Our new bundle of joy – Alexus Mitchel

I finally gave birth to Alexus last Sunday, November 23 at 1:45 pm thru normal spontaneous delivery. He weighed 7.5 lbs -the heaviest among the three boys. I was so happy to see my 3rd son when I heard him cry after 6 hours of labor. Since this is my 3rd pregnancy, I already knew the signs of labor (see below) but I didn’t expect that it will be that short. For Aloysius and Achilles, it took me 10 to 12 hours of bearing labor pains. I guess the Star City visit helped and maybe I already started feeling the contractions but didn’t mind at all because of excitement of going to Snow World.

By the way, here’s my guide in determining true labor contractions:

10 – 30 – 3
Time between contractions: 10 minutes
Duration of contractions: about 30 seconds
Cervix dilation: up to 3 cm.
Description: Until the cervix has dilated to 3 cm, the contractions will feel similar to strong period cramps. At this point, the water might break or there is a strong discharge.
5 - 60 - 8
Time between contractions: About 5 minutes
Duration of contractions: About 60 seconds
Cervix dilation: 3 to 8 cm
Description: Most of the pain will be centered in the abdomen and lower back. The lower back pain will begin moving a little lower. Some women at this point feel cold or nausea.
1 – 90 – 10
Time between contractions: About 1 minute
Duration of contractions: About 90 seconds
Cervix dilation: 8 to 10 cm
Description: This is the peak of the pain. You may want to push when the physician tells you so. Save your breathing for the final push. You may have peace of mind in knowing that your contractions will disappear as soon as the baby is born.

Anyway, my Alexus Mitchel is a healthy and cute baby. His features are a combination of his 2 brothers and more of his dad’s. (Buti na lang nagmana sa ama, etchetera, etchetera hahaha). I vowed to fully breastfeed him so that he will be healthier and hopefully my breast milk supply won’t fail like the cases of the first 2 babies.

Here are some of the first photos of our latest bundle of joy: