The Rumors are True: Third Trimester

The third trimester of my pregnancy wasn't much better than my second. The whole car sickness bit went away, but I still had to prick my finger every day since I had gestational diabetes. I went for my usual ultrasound check and got some news that rocked our world. I could tell something was wrong when the technician told me that she was having trouble identifying something so she had to get the doctor. I understand that these people are trained to remain calm when they see a problem and reassure us that everything will be ok, but after having 3 different doctors check out my ultrasound I started to worry. They basically told us that the fluid spaces in Jordan's brain were a little bigger than normal so I'd have to come back for weekly ultrasounds to monitor it. By the third or fourth visit the doctor sat us down and told us to basically prepare for the possibility of having a mentally disabled child. We were devastated. When you find out that you're pregnant you never really consider the thought of having a child with a disability. You start to blame yourself and retrace your steps on what you could have don't differently. Mahal and I talked about how we would handle it, but we felt so lost. Neither of us had any previous experience with disabled children or had any encounters with them except in school. Regardless, we knew no matter what, that was our son and we'll love him no matter what.

Now, what I'm about to tell you may sound unreal. Some people may believe me or some people may just think it was a coincidence. To each is own but this is just my personal story. We were raised as Catholics so whenever we have troubles in life we were always taught to pray about it. Filipinos have many superstitions and beliefs as well, but I was never one to get wrapped up in it all. This is where the unreal act comes in. Once a month my aunt goes to this church and after mass she visits this hilot lady who lived nearby. In the Filipino community, hilot is an ancient art of healing. In the Philippines, Manghihilots (Hilot practitioners) are a cheaper alternative to medical doctors. The hilot lady my aunt visted was a little bit different than most. As a little background, many Filipinos pray to Santo Niño just as many Catholics would pray to Jesus. This hilot lady healed others by "transforming" into Santo Niño. It sounds crazy I know, but she does. My aunt suggested that we go with her to visit the hilot lady to try and help with Jordan's condition. She said we had nothing to lose if we tried so Mahal and I hesitantly went.

Santo Niño {via}

The whole idea made us a little nervous since we've never experienced or witnessed anything like my aunt described. She's brought other family members before, but I never opted to attend until now. When we arrived we ate and then prayed the rosary together. This is also the time where watched her "transform". Once she fully embodied Santo Niño her helpers at the home sat her down on the couch and one by one everyone knelt in front of her simply asking for her blessing. She placed her hand on your head, chest, and stomach to bless you and will make a gagging sound if she finds any bad auras in that area (ie. sickness) as if the sickness is traveling out through her and she's gagging and getting rid of it for you. Odd I know, but stay with me. When it was my turn I did the same. I knelt in front of her and asked for her blessing. I never spoke to anyone when we arrived at the home so no one knew my reasoning for being there. Most people just come to attend the prayer. Her eyes were closed the whole time, so even though it was obvious, she mentioned that I'm expecting a baby and it will be sooner than expected. She said expect my little one in July or early August. Her helper whispered and asked when my due date was and I said September 5th. She placed her hand over the three areas of my body and when she got to my stomach she started to hyperventilate and gag. Everyone else who had the same reaction previously was done in a minute or less, but with me she stayed with her hand hovering over my stomach for 5-7 minutes! Her helpers reassured me that it was ok and to just pay attention to her since she spoke so softly. Once she was done she instructed me drink orange juice with lots of pulp for one week and everything will be ok now, not to worry. We all finished up and left.

Mahal and I didn't know what to think afterwards. He also asked for a blessing from Santo Niño and she begin to heal his chest. No one but me knew that he was suffering from excruciating chest pains for over a month on a daily basis, and after the session he never had them again. Although he was grateful for what she did, he was a little spooked by the whole idea. We just prayed that the same results worked for our baby. I went for my weekly ultrasound and the doctors were shocked at the significant change in his scans! Once again three different doctors checked it out to get another opinion and then gave us the all clear that our baby was happy and healthy inside. They couldn't explain the drastic change especially since the fluid spaces were increasing more than than their liking week to week. We were ALL ecstatic to hear that great news. Now all we have to do is keep him safe until delivery time! Only about 3 1/2 months more to go!

Most moms can't stand being preggo by the 3rd trimester. How is/was your 3rd trimester?