the Cacing Diaries #1

Cacing

I received the sweetest gift on the morning of February 6 when my wife gave birth to Francesca Dyan. At, 7lbs 11oz and 51cm, she is long and feisty. We call her Cacing, pronounced Cha-Ching, just like they do in Indonesia.

Her nickname means worms in Indonesia, not those which weave silk, nor those which munch veggies, but those which inhabit the stomach. When my wife missed period in June, she took a pregnancy kit test and got a negative result. Since her period is a regular 28 day cycle, we just joked around that maybe that the hormonal changes she felt were false demand characteristic. Naturally, we were disappointed and made light of her ‘symptoms” like malaise, full tummy and nausea, dismissing them that maybe she had worms instead of a baby. Worms, in Indonesian, are Cacing so every day past her duedate, we joked that her worms must be growing well. Ten days later, her period still did not come so she took another test. Positive! We could not be any happier.

I’ve always wanted to name our child after my late father Francisco- Francis if he’d be a boy, Francesca if she’d be a girl. Later we found out by ultrasound that our baby will be a “Francesca” and the monicker Cacing is a nice fit.

Later in life, in school perhaps, we will allow our daughter to decide for herself what nickname she will adapt but for now she is our little Cacing.

Fastforward to February 5. Just before dinner, at 7:30, my wife suddenly felt a more pronounced series of painful contractions. The night before, we had a false alarm and were turned away from the hospital as her bloody show and contractions were too mild. This time she knew this was it. The contractions were unbearable.

We were calm but harried. Easy to say now but looking back, driving in traffic when your wife beside you was already wincing in pain was hard. We both were hoping for a normal delivery so we were glad when her cervical dilation progressed from 3 cm to 4-5cm in two hours. Then it stopped.

For some more eight hours, she labored and medical inducement did not help. Finally, on February 6, the doctor decided on a C-section and on 8:46, Cacing came into our lives.

Here are a few pics of our treasure, taken from day 1 to day 3.


day 1

Canon EOS 350D Digital, 0.013s, f/5.6, 55mm, ISO 100, flash fired, red-eye reduction
Cacing, yawning, as her doctor first showed her to me inside the nursery, a couple of hours after her birth



Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/15s, f/4.5, 28mm, ISO 1600, +1/3EV
the nurse showing off the newly born Cacing, all bundled up



Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/10s, f/5.6, 55mm, ISO 1600, +1/3EV
a quick shot of Cacing being placed on the crib. this was taken through the glass at the nursery viewing area.



Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/15s, f/4.5, 50mm, ISO 800, +1/3EV
too much milk for Cacing!


day 2


Canon EOS 350D Digital, 0.013s, f/5.6, 55mm, ISO 100, Flash fired, red-eye reduction
Cacing, being breastfed by my wife



Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/60s, f/2.0, 50mm, ISO 1600
The IV line can be seen dangling out of Dia's hand here. It was difficult for her to be mobile.


day 3


Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/20s, f/5.6, 55mm, ISO 1600
Cacing loves to squeeze my finger. She already feels the world with her fingers, which like mine, are wrinkly and "candle-like" long.



Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/50s, f/5.6, 55mm, ISO 1600
One day in December we chanced upon this cute headband at Rustan's. It is about P56 pesos or something but hey, I know she looks angelic wearing it. Besides, she needs to be fashionable when she comes home.



Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/40s, f/4.5, 33mm, ISO 1600, +4/3 EV
Cacing, all 51cm long, is tall and lanky



Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/10s, f/5.6, 55mm, ISO 1600, +1EV
Cacing jerks occasionally when asleep. I had to wait and time this shot to catch her in the act.