Witnessing childbirth was Benny's big moment

By Stacy Kaneshiro
Advertiser Staff Writer

AGBAYANI: Daughter Aleia "looks like me"

On Saturday afternoon, about five hours after he arrived from New York, Agbayani watched his wife Niela deliver Aleia Kiliohu via Cesarean section at Kapi'olani Medical Center for Women and Children. It was the couple's first child.

"When I saw the baby pop out, it was unbelievable," Agbayani said.

Agbayani stayed with Niela and Aleia at Kapi'olani through yesterday. Agbayani said his wife is still recuperating from the surgery, but doing fine, and that the baby also is healthy. The family preferred not to have their picture taken.

But the baby's grandparents — Benny and Faith Agbayani —"are fighting to hold her," joked Agbayani.

Agbayani said Niela picked the name Aleia and that a friend suggested Kiliohu, which he said means "gentle mist."

Agbayani, a star athlete at St. Louis School and at Hawai'i Pacific University, had permission to leave the Mets, who have been hit by a number of injuries, during their interleague series with their cross-borough rival New York Yankees last weekend. He arrived here about noon Saturday.

Before he left for spring training, Agbayani told The Advertiser he planned to be with Niela during the birth. But the fact the Mets were on the East Coast and hurting put Agbayani in a bind.

"I was kind of indecisive about coming home or staying up," he said. "I talked to my agent and he said, 'This is going to be a special moment.' So I had to do what I had to do."

Agbayani would learn when he arrived that Aleia's heart beat was dropping, which he said led to the C-section.

Agbayani said he watched the procedure.

"It was like watching TLC (The Learning Channel)," he said. "It was exactly like the way they did it on the program."

Aleia, who was born at 7 pounds, 8 ounces, "looks like me," Agbayani said. "She has big feet and big hands."

Agbayani credited Drs. Jan Fujita and Ryan Sumida, the pediatrician. He said they both knew Agbayani wanted to be present for the birth and worked to accommodate the father.

"They were very helpful in the birth of our first child," he said. "In fact, the entire staff at Kapi'olani was outstanding."

But it is back to work for Agbayani starting tomorrow. He leaves today for New York, where the Mets play host to the Boston Red Sox starting tomorrow.

He said Niela and Aleia will join him in New York in about a month, when doctors told him both should be strong enough to make the trip.

Agbayani is batting .266 with four home runs and 17 RBIs, having played in 59 of the team's 89 games.