MIRACLE PREGNANCY @40

FOREWORD - I wrote this post to inspire other women who are suffering from fertility issues. I wanted others to remain hopeful in God's grace and mercy. I wanted to share the story behind my miracle pregnancy in my 40s. 

After my miscarriage in 2012, I worked on getting my mind, body and soul to heal from this heartbreak. I did yoga and Zumba. I was into healthy eating. But health issues continue to hound me (thanks to my genes). I have asthma, skin asthma, Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), and hypothyroidism. Then in 2015, I found out that I have endometriosis, endometrial cysts in my left ovary, multiple myomas and adenomyosis. My two auto-immune diseases and PCOS already made it difficult for me to conceive. Then add in the adenomyosis and endometriosis to the mix, my chances of having another baby was low. Plus the fact that hubby was onboard his ship, half of the year. Father Time was ticking away too. 

The odds were definitely stacked up against us. Our faith and trust in God kept us going. I firmly believe that God answers our prayer/fervent wish in His perfect's time. When I was wondering if we would ever have a chance to have another baby, God answered me through a dream. I dreamed that we were having a baptismal party. I was the one holding a baby. This dream took place two months after the miscarriage in 2012. I held on to this. 

Fast forward to August 2017, my hubby, Nelson, and I were having fertility treatment. I was taking Ovamit for 2 cycles, but no two lines yet. Hubby and I tried Eastern Medicine too. We had couple acupuncture sessions with Sister Regina Liu in Panay Avenue, QC. I was a patient of Sr. Regina after my miscarriage. The acupuncture would treat my hormonal imbalance and strengthen my immune system. She told me that our chances of conceiving would be better if hubby would also undergo acupuncture sessions. I really had to convince Nelson about this since he doesn't like small and multiple needles on the body. We had three sessions of acupuncture to align or harmonize our energies. 

However, Nelson was supposed to go back onboard in last week of October 2017. So we stopped the fertility drug (Ovamit). But God had other plans for us. Hubby's vacation was extended for another month. 

A week before I took the pregnancy test, I had a vivid dream. Again, we were having a party, a baptismal party. I was holding a baby girl. In my dream, she was named Amelia. Days after my dream, I took the pregnancy test, 2 lines appeared. Lo and behold! Tears welled in my eyes. I showed Nelson the test, and he couldn't believe it. He was speechless!

Because of the heartbreaking loss before, we decided to lie low and not tell anyone right away until further tests. We told my OB-Gyne about it. She advised us to wait for another 2 days and have another test, since it was only Day 40. On my second pregnancy test, there was only 1 line. We were confused with this result. My doctor explained that maybe it was too soon, and the hormones were not high enough to register in the test kit. She also said that it might be a chemical pregnancy. So we had to wait for another 3 days (Day 45) to take another pregnancy test. But deep inside, I knew that I was already pregnant. 

In between waiting, my days were chaotic. My Dad, a survivor of 3 mild strokes, suffered a heart attack and had an emergency angioplasty. Then on the following day, hubby had to embark his ship. 

Day 45 came, I took another pregnancy test. 2 bright red lines appeared on the stick. Oh what a glorious Monday that was! I could not stop smiling about it. Nelson was ecstatic but also worried for me.

Getting pregnant at 40 entailed a lot of tests and precautions. For this pregnancy, I had 4 doctors to monitor me and my baby. I would always be grateful to my OB-GYNE, Dr. Shiela Fajardo-Hernandez, Perinatologist Dr. Carmen Perez, Endocrinologist Dr. Thelma Crisostomo and my Allergologist Dr. Manuel Canlas. This was my team of doctors who helped me in my high-risk pregnancy. My endocrinologist had to monitor my hypothyroidism and made sure my TSH level (Thyroid-Stimulating Hormone) remain below 2.0 every month. She explained that this is crucial to the baby's brain development. While my allergologist monitored my oxygen level regularly (oxygen level should remain high/normal for the pregnancy to thrive) and assisted me in keeping my asthma and allergies at bay. It was like I was living/working in Makati Medical Center, since I was always there for my appointments with my doctors and tests. 

I was on house arrest for this pregnancy. I was not allowed to travel farther than Manila. For someone who was used to travelling a lot, this was a big adjustment for me. My doctor told me to avoid driving so that there will be no stress for me. Hello, Grab!

In my fifth month of pregnancy, I was diagnosed to have gestational diabetes. i had to check my blood sugar, thrice a day, walk for 10 minutes after every meal. I had to strictly follow the nutritionist's personalized diet plan for me. Also, I had to monitor my blood pressure every day upon waking up. It was really a lot of tests for me. I endured all the needles and intrusive scanning, because at the end, we'll be able to have our baby. My cognitive scan proved what I have known all along. We were going to have a baby girl! Dream come true! I've always wanted to have a baby girl, a mini-me (perhaps). Everything was going well except that my baby's weight was below the average. The doctor prescribed me to eat more beef/meat, to have more protein intake. I was allowed to eat more steak and burger. My son, Joaqui, loved this part. He was my food buddy. He enjoyed the steaks and burgers. My baby's weight was slowly catching up. 

Because of my gestational diabetes, the Perinatologist required me to take a fetal heart scan or fetal echocardiography at 26 weeks. She explained to me that a high or a spike in blood sugar can sometimes cause fetal heart defects or sometimes seizures. This was one of the scariest parts of my pregnancy journey. I was so nervous when they did the fetal heart scan. I thank God that the fetal scan was clear and okay. Whew!!!

With this in mind, I really followed my diet and exercise regimen. I did yoga, walked a lot and did push-ups against the wall. I thought that my arms were slimmer than when I was not pregnant. On my 33rd week of pregnancy, I lost a lot of weight, 10 pounds. This alarmed my OB-GYNE, so I had another ultrasound just to check if everything was going smoothly. It went well. 

During my regular/weekly check-up for my 37th week of pregnancy, I had a stress test. Everything was normal. There was no sign of contraction or stress on the baby. So we went home. Traffic was horrible along EDSA (Makati-QC). It was Friday the 13th of July, payday also. When we got home, the condo was having its scheduled pest control measure (insecticide spray). To avoid the harmful chemical, we had to go a nearby mall. We walked around and had a snack. When we got back home, I noticed a brownish red smear on my underwear. When I peed, i saw a big blob of blood. i told my OB-GYNE about it. She said that my mucus plug came out already. She asked me if I was having contractions already. I replied that I felt some contractions but they were not regular. She instructed me to monitor my contractions. After awhile, I told her that my contractions were 10 minutes apart. She ordered us to go to the hospital right away, since the baby would come out soon and would not wait for another day. 

Our hospital bags were ready. I was giving last minute reminders to our helper, and was trying to wake up Joaqui so we could tell him what's happening, that his baby sister was about to come. I didn't think that Joaqui understood what was happening since he was so sleepy. We left the house around 9:45 pm. 

Traffic was light. We arrived in Makati Medical Center within 30 minutes. I was so happy that Nelson was present to witness the birth of our baby girl (with Joaqui, he was on-board their ship). He was "tuliro" or panicky. He couldn't believe that it was happening. He couldn't find our camera because I was the one who packed our stuff. 

I was more nervous this time around, given the high-risk pregnancy. Even after I was given the anesthesia. I was wide-awake and shaking from head to toes. I was having a hard time breathing. My doctors told me to calm down. So I remembered my yoga breathing and to just focus on one focal point (for me it was the huge light). Nelson was also reassuring me that everything will be okay. Then I heard our baby cry for the first time. They cleaned her up and placed her on my arms. It was one of the sweetest and amazing moments in my life. After 12 years of waiting, my miracle baby and rainbow baby came out. Welcome to the world, Amelia Lucia Ledesma!

All praise and glory to God!