My Health Advocacy Part 23

The first trimester is considered by many to be the most difficult, with the third trimester being less difficult only because there, it ramps up towards the last month instead of building up in the first month. In Hazel’s case, the hormones kicked in on the second month, with her being inexplicably angry at her sister, Jamie for a whole week. Must be why some people say Nixi looks like Jamie.

My Health Advocacy Part 22

Disclaimer: today’s post isn’t meant to bash cats by any means, but it only talks about what Hazel needed to avoid during pregnancy and why. Personally, I used to have cats as pets but over the years I’ve become extremely allergic to them so I can’t have them in the household anymore. Anyway, on to the rest of the post.

Hazel had her share of medications that helped her pregnancy with Nixi along but she also had to make a few lifestyle changes. These changes were done to further lower the chances of miscarriage, to strengthen the baby, and to keep her immune system in tiptop shape.

My Health Advocacy Part 21

So Hazel was finally pregnant. And this time, we were not taking any chances. We decided to go to a specialist in perinatology, a high-risk pregnancy OB-GYN. She was the first obstetrician we went to after we were married and because of her track record, we decided to return. Her name: Dr. Ana Marie Madamba-Burgos.

My Health Advocacy Part 20 (After Photo at The End of The Post)

“What?”

“Do you want to do the Spartan Program?”

Do keep in mind that the TR90 kit costs Php100,000 or ~$2,000 with a member’s discounted price of Php70,000 or ~$1,350, no small sum in a third world country like the Philippines.

My Health Advocacy Part 19

My last few entries discussed the Spartan Transformation Program. And today, I’ll talk about its significance to us.

Since the doctor’s requirement was for Hazel to manage her weight so she could get pregnant, she tried many different diets. I also tried them to see the effects on my body and also to help support Hazel.

My Health Advocacy Part 18

First of all, I’d like to apologize for the week-long delay between my last post and this one. Something came up that prevented me from blogging late nights over the past week. That being said, I’ll be posting about my advocacy and my jar twice a day to make up for it.

I’ll also change the dates in the posts so they reflect the intended publish schedule. It’ll help me keep track too.

My Health Advocacy Part 15

A couple of days after Pico De Loro, I was woken up early in the morning by a hysterical Hazel. No, check that. She wasn’t hysterical. She was giddy with glee! “Honey!” she said, “we’re pregnant!” And our entire world completely changed.