I delivered the placenta and her bleeding was assessed and under control, I asked the new parents what they were going to name their new addition.
And Lyzel replied, “What is your name again mam? We want to name her after her midwife.”
…I wanted to cry… “Tiara” I answered.
They both looked like ‘oh crap, we now regret this decision.’
“Chhhiaarra, Tara, Tchiara…” They desperately tried to pronounce it.
I jumped in and said, “I know. My name means princess crown, so you can always call her Princess!”
They loved the idea, but did not want to drop their midwife’s name still.
SO, they decided on Princess Tiara.
AMAZING! Just when I thought this couldn’t get any better, the bana looks back at me and says, “mam, what is your boyfriends name again? The name we like?”

…”Colby.” I smiled.

“That’s it. That’s the name.” He said. “Her full name is now PRINCESS TIARA COLBY!!”

I couldn’t believe it!!! “Are you really sure??” I asked.
“YES!!” They said, holding her in their arms.

Ahhhhhh! The joys and blessings of being able to be a part of this new families life! (and Colby too!)

Welcome, baby Princess Tiara Colby!! And sorry for the name. My bad. ☺