Doctor Drolah Sanchez was close to giving up on her profession. A doctor in a Batangas hospital, the long hours and demanding nature of the job was taking its toll until she witnessed a miracle that banished thoughts of quitting from her mind.
“Nalulungkot ako dahil nagkakasakit na ako sa trabaho ko. Pero napakasaya ko kase kahit pagod ako nakakatulong ako sa aking mga kababayan lalo na sa mga mahihirap,” she recounted in the viral Facebook post, which has been shared nearly 200,000 times. Ngunit noong araw na nasaksihan ko ang isang milagro, ang pag-quit sa trabaho bilang doktor ng gobyernyo ay nag laho.”
A 20-year-old patient was in labor, her baby was going to be born feet first
She had just come from a 48-hour shift. At around 5:40 am, a nurse alerted her that a woman had come in, fully dilated, who had been in labor since 2:00 am. Though she was planning to give birth at home, her baby was in Breech presentation and so she had to be brought to the nearest hospital.
Almost in tears due to fatigue and hunger, she recalls running to the delivery room. There she found the 20-year-old patient, who was already post-term, whose baby had already defecated in utero. Her water had already broken.
She decide to call the OB-Gyne chief but, sadly, she would not make it in time.
“Umiri na ng umiri ang patient kaya pinilit kong ako na ang mag paanak,” she shared in her post, recounting how she delivered the baby buttocks first by pulling on both feet.
“Habang hawak ko ang baby na maputing maputi, walang tibok ang puso at hindi nahinga. Sinabi ko sa ina na misis patay po ang inyong anak,” she recalls holding the pale baby, who wasn’t breathing and telling the mom and grandmother the tragic news.
Thinking the baby had already died, she knew she still had to bring her out into the world. When she finally saw the head, she realized the baby was suffering from “cord coil”, a condition wherein the umbilical cord is wound around the neck making it difficult for oxygen to properly circulate to the brain and other parts of the body.
“Habang hawak ko ang baby na maputing maputi, walang tibok ang puso at hindi nahinga. Sinabi ko sa ina na misis patay po ang inyong anak,” she recalls holding the pale baby, who wasn’t breathing and telling the mom and grandmother the tragic news.
“Mahaba na kase ang labor mo, post term, nakadumi sa loob ng iyong tiyan ang baby mo at halos wala ka ng panubigan. Pinaanak pa natin ng breech, at saka 3.1kg ang timbang ni baby kaya nahirapan ka,” she remembers explaning to the mom. “Patuloy ang aking pag-iyak.”
More about this amazing birth story on the next page!
Being a devout Catholic, Dr. Sanchez prayed hard to her patron saint Mother Teresa, who she credits for performing the miracle.
For ten minutes, she suctioned the baby, administered oxygen and performed CPR. After 15 minutes, there was still no change. The nurse on duty was trying to talk some sense into her by saying that the baby was lost.
In tears, Dr. Sanchez kept praying, recording everything as a way of reminding herself why she wanted to quit the profession. But then the baby started breathing on her own. She opened her eyes and cried.
To her utter amazement, Dr. Sanchez managed to record it all.
“Isang milagro ang sagot ko sa aking mga hinaing at katanungan. Nabuhay ang baby,” she wrote.
She relayed the happy news to the baby’s mom and grandmother, who were also praying. As a way to thank their patron saint for the miracle, they named the Miracle Baby Maria Teresa.
Dr. Sanchez ended her Facebook post by urging others who want to give up to hold out for miracles.
“Minsan napapagod tayong lahat. Dapat hindi tayo mag give up sa ating pagod at mga problema,” she wrote in closing, crediting the fact that they never gave up on the baby as the reason why they received a miracle. “Mapag-mahal ang Diyos, dinadala nya tayo kung para saan tayo. Para malampasan ang hirap, lungkot at ating pagod. Ang sagot ay dasal. Pray faithfully, because help always comes when we need it the most. Everyday is a miracle from God.”
You can watch Dr. Sanchez’ full feature on ABS-CBN’s Rated K, below.
READ: Miracle baby born with most of his skull missing celebrates second birthday
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