I’ve been M.I.A. on the blog for the past few months because as you read on the title, me and my husband are pregnant! And yes, we’re expecting a baby girl!!! ❤

It’s not exactly a “honeymoon baby.”  But when I took a home pregnancy test two months after our wedding, there they were: the most sought after “two lines” of married couples like us who already want to have a child. I was around 5 weeks then. The following week, I started to experience “morning sickness” (which actually lasted all day long!) until my 19th week!! To be honest, being on lockdown and working from home became a huge blessing in disguise for me because I couldn’t imagine going to the office during my first trimester until the early days of my second trimester. The nausea and vomiting, including some gastrointestinal issues, not to mention my allergic rhinitis that worsened during some of those weeks (I even had a swab test just to be sure! And thank God I was negative for COVID-19, and I claim in Jesus’ name that we’ll forever be negative from that virus!!), were really just excruciating and frustrating. The factors that kept me going were, of course, my faith (knowing that to suffer means to share in Jesus’ suffering, too), my husband’s unconditional love (he had to do everything in our humble abode since I had no energy whatsoever to do any chores! LOL), and the fact that they say “morning sickness” is a sign of a healthy pregnancy with surging hormones and all that.

On my 19th week (the last week of my nausea/vomiting), though, I started to feel my baby move in my tummy and that’s the silver lining of all that I’ve been through in the weeks before that! 😀 The rest of my second trimester is all about tests here and there, including the ultrasound that made us find out the gender. But overall, it’s my favorite so far even though I also started gaining weight already — no biggie since I know it’s what’s best for the baby and I’m trying to gain at a normal rate. I also try to still get some prenatal exercise, mostly low impact cardio which I can comfortably do at home. My favorite so far is “Body Fit by Amy” on YouTube — check out her channel, fellow preggy women! Haha! Just make sure you have your OB-GYN’s go signal, okay? 😉

Now that I’m about to enter my third trimester, of course, the best is yet to come! I’m due in December (yes, a “Christmas” baby!) and I’m really contemplating on requesting to play Jose Mari Chan‘s famous Christmas album while I’m in labor to somehow ease the impending pain! Wahahahaha! Seriously. I’m not joking. 😛 We’ll see, though, because as any woman who has given birth would tell you, no “birth plan” really goes according to, well, the exact plan! That’s why I’m already trying to set my mind to be open as long as me and my baby will be safe and healthy. That’s what matters most, anyway. 🙂

By the way, we decided to name her after the Archangel Raphael even before we found out the gender. These days, his intercession is often asked to help heal the world from this pandemic we’re going through. But to be honest, even before I met my husband, I already decided to name my first baby after St. Raphael because of the big role he played in my life when I was still single (my close ministry friends know this!). Thank God my husband agreed! Hehe!

our baby’s name is Raphaela Faith a.k.a. “Rafa”

And that’s my pregnancy journey so far. My husband and I still have a few months to go before we enter a new season in life: parenthood. We ask that you pray for us, our baby Rafa, and all my fellow pregnant women in the world during these trying times.

I, thank you!!!

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TO GOD BE THE GLORY ALWAYS AND FOREVER!

❤

“Children are a gift from the Lord;
they are a real blessing.”
-Psalm 127:3