21 April 2021

Since When Having Children Become a Competition?

Note: This was written after my pregnancy and gender announcement of the third baby. 

When my eldest was four years old, almost everyone, even strangers, said we should have another child. “Pwede ng sundan yan”, they said it as if they will help raise our family financially. I didn’t battle with them, not even in words, but my uterus did; I had an ectopic pregnancy. An internal organ in my reproductive system had to be removed as if it was my body’s way of telling the naysayers that it had enough of their meddling. Having another child wasn’t meant to be... yet.


So blessed to be a girl mama of these precious ones. 

Few years later, my second pregnancy surprised and shocked many including us, my husband and I. We expected a solo child family till our senior years. Truly, God has miraculous ways to make us understand that no men can dictate our future—not even your chismosang kapitbahay. But of course, people who are bound to have imperfections cannot be controlled. They attacked the preggy me again with “sana boy na yan para perfect na, para complete na”. I was furious.

14 April 2021

So This Is What Happened When a Breastfeeding Mom Who Just Gave Birth Has COVID-19


Today marks my freedom, aka the last day of my isolation period, from the unwanted, life-threatening virus that is corona. 

But first — I would like to apologize to the ad agency who coined this phrase for a detergent powder campaign ‘cause I’m gonna use it now to respond to your reaction to my opening salvo — GULAT KA NOH? 

Actually, ako rin eh! When I got pregnant last year, the times I’ve gone out went from rare to almost none. So imagine our disbelief when someone from the military hospital I had my swab test done informed me nonchalantly that I was Covid positive. Before my brain dictated my body to be in shock, I have already yelled to the hubs from my eldest’s bedroom that we used as isolation facility and told him matter of factly, “positive raw ako”. Shoot shoot shoot.


*enter MMK background music so I could shake my shoulders while I do a proper walling*


Joking aside, I’m sure by now you’ve already read a lot about how Covid patients go through this ordeal. But your chismosang kapitbahay Maritess might be curious and have these questions – “saan nakuha?”, “anu-anong mga symptoms?”, “ano mga ginawa nung malaman mong may symptoms ka?” So before I share with you my daily shenanigans since I felt a symptom, I’ll answer one question first.