Moomy Musings: My Journey to Motherhood

Two years ago when my husband and I made an official announcement in Facebook that I am pregnant with our first born. She is a honeymoon baby!

My actual mommy book :)

I was busily working at that time, beating deadlines for G4S Philippines, my employer, since we were getting ready to have our ISO 9001:2008 certification--a job that I held for 3 years as a Training & Development Officer. Honestly, I was clueless on being pregnant during this time because I was always working overtime, skipping meals and running from one office to another. That's how busy my life was immediately after our wedding.

It was great being a part of the G4S Philippines family!

Halloween break was close at hand so I decided to join the Young Adults (YA) Retreat that our church hosted. It was a much needed break since I went through hell for the past few months, rallying for the certification. During this time, I was already wondering why my monthly menstrual period hasn't visited me yet. I just thought that stress delayed it since I always go home tired and my lifestyle became unhealthy.

I didn't know I was already a MOM :(

The YA Retreat ran for 3 days and my period was still on its "no show" status. That's when I decided to request my younger brother and his girlfriend to buy me a Home Pregnancy Test (HPT) Kit to chase away my doubts. That night, I couldn't put myself to sleep and I started wondering what if I am really pregnant? That was one of the longest nights that I had. At the break of dawn, as per advised by some friends, I went through the self-testing and found out that I was already on my way to motherhood.

2 tests with both 2 lines don't lie :)

When I first broke the news to my husband who was in deployment, he did not even speak a word for 30 seconds then I heard a very crisp laugh. He was very happy and I told him that I still have to validate this with a medical professional. I immediately called up my boss and told him that I would take the day off to see my OB-GYNE, Dra. Emily Rose De Castro, at the Medical City. After the usual check-up, testings and all, she confirmed that I was 5 weeks pregnant.

Flew to the Waterfront Hotel, Davao City at 7 weeks pregnant

When I found out I was pregnant, I feel a bit hesitant because I would be flying to Davao City in 2 weeks then transfer to my husband's deployment camp (which later on I found out to be 8-10 hours by bus from Davao City). I consulted my OB-GYNE if she would allow me to have a long land travel since I am pregnant. God is good because He has blessed with a good doctor. She gave me some prescription medicines that I could take to protect my little one.

We made it through the 10-hour bus ride and arrived at camp! Wee! :)

I am happy to say that my pregnancy was quite an easy one. I have no major complaints like morning sickness, dizziness, etc. I even managed to continue working and traveling every single day from our home to my office in Pasig City. The only hurdle that I needed to pass at that time was sleepiness during working hours. Of course, towards the latter part of my pregnancy, I started feeling back pains and leg cramps. Nevertheless, I would always be thankful for a smooth pregnancy.

My Pregnancy Super Foods and Vitamins! :)

However, right on my 8th month, I was rushed to the Emergency Room of the Armed Forces of the Philippines Medical Center (AFPMC) due to pre-term labor. It became my home for 6 days and since then, I went on leave of absence from my office. I was diagnosed to have been bordering on Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) since pregnant women are really prone to it. Those 6 days were the longest since I was in solitary confinement. The first night was my pregnancy nightmare since I had to stay and be monitored at the Labor Room, and no visitor was allowed. That really freaked me out! I'm just thankful that one of my good friends, my OB-GYNE in AFPMC, Adette Binalay-Sagario, kept me company.

When I was discharged from AFPMC, my husband insisted that I should be on bed rest. Since that first afternoon at home, I literally waited for my due date which was on July 4th. I was too scared to give birth prematurely knowing all the complications that my child has to go through or have.

My Transvaginal Ultrasound said that I was slated to give birth on July 4, 2011. After what happened to me, my husband decided to take his vacation (also in time for his birthday) a week before my due. (Being pregnant is a happy state because of all the care you get from people, even from strangers.) When my husband came home from deployment, I was really very happy because I could already tag him along in my weekly check-ups in AFPMC where I would give birth and to some last-minute shopping for baby stuff. I was happy because I have him to walk with me every afternoon to buy pre-natal vitamins at Mercury Drugstore. I literally had a slave! :p I felt like Kate Middleton in the arms of Prince William.

"Willow" at 24 weeks was the first nickname her Daddy gave her.

On July 3, 2011 at around 3-4 AM, I went up from bed to pee and I noticed blood. I went back to my then-sleeping husband, woke him up and told him what I saw on the bathroom. He only had one question for me, "Do you want us to go to the hospital now?" Again, I was hesitant because I don't feel any pain or contractions, but at the same time, I was afraid of the blood. Before I knew it, my husband was already dressing up to leave and load in the car all the 3 bags that we prepared for delivery. We even managed to buy a pack of pandesal at a nearby bakery before driving to Quezon City.

At 28 weeks on her first 3D/4D Ultrasound

The whole day of July 3, I did not do anything but walk and kept coming back to my friend Adette for my usual Internal Exam (IE). I still felt no pain not until 10:00 PM came. However, it was only slight pain and I could still endure it. Moments passed and midnight struck, the pain intensified. I could no longer sleep and I kept on moaning and groaning like a cow! That's when it hit me, I was already on labor.?

Almost there! :)

When I had another round of IE, my cervix was still soft and perhaps dilated at around 1-2cm. Adette allowed my husband to be by my side so he could pat my painful lower pack. The pain was so strong that I wanted to hit my back against the wall. I knew I had a "shallow" sleep for 1-2 hours. At around 6:00 AM, Adette came by to visit me and I told her that I could no longer handle the pain. Then I saw a stretcher coming in and I was transferred to the maternity chair (where IEs are conducted), lo and behold, I was already on 9cm dilation and my water bag already broke!

At 8:12 AM of the 4th of July, 2011 (Monday), we first gazed at our little angel, Noelle Sabria. She weighed 2.9 kilograms, and 51 cm. in length. Noa and I stayed in AFPMC only for 24 hours because I delivered naturally.

Noa's first ever photo by Daddy! :)

And finally, the Tominio became THREEMINIO. :)

Our first picture as a family

Noa is fearfully and wonderfully made. She is God's gift to me and Nowel. She made me believe in love at first sight. Real moms should; and to those who don't, they haven't given birth yet. My husband and I will always be thankful to the Lord for seeing me through my pregnancy even without my husband beside me. We rely on His grace all the more now as we stand as parents to Noa. We want to be good stewards of this beautiful soul He entrusted to us.

My dream job: MOTHERHOOD.

(photo credit: Mommy Edel Kutukova)

At this point in my life, I really couldn't ask for more. I live one day at a time and savor each precious moment that I am with my family. I'd like to believe that this is my purpose in life. More than a promising career in the corporate world, I've always dreamed of becoming a wife and a mom. At least, I think this is where I'm really trying to be good at.

As of writing this post, I'm excited to have another pregnancy test in a couple of weeks. Who knows, our Noa will already become a little big sister. I'll keep you posted. :)

Source: http://moomymusings.blogspot.com/2012/10/my-journey-to-motherhood.html

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