Coleen Garcia and Billy Crawford look back to the dramatic moments leading up to the birth of their son Amari.
Coleen gave birth to Amari on the morning of September 10, 2020.
The day before that, Coleen and Billy had gone to the hospital to find out why her pregnancy seemed to be taking longer than usual.
Coleen revealed in her latest YouTube vlog she was feeling frustrated and impatient at that time.
The actress-endorser said, "No symptoms, no contractions whatsoever, and I was past my 39th week already.
"Sabi ng doctor namin na if wala pa rin talaga by that time, by that day, then we have to go get an ultrasound to see if everything was okay, my amniotic sac was intact, and everything, which it was."
Her ultrasound showed that the baby was okay, but as Coleen and Billy left the hospital on their way back home, she suddenly felt her stomach tightening.
As she described in her vlog, "Prior to that, I never knew what a contraction felt like, but then that time, I felt like my stomach getting tighter. It didn't hurt. I just felt that it changed."
She remembered asking Billy to feel her stomach, and he said it was "rock-hard."
According to Coleen, they did not make much of it so they "chilled for a bit" when they got home.
And then it happened after she took a shower. Her water broke.
At that time, there were other people in their house, and Billy was actually taking a swab test when he heard Coleen calling her.
She continued, "He was downstairs. He was getting his swab test done, 'tapos sabi ko, 'Love! Love!'
"Siyempre I can't naman shout that my water broke kasi there were strangers in the house."
Billy rushed to get to Coleen and the first thing he saw was the puddle of water on the floor.
She recalled, "I was always told that it's not like the movies na it's a gush and everything.
"Sometimes it's just a trickle, so you won’t know the difference. But mine was like a gush."
Billy threw in, "There was like a puddle underneath her. It was a lot of water."
Billy could remember how impressed he was that Coleen remained calm as she simply went about changing clothes for her photo shoot downstairs.
He said, "It was funny when we got down, like, I swear it was the most professional I've ever seen her.
"Iyon pala iyon, the water stains sa dress niya sa likod. She was like, 'Tara, bilisan na natin kasi my water broke.' And we're like, ‘Oh my god!'"
Coleen even set up the tripod for the camera, and the entire time was doing the pictorial for social media, however quick it was, her behind was all wet.
Coleen Garcia goes into Labor
Coleen and Billy began preparing for her water birth while waiting for her midwife Aileen, her doula Irina, and her OB-Gyne, Dr. Cecile.
They inflated a tub inside a bedroom and filled it up with hot water.
The contractions started when her water broke at 7:30 p.m., but according to Coleen, she hardly felt them even when they were coming and going the entire night.
Her midwife Aileen explained to Coleen it was probably because of her high tolerance for pain that she wasn't able to feel as much.
By 2:00 a.m., Coleen was feeling the "surges and waves" of pains, the beginning of her hard labor.
The ABS-CBN actress said, "I say it's the most intense pain I've ever felt.
"I never broke a bone or got stitches or anything, so I have nothing to compare it to.
"Pero masakit lang talaga siya. It's like a discomfort kasi. Masakit siya sa hips and my back.
"I was only supposed to go into the pool once ready to push na talaga.
"And when the contractions were getting really, really painful already, and getting uncomfortable, I got checked again.
"And I was still only 5 cm and that really frustrated me. Sabi nila, 'Okay, this much time has passed and 5 cm pa rin...'
"Our midwife and OB went downstairs for a while to just kind of give me space, you know? Because there were a lot of people in the room.
"I was just trying to relax, trying to ride through it. It was dark, walang aircon, and we were playing worship music."
The music soothed Coleen to the point that she went into a trance.
She said she became "so quiet" that it confused her birthing team.
"They couldn't tell if I was contracting or not, so hindi nila ma-time kung ilang minutes na ba in between and everything."
But Coleen trusted her body and when she felt that she needed to go into the water-filled tub, she asked permission.
Although hesitant, doula Irina allowed Coleen to get in the water.
When Coleen immersed herself in the tub, she started shivering.
"Sabi ni Irina, it was the first time they ever saw that in a water birth. But they see it when epidural is given.
"I don't know, maybe it's because of relief. I don't know. It was really weird because hindi naman ako giniginaw.
"When I went into the pool, it was actually so warm and so sarap. But I just kept on shaking and I didn't feel anything naman... I didn't know I was shaking talaga."
Coleen eventually stopped shaking and began to relax. She leaned back and swayed her hips, which eased her pain.
For a quick bit, she had to get up from the pool to check if she was ready to give birth or not.
Coleen Garcia Delivering Amari
When Coleen returned to the pool, she quietly began pushing with every contraction she felt.
She recounted, "When I did know it was the last push, when I gave everything, it's because I could actually feel the head na malapit na talaga.
"[Billy] started crying and praying in tongues behind me and my mom brought out her cellphone and she was crying. And I was so aware of everything happening around me.
"Sabi ko, ito na iyon kasi nakalabas na cellphone, e."
Because Coleen was giving birth without help of painkillers, she could feel what mothers would call "the ring of fire" when her baby's head was coming out.
She said, "You literallly feel like a ring of burning fire, that burning sensation. Then when the head is through, wala na rin."
Coleen recounted how she felt when she held Amari in her arms, his head on her chest.
"I remember so many people told me na once you have the baby, makakalimutan mo lahat ng pain, lahat ng pagod, and you're going to have a surge of energy.
"But I was so tired. Sobrang pagod na ako. I was so happy, but I was so tired."
Why Coleen Garcia did home birth
Even before the pandemic, Coleen was determined to do a home water birth.
She said, "I just wanted my birth to be as natural as possible, as gentle as possible. The least intervention as possible, and it was something I always wanted."
Coleen and Billy had asked the opinion of a friend, a doctor, who did not favor home birth.
As a compromise, the actress thought of doing water birth in the hospital, "Sabi ko, 'I think I'll do that, you know?'
"Best of both worlds and if anything happens, at least nasa hospital na ako, and I get the water birth that I want."
But COVID-19 altered her plans.
Coleen related, "They put a hold on the water birth in the hospitals, so hindi natuloy iyong water birth and I was really sad.
"Parang the birth that I envisioned for myself was slowly just kind of slipping away."
Then when she was told that Billy couldn't be present at the delivery room as part of the new protocols, that was when Coleen decided to do home-water birth.
Coleen also sought the opinions of Max Collins, Rica Peralejo, and Maricel Laxa—fellow celebrity moms who had gone through home-water birthing.
She read and researched materials about its procedure while continuing to ask God for guidance.
"This time around, I don’t know, I really prayed about it. I felt God tell me on different occasions na He will be there no matter what and no matter what I choose, no matter where I choose.
"That’s what really gave me the confidence to push through with giving birth at home. God assured me so many times…"
Coleen warned though that not everyone could be a candidate for home water birth.
She underlined, "Normally, we don't get to decide [the birth plan] because sometimes, especially high risk ka or especially if you don't feel so safe about doing a home water birth.
"Siyempre, it's safer pa rin to go to the hospital."
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