When Heart Decides

CHAPTER 25

25

Atarah got hooked up because of the non-stress test she experienced since the day she was brought in the hospital when she bled. Marami itong treatment na pinagdaanan.

An electronic fetal monitoring system was attached to her in order to monitor the infant's oxygen deprivation and loss of blood flow. Dumaan din ito sa ilang blood tests maging sa ultrasounds. She was also adviced to do some bed rest.

Nang maiuwi ito matapos ang ilang treatments na ginawa sa kanya, akala nito'y magiging okay na ang lahat. Not until she bled again few days before her due date.

All she thought her water broke that time but when she checked herself, blood was everywhere and it kept pouring out of her. Neon, who stayed with her the whole time immediately brought her to the hospital and called the doctor right away.

Dali-dali nila itong dinala sa operating room. Accompanied by a nurse, the doctor is doing an internal exam but had to keep asking the nurse to hand her cotton to soak up the blood that keeps on gushing her.

Sandaling lumabas ang nurse. When she came back, Atarah was informed that the specialist who does C-sections is coming because the best thing is to do a cesarean section with her right away. Nabanggit na naman sa kanya ng doctor ang tungkol doon pero hindi niya aakalaing ngayon mangyayari iyon.

Habang nasa OR ito, the anesthesiologist keeps on asking her questions and explained the epidural when she felt another big gush of blood.

Kung anu-ano na ang ginagawa nila sa kanya at wala na siyang ibang maintindihan kundi ang kalagayan ng sanggol sa kanyang sinapupunan.

"Five minutes." There was some talking between the doctor, the nurse and even the anesthesiologist but she was not able to understand them even a bit.

"We are putting you out." They told her as they laid her back. Tila nawawala ito sa kanyang sarili dahil sa sakit na kanyang nararamdaman.

"I can't breathe!" Sigaw nito. Atarah panicked more and tried to move around when she felt a weird lump in her throat.

Atarah's tears find its way down on her cheeks dahil pakiramdam niya noong oras na iyon ay mamamatay siya.

Mas lalo itong naiyak because there is no heart beat detected with the fetal monitor put on her. The doctor then had to do general anesthesia to her. Atarah was not awake as they did the C-section to her. Wala na itong kaalam-alam sa sunod na nangyari.

As the baby was out, dinala nila ito sa nursery para macheck kaagad. Because babies born by C-section may have trouble clearing, they often need extra suctioning of the nose, mouth, and throat and that's what they did to her baby.

Atarah didn't know what happened anymore. Nagising na lamang itong eksaktong pumasok ang doctor sa delivery room bitbit ang kanyang sanggol.

"Ang gwapong bata. Mana sa ama." Nakangiting saad ng doctor habang marahan nitong ibinigay ang bata sa kanya tsaka nalipat ang paningin nito kay Neon na noo'y nakaupo sa gilid ni Atarah.

Nag-uusap man sina Neon at ang doctor, ang atensyon ni Atarah ay tanging naroon lamang sa sanggol.

"My baby..." Maluha-luha nitong sambit habang puno ng pag-iingat na hinawakan nito ang sanggol.

Ilang minuto lang ang lumipas, the baby awakened and cried. The baby grasped on her fingers as he keeps on crying. That's when she first breastfed the baby. Muli ay naluha ito.

Mula sa mga pinagdaanan nilang mag-ina, ang mahawakan ang kanyang anak mula sa kanyang mga bisig ang naging dahilan upang lumabas ang kanyang mga luha.