A popular young celebrity shared this year that she would not bear a child of her own when she gets married. I used to feel the same for personal reasons, but because my husband wanted a baby, I eventually agreed.

There were some challenges from the start. I have an irregular menstrual period and polycystic syndrome (PCOS). These conditions can hinder conception. To address my condition, my obstetrician-gynecologist prescribed a powdered folic acid food supplement. After several days or weeks, I did a pregnancy test, but the result was disappointing. Still, I continued taking the supplement for a month, until I finally got a positive result.

My sister-in-law, however, advised me to have another pregnancy test to confirm it. I got the same positive result, and I almost couldn’t believe it; I was holding the pregnancy test kit with a surreal feeling. We were all ecstatic.

The first trimester

Being pregnant opens new doors of new experiences starting with the first three months, also known as the first trimester. For my baby to grow, I needed to eat frequently as I was always hungry. A bakery was just steps away from the office so I would buy my snacks there. When I didn’t eat immediately, my stomach hurt. So I would leave just to eat. This new routine had a consequence later.

Being pregnant was this easy. It felt almost boring. Later, however, I found that my blood sugar’s lab result was on the borderline. An internal medicine doctor gave me a diabetic diet list — no sugar, only the listed food for both snacks and heavy meals. I did not see this coming.

Moreover, he explained that my baby and I each had a 30-percent chance to be diabetic, as I have Gestational Diabetic Mellitus. He recommended that I buy a Glucometer, a device that measures one’s sugar levels. Monitoring it would help me manage mine.

I really did my best to follow the given diet or a few varieties of snacks even though it was challenging sometimes. Para kay baby (for my baby) was my motivation.

This was the start of our higher-than-usual expenses.

The second trimester

I continued with the not-sugary diet and could eat what the doctor told me to eat. The diet made me a health-conscious eater.

One day, I realized that the brown stain on my undies was already blood. So when I checked up with my OB she told me that I was experiencing ‘spotting,’ and there was a possibility of losing the baby. She gave me suppository medicine.

My husband and I were in deep prayers during that time. We prayed before to have a child and now ours was in danger.

I even requested with my boss for our office’s approval that I work from home until my labor because of the frequent bed rest advised by my doctor. I’m very grateful they agreed.

Even if there’s no pain in moving around like walking, sleeping, etc. I needed to move with caution during this time.

Another challenge of this trimester was the tummy getting heavier as the baby got bigger. Getting up every morning must be done slowly and rising up should be sideways as taught in the clinic. Sleeping was also a challenge. I must sleep either on my back or the left side. My OB explained that my right side was where the baby had his oxygen so moving the opposite side would not disrupt his breathing.

The third trimester

This was the period when the baby would be born because he was fully developed. My baby bump was small compared with other pregnant women since I only ate vegetables and other allowed food. It was a huge win for me and my baby cause in our final lab results, my blood sugar was regular.

In my ninth month, I was told that I could go on labor anytime. Okay, I said in my mind. The first day of my maternity leave, lo and behold, my water broke at dawn. I was having my labor/contraction the whole morning then ire (pushing) in the afternoon.

My healthy child was a boy weighing three kilograms. I didn’t hear his first cry since all the doctors around me applauded and congratulated me.

Among the joys of my pregnancy was I never enjoyed eating foods every day until this pregnancy. Also, I had a very supportive and loving husband who did all the cooking and other house chores. I got unexpected support from my friends both online and offline, relatives and a Facebook mommy group. And I bask in my officemates’ compliments on my looks (glowing, more beautiful and slim weight), tips, encouragement and stories.

I didn’t realize being a mom in this day and age could be this fulfilling.