When's the last time you wanted something so badly?

A possible opportunity came to my lap last Thursday. On Friday, I was certain I wanted it because I knew I could do it.

But the road may not be that easy. I was told I have to go through 3 hurdles and that I have to do my own due diligence. And that I have to wait patiently.

Oh, Lord, thank you for this opportunity. Thank You that they have noticed me. But please, Lord, let this be mine, rightfully mine, for my own good and for the good of my family.

If not, grant me the grace to accept Your will. But please, Lord, lead me to a better path as I turn 30 this June. And grant me the grace to always have a grateful heart.

Prepare me. As I wait patiently. 

I am an AQUA(wo)MAN!

I completed my second aquathlon last Sunday, 17 March at the Aquaman Aquathlon. That's 2 weeks after my first. This time, I swam 800 meters and ran 5 kms. 

This is my record:

• Swim (800m): 0:28:54
• Run (5km): 0:39:08
• Overall: 1:08:02

Ranking is available here.

Happy with this one. I am now more energized to improve my running. =)

Dugong on the loose - an aquathlon debut

On 3 March, I finally made my athletic event debut since completing that half-marathon while 5 weeks pregnant. 

Set for swimming

I initially planned to go back into running slowly, gradually working my way towards completing 10 kilometers. However, I found myself too heavy to run so I resorted to swimming, something that I have been doing once in a while since 2007. Being a low-impact sport, I thought swimming would be the best exercise given my current weight.   

So I signed up for Ateneo Aquathlon 2013 and swam 600 meters and ran 5 km.

My record? Here:

• Swim (600m): 00:20:12:
• Run (5km): 00:42:31
• Overall: 1:05:58

I was happy with my swimming performance although I realized I swam really slow that R likened me to a dugong. I did not expect much from my running because I really found myself very heavy. Out of 10 racers, I finished 7th in the swimming part and last in the run. Overall, I finished 10th place. Haha! 

Well, I am glad to be back in the game! 

And excited for my next aquathlon this coming Sunday, 17 March. Wish me luck!

Sharing my photos at the Ateneo Aquathlon 2013.

Swimming for 12 25-m laps

From swimming to running

Was glad R joined me in running! 

Finisher's shot since there is no finisher medal

We celebrated our little victory over breakfast

That half-marathon while 5 weeks pregnant

I once did a half-marathon while 5 weeks pregnant. That may be my second most memorable pregnancy experience. The first, of course, was the birth of Umi which I would like to think was akin to completing a full marathon. 

I was one of the 288 21-km runners of the Corregidor International Half Marathon (CIHM) on 10 December 2011. And no one knew, at least those in the race—even my running companions, that I was already 5 weeks pregnant. I finished 15th from the last, with a time of 3 hours 34 minutes and 23 seconds.

What follows is my recollection of how I found myself running towards the finish line one remarkable day.

Ultrasound at 4 weeks

9 days before CIHM. I learned about my pregnancy a week before CIHM 2011. My first ultrasound indicated that I was 4 weeks pregnant. The doctor immediately prescribed Duphaston for the developing fetus to hold on and advised me to stop any strenuous activity until the second trimester. The latter came as a shock to me as I was then at the height of my running and yoga activities. I just resumed yoga in April and running in July after recovering from a surgical operation due to endometriosis in February. In November, I completed my first half-marathon with Run United and was very excited to try a more hilly terrain for my second half-marathon with CIHM. So there I was, reluctant to follow my doctor’s advice.

The running superwomen. I searched for information on running and pregnancy in the internet. And there I learned about the likes of Amber Mills, who completed a full marathon a few hours before she gave birth. Of course, there are those running divas Paula Radcliffe and Kara Goucher who trained for their races while pregnant.  Definitely, marathoner pregnant women exist and have given birth to healthy babies. Yet, we also know that these pregnant women did not reach the finish line with an overnight’s work. They have been running way before they became pregnant; thus, running while pregnant is no longer new to their bodies. They also admit to have decreased the intensity of their runs—distance- or speed-wise—during their pregnancy. But they continued running, nonetheless.

If others can, why can’t I? So I thought to myself, “if others can, why can’t I?” But it wasn’t really that easy a decision. Especially that the doctor thought I had a sensitive first trimester. However, apart from the mild cramping that I occasionally experienced that time, which could be due to the stretching of the uterus to adjust to the growing fetus, I felt fine. Also, I was still very eager to exercise and my body seemed to be cooperating. On the following week that I learned about my pregnancy, I still attended Vinyasa yoga until my instructor advised me to put my yoga practices on hold until the end of my first trimester. I discussed with R my plan of joining CIHM. R and I both agreed that my body had been accustomed to running—having progressed from 10 kilometers in July to 21 kilometers in November (and even running way back) —and we believed that it would do no harm to Umi (the name of our growing baby) if I run about 10 kilometers in CIHM at a slow pace. I just had to be more aware of my body as I run; never attempt to go beyond my limit—a level certainly lower than what I used to know especially with a developing Umi within me. And there, I had the green light to join CIHM.

CIHM day. I almost missed the ferry to Corregidor on the day of the race. I noticed that my body had become more demanding of sleep—requiring me to sleep by 10 pm and for at least 8 hours through the night. Having slept at past 12 midnight because of a Christmas party at work, I did not wake up in time for the ferry’s scheduled departure to Corregidor. Luckily, I was able to catch the departing ferry that was 30 minutes delayed.

The sun was up when we arrived at Corregidor Island. I picked up my race kit which I failed to pick up in Manila and found my 2 running companions. We agreed to run at more or less the same pace.

Shortly after the gun was fired, I was surprised to find myself already panting after about 100 meters. Fatigue was kicking in. Was it the lack of sleep the night before? But I also did not get enough sleep the last time I ran 21 kms in mid-November. I believed it must be because of my pregnancy. Earlier that week, my colleagues and I were practicing for our Christmas party dance presentation and I was surprised at how easily I would get exhausted. However, I did not realize that the exhaustion would occur that soon in my running. Thus, I allowed myself to be left behind by my running buddies and ran at a really, really slow pace.

I kept running, or I might as well say I kept on jogging, as I tried to be cautious of what was going on in my tummy. I imagined that the fetus cannot be stirred too vigorously in my tummy so I had to run really slowly. I would say that the early fatigue that caused me to run slowly early on complemented my already growing motherly protective instinct.

I kept on jogging continuously until the 10th kilometre when I decided to start my walk-jog intervals to take time to rest. I relished the opportunity to be able to join this event as it gave me the chance to explore Corregidor on foot. I just wished R was with me to enjoy those moments.

A quick pose in the middle of the 21-km stretch

I also considered ending my actual race at this point. However, I thought it was embarrassing to walk back, against the flow of runners. Besides, I deemed my body was still willing to complete another kilometre, and then another. Moreover, I got challenged with the hilly terrain of the island. The running trail was something that I could not easily find in Manila. Actually, more than the challenge, it was nostalgia that hit me. The hilly terrain was something similar to my two jogging paths in Singapore. And having spent about a year mastering that route, I believed I was capable of conquering this one as well.      

Running towards the finish line

It was a long run and no matter how interesting and beautiful the scenery could get, boredom was likely to set in. I realized this during my previous half-marathon at the Mall of Asia–Roxas Boulevard route where I got fed up with all the music I had saved in my mp3 player. At CIHM, I decided that after listening to some music, I would pray the rosary. Throughout the whole 21-km stretch, I was able to finish all the 4 mysteries of the holy rosary. And If I had only memorized the litany, I would still have enough time to recite them, too. It was actually a beautiful time spent praying.

At probably the 20th kilometre, I went to the loo and checked myself. There was no bleeding; thanked God that Umi and I were fine. I then moved towards the finish line. The last kilometre was the hardest. As I was on a hilly portion, I could already see the finish line below and yet I still had a kilometre to go. I kept running until the finish line got nearer and nearer that finally, finally, I was there. Finally.  

With my running buddies, Arthur and Ivy

My running buddies—who had finished way ahead of me—and I then celebrated our little victory with some photos at the finish line, as we were all excited to share our own CIHM experiences. After all, who would not be so eager to talk after 2-4 hours of solitary running and quietude?     

An inspiration. The CIHM committee awarded the top 10 runners in the male and female categories. Spectators that we were during the awarding ceremony, my running buddies and I were amazed and inspired by the winners. I personally knew one of the top male runners for he was my housemate in college. Right there, I was again reminded of the power of one’s dreams. Back in college, he shared his desire to join the mountaineering organization in our university. A year later, he finally qualified as a member after passing the stringent physical tests of the organization. Later on, he ventured into doing marathons and then ultramarathons. Back in college, I would not have an idea that we would reach this moment—he, being a half-marathon awardee and I, a spectator.

I also recognized a woman from my office who was awarded as one of the top 10 female runners for the 10k category. She seemed to be in her 40s, married, and has children. That was when I told myself to commit to a physically active lifestyle even if I am already a mother. And my decision to join CIHM that day was, hopefully, only the beginning of more physical activities with Umi, with R, and even with our future children.

The day after. The following day, when the euphoria of my half-marathon had partially subsided, paranoia set in. Even if I did not see any bleeding, I believed I still have to get myself checked. So I saw my ob-gyne and was examined internally through an ultrasound. He found out that I had subchrionic haemorrhage and was advised to go on bedrest for about 2 weeks (I didn't and continued to report to work) and prescribed some medicines. It took me exactly two weeks to be back to the normal process of pregnancy.

However, one more week after recovering from the haemorrhage, I started to have mumps. I suspected I got the virus from the large concentration of people in the marathon as the mumps virus have an incubation period of 16-18 days. Or I could have gotten the virus in the mall or wherever. Nonetheless, I realized the concentration of people in a fun run is another risk that a pregnant runner (or just about anyone) has to face. That said, a pregnant woman has to be aware of the consequences whenever she exposes herself to a large crowd.

The doctor could not tell the effect of mumps on the developing fetus. He just assured me that measles have a more adverse effect on the fetus than mumps do. R and I, and many more significant others, prayed for Umi’s health.

Umi at 7 months

Back to the present. It is already 7 months since I gave birth to Umi. And we are deeply grateful for Umi’s excellent health and happy character. I have R to thank for being supportive and understanding of my needs, my colleagues at work who never fail to make me laugh during crunch times, my loved ones who constantly prayed for me and Umi, and above all, His constant graces.

I sometimes ask myself if I would still do those activities that I did (there were other risky ones) in my succeeding pregnancies, given the consequences it may have caused the unborn child. My answer is, it would depend on my physical and emotional condition then. If I would still be a physically active woman—which I intend to be—and there are no serious risks to the baby and myself, I would still do them. But no one can really tell. On another note, I may have to attribute my youth for having done all those adventures and I may no longer be so eager to go on those same adventures in the future. Well, I hope not to lose the youth in me as I age.

The “holistic” lifestyle. On a side note, I believe my pre-pregnancy and pre-natal activities have helped me deliver smoothly. I was lucky to have a short labor of 5 hours. People say that giving birth the natural way—without pain relievers—involves a great deal of energy. That’s why mothers have to prepare for the big day emotionally, physically, and spiritually. I did try to live a “holistic” lifestyle during my pregnancy—doing occasional yoga exercises and spending quality times with myself, Umi, and R, to fill the emotional part; walking as much as I can (after that half-marathon at CIHM), eating healthy food (although I did go overboard on the eating part), and swimming, to fill the physical aspect; and praying, while making a point to hear weekday masses apart from Sunday masses, to strengthen one’s spirituality. I believe my yoga exercises, that firm mindset to deliver naturally, R’s labor coaching, and the prayers, helped me endure those mind-blowing labor pains. Again, I was lucky to go through that difficult process relatively shorter.

I would like to think my holistic lifestyle did pay off. And I haven’t mentioned yet the benefits such lifestyle has brought to my baby. Haha! I should stop here before I start sharing how proud I am of Umi, which R and I now know is a natural feeling parents have toward their children! =)

Sharing the photos I took en route to the finish line. I told you I took this opportunity as a walking tour, too.

The guy I met at the ferry - we shared the
same experience of almost having
to run or swim after a departing ferry

One of the routes 

 

The killer part - most runners
I saw had to "climb" this part

Finally

The smell of damp earth

I go home during lunch now to play with Umi, have some home-cooked lunch by Nang Vi, and express milk. Because of this, lunch breaks are literally a break for me - a pause from what I got myself engrossed with at work in the morning (which sometimes are actually guilt-filled non-work activities). Although I usually rush to finish all these lunch activities given the time constraint, I actually find these lunch breaks refreshing. Well, what could be more refreshing than playing with a 5-month-old kiddo who just laughs at the funny sounds I make?

However, as with many things, there's always a BUT. And the big BUT is that I find it utterly dragging to go back to the office after these lunch breaks. I used to run half marathons and yet I get so tired walking for about 200 meters from my place to the house. It always comes up to me, in the middle of whatever I am thinking during these seemingly long walks, that my place is SO NEAR, YET SO FAR FROM THE OFFICE! Ugh!

I told you about these different thoughts that come up to me while walking. As I walked back this afternoon, I thought of gardening. And not actually posting this activity on Facebook. I thought to myself, this Facebook has created a phenomenon. When was actually the last time you thought about something without thinking of not posting it on Facebook? I mean, even if your better judgement eventually won and you decided not to post it, you still initially considered posting it anyway.

My mental ramblings continued. Gone were the days when you do something without having to let other people know about it. I wish I can go back to those summers that were spent tilling the soil in front of our house, planting duranta along the walkway to our porch (and that rose that eventually grew and bore flowers), painting those horses from the paint-by-number kit that I bought from a nearby city, and memorizing country capitals that were listed at the back of a world map that a friend gave me. Those were just the days when there were less distractions - no mobile phones, no internet connection, and the fact that my house was not easily accessible by my schoolmates.

Those were the days, I thought, as I neared the office gate. I walked past a small garden - and wondered what the plants are - then past someone tilling the soil. And there! THERE! The smell of soil, that warm scent of damp earth, filled me for a brief moment. It suddenly brought those gardening memories at home or in school alive. Those simpler, humbler moments all came back to their crisp lives for a short instance. And then, I have to go back to work. Or start working...

Talking about coincidence? Or fate? Nah, whatever.

The due date - 8 August 2012

R and I finally saw Umi on 8 August at 1:36 in the morning. She weighed 2.945 kilograms, had a height of 48 centimeters, and an APGAR score of 9.9. We were very pleased to see our little girl – that we actually contributed to the creation of such a lovely doll, it was unbelievable! And amazing.

But what I’d like to share are the hours towards Umi’s birth. I would always recall those four arduous hours of labor as a testament to a prayer-filled teamwork between R and me. If we made it through Umi’s delivery naturally, that is without anaesthesia or through normal spontaneous delivery, it would definitely be because of God’s grace. 

8:00 am - 12:00 noon, 7 August. It was a rainy Tuesday. There was a low pressure area throughout Luzon and several areas of Metro Manila were already flooded. I was scheduled for check-up that day after my ob-gyne, Dr. Marietta Sapaula, prescribed primrose capsules on Saturday to thin out my cervix. However, the doctor informed me through a text message that she would not be reporting to her clinic because of the rains and if I was already experiencing continuous and regular contractions (the type that is 1 minute long on 4-minute intervals), I should report immediately to the hospital’s emergency room. By lunch time, all I felt were mild menstrual cramps. However, I wanted to know the status of my eventual delivery so R and I decided to go to the hospital, all set with the possibility of a delivery by having our labor bags, birth plan, and cameras in tow.

The question was which hospital to go. Our place was very near Medical City. However, our doctor was based at St. Luke’s Medical Center along E. Rodriguez Ave. in Quezon City. Officemates and friends earlier informed me that some parts of the road towards St. Luke’s had already been flooded. So R and I agreed to try Medical City first. In the cab to Medical City, I asked the driver if he could drive us to St. Luke’s to which he said yes because the flooded part was only after the hospital. We did make it to St. Luke’s hospital after 20 minutes without any traffic jam.

2:30 pm, 7 August. It was 2:30 in the afternoon when I had an internal examination by the hospital’s resident. My cervix was already 1 cm dilated. Hooray to the start of (early) labor! But the pain was still very manageable and the irregular contractions were still akin to very mild menstrual cramps that no pain reliever was needed. (I used to experience severe menstrual cramps that I would always have a pain reliever in my bag.) Since it was still a long way towards the active phase of labor (which starts at around 5 cm), the doctor advised me to walk around first and come back at 7 pm.

R and I didn’t plan to go back to our place as it was already raining heavily. Instead, we decided to let the hours pass at the hospital’s cafeteria while I walked around the hospital to hasten the dilation of my cervix, and thus, the progress of my labor. 

7:00 pm, 7 August. At 7 in the evening, an internal examination indicated that my cervix was already 5 cm dilated although I did not feel changes in the intensity of the cramps (that were actually contractions already). Some nurses congratulated me as I would already be admitted and expect to deliver, with much hope, real soon.

That was when I started to get nervous. My heart started to beat faster. R and I decided to pray together. We knew then that we were headed towards those challenging hours. We learned about the process of childbirth after attending Chiqui Brosas' chilbirth classes and reading books and articles online. And we knew that those difficult hours of active labor (and that most intense transition phase) could just be a few hours away, if we were lucky (because it could take much longer in many cases). But they remain grueling, painful, scary hours to our minds.

So we prayed. And I prayed that my delivery be smooth and quick. And that I will be able to overcome the pain of childbirth. I also knew then that some people were praying for us and the thought gave me the courage to face what was ahead of R and me at that time.

8:00 pm, 7 August. Already admitted to the hospital, R and I initially stayed at the high-risk pregnancy unit (HRPU) while I was on labor. The menstrual-cramp-like pain (which I think occurred in 10-minute intervals) was still very manageable that I could still walk around the area. That was exactly what I did while R processed my hospital admission papers.

10:00 pm, 7 August. By this time, I could already feel the pain intensify. And the intervals of the contraction became shorter (like around 5 minutes - I earlier downloaded this mobile phone app to time my contractions but I wasn't able to use it at this point anymore). There were more frequent urges to pee. I kept on walking around until the pain became more frequent and could no longer be relieved by walking. I decided to lean my forehead against the wall while R would massage my lower back to ease the pain of contraction. Again, it was still quite manageable that I could still talk to R and analyze our labor status in between contractions--we thought we were already in the transition phase until I would realized later that there was even a more painful stage. It relieved me that the contractions occurred in intervals. I could anticipate when the pain would start to build up and dissipate. An internal examination indicated that I was 6 cm dilated.

11:00 pm, 7 August - almost 1:00 am, 8 August. Eventually, the intervals became shorter that I got tired of standing and leaning my hand against the wall. The contractions could be a minute long, occurring every 2 minutes. I laid down on the bed on one side while my legs were curled up slightly close to my chest. R continued to massage my lower back. The pain was no longer manageable. Sweat was building up on my forehead. I thought of epidural then, but it would already be quite late to have – it would only take effect 5 minutes later. So I tried to manage the pain the best way I could. I started to have the urge to scream. And scream I did, as I writhed in pain! Shortly after, I realized that the shouting didn’t help and I recalled the type of breathing exercises reserved for this stage of labor (I realized then that I was already in the transition phase--the most intense part--of labor). The breathing sounded like ha-ha-hu. And my ha-ha-hus became louder and stronger with each contraction. But the breathing should come from the diaphragm (deep breaths). However, frequent breathing from the diaphragm was tiring and I would often fail by shallowly breathing from my chest. I knew it was wrong as I would feel my chest hurt. With such feeling, it was relieving to have R massage my upper back repeatedly in a single, downward direction.

Words of encouragement from R, the nurses and resident doctors and eventually, from our ob-gyne, Dr. Sapaula, became music to my ears. The occasional ice chips also prevented my mouth from drying up and somehow quenched my thirst. There was already an urge to push which felt like I was about to poop. But I had to resist the urge to push (before 10 cm) as it would only make my cervix swell. By this time too, I have well-appreciated the presence of my labor coach in R - from his reminders to breathe deeply whenever I falter to the lower-back rubs when I would reach the peak of every contraction.

1:00 am, 8 August. My water bag broke at 10 cm. Shortly after, the series of madly painful contractions stopped. It felt like there was a long silence within me. I also took this time to really rest. And then... another kind of pain started to build up. I was entering the actual pushing stage (of labor) where there was a very strong urge to push that I just had to ride with it. Again, the urge to push came in intervals so there was time to rest. But I did not know how to push - I initially thought it was like pushing your pee when you urinate - until I realized it was actually like pushing your poop out when you are constipated. By this time, I was transferred to the delivery room.

1:00 am - 1:36 am, 8 August. It was very encouraging to hear from Dr. Sapaula that she could already see our baby’s hair from my opening. I knew then that Umi was coming out real soon. When she informed me that she was about to do an episiotomy, I did not feel any pain at all - just as described to us by Chiqui, our childbirth teacher. Umi finally came out on my fifth push. She was immediately placed on my chest. Umi stared at me. She then latched on my left breast. R, on the other hand, cut Umi’s umbilical cord. Umi and I took the time to know each other while I was being stitched. We then celebrated by taking pictures of our newest family member with the birthing team. 

Umi quite shy at first to face me

The birthing team (with Dr. Sapaula carrying Umi)
all relieved and happy after the delivery

2:30 am, 8 August. When R, Umi and I were back at the labor room (HRPU), R and I celebrated with orange juice and a pandesal sandwich – the only food R could get from the nearest convenient store at around 2:30 in the morning – while recalling in disbelief what we just went through. And that, yes, finally, we can already actually see and hold Umi who was at that time, peacefully asleep.

Sunday morning palengke (market)

One Sunday morning, R invited me to go on a date with him to the market. And indeed to the market we went! We took the train from Ortigas to Quezon Avenue station and found ourselves at the Sidcor Sunday Market at Centris Walk. The market, which is open on Sundays from 6 am to 2 pm, boasts of a variety of things to sell - from ready-to-wear goods to fruits, vegetables, fishes and meat to plants and ready-to-eat dishes and desserts! After all, the Sidcor Sunday Market claims to be the biggest weekend market in the Philippines! Well, I didn't realize that until one eventful Sunday morning.    

Years ago, when R and I were still a new couple, one of our adventures included a visit to Farmer's Market in Cubao. This time, however, marketing is no longer just an adventure. We would be off to the market to fill our otherwise unfilled refrigerator and find some believed-to-be galactagogues to increase my dwindling breastmilk supply. 

Nonetheless, it was a pleasant experience to be able to do simple activities with R again. I can indeed count this experience as one of our lovely dates. :)

We spent around Php700 on lots of green leafy vegetables, half kilo of mussels and clams (believed to enhance breastmilk supply), half kilo of pork and fish, 100 grams of Coffea Liberica (coffee), a papaya, and a kilo of Sabah (banana). I will share some of the photos I took at the market. 

The Sidcor Sunday Market at Centris Walk (very near Quezon Ave. MRT station).
There's R well-involved in his craft.

R holding a patola that will definitely be swimming in one of our dishes for the week.

The bountiful seafood! Oh, the scaloops! :-P

We tried the heartwarming palitaw.

The market is near these clean toilets within the Centris compound.
And if you want to escape the searing heat of the sun, the Centris Mall is just a few meters away.

We will definitely be going back. And will buy a kilo of mangosteen. Next Sunday? Who knows. =)