We are sharing our parenting journey to inspire other couples who are in a similar situation to never lose hope.
Parenthood is one path that Khris and I eagerly wanted to take as soon as we were married four years ago. It was just this year when we were blessed with a baby though. Yes, it took us a long time to get there but it was still an unforgettable journey that we will cherish forever.
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| Photo courtesy of pexels.com |
A Different Kind Of Travel: Our journey to Parenthood
We always wanted a baby as soon as we got married. However, a few months into
the marriage, we realized that it does not come easy as we had earlier thought
(and hoped) it would be. In the end, patience, prayers, and optimism helped us
conquer the challenges along the way until the moment of the realization of
our ultimate dream.
Our road to parenthood is a story of hope
Khris and I got married in early 2014. At that time, we were in our early 30s
and we felt that we were just at the right age to settle down. We had stable jobs, we were mature enough, and we were ready, that was why we wanted to have a baby as soon as possible. However, it did not go as planned. As such, we consulted a doctor early on.
We were in consultation with her for a year but we felt that there was no progress so we went to a new doctor whom we also had for a year. Suffice it to say, both relationships were short-lived because the experience with the two doctors was not of the best kind.
Our first doctor would sell us supplements that she recommended, telling us on
various occasions that we needed those vitamins because we lacked certain
“fertility indicators,” which were all very vague concepts and explanations.
Also, it is worth noting that the good doctor has never talked to me, not even
once.
Meanwhile, our second doctor was no better. She was actually one of the most popular doctors in Metro Manila with many success stories under her belt.
Coincidentally, she was also the doctor of a former colleague who, in the end,
had an even
more horrifying and traumatizing experience. It was a good thing that they were able to surpass the ordeal.
Anyway, what we did not like about her was that she was very impersonal. We could not even ask her questions; she would immediately thwart our every attempt to talk. Furthermore, she would make us go to her clinic at unusual hours only for her to arrive dreadfully late.
On one occasion, we were made to line up and wait for so long that we were able to leave her clinic at almost midnight. Because of these, we would leave her clinic frustrated, dismayed, and with more questions. We stopped seeing her because we could not feel an ounce of care or concern from her.
In the end, we surmised it was all about the money for her.
After those two doctors, we felt like we had lost a lot of time. We were
almost drained of any feeble hope that was left in us.
One year always seemed so short because we were only given 12 chances – one each month – and after that, we had to start all over again. It was not easy; the trips to the doctor were physically taxing. But more than that, it was emotionally draining.
A miracle unfolds
We met our third doctor, Dr. Ma. Asuncion "Jing" A. Fernandez, just when we were about to give up. That was our final chance. I said that if we were not
to have a baby, we would go on “epic dates.”
That means splurging on travel, eating out, and buying all the material things that we like. It may sound exciting to some people – especially the prospect of endless traveling – but we thought it was empty. We wanted to take a different path, a different journey. We wanted to take a voyage through life with a child, our own baby.
Anyway, we chose our third doctor because of the many good reviews we read about her. Coming from our second doctor who was as cold as ice, we wanted our final doctor to be warm, friendly, and accommodating.
Long story short, we were not disappointed after our initial consultation
with her.
She was always smiling and she was very easy to talk to. She was very thorough in explaining the reason behind the steps that we would take. Best of all, she was able to rekindle our dwindling hope.
We were to start all over again but it was alright. We visited her religiously. Even when test results were negative after each month, we remained patient and hopeful.
Our only problem was that Khris’ egg matures in her blocked Fallopian tube.
The only method for her to conceive was for her egg to mature in her
unblocked tube.
That being the case, our only recourse was to patiently wait. The eventful day came when we received the news after one of our check-ups that there was a
mature egg in Khris’ unblocked tube.
A month later, Khris’ had a pregnancy test but it appeared negative. She showed it to me but we noticed that there was a faint, almost non-existent,
second line. We could not really celebrate for fear that it was just a false alarm, a product of our imagination.
It was like that for a week until on the seventh day, the second line appeared more pronounced. Just to be sure, our doctor recommended a blood test.
The result of which confirmed that Khris’ was five weeks pregnant. The happiness that we felt was indescribable and uncontainable. It was true that you cannot really explain how the emotions were. Our doctor took our hands and uttered a prayer for us and our child.
The entire nine months were smooth sailing. It was good that Khris’
pregnancy was not sensitive. When she was about to give birth, our doctor never left our side.
She was always there checking on us. She would encourage us and crack small jokes to lighten the mood and ease the tension. Best of all, she would always pray with us.
We finally heard the little cries of our Baby Miguel an hour after lunch last January 05. It was the best day of our lives and the start of a
different kind of adventure – our parenting journey.
Epilogue
Almost a year later and we could still not contain our happiness every time we look at our Miguel. Our prayers were answered in His own perfect time.
There is much work to do ahead. we know the task at hand is not easy, but we are just thankful to be given the chance to become parents. We also have much to learn so we hope to gain as much knowledge as we can from our friends and other parents.
We have not seen our doctor for almost a year but we have not forgotten her.
We have so much to be grateful for her – for the encouragement, for letting us feel that there is still hope, for listening to our story. As such, I
want to end this post with a note of gratitude to our good doctor. Thank you, Dra. Jing Fernandez!
For those who would like to book a consultation with Dr. Ma. Asuncion "Jing"
A. Fernandez, whom we consider to be one of the best OB-GYN and infertility doctors in the country, here are her clinic details:
St. Luke's Global City
Address: St. Luke's Medical Center - Global City, 32nd Street, Bonifacio
Global City, Taguig, 1634 Metro Manila
Telephone number: (02) 789 7700
St. Luke's Quezon City
Address: MAB 212, St. Luke's Medical Center, Eulogio Rodriguez Sr. Avenue,
Quezon City, 1112 Metro Manila
Telephone number: (02) 723 0101
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He is a beautiful baby boy! What a true blessings you got :)
ReplyDeleteAwww your journey was hopeful and amazing. The result was very rewarding indeed. Your son looks the cutest ❤️
ReplyDeletewww.annebelo.com
Kudos to the doctors na they put such effort and passion in their line of work. Im so happy for you both!!!
ReplyDeleteAwww! You have an adorable son! God really uses people like doctors to give us hope.
ReplyDeleteI'm in my early 20's and I keep on telling my partner that I want to have kids before 30. LOL.
Your baby boy is such a cutieee! God bless you and your family :)
ReplyDeletePretty sure that the other doctor that you described before meeting your last Dr was Dr Aguilar. We had the same experience with her and I just can’t tolerate it anymore. She shouted on my wife just for asking questions and she shouted like a very delusional person. Like what you describe also, she’s always late on our appointments for no less than 2 hrs per instance. There was even a time she’s late for 5 hours. 5 hours and it’s because of her personal reasons. The worst part, she didn’t even apologize enough and when she’s done with my wife’s test, she didn’t even face me to explain what happened and what are the next steps. She will answer simple questions very rudely as if she’s the only one smart person in the room but not even comprehending where we are coming from for asking such questions. For people like us who have already been through a lot in finding ways to have our own child, the least our Doctors can do is to not add to our already heavy stress. I’m posting this to warn everyone else who will find Dr Aguilar - please save yourselves from stress, you do not deserve the treatment she will give you nor she deserves all the penny you’ll shed to for those short but dreadful sessions. We are yet to find our next doctor, but one this is for sure, I will never ever put my wife in that situation again. We deserve better. We are the patient and we are paying them, we should not be treated like how she treated us. I hope this warning may help many others.
ReplyDeleteI hope that you will be able to find a good doctor to help you with your fertility journey. I would most definitely recommend that you see Dr. Maria Asuncion "Jing" Arzadon Fernandez. She is the kindest and most patient fertility/ob gyn doctor that we've known.
DeleteAs for the names of the other doctors mentioned in this post, you may message me privately.
I will pray for you and your wife.
Thank you Ivan for this post. This made me decide to book an appointment with Dra. Fernandez.
DeleteSoul- thanks also for your feedback regarding Dra. Aguilar. Actually both doctors are pretty famous as they are usually mentioned in pregnancy forums. Now I know who among the 2 to choose.
Hello, Cel. I'm glad that this post has somehow helped you on your journey. You're in good hands with Dr. Jing Fernandez. Good luck!
DeleteHi! Just wanted to update this post. I am currently 28 weeks pregnant all thanks to God and Dr. Fernandez :)
DeleteWow, that's great news! I'm so glad that our story was able to inspire and help you. Congratulations! Praying for you and your baby's safety. Say "hi" to Dra. Jing for us (Ivan & Khrisna Jose), please. :)
DeleteNice story and this a big blessings Sa Inyo daddy Iv and wifey
ReplyDelete